:: selamat hari raya ::

Salam Aidilfitri

Eid Mubarak

from

us

:: bff iftar session 2011 ::

Our BFF annual iftar session was held exactly a week ago on Saturday, 20.08.2011 at the Gardens Cafe, Sunway Pyramid. The venue was selected by votes but we have intended to try their food while enjoying the ambience since few months back so the iftar session was one perfect time to do it. Gardens Cafe is a lifestyle store and cafe concept restaurant, but if you're not familiar with its name, you might still have noticed it in shopping malls like One Utama, Mid Valley or The Curve because of its pretty garden white-green concept deco. The one in Sunway Pyramid looks small from outside but I was surprised finding how spacious it was inside. 

It was baby Ady's first outing with Mama and aunties. We planned to gather at 5:30 pm so we could do some shopping but Ady and I arrived more than an hour later. As a new mommy, getting ready independently was quite challenging. Ady didn't like to be left alone and he preferred to be carried most of the time so when I had to leave him while applying makeup and wearing hijab (even lying on the bed next to the dressing table) he started crying continously. Hubby usually sat with him when I was preparing myself but he was at work so I had to either bear with him crying or prepare things (milk, diaper bag, etc) while carrying him in one hand. Lesson learnt: I have to prepare two hours before appointment time instead of an hour before, next time.


Nor, Fila, Rynn and her daughter Rayfa were already comfortable at their seats when I arrived. Apparently the booking that I've made 5 days earlier was cancelled because according to them, the restaurant tried calling me to reconfirm but it was wrong number. The guy who received my call didn't copy my phone number correctly and even worst, he also wrote my name wrongly in their reservation book. Pffffttt...! Luckily my friends arrived early and managed getting new table for us.

Rabby and her daughter Sophie arrived later. It was good to see everybody and it was even better because our friend, Rynn also joined us this time. Outing with my girlfriends is something I always look forward to because not only we could chat endlessly about everything, it also gives me one good reason to dress up. It was my first time wearing shawl that way after watching the tutorial on youtube few days earlier. Not sure whether it really suits me but I wanted to be more adventurous instead of wearing tudung bawal with the same style. I usually prefer wearing casual attire instead of shirt during weekends but since I haven't work for months, I missed wearing one so I wore that white shirt with a pair of jeans and made my son wore similar coloured outfit too. I like the idea of wearing matching colours with my baby because I think it's kinda cute. Hehe.

 

There's nothing much to share during dinner because besides catching up, exchanged stories and taking photos, we were also busy enjoying our food. Overall, the food is tasty and served in a reasonable portion, not so huge but not so small. I have tasted a better and creamier spaghetti carbonara at other diners but their caesar salad with smoked salmon was good to me. Fila had noodle (middle top pic), Nor had that chicken in pita bread (bottom left pic) and that barramundi (bottom right pic) was Rynn's. Rabby and Sophie ordered spaghetti carbonara and spaghetti marinara but I didn't manage taking the pics because they were sitting at the other side of the table. They also have kids menu so the two girls got themselves fried chicken if I'm not mistaken. They also served fruit juice in cute mini jug, but unfortunately they must have used all of them when they were preparing Fila's watermelon juice because she received hers in a plastic glass instead. Rayfa got hers in that jug but I forget to ask Rynn to snap a pic. I guess everybody was satisfied because nobody gave negative remarks about their food. Before I forget, I have to say that their hot honey lemon was the best I've ever tasted and that could be one reason for me to dine at Gardens Cafe again. If compared to their rival Fullhouse which we went 6 months ago, Gardens Cafe is much more better in terms of food and ambience. Ample space, nice ambience, good food, what's more to ask? Highly recommended, enough said.

Actually we were also celebrating Nor's success that night. She just completed her MBA and will be graduating in October so she kindheartedly paid everything. Thank you so much Nor - "semoga sentiasa dimurahkan rejeki hendaknya".


There wasn't much desserts selection in Gardens Cafe so we moved to Starbucks for supper. I don't know whether supper is the best term to use because we just ate dinner but whatever. There was this shop named Payless Shoes next to the Starbucks and we spent almost half an hour inside luring over massive shoe collection that were reasonably priced. Fila and I ended up buying a pair each. Mine was a beige coloured peep toe meanwhile Fila bought a houndstooth pumps. If you're a shoe lover just like us, do visit that shop because they have pretty shoes and they arranged them according to size. There are also shoes for children and those for girls were very cute and irresistible.

