Token from Ipoh

Whenever we balik Ipoh, Ibu would never fail to pack us some food to be brought home.

Usually Ibu would tapau us some rice and dishes, so we could eat them once we've reached home. 

 And Ibu loves to give us kerepek to munch on our way back to KL, be it pisang or ubi. I'm a huge fan of kerepek! I could finish the whole packet in a split second! Okay that is a bit over exaggerated  but you get what I mean. :)

Last week I was given a jar of very delicious homemade pineapple tarts. Yummy!

The best melt-in-the-mouth pineapple tarts. :)

They are soft yet crumbly when you put them in your mouth. The pineapple paste is really good too. It is sweet, but not too sweet, which is wonderful cos I don't like it if it is too sweet. I'm normally not into pineapple tarts, but this one I could eat several in one gulp!

Ibu also gave me homemade chocolate candy. Guess what, I helped Ibu making that! What an accomplishment! Haha..no. It's actually unbelievably easy to make. You just have to melt the chocolate in double-boiler. Make sure the chocolate is chopped into pieces to ensure even melting. At first, I tried to melt the large block of chocolate without chopping them first. 15 minutes passed, but the chocolate was still as hard as rock! So I decided to chop them. Thus never try to melt large blocks of chocolate that have not been chopped. Then all you have to do is stir the chocolate till you feel like your arm is falling off. 

After that, quickly put the chocolate into the preferred shape. You have to do this quickly before the chocolate starts to harden. Then put the chocolate in the fridge for several minutes. Then you're done! I didn't manage to snap the photo of my chocolate. I literally gobble them down when they are done. They are just sooo goood! 

Everyone seems to be into collagen nowadays. So does Ibu. As we age, collagen production decreases. Therefore we need to consume collagen to maintain and recover a youthful appearance and achieve healthy and great-looking skin. 

Ibu asked me whether I'm already taking any. I said no. Then she started to preach me on the importance of collagen, not only for skin but also for general health and handed me a pack of pure marine collagen.

Pure marine collagen from her. 

I'm super excited to try it! Hanis told me she's only been taking this for three weeks, yet she notices stubborn acnes that are literally living on her forehead started to disappear, and now they are all gone. Wow! I MUST try this. 

But umm the problem is it's full of twists and turns to prepare. I have to wash them, soak them, then wash them again and then boil them. How I wish I could just put them in my mouth without having to go through the steps first. Hehe..

I still haven't touch Cocoa Collagen that I bought last time. And all I have to do is put them into the mug, add some water, and then there you go! The simplest and easiest thing to do, yet I still wish I could simply put them in my mouth! 

I find it hard and maybe impossible to drink it because whenever I feel thirsty, I would opt for plain water instead of other drinks. The same thing goes for my powder milk. Promised myself to drink milk everyday, but when I'm feeling thirst, plain water would always be my favourite. 

Luckily, I just checked the expiry date for my cocoa collagen and  it is going to be next year. So I still have one whole year to get chummy with them. 

Dear little sister

My dear little sister is going to sit for PMR this year. I'm so worried for her. I've been there and done that. I know what she's going through right now. But the circumstance she's facing is far worse than me. Will she be able to handle the pressure and stress? She's a brilliant student ever since she was a kid. She was always on top of her class. But this time I can't helped but to feel anxious for her. I'm freaking out!! Will she be able to perform well? Will she be able to pass with flying colours? I tried no to pressurize her but whenever we are on the phone, I find myself constantly talking about how she should study harder, that she needs to perform very very well, by hook or by crook.

I know I shouldn't be doing that, am I? I'm just going to pressure and burden her with my ridiculously high expectations. But what I'm doing is out of love towards her. I just want the best out of her. I want her to achieve success in her life. I want her to feel happy when she manages to attain straight A's later. I want her to feel good about herself. Sure, it's not the end of the world if she couldn't get 8As in her examination, but I know very well that she would be brokenhearted if she doesn't. And being her big sister, I don't want that to happen. 

