Lebai Aydein

Like many other kids, my 22-month-old boy does not like having anything on his head ever since he was little -- not beanie, not cap, not songkok -- until recently. Nowadays, whenever he sees a kopiah (a kind of hat muslim men wear for prayer), he would quickly grab it and put it on his head.


Sometimes, when he can't reach it, he will even demand for it by patting his head; a signal to tell us that he wants the kopiah on his head, especially when Aien and I are preparing ourselves for prayers.


The funny thing is, he does not only wear it during prayers. He wears it when he plays..


He wears it when he "sweeps" the floor..


He wears it when he watches tv...


He wears it when he goes for a drive...

He wears it when he sleeps (or fake to fall asleep :P)..


And of course, when performing solah with us as well..


Update : Just received this picture from my husband just a while ago. Yes, he wears it even when chillin in the (new & clean) dustbin too!


Isn't he's such a darl? :)

AHC Neck Covered Inners

When I was wearing instant hijabs last time, I never paid much attention to inners even though some of them are such eye-candy, like the 3-layered syria that was once sold in SugarScarf.

pic credit to colorscarfbyriqa.blogspot.com

Mind you, I was so close to buying them just because they're so comel like lollipops, but I didn't, thanks to the more-rational side of me. :P

However, come 2011 I was all about shawls and colorful colors thus the need to get new inners started creeping in. At first I bought the normal syria inners that covers the head but leaves the neck bare. The problem with these kind of inners is that they can't be worn with shawls made of chiffon or rugs because these kind of hijabs are either transparent or see through. Some parts of the neck are still (vaguely) visible thus defeats the purpose of one wearing hijab.

That is why when I stumbled across AHC website and saw Hani the owner modeled AHC's very own neck covered inners, I was so delighted!

pic credit to alhumairacontemporary.com

Without hesitating, I placed my orders and bought two neck covered inners from her immediately. Much to my joy, the parcel arrived just 3 days after placing my order!


Everybody was right about AHC hijabs -- they smelt really good! A little too good in fact, that I pening sekejap immediately after I opened the parcel. Hehe harum semerbak ok! :) Without hesitating, I straight away tried on the new neck covered inners and I have to tell you, they are made from the highest quality lycra cotton that is very soft, and not too thick.

[picture]

Yes, when it comes to quality and comfort, AHC definitely delivers it. I love that the stitching is very neat and thorough. However, the thing that slightly disappoints me is the fact that the inners are not very snug fitted. In order for it to stick to the frames of my face, I will need to put a pin/brooch under my chin -- otherwise it would be loose.


Contrary to the neck covered inners that I bought from Jalan TAR, the moment I slip it over to my head, it fits just as nicely without the need to put any pin or brooch on it.


However, as you might have guessed, the quality of the material can't beat the inners from AHC (the one from Jalan TAR is slightly thick), but unlike AHC inners, the one that I bought in Jalan TAR has curly seam which adds to the premium look to it. Oh, and it's cheaper too! Of course, the disadvantage of cheap items is that the stitching isn't as neat and the neck covering as you can see, is short in length so one can't get as much coverage there.


Needless to say, I am happy with my purchase from AHC and I have to give Hani credits for her excellent service throughout the purchase. One thing about AHC is that, their products memang selalu laku macam pisang goreng panas. So each time there will be an update about her product, Hani will announce first hand to her fans in her Facebook about the date and time of the new update.

So for those of you who would like to grab a few items from here, kena lah standby and keep on refreshing the screen at the appointed time ye. Because imagine, during the day I bought the items, she published her new stock at 12.00pm and by 12.30pm, banyak items yang dah already out of stock! So kalau you terlambat sikit pon, memang ok-sekian-terima-kasih lah. :P

In future, I do hope that AHC will produce neck covered inners with curly seam because although they can't be seen (as they will be tucked inside our shirt or shawl) but still, it's classy that way. :) AHC neck covered inners are highly recommended! Grab one for yourself the next time Hani restocks! :) As usual, happy melawa-lawa ladies!

Discover Your Miracle with Lancôme Maqui Miracle

When it comes to compact power, I always get confused as to which tone that best suits a person -- a tone darker or a tone lighter? That is why when I got the opportunity to join Loreal Lancome Workshop organized by Nuffnang, I was over the moon!