 

I didn't order anything in Starbucks because I'm still on coffee and ice probation, but I took two loOoOong sips of Nor's dark mocha frappucino which is my favourite drink (untuk tidak kempunan). We continued chatting until Fila started unveiling her 'Santa Bag'. Every year Fila never fail giving us Hari Raya prezzies and this year Nor and I followed that tradition by giving our prezzies too. Each of us received a shawl and body mist from Fila, and a bronze or silver brooch from Nor. Fila even gave the two girls pretty dresses and Nor gave them pink headbands, while Ady received a cute Pumpkin Patch t-shirt from Fila. I gave my girlfriends a set of Ecotools travelling makeup brush. Didn't have much time to prepare fancy wrapping so I only made small cards for everybody with an origami heart on the cover. We have noticed earlier that the three of us used Japanese theme for our packaging and when I looked at the above picture, I noticed that we also used similar colour shades which are pink and green. I guess we have been friends for too long until we could think into the same direction. Anyway, thank you so much Fila and Nor for that prezzies and hopefully all of you find the makeup brush set useful.

Shops were already closed when we left Starbucks except for Jaya Jusco. We stopped by at Jusco because I had to change Ady's diaper, then we bid farewell to each other. Later, Rynn and Rayfa followed me to my car because I needed help to dismantle the stroller. It was a bit difficult because my hubby usually handled everything so I didn't know how to do it. Luckily Rynn and Rayfa were with me because it is dangerous to stay out of the car for a long period in a parking area. Thanks so much dear!

Our iftar session was a success and I look forward to having more sessions with my besties. To my BFF, thank you so much for the wonderful time. I highly apologize for any wrongdoings and hope to see you girls later, perhaps during our Raya potluck? ;-)

*keywords: gardens cafe sunway pyramid review, recommended restaurant selangor, malaysia

:: sempoinya berbuka ::

This is an opposite to this "meriahnya sahur" post. 

I had to break fast alone yesterday because hubby had to settle some work. Thought of calling mcDelivery but when it was nearly 6:00 pm I suddenly got a better idea and this is the result:

Porridge with shredded chicken, tenggiri jeruk and Vegemite

During our trip to Melbourne last year we almost brought home a bottle of Vegemite but it was left at the airport because it was not allowed to be handcarried. I finally got it after almost a year through my friend Isma who just returned home and ever since that, I have been addicted to it. In case you're not familiar with it, Vegemite is concentrated yeast extract. I haven't found it anywhere here in Malaysia but we have Marmite which is the same thing but made in UK, while Vegemite is an Australian product. I have to admit that it has funny taste and smell; and some people may not like it but I like it (a lot).

It may sound a bit weird but my late grandmother was the one who taught me eating porridge with Marmite when I was still a young kid. I haven't eat it for ages and yesterday, I managed to bring back my childhood memory and I didn't eat one or two but THREE bowls of porridge! FYI, I love eating porridge and that porridge was also cooked similarly to how my late grandmother used to cook it as it was mixed with coconut milk. Having something that made me reminiscing my childhood is simply the best and it's more appetizing although it looks simple.

On another note, I really miss my late grandmother. She was the greatest cook ever and if you asked me who I really want to meet whether in this life or the next, without any doubt I'll answer "her". al-Fatihah to my late grandmother, Allahyarhamah Salbiah binti Suki and not forgetting my late grandfather too, Allahyarham Mohammed Farid bin Abdullah.

:: sneak peek ::

Here's a sneak peek of my Hari Raya dress...

We went to Jalan TAR on Wednesday night searching for hubby's baju melayu. Like last year, I let him chose his baju melayu and the theme colour first before I bought mine; and also like last year, shopping was done at the very last minute. The area was crowded as expected. We brought Ady together but had to carry him instead of using stroller as it was a lot more easier and our baby was asleep most of the time so there was no trouble at all. We walked from beginning to end of the stalls but hubby couldn't decide. Searching for his baju melayu was quite challenging because most small size tops was not that small so it didn't fit him well. He bought his baju melayu from KL Tradisional last year and it suited him so we hoped to find something from that brand but neither caught his attention.

