Salam Maal Hijrah 1432

Feels like faster than a blink of an eye... it's new year again... Soon after, we'll celebrate another new year.

The life of a muslim... We have two new years to celebrate but none will mean anything if every year is the same and the next year is no better than the last.

So, it's now time to gear up ourselves with those resolutions again... old, new, carry forward... anything! Lets set at least a target and work for it ok!

And... don't forget the new year's doa... before and after!

I wish everyone a successful and blessed 1432H!

Salam Maal Hijrah!

Suhaimi Mior Hassan - Kalau Berpacaran

*In Malay*

Good song... Good lyric... Good advice...
A reminder to all of us... single or not...

*****

Suhaimi Mior Hassan (Feat. Ana Raffali & Altimet)

Kalau berpacaran memang banyak pantang larang

Menjaga susila ibu bapa adik abang

Apabila berdua carilah tempat yang terang

Agar tidak pula mencoba aksi terlarang

Chorus

Boleh pandang-pandang...

Jangan pegang-pegang...

Duduk renggang-renggang...

Bertambah sayang...

Biar malu-malu..

Biar segan-segan...

Kerna malu itu perisai orang beriman.

Kalau berpacaran jangan tunggu lama-lama

Kalau dah berkenan jumpalah ayah dan mama

Hantarkan rombongan meminang dengan segera

Kalau terlambat kekasihmu disambar buaya

Chorus

Yeah kita sambung cerita

Kalau kamu berdua aku yang ketiga

Aku penambah perasa

Akulah pendarab nafsu serakah

Hai teruna bikin perangai selamba

Hati si dara kata tak apa

Berani buat terima padah

Kalau tak sedia ucap syahadah

Chorus

Boleh pandang-pandang (boleh pandang-pandang)

Jangan pegang-pegang (boleh pegang-pegang)

Duduk renggang-renggang (duduk rapat-rapat)

Bertambah sayang (nanti confirm dapat)

Biar malu-malu (jangan malu-malu)
Biar segan-segan (jangan segan-segan)

Kerna malu itu perisai orang beriman.

Hah hah haaa...

*****

Energize... Transform...

These few weeks have been hectic for me... so many things to do... at the office and at home... and this will continue for a few more weeks...

Sometimes, I feel so tired I don't even realized when I fell asleep. Sometimes, I'm too tired that I cannot fall asleep. Sometimes, I'm so tired but I was too stubborn to admit it and force myself to do things that I like to do... watching tv, browsing youtube for movie trailers or songs, reading and like tonight... blogging... hihihiiii... There's a big chance I'm going to fall asleep in front of this computer...

I can be weird sometimes... no biggie :P

The thing that I like least about being tired is... I can hear myself thinking, but the thoughts were halfway. I can't express, explain or write about it. A few articles have been left hanging in draft mode and a few have been deleted.

There are times I wondered how much longer I can endure this 'low-level of energy and high-level of things to do' combination... then I look around... and I see there are some people who are in the same situation as I am and still maintain their cool...

I take them as example and I know I can and have to endure this for I cannot lose face...Heheheheeeee... sometimes pride is not a bad thing :)

You know... I have so many super-friends... as in super-friends, I mean working women who are also wives & mothers. I'm sure there are also men who are also husbands & fathers who could fall into this category, but in my case, I've seen only women...

Have you ever observe this women?

They woke up very early in the morning, preparing breakfast for the family & their children for school. Some of them cook dinner before they go to work because they are afraid they will not have enough time to do it in the evening. Work might finish late or... they might get stuck in the traffic jam.. *sigh*

In the office, they have to deal with so many challenges and stress... I don't need to explain further....

Then, they rushed home just to arrived in time for dinner... quickly microwave the foods, prepare the table... After dinner, there are dishes, pans & pots to be cleaned.

Don't forget... there is also laundry...

Plus, they need to prepare for the next day...

One question comes to my mind...

Where do they get all this energy? Some of them don't even have helpers at home. How can they be doing all this and still put on a fresh sincere smiling face?

Perhaps, this is the blessing of being a 'super woman'... Allah's gift to all women who are unselfishly sacrifice their 'me' time to make sure that their family is well taken care of.

If this is the case, I still have a longggg way to go...

But, I salute these women... I really wish that all your sacrifices are appreciated by your family...

and I pray that they will lend you a helping hand once in a while, if not always...

So... to all of us, please appreciate those that have been sacrificing themselves for us... our mothers especially... finish the load of dishes once in a while, finish the load of laundry once in a while, mop the floor once in a while... or cook for them once in a while... the act might seem little, but it sure means a lot to them...

