What A Celebration!

Ibu celebrated her 45th birthday two weeks back. Another 5 years to half century, how fast time flies. With social network, facebook, twitter and all kinds of apps to remind you of one's birthday, wishes kept pouring in into Ibu's mailbox via sms,watsapp, fb and e-mails. That's how advance the technology that we have nowadays. Unlike ten twenty years back, people struggle to remember birthdays of their loved ones and when you received birthday cards, messages and gifts, you know that you are genuinely remembered and treasured by that person. Well, regardless of the apps that keep sending reminders to you of your family and friends birthdays every other day, the thoughts of someone remembering and making the effort to send greetings and wish you is all that matters. It just mean that they think about you.

This year, Ibu had wonderful birthday celebrations. Three days in a row! It started a day earlier as her birthday falls on Saturday. Her colleagues treated her to a buffet Japanese at Suki-Ya and Shabu Shabu located at the Tokyo Street, Pavillion on Friday. It's a japanese steam boat with a choice of two types of soups out of three offered, Shabu Shabu, Kimchi and Sukiyaki. You are given unlimited slices of lamb, beef and chicken and a whole range of vegetables. They also have sushi and ice cream to supplement the steam boat. It was quite good actually and worth the price of RM29.80 for lunch and RM33.80 for dinner. Thanks Su Yean, Amanda and Shanna for the lunch treat.

After work, it was her BFFs turned. This time it is at the Redbox Pavillion for Karaoke and Dinner. Pavillion again! The last time we celebrated birthdays in Redbox was in 2009 and it's been four years now. We celebrated Ibu and Along birthdays this time as Rynne could not make it at the last minute. Our birthdays are close to one another and it's worth to combine the celebration. We were there from 6pm to 10pm and had great time testing our vocals and showing off our talents with the oldies and the eighties. We even suggested Along to go for the Kilauan Emas audition since she is the best among us and used to be one of the school singers those days. Thanks to my BFF for the lovely purple swatch...they even created a watsapp group to discuss the gift they wanted to get for Ibu, how sweet. Thanks gals for such wonderful time and fabulous gift.

The next day, the actual birthday we were busy with the kids as usual, fetching them from schools and did their laundry. Adik called Ibu right after his subuh prayers to wish Ibu, Abang called much later in the morning and Kakak sent a video message via watsapp. In the evening, Ibu received a bouquet of flowers, of course purple in colour from the family in Hartamas. How thoughtful of them, was touched by their thoughts.

That night, we had another celebration, this time with the Gombakclanners who celebrated their birthdays in February and March, Tok Nani, Tok Onn, Tok Wan, Zarith, Qistina and Ibu. As usual, Tok Mami was the one that organised everything and she grabbed the 50% off for buffet dinner at Taming Sari, Istana Hotel. Smart move and great savings by Tok Mami as always. Both Abang and Adik managed to get off for the weekend to join the celebration, Alhamdulillah. The place was quite packed and the food was not that bad. After the cake cutting, it was time to exchange presents. This time, Ibu gets four recipe books, Jamie Oliver, Nigella from her dearest cousin and a special cupcake tools from the Royal Carribean from Tok Mami and a nice telekung from Tok Nani. Thanks so much for the wonderful gifts. Now, Ibu has no excuse not to cook for the rest of the year!

The celebration did not end there. The next day, Sunday Ibu had another surprise from TLG. They prepared a little cake and as usual sang the birthday song plus a special gift Channel No 5. Alhamdulillah, that was so thoughtful of them. It was a wonderful feeling to be surrounded by people that you love and care and you know that they feel the same way towards you. Thank you to all that made me feel special on my birthday and I am thankful that Allah swt has bless me with such amazing people in my life. Abah and the kids, although this year no cards or presents from them like always, but they are the best gift Allah swt has given me, they are always there for me. Alhamdulillah.

