the lyrics just speaks volume! do you remember how to sing this song?

i love you very much, honey. jom sambung kisah indah kita sampai kerepot ye!

at the time of writing my abah and umi are boarding MAS. destination, dubai – to visit his second daughter, son-in-law yang sama-sama mckk and his 3 naughty grandsons; khaleef, kahfi and kazim.

they will only be here for just 10 days, and i’m going to make the most of it! main request from abah – mandi rice (duuh, of course!) and roomali. click here to find out what is roomali. delicious!

another special request is for me to make him my nasi ayam!

i’m also anticipating few things i *requested* from umi – like minyak gamat, keropok ikan and lots more! i’ll save another posting for those treasured items hihi. thanks umi, for your thoughts and effort. tat nenas pun mungkin ada sekali kot. tak sabarnya. nyum nyum.

abah

currently dubai is enjoying cool cozy winter, so a lot of malaysians are having guests left and right. the weather is so lovely for a walkabout. what more since the dubai sales festival is about to start any day now!

can’t wait to bring you to all sorts of places, take tons of pictures and eat pounds of delicious food. safe journey abah, and we’re waiting here with open arms and empty tummies haha.

“this is mak,” khaleef said.

gulp. speechless. haha.

* * *

now, each time he draws orang lidi it will look like this. haha. and i will go like, “where’s his body? you have the head, the arms and the legs. where’s his body?”

1. the first stick man on top next to his name is him, of course.
2. the second one is me! that two sticks coming out of my head that looks like a pair of antennae is supposed to be HAIR! haha, since i’m a girl. notice my name on far right.
3. and the last one at the bottom is bapak. haha. trying to draw him ‘driving’ tapi sempat draw steering wheel je! haha.

more arts stuff from khaleef soon!

click here for my final posting on MBP.

* * *

MBP is a site for moms, by moms and now even visited by dads. that’s how informative the site is. if you think it’s all girly-motherly stuff, it discusses parenting issues, bloggers events, blogging tips and tools, how to make money through blogging and many more.

at the same time you really do make friends, and i mean really – there are a few bloggers i met through MBP who have become regulars at my blog, and i regularly visit their blogs too.

how did i start writing for MBP?

the force behind mombloggersplanet dot com, kak ros or as she’s fondly known over the site – little mama wrote most of the articles, but she started to share the limelight with bloggers who loves writing, and want to share stuff, particularly on blogging, making money through blogs, and working from home.

and that’s where i came in!

here are my favorite postings that i wrote for MBP :

1. are you a super blogger? 
2. good blogging is like a yummy nasi lemak 
3. a dinosaur’s guide to blogging
4. you know you’re a freakoblog when…
5. comment, comment, comment!
6. you hate writing, but you want to blog?
7. go travel, then blog!
8. 5 reasons why dads must blog!

for your information, i wasn’t paid to write these postings. it was simply passion for writing, and sharing thoughts. pure and simple. also, i just wanted to fill my time! hihi.

if you ask me, the friendship i got through MBP is something that i appreciate the most. thanks kak ros for the opportunity, and for sharing your stage with a few of us. i hope to meet you one day and give you a hug!

for the rest of you, drop by mombloggersplanet, or click here to read all 33 of my featured articles there!

situated in a villa. in the more posh part that is jumeirah. chandelier with elaborate design hanging from the beautiful plaster ceiling. lush carpet. dark marble floor. a valet greets you even before you get out of the car. a plate of mandi rice costs more than we ever paid for.

this is by far the most classy mandi rice restaurant i’ve ever been to. it used to have a branch near dubai-sharjah border, but have since closed. we’ve been there a few times, but it wasn’t as poshly decorated like this.

click here for our previous experience eating at the old marhabani branch.

yes, it’s in jumeirah, the bangsar of dubai. straight from dubai marina, watch out for it on your right. if you’ve passed mercato mall, you’ve gone too far.

the blue neon signage is clear-cut if you notice it, but to mr. khairul, they should’ve placed the signage higher up, especially for those not familiar with the neighbourhood.

the front door itself can prepare you for the posh-ness inside the restaurant. dark oak-like wooden door, expensive-looking ceiling-lamp and yang paling posh konon, there’s a valet with speaker phone on his ear welcoming you as you come out.

you’d feel like a VIP for that split second! hihi.