I thank my 'super-friend' and not forgetting my 'super-mom' for being so inspiring and motivating...

Alrighty... it's now time for me to re-energize so that I can transform to a 'super-something' tomorrow... hihihiiiii...

Don't forget to brush your teeth before you go to sleep people!

Virtual Life.. Be smart, beware...

Life in the virtual world is as dangerous as life in real world... don't you think?

Nowadays, we all should learn how to appropriately carry ourselves in the virtual world as well... don't you think?

Are we invincible & safe when we are on the virtual world just because we only exist there virtually?

Nope!

Both lives, real & virtual can be equally interesting and dangerous.

Therefore, we must live both lives safely and must know how to do it :)

I don't have all the how tos... but today I'm gonna share some tricks that some people that we virtually know might be using when they are in the virtual world.

Funny, but an eye opening.

Be safe, beware, be smart y'alls!

Take care!

Jumping with Joy in the Scenic YANGSHUO, Guilin

 Anastasia & I just came back from Guilin, China. We loved it there! The place was amazingly beautiful! Plus, it fed the starving landscape photographer in me!

We loved it! We loved it! We loved it!

I've heard about the beauty of Guilin for so many times... I've yearned of visiting the place for so long...



I was definitely jumping with joy when I was finally there! I love that place!

We originally planned for 4 days holiday in Guilin. But thanks to Air Asia for changing its flight schedule, we ended up having to stay for 6 days there. We originally booked the 'Yangshuo Outside' inn, but due to an unfortunate incident at the inn, we ended up staying at the 'Yangshuo Magnolia' hotel. One thing we learned from our trip this time was that there IS such a thing as a blessing in disguise and we're very thankful for it!

Alhamdulillah!

As per our usual traveling habits, we only booked for accommodation and airport transfers. All the tours we arranged with the hotel once we're there and the staff very very helpful. They speak good English, so no problem at all. The driver that picked & sent us to/from hotel/airport was a kind man. Didn't talk much.

There was something about this place that made us generous tippers :) Must be all that beauty, serenity, freshness & overall satisfaction... but the guides were all nice & friendly people!

And again, I was told that I look like Chinese people... that's it! I gotta admit! I've got Chinese look! :P

I'm gonna share with you the wonderful scenery of the places that we visited and the activities that we did while we were there. Enjoy! Let's see if my joy can be contagious :)

This entry is a long read... but, you don't want a miss a thing!

The view from the room we stayed in... lovely... relaxing...

Around Yangshuo Town:

If you think that this place was like some old China town... opppssss!!!! You're wrong! We were wrong! In fact, a few other tourist admitted that they underestimated Yangshuo and that was a mistake! This place is such a tourist town that the West End street reminds me of 'Bintang Walk' in KL! Except that this town was surrounded by hills. So many shops, so many cafes, so many restaurants and surprisingly, so many clubs... which is not to my preference. All the loud noise in such beautiful, serene place, it just doesn't match.

And the nights were alive.

The thing that I admire about the development about this town is that, they didn't cut down the hills for development. They developed around it. Which is very nice, very unique and very caring for the nature. I like!

 

From my observation, there was no useful land left unused in this part of the world... impressive!

Liu San Jie Light Show:

OMG! The show was brilliant. With all the coordination of people, music, lights and the lovely singing. The director, Zhang Yimou is also the person responsible with Beijing 2008 Olympics opening ceremony. I don't know how to express the feeling when I saw the show. You have to be there to experience the awe. It was impressive.

Perhaps a little peek here? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ukofI9FrS4

By the way, just FYI... I love those songs! 

My only sharp photo during the show... taking photo under low lights... challenging...

LongJi Rice Terraces:

OMG! The place is breathtaking! The green hills, the fresh air, the amazing view, all that nature, the nice & friendly people, the good feeling! Priceless!

LongJi Rice Terraces is located in Longsheng, about 3-4 hours drive from Yangshuo. We didn't mind the long ride because we were so excited and happily enjoying the view on the ride there. Once we arrived at Longsheng, we have to change to a coaster, a smaller bus because the road up the hills was quite narrow and winding. The view of the hills? Mesmerizinggg... I can still see the image in my head.




At the village, we watched a show on the life and culture of the ethnic there... do you know that over there the women is the head of the family and they are the ones responsible to 'bring home the meatloaf'? Or in their case, the rice? Do you also know that over there, if a woman likes a man, they'll pinch the man's butt? Hahahahaaaa... I found that is so cute although that is totally inappropriate in my culture :)

And over there, the ladies... they have a very long hair... almost the same as their height. Their hair was so black & shiny even the grandmothers'! I was so jealous of them! Their hair were so healthy & thick... no white or red hair whatsoever!

