best kelik KB

Best kelik KB kali ni. Eh everytime balik kampung for sure best one. Despite taking the risk of travelling to the east coast during the monsoon season, we were greeted with clear sky and cool weather. It rained only at night. Alhamdulillah. But next time must go back longer. 3 days 2 nights trip is just too packed for us if we want to consider all the makan places we want to explore and visit over and over again.

As usual, balik kampung, sewa kereta with Hawk Rental to get around easily. With Waze, you'll never be lost! Ok except during that time where I completely forgot how to get to my godmother's house. -_-

Since we had to wait for our room to be ready, first pit stop is Nasi Ulam Cikgu! (ok more KB food posts will be in separate posts altogether)

Imaan fell flat on his ass here. Hehe next time dengar cakap Ibu please!

Managed to get a good rate to stay at Hotel Perdana via Agoda members offer. Been wanting to stay here since it was recently refurbished and we're very satisfied with our stay! Next time we shouldn't opt for hotel breakfast because dddddddddddddude! makan kat luar lagi best!

This is lovely. But I was too tired to wake up. Masjid Muhammadi was my playground. Literally my playground coz Queen Mother's house is just meters away from the mosque. Where I spent countless tarawikh and Raya prayers.

Yay fancy pool for the kids! Time ni takde orang lagi.
I've never seen so many kids at a swimming pool like this one! LOL.

Lovely, just lovely.

Imaan, upon seeing the hotel: "Nasib baik hotel kita cantik". -_-

By the way, our room was facing the infamous pink stadium. Forgot to take pics! The kids didn't believe me at first when I said the stadium is pink haha.

The signboard near Pasar Kubang Pasu, where all your breakfast needs will be fulfilled.
 And also, possibly the best nasi dagang in the country ever. Hands down.

Pasar Siti Khadijah hok comey.

Ended up buying kain for my MIL and sister, and for myself!
Great bargains.

One of the mosques in KB. Gorgeous blue sky to complement the exterior.

See you again, home. 

Roti Titab, Kopitiam Kita

You know, growing up on and off in Kota Bharu, I've never heard of roti titab. Perhaps it was non-existent when I was a kid. So when outsiders (ie orang luar Kelantan / tourists) started gushing about roti titab, we just had to try lah. 

Sedap! The combination of kaya, roti bakar and half-boiled egg is a taste from heaven. Oh wait, add kicap masin a bit. Fuh! If you ever get the chance to check out Kopitiam Kita (god bless Waze) don't be shocked by the constant yelling by the waiters. It is a busy place after all.  Don't worry, they won't yell at you, just the people in the kitchen hehe. 

Makan di Kanteen

Hey guys have you met my old friend the salted egg spaghetti?! This is from Kanteen Plus, Plaza Damas across Haji Don (or is it Aji Don?). One of my all time favorite. The portion may have gotten smaller, but since it's super creamy it's okay. You can opt for the spicy version, where they will just throw in more cili padi to balance out the creamy taste.

I brought my colleagues here few weeks back and they went back the week after with other colleagues hehe. 

Mama, 3 years on

Mama, with Imaan.

I miss you Mama. I wish I have enough photos of us together. Of you and the kids.

I wish I made more time for you.

I wish I can take back those time when I was impatient with you, when I felt you were not right, when I made you angry or sad. 

Al-Fatihah. 

Pay it forward

So to cut a long story short I decided to pay for someone's fuel today. He seemed like a nice non-threatening fatherly guy and he asked nicely anyway. I asked him "how much do you need?". He said RM3. But I gave him RM10 instead and although he asked me to wait so that he can give me back my change I said it's okay you can keep it.

Before I left, a gas attendant knocked on my window and said "kak, dia tu hari2 ada sini mintak duit. jangan bagi duit kat dia".

Takpelah bro. He can keep the money. A father of 3 was recently arrested for stealing school items and god knows where is this man heading. I can only pray that he uses my fuel money for a good cause. Jangan pergi merompak sudah.

So if you're at Shell Jalan Klang Lama (heading towards Midvalley), just be aware ya. Cheers.

This boy

Glad that school is finally out! This means no bickering time EVERY morning trying to get him to wake up. Then we fight again because once he's ready he will blame him for making him late -- which is not the case since 645am is late in his book. Helloooooo, who goes to school so early?!