Thaqif Birthday Bash @ 3 Residen

Today Thaqif is 12! But he has been enjoying pre-birthday celebration for the last two weeks. He received his advance birthday gift, the PS3 early November and yesterday we had a little celebration at 3 Residen. Since yesterday was a public holiday and the school holidays just started, Abah arranged for a game of futsal at the KLFA which is just next to our condo. Normally they would play at the Ampang Sports Complex but since KLFA is offering promotional rate to the public, Abah thought that it would be a good idea to give it a go. The ladies can relax at the condo and the girls can have fun at the pool. Everyone is happy :)

Since we received the key to the condo in October 2011, we have been organising little family and friends gatherings. We decided not to rent the place out but to keep it as our weekend hideout for as long as our pockets allow. Ibu wanted to have her own masterchef kitchen where she can cook at her whim and fancy especially after she got stuck with the AFC Channel 703. Now, the nieces and nephews love to come to the condo than our home. They love the huge infinity pool and the view from the balcony and of course Mak Long's cooking. 

Since everyone would be here for the futsal and swimming, Abah thought that it would be a good idea to just buy a cake to celebrate Thaqif and Aaryz birthdays which falls on 14 and 4 November 2012 respectively. When Abah mooted the idea, Ibu immediately thought of what to prepare for the little party. Ibu has been planning to make sushi when she accidentally came across a recipe book on sushi making by a local chef. Since then, she has been to Daiso to get the basic stuff for sushi making like the sushi mat, the mould and the utensils. We always get excited whenever we plan for gatherings, be it big or small. We would talk about the menu and the itinerary for that day and keep changing the menu until the last minute. We want it to have an impact on everyone even though our guests are our immediate families. We finally settled with Sushi, Macaroni Cheese, Mini Burgers, Pizza Baguette, Fried Meehoon, Dim Sum, Fruits, Ice Cream and of course the Birthday Cake! 

The futsal court was booked from 3pm to 5pm. Our guests started to arrive just before that. While the males were having fun chasing the ball, the females were enjoying themselves with abundance of food. The girls had no choice but to wait for the boys to finish the game before they could all dive into the pool. At around 5.30pm, the condo was quiet since everyone was at the pool having fun. That was the time when Ibu could have a break, relax and spent time catching up and preparing more food before they all rushed back with empty stomachs! True enough, when they were done with futsal and swimming, they dashed back to the condo and attacked the food and in a split second, everything on the table just disappeared! The only thing left was the birthday cake untouched. So, we all sang happy birthday to Thaqif, Aaryz and Aiman who celebrated their 12th, 4th and 8th birthday. 

After solat maghrib, while resting and eating, we discussed our plan to go for a holiday in December although we knew pretty well that the best places around have all been booked since it is already school holiday season. Tok Jae was assigned with the task to check out any leftover chalets or homestays for us to spend our holiday together. The kids refused to go home, that's usually the case when they come to Pak Long's house or condo. What more with the boys all glued to the TV with the PS3 game. After several attempts made by the parents to leave, they finally made a move at around 10.30pm. 

Alhamdulillah, everybody had a great time. We truly enjoyed their company, Pak Ngah, Pak Lang, Pak Teh, Tok Jae and their families, Ira and Opung. Tok, Tok Wan and Tok Mamie dropped by to wish Thaqif. Thank you all for coming and for Thaqif's birthday gifts. We love entertaining the kids and organise family gatherings like this. Although at the end of the day, our bodies started aching, but the feel good factor from  the smiling faces and the joy and laughter we had throughout the day was so satisfying and made all the efforts seem worthwhile. We are so grateful and bless for the bonding we have and we pray that it will stay strong and continue to grow stronger for the rest of our lives, insyaAllah.

First Attempt Sushi Making

Better than Sushi King!!! What a compliment...

International Mini Burgers

Makan Time

The Birthday Boys!

Thaqif and his fav jersey!

The girls having fun

Futsal at KLFA

Red Card for Pak Ngah !!

From futsal court to the pool

Pak Long all time favourite!
plus Dijah and Nana

As for Thaqif who turned 12 today, Happy Birthday Adik. You have "grown up" so fast and will soon enter teenage life which will be more challenging and full of excitement. Always give your very best in whatever you do. Ibu and Abah always pray that you will be successful in your studies when you start your secondary education and will have the opportunity to follow Kakak and Abang to learn Quran, insyaAllah. Let Al Quran and Sunnah be your guidance in life.

