Is it good??

When it comes to my cooking, my toughest critique would be my dear husband. He is the only person who can give me an honest opinion and tell me how good or bad my cooking is. Yesterday, i decided to make some laksa johor, a dish which i personally like. We were just coming back from an outing and it was already 2pm. Amin asked what are we having for lunch...and i said..hmm..i said i could cook when we get home...and he said he was hungry and wanted to eat something right away. but somehow we went back home anyway, since nazim was already asleep in the car and we didn't feel like bringing him out of the car and deal with all that hassle. so, i automatically said i'll make laksa johor! and since i don't normally make this dish, amin was a little surpised. (he's thinking...really??!)

so, as soon as we got home, i quickly started cooking. boiled my already thawed ikan tenggiri, boiled the spaghetti at the same time, and took care of the condiments while these two things were on the stove. When my fish was all boiled, i deboned it and put it in the blender and started to make the gravy. All in all, i managed to finish in record time of 50 minutes! not bad eh??

i had the table laid out nicely, and prepared a bowl for my hubby. and when he had his first spoon, my heart was beating so quickly and my eyes trying to understand his reaction. he didn't say anything...and of course, i had to ask..

me: ok tak?
hubby: hmmm (oh oh..a sigh is not a good sign..)...
he was checking out the gravy and stirring it with the ladle...
hubby: kenapa banyak clumps eh?
me: tu isi ikan laa...blended...(hello, it is supposed to be like that...)
hubby: tak cukup spice...
me: you mean takde rase langsung ke??

hubby: ada..but not enough..what did you put inside??
me: (heheheh...mcm la die expert)...the usual, onion, garlic, ginger, serai, kari powder, cili boh...
hubby: kari powder??!! aaaahh..maybe that one yang tak cukup..
me: really??? i put a lot already...tawar ke??

hubby: still not enough...maybe you're playing it safe...
me: i could repair it..(yeah, he's right...i was playing it safe..takut nak letak banyak2)
hubby: yeah, try frying the cili boh and the kari powder together and pour it in the gravy...

so later, i went back to the kitchen and repaired my gravy and kicked it up a notch with 2 more spoons full of cili boh and kari powder. and handed a spoon to him..

me: so how is it now?? nicer??

hubby: definitely better than before...

me: :) (smiling away)

as much as it may hurt sometimes, i still need to hear his opinion. but i've learned to take his comments professionally and not personally. he doesn't always critisize...at times when they're really good, he tells it to me..and of course, i would be flying on cloud nine..

this is what i will be doing this afternoon..

http://southernfood.about.com/od/brownies/r/bl30202b.htm

Been having the ingredients in my pantry for quite some time. so i can't wait to go home and make this!!!

Foot in my mouth

I've always been the type of person who is cautious of what i say to other people...especially to people who i seldom see and people who i meet for the first time. But last night, my cautiousness backfired me and totally blew my cool. I made quite a fool out of myself and coulnd't help but laugh at myself when i think about it.

We were invited to a prestigious dinner last night, one which i never dreamt of to be invited to in my life. It was in conjunction with the Ruler's conference in Melaka and the dinner was hosted by HRH The King and Queen. When we got to know where we'll be seated for the night, we proceeded to a room where they served drinks prior to the dinner and there we spotted some familiar looking faces, mostly menteri besars and chief ministers. Me and hubby were whispering to each other "ohhh that's so and so...and ohh look that's the menteri besar of ______). "

After seeing enough of these faces, we went into the banquet hall to find our seats. Our name cards were neatly placed on the table and me and hubby were seated side by side. It was a rather small hall, for i've attended weddings that were held in bigger halls, and the table arrangement was longish, instead of the round table ones. There was a man seated on my right and his wife on his right. We just exchanged smiles and nodded...without changing pleasantries like hello or trying to strike a conversation. (maybe both of us thought it was still early to start a conversation).

