Day 1 - evening

We have had our nap for about 2 hours – enough to recharge our tired body. We have had our lunch, in the room with the food I brought from home. Haa.. here I reveal a little secret of my way of surviving when we are away, far away from home. Hehe.. my friends always seem cannot imagine when I told them, I re-heat the ‘bekal’ using an electric cooker (yes,we bring it too!) in the room. Mahal lah woo kalau asyik nak makan luar aje. 1 kebab in Australia costs you about RM23, 1 plate of plain Nasi Goreng bodoh in Europe costs about 5 euro which converts to RM25 (and that’s not including drink ya!!). And, kalau kena org macam aku ni, can’t get enough with just 1 kebab, mamposss!! So, here I present to you..

This is our lifetime loyal traveling partner. Means, if we forgot to bring it together, our tummy will ‘kriokking’ all the time lah..haha. See, tgh masak nasi.




This was our course for the lunch. White rice, Ayam Masak Thai & ulam timun. Sedap woo..

The dishes I brought from home is nicely packed, and I freezed them soon after being cooked, (freezed tau, not refrigerated – letak kat tempat air batu tu). We checked-in those foods, so it will be in cooling state all the way from KUL to JNB. Soon after arriving at the hotel, we transferred it straight away to the refrigerator.

Benefits:
1. We could avoid those canned foods which we don’t really know how many ‘months old’ are them.
2. It tastes good & delicious because I’m the chef.. Hahaha.
3. Bila dah sedap tu, sure we need a second or third or fourth helping because staying in an air-conditioned room will make you starving all the time.
4. Save money.
5. The most important is: Dah tentu HALAL.

After lunch, we went to Village Walk (the mall attached to the hotel). I like!! It is a covered, more or less can be said a street mall. The ID is nice, South African’s design is well-known of terracotta, mainly the tiling, more similar to Nando’s in KL. (Nando’s is from South Africa, if I’m not mistaken).

We bought some juices at the Pick ‘n’ Pay, a convenience store at the village walk. The strawberry juice is 100% fresh and it is soo tasty.

This is Abg Wan's shop, WGS Africa, selling all those kind of gem stones deco items & pendant & necklace.

He has been living in Johannesburg for 18 years, so far he is the one who will guide the Malaysia Airlines crew especially on the tour, the best halal restaurant or anything else that a tourist should know.

Mr.Hubby asked him to get a rental car for our outing in Joburg & he kindly explained & gave a free directions & guide of the roads & driving in Joburg. Many times in between of our conversation, he stressed up of “be careful, be extra alert all the time while driving. Jangan sesekali masuk jalan ke town, or mana-mana jalan selain yang Abang Wan tunjuk. It’s too too dangerous.”

Me : How dangerous is it Abg Wan?
Abg Wan : It’s very dangerous, till the local people pun tak berani nak masuk. If you know how
Bronx like, I can say, it’s more notorious than Bronx.

Me & Mr.Hubby were like speechless, muka masing2 dah takleh senyum. This means, I have to read the map (which is my official duty in KL), but this time carefully read it & my eyes must be every second be on the signboards. Arrrghh… what a burden, I can feel it aleady. How could we enjoy a ride if our heart will be non-stop beating like a drum?

They (crews) said the tour charge is high, better still go on our own.. However, knowing those scary things from Abg Wan, we have to reconsider of taking a tour. So, we went back to the room, and we outlined & pre-calculated the difference of taking a tour or self-drive.

Car Rental: R350.00
Petrol: R330.00 Full Tank (minyak kat sini RM3.50/liter woo!!)

If we take a tour with Abg Wan, the charge for transport is R1000.00 per van. It is a 7-seater van, so the more people join, the lower rate per head we get. Plus, Abg wan is experienced enough to drive at his own place, so we don’t have to be cautioned of the dangerous place that we shouldn’t o to.

I was then put all my effort in persuading Mr.Hubby to go with Abg Wan. Kata-kata hikmat I was using is:
“Biar bayar lebih sikit, asalkan selamat & we enjoy the ride.”

At the moment I wrote this, it looks like Mr.Hubby dah termakan pujuk rayu aku. Yeeehaaaa!!!!!

