Azi & Faiz : Pretty Purple Reception

after the nikah on 20.12.2012, came the makan kenduri or reception, held at the same place where my other sis syida had her peachy peach reception last april. it was purple, purple and purple and so beautiful!

what a historical day that the last daughter of haji sharifuddin is finally married off!

newlyweds : faiz & azi, may they be in love for always!

the totally cute cake-topper on the purple wedding cake, surrounded by little cupcakes. super adorable! perhaps azi didn’t know this but later that day, kazim pulled out the groom’s arm, and haiqal managed to stick it back. haha.

the bride, sisters and the big guy Abah.

there was an apparent sense of relief in abah’s face during the reception. no helter skelter to attend to the crowd; abah seemed more relaxed and at ease. perhaps abah was thinking about how he has now passed on the responsibility of caring for his daughters to 5 deserving men. perhaps he was just basking on the joy of hosting the final kenduri kawin for his 5 daughters. perhaps he was just happy, a tired, contented smile on his face. perhaps.

no worries abah, your girls are in good hands!

abah’s NINE grandkids, minus one waiting at home – born 12.12.12. from left haqeem, khaleef, adam, kahfi, kazim, haiqal, ica, nuna & cuya. miqail syafi is the new member of the cucu-atok-podin club!

as usual, the MCs for the event : my bro-in-law abg mat and my eldest sis yong syimee handling it like a pro. it was just another job well done for them!

awesome cute button-badges for Abah, Umi, Bride, Groom, and four for Kakak-Kakak. worn with pride!

my in-laws came too, and stayed till the end hanging out with their grandkids, with my sis-in-law tina obligingly rendered a couple of siti nurhaliza songs for the crowd. great voice! however, this only reminded me that my mr. khairul was mising; out there somewhere in dubai at the time. sob sob. miss him so much especially during such a romantic occasion where we celebrate LOVE!

sisters : me, yong, syimot & syida. our youngest sis azi the bride was heading to kellie’s castle at the time for her post-wedding photoshoot

my sister syimot managed to reach ipoh in the morning of the reception, but was not able to join us at the banquet hall since she’s still in the early stage of confinement. well, we were more than happy that she’s there at abah’s house. once back home, us sisters and cousins and aunts took tons of pictures with her, making her no less part of this happy occasion!

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ok semua dah kawen ni – what’s next? kenduri kawen of our first nephew haiqal kot! haha.

Ijab Kabul Azi & Faiz : Puteri Bongsu is Married

that’s it. selesai sempurna alhamdulillah.

as of 20.12.2012, all FIVE abah’s daughters are married off. my youngest sister azi chose to spend her lifetime with a mr faiz who, incidentally lives right in our neigbourhood – that my bro-in-law made this joke while MC-ing during the reception, something like – jerit kat pintu belakang pun boleh dengar. huhu. memang dah jodoh!

faiz, azi’s husband joined abg mat, mr. khairul, din, and nash to complete the wonderful league of haji sharifuddin’s sons-in-law. welcome, brother!

 

the blushing bride : my youngest sis azot. congrats si comot! by the way, fun fact # : the magnificent bridal bouquet of white and yellow flowers is hand-made by my aunt cik, with my help! hihi.

 

sisters : from left yong, azot, me and syida. we’re missing one sis, syima who was still in confinement during the nikah day. she delivered a baby boy on 12.12.12 so she couldn’t make it on that day, but finally arrived in ipoh on the eve of the reception. yay!

 

alhamdulillah faiz is azi’s husband in one lafaz. fun fact #2 : the imam who performed the nikah is the SAME imam who performed the nikah for ALL five abah’s girls. yup. and at the very same mosque. with the very same witnesses.

 

one of my aunts said that this was THE nikah that she felt really sebak – she had been our ‘mother’ after mak passed away, cooking her nieces’ favorite food and meeting potential husbands hihi – so she felt a blissful sense of relief, now that all her late sister’s daughters are married, she knows that they’re all now taken care off.

ye mak tak payah risau dah. dah ade orang jaga anak-anak mak. *sniff*

 

rejoice! family photo is a must! abah, umi, the pengantin baru and sisters. would be perfect with my sis syimot, but a happy happy occasion nonetheless!

