First Desert Camping Experience : Unforgettable!

under the stars in the velvety sky. surrounded by sand stretching forever. magnificent moon lights our way. juicy lamb chop grilling over a friendly fire. impromptu guitarist strumming lovesick songs through the night. children’s laughter reverberating in the air as they roll down sand dunes. taking a romantic stroll in his comforting arms as we’re snug together in that cold, cold night; in the company of good friends.

the location was Sweihan Desert, Abu Dhabi. it was our first time camping in the desert! an unforgettable 25th january!

it was SO cold that day, that I could just bury my bottle of mango juice and fresh milk in the desert sand to make it freshly cold by the time we want to take a sip! THAT cold!

 

me – camping! in the desert!

 

it took me some time to finally pen down my experience, as I can barely construct a proper sentence to describe the night and do ultimate justice to the beauty of my little adventure!

however, I just HAD to express it all in one simple facebook status on that very night. nothing could fully describe my feelings or what I could see, but this was essentially it :

 

 

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10 interesting stuff on our FIRST camping trip at the desert :

 

my boys roll around the sand while mr. khairul set up tent in the distance

 

1. CHILDREN’S SANDBOX

it’s just the BEST place to let your kids loose and be wild and nuts – and to be – kids! the desert sand is freaking spacious. they can run everywhere and STILL be within eyesight. the really owned it; like it’s their natural habitat. like they were born to survive at the desert. run free. fall down. roll around on the ultra-soft desert sand and not feel hurt. roll down the sandy hill. on purpose.

my boys absolutely LOVE the desert. this is one of their many, many trips out. we went to sweihan desert, just off dubai-abu dhabi road.

 

sweihan desert : see how spacious the place is! and this is JUST what my small camera managed to capture!

 

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2. 1st TIME DESERT CAMPING

i. have. never. slept. in. a. tent. before.

this was exciting, at the same time I was feeling anxious. and being a mom of 3 boys – all under the age of 7 – I was even more nervous and anxious! do we have enough blankets? do we have pillows to keep everyone comfortable? keep the tent clean! brush your feet before entering so that no sand gets in the tent!

or is it possible to sit your butt inside the tent while dangling your feet outside? that’d be great.

err hello? it’s camping. OUTDOOR. in the desert. you can be a mom at home, syigim but out here you just gotta get out of control! a little sand in the tent gives it character! right. eww. besides, be thankful that your king’s scout husband doesn’t drag you camping near the malaysian waterfall or in a malaysian forest – with leech, or mosquitoes, or lecah or, or, or orang minyak to worry about. heh.

mr. khairul (who is a proud king’s scout) prepared the tent, while I do absolutely nothing to help. haha.

 

my sexy king’s scout at work. lepas ni make fire pulak!

 

..and they’re all done. 4 families altogether; including one bachelor – on a desert camping, bbq night under the moonlight. we found a flat area, surrounded by sand dunes. perfect. the view, indescribable.

 

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3. DINOSAURS CAMP TOO

my boys are crazy about dinosaurs. especially khaleef because now he can read many books and write-ups about dinosaurs. and kazim simply loves the ferocity of his favorite dino T-rex! and yes, they brought their best collection out here in ‘the wild’.

at one point, khaleef buried them, and dug them out again, pretending to discover fossils. what does he wanna be when he grows up? you guessed it – paleontologist!

 

 

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4. CAMPFIRE!

through this experience, I truly understand the phrase ‘getting toasty by the fire’. it is SO incredibly cold (possibly 15-16 degrees) at the desert that sitting near the fire is the only way to be comfortable, even when your feet gets so hot that they feel ‘toasted’! hihi.

sitting there staring at the fire at times also made me think of those poor people who live in cold countries with no warm place to go – how important FIRE is that we take for granted! alhamdulillah we’re doing this for fun, and not for necessity to survive!

since I use electric stove in my kitchen, the only fire I need these days are for scented candles!

oh, the cold weather in the desert is incomparable to the cold in the city! no trees, no buildings – the cool wind just seep straight through to your bones! brr!

 

mr khairul and fellow king’s scout abg ezam starting the fire

 

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5. DESERT ENTERTAINMENT

didn’t know bro helmey was a daymn good guitarist! he belted out many hits with his accompanying guitar – from bon jovi to hattan – entertaining us through the cold night. suara pun sedap! haha. bro manx later joined him for a short gig.

thanks for the entertainment!

 

our impromptu desert entertainers : manx in red, and helmey with guitar

 

6. MARSHMALLOW & CAMPING

first of all, whose bright idea was it to start roasting marshmallow during camp fire? because it DOES NOT taste good. at all. yech.

I actually found an article on the net ‘you can’t go camping without roasting a few marshmallows’. say what? (err, yes you should go camping without!) the egyptians were the first to discover the ‘marshmallow’ plant as early as 2000BC, but around 19th century, it’s the french’s fault that it became that spongy pinkish treat as we know them today. hihi.

however, the ‘real culprit’ of roasting these marshmallows during campfire AND thinking this was a good idea are the american boy scouts. so apparently, I need to blame them for this gross invention.

click here to read more.

