the road to sanding day

I'm bored. No, don't get me wrong. Married life is awesome, really. It's the part when he leaves for work and I'm left at home with nothing to do that is eating me out! 12 hours is a pretty long period, don't you think?

One more day and then his long leave commences. Yeay! I almost forget that we have our receptions to go to this weekend. I'm pretty sure it's going to be tiring but it's okay. We're doing this only once, so we're putting the exhaustion at the back of our heads. Plus, we have our honeymoon waiting the following week (which I obviously cannot wait!), so I can't complain can I?

Wow, I'm still very excited and psyched for this weekend. Thursday is our fitting day and I hope everything will go out well with the outfit.

So yesterday, we had our neighbours from our old place came to our house to help prepare the doorgifts. I'm so touched and moved that they willingly came all the way and offered to help. It was definitely a fun and chaotic session with all the makciks chit-chatting non-stop.

One more day to go and everything will be settled, insyaAllah.


p/s It still feels surreal!!

Aku Terima Nikahnya

Alhamdulillah, at exactly 11.34am, we were legally husband and wife. Syukur sangat-sangat. Didn't drop any tears (!). Everything went well infact, I couldn't be more happy. I'm still overwhelmed :)

Pictures by Eda

Saya dah kahwin!!! :)

in a few hours

In a few hours, saya akan bernikah (!!!!!!)

Doakan segalanya akan berjalan baik dan lancar :)

Macam tak percaya!

Thanks Kak Feeda for the cake :)

when everything seems surreal

One more day. Why is it so hard to believe? It never occured to me that my life is really about to change come Saturday in ways that I can never imagine (or expected). This whole week, I've experienced a whirlwind of emotions which are quite difficult to comprehend, really.

Not that I didn't see it coming but I've written before that I appear very calm to many people. I was surprised myself at how cool I am taking this marriage thingy and the fact that I never once had a second thought (!). I mean, it's big right? Now that it's nearer (so near I can almost envision what's going to happen), the beating of the heart seems to grow faster that it scares me sometimes.

Getting married is a big thing. I'm building a new home with a person that I personally chose, the one I vowed to spend the rest of my life with and come what may, we'll still be together through thick and thin. We've had the most wonderful 8 years together and we will embark on a new beautiful journey in a matter of hours. Hours! If that's not overwhelming enough.

I'm praying, and hoping and wishing that everything (I mean everything from the majlis, to the akad, my outfit, the make-up, the food, the weather, the hantarans, the tok kadi) will turn out absolutely okay. And if ever I cry that day, let it be tears of joy and contentment. Not simply because I am (going to be) a legal wife to him, but also because He answers my prayers.

Please pray for us, friends, that everything will be made easy InsyaAllah. To Kay Kamal, Selamat Bernikah esok! My prayers and best wishes to you and Luqman.

a joyful weekend

My brother is, alhamdulillah, back for good. We fetched him at the airport on Saturday night. Now that the family is complete, everything is starting to fall into place.

The next day (Sunday), my homies and I went for our breakfast at the infamous Nasi Lemak Longkang in Taman Sri Andalas. I know, what's with the name right? The stall is actually built over a ditch hence the name. It is also known as Nasi Lemak Haji Mail - the owner, who happens to be a friend of my dad's. However, outsiders or some people do not know the name, so they always refer to it as "gerai yang kat longkang tu eh?" Hehe Despite it's stinky name, the food there are all very very delicious. Besides nasi lemak, they have lontong, mi/mihun soup, soto, and curry mee. This stall was once featured in Warung Kita.

