Sunday, June 30, 2013

Sisters Hang-Out For Muslim Chinese Food @ Homst, TTDI

I LOVE chinese food, chinese style, chinese dishes – and there are a few chinese-muslim restaurants in TTDI around where my sisters live. the following night after I arrived in KL from dubai, my sisters took me to ‘Homst’, a chinese-muslim restaurant in persiaran zaaba in taman tun dr. ismail, near the proton showroom.

I was looking forward to try my favorite chinese-style lauk, ‘lemon chicken’!

 

photo 4

yong, me, syida & azi

 

I arrived in KL from dubai the night before. that night my eldest sis yong arrived by herself in KL from ipoh via ETS (electric train service) – this was the night before four of us go for Being ME2, the women’s only islamic conference (that explains why my boys were with my in-laws in puchong, tolong jagakan while I go for Being ME2). so four of us lepak makan-makan borak-borak over delicious chinese dishes!

 

photo 2 (1)

we tried the seafood tomyam. memang yum! well, I’m not really a fan of tomyam so to me this is good enough. not sure about hardcore fans of tomyam though.

 

photo 3 (2)

photo 4 (2)

this is ikan kerapu sweet sour. super delicious – the flesh is juicy and well-seasoned. not too spicy so just right for me. loved it.

 

photo 5 (1)

the lemon chicken is not bad. loved the texture of the chicken – crispy on the outside and tender juicy on the inside. the lemon sauce wasn’t too thick but I prefer they put it on the side. I don’t like my chicken to be soaked in lemon sauce!

 

photo 5 (2)

another must-order when I go to chinese restaurant – the fried calamari or sotong goreng tepung. the best I’ve had is still in muhibbah (somewhere in sg penchala I think) but this one ain’t bad. crispy crunchy and not rubbery.

 

photo 2 (2)

fresh kailan with salted fish (ikan masin). delicious addition.

 

photo 1

ok are they stealing from faiz’s plate? haha. faiz pon macam erk..

 

photo 3

it’s our first makan-makan together after so many months of not seeing each other so we lepak until the restaurant pun dah empty. see picture below la, orang dah takde dah masa kitorang habis makan hihi.

 

photo 3 (3)

photo 4 (3)

the lamp is a nice touch. my sisters said homst had newly expanded the restaurant. previously they didn’t have 2 lots and now that it’s constantly full-house, diorang besarkan restoran.

 

photo 5 (3)

the original lot. simple chinese-restaurant feel with marble-top tables.

 

photo 2 (4)

‘homst’ is at persiaaran zaaba in taman tun dr. ismail alright. personally to me it’s not as awesome as muhibbah or mohd chan abdullah but if you guys are in the area, check it out.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

4 Sisters @ Being ME2 : Muslimah Empowered, PICC

one thing that I really looked forward months before going back to malaysia is this event : women’s only islamic conference ‘Being ME 2 : Muslimah Empowerment’ with the theme ‘Divine Liberation’ held at PICC (putrajaya international convention center), putrajaya on 29th june 2013. not just because of the many benefits that I will get from all the wonderful talks, but also because I shared the experience with all my sisters!

I was really excited about this!

unfortunately this outing was not complete without my other sis syimot who had to stay at home taking care of her 7-month baby miqail; last minute adik ipar aku busy plak tak dapat jaga baby. (so after the event four of us lepak at her place makan-makan borak-borak bising-bising! best sangat!)

click here for more info on Being ME 2 : Muslimah Empowered – maybe you can catch the next event Being ME 3 insyaAllah!

 

photo 2 (4)

sharifuddin sisters : from left yong syimee, syigim, azi & syida inside the hall at PICC, seated, getting ready to absorb knowledge and wisdom. such a priceless moment for me to hang out with my sisters at such an event. wouldn’t believe how rare it is to gather all 4-5 of us without abah, or our husbands and kids!

 

photo 2 (3)

the participants heading towards the hall as the door finally opened that morning. my picture here doesn’t do justice to the wonderful sight of our malaysian muslimah. myriads of color, pattern, style and beauty – it was a festivity of jubah, abayas, and shawl segala macam lilit! aku balik dubai pun tak nampak macam ni punya meriah kih kih.

 

photo 1 (4)

the stage was set for a whole day of empowering muslimah and inspiring young women. a T-shaped stage like in a fashion show. we were seated at the VIP area (bukan sebab important sangat hihi but it’s because we’re the early bird ticket-buyers huhu)

 

photo 3 (4)

photo 4 (3)

we went inside pretty early. got seated somewhere at the front. comfy seat. air-cond tak terlampau sejuk. great view of the speaker. decent view of the large screen. strategic spot at the sides in case we need to leave for the restroom, or something. overall, a good spot. asam boi pon dah ready haha.