Arriving in Johannesburg..23/01/08

Alhamdulillah, I have safely landed at Johannesburg airport at 5.45am. The temperature outside was reported 18C, which is very nice, I guessed. This was my first time be on 747 First Class – sleeping is better than that in 777 Business Class. Mana taknye, when we feel sleepy & want to rest (sleep), just call one of the crew & they will make your bed with the fitted bedsheet, cover you with that Duvey (dunno the right spelling lah) & give you that fluffy pillow. It is better than 777 because the seat can be inclined to 180 degree.

These pictures were all taken during my flight, conscious & unconsciously (Mr.Hubby memang suka amik gambar aku dlm flight..mcm takde kerja lain plak..tahulah paxing je).






Compared to other airport I’ve ever been, Joburg (other name for Johannesburg) is a confusing one, but maybe because there is a construction in progress. We have to walk about 10 mins passed the Passport Control through all corners of the building to our hotel shuttle. Kalau sorang2, mmg takleh carilah..

The journey from airport to hotel took about an hour, not because of the distance but due to the heavy traffic – it was about 7am, people are rushing to work. I was impressed by the building designs & exterior work- never expected that in Joburg indeed. (ingatkan negara miskin penuh dgn rumah haram je..hik hik). Mr.Hubby told me that the area of our hotel ni by comparison, is some sort like Damansara Height in KL. Kiranya up class area lah gitu..Patut lah aku nampak bersih je, rumah pun cantek2.Tourist or even local people rarely go to town area because the crime rate is very very high. People can get shot easily even on the road. Notorious. It’s really really not safe. So ,our hotel, Protea Balalaika Hotel, is on the outskirt side, ‘safe & sound’. Despite of being a ‘safe area’, almost every houses & premises has an electric fencing. Menakutkan betul..

There are many motel type hotel (apa nii??) on the way to our hotel. Motel-type, to my definition, is like a low-rise hotel, and normally building layout is ‘menjalar’ on the ground, not like our hotel yg selalu MAS bagi, sure yg high rise, no balcony, standard ah gitu..(I was first presumed). So, I said to Mr.Hubby, who was ‘calmly’ sitting next to me (mengantuk lah tu..):

Me : Why MAS doesn’t provide us with that style of hotel huh?
Mr.Hubby : Naper? You suka ke?
Me : A’ah.. Cantek & more relaxing..because I feel closer to ground..hehe.

Mr.Hubby diammmm je..

Soon after, we arrive at the hotel..WOW!!! Akak sukaaaa… It’s sort of the one that I’ve been wishing for..with extra features – it is attached to a shopping mall. A very nice small mall..

OUR VACATION BEGINS!!!

Morning till Night..FULL!!!

8.00 am : Breakfast - Nasi Goreng Bodoh & a mug of plain milo.
10.30 am : In Bangi, for 'mengurut' session because 'rahimku turun lagiiii'. Mr.Hubby went
straight to Salak Tinggi for his unofficial duty - monitoring the house.
11.30 am : In Puncak Bangi show house, tetiba nampak rumah tepi jalan & I was like, "urmmm
cantiknya."
12.30 noon : In Balakong, Multifilla Craft Supplies looking for Graphic Marker & Stain Glass
Paint. Dissapointed to find that Multifilla, so-called the largest art mall, but the
shop look like 'the largest store room'..
2.15pm : In Shah Alam, Plaza Alam Sentral for a company search at SSM. Had lunch - Bihun
Tomyam & air suam.
4.00pm : Balik rumah. Second lunch. Shower, coz one whole day I was in 'minyak urut'. Solat.
8.15pm : Went to Bukit Tinggi,Klang to meet our forex partner. Alhamdulillah, things go in time before we go to Johannesburg & the sifus go to Jeddah. Congsrats Mr.Hubby!!!

THERE GOES MY DAY!!

