Happy 35th Birthday, Honey Cookiedough!

for your 35th birthday, my dearest husband, I’m compiling all the poems I’ve written for your birthday for the past 5 years. enjoy. oh, and happy birthday!

written in march 2009, for his 30th birthday

from the hingus days of penang free
bicycle-ride fun and full of glee
to teen-angst years of mckk
so much work and serious play

need to grow need to get more
off to the States a lot is in store
challenges, experience and such he did get
living life full with aint no regret

in ipoh was the chance meeting
love at first sight hearts a-fleeting
9 years later a happy family at hand
three-boys is more than he could stand!

from penang to kl the humble days
to awesome dubai now he stays
such a leap for this beach jock
at thirty-5 you still rock!

penned by : your cute wife~ with love!

* * *

to mr. khairul, on his 31st birthday, written in 2010 :

thirty years after your birthdate
plus one year in addition
a special poem to my soulmate
from me, a heart rendition

thirty years of ups and downs
plus one year to that
you can be serious, you can be a clown
you walk your talk, you know where it's at

thirty years of joy and tears
plus one year additionally
challenges, obstacles, hope and fears
you conquered all, be proud be jolly!

thirty years of life
plus one year more
with a hot gorgeous wife
and two boys you adore

thirty years of hits and misses
plus one year further
i'll always have hugs and a whole lotta kisses
to a great guy, sweet darling and wonderful father!

thirty years of glory
plus one year too
you've got an amazing history
by simply just being YOU!

* * *

written in 2011 for his 32nd birthday

you're 32 so what is new?
grey hairs are peeking out
don't worry though it's just a few
need not get all freak out

you're 32 so how's it hangin?
your tummy expands an inch
no worries hon, don't go head-bangin
there's more of you to clinch

you're 32 so what's up doc?
forgetfulness persist
you left your keys you mix your sock
but i'm there to assist

you're 32 so how are things?
always been the same great man
grey hair, amnesia, tummy expanding
oh, just enjoy life as you can!

you're 32 so here's the deal
have so much more to thank for
a loving wife that's for real
3 boys whom you adore

you're 32 ok that’s that
enjoy this happy moment
give yourself a nice good pat
for another year of excitement!

* * *

written in 2012 for his 33rd birthday

33 you're today
i always write sweet rhymes
this birthday goes some other way
a cuckoo poem this time

33 is one cool number
because it's double three
i really need to slumber
i'm so sleepy-ee.

33 has got essence
you've lived life wild and wise
this poem gonna make no sense
i'm hungry.

33 is thirtythree
when you spell it yes it's true
this poem may be weird you see
but know that I LOVE YOU!

 

* * *

 

one of these dudes is the birthday boy. clue : he’s not arab.

 

* * *

 

me, you, and a cheezy love story—oh, cheesecake!

 

baked him a birthday cake – my marble cheesecake with maltesers on top! he loved it to bits, literally!

 

birthday boy loved it so much, he said, “ok, no more trips to the cheesecake factory ya? ni pun power gile dah!” ok was that a compliment in my favor? I don’t think so! sob sob, I want my 30th anniversary chocolate cheesecake from cheesecake factory!

 

terima kasih kerana melahirkan. mak birthday boy puan norazian – a proud mom with her manja overgrown eldest baby boy. meh. huhu.

 

love you so much, cookiedough. may Allah grant your doa, from the deepest and sincerest of your heart. because Allah knows best. have faith, and He will open the way. happy birthday!

Churrasco Lunch Date @ Pachanga, Hilton Jumeirah

our kids make our world go round, give meaning to our lives and the colorful sprinkles in our marriage – but hey, count your blessings if you have the luxury to just go out at a moment’s notice for a simple coffee time, supper at mamak at 2am, or movie date at the cinema alone with your spouse!

mr. khairul and I had a quick ‘getaway’ during lunch one weekend, to this latin american steakhouse ‘pachanga’ in hilton jumeirah. with 3 boys aged 8, 5 and 3; and no maid, a date like this is too precious.

