Kahfi & Kazim’s Emirates ID : Finally!

“congratulations. you have just received your new UAE national identity card. this is your official identification in the united arab emirates.”

just like our MyCard, the emirates ID also has many functions - driving licences, work permits, employee cards, passports – all in one single identity card. kahfi and kazim finally got theirs a few days ago. so comel!

 

 

for ANY information you need on emirates ID, go to emirates identity authority (EIDA) official website – how to apply, where and how long, click here. you can also check the status of your emirates ID application on that site.

you can also check out here for a quick how-to-apply, complete with fees in straighforward point-form.

Sharks Sighting @ Jumeirah Beach?

'sharks spotted at jumeirah beach'? reading this news is somewhat shocking, and exciting at the same time (since there haven't been any fatal attacks or death). jumeirah beach is the long stretch of beach along dubai, and it's right by our apartment. jalan kaki je!

it was reported that the lifeguard spotted what looked like a SHARK, two of them in the waters - not just any shark, but a hammerhead shark. he gave out an immediate warning, rushing people out of the waters to avoid any mishaps.

funny thing was, the crowd went back into the water as soon as the beach patrol cars left the beach. aren't they afraid of shark attack? i'll tell you why later!

click here for full news from 7days.

'bruce' the shark from 'finding nemo', with his other shark friends - one of them is the hammerhead shark

hammerhead shark is the shark with the funny head, with eyes that can see both up and down at the same time!

now let me tell you why the crowd seemed undisturbed with the shark warning, and was not afraid to go back in the waters - it's a known fact that hammerhead sharks are the least dangerous type of shark there is.

hah?

a shark that's NOT dangerous to human? really? i didn't know that!

it turns out that

1. out of 9 species of hammerhead shark, only 3 are dangerous
2. hammerhead sharks rarely attack people
3. known to be the least aggressive of all sharks
4. this type of shark is least likely to harm humans unless provoked
5. favorite food is stingray! also eats crabs, squids and lobsters
6. can grow up to 4m long
7. the most dangerous sharks are the great white shark, the tiger shark, and the bull shark. stay away!

meanwhile, marine experts are excited with these reports, since hammerhead sharks are said to be under threat of being an endangered animal (their fins are larger, they're hunt for this expensive delicacy. stop eating shark's fin!).

they say that it's good that hammerhead sharks are spotted here because that means that the gulf waters are attracting marine life, and naturally predators too. a whole new environment is created somewhere down below.

* * *

just be careful and always on the alert when you're out swimming. if it's not shark, it could be sea-snake. if not that, then it could be the strong current and huge waves. we're the one going into their domain. we're swimming at their turf. it's THEIR home. seeing them there shouldn't be much of a shock, so we're the ones who must be cautious.

oh well, after all this talk - someone had actually said it could've been just a plastic bag floating in the water! click here.

Crispy Masala Dosa Ghee @ Saravanaa Bhavan

on the festive occasion of deepavali (diwali), i’ll post about this great vegetarian indian restaurant we love in dubai.

while in malaysia, i was never a fan of tose (in dubai it’s called dosa) like mr. khairul is. however, i can’t help but get hooked to this tose ghee (dosa ghee) in dubai at saravanaa bhavan. the taste, the texture – amazing. it has turned a non-fan into a must-order-this fan!

 

“

saravanaa bhavan is an indian vegetarian restaurant offering authentic indian cuisine – dosa (tose), uthappam, idly, aapam, naan and my favorite roti canai or parotta. from roti to rice – they’ve got it.

click here for full menu of the branch in dubai. the one we went today was in karama.

 

 

and hey, not only does it have a branch all over a few middle east countries, USA, canada, and singapore – it also has a few branches in our very own malaysia. in fact, one of the indian staff we met can speak very good malay as he had worked in the malaysia branch for about 3 years previously.

senang sikit nak order!

the other staff are also very friendly, and ready to help when you need them. at times too friendly haha, as they enjoy playing with khaleef and disturbing kahfi!

 

 

i love the interior of course – the seats are yellow! hihi the spaces between seats seemed narrow but the place itself actually looked quite spacious. it’s clean and doesn’t smell too much like curry haha.

 

* * *

 

khaleef with his favorite – roti canai, with a little bit of sugar. the roti canai here is tasty and delicious, but not as fluffy as the one in ‘green city’ and ‘appa kadai’.

