My Super Something

Who would have thought commuting to your workplace daily via public transportation is a challenge during Ramadhan?

In my case, I haven't and this is my first.
Selama ni Seremban - Pasar Seni - Kelana Jaya and back takde hal-lah.
Tapi dalam Ramadhan ni, subhanallah du-ga-an!

Surprised?
Memang Along tak cakap sangat pasal berulang-alik ni.
Siapa tahu, tahu-lah.
Cuma bila orang tanya Along stay mana sekarang, Along cakap; "I commute everyday now".

Nanti dia reply; "OoOO, commuter?"

T____T

Esok genap tujuh bulan dah Along berulang-alik.
Turun naik bas Seremban kat Pasar Seni. Naik LRT sampai KJ. Pastu another bus ride to the office. Drive sekali-sekala bila kena ketemu clients or meeting up with the friends after work.

Baru ah gigih tak gigih mencari rezeki namanya tuh, hihi.
Hep hep, jangan gelak lelebih.

Ramadhan ni terasa sungguh dugaan berulang-alik.
Semua nak masuk kerja cepat, nak balik cepat.

Yet the public services masih camtu gak. Sometimes even worse.
Time-time nak rushing kejar bas balik Seremban, bas RapidKL lak tak on time.
When everything is in order, LRT lak wat hal.
Maintenance during peak hours adalah sangat tak kelakar.


I almost give up, almost cried (dalam hati) -- lagi-lagi bila I realised I won't make it on time. The thought of I got to call Ayah yang memang dah selamat sampai rumah untuk jemput memang buat hati luluh.
Sebolehnya tak nak dah Ayah Ummi jemput bila dah tau salah sendiri (even though it's not mine entirely) tak sempat kejar bas. Tatau nape Along camni. Unless terpaksa juga mintak jemput, itu pun dah macam nak nangis.Ayah Ummi mungkin tak kisah, tapi dah besar-besar berjemput ni, Along pun tatau nape Along camni (dan Along sedar Along dah repeat ayat ni dua kali).

So bulan puasa ni, I relied on my sneakers kalau tetibe kena lari pecut 100m.
Tapi kalau ada hari yang I'm in heels, Along belasah lari jugak.
Pujuk hati yang lari-lari tu untuk fitness diri, pujuk jangan tak pujuk.

Lantaklah jika Encik Masa Depan nampak dan terus reject.
Lantaklah kalau tetibe ada orang lari sama sambil tanya "Mana peragut tu kak, mana? Mana? Akak kejar sape kak?"
Lantaklah jika kembang kuncup hidung bila dapat naik bas sambil tangan terketar-ketar nak kuar duit tambang.

Janji I'm on the right bus home tanpa menyusahkan sesiapa.

The only bright side of all that hecticness was I still manage to reach home (biarpun lagi seminit dua nak berbuka!) just to have iftar and tarawih prayers with the family. You just don't know the feeling of leganya dapat berbuka di rumah dengan Ummi Ayah dan adik-adik.

Tak kisahlah kalau takde lauk atau kuih kesukaan.
Tak kisahlah tak sempat mandi sebelum berbuka dan menghadapi risiko buncit sebab mandi lepas makan untuk ke masjid, tak kisahlah.
Tak kisahlah kena mengalah bagi peha ayam lauk gulai cili api dengan adik sebab dia nak -- walhal dah lama target bila bukak tudung saji tu, tak kisahlah (tapi pastu bagi jelingan maut kat adik).

Janji dapat berebut makan kurma dengan Ummi Ayah, sambil paksa-paksa Adik yang memang tak suka kurma dengan cakap "Eeee ape adik ni, tak ikut sunnah Nabi."
Janji dapat dengar Ayah cakap "Teh O Along yang sedap gileeee tu sape nak watkan?"
Janji dapat dengar Ummi cakap "Tayah basuh pinggan tu, gi solat dulu." tapi senarnya Ummi memang pantang sinki tuh penuh, jadi kena basuh juga hehe.

So when some of the so-called friends don't understand why I do this (berulang-alik) and cakap macam-macam, giving this look of "Kalau aku la kann, memang takkkk la nyah.", I just kept quiet.
Tatau camne nak explain.

Motif tetiba emosi?
Sebab ini emosi dari sebelum Ramadhan lagi, hihi.
Tapi Along malas nak emosi sebelum ni sebab I don't mind pun, Along bukannya tumpang kereta korang atau mintak korang jemput hantar ke apa.


Cuma bulan puasa ni rasa cam TER-emosi sebab ya, mungkin bulan puasa kot.
Bukan sebab lapar, dahaga dan penat yang pasti, tapi the urgency to be with the family dalam bulan puasa ni -- ah, belum tentu semua faham maksud Along ni.

Kat rumah sekarang ada Ayah Ummi, adik 'Aliya dan Along.
Kami berempat anak-beranak sahur berbuka tiap hari sambil terkenangkan apa lah yang Jenn kat Medan makan, or Angah yang dok bujang menyewa atau Zaki yang hidup ke tak makan makanan asrama -_-"

Maybe sebab without them three, I just feel more needed to be at home on time, helping Ayah Ummi out sambil temankan Adik.
Maybe-lah.

Dah dapat length elok, pinggangnya longgar ya amat. Even with the adjustable waistband, kami adik beradik memang susah cari the perfect pants.