 

photo 4 (2)

this is my first time at PICC so sangat kagum. the wondrous ceiling was like wow. like I’m attending final juara lagu or something. huhu.

 

* * *

 

there are many interesting talks scheduled for the whole day at Being ME 2 – ‘women of substance’, ‘one woman, different hats’, ‘muslimah : identity given by Allah’, positive mental attitude’ and many more. the talks are held at 2 different venues : the main hall, and the workshop in a smaller room (picture below). so you could either go to the main hall or to this room to hear the topic you’re interested in.

I wanted to catch as many talks as I could, but it frustrates me when I wanted to listen to 2 different talks happening at the same time at 2 different venues. kena la sacrifice one talk, and go listen to the other.

also because of this, at times my sisters and i had to separate when two wants to listen to sheikh A, while the others want to stay and enjoy the talk by ustazah B. but the engaging talks make up for it. I managed to catch talks by sheikh daood, prof dr muhaya, IIUM rector prof. dato dr zaleha, tasneem ghauri and of course the muslimah heart-throb fatih seferagic. never a dull moment.

 

photo 3 (5)

the ‘workshop’: this is the 2nd venue for the other talks that are taking place.

 

since this room for the workshop is significantly much smaller, most of the time you see the participants sitting down on the carpet floor for lack of chairs. it got more crowded when it’s a particularly popular speaker (like the adorable fatih seferagic), sampai kena tutup pintu tak kasi orang masuk dah!

it’s NOT particularly comfortable of course sitting cross-legged on the carpet for 1 hour while other people get to warm their bum on kerusi empuk, but somehow it doesn’t matter when all you want to do is LISTEN and take in as many beneficial points as you can. duduk bersempit-sempit kaki kebas pun jadi lah asal dapat dengar antipatinya.

 

photo 4 (4)

 

cuma satu je aku tak puas hati betui nampak ade satu minah ni dapat duduk atas kerusi, siap chop tempat utk member dia (tu takpe lagi) lepas tu dia bole TIDO! imagine I was sitting on the floor, and see THAT.

ok chop tempat aku tak kisah sebab I would’ve done the same thing for my sisters. tertido pun dimaafkan la kalo dah tak tahan sangat tapi tengok la tempat dan keadaan : seriously, what was she thinking? sitting comfortably on the chair with the best view, surrounded by eager participants who had to sit on the floor sebab takde space – and she had the nerve to SLEEP? international speaker talking in front tengok pun buat malu je!

may Allah reward us for our patience and endurance!

 

* * *

 

photo 3 (1)

in between talks ladies could go and jalan-jalan. there was a bazaar open with many, many stalls selling jubah, tudung, islamic books, locally made beauty products and many more. my sisters bought knee-length blouses and I bought myself the popular inspirational book yasmin mogahed, ‘reclaim your heart’. such a soothing read. review coming!

 

photo 4 (1)

yong dah rambang mata hihi

 

right at the end of the long trail of stalls is the escalator leading to the surau. super crowded as all the muslimah rushed to answer the call to pray. alhamdulillah. everyone in orderly manner and moved fast after prayer to let in other people.

not only were there bazaars, there were also a lot of activities happening at other spots like ‘genius-aulad kids’ zone’ where mommies can drop their kids to enjoy storytelling, tazkirah, playtime and even naptime!

 

photo 3 (3)

look who’s talking!

 

there’s also a ‘sister’s corner’ held at another room in PICC with tv al hijrah personalities sharing their experience as a muslimah in their profession. there were also manicure and henna design that I really wanted to have done on my hands but the line was too long! there was a 40 minute waiting period – as it was already late afternoon, tak jadi lah.

and then there’s irma hasmie sharing and caring with the sisters in the audience. I really don’t know who irma hasmie is (pelakon ke penyanyi ke pengacara tv ke) aside from the fact that she’s a popular personality who had ‘berhijrah’ and sported a lovely demure muslimah look now. she seemed nice. hihi.

 

* * *

 

photo 3 (6)

how’s makan time? there’s a foodcourt in PICC and that morning we had our breakfast there, buffet style. the food is good, reasonably priced. bihun goreng singapore style dia sedap! asal kenyang to start the day, alhamdulillah. lunch pun kat situ.

 

photo 5 (4)

my sisters : nyam nyam ngap ngap

 

photo 4 (5)

I had nasi lemak and a bit of singapore bihun, but to me the singapore bihun is much more delicious. should’ve taken more of that!

