Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Quotable Quotes on Chairs @ The Walk, JBR

dubaians definitely know ‘the walk’, jbr as a place to lepak – hang out with friends over a cuppa coffee, ice-cream, cinnabon, pancakes, munch pizzas or pasta; or fine-dine on steaks and burgers.

and amidst all that cafes and restaurants, there is a ‘public’ area with chairs and tables to sooth your tired feet – with quotes on them.

 

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I love the design – victorian gone quirky – with pastel colors. just a simple place to hang out when you don’t want to hang out at any particular cafĂ© or restaurant.

 

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on the seat is the quote with the famous name who uttered it, and at the back is the picture.

 

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“we cannot all do great things, but we can go small things with great love,” – mother teresa.

 

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“a man who won’t die for something is not fit to live,” – martin luther king

Monday, February 25, 2013

Beautiful Nan Bread @ Ravi, Satwa

my bff putri was in dubai mid feb. once landed on dubai sandy soil, we straightaway took her makan. tak lapar? jom la makan sikit. supper. isi perut.

yeah, right. with us, nothing is ‘makan sikit’. hihi.

it was way past midnight, so we took her to ravi restaurant in satwa (one of the makan places in dubai which is still open after hours), and got her the most beautiful looking nan-bread I’ve ever seen! and eaten!

 

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one of the best nan bread you will ever eat. thick and fluffy. crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. and the pattern on the nan bread that amazed me the most! mr khairul said it resembles a bee-hive columns! cantik siot! SO delicious!

 

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aunty put with kahfi. happy to finally reach dubai, and super tired right from the 7-hour flight from malaysia. kena paksa makan besa pulak tu. haha.

 

we sat outside on the pavement, soaking in all the hustle and bustle of late-night dubai. the weather was fantastic – cooling and windy, just nice for an outdoor makan-makan. potted plants lined the curb so no worries of your kids trailing out on the open road.

 

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we got the chicken curry – as delicious as any chicken curry should be! SO yummy to accompany that gorgeous bee-hive nan bread!

 

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apart from the chicken curry, we also ordered this ‘lamb keema’. ‘keema’ dish is simply curry but using minced meat. and it’s not exactly dry, but there’s not much gravy. this one is so delicious, I absolutely LOVE it with the nan bread!

 

ravi

ravi restaurant offers cheap, super delicious pakistani and indian dishes. it opens way into the night, making it one of the more popular makan places around satwa and bur dubai. sedap, murah dan banyak. jarang nak dapat kat dubai wo. (image : google)

Sunday, February 24, 2013

My Classmate & His Dormmate : Put & Moqq is in Dubai!

my mgs classmate bff putri and mr. khairul’s mckk dormmate mohsein aka moqq were in town for jalan-jalan dubai! put came in mid february, and a week after she left, moqq arrived with his wife milla & kid amin.

 

me & bff putri, picking her up at the airport

 

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mr. khairul in orange with old mckk buddy mohsein in front of the dubai international airport

 

it was a hectic, fun week playing the tourist guide to our old pals from school, but it’s our pleasure hosting you guys! with put, I had a blast having girl-talk all day, all night as she was here for a good 5-day stretch. with moqq, it gives mr. khairul a chance to act like silly schoolboys with a few pranks up his sleeve.

for full story, watch this space!

come back soon, put & moqq!

Friday, February 22, 2013

Rare Night Ride : Murtabak Jumeirah, Creek Pictures & Movie Date

my sis-in-law was here last february. so we had a babysitter. who loves my boys like crazy. doesn’t mind doing the job for a place to stay and free food. haha. so that their mak and bapak could go out. just the two of us. date-night!

thanks teh!

 

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going out just the two of us meant that we could take the harley! vroom! zooming through the night across jumeirah road…

 

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..stopping over at a small restaurant that says MURTABAK up front!

 

the place is along jumeirah road, called ‘murtabak masoub’. turns out to be a saudi-owned restaurant selling arab food, along with (the owner said) a ‘healthier’ version of murtabak.

 

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when we said we’re malaysians and we have murtabak in malaysia, she said yeap – acknowledging that it IS from malaysia and that they’re putting a healthy spin on this favorite malaysian pasar malam dish.

 

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how healthy? for starters, I miss that super OILY feel when I eat our malaysian murtabak – this jumeirah-road version is not oily! haha. this one has that capati feel but crispier. the filling has that distinct curry-onion-egg taste that I recognize, but the wrap is a lot different.

