Post "Pesta" Workout

It was a good break. The eating was even better. My festive cooking and merry eating started from Thursday, a day before Eid.

Ughhhh...now the guilty feeling has set in.

Was channel hopping late last night when having difficulties to doze off. Stumbled upon this P.Ramlee movie, a definite old time favourite.

Nampak nya kena buat workout ala-ala A Go Go & Twist Pak Maon lepas ni...

Salam Eidul Adha

What a beautiful day today!! The vibrant clear blue skies made its way to celebrate this big day.

Foreign workers amongst the many jemaahs at solat Eidul Adha in Masjid Negeri Shah Alam this morning.

Panas...dapat ice cream...sedapppp!!!

Nissa said to me. "Must we pose for your camera Mamaaaaaa!!!"

But of course, lil girl....Mama ni kan blogger..heh..heh :)

And another one...posing by the tree...ala-ala Shah Rukh Khan gitu...(perasannnnn...)

Eid Mubarak everyone.
Selamat Menyambut Hari Raya Qurban from us :)

The Calling

By now, the many millions of pilgrims who are already in Mecca would have started their hajj journey. Clad in ihram, they will now head for Arafah; the plains located east of Mecca for Wukuf. Wukuf or the Grand Essembly marks the climax of the annual hajj pilgrimage.

The Prophet Muhammad SAW stressed that "Hajj is [the essembly at] ‘Arafah."

I remember very well, a few years ago, I was a part of that massive crowd traveling in orderly manner, heading to the sacred plains of Arafah. Talbiyah "labaik allahuma labaik, labaik la sharika laka labaik, Innal hamda wann’imat laka wal mulk, la sharika lak" was chorused by pilgrims in my bus during the entire 24 km journey between Mecca and Arafah.

View of Arafah plains from Jabal Rahmah (Mount of Mercy); the place where Adam and Eve met after being overthrown from heaven.

Wukuf begins from Zuhur prayers on 9th Zulhijjah until the fajar of 10th Zulhijjah. During the entire day at Arafah, from dawn until sunset, my time was preoccupied with continuous dzikir, doas and tasbih.

The Arafah experience was indescribable. Tears were shed easily when I performed my solats and during the intense moments of seeking forgiveness and mercy from God Almighty. That night when we did solat tahajjud, taubat and tasbih, the desert air was pleasantly cool. As we bowed our heads during our sujuds and rukuks, it felt as if, we might not see tomorrow anymore. Everything felt stationary, providing the solemn assurance of greatness of our Creator.

Vast Arafah plains in the background

Arafah was so sacred. I just wanted to be there forever, submissive to God AlRahman. As evening enveloped, after my solats, I raised my two hands asking from Him and praying for his abundant forgiveness. And, it was in Arafah that I saw the most beautiful sunset on the horizon far ahead. Subahanallah…….

Sunday...Sunday..Happy Day!!

Theme song of popular 80s sitcom "Happy Days" is sung in following manner.

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days,
Thursday, Friday, Happy Days,
Saturday, what a day,
Rockin all week with you.

My version, however would have only one day as my happy day - Sunday. The other days are work days, where got fun one!! Even my Saturdays are not free from doing work. There's always spill over from Friday's tedious undertaking that needed quick attention. Well..that's life in the fast lane. Like the saying goes, tak berani bermain ombak, jangan berumah di tepi pantai, iyer tak?

Today was not supposed to be very much of an eventful day. My plan was to do my routine visit to the market, cook and then rest. There was this naughty thought of doing RT. But didn't quite fancy the idea of going to KLCC to do repeat visit of that "something" I discovered last week. It's school holidays and the place was going to be so jammed packed. Dah masuk alam senior citizen ni...malas nak berebut parking and berlaga-laga bahu kat malls dah. Buat panas hati je nanti... So tak jadi lah berRT nampak nya.

Furry....doting Mom, even with the stomach flu

When I returned from the market, Nissa ran out to get me, causing panic yang tak terkata, telling me that Furry is lifeless!! Duh...kucing lagi?? She demanded that we took Furry to see the vet immediately. That was sometime around noon and the vet place was not opened till 2.00pm. I went and checked on Furry, and yes, she did look rather unwell. Hujan kot...plus orang dalam pantang kan...ade lah something yang tak kena agaknya tu.

Anyway, I thought of having my throw-all-in-spaghetti (macam-macam ada...meat, seafood, vege et all) for lunch. Then came visuals of creamy baked potatoes. Ishhh kucing yang dalam pantang, Mommy kucing pulak yang beriya-iya nak makan. Out the window went my four years in a row new year resolution; the all time favourite "nak lose weight" pledge. Five more weeks to the new year, what the heck, next year, it'll be the same resolution again..sigh.

I have stuffs for spaghetti, but didn't have the right potatoes to bake. I know they have those washed white ones in Te*co. So kena lari kejap la pulak ke situ. Told the girls, since I'm going out, might as well bring Furry along to see the vet.