 

 

as a kid, I too am exposed to americanized camping with burning marshmallow at the end of a stick (through many, many cartoons and movies), and then eating it. so naturally, I was curious, even now as a grown-up.

so I picked up a stick, stuck a marshmallow at the end of it, and shoved it into the fire for a few secs. and then took a bite. sebab dah camping kan kena la camping betul-betul siap ngan marshmallow kan. adoi menyesal. *shakes head*

taste?

it was like sickeningly sweet melted plastic inside a very thin, crispy layer of hardened sugar. ugh. the taste and texture were just weird. I am NOT doing that again!

 

 

however, the boys absolutely enjoyed roasting marshmallow – they did it over and over again – sometimes to eat, sometimes just to watch the marshmallow burn and melted onto the firewood.

I can agree with the fact that it has entertainment value especially for the kids – but provide no tasty result. just my opinion.

the next time we go camping, just leave the marshmallows ok. you want to roast something on a stick, let’s just bring some hotdogs instead.

 

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7. CHICKEN, LAMB & SEAFOOD BBQ

I’d like to thank bro razali and bro ezam who kept the bbq pit going. there were juicy lamb chops, marinated chicken, seafood – all so delightfully delicious.

sitting there in the cold, anything freshly hot from the grill just made the night so much better. zira and I brought bihun and keropok – there were also unlimited supply of potato chips that the kids just munch away.

delicious. just, delicious. memang tak pernah lapar sepanjang camping!

 

 

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8. SLEEP IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

so, camping for the first time. sleeping in a tent for the first time. how did it go?

1. we didn’t sleep till late at night – the boys slept first after a tiring day of rolling and running around aimlessly haha.
2. it was REALLY cold possibly as low as 14 degrees! they boys wore thick socks, sweaters and snow caps as they sleep.
3. it was SO cold that at one point, in the middle of the night (2 am actually) I woke up, took off their damp socks (kena dew from sides of tent) dry it near the campfire until ‘toasty’ and put them back on their sleeping feet. lega mak, mesti sedap je panas-panas camtu!
4. the early morning dew was invading our tent, making it wet, making it even more cold. I made sure the boys stay away from the sides.
5. no matter how thick your mattress is, sleeping on the hard (you thought leveled) part of the desert is NOT comfy. there, I’ve said it. sakit belakang aku!
6. well, speaking as a married woman, I don’t need to tell you how incredibly romantic it is actually to sleep in a small tent with your other half. it’s extremely cold, in tight space – you just HAD to hug tight when you sleep to keep warm. hihi. *wink wink*

 

snug like a bug in a rug

 

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9. THE MOON in THE DESERT SKY. at 2am

ok stay with me now. this is the BEST story ever of my camping trip.

like I wrote earlier, it was so, so cold. and I actually woke up in the middle of the night. didn’t know what time it was. I woke up alone, so cold, wanting to ‘reheat’ myself out in the campfire. I unzipped my tent, and took a peek.

OMG. what time was it? is it already subuh?

because the sky was unbelievably BRIGHT. (ok I’m trying to type and at the same time describing in my head what I saw but it was too beautiful, like in a dream). I looked at my watch. it was only 2am. 2am? lookin THIS bright?

the sky was so bright, that it could’ve easily been 6am already. and you know how a night sky can be bright with the moon, right? like a big torchlight in the dark sky – but this is NOT that kind of bright. the sky was NOT dark – it was bright. at 2 am.

all I can see was a misty brightness across the desert. and the moon was SO round, SO big, SO gorgeous right on top of my head – literally lighting up the world in front of me. it was a miracle that I was privileged to have seen this scenery – I kept repeating ya Allah ya Allah, Allahuakbar Allahuakbar – it was too beautiful.

there’s something about the moon shining upon the earth unobstructed by any man-made constructions – it shines through and through on the sandy wave – resulting in that beautiful picturesque scene.

I was too mesmerized by the beauty of Allah’s creation that I had to wake mr. khairul up – and share with him this secret meeting between me and nature.

it was incredibly COLD, but I had to take off my sons’ socks and dry them over the fire so we sat there – him and me – by the fire – and talk of stuff, in the silent bright night. then mr. khairul made hot tea. just me and him in the middle of 2 am, enjoying the beautiful view – other tents surrounding us enveloped in their own sweet dreams.

(this experience was so amazing, that I had actually NOT thought of taking a picture. haha makes sense tak? lain la kamera beso-beso bole zoom tu kan hihi) it exists only in my memory now…

 

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10. NATURE REFRIDGERATOR

like I wrote earlier, I actually buried the cans of juice and fresh milk overnight in the desert sand. by morning, drink away as the drinks were all freshly cold!

 

 

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GOOD MORNING, DESERT!