 

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a good dish, but not great. then again, I’m not even a fan of our malaysian murtabak so who am I to judge, eh?

 

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after the light supper we took a ride to dubai creek and took some pictures by the sleeping dows and arab abras. the late night sky looks amazing. and purple!

 

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my mr khairul by the dubai old souq station for water-taxi

 

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me~

 

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..and we caught a midnight movie at ibn battuta mall right before heading home. it was a simple outing of light supper, jalan-jalan on his bike and movie – such normal outings for a lot of other couples out there with nanny, maid and opah to take care of the cucu – but to us, such precious once-in-awhile moments to treasure.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Hungry for Hungarian Mini Donuts @ Global Village

this delicious dessert is khaleef’s favorite. we go to dubai global village each year to get yemeni honey, to buy colorful abaya from the egypt pavilion, to gawk at unique stuff in african pavilion; and to find these hungarian mini donuts!

(dubai global village is held annually in dubai, open ONLY during winter from november to february. click here for my experience on our first trip there.)

 

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they’re called mini donuts, but the texture is different than the dough-made donuts – it’s more like cakoi. served hot with syrup of your choice – chocolate, strawberry, caramel or honey. yum!

 

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it’s just a small stall in the middle of the huge landspace that is the dubai global village – but it has this gems – freshly fried/baked! ‘kurtos kalacs’ is basically ‘hungarian pastry’

 

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this is the machine they were fried in. cute donuts efficiently expelled from the hot oil! see, it’s more like cakoi than donuts!

 

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khaleef waiting patiently with dancing tummy haha

 

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chocolate syrup, please!

 

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..and it’s ready! enjoy! hot, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, with bittersweet chocolate syrup all over!

 

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Sunday, February 17, 2013

Welcome Sis! From Malaysia to Cairo & Dubai Stopover

it’s always nice when families come over. we can make them take care of the boys while mr. khairul and I go on our rare date nights and movies! haha.

my sister-in-law was here a couple of moons back. she was back in malaysia for a short break in feb and stopped by dubai on her way back to cairo (she is studying dentistry there). her *ehem* other half syafawi also tagged along from cairo for his first-time experiencing dubai.

welcome, kids!

 

abang long and adik kecik. both bike-enthusiasts.

 

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where did we take them?

my sis-in-law teh was practically dubai-an haha having been to dubai every year, since our first year here – she was here for 2 months during the arab spring in egypt – so, very seasoned already lah! but this was pawi’s first time in dubai, so it was all about taking him sight-seeing around dubai, since he was very helpful when mr. khairul was in cairo for an exhibition last time.

took them makan-makan and the usually tourist spots – palm jumeirah, atlantis, burj arab bla bla bla.

 

complete family photo at thai restaurant ‘papa junior’ at international city – a popular place for malaysians yang rindu makan tomyam and goreng-goreng kat malaysia! (click here for my review of papa junior thai restaurant)

 

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we took them makan-makan at our new favorite eating haunt – afghan khorasan kebab with the most delicious arab bread ever! (click here for my review of ‘afghan khorasan restaurant’) and who’s that in pink tudung? I’ll save that for another posting ya!

 

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..and we went to dubai global village – an annual event not to be missed when you’re in dubai during winter!

 

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…and of course, while she’s here, hanging out with big brother on his harley is a must! one day she wants to own a superbike herself!

 

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thanks for meriahkan the house, melayan your naughty noisy nephews, thanks masakkan the surprisingly super delicious mee kuah and spaghetti, thanks bawakkan homemade kaya, precious keropok ikan and such from malaysia; and thanks for giving your bro and me the chance to have our ultra-rare date night. come again soon!

..oh, and because of you, i still can’t get that theme song from ‘hotel transylvania’ out of my head!!!

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Pictures With Stranded Ship in Ajman Shores

it’s not a port for ships to dock. it’s not the marina. it’s just a public beach. and yet one day the folks at ajman were surprised with a sudden arrival of a huge cargo ship on its seashore.

 

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just a big old ship right smack by the side of the beach for all to see up close. my boys were much more interested with the sea and the sand rather than the big ship!