*  *  *

just look at the chandelier!

as in any mandi restaurant, there’s the table-chair seating area, and there’s the majlis; the sitting-down area with arabic pillows in tents.

the tent was very comfortable and spacious. the carpets seemed brand new, and the pillows were so inviting (to sleep! haha). however, the walls of the tent don’t go straight up to the ceiling, so there was less noise-privacy. you can hear spoons banging on glass bowls, and people coughing. you’d think that a place as posh as this could afford having actual ‘rooms’ as tents to provide maximum privacy!

*  *  *

the veggie plate comes with fresh crispy salad, slices of sweet-sour tomatoes, half an onion, sticks of carrots, few green chillies and slices of lemon to taste. overall a nice change from the cucumber plus ulam from tawasol.

marhabani lose a little when it comes to their chili-tomato ‘sambal’. it’s more watery and less spicy. still a good appetizer, but could be better.

in tawasol, you get lentil soup for free – here in marhabani, you have to pay, a LOT! but the money is worth it, especially if you appreciate good, thick lentil soup. their lentil soup is certainly thicker, thus provide more satisfaction!

chicken mandi is chicken mandi, and all the chicken mandi is as good as the next plate, this mandi-freak would say. what else to add? delicious!

ah, now THIS is new. shrimp mandi! this is the first time we tried shrimp mandi, after a recommendation. mr. khairul thinks there’s nothing special about it – “macam udang goreng tepung je” – but that’s exactly what i really like about it! just the right amount of saltiness, along with the crispiness of the fried shrimp – new, and tasty!

(after a second confirmation, turns out that the recommended dish was supposed to be ‘shrimp bukhari’, not shrimp mandi! next time, ya honey!)

most of the time, we’d settle for a big bottle of mineral water, but in marhabani, there’s ample choice of juice for your picking. mr. khairul ordered this banana milkshake. it’s like drinking mashed banana!

because as always, when you order ‘juice’ in dubai, you will get pure crushed fruits – no additional sugar, no added water – just pure, thick natural fruit juices. i always feel like putting more water to dilute it, or more ice-cubes to make it cooler!

* * *

kahfi, khaleef and kazim. ample space to golek-golek. enough pillows to build a fort. comfy carpet to fall asleep on. of course, the boys enjoyed the tent!

managed to capture these shots as we left. beautiful, eh?

if you’re thinking of bringing visitors (or when you come and cuti-cuti dubai) to experience mandi rice in a traditional yet posh setting – marhabani, jumeirah is the place to be. it’s pricey, but if you appreciate good food that accompanies great ambiance, pick marhabani.

a decade of many happy beginnings

a decade of few tearful goodbyes

10 years of tests and tribulations

10 years of mistakes made and lessons learned

* * *

i could say that the past 10 years were the most eventful of my life – happy at most, and sufferable at times. i finished my studies, got married, had kids, lost my mak – all within these 10 years. i could also say that i faced my biggest, most unbelievable challenge and dugaan within these 10 years – and that’s as far as i could go to share it!

let’s just say that i really truly believe the phrase, ‘ada hikmah di sebalik semua yang berlaku, baik atau buruk,’ – there’s a silver lining in everything. alhamdulillah, things worked out for the best.

here are a few thoughts i gathered along the way – syigim’s 11 thoughts for 2011 :

1. the most important thing about past experiences is learning from them.
2. you must remember to CHANGE for the better, or remember NEVER TO CHANGE to be like the people who wronged you.
3. silence IS golden.
4. forgive, but never let yourself forget, because you don’t want to repeat the same mistake.
5. clichés that happened in malay drama or movie DO happen in real life.
6. berani kerana benar is a very true saying.
7. communicate with your partner. speak-up. share. debate. talk. nag, but learn to also laugh. hihi.
8. losing trust is losing faith on people. trying to trust again is placing your faith in Allah that things will get better.
9. hypocrites exist. you would be surprised where you found them.
10. see things from your kids’ point of view. crawl on the carpet if you must!
11. at the end of the day, you can always count on your family. and of course, Allah swt.

i pray to Allah to grant me and you another decade to experience life, and learn more lessons.

happy 2011.

minta sedekahkan al-Fatihah untuk mak tersayang, Noriza Bt Mohd Anuar yang kembali pada Ilahi 7 tahun lepas hari ini. al-Fatihah.

