Tuesday Diary

I asked Cousin Bee to drive me to Uncle Leman's house today to borrow Cousin Aiman's DSLR coz i need it for this Thursday. My kit lens has a problem so i can only use my prime lens (50mm) but prime lens isn't a great choice for landscape photography.

Then we went to Ikano coz i wanted to alter my dress, and go buy cupcakes and macaroon. It's wayy too big for me. The thing about sending your baju to be altered in Damansara is that it cost wayyyyy too expensive. The cost to alter my dress can make one baju kurung in Kuching. Huhu. Tapi hantar je la. malas nak p cari tempat lain.

Then we both went to The Walk and have our second lunch at Garden. It was Cousin Bee who was soo keen to eat the White Carbonara. We ordered one plate and share it together. Tapi in the end it was me who finished it all anyway.

The Walk

Garden- The exterior

We choose to sit inside since the sun is shining brightly outside.

The interior

I did mentioned about buying cupcakes and macaroon kan. Cupcake Chic is my favourite cupcake shop but unfortunately, they're out of red velvet and chocolate macaroon by the time i arrived!! Waaaaaaaa!! No fair. i came here all the way from Cheras and none of the cupcakes nor macaroon that i want is available. Tsk tsk..

Dengan hati pasrah, i went to McD and bought apple pie. Humph! We then proceed to Ikea coz i wanted to eat the bun. kali ni takde prasaan nak makan meatball sebab almost every week buat kat umah d Kuching. So this time i ordered a caramel pudding and the soft bun. Cousin Bee ordered a bowl of fries with the brown gravy on top and again, it's me who finished it up -__-"

River and the Beach

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. In the name of Allah, The Beneficial and The Most Merciful.

Salam readers :)

It was last friday that me and my former accounting coursemate planned of having a picnic together at the waterfall. I've never been to that place and in fact, we don't really know what's the name of the location because it's kinda hidden and there's no notice board saying there's a river nearby. Slalu lalu tempat ni but tak pernah tau pon ade waterfall coz u have to park ur car kat bawah and then walk into the jungle. tapi tak jauh la. Jalan satu minit dah sampai. Hee. My friend Nisa Mira told me that ramai orang datang berenang kat sini on weekends. Kalo orang tak tau mesti ingat takde pape kat situ. Hutan je. Serious, time Nisa Mira suruh turn right masuk simpang tempat nak park kete tu pon kitorang macam "Is this the right place?? Macam hutan je. We better check. Salah tempat kang tak pasal2 dah naik sampai puncak gunung semata2 nak carik sungai."But indeed it's the right place and i loveee the scenery.

Air sungai tu nampak je coklat but actually jernih sangat. Yang wat warna dia coklat2 tu actually pasir and batu. Sungai tu sangat best and sejuk and air is so cool. The best part about that day is cuaca sangatlah cerah (Thank God!!) and takde orang so sungai tu kotang ler conquer! Muahaha! nak terjon ke, kuak lentang ke, skuba diving ke takde sape nak kacau. Teehee. So takde la malu sangat nak berenang. I didn't swim though coz ingatkan akan ade orang since i can't really imagine where we're heading in the first place. If pegi pantai, weekend or weekdays memang for sure orang akan ada.
Zia and Nor had a good time swimming. Me, Nisa Mira and Boolat jadi cameraman of the day. I didn't bring my camera so we use all the technologies that we have.

In the afternoon, we head to Damai Central. I've always wanted to go there since i know the existence of the place last year. It was located just next to Damai Beach Resort. The place is huge and there'll be lots of shops coming soon. Rasa macam jalan2 kat Damai Hotel. Hee.

P/s: Guys! We should definitely do this often!

Ika's Poem: The Beach Lullaby

Lying on a hammock, legs swinging above the land

Facing the blue ocean and the golden sand

Closing my eyes and feel the tan

Of the beach created by His 'hand'

Sound of trees jingling like a windchime

As the wind blows the song of a silent whine

Oh how lovely it feels every second of this time

Wishing i could freeze the clock and have it all for mine

Walking on bare foot towards the beach

I can feel the soft sand on my feet

Praising The Lord on his work so neat

He created this worldly Heaven, can u imagine a world without it?

