Anak Bapak

this is my khaleef, and his brother kahfi. at play.

no babies were harmed during this photoshoot.

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at the time of writing i am still in mr. khairul's kampung. found an old photograph of this boy with the adorable smile, holding his baby brother.*


does he look familiar?


..maybe because the boy in the old photograph looks a little like this other cheeky boy with an equally (if not more) adorable smile! anak bapak!

the old picture is of mr. khairul and his younger brother kay, probably when he's about khaleef's age right now.

* * *

speaking of mr. khairul's brother, he currently runs a company that supplies 'halal' and hygienic chicken to restaurants, canteens, or even for kenduri. i mean, who doesn't like chicken, huh? (ok, tokcik tak makan ayam) but that's besides the point. malaysians and chickens are like roti canai and dhal, or ikan bakar and air asam, or like burgers and fries!

puasa nak dekat, raya apatah lagi - interested, click on the picture for more information and contact numbers. oh hey, i did not receive any monetary provisions for runing this ad - just helping a brother out!

good luck!

Tag 5-5-5

lama tak menjawab soalan tag. kali ini sang mikrobiologist just10 anneeza telah men-tag saya. nah, baca!

Nyatakan 5 fakta menarik tentang pemberi tag ini

1. kami bersekolah bersama dari darjah satu hingga tingkatan 5 di sekolah perempuan methodist, ipoh. (ko 1M kan? aku 1G)
2. kami berdua adalah antara 10 ahli just10
   
3. kami bersama 2 lagi rakan iaitu hani dan wani (juga ahli just10) bersekongkol untuk menggilai sebuah kumpulan rnb soul suatu ketika dahulu
4. gambar kami berdua di youthquake party pernah muncul di akhbar the new straits times lantaran kami berdua juga sama-sama memakan tali leher kartun
5. seorang blogger tegar yang menulis pengalaman beliau breastfeeding, baby-wearing dan yang terkini; menjahit!
   

Nyatakan 5 fakta diri sendiri sebelum memilih penerima tag seterusnya.

1. nama adik-beradik saya semuanya bermula dari syazrin kecuali adik bongsu saya
2. kereta kembara saya pernah di bawak lari orang di puchong dan polis berkata "adik, tiap-tiap hari ade kereta kena curi di puchong." la! dah tu?
3. kek keju saya tersangatlah sedap. tak percaya?
4. saya amat meminati anuar zain
5. saya mempunyai 2 anak lelaki bernama khaleef dan kahfi. nama anak perempuan turut disediakan, bermula dengan huruf 'k', sekiranya ditakdir anak ke-3 nanti perempuan!
   

Nyatakan 5 hobi diri sendiri sebelum memilih penerima tag seterusnya.

1. blogging
2. mengumpul tisu, stirrer, buku kegemaran dan lain-lain barang yang punya nilai sentimental
3. menyanyi sewaktu memasak, memandu, mandikan khaleef & kahfi dan dalam berbagai-bagai lagi keadaan
4. melukis (hobi yang telah lama ditinggalkan)
5. bergambar sewaktu melancong

5 orang penerima tag yang seterusnya

1. kak arin
2. aisha
3. liyana
4. fida
5. my sisters syidot & azot
   

Pakchik Peng-Gunteng Rambot

lewat ini aku adha mem-bawa anak2 meng-gunteng rambot. rambot khaleef udah panjang manakala kahfi perlu di-botak terus. dengar-nya peng-gunteng rambot ini mashhor sa-antero kampong. udah lama dia ber-khedmat sa-bagai peng-gunteng rambot di-kampong ini ya'ani sa-masa bapak mertua aku maseh di-tingkat sa-kolah!


kedai-nya chukup ringkas, sa-perti pondok kampong yang kechil. ia-nya juga tidak ber-pintu, hanya punya ruang besar sa-bagai tingkap dan pintu masok. chara-nya tidak rumet, ba-bekal-kan pa-nyembor ayer dan gunteng kechil ba-serta peng-cukor. di-satu sudot, cerek ayer ter-letak, dan hanya kipas usang men-dingin-kan ruang kedai ini.

enche' peng-gunteng rambot ini juga suda ber-umor. maklom-lah, udah meng-gunteng seja' bapak mertua aku di-bangku sekola lagi! orang-nya pe-ramah, murah senyoman-nya dan ber-chakap dalam loghat perak yang pekat; ta-ingat aku pada pakchik2 belah abah aku.