Then at 12.30pm, Rizal and myself made our way to my classmate's wedding in UKM, Bangi. Wan Nadiah and I were classmates back in TKC and we were deskmate once. We reached the wedding hall at around 1.30pm and I was so excited to see a table full with my other classmates - some I haven't met for a long time! However, we didn't manage to get our picture taken wth the bride and groom :( They were busy and we had to rush. I had a great time catching up with friends and reminiscing on the good old days :)

Upon arrival

We shifted to Amie's table before all of us decided to leave at the same time

The 'bakal pengantins' :)

Anyhow, congratulations Wanea and Talhah! May you have a blessed and beautiful marriage InsyaAllah :)

So, it's just a matter of days now :)

can hardly wait

A colleague said to me a few days ago that I am extremely calm for someone who will be getting married in approximately 10 days. I think I have to agree on that. I mean, I don't exactly have to go crazy looking all worried do I?

Despite the jitters I've been having once in a while, I'm all set. You see, I don't go round telling people whatever that's bothering me or anything related to the wedding preparation. In fact, some of my friends are pretty much in the dark of what's going to happen next week. I'm not being secretive, it's just that some things you don't need to disclose to others. I tell when being asked and I inform if I feel the need to do so.

Because I have my family support my back, I can say that the preparation has been truly a family affair. So far, I'm not feeling at all stressed out throughout my preparation, alhamdulillah. He has made it easy for all of us and I cannot be more happy.

I can only hope for the best and anticipate the day patiently. I have envisioned everything since day 1, and to have it set just the way I wanted would be absolutely perfect. InsyaAllah.

Anyway, I received our first wedding gift today! It was from my dad's colleague. Well, technically it's the second after my dad's gift hehe Anyhow, thanks Uncle Yip and wife!

Last day of school tomorrow! (Although I'm silently cursing. Why do we have to come back after the 2 days of holiday again? Urrghh!)

gratitude

Asking for help doesn't come easily for me, so you'd better believe that, if I actually do make a request, I've exhausted all other options. Normally, I would try my best to sort whatever it is myself before turning to others. I don't feel great about making myself beholden to people when I know I can do it myself. That's just how I am.

Having said that, it's no surprise that when I need help, I don't really know how to. Stringing suitable words prove to be difficult as I'm not used to it. So when close friends offered to help for anything that needs to be helped for the wedding before I could actually ask them, I agreed. I mean who wouldn't right? Especially for an event like this, extra hands would be very much appreciated. Ni pun rasa macam menyusahkan sangat but I decided to give it a break. After all, it's my wedding so I have the rights to be pampered and feel special once in a while.

Thanks so much for those who have helped and will be helping out soon. And my special thanks to my mum and sister, my bridesmaids in its true sense. I could have never done it without you two :)

15 more days to go!

health is wealth

I love fruits. Don't you? We never run out of fruits supply in our household. We normally get our fruits from MBG Fruitshop in Shah Alam or Subang. We don't mind the trips there just to get our fruits because the shop sells variety of fruits which are not just fresh, but also nice looking ones.

The juice bar

My mom started consuming the POM Wonderful Promeganate Juice which is sold in this shop too (read here to know the benefits). We used to take the same juice from a different product, but it was quite costly so we switched to this which taste even better with the same benefits. At only RM19.80 a bottle, it could last for a month for one person. Take 2 teaspoons daily in the morning before you have anything. You'll feel the difference. For one, you'll feel energetic and it will make your skin radiant and healthy.

Antioxidant for life :)

Now, we all know the good that fruits bring us. But do you, really?

With its current 'Health is Wealth' community campaign, MBG Fruits offers the most up-t0-date, timely and newsy information and practical fruit diet tips, as well as their benefits to the public. Hopefully, the public will be more aware of their health and start eating fruits as part of their daily diet.

