Sunday, September 30, 2007
What a Week!
Hey hi!
It's been a week since my last update! Wow, don't u people realise how fast time fly by nowadays? Scary! Anyways, I've been busy the whole week (really!). After all, my sleeping pattern kinda changed this month. I will stay awake the whole night (watching tv/listening to radio) and then sleep from 6am to noon or at most 2pm. Once I wake up, I'll be out and about till evening/night. So yeah, I don't really rest much this fasting month & school holiday. I'm sick and tired of staying at home most of the time so I guess I just need to keep myself busy. Haha!
So, some of u may ask what the heck am I busy with the whole of this week? Well, let's see. . .
On Sunday, I went to take the Ramadhan Porridge & met a seller in the afternoon before heading to my aunt's place in Pasir Ris for a hearty break fast. I dislike the porridge but I love the Golden Pillow chicken curry bun my aunt ordered! ;) Damn can things get more expensive these days!? That freaking "pillow" cost $13!
On Monday, I went to the Geylang Bazaar in the afternoon. Just a quick round with mom coz she needed to buy something.
On Tuesday, I went to Middleland Building @ Middle Road with Wei Long & Seetha to discuss a mini project we're involved in with the JCI (Junior Chamber International) Senator. More details about this when I get the full briefing soon. Promise. ;)
On Wednesday, I went to Sentosa for a job interview (sorry can't reveal much details) and then had break fast @ Secret Recipe Vivocity with Iz & Nul. Damn, it's so not worthit to pay $18 per person! I mean I love SR but the prices doesn't match the quality u know. . . (pictures of foods below)
On Thursday & Friday, I stayed at home all day long. Haha! Finally, some break.
On Saturday, I stayed at home in the day but went to Harbourfront for a while at night. Initially, mom needed my help to carry some stuffs home but she end up cancelling the idea. God knows why! So much for me rushing to be there on time. . . -_-"
Today, I will be accompanying mom and grandma to the wet market. Grandma has a long list of items to be purchased. Haha. Luckily my mom can now drive her around. She can also buy a few more items as she need not carry it herself all the way home. Talk about good life! :P Anyways, I'm so looking forward to tonight. It's about time to go round the Geylang Bazaar once again! (Window) Shopping time! WEE! :D
So there u go. I've listed my itinerary for the past week. Haha! Hmm. . . OMG! It's already 18th Ramadhan today! That means, 12 more days to Hari Raya and the end of Ramadhan! How sad. :( The malay radio stations now play Hari Raya songs non stop. Their djs are all in a festive mood! Personally, I just don't feel like celebrating this year. There's no link with my dad's disappearance ok. It's just that Hari Raya seems pointless, isn't it? Must it only be on Hari Raya that we go around visiting relatives blah2? NO! Haha! Anyways, as contradicting as I may sound, I can't wait to buy a new Hari Raya outfit! I want it to be black and only black! It's been years since I wanted to wear black but my dream has yet to realized. Hopefully this year is the year. Haha! Alrighty, happy fasting to all Muslims. Hang on, just 12 more days to go through! Wee~
P/S: Dear ITE/BMC friends, will there be any Jalan Raya this year? :)
 
 
Signing off,
Niz
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Baddi Eish! (I Wanna Live!)
Hey hey hey!
Oh my, wazzup with the title of this post?! Haha! Well it's just that I don't feel alive/lively lately. Something is just wrong with me! I'm not making fasting as the main excuse but it does contribute in a way. I didn't update lately coz apart from being busy, I get tired very easily. I mean it! Unlike a handful of people I know, for the past week, I wasn't at home every afternoon! I'm out and about so yeah, by half an hour towards breaking fast, I just felt like fainting. Sheesh!
Co-incidentally, I usually passed by Geylang when I'm out. Thus, I've visited Geylang thrice. Of course focusing on different parts everytime. I'm quite disappointed with the bazaar this year. It's more of a pasar malam to me and there's not much variety. I agree with what Jannah said. The festivity spirit is almost depleting. Is it really because most Singaporeans nowadays can't be bothered to celebrate Hari Raya as grand as before? Or is it the atmosphere at Geylang itself that pulls the spirit down? In anyways, I hope the festivity mood does come back in the following years. I'm yet to visit Kampong Glam but I believe, it's just about the same. Last year's bazaar there wasn't at all grand; contradicting the huge advertisements.