I try my very best to be the best sister for her. So do Didie and Amir. I know they are trying their very best too. I don't want her to feel lonely and neglected. To feel a sense of loss. She never had the chance to see and get to know her father and she's just 9 years old when she lost our mother. She's a strong and special kid. At such a young age she lost both of our parents and had to live with our aunt and uncle. I don't know how I'm going to face that, if I were her. When mom left us, I was 18 years old. So I was mature enough and thus could endure the emotional turmoil of losing our mother. But what about my little sister? Alhamdulilah she's as strong as fire. I remembered crying when we were having dinner together and she suddenly told me to not cry but instead I should dedicate some doa to our beloved mother..

We are blessed and fortunate to be granted with such kind and helpful aunt and uncle who are willing to take care and raise my sister like their own flesh and blood. I, in a million years won't be able to pay the flood of kindness and goodness from them. Only Allah could pay their kindness. May Allah bless them with good health, prosperity and happiness in here and hereafter.  Amin..

To my dear little sister, adik, even though you won't be reading this, do know that your sister loves you so much. You are never alone in this world. You are blessed with lots of people who loves you unconditionally. Remember you'll always have me, abang didie, abang amir, ayah and of course ma and bab. When I scold you, it's because I love you so much and I'm worried about you. I'm your sister, that's what I do. I always pray that you will be successful in everything you do. Amin ya rabbal alamin. 

3 important people in my life. 

Huge bags

Wow what huge eye bags you got there, missy! :( I guess they get worse during this semester holidays. I've been abandoning my beauty sleep and spending a lot of time watching movies. Currently I'm hooked into Chuck. 10 more episodes left. Maybe I could finish them tonight. Before the break, I've promised myself to spend time reading, but now there goes my pleasure reading. I'll start reading once I finish watching all the best movies.  

I looked like a mess, tired and unattractive. Excuse the paleness. My lips were colourless it made me look sick. That's why I always love to apply red lipstick on my lippie. For me it is one of the crucial elements to looking fabulous! But mister don't really like it when I put some colours to my lips. This time I was exhausted from waiting my advisor. Waited for him for like 3 hours just to fill in my progress report. And at the end, he simply asked me to write the report on his behalf. No biggie actually. I just praised myself enough to look good in the report. 

So I wrote:

"Fitriah is showing interest and enthusiasm for study and has shown a good attitude in striving excellency in her study. She is also making steady progress academically and is maintaining grade-level achievements"

Hahaha..there you go..I wish I could write longer and boost myself more. But I think that's enough. The only  thing that worries me is my handwriting. It's obviously a student's handwriting, not a professor's. I hope people who will check the report won't notice or be bothered about it. Or else I'm a dead meat. And I also misspelled 'enthusiasm' and 'maintaining' in my report. Great! That is so bad man. I can't even spell those two words correctly. My English is deteriorating. 

Nonetheless, just now I googled some of the reasons behind large eye bags. They says lack of sleep, bad make up removal habits, age and genetic can all give rise to the appearance of eye bags. Apparently there are lots of easy and inexpensive ways to eliminate the hideous eye bags. So there's no need to spend a lot of money on removing those baggy eyes. Three easiest ways that caught my attention (lazy girl detected) are by using cold water, tea bags and cucumber. Piece of cake!

But I guess the most easiest way to kick out those unpleasant creature is by sleeping! Hehe..got to sleep mooooore! 

So goodnight peeps!

But umm maybe not tonight. I got Chuck to catch. Maybe I'll start sleeping early tomorrow night. 

Sweet reward

A sweet reward to myself for getting 4.0 last semester. Alhamdulilah. This is my very first time getting 4.0. So I felt like I was flouting on a cloud nine! The feeling was heaven knowing that all the hard work you poured into and determination paid off at the end of the day. 

