Brunei is family

Postponed entry: August 2018

We celebrated our raya haji this year (read: last year) in Brunei! My sister is going to UK this September. Thus, we desperately need one last vacation while everyone is here. We listed one long list -which Brunei is not included, but then the cheapest ticket was to Brunei at the moment....... so there we go!

We actually have family in Brunei. My aunt (My father's little sister) lives there. I can't recall when was the last time she comes back to Malaysia for raya, so this time we are bringing raya to them (My mother brings all good food from Malaysia. Know what, she even brought lemang & kerutuk daging. amazing. I want to be my mother one day. She brings happiness to everyone).

Raya morning with Malaysia families in Brunei

Surprise! Another aunt joins the trip too. My another aunt with her two daughters arrive in Brunei on the first day of raya. So, three out of eight in Brunei. Can we start the hashtag #teamrayaBrunei now?

When the girls team up. Full house!

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To be continued, later.

Moving on.

*Postponed entry*

I am in Malacca now. Another week to go to finish the course before I get to know where I 'll be attached after this (I 'm rooting for Kelantan, of course. haha). It was a nice program, so far. I enjoy meeting all the people.. it feels like, back to college again :)

I have no friend in Malacca.. not until one of my friends married to a Malacca guy. Well, there you go! Now I have more than three Malacca friends. And at least one that I click on. hihi. Thanks to him, I get to eat a lot of good Malacca food :D 

If you are wondering where to eat in Malacca, here are some of my recommendations!

1) Pak Putra Tandoori & Nan

Source : google

Surprisingly, the naan cheese & tandoori chicken was as gooood as in Penang! However, do expect the service is a bit slow as there are a lot of people. Other than that, everything is so good. Nora bagi empat bintang!

2) Daily Fix Cafe

Source: google

This is my most favourite place, so far. Located in the jonker street, this cafe is hidden behind a souvenir shop (KK sdn bhd). Passing through the shop, as you enter the cafe..... it feels like you are entering into another world. Regarding the food... I swear their carbonara is the best in the world! (I am not a fan of dessert. hihi).

3) Satay Kg. Jawa

 Source: google

Source: google

We came here for breakfast! And, too bad didn't manage to try the satay (The satay is served after 12 p.m, we were there at 10. huhu). People say their satay is always a hit and everyone is willing to line up for it. I had mee rebus, it was ok la. haha. But, the location is crazily beautiful!! I love it.

4) Coconut Shake Batu Berendam

Source: google

Malacca is so hot! So, coconut shake ftw! 

Got to go now, I 'll update more later. Insya Allah

The adventure is worthwhile.

I embarked my first under-budget travel experience last week to Sabah! This trip was very different compared to my previous trips. For this time, I really went to travel (on my own). No proposals attached, no compulsory university visits, and absolutely, no sponsors given to us! Haha. It all started when Sya did a to-go-short-list & finally booked a two-way flight for three to Sabah (The tix costs MYR250/person), direct from KBR. 

Sabah's trip was really under budget. But, still.. it can't be called as backpacking. Em, perhaps should I say.. I have no plan to backpack ? *I couldn't left my luggage behind* haha. Since this was my first under-budget-travelling-experience, I could say that it was a very wild-ride. But so fun!! Sya did everything from the start (I went there with my two friends from diploma years). Thank God. I was too busy with my family matters weeks before (I even burnt my reunion trip to Jkt-Bandung) T__T Besides of settling the accommodations, she even checked the beautiful spots, and what poses should be taken there! I know, cray craaaay, right? Well, she is. 

We thought long and hard about this trip before sticking up to our plans. We planned this trip since May. & the unexpected earthquake happened in June. The issue of decreasing value of our currency and GST were another thing. The first thing that acrossed our mind was this trip must not be over-budget (In anything we did, it must not exceed the cost that we drafted). Earlier, we were pretty nervous too. We kept on eye on the news almost everyday in order to ensure the real situation in Sabah. We calculated & talked about how much does everything costs million timeess, just to ensure the trip run smoothly.