* * *

7 years ago, tonight – was our last night together. i remember she made a huge plate of cucur udang that afternoon. her cucur udang is very simple; with shrimp and onion only, but it was the most delicious i’ve ever tasted. hari terakhir mak, mak sempat lagi masak cucur udang. once a mom, always a mom – till her last breath.

malam tu aku nak pegi tidur rumah kawan baik aku. mak pun tak kisah, sebab mak dia tinggal seorang. kawan baik aku tu belajar di london, jadi aku memang biase tidur rumah dia temankan mak dia. aku cium tangan mak sebelum keluar. pergi dulu, ye mak. itu kali terakhir aku bercakap dengan mak.

tengah malam, adik bongsu aku call – nangis-nangis. katanya, mak pengsan.

oh, aku tak boleh sambung lah. dah nangis dah. menitik-nitik kat keyboard ni. korang sedekahkan lah al-Fatihah ye. hanya Allah yang dapat membalas kiriman doa-doa kalian.

terima kasih!

hargailah mak-mak korang selagi dia dipinjamkan Allah ke dunia…

* * *

What though the radiance which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;

~ William Wordsworth

click here to read my dedication to this beautiful person i know as Mak.

apakah status anda :

1. anak ke-2 comot kepada tuan haji sharifuddin dan allahyarhamah noriza mohd anuar
2. adik comel kepada syimee, dan kakak cool kepada syimot, syidot & azot
3. isteri kepada jejaka kacak kelahiran pulau pinang, encik khairul
4. mak garang kepada khaleef, kahfi & kazim

ceritakan tentang diri anda (ini macam buat ‘my personality’ dalam buku biodata kawan-kawan masa zaman sekolah! hihi)

1. asal : ipoh, perak
2. pekerjaan : permaisuri rumah
3. cita-cita : masa kecik-kecik nak jadi pereke fesyen, sebab sangat minat melukis princess-princess dengan baju gown yang ber-reben-reben
4. hobi : membaca buku, menulis dan mengumpul barang 

ceritakan tentang blog anda : blog aku best sebab aku boleh tulis apa-apa yang aku suka yang aku buat yang aku nampak yang aku baca.

apa pandangan anda tentang dunia blog? : dunia blog sangat menarik sebab ia membenarkan SESIAPA saja membuat luahan perasaan terbuka kepada dunia (atau kepada 1-2 orang yang sudi baca!) samaade anda seorang yang sangat menarik seperti hanis zalikha, atau seorang yang masa zaman sekolah pun takde sapa yang ingat – SEMUA boleh berblog!

nasihat anda kepada rakan-rakan yang baru nak buat blog : jadi diri anda.

oh, dan sila jangan eja “je” sebagai “jew”. contohnya, “aku sempat beli satu pasang kasut jew…” wth?!

nyatakan keunikan yang terdapat pada blog anda : aku lah tu.

sampai bilakah anda akan menulis blog dan impian anda dalam dunia blog : aku ingin berblog selagi ada peluang, ade masa dan ade idea. impian aku macam kak lina, supaya satu hari nanti bila anak-anak aku dah boleh baca blog ni, diorang akan kenal mak diorang dan menghargai apa yang aku tulis tentang zaman riang dunia kanak-kanak diorang!

akhir sekali, kena tag org yang anda nak kenal sangat :

1. aisha, sebab aku tau ko dah lama ternanti-nanti tag baru hihi
2. fida, sebab saje nak kacau dia suruh buat tag sambil tunggu kek dalam oven
3. fairus, sebab nak suruh dia blog selalu macam dulu
4. ica, sebab rindu pada penulisannya
5. kak arin, sebab nak kasi dia rilek-rilek buat tag sambil tunggu baby baru klua hihi
6. pala maldini, sebab nak ucap tahniah pada dia sebagai kaum bapak yg sering kunjungi blog aku tanpa prejudis dan tinggalkan komen (sebab ade lelaki pernah kategorikan blog aku sebagai “too girly” – hello! aku tak blog pasal fashion dan beg tangan pun tau!)

ok enjoy menjawab soalan-soalan tag ni ya!

when did this craze begin for me? ever since i stepped foot in dubai last october 2008 and was introduced to nasi mandi by mr. khairul, i was hooked for life! well, of course nasi tomato, nasi ayam and nasi minyak of our malay food heritage are still favorites, but there’s something about nasi mandi that made me go gaga!