At a warehouse sale, Ummi offered to buy Adik matching handbags for Raya. Alang-alang melaram kekdahnya kannn. Surprisingly Adik tamau, saying "Pakai tuk Raya je nanti membazir. Adik kecik lagi." ADIK SAPE NI WEHHHHH :D :D

Yeah, Along paksa mereka menari sambil fitting baju baru. Konon nak aplikasikan method testing kasut, kena jalan seround dua. Test baju, menarilah kau selagu dua.

Ummi was thinking of upgrading our keyboard at home. Watch 'Aliya play here.

That's what I get these days whenever I wanna take pictures with him. -_-"

So yeah.
Lagi 10 hari nak Raya ni, mari berdoa dalam 10 hari Along akan kurang sikit emosinya hehe.
Doa juga Jenn terbuka hati nak balik Raya, biarpun dia dah kembali sibuk.
Dan yang paling penting doa-lah kita semua kan ketemu malam Lailatul Qadar, insyaAllah.

Along doa kan korang yang gi serbu Jalan Tar malam merdeka ni bebaik eyhhh!

Dear Silent Readers;

But, I thank you.
All of you.
My silent readers, especially.
Silent readers who made my craps as their perk me ups.
Silent readers who I will never know who they are.
Silent readers who decided to come out and own up.

Thank you :')

From "I Love You" to "I Want A Divorce"?

Nota Awal : What you are about to read is taken from Daniel Zain Ibrahim's note in Facebook. (Who is he, click here) Something that I think is worth sharing and should be spread among us. Bismillahirahmanirrahim.

************

 
Assalamu'alaikum,

How has everyone's Ramadhan been? Alhamdulillah with the arrival of Isa into our lives, Mariam & I couldn't be more thankful to Allah swt for the blessings he has given us.

An important step in the life of any adult Muslim is the day he/she gets married. Subhanallah I know some of you are already in the process of looking for a spouse, and some of you may already be a few steps closer to tying the knot than I may be aware of ;)

As a wedding photographer, my job is to document that special moment when two people become husband & wife. Alas, in almost 4 years of doing this full time, several of my clients are no longer husband & wife. Several of my university friends have also gone down the road of divorce. Sometimes the reasons for divorce are complicated while some have parted ways over seemingly trivial issues. I've had the opportunity to speak to some of them during their trying moments & after their divorce. Could some of these divorces have been avoided if the couples had done something simple prior to getting married?

That simple thing is: Ask important questions before you get married

Here are some questions I believe one should ask his/her potential spouse. If you are already seeing someone and intend to marry that person, then please do not waste the opportunity to ask. It goes without saying that proper islamic ettiquette should be observed when asking your potential spouse about the issues below.

The following are in no particular order of importance, they are just listed in the order as they pop into my mind while typing this. All the points listed here were among the causes of divorce for my clients & friends:

1. Living Arrangements

• Be absolutely clear about where both of you will live once you are married. If its at one of the inlaw's, then discuss how long you'll stay there before you move to your own rented/purchased home. If your spouse is unhappy after a certain period of your living arrangements, do not treat this lightly. Make an effort to have a pleasing & peaceful home experience, especially if you will be living with parents & extended family.

2. Health

• If you have any health issues, please let your potential spouse know about it. Do not give them a nasty surprise once you are married. For example, a couple i know are no longer together because the husband did not tell her that he has Erectile Dysfunction. She only found out once they were married. There are many conditions that can cause stress to build up such recurring migraines, asthma, diabetes, heart problems etc. Do not hide the existence of your medical condition(s).

3. Sex

• Don't laugh. Sex & finances are among the main reasons for divorce (add Facebook in the list these days).
• Brothers, please read up & learn about the right way to approach your wife. DO NOT rush her if she isn't ready to be intimate. A friend of mine took 9 months before she was ready to consumate the marriage. Alhamdulillah they now have 2 kids. Yes, that's an extreme example, but it happened. It could happen to you. Do not start pressuring her with fiqh, hadeeth & quran about the need to consumate the marriage as quickly as possible. Its very likely she knows all those points already. The issue is a psychological & emotional one, not a lack of knowledge for the most part. Maybe a friend told her intercourse is very painful, maybe she doesn't feel confident about her body, maybe she is just very shy. Be gentle, be romantic by going on short holidays together & just be patient. Oh yes, don't forget the dua's :)
• Sisters, especially if you are the very shy type, start reading up about intimacy. Don't shy away from straightforward descriptions of body parts & functions. Get comfortable & confident with your body. I don't mean exercise like crazy to get a specific body type, but know that if the guy loves you & wants to marry you, he's fine with the way you look. Sex is something you should look forward to without fear. Please know that you are entitled to & have a right to get your share of pleasure.
• If its confirmed that you are getting married, then ask your fiance/soon to be spouse if its okay with him if it takes a while for you to be comfortable to have sex. If he gets upset, that's a red flag there! A good brother would never get upset, but he'll assure you that he'll be gentle & wont pressure you. After all, he wants the experience to be pleasurable for both of you & not just for him. If you are shy to ask, then  get a trusted third party to ask. I'm not kidding.
• Oh and one more thing brothers, don't get all paranoid & start imagining all sorts of "has she done it before?" scenarios if your wife ends up being very good in bed. Instead, be thankful.

