UUM Convo : Recipient of Gold Medal Award

1.10.11 would be a date to remember for the little wife beaming with pride, and the inspired sons and daughter.

congratulations to my brother-in-law abg mat (my eldest sister's husband) for his completion of masters in business admin from UUM (northern university of malaysia). what's more impressive was that he received the coveted 'gold medal' award (pingat emas UMHSB) which is given only to 5 selected students who are the best in their respective courses.

he was named the best graduate in MBA.

 

a quick family potrait to mark the day!

 

a brilliant feat, but not surprising. an exco member of the perak youth (majlis belia perak) and a committee member of UMNO youth, ipoh timor, i've always known him as someone who has immersed himself in politics with great passion; and performed community service as well. when tsunami hit aceh, he joined missions to send help over in light of that terrible tragedy.

so as an MBA student at UUM, i believed he had no qualms at going the extra mile in his studies to enjoy the fruits of his labor today.

 

* * *

 

 

enjoy this moving video ‘produced’ by yong, my eldest sis and his beloved wife and mama to his four children.

 

 

congratulations again, may this success be an inspiration for his children haiqal, haiqeem, husna and adam harris in reaching their goals one day!

 

 

…and of course, behind every successful man, is a wife cheering him on…

Facebook Should Have These Buttons!

*dislike*

i know a lot of us would love that ‘dislike’ button. sure i need that button when my sisters write status updates about going makan-makan with abah to yummy places - without me! haha. and my facebook friends who has ANY MALAYSIAN FOOD in their facebook status, will get a ‘dislike’ from me too! haha.

*love*

and tell me how many times you want to click ‘like’ a hundred times when you see a quote that’s really meaningful, or a status about an event you really enjoyed, or even a youtube clip of a favorite song – the ‘love’ button would help a lot! and of course, when your husband/fiance/boyfriend writes the sweetest words on facebook, it’s time to click ‘love’!

*hate*

i have a lot of facebook friends who are teachers. most of them are very dedicated to their work, and enjoyed posting status updates about their activities, and occasionally give inspirational advice and support to their students. SADLY, there are a few ‘bad apples’ who spoiled the bunch – teachers whose status updates are colored by their complaints. complain, complain, complain!

these statuses deserve a ‘hate’ button!

also – hey, i have my own preference when it comes to political party. i know so do you. the problem with us these days is that we like to KUTUK other parties instead of saying something good about the party that you support. hate!

let’s respect each other!

*applaud*

this is a cute one. someone scores in SPM. a promotion. trying new recipes. baby boy starts walking. successfully flew thousands of miles with 3 kids (me! hihi) will get an ‘applaud’! i would really love this button!

*stare creepily* & *throw tomatoes*

the funny ones would be ‘stare creepily’ and ‘throw tomatoes’! hihi. i’d click ‘throw tomatoes’ when anyone mentions twilight in their facebook status…

Malaysia Mandi Rice : as Good as in Dubai!

i LOVE mandi rice. i started this love affair since i started living in dubai in 2008. there’s something about it – smooth beads of rice without too much spices, juicy tender crimson-colored chicken, spiced lamb meat that’s easily torn off its bones – an explosion of taste in your mouth.

this humble dish originated from yemen; and i wish i could visit yemen one day to taste the original mandi rice made by the locals.

 

happy hungry abah @ zamzam arabic restaurant enjoying mandi rice

 

this short posting is written just for this picture haha.

i got it from my sister syida’s facebook page. abah, umi and my sisters had mandi rice at zamzam arabic restaurant at section 9, shah alam. this is by far, the best presentation of nasi mandi i’ve seen in an arabic restaurant in malaysia. all these while it’s simply lump of rice with chicken on the side, on a normal dinner plate.

now this – it’s served in a huge dulang, with all the lauk (chicken and lamb meat) together on top of the rice instead of individually served on plates. looks authentic. looks like the real thing. looks mighty delicious too!

 

youngest sis azot, umi and abah

 

looks like the one in dubai, but does it taste like the one in dubai? my sister said abah even confirmed that it’s “..as good as in dubai!” ok, i shall confirmed this statement when i try it myself!