Will miss our mornings though. For now at least.

Addict

I love sending flowers to my friends. Especially for birthdays. These days, you can easily find flowers bouquet online if your budget is below RM100. Sent this gorgeous bouquet by @daun.petals to Rai last week for her birthday. What a beauty! 

Speaking of gifts, time to crack my brain for Christmas gifts again. 

B.bap

God I miss my bestfriend from the old office. I hardly see her anymore because my lunch break is short, except on Friday and weekend is ohana time but we do keep in touch with calls, whatssap and general teasing on social media.

So last Friday she had a meeting nearby and asked me out for lunch. Yasss! Clearly she read my mind because I've been thinking about having Korean food. 

Decided to try B.bap at Nu Sentral. The place was packed when we got there but since S was there early I told her to order for me first to save time (in which she then harassed me on whatssap to hurry up and sent me photos of the food). Evil.

Say hello to the kimchi seafood pajeon (pancake) below. You can hardly taste the kimchi but I must say it was one of the best pajeons I've had. The texture has a slight crunch to it and I should have ordered this for my lunch instead. Too bad I had to share with S, Meh. 

The chicken was kinda disappointing though. It was kinda watery, not spicy enough and look at the veggies! So big! What a let down. Chicken was also scarce. God just by writing about this I'm already plotting my next makan Korean food adventure. Just realised that the husband has not experienced full blown Korean food experience because he's tasted Kyochon and Bulgogi only. Maybe next time! 

Just read some recipes that doesn't involve minyak masak and they are all mehhhhhh! I'm running low on cooking oil now. So screwed. 

Ibuuuuu

I'm staring at my kid's year-end exam result and silently muttering "I'm not a tiger mom I'm not a tiger mom". His results are okay, As and Bs but my eyes hurt looking at Bahasa Arab, Pendidikan Islam and Jawi results (eh I see a pattern here). But I don't blame him. Bahasa Arab is not easy and WHY THE HELL ARE WE LEARNING ARABIC AT THIS AGE is beyond me. 

Oh well. Note to self: More teaching session with the boys. I'm not gonna go on a rampage on how back then there were no gadgets yada yada yada because you know we are all guilty of this. 

+++++++++++++++++

So, what should we do this school break?

thoughts

God I'm miserable today.
Is it because it's the weather or because I'm eating less now?

Hehe.

super snooze moon

I feel so bad for not caring about the supermoon. 
But my sky the past few days has been hazy and I would have noticed it if I saw the moon.

Oh well. 

The Wonderful World of Musicals

My weekly duty as a stage mom came to an end last weekend with the staging of The Wonderful World of Musicals. With RM35 per pax (I can't I had to pay to see my son perform! At age 7!) eager parents and audience were entertained with renditions of The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Frozen (roll eyes) and The Little Mermaid.

So much fun! I bought tickets for both dates. Hehe.

The simple set up.

Beauty and the Beast.

Blink twice and you'll miss my son! Cikgu Omar at the back leading the pack. 

Gah, so cute the kids.

Imaan the Faithful looking for his Abang's name.

I'm glad we sent Rumi to drama class. He made friends, he's more expressive albeit being so dramatic these days rasa macam nak lepuk je but the most important thing is that he enjoys it. If ada rezeki we will send enrol him again for this class next year. The Adik on the hand, is more keen to do sports so we'll see what's in store for him next year. 

Hameediyah

So dear husband has been mentioning this place a couple of times and I've been tempted to try too after seeing some IG stories and postings about Hameediyah. Rai said it tasted exactly like the one in Penang (minus the vibe) and since I won't be heading to Penang anytime soon we might as well check it out lah. 

I wasn't that hungry so I didn't order rice BUT OMG, ME NOT ORDERING BERIANI IS SO NOT ME GAIZ. Below is his. Sedap jugak.

 

Imaan here, pretending. Cheeky!

I ordered the murtabak daging. I don't normally eat mamak-style murtabak because er, personal choice and I had a horrifying experience when I ordered a murtabak mamak in Kepong aaaages ago. This one, not bad lah. Too much bawang to my liking, but the kuah kari ikan is mah-ve-les.