4. Sex leads to.....Kids.

• Ask each other how soon after marriage do you plan to have kids? Don't assume your spouse has the same ideals as you do. You may wish to wait at least 1 year, whereas he thinks a baby 9 months after the nikah is obligatory. 4 kids is your perfect number, yet she wants 10, or none at all! 
• What are each of your thoughts on adoption? What if one or both of you end up being impotent?
• Do not wait till you're married to ask about children. 
• Pregnancy is a big deal for the lady. Some women are terrified of getting pregnant. Again, be patient and have her speak to other ladies who are pregnant/have kid to reassure her that she'll be fine. Oh wait, some men are even more terrified of having kids. Same process, get him to talk to fathers of his age.

5. Finance

• Sisters, please inquire & know how much your potential spouse earns for a living. If his salary is lower than your expections for your lifestyle, ask yourself if you are willing to compromise. If you are used to LV, Gucci & Coach bags yet he can only afford Vincci, will that be a source of frustration for you? If the answer is yes, find out what are his plans to increase his income. On the flipside, if you are not the shopping type of girl, and handbags, shoes etc mean little to you, please don't settle for too little. At the very least know your rights on what your husband needs to spend on you. 
• A girl i know is fine with her husband giving her only rm50 - rm150 a month for her toiletries, personal care & what not. She says she isn't materialistic, which alhamdulillah is good, but the result is that her husband doesn't spend a ringgit more on her. No dinner dates, no short weekend holidays. Nada. He has become complacent and forgotten his duty to support her living since she does not work.

6. Work

• Can I continue to work after we get married? Can I start working after we get married? Can I stop working? Can I switch to a lower paying job that I love? "I'll be posted in Timbuktu 3 months after our nikah, and oh yes, I'll be there for 2 years & you gotta move there with me, no ifs or buts okay."
• Clarify all the above before you get married.

7. Food

• You hate cooking yet the very day of your nikah your dear hubby asks you "What are you cooking for dinner sayang?". Big problem! Yes, believe or not, a couple got divorced because of this very issue. 
• Sister, especially if you work, ask him if he expects you to cook all the time. If he does, ask him if he can compromise.
• Brother, if you know she hates to cook, ask her if she's willing to learn at classes (which you pay for of course).
• She loves western food but you must have rice for every meal. Plus you hate pasta which she's obsessed with!!!

8. Housework

• Picture this: A girl's hero is her dad who happens to help out alot around the house. Daddy helps with the dishes & laundry. He doesn't complain. She then marries a brother who will have nothing to with housework. In fact, he considers it a girls job not befiting a man! Guess how happy the marriage is going to be? If only she had asked him if he's okay with helping out with the dishes after she cooked that wonderful dinner.
• Brothers, please help out around the house. Rasulullah s.a.w did, hence no excuses.

I hope this has been beneficial for you. The points i raised are far from comprehensive, there are many other seemingly trivial reasons people get divorced over. For more detailed knowledge on living as husband & wife from the Quran & Sunnah, pelase refer to the excellent 'Like A Garment' series by Sh. Yasir Qadhi. If anyone managed to save the entire email series of Like A Garment, please share it. Sh. Zaid Shakir & Sh. Suhaib Webb also have excellent audio lectures on the subject. Also ask good teachers on the detailed roles & responsibilities in a marriage. My points are just real world examples from real cases of couples who had to let go of their marriage.

I feel we should have a YMP sharing session where these issues are discussed. Brothers & sisters, we need to be prepared for the worst case scenario as well. Sometimes in the desire to get married, we only see & imagine the beautiful & sweet life ahead, and as a result we get thrown overboard when a storm comes.

May Allah taala guide all of you who are seeking your life partner. May He also guide us who are already married to remain loving & faithful to each other. May He give us righteous children who will be His servants and help make the world around them a better place.

Wassalam.

Daniel Zain Ibrahim

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Nota Akhir : So true kan? Sometimes we just forgot and strayed away, hence take this as a gentle reminder. May He guides us all in everything we do lillahitaala, insyaAllah.

Gantung Mengantung Di Bulan Puasa.

Semalam 15 Ramadhan, seperti satu lesen besarrrr punya untuk semua untuk pasang lagu raya, pasang lampu lip-lap dan sebagainya. Tak kira lah kat rumah ke, radio ke atau di pejabat, it's time to be in the festive mood!

We Malays may be outnumbered in the office but that didn't stop us to do whatever we can to welcome the Raya spirit! *insert muka terpaksa teruja*

Sue bought the deco's for the office and made us help -- I came in time when the photo session was about to start, hehe. Ada kerja la tadi wehhh.

Yang bebetul wat kerja tu yang tak pandang kamera la kirenye :D

Yang paling beriya -_-"

Yeah yeah, we get it. Nak gantung sekarang la ni.

I thought I was tall enough to reach the sky! :'(

Heikal came to the rescue with one hand in the pocket. Very the berlagak.

The cards that need to be hung up pun senarnye tak banyak mana, so we had to make sure it covers the visible area -- tempat orang selalu lalu lalang. To me, it's like a deco of cukup syarat hihi. Anyways, it was fun. It has been awhile since we get to do something together apart from going to the surau during this month.

Selamat Habiskan Puasa Sebelum Raya, Maaf Zahir & Batin :')

p/s - Baru perasan yang office Along ni bijak betul menyembunyikan logo syarikat, hehe.
p/p/s - Thanks again for the pictures, Sue :')

Tempat Asal Cinta

Pernah jatuh cinta dengan orang yang hatinya sudah berpunya?

Saya pernah. Lebih sekali. Saya percaya ramai di luar sana juga pernah. Normal bagi mereka yang tidak pernah, untuk menganggap golongan yang pernah ini sebagai gatal, atau sengaja, atau mencari fasal. Normal untuk kita berkata itu ini sebelum merasai. Manusia prejudis pada apa yang mereka tidak tahu dan skeptikal pada apa yang mereka tidak faham. Ini kelaziman kita semua. Jangan kecil hati.