We all stood up for the national anthem and not long after that, our appetizers came....but there was a glitch with the waiter and numbers of plates that he had to carry as i did not get my appetizer when everyone else did!! (At this point of time, the man on my right acknowledged that i didn't have a plate, and so did everyone else around me) I was alright with that, just had to wait a while till they brought me my plate. (still have not really talked to the person beside me). I noticed his name on his name card and i automatically knew that he was a police officer, but since i'm not really familiar with the police ranks, i didn't really care what level he is at. But i know he is a Dato' for his name card said so. so amin suggested me to say to him "Dato' punya office dekat *** ke?" just to get the ball rolling...which i unwaveringly followed. And he replied "ye.." and i continued with a "my husband's office is quite near there too". and not long after that...the ice was broken, and we talked about where i work, where we stayed and the normal things you would talk to a person whom you've just met. my curious mind brought me to ask him this question: "Dato' dekat *** bahagian mana?" (in my mind, he could be from either traffic, or forensic or criminal dept...so i'm just trying to keep the conversation going ok) and his reply was "Saya ketua polis melaka" and i was like "oooooohhh...sorry...minta maaf..."and from then onwards, i kept quite for a good 5 minutes. and i quickly turned to my husband and said "eh..dia tu ketua polis melaka laaa" and guess what his reply was? "ye laaa you tak tau ke???" NO i did not know that if you are a Dato' in the police in a small state like melaka you ARE the ketua polis!! ohh shoot...now it makes sense..of course he is the ketua polis..and there i was thinking since there are so many Dato's around, he could be any high ranking officer in the police..The ketua polis was nice enough to talk again to me after that :) and he was cool about it. :p me and my cautious mouth...

Anyway, the food was nothing to shout about...the steak was undercooked (too raw for my liking). After salaming with the head of states, (which included the dashing regent of perak :)) we were ready to go home. (sorry, no pictures taken of this event as my husband thought i would look out of place snapping pictures here and there)

the smile that greets me every morning

My all time favorite dessert

Last night, i was extra rajin and felt like whipping up my favorite dessert...the creme brulee!! and even without a torch, i managed to get that hard caramalized sugar topping. And here, i'd like to share with you this really simple and easy to make dessert but can cost quite a bomb in some restaurants.

The ingredients:

4 egg yolks

300 ml double cream

3 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

and some sugar for the top (for broiling later)

That's it....only 4 things!!! So, here's how you do it:

1. Beat the yolks thoroughly

2. Heat the double cream in a double boiler (just use a pan with boiling water in it and place the cream in another container, just like as if you were melting a chocolate). This technique is to ensure that the cream will not get burnt.

3. When the cream is already warm, combine it with the beaten yolks and continue stirring.

4. Place the mixture in a pan and continue stirring over low heat.

5. Add sugar and vanilla essence.

6. Continue stirring until mixture thickens (until it sticks to the back of the spoon heavily) note: slow fire and patience...it will thicken..
7. Pour in ramekins or souffle dish and leave to cool...later you can put in the fridge.

8. When you are ready to eat, just pour a layer of sugar on top, and put it in the oven for a quick broil to harden the sugar on top. A torch would be much faster, and you have the control of burning the sugar to your liking.
9. You can either eat it straight away or cool it again in the fridge.

Voila!! Bon Appetite!

serving suggestions: with fresh strawberries or even on its own.

It's Toosday

I had to go for the check up myself today since amin is out of town. Hmm...i hope he does make an effort to come with me for the coming check ups (and i mean even if it is our 3rd or 4th child check ups as well). I guess it's quite natural that a husband would feel less excited to accompany the wife after he has gone to all the check ups for the first born. After all, it's all the same procedure, go into doctor's clinic, doctor checks your report and refreshes his memory on how far along are you, takes your blood pressure, asks you to lie down, presses a tub of cold lubricant on your tummy and starts to probe your bulging tummy with the ultrasound machine.