 

my sis azi with her bff – the dayangs for the day. they bought cute matching outfits just for the occasion and was very helpful in the prep for the wedding. personally i would just like to thank them for keeping my boys company haha aunty bell playing badminton with khaleef, and the girls hangin out with kahfi before bedtime. thanks, girls!

 

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to azi and faiz, ENJOY!

‘Malam Berinai’ is Malam Bergambar-Gambar

there’s a specific way of doing an ACTUAL ‘malam berinai’, but to us, it’s simply the night before the nikah or solemnization, when the bride has had her fingers, palm and toes painted with henna or inai – a night of fun, laughter and taking lots of pictures!

on that night of 19th dec, my youngest sis was about to get married. before the nikah the next day, she wanted to have a light, fun night of malam berinai. she was just so resplendent in this heavily beaded beautiful jalabiya I got for her from dubai. she was breathtaking. sob sob.

 

at the time of writing, she has already been whisked away by her husband on their mini honeymoon in penang. this is her on OUR version of malam berinai – dressing up just for pictures!

 

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she had her fingers, palm and toes painted earlier that day, and I was so fascinated that the inai-painter had her ipad on with pictures to guide her in painting the inai. hello technology!

 

before…

 

…after!

 

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azi looking gorgeous in cream-colored jalabiya, flanked by umi and my aunt cik. thanks for joining us in our craze and happy-fun-time!

 

…and then there’s US! azi, my eldest yong, me and syidot. we’re missing one more sister syimot who was still in confinement in her home in sri kembangan. she did manage to travel all the way to ipoh on the day of the reception, but we missed her during this malam berinai photoshoot, and the nikah too.

 

…and later that night it got even more crazier…

 

me and my boys : khaleef & kahfi

 

malam berinai is not a necessity, not wajib, not a must – to follow the procedure to a T is just following adat, and you’re welcome to do so if you like. for us it’s plain and simple – a gathering of close family members to just look pretty (or trying to haha) and take lots of pictures amidst lots of laughter and noise!

Malam Berinai, Tunang, Nikah & Kenduri All in a Weekend!

I’m in malaysia. woohoo!

best :

1. makan makan makan.
2. of course, the biggest news is – my youngest sister azot got married! habis dah anak-anak haji podin dipinang. abah bole rileks ye abah!
3. got to meet my new nephew who was born on the awesome triple date 12-12-2012, he is finally named Miqail Syafi! super cute!
4. my 2nd boy kahfi turns 4 today! so nice to celebrate it in ipoh surrounded by his cousins. aunty da bought him a yummy chocolate cake with his favorite angry bird perched on top. thanks sis! super ecstatic! balloons, bubbles, toys, oreos and chocolates – a perfect day to turn FOUR!

 

tak best :

1. since my sis syimot had just given birth, so she was still dalam pantang on the wedding day. she was cleared to travel with the-just-over-a-week old baby miqail syafi and was able to go to ipoh, but didn’t join us at the banquet hall for the wedding. she stayed at abah’s. we miss her in all the photographs during the reception, and through the wonderful celebration and merriment, felt a tinge of emptiness. tak cukup korum!
2. sigh, I came back to ipoh to celebrate the LOVE and union between two hearts – but I left my heart in dubai! sob sob. mr khairul couldn’t get a leave so it was just me and the boys flying back to malaysia. I miss him terribly. thanks SKYPE!
3. my eldest boy khaleef wears glasses. and I just bought him his 4th pair. nasib baik dapat reasonably cheap in ipoh. I hope this one last longer!

 

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full report coming real SOON!

 

the cake-topper for azi’s wedding cake!

12-12-12 : K Boys Welcome Another New Cousin!

no, this date doesn’t necessarily bring luck, or holds any special ‘magic’ just because of the triple number – I’m thrilled with this date because it’s the LAST repeating date we will ever encounter in our lifetime.

…AND I got a new nephew, and my boys got another boy cousin! (earlier my bro-in-law received his second child, a boy). congratulations to scientist parents syima and my bro-in-law din, getting this precious gift on this rare date!

this would be the 10th member of ‘Kelab Cucu-Cucu Atuk Podin’, and my younger sister’s syima’s 3rd child, and her 1st boy. much reason to rejoice!