But to me the downside of getting four flat is that, you will endure more pressure to maintain flying colours result for the following semesters. You'll work extra harder than you used to, you'll become more anxious of everything, you expect a lot from yourself and therefore pressurize yourself to perform well, which will lead to spending longer hours of studying and working on the assignments. Yes, it's a good thing to be working extra harder than you used to, but the combination of high expectations and constant pressure will cause stress. And I do not like it at all. Of course a certain amount of stress is beneficial as it will make you always be on your own two feet. But when it spirals out of control, it can have disastrous effects on ourselves. 

But I'm praying and rooting only for the best. I refuse to think of the negativity of it. Lets embrace ourselves with positive vibes. I believe everything will turn out great when you've set your mind so. That's what I always tell myself. Think positive, think positive, think positive has become my ultimate mantra in everything I do. 

Even though right now as we speak, the thought of facing project paper and working with my supervisor makes me cringe and gives me a sudden headache. I'm so terrified! The topic that I'm going to write for my project paper is relatively new and hasn't been discovered by various literature. Doesn't it mean I'm going to face difficulty in writing the literature review? Yes? There are so many things running on my mind right now, mostly about my project. I'm sure a lot of my friends who are pursuing their masters now are facing the same thing as mine. No? Or is it just me??

I'm not naturally born and gifted with a super genius mind therefore this journey of getting masters has been a rough one for me. But nevertheless, lets hope for the better! To all my friends out there who are struggling with your Masters/Phd as well, lets us now endeavor, together with hard work and persistent, we can make it! InsyaAllah. Amin.

Gift hunting

I want to get something for Ibu. I know I won't be able to pay the flood of goodness and kindness she bestows to me. Not in a million years. Being treated like her own flesh and blood is a bliss. I couldn't ask for more. Syukur Ya Allah for that. So ade rezeki lebih, I want to give her something that could make her happy even for just one split second. 

So I went hunting for the suitable gift since yesterday and today. I've been cracking up my brain thinking what should I get her. A sandal or shoe is not a very good idea since I'm not too sure of her size, so what if they do not fit her well? Or what if they are not comfortable? Or not fancy to her eyes? A handbag would be a great idea, if mister had not bought it last year. Skincare? I don't think Ibu is very keen towards beauty products.So after some brainstorming, I've decided to search for a nice and lovely jubah for Ibu.

So off we went to Plaza Alam Sentral yesterday. Luckily mister had his day off so he could accompany me searching for the gift. Plus, I need his opinion. I thought he must know what's best for his mom. He must know her taste in cloth. Turned out, he was sooooo clueless and helpless! He would say yes to literally everything I showed him. And when I asked him, which one is nicer? He would respond, "both". -_- Oh man...boys will always be boys, eyh?

We stopped at Wang Solo to have our dinner first. This was our second times at Wang Solo. Ever since our first visit, we were hooked! We were totally addicted to the food and we found ourselves constantly talking about how delicious the food were. Omg love the food to bits! The food is simply heavenly scrumptious and mouth-watering. It is also spicy, just the way I like it. It's like the food in Wang Solo comes second after our mother's cook. Yeah, I think that's the closest metaphor to describe the food. Hehe..But everyone has different tastes, so perhaps others might not have the same opinion as mine. 

The display menus on the wall.

We ordered 2 Sets of Ayam Penyet, Emping (mister's favourite!), Fried Chicken Wing, Mango and Watermelon Juice (not in the photo). The Juices were also spectacular. Yummy!

Mister told me this is actually a Javanese cuisine. Mister has a splash of Javanese genes in his blood so that's explain his fondness of the food. But me? I once told him that my grandmother is actually originated from Minang, Indonesia. So he made fun of me, saying that I enjoy the food because I'm an Indonesian. Mean..I pulled a sulky face, and emphasized the fact that I'm a Malaysian, not Indonesian. Born and bred in Malaysia. He quickly apologized, haha tau takut!