mula2 giliran kahfi. di-letaknya sa-kepeng papan di-atas pe-letak tangan di-karusi supaya kepala-nya lebeh tinggi.


mula-nya kahfi senang sa-haja dudok di-atas kepeng papan itu. tambah-an pula di-pegang olih bapak mertua aku jadi-nya dia goyang2-kan kaki sa-haja sambel dudok.

pakchik peng-gunteng rambot itu mula-kan dengan meng-sembor ayer ke-atas kepala kahfi bagi men-senang-kan dia meng-gunteng rambot yang udah basah itu. di-sikat2 rambot kahfi sambil kahfi maseh dudok diam.


namun bila di-ambil sa-haja pen-cukor dan udah te-rasa geli-nya, kahfi mula ber-gerak2-an dalam choba-an me-lepas-kan diri-nya. bila di-pegang lagi, maken kuat tangis-nya!

abang-nya lantas datang. mula-nya choba me-mujok lalu di-nyanyi-kan lagu2 ka-gemar-an adek-nya. ta-tapi ropa2nya mahu me-natap chermin di-hadap-an. udah tidak di-peduli-kan si-adek!


nah! sa-karang giliran abang! mahu ma-nunjok belang, si-abang senang sa-haja dudok pantas di-atas papan sa-keping itu. siap dengan senyoman simpul! bila di-balot dengan kain maseh lagi mampu tar-senyom.


si-abang bakal ka-sakolah septembar ini. jadi-nya kami tidak mahu kepala-nya di-botak teros. di-belek, di-gunteng2 lantas siap-lah hasel gunteng rambot feshen pergi ka-sakolah, dengan rambot-nya di-siser ka-tepi sa-perti di-buboh minyak rambot.


be-rapa upah-nya pakchik?


kedhai2 sa-perti ini pasti-nya mem-bawa kembali nostalgia dzaman kanak2 bapak2 dan emak2 kita ya?

Balik Kampung : Ipoh

after the fruitful cuti-cuti kuala lumpur with anak-anak haji sharifuddin, i'm heading back to my hometown, ipoh. to my abah's house.


i followed closely behind abah's car, just to feel safe (padehal okay je drive sorang-sorang kl-ipoh-kl) it's just nice to know that whatever happens, i have a back-up unit right up front.

my co-pilot was captain khaleef khairul, with the help of cabin crew kahfi khairul by his side (who's later been demoted to the back seat, under the care of umi).


do you realize how lovely the scenery is along the highway? OUR highway? i mean, i took pictures of us on the road on the way to abu dhabi, or as we're cruising along the freeway to balarat - thinking that the scenery was just breath-taking. never did i look at my own 'backyard' for an equally charming setting.

this was what greeted me as i drove along from kuala lumpur to ipoh. green as far as the eye can see. mountains and hills. clear blue sky with gorgeous plush clouds.

malaysia is just so beautiful!


we made a pit-stop at tapah r&r, munchin kfc as we haven't had lunch and it's already 2pm.


...and then we're off again on the open road, me clicking away in admiration of my country's highway.

i mean just look! - on the way to ipoh, after passing the tapah exit, you'd never miss the sight of a majestic waterfall on the right, trickling down a green hilly side, ever flowing - a never-ending stream of delight for the nature-lovers. the lata kinjang waterfall, one of the tallest ones in malaysia.

it is in fact, THE landmark of the north-south expressway. the lata kinjang waterfall is 'a tropical rainforest oasis with plenty of river pools, forest trails and picnic spots.' from the highway, only the middle part of the huge cascade is visible.

what a sight! found a nice site with beautiful pictures of lata kinjang. click!


oh, there's my exit - simpang pulai! and there's the hollywood-styled ipoh signage! home sweet home! ye, ipoh memang bandaraya bersih dan indah!

wanna know ipoh from my point of view? click here!

Makan Mandy Msia @ Al-Diafah

when abah wants to eat something different, he googles. and he found al-diafah that serves mandy.

mandy is my new favorite food ever since living in dubai. i simply love it. the juicy beads of rice. the soft chicken flesh. the fresh cut vege. the semi-spicy chilli-sambal. the whole combo just gets to me. read about my addiction to mandy here.

abah really wanted to bring mr. khairul here too, but he's already back in dubai - therefore having access to the real thing! so abah asked my bro-in-law din to check out the direction to go there, and he led an entourage of 4 cars down sri petaling to where the middle eastern restaurant is.