 

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sea blue~

 

what do you do when you hear that there’s a huge ship stranded at a beach near you? bring your kids to take a closer look! and take some pictures while you’re at it!

a cargo beach was washed ashore at ajman beach (ajman is one of uae’s 7 emirates, other than abu dhabi, dubai bla bla) after a bad weather at sea. it’s got no business stranded there, and was in such a bad condition to be at sea again, that the only way was to break it down to scrap.

‘The Sea Blue was sailing from Al Hamriya in Dubai to visit a number of African countries when it ran into bad weather on Tuesday morning.

According to the ship's owner, who preferred not to be named, the engines cut out and despite the efforts of the crew to restart them, the vessel was washed on to the shore near to Ajman Corniche.’

click here to read more.

 

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these rusty walls have seen it all. if it could speak, it would tell you tall tales of its underwater adventures, and its aqua escapades – slicing the water as it moves. what mysterious creatures have swam beside it? what curious crustaceans have rub its tentacles against the sides?

 

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here it lies, for ajman folks to enjoy, the sight of a huge cargo ship that once was. after this it will be broken apart piece by piece…

Monday, February 11, 2013

Movie Reviews : Django Unchained, Les Miserables, The Impossible, Seven Psychopaths

seen any good movies lately? spent the last few weeks watching oscar-nominated movies – favorites like ‘argo’, ‘lincoln’ (both amazingly well-made but boring movies in my opinion) and ‘silver lining playbook’, as well as the incredibly passionate musical ‘les miserables’ and the black comedy ‘django unchained’. i also watched not-nominated-but-still-very-entertaining movie ‘seven psychopaths’.

 

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‘django unchained’ is a quentin tarantino movie, so what that means to me is extreme violence, gore and quirkiness in one great storyline. ‘django unchained’ delivered exactly that. and as much as i want to shun this movie for its so-called ‘violence’, i cannot take my eyes away, and got me watching till the end.

set during the time of slavery, a bounty hunter (kills bad guys for money) rescued a slave so that he can help identify the next target, in return for his freedom. at the same time, the slave was also looking for his missing wife, taken forcefully from him. together, they make an unlikely team of bounty hunters going from plantation to plantation in search of targets to kill.

the plot is very interesting, and the casts are even more so that i can’t easily choose a favorite :

christoph waltz won me over when he played the cool-mannered jews-killing-german soldier in ‘inglorious basterds’ and he somewhat reprised that cool mannerism in his role as the bounty hunter in this movie. it’s a joy watching him play the character, having that great chemistry with jamie foxx who is just awesome as the slave.

leonardo di caprio plays the bad guy; one of the rich dudes with lots of slaves and he plays that part with such intensity that i hated him so much! mission accomplished, huh? his expressions, his tone of voice, and his mannerism – an award-winning worth of performance!

i highly recommend this movie, especially fans of quentin tarantino movies. if you don’t like violence, blood and gore, turn away whenever christoph waltz even look like he’s reaching in his coat for something. haha. but the fantastic story will be worth it.

 

 

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i love musicals. ‘sound of music’, ‘grease’ and ‘hairspray’ are my top favorites. but ‘les miserables’ is really truly for the musicals-hardcore because it’s like 99% singing and a few spoken lines here and there. you know, the kind of movie yang bila nak tanya pukul berapa pun kena nyanyi haha.

ok jokes aside, this is a musical of epic proportions. the story is as old as time as we all know. a prisoner escaped parole to start a new life but the police officer is always on his track. meanwhile a single-mom suffered poor fate as she’s forced into prostitution to raise her only daughter. their paths crossed; in the midst of a national revolution.

the songs are descriptive of each scene and capture each moments and feelings wonderfully. the casts are just amazing that they can sing LIVE on set without recording first at a studio. they sang as the camera rolls. amazing.

hugh jackman what can i say? oh what a lovely voice in that greek-god body! from the undernourished, sunken-faced prisoner to a strapping gentleman – hugh jackman transforms himself for the roles with conviction! anne hathaway deserves the golden globe and the many awards she’s going to get. powerful performance from the rest!

highly recommended for fans of musicals!