Nevertheless, for those who hasn't tried the food in Wang Solo, you should give it a try. Totally worth every penny. But I couldn't speak for all the menus provided there since so far I only had tried the Ayam Penyet Set, Fried Chicken Wing and squid covered with flour. (hehe is that translation accurate?). 

I couldn't find any lovely jubah in PAS. Of course there are quite a number of shops that sell jubah, but nothing caught my eyes. I wasn't looking for something that is too flashy nor dazzling. It has to be pleasant to the eyes and the pocket too. I also found shops that sell just a regular jubah with no beading whatsoever and with poor material (very sheer) at ridiculously high price! 

So today we went to PKNS and Warta in Bangi in the pursuit of Ibu's gift. The good news is I finally found a very lovely and stunning jubah that I'm sure Ibu will love it so much. It is very pretty, with baby blue and soft pink beads along the sleeves and front. I love the material too. It is made from a silky soft material but it won't crumpled and it is not sheer at all. It is perfect. I feel in love with it at the very first sight. Mister love it too. :)

I asked him to call Ibu to confirm the size. It would be such a waste if it is too small for Ibu. I don't mind if it is slightly bigger as Ibu could send it to the tailor. And then here comes the bad news..

Ibu don't want us to be spending money to buy her gift. She asked me to keep the money. This one I could totally ignore. I don't mind spending some money to buy her something. I want to. Plus, bukan selalu..

And then Ibu said she rarely wears jubah as she is not fond of jubah. If I buy her a jubah, there's a chance that she might not be wearing it.. :( After some discussion with mister, I decided to buy her a baju kurung. Went hunting for baju kurung but unfortunately nothing caught my eyes..I thought maybe I can just buy her the jubah that I love so much, but if she won't wear it, what's the use right. 

Mister asked me to just forget my intention and stop thinking about it. Plus, Ibu herself don't want me to be spending money on her. I told him no. I've already decided that I'm going to give her something. So I will. 

Another good news is, upon writing this entry another idea popped into my mind. What about perfume? Sounds brilliant eyh? Why haven't I thought about it before? I'm not sure if Ibu is wearing any, I hope she does. I texted mister just now and told him about my new idea and he simply replied "like". Hehe..He is already sleeping. I bet he replied the text unconsciously.

So, do you have any idea what is the best perfume for a woman? I don't have a slightest clue because I'm not wearing any. Since the Police perfume that mister bought for me had finished, I don't bother to get a new one. Yeah..unlike other girls, I don't regard perfume as one of my necessities. Is that weird? But I heard Britney Spears's Midnight Fantasy is nice. Need to do some googling now. Till then!

I hate statistics!

I screwed my statistics paper today. 

I knew this was coming considering the fact that I'm not a math whiz ever since I was a kid. 

But I didn't have a slightest clue it would be that difficult. 

I worked like mad still I did rubbish in it. I literally froze in front of the paper for the first few minutes.  I went into the exam knowing exactly what will come out but I went blank when I read the questions. It was like reading Chinese. 

It's not because the subject is poorly taught in my classroom. I love my lecturer to bits. He is the nicest lecturer I've ever had. He is also extremely smart. But the subject is really driving me insane! 

I forced myself to love statistics, and to some extent I must admit I did enjoyed doing the exercise. Weird. 

But today, my hatred towards statistics resurfaced. There goes my A, I thought to myself. *weeping*

But the worst is not over. I'm still going to face statistics for the next two semesters for my project paper. *weeping uncontrollably*

Me in the exam hall today. 

I'm worried

This semester is going to end very soooon..I only have two more final papers and then I'll be as free as the flying bird on the blue sky! I can't wait to it to happen! Gonna indulged myself in endless movies and novels..That's the dream! Who cares about topic for research proposal? Who cares about finding research supervisor? Who cares about writing the proposal? Okay fine. Maybe I'll pamper myself for one week then  I'll start thinking of my research proposal..