Since this is my second baby, i've gotten quite used to looking at ultrasound images and the first clear image that i saw today of my baby was her (yeah, the doctor reconfirmed it) opening and closing her mouth!! and then of her clenching and unclenching her fists, her healthy beating heart, her legs, her head, nose, fingers, butts and organs such as liver and stomach. Alhamdulillah, all is fine. :) As usual, the doctor would take a measurement of the baby's head and see if it corresponds to the baby's thigh bones. Every time the doctor manuvered the probe to a different area on my tummy, i would guess which part he is focusing at and i would confirm with him if it's the part that i think it is. He spent quite a long time looking at the heart and internal organs and i didn't really know what he was looking for...so i asked..and he said he's just checking if all the arteries and 'flow' of the heart and other organs are alright. It can be quite nerve wrecking when a doctor is keeping his silence..but that's just how my doctor is. He doesn't say much..but he does tell you things you need to know...and that's more important. My visit concluded with a urine test and a blood test which i have procrastinated for a long time....now i have about 16 more weeks till delivery.

i don't have anything to wear for a function tomorrow night!!! i've already worn all my pregnancy sized baju kurungs for raya. gotta look for one soon!!! and i also have to look for amin's black baju melayu....i know he has it somewhere. but i just don't know where!! alrighty then, time for me to stretch my ever-aching back. Any suggestions on how to minimize this backache anybody? doctors? mothers? I feel like i could have a massage now, but i know that's not such a good idea..

This week i am in my 24th week of pregnancy, which translates to be about 6 months. Tomorrow will be my monthly check up with my gynae and perhaps we can confirm (again) the sex of the baby, just to make sure. The doctor told us it is going to be a girl last month and both amin and i were shocked! Maybe we were very sure it's going to be a boy again (or maybe we were secretly hoping it was a boy so that nazim will have a playmate) but, nonetheless, we are grateful to Allah boy or girl. I skipped lunch again today because i went to do my hair treatment (this place i'm going to is soo damn mahal, and i am planning to stop going once my treatments are finished!! will try cheaper sources to get the same result i am getting now) and am starving now! Luckily i have some kuih raya in my office and will make a cuppa coffee later.

I was like a mad lady end of last week, going up and down KL-Melaka as if the distance was like KL-PJ. I decided to follow amin to KL on thursday night (thinking i should just take leave on friday). So, we arrived in KL just in time for a lovely dinner at a Thai restaurant in Bangsar Village. (oooh we love that restaurant and its chains around klang valley). Had our usual Thai iced tea, pandan chicken, clear tom yam gung, and steamed garoupa. This time we skipped the daun kadok appetizer...as we wanted to have a quick dinner.

When we arrived home, my brother said he was going to melaka in the morning, and in my heart, i thought, hmm...should i just go to work anyway tomorrow, since i won't really have anything to do in KL since amin will be leaving for Ipoh very very early the next morning. Not that i have any classes, but i still could get some work done on friday. After much thought, i decided to leave for melaka the next morning..so there i was, making that 2 hour trip again i had just made the night before. Got a lot of work done on friday, and in a way, i'm glad i didn't take leave coz i would have wasted my leave by just sitting around my mom's house, doing nothing. That same afternoon, i followed my brother back to kl, but nervous as a wreck on the way, as i was scared we were going to be trapped in the jam as i had a wedding to attend that evening!!! But my brother managed to fly us in an hour and a half (with a little traffic once we reached KL) and amin still wasn't home when i reached PJ around 6.15 p.m. Glad to say, amin and i made it safely to the wedding at 8.15 p.m....Even though we only got to eat at 9.30 p.m., the food was delicious, and i even had a second helping, but couldn't care if anyone was looking as clearly, i was eating for two :) hehehe..(excuses excuses)

Haaaa...watched Harry Potter last night and despite being uncomfortable throughout the whole show with my back aching and trying to sit in the most comfortable position for my stomach (which was quite futile) i really enjoyed the show!! I will definitely watch again, but in the comfort of my own couch, where i can stretch my back and legs all i want.

Just want to take this opportunity to wish an Assuntarian friend of mine, Cindy and hubby congratulations on your recent wedding!!! And also, to Syariza (amin's cousin) and hubby whose wedding we attended that friday night. May you and partner have a great life together!