Gatal, sengaja, atau mencari fasal - saya tidak akan mengiya atau menidakkan mana-mana. Boleh jadi tiga-tiga. Boleh jadi salah satu. Boleh jadi bukan langsung. Jangan bilang "kejinya, aku takkan buat begitu." Perjalanan hidup bukan semuanya dalam tangan kita untuk menentu.

Pada saya, mereka yang melalui pengalaman ini adalah golongan idealis (yang perlu direalistikkan), sedikit lemah (yang perlu dikuatkan), dan yang paling penting, terpilih oleh Allah untuk dihadapkan dengan ujian.

Kalau jatuh cinta dengan orang yang hatinya sudah berpunya itu dosa, kenapa Allah menghalalkan poligami? Fikir. Yang bikin dosa adalah perbuatan, bukan sangat perasaan.

Saya berani kata begini sebab saya banyak dosa.

Tapi itu cerita lain. Ini cerita kita-kita.

Selama hampir 26 tahun saya bernafas, mengutip pengalaman dari hidup sendiri, mengutip cerita dari hidup ratusan orang di sekeliling, saya semakin sedar, bahawa jatuh cinta adalah jatuh cinta.

Jatuh cinta setelah tahu dia sudah berpunya.
Jatuh cinta sebelum tahu dia sudah berpunya.
Jatuh cinta namun berpisah kerana hatinya diambil orang lain.
Jatuh cinta, berpisah, dia mula hidup baru dengan teman baru, namun kita masih terus menerus jatuh cinta.

Jatuh cinta adalah jatuh cinta. Titik.

Sakitnya mengetahui bahawa orang yang kita kasih itu mengasihi orang lain, atau terikat dengan orang lain, adalah sakit yang luar biasa. Bilamana dia itu suami/isteri orang, tunangan orang, atau kekasih orang, kita serta-merta mengarah hati kita supaya berhenti. Jangan sayang lagi. Tak boleh!

Hati tanya kenapa?

Kita jawab tak boleh.

Hati tanya kenapa?

Kita jawab tak boleh!


Setakat "tak boleh", lut ke?

Biasanya kalau ada rasa benci, akan lebih mudah untuk awak berhenti mengasihi. Kalau dia itu jahat orangnya, banyak buat salah, layan awak seperti sampah, adalah modal untuk membenci. Masalahnya dia baik (kalau jahat kenapa pula awak hendak jatuh cinta, betul?), dan dia tidak buat salah, dan dia tidak layan awak seperti sampah. Jadi modal untuk membenci tidak ada. Satu-satunya modal untuk berhenti ialah kekuatan diri awak sendiri. Iman. Nekad. Dua perkara itu paling payah hendak timbul bila sudah bertembung dengan hati yang sarat dengan nafsu hendak mencinta dan dicintai. (Dan orang gila mana yang tidak mahu mencinta dan dicintai?)

Hati dengan otak, manalah duduk sebelah-menyebelah.

Apa yang saya buat dahulu untuk memboloskan diri dari keadaan ini ialah, saya berserah. Bukan berserah sekadar di mulut, tapi betul-betul berserah. Tahun demi tahun, saya semakin sedar bahawa manusia bukan kepunyaan manusia. Pasangan kekasih bukan dimiliki satu sama lain. Pasangan tunangan bukan dimiliki satu sama lain. Suami isteri juga, bukan seratus-peratus dimiliki satu sama lain. Lelaki yang saya jatuh cinta itu bukan barang runcit, yang saya boleh curi-curi ambil dari troli orang lain. Kalau pun dia dengan saya, satu hari dia boleh pergi ke orang lain. Kalau pun dia dengan kekasihnya, satu hari dia tetap boleh pergi ke orang lain. Dia ada otak, ada hati, ada kaki; dia boleh ke mana-mana sesuka hati. Setiap manusia ada hak dan daya untuk memilih. Jadi apa makna "pemilikan"? Apa makna "kepunyaan"? Wujudkah "pemilikan" dan "kepunyaan" sesama manusia? Siapa yang benar-benar memegang otak, hati, kaki, seluruh anggota manusia tadi? Siapa yang ada kuasa total untuk mengawal semua ini?

Kawan saya kata, "tempat asal cinta ada satu saja."

Saya percaya, kita jumpa jodoh kita kalau kita mula mencinta dengan mencintai Allah. Saya bukan orang yang paling baik. Saya cuma tukang redha. Tukang berserah. Tukang sujud. Tukang tadah. Dan semua ini paling ketara bila saya paling susah. Saya bukan orang yang paling baik.

Cuma dalam situasi sebegini, saya ambil langkah pertama dengan berhenti berfikir, "Aku nak dia. Aku nak dia. Aku nak dia." Sebaliknya saya mula berfikir, "Terpulanglah, Allah. Apa saja yang Kau rasa baik untuk aku. Terpulanglah. Buatlah." Redha dan berserah pada mulut adalah sangat-sangat berbeza dengan redha dan berserah pada hati. Hanya bila ia terjadi pada hati, akan awak tahu bezanya. Percaya cakap saya; sangat-sangat besar bezanya.