After I got back with mister, visiting his family in Ipoh has been our tradition ever since. So just like last semester, this semester break mister had already asked me to join him balik kampung again. When he asked me, I was like yeah! But deep down I felt hesitate and reluctant to go..Oh no, don't get me wrong. It's not that I loathe his family or what. His family is wonderful! They are the nicest people I have ever met! I love them to bits! But I can't help but to feel shy, you know? Because of my culinary incompetence!  That's the reason why. It's not that I can't cook at all. Of course I know how to prepare simple dishes like masak sambal  tumis, nasi goreng, kuah singgang..hehe. Haven't mastered exciting and top-quality food that is more complicated and time-consuming to cook. But I will, InsyaAllah. That is one of my goal before getting married. So you see the problem now, I'm not so much domestic goddess as kitchen cretin. 

When I went to his hometown last time, I would woke up very early to help her mother prepared breakfast and after that proceeded with lunch at noon. But I knew her mother could tell very well that I was incapable in cooking. I knew she could tell I was a stranger in the kitchen. So I can't help but to fell a wee bit shy..I feel bothered by this. 

I even have this silly imagination on my mind that her mother would be worried sick if I were to get married to his son. Probably worrying what his son is eating right now..or has he had his meal for that day? Fretting his son doesn't get sufficient nutrient from balanced and healthy diet..or worried that he might even starve to death..

I voiced out my concern to mister. "When we got married later, what if Ibu is worried what did I cook for you? Am I a good cook? I bet she would ask that. I bet she would call you just to ask what are you having that day" And his response? "Don't worry baby. We could lie to her, saying that you cook a super delicious meal today, even though you didn't."

Haha..I was genuinely surprised when he said that. Such a brilliant idea! But I don't want us to be lying to our mother. Plus, eventually she'll come to know the truth..Mother's instinct is always right. 

Dilemma

I secretly read mister's planner. And I stumbled upon one of his entries where he wrote what he's planning on getting me for my birthday in May. Hihi I was happy, been smiling all day but now it was no longer a surprise. Hehe my bad..but in my defense how can I restraint myself from reading it, especially after he told me not to. 

The problem now is his birthday is approaching in less than a month and I still haven't had any single clue what to get him.

Omg..I'm in a big trouble. Every year when it's getting nearer to his birthday I didn't know what should I get for him. Asking him would do no good. He would urged me not spend on anything. Oh don't even bother buying a cake coz he loathes it. So he's not really a cake person. 

Last year I only gave him a birthday card with two pink teddy bear illustrations on it. It costed me no more than Rm1.50. That was so mean, don't you think?

So this year I hope I could get him something that will make him feel extra special. Something that will cheer him up all year. But the most important criteria is, it has to be easy on the pocket! 

P/s: As I'm writing this, all of the sudden a brilliant idea comes to mind! *Super excited* I hope he loves it! 

Till then. 

A wonderful, wonderful movie

Last Monday, mister and I went to catch a movie. He was contemplated to watch Jack Reacher and I was looking forward to watch Les Miserables since God knows when! I was going crazy head over heels for this movie even before watching it. With my all time crush, Hugh Jackman, the legendary Russel Crowe and my favourite actresses of all time; Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and Helena Bonham Carter, I knew all along this movie is going to be remarkable. Even beyond that.

So in deciding what movie should we watch, I asked him to find out the rating for both movies on Imdb (I was praying hard that Les Mis would be higher). Turn out my wish came true. Les Mis's rating is much higher compared to Jack Reacher. :) Hence  he reluctantly had to say yes to me. Hehe. 

I'm not going to bore or spoil you by narrating the story. But what can I say is this movie is mind blowing. I bet you'll have the same opinion even if you do not fancy musicals. Even if you don't think you'll like it because they sing the whole time. Yes, they literally sing the whole time in the movie and mister couldn't stand it. But even so, he admitted this movie is phenomenal. Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway blew everyone out of the water. I can even see the pain living in their eyes. They totally lived that character. 