Guess what ?! We survived with only MYR300/person (6 days 5 nights). The total was  MYR550/person. wow. Of course, a lot of things can be cut off, still. Some people who have been there told us tips to Sabah (We even google-d some reviews about this state too), but we didn't really know what to expect and what not. After all, this was our first time. We were very happy to challenge ourselves to go out of our comfort zone (The international trips that we handled before were hundred times easier than this trip). The most important, throwing ourselves outside of the normal circumstances made us discovered more about ourselves. I am picky! Very picky! And really have no patience when I am hungry!! Haha

As I looked back on my trip last week, these are some things that (my friends) and I thought would be useful for everyone who have plan to try travelling (under budget) tooo!

1) Plan & organize your trip

We did pretty good at this. Personally speaking, planning and organizing take a huge chunk of time before we even arrive. Our aim is to go visit as many places as possible and take a lot of photos since we never know when will we come here again. Thus, we listed all the places that we would like to visit earlier, divided them into several sections: wajib (compulsory), sunat (it is better to go), tak pergi pun tak apa (nvm, we don't have to go), so that we knew what was the best route we should take in order to get to see all the attractions. Guys, don't forget to take the travel guide book or at least, the map as soon as you arrived at the airport. Trust me, it will help you a lot!!

Basically, I am really good acting as a co-pilot. Hehe

2) Try couch-surfing

I rarely prefer this thing (due to lack of privacy), but I cannot deny that it is a great way to travel on a tight budget. As far as I know, there is one website consists of community of travelers who share their space rooms with strangers for free. But of course, our family won't let us to join it for some safety reasons (It is understandable).

We stayed at Kak T's (Sya's cousin) house in Kota Belud for two nights before moving to stay at Yana's house in Kota Kinabalu for another three nights. Our first plan was to book cheap hotel in KK and went to all the places from there. But, as Kak T offered her place, and as we re-checked the map, Kundasang & Kudat were nearer from Kota Belud (not as far as we traveled from KK), we accepted her offer. Lucky us to accept Kak T's offer to stay at her house. We saved a lot of money here. Kak T even packed us food, and borrowed us her car for free in KBelud (We rented Myvi in KK, costed only RM 80/day! The owner was sooo kind!) Lesson learned: Make friends!! Everyone has potential to help you :)

A picture with Kak T (We stayed upstairs). 

3)  Food

This part is the hardest. The thing that made we regretted the most during the trip was regarding food. We forgot to survey what and where to eat (especially during our stay in Kota Kinabalu) & ended up to eat at pizza (For the first night) and the following days at hm, not-recommended restaurants (The taste & the price were unreasonable). But, the seafood at the stall that we visited the last night (near to Pasar Philippine was quite good). I brought some snacks & maggi, but finished everything in the first three days. Our finance manager (Akmal) calculated our budget and realized that we wasted our money on food the most. Argh we should find 7E earlier!!

4) Get lost on purpose (But always take precautions)

I am a person who dislike big risk. Sya is braver than me. She always comes out with a lot of plans.. "Let's go there..and there. There! And... there too..." that sometimes, Akmal & I have to whoa.. whooa, can we please slow down a little. Let's do one thing after another slower. Haha. But, can't deny that breaking away from the norm is good too (sometimes). On the other note, always be prepared and take extra precautions, especially when you are all girls. As in the case of us, we traveled by car on our own to Kota Belud, Ranau, Kudat, Kota Kinabalu, and some other places too. It was very fun. We were told not to go to Sandakan and the areas nearby there as they were not really safe. Not sure whether the stories told by our host were true or not, but we decided not to go.

As we did not go to the Poring (The first day we arrived, it was raining heavily in the evening), we decided to try to find waterfall in the Kota Kinabalu area. We eventually followed the signboard of Jeram ..I-forgot-the-name.. after visiting the Tamparuli Town (Managed to see the view of Tamu there) and ended up with the scenic view (The last picture). Very beautiful! We were the only three Malays from Semenanjung that were there. The local that I asked told me that we can swim there. Too bad we didn't bring any spared clothes :( (It was quite risky to seek the unusual places that didn't see much tourism, but most of the views were totally worthwhile). Keep your eyes on everything. Use common sense (Make sure your waze works well too!!) and insya Allah, you 'll be ok.

Rumah Panjang Rungus. This place didn't appear in the Waze. Lucky us to find this place manually. Phew!

The sun set view in Rang Bulan Beach, near to Pulau Mantanani. Kak T brought us here! It feels like we are in Semporna!