After walking through long stretch of stalls that lasted more than 1 km, we walked back from the end and that dress caught my attention. It was a long sleeve maxi chiffon dress with a big bling-bling in the middle of the waist. It was love at the first sight because that dress really reflects my taste. At first I was quite disappointed knowing that the dress was in free size because I thought it won't fit me well, but surprisingly it looked good on my postpartum body. No alteration needed because the length fell nicely when it is worn with heels later. I was a bit concerned on the colour though because it would be difficult for hubby to choose his baju melayu that matches the tone but he said not to worry. There were few other colours in different designs but hubby knew my taste and my colour very well so there she is now in my possession. By the way, compared to its quality and look the dress was sold at a very reasonable price. Never mind that it was bought at Jalan TAR and not from fancy boutiques because as long as it suits my taste, looks gorgeous and reasonably priced... I'm more than happy :-)

That night we returned home without any baju melayu so we went to PKNS Shah Alam last night to continue our search. There were a number of stalls selling baju melayu but they were a bit expensive and most doubled the price sold at Jalan TAR with the same fabric and quality. We managed getting a small baju melayu Johor for Ady though at RM40 after discount (sold at RM48 at first). Have to do a bit of alteration at the sleeves and pants but he sure gonna look cute in it later. To cut the story short, we ended going to Jalan TAR again last night and to cut the story shotter, we returned home with two baju melayu.

It's going to be a memorable Hari Raya. Our first Raya with our son.

:-)

:: say uuuuu ::

 "Cheese" is so outdated. Now everybody should say "uuuuu".

Credit goes to the photographer, Fila for this awesome pic.

Taken last Saturday at Gardens Cafe Sunway Pyramid during our BFF Iftar Session. More pics and stories about the event will be uploaded soon.

:: meriahnya sahur ::

Hello semua. Tup tap tup tap dah 22 hari kita semua berpuasa kan. Cepat betul rasanya Ramadhan kali ni sebab rasa macam baru je start puasa haritu ni dah tinggal seminggu je lagi nak raya. Anyway, pagi ni saya tulis dalam BM je sebab nak cepat... tak tidur lagi since semalam tapi still nak update blog jugak sebab dah lama tak update pape. Sebenarnya ada je idea nak menulis tapi tak berkesempatan so pagi ni walaupun mata dah mengantuk saya gagahkan jugak menaip. Actually bukanlah story yang gempak sangat, just nak share betapa meriahnya sahur saya pagi ni. Ok, first of all nak tanya: "korang makan apa sahur tadi?" Sebab pagi ni kitorang makan...

Pajeri Nanas

Daging Goreng Kunyit

Ikan Pekasam

Telur Dadar + Sambal Belacan + Nasi Putih

Haa meriah tak uols??? List menu yang terakhir tu tak sempat nak snap pic sebab selesai masak pun dah pukul 5:00 pagi. Kang dok sibuk amik gambar bila pulak nak makan. Kang patut jamu selera, terus jamu mata je sebab dah imsak. Lagipun setakat telur dadar, sambal belacan dengan nasi semua orang pun boleh imagine sendiri kan. Hehehe. 

Sebenarnya sahur pagi ni bukan meriah sebab makanan je tapi meriah sebab ada tetamu jugak. Kawan kami, Isma dan Hairil yang sebelum ni bertahun dok Melbourne akhirnya dah kembali ke tanahair Khamis lepas, so sementara nak setelkan apa-apa yang patut sebelum balik beraya diorang dok umah kitorang dulu. Sejak jadi suri rumah sepenuh masa sementara ni memang jaranglah dapat bersosial so memang happy sangat bila dapat guests. Selalunya bff saya memang rajin menjenguk datang rumah ni tapi sesekali dapat guests yang dok 4 malam straight, seronok sangat rasanya. Selama ni dok bercerita kat Facebook, ni dah face-to-face senang sket sembang takyah menaip dah. Satu yang saya belajar, bila beramai ni suasana tu bukan je meriah tapi semangat pun bertambah nak masak itu ini. Sebab tulah omputih cakap "the more the merrier" sampai selera makan pun bertambah jadinya. Tapi sebenarnya bila dah hujung-hujung puasa ni lauk-lauk simple lebih menyelerakan. Dapat pulak pekasam tu.. perghhh memang pembangkit selera lah! Terima kasih daun keladi untuk bff saya, Rabby yang bagi ikan pekasam tu dengan ucapan "Beek, tu last stock... tak terasa ke nak tambahkan stock aku lagi?" Kuikuikui.