An update about my family. Me & mom went to the Syariah Court a couple of days back to file a summon against my dad. The first hearing will take place on 23rd October. I just hope my dad can give his co-operation and get things settled ASAP. I don't wish to have this issue dragging on. A simple divorce shouldn't take that long right? But if he thinks he can fool the law, he will get a warrant of arrest and be brought to the Syariah Court, handcuffed. We're still trying to save his face but I guess in his state right now, nothing can make him feel shameful. Oh wells, come what may, I will always support my mom and make sure she remains strong! Insya'allah.
Wow, my friends have all made preparation for Hari Raya. New clothes, new shoes, everything new! I'm still thinking whether should I buy a new Hari Raya outfit or recycle my old (but in good condition) ones. My mom really had no more mood to celebrate Hari Raya. Who can blame her right? I understand but I still want to! I am trying my best to get her in the festivity mood. Hehe. I mean, life goes on right even if it's just staying at my grandma's home on the first day of Hari Raya from this year onwards. Haha! I don't come from a big family so it's always the same faces each year. Boring! But, I really am looking forward to the green packets from my aunt, grandma & godmom especially. Hehe! I can be instantly rich on the first day itself. Damn, how materialistic can I be?? ;)
Ok I guess I'll end my not so little post here. Happy fasting to everyone! U can do it! Haha! Just 20 days more to victory! Gosh, time does pass by very quickly yeah? Oh btw, do listen to the Baddi Eish song I've put up. The ever gorgeous Haifa Wehbe sang it. I'm just so into arabic songs lately. Thanx so much to Diyanah (Dane's gf) who helped me translate some words I don't know. How nice~ Haha! Adios amigos! :)
Signing off,
Niz
Friday, September 14, 2007
Ramadhan Al Mubarak
Assalamualaikum wr wb,
"Dear fellow Muslims: May this be a month of inspiration filled with Iman & Taqwa. May Allah bestow Nur & Barakah in your life. May Allah always keep you on the straight path. May Allah shower His belssings on you and your family during this month and the rest of the year..."
"Dear fellow Muslims, remember that
The most precious wealth: Patience
The most loyal friend: Amal
The nicest ibadah: Sincerity
The highest self identity: Iman
The toughest job/complete diet: Fasting
The nicest word: Allah
The melodious song: Adzan
The greatest media: Al Quran
The greatest exercise: Shalat
The refreshing cleanliness: Wudhu
The nicest path: Haji
The nicest wanderings: Sins & Repent"
Salam Ramadhan Al Mubarak to all my fellow Muslims. Alhamdulillah, we're now in 2nd Ramadhan. May Allah give us all the strength to complete a full 30 days of fasting. Personally for me, Ramadhan is a special month whereby as much as possile, I will devote my time for Allah and perform extra prayers especially Tarawih. As a normal human being, I tend to take forgranted the graciousness Allah has given to me and it is only right for me to repent and abide by His rules in this Holy month.
Watching the live coverage of Tarawih prayers on RTM1 really relived the moment when I was personally in Mecca during Ramadhan. I performed the Umrah (mini pilgrimage) in 2001. Alhamdulillah, at such a young age of 12 years old, I already set my foot in Medina & Mecca. The greatest gift of all for my birthday that year was to touch the Holy Kaabah and got my prayers answered when I pray right in front of the Kaabah door. 6 years passed and I missed Mecca more than I miss anything/anyone. Insya'allah, mom and me planned to revisit Mecca next year, most probably in the month of Ramadhan again. After all, this is the best time to experience Haj as the number of Muslims present is comparable to Haj.
Fasting in Medina & Mecca was really great. There were no temptations and I really focused on my prayers. There must have been millions of Muslims breaking fast and then performing prayers together. Nothing can beat the peace and tranquility. One thing I really miss in Mecca is the Tawaf (circling the Kaabah). Though I felt lost in the sea of Muslims, I am glad that I am one of the chosen person to get so close to the Kaabah. A muslim must continuously pray to Allah as Allah will always answer their prayers. I experienced it and that made my belief in Islam & Allah stronger. Their Eid Mubarak (Hari Raya) was like meaningless. In fact, they don't look forward to it as they really miss Ramadhan and fear they will never get to meet Ramadhan again the following year. Only in the month of Ramadhan will Allah be the most gracious in rewarding a true Muslim. This explains why I rather hate to be in Singapore during Ramadhan. Sigh.