Their secret? They wash their hair using the water that they wash the rice! Those rice they plant at the terraces must be ultimately organic!

It rained when we were about to climb up to see the rice terraces from an 'aerial' view. But, we climbed up nevertheless :) It was really foggy & misty... not to forget tiring. All the panting and sweating despite the cold weather... we reached the top to see white clouds and no view of the rice terrace what so ever... heheheeee... see see... despite the disappointment and the tiredness, I'm still laughing... lalalalaaaaa...

We slowly walked down... the houses on the hill looks classical... other than a few cafes and shops, the place looked untouched by modernization. I loved the peacefulness there... We stopped at a souvenir shop where we bought some beautiful table cloths... happy happy happy!

The fogs dissappered once we arrived at the entrance of the village... I was so thrilled to see the vastness of the rice terrace. The place was amazing!

Huangyao Ancient Village:

A trip worthwhile... enough said :)

Have you ever watched the movie 'The Painted Veil', starring Edward Norton and Naomi Watts ? I watched it, I loved that movie... most importantly I loved the scenery!

I insisted of going to Huangyao once I knew that the movie was shot here. The ancient village was well preserved and you can feel like you're walking in a truly old Chinese environment.

You'll admire the old buildings and the landscaping of the village.. and the people was friendly too!

They were doing their 'business'. I shouldn't have disturbed them but I couldn't resist those cute faces!

Cycling around Yangshuo countryside:

My favorite activity! The countryside was amazingly beautiful! The ride was not smooth because of the puddles of mud, but it was really exciting.

From my experience from cycling in the town of Yangshuo... it was not dangerous at all. The other vehicles will not simply knock you down. They didn't even honk when we were slow & blocking their way. They would just slow down as well. But if you're blocking the road, please be kind enough to get out of the way :) The only danger when cycling is if you don't know how to handle the bicycle.

So in conclusion, the possible danger of cycling in the town of Yangshuo is you yourself :)

We cycled from the town to the countryside, then took the bamboo raft, then to the Moon Cave. But on the way back, we took a bus coz our bottoms were already sore... eiikssss...

Bamboo Rafting along Yulong River:

Mmmm... not my favourite activity coz the trip was slow and long (45 mins) and mostly because the nice view along the river were blocked by stalls on the river.

But, if you were here, don't skip this activity please... There were a couple of very nice areas along the river... if you were lucky, then maybe you get to shoot some nice photos as well.



I was pretty pleased with some of the photos I took. Of course I edited them a little bit before I uploaded them here, but the original photos were just as great :)

There are a few not too small waterfalls along this river... the drops were not deep, but it's enough to give us the suspense... hihihiiii... I enjoyed the waterfalls. It was fun!

Underground River @ the Moon Cave:

We loved this activity as well! Despite the tiredness, the sweating, the panting because of all the climbing and ducking etc... we got to see an amazing cave system and an underground river which was very clear and cold!

In the cave you can also enjoy a mud bath & hot spring... but we skipped both of that... 



We explored the cave wearing slippers! I gave myself a pat on both shoulders! Well done! Hahahaaaa...

We loved this activity! Plus, we got to meet a lovely couple from Ecuador where we shared a lot of laughs! They were really nice!

At the exit of the cave, we were presented by a mass of paddy fields! So green, so peaceful... so worth it!

andddd... Shopping! Yeehaaaaa...

silk scarves, table cloths, clothing, paintings, etc etc... just don't go crazy ok :)

Halal food? No problem!

Although this is the only Muslim restaurant in Yangshuo which food I truly enjoyed during my 5 dinners. Yummy yummy! They were friendly too!



 





Sooooo... how do you feel? Feeling like going to Guilin & Yangshuo or not? Ngeeeee... the place so beautiful, the memories so sweet and wonderful and amazing... I can say that, I'll be back! Definitely!

OMG OMG... I want to go there again!

Note: The challenge of this entry was choosing photos to share... there are so many that I want to show you... but I can't possibly upload them all here...

Eid Mubarak 1431H

It's Eidul Fitri today... a day of celebration... yummy foods, thirst quenching drinks, sweet sweet cookies (lots of them), fashion show day, happy day... got to meet relatives and friends that we hardly meet throughout the year... heheheeeee...

Today is going to be my very busy day!

However, my post today will be dedicated to both of my very good friends... Ipin & Dr. W... who lost their beloved sisters during Ramadhan.

