Family Day

Today is my hubby’s company – Daleel Petroleum Family Day. Today I just went there with my kids as my hubby was out of town n won’t be able to join us. We reached at the Oman Aviation Centre at 9.30am. Not many people arrived yet at that time. As usual after registration we got t-shirts, cap n our raffles coupon. We then proceeded for our breakfast.

There were many games n contests for the kids, ladies n man. Some of it such as the tallest guys, the person who have biggest belly n even the shortest guy. Ehem.. if my hubby was around, surely he will win this one.

Aina won for the lady who has the longest earring. Nabila won the prize for the most colourful shoes. Hakeem was complaining that he didn’t get any prizes. As for the volleyball, Haji’s team won the game. Laila n Aina participated in the singing show. Overall we were enjoying the games n shows.

The one that we were waiting for was the Lucky Draw. Every year we were not that very lucky. Everybody will win the prizes it’s just that the different what will u be getting. I still remember the 1st year we got Lulu voucher for 20 OMR, 2nd year was bread toaster n I was hoping that this last family day for us, we’ll be getting something interesting.

We waited n waited for our lucky number to be called. After a few number called Haji won a Samsung refrigerator. Then my hubby’s boss Sony home theatre. Then 21 inch flat TV, PSP, vacuum, hand phone n so on. This year all the prizes were electrical goods.

As other peoples who had won the prizes one by one slowly went off, we still were waiting for our number to be called. Huh.. I hate all this anxiety kind of feelings. Finally our lucky number 23 has been called. Nadira went to pick the number for the prizes. And we won Bosch food processor! Hehehe.. that’s for me.

Nadira was frustrated as she was hoping for a hand phone – Nokia N70 or Sony Ericson. Sorry.. Well at least we don’t have any problem to pack this. Just imagine if we got fridge or TV? Then we have to find people who want to buy it…

One Part Gone

Yesterday morning I went out with my girlfriends to Mutrah Souq. I always bought Oman’s souvenirs to friends, relatives in Malaysia but I have none for myself. So that’s why yesterday I went there to get something. We don’t have much time to spend coz had to rushed back to pick up kids from school but I n my friends managed to buy something nice.

When I came back home, I got the boxes that had been promised two days ago. I started packing things after lunch. I started with clothes n blankets. There goes three big boxes but I still have lots more to pack.

This morning I continued some more. In the afternoon around 3.00pm, I got call that the lorry is on the way to come n take my bedroom set. Oh dear.. I haven’t clear up everything yet. So.. u can just imagine.. since I have no choice n time I just dumped everything in the box.

At the moment while I’m typing this they are actually dismantling my cupboard n bed. Nabila went inside n asked what are they doing to our things? I said they are taking it all away. Then she asked where are we going to sleep then? I smile n said to her.. u guess?

Now my room is empty. Tomorrow my furniture in the living room will be taken away too. Now I feel a bit relieve to see part of my house has cleared. Meanwhile I just have to continue packing my stuffs. Lots of stuffs....

Clearing Up

I had a long list of items to be sold. I printed it out n showed to a few of my friends since last two days. Surprisingly all the are items almost sold out. I didn’t expect it to be so fast. Well.. I don’t know, either I am a good saleswoman or maybe all the items are damn cheap!

Yesterday morning my friend came to see n bought all the furniture from my living room. At night time, others came for some items from the kitchen. This morning I had sold my bedroom set. In another two days we’ll be sleeping on the floor.. hehehehehe.. as this person got very excited with the price n gave me the money immediately (I should have put a higher price then!!). In the afternoon all the items in Nadira’s room have been taken n then goes my TV n karaoke system plus some from the kitchen.

Isn’t it exciting.. when u can sell it all off easily. Mostly all the furniture n electrical goods had been used for 3 years. Some of them are still good n look like new. That’s why I am just selling it all out for a very cheap price. Our intention is not to bring any of those back home.

Now I am just waiting for the boxes that had been promised to be sent to me since yesterday. I can’t start anything yet until I get those boxes. Then I will be very busy.