Here are a few fruit facts which might help you to start eating fruits :)

- Antioxidant, cardiovascular health
- Anti-inflammatory, heart healthy
- Tissue repair
- Vision health


- Help in digestion
- Benefit to skin
- For better sex, weight gain & boost memory
- Beneficial for anemia & prevent heat stroke

- Prevention of dementia
- Prevention of overweight
- Lower cholesterol

• 

- Reduce the risk of developing cancer, stroke, heart disease & memory loss
- Anti-aging, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, skin, eyes
- Cardiovascular and gastric health
- Urinary tract health
- Fight gum diseases

• 

- Anti-depression (promoting better sleep & mood)
- Helps concentration & memory
- Calming peptic ulcer

• 

- For healthy heart, vision & immunity
- Reduce risks for various cancers
- Antioxidant, brain development for fetus
- Regulate blood pressure

- Helping insomnia
- Blood thinner for cardiovascular health
- Lower cholesterol
- Good for colon health and prostate health

(Information sourced from MBG Fruits flyer)

Fruits - definitely a great way to achieve health and wellnes. Start eating 'em fruits!

sajak untuk mu

I went to my table yesterday and found a folder filled with personal poems written by a student I teach. I was puzzled, thinking why are they on my table and I made a quick mental check if it was upon my request. And that's when I remembered this girl had once told me she had written a poem for me and she would give it to me one day.

I read each paper and I stopped at one with the title 'Miss Tasharina' on it. It's a poem about me :

Kemanisan senyumannya
Menjadi semua orang terpaku melihatnya
Kelembutan suaranya
Membuatkan semua orang terpesona

'Miss Tasharina' gelarannya
Dia adalah guruku, yang cukup sempurna
Gayanya persis seperti Ratu Dunia
Semestinya menjadi idaman setiap kaum Adam

Sikap rendah diri yang ada padanya
Sudah cukup untuk memadai segalanya
Kesabaran yang dia miliki
Sungguh mengagumkan aku

Kenakalan anak-anak muridnya
Dia tempuh dengan tabah
lalu menegur dengan cara yang baik
Itulah dia seorang guru yang sangat dikenali
dengan sifat kelembutannya

When I finished, I am almost sure there was a lump formed in my throat. Kau tak terharu ke yob? Haha This definitely made my day, for sure! Although I'm not too sure about the 'kelembutan' and 'kesabaran' part! :)

Oh, the perks of being a teacher. Kau ada orang nak tulis poem saja2? Gurau-gurau aje :)

love at first sight

There will come a time when you have this feeling of simply wanting things which in retrospect, you don't even need at all. And that time happens to be today. It's trips like this that is malicious, because you'll never know what's going to catch your eye. When that one thing does catch your attention, it's really difficult to let go.

Just like this Personal Cozy Workstation (with built-in cushion) I found at MPH.

Don't you think it's adorable? And usable? Not to mention very practical. Oh dear. Why? Why in times like these you are somewhat visible to my eyes. All this while, tak pulak nampak bila pergi MPH.

However, I know this is just my lust. I don't need this thing in the first place. My table is just fine. Saja je nak. Mengada-ngada nak guna laptop masa baring la, nak tulis apa-apa kat sofa letak atas lap la. But it's really cute right? It has the built-in cushion and lamp, siap ada tempat letak air lagi! Tsk!

In the end, I decided to let go of this cute little thing and left MPH with a heavy heart :( I pray it will be there at least until at the end of this year so that when I come back later, I'll be able to decide if I really need (or want) it or not.

For now, I am just going to hold on to a quote :

To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.

- Bertrand Russell

Let's hope so.

simply deliciosio

The 4 days holiday is ending soon. Tomorrow, it's back to school again. Can I just skip these last two weeks and fast forward it to the 27th please?

My principal is retiring this coming Friday. That's probably the main reason why I hate the fact that tomorrow is the start of school. Major work to be done by all teachers. I'm pretty sure the upcoming week will be hell for all of us. Let's just say she's expecting a grand celebration of some kind which we hope will be pulled off perfectly. Moga Allah permudahkan segala urusan, amin.

Anyway. I'm just going to feed you with some pictures of food which I consumed for the past 2 days. Don't you just love holidays? They're a perfect excuse to forget about diet and the gym for once!