The moment I stepped into the Loreal office, I was greeted by this very sweet scent that comes from a vase of fresh flowers placed at the corner of the room. And I am not sure if it's the beautiful staffs around there, or the sweet smell coming from the flowers, or the professionally set lounge area, but for a moment there, I almost felt like I belong there. :P


The special workshop was held to promote Lancome's latest launch -- the new Maqui Miracle compact powder. In case you don't already know, Maqui Miracle is the first 12-hour long lasting compact powder ever launched and it also contains the highest UV protection with SPF 35/PA+++ ever in a compact!


How cool is that! And did I tell you that the workshop was conducted by the non-other, the infamous Zamri Zainol, Lancome's makeup artist with over 14 years of experience in the beauty industry! With that much of experience in the beauty line, I am surprised that he has not come up with his own beauty product just yet! :P


On to the product, now as mentioned in my previous entry, I am very particular about putting something onto my face unless it is tested and proven to be safe on all types of skin, especially on dry skin like mine. However, after confirming with Zamri and the fact that all of us received a goodie bag with the new Maqui Miracle in it, I figured, hey's let's give it a try!


The special thing about Maqui Miracle compact powder is that it has dual-sponge, a two-sided sponge that helps you create the coverage you desire. The velvety porous side is used to pick up the powder, while the silky smooth side helps to blend and polish the foundation, giving you the perfect finishing that you want. Pay attention to the 2 sponge's surfaces below :


For all you busy ladies out there who seriously have no or very little time to apply makeup but still wishes to have that radiant look to your skin, this is the answer to all your prayers! With Maqui Miracle, it honestly takes less than 2 minutes to get that fresh, natural look that you've all been waiting for! Need convincing? Check this out!

This is me, before Maqui Miracle.


This is me, WITH Maqui Miracle!


Can you see the difference? Mind you, no Photoshop editing done whatsoever okay! I discovered the miracle purely by using Lancome Maqui Miracle itself, and the best thing is, the powder langsung tak over okkk, I LOIKE! :) Now you can have it too! All you need are just 3 things ; Lancome Genifique Serum, Lancome Teint Miracle and Lancome Maqui Miracle. I do not have Lancome Teint Miracle, but even without that, look what transformation it has made to my skin! (With a little help from eyeliner and gloss of course :P)

By the way, when choosing the tone color, Zamri told us that it depends on individual's preference. If you just want to look totally fresh and natural without a trace of makeup, then go for the same tone as your skin. (Tapi rugi lah kan, dah bayar RM130 pastu tak nampak macam pakai makeup pon, baik pakai bedak Pureen je :P). But if you want to look natural with a slight hint of makeup, go for a tone lighter. However, you can also go for a tone darker but you need to make sure that you're fully makeup (with eyeshadows, blusher & gloss).

Among the ladies who came for the workshop

Now I know I told you that Topshop Powder Foundation is good, but I am telling you, Lancome Maqui Miracle is way better and I myself am impressed with the output, no kidding! Okay, suddenly rasa gatal nak beli Lancome Teint Miracle pulak!

Oh wait, Lancome Teint Miracle or Topshop Skin Tint?


Hmm temptations, temptations, go away!

Befriending The Ex?

Case of the ex -- we've all been through it. Some treat it like a chronic H1N1 disease (oh tak boleh sentuh langsung, asal sentuh je boleh meletop bikin panasss), while others treat it like it's just a normal viral fever (awal-awal tau tu panas lah, lama-lama dah cool, dah tade pape). Of course, there are also the lucky ones who do not have to go through it at all, and for those people, I would say they are blessed. Saved from all the heartaches and the dramas.

However, for those who have gone through it though, I am sure you've encountered one or all of these scenarios below :

Scenario #1 : At a mall or a restaurant.
Eh, macam kenal? Alamak, itu ex-girlfriend my sayang lah! *cover muka dengan tudung* (kalau yang free-hair tu cepat-cepat turunkan rambut). Awkwarddddd!

Scenario #2 : At home, surfing the net.
*ting* (idea masuk la tu) Eh, agak-agaknya minah ni ada Facebook tak eh? Jom stalk, stalk, stalk! Ak ella, private la pulak! *kecewa*

Scenario #3 : At home, surfing the net.
*ting* (tak puas hati, idea lain pulak masuk) Eh, carik pulak lah kot awek ni ada blog? Eh, ada lah. Stalk lagi, lagi lagi! Halaaaaa private jugak! *kecewa*

Scenario #4 : At home, surfing the net.
*ting* (memang tak bole jadik, kena carik sampai dapat jugak!) Eh, kot ada Twitter okay jugak boleh follow! Carik, carik, carik! Yay berjayaaaa! Seb baik kau tak private (lagi) bai. *sengih lebor*

Scenario #5 : Outside, with your current partner.
Eh sayang, your ex lah. Jangan over ok, buat relax sudey.