We love you  Ahmed Thaqif Iman, the hard-core Liverpool fan!

Time for MyKad!

Abah & Alin Birthday Bash

It was a last minute plan between Ibu and Kakak to celebrate Abah’s 44th birthday which falls on 27 June 2012. Initially we wanted to have a quiet family dinner somewhere but later decided to have a full blast celebration. The only place that we could think of is at the Red Box Pavillion since it is close to Ibu’s office and it is easier for her to make arrangement. After all, Abah loves to sing and so does his siblings, they all have pretty good voice! Since Abah’s nephew, Alin is also celebrating her birthday in June, we thought why not combine the celebrations. So, it became IQ & Alin Birthday Bash!

We fixed 23 June to celebrate since 27 June falls on a Wednesday and rented a VIP room which is big enough to accomodate about 20 pax adults and 10 pax kids in Redbox during merry hours which run from 1pm to 6pm. Redbox offers variety of packages which is value for money, they will decorate the room with balloons, birthday banners and provide you with free party pack for each guest. Of course the price that you pay comes with 10 jugs of soft drinks/juices and hi-tea buffet from 3-5pm. It’s hassle free and you just come and enjoy yourself. They get all the stuff ready for you, just bring a cake along for the birthday boy/girl.

Since we planned for a surprise party, we did not tell Abah that we have invited everybody. We told him that we have booked a small room at redbox just for our family to have our buffet lunch and at the same entertain ourselves! Abah has to pick Faiz from school and Adik has to attend extra class on Saturday so Ibu and Kakak went earlier to do the preparation. But we told Abah that we were going to Kraf to help Pak Long to sell the Royal Pudding during “Promosi Kerja Kawin”. Pak Long was invited to set up a booth there to promote PDR. We told Abah to meet us at Redbox around 2pm. So, at around 1pm we were there and Aunty Ira already arrived with her afro hairstyle! Cool J We told everyone to dress up as celebrities, blink2 since we have prepared prizes for best dress!

While we were busy getting ready to receive the guests who were suppose to arrive before the VVIP, Abah, Abang and Adik arrived. Infact, they were the first to arrive and Abah had a shock of his life to see the room, bigger than it should and well decorated and it was just us in there! No surprise after all....and we were later told that Abah knew about it from the call he received from Tok Abah wishing him happy birthday and told him about the celebration that we planned for him! It was Pak Ngah who went and told Tok Abah not knowing that he would call Abah and broke the news. The rest of the guests arrived very much later, some got lost since many were not familiar with Pavillion.

Kakak welcomed everyone followed by Faiz reciting doa. We then told everyone that there would be a karaoke contest and we have prizes ready for the best vocals, male and female, adult and kid and best duet. It is just a way to encourage everyone to sing and to show their hidden talent. Well, we were amazed with Aunty Ira, Pak Ngah, Pak Teh vocals...they are really good. Of course the rest are good as well but we have heard them sing before like Pak Lang, Abang Man and Kak Ani. Even Aisya wasn’t shy to sing and the kids, really enjoyed themselves. When the buffet was opened, everyone rushed for food since some of them have not had their lunch. The spread was reasonable, enough to fill up empty stomach. Then the crew brought in the cake, Chocolate Moist for Abah and Pecan Butterscotch for Alin.

We later announced the karaoke winner, Pak Teh won the best vocal male, Ira for best vocal female. Aisya and Thaqif won the kids category and the best duet went to Ira and Pak Teh for their song “Ombak Rindu”. Best dress female went to Ira for her Afro look and Abang Man for male. Thank you to Makcik Isi for being the judge for the contest. We then presented Abah and Alin their birthday presents. Abah finally had his first smart phone, Samsung Galaxy Advance and Alin received her dream doll that wear diapers and can pee!!!! We all had a blast...hope Abah and Alin enjoyed their birthday celebrations this year.

HAPPY 44TH BIRTHDAY ABAH AND WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!