 

* * *

 

anyways, one of the sweet (funny) memories at ‘being ME 2’ was also when we met this ex-UIA student during a talk by IIUM (international islamic university malaysia) rector prof. dato dr zaleha kamaruddin. she was sitting right in front of us.

before that dr zaleha had already asked all the UIA students/grads among the audience to raise their hands, and of course la with pride I raise my hand, prompting the girl in front of me to ask later on,

  • “budak uia ye?” I was like yeap. “uia jugak ke?”
  • and the girl replied, “tapi I dah lama dah grad,” in a very akak-akak way, brushing me off as if I were STILL an undergrad student at uia.
  • before I could correct her, my sisters in amusement replied, “dia ni laaaaaagi lama dah grad. dah 10 tahun kot. haha”
  • the girl was stumped. realizing all at once that I turned out to be much, much older than she is.

ok pointnye story ni ialah aku nampak muda macam budak degree ok!! hahaha. aku gembira dengan cerita ini. sekian, terima kasih.

cerita masa fatih seferagic kasi talk pun lawak. tapi nanti-nanti la aku cerita.

 

* * *

 

IMG_3626

 

so who were these other awesome speakers and what did I actually get from listening to them?

well – talks that inspire. words that motivate. wisdom that will make you open your eyes. anecdotes that amuses and tickle your funny bones.

too many words of wisdom that we picked up during this wonderful event. from the helpful tips shared by international qari fatih seferagic, to the engaging tales told by sheikh daood butt, up to the motherly love exudes from prof dr muhaya – too much to share in one posting. insyaAllah I will share it bit by bit as I go along updating my long-abandoned blog!

being at ‘Being ME 2 : women empowered’ with my beloved sisters has certainly empowered me as a woman, as a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister and most of all as Allah’s servant. not just knowing our place in society and family, but our duty to Allah. it made me feel so much pride to be a woman, realizing all the wonderful things I could do, most importantly as a mother.

not just about how to memorize the Quran effectively, but how to encourage our children and make it easy for them. not simply for us to think positive but to bring out the best in other people through your positive attitude.

we are part of a bigger picture – and that’s what muslimah needs to realize and understand what we can offer the world.

“worship Allah FIRST, and everything else will fall into place,” tasneem ghouri (motivational speaker, quran teacher, counselor)

 

* * *

 

photo 2 (2)

 

on a lighter note, this is one of the best hang-outs we’ve had in YEARS ever since 3 of us got married and having kids. it was just us girls, without abah, without our husbands, without screaming kids demanding more cookies – just us sisters. memang liberating habis! hihi.

also I would like to congratulate my bro-in-law nash (married to syida) for a successful, smooth-sailing and interesting event. he is part of the team behind the scene; as the sales manager. well done, bro! 

watch this space for my take on the speakers like fatih seferagic, sheikh daood and prof dr. muhaya. anyone for Being ME 3?

Friday, June 28, 2013

PM’s Fav Nasi Lemak @ Village Park Restaurant, Uptown

the very next day after i landed in KL, my youngest sis & bro-in-law belanja me nasi lemak at this popular place in uptown damansara – ‘village park restaurant’.

I may have missed the bus coz I’ve never heard of this place but it’s well-known for its delicious nasi lemak and super-fresh-hot-from-the-kuali crispy fried chicken. furthermore, it boasted the fact that malaysia prime minister najib tun razak is a fan of the nasi lemak.

hmm, khairy jamaluddin pulak? suka tak dia makan nasi lemak kat sini? kih kih.

 

photo 9edit

the famous nasi lemak at village park restaurant, damansara uptown

 

* * *

 

photo 1 (1)

when I first heard the name ‘village park restaurant’ – I was like, hello make up your mind la you want to be village or park or kampung or taman or restaurant or what? haha. but  the place is indeed popular and packed with hungry nasi lemak fans!

 

photo 4

newspaper cuttings about PM najib hanging out at ‘village park restaurant’ having his favorite nasi lemak

 

photo 6

seating is kopitiam style – simply stools and marble tables. simple, homely, comfy and clean eventhough the place is so busy.

 

photo 7

photo 8

tada ~ that’s the place they put the freshly-fried chicken straight from the hot kuali. seriously not a minute passed after that, the ‘mountain’ of fried chicken quickly disappear – that’s how fast the nasi lemak is sold to customers. letak je habis, letak je habis. sekejap je! mane tak dapat makan panas-panas. yum!

 

* * *

 

photo 10

 

my sisters (except my eldest yong who prefers white meat) LOVE drumstick chicken. we rushed, argued, and scrambled to get that part of the chicken during meals at home when we’re younger, until now! so when we were there, naturally we asked the waiter “semua kasi drumstick ye?” and owh, what music to our ears when the waiter replied, “sini ayam semua drumstick.”

we’re in chicken haven! haha.