the surrounding area is ordinary, that you don't expect to see a mediterranean restaurant in the middle of it all. but once you see it, you'd definitely look twice - standing out strong amidst plain colored shophouses, this restaurant with huge arabic writing in yellow over dark marroon signboard is very eye-catching.

the ground floor is where the sell arabic sweets such as baklava and kurma, while the restaurant is in the first floor. there's ample parking space at the corner side of the shoplot with just a short walking distance. a lift can take you up to the restaurant if like me, you have a baby stroller, or you can just take the stairs.


oh did i mention that the decor of this restaurant is just gorgeous? even the little corners of the left has items from the middle east. the paintings, ornaments in the glass casings, mirrors, and side tables spell middle east all over. kat dubai pun tak pegi tempat makan lawa macam ni!

our lift door opens to the entrance of the restaurant.

"wah...!"


it was just awesome!

white square tiles on the walls reflect the lights from the ornate lamp hanging from the ceiling in a row. paintings from egypt and such adorn the walls. rich wooden chairs invite patrons to relax and have a meal while the side plants around the pillar add to the charm.

and the real charm was indeed the decor. tons of glass ornaments from the middle east were placed high on the shelves and even arranged nicely against a mirrored wall. (this however, proved to be dangerous to have around kids with itchy fingers yearning to touch!)

unlike al-rawsya with its warung feel, al-diafah offers a true dining experience at a middle-eastern restaurant because the ambiance with arabic song on the background take you to a middle eastern location in the middle of sri petaling!


however, according to my sister syima, al-rawsya provides more choice in its menu. but generally they have pretty much what you'd expect in a mid-east restaurant. we ordered mandy - coz that's what we're here for!

i guess yong was the most excited one as this would be the first time she tried mandy rice!


while waiting for food to arrive, the waiter served us plain water that tasted plain with a hint of rose. really! he poured it from this aladdin jug and i thought it took forever for him to pour just one glass of water with that thing with the narrow spout!


food arrived, and the first thing i was excited about was the chilli-sambal as it looked similar with the one in dubai, unlike in al-rawsya where the chilli looked pekat like the chilli sauce from the bottle.

next, the mandy rice. again, it tasted nice - but it's no mandy dubai, guys. the chicken was nearly perfect though. and abah loved the bbq chicken. there was no plain cut-up cucumber vege but a complicated salad with lotsa barang-barang yang i would put aside!

mr. khairul upon looking at the pictures of the food i posted on my facebook has only this to say : "poor attempt!" but hey, i'm just saying it's no mandy dubai - but it is still delicious and enough to get you wondering about what the dubai one really taste like!


after we're done eating, (except khaleef who was still eating even after our table was completely cleared) i dumped kahfi with yong and walked around with azi taking pictures. as you can see azi pouring out from the aladdin-like jug - nice, eh?


khaleef, wash your hands! and his mak su led him to the 'ladies'. its restroom is clean, comfy and nicely decorated. even the trash bin was a matching metal kerawang thingy.


abah yang excited because he finally got to go here, and yong yang excited because finally got to taste mandy rice. yay!

Grill Thrill @ The Halia

cuti-cuti kuala lumpur bersama anak-anak haji sharifuddin still on!

on the second night we went to 'halia' - a cute little name for a makan place. it's inside the sime darby convention centre in jalan bukit kiara. the building itself is huge and i have been there to attend a raya do by a company but didn't know there is actually a restaurant inside.

bbq skewer buffet is their specialty, plus the mongolian bbq. more on this later!


when we arrived, a birthday party was about to end, so we waited outside while the party cleared up. naturally, azi and i, we took the time to take narcissistic shots of ourselves doning the 'new' tudung brought especially from dubai! hihi.

the area in front of 'halia' is super spacious - great for boisterous kids like ours as they have the whole place to run around. however it is after all, outside of the restaurant. it's not like we can let the kids loose while the adults are eating...


khaleef and his cousins ran up and down the long, broad carpeted area...

still waiting, we took shots of new best buds - khaleef and his cousin sufya - the super-shy, super-sensitive, look-at-you-with-the-corner-of her eyes while frowning type of kid! looks the toughest nut to crack can soften up with my bright and cheerful khaleef!


still waiting. and the makciks arrived. yong and syima. cikgu syazrin and the mak buyung yang anytime popping out another daughter and the 7th grandchildren of haji podin!


husna, yong's youngest girl seemed to find kahfi's stroller so comfy that she decided to make it her throne all night long. with that adorably smug face she sat and eyed her royal subjects!