Now time for me to have that cuppa coffee.

back to school

the second trimester commences today and that means it's back to teaching for me for the next 8 weeks (this is a short sem). had my first class this morning at 10 and only 11 students turned up! did they forget to register??? anyway, this trimester i'll be teaching microwave technology...a subject i learned in my 3rd year in college back in Ann Arbor. i remember liking this class because i had a fun professor. not that he cracked jokes all the time, but i just liked his way of teaching (writes very clear notes and gives brilliant examples), his personality (cool lebanese accent and knows how to party: me and hubby got invited to one of his parties) and admire his capabilities (he got his PhD at 23 or something like that)...all in all, he is a brilliant guy and is one of the best professors i've had. i just have to start refresh my memory on these used-to-be familiar terms:

1. SWR: standing wave ratio
2. smith chart (no..it's nothing to do with mr and mrs smith)
3. impedance matching
4. insertion loss and what not.

i really have to start reading now. ohh..let's check back if i did all the things i was supposed to do while i was on break:

1. Refine my PhD topic (need to talk to some professors at the business faculty AND also find a suitable supervisor)..(the process of finding a topic is stressful enough for me, let alone refining it)-------ooppss..didn't do this. i decided on the 2nd week of break that i will NOT be doing my PhD at the moment (or in the future because i want to try to do other things besides getting another paper qualification)

2. Read more journals to really make sure i am comfortable with the topic that i'm going to choose.--------by default, this will not happen due to decision made in part 1.

3. Apply to HR to get my permanentship for employment (i am still a contract staff and being a contract isn't at all great i.e, no medical coverage for the family, only outpatient coverage for yourself, which means, if i am warded, i have to pay myself, anndd...there's also no maternity coverage) so basically, it sucks being a contract staff. To get permanentship, you have to be here at least a year (been here 1 year 5 months), good recommendation from the boss and good evaluations (which i have been getting) so there! i will try my luck..---------i did write to the boss, but was told that they will be selecting names of those who have made the requirements and will be informed later. i really hope it will be soon...inshaAllah

4. is there something else i should be doing??-------blog hop??!

5. not that i can think of at the moment, but i'm sure along the way, things will pop up and before i know it, i didn't even get to do the first three things i should be doing!--------right on!

didn't accomplish very much, did i? aaaahh well....nevermind...

anyway, just a little annoucement, anybody interested to buy stuart weitzman or nine west shoes, please contact me. i have shoes which i bought but have never worn (because i couldn't fit in them when i got home....weird isn't it?) they are sizes: 36.5, and 5.5. Here are some pictures:

olive colored stuart weitzman in 36.5

2 inch black nine west with burgundy soles in 5.5

2 inch brown crocodile skin nine west also in size 5.5

Anybody intested, please please let me know. i have been trying to get rid of them for the longest time. it's frustrated to see perfectly good shoes go to waste. Don't worry, prices are very very cheap.

my wireless connection is up again!

what a nice surprise. after not trying to use my lap top at home and the wireless card for a few months now..it suddenly decided to cooperate tonight! which explains why i am blogging at this hour of the night. another reason is hubby is busy planning his intinerary for his upcoming travel (sans moi) on the other computer...plus, i am not that sleepy and i have read all my cooking books..(i need to get new ones..but they are so expensive...the nice ones that is) so i keep on reading the same ones..sometimes discovering recipes which i didn't really read thoroughly the first time.

anyway...i am counting the months till my new baby arrives...about 3 months or so..i have yet to get the infant car seat out from the store, get some new new born clothes..get my stuff packed for the hospital (this time i know what i really need) and i also bought some nice colored batiks to be warned during the confinement...unlike the typical chocolatey/boring colors i wore during my first confinement (which were mostly borrowed anyway)...

here are some things i look forward to when the baby arrives:

1. 1. being able to walk at my normal pace (i am always panting now even though i walk very very slowly)
2. being able to breath normally (i am having short breaths as the baby gets bigger)
3. see if my second born looks more like me or my hubby
4. try dieting (not too drastically if i am breastfeeding) and think of all the new clothes i'm going to make
5. 2 months maternity leave!!! of course! :) yaaayy!