Saya percaya jodoh itu misteri. Letaknya di tangan Allah, bukan manusia. Jangan biar manusia lain menetapkan definisi jodoh bagi kita. Jodoh itu bukan bererti jatuh cinta dengan orang bujang. Atau lelaki berkopiah. Atau wanita yang tidak pernah berbuat salah. Menjadi isteri kedua adalah jodoh. Menjadi isteri pada cikgu awak adalah jodoh. Berkahwin dengan office boy tempat awak bekerja adalah jodoh. Berkahwin dengan musuh awak zaman belajar dulu adalah jodoh. Berkahwin dengan janda adalah jodoh. Berkahwin dengan lelaki yang lebih muda adalah jodoh. Berkahwin dengan duda anak tiga juga tetap jodoh. Kerana jodoh itu bubuhnya di tangan Maha Pencipta, jadi ia boleh datang dalam macam-macam rupa.

Kalau kita betul-betul hendak tahu apa akhir cerita cinta kita,
kita kena berbalik pada tempat asal cinta itu.

Dan seperti kawan saya kata,
tempatnya cuma ada satu.


Disclaimer : Ini tulisan hak milik Wani Ardy -- terlalu berkait rapat dengan apa yang Along lalui hari ini. Along yakin bukan Along sendirian dalam hal ini, jadi ya. Along terasa seperti ditampar. Sungguh.

Ramadhan Kau, Aku & Kita

12 Ramadhan.

Reaksi tipikal -- cepatnya dah 12 hari dalam bulan Ramadhan. Esok, lusa, tau tau saja dah nak bersiap raya.
Betul tak?
Ada yang tak sabar, Along tau.


I can't help but to notice how some friends or people around me compares their Ramadhan experience (or in some cases, their Aidilfitri preparations) in a certain way that I haven't thought of. Mungkin ini biasa berlaku, tapi Along baru perasan sangat tahun ni. Yeah, suddenly Along menjadi sangat peka dengan kehidupan sekeliling hehe.

Rata-rata teman-teman bercerita bagaimana tahun ini dengan penambahan orang baru dalam hidup -- tak kiralah sebagai kekasih/tunangan orang, berpuasa dengan mengandungkan anak pertama/kedua atau dengan anak kecil yang menyusu badan, berpuasa sebagai suami isteri biarpun baru bernikah seminggu sebelum Ramadhan tiba -- just to mention a few examples around me.

Tak kisah bercerita.
Biarpun ada masanya ia menginjak pada aras riak, tapi Along percaya itu bukan sengaja.
Bila seronok sangat, kita terlupa kan?
Along faham, Along pun adakalanya macam tu :")

Sebab pada Along, itu rezeki masing-masing.
Along tumpang seronok (dan adakalanya simpati) pada yang berkongsi cerita.
At least I know & I understand.

Tapi bagaimana dengan orang yang pertama kali terpaksa merasakan kehilangan/berjauhan di bulan Ramadhan ini?

Atau tak kiralah apa dugaan mereka sekalipun, yang bertahun-tahun lamanya menanggung -- bagaimanakah keadaan mereka tika ini?


*pause*


Sedih dan hiba mereka adakalanya disimpan dalam-dalam tak diketahui.
Tapi pada Along, merekalah orang antara yang bertuah di bulan mulia ini.

Bertuah sebab diduga dari sekecil-kecil perasaan yang tersentuh kepada sebesar-besar liang lahad.
Bertuah kerana tiap saat mereka redha dengan dugaan yang dicampakkan ke jalan mereka, mereka dipandang mulia di mataNya, insyaAllah.
Bertuah, sebab punya puasa, solat sunat tengah malam yang dijanjikan Tuhan berlipat ganda ganjarannya untuk mengubat hati.
Bertuah, biarpun pada fizikalnya mereka kehilangan, tapi sebenarnya mereka lebih disayangi & dihargai.

Bertuah, kan?

I wouldn't have thought of that way, no, if not from Farina & Wani Ardy who helped me to see things in different ways, like they always do :')

Ini coret rasa Along sendiri -- Along mungkin tak sebertuah kalian, tapi Along tetap bersyukur.
Syukur for the people that I can't live without are still with and for me, near or far.
Belum tentu tahu esok lusa bagaimana, tapi ya, Along harap Along masih belum terlewat.
Tidak terlewat untuk menyedari that no matter how screwed up I could be and feel, I've still have them, have the Al-Mighty with me.

So there, chin up sayang-sayangku.
Ramadhan kita mungkin berbeda rasa, tapi terpulang pada kita untuk membentuk Ramadhan yang sempurna, insyaAllah :')

Jangan Menangis Sampai Makruh Puasa

Don't say I didn't warn you, okay? 

*lap air mata*

The Power of Friends

Firstly, thank you Club Mod for organizing such contest. Ini rezeki Ramadhan, alhamdulillah!

Thank you, each and everyone of you who voted/liked since the contest started.

Thank you dear sweet friends, for promoting me in your Facebook status, thank you for the retweets.

My Facebook friends especially -- for voting without being asked er,indirectly.

Thank you for the support, korang!

Uber thanks to Wani Ardy's fans who listened to whatever Wani asks (hehe), Liyana Zainal (Nana) for making her friends (and brother) to vote; and strangers who asked to vote them back but I did not, haha.

Many thanks to Ummi & Ayah, even though they still couldn't understand such contest exists.

Thank you to my darling sisters who hacked their friend's account to vote. 'Aliya even asked her classmates FB passwords hoho.
My cousins who had to do what Kak Long asked, thank you.

Yes, I'm grateful my friends love me that much!

:')

Thank you once again, korang.

