Welcome-home celebration

Alert: This is a postpone-entry

 I have just come home (for nearly a week)! *phew* Last semester was crazy. For the first time, I stayed awake for studying all night! I don't recommend you doing this (Even though A did this, yes. All the time), but when pressure comes, sometimes.. you just have to do it. hehe. International investment turned me into an efficient all-nighter. Out of sudden, I don't afraid to stay all night in the house (Everyone went home a week earlier, there were only Sya & I left). Started at 9 p.m. and finished revising all the calculations part (with the help of Master-jie via whatsapp) around 6 a.m., crashed the bed at 6.30 a.m. after doing the Subuh prayer..... & woke up at 2 p.m. haha. All-nighter is really not my style. I couldn't even go to the library that day. So tiring. Whatever it is, let's hoping for the good marks now.

Since parents were not at home, siblings & I had our time together this weekend. It is soooo hard to find time that everyone is freeeee nooow! Today is the only time that we have, since Ayu is not following us to Kuantan next week. Everyone is growing up :( 

Instant skill.

Instant skill needed: Video editing skill

Oh God, how did I get here. I am so terrible with computer and video T___T When my entrepreneur lecturer assigned us to do an individual video project, I have started to worry. I have no skill in doing this, and I have always run from this job. To tell you the truth, I have never do the video editing part. I paid my friends during the diploma years to do the assignment (Of course, the concept and idea were all originally from me), and the video projects last semester were all done by another friend (He has the skill. I have the idea. So we are in the win-win position, isn't it?). Hehe. Well, I manage to run, so far. Seems not this time.

My last option ? Of course, Amirah the genius. I know, I should not suppose to disturb her, she is having her SPM now. But, I am totally desperate. The submission date is within 3 days, & I don't know who can I ask for help. I did make deal with one friend before this, but his laptop, unfortunately broke down. Huaaaaaa!! Why now!! After all, Amirah agrees to help (she has no right to decline, actually) with one condition: She will only monitor my work. I have to do it on my own. huhu. We started the recording part since three days ago. We recorded all the scenes using Imovie and edit it there before transferred the video  to the laptop to  be edited with power director (The hardest part).

Sneak peek of my entrepreneur video. Wuhuu, after nearly 2 days, it is almost done! Amirah has started to feel bored, she needs to stop her study to just only teach me; click here, click there. Drag this here & there. haha (Please understand me, I am soooo slow at IT thingy!!) My video is not that boom. But, I am quite satisfied because it is my first video-editing ever! I am really hoping there will be no other video assignments after this. It tortures me very much T______T

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Sisters for life! Thank you!!

Nasi kerabu gathering party

Postponed entry.

This is my second time fasting far away from the family (The first one was in Puncak Alam, during my foundation years). Just like others (Read: students), the culture of eating outside are something my friends and I have already getting used to. But, this time is quite different. As my housemates are all finished their examinations a week earlier than me: which means only Sya & I are left in this house, we decided to invite our close friends over for iftar. 

We never expect that we manage to host a nasi-kerabu gathering party (As requested by Fami & Chombee). Everything is cooked on our own, following the recipes & numerous phone calls with the master-chef at home. haha. & to be honest, we are quite nervous (We eat nasi kerabu, but we have never done it before). You know, with the long list of the ingredients....... T__T Everyone knows that one of the key ingredients of Nasi Kerabu is the fish, but both Sya & I are all not specialized in recognizing the fishes. So, we just went to the market......but, too bad we really have no idea which one to buy as everything looooks so familiar to us! 

De-bone the fishes to make the fried coconut. Phew! This work is really no joke, man. We spend one whole night to boil & de-bone the fishes (We personally asked the pakcik kedai at the market & he recommended ikan kembung for us). Sya does the frying part of the grated coconut (1 skinned coconut that has been grated is more than enough. We buy 3! Haha). This part involves frying the grated coconut without oil until it turns into slightly brown color. Don't forget to add in some seasonings and adjust it accordingly.

Perhaps, we can say that kerabu of the nasi kerabu is the Malay version of salads. It is the mixture of various types of vegetables and spices. We use long beans, cucumbers, torch ginger bud (bunga kantan), and bean sprouts as the kerabu. Without all these spices, the recipe of nasi kerabu will never complete. With the basic nasi kerabu, we served it with the turmeric fried fish (I use Gogi instant flour), fried chicken, fish crackers, and salted eggs as the side dishes. Not many people know that nasi kerabu comes in a few colors other than blue. Since our classmates are mostly from the north part of Malaysia (Kedah & Penang), they are all very surprised to see the rice in yellow (We put in some turmeric to make it yellow).