 

 

the boys had a good night sleep, and the morning after in the desert felt just as good. it was still cold, but we welcomed the bright ,morning sun to keep us ‘toasty’.

while the moms did the packing, the kids took one last trip around the desert – walking, running, rolling, tumbling – just about anything you can do in a big sandbox!

 

 

we heated up the left-overs bbq-ed chicken and had a delicious filling breakfast with arabic bread, and curry. hot meal for breakfast, in the cold, with the rising sun. what a morning.

 

 

soon after that, we packed up everything, folded the tent, put sand over our camp fire, cleared the rubbish, and left sweihan desert. the boys are so lucky to have this experience so early in their life. one they will always remember with fondness!

I know I left a piece of me back there. in the night. at 2am. the moment when I saw the beauty of the moon-lit night sky upon God’s glorious earth, as it should’ve been.

I will be back.

Khairul & Syigim : Post-Wedding & Post-3-Boys

how to plan a family photoshoot :

1. dress nicely
2. make sure your youngest sister is marrying a professional photographer

haha.

 

 

please note that :

1. this picture was taken after we went to a wedding at the same venue, so the boys were all tired playing with other kids at the wedding, and restless to get out of their baju melayu
2. the venue is full of trees and bushes AND ponds, so naturally there were mosquitoes. A LOT of mosquitoes. a whole party of them so posing for pictures was an uncomfortable feat for both our side, and the photographer
3. khaleef had a toothache and was extremely moody the whole time, which is unfortunate because he would’ve given great shots and poses
4. kazim wanted to get away and just run around. it was most difficult and challenging to just get him to sit still and LOOK at the camera

…so these are some of the shots taken that day...

 

 

these gorgeous shots were taken by my future bro-in-law faiz, and he’s open for business!

click here to visit his website at shutterpix, to check out the packages offered, and browse through his recent works. the website is very new, so keep coming for more updates!

also, please ‘like’ his facebook page ‘shutterpix’.

or you can just e-mail him at faiz@shutterpix.net for more information.

or give him a buzz at 017-6454485 to arrange a meeting.

faiz is your guy-next-door, and very easy-going; you’ll have a fun time having your photos taken!

weddings, birthdays, expecting a baby, anniversary or just because you feel like it – etch your precious moments with shutterpix, and he will help make it more beautiful and memorable.

Date a Girl Who Reads

specially dedicated to my beloved husband, who, 7 years ago, made the smartest decision of dating a girl who reads, and eventually marrying her. i wish we had met in a bookstore as per my fantasy haha, but in reality, i would not have it any other way.

the rest of you have GOT to read this piece, particularly for the book nerd in you, people. i found this floating all over tumblr and it’s way too cool not to be shared.

enjoy. and prepare to be swooned.

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“..Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.

Find a girl who reads. You’ll know that she does because she will always have an unread book in her bag. She’s the one lovingly looking over the shelves in the bookstore, the one who quietly cries out when she finds the book she wants. You see the weird chick sniffing the pages of an old book in a second hand book shop? That’s the reader. They can never resist smelling the pages, especially when they are yellow.

She’s the girl reading while waiting in that coffee shop down the street. If you take a peek at her mug, the non-dairy creamer is floating on top because she’s kind of engrossed already. Lost in a world of the author’s making. Sit down. She might give you a glare, as most girls who read do not like to be interrupted. Ask her if she likes the book.

Buy her another cup of coffee.

Let her know what you really think of Murakami. See if she got through the first chapter of Fellowship. Understand that if she says she understood James Joyce’s Ulysses she’s just saying that to sound intelligent. Ask her if she loves Alice or she would like to be Alice.

It’s easy to date a girl who reads. Give her books for her birthday, for Christmas and for anniversaries. Give her the gift of words, in poetry, in song. Give her Neruda, Pound, Sexton, Cummings. Let her know that you understand that words are love. Understand that she knows the difference between books and reality but by god, she’s going to try to make her life a little like her favorite book. It will never be your fault if she does.

She has to give it a shot somehow.

Lie to her. If she understands syntax, she will understand your need to lie. Behind words are other things: motivation, value, nuance, dialogue. It will not be the end of the world.

Fail her. Because a girl who reads knows that failure always leads up to the climax. Because girls who understand that all things will come to end. That you can always write a sequel. That you can begin again and again and still be the hero. That life is meant to have a villain or two.

Why be frightened of everything that you are not? Girls who read understand that people, like characters, develop. Except in the Twilight series.

If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.

You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.

You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.

Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.

Or better yet, date a girl who writes.”

~ Rosemary Urquico

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from google, i found out that rosemary urquico is a gorgeous young writer from the philippines. thank you for your moving piece, for your truth in its simplicity.