Large waves crashing towards the shore

Sending seashells and corals to the sandy floor

Little crabs scatters away waiting no more

As i walked through waving the yellow scarves i wore

Please o please don't take me away

I want to be here just like kids want to play

But the sun is fading as dawn has come to stay

The world is changing colours to night from day

I wave goodbye as i gave one last look

I'll come again tomorrow and bring a good book

Just wait for me here I'll be back soon

But for now i'm heading home to see the moon

Original piece by,

Ika Abdullah

My Hijab Diaries

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful.

Salam Readers :)

It's been nearly a decade since i started wearing hijab. The first time i officially wore a hijab was in Secondary 5. I used to wear them during school and then flung them open right after :p

So that's the whole summary. To start with the exact story, well, it all started with the whole wardrobe thingy. I used to wear t-shirt and a three-quarter jeans and i love to put my hair in a bun. Mind u, i'm S size and all my clothes were so small. And one day i get the uneasy feeling whenever my skin was exposed. I try to ignore but i can't. For starters, i wore a three-quarter shirt and no more t-shirt. But after a while, the uneasy feeling strikes me again. That's when i asked mum for a long sleeve shirt and dispose all my baby tee.

Then it came to the hair part. Same thing happened. I feel so uncomfortable having people looking at my hair eventho there's nothing wrong with it. I grab any hijab i have in the closet and put it on and wore them whenever i went to the state library. Oh, time tu ske tengok my friend pakai tudung. hehe. Nampak kemas je. The first hijab style is the common one that people usually puts on. Yang style simpang tu. Alaa, mule2 pakai kan so the main point is to cover the head so basically it's a bit hanging la. What i'm trying to say is i didn't focus on covering my chest as long as my head is covered. Pasal baju tu pon time tu as long as it's long sleeve despite it's hanging above my hip, i feel like i'm pretty much covered. Coz time tu aku ikut prinsip 'yang penting tutup rambut and baju lengan panjang'. I don't feel there's any wrong in the way i dress.

However, my story didn't stop there. years went by and i know there's something wrong. Baju singkat, tudung tak cover dada. I know there's something not right! It all hit me one day that it is not enough and still not proper. And then, rasa pelik mula menyelubungi diri. A voice keep saying this in my mind: 

Kepala tutup tapi dada nampak, tak cover pun dengan tudung. Baju lengan panjang tapi pendek, kalo berjalan confirm la orang belakang focus kat bontot. Padahal tak suke kalo orang laki2 tengok tapi pakai gak. pastu kalo diorang kacau start la melenting cakap macam tak pernah tengok perempuan. Padahal salah sendiri.

Photo courtesy of Aishah

That's when i start tu labuhkan my tudung and cover the chest and cari baju yang panjang. Now dah macam pelik je tengok bila perempuan pakai tudung tapi yang kat depan tu tertonjol keluar. And seriously2 as a lady, malu tengok. Huhu.

I've started to wear socks too now. I have a very sensitive skin so whenever i wear new shoes or sandals, i'm sure gonna get some blisters. So now dah terbiasa pakai socks kalo p keluar and i'm trying to make myself consistent in wearing them (Ada benefit gak kulit sensitif ni :p). Kalo tak pakai serious rasa macam still telanjang je. Huhu.

Fashion is my passion. I've always love how hijabis put on their style. However, most magazines and hijab tutorial nowadays shows the style that didn't really goes with the true Islamic comcept. Thick makeup, leggings, coloured nails, fit clothes, kaki terdedah, style tudung pun pendek tak cover dada, skinny jeans, etc. And the shocking part is header dia 'GAYA MUSLIMAH' Like seriously??! That didn't represent muslimah at all! I admit memang ramai orang dah start pakai tudung sekarang. Alhamdulillah. Tetapi, some bertudung just for the sake of fashion. Bila bosan, bukak balik. Tak salah actually nak berfesyen. I didn't say it's wrong. Islam pun tak melarang kita untuk bergaya. But then, fashion jd priority. Kebanyakkannya tak cover pun dada and baju pun hanging. So when u get used to it u never feel guilty sebab dah immune. I love fashion but again, i don't really see the point of showing off ur asset for the sake of being fashionable.