I am definitely trying the beriani ayam next time! 

Note: Sis sabar je when I watched Neelofa hosting Selera Selebriti (or something) on ASTRO the other day. You just wait for me Kota Bharu! December come quickly please! 

Mondaze

Took the kids to see Doctor Strange yesterday. It’s my favorite Marvel-ish movie by far because the quotes are just worth pondering on about. It was a terrible weekend because the monthly maladies came with a flu, lethargy, mild cough, sore throat, unresolved tension and whathaveyous.

But whatever comes my way, I should just bear with it.  Amri, our cancer-stricken friend is going through far more worse than just my stupid flu. It’s just heartbreaking to read his postings and may Allah ease his pain.  

Have a great week ahead. My sister just came back from Korea and I can’t wait to see what she bought for me! :D

friday is here again weehoo

I'm so glad that Friday is here again. Sometimes you just have to bulldoze through the days and tawakal. Granted, there will be bad days but you know that if it can't kill you, you might as well put a (super)brave face and smile. Or cry.

Some stuff to look forward to this weekend:

• A wedding on Saturday i.e. free food
• Rumi's final preps for his Lion King performance this weekend. for 2 days straight!
• Dr. Strange
• All geared up to finish the Japan2017 holiday itinerary! Then can share with Ame & family, and start praying that everything will fall in place.

Have a good weekend!

Safaa BBQ, Cyberjaya

Funny how sometimes a simple mistake can result into something amazing! We wanted to eat at Saba (Cyberjaya) but ended up in Safaa BBQ, just few doors down from Saba. There were not many people there but we just try lah since we're already seated and all.

I ordered the nasi bukhara (tak pandang nasi kabsah pun coz i make nasi chicken kabsah all the time cough cough) and the nasi bukhara was amaaaazing! Either that or I was super hungry. It transported me back to our Pakistani meal in Japan (of all places). Heheh.

Address:
UNIT 4800-0-7, CBD PERDANA 1, OFF PERSIARAN MULTIMEDIA, CYBER 12

beach dreams

While my spirit longs for a holiday abroad, a short getaway is doable for now while we save enough funds for a proper trip. Happy that the new Company offers a day off on a Friday if a public holiday falls on a Saturday. So off to PD we go! Thistle is always a favorite because it's not too close to the city and the swimming pools are huge.

The beach is so-so but who's complaining when you have the lovely breeze in your face and your feet in the sand.

Emre and his cousin.

Tak sabar.

The pools!

My favorite section of the hotel.

Pretty nice sand stones, really.

#quranlettering

We tried Nasreen Seafood for dinner. Western food and their lauks are pretty good but a bit disappointed with their udang goreng tepung and sotong telur masin batter.

I count my blessings every single day. #quranlettering

homecoming

After much procrastination we finally bought tickets to kelik Kelate!
Can't wait for December. Praying for a good weather during that time. 

our lunch today

What diet?

This is our lunch today -- lauk ayam gulai, sayur campur, rice (RM6). My colleagues were touched by the guy's story that went viral so we all ordered from him. Sedap juga.  He learned how to cook from his mum who is now paralyzed. 

Makes me want to bang my head on the wall over and over again for not learning how to cook from Mama. Sigh.

esok monday, think happy thoughts!

Nah, saya belanja bunga.

new year

 

Didn't get to reflect much on new year aspirations this time around. As long as I have my family and friends with me, I'm all good. 

Friday musing

TBH I can't recall where I took this.

What a tiring week! I was down with food poisoning mid-week (we suspect it was from the hipster sambal bought at Art for Grabs last weekend) and all I want to do is rest this long weekend. Lemau, sakit kepala, bloated, nauseated, you name it I have it. 

The Basics of Brush Calligraphy Class (25 September)

Yup I did it again. Went for another brush calligraphy class at Stickerrific last Sunday. Perfect me time! Perhaps partly because I need to work on my strokes (practice tak nak!) and it's also a good time for me to spend time with a friend. Dragged my friend Ills and we had 3 hours of brush lettering bliss. Learned new techniques and Sharon & Joy, sigh, such talented beauties.

Tak sah kalau tak beli sticker kan?!

That's Joy right there. Major love.