“..Girls who read understand that people, like characters (in books), develop. Except in the Twilight series.” haha. priceless!

and yes, honey we will spend our kerepot days backpacking across petra in jordan spewing wordsworth and dressing up to watch the royal shakespeare company on stage…

* * *

thank you to my mr. khairul :

1. for shipping ALL my books from malaysia to dubai
2. for buying me a nice ikea bookrack to put all my books in. there are some more. we need another bookrack. or a bigger one. hihi
3. for so many books you bought me – for birthdays, for delivering your sons, to read during pantang, or just because it’s wednesday
4. for looking after the boys, feeding them cereal bars, sitting on some sofas, flipping through superbike mag while i’m lost between the shelves at borders
5. for saying, “get another one lah,” when i said the books are on sale, or when i said i can’t decide between two books
6. for breathing down my kneck, saying, “kenape? kenape? best ke?” when you see me so engrossed in pages of a book that i’m currently reading
7. for listening to me go on and on about the exciting plot of a book that i’m reading though it bores you to the bone
8. for willing to spend A LOT on books. mine, and the boys’. hihi. (well, would you rather me spending your money on ferragamos and jimmy choos? hah!)

this girl who reads loves you very much!

Krisis Egypt : Impak Pada Dubai (UAE)

ramai rakan taulan dan keluarga terdekat yang tertanya-tanya : apa khabarnya tanah arab dubai dan serata arab emiriyah bersatu (united arab emirates; UAE) di kala rakyat tunisia dan egypt bangkit menggulingkan presiden mereka?

dubai pun arab jugak kan? sekarang kan negara-negara arab semua tengah sibuk dengan revolusi dan kebangkitan rakyat masing-masing? dubai macamana? tak bahaya ke? tak nak balik malaysia ke?

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(image : google) burj arab, dubai & the sphinx & the pyramid in egypt

 

oh dubai!

aku yang tinggal di dubai bersama suami dan 3 anak semuanya alhamdulillah selamat sejahtera, dan hidup di sini macam biase je. biase sangat-sangat biase. insyaAllah harap kekal selamat macam ni.

aku jumpa satu artikel ni yang membincangkan tentang kesan revolusi di tunisia dan egypt terhadap UAE. caranya terang dan jelas, sambil mengemukakan contoh-contoh yang aku pun boleh faham. kalau nak baca artikel tu dalam bahasa inggeris, klik sini.

di sini aku terangkan dengan bahasa aku, supaya 10 tahun nanti aku baca balik pun boleh faham. hihi.

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PERTAMA, UAE BERSIKAP NEUTRAL

pihak kerajaan uae bijak dengan tidak mengemukakan sokongan mahupun bantahan terhadap demonstrasi secara terang-terangan. ye lah, kalo kata sokong demonstrasi tu, goyanglah persahabatan dengan kerajaan egypt. kalo kata bantah demonstrasi pulak, nanti manalah tau rakyat UAE pulak yang marah. jadi diorang senyap-senyap je.

(tapi menteri luar UAE ade lah jugak melawat bekas presiden egypt hosni mubarak masa krisis tu huhu)

 

KEDUA, PERBEZAAN SISTEM PEMERINTAHAN EGYPT & UAE

rakyat egypt yang sibuk memprotes dulu ni macam-macam tak puas ati. mahukan perubahan, PERUBAHAN dalam sistem pentadbiran dengan meminta presiden mereka hosni mubarak blah selepas 30 tahun memegang jawatan. dah la 30 tahun memerintah, pehtu nak anak dia pulak ambik alih, padehal presiden dilantik melalui pilihanraya. mane tak bengang!

tapi kat UAE takde teringin nak ubah-ubah ni. UAE menggunakan sistem monarki (pemerintahan beraja) jadi tahta kerajaan memang diwarisi oleh anak atau adik beradik. keluarga diraja UAE sangat dihormati oleh rakyat jelata dan status ketuanan mereka tak pernah dipersoalkan.

diorang memang sayangkan bapa pembangunan UAE iaitu sheikh zayed (pegang tahta sejak merdeka kalo tak salah, meninggal 2004, skang anak dia pegang tahta UAE), jadi anak, atau sedara mara dia pun diorang sayang la kot. hihi.

 

KETIGA, PERBEZAAN POPULASI EGYPT & UAE

egypt ngan uae ni populasinya sangat berbeza.

bayangkan rakyat tempatan UAE adalah MINORITI! yes, pak-pak arab tu minoriti di negara sendiri! macamana tu ye? dalam 6 juta je penduduk UAE, hanya 15 peratus adalah rakyat tempatan. rata-rata berkehidupan selesa, dan menikmati kemudahan yang sangat best sebagai rakyat tempatan, walaupun diorang sikit. jarang dengar pasal rakyat merungut tentang kerajaan.

ini berbeza dengan egypt yang sebilangan besar penduduk adalah rakyat tempatan, sebanyak 79 juta la lebih kurang. ramai gile tu! mereka menuntut perubahan dalam sistem pentadbiran, pendidikan dan paling pentingnya; kebebasan bersuara. mereka menentang keganasan pihak polis, kerajaan korup, dan banyak lagi. 60% rakyat hidup miskin – tiada peluang pekerjaan dan pendidikan yang sempurna.