Anyways, Insya'allah, Allah will bless all of you with good healths and reward you for all your good deeds in this Holy month. Amin.
Signing off,
Niz
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Me, a FOOD critique? - Part 2
Hey hi!
So, as mentioned in the previous post, I went to watch Ratatouille today with my bestie! We chose The Cathay and we couldn't be more happier. The ticket shows Cinema 1 but there isn't any Cinema 1 around so me being me, asked the staff there where's the location. She pointed towards the Grand Cathay and my jaw just dropped. I wasn't embarassed by my question but more to my reaction! Haha! Never been in there ok! It's like being in Kodak Theatre for the Oscars! An extremely grand hall! To think there were only 10 people watching. Haha!
Well, the movie line was quite so-so for me but the animation is impeccable! Certain scenes manage to make me chuckle for a bit so yeah all in all, I rate it 7/10. Fair enough? Haha! Btw, I was at Bedok Interchange earlier and I saw a huge banner warning the hawkers of rats at hawker centres. I believe they urge the hawkers to get rid of pests. Whereas in Ratatouille, a rat practically is the Chef in a restaurant! Oh the irony. . . Haha!
Now is the exciting part! Foods! Haha! First food I ate was Nachos @ The Cathay. Gawd, the cheese is almost tasteless and it's too watery! Though I don't really favour the ones over @ Golden Village, I still think their cheese is way better. Now I'm convinced Nachos are so not my cup of tea. I say no no NO! Strange enough, I always thought of Nadia & Jannah (ISG) whenever I say that. Haha tak penting!
Anyways moving on, we then had lunch over at McD Plaza Singapura. The foldover taste great and of coz I love my saltless fries! I once had an extremely salty fries at Changi Airport and that was it. Phobia! Now, is there a term for people who are phobia of salt? Someone do a research for me. Lazy lah! Haha! As for the nuggets, it was so disappointing! I used to love McD's nuggets so much. They're just juicy and tender but today it was hard and stiff. Sounds wrong, no? But seriously! I really miss the old nuggets. Oh McD nuggets, make a come back! Wth!
After a hearty lunch, me and Iz went round Plaza Singapura. After Daiso, we headed to John Little. If there's wine sampling, then I'll say what we did is called perfume sampling! Haha! We're literally sampling all *men* perfumes. Luckily there wasn't any sales assistant around. I hate if they follow behind my back. Haha! Btw guess what? It's such a bad idea to sample perfumes coz I still can't get the smell of Esprit Life off my mind. Having the body spray and deodorant isn't good enough. I still want the eau de toilette! Anyone wanna buy it for me? Still in my wishlist! :P Anyways, me being me again, always have the urge to buy something so I ended up buying a limited edition adidas body spray. The eau de toilette is a little off budget for now. Really nice scent! U *guys* should check it out! ;)
We then went to Marks & Spencer. Found nothing there so we headed home. But before that, I begged my bestie to treat me Starbucks and he really did. Not just a drink, he also purchased the mini mooncake! Now, is that sweet or what? Mind u, the total is $10+ ok! Hehe. Huge thanx Iz! :P The grande Mocha Frappucino taste great as ever especially with whipped cream though I dun get why there's too much ice. The Signature Espresso Roast Truffle mooncake was the bomb! Really something to die for though the coffee filling tastes a little bitter. True coffee fans will love it to bits! I'm yet to try their Parmesan Macamedia & Raspberry-Framboise Truffle mooncakes. From the name of it, u just know it MUST taste extremely delicious. Wowwy! $4.50 for a small piece of sh. . . err. . .mooncake may sound so over the top but it's really worthit! I know Starbucks never dissapoint! This is one of the place where u can find quality foods! ;)
What a long post once again but I just wanted to share. Hehe. Have a *drooling* time reading! ;)
~Signature Espresso Roast Truffle:- Made with the finest coffee blend from the Latin America & Pacific region, accented with chocolate in white lotus paste and enveloped in handcrafted snowskin~
Signing off, Niz
Me, a FOOD critique?
