Mr. Bala's Deepavali Open House @ Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

Assalamualaikum wbt,

The day before Ummi was admitted again, for her Lumbar Puncture procedure (I realized that lately most of my blog entry openings must have something to do with Ummi's hospitalization). My mentor at Rakan IJN which I regard as my own father, Mr. Bala invited Ummi & I for his Deepavali Open House.

Recalling our previous conversation in the past years;

Me : "Mr. B, so how was your Deepavali celebration today?"

Him : "What lah celebrate. I went to the temple to pray, then relaxed at home ate biscuits." (-__-)

Yes Mr. Bala is pretty strict with his diet, I remember recording his daily readings of sugar & blood pressure levels. =)

So I was pretty surprised that this year he wanted to throw an Open House. So after visiting Aunty Ana at Putrajaya since Ummi wanted to have a chat with her bestfriend prior to her hospital stay, we later on went to Bangsar for Mr. Bala's. I always teased me that Mr. B is Jovian Mandagie's neighbour since his boutique is only across the road from his house, while he never had any idea how famous he is as a fashion designer though he always notices that flashy cars always parked in front of his boutique. Yes lucky people. =D

When I arrived at his place, little did I know that it would be a pretty big affair with pink and white scalloped canopies and balloons! Hahaha! I really looked like a mess at that time I wished I dressed up a bit more to respect the occassion. Mr. B and Mrs. B were delighted to see me and when I asked him didn't expect such an occasion he responded that he hasn't thrown an open house for many years hence this kind of celebration. I noticed some familiar faces from Rakan IJN, as well as some unfamiliar ones, mostly Indians, Chinese and Sikhs. Ummi and I were the only Malays there and typical me clad in an Abaya I realized the photographers were excited to snap my photos maybe because "Ahhhh now we see a Malay here ." =D It felt truly a Malaysian celebration I was pretty excited. And of course, Mr. Bala just had to introduce me as his girlfriend to his friends and family there haha typical Mr. Bala. =D

Oh of course we have to check out the buffet line. =) Mr. Bala hired an Indian catering company serving Indian food but they divided 2 separate areas where one you can have all the chicken and lamb, whereas another area was for Vegetarians which would be suitable for Muslims as well. Cool thing was they still prepared chicken for the Vegetarians or Vegans, but they were all organic, which I know are made from Tofu.

I had these the most. Shrimps!

Putu Mayam & Prata bread as well as Bryani rice.

Organic Satay. Yes, believe it. =D

My favourites of the night were definitely the Sambal Udang (Shrimps in Chili Paste) and the Papadoms. The prawns were amazing.

As for the Organic Satay they were pretty good, of course taste like Chicken-ish tofu but it was pretty good.

Ok tried to capture those sharing my table, not a good photo here but the women and kids really dressed up here. =)

And there was a cake.

I could not recall whether they just wanted to cut a cake to celebrate the event or it was their anniversary, but I don't reckon on the latter. Anyways I loved this part because I felt like I was in a Din Teksi or Lat's comic strip (now when was the last time you heard of Din Teksi? =D ) where you could see all races of Malaysians in it. When everyone teased Mr. B to feed the cake to Mrs. B first (those two aren't very romantic) they all insisted to feed the children first and said "Always feed the children first." Awwwww. =')

I am glad I could make it to this occasion, before more days to check in at the hospital. I truly love this couple of husband and wife, both are like my sister's and my own parents. From another race, from another religion. I pray for them to be blessed always in this world and in the HereAfter, insha Allah. =')

Thanks for reading. =)

XOXO,

Sue

PS* Just a random pic of Boboy and a plate of Bubur Cha-Cha before I left for Mr. B's.

Day 2 - Jom Jimba! Giant Slides for Kids @ Adventureland, Batu Feringghi, Pulau Pinang (November 2011)

Assalamualaikum,

Today is the day for the little kids (and the not so little ones too) in the family to really have a blast enjoying themselves. They were brought to Adventure Zone which apparently the kids have played there for many times especially during family gatherings.

Naima with her alter ego Dora. =D Love her flip flops with socks! =D

Deena & Dora.

Deena & Ariq. Oh the sweet smile on Ariq~ Don't be deceived. =D

Packed with parents and their little ones.

Ok my photos showing the slides don't do justice on the height of the slides. They are massive and like really high.

Suspended bridge.

Only Nelly dared the highest slide. That one is the most steep. Most people became too scared at every attempt and she always had this "Apa ada hal." expression on her face.

Deena, once a kid. Always a kid. =D

Minah ni memang drama lebih.

Watching over the kids especially Ammar who was too daring to try everything tak padan dengan kecik.

And there he goes! =D

Deena & Aira my cousin, they kept trying to gather the courage to have a go on the red one, but always failed. I guess the older you are (supposedly taller) the fear for heights increases because they kept defensively said it looked way scarier from up there. Ohkay~ =D

Ummi & Deena

Oh yes actually there was a beach festival with numerous activities but I just checked out the nearest canopy. Hotel Buffet Decor by hotel chefs.