Now 'Aliya can wake up without asking; "Dah berapa dah Like Along? Along leading lagi tak?" HEHEHE.

Still Counting Bags

Kiraan terkini mencecah 140 votes/likes.

*terharu*

Rabu ni hari terakhir untuk vote/like.

Apepun boleh jadi *sambil jeling kiraan competitor* maka Along masih tak boleh nak gedik gedik happy sangat huhu.

Undian/Likes anda menentukan samada Along boleh memenangi salah satu kombo di bawah.

"Adik nak yang beg muka monster tu!"

"Abang nak beg ni la. Jenis selempang. Boleh tiru abang senior tu. Cool je."

"So Ummi tolong Like ni dapat handbag merah tu eh?"

"Untuk Ayah takde?"

"Ayah leh share dengan Adiknye la, yahh!"

Yes,peeps.

Along masuk peraduan ni bukan untuk diri Along seorang.

 Therefore I thank each of you very much for those who voted/liked for us :')

Beg A Bag!

I submitted this picture for Club Mod's contest!

Club Mod which operates online and offline offers variety of bags -- from backpacks to vintage looking handbags. I've been eyeing their collection for quite a while now, tapi eyeing je ah, belinya ntah bila hihi.

Anyways, I need need need damn I really need your votes to win this.
This is where I should beg tanpa rasa malu yang banyak sangat.

How?
Vote by clicking Like on Club Mod's Facebook page, and click Like on my picture.

Simple kan?
That is if you think I deserve to win lah -_-"

Many thanks to those who are about to vote me, or have done voting me, or yang niat nak Like tapi sebab malas login FB/click link jadi terus lupa nak vote, terima kasih hehe.

Voting is until 18th August. So selagi korang tak vote, Along tak nak update blog.
(Bajet ada orang kesah hahaha)

Thanks korang!
*sambil berangan beraya dengan beg yang itu, pergi kerja dengan beg yang itu, yang lain bagi adik-adik pakai eh eh ye la tuhhh*

Cucian Terhebat!

So I was lucky to watch this musical eventho it was purely a last minute plan. Memang plan nak pegi, but with me commuting everyday, takde geng nak tengok (eh ni tipu -- Along yang tak ajak haha), budget wise bagai so there, ada sedikit pasrah kalau tak dapat pergi. But I managed to menumpang kasih pasangan bercinta Ikmal & Naja who bought the tix and took the picture above. I took some some pictures of us three, one with Ikmal's head stuck in the hole of the poster, but unfortunately Ayah terdelete the pictures before I could transfer it. Memula upset, tapi pastu MOJ.

By the way, MOJ stands for Mak Ok Je.

That was one of the lines in Cuci the Musical 2! Imagine muka kiteorang bila tau ape maksudnya. Almost 95% of their lines and acts (ada yang tak ikut script pun!) wat Along tergelak-gelak sampai jatuh dari kerusi. Ada lagi short forms lain that we learn, semuanya of course unexpected lah kan. Nak-nak lagi when it comes from Nabil. Along cair there and then, like seriously! I am Nabil's fan for the win all the way, even when Afdlin was in the spotlight, mak tetap pandang Nabil. Gosh, kenapa tak ramai laki tinggi cam dia kat Malaysia ni wehhh. *tetibe*


I didn't watch the first musical, so I don't know what to expect from the cast. Tapi wallaweh, to hear them sing their powerful voices, impromptu funny lines, colorful dancers and not to forget, lagu-lagu dia best weh! I just love when Reefa do his part "When I say Cu, you say Ci!" and that got us audience hyped till the end. Awie was so adorable, being the muka pecah rumah tapi dalam hati ada taman guy, biarpun he was being paired off with Jac who has this annoyingly high pitch but cute at the same time. I wanna blab on Nabil much, ya rabbi, please lah dia tuh, I feel like going on stage and ikut je mana dia pergi, aci tak? (okay melampau)

Afdlin was awesome as always. Even with the perut, he could move baybeh! Hans was so-so, IMHO. Kalo dia takde scene with the pretty pretty Vanida, I wouldn't have noticed much of him. Tapi part gondola berjaya membuat Along terbuai sama. Love how their reflection showed at the screen/background OK SORRY KALO TAK PAHAM -_-" Harith Iskandar played the bad guy, berjaya membawa watak yang annoying tapi kelakar gak ah.It was his birthday, the night we watched the musical :')


With all this great act, I couldn't care less if AC Mizal was around, hehe.

I couldn't stop talking about it to others, be it promoting it (while it was still around, it ended last Monday) or with those who watched it. It was truly worth every ringgit biarpun I bought among the cheapest tix available, hihi.

I didn't stay till the autograph signing session as the show ended around 12.30 midnight. Went straight home to Seremban in less than an hour dengan muka menyengih sesorang teringatkan Nabil. Eh, tak the musical. Siap humming humming lagu from the musical. AH, serious korang, Cuci The Musical 2 memang best!




Sedikit jeles dengan Irma Hasmie sekarang ni.
Mesti dia best best berbuka puasa dengan Nabil kan, kan?
T_____T

The Chosen Us

Ummi received her third time Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang last week, alhamdulillah. It was a truly good news for us as we saw how she worked hard for it, at times sacrificing her own leisure time to give the best for her students. Ummi is truly an icon of someone who is passionate and dedicated to her work, something that I wonder whether I do have that in my own career line.