 

my sisters : syimot & syidot

 

this is not a paid posting (though i should get some kind of free-meals coupon ke ape ke kan hahaha) but i guess if you take my abah’s word for it, go to zamzam arabic restaurant at section 9 shah alam to try mandi rice that’s “as good as in dubai!”

Reunion With MCOB Kamil

the mckk fraternity in dubai is converging yet again. where? if you need to ask, then you haven’t been following dubai mckk stories up close and personal enough! haha. tawasol lah beb. mandi rice!

this time to reunite with kamil, mr. khairul’s mckk batchmate who had left dubai for good some months ago, but comes back for a visit occasionally.

incidentally, another mcoba, abang faisal shon celebrated a happy birthday last two days; and also on the occasion of him and wife kak muna embarking on the journey that’s coveted by all muslims – the pilgrimage to kota mekah. they are scheduled to leave at the end of october, insyaAllah.

 

mr. khairul & mckk batchmate kamil

 

makan-makan borak-borak

 

tales of maids, child upbringing, recipes and arabic classes. of unpronounceable unspellable names of kids these days and of stories gathered from those who had performed hajj. sometimes i just let the kakak-kakak sembang berdua while i sat close by absorbing all the wisdom. still a lot to learn as a mother, a wife and as a person!

one word : xanariah? man!

 

kak rozina & kak muna

 

kamil in his natural state or entertaining a party!

 

* * *

 

kamil v96, faisal shon v84, zaim v82, shamsul v86 & kay v96

 

us in front of my favorite restaurant in dubai : tawasol!

 

it’s not too much to say that THIS is our family in dubai. and i’m thankful to have them coloring our lonely lives here in dubai far from our own family.

also, one thing i always notice, abg faisal shon and abg zaim would wear an mckk t or shirt whenever possible. this time, even mr. khairul wore his white shirt embroidered with a tiny emblem of the quad-colors. talk about semangat, man! speret kolet habis!

oh well, friends who are like family. restaurant yang macam rumah sendiri. time on our side. lots of stories to share. lots of good food to go around. perfect ingredients for a get-together!

* * *

till we meet again kamil on your next visit back to dubai. happy birthday to abang faisal shon – wishing you are blessed with many more glorious years ahead. safe journey this october to you and kak muna, may Allah grant you all the blessing and rahmat.

amin!

Dubai : Boy Fell 8 Floors; Traumatized Mom Jumped Too

mom was waiting for schoolbus with 14 year old daughter. saw her 5 year old boy dangling at the window of their 8th floor apartment. went up to try and save him. he had already fallen. she came down. saw that he was dying, sister was holding his hand. her clothes soaked with blood. she went straight back up. and jumped too. she fell on her son. died instantly. her son died soon after. husband who was away on business rushed back.

i read the tragic account on gulfnews many times. i live in a high-rise building, and i have young children. it shudders me still when i write this, tears forming in my eyes. may Allah have mercy on their souls, and grant courage and strength to the father and daughter to go on; especially the daughter who had witnessed the whole tragedy.

this happened in a building at jumeirah lake towers, an area of high-rise buildings right by our place in dubai marina.

* * *

it was probably just like any other morning for the mother and her daughter. wait for the school bus with her daughter, and leave her son (who was probably sleeping) at home. little did she know it was going to be a tragic day for the iranian family.

only Allah knows what went through her mind when she made the decision to jump.

the boy fell 8 floors down, before mom went up and jump too

a few primary issues arise : the safety of the windows of high-rise apartments in dubai, and the negligence of leaving children unattended at home, even for awhile.

a lot of people are questioning dubai government on the safety standards of these high-rise buildings. even if they want to blame the mother for leaving her son unattended in the house, this incident could've easily happened even when she's busy in the kitchen, or in the bathroom. the question remains : how safe are the windows? how can the window be easily opened by a 5-year old?

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS :

• build a net around the building to catch any falling object
• build window that DOES NOT open wide, but just enough to put a head in
• locking system of windows and doors should be top-notch
• make the windows heavy, or tight - that no children would have the strength to open
• build small balconies under a window, like a flower box
• have grills on windows and balcony
• build iron bars below the windown for support, or stronger railings on balcony/window
• install door alarms on balcony door, so you'll know when it's opened or not locked
• building management should review building-safety and and identify any possible hazards, then put warning signs

i am a mother of 3 boys, so i know that it is difficult to keep an eye on our children ALL THE TIME. from long ago we as a family made it a point to close the bathroom doors and kitchen door everytime leaving these rooms. these two places are open to so many possibilities of dangers for my baby kazim. kahfi my 3 year old also has accustomed to this rule and alhamdulillah follows it.

from the moment they play near windows, deter them harshly from the beginning; so that a window or its surrounding will NOT be an area where they will play. living in the harsh weather of dubai, i keep the windows closed all the time, really.

safety awareness campaign with parents, and educate children on safety - we must be proactive as parents!