punya la ramai rakyat tak puas hati, mana taknye mencetuskan revolusi ye tak.

revolusi negara-negara arab pulak skang ni rata-rata dicetuskan oleh RAKYAT TEMPATAN. jadi berbalik pada UAE tadi, rakyat tempatan dah le sikit sangat, hidup pulak selesa. jadi ape yang nak diprotes?

expats (rakyat asing) yang tinggal kat UAE (termasuklah aku) memang la sangat-sangat ramai berbanding dengan rakyat tempatan, tapi selalunya rakyat asing ni mane la nak libatkan diri sangat dengan situasi politik kat negara asing yg diorang tinggal tu.

rakyat asing kat UAE nak buat demo? dari india, filipina, indonesia, US, UK, lebanon, iran, iraq, afrika sampaila ke rakyat malaysia sendiri kebanyakan berpusu-pusu ke UAE pun pasal nak cari keja. semua nak sara keluarga, terutama yang tinggalkan anak bini kat negara asal masing-masing. dah dapat keja tu dah cukup best. duk je diam-diam.

kalo tak puas hati bole balik negara asal!

* * *

ini je la 3 poin utama yang aku dapat fahami, dan kasi fahamkan kat korang-korang yang baru nak tahu. kalau ade tersalah maklumat, tolong khabarkan okay, sebab aku tulis ni pun berdasarkan fahaman aku dengan apa yang aku baca dan saksikan di media masa.

memang, rata-rata negara arab memiliki konsep yang sama : diperintah oleh diktator tua yang dah berkurun-kurun pegang tahta. ditambah pulak dengan ekonomi yang meruncing dgn kehidupan rakyat yang tertekan. lepas tunisia, egypt. diikuti pulak demonstrasi yang lebih kurang kat jordan, yemen, algeria dan yang terbaru bahrain – jiran sblah rumah je ngan UAE.

memang ketua-ketua negara arab tengah gabra sekarang. presiden yemen awal-awal dah ckp, “korang xyah la buat demo, aku janji hujung tahun ni aku letak jawatan la. betul. korang tolonglah xyah demo-demo ni.” oklah dialog ni aku buat je hihi, tapi betul, memang lebih kurang mcm ni la presiden yemen umumkan.

harap-harap keamanan di UAE berkekalan, sebab kalau jelas kehidupan tu selesa, tak payah la nak diada-adakan revolusi ni. tak pasal-pasal rakyat asing macam kami ni tersepit di tengah-tengah, macam pelajar-pelajar malaysia di mesir yang dah selamat sampai di saudi dan malaysia.

ok, pak-pak arab kat dubai sila jangan buat demo ye. buat demo camne nak buat nasi mandi ok la jugak. (ok, bad joke. hihi.)

Anuar Zain’s Brown Bday Bash

thanks to kertas puteh for these super cute classy shots of anuar zain’s birthday bash, taken from their facebook page. yes, all the cute items you see are theirs too! sigh. i love it! i love the paper cranes, the adorable cake, the classy chocolates, and the placemats. coolness!

anuar zain? he’s 41, and i still have a huge crush on him!

(yes, you’re still my numero uno, honey!)

 

 

anis holding the picture, with my beloved anuar zain *sengih besa-besa*

 

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i know anis from my days in melbourne, and now she’s part of kertas puteh, a cool company that does personalized gifts, photography and stuff. i think they’re like a party planner too. i’ve seen her work and they’re more than words can say~

cantik sangat!

interested, or have a party coming – check out their website. cute, cool, classy, creative stuff!

If You’re NOT Arab, Don’t Dress Like One?

do you agree? yes, ade orang cadangkan supaya ban kan orang lain dari memakai pakaian kebangsaan orang arab ni! i’m sure more than one of my non-arab readers wear abaya!

let’s face it – the arab culture is sweeping our nation : malaysian ladies are wearing abaya, eating yemeni mandi rice and listening to maher zain. it’s obviously arab-mania!

i myself have never tried wearing abaya in malaysia, but here in dubai, it’s like part of my wardrobe! sending khaleef down to his bus, it’s so much easier to wear the abaya over my pajamas!

when i was pregnant with kazim, i practically wear abaya most of the time when we go out! airy, lots of space for my expanding tummy and of course, extremely comfy.

also, some malaysians i know wear abaya to avoid being mistaken as filipinos! sad to say, here in dubai there is an apparent double-standard when it comes to what your nationality is, so it’s best to wear the abaya proudly so as not to be mistaken as an indonesian maid, or a filipino retail staff!

but again, do you agree that if you’re not arab, then don’t dress like one?

* * *

this letter from a reader (a local, surely) was published in the local newspaper, and his/her message is loud and clear :

Sunday 9 Jan, 2011

As an Emirati I think that the wearing of local dress by other nationalities should be banned.

There are so many other nationalities who wear a *kandora and people think they are local and give us a bad name with there attitude!