Now pun there's some of my wardrobe that i do think i should dispose and go for more decent clothes. The one that i feels like not worth wearing if He ain't please with the way i dress. But then i have to do it slowly coz buying new clothes ain't cheap yaw and baju sekarang mahal over the rainbow! So i still have to wear the one that i have now.

P/s: Why dress overly to impress people but it's in Allah's digrace? Recognition? Mintak kene puji cantik and seluruh dunia pandang? <-- yang ni common reason la. Eventho orang tak akan mengaku but deep down they know that's what their intention is.

My advice here to all muslimah yang belum pakai tudung, give it a try. mula2 memang akan rasa macam payah la panas la but then u'll get used to it. Lama kelamaan u'll start loving it and in the end u'll feel like u have to wear them no matter what coz it feels like u're going 'naked' when ur not wearing them. Just like going out without wearing a bra or ur shirt on. Nak tunggu seru, ni lah seru. menyeru korang pakai tudung. But remember, do not wear them for the sake of fashion. Wear them for the sake of Allah (swt). If i can still be fashionable while covering the part that should be covered, why can't you? Wear them fashionably but follow the proper Islamic concept :) 

I may not be a good muslim but i'm trying my best to be better for His sake, bukan fashion semata2 :) Dress modestly and the beauty will show.

Alice

Love the song and the video clip. Avril's so purrrrdy!

Little toddler

 My adorable lil Dhia Adelia

Semester break is here!

My final exam just ended today. Well, hurayy? I don't feel the excitement of being temporarily free at all. Don't ask me why. I have no clue either. I get very nervous this morning and i've never felt this way before. I mean, sesusah2 paper lain, tak pernah nervous melebih2 macam ni. Seriously. And the feeling didn't fade away after the exam but it remain till now. So disliking the uneasy feeling. Why lah?? I want to enjoy my hols. Huhu.

Tudung aurat, bukan tudung BERaurat

Food for thought: What's the point of covering your head but still exposing your 'asset' to the world?

Sugar rush

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful.

Salam Readers :)

On the 1st of January Fai invited me over to her house for a candy buffet treat. She's actually promoting her candy buffet service and also the Kufi writing on her wall. Me and Cousin Elle went there after attending Kent's wedding (Congrats Kent and Kak Hazel!). Really, the deco is so cute and colourful and we both had a great time trying all the guilty pleasure.

On the menu: Mi hoon, red velvet cupcakes, chocolate muffin, dadih, popcorn, marshmellows, chocolate dip, chocolate bar, jelly beans, yoghourt sticks, lollypops, chocolate balls, Dahfa, biscuits and crackers, and various types of candy (There's actually another table of food)

As so u can see, we really consume a huge amount of sugar here. The one that i really like is Fai's marble cheesecake (tasted like my favourite Traditional Hilton cheesecake!) and her chocolate dip. Sejibik macam cadbury. She also prepare a cute brown paper bag for the guest to bring home some candy treat.

Thank you Fai for inving us! 

Photos courtesy of Faizura Maslona

Birth Names

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful.

Salam Readers :)

List of names of the people i knew which i find unique and creative (and i like them lots either in terms of spelling, arrangement or pronunciation) for Sarawakian Malays:

1. Queenna (Aunt's niece)
2. Queennarania (Aunt's niece)
3. Lara Ayumi (Niece)
4. Aisha Nara Asmara (Niece)
5. Eva Romina (Friend)
6. Aisya Belle (Cousin)
7. Nadim Ivan (Cousin)
8. Siti Almafahaza (Friend)
9. Yna Batrisya (Cousin)
10. Cyreena (Friend)
11. Lina Itzmira (Friend)

There are more but these are the name that appear in my head at the moment.

La Tahzan

"Allah menyayangi orang-orang yang sabar"

This magic words never failed to touch my heart.