If you're ever at Jaya One, check out a cafe called Fest, right under Stickerrific. The waffles (try the Milo dinosaur) and salted caramel chocolate bar/cake! So sedap!  

In a bid to feel good about myself, I have started going to dance classes again. This terrible weight needs to go! But just gonna take it easy. I don't know.

The thing with being online

Was emailing an online seller (don't judge) and in one of her lines in the email:

"1) Please send the receipt here for payment proof (not via fb, twitter or ig. Excuses like my dad is busy, i dont want to disturb my sister, i cant/dont know how to attach the receipt, im lazy & others are not acceptable :))"

My reply:
Statement paling best! No worries, I am a responsible 39 year old. Haha.

#siskenastopshopping
#sisPMpricesis

#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

People on IG stories are weird. Which is probably why I've never been on Snapchat (and probably never will be).

Case #1:

Wife talking to herself (or talking to the phone) because her husband is away and she has no one to talk to. Mostly ramblings, but ugh, creepy. But I still follow her 'coz her house is pretty. 

Case #2:

Socialites! They are strange beings. They talk to themselves a lot too. The one in London especially. And the jet-setting socialite (the one with the equally rich Malay bf cough cough) eats ALL THE TIME. Girl you gotta go easy on the desserts honey. 

Oh well, to each of his own. Don't like, don't follow. But still cannot resist stalking. Pftth.

legoland!

We finally made it to Legoland! We've been putting off the trip for the longest time (a) it's gonna be so crowded coz everybody wants to go to Legoland (b) it's gonna be super hot because there are no trees! (c) is it really worth it?

But those excuses aside, we packed the kids and off we go! Besides, Nana said that there is a hotel 20 minutes away which has a dinosaur theme pool. So okaylah. The boys kept asking why we didn't stay at the Legoland hotel though... er, dudes, because money don't grow on trees?

Rumi, enjoying a quiet swim alone while his Adik remained conflicted whether he should go down the water slides.

The minute we got there we hit the waterpark first because after lunch baru nak check out theme park. I'm delighted by how clean the water at the park is as compared to Sunway Lagoon. Sunway Lagoon's pools can get pretty gross by noon tbh. Legoland on the other hand has clear water and ample safety guards. Too bad I couldn't join because it was the time of the month. Boo.

The boys didn't want to get out of the pool but no choice lah. We paid for both water and theme park you can't stay in the pool forever! Oh btw, it's good to finally meet Elin / Kaezrin there! 

Lego Star Wars exhibition. 

Surprisingly, despite it being the school holiday week with 2 public holidays Legoland wasn't that packed as I predicted. Is it because of the Zika scare? Not too sure about that but if we had more time at the theme park I'd love to go on the rides at least twice.  

The thing I miss most about amusement parks in Japan (eh tetiba) is that everybody who works there are very passionate about their jobs. Even those tasked to be tukang sapu - you can see that they love their job. Why the hell not? Working at an amusement park where only happiness and laughter can be felt is like a dream come true, no? But alas, in Malaysia, you see staff having a chat, laughing away when they really should be concentrating on their job. Hello, is my belt/guard tight enough? I'm about to go on a roller coaster ride here? \o/

Yay a Lego dinosaur !

Tbh, Legoland Malaysia is pretty cool. Rumi is already plotting to come back end of the year because by then the Ninjago ride will be ready. InsyaAllah sayang, if murah rezeki.

A poke stop yay! 

Sightings at Legoland. Bosan.

On Malaysia Day, the boys once again hit the pool. Bagus juga KSL Resort ni, because it's connected to a shopping mall (yay for Starbucks and Auntie Anne's!) but the pool is a dinosaur theme park. Water quality is so-so but nobody's complaining man! I also managed to catch up with Nana who has 3 boys. 

Imaaaaaaaaaaan! a.k.a. Lobster Child

Can't wait to bring Edward here. Heheh. 

Before heading back to KL, we went to JPO to look for some running stuff. I somehow managed to injure myself at Nike (not sure how a massive thumb tack got into the pants I was trying wei) and my poor thumb bled! Terima kasihlah team Nike for tending to my thumb. Bought a perfume for my sister too. 

Ride back to KL was smooth too. Here's to more journeys with my family!