The Feelings

My hubby just got the date for his last day at the company. He told me we can go back to Malaysia the day after. I said WHAT?? He must be kidding.. I mean it’s so soon. I don’t want to leave Oman that soon. I still want to stay here a bit longer.. Please..

This morning the moving/packing company came to our house to see what need to be done. I asked them to bring at least 20 boxes for me this evening. Then I can start packing my clothes, books n etc. According to them since I am not bringing any of my bulky items all the packing can be done within 2-3 hours.. Hmm… of course I won’t believe it!

But whatever it is, all the things have to be cleared up as soon as possible. Sometimes I have to pinch myself just to make sure that I am not dreaming. Is this real? That I am going? Well.. I do feel excited at first but now I just like couldn’t believe that it is happening.

Now I am so sad n miserable. So sad of having the thought of leaving Oman especially my friends. Knowing now that I don’t have much time left to be with them. How I wish I could turn back the clock. So that we can have a trip to places that we never went before. So that we can still do things that we had planned before. How I wish..

But Allah had intended it to be this way. We meet n part.

The moments

The whole day yesterday was the day my family n our usual close friends gathered around for some activities. The activity started non-stop from morning till night.

We started with our bowling session. I am not a good bowler though so it’s quite competitive to be in the same group with all the ‘pros’. I did well in the beginning but towards the end I seemed to lost focus n concentration. Haji as usual lead the game but he did had a though fight with my hubby. But in the end surprisingly our Lady Lyn came to be the winner!

As for the kids Aida the pro n the undisputable champion beat others easily. Later on we drove to Mawaleh to have our lunch at our favourite restaurant Mandi rice. Then we dropped by to Hj Amin’s house for solat n tea.

We went back home after that to have a rest then went out again to Al-Thaiba after maghrib. The Muscat Festival had already started in Oman. This is a yearly event that we never want to miss out. Even though it’s the same things n same place every year, still we looking forward n love to go there.

There are a few places that run the event for this year. So we choose the one at Al-Thaiba. It has the bazaar selling foods n clothes mostly from the Arab’s country. We were surprised to see the Thailand’s food stall n regretted that we already had eaten Pakistani n Turkish foods. Maybe next time we can come again n try it.

After that all the kids were enjoying themselves with the rides there. There were only two rides that seem to be challenging n thrilling for the big kids. Meanwhile the small little tots like Nabila, Zaid, Haiqal, Rasyad n Aleesya (sadly Hakeem already dozed off) had rides which suit for their age.

We ended our night at 11.30pm. On the way back home I was thinking to myself. These are the same activities that we always have among us, our friends. There is nothing much actually in Oman here. And we still keep doing n going to the same places all the time.

But we never get bored n tired. It’s not really the ‘things’ that we r doing but actually the moments n times that we spent together. The planning, trips, excitement n the minute that we shared together with our friends that matter n means a lot.

The bond has getting stronger n stronger day by day between us. We are just like family n be part in each other’s life. I will surely miss all the time that we had together. And it will always be treasure in my life.

I have to stop here. I just can’t continue anymore as I am too emotional n crying at the moment.

Running Out Of Time

I have liked another 25 days to be in Oman. Yes.. not joking. By end of Feb I n my family will be leaving Oman for good. It’s not like we had been kicked out from the country but my hubby got an offer to work in another country. Unfortunately he’s not bringing us with him..

I was jumping happy when my hubby broke this news. But now I have all kind of different feelings. Happy, excited, sad, miserable n shocking. It was all so sudden. We anticipate that this going to happen at least latest by June. But now everything like in hurry. I have thousands list of things to do.

First I have to clear up things in my house here. Mover/packing people will be coming maybe on Sunday. Then I have to start giving or selling away all my furniture n electrical goods. Then also our two cars that needed to be sold ASAP. Oh dear.. I just don’t know where to begin.

Once settle here in Oman then other things in Malaysia waiting for us. Our house back there is still not in a liveable state. Nothing has been done yet. And meanwhile we have to temporary rent a house. Application for my kids’ school. Lots lots of things to do.

I think I have to take things slowly. Sit down; take a deep breath n list down what needed to be done. Actually my brain now is non continuously thinking n working of what to do next n next! In the mean time I hope I can survive...