Any of these scenarios sound familar to you? Hehehe, I know because I've been there too. However, lucky for me, I am friends with some of these ex's to date. Don't ask me why or how I do it, but I can actually be friends with the ex's. There is even a case when both me and this girl Fara used to date this same guy in Uni and hated each other's guts, and the next thing we knew, we both dumped the guy, and now good friends to each other! :D

Si cantik Fara and I

Truth be told, my in laws especially can't seem to quite get how I can actually be cool when it comes to being friends with the ex. In fact, I am also cool about my husband being friends with his ex. Yes, my husband has an ex (no wait, exs actually) and I am actually friends with his ex, Kenji, up till this date. I guess it's the trust that we both put in each other kot. I mean, we are both adults, and we know our limits. And most importantly, we love each other dearly. With that much of love in our heart, I told them, insyaallah nothing can go wrong. :)

Miss popular Kenji/Fiza and I

I do not know about you, but I feel much better once I become friends with them. You see I hate having unpleasant feelings about someone, anyone. But it's hard not to have that kind of feelings especially when you know the person used to share something special with someone very dear to you, you see. And as humans, you are just bound to have this feelings, even if you do not want it.

And from my experience, after becoming friends with them, and getting to know them, I actually gain even more respect and liking for them, and all the unpleasant feelings disappeared just like that. Some people ask me, "Thara boleh eh berkawan dengan Aien's ex? Tak rasa jealous ke apa ke?" I told them no, I am not jealous of them. In fact, I am glad I am (can be) friends with them because I gain more friends to add to the list! :) And if you ask me, I sincerely think that the ex's are great people, beautiful in their own way. I see now why my partner(s) fell for them. :) (Yes, partner(s) because I had exs too, you see :P)

My husband used to ask me, would you be friends with my exs? I said, why not, just as long as you know how to jaga yourself, then there's no reason for me to naik hantu right :D

How about you? Dare becoming friends with the ex?

Farewell, Robb Chew!

Yesterday was an emotional day for all of us in Nuffnang Malaysia. As some of you might have known, Robb Chew also known as one of the pioneers of Nuffnang, has decided to spread his wings and embark on a departure to take on a new challenge and a different opportunity in life. Yes, Nuffnangers. Robb has decided to leave Nuffnang for the greater good.

picture credit to isaactan.net

For those of you who have been with us for quite a while, you would know that Robb has been the backbone of the company, specifically to the Blogger Relations department ever since Nuffnang was established. He was the one that came up with the Blogger Relations Department, a department that is responsible to take care of the bloggers' welfare to date.

The very first time I spoke to him, to be honest, I was very intimidated by him. He kept asking me questions about how Nuffnang works even when I was there for barely a week! I thought, man, give me a break, I've been here for barely a week, and you're asking me all sorts of questions already?! But it was not long after that, that I discovered that he memang has this effect on people, especially for those who do not know him. But once you know him, he's really a nice chap after all! :)

Nevertheless, there was something that Robb said on that day that I would remember forever and I hang on to it till this very day. It goes something like this. He said, "Thara, you need to know how things work around here by heart. I don't want you to take this job as just another job because we are all passionate about this company and we want someone who is passionate about this job, who cares for this company, as much as we do," And he has my respect since. :)

Robb has contributed so much not only to the Blogger Relations department, but also to NuffnangMY, that some of us (the girls, of course) even had tears in our eyes when we looked at the projector that displayed all of his pictures at previous events and happenings during his tenancy with NuffnangMY on the special farewell ceremony that we threw for him.

We sang 3 songs for him -- That Thing You Do, Time Of Your Life and Auld Lang Syne led by our in-house guitarist Timothy Teoh. By the third song, I could not hold my tears any longer and I could see the same for some of the girls. Water works like crazy!

After that, one by one, boys and girls went to Robb to share their last hug.

Everyone, except me of course. Nevertheless, I walked up to him still and holding out the little gift I got for him earlier, I said, "I can't hug you, but this is for you," :)

Just before we left the office, Robb sent us all an email, and a personalized message to each and every one of us. Here's what he got to say to me :


I do not know what the future holds for Blogger Relations from now on, but I do have faith in Nuffnang and I trust that Fresh as the new Blogger Relations Team Leader will do just as great! Here's to all of us in Nuffnang!