 

 

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I knew my sister was already at the hospital by 1pm on 12-12-12, so with Allah’s will, the baby could come out by today. I called her up from dubai kasi semangat haha but no sweat, it’s her third time so I’m sure she’s all prep and ready.

 

 

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and then came the SMS announcing that my sister’s 3rd baby is OUT! alhamdulillah! mom and baby in excellent condition. it’s a BOY!

 

 

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…and then I finally got the photo from my youngest sis azi whatsapp-ing to everyone. he is SO adorable, like any newborn would be. can’t wait to see him!

 

 

at the time or writing, the parents have not confirmed the name of the baby – the baby boy’s elder sisters are named sufiyyah syafiqah and marissa marha – SS, MM – because mama is SS and their abah is MM. so it’s a wild guess what’s this boy’s name would be!

Delicious ‘Student Biryani’ is Cheap?

is it called ‘Student Biryani’ because it’s made to cater for student-budget? well, I found out that the food at this pakistan restaurant may NOT the cheapest biryani that I’ve found but it’s still comparatively cheap, especially when you see the HUGE servings in one plate of biryani!

(the cheapest biryani I’ve ever eaten in dubai is in LIYARI (also a pakistani biryani restaurant) – which is incidentally dubbed the BEST biryani in dubai! click here for my review)

we came here unplanned actually – we were around deira area to get new spectacles for khaleef, and while waiting for it to be fixed, we hung out here and decided to have a light dinner.

LIGHT, huh? haha.

 

‘student biryani’ established in 1969? must be GOOD to last that long!

 

there’s an open counter at the front, just like in a fast food restaurant like McD or KFC. and you know what – it’s because they DO have food like KFC!

 

other than delicious biryani, they also have ‘set meal’ like in KFC – with pieces of chicken, fries, coleslaw, soda and a bun. there are also set meal that comes with a plate of biryani with the biryani chicken as well as the crunchy fried chicken. you can mix and match!

and eating biryani rice with crunchy chicken like KFC is actually very satisfying!

 

the restaurant itself is very simple, looks like any other decent indian or pakistani restaurants in dubai. and SO unlike fast-food restaurant like burger king or KFC! haha. it’s clean, and the staff is friendly and helpful.

 

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…and this is the plate of biryani that we got. see what I mean by HUGE serving? it’s a mountain of rice, brimming on the edge of the plate. the juicy beads of rice look mighty delicious even before the first bite.

yes, the biryani lives up to its first impression – the rice is deliciously soft and yummy, and the chicken is tender and not too spicy. I like this kind of biryani – not too much spices, yet the taste is still rich and strong. I will be back!

 

can’t see how big the serving is? here is a comparison with khaleef. I’m telling ya, you can share this plate of biryani – unless you’re really really hungry!

 

this may not be the best angle for the crunchy chicken, but the chicken is nice and crunchy, a really good lauk to eat with the biryani, if you want a change from the usual biryani chicken curry.

 

they also deliver!

 

this one that I went to was in deira, but there are many other branches around dubai. the biryani is reasonably cheap, with big portion, and delicious too. try it!

World’s Tallest Building Made of Ferrero Rocher!

ferrero rocher is one of my favorite chocolates of all time. when mr. khairul goes travelling and ask, what choc do you want me to buy at the airport – it’s ALWAYS ferrero rocher first, and then think of some other chocolates like m&ms, kinder bueno or some chocolate bar.

so you can imagine how excited I was to know that there is a HUGE replica of the world’s tallest building the burj khalifa at dubai mall, made from ferrero rocher!

awesome!

 

 

in conjunction with ferrero rocher’s 30th anniversary (I can’t believe ferrero rocher has only been around for 30 years! I thought it was more!) they decided to celebrate the brand in dubai mall. I think there’s even a contest to count the number of ferrero rocher used in making this replica, and you can win a 22-carat gold ferrero rocher!

click here for more information.

from this picture alone, can you count the number of ferrero rocher used? I’ll be spinning round and round trying to keep track of the numbers!

 

 

I read somewhere that it took the staff 72 hours to put up this tall replica of burj khalifa. the resplendant replica will be on display until this weekend, so don’t miss it! it’s quite a sight!

 

 

pictures : courtesy of abg faisal shon. thanks sir!