Ipin's sister passed away on Friday, 1st week of Ramadhan...
Dr. W's sister passed away, just yesterday...

I can't imagine how they are feeling right now... losing a dearly beloved is never easy...

I'm not very good at expressing condolences... because I know there is nothing I can say to ease their sadness... plus, I know my friends... both Ipin & Dr. W are two people with deep faith... so I know they'll be ok... it might take a while for the sadness to go away, but they'll be ok.

To Ipin & Dr. W... La Tahzan. Innallaha ma'ana. Sama- samalah kita berdoa semoga roh mereka ditempatkan bersama orang- orang yang beriman dan sentiasa dibawah peliharaan & kasih sayang Allah. Al- Fatihah.

To all my dear friends & acquaintances & fellow Muslims... Happy Eidul Fitri! But, in the midst of celebration, please don't forget to pray for others that are not so lucky... I'm really sad about the flood victims in Pakistan. I hope the little donations that we passed to them will worth every cent and that they will have the patience & strength to get through this challenge.

Happy Eidul Fitri everyone! Please don't overly celebrate this day... go easy on the foods *wink*

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI! MAAF ZAHIR BATIN!

Men vs Wild

I love this show!

Even though I have no confident whatsoever that I'm gonna be able to do what Bear Grylls does in this survivor show.

Bear Grylls has really got me to reconsider my dreams of becoming Indiana Jones.

You know, when Mr. Jones did it, it was cool, smart, fun & funny.

But when Bear Grylls did it, it was yucks, ouch, eewwwww, phewwwww, aaarrrrghhhhhh and a lot of sweating and panting...

I'm telling you... Mr. Grylls is insane... :)

Just look at him hanging on the tree like a koala!

But Mr. Grylls is also so cool and calm! You can throw him anywhere and I bet he'll be able to make it out of there alive and kicking and smiling.

If you watched this show, you'll realize that throughout the entire seasons (now already in Season 5), Bear Grylls never lose his temper. He always keep it cool and calm, stay positive and hardly lose that smile on his face. Even a hammock made of a bamboo and a roof covered with leaves was considered 'snug' by him.

So as all of us already know... it's all in the ATTITUDE!

If he was grumpy and complaining and whining and blaming his crew for not helping him, do you think this show is possible? Or even if it is, would it be entertaining and educational?

I don't think so... and I believe, neither do you :)

Complainer and whiner is never really likable... lesson learnt.

But then, in the terms of survival, like what Bear Grylls is showing us... being able to survive doesn't rely only on your attitude. You have got to have a physical that can support that attitude.

I'm imagining... I'm attempting an adventure... walking across snow covered Alaska in the winter... I'm 10-20kg overweight (this is half fiction :p), with very little lean muscles around my body, the only exercise I get is a 30 minutes walk in the park on Sundays (if I really do exercise)... food & water are scarce... stamina is really low, muscles are very weak. I keep on telling myself, "I can do this!"

Can I really? Yeah, with the right attitude, everything is possible. Slowly, take it one step at a time... it might not be as easy as compared to Bear Grylls. Probably with more difficulties... He's out of there in what? 1 week? Me? hmmmm...

But, Bear Grylls himself said that ... it's important to have a positive mind because it will push yourself to go on even though your body already wants to quit.

So, I guess I'm on the right track. Even though I really really need to... Exercise!!!!"

I think with the right attitude and physics, we can all be Bear Grylls if we want to. But don't forget, we must have his kind of stomach as well... did you see what this guy put in his mouth, in the name of survival? Yikessss... snakes (almost all kinds including rattlesnake), rodents, bats, frogs, scorpions, raw deer, some kind of lizard if I'm not mistaken, worms, bugs... ewwwwwww... but some of those things are considered delicacies in some part of the world... that's right :)

Every time he's about to put the 'food' inside his mouth, I'll go "Don't do it Bear! Don't do it!!!" hahahaaaa... 

This is why Indiana Jones seems like a better option.

Coz, you know... Mr. Jones is a movie... Mr. Grylls is real life... :P

But if Indiana Jones vs Bear Grylls... I'll choose Bear Grylls everytime!

Bear Grylls, you're truly an INSPIRATION! Stomach aside *wink*

Seriously... Bear Grylls really inspired me!

 My favourite episode. So funny!

Okay... The Sometimes Speechless is jumping off the bed and off to the kitchen... that's as much of an adventure that I'm gonna get for today... hahahaaaaa....

Good byeeeeeeeeee... see ya laterrrrrrr...