The girls took Furry to see the vet while I waited in the car. Banyak pulak cats who were sick today, so the girls had to wait quite a while for Furry's turn. Obviously lunch was a very late one today. Nasib baik, breakfast was late, other wise sure kelaparan orang yang berada at home.

Crowd at Ike* today...ramai but still manageable

After that hefty lunch, I told Abe that we should go out, or else we'd surely doze off in no time, nak-nak in this gloomy weather. He asked where to and I answered "Ike*". I knew I won't go wrong with that place coz' there are lots of DIY stuffs that he could find there.

One of the compulsory stops - the lights department

Then off to have a look at the picture frames...
In serious discussion with Farah...which one to get, I supposed.

Yang ni...asyik suruh snap her pics every corner she went

Ohh...who does this bottle belong to? Mommy nye must be terlalu concentrate shopping...bottle pun boleh terselit kat picture frames!!

So menjadi jugak lah RT...walaupun not the RT that I wanted. That's okay....there's always that Christmas shopping...manalah tau I could get lucky again in two, three weeks time :)

Rain Watch

View from my window today - Friday 20 November 2009@3.48pm

Rain, rain go away......
You make my mind go astray
Thinking of my snuggly duvet.....

Melancholy on the Net

Uncle Google can surely do wonders to one who's melancholia and has been smoldering inside, dreaming of falling leaves, snow, and coffee sipping by the fireplace, and everything whatchamacallit associated to winter. It's the gloom and gray weather, I put the blame on. That lingering warmth from the tropical sun was no where endured; shying away, the sun hid behind the thick dark clouds.

Gray and gloomy KL sky

And today was no different. It was a little bright and sunny during first half of the morning. Later when the dark clouds rolled in by mid afternoon, Klang Valley saw sporadic rain all across town. The office is so cold that many seek comfort draping trendy Pashminas as wraps. Some one asked me if winter felt this cold. My reply was, "No...It’s colder." The poor thing must be thinking how one could survive in the wild winter of the West. Shaking her head in quandary, she slipped on her jacket, with hope that it would keep her warm for the remaining time at work.

So what does Uncle Google have to do with the rain, wet roads and cold office condition?? A whole lot to me actually. The looks of the skies outside remind me so much of my college days in this cold mid west city - Madison Wisconsin. It is as if I am transported back to the roaring 80s; that glorious era of Michael Jackson’s moon walk and glittering gloves (ahhh...mental note to myself: to go watch MJ’s This is IT movie before it disappears from cinema viewing)

My first apartment...Birge House on University Avenue
pic from Madison Campus & Downtown Living

How the living room looks now, very different compared to my tenancy days in 1982

Bucky is the official mascot of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Browsing the Net, if not careful, one could easily get carried away. One site leads to another. From my old apartment building, I preceded with inquiries on Badger’s football results. Apparently, last week during their game with Michigan, Badgers had a victorious win – Badgers 45 and Michigan 24!! Yeah…Go Red...Go Bucky!!! This weekend will be an away game with Northwestern Wildcats. I wonder if college football is shown on ESPN, must go check…..

Next 5 days weather check - chilly and wet

Next were the campus pictures.

Aerial picture of UW campus

Bascom Hall is framed by a view of tree shadows and foliage changing colors on Bascom Hill during autumn.

Camp Randall arch walkway

Statue of Abraham Lincoln, picture perfect contrast in the gold autumn setting

Fallen leaves gather among bicycles parked at a bike rack.
All campus pictures from UW-Madison University Communications website

The Regent – place where we once called home.

But the most noteworthy search was this…

the Maroon colored 76 Oldsmobile Starfire – the car I shared with Jupe during my senior year in UW. Bought it for $600 from a graduate student who was leaving for home.

Latest Addition

Cleo..mix brown shades
Petra...gray

Gosh...when I review my postings for the past month, they are either about jalan-jalan or cats!! Ohh...get a life, Kay. Bet you the next person who reads this blog would either be wondering if this is a mirror site to Trip Advisor and PAWS.

But I do wanna share news and pics of latest addition to the family. Someone said in FB, I could open a zoo after this. Yeah..I just need to go get myself a cobra, and I'm all set to receive visitors. This is perhaps my greatest accomplishment in life...err in the four legged department I mean. Many of my Uni friends know that I am actually afraid of anything furry, be it four, eight or with many legs. My RT gang, Muni and Jupe know that their cats are to stay away from me whenever I'm at their place; for the moment the felines come close to me, I'd automatically lift up my feet. Geliii lahh...Well, that was then, and I'm getting better.

Cleo (R) & LunaChentaLestari (L)

And now...who is the Mom and granny to these many lil' ones?? Ayooo...no wonder lah ader orang suruh buat zoo!!

The last two days have been really eventful. The two girls - Fuzzy & Brainy gave birth to 5 kittens all together. Total population now is 8 new kittens. Three are already a month old and the other 5 are less than 36 hours old. Farah said that our washing area looks like hospital bersalin tu-ching!! I couldn't help but agree with her.