* * *

the interior inside is modern, with wooden flooring and shattered glass-effect as divider. simple, but stylish. however i find that the space was quite narrow for a buffet place which should have ample space for people to walk around taking food.

when we were there, the bday party clan just left so it was just us and another family. so it didn't feel too crowded, but i expect it is so with a full house.


another interesting bit about this place is the staff would bring the long beef skewer to your table and plop some beef cuts or chicken bits on your plate - all for the asking!


yes, it is still a buffet place - so you have some more choices of food as you go around. there's a seafood stall with a wok and pan where the chef whips up a hot meal once you make your pick.

the others are the usual buffet fare - cakes and buns, fruits and salad, nasi goreng and pasta. the usuals.


there's also a chocolate fountain that the boys were simply hooked on. asyik-asyik nak suruh mak su diorang dip kan kat choc tu!

right next to our table was a kebab station. make your order and the chef would make one nice hot kebab for you!


while waiting for abah to pay (thanks, abah!) we hung out at the entrance. with plush sofas and spacious 'play area'.


'halia' restaurant on the first floor of the sime darby convention centre. jalan bukit kiara. big, huge white building. ample parking space. you won't miss it!

from left - my bro-in-law din, mak buyung syima, my youngest sister azi with syima's daughter sufya in front, the main man abah holding haqeem, umi with haiqal in front, me holding kahfi with khaleef in front, yong next to me and her husband abg mat. oh, and that's little queen of the world husna in the stroller.

we're missing my sister syida in melbourne and my other half mr. khairul to complete the picture. and then i'm done!

Dine Amid Waterfall @ Cerana Seafood

this weekend, it's cuti-cuti kuala lumpur for anak-anak haji sharifuddin - yong and family came from ipoh, i followed abah back to kl and azi met us later on. the first night, yong's sister-in-law wanted to belanja us - mainly because it was to celebrate haqeem's birthday, and also for my hospitality when she visited me in dubai few months back.

we went to cerana seafood. all the way to ampang. (eh, kat ampang kan. nanti check)


for someone not used to driving along kl or selangor area, in the middle of the night in high traffic, the place was quite a challenge to find. only a huge 'billboard' against a row of shophouse would tell you that you have arrived. i missed it, had to make a u-turn and then found my way parking at the petrol station on the side of the restaurant.

and even then, you'd still be wondering - where is this cerana place? from the petrol station, you had to go round the back, and then only you're faced with an entrance that welcomes you with kampung-like built and green plants all around.


i heard this place only opens at night, in case you're wondering. the interior is woody (floors, roofing and stairs) but the chairs did not complement the whole wood-theme. and i think it's in bad taste that the table cloth is red!

yong's sis-in-law, whom we call kak yong mislia had reserved a long table right in front of the 'live' performance (which i must add, was really a nuisance with the much too loud music and sound, plus lack of singing talent! i mean, they don't have to sound like ziana zain, but takkan la sumbang sangat!)


thus, it was very difficult for our troupe to speak to each other over the VERY loud music. the only thing we could do was just speak to the person sitting next to us - and that defeats the purpose of this get-together-cum-reunion!

the food is OK - and i'll stop at that. oh, i'll just add 'edible'. i believe that kak yong mislia put a lot of effort in choosing this place, ordering these special dishes to belanja us whole family, so i would just say thank you for the tom yam, steamed fish and lauk-lauk lain. thanks!


i guess at the end of the day, it's the company that matters the most. my sisters get to lepak with their awesome sister on holiday from dubai (me lah!) and abg. mat's sisters living in kl get to meet their 'little' brother and their nephews and niece coming for holiday.


after dinner, kak yong mislia gathered the kids, including khaleef (but excluding the shy and gwumpy sufya) to bring out the cake. yang lawaknya, azi pun terlibat sama! as the youngest aunt, kak yong mislia asked her to carry the cake, with the kids behind her walking towards haqeem.

surprise! secret recipe's choc indulgence for the birthday boy!


sambil makan kek, we took the chance to take pictures against the 'scenery'.

now, if i want to be truly honest - this is the only perk of the place - the man-made mini waterfall, the batu sungai and the abundant of trees and plants surrounding the place. in fact, it is stated in the website that patrons can enjoy their food while listening to the sounds of soothing waterfall.

..err, which makes we wonder - since all i could hear was the irritatingly blaring BAD singing!


oh, well. yes - the company that matters the most. and niat murni kak yong mislia nak belanja kitorang. she was a fantastic host - making sure everyone was comfortable, had enough to eat and all their needs met.

thanks again!