Frustrated Emirati, Dubai

taken from 7days.

 

*kandora is the long white jubah worn by arab men.

 

in the lift of my apartment : me & my sisters had fun wearing abaya (when they were here dec 2009 when i was 8 month pregnant with kazim), complete with matching headscarves. it covers appropriately, it’s very comfy, the material needs no hassle of ironing and we look great haha – what’s wrong with that? are we insulting the arabs by doing so?

 

and this is another letter published that supported the reader’s opinion.

Respect Emiratis, and don't dress like them

Monday 10 Jan, 2011

Expats wearing national dress is insulting, says this reader

I fully agree with the letter from Frustrated Emirati - ‘If you’re not a local, don’t dress like one’ (Letters, Jan 9). The UAE National dress is something that should be worn with pride by Emiratis and is part of their culture. Having expats wear the national dress is insulting to many Emiratis I imagine.

..And for those people who dress like an Emiraiti out of choice .....why?

Granted, respect the culture and don’t dress like a street walker (men included). Cover up and dress sensibly - but dressing in UAE National dress should be for Emiratis only.

Fernando
Dubai

also from 7days.

 

do you agree with both these readers?

maybe the reader has had a bad experience with some expats who wore the abaya or kandora. however, it’s fair to say that some of us expats pun ada pengalaman yang tak best with orang tempatan yang berpakaian abaya dan kandora!

it’s just about people, not the dressing!

to go so far as to ask for a ban is going over the top. there are many reasons why non-arabs wear abaya, and not all of them will bring a bad name to this lovely attire.

and insulting? if an arab lady wore our traditional baju kurung, i would be more than happy; proud even! well, when my non-malay colleagues wore baju kurung to work, or when my non-malay schoolmates wore baju kurung to school, i felt nothing but pride. the baju kurung is an evergreen, elegant, yet demure attire and looks so lovely on anyone who wears it!

i remember during my eldest sister’s wedding, my sister’s chinese classmate actually bought a baju kurung specially to be worn for the kenduri. also my good friend erika who’s an indian, tailor-made a kebaya songket just so she could be my maid of honor on my wedding!

these non-malays show such good sport, and i welcome their enthusiasm over my traditional attire. they look so gorgeous wearing our (malay) traditional attire, why should i be insulted?

the only thing i agree about this issue is, if you dress like one, don't dress negatively. which, if you think about it – senang cerita, kalau pakai pakaian tradisional tu, perangai tu elok-elok la sikit! nama pun *tradisional*! hihi. mesejnya ialah, sila kontrol ayu kot!

 

malaysians wearing abaya! : mr. khairul’s mom & sis teh, me holding a 3 yr old khaleef in front of atlantis hotel on palm jumeirah island. next picture : my younger sisters azot & syidot, in front of the exquisite burj al-arab hotel.

comel pe malaysians pakai abaya! hihi

 

these are some of the replies from other readers after the 2 published letters. there are many, but these are the ones that i agree with!

COMMENT FOR THE 2 LETTERS

1. "..if this is the case, shouldn't all locals stop wearing baseball caps? after all they are american.." (some young arabs wear kandora with baseball caps, instead of the kain merah petak-petak tu)
2. "..so why do local ladies wear western clothing under their abayas instead of the traditional dress and suruwal - huh."
3. "..many countries including, yemen, syria, india, pakistan, iran, iraq and many other countries wear the abaya (in few different formats).."
4. "the abaya or the kandoora is not a national dress, it is worn by many people in parts of the islamic world.."
5. "..(i’m not local but) sooner or later i’m going to get marry to one emirati and before i met him i am already wearing hijab and abaya since i reverted to islam, no regret alhamdulillah.."
6. "..plenty of foreign women also married to local men and their husbands or in laws encourage them to wear abaya to fit in - so to speak...for e.g. sonia ghandi is italian but she adopted her husbands culture and wears saris.”
7. "..if i see that a person is someone that i hold in high esteem and someone that respects other cultures and nationalities, i would be proud to see him/her wear my national dress, whatever it might be - an abaya, a dish dash, a kimono, a sari, a shalwar kameez, whatever.."
8. "..i have so many friends from different nationalities who have been so happy to dress me up in many different traditional dresses, and would have been very happy, for example, if i attended their wedding ceremonies dressed as 'one of them'."

 

here’s us in front of a fort in oman : my sis-in-law tina in abaya, a pregnant me and my bro-in-law asrar in black kandora – doesn’t he look snappy!

 

i wear the abaya by choice – the 2nd letter asks why. well, here are my reasons!

WHY DO I WEAR ABAYA

• it’s a lovely dress – it’s beautiful black (which as everyone knows, gives the ‘slim’ illusion!) and the design is elegant – long, flowing with simple decorative beads or embroidery
• it doesn’t need ironing
• it’s easy to wear – just pull it over whatever you’re wearing; jeans, pajamas or baju kurung!
• it’s very comfy and airy
• it’s very modest and covers the aurat appropriately
• it’s black so it goes with ANYTHING! printed, or any colored tudung

 

and why do you wear abaya? would you like to wear one? *wink wink*

Khaleef Draws Mak

“this is mak,” khaleef said.