 

kahfi gettin messy with his roti canai dip in sugar

 

tada ~ now THIS is mr. khairul’s favorite – the masala dosa ghee – and he has lured me into liking it too although i’m not originally a fan of tose/dosa!

 

the masala dosa is served with a few dippings – the one i like is this dip made from coconut, and it’s made spicy. something like the white one on the left picture, but it’s peach in color because of the spice. delicious!

 

 

now what is masala dosa ghee? you all know the plain dosa (tose) right? and it wouldn’t be super crispy and awesomely salty without the ghee. and they make it so big, and thin and delightfully crispy!

now the masala part? a masala dosa is made by stuffing a dosa with a lightly cooked filling of potatoes, fried onions and spices.

 

the dosa ghee, with the potato masala in the middle

 

my picture doesn’t do justice to the awesome taste of this dish!

the potato stuffing in my pictures may look like the portion is small – but actually they lump A LOT of potatoes in one masala dosa ghee, right in the middle. it’s really a very filling vegetarian indian dish.

the potato stuffing is delicious, and the texture is like mashed potato. a wonderful contrast to the very crispy dosa ghee. really, it’s yummy – the crispy dosa ghee and the mashed spiced potato filling!

wash it down with a glass of chai (tea with milk) and you’d have a complete meal!

 

 

the masala dosa ghee. try it the next time you’re thinking of having a nice vegetarian indian dish. it’s really good, really filling! kenyang weh.

Mr. K Head-Bangin to Metallica @ Abu Dhabi

at the time of writing, mr. khairul is on his superbike across the desert towards yas island abu dhabi to watch the world’s biggest hard rock band in action – the metallica. they’ll be performing at yas arena abu dhabi as part of their world magnetic tour.

that’s the same place mr. khairul and i went to see stevie wonder early this year. click here to read my review on the concert.

adoi, tak sangka laki aku minat heavy metal.

 

 

the only thing i know about metallica is that their songs all sound like someone is trying to make their voice sound really scary, and then sing with that voice.

warrrggggh. warrghhh. all the way.

but i’m not totally ignorant, ok. at least i know ‘enter sandman’! hihi. the guitar plucking-intro is legendary to rock fans everywhere.

but again, tak letih ke nyanyi jerit-jerit macam tu?

 

 

nways, enjoy metallica, honey cookie. please come back all sane ok. i’ll have the cough syrup and lozenges ready since you’re most probably gonna lose your voice…

Congrats Nash & Syida : Engaged!

last month, my youngest sister azot went through the merisik process, and last saturday, my second youngest sister got engaged – to long-time sweetheart nash.

congratulations! you guys looked lovely together! sob sob *tears of joy*

i think it all started as an office-warfare gone wrong – because they ended up falling for each other! *blink blink*. girl meets boy at office, boy acts obnoxious, girl annoyed with boy. girl and boy thrown into the same project. girl and boy got to talking. girl and boy discover lots of similarity.

..and then love happens.

 

nash & syida ~ engaged to be married!

 

my family and nash’s family met in mutual understanding of their daughter and son’s love for each other huhu, and so officiating the engagement ceremony with the engagement ring, fixed firmly by nash’s mom onto my sister’s trembling fingers hihi.

 

my abah in green batik shirt & nash’s abah in brown batik shirt

 

* * *

*jealous*

the pictures are uneven because i wasn’t there! sob sob.

 

love this picture of my sisters ~ from left : azot, yong, bride-to-be syida & syimot

 

* * *

 

always there for us ~ syida with my mak’s siblings – cu, syida, auntyna & cik

 

* * *

 

si darah-darah manis masin kelat-kelat. haha. faiz, nash, syida & azi. apsal org selalu cakap ‘darah manis’ ye? vampire ape!

 

future brides and grooms in the picture above : insyaAllah nash and syida in april; and faiz and azot in december. may Allah grant us smooth-sailing days ahead till the big day comes. amin.

hmm. just realized that all abah’s sons-in-law wear glasses. every single one. abg mat (yong’s) wears glasses. my mr. khairul wears glasses. din (syimot’s) wears glasses. and both my future bros-in-law also wear glasses – just like abah.

interestingly, NONE of us girls anak abah need to wear glasses. hihi. yet. alhamdulillah.

