Small Things Can Make A Big Difference

A week ago, I received a lovely surprise note from somebody that I respect so much. I felt that I have done nothing great to receive this kind of gratitude from her.

In our life, unexpected moments can sometimes make us feel good with ourselves. And syukur Alhamdullilah, the little small thing that I have done can make others happy. Here the story begins....

I love to cook. If you ask anybody that knows me, they will tell you that my passion is cooking and baking. I don't just cook for myself, or family, but I love to invite friends coming over to my house to try out my food or sometimes send food to them. 

Since I was small, I always see my mom busying in the kitchen cooking and baking. There were always visitors in our home. My relatives and my parent's friends always complimented my mom's cooking. Everybody loved it.My mom never get tired of cooking and entertaining people. 

She was not 'somebody' or a well known person, but just an ordinary woman with a big heart. I have grown up learning and seeing all these things. When I got married, this kind of spirit naturally flows into me. I always cook and invite my relatives or friends to join us. I am lucky as my hubby shares the same spirit. 

It's like a routine; there will be at least one guest coming over to our house once a week or two. Sometimes I will share my cooking/baking dishes with my friends by sending over to their home. It feels incomplete if we don't do this 'routine'. If you ask me - why do I have to do all these things? I have no answer for it. I just feel good doing all this routine, especially looking at the happy faces after eating my food. That is what makes me happy the most.

A couple of weeks ago, I cooked Laksa Utara. While cooking, I remembered this one special person. I sent a full set of Laksa to her house for her lunch as I remembered a day before we were having a chat about this Laksa Utara. I know her husband and she love it.

To my surprise, a few days later she returned back the laksa container with this special note. 

I was so touched when reading it. It was nothing special that I have done but just sharing something that I cooked with others. Something that I always do and love doing it. 

This story and letter could be nothing to others but it means so much to me. Not that I am always expecting reward for each deed that I do but sometimes these kind of notes can just make my day.

To this special lady, Datin Musrifah, who is the wife of Malaysian Ambassador in Sultanate of Oman - thank you so much for the lovely thoughtful note. You are such a special person with kind good heart. You are the best person who I happened to meet - many love and thanks!

"We won't always know whose lives we touched and made better for our having cared, because actions sometimes have unforeseen ramifications. What's important is that you do care and you act." - Charlotte Lunsford.

Cinta oh Cinta...

Memang indah kalau dikenangkan saat mula bercinta. Semuanya indah belaka. Kalau gi dating sure sentiasa nak pimpin tangan. Cakap pun lembut2 dan control ayu dan macho je. Kalau makan pun mesti nak kongsi2. Kalau tengah makan ada nasi atau cili terselit kat bibir atau gigi, nampak cute je pasangan kita tu.. Pastu.. suka buat joke nak kasi pasangan tu gelak. Walaupun joke bodoh.. tapi disebabkan sayang nampak lawak je.

Pastu apa yang pasangan tu buat semuanya okay dan beri sokongan. Apa saja perubahan pasangan itu pasti akan nampak - contohnya kalau dah tukar gaya rambut ke.. baju atau kasut baru ke.. Sure akan notice kan?  Then kalau pasangan tu masak ke... buat apa2 ke.. sure akan mendapat pujian.. Part yang paling best kalau merajuk je.. sure akan dapat pujuk.. kalau dapat bunga lagi ah kembang hati pasangan tu.. Gurau senda memang manis je waktu ni... 

Haih... itu semua masa tengah hangat bercinta. Masa awal bercinta atau masa berkahwin..

Ini pulak bila cinta dah tak hangat atau suam2 kuku..

Kalau keluar dating (jarang ah kut pun) jalan jauh2.. kalau rapat sangat rasa rimas. Kalau pegang lama2 lengan takut rosak baju dipakai atau lenguh tangan pasangan tu, Kalau jalan terhegeh2 kena jerkah. Kalau makan selekeh2 sememeh siap ah.. kena kutuk! Kalau buat lawak yang tak lawak memang cari pasal ah..

Kalau tetiba pasangan ada minat baru, kena nengok dulu samada dapat approval tak.. Kalau pasangan gunting rambut or pakai baju baru ke.. takyah ah nak mengharap pasangan tu notice. Kalau masak sedap2 ke.. juga tak payah ah mengharap pujian. Masak je apa pun.. makan tetap makan.. 

Merajuk? Tak payah buang masa.. buang karan je! Bunga? Tunggu ah kalau ada mood baru kut pasangan tu bagi.. 

Itulah senario CINTA. Mungkin mudah untuk mencari cinta tapi sukar untuk kekalkan nya.Cinta harus sentiasa disemai dan dijaga supaya ia sentiasa mekar. Jika ia layu pasti tiada lagi kewangian dan keindahannya.

Cintailah pasangan kita sementara dia masih ada. Hargailah pasangan kita sementara dia masih disisi kita.  Cintailah dengan penuh keikhlasan kerana cinta yang ikhlas adalah cinta yang paling murni.

p/s: Ini adalah cerita cinta biasa yang  tidak ada kaitan dengan sesiapa yang saya kenali.

Table Top Sales

Last Thursday for the first time, I got involved in the Table Top Sales in Muscat. This is actually like a car boot sale except you sell your things on the tables given. I and my friend shared one table slot. There were 50 tables involved and the event started at 8.00am.

As this is my first time (in my life too actually!), I didn't really know what to expect. I just did some survey from my friends who have involved before. There were actually lots of things in my house that I want to get rid but I just don't know where to start.

As for this event, I started with my children's clothes. There were two big plastics of their clothes that were stored so long. The clothes still looked new as my children just grow up so fast and blame me their mom that also just couldn't stop buying clothes for them.

I have brought probably around 50 pieces of clothes plus some toys and shoes. I came 30 minutes earlier to set up the table. People started coming as early as 8.00 am. For the first 15min, people just looked and passed by our stall without buying anything. Later on my friend got his first item sold - Ferrari baby car seat. Arrghh.. maybe clothes were not the hot items here but I saw there were piles of clothes and shoes sold opposite  my table.

After 5min I got my first sale. Yeehaaa.. and after that I was just busied selling my things as people continuously stopping at our stall. Alhamdullilah I and my friend had our items almost cleared around 10.30am. We waited another hour and we had sold almost 95% of our items!

I felt so happy as I reached my target. This kind of event does not actually helps the low income crowd to get a branded/quality items but also helping the seller getting rid of the unwanted items.

I have sold all my items mostly to the housemaids and general labor workers. Each time when I sold my items, I felt like I had done something good. It was not about making profit here. I want to get rid of my unwanted items and at the same time I want to make others happy getting something that are still new with a very low price.

Boeing Readers Cup Challenge

My daughter Nabila, has been selected to represent her school for the Boeing Readers Cup Challenge. This is a yearly program run by The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature . All schools around the Gulf participate in this event.

There are four students in a team from her school. Each team from the participated schools will compete against each other in quiz format. Each team will be given four books to read and 20 questions on each book has to be answered by each student during one hour.

Fuuhh.. Nabila has gone through this first stage. She said the questions were very easy and straight forward. Now we are just waiting for the result to be announced whether her school will qualify for the next round.

However despite whether they will qualify to the next round or not, the school will still bring the children to the festival which will be held at the Intercon, Dubai. This will be a fantastic experience and great exposure to the children. During the festival, the children will have a chance to meet the famous author from all over the world. I think this is awesome and Nabila is so looking forward to this event.

Nabila loves to read. She started reading at the age of 4 1/2 years old and never stop till now. She is now 10 years old and already reading the young adults thick book! She sometimes can finish a book in a day. I have to always buy new books for her. The major problem in Muscat here is getting a good suitable book for her to read. I sometimes have to go to Dubai or Malaysia to buy books for her.

She must always have one book in her hand. I don't want to stop this good habit of her as reading really helps her in her literacy. I always get very good remarks from her literacy's teacher. When she was 8 years old, her teacher came to me and said that Nabila's mind was like a sponge. Whatever she sees and read, it will be captured and remain there forever.

This morning, I met her literacy's teacher. Nabila scored the highest mark in her literacy's assessment. The teacher, Miss Briston is very impressed on how she writes the essay. She said "it is so unbelievable that at her age she can write and produce an excellent writing. She is now at the top rank of the year 5 and above the level"

There were tears in my eyes when I hear that. I am a proud mother. You have really make me proud of you, Nabila and today I am the happiest mother on earth. Thank you Allah.

Kisah Nasi Lemak

Nasi lemak buah bidara

Sayang selasih hamba lurutkan

Buang emak buang saudara

Kerana kasih hamba turutkan

That is the pantun melayu related to Nasi Lemak but what I am going to talk about is not related at all to the pantun above :) . My version of nasi lemak pantun will be at the end of my post. So please keep reading!

My family loves to eat nasi lemak including me! Nasi lemak has been a branding name for Malaysian food. If you go to any place in Malaysia, you can easily find Nasi Lemak. You can have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner - anytime of the day. Nasi lemak is a traditional Malay cuisine where the fragrant rice is cooked in coconut milk. It is served with "sambal" or chili paste, slice cucumber, anchovies and hard boiled egg.

I call that the very basic Nasi Lemak. Some people just couldn't get enough with that basic side dish will add up fried chicken, chicken rendang, sambal kerang, paru or whatever they like to suit their taste buds. Nasi lemak also served in various ways. You can have Nasi Lemak served on the plate along with the side dishes or a pack Nasi Lemak that is wrapped nicely in a piece of paper with banana leaves that will look like a cone.

Nowadays you can hardly find it as probably because the shortage of banana leaves or people just find it is messy and tedious to do it. As for me, I love this pack Nasi Lemak. The banana leaves give a nice fragrant that make your nasi lemak more delicious.

A few months back, I have started to learn how to pack this Nasi lemak. Mind you.. it is not that easy as you see as it needs practice and skills! My first attempt making Nasi Lemak bungkus made for my family was a success! I made quite a lot that all of us ate and finished it the whole day.

Nasi Lemak Cik Intan

After that slowly friends in Muscat here got to know about this Nasi Lemak bungkus have requested and ordered to buy from me. Well.. from there I gain more confidence in doing it as people tend to like it.  Initially I used the normal newspaper but seems I have to sell it to people, I have to buy the brown paper that specially brought from Malaysia. Along with that I also have to get the anchovies from Malaysia.

Business goes very well as i got ordered continuously with at least minimum of 50 packs. Alhamdullilah.. As orders got frequents, I got better in packing the Nasi Lemak. The part that worried me if I have run out of anchovies and sometimes banana leaves. I get banana leaves supply from one of the supermarket here and so far I have no problem in that.

Many asked me what is the secret of my delicious Nasi Lemak? My secret are, when you cook something, don't be stingy in all the ingredients. Cook as if you cook for your family. Cook with love and everybody who eats your food will fall in love with it too!

As promised.. here is my version of Nasi Lemak pantun :

Nasi lemak buah bidara

Sayang selasih hamba lurutkan

Nasi lemak Cik Intan jadi bual bicara

Sekali rasa pasti dalam ingatan

Stylin Betty

Being the only girl in the family, my mom always spoiled me with beautiful clothes. She loved to buy me clothes to ensure that I always look nice and pretty. I guess because of that I am now very particular on what I am wearing even on day to day basis.

I am not going to talk about fashion of clothes now as it will take pages but just to highlight on "tudung" or hijab. I've started wearing hijab 9 years ago. The first time I wore it was just a plain square scarves. It was a hit at that time. I manged to learn and fashion it to suit my attire. I on and on buying more scarves with various patterns and colors.


After a while, the fashion of tudung has gradually changed. From a square scarves, I changed to a shawl - this I only survived for a while as I found it was so difficult for me to style it. Gave up on it I moved to tudung bawal. I have devoted to this tudung for quite long. I love this tudung bawal as it was very easy to style it. I had full range of colors and design.


Probably after a couple of years, the market was hit with "tudung ekin". When I was back for a holiday in Malaysia, I found almost everybody on the street wore it. Not to be left out, of course I started buying one and two for a start. I immediately fell in love with it! This tudung is the easiest one to wear and even to style it.

And me, the woman with "sense of fashion" hahahahha... fill my wardrobe with full range of colors and designs of this tudung. I have different kind of colors from various brand, material and patterns. Gosh. if I were to count, I guess all are more than 100 pieces.

The transition of me from one style to another! 

Though the tudung ekin is the most reliable to me so far, still I always feel that I want to try out another style. Nowadays if I were to flip through the magazines, I will definitely feel out of date with my current style. To change a style of tudung is a major thing as it will change and reflects our personality. I cannot style out the tudung like youngsters that I will be looking awkward. I am also do not want to be looking like makcik2.

6 months ago, again I have changed my style of tudung. I still don't have many collections of it but still happy and manage to style it. Yesterday I cleaned up my tudung wardrobe. There are many tudung ekin still hanging nicely there and some are still new that I forgot to wear it! Oh dear.. such a bad girl I am!

Well.. blame the trends that just blow faster than the bullet train. Not that I am the fashion victim here but just someone that wants to be stylish where at the same time be trendy. I just want to wake up in the morning and put on the clothes that will make me smile and boost up my day.

"Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live."

— Gianni Versace

The New "Me"

First of all.. PLEASE DO IGNORE AND EXCUSE my previous post. I somehow just cannot leave my precious blog here.

A week ago, my girlfriend inquired me on how to create a new blog. When asked why did she want to have a new one as she already has one, she said that she has to create a new one as she could no longer have picture on her post. Taaraa.. same problem like mine!

Before I met her, I made some research on it and surprisingly, blogspot now allows you to add pictures directly from the Picasa Web Albums. I did this before but in a 'traditional' way which I had to open a few windows tab to copy and paste the link. It was so messy and got gave up which that was why I created a new blog!

Well now.. I am a happy blogger. I managed to find the solution and can continue blogging here. I am so use to the blogspot that I wouldn't want to change to any other platform.

I hope all of you who I believe still pop in to this blog, will still continue reading my rambling and chatting here.

This is the new "Me" - Scritch & Scratch