Nasi Ayam Manchongkam

Rizal brought me to this place at Section 7 Shah Alam. It specializes only on chicken rice. I ordered Nasi Ayam Garing and Rizal ordered Nasi Goreng Ayam Garing. Like the name, yes, the chicken was really crispy it felt like I was munching on chips! It was okay. If only the chilli wasn't too sweet.

Cooking with no recipe

My sister put on her chef-at-home-mode on and prepared us this deliciously healthy dinner. She doesn't have a name for it exactly because it's like a mix of this and that recipe she learned from the food channel on Astro.

Low calories chicken nuggets with mayonnaise dip, salad with thousand island, grilled bread with cheese, and the no-name dish (the filling for the bread)

The main dish
(ingredients : chicken breast cut into cubes, onions, zuccini, red capsicum, broccoli)

Ready?

Have a taste! Ayah loved it!

Subang Restaurant

We had our Sunday morning breakfast at our all-time favourite eatery, Subang Restaurant in Kelana Jaya. We ordered our usual Yong Tau Foo, Popiah, and Fried Kuey Teow. Nyum! After almost a decade, the taste remains the same.

Ok. Enough of that. Mari berpuasa sunat esok :)

too much rage

Our school's language lab was brutally vandalised 2 weeks ago. As the lab coordinator (one who is in-charge of the room's use), I was frustrated and angered. The room has always been in good condition although some of the infrastructures couldn't be fully utilised. The language lab was a good alternative for a change of learning environment and my students love the room.

So, when 2 students reported that the lab was in a total mess one morning, I couldn't contain my fury. It baffles me as to how these 'ghosts' entered the lab when it was safely locked (how ironic) and I made my way (together with another teacher) to the so-called crime scene unprepared. As it turned out, the grill had been cut off (don't ask me how) and expectantly, the lab was in dire need of cleaning.

What I saw was enough to make me fume.

They did a smackdown to the teacher's table I suppose

What's worse, they even took off the aircond's cover.

There were even shoe prints all over the walls and on the cushion chairs. We agreed that this was totally an insider's doing and it was purely intentional. I don't know if this was an act of revenge, but nothing was stolen from the room - just vandalised. The doers actually left their mark on the scene by initialing their gang's name on the noticeboard (no pictures taken) - a name identified by another teacher as a gang which students in our school are members of.

I'm just so frustrated I can't even look at the lab without having this guilty thoughts of slamming the students down myself.

Anyway.

Today after my Form 1 students finished their last paper, I brought them to the lab and together we cleaned up the mess and made the lab usable again. I'm so happy that the lab is now better-looking.

I really hope nothing like this would happen again. Then again, a teacher can do as much. Nothing will prepare me for what's going to happen next. Too much rage, ey?

you smile, i smile

I've never dreamt of doing a pre-wedding photo shoot at all. It was never in the plan. However, when a budding photographer friend offered to shoot us, I said why not? I was even more ecstatic when Rizal said yes - considering how camera shy he is.

We headed to The Curve as early as 8.30 am, trying to reach there by 9.00 am in the hopes of avoiding the public. It was drizzling that morning all the way there so my heart sank because there's no way we could do this in the rain. Alhamdulillah, just when we stepped out to The Walk, we could see a ray of light from the sky.

Didn't know what to expect, we just stood there while Eda and Yuzni were trying to get their equipments ready, testing and what not. They were snapping away but we just stood there like the National Monument Haha To cut things short, the session started off pretty funny with Rizal acting real awkward and his shyness really showed. But after 3 hours, I was surprised myself at how sporting he had become and we loosened up.

I'm still very thrilled at how the photos turned out. They're really good! I'm not saying this because they're mine, but Eda really did a good job. I love it!

Here are some of the pictures.

(My personal favourite!)

Eda was also the one who took pictures of my engagement. I think I gave her her big break when I requested for her to be my sort of OP for the event. She has received many requests ever since and I highly recommend her. I know she still has a long way to go but as an amateur I think she's doing pretty well. Do check her out at her official blog or add her at Facebook.