 

 

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i have 3 boys, just like the family in this ‘the impossible’, and because of that, i cried bucket of tears; constantly imagine being in their place amidst the chaos, wreckage, the loss of lives, the uncertainty – i wonder if i would have had half of their courage, strong spirit and determination. what an intense movie!

based on a true story, a family vacation turned tragedy as tsunami struck thailand while they were on holiday there. the mother and her eldest were separated from the father and the two younger boys, not knowing if either survived. their journey to keep going will keep you teary-eyed the whole way through.

the cinematography and cgi were well-put together as we experience being swept away by the extremely strong current brought by the tsunami. the sound was even muffled and for a moment we couldn’t hear a thing as the characters went underwater with all the broken debris hitting them left and right. we were there with them.

the actor playing the eldest boy was nominated for a golden globe, and watching him in ‘the impossible’, i can understand why. his forceful performance as the young man who needs to be stronger than his mum after the tragedy has overwhelmed me with emotions, i always find tears streaming as i imagine my boys in their situation.

highly recommended, even if you didn’t like disaster movie. i don’t, but this one is difficult to turn away from. when all seemed impossible, hope will set you free.

 

 

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i love this movie. hilarious, quirky and a little bit crazy. just the way i like it!

‘seven psychopaths’ is about a writer who is writing a movie script of well – 7 psychopaths and he’s collecting stories to give him some ideas, with the help of his best friend. and by help, it might mean dragging him into a tangled of trouble – because the best friend kidnaps dogs for the reward money, and he unknowingly kidnapped the mafia leader’s cute dog. bad guy wants his dog back, and the writer finds himself surrounding by – psychos!

the casts are wonderfully weird – from the otai christopher walken to the awesomely quirky sam rockwell and even the usually-in-serious-action-flick colin farell is funny in this one as the nervous, innocent guy suddenly thrown in this mess.

the movie is weird and funny, you’ve GOT to see it.

 

Friday, February 8, 2013

10 Things I Love About My First Football Match : Malaysia vs Iraq

i don’t fancy football. i don’t watch the games. i don’t know the teams. i don’t know the players. except of course david beckham. everyone knows david beckham. hihi. but the story goes that i am currently living in dubai so if i get the chance to get closer to anything that is remotely MALAYSIAN, i’m game. pun intended.

..and that is how i ended up watching a LIVE football match between Malaysia and Iraq on 1st feb, at an actual field in an actual stadium in Ajman (another state in the UAE), from start to finish, for the first time ever.

and to sum it up – the TEN things i love about watching a football match, strictly from my point of view.

 

the whole family came in yellow malaya tigers jersey woohoo! (credit to bro wak kohl for this picture taken from his fb – thanks so much, this was our only complete family picture!)

 

1 – WEARING MATCHING JERSEY OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM

there’s something wonderful, united and glorifying about wearing the same thing with other supporters. the sense of belonging is even more so especially when you’re living overseas. this once-a-while get-together really strengthens the bond between fellow countrymen as we cheer and support our malaysian footballers.

in this case wearing the bright yellow jersey with black stripes which echoes the nick name of our malaysian football team – the malayan tigers. rawr!

 

 

2 – RAISING JALUR GEMILANG, MALAYSIAN FLAG PROUDLY

knowing that we’ll be watching the malaysia-iraq friendly football match, i quickly korek-korek everywhere looking for the malaysian flag. it’s not often we get to parade and show-off our flag while cheering and shouting in public. yah, try doing that in dubai mall? haha.

khaleef held the big flag all through the game. he even ran across the front of the seating holding the flag on his shoulders while the other malaysian pakciks cheered on. khaleef felt the pride and joy despite spending half of his life in dubai now.

our flag is so beautiful, and a single piece of cloth can mean so much to us as malaysians once you see the red-white stripes with the star and crescent moon on the dark blue background.

kibarkan jalur gemilang!

 

mak & the kay boys. thanks so much aida for this lovely picture! suka sangat!

 

3 – SITTING IN A FOOTBALL STADIUM WATCHING FOOTBALL

the malaysian-iraq friendly football match was held at ajman football club or ajman stadium. ajman is one of the emirates in UAE (united arab emirates), about half an hour away from dubai.

this was the first time i watched a football match at a stadium, and it was pretty exciting simply because you’re watching it in real time, LIVE. right there and then. you don’t hear hasbullah awang saying “canteeeekkkk” or “owh, sayang! gol terlepas” or whatever. however, you do hear unofficial sports commentators left and right – “woi referee bodoh!” or “dah depan mata pun tak bole gol ke!” and “tendang bola pun lembik!” haha.

the view was great if you don’t know the players and they’re just little blue-white-red dots running around chasing a ball. because you totally can’t see the faces, and i am positively sure that watching football matches on tv in HD is so much better. boleh nampak muka, ape!