The view on the way to the Jeram ..I-forgot-the-name.. My most favourite!

5) Keep good notes

I am so frustrated and regretted for not jotting down every single details of the places that I have traveled before this. That's why, one of the reasons I force myself to write this entry and post it as soon as possible (I have a lot of entries that haven't been posted yet). I may only see these places and meet these people once in a lifetime. So, I took a lot of photos during this visit (There were about 2k++ photos) just to ensure that I won't forget any single moments there. After all, they don't cost anything. Except your phone battery kept drained just like water (We charged three powerbanks full every night). haha

6) Enjoy it

Be excited with your trip, guys. Don't sweat yourself with the stuffs that you can't control. We too, did argue on some small matters along the 6 days journey, but ended up with laughing to each other. Haha. Akmal hit a mirror in the 3D Museum at Rumah Terbalik (She thought it was a door), I was once carelessly to open and sit in other's car, and many other silly things that actually embarrassing. hehe

....

I really have to thank these two friends for this trip. Till the next (educational) trip, perhaps ? :)

I feel as I belong to the family

Living the dream, Japan: Part 2 

Language and religion are not a big deal, as long as you have a warm heart to give -Ko chan's father

The special family: Matsuba family

Everything is fabulous. This is where I found my another family. After having a fun visit around Gifu for two days, we were anxiously waiting for our foster families to pick us up. I remembered, watching how nervous everyone was; not sure what to expect -Me too! I was incredibly excited to meet the people who would be my family for the next two days. The only details that I knew were their names, and the ages. Young couple, hehe. Very interesting!

The first few hours was a little terrifying. My Japanese Language was awful (Afaf is a linguistic student, minor in Japanese language. I guess she will have no problem). Me....., how could I communicate with them ? I will never forget our first night dinner. Na chan served us with rice and raw fishes as the main course. It was my first time to try it. Not bad! But, since I 'm not a big fan of sushi..... the meal was just like... not right. haha. Since our ages were no much different. We managed to get along very well! Most of the time that night we talked about our families and Malaysia. It was wonderful to share our different cultures in various ways (Out of sudden, I 'm getting expert with Malaysia maps! whoa!).

Highlight of our special family's activity ? Yuki! When Ko chan told us that they would like to bring us to see yuki in Mount Ontake.. I was like.. WOW!! I have the best foster family in the world! Basically, I have no idea where Mount Ontake is. Again, we studied google maps that night. Huhu, based on what I listened from Ko chan, Mount Ontake is located on the border between Nagano and Gifu prefecture, 4 hours from our house. Departed from our house at 6 a.m., I slept a lot in the car. 

Woke up and noticed that all the roads are in mountains, I could sense that there was something different. The colour, brighter than usual. Subhanallah, snow! I was just amazed with what I saw. Have lived in Malaysia all my life, where there is sun all year.. the only time I have seen anything close to snow was the skating place in Sunway Pyramid and Genting Highlands. haha.

It was really cold. Thanks to Na chan for lending me her winter coat. Every step I took made me felt like I was crunching the snow below my shoes. Even though there was no snowfall (Of course there should not, it was spring season!), the temperature was really low.

                    

We also tried a snow ride with a glosbe- like (I don't know what the specific name is). It was so fun! However, Pity Ko chan; his jeans was soaking wet. haha. We left right after the ride since it was so cold. Plus, we have a lunch date with Ko chan's family. We left Mount Ontake with a big smile on our faces. So, snow experience checked for Afaf and me. Thank you Ko and Na chan!

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*flip hair* Hehe. I know, this is soooooo not me! Haha. I also could not believe that I can cook! haha. When Na chan and Ko chan requested us to cook, I was like.. oh my... Well, er.. I mean, I did watched my mother prepares meals daily... but, to cook on my own.... in your dream! haha. So, I decided to make something simple and can be given as a try. Fish with soy sauce and fried vegetables! My taste buds was familiar with them, so with some pictures in my mind, we went to departmental store nearby to buy the ingredients. Since Afaf and I were not experts in cooking, we both were quite nervous to prepare the dinner. 