Not looking forward:

1. my food intake restricted...(i.e. don't drink too much water, don't eat too much rice, you can only have this much food)..i will starve!!!
2. how to deal with nazim: he sleeps with us on our bed now even though his cot is just beside it. when the new baby is here, i would prefer breastfeeding on my bed while lying down (it's really a good way to make the baby fall asleep and i can also sleep at the same time) but if all 4 of us are in bed, it would be too tight. how do i get nazim to sleep in his own bed??is it too late now?

on the fourth day of Raya...

Yeah, we're still in Langkawi, believe it or not. we're only going back tomorrow! my parents and brothers left this morning, my sisters in law and their familes have also gone home..we took out our langkawi map and looked at the places that have not gone to yet. the last time we were here (that time, i was pregnant with nazim and it was just the two of us), we drove all over the island, but missed a few spots. so, amin pointed out that we should go to a waterfall..and someone recommended us the Telaga Tujuh which is somewhere near Pantai Kok, if i'm not mistaken. The journey was short, but that's not the end of it, we had to climb up a steep hill and several steps before we could see this...

Even though the water was ice cold, i still couldn't resist it. i sure didn't regret getting soaked in that pool of clean, refreshing water. since i didn't bring any change of clothes, i had to get some clothes at the shop down the hill. and we then went on the cable car to mount cincang. This was my second time but the experience this time is a lot different from the first one. i was muccchh scared this time around and was nervous the whole time! my hands were sweating and my stomach was shrinking (although no in size). i think what made me nervous this time is the fact that nazim is in the car and me pregnant, aaaaahh..the anxiety..i just couldn't wait till we reached the top, and on the way down, couldn't wait for it to reach the bottom. phew...Ok, there it is...my raya/holiday story. now we are back in melaka, getting all the dirty laundry washed, dusting off the floors and things we have left for almost a week..and time to get back to the daily routine..(wake up, breakfast, work, lunch at home, go back to work, come back home and cook dinner and chill out in front of TV). i am still searching for my lemang...hopefully this weekend i can find some..i already made some rendang to go with it..i better find some lemang ok.

On the third day of Raya..my true love gave to me...(hahah)

The next day, my family which consists of my parents and two brothers, my maid, amin, me and nazim went on the eco tour. We got a boat all to ourselves (it's ridiculously cheaper this way too) and our boat started to cruise smoothly. The weather was just perfect for a day out in the boat...not too hot..and not too windy..I handed out the travelling sickness pill to anybody who felt they weren't confident with the boat ride (i.e. those who think they will puke)..but i, the person who is most intolerant with boat rides did NOT take the pill this time!! For one, i was being cautious, since i'm pregnant, and secondly, i wanted to try to make it through this ride without any help..so, i was being really optimistic, always looking far ahead..and not think about the sea sickness that i normally suffer.
The first stop was where we fed the fish with cream crackers. For amin and me, it's not our first time, since we've snorkelled before in Phuket and Redang..But it was nice to see the look on nazim's face when all the little fish came running to our fingers for some bite of the crackers. he also threw some to the fish..

****oopps....as i am writing this, i can feel my baby in my tummy doing the back stroke or the free style...i think she is thinking why is it so quiet out there and every once in a while there's a clicking sound (referrring to the typing sound i am making) or maybe she's hungry coz it's 3 p.m. and i still haven't had lunch!!!

Then, we stopped at a place where (they have trained) all the eagles to come and get some chicken from the waters. The guide poured a plastic bag filled with smelly chicken parts and minutes later, you can see one eagle after another grabbing the chicken parts with their feet in just a split second. The best part was when you see the eagle diving toward the water...it's simply fantastic. After a round of oooohsss and aaaaahhss...we all made it to our third stop which was the fish farm. There we saw how a stingray eats his food..and it was the first time i saw it up close and personal. Its mouth is actually just like a mouth! hehehe..and we saw belangkas, a hugeeee kerapu (garoupa), small lobsters and some oysters. Coincidentally, when we were watching Gerak Khas the movie (there was no other show in the hotel tv stations) we noticed they also shot a shooting scene at the very same fish farm we just went earlier in the morning!