 

* * *

…and then somebody called all the way from DUBAI!

 

 

…hoho.

 

my family : mom’s side : miss them so much!!! wait for me, be coming back in april, insyaAllah!

* * *

this is just the beginning of wedding-planning. don’t fret too much, because it’s not just the wedding that we want to have in all its grandeur – it’s the *marriage* that is more priceless. happy hunting for more hantaran stuff (i’m doing a little hunting here in dubai myself hoho), have fun, take it easy and i’ll see you in april!

Mysuperkids iPad Contest : Final Challenge

to my fellow iPad seekers from mysuperkids dot net - the final challenge of the iPad contest is OUT! (like a week ago haha) thank you so much anis for informing me about this, or else i'd definitely lose out!

there are FOUR challenges this time around - yeap, organizer mommy lina decided to bombard our creativity with four challenges at one go! this is IT! however these challenges can be completed in random order, and done at any time before the due date on 31st december 2011.

challenge #3 : natural, or semulajadi
challenge #4 : health, or kesihatan
challenge #5 : clothing, or pakaian
challenge #6 : internet

click here for full list.

winner of this challenge will finally receive the grand prize - iPad - and the rest of us hopefully will get some other awesome tidbits. hihi.

to me, the greatest challenge would be trying to be as creative as possible, as the topic for each challenge is so broad. it's only ONE word, and could be interpreted in many ways, from all sorts of angle.

at this point, i not only wish the contestants GOOD LUCK, but i also wish the same to mommy lina in picking out the ultimate winner in the end! 4 challenges each from so many bloggers - that's gotta be tough just trying to read 'em all!

GOOD LUCK!

For Teachers of the World & Cikgu Cabuk

i am a teacher, did you know that?

i’ve never been a school teacher, but i’ve been a lecturer at a hospitality college, and then a magazine editor, and then a mentor at a kids’ development center (best job in the world!). so i teach. and i know what comes with teaching. a teacher friend of mine once said, “gim, you’re teaching kids. all cutesy stuff. it’s different than teaching teenage boys.”

i agree, it’s DIFFERENT. but the challenges and obstacles are nowhere more or less. i’ve taught teenage boys and girls before. and then i’ve taught little kids. believe me, all has its ups and downs, highs and lows.

..but i love each teaching moment!

* * *

found this floating over facebook today, LOVE it! :

i stumbled upon a blog once, belonging to a TEACHER. when she wrote about her job, she simply wrote : “cikgu cabuk aje.”

CIKGU CABUK.

this, coming from a teacher. i don’t know whether to be angry, or to cry. or to lower my head in shame for this fellow educator who is belittling this noble profession; her OWN profession. why the heck are you a teacher in the first place?!

be PROUD that you are a teacher. because god knows you’re doing so much more than just teaching. you’re touching people’s lives. you’re moulding young minds. you’re inspiring future leaders.

i dedicate this to cikgu cabuk, may you LEARN something today.

Kisah Dongeng Tak Bermoral?

aku marah dengan status mengarut macam ni. kalau nak buat lawak, buat la smiley ke, atau smiley ada lidah terkeluar ke. takpe. aku terima. walau tak lawak, tapi aku terima kalau niat tu sebab nak buat lawak pagi2 jumaat ni,

dulu ade dah status begini bergelimpangan kat facebook tapi dalam bahasa inggeris. nada agak comel sikit, bak kata aku lah, sebab disusuli dengan smiley face atau lidah terkeluar tanda ada unsur lawak di situ. klik sini untuk yang bahasa inggeris.

tapi bila tulis status begini, pastu akhirnya tulis “ish..ish.. sume xbermoral..” aku sangat bangkang. tambahan pulak aku sayang kisah-kisah fairy tale ni. tak salah pun. enjoy je lah. aku memang membesar dengan cerita-cerita magis dari dunia khayalan dongeng ni – dengan puteri-puteri jelita, putera-putera perkasa, makhluk-makhluk aneh, watak jahat yang sentiasa tumpas di tangan keadilan. jugak kisah-kisah tauladan di sebalik cerita-cerita dongeng ni.