Hello everyone!
Well, I have been busy lately so that pretty much explains why I haven't been updating my blog. If possible, I would love to blog every single day to share what I went through coz trust me, we all learn/experience new things each day. How wonderful it is to share my knowledge. See, I'm not self centered after all. Haha!
So anyways, in this post, I'm gonna be a food critique for a while. Haha! Please don't get me wrong. It may sound harsh but it's not like I'm totally criticising the foods. I'm merely stating my opinion of the foods I ate for the whole of yesterday.
Ok to start it off, I had brunch @ Cafe Galilee in Bishan Library. Everything on the menu looks tempting and scrumptious. Their low prices also tempted me further. After much thinking, I finally chose to eat their Oreo Cheesecake and drink their Wonder Orange Wheatgrass (ice blend). Weird enough, I have this slight craving for wheatgrass. Anyways, the cheesecake was carefully placed on a white plate covered with chocolate sauce. Looks very appetizing but guess what it taste like? Nothing compared to Starbuck's Oreo Cheesecake! It's just like any other normal cake. Thank god it only cost 2+ bucks! Now, don't even remind me of the wheatgrass ice blend! It must have been the most weird tasting drink ever! I was practically drinking grass (plucked from the roadside)! The smell/taste of it really reminds me of how the grass at the roadside smell when it is raining. Damn, how gross! Urgh! I knew wheatgrass taste much more better! Haha!
In the end, I didn't really finish much of the drink and headed off to Prima Deli. I was still hungry so I bought their curry puff and some breads. Their breads are acceptable though a little bland but their curry puff is way below my expectation. The filling is similar to that of Old Chang Kee's but Prima Deli *really* deep fry their curry puff so much so that with each bite I took, oil oozed out and flow down my throath! I can't take it! Urgh! Why do they even sell such a thing? I bet their their snow skin mooncakes don't taste nice too! What's with the new weird flavours like oreo and chocolate, raspberry, pineapple etc. Too ambitious, no? Oh wells!
So now, enough about food. Reality check, two exam papers are down. Only one more to go before freedom sets in! Wee! I don't want to sound overly confident but I am positive I can do well this time round. My hope is always for OFA. Thank god BZF wasn't such a killer but almost everyone expects TPS to be quite tough. Haiz, guess I'll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, I will continue studying and hope what I focused on will come out in the question. :)
That's all for now. I'm so sleepy! Looking forward to a fun time out with Iz later. Watching Ratatouille @ Cathay! Wee! Oh btw, my Seoul Garden dinner with Iz & Nul was a total success! Thank u guys for contributing $20 each. Hehe! It was worthit, right? ;) Take care peeps!!
~Do click on my Friendster link to view recent pictures of mine~
Signing Off,
Niz
Monday, September 3, 2007
Great Time @ JB!
Hey everyone!
How's ur weekend? Mine was a blast! I bet u'll be jealous by the end of this post. Haha! Just kidding! ;) So on Friday, I wasn't in school to watch the Teachers' Day Concert but I don't think I missed out a whole lot. Someone prove me wrong. Haha! From what I read on some blogs, it seemed that only the Miming act was the outstanding one. Oh wells. There's always next year, god willing.
On that particular Friday, the initial plan was to enter JB around noon but due to some unforeseen cirumstances, the time was brought forward to 5pm. Quite late I must say but that didn't stop me from going to City Square! Mom claimed she don't want to shop and true enough, I was the only one shopping to my heart's content. My aunt, grandma, cousin and mom just followed me wherever I went. Sheesh! After 5 months since my last visit, CS hasn't changed much but of coz almost every shop has something nice to offer. I went nuts for a while but end up purchasing 3 Polo Tees from Reject Shop, 2 Bonia socks, 5 Season Bakery's mooncakes and chewing gums!!! Of coz, mom paid for all those. Hee! :D We then had dinner at the Food Junction and I ate Vegetarian food. It's so cute to see all the dough/tofu being shaped into fish, chicken and so on. Extremely delicious too! YUM!