(thanks yong for babysitting the kids! this was when she was still here in dubai with her kids enjoying school holiday!)

 

 

* * *

 

thanks honey for the scrumptious lunch date!

 

we had ‘churrasco’ at pachanga. say what?

‘churrasco’ is a portuguese and spanish term referring to beef or grilled meat; usually serving as much as you can eat, with waiters going around offering you meat cut from the skewers. very popular in brazil, colombia, guatemala, chile, argentina, uruguay – what’s expected in a latin american steakhouse, obviously!

it’s basically all-you-can-eat steak. a lot of steak.

 

this is the meat station. from the picture you can see how medium rare the meat is

 

the chef would have a huge chunk of grilled meat in front of him, and with request from patrons, he would cut away. the meat itself was well-marinated, juicy and tender BUT it was cold. not freshly grilled. and looks medium well to medium rare. very pinkish. personally, we no likey.

so mr. khairul asked for ours to be grilled again for that heat, and for a more medium-well – well done texture. I think they should have the grill right next to where he is cutting, so that the grilled meat is freshly grilled and more inviting!

 

my friendly mr. khairul. making friends wherever he goes.

 

there are dips, sauce and gravy in front of the meat station – take what you will, or eat the steak on its own.

I LOVE steak, so I totally enjoyed the all-you-can-eat steak concept – but trust me, two trips and you are already so full. plus the steak that the chef brings to your table!

cakap alhamdulillah aje lah!

 

my plate, round ONE. haha. I was actually frustrated with the salad bar – there were some of my fav choices like rocket salad, and potato salad but where is the plain lettuce or a simple steamed broccoli? hmm. but that little dough that looks like karipap? delicious!

 

my plate. round TWO. juicy, tender, delicious. the chef sent this plateful of meat cuts to our table with black pepper gravy. I put my salad in a separate plate. haha. I promise you I did have an accompanying salad. (as if that makes this less fatty and makes me sound like I’m eating healthier! haha)

 

I love desserts so the dessert section in any buffet spread is just heavenly for me. there was a delightful chocolate fountain, and the chocolate is delicious BUT I was very disappointed to see the choice of stuff to dip into the choc – I saw only honey dew. and dates. that’s all. where is the classic strawberry and banana? or the fun marshmallow?

 

cinnamon & dulce de leche tart, quince cream layers and blueberry cheesecake; among others. the honey dew dipped in choclate is NOT good. but I just LOVE the cinnamon & dulce de leche tart on top of this picture.

 

* * *

 

a memorable lunch because 1) I was stuffing my face with all-you-can-eat steak with a fancy name like ‘churrasco’! and 2) I love buffet meals, and 3) this was a long-awaited date with my mr. khairul

thanks honey for this treat, and thanks yong for keeping an eye on the kids. *big hug*!

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!

 

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

 

..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.

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

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?

 

* * *

 

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!

 

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

 

me~

 

..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.

Like Karaoke? Jom Kota Damansara or Alamanda

i like to sing very much. while driving, while cooking, while blogging. I sing. so naturally, I like karaoke too. it liberates me. it lets me sing as loud as i want, with real music to back my singing. it lets me live an imaginative world where i am an award-winning singer at a LIVE concert. with fans cheering at the back. and by fans, I mean the people who came with me to the karaoke place. haha.

 

* * *

 

my youngest sis azi knows very well how much I love singing so she and her fiance faiz treated me to a night of karaoke last few weeks. this has been an idea we throw about for weeks now, even before ramadhan, and only now did we really go out and do it.

the boys were with my in-laws, and mr. khairul out with his friends – so I was grabbing the chance to have one late night out and go nuts!

 

 

azi and faiz took me to ‘loud speaker karaoke’ at kota damansara. it’s a rather big, imposing place with bright lights and huge writings in chinese – terasa macam nak berkaraoke kat hong kong!