this is how nasi mandi is usually served : rice with the lauk on top, a plate of fresh vege, a small bowl of the chilli paste made from grind chilli and tomatoes – plus lentil soup upon request

for the ‘you-don’t-know-what-you’re-missing’ few who have NEVER tried this nasi mandi :

"..the meat of mandy rice is cooked in the tandoor, which is a special kind of oven. tandoor usually is hole dug in the ground and covered inside by clay. charcoal is placed in the tandoor. then the meat is suspended inside the tandoor without touching the charcoal. after that the whole tandoor is closed without letting any of the smoke to go outside."

~wikipedia

the rice pulak is a cross between our nasi minyak and nasi briyani. but the beads of rice is extremely soft, the taste juicy and ever so lemak!

you can easily find nasi mandi in malaysia too if you’re wondering. i’ve tried the one in al-rawsya, ampang. also al-diafah in sri petaling. both are acceptable but nothing beats the real thing, people! moh la datang dubai!

* * *

our favorite mandi restaurant is tawasol (been going there even before kahfi was born! now he’s 2 years old already!). however, the other day we went to this mandi restaurant in karama – malek al-mandi, to try their version of the mandi rice.

it’s situated in zabeel road, opposite civil defense building in karama. the signage is hot-read, with a crown symbol smack in the middle.

if you’re lucky, you may get a parking space along the front of the shoplots. if not, you can drive all the way to the back, and there’s ample parking spaces there too. all you need to do is cross a parking lot (for…i forgot which company) to get to the restaurant.

* * *

usually, any mandi restaurant would have sitting area which is carpeted and have surrounding walls for privacy. at malek al-mandi, the walls are made to look like unfinished bricks which look really nice, like being in an old, traditional restaurant.

instead of a majlees (traditional arabic seat made of cushions), they only have plush pillows against the wall, which are equally comfortable. however, there was no curtain or makeshift door to cover the ‘entrance’ of our eating space. there’s privacy because of the surrounding walls, but people can still take a peek from the open entrance.

i still prefer tawasol and marhabani with their curtains and all-covered-up tents!

* * *

mandi rice is usually accompanied by a plate of veggie. the vegetables vary – this one has slices of carrots, cucumber, tomatoes and cabbage. a slice of lemon is a must to give the dish an extra zing!

mandi chicken

oh my – even looking at my own photo of this mandi chicken made me want another plate! this is the dish that i am addicted to – the mandi chicken – ultra-soft beads of rice eaten with super-juicy chicken. raisins are cooked with the rice to give it that slightly sweet taste. i didn’t really like that sweet hint, but the rice was too incredibly soft not to indulge in!

the chicken is as delicious as always! there are no words to describe it!

* * *

…and this is what malek al-mandi is famous for – mutton zorbian, a dish of rice with lamb or chicken cooked in between the rice. this is the dish that would make even the most staunch of tawasol fan convert to malek al-mandi! yes, i’m talking about mr. khairul, the mutton-freak!

abg norris, who recommended us this place, and especially this particular dish, said that malek al-mandi only made a limited amount of this dish (apesal ntah, padehal popular dish – buat la banyak-banyak kan?). if you come later during the day, you’d leave disappointed as the dish is sold out early each day.

when we came, we’re lucky to be able to try mutton zorbian, though we missed chicken zorbian. habis dah! uhuk uhuk!

mutton zorbian

the rice is like mandi rice, but enriched with an explosion of spices that came from the lamb that is cooked together in the rice. i don’t really like it because it didn’t comply with my rice-meat ratio (haha). to me, there’s too much spice that i can hardly taste the delicious rice. when i ate this, i added in a lot of the rice from the mandi chicken.

but this is just me. if you’re the sort who likes your flavored rice to be laden with spices, this might be to your liking! mr. khairul absolutely LOVED it!

the mutton?

the mutton was in an entirely different league. it’s so smooth and juicy that the flesh tore easily from the bones. i LOVE this mutton, but i would rather eat it with plain mandi rice, rather than the zorbian rice it came in.

and as usual, other than a plate of veggies, mandi rice comes together with this sambal – a pasty sauce made from grind chilli and lots of tomatoes. really an excellent partner to a mandi rice dish.

 the boys sipping lentil soup

upon request, you could also get complimentary lentil soups. khaleef loves soups, so this one is also in his list of favorites.

the do-it-yourself tea station

another cool bit at malek al-mandi is the free tea!

after a big meal at tawasol or any other mandi restaurant, you usually order small glasses of tea that comes dipped with mint leaves. here at malek al-mandi, there’s a water boiler right at the entrance complete with a cup of mint leaves for you to make your own tea – and it’s on the house!

free tea, self-service. certainly a plus-point!

 burp! need i say more?