Mini Reunion

Today went to Alamanda Putrajaya for a 'mini get-together' with other 3 musketeers: Nik, Ruhi & Eddy. Ruhi was in Putrajaya since 17th inline with batik promotion organized by MECD. Can be considered as 'bachelor outing'-sbb kitorg tak bawak husband & wife masing2- Abe Li (Nik's) baru sampai dari Kedah early morning so was sleeping at home, Nurul (Eddy's) staying in Kelantan & Eddy is now a 'suffered' weekend husband (hehehe..sorry ye Eddy), Ejan (Ruhi's) is in Kelantan, she's not coming for the event & Mr.Hubby is on the way home di awangan. So,kami ni bukanlah suami/isteri yg lupakan status ya...

Nik was still in the office when I arrived, so I waited for her about half an hour..ambik kesempatan pusing2 jamu mata..I was able to capture a few examples of RMUs & food counter, not bad,very up class punye design..boleh tiru. (hehehe..kerja senang). Masa ni jugak, I saw a very nice shoes at BATA which the Sec.14 outlet doesn't have the same pair. Gerammmnyeeeeeerrrr..dahlah cantik,sleek design pastu pakai sedap giler.. Terkujat aku sekejap memikirkan yg aku dah 'terbeli' yg lain ari tu..But, looking at the price, RM159.00, fiuhhh lega hati den!! So, economically, takdelah menyesal beli yg ari tu..cheaper..

Then when Nik arrived, barulah we both went to Ruhi & Eddy & tell you what...depa tu dah abis lunch!!! Grrrr... tapi, it was a very kind of Ruhi when he treat us for our turns..hahaha..Then,borak2, laughing2, until it was 4 o'clock & we decided to have a tea time plak.. So,we heading to Starbuck for Eddy's turn to treat us..hehehe..giler demand..alaa,once in a while kan Eddy..then we continue our laughing2 session until sometimes it turned tearful (boleh buat exercise muka sebenornye sbb byk sgt gelak).. it was an enjoyable memory recalling session actually & we had sooo many memories together back our old days at school..(chehhh ni nak sentimental lah ni)..until 5.40pm-we dismissed.

To Ruhi & Eddy, thanks for the treat and hoping that we can see each other again next time.

Note: Terlampau byk gelak & borak2, sampaikan I was totally forgot to snap any pics of us!!

Syyyyyy...Strictly Confidential..

This is my own hand work, for my C-store project. Insyaallah, if nothing goes in between, this drawing will come to reality middle of this year. Pssttt: it shows the artistic soul inside me,isn't it?? (perasannnn)..

The main counter..but now changed to an L-shaped without the ice-cream & pop corn maker. Oooppss.. the Fresh Juice bar is also changed to a Waffle Bar. Colour also changed to ...secret!!!

Still in my sketch book..fresh from oven..hahaha.This will be the Food Counter..the Pastry warmer, HotDog griller,Coffee Dispenser (sponsored by Nescafe),Bain Marie for hot dog condiments and a soft drink dispenser. Not deciding yet on the tiling & flooring design.

This is the Glass Graphic Art,sticked to the separation glass between our shop & the lobby area. Has not been finalised yet.

I like...my meal,my shoes,my site,my dressing...

It's been a long,tiring day as usual yesterday. We went out for 'daily duty' at 11am,heading first to Sun Tat Li, at Jln Kapar, made a payment for Salak Tinggi carpentry work. Then, straight to Subang Terminal for 2 reasons: 1)Mr.Hubby is going for a FREE ear check-up, hoping for a FREE (again) Ear Waxing (but he couldn't get the recommendation from the doctor..hahaha). 2)To collect my Johannesburg ticket.

Doc on duty : Haaa..ok pun. Taik telinga pun takde, No need for ear waxing lah ye..

Mr.Hubby : Iye ke? ermm..ok lah.

While waiting for Mr.Hubby's checking, I went to Surau for Zohor prayer, when I was then feeling so hungry due to over-cooled aircond temperature setting at the whole building.Then,I received an sms from him when I suddenly discover that the Surau is next to the cafetaria. Yahooo!!! (my hungry tummy shouted happily)

His : I tunggu kat med centre.Kalau lapar,makanlah dulu.

Mine : Dah order dah pun..

It was a big bigggg lunch with a large-portion of Thai Fried Rice, 7-pcs cekodok bilis & a glass of Nescafe.