 

gulp. speechless. haha.

* * *

 

now, each time he draws orang lidi it will look like this. haha. and i will go like, “where’s his body? you have the head, the arms and the legs. where’s his body?”

1. the first stick man on top next to his name is him, of course.
2. the second one is me! that two sticks coming out of my head that looks like a pair of antennae is supposed to be HAIR! haha, since i’m a girl. notice my name on far right.
3. and the last one at the bottom is bapak. haha. trying to draw him ‘driving’ tapi sempat draw steering wheel je! haha.

more arts stuff from khaleef soon!

Lessons Learned in the Past Decade

2000 – 2010.

a decade of many happy beginnings

a decade of few tearful goodbyes

10 years of tests and tribulations

10 years of mistakes made and lessons learned

* * *

i could say that the past 10 years were the most eventful of my life – happy at most, and sufferable at times. i finished my studies, got married, had kids, lost my mak – all within these 10 years. i could also say that i faced my biggest, most unbelievable challenge and dugaan within these 10 years – and that’s as far as i could go to share it!

let’s just say that i really truly believe the phrase, ‘ada hikmah di sebalik semua yang berlaku, baik atau buruk,’ – there’s a silver lining in everything. alhamdulillah, things worked out for the best.

here are a few thoughts i gathered along the way – syigim’s 11 thoughts for 2011 :

1. the most important thing about past experiences is learning from them.
2. you must remember to CHANGE for the better, or remember NEVER TO CHANGE to be like the people who wronged you.
3. silence IS golden.
4. forgive, but never let yourself forget, because you don’t want to repeat the same mistake.
5. clichés that happened in malay drama or movie DO happen in real life.
6. berani kerana benar is a very true saying.
7. communicate with your partner. speak-up. share. debate. talk. nag, but learn to also laugh. hihi.
8. losing trust is losing faith on people. trying to trust again is placing your faith in Allah that things will get better.
9. hypocrites exist. you would be surprised where you found them.
10. see things from your kids’ point of view. crawl on the carpet if you must!
11. at the end of the day, you can always count on your family. and of course, Allah swt.

i pray to Allah to grant me and you another decade to experience life, and learn more lessons.

happy 2011.

My Blog is 2 Years Old

today – 2 years, and more than 600 postings! (read about my 500th posting here.)

 

 

my youngest sister azot said it best with this short posting in her blog :

readers macam bertambah tiap-tiap hari, tapi komen 0 jugak.

ooo baca senyap-senyap ye? :P

agak-agak yang mana satu anda?

a) enemy yang nak tengok aku jatuh and bersorak untuk itu

b) rakan-rakan yang nak tahu perkembangan aku

c) family yang ambil berat

d) stalker

e) peminat-peminat ;)

terima kasih kerana terus membaca.

 

so are you :

1. naah. i don’t believe in enemies. maybe because i just don’t care.
2. concerned friends
3. family members who care
4. stalkers
5. fans (hihi *blink blink*)
6. or mr. khairul’s ex-girlfriends haha

thanks for reading. really, thank you.

Bday Song From Khaleef, Kahfi & Kazim

i'm NOT 31 yet, okay.

however, my 3 boys - khaleef, kahfi & kazim want to be the first ones to wish their mak a happy 31st birthday.

take it away, boys!

ok fine.

so it was actually ONLY khaleef. and even he was forced to mute ben10 and sing, "or else!" hihi. and kahfi was 'bribed' with honey waffles cereal just to get him to sit down and stay put. and kazim - well, he can't run away even if he wanted to. yes, i'm mean.

anyway, 'thank you', boys. for just sitting there and looking so cute. tomorrow, your mak is a year older!

Really? 500th Blog Post!

500.

this is my 500th post on HoW dO i SPeLL tHe WoRds!

i can't believe i've had my ramblings published 500 times in this blog!

yes, there are 500 chickens here!

i LOVE writing. i love puting words together. i love searching for words in my head that fit perfectly with what i want to say.

and this blog gives me a chance to just - write. 500 times!

* * *

so for my 500th post, here's 500 things about syigim that you might not know. you can skip this part if you want to. i won't hold a grudge. haha. really, you wanna skip it? it's your loss then. nyeh nyeh.

1. i hate coffee
2. i can't stand mismatched pillow cases and bedsheet
3. i am ipoh mali
   
4. i collect tisu paper, drink stirrer, lanyard, postcards, themepark maps and theater booklet
   
5. i go bananas over goreng pisang, lepat pisang and cekodok pisang
   
6. i write scripts for plays during schooldays
7. i'm a second child
   
8. i enjoy drawing very much
   
9. i get dizzy if i read on a moving vehicle
10. i chase my favorite celebrities for autograph; anuar zain, tun dr m, afdlin shauki and hans isaac
    
11. i listen to r&b and the rat pack
    
12. i've been to disneyland, california, thanks to abah - happiest place on earth!
    