As nasi kerabu requires a very tedious preparation, we are very lucky to receive help from our classmates. Some of them even come earlier to our house in order to help in preparing the food and setting up the place. You know what did I learn from hosting this party ? Get help. People love to help. In my experience, this is so true. We get other friends involved in the preparation of the food (we ask Zarep to bring tupperware from his house, get help from Huda & Nisa in frying the fish crackers & turmeric fried fish, and even ask for help from other classmates in doing some simple things). The point is: no one is expecting you to be perfect. Everyone just wants to have a good time together!

As for the overall, I guess everyone is very happy that day! We even teach almost everyone on how to really eat nasi kerabu. "Put some rice, pile on some desired amount of the fried coconut, some sauce, and the salads. You can choose any side dishes that you like to eat with, and don't forget to mix it well with the rice". REPEAT. haha. Till then, back to study-mode, guys. Another paper to go T__T

New game plan

Ah, it is nice to be back (No, not really. Haha). Returning to college after a long holiday is one of the hardest thing to do (Yet it still has to be done T__T). You know what I did in order to ease my way back to campus ? Take an extra day before the college started. I always do this. I like to think this spare day as "hari ambil mood", so that I can reacquaint with my routines. Meanwhile, some people are happier taking the red-eye home and going immediately back to class. phew! How stronger they are (A does this. haha).

This is my fourth semester here, in Kedah. Last semester ended smoothly for me (Although it was quite chaotic and tough at first). My result is just as expected. I got all As except for my Personal Finance. It really ruineeeed my transript! This semester will be tougher, I guess. People say fourth semester is when the real challenge is truly begins.With four courses that are all 4 cred hours, and three extra university requirement courses, I really want to cry! :( For the first time, I have actually worried about not passing the exams and classes (It has been a long time since I last felt like this). 

My degree life is totally different with what I experienced in Machang back then. I am not involved in the students government here & have more ample time to enjoy on myself. I too, not really sure whether my choice for not joining any extra university activity is true or not, but the environment here seems so not welcoming; which makes me feel un-needed (Still, I participate a lot in the class. I was the assistant manager of the last semester's class project).

I have thinking to change a bit regarding my study strategy in order to survive this new semester. If in the previous semester, I tended to follow almost everything on what other people sayings and rarely did my own decisions, this time I am going to be more strict on my life-plans (I am really hoping that I can do this. I am too kind to turn down people's offer, but I can't hide my true feelings especially when I am feeling uncomfortable with people. Yes so complicated yes!!). To tell you truth, I was quite pressured last semester, and I am so glad to receive all the good grades. At least, my existence will be recognized (a little now). hehe. Another two semesters to go, I can't wait for everything to finish. Come faster, time!!

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

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

Rest well, Che.

Post-poned entry.

My Che had returned to Allah last week (20th March 2015). Her passing was totally a shock, at least to me. I did not expect to receive a phone call from my sister to tell me that.. "Che takdok dah..."... It was surreal. I couldn't brain this. I just talked to her a week before.. I just talked to my mother about Che much-less six hours before her death.. I just liked her photo on instagram (uploaded by my cousin) three hours before she left for good.. I just.. I just.. lost for words.

This entry has been written since last two months.., but never finish..

I am lost in time machine now. There is so much I want to say about her that I can't even start. My siblings and I are the closest to Che. We used to call Che's house as our nursery. Well, since my parents are both working, all of us will stay at her place until noon.. sometimes, dragged until late in the evening or night, went to our home for sleep and changed clothes.. & the routine continued....... until we start schooling, literally at six/seven. She even the one who walked us to the kindergarten in the morning, and never forget to pick us up. We used to say, "Che tak payah lah ambik, kita kenal lah jalan balik rumah Che.." You know what was her reply ? "Tak boleh, orang jahat ramai!" (I was soooo jealous to see others walked home by themselveees, and sometimes with other frieeends, back at that time) -__-

Che was with us in almost all special occasions. Abah's birthday party, Umi's mother's day, small family's gathering, and even to our trips to masjid for kuliyah and tarawih, she will always included in our list. Every small things that we did, she will shout it from the rooftops. Well, it annoyed some people. huhu. Obviously, she was our biggest supporters. Since her house is more spacious (Read: No wifi), I used to study at her house for my big examinations. She will never fail to sleep before me. If only she slept before me, it was only because she accidentally slept. Anyone that knew my Che liked her very much. She was very easy to mingle with. One of my best friend's wedding shower was done at Che's house, and you know, she was the one who was more excited about that event! 