The last stop was the gua kelawar, which by then, half of the people on the boat were already sleepy including me. So i opted to stay out of the cave and enjoy the scenery outside. The tour took almost 3 hours, which by then, was just in time for lunch. We all headed out to Kuah, to find some food.

In kuah, what's there to do? shop shop and shop! they have a lot of nice kitchen wares and cheap too, so that's what i went for. Got myself a set of serving dishes (can't wait to fill those up with steamy home cooked meals for guests), a few sizes of clear casseroles (for my lasagne, pies, pastas, etc.), a set of ramekins or souffle dishes (been looking all over for this! now i can do my creme brulee in individual servings!), a ladle, serving spoons and a dozen of minyak gamats. amin on the other hand grabbed a whole lot of cadbury caramello chocolates to last him for the next 6 months.
To cut things short, i had a good time shopping that day until my feet couldn't take it anymore. And just when i thought i could finally have some rest at the hotel room, we diverted to the underwater world to join nazim, my dad and brother...And later that night, nazim had a trouble sleeping as he was constantly reminded of the big fishes he saw at the underwater world. and i mean they are really big!!! 300 kg garoupa!
Up to this point, our holiday has been pretty nice..But we also had to bear with nazim's antiques as everytime he saw the pool, all he wanted to do was jump in it! And that's really something you don't want him to do, especially when he just had his bath and ready to have breakfast, or go out somewhere....

The second day of Raya

Yet another early day for us...amin was the first to get up and he woke up everyone else saying that we'll be leaving for Kuala Perlis in 30 minutes!! Yup..we're taking the ferry to Langkawi, just like we did two years ago. We're such opportunist like that..since Perlis is near Langkawi, we've planned a little getaway for ourselves...and this time around, our whole family is joining us..and that means my whole family and amin's whole family. The ferry took about an hour to bring us to Langkawi, and as soon as we got our rented cars, we headed to the hotel to check in and freshen up. By 2.30 p.m., we went around to look for food, but most of the shops were still closed!!! ayayay...so we ended up at this small restaurant by the beach hoping to get some fresh cooked meal (what i had in mind was some prawns, hot steamy rice, and maybe some thai style cooked fish)..what a disappointment we all had when the waiter said.."selamat hari raya, maaf ye..yang ada hari ni cuma western food saje" (meaning...sorry, we can only serve western dishes today). this was because they have not gotten their stock from the mainland due to the long holidays. another ayayay....so what could we have? hmm...just fries and burgers!!! oklah...boleh lahh..we didn't have much choice..all the other shops were closed..so there i was munching my burger, hoping that tonight we would have a better meal.

Come dinner time, again, we had trouble looking for reasonable looking outlet to eat..and then finally arrived at this restaurant which specialized in seafood dishes. So, ok..we ordered several types of fish, cooked in several ways, and veges and rice..we waited...and waited...and waited...and then finally the food came..not all at once, but one by one...we couldn't get angry because there was a signboard on the wall saying "harap maaf jika layanan kami tidak memuaskan"..or something to that effect..which basically translates to "sorry for the delay in bringing your food" so basically, we couldn't get angry with something that they themselves have already acknowledged. aahhh well...it's ok..in the end, everybody had their food...so all is well..where are all the good restaurants?!!!

On the first day of Raya

Another early day for me as i didn''t really get a good sleep..maybe because of the change in the sleeping ambiance..i might have closed my eyes throughout the night, but i wasn't really sleeping! Nevertheless, i got ready, woke up amin and went down for some breakfast!!! Yaayyy after not having one for 29 days, it was surely something to look forward to. There was the typical ketupat, kuah satay, rendang, but no lemang! Amin insisted that it was lemang on the table, but i say it was ketupat palas..so it's different. he said it's all the same...same ingredients, therefore same thing..only different shape (it was triangle)...