 

 

status mengarut tu berbunyi begini :

tarzan hidup separuh bogel..

cinderella balik lewat malam..

pinocchio menipu manjang..

aladdin suka mencuri..

batman memandu 320 km/j..

superman pakai underwear kat luar..

sleeping beauty pemalas asyik tidur..

snow white tinggal serumah dgn 7 lelaki..

 

ish ish..sume xbermoral..

 

mengarut!

hello! ini pandangan peribadi aku :

tarzan tak memilih nak separuh bogel. dia dibela oleh sekumpulan gorilla, yang tak pakai apa-apa pun. itupun ajaib dia bole terpikir nak pakai cawat. kalau dia dibela oleh yusuf haslam ke obama ke, pehtu gatai nk pakai cawat lagi, baru la kita bole belasah dia!

cinderella rajin buat kerja rumah. korang yang like status tu, sinki tu dah clear ke?

pinocchio tak ‘menipu memanjang’. hakikatnya hidung dia akan panjang JIKA dia menipu. dan pinocchio selamatkan ayah dia dari perut ikan paus. bukan ayah betul dia pun!

aladdin dapat 3 hajat (wish). dia berkorban untuk tak menggunakan hajat ke-3. dia wish genie biru tu bebas dari menjadi genie. tak selfish.

batman membantu orang dalam kesusahan.

superman tu alien. lantak dia la nak pakai apa. nasib baik la dia sanggup jugak membantu rakyat bumi walaupun dia dari planet lain. korang yang asyik kutuk tu, cuba offer khidmat nasihat etika pemakaian orang bumi kat superman – barulah dia faham!

sleeping beauty tu asyik tido je bukan sebab pemalas! sila baca BUKU weh. dia tu mangsa bomohan oleh musuh bapak dia. kena curse ok. bukan sebab malas. tu dah fitnah. huhu.

snow white larikan diri dari mak tiri dengki yang nak bunuh dia, dan 7 orang lelaki kenit tu yang selamatkan dan dengan baik hati bagi snow white sembunyi kat rumah diorang tanpa bayar sewa pun. sila jangan buruk sangka ye. kesian 7 lelaki tu, nak buat baik pun disalah erti..

 

ok, dah lepas geram. maaf kalau aku over. aku sayang dunia buku aku.

lain kali lihatlah sesuatu tu dari kebaikan. macam kalau berpolitik contohnya, daripada mengutuk parti lain, ceritalah kebaikan, kebolehan, kepintaran parti sendiri. eh eh, dah masuk politik plak! haha. oh, dan rentikanlah buruk sangka. sekian, terima kasih.

salam jumaat semua!

Rock-Hard Waffle @ Choco Melt, Ibn Battuta Mall

i take this as a lesson : next time do it yourself, at home! one of the biggest disappointments i’ve ever encountered in dubai when it comes to dessert.

the place looked so promising, yet what is served did not reflect the adorable interior, the amazing array of colorful display and definitely was NOT worth the price we paid. rugi je ade tempat cantik-cantik!

we went to the ‘choco melt’ in ibn battuta mall. like i said, the kiosk is cute, and eye-catching. it’s right by the bowling arena at the mall. you wouldn’t miss it as you enter ‘india’ from ‘china’. oh, it’s also right behind the ‘elephant’.

what caught my eyes at first was the row of MELTED CHOCOLATE along the counter. it was really, really inviting. few machines were running, with wheels on them and chocolate kept being poured and the wheels just kept turning and turning and turning – you’d be in a trance watching the melted chocolate runs through the machine!

intoxicating!

my favorite – hazelnut milk chocolate!

mr. khairul’s favorite – white chocolate

…and they’ve got plain milk chocolate too of course, and dark chocolate for those who like some bittersweet taste in their dessert.

and wait – look. at. the. display.

rows of fruits dipped in chocolate. apples dipped in chocolate. bananas waiting to be dipped in chocolate. oreos dipped in chocolate. i particularly LOVE the apples dipped in milk choc and white choc, and made to look like bride and groom. comel gile!

i was really tempted to order ANY dish from this cute shop, so we ordered ‘waffle melt’ – waffle with one choice of fruit and one type of chocolate. i picked strawberry because it’s khaleef and kahfi’s favorite, and a choice of hazenut milk chocolate.

we waited. and waited. and waited. after about half an hour, we were told we had to wait another whole 15 minutes because THE STAFF HAD LEFT THE WAFFLE TOO LONG on the waffle maker, and now it’s kind ruined.