Mr.Hubby came 10 mins later with a friend, asking me, "U ni lawyer ke?" I was stunning at his question (with a mouthful of nasi goreng),then only I understand why he's saying that. Look at my attire for the day...

I was dressing up totally in black & white, office-like attire..no wonder lah...

Soon after, we drove to Section 14,PJ doing a site research on my C-store project. And tell you what, it's been ages since I last went there,and I never liked PJ until yesterday. It's damn changed! The whole thing... with Jaya Shopping Centre been refurbished (just a Cold Storage inside), and with a newly (new ke?) Jaya 33 Shopping Centre, I must say, Sec 14 is the place... There are 2 bus stops by the main road,and surprisingly both are cramped with commuters.. My eyes sparkling with a RM signs..hehehe..

We have a walk at the vicinity, and found our great great competitor-to-be at the area. 7-eleven is on the inner side, nearby Pasar Besar and KIOSK is facing Digital Mall.We already familiar with 7-eleven,so we stepped into KIOSK outlet. Mr.Hubby was properly park the car when I went into the shop,impatiently I SMSed Mr.Hubby;

My sms: Easily we can beat Kiosk. 100% sure!! (confident tu nyah!!!)

Next to Kiosk is a BATA shop where I put another hope to find for a pair of shoes which I have been searching for a month, I guess.. Saw 1-rejected (bulky). Saw 2-rejected (heels too high). Saw 3- ermmm ,design OK,comfortability OK,heels ,YESSS!!!This is what i've been looking for..

Design is nice, not too sporty nor corporate-looking either.

The heels are perfect. Good for a long walk.

Price is much better..not even reaching RM100 like normal comfort brands offerings.

Conclusion : AKU SUKAAAAA!!!!! Now,I can prepare for my Johannesburg trip with easy mind..

Reading the berrysprattling's blog, reminds me of the day out. We walk walk after the lunch,and MamaUllya managed to get the long-awaited red slip-on (didn't she tell you that??) and me?? I can only reveal one purchase, it's a modern baju kurung at Kassa.I wished to own this since Aidilfitri sale last year and now only I can afford to buy, because the price has been slashed giler babe...lagi sekali: AKU SUKAAAA!!!!!

Muhassabah Diri

I'm not a good person in terms of practicing religion tasks, not an Islamic-very-knowledgeable person either.But,naturally, being grown-up with a 'quite strong' base and Alhamdulillah,granted with a good conscience,I could by reasons differentiate which is proper manner and which is not;be it in human relationship or in relationship with the Almighty Allah swt.

Before I commented what I want to comment here,me either,regretfully not a 1825-times-a-year solat performer and I have been and will be trying my whole lifetime to be one. However-rule of thumb-quantity without quality is just a waste, isn't it?Please understand I'm not saying that,if we have achieved the "kusyuk" in solat,(a step-to-final stage in solat,where you find the true "love & fun" in performing solat),means we can easily abandon the 5-times day routine,or just do it whenever we like.Strictly NO.Bear in mind,when we are in that "kusyuk" stage,it's not US anymore who feels like performing solat,it's our INNER FAITH that automatically will guide us 'to see' our creator,not just limited to 5 times a day,sometimes might be even more,and mostly up to every second.Because,solat itself is not described by the 'up & down' procedures - it's just being a guide- solat is a RELATION or we call it HUBUNGAN and it is our HUBUNGAN DENGAN ALLAH PENCIPTA ALAM.Isn't it so merciful that we can 'talk' to our creator,and knowing that He is listening?And with concrete confidence,we know that He is capable in granting our wish or 'doa' that we've been reciting all times in our life?If we know all this,don't we supposed to 'sanjung' Him as the ONLY ONE and THE MOST ABOVE?It is not a yes/no question,it is definitely YES!!

I give an example:If you are seeing 'somebody up there' (in top position) let say in Government office,how will you react?Ok,not saying PM lah,enough with a DO (district officer) in your area,asking for his 'bless help' in endorsing your land or whatever application, my goodness,sometimes it is up to a stage that people beg him,bow to him...even though it is just a human-human relationship.