Idle

It’s raining now in Muscat. It’s drizzling actually. Since I came back from Alor Setar (which always complained of the hot weather there) I am like staying in the igloo in my house here. IT IS SO COLD. I was wearing jacket all the time plus socks like orang lepas pantang.. My mood is freezing dull! Nothing really interests me since I came back here. HELP!!

I have no mood to clean up my house, to cook (but I still did or else my kids will be starving) even to go out for outing. I even have no idea what to blog about. What a pathetic person I’ve turned to now!

I hope this won’t be last long. I just need a little more time (I hope so) to move my butt to make my life more energetic.

Home Sweet Home

Nabila-Hakeem-Lyana

I am back to my home in Oman. Safely arrived early morning today. Gladly to see my hubby waited for us at the airport at 5.00am. Currently the weather is very cold. It was 16deg Celsius when I arrived this morning.

I have already started missing the moments spent with my family back in Kedah. My kids were very happy n looking forward to be back there again to see their Tok Ayah, Paksu Boy, Pak Mir family, Piqah, Danny, Mak Yan n many more.

Insyaalah we will be going back again to Malaysia during our summer holiday. Tomorrow my kids will be start schooling n same goes to my routine here....

A Day In Danok, Thailand

Today I went to Danok, Thailand. It is about 45min drive from my house. We departed from our house at 10.00am after having breakfast at Zam Zam Restaurant (nasi mamak lah..). Along our journey my brother, Boy stopped by at Jitra introduced me which seems to be the-best-delicious drinks. You can just order any drink n it taste so good.

I love to drink teh ais n very choosy in selecting shops that sell this particular drink. So when I see this stall I was saying to myself it couldn’t be that good. And I was wrong. The teh ais was really ‘kau’. According to my bro, this place was so famous and this pakcik really made money selling drinks only. He can easily made RM1k a day. Unbelievable right? But to be honest the teh ais memang sedap… memang kau…

Later on we proceeded to Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration then to Danok. I’ve not been there for so long. We normally go to Hadnyai n just passed by this town along our journey. But after the bombing we had stopped going to Hadnyai for 2 years or else it will always be our yearly vacation destination.

Nowadays Danok town seems not to be so lively as before. Not so many shops opened n not so many people as well. My dad n bro as usual had a foot massage while me n kids went on for shopping. Not so many choices but the kids seem to enjoy the place. One thing that they couldn’t stand was the weather. It was so very hot n Nadira was almost fainted.

(my bro favourite - lidah goreng serai & the green leaves are pucuk daun petai - taste n smell like petai!)

Soon after that we had our lunch. The super-yummy Thailand’s food. We definitely ordered our favourite tomyam, ikan siakap tiga rasa n more. Hmm… memang sedap.. We then ended our trip by indulging ourselves – grooming session! My brother n dad had the manicure n ear cleaning while Nadira n myself had our hair washed. Meanwhile Nabila was busied with the camera taking our photos. If u looked at the price u won’t believe it!

My Old Man

I didn’t realize that today is already Wednesday. That means I had been back to Alor Setar for 4 days. Times just fly so fast. I still have lots of things to do. Nadira was unwell since we arrived here. So it’s quite difficult to drag her here n there as she’s always in a bad mood. For Nabila n Hakeem they would just prefer to stay at home rather than being outside as the weather is a bit hot n humid.

This morning I just came back from visiting my mom’s graveyard. I went there with my dad. Today he looked so happy n jovial which make my heart smile. I was worried before this as he appeared to be so down n upset. His mind seems to be drifted away. Whenever we had conversations even if my brothers were around, he seemed not to be there with us.

I know something has disturbed him n I know what it is. I just feel sorry for him. It breaks my heart to see him sad. But I am so helpless. I can’t do much which actually I can’t do anything at all. Even though physically I look as I am not interested in helping him but I never stop praying to Allah that He will always protect n help my dad.

I just miss my old man. The father that I used to know. The one that always look smart, handsome n cheerful. I will do my best to please n make him happy. Maybe this visit will be my last one so I don’t want any regrets. I love him so much n I just want him to be happy.

Anyway.. I have another three days more to be here. I hope my dad’s happy face that I saw this morning will stay there forever.