* * *

we actually went with this lovely malaysian family whom we just met; abg norris and kak moi. abg norris is a self-confessed mutton zorbian’s die-hard fan and he’s the one who ‘lured’ us into eating here! thank you so much, bro! now my husband pulak yang hooked!

his wife, kak moi is warm and friendly -  such a nice person to meet for the first time. funnily enough, i’ve heard of her name countless of times over conversation, or through other malaysians’ blogs or tagged photographs on facebook, but i’ve never really met her.

at the same time, she’s heard of me too, and never met me!

…and now here we are! baru la dapat jumpa ye kak moi? hihi. see – both of us have stayed in dubai for more or less 3-4 years now, but our path never crossed. ramai malaysian kat dubai ni sampai ade yang belum berjumpa lagi walaupun dah duduk sini lama!

to me, it’s always fun to meet new malaysian family, especially ones as funny as abg norris, and as lovely as kak moi.

nanti bole lepak-lepak over mutton zorbian ya? this time let’s go early so we can get the chicken zorbian!

it was in the papers, that the ruler of uae (united arab emirates) directed the people to offer al istisqaa prayer because it hasn’t rained eventhough we’ve welcomed winter for a couple of weeks now!

abu dhabi: prayers seeking rain were offered yesterday in various UAE mosques following the directives of president his highness shaikh khalifa bin zayed al nahyan. the call for prayers came after the delay in rains this season.

~ gulfnews

after the summer heat from april, we just entered the cool winter season since few weeks back, and it hasn’t rained since.

during the 6th year of the Prophet’s migration to Madinah, people complained to him about lack of rain, so he gave orders for a pulpit to be prepared.

he then appointed a day for the people to gather. he came out when the sun had just appeared and sat down on the pulpit. he extolled Allah’s greatness and praised Him. then he said: ‘you have complained of drought in your areas and of delay in receiving rain at the beginning of its season, but you have been ordered by Allah to supplicate Him and He has promised that He would answer your prayers.’

after this, he turned his back to the people and started praying to Allah, keeping his hands raised, saying, "oh Allah, let us be covered with thick clouds that have abundant and beneficial rain, frequently making a light rain upon us and sprinkling upon us with lightning. oh Allah, You are full of majesty, bounty and honour."

finally, he faced the people, descended from the pulpit, and prayed twice in rak’at (prostration).

~ gulfnews

for full story, click here.

this prayer is taken recourse to when seeking rain from Allah during times of drought. it may be performed in one of the following manners:

1. the imam prays, with the followers, two rak’at
2. maybe performed during any time except those times in which it is not desirable to pray
3. in the first rak’ah, the imam recites al-A’la after al-Fatihah
4. in the second rak’ah, he reads al-Ghashiyah after al-Fatihah
5. and he delivers a khutbah before or after the salah
6. as soon as he finishes the khutbah, the people present should turn their outer garments around, each placing its left side on his right side and its right side on his left, face the qiblah (Ka’ba), supplicate Allah and raise their hands while doing so

to read full article, click here.

* * *

i was wondering about that last bit (no. 6) about having to turn your jacket or coat inside out during the prayer. then i found this. please enlighten me if i was mistaken.

in Sahih al-Bukhari:

- Volume 2, Book 17, Number 124:
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Zaid (RA):

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) turned his cloak inside out on Istisqa.

- Volume 2, Book 17, Number 125:
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Zaid (RA):
The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) went towards the Musalla and invoked Allah for rain. He faced the Qibla and wore his cloak inside out, and offered two Rakat.

more dalil here.

i found these pictures of the al istisqaa prayer being done in gaza, where the imam raised his hand very high in the air, like the Prophet (saw). and in the picture below, the man took off his jacket and put it inside out as expected in al istisqaa prayer.

Allah knows best.