I was sobbing like a baby for the last 30 minutes of the movie or so haha. I was struggling not to (malu la if people see) but I couldn't. For me, Les Mis stands so far and above every other movie. It will be remembered, adored, and emulated for many years to come, just like Titanic.  

In an interview that I've watched, Hugh Jackman said that in order for him to look skinny and sick in the first scene of the movie, he didn't drink a single drop of water for 36 hours. Such a brave soul! What a sacrifice he made. Apparently this technique does work. I barely recognized him at first. But he reminded people out there don't even think of doing what he did. Not drinking water for such a long time will definitely affect your health. 

I am crossing my finger that this film will win best picture, best director and definitely best actor and supporting actress. I'll be shocked if it doesn't. 

Overall, one of the best movies I've ever seen. Highly recommended to everyone. Go see and experience it. 

Happy New Year!

Hai! Assalamualaikum!

I just got home from spending the day with mister. In the morning we went to Eon Glen Marie in Shah Alam for Snowie's fourth service. Arrived there at 9 am in the morning and only settle everything around 1 pm . Oh my..I'm so dissapointed with Proton Service Centre. I've been to Perodua Service Centre before and it's totally the opposite of Proton Service Centre. Perodua SC is very spacious, has comfortable couches for seriously lazy lounging with huge telly on the wall and what I love most is they also provide you with free food and drink! I remembered last time I went there I was the only one who kept going back and forth from my seat to the food counter to top up my kuih. Haha Yeah..I was that tak malu when it comes to eating. :') And the service was also very efficient and fast. So back about today's experience. We basically waited for 4 freaking hours doing nothing. Proton's service took forever to settle my car. To add to my to frustration,  there was only few customers around. Silly me. I forgot to bring my book. So there I was looking like I was the most free person on earth. This is where technology comes in handy.I then resorted to chatting with my dearest little sister. I'm glad within that few hours I could create some quality time with my sister. :) Oh, they also promised to give me free gifts (shampoo and wax) but they didn't! -_-

Anyway, upon settling everything at the service center, off we went to the post office to retrieve my items that had arrived last week.

This is the item. Woolen Bow Top. Such a cutie, right? I love this to bits! Swapped this with a girl from FF website who is interested with my Cotton On Pink Top. Unfortunately I couldn't fit into this.. I'm no longer a s or m girl..I'm an xl girl now..:(

So now I would like to let this baby go to anyone out there who is interested in it. Here is the detail:

Name: Woolen Bow Top

Brand: R.J Story

Size: S/M

Material: 65% cotton, 35% polyester

Condition: Very good

Price: Rm27 including postage!
Status: Sold! 

This is the second item. I super looooove this Kimono Blouse. Maybe because of the flowery motive. I'm always a huge fan of flowery design. :) It's from Esprit. Swapped this with a girl who is interested with my Bohemian Skirt. Again, it's a bit tight on me. :( 

So reluctantly I decided to let this baby go to anyone out there who is interested in it. Here is the detail:

Name: Kimono Blouse

Brand: Esprit

Size: S/M

Material: 100% polyester

Condition: Very Good

Price: Rm 35 including postage!

If anyone is interested with any of the 2 items above (or both of them hehe) you can email me at nurulfitriah_88@yahoo.com. Thank you!

Oh on another note, Happy New Year everyone! May 2013 brings us joy, happiness, health, wealth and barakah! Lets be a better person from yesterday. Amin. Omg I have sooo many things on my mind right now for my new year's resolutions! One of them is to exercise! Lets ditch those ugly fats! But on top of that, I wish to be persistent. Without persistent, those flat tummy, single chin, slim legs that I yearn so much will just be a mere fantasy for me.  Hmm..I miss the old me who loves exercising. Where has she gone to? I need her back.