* * *

in light of this tragedy, i am thankful to be living on a lower floor, despite the less-attractive view.

my husband had wanted a higher floor. i agree it was a charming idea. great view from the window; we could see the marina, the boats docking, and of course the majestic view of the open gulf sea. beautiful. however, there wasn't any available floor that high, and we had to settle for the 3rd floor.

looking back, i'm quite relieved.

the design of our building is in such a way that the 2nd and 3rd floors have balcony, but there's no door - that means it cannot be accessed via door. and it's a very narrow balcony SURROUNDING our whole unit (dulu macam tensen jugak - ape ni, ade balcony tapi takde pintu nak ke balcony tu. tapi pikir-pikir balik kalau ape-ape hal - nauzubillah - selamat) BUT the higher floors have balcony ONLY around a few perimeters (macam balcony biase kat hotel-hotel), while the rest of the unit only have windows like this :

lebih kurang macam ni la window aku, tapi aku ade balcony sempit tu around my windows. kalau tingkat yang tinggi-tinggi, takde balcony kat window macam gamba bawah ni

absolutely no grill, no small balcony under window, no metal railing to hold on to

even so, with all the precautionary measures we may take to ensure safety of our children, there are risks of fire, theft, car accidents, kidnapping...the list is endless. we are only human, so from Allah we seek protection and care. may Allah protect our families from harm. amin.

to read the news in full, click here.

Merisik Si Puteri Bongsu

unbelievable. my youngest sister is taken. booked. reserved. my comot youngest sister is officially off limits!

in a simple malay ceremony called 'merisik', the family from the future-groom's side visits the future-bride's parents to 'seek permission' to 'book' the girl from the family; normally by presenting her with a ring. this event usually includes both family getting to know each other, and a preliminary discussion on hantaran (dowry), date of nikah (solemnization) and other important details.

the merisik is the first step towards a wedding ceremony according to the malay culture. what follows are usually the bertunang (engagement), nikah (solemnization) and the reception.

future mother-in-law sliding the merisik ring

insyaAllah, by end of next year, my youngest sister will wed her long-time buddy faiz.

their story is worthy of a chic-lit or teen malay movie. they've known each other for the longest time, during which both had fallen in and out of love with other people. and all through their friendship they had been there for each other and became best of friends. little did they know that they were finally meant for each other.

sob sob. aku pulak yang sebak tulih ni haha.

family discussion : abah in green batik, faiz's dad in blue batik

* * *

my sisters, nephews & nieces

the event was a simple one, with just close family members; my abah's siblings and my mak's siblings. i wish i were there to help out (..with the noise!) so i would like to thank my mak's younger sisters auntyna and cik for being there to support and offer help to abah and umi. not to mention all my other uncles and aunties for memeriahkan suasana.

cik, my sis azot & auntyna

* * *


i like this picture ~ future besan (in-laws) having a light moment over yummy food to mark the memorable occasion

what did they have? delicious laksa! mengada request from the future bride, huh! and the many kuih-muih (desserts) for the guests. simple dishes for a simple event - yet this day marks the beginning of preparation for the big day!

i'll try to do my part here, being in dubai - (girls, i need theme color, pronto!) haha!

* * *

so where's the picture of my future baby-bro-in-law? shh. kasi mysterious sket. (tak pun korang just visit azot's blog and korek-korek sendiri lah. haha) he was the impromptu photographer for the awesome shots of me and my siblings during my last visit back to malaysia. check out the photos here.

* * *

actually, this october will come with another eventful day. *wink wink* what? two daughters taken in the same year? abah is on a roll!