The backbones of the Blogger Relations Department

What's Cooking - Curry Mee / Mee Kari

I am sure all of you have cooked before, even if it means cooking a bowl of Maggi. And I am also sure that in the many dishes/cuisines that you've cooked, you have one special favorite whereby each time you cook and serve it, everyone can't seem to stop talking about it and that will make you gloat with pride. :D

I've got a few, and here's one of them -- my very favorite curry mee!


To cook curry mee isn't difficult, but it's just rather tedious because it involves many ingredients (if you want a nice, delicious curry me, of course). Of course, if you do not mind eating just the mee and curry alone, then that's completely fine as well. It will still turn out good, only less 'oomph' lah! :P


Anyway, for those who are craving for curry mee but simply do not have time to go out and eat out, how about eating in and trying this recipe out? Oh, and mana tau kot ada tetamu nak datang ke apa, boleh cuba hidangkan mee kari spesel ni ye tak! Confirm next time tetamu tu datang lagi bawak pinggan! :P

Okay, enough talk, and let the cooking begins! The recipe is going to be in Malay, just because it's much easier to explain in Malay ok, haha :P Right, this is how I make my curry mee. You will need. . .

Bahan-bahan
=========

1) Mee (300g)
2) Isi ayam (100g)
3) Udang (200g)
4) Udang kering (2 sudu besar)
5) Bawang putih (4 ulas)
6) Bawang besar dipotong bulat (1 biji)
7) Bawang merah (5 ulas)
8) Serai (2 batang)
9) Rempah kari daging/ayam (1 paket kecil)
10) Pes cili (2 sudu besar)
11) Santan (4 cawan)
12) Sawi (1 ikat)
13) Kacang panjang (1 ikat)
14) Taugeh (1 paket)
15) Tauhu goreng cina (5-10 biji)
16) Fish balls (1/2 paket)
17) Fish cakes (1/2 paket)
18) Kerang (1 kg)
19) Telur (2 biji)
20) Cili merah dihiris nipis (1 biji)
21) Gula (secukup rasa)
22) Garam (secukup rasa)
23) Minyak untuk menumis (secukupnya)
24) Air (secukupnya)

Cara-cara
=======

1. Tumbuk udang kering, bawang merah, dan bawang putih sehingga lumat.

2. Tumis bahan yang ditumbuk hingga sedikit garing dan masukkan rempah kari (dicairkan dengan sedikit air) dan pes cili. Kacau hingga pecah minyak. Jika terlalu kering, masukkan air dan kacau hingga pecah minyak.

3. Masukkan bawang besar. Kacau hingga bawang layu dan masukkan santan. Kacau supaya santan tidak berketul dan biar hingga mendidih. Jika kuah terlalu pekat, masukkan air secukupnya.

4. Masukkan gula, kacau sebentar, masukkan udang dan garam. Apabila kuah tadi mendidih, masukkan serai, tauhu goreng, fish balls dan fish cakes. Biar mendidih sebelum dihidang. Akhir sekali, sesuaikan rasa (garam & gula).


Bahan sampingan
=============

1) Sementara itu, celur sawi, kacang panjang dan taugeh hingga layu. Angkat dan toskan.
2) Celur mee. Angkat dan toskan.
3) Celur kerang di dalam air yang mendidih selama 10 saat. Kupas kulitnya dan ketepikan.
4) Rebus isi ayam. Apabila sudah masak, carik-carikkan isinya dan ketepikan.
5) Rebus telur. Apabila sudah masak, ketepikan.
6) Hiris halus cili merah mengikut citarasa.

Swimming Fun!

The very first time I was introduced to the swimming pool was when I was as young as 7 months old. I was not a very big fan of water then, so when mama brought me in with her into the freezing cold water, I hated it!


I swore I would never go into the pool ever again and that the closest I would get to a pool is just by dipping my feet in them.


However, everything started to change when I followed mama and papa to Sunway Resort Hotel where they had this big, big pool for swimming. At first I was reluctant to go in. But seeing how happy my cousins and papa were, swimming away in the huge pool, I just couldn't say no and jumped in as well!


I really had a great time! I never knew swimming in the pool could be so fun! In fact, I had no idea why I hated it in the first place!


Now that I've conquered my fear, I kept pestering papa for more swimming sessions! Lucky for me, my auntie has a pool at her house in Bukit Jelutong so we don't have to go to the Public Swimming Pool for a swim.


Seeing how much I enjoy my water session, mama thought it would be a good idea for us to have our own inflatable mini pool whenever I feel like swimming.


By now, I am more confident in the water that I would start splashing the water...,

Play balls in the water...,


Even toss and turn in the water!


So one day if you feel like going for a swim and need a buddy to go with, you know where to find me!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone