Dua Puluh Dua Puluh

Hello from 2020! The year we once thought we'd see flying cars and at least one of us in the secondary school group that'd be married. So, there are no flying cars to be seen yet buttttt the good news is not one but TWO of my secondary school friends are getting married in the first quarter of 2020! Couldn't be any happier for both Airina and Haziq yang akan mendirikan masjid bersama pasangan masing2.  Much has happened since the last update and that just makes life an interesting journey with unexpected surprises in between. 

Here's hoping to an awesome start to the decade with lots of room for improvement. May He ease it for us all and grant our prayers.

Uneasy

I haven't had the inspiration to write for some time now. It's most probably the uneasiness that I've been feeling since last December and how I've allowed my emotions to get the best of me. I am still learning to improve on this ; investing too much feelings in friendships and relationships. It is ingrained in me to love deeply and that is the root cause of me feeling out of control when I am disappointed by those who cannot accept me for who I am. 

Upon returning from the spiritual journey, I've felt this sense of calmness that I've never experienced before. I didn't get anxious like I used to ;  My best friends can probably vouch how I used to get extremely nervous about anything and everything like hyperventilating or have palpitations before a big event like an interview or a stage performance or attending a gathering that I wasn't comfortable with. I've learnt that to a certain extent, things in life are beyond my control. Yes, I can put in the effort but the outcome can sometimes be disappointing.

I learnt to look at it from a different perspective. What if the outcome that I was disappointed in is actually directing me towards something way better for me in the long run? Something that we humans have no knowledge of, one that is only known to our Rabb.

I learnt the proper meaning of Tawakkul ; to have faith that whatever He plans for us is the best of plans. Although there are times when we feel so out of control of our own life, remember that He created us and understands us the best so why would He put us through something that would only bring us harm? I am thankful for the people He has taken out of my life as that was probably the answer to my Duas made in the Holy Land. Although I may not understand why He decided to do that, He is afterall the best of planners. 

As a human being, we tend to forget as that is our nature as an insan. I may write this today and a couple of months down the road forget it all over again. May this serve as a reminder to myself first and foremost and whoever else in need of this.

May we always be protected, guided and surrounded by those loved by Him. 

Make the Ordinary Come Alive

Make the Ordinary Come Alive

Do not ask your children

to strive for extraordinary lives.

Such striving may seem admirable,

but it is a way of foolishness.

Help them instead to find the wonder

and the marvel of an ordinary life. 

Show them the joy of tasting

tomatoes, apples and pears.

Show them how to cry

when pets and people die.

Show them the infinite pleasure

in the touch of a hand.

And make the ordinary come alive for them.

The extraordinary will take care of itself.

Ancient Advice for Modern Parents

by William Martin

A post I stumbled upon on Instagram that I feel should be the guide for me when I one day become a parent insyaAllah 

The Days Leading Up To Her Departure Part I

Around this time four years ago, my mother was in the last few weeks of her life. I remember those days clearly. I would cry myself to sleep because I couldn't take the heartache that came with it. I had to mentally prepare myself to a future without her by my side, yet, there was this voice at the back of my head telling me that I shouldn't be pessimistic about it, that I should have faith that she would win the battle just like she did when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. My mother on the other hand was such a fighter, never once did she shed a tear despite the pain she had to go through. She told me that God was generous enough to lend her thirteen extra years to see me grow into a young lady so every single day was a bonus for her.  

Only a selected few people knew about her illness when it recurred in June 2012. It was my mother's request not to tell anyone as she didn't have the energy to entertain guests at home. We could no longer keep it under the covers when we were unable to travel down to JB for Hari Raya Puasa celebrations in late August so we had to inform our family that Mum went for an operation (no mention of the big C). We were blessed to have close family and relatives who came to visit  us throughout the month of Aidilfitri as they were worried about her condition. Mum was her usual self ; ever so jovial and concerned of others that there was barely any mention of her sickness. 

As chemotherapy was not an option, we opted for alternative treatments however the cancer was too aggressive and in a matter of four to five months, she was skin and bones due to her inability to consume solid food. Having to travel to these healing centres for treatment left her exhausted and debilitated. She didn't allow me to take any photographs of her saying "wait until I'm better...we'd take all the photos we want in the world". 

I considered deferring my semester so I could spend more time with her but she wasn't supportive of the idea so I juggled studies, caring for her and trying my best to accompany her to the hospital whenever my schedule permits. I remember this particular day when she went in for a nephrostomy procedure where the doctors inserted a stent into her kidneys so that the tubes drain the urine into a bag (we called it her "Gucci and Chanel" bags) as she had ascites (fluid retention in the abdominal area). I had a class I could not miss, F7 Financial Reporting to be exact. I cried silently while holding on to my phone in the lecture theatre while listening to Ms Santha explaining about an IAS for three freaking hours! Gosh what was I thinking? Should have just skipped the class. Right after the class ended, I ran to the foyer waiting for dad to pick me up and head to the hospital. I was relieved of all that anxiety upon entering the room and seeing Mum smile and say "do you like my new bags?". 

To be continued.... *too much tears just recalling those days*

Note :  I contemplated on writing this post for some time now, reason being I didn't want people to think that I'm not over my mother's death and that I'm living in the past but then I thought of every single family member of a cancer patient out there who might need to read about my experience and know that they're not alone in this journey of providing care and support for their loved ones. Feel free to email me if you'd like to share your stories. Sending love and support to you.

Always stay humble and kind

"Your kind words and actions will go into the history books of someone's life"

Every time my kind gestures are not reciprocated in the way that I expect it to be, I try to understand the other person's circumstances. That person was probably not brought up with the same values as I was so it is unfair for me to expect him or her to act in a certain way. I know I know... we all tend to get all frustrated when we're facing this situation but hey let's train ourselves to see the good in others ok?

 For some of us, it's common courtesy to smile to a stranger, hold the door for the person behind us, to allow others to exit a lift/train before entering, help an elderly person who seems to be struggling, to text a person asking if he/she has arrived home safely etc unfortunately some of these actions are misinterpreted as an attempt to flirt.

I once received a comment from a relative saying "minat kat orang tu ke?" when he overheard me wishing Selamat Hari Raya to this poor guy who was working at a petrol station on the first day of Raya. I couldn't comprehend the comment as to me that wish could have made the cashier feel appreciated especially on a day like Hari Raya. Some of these comments that people make are unnecessary and can hurt a person's feelings. If you have nothing nice to say, it's best not to say anything at all.

A simple act of kindness does wonders especially on days when things aren't going our way. Be kind to each and every person you encounter (or at the very least try to) as we're all fighting battles others might not know about. It doesn't hurt to be kind, that's for sure.

We need more songs that carry a message like this one

Down Memory Lane

22nd September 2016

It's one of those nights when I revisit songs from the secondary school era to accompany my late night study sessions. This time round I chanced upon the song Pupus on Youtube and you know how one ends up listening to the rest of the songs in the artiste's repertoire. During my early teenage years, I was very much into Indonesian bands like Dewa 19, Sheila on 7, Peterpan, Kerispatih, Samsons, Letto, Nidji etc.

In fact, the first outdoor stadium concert that I was allowed to attend was one by Peterpan at Stadium Merdeka a decade ago when I was 14. It rained cats and dogs on the day of the concert that we were drenched by the end of the night.  I kept the nearly damaged ticket to mark the beginning of my concert going days (siap sellotape balik elok elok okay!).

Once's vocals can melt the hearts of ladies out there

The sound of the Mandolin and the lyrics <3 

These were the songs that slowly sparked my interest in lyric writing (first) then songwriting. I remember writing lyrics on the blank page of my exam papers while waiting for the exams to end. I had to erase it off before handing in the papers for marking. Those were the days of cheesy 'cinta monyet' lyrics I wrote based on my friends' love stories. Imagine having your BM or English language teacher reading those unrelated stuff on the last page of the exam sheets they hand out to students. Malu weih! *sambil imagine muka Cik Adilah or Puan Zubaidah reading my jiwang lyrics * Never know...they might have brilliant lyric ideas to contribute kan? 

My late mother loved Indonesian music and I remember seeing her collection of cassettes comprising keronchong songs by Hetty Koes Endang as well as Bob Tutupoli and Broery Marantika's albums.
Whenever we went for karaoke, she would select the Benci Tapi Rindu song that it's now become a habit of mine to select the song and sing it in her memory. I guess that's how the love for Indonesian songs rubbed off on me.

23rd September 2016

This is how we ACCA students roll on a Friday night yo!

I uploaded this on my Instagram story and received a DM from Airina saying she was about to upload a similar photo of her studying for her Masters. I immediately thought of our SPM motivation song : OAG's Generasiku and replied "Segalanya dalam genggaman, Walau apa pun takkan menjadi halangan!". Yes, that's how we motivated each other to study in Form 5. Seven years down the road, we're still listening to the same song to motivate us to study. The power of a well written song.  Can't thank the songwriters enough for these amazing songs that we can still relate to at different points in our life. 

Indahnya dunia ketika kita muda remaja !

Not forgetting Faizal Tahir's Gemuruh 

"Segalanya pastikan terbukti nanti!"

Baiklah, back to studying. I shall try to blog more often from now. Selamat malam, folks!

Nearly There Now

I woke up one morning without realising it was results day and found this in my inbox. Imagine how ecstatic I was ! Alhamdulilah, I've been waiting to pass this particular subject : Audit cos it's the driest subject everrrr. Audit's been my "super clingy boyfriend" for quite some time now and I can finally bid goodbye to it. Truthfully, I wasn't confident this time round because it was a tougher paper as compared to the December 2015 seating. Next up, to ace the Financial Reporting & Financial Management papers at the end of the year! Please pray for my success. 

If I could express how I feel with a song, it'd definitely be this one..... I'm on top of the world ayyy! 

A Little Goes A Long Way

At 8.55am this morning, I was at the Kelana Jaya LRT Station reloading my Rapid KL pass at the ticketing machine. While I was halfway through topping up my card, an Indian man who looked like he's in his late 50s approached me. He was holding a RM 1 note in his right hand and a dark coloured duffel bag on his left. 

I ignored him at first and continued my business but he was still standing next to me so I looked up and said "Uncle, sebelah boleh beli" to which he replied "Tamil something" (I didn't catch the second word, I think he meant he can only read Tamil characters) so I said "Sekejap ye, Uncle. Nanti saya tolong Uncle belikan ticket". He nodded.

 Once I was done, I asked him "Uncle, station mana?" He said "Taman Desa" I was thinking to myself I'm very sure there's no Taman Desa station so I asked him again and he said "Satu station" while gesturing with his hand and I said "oh Taman Bahagia ke, Uncle?" He said "ahh, ya, ya". He passed me the RM 1.20 he was holding, I inserted the money into the machine, we waited for the token to be dispensed. I passed it to him and led him to the barrier machine, taught him to scan the token and made sure he was walking with me towards the escalator. He kept saying terima kasih ya, terima kasih ya. 

I wish you well, Uncle. I'm sorry you weren't able to read, I'm sure you had your reasons. I'm sorry I didn't ask you more, I didn't know how to ask properly, I'm afraid that I would hurt your feelings. Next time, maybe next time I will see you again. Till then, take care of yourself and I hope you'll meet a kind soul who would be willing to lend you a hand the next time you need to buy a ticket. I couldn't help but think of him during the whole journey to KLCC to meet my cousin.

Inevitable End

i remember the faces of those who showed up at the masjid
the hugs i received and the endless "be strong"s i heard
overwhelmed by their very presence
i thought i was alone, God proved otherwise
time will heal, they told me
that with each passing day, i'd miss her a little less than before
truth is, the emptiness in my heart cannot be filled
with all that i've seeked ever since

the only consolation i had then was that she is now relieved of agony
one i couldn't bear seeing her go through day after day
ever so patient, even when she was only skin and bones
i'd keep the tears for the night, after i tuck her in bed
i prayed for her inevitable end to come sooner
for i could not bring myself to see her suffer anymore

liyanaalmahdaly 22nd march 2016

Long Way To Go ....

For the past months I found that I'm unable to express myself through words. The journal that I keep in the bookshelf next to the bed is left blank as if there's nothing worth writing in it. Every time something happens instead of expressing it through writing like I used to, I tend to ignore my feelings and find something to distract me from penning down my thoughts. 

Is this some quarter life crisis thing or what? Someone enlighten me please !

I've been thinking about life, reflecting on my past actions, over analysing things, people watching wherever I go and searching for answers to the questions that I've had in my head forever. Waira says I need to stop over thinking and over analysing tiny details in my life before I go haywire but I can't help it! When you put two introverts together the over thinking and over analysing can go really overboard! (That's a lot of overs in a sentence.) I shall stop this rant and write when I next feel like it.

"U.F.O."

Lord I don't know which way I am going
Which way the river gonna flow
It just seems that upstream, I keep rowing
Still got such a long way to go
Still got such a long way to go

Then that light, it's your eye
I know, I swear,
We'll find somewhere the streets are paved with gold
Bullets fly, split the sky
But that's all right, sometimes, sunlight comes streaming through the holes

Oooohhh ooooohh...

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, 

and remember what peace there may be in silence. 

As far as possible, without surrender, 

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; 

and listen to others, 

even to the dull and the ignorant; 

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; 

they are vexatious to the spirit. 

If you compare yourself with others, 

you may become vain or bitter, 

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. 

Keep interested in your own career, 

however humble; 

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, 

for the world is full of trickery. 

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; 

many persons strive for high ideals, 

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. 

Especially, do not feign affection. 

Neither be cynical about love; 

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, 

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, 

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. 

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. 

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, 

be gentle with yourself. 

You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; 

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, 

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. 

Therefore be at peace with God, 

whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations, 

in the noisy confusion of life, 

keep peace in your soul. 

With all its sham, 

drudgery and broken dreams, 

it is still a beautiful world. 

Be cheerful. 

Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann (1872 - 1945)

Make Sens(e)?

30th July 2015 12.57am

They tell me "that's how the game is played"

It doesn't make sense to me

Severing ties without batting an eye

Perhaps I will never understand how the game works

Maybe I'm being too naive

But this is the reality

That one has to face

At a certain point in life

This could possibly be why I find it hard to trust people

I've seen enough of loved ones being betrayed

Even by their own blood relative

Why are they so blinded?

Don't they realise that 'all that glitters is not gold' ?

I wonder if they ever stop for a moment and ask themselves

'is it really worth it ?'

Thought this particular section in my bookshelf is an apt background for this piece inspired by the current events as well as happenings in my personal life

I'll Be Back in A Bit

* FINAL EXAM MODE *

Study, Eat, Sleep, Repeat. 

How do I destress?

Eating chocolate, listening to Bach, singing in the shower, spending time with Kemi and cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

A family friend taught me to make Cheesy Potato Bake when he came over for dinner yesterday. I improvised by adding Chilli Padi for that 'extra kick' and some tomatoes. #AsiansWillBeAsians 

See you in a month's time, folks! Take care :)

Un-ins-pi-red

The past month has been pretty uninspiring I must say. I've got 5 posts in the draft, each touching on different topics yet I can't seem to find the inspiration to write until the end. It's probably the mixture of stress from the upcoming exams in early June, being kept busy with business matters and the current state of affairs in Malaysia. My mind has been occupied with all sorts of questions like where I'm planning to head to after I graduate (nowhere near it yet but one has to plan kan?). Do I venture into the business/corporate world, try something different like voluntary work or working with a not for profit organisation ? All I know is I want to inspire people through what I do, make a positive impact in their lives and help in any way that I can. What happened to the whole singer/songwriter thing you may wonder? I guess that will remain as a hobby for now. My main priority is to complete ACCA, get some work experience and see how things go from there. 

Recently, I got in touch with a lower secondary tuition mate that I have not contacted for many years. Although we are FB friends and follow each other on Twitter and Instagram, we hardly talk. It all started when I clicked the 'invite' button to a Writing Masterclass event which I thought might interest her and we started chatting on FB chat. It's nice to know how people are getting on with their lives especially when they tell you things they don't publish on social media. Since we've got some common interests, I asked her to inform me of any classes/events that we could attend together in the future. I look forward to meeting her at the Masterclass in a week's time. 

It's only been 4 months since the start of the new year and to my surprise I'm seeing my friends (and I) embark on a completely different journey from the ones we thought we'd pursue. One of my close friends is about to start her own fashion label that focuses on plus sized clothing, another one of them is in the process of applying for a volunteer programme overseas and I am currently learning the ropes of the business world with an old family friend (something like an informal internship with no fixed working hours). 

I'll leave you with a video of Sada Borneo, Malaysians who got all 4 YES-es at Asia's Got Talent. I love how they combine traditional musical instruments (in this case the 'sape') with modern ones and create such beautiful music. I appreciate their passion for wanting to promote traditional music which is slowly becoming unpopular amongst the younger folks. Sada Borneo, kamek sayang kitak !

While I was at it, I found this other video with the 'sape'. Such a calming and peaceful tune. Doesn't it make you feel like you're in a place faraway from the city? 

One Step At A Time

Last week, I received my exam results for the two papers that I sat for last December. Results via email was supposed to be sent out at 12am UK time but there was no sign of it in my mailbox after countless refresh attempts and checking the junk mail folder. Some of my friends were already announcing their results on our Whatsapp group chat, it made me restless for the next few hours  (I eventually got the email at 4pm Malaysian time). I passed the Performance Management paper and failed the Audit paper (again!). Alhamdulilah, I can finally bid goodbye to my F5 notes !!  

If there's one thing that ACCA has taught me it would have to be perseverance. I started the programme in July 2011 and until now (I took a gap semester here and there to pursue my interest in music and to travel) I have only passed 3 papers while some of my other batch mates have graduated and worked for quite some time. I've seen some people who decide to quit halfway, tempting me to just walk away and try something different but I keep telling myself that I must finish what I started. So here I am a few years down the road, still keeping my spirits high and looking forward to the day that I will eventually graduate from ACCA together with a few other friends who are on the same boat as me. 

All I need to do right now is to put in even more effort, get back on track and stay focused. If Mum was still around, I bet she wouldn't be too happy that I'm taking so long to complete ACCA. I'll keep the promise I made to you, Mummy. For the next exam session in June, I will be repeating the Audit and Financial Reporting paper and if I pass, hopefully proceed to do the remaining 6 papers in UK insyaAllah.

Since it's the Chinese New Year season now, I'd like to wish all of you Gong Hei Fatt Choy. May the year of the Goat bring you and your family good health, prosperity and happiness. I spent 'Chor 1' catching up with relatives over vegetarian home cooked lunch, yummy kuih kapit, pineapple tarts, mandarin oranges and collecting 'hong baos' from the elders.

A video of me singing a classic Chinese New Year song 大地回春 'Da Di Hui Chun' 

IDEAS' 5th Anniversary

In conjunction with the Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs' 5th anniversary tomorrow, which also coincides with the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj's birthday, a public event was held at Memorial Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra this morning. I knew about IDEAS since it's inception as I have been religiously following Tunku 'Abidin's article since he first started his column in 2008. Somehow I seem to miss their public events year after year so when I saw the announcement of this year's event, I immediately registered as I did not want to miss the chance of being part of their anniversary event. 

My two cousins were supposed to go with me but they couldn't make it last minute so I went to the event alone. Those who know me would agree that I'm that introvert who is uncomfortable being in unfamiliar places, meeting new people but this time round I thought I'd give it a go and see how I'll cope with the situation. Funny how I can sing on stage in front of a few hundred people in the audience without being nervous but when it comes to being alone in a public place, I tend to get a bit too anxious.

I arrived at the venue at 8.45am and made my way to the registration counter and later had light breakfast at one of the tables with a group of Marketing students from Inti College Subang. At about 9.30am, we entered the auditorium and I found a seat next to a girl whose name is Shanuja. Coincidentally, she came alone so we introduced ourselves and exchanged ideas on issues such as the education policy and shared travel stories too. She is in the midst of writing a paper for the IDEAS Autism Centre together with a few other people. While waiting for the arrival of the VIPs, we were entertained with traditional Malay music by Pusat Kebudayaan UKM.

Right after the VIPs arrived, we sang the Negaraku in the original 1957 Merdeka Day version as in this video below. In secondary school, I led the 'Negaraku' and Lagu Negeri Selangor 'Duli Yang Maha Mulia' at the school assembly every Monday together with an alto, tenor and bass singer from the school choir. I have never sung the song as emotionally as I did on this particular day.

Opening speech by President of IDEAS YAM Tunku 'Abidin ibni Tuanku Muhriz

Welcome remarks (IDEAS' activities throughout 2014) by Wan Saiful Wan Jan

A moving tribute to her Tok by YM Datin Sharifah Menjalara Hussein which brought me to tears especially nearing the end. Click for the full text of YM Lara Hussein's speech : "Tunku : A Voice from the Heart"

' He would always say to the millions of Malaysians, "Take each other as you are. Accept your weaknesses as well as your strengths." '

Dr. Razeen Sally, IDEAS Chair of Political Economy and Governance

Panel discussion comprising Dr. Razeen Sally, YB Datuk Nur Jazlan, Dr Sufian Jusoh and Datuk Noor Faridah Ariffin moderated by Wan Saiful Wan Jan

The event ended with the cutting of cake by the VIPs namely Tunku Besar Seri Menanti YAM Tunku Ali Redhauddin ibni Tuanku Muhriz, YTM Dato' Seri Tunku Ahmad Nerang ibni Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj, YTM Dato' Paduka Tunku Khadijah ibni Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al Haj and Tun Mohd Dzaiddin to commemorate Tunku Abdul Rahman's 112th birthday.

During lunch, Shanuja and I met even more new friends (Dr. Helmy who is IDEAS' Health Advisor, a few A Levels students from Taylors Subang, a girl named Umi who just graduated from New Zealand and Farah who is doing TESL in MSU). Meeting young and enthusiastic people from different backgrounds (Law, Actuarial Science, Education, Medical) was really interesting because the people I normally meet up with are in the Accounting field so the conversation gets kinda boring at times. Later, we went over to Tunku 'Abidin's table to get his autograph and a picture with him. 

Tunku 'Abidin Muhriz, writer of 'Abiding Times' , 'Roaming Beyond the Fence' and 'Conservatively Speaking Freely' columns which I have been reading since I was in Form 4. Talked to him about family history and I found out that his ancestors are of the Alhabshi branch of the family (I assume on his mother's side) from Hadhramaut, Yemen. We went on to talk about music and how I think it plays an integral role in being able to unite people after I mentioned that I am a singer songwriter.

COO of IDEAS, Tricia Yeoh. Congratulations on your wedding!

What are the odds of meeting a person who was born in the exact same hospital as you? This is Henry, 3 years my junior. Hospital Pakar Puteri JB represent.

Shanuja and I left to explore the Memorial hurriedly as my dad was already waiting at the lobby and she had to rush back to Seremban to do some last minute preparations before she flies off to Jakarta the next day. We said our goodbyes and hope to meet up over coffee one of these days.

The Proclamation of Independence

The Dining Hall

Shanuja and I

Met these girls during lunch, I was very impressed by them. Netusha and Shanuja (orang Soghomban) and Amanda (Klang Mali)

EDIT :

I have always wanted to write a song about Malaysia but most of the time it's left unfinished in my lyric book. The next morning there was this melody in my head when I woke up, I knew I had to get a pen, paper and my guitar to pen down the lyrics and figure out the rest of the melody. It took me about 5 hours to finalise the lyrics and melody, then an additional 8-9 hours to record the audio, video and find photographs of amazing Malaysians that I have crossed paths with to give more meaning to the song. I present to you a gift for my fellow Malaysians, a song entitled 'Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku'.

Music has always been my way of expressing my thoughts on certain issues as I'm not quite a good writer (you can tell when you read my blog heh) so I tend to write lyrics instead. This is my way of contributing back to my fellow Malaysians hoping that they would be inspired by the message that I'm trying to convey through this song. 

Big Bad Wolf Fire Sale

Nuwaira told me about the Big Bad Wolf Fire Sale the other day and we thought we'd give it a go since there's no harm owning more books kan? It is my first time at the sale whereas Nuwaira has been an avid fan of the sale since it first started. We were supposed to meet for brunch but these 'wanita Melayu terakhirs' woke up a tad bit too late so we ended up having lunch at a nearby cafe. Yummy Mexican beef tacos and Chicken Burrito to fill our stomachs before we go book hunting. 

Tempted to borong the books but had to control myself as I know I won't be having much time to read them once semester starts 

Went for cake and coffee before going back home

Cleared my book shelf and ta dah ! Welcome to your new home!

Darul Ridzuan Road Trip

One of my 2015 resolutions is to travel to the states that I have not visited in Malaysia. Since I already have an interest in Malaysian history then why not visit these places to see it with my own eyes I thought. The Three Musketeers (Nuwaira,Shahriman and myself) decided to go on a road trip to a neighbouring state. Our first two options were : Melaka (Shah just came back from Melaka with his family) and N9 (in Nuwaira's own words : "Korang nak buek apo kek kampung den????"). The three of us are 'hantu' Chinese food so we agreed on Ipoh mainly due to this famous Restoran Hollywood that I've been hearing about from a family friend hailing from Perak. After asking around and doing some research online, I prepared our itinerary and packed my bag for a sleepover at Nuwaira's place. Alarm rang at 5.30am, mandi, bersiap, left the house, pumped petrol and picked up kekanda Shahriman.

We borak borak all the way, tested each others' general knowledge and sang along to songs chosen by DJ Shahriman and before we knew it, we were about to arrive at our first destination ; Ipoh. 

Ipoh Pekan Orang Handsome?  

We arrived at 9am, just in time for breakfast. Restoran New Hollywood in Canning Garden, about 5 minutes away from the Ipoh toll exit, is your typical Chinese corner shop with many different stalls that serves Halal Chinese Food. The shop was filled with locals ; office workers, mak cik with tongkat, Chinese apek retiree, you name it semua ada. 

Restoran New Hollywood
38, Jalan Lee Kwee Foh, Taman Canning, 31400, Ipoh
Open from 7am to 5pm

The long drive was worth it after we tasted the Chee Cheong Fun.

Ordered two plates of Chee Cheong Fun with prawn filling to share

We also ordered wantan mee, yong tau foo, kopi and roti kaya

Kenyang faces! Time to hunt for the Wall Art Murals by Ernest Zacharevic in Ipoh old town and burn off some calories

Paper Plane on Jalan Tun Sambanthan

Old Uncle With Coffee Cup near Oldtown White Coffee Padang Ipoh

Girl with Bird Cage on Jalan Bandar Timah

Tinggi bebenor. Tak sampai laaa

Evolution located along Jalan Bijeh Timah

The Three Musketeers at the Kopi O wall art mural on Jalan Tun Sambanthan

And lastly the Trishaw on Concubine Lane 3. We nearly gave up on this one cos we couldn't find it and the weather was too hot. We got in the car and was on our way to the next place when we saw it. Thank you Waze for the slight delay or we wouldn't have stopped at the side of the road and noticed the Trishaw.

Went to have a cold drink at Plan B to escape the scorching hot weather

Shahriman reading a quote about Love

Loving these quotes by Arwah Yasmin Ahmad. Pinjam kasut boleh? Hehe

These two trying to do a 'berlari berkejaran...lupakan segala duka' pose

P/S : Bits and Bobs is closed on Tuesdays so no Ais Kepal for us :(

Seat belt on, air conditioning full blast, pakai sunglasses and we're off to ......

Akhirnya kami menjejakkan kaki di Kuale Kangsor demi Pau kegemaran ramai and also to take photos of the beautiful Istana Kenangan. Arrived at Kuala Kangsar at 1pm, looked for parking and walked over to Yut Loy. It was 1pm, we kept our fingers crossed that we'd be able to pre book the pau.

Playing 'Chor Taai Di' at Yut Loy while waiting for the Pau to be ready. At this point, we still didn't know whether we would be getting any Pau. Kalah perasaan tunggu result SPM hehehe

At exactly 2.30pm, we got them Paus ! 5 of each : Chicken, beef, kaya and red bean to be shared between the three of us. That was the most we could get, nak lebih pun tak dapat. Oh wells, we'll have to come back for more la next time.

Apparently they only produce 200 - 300 paus daily so first come first serve. We were really lucky to get to try them.

Yayyy! Alhamdulilah dapat jugak akhirnya

We've talked about road trips for quite some time but never thought it would actually happen.

Muzium Diraja Perak or previously known as Istana Lembah / Istana Kenangan was built in 1926 for Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Shah (30th Sultan of Perak). The palace was the official residence between 1931 and 1933 before the completion of Istana Iskandariah ; the official residence of the Sultan of Perak until today.

It is currently closed for restoration so I only managed to take pictures from outside. The design and colour combination is beautiful. I'm not sure if the colours chosen were to coincide with the colour of the Perak flag (Black, Yellow and White). If you appreciate history and traditional Malay house designs like me, Kuala Kangsar should be your next destination for a road trip.

This is Baitul Anor, an abandoned mansion located right next to Masjid Ubudiah in Bukit Chandan built under the instruction of Raja Kechil Sulong Raja Harun Al Rashid in 1912 for his wife Raja Mentera Raja Sir Chulan. It is named after his eldest son, Raja Anor Shah. I made it a point to visit this place as I knew there is a wealth of information on the family history of Almarhum Sultan Idris I.

I myself have my family's salasilah that was passed down to us for generations and can be traced back right up to our beloved Prophet Muhammad pbuh hence the interest in family history. In fact, my own great grandmother named Raja Habsah could probably be related to one of these families in Perak (or not) but unfortunately there is nobody in my late grandfather's family that has knowledge of it.

View of Masjid Ubudiah from Baitul Anor

Portraits of Almarhum Sultan Idris I

Family history and family tree

Old photographs and a list of Cucunda Almarhum Sultan Idris I who are still alive

Photographs of the current Sultan of Perak and his predecessors. Daulat Tuanku!

This road trip is to celebrate our 10th anniversary of being friends. It all started with a simple 'Nama awak siapa?' back in 1 Anggerik.

I hope old mansions like this one would receive funds in order for it to be restored and made into some sort of a museum or gallery for the good of the future generation as a point of reference. 

We left Kuala Kangsar at 4pm after a failed mission to find an ais kepal stall and also contemplating whether we should singgah at MCKK or not (Nuwaira : Nanti aku nampak mamat hot, aku tak nak balik pulak HAHA) for Kuala Sepetang to have Mee Udang Banjir and headed back to KL afterwards.

RM 12 for this bowl of Mee Udang. This is the first time I ate that many prawns in one sitting! I'm not going near prawns for the next few months!

Alhamdulilah, bucket list nak pergi road trip in 2015 terlaksana within the first two weeks of the new year. I hope to go back for a longer trip next time so that I can slowly explore the state of Perak.

EDIT : Came across an interesting travel programme video focusing on Kuala Kangsar (ignore bits of the subtitles that do not match the voice over)