We then made our way to my another cousin's flat. It's so cool to see flats in JB. Everything is similar to the flats in Singapore. I felt so at home. The occasion was, an engagement ceremony. So, before it took place on Saturday, everything needs to be prepared by Friday night, including decorating the gifts for the guy's side which was done by my mom. Turned out fabulous. I will upload some pictures soon. Everything was intricately done by hand. So great to see this tradition still exist in the malay community. :)
Saturday started out fine as I had a good sleep the last night. Really love waking up to the morning rays shining bright on my face. Classic! Washed up and had a table-full breakfast before heading out with my another aunt and cousin to buy a cake as part of a gift for the guy's side. Found a very nice and scrumptious big chocolate cake which is extremely cheap (only SGD13) from Season's Bakery. My aunt then bought more moocakes from SDS bakery. Wee!
The ceremony was supposed to take place at 4pm but my cousin's fiance wanted it to take place earlier. Sheesh! Luckily everything was prepared. The guy's family came at around 2pm and the ceremony ended sooner than I know. Haha! Perhaps I was too busy snapping pictures and discussing with my aunt about the guy's gifts. It's damn mediocre (as in the decoration) and guess what? No food stuffs! Our side gave 12 trays of gifts to the guy's side but they gave back 8 trays of necessities only. How sad! To think their cake is just from normal bakeries and not renowned ones! Oh wells, I sound so insincere as my aunt pointed out but it's the fact ok! Haha!
After a little prayers, everyone ate the 'Nasi Minyak', literally translated 'Oil Rice'. From the sound of it, u know it's unhealthy but too bad, unhealthy foods are usually the most scrumptious. Hehe! Everyone ate to their heart's content and were satisfied! After cleaning up, me and mom followed my aunt to their luxurious terrace home.
The area is named 'Taman Impian Emas', meaning 'Gold Goal Garden'. Make sense, no? Haha! But it sure sounds appealing to me. We spent the night there and I couldn't ask for more. The guest room was nicely furnished! The whole house has air-conditioning too! Love the feeling! I so envy my aunt and uncle. Filthy rich but still kind and down to earth. Heard my uncle got a job offer in Dubai. I hope he gets it! Woah! Money seems like nothing to them, u noe! I wish I can be like that someday. Anyways, I especially love the moment spent with all my cousins. Great to catch up with things and to know we do have a common interest after all. That is, popular songs! Haha! Wth! Oh btw, I met a whole bunch of cousins at the ceremony too! Good to know they are now a "somebody". God willing, I must be like them.
Finally, it felt so great to sleep in on a Sunday morning. After sacrificing 5 months of long Sunday sleep, I finally got it back! Haha! Woke up at almost 9.30am and straight away wash up before watching TV. The Astro channels are better than Starhub Cable Vision though the concept is similar. I would opt for that anytime if it were to arrive at our shores. So yeah, I had paper thosai for breakfast. Not that nice but it's better than nothing. At noon, mom and me finally left my aunt's fabulous modern contemporary home and headed to Jusco. Of coz my aunt and uncle sent us there in their MPV. :) Now's the exciting part.
At Jusco, my aunt and uncle went nuts I guess. Aunt bought for mom a pair of Sembonia off white shoes and some mini pot flowers whereas uncle bought me sushis! They also treated us to lunch at a nice Thai restaurant. We requested to be sent only at the Woodland's Checkpoint but they wanted to send us right to our lift lobby. Sadly, mom refused. Well true enough, shouldn't trouble them right? So they dropped us @ Causeway Point instead where my another cousin picked us using my mom's car. Nice right? Oh btw, I forgot to mention that on top of all the goodies given by my aunt and uncle, they just have to give something else. Mom received a nearly RM100 scarf whereas I got RM150 acummulative in cold hard cash! WOW! I couldn't ask more. I will exchange that to SGD and keep it for good. Haha! Or maybe, just buy a little something. Hehe!
So, that was what took place over the weekend. Sounds extremely nice right? Trust me, it was. So sad all good things come to an end. :( I know it's a long post but I bet by the time u reach this section, ur jaws has dropped way low. Haha once again, just kidding! Cheers peeps!
Signing Off, Niz
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