WHAT? ok, fine. i’ll wait. and it’d better be good!

when it came – owwwwkayyyy. the waffle looked flat, not fluffy, completely unattractive. the strawberries looked fresh, and they put A LOT of strawberries. and they’re generous on the chocolate melt too. i’m not sure this is the general practice, or they give extra because they made us wait..

i cannot even begin to describe the horrendousness of this dish that i love so much.

1. the waffle is hard. VERY. i cannot use my plastic fork to cut through the waffle
2. the texture is VERY BAD. it’s hard, through and through – i mean, it’s forgivable if it’s hard on the outside and soft on the inside but this is HARD ALL THE WAY.
3. and it’s not even crunchy. it’s hard and chewy. liat.
4. i know something is up with the batter that they use. i can’t say for sure – been put aside too long? wrong measurement of ingredients? i dunno, but it resulted in one BAD waffle!

the best part was, when i approached the staff to tell them how HARD the waffle is, they sheepishly replied, “a lot of customer also complained.”

*sound of silence*

dah tu, hang dok buat jugak waffle keras macam ni buat apa?

i had the best of intention. i just wanted to tell them that the waffle is too hard. please tell your manager, or owner or whoever that it’s probably the batter, or the way you make the waffle. change it. improve it. because i like this shop. that’s what i told the staff on duty.

the staff was polite and apologetic, so aku tak la mengamuk sangat. kesian pulak. bukan la salah dia completely kan. haha.

ape-ape hal pun rezeki jangan ditolak! the waffle may be HARD, but the fresh sour strawberry went really well with the sweetness of the hazelnut chocolate. we tried to finish the waffle but couldn’t. there were too much hard parts that we had to leave out.

to be fair (see, i’m still trying to think positive!), i guess the ‘choco melt’ shop is trying to bank on their chocolate-dipped items – like the choc-dipped apple, or choc-dipped marshmallows. that’s their specialty i guess. well, i sincerely suggest they stick with what they do best, and stop making below average waffles!

When My Kids Get Free Stuff

...and on rare special occasions, we're blessed with small but meaningful kindness...

we went to mandi restaurant the other day. kahfi had been pressing us for a drink of orange fizzy drink. it was a straight 'no' from us, until kahfi took matters into his own hands. on the way out of the restaurant, kahfi opened a fridge, and took an orange fizzy can drink on his own. when we asked to put it back, he cried. ok, fine. take one. paying time - "nevermind. take, take." and kahfi got to enjoy his coveted orange fizzy drink, free of charge.

alhamdulillah. may Allah bestow the restaurant owner plenty more rezeki and blessings for that little can of drink!

* * *

we were at a shop selling nuts - almond, cashew, pistachio - i love that shop. they also sell chocs and candies. i let khaleef and kahfi take a roll of fruity mentos each, and by the time we pay for our packets of nuts, the owner exclude the mentos. with simply a head gesture geleng-geleng and a swoosh of his hand 'take, take' - i had to ask him twice, really? thank you!

alhamdulillah. may Allah triple his rezeki for this simple kind act!

* * *

in a world where restaurant owners want nothing better than to raise their prices, and shopkeepers count every penny, i'm grateful for these few kind souls who don't mind a simple deed without concentrating on just the material of things.

it was really nothing much - just a can of fizzy drink, and a few rolls of mentos. but it's the thought behind it that counts. it's the kind gesture that matters. the magnitude of the kindness that we experienced is this - "i'm losing a few dirham to see a kid smile, and their parents delighted. and that's ok."

It's Jummuah : Muslim Parody of Rebecca Black's Friday!

familiar with the infamous youtube clip of rebecca black's 'friday' that has people labelling it the worse idiotic song ever? here's a brilliant spin on that song - done muslim style. total coolness!

enjoy the clip! oh, and salam Jumuah everyone!

it's Jumuah!