Just before 8, we made our way to the new mosque in Repoh, which is amin's late grandfather's mosque. I didn't get the honor to meet him in person, for i was still not married yet to amin when he passed on. The mosque is simple, yet beautiful. This could have been my 6th or 7th time performing the Aidilfitri prayers..i too used to think that ladies were just supposed to sit at home and prepare the food while the male family members go and pray...but idea has changed for quite some time now and i think it's more berkat if you get to pray the sunat prayer...and more meaningful..

As soon as i got back from the mosque, my eyes caught a glimpse of a cute handsome boy in a navy blue baju melayu, with matching sampin, and a black songkok being carried by a familiar looking face..it was my baby nazim all set for Raya!!

After taking some pictures, we headed to the Istana Arau to pay the Regent and his wife a visit. As per our last raya there, they still had things organized for little kiddies like playhouses, games, clown to entertain and lots more. Nazim wanted so much to go inside the inflated playhouses (but it was more for bigger kids). He kept on fussing about it..so, his obliging mommy took him there and went inside the playhouse with him! and boy...did i have a ride inside there! the bigger kids kept on jumping regardless of who was around them and the little ones had to be constantly looked at, if not they might get stomped by those giants..i felt like i was in a boat travelling in rocky waters. After about 15 minutes, even Nazim couldn't take it anymore and told me he wanted to lie down and have his milk there and then. hiyoooo...so he literally lay himself down on my lap (with me still rocking vigorously) and asked for his milk (which i didn't have with me). luckily, the person in charge stopped the bigger kids from jumping and asked the little ones to come out from the playhouse...and amin came just a few minutes later to rescue us.

Our next visit was to amin's late grandfather's makam, as well as other family members who have passed on. Next stop, lunch at amin's aunty's place where she served her delicious laksa johor...and then, that was the end of our raya visiting activities. we had a good rest in the afternoon and night, more chit chatting with families and simply enjoying each others' company. i was also busy packing our stuff for tomorrow: Langkawi here we come!!

The day before Raya

We left as early as 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning for KLIA to catch our flight to Alor Setar. Nazim was sound asleep in the car...peacefulness for the rest of us..The lines at the check in counters were long and thanks to A** A*** who informed us much earlier on about this, we were very early and everything went on smoothly. While waiting for our departure, amin took nazim for a ride on the toy plane located near the KFC area and he still had fun despite being awake so early in the morning!

The first half of the plane ride (the real one) was ok, nazim was still pretty excited and all...but when his daddy was getting sleepy and tired, nazim turned into a restless boy who just wanted to get down and walked around the plane. But by that time, it was already time to buckle up again and sit still. He cried for a good 15-20 minutes and i really didn't know and couldn't do anything to calm him down...Thank God it was only a domestic flight.

So when we arrived in Alor Setar, we stil had an hour more to Perlis, by road. This is my third trip to Perlis ever since i got married. I enjoyed looking at the green and serene padi fields on the way to Repoh, Perlis. In Repoh we met with my mother-in-law who has been there since Monday, greeted our Ninda, and aunties and uncles who have mostly come from KL the day before. It didn't take long for us to decide to join the rest for a shopping trip across the border: Padang Besaq!! After settling nazim down and freshened up a bit, we were on our way to the little shopping paradise where you can get cheap stuff..even cheaper than PS Boutique, mind you! here is a picture of the people who wanted to spend their money!!

If it wasn't because the of the rain, i would have scoured through all the shops. But i am still quite happy with my purchases within the two hours given to us! I bought about 4 pieces of collared t-shirts for amin (all branded one ok..from Callaway to TW's Nike) all cheap2 one..very satisfied customer..heheh..2 lovely beaded tops for me..which could have cost me aroud 70 bucks each in KL (and i only spent about a quarter of that), a pair of beaded slippers..also very cheap, some clothes for nazim, and thai tid bits..and on the way back, there was one more stop to the duty free center, called the emas kerajang, where they sell chocolates, perfumes, kitchenwares, cutleries, and other high end stuff like branded watched and pens..amin got himself a nice raya watch. It was a short but fun trip! here are more pictures..

scenes from padang besarshasha, me and ryhan

adzli,reena,ryhan,me,shasha