We went to Ummi's favorite food joint, Laksa Shack to celebrate. As usual, during weekdays, Ayah would be the only hero in the family. It has been awhile since we last had a decent meal with the boys together, I mean, while Jenn was still around (when this picture was taken).

Jenn has gone back to Medan to resume her clinical period. Yes, it has been a month since the accident and alhamdulillah, Jenn is recovering rapidly. Berkat doa dan keprihatinan teman-teman pastinya, syukur yang keberapa kalinya. Biarpun masih berangka besi to support her posture, at least she's moving up and about -- making Ayah Ummi worry much about her as they think she's not ready to face the Medan Madness. But if you asked me, she had enough rest. It's time to work out the iron body, missy! :P

With Jenn going back to Medan, it would only meant A'liya will be missing her much. She even said it straight to my face that she misses her Alang more than me. Siap mengeluh-ngeluh, conteng-conteng nama Alang kat mini whiteboard dia. No surprise to that as I'm very much the strict & stern elder sister of hers. Too bad, Adik. Like it or not, Along kamu ni jugaklah yang meneman kamu tidur tiap malam, mengejut kamu ke sekolah tiap pagi.

And with that, we would like to take the opportunity to wish all the readers here a happy and blissful Ramadhan. Mohon dimaafkan tiap khilaf kami, terutama salah dan cela Along yang pastinya ada, baik sengaja atau tidak, baik dari tulisan mahupun tingkah laku -- moga kita dapat memulakan segalanya dari awal. Rasullulah s.a.w bersabda barang siapa yang pertama memohon maaf kepada seorang lain di bulan ini, Allah akan haramkan api neraka padanya. That is a little reminder for me too, insyaAllah.

We are the chosen ones to welcome Ramadhan once again, hence we should cherish & celebrate it with all might. Moga tiap amalan, tiap doa, tiap ibadah diterima, dimakbul dan diredhai Al-Mutakabbir, insyaAllah.

Sesungguhnya Along dambakan tiap saat yang tenang pada tiap malam Ramadhan, tiap keringat dan niat di siang harinya sebagai perkiraan amalan ikhlas kita untukNya, dan Along bersyukur Along masih bersama-sama keluarga dan teman-teman dalam menyambut bulan mulia ini :')

Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan, sayang-sayangku!

Hanya Kerana Cinta

Hanya Kerana Cinta/Anne,Tini,Ayu,Hafiz & Aril

Keadaan kita memang sukar

Bukan kerna cinta yang menghalang

Walaupun terpaksa kita terpisah

Namun hanya untuk seketika saja

Tak pernah lepas dari cobaan

Dalam perjalanan percintaan

Tapi ku relakan cintaku untuk mu

Yakin pada tulusnya kasih mu

Hanya kerana cinta ku melangkah jauh

Sanggup menyepi mencari ilham ku

Tak ada yang lebih dari itu

Hanya kerana cinta ku bersujud pasrah

Mengharapkan belas maaf dari mu

Tak ada yang lebih, tak ada yang lebih dari itu

Bawalah aku ke dalam mimpi mu

Agar ku dapat bersama mu

Walaupun hanya sementara

Sentuhan mu indah

p/s - Anne Hot FM comels sangatssss pakai tudung, don't you think so? :')

Makan je Chilis, Chilis je Makan.

Saje letak gambar besar-besar. 

Along tau ada yang rindu Leeds & Farah. 

Diella pun blogger juga, kali ni berjaya juga berjumpa setelah sekian lama, yeay!

Leeds pesan "Pasni kita cari tempat makan lain aihh, balik-balik gambar kat meja Chilis je kalau jumpe."

Tapi kami tetap comel biarpun dah sama kaler dengan meja hihi.

Along plak pesan; "Kalau ke Chilis, order starter je."

Meletop perut nak kasi perabih the foods and the bottomless drinks!

Thank you my ladies, for the time and love!

p/s - Doakan my 'MIL', Foxy Farah, smooth pregnancy tau. She's still glowing cantik, despite not feeling too well <3

How I Meet You, Not Your Mother

The Marmut Merah Jambu is finally mine! 

MINE! 

MINEEEEE!!

*insert muka berlagak*

Cubaan membuat muka marmut berlagak dengan eye bags yang tak hagak-hagak.

Many thanks to siapa lagi sihh, yang begitu amat menyayangi gue -- Cik Cantik  -- for introducing Raditya Dika first to me, made me hook on it and bought the latest book for me!

ME!

MEEEEEE!!

Anyways, baru start baca while stuck in LDP pagi tadi. Kata pengantar je pun dah wat Along terkekek gelak sesorang sampai tepuk stereng kereta -_-"

Buku kelima Raditya Dika ini is his personal observations in his life but this time focusing on hal yang paling absurd dari hal-hal absurdnya yang lain iaitu cinta.

I can't imagine him being in love, what more to write about love. Even when he just got out of love. A whole book of it lak tuh. This book would definitely mengubat rasa kecewa ku pada filem Lagenda Budak Setan yang Along tak tahu kenapa Along tulis tu sebab memang takde kaitan langsung pun.

Along baru finish first chapter and I don't mean to be perasan (even if I could most of the time) but it was somehow, hm, about me. I had fun laughing while reading it but smiled towards the end. Tajuk first chapter : Orang yang jatuh cinta diam-diam. And it's nothing on how I am falling in love with someone diam-diam (or there is, but HELLO, takkan nak cerita sini kot), tapi konklusi Raditya Dika tentang karekteristik orang yang jatuh cinta diam-diam gimana sama banyak dengan Along.