Wedding Month...Selamat Pengantin Baru

The posting was written in December and since our weekends were so occupied we did not have the chance to post this article. In fact, there were so many postings written but left unpublished. Now only we could sit down and start releasing the posting one by one. So, here goes our December stories.

Year end is here and the school session for 2011 has ended. That means school holidays and school holidays means time for people to wed. This year our weekends are fully booked with wedding invitations! It started even before the school closed on 11 November 2011. Everyone wanted to get married on 11.11.11 eventhough it is on a weekday, friday.

My cousin, Irwena did not miss the chance to join the crowd and was married to Pudin on 11.11.11 and had their weddings ceremony on 26 November 2011. we did not attend the "akad nikah" ceremony since it was on friday and we both couldn't take leave. We attended the "bersanding" ceremony on 26 November 2011 which was held at Dewan Serbaguna Kompleks Pejabat Daerah/Tanah, Klang. The hall was decorated so beautifully with pink and white as the theme colour. The Parit Buntar clans were there to celebrate the joyous occassion with Pudin and Wena. To both of you, may Allah swt bless you.





That same night we attended another wedding, this time is Abah's side, his cousin's son, Gafil. This time it is more formal since it is held in the Ballroom of Hilton KL Sentral. What can I say, the "pelamin" is just awesome, all white with a touch of blue. We were entertained by a band from Tentera Darat. That reminds me of Norshila Amin from OTD famous with her famous song "Kad Ucapan" and "Rambu Ramba". The selection of songs and their voices made the whole occassion just perfect. At the end, they sang from the advert "Adabi" and we truly enjoyed that. If you don't recall the lyrics, it's "Adabi, melazatkan, Adabi menyelerakan..." The wedding went on so smoothly except that the wedding planner tried to share the limelight with the couple. Tok Abah and Tok Mama was one of the VIP couple to be given the opportunity to "Merenjis" and dined together with the Pengantin. I dare not think about the cost spent to hold a wedding ceremony in this type of place. If you can afford it why not. We are just honoured to be invited. To Gafil and Aalia, may Allah bless your marriage and guide you both in the right path.

Next is another cousin's wedding and this time it is outside KL and in Parit Buntar. The second week of the school holidays on 2 and 3 December 2011. We arrived in Parit Buntar on the 3rd and missed the akad nikah. We were told that the ceremony was filled with laughter since Barry, the groom recited his akad in malay and was practising hard since he is a Scottish. We checked in at Melor Inn to refresh and proceeded to Pak Su's house to meet with the groom's entourage. Barry's parents, brother, uncle and friends came to accompany him and we entertained them and served them with our traditional delicacies. Later, when we received the signal that the bride is ready, we left the house accompanied by more than 10 old scooters. When we reached there, a group of boys from the St John alumni were ready to play the bagpipe and ushered us to the house. The whole set up was just lovely. The "pelamin" was gorgeous and was transported all the way from KL. Barry's entourage was so impressed with the whole ceremony and enjoyed every bit from the "merenjis" ceremony, "makan beradab" and the cake cutting. They even dance the Scottish traditional song played by the bagpipe. The whole ceremony went as planned and of course Abah did not waste the opportunity to sing and entertain the guests. To both Wanie and Barry, "Selamat Pengantin Baru. Semoga kekal ke anak cucu".

The next week, on 10 December 2011, again we traveled up north. This time to Bukit Mertajam for Abah's cousin engagement. We stayed overnight at Ayah Su's house with Tok Abah, Tok Mama, Pak Su and Pak Ngah's family. The next morning, we helped Mak Su preparing for the ceremony. Ibu was asked to do the "Sireh Junjung" for both sides and was not prepared. Luckily Mak Ngah was there to help and we managed to get all the "hantaran" ready. Abah was tasked to be the mediator for the ceremony and he was well prepared for that. He goggled on how to conduct the engagement ceremony according to Islam and not so much of Adat. Engagement ceremony these days have changed so much that you won't be able to differentiate between the bride getting married and getting engaged. Anyway, congratulation to both Wani and Hafiz. InsyaAllah, we will be back to Bukit Mertajam come June next year for your wedding.