 

the touch-screen to choose songs is the one on azi’s left, in front of the sofa

 

the room is fairly spacious as it was just the three of us. very comfy and well-air-conditioned. plenty of space to swing around while you sing (nak buat breakdance pun boleh), with two small tables to put your drinks and food.

food is sold here, but we opted for the ‘just-drinks’ package which offers bottomless drinks till the end of our 3-hour karaoke session.

how to choose your songs?

a touch-screen is right in front of you where you can make your song choice as you sit watching your friends singing (like in the picture above). I like it because in some karaoke place, the touch screen is placed on the wall next to the tv so you need to get up to choose a song. and it can distract the person who is singing too!

 

guess which singer did I check out first? haha

 

though you can control the volume from the touch-screen, there’s also a small remote on the wall on the other side of the room to control the volume.

 

yay! i really let go and sang my heart out! over gile lepas geram punya pasal. songs of anuar zain, dayang nurfaizah, innuendo, jaclyn victor – I was having fun! it was just me, my sister azi and her fiance who had to endure my singing! haha.

azi and faiz even sang THEIR song – a love song that sort off explain their feelings for each other, michael learns to rock’s ‘I’m gonna love you’. eww. haha. faiz has a really soothing voice like an indonesian singer (bleh!) and azi’s soft tone of voice complements his. meant to be la tu konon. hoho.

thanks azi and faiz for finally putting your feet down, just got out and pulled me into this happy mess of loud songs and awfully great singing. one of the most enjoyable moments I’ve had. hope we can do this again soon!

 

* * *

 

 

just a week after, my singing-crazy sis-in-law also suggested a karaoke place in alamanda called ‘superstar’, which surprises me as it looks very posh and polished. the black and white walls with bright white lights in lines remind me of something out of the movie ‘tron’. haha.

nways, this time it was a slightly bigger ‘crowd’ – I came with mr. khairul and his siblings – tina, asrar and his 12 year-old youngest sis sofia also tagged along.

 

 

we took one of the food-and-drinks package which includes a regular box of non-caramel popcorn, fries, kacang putih and 5-piece nugget. for drinks, it’s a jug of iced coke. not bad for a night of belting out songs of love and broken-hearted!

when I looked at the menu, I was amused – the menu not only consist of western food such as nuggets and chicken wings, but keropok lekor ngan cucur udang pun ade! this really is a malay-owned karaoke place!

 

 

for a 5-people group, the room we’re given is quite small, just enough for a long sofa, one small table and a narrow place for those who wants to sing standing up. however, the fun time spent is most important, and the siblings make the most of the time they have with their eldest brother yang balik bercuti dari dubai tu!

they were loud, funny, and really went all out when singing. ALL of them enjoyed karaoke-ing so after a few song-choice, I just need to sit back and enjoy the loud merriment and let these crazy kids hog the mic. hihi.

 

my bro-in-law asrar with his rock kapak voice, my sis-in-law tina with a LIVE recording-artist voice that suits any songs especially the ballads, and even my 12 year-old youngest sis can belt out beyonce songs with ease. these kids are not just karaoke-nuts – they actually sound good!

 

the touch-screen for song choice is on the wall right next to the TV screen

 

mr. khairul did not sing, you might ask? haha I broke the ice asking him to sing anuar zain’s ‘lelaki ini’ for me. hihi. and then I regret it. I had opened a door. a karaoke-craze person came out from mr. khairul and throughout the night went wild singing bon jovi, zainal abidin and even KRU. way to blow off some steam, tuan pengarah!

 

* * *

 

err, is there karaoke place in dubai?

Dubai-Ipoh Can Eat Together : Thanks Skype!

one in dubai. surviving summer heat; surrounded by palm trees, hunky pak arab in kandoora, mountain of dates and delicious mandi rice, and camels walking by as you drive on the highway.

another one is in ipoh. surviving without her other half; surrounded by malaysia’s infamous traffic jam, glorious hawker food and irritating issues of awkward merdeka song with its ugly logo and inappropriate theme.

me in ipoh with my boys; and mr. khairul in dubai. bulan ramadhan pun kan mengajar erti sabar? hihi

 

 

as we’re enjoying our iftar in malaysia, in dubai he is waiting for asar. we’re living 4 hours apart, and thousands of miles away, so we have sessions like this : the boys eating dinner *with* their bapak – via skype!

oh my technology!

thanks to skype, the boys had the best time showing and describing what they’re eating. sometimes i just focus the camera at the carpet where the boys are making their usual racket, conducting wrestling mania or just being plain nuts!

i’m sure to mr. khairul, the noise makes him feel that they boys are right there in our dubai home! hihi.