Oh Ammar & Alliyah how sweet? =)


So parents, I really think this is a place you should bring your kids to play if you visit Batu Feringgi. It is located in between Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa and Golden Sands Resort.  Adjacent to the Par 3 Executive Golf Course and tennis courts. So if the adults want to do their activities this place is safe for you to leave your children insha Allah because this UK based Adventure Zone have professional supervision.

For further info here is their website.

And below is a snapshot of the calm Batu Feringgi beach I took from on our way back to the city.

Thanks for reading! =)

XOXO,
Sue 

We are in Penang People! (November 2011)

Assalamualaikum,

Yes! Finally! After approximately 10 years (disregarding the Persatuan Silat Cekak Malaysia trip to USM I joint when I was in university) our last trip to Pulau Pinang @ Penang was during the September 11 2001 tragedy.  Yikes! Can't believe that was sooooo long ago, I never even thought of wearing Hijab at that time haha. =D

It's a rainy day at the iconic Penang Bridge.

My cousins there, Abang G & Kak Sherry have lived in Penang, raised their kids there and we kept having the thought of visiting them. From 1 baby, turned into 2 babies, and turned into 3 we still did not make it to Penang. What's funnier is that, they even moved back to Shah Alam when Abang G moved into a new company, but now was re-offered with a much better promotion, now as the Vice President for Motorolla Asia Pacific and based in Penang again. ONLY NOW, we managed to visit them in Penang and the greater part was, it's quite a huge family trip with all Aunty Lin's children, children-in-law and grandchildren joining us. As Ummi refers as the Whole Jin Gang. =D

Somewhere near Bayan Baru. The family lounging at Abang G and Kak Sherry's cosy living room. =)

The awesome grandkids! I showed this photo to Ammar & Naima (both in white) saying "It's so obvious right, who are Hisham's children and who are Uncle G's?" They giggled getting the point, and Ammar even defensively said "Ok lepas ni Ammar ambil gambar elok-elok." (After this I will snap my photos properly). Ahhhh adorable. =D As for the other 3, the eldest Nellysha, the boy Ariq (he looks sweet like sugar but very mischievous) and the youngest Allieyah. =)

Oh yes, Kak Sherry prepared us (if not mistaken she bought it at a hawker but that doesn't matter) some VERY YUMMY Roti Jala & Chicken Curry! They are Nana's favourite so she's very ecstatic to enjoy them.

As for me, I was super happy for this! Bubur Cha Cha! A comfort dish since I was a kid. Just imagining enjoying these warm comfort food on a rainy day, bliss. =) 
Thanks kasih Kak Sherry. =)



Yes, insha Allah will continue on our tour and makan-makan in Penang soon when I am in the mood to update my blog hehe. =)

Thanks for reading guys!

XOXO,
Sue

Christmas Decor & Farewell to Iqi @ Pavilion Kuala Lumpur (November 2011)

Assalamualaikum Readers,

As much as I am a Muslim, I always respect the celebrations of other religions. Since I was a kid, I was fascinated of Santa Claus and the Christmas decorations. Only since in Malaysia, Islam is the official religion, somehow I wish, the Christmas decorations to not overshadow the Eid decor at shopping malls especially. I was quite sad to see, on the 2nd day of Aidilfitri (yes I was at KLCC on 2nd day of Eid) all the Eid decor were gone. And the concourse area was empty. I mean if the admin put so much effort on putting up the decor, what's up with the rush to remove them? Well I think I better save on the KLCC admin part *sigh*

Anyways, again, Pavilion successfully mesmerized shoppers and visitors with their fabulous Christmas decor. Which was kind of a fantasy Toy Land. Oh yes Pavilion too, for Merdeka (National Day), just to put a gigantic Jalur Gemilang flag on the front boulevard, not impressive. Be more patriotic please Pavilion especially you are now the IT shopping mall.

Kids & adults alike were really happy to see this. 

Gigantic Cake with Lollipops.

My most favourite! A giant size Hello Kitty! Can I bring it home? =D

The centre of attraction : Carousel which you can actually ride sponsored by Hong Leong Bank.

Zahia with a Christmas Fairy with a Harajuku twist. =D

Finally it was time for me to say goodbye to my beloved good friend here. We bid our farewell, I promised to be there for her family if they need me during her absence and we hugged. Twice. I wish all the best for her in Colombia and I hope I will manage to save enough money to visit her there hehe insha Allah. The last time I checked, I am grateful to see her safe and sound, surrounded by great, cheerful colleagues alhamdulillah. Just to share with you guys, a photo of her at one of the oil plants in Villavicencio, Colombia.

May Allah protect you dearest friend. =')

Again, as always, thanks for reading people =)

XOXO,

Sue