The Temptation

Today early in the morning (not early actually for Malaysian time) me, Nabila n my dad went out to settle a few matters. We managed to sort out all before noon. We left Hakeem n Nadira at home which I believed were still sleeping. Nabila who couldn't stand the heat kept whining wanted to get back home to be with her brother. The weather was hot, humid n we were started sweating – something that we never had for so long in Oman.

We had our lunch today at Rukun Tetangga (jangan marah ye hubby..). I managed to gather my cousins Daniah , Eeqmal n also Kak Yan to join the lunch. The foods of course were so good. If u love Chinese food for lunch then u should try here.

We then ended our lunch with desert at Rojak 'BA'. I called him Ba as in Chinese it means uncle. He was there since my schooling day. I still remembered every evening when I cycled to tuition, I n my friends will always stop by for our favourite sengkuang with the rojak paste. Now this Ba who I only know his name today - Ah Seng still there at the same spot. He’s still healthy n his rojak n sengkuang is still the same. Nyam... Nyam...



Oh dear.. I had just started my one week intensive work-out n now I am intensively non-stop eating. IT’S NOT FAIR!! But I just can’t resist the temptation to eat all my favourite foods here. I still have long list what to eat n where to eat..

Safely Arrived in Alor Setar

I n my kids had safely arrived at KLIA around 2pm. Everybody were tired due to the long journey. We waited at the airport about six hours for our next flight to Alor Setar – 7.55pm. We reached Sultan Abdul Halim Airpot at 9pm.

I was so happy to see my father n brothers at the airport. We then headed to our favourite place for dinner – Nasi Royale. This is ‘a must’ place that I always go every time I in Alor Setar.

It’s a nasi lemak mamak with a mixture of curry gravy. It’s so delicious finger licking good. I’ve tried many mamak foods before but no one can beat this! Even my hubby fell in love with this food for the first time I introduced to him. And surprisingly Hakeem n Nabila love n finished the rice tonight as well!

We then headed back to the house. When I entered the house it reminded me a lot of my mom. And I miss her so much. How I wish she is still around.

Check-Out

I am leaving Oman tonight to go back to Malaysia for some personal matter. I’ll be away for a week. Delightedly to see my family in Kedah but at the same time sadly to leave my hubby alone behind.

I hope that I will have a safe journey n everything will be fine back there. With all the news that happened in Malaysia especially the latest one about kidnapping, it made me scared n traumatic when think about it.

Anyway stay put everybody n will be updating soon.

p/s: Take care hubby..

Why Woman Loves Shopping

You just wonder n don’t know why woman loves n spend so much time on shopping until u actually follow them. The age does not makes any different to all these women when comes to shopping. The desire n excitements are all the same! But we are definitely good at this.

We do feel sorry to all the man out there (husband, fiancé, bf) who sometimes just can’t stand tailing their partner going inside one shop to another shop. But u guys have to know that we have reasons. Here are the facts.

There are many factors that we have to look during shopping. For instance, there are woman going shopping coz they want to buy shirts or maybe want to buy something for the room. Or maybe some woman goes shopping to release their stress. Maybe they were having fight with the husband or boyfriend or even maybe because they just love shopping! But trust me whatever cause behind it – women shop for all sorts of reasons.

Men do go shopping too but not as ‘extreme’ as woman. Woman could go for shopping for hours n even hop from one Mall to another Mall! Forget about the aching foot or leg as long as we get what we want at the end of the day.

It’s tough to be a woman right? We have to keep up with the latest fashions or else we’ll be outdated. And because of that we have to continuously shopping so that our partner will be proud of us. So don’t blame us if we shop like crazy. We just want to make u happy (stop buzzing.. just carry the shopping bags for me!)

Man says: “If u want to go shopping why do u have to buy so many things? The answer is when a man buy a shoe he will thinks: “This shoe can go with my tailored pants n also with jeans. So settle”

But when a woman buys a shoe she thinks: “I will buy this high heels but it doesn’t goes well with my levi’s skirt. In that case I have to buy the sandal as well. But if I want to wear with my MNG t-shirt I need a different kind of shoe. So… I will buy another shoe for this as well!”