 

photo 9edit

delicious nasi lemak at village park restaurant

 

ok my first ever opinion when I saw the lovely plate of nasi lemak was – sikitnya nasi? to me it looks like the portion of rice was quite little as opposed to the larger fried chicken.

tapi – nasi tu NAMPAK je sikit. huhu.

I soon found out that it’s all proportionate to each other and was definitely left with full-tummy towards the end of the meal. I can’t even finish the chicken! that crispy crunchy chicken with such tender flesh. yum.

the sambal was tasty too – not too spicy, not too sweet – just nice.

 

IMG_3756

fresh kangkong belacan to accompany the inviting plate of nasi lemak. I had this not with my sister, but when I went AGAIN (yes, again hahahaha) with my aunt and family. cik simply loves kangkong with nasi lemak and this one is really yum too.

 

* * *

 

photo 3

there were also people lining up to tapau lunch – village park restaurant also offers nasi lauk-lauk

 

photo 2

kuih-muih also!

 

photo 1

thanks to my youngest sister azot & hubby faiz belanja kakak dubai ni!

 

my first time tasting this plate of nasi lemak was when mr. khairul bought it for me last year, but this time I was enjoying it super fresh and hot at village park restaurant itself. I suggest you guys do the same to truly enjoy the crispy fried chicken!

I will go again and you guys will belanja me again, deal? hoho.

 

IMG_3753

this was when I went again after few days (yeap, AGAIN – it was THAT good) with my aunt and family. (my boys were with my in-laws, and mr, khairul was still in dubai) here’s my cute cousin umar & his dad uncle rosli when they were *forced* to let me tag along with them haha to enjoy the nasi lemak at village park restaurant yet again.

 

IMG_3752

with my lovely aunt cik. thanks uncle rosli and cik for belanja-ing me nasi lemak sedap dgn ayam goreng rangup panas-panas! always fun to hang out and borak-borak with cik!

 

* * *

 

photo 2 (1)

drop by to village park restaurant at damansara uptown to try the nasi lemak with crispy fried chicken, our PM’s fav nasi lemak!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Fly DXB–KUL (Dubai-Kuala Lumpur) Just Mak & 3 Boys

it was that time of year when we get to go balik kampung – goodbye dubai, see you soon MALAYSIA!

…and it was just me and the boys. yet again – flying from dubai to malaysia inside an aeroplane with 3 boys aged 8, 5 and 3. *yay*. the boys were on their summer break, but mr khairul would only join us on raya eve. so I had to just breathe in, eat my sanity pill haha and hope for the best!

 

IMG_3496

my young traveller in simple white T and his adidas. senang nak bergolek-golek atas kerusi kapal terobang nanti!

 

IMG_3500

alhamdulillah I’m so lucky that my boys are fast learners – they quickly take their places and immediately knew what to do – fasten seatbelt, find the earphones and switch on cartoon channel! mak dah tak payah susah-susah pikir!

 

IMG_3502

kazim could get grumpy when the cartoon he’s watching got interrupted by a pilot’s announcement. have to slowly pacify him with biscuits or magazines with pictures of animals! but other than that, he’s a darling too!

 

IMG_3503

meal time! khaleef having a bowl of fruit loops cereal with a fresh cold milk

 

it was morning up in the sky so the boys were served breakfast : hotdog, baked beans, hash browns and orange juicy. simple and budak-budak ade la jugak selera nak makan. they also got a bowl of the cereal fruit loops and a bottle of fresh cold milk. totally refreshing for the boys.

 

IMG_3510

kazim so at home! gets colder as hours pass by. getting snug like a bug in a rug in his aussie sweater.

 

IMG_3515

alhamdulillah, arrived safely in KLIA : air travel with 3 cheeky monkeys – success!

 

as the boys grow older, there were less troubles and headache for mak! the boys were well-behaved most of the time, ate their meals quietly without much ‘force’ and kazim slept through most of the 7-hour flight. it ended up to be quite an enjoyable, peaceful flight.

oh, except for the fact that once the plane landed safely on KL ground, kahfi loudly announced, “yay, we’re alive!” haha.

my sis-in-law tina picked us up from klia that day, off to puchong where my in-laws helped babysit the boys as I attend a women’s-only islamic conference with my sisters. more on that later!

 

* * *

 

enjoy our dubai-malaysia-dubai travelling stories here!

  1. 2012 trip from dubai to kl
  2. 2011 trip, my first trip from KL back to dubai, just ME and the boys – and we survived!
  3. 2010 trip from KL back to dubai
  4. 2009 kahfi’s first trip back to malaysia after he was born

check out these postings too!

Related Posts with Thumbnails