 

 

at times, after updating each other on our respective activities, we just simply let the skype go on, our videos showing each other’s location – not talking, not chatting – just keeping each other’s video on.

it’s really comforting in its own way – knowing that your loved one who is so far away, seems so near, even just through a screen. even without uttering a single word.

thanks skype, phone bills pun tak melambung!

 

* * *

 

 

…and speaking of keeping skype on and on without chatting…

when ipoh is ready for berbuka at about 7.30pm, dubai’s clock is only at 3.30pm. when dubai is ready to go to sleep at 12 midnight, ipoh is busy waking up to prepare sahur.

so just last night i woke up to prepare sahur in the dead of night. i was at abah’s house already in ipoh. i switched on notebook, logged on skype and just let the visual image of him stay there on the screen, accompanying me as i cook.

he just came back from iftar and terawikh at matrade. at times we just talked while i cook, and other times, dia cuma temankan aku masak sambil dia browse the net.

it was simply a nice feeling.

*smile*

(esok subuh teman masak sahur lagi ye…)

Old Boys Weekend : Dubai ‘12 @ Papa Junior Thai

the actual ‘old boys weekend’ or OBW of the malay college kuala kangsar (MCKK) has come and gone weeks ago, but as usual the old boys of MCKK in dubai don’t want to be left out from the annual gathering.

back home in MCKK, the old boys gather over sporting events, musical gigs or simply to catch up. here in dubai, OBW meant to borak and makan. chat and eat! regular party-planner mr. khairul (who also happens to be the most junior among the attendees) started the ball rolling, sending out invites.

this year’s turn-out doubles last year’s – 6 old boys from MCKK spoke of school, business, politics and the usual gossips – all over spicy tomyam gung and thirst-quenching iced tea at ‘papa junior’.

from left : shamsul v86, shon v84, zaim v82, nizalman v90, hassanal v90, kay v96

this time they brought their ‘old boys weekend’ from our usual hotspot al-tawasol mandi restaurant to a thai place in dubai international city. this humble thai restaurant is called ‘papa junior’, very near dragon mart.

i’ve heard of this place since years ago, but this was the first time i went. it’s a popular place among malaysians, to get a little taste of our thai neighbour. ade la rasa macam pegi kedai abe goreng-goreng!

the ladies made their appearance too to support the husbands’ reunion – kak muna (abg shon’s wife), kak noni (bro nizalman’s wife) and kak rozi (abg zaim’s wife) provide all the laughter and words of wisdom at our little ladies table!

from left : kak muna, kiddos, kak noni, kak rozi, & me

* * *

 

for a place that is said to sell cheap thai food, ‘papa junior’ was really lovely. the decor is nice with bright orange walls, and colorful fake flowers on the walls. the general feel is that the owner really put an effort to beautify the place eventhough it sells food at a cheaper price.

before food was served, the waiter put these telur masin (salted egg) on the table. this is seriously the first time i was served telur masin at a restaurant in dubai! that was a good start!

i always say this about thai restaurant – you DO NOT go to a thai restaurant and not order TOM YAM! so yeah, this is a must-try – tomyam gong in ‘papa junior’ is really delicious, spicy and not too oily. the serving is also huge with generous portion of prawn. i’m not much of a tomyam fan – but yum!

this is a beef dish, but i can’t remember the specific. it could be soy-sauce or black pepper based. what i remember was that the texture if the beef was quite crispy because of the dry-fry. also, it’s a bit more salty that i would like it to be. not really a favorite.