Okeylah, mata dah ngantuk sangat sampai nak susun ayat pun rasa dah tak mampu. Dah hujung-hujung puasa ni selalunya idea pun dah kureng untuk masak apa untuk sahur or berbuka kan, so harapnya entry saya ni dapatlah jugak membantu mencetus (*ayat skema tak hengat) idea apa yang dimasak. Kalau tanya saya, combination sahur pagi ni memang best sebab ada manis, masin dan pedas. Harapnya tetamu kami yang sekarang dalam perjalanan balik kampung pun happy. 

Kepada Isma dan Hairil, welcome home dan selamat beraya sakan dengan ahli keluarga. Maaflah kalau ada yang kurang kat memana tu ye dan terima kasih banyak-banyak atas ingatan uols untuk kami bertiga sebab macam-macam pulak yang dibelikan dari Melbourne. Insyaallah, jumpa masa raya nanti or kalau tak berkesempatan lepas raya pun boleh. Kepada semua pembaca blog saya ni, terima kasih jugak sebab sudi membaca apa yang saya tulis walaupun merepek merapu. Selamat meneruskan puasa dan selamat bershopping raya untuk semua yang beragama Islam. Jumpa di entry lain pulak... tatatititutu.

:: ady is 2 months ::

It's 17th of the month and our baby is 2 months old today. I hardly shared on Ady's development because there was not much to talk about, before. Now that he is already 2 months, alhamdulillah I'm proud to say that our baby is growing and developing very well. There are few significant behavioural development that we have noticed after he reached 1 month and one of it is his sight. Not like before, it is noticeable that he has better vision now. He likes looking around and when he looked at me, it really shown that he was looking at my face. Last two weeks I carried Ady outside and he had this curious expression on his face when he was looking at the sky. I then realised that we usually take him out at night so he rarely sees outside surrounding during the day so I continued carrying him for a little while. His eyes kept on wandering around and it was a good exposure for him to recognise and connect with the real world. Apart from that Ady did impress me when he enjoyed looking at the musical mobile toy moving around while he was lying in his cot. We bought that toy when he was 1 week old but obviously he was too young to appreciate it but now it's worth it. Another thing you have to know about our baby is the fact that he couldn't be left alone on his own when he is not asleep. Sometimes he is ok but not for too long as he will start crying so the musical mobile toy has helped me a lot in distracting him.

...amazed

Apart from eyes, Ady's ears seem to functioning well too. It was seen when he reacted at the sounds we made by moving his head or just his eyes. Not only that, Ady has started communicating since few weeks ago. I frequently made sounds while looking at him and after a while he managed making sounds like "ooo" or "auuu". Nowadays he even reply to the sounds that we made or started the 'conversation' first and we usually 'talk' to each other a lot after I gave him bath. Oh, I never shared that Ady loves water. I started bathing him since he was 2 weeks old and so far he only cried once which happened ages ago. Most of the time he just sat quietly while I was scrubbing his body. Such a good boy. 

Another development that can be seen is the way he is moving his feet these days. Previously Ady only moved his hands a lot but now he is active kicking with his feet as well so we are expecting him to start moving his body anytime soon. Watching a baby growing is indeed an amazing and a sweet experience, especially when the baby is yours. Small positive changes still count because it shows the baby is growing healthily and accordingly.

"hello"

By the way, the last time we weighed him two weeks ago Ady was 4.6 kg. We will take him to get his monthly jab within next few days and will update his current weight because as you can see his cheeks are rounder now if compared to before. Thankfully I can still breastfeed Ady until he is 2 months old although not exclusively. Continuing for another month will still be an achievement so hopefully I will be able to do so.

Ady Rifqi, we love you soOoOo much!