On the other hand, (this is my point), why are we so calculative (berkira) in our relation with Allah?We often take for granted the golden chance of being with Him.We go to Him with rude and improper manner.Why?Is it because we do not 'realistically' see Him?

I raise up this matter because I often see people 'chasing time' when performing solat.I have timed my al-Fatihah reading,the fastest it can go is 23 secs - that's the fastest & I seldom do that.I wonder,how they can recite it for 10 secs & completed solat in just 1 or 2 minutes?Do they have an advanced standard of doing it with short-cuts?I may not be that knowledgeable enough in Islamic education,but as far as I'm concerned,there's no short-cuts.

Question: ARE THEY REALLY SEEING GOD OR JUST PASSING-BY IN FRONT OF HIM???

Alien fruit!

Do you know what fruit is that?No, it's not a papaya..it's not a shape a papaya, can't you notice that?? It's a MANGO my sister bought in Perak. My hand nearly cramped when I peeled this giant mango.

Isi dia penuh satu mangkuk nasi tambah.. But, I think dia masak peram..coz masammmmm sgttttt!!!!!

Hijrahkan diriku Ya Allah!!

Maal Hijrah to all my beloved Muslim friends & to all Muslims out there. Islam is beautiful, we are being united in one soul, guided by a path called Iman, heading to one destiny called an-Nur, accompanied by one true friend called al-Quran & Sunnah.. Hijrah this time made me ever thought,in what sense of 'hijrah' I've done all this year? I mean, all of us have our long-list of resolutions we often made when a new year came, but how quality is the achievements? Easier listed than done, I might say. How many percent of those resolutions we really put into commitment? Are we consistently be on the right track to accomplish those determinations? My heartiest 'syabbas' to those who perseveringly trying to fulfill their strong wills no matter how. It's a painstaking efforts,I know.. because I'm doing the same thing right now, and even it's just begun, 3 days as on today,I already feel the pain. May Allah gives me strength, an inner strength to overcome the 'al-Khonnas' inside me..

Happy New Year 2008!!!

Mak Oiiiiii...it's been 3 weeks since I last updated this blog.. Simple reason, don't have enough time..

Happy New Year everybody..hope this year brings much much better luck and more achievement we can proud of. I entered the 2008 entrance with mostly the same wishes- to be a good wife,to earn more,to be more health-conscious in terms of diet & fitness exercise, bla bla bla..but there's one strong desire to achieve something new.. BE A SUCCESSFUL FOREX TRADER.. hahahaha..why forex? Again, it's really beyond my expectation,I never dreamt to be one, when it happened, it's just happened!

So, I finished (for first round) learning thru Babypips.com, which I personally think, I can master the knowledge if I re-learn it for the second or maybe the third time.. Theoretically passed, now I'm in the process of becoming a 'pretender trader' by opening a demo account on IBFX.. I finally find a 'guru' in this field-he's staying in Bandar Botanic, which is nearby before I'm moving to Salak Tinggi, and he advised me to practice on demo account for at least 2 months. At the moment I said 'yes', I was still unclear and the negative part inside me keep on haunting, asking whether is this a very wise decision to venture in??? I'm trying very hard to stay on track and yet I'm very grateful because Mr.Hubby is also into this. At least I'm not alone in this so-called 'forex battle'.

Then, when I decided to turn my back to any conventional business, this offer came in. I was offered to run a Convenience Store (my own label/brand name) at the new-coming bus-stops at 3 locations- in front of Subang Parade/Carrefour, Section 14,PJ & nearby Kompleks PKNS,Shah Alam.. What a superb location for business!!! Ermmm.. Considering Malay Proverb into account: Maut jgn dicari,rezeki jgn ditolak: I agreed to try my luck. Again, Mr.Hubby does it all to support.

This is what we called, takder kerje cari kerje, when I'm now packed with paperwork, design drafts & all those profit/revenue forecasts. The dateline is end of January..Gosh!!!! It's 8th today, means I still have about 22 days to go, but gotta minus with 1-week Johannesburg trip, balance is 15 days & it's counting.. When to finish the designs? When to select the suppliers? Seriuosly, I need to apply the "First Thing First" right now..

Friends, wish me luck!! By the way, wanna help??