Tok Ayah's death affected her very much. She insisted to stay at her house although it was only for day-stay. She changed a lot. She became very secretive. And always talked about the same things everyday and we kept listening to the same stories all the time. Perhaps, she missed Tok Ayah a lot. Even if she rarely cooked after that, she never miss to ask us to buy groceries every month, and the most important; if only she cooked, she never forget to cook for us tooo (Ikan singgang is compulsory. Sometimes, there were up to three un-touched packed of them in the freezer). Haha

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I have always imagined Che on my wedding day (We always had a little fight when talking about marriage thing. Pfffft). I am at the saddest level that I have ever been now. But, realizing that she was in the better place, I could not be much happier. By this time, perhaps she has been re-united back with her long lost boy friend in the jannah. Insya Allah. According to Umi and Chu, Che went away in a very beautiful way. She even had her house clean and tidy before she asked them to bring her to the hospital. She was so calm.. her heartbeat was slowed gradually, and after one heavy breath, she closed her eyes. Forever.

Rest well Che. 

We shall meet again, soon.

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I would like to thank everyone who were there for me, since from the start I received the news. Friends who helped to send me off to the airport at 1 a.m., willing to wait for me at the airport until I safely went into the plane (My flight was at 7 a.m. It was the first flight), and to those who take time to deliver the message of condolences to my family and I, I would like to thank each one of you. May Allah bless! 

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Reclaiming myself

"What are you going to do this Ramadhan?"

"Bring myself closer to Him, Insya Allah" 

"Aww, bring me to Him tooooooo!" 

*Vomit a bucket*

Picture: During "Majlis Solat Hajat Perdana in Machang"

On the serious note, Alhamdulillah Ramadhan is approaching, again! Did anyone noticed that time is moving slightly faster now ? Or, is it only my illusions ? After all, it is so frightening T__T This time, last year I was in the final semester of my diploma years in Machang. It was a very hectic semester, I didn't manage to finish even half of my Quran. ......And, I am very regret for not doing so. As for this year, I 'll be having my first degree final examination starting from next week. Six papers guys, six papers :( & to make it more worst, they are all in Ramadhan. These few days, my mind is keep thinking on how can I get the most out of this holy month whilst dealing with my final examinations. I want to win both.......

We are all not so little anymore. The basic declaration of "I would not get to eat or drink from dawn to dusk for the entire month" is not reliable anymore. There is soooo much more about this month. What it means, what the blessings are like, and how heaven opens up its doors to us.... How can you guys are not excited about all these matters ? 

I have always think that Ramadhan should be fun. Through fasting, we help to increase our mental efficiency and can spend more time applying ourselves to helping those around us. Well, being generous is definitely an Islamic merit, but being generous in Ramadhan is even more highly rewarded guys! Sooooo basically, Ramadhan is not only about the food fiesta! Hehe. The most important, it gives us another opportunity to boost our spiritual. Basically, we are always unaware of our sins that we do everyday. Thus, this is the right time for us to start cleansing our hearts and seek for Allah's forgiveness in order to embrace this holy month. 

This year, I am not going the same mistake as last year anymore. I am not saying I failed badly during the last Ramadhan (Obviously, who want to grade themselves as failure?). It is like.. by the time I finally manage to adapt with the tight schedule, I realize it is the time to bid farewell. It was so disappointing. Soooooo, I want to do better this year! You know, I read a lot of articles regarding the preparations to celebrate Ramadhan on internet and books just to make sure that I have basic knowledge on what I should really do this month. Hehe.

Examination mode is still on. But, we always have to keep in mind that in the time of competing for our survival on this materialistic world, the race for paradise should never be forgotten. I tell you earlier, I want to win both. Of course, it takes a little effort a lot of hard works to get there. But, insya Allah with Allah's help, I am going to make the best of this month. Let's do this together. Amin :)

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How close are you with Him now ?

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