Fuzzy...in pain. Contractions 5 mins apart

Fuzzy must be thinking...to push or not to push...

Haaa...keluaq dah...TIGA ketoi!!

We still haven't decided who goes and who stays. Cleo and LunaChentaLestari have been booked by Desert Rose and a girl from the office. Petra stays for the reasons mentioned my earlier posting. Now the other 5 tu...fuhh siapa lah yang nak diberikan to. It's still too early to separate the kitties from their mommies as they all still tengah menyusu badan. At times terfikir jugak..hai sedang kan kucing pun pandai sayangkan anak. Manusia pulak pi buang anak here and there. Sedih kan...

Brainy...gave birth under the mango tree, despite our effort to have her deliver on comfy sheets we laid out for her.

She must be thinking...dua je?? Kak Long Furry & Kak Ngah Fuzzy ader TIGA!!

I'm going out with Faris later to get new cages for them. The new mommies fight for their territorial rights. Okay I guess faham lah kan..tengah berpantang, post natal blues ni, so sensitive!! I must remember to get some gourmet food for them when at the pet shop. Kira treat lah...coz dah selamat melahirkan :)

The three hopefuls....we want our Mommy...tell her it's our feeding time!!

Okay lah...I shall leave you with their pictures. Macam-macam adaaaa... Yang fair, yang with sports and yang tan macam ehem..ehem Abe pun adaaaaaa.... Gosh, for the life of me, I can't figure out siapa lah bapak-bapak mereka ni.

Next thing to do is to spay ALL of them. Yess..them mommies are going to be POTONG-ed. (haa..macam advert P1 w1max tu..), Sorry lah babes...what can I say, you girls must be the prettiest aweks in the block, ramai yang minat. And I can't afford to have any more....hope you beauties faham lah eh. It's about doing "it" safe, okay.

Hujan oh Hujan

I had an assignment in the city these last two days. As always, having to go into the city in the morning would always be a chore. I was up at 5.45am, left the house at 6.45 and was in downtown KL by 7.40am. I guess being early helps; earlier than the other early birds.

Returning home was another struggle. The heavy down pour worsened traffic condition and resulted the slow crawl. Nowadays, I try not to think so much about the jam I'm about to face. While queuing with the rest who are as unfortunate as I am, I try to relax, and enjoy music playing on the radio.

This evening I was caught in a long queue somewhere near Jalan Pahang. At some points, traffic was at a stand still for more than 10 minutes. Imagine the anxiety build up as the car inched to get out of the mess. Trying to amuse yourself when things don't look too good in the next 3 - 4 kms can be tough. But this evening, you know what came to mind??? This song......

Lagu ini ditujukan to couples who were stuck in the office, at bus stops or any where one could ever imagine during the downpour just now. Chill lah you all ya... Dah berhenti hujan sambung lah gi dating eh...

Chillin' in China Part 4 - Glimmer and Glitter

When evening unfolds, Hangzhou becomes so much alive as it sparkles up with brilliance of multi coloured neon. It is as if there is no stopping from the day's liveliness. So many people, So many buildings. So many lights.

Main street bright lighted

One of the many night markets around the city

Shop, shop, shop ladies.....

Anything interesting? None.....

Surely would be able find something of our liking here......

where the real action was.....

at this fancy lot....

Tired and famished, growls of the tummy pulled us here.....

to savor its fillet and soda

On our way back to the hotel, we discovered this HALAL eatery. We are Muslims they said, do come in and reserve your space. Had we been luckier, we'd been dining lamb ribs and sharks fin.....probably.

Next change or coming soon? No lah it's COMEING soon!!

Chillin' in China Part 3 - West Lake Hangzhou...more pics

We took lots of pictures during this trip. And West Lake being such a vast area, offered many interesting spots to go do that "snap, snap" job.

Su Causeway..it connects one part of the lake to the other

Another boat jetty. The boat takes you to other parts of the lake.

Option was to go on the boat or walk...(you gotta be kidding attempting to walk round the lake on foot!!) Choice was obvious...naik boat daaa....

View of Hangzhou downtown from the boat

Now..go figure where else to visit

Pagodas

Fruits...err don't ask me what fruit tree this is. Only know how to makan...

Tall trees that shoot up to the sky

Ahhh...no words to describe this breath taking view

There is even a restaurant on the lake

And another pagoda

Found me self a new BF...tall, dark and handsome, bak kata Busymom100 in FB

And he pun tak mau kalah...nak gak (take picture lah...) with amoi cun ni

And then he walked straight ahead......leaving me (to snap more pics....)

Fruits and sweets, my dear? He offered me....
My reply was, "Nakkk tapi tak tau what they were made of and boleh makan ker???"

"I give you these roses lah....." he offered.
Boleh lah...my reply.

See what roses can do to you....heh..heh :)