Do You Tip Your Waiter?

giving tips for services was a prevalent culture in dubai. now the tipping culture is in question : to tip, or not to tip; and how much? should it be expected, or appreciated? how do YOU decide your tip?




people don't normally leave tips back home in malaysia (but there is 10% 'service charge' included in the bill which is sangat banyak, especially when the 'service' is not that good, and slow!), while in the states, people are usually expected to tip the waiting staff 10-15% off the total bill right?

but here, 2 dirham is the minimum amount of tip - some are more generous, while some might even choose to ignore this tipping culture altogether. some waiting staff or delivery persons expect tips; while there are still rare ones who refused huge tips.



people whom i encounter that involved tipping :

1. waiters/waitress


2. delivery person


3. helpers at hypermarts - unload your shopping bags into car, help bag your shopping items


4. taxi driver

waiter
we know you're tired. we know sometimes you're just not in the mood for small talk. and we know sometimes you're just swamped with other customers. but a smile doesn't cost a thing! SMILE!


i'm an easy customer to please, you see. so when a waiter/waitress serves me with a smile, is helpful and always available when we need anything - that person deserves extra tips.


in my opinion, the waiters in dubai are generally polite, so we usually just leave 2 dirham on the table as a tip. fortunately, no bad experience yet!




delivery person
most restaurants place a 5 dirham charge for each delivery. most of the time, i take it that this 5 dirham is already the tip for the delivery person. however, someone told me that since it's in the bill, the restaurant probably pockets the delivery charges, and not the delivery person.


so... i do add extra dirham as personal tip from me to the delivery person, based on a few criteria :

• say that the pizza delivery should take about 40 minutes to one hour. if the pizza delivery guy came before the estimated time, i would tip him 3 dirham.


• if he came with a polite smile and warm greetings, i wouldn't mind adding an extra dirham.


• 2 dirham would be the normal amount of tip if he came slightly later, but with a smile.


• once, not only was he late - he didn't smile and even looked annoyed. no tip for you, grumpy!


• and once, even though he was very late, this delivery guy was very apologetic, and sported a humble smile. he deserves my tip!


• see - SMILE! a smile is always important! it can be the yardstick to your tip!

i never encountered anyone who waits and expects a tip from me - BUT once we're waiting for the delivery of a furniture we bought. the delivery truck was LATE, they got LOST, and they had the nerve to miss-call my husband so that he would call back and give directions. if that's not bad enough, they asked my husband to DRIVE to their location (where they're lost) and guide their truck to our place. TERUKNYA!

yes, the worst part was - before going back, they buat muka seposen, and asked, "boss, no tip?" and yes, my husband gave a long lecture of how he had already SPENT so much on credit AND fuel to call them back, and pick them up - and now they expect tips???

hello - you only get a tip for a job done WELL! not simply for a job done!

helpers at hypermarts

at hypermarts there would be staff at the check-out counters help bagging the stuff we buy. once we tipped this bag-dude 5 dirham (the most we've ever tipped) because he used to work in our building, and we remember him to be very friendly, helpful and always smiling. and he was still smiling when we saw him at the hypermart; and he greeted us with the same warmth. he truly deserved the extra tip.

taxi driver

i don't go on taxi much here, but when i do, i tip when the taxi driver is helpful, like folding the stroller and put into his taxi. yes, there was one un-gentleman-ly taxi driver who just sat in his taxi waiting for me to fold the stroller while i hold the baby!

no tip!

refusing tips?

yes, once, we lost our internet connection more than week. when the etisalat guy came to fix the line, he worked for hours, and was very friendly with the boys. before he left, i naturally gave him a huge tip for a job well done. he politely refused. i was impressed, and made me pressed him even more to accept the tip.

* * *

all in all, i don't mind tipping. kalau ade duit lebih, ape salah kalau orang tu deserving kan? however, i strongly believe a tip has to be earned, only to the deserving ones. service providers should not take tips for granted - like making a face when there's no tip, or no thank you's when they do get a tip.

attitudes need to change, and improve - SIMPLY doing the job you're hired to do DOES NOT necessarily earned you a tip. it is when you take your service the 'extra mile' that earned you a tip.

a SMILE goes a long way - the company gets good image, staff is happy to get extra tip, and customers will come again/use your service. win-win-win.

this tipping culture at times terbawak-bawak ke malaysia, where we did tip friendly, helpful waiters, or whoever provided good service with a smile - takpe, niat je nak sedekah!