So got the point? As for me.. I was naturally born to love shopping n I love it most during sales! When I shop, I don't just buy the first thing I like, because I know when I walk into another store, it will be there for half that price. I have many different ideas for every shopping that I need. It depends on the things that I want to buy. It makes me feel better too if I have had a rough day.

There is something about spending money versus leaving it in your bank account....

Selamat Menyambut Maal Hijrah

Doa Akhir Tahun dibaca 3 kali pada akhir waktu Asar atau sebelum masuk waktu Maghrib pada akhir bulan Zulhijjah. Sesiapa yang membaca doa ini, Syaitan berkata
"Kesusahan bagiku dan sia-sia lah pekerjaanku menggoda anak Adam pada setahun ini dan Allah binasakan aku satu saat jua. Dengan sebab membaca doa ini, Allah ampunkan dosanya setahun"

Doa Awal Tahun dibaca 3 kali selepas maghrib pada malam satu Muharram. Sesiapa yang membaca doa ini, Syaitan berkata
"Telah amanlah anak Adam ini daripada godaan pada tahun ini kerana Allah telah mewakilkan dua Malaikat memeliharanya daripada fitnah Syaitan"

Maal Hijrah which is also called Awal Muharram is an important day for muslim. It falls on the first day of Muharram on every Muslim calendar year which is the first day on muslim calendar.

The meaning of Maal Hijrah in English is migration. On this day, Muslim remember Nabi Muhammad S.A.W migrate from Mecca to Madinah on the year 622 A.D. Maal Hijrah also mean changes from bad to good side and can be said as starting point and evaluate inner-self on self achievement.

This evening before Maghrib we gathered with our friends to perform doa akhir tahun followed by solat maghrib n doa awal tahun. This is our yearly routine that we never missed since we came to Oman.

Later on we had our makan-makan session. Food were so good n delicious. Thank you so much for Haji Zunaidi for always being our Tok Imam n also the wives for the yummy cooked food. Semuanya licin.. The session end with upacara memotong kek sempena ulangtahun Rohimi.

I would like to wish all the muslim people Selamat Menyambut Maal Hijrah. May this starting point of the new year give us good health n blessing by Allah S.W.T.

Am I being 'antique' or 'etiquette'?

Do u really need an etiquette in talking to someone using YM, MSN or phone SMS? As for me I feel I do. It is hard to tell the reaction or outcome when u communicate with someone without looking at the person’s face. An expression on the face tells everything.

But in this current world situation the cheapest n easiest way to communicate is thru this modern technology – internet. If u r not into it u r like living in another century. I used to communicate with my friends, brothers n relatives thru YM. When I ‘talk’ to them I type the words exactly like what I wanted to say… plain n straightforward.

But when I looked at my daughters language when they chatting with their friends – it’s so unacceptable. When I asked them do you have to say those words to your friends – they say it’s a NORM thing mom.. n I said do u say 'I love u' to all the people? And they said they just said it n didn’t mean it at all. And what about those sign that are like , n lots more that u said to people?

You know what they said to me – come on mom.. don’t take those so literally. I said of course I take what I get n if that kind of sign u’re giving to an adult like me I will of course think u meant it. Well.. at the end they all got a long lectures from me!

I am not trying to be paranoid or a kind of ‘old-fashioned’ here. But I believe whatever u say or type n if u don’t mean it, please at the first place don’t start it. The same thing goes if u send SMS thru phone.

If u type something wrongly with missing words or even question marks, it could mean something else. But it is still depends who is the recipient. If u used to communicate with that person then maybe the person is used to your style.

I myself even had experienced typing misleading sms to people. And even send it to wrong people! It’s so risky n I swear that I never want it to happen again.. With the current super advance technology that we have now, we don’t want to be left out. We might as well make full use of it n of course with precautions.

This morning I sent sms to my father with an expectation of overwhelming reply. But indeed he replied with a question that struck me for a moment. I tried to take it positive. Maybe the question is just a concern n not a rejection. I can’t see his face n expression but deep inside me I know that he didn’t mean it.

Well.. if my daugthers read this they surely put me in the 'antique' category.. sorry girls