After one hour, ...it started to give some aroma.. As the smell came out, my mouth started to water (I was very hungry!).. I had no idea whether the food can be eatable or not. In my own calculation, the food seemed ready. I thought both Na & Ko chan also feared to eat... seeing our excitement, pushed the chopsticks in their mouth, and surprisingly, they liked it! Ah, it was a relieved. Cheers to my first experience!  Out of sudden, I guess I 'm all ready for the next phase of my life. haha.

Had fun trying Japanese Purikura with Na chan

Last day was so hard. I was in mess. Saying good bye to my foster family was one of the hardest things I had to do. We had our farewell party at one France restaurant in Gifu city. As the supervisors asked us to line up outside the restaurant, I know it was the time to wave the last good bye to our Na and Ko chan. Right when Na and Ko chan walked outside, I completely lost all of my self- restraint and started bawling my eyes out. I cried a lot that day. My foster family is incredibly awesome. I could not believe that I have a new family in wonderful Gifu town! And it feels like I could have lived here for a life- time, everyone is so nice and welcoming!

Cultural performance by us during the farewell party

I am still in contact with my host family. We even create our family's whatsapp group: Matsuba family. hehe. This program has taught me to be independent, grateful, and open minded. I have also come back to Malaysia wiser., with a brand new mind and broader knowledge! Stepping out of my little Malaysia was a great decision, thank you JENESYS 2.0! :) Ahhh ....I should stop here for now; because otherwise this story would just continue on and on!! .....to be continued again, soon. -I am in campus now, busy preparing for another community service program in Ladang Taku. *tired*

Living the dream, Japan.

 (This entry is sincerely made to share my personal experiences as well as a form of gratitude to JICE)

Back in Malaysia, finally!

Ah. I miss blogging. Did any of you remember that I sent my resume for a community work in Japan in my previous entry ? Hehe. I got it! I got it! It was the best news I have ever received during examinations week this semester. 

Basically, it is a student exchange program under the name of Japan East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths version 2.0. This international program is sponsored by the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE), in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism & Culture of Malaysia. This program aims to revitalize the Japanese economy through introduction of Japan's attractions to foreign tourists and consumers by promoting international understanding on the nation's potential strength and values.

        

To tell you the truth, I am very excited. Well, who will not. Right ? :) Everyone knows, Japan is one of the attractive vacation destinations & I 'm very lucky to come here under this program. The participants were given into several groups including Osaka and Nagoya, and I was placed in Gifu. I know Tokyo, Osaka, & Nagoya, but.. Gifu (Group A) ? .......I know nothing about this place.... until I arrived there. 

So, what's up Gifu ? ...It is amazing! I always think that cities in Japan are all modern, very busy, and crowded (Obviously, since they are all considerably one of the top ones of the world).. but, please come to Gifu, you 'll change your perception. Gifu Prefecture is roughly divided into two regions: Hida in the north and Mino in the south. Hida region is defined largely by its grand mountains and the heavy snow it gets during the winter whereas the Mino region is characterized by its clear rivers. This sharp contrast between regions gives Gifu a marvelous variety in scenery and culture. How pleased I am with everything there. 

      

As Gifu is located in the center of Japan, therefore the central gateway to Gifu is Nagoya's Central Japan International Airport, where many international lines pass through and which is easily accessible from Gifu. But, since our delegation is from Tokyo (we spent three days there), we alternatively taking the Shinkansen Bullet Train, which connects the major cities of Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo. 

Talking about the shinkansen, it teaches me the basic Japanese attitude: punctuality. If a train arrives even one minute later than the schedule, Japanese railway companies will keep announcing their apologizes. I am particularly impressed with them. Another interesting fact is Japanese people usually will arrive at any meetings at least, 5 minutes before it started. The simple logic is that it takes about five minutes to get seated and settled for the meeting. Whoa! Double impressed!

Japan has really steal my heart. I fall in love with this country as soon as I landed at Narita Airport. Everything in Japan is so nice (Read Gifu: double nice). Travelling here gives me chance to visit a country that is full of tradition and culture. People here are very friendly too! (The best part of the visit have not written yet, about my visit to one of the universities & regarding my foster family). Later, I 'll write also on how Japan gives impact on my life (Absolutely, I have written one: punctuality). 

To be continued... -my best friend will never like this entry. It 's too long. ha ha