I won't share in details about the chapter, go get the book yourself, okay?

Lagipun kesian Kak Noha yang tak baca lagi, hihi.
Happy weekend, kalian yang berkerut bak marmut tahan kentut.

Face Mask On!

I never thought I would play paintball someday. Even I wanted to (and it is in my to-do list, even before mountain climbing), I just didn't get the opportunities yet. Cukup geng nak main, tapi takde hari yang sesuai. Jumpa hari sesuai, pakej paintball plak fully booked. Cukup geng, hari best, pakej baik, fulus lak takde. You get the drill.

But the day finally came at the right time when I badly needed a day out in the sun. SU-WEET. And it was fully sponsored by the company's sports club (yeah, yeah they made us pay every month but we'll pretend it was free since we did not need to bring any cash hihi)  -- and we were to play against each other (the colleagues) so it was totally a sweet revenge for a few of us haha. Too bad all the Project Managers tak join sekali. Maybe they could sniff our revenge plans from the day this event was planned :P

So last Saturday saw us driving to the up north of Puncak Perdana area where we played at the Tour Bunkers Paintball.

It has been quite awhile since I last hung out with the colleagues -- even lunch time pun dah jarang makan sesama -- so it was pretty fun just to goof around without thinking about work.

Breakfast was provided, so yippie yeay. And we went right away into introduction and briefing by the hilarious Bro Shook. Seriously he's damn funny, peeps.

Tour Bunkers (pronounced as Tua Bangka) Paintball place is still kinda new, operating for only 5 months still but the people behind it are experienced paintball commanders. We were told on how to operate the marker, what kind of game we'll be playing (kalah mati atau liga) , the do's and don'ts in the battle field, the scores and kisah-kisah ngeri orang yang tak utamakan safety bila main paintball -_-"

Gather Base. Situlah berkumpul semua budak budak busuk.

Line of markers. Berat wo. Berkepak ketiak nak pegang mende alah ni.

Pallets. Made from vegetable oil. Sangat YUCK bila termasuk mulut.

Six people were on my team - lead by John, the Graphic Designer. My team was called The Red Devils, which was no surprise since the majority in the team was a RD fan heh heh.We were one short from the other three teams but we didn't care much. It didn't make any difference said the marshalls there since the game is all about strategy and teamwork.

The Red Devils was up first, going against the team Ayam Percik.

Deal between marshall and team captains.

Filling in pallets into the marker.

Ayam Percik sebelum diracik-racik!

The Red Devils (poyo) berstrategi hihi.

Being new to paintball and all, sah-sahlah nervous when going into the battlefield. You don't know what to expect. Your team captain gave instructions, but it's up to you whether you wanna follow it. You can always be the hero but how much can you score for the team. Pastu belum lagi you have to back up your team members, how do you do that? Memang seriously kena fast thinking and listen to instructions. But I super looooooooooooove the adrenalin rush!

Battle field from outside. Ye, time tu dah kol 11 pagi. Matahari terbaik.

My team in action. Along kat sinun. Di balik semak samun.

Tipu nye first timer Hilman ni. Main cam dah gi Perang Badar.

Ni team lain ni. Tapi baju hijau tuh si Moq, memang takde hati perut. Semua dok mark dia je HAHA.

Siapa sangka Teo yang sangat gentleman ni pun takde hati perut bila main? I got a headshot from him!

One of the well played player. Team Black Sheep tak salah.

We went in and out after 5 minutes of game each. Biarpun 5 minit, damn penat I tell you! There are moments when you thought you have been shot, but selagi the marshalls says you are still in, you are in.There are differences between shots and splashes too. So far I got shot at the shoulder, both thighs and my head (thank god for the full face mask!) It's good that you wear bigger clothes as it helps soften the blow by a nano bit. Luckily I bought extra clothes to change from the earlier red shirt I wore -- black is good for camouflaging around the battle field.

We stopped playing around 1 and had our lunch. With the marshall announcing the results, my team won second place which we had to go to a tie breaker. Most of the Chinese colleagues went back after lunch, leaving us the eagerly still players. The marshalls suggested that the remaining us to finish up the pallets and play in the nearby unkempt oil palm plantation. To add more excitement, we were divided according to our genders. Maka merasalah kauu berlawan dengan team perempuan, wahai lelaki!

Jihah posing kalah suicide bomber, marker masuk mulut tuh -_-"

Nevertheless we the ladies, were given the opportunity to be planted by the marshalls in the woods. So cam tak aci sebelah (tapi dah lelaki kata derang hero sangat kannns). Mau berpeluh dok dalam hutan kelapa sawit sambil tunggu tanda-tanda team laki dah masuk. Memang totally ambush attack abis. I was practically running up and down (my spot was a hill area) -- seriously macam bebetul berperang. Bila ingat balik, wak lu long beriyeee bebenauu main!

One by one got shot. I managed to shot Hilman in the neck, sampai ke hari ni dia still mengungkit sakit hihi. Sape soh tak cover leher, bang. We played until almost 3 pm, tu pun sebab ada orang lain nak main plak haha.

Balik rumah, masing-masing dok compare shots. Nanim had the worst bruises. Macam kena dera. But everyone claimed it was worth being shot. I agreed too. Memang terbaik ah the experience. Baca sini memang tak feel, I recommend you Tour Bunkers whenever you have the time and experience the adrenalin pumping excitement.

For more info and pricing : Tour Bunkers Paintball

Guess who was the last lady standing of the day?