 

 

4 – INSPIRING YOUNG FOOTBALLER

khaleef loves football ever since he started running and able to kick stuff. he was barely 2 years old and already running, kicking a big beach ball we bought for him. so he was the most excited to watch this football match.

throughout the game, kahfi would be the most restless – kept asking when are we going home, keep asking for food (i brought snacks and biscuits, phew!) while kazim kept walking up and down the aisle and everywhere.

khaleef concentrated on the game, he kept on cheering whenever the ball is nearing the goal post and he occasionally kept the malaysian flag up in the air. when the game ended with iraq 3 – malaysia 0, khaleef actually tried hard to hold back the tears. he was so disappointed.

he’s fine by the way, and was really inspired to become a footballer one day. position? goalkeeper!

 

 

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my mr khairul in the middle with fellow malaysians in dubai. from left : bro affandy, abg fudzail, mr khairul, bro mat nor & bro wak kohl

 

5 – YOU WANNA GO WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME

watching football matches in the stadium, you’re usually faced with huge crowds, possibly rowdy and slightly dangerous with strangers left and right, but when you’re watching a football match overseas with malaysians you always see everytime there’s a malaysian get-together, you really feel at home in the stadium.

i particularly enjoy watching this football match in dubai because you pretty much know most of the people in the stadium (the area where malaysian supporters are sitting) so i really didn’t mind kazim walking up and down the aisle exploring the place.

of course, things are always fun with friends. enjoying a concert, hanging out at the coffee shop, watching a football match – you need someone to cheer your favorite team and shout insults to the other haha.

 

 

6 – RAIN!

it rained during the second half of the match. sigh. patutnya budak-budak malaysia ni lagi terer la main dalam hujan since we’re so used to the rain in our country but too bad, still can’t win over the tall, dark, handsome pak arabs from iraq! hihi

 

 

7 – MEET AND GREET

the game ended with disappointment on our side since we lost 3-0 to iraq, but the malaysians were still looking forward to meet the malaysian football stars.

they took the time to stand by the barricade to shake hands with fans and take some photos. they were all smiles in spite of the tiredness, and the loss to iraq. i applaud their spirit and consideration to spend some time with the fans.

two other players who left the field during the game looked at the malaysian supportersm raised their arms and waved heroically, and the crowd cheered loudly in approval. however, one player seemed to be looking grumpy, mind elsewhere, and hardly smiling. when he left the field, he did not even glance up at the malaysian supporters. sombong lah pengantin baru tu! hihi.

the only player i know is the infamous khairul fahmi che mat (from the controversy surrounding the breaking-off of his engagement, to his link with gorgeous girls, and finally to his beautiful wedding) and too bad he was the one not fan-friendly. tsk tsk.

thinking of his new bride, i’m sure…

 

 

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8 – NEW-FOUND FRIENDS

knowing most of the malaysians there, but there’s always room for more new friends! always so fun to know that someone recognizes me on the streets after reading my blog haha. aliyah and i ‘met’ through our blogs, and this was the first time we met face to face! comel je orangnye. take care of the baby-in-tummy and have a safe delivery back in malaysia ok!

 

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9 – MY MAK LOVES FOOTBALL

football reminds me of my late mak. because no other person that i know loves football as much as she did. even my husband does not like football that way! suka main football manager kat xbox ngan ipad je hihi.

the only time i watch a football match was with my late mak who was a HUGE fan of football. she knew the players, she had a favorite team, and she also had a dream team where she compiled the best of the best players that she liked into one team.

she even had a poster of roberto baggio at the back of the kitchen door. cool huh?

 

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10 – MY POINT OF VIEW

i still don’t like football.

but i totally enjoyed watching a game that puts malaysian against another country, and this game has brought together malaysians in UAE in support of our football team. we wear t-shirts with the word ‘malaysian’ on it and malaysian flag too, we brought out our malaysian flag, we sang our national anthem ‘negaraku’ loud and proud – we were being malaysians!

living in dubai for almost 5 years now, anything that reminds me of malaysia is a plus and i definitely want to be part of it.

also, khairul fahmi che mat is much shorter than i expected.

ok, i’m done.

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