7am waking up for fajr
gotta make wudu', gotta pray my sunnah
gotta make ghusl, gotta clip my nails
looking outside, the sun is rising
up the sky, and everybody's rushing
gotta get down to the masjid
gotta say salam to the imam

sitting in the first saff, or
chilling at the back saff
gotta make my mind up
do i want the ajr?

it's Jumuah, Jumuah
gotta make dhikr on Jumuah
everybody is reading suratul Kahf, Kahf (2x)

miswaking, miswaking yeah!
miswaking, miswaking yeah!
pray pray pray pray
gotta read suratul Kahf

12:45 the imam's on the minbar
talkin bout something like fiqh or zakat
there's whispering, chattering from the crowd
don't they know that it's haram?

i stand up, you stand up
prayer's about to start yeah!
foot to foot, shoulder to shoulder
just don't step on me!

chorus

last week i had a heartburn (from after Jumuah lunch)
this week i am skipping (on after Jumuah lunch)
i'm on a diet, a veggie diet
just gonna have some hummus today

and when i try to leave the masjid, an uncle stops me
and rubs some itar on my cheeks

-rap-
ready, go!
pakistani, hindustani, senagalese
we see them all Jumuah prayer looking for keys
to Jannah, coz that is the goal
making dhikr, giving sadaqah, they trying to be whole
no matter who you are, you gotta come to pray
gotta greet your brothers, who you see in the day
so put your kufi and roll up your pants
it's the day of Jumuah, don't pass up the chance!

chorus

click here for the original song/video. personally the song is kinda catchy - too bad it has bad singing and bad lines - like, wow i never knew if it's saturday, sunday comes afterwards! and thursday comes before friday. and which seat to take in the car can be such a global issue. what breakthrough lyrics! nyeh nyeh.

Water For Elephants, The Beaver & Rise of Planet Apes

got popcorn?

i have three new movies to review - not exactly new, but i've finally been able to watch these movies recently. all three movies have an animal as the central character, also as part of the movie title - 'water for elephants' is a love story set at a circus; 'the beaver' is a drama about coping with a nervous breakdown in a weird way; and finally, 'the rise of the planet of the apes', a science fiction tale of how one ape will change the fate of its kind.

* * *

a simple love story in 'water for elephants' starts with an old man reminiscing his memorable moments working at the circus during his younger days. a veterinary science graduate from cornell, he is accepted to the circus for his knowledge. and so begins a life of circus wonders, animal connections - the elephant, and falling dangerously in love with the boss' wife.

the circus boss is played by academy award winner christopher waltz, for his deliciously evil role as the nazi officer in 'inglorious basterds' - so you can imagine how similarly he played the character of the hot-headed circus boss. evil at its cinematic best!

watching this movie convinced me that the super cute robert pattinson CAN act! so this means that the twilight saga really had bad script, bad direction, and bad co-stars. because in 'water for elephants', robert pattinson shows he has what it takes to do challenging roles other than looking pale and glowing occasionally. bleh.

he's so handsome here (normal-looking handsome and not super pale kinda handsome haha), and his character is innocently curious and eager to live his life. if you crazy-love him in twilight, i guarantee you love him even more in 'water for elephants'.

* * *

imagine your husband speaks to you - only through a hand puppet...

'the beaver' is a drama about a depressed man on his nervous breakdown - his company in jeapordy, his son hates him, and his marriage falling apart. then he found a hand puppet - a stuffed beaver. he puts it over his hand, and he began speaking to everyone ONLY through the beaver, even to his employees. confidence swept through him. he's suddenly a new man, because the beaver speaks his mind, the beaver doesn't have his problems.

soon the beaver seemed the be the one running the show. can he throw away the puppet, and be the man, the husband and father that he wanted to be?

mel gibson as always, great acting, great display of emotions as the depressed walter. the story is original, and can be somewhat slow-paced, but still quite interesting. towards the end i really want to find out whether he can survive without the beaver...

* * *

if you love the cinema, i'm sure you know what this movie is about. if you haven't seen the original 'planet of the apes', you should before you watch this modern one! it's a classic ~ "take your hands off me, you damn dirty apes!"

james franco is adorable as always, and john lithgow is believable as the alzheimer-stricken father - it's just that the star of the movie is truly the ape named caesar. i've got to applaud the people who did the CGI thingy on the ape - because his expressions, his movement and especially his eyes - really capture the feel of moment. he dominates every scene he's in!

though i LOVE the 1968 original version of 'planet of the apes', this current one is enjoyable to watch too. it has its heart-stopping moments, and if you're anything like me, the hair on the back of your neck would stand as you watch the last few scenes. woah.

* * *

ok, next movie please!