13. i have an inexplicable fear of filling in forms
14. i like watching theater performances
    
15. i am a june baby
16. i took pictures with tun mahathir
17. i am a cat person - used to have 3 cats; cakoi, mok and kering
    
18. i love char kuey teow
    
19. i laugh with f.r.i.e.n.d.s, whose line is it and the big bang theory
20. i was a tomboy in school
21. i don't wear yellow but it's my favorite color - makes sense?
    
22. i lost my mak on new year's eve 2004
23. i hate tougeh
24. i color coordinate my clothes and books
    
25. i read stephen king, terry pratchett and roald dahl
    
26. i grew up with 4 girls but now i live with 4 boys!
    
27. i am afraid of cockroaches
28. i look for the orion's belt constellation when i look up at the night sky
29. i collect x-files memorabilia; books, mags, comic, trading cards, t-shirt, cap, watch
    
30. i cannot swim
31. i'm a mandi rice-addict
32. i like period movies
    
33. i am a language and literature major
34. i sing in the bathroom, in the kitchen and in the car
35. i put chips in my sandwich, and biscuits in my jam bread
    
36. i have a crush on anuar zain
37. i can't stand spicy food
38. i married a cute penang boy
39. i love disney animated features
40. i don't play any sports
41. i like ikan keli
42. i can draw potraits guided by grids
43. i am afraid of the dark silence, or silent darkness
44. i've never had my ears pierced
45. i love comics : calvin & hobbes, the far side and archie
46. i don't like jewelleries; the only thing on me is my wedding ring
    
47. i suck at maths
48. i think this list is too long already
    
49. i was going to stop at 50
50. i should stop
51. no, really. i should just quit it
52. 
    

ok, so it wasn't 500. i'd be nuts if i go up to 500, and you'd be even nuttier for reading a list that long!

* * *

anyway, thank you, dear readers for taking a few minutes of your time to stop by HoW dO i SPeLL tHe WoRds for the past 500 postings. thank you for your comments, thanks for dropping by the chatbox, thanks for 'following' my blog, and thanks for your 'silent' presence (though i wish you would say hi once in awhile! hihi).

special thanks to my 'regulars' - you know who you are - you have no idea how much you mean to me; my number-one-fan abah, family, friends or new-found friends, and friends i've never even met (i wish we could meet up one day, i have a feeling we're gonna get along really well *smile*)

i hope i get to write 500 more!

(will you still be there?)

Kahfi & Mak Kahfi

had a wonderful surprise this morning when i logged on to my facebook. my sister syida tagged me in a picture of kahfi, placed next to a little girl who looked so familiar.


..me!

serupa tak?

Happy Mother's Day, Mak!

mak,

khaleef i wear the baju first. this baju is from makcu, right mak? the baju vewy vewy nice but it is too big for me! it is color is bwack! then kahfi wear the baju but he is so noisy must ask him to sit down pwoperly then only can take picture! kazim? kazim is good boy. he just bobom on the shimut (selimut) and i take picture.


ta-dah!

okeh, which one you like? mak! which one you like? this, or this, or this?

* * *

selamat hari ibu, mak!

from your sons,
khaleef khairul,
kahfi khairul
and kazim khairul.

oh, and also bapak.

* * *

happy mother's day to us ~ queens of the world!

From The Eyes of a 4yr Ol Photographer

yeap.

these photographs were shot by my first prince, khaleef - using his bapak's canon. some of these shots were taken even without our knowledge. ntah bila dia amik gamba tu!

makes us wonder what makes that particular item worth the shot to a four year old? i dunno about you, but i LOVE these shots! sharp, nice angles, colorful, meaningful, and deep! i like 'em all! hmm, all except the car air cond...

* * *

HORSE POWER
taken at the car park of one of the malls we went to. khaleef likes fast cars and roaring bikes. this is no surprise!

CULTURE
this shot can never be taken by mr. khairul! lelaki asing amik gambar wanita arab? you're dead-meat, man! setengah tempat tu, pandang-pandang jeling-jeling pun dah kena penumbuk!

COOL
ntah bila dia amik gamba ni. takde keja betui

THE BURJ
burj al-arab, or 'tower of the arabs' - the only 7-star hotel in the world. i think we were at a traffic light junction when he took this shot

BOAT CEILING
what the heck is that, really? i have absolutely no idea where was this taken!

SNOWMAN SANTA
this is one of my favorites. vivid colors, nice angle with sharp and blurry contrast. gorgeous! and it's so cute! merry christmas to all, and to all a good day!

BRO
oh, man. this one takes the cake. adorable. 'nuff said.

* * *

the next time you have a day out with the kiddos, pass them the camera. you never know what shots will turn out! kids have a weird way of looking at the world - something we'd never understand - and that's where the magic and wonders come...