what i find interesting though, is what was on the side…

yes, notice the presentation of the dishes? the decor on the plate? the carvings on the veggie? lovely, right? i mean, ‘papa junior’ is just a small place in little international city, dubai but they still put huge effort in decorating their dishes with carved veggies. nice touch there, ‘papa junior’!

this dish is shrimp tempura – freshly fried tender shrimp. kazim loves this!

kailan ikan masin (veggie with salted fish) was fresh, well-seasoned and tasty. complements the rest of the dishes very well. another yum.

we went ‘fishing’ too at ‘papa junior’ – bad pun, sorry! haha. the top one is steamed fish, and at the bottom is ikan tiga rasa (and yes, kak muna actually ordered in BM and the waiter understood what she meant!) both tasty, both well-marinated and fresh. a must-try too – either one, or just get both!

this is definitely my favorite – fried calamari. crunchy on the outside, and tender flesh on the inside. again, the pretty carved tomato in the middle, and yummy dips on the side that are served with the dish. i would just order this and tomyam gong alone! burp!

this is papaya salad thai style (som tam) or was it mango? either way, it’s a nice addition to all the savoury dishes and spicy gravy. sweet-spicy with a tangy twist. if you like that kind of thing…

the kakak-kakak said (they’ve been here countless times) that this is one heckuva sambal belacan. really brings out the best in all the dishes!

another item that the kakak-kakak really recommend was THIS – a tall glass of iced-tea. i told them i was having a bout of coughing, and that didn’t stop them! haha. they still urged me to try and have the ICED-tea because the hot one is just not the same. ok, i’m NOT a fan of tea with milk (most of the time i prefer teh o) but this one is really good.

the secret? a pinch of brown sugar and coconut milk! delicious!

* * *

  

our group filled the restaurant with so much noise and laughter, that i was glad we were the only ones there before a small group came in.

i’ve been joining these ‘small’ reunions between these MCKK old boys in dubai a lot of times, but i am still amazed that they’re never bored talking about their school AND never tired of wearing anything with the quad-colors on them!

such commendable spirit; or like how they would put it – speret koleq!

 

the outside of ‘papa junior’ is also eye-candy. there’s this really cool benches that’s also like a bridge of some sort – really cute to put in my garden one day! hihi. the area at the front entrance is also extremely spacious, that the boys from MCKK took some extra time to chat, lagi! dah nak balik pun nak bersembang lagi!

‘papa junior’ is highly recommended, especially for fans of thai food. should really give it a try. the food is delicious, affordable, great effort in presentation of the dishes, AND the service is friendly and fast. 

the ambiance is also nice and pretty, spacious for family with kiddos and a relaxing place to bring friends. there are tons of parking spaces behind the restaurant, but you gotta know exactly where to park, or else you end up walking quite a bit. good luck!

for us, the only drawback is that the place is so far away! nways, it could be worth it if you really, really want tasty, cheap tomyam!

* * *

...and speaking of old boys of malay college, here are some of mr. khairul's unforgettable meetings with a couple of his seniors - including a really super-senior - even older than my abah (class of 65)!

this was with sir mohd ibrahim a.k.a mad bra v59. mr. khairul first noticed his small mckk pin on his coat during a MATRADE event, and thus started his 'koleq' networking. OMG. a pin? a small tiny MCKK pin, and THAT can get these two generations to connect? that's huge, man. 

he's all that is wise and golden (hihi) and what mr. khairul commended about him was how fit he was to travel far and wide and getting involved in all these events!

this shot was with dato adissadikin v87 - ceo of exim bank. mr. khairul met him in his recent trip to qatar. again, with the *magic* of koleq connection, both fell into informal chats once they knew they belonged to the same alumni. no 'dato-dato', no protocol. just plain brotherhood. he shared his experience in the corporate world - brother to brother!

..and this is bro node (azhar) v80, batchmate of our pal here bro ikmal from ras al khaimah. also met when mr. khairul was in qatar, at one of the booths. always great to finally meet another mcob no matter where he is! he's an aspiring businessman in qatar, making a name for himself - a fine example for any young fellow (especially a *junior* like mr. khairul!) to emulate.