~ajnabi~

Assalamualaikum,

Aahh, just finished drinking a glass of apple juice. My mum made it for me. She was concerned about me having headaches, and green apples are the cure, insyaAllah.

As I haven’t had any real work today, I’ve been reading facebook (I don't what they call - surfing facebook?). So today is my youngest sister-in-law’s birthday. Then I saw that quite a bunch of people wishes her birthday on her wall. So as you know, my SIL studies in Form 2, at an all-girl school. So it is quite odd that she has a lot of boy-facebook-friends, which I guessed are all ajnabi or strangers. And when I checked their profiles, most of them is already working, doing MLM’s, or studying in universities or polytechnics. How do they even know each other? And why does this happen?

1. They don't know each other.

2. They go through their friends' list-of-friends, and add whoever they seem to like - thru profile pictures, thru cool background info, etc.

3. They add up people who commented on their friend's wall.

4. They like to have new friends. And have HUGE numbers of 'friends'.

5. They sometimes don't even know the strangers real name (cos he put a fake name obviously), but still they remain in the friends list. Funny when I read most of the friends don't even mention the birthday girl's name (cos it's not her real name) when wishing her.

6. They like reading everybody's status or see pictures, including a stranger. (I made this up).

So about this facebook issue, I thought people nowadays would be more cautious and less ‘friendly’ in cases such as this. The internet can open up everything about you (macam membuka pekung di dada), and if you’re not cautious, then you’ll be exposed to danger, such as exposing your telephone number or your home address in your profile. We might not know how the internet works (truthfully, it's me who don't understand). Here’s an example. Mister Partner uses HTC Incredible S, and it actually synchronizes his contacts with his facebook friends’ info. His contacts are updated with current status and profile pictures! I don’t know how it works. My name was different between facebook and the phone’s contacts list, and I never expose my telephone number in my facebook, yet they are synchronized correctly. How weird is that? If anyone knows about this stuff, do tell. At the moment I’m too lazy to Google. Haha..

That is all. I’m not too fond of people befriending strangers. You should know who they are. Some people sometimes like to put weird names like Miss Love or Weird Eyes, but still, if you know them, you can add them. But if you don’t, then ignoring them is the best way. I’m serious about this. Taaa~~

~mind explosion~

Assalamualaikumwarahmatullah,

You know what? I'm feeling depressed right now. With all the work, the treatments, the new house, the preparation for beijing, it's not something I can fully cope with at the moment. I cried, and now I'm somewhat relieved, thanks to mister partner who've been truly understanding. I know he complains a lot about my workload, and for my strong commitment towards my work. But I know, he is concerned about my health, about me stressing out.

I apologize for making this space personal-diary-like-ish, but this is my blog; yes, unpredictable. I write anything I could write about, I could post pictures of anything I want (with terms and conditions la).

Noticed the change of blog design? Haha, just playing around. In the end I don't know how to revert to my old design. So this is what I got. *teehee

Note: Eventhough I got to go to Beijing without spending for flight and accommodation, but when I'm depressed, everything is topsy turvy (correct or not this spelling? hee).. But I'm thankful, because Allah gave us rezeki in many forms, and mine is that :) Alhamdulillah..

Toodles..

~sticky~

Assalamualaikum,

I always have this similar health issues, which resembles flu. I know it’ll be a bit disgustingly euw-y, but this is something I want to share.

What happened?

I have trouble breathing, because my nose and my throat is blocked by mucus. I even have trouble eating and drinking, because my throat is blocked. The mucus even makes my throat hurts. Most of the times I need to get rid of the mucus in my nose and my throat. So I intend to bring a lot of tissues with me to avoid from spitting everywhere. But getting rid of the mucus is not easy at all. When I don’t get rid of the mucus in my nose, then it’ll go down to my throat, and that’ll make things worse. The mucus becomes so thick and sticky in my throat, that when I choked them out, they don’t simply come out. I’ve to choke harder, or sometimes getting them out using my finger! Yeah, I know (GROSS!), but I can’t help myself.  The mucus sticks hard to the wall under my throat. Sometimes I choked out traces of blood due to heavy and frequent choking. This problem would prolong for as long as 2-3 months. But it sometimes heal without any reason, and I can breathe normally again.. until it returns. I do hopefully pray it won’t.

How will it start?

• After a fever or flu.
• Around areas with lots of dust or sometimes when a room is not vacuumed for a long time.
• When temperature gets too cold due to air-conditioning.

My way of handling this issue:

• Get myself ready with lots of tissue.
• Be prepared with Strepsils (I prefer red one) or any sweets which can cool down the sore throat.
• Breath calmly, and don’t talk when you feel the mucus building in your throat.
• Don’t drink chocolate or anything dairy.
• Don’t eat ice-cream or anything cold.
• Simple enough, drink lots of warm water, even when your throat hurts.

I found out these tips on the internet. And this health issue is quite common. I found out that other people too have the same exact problem as I do. And some of them even experienced anxiety. Alhamdulillah, I can still control myself right now. I’m going to try some of these prevention steps, and hope with Allah’s will, will stop my problem.

These are some of the ways to prevent and soothe throat mucus (see source):

Inhale steam from a tub of boiling water or hot shower to loosen mucus in the throat and sinus congestion

· Drink at least eight glasses of water daily to loosen phlegm and thin mucus – it is also good for your overall health!

· Blow your nose frequently to prevent mucus from draining into your throat

· Gargle regularly with warm water and salt

· Add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to a vaporizer to loosen phlegm and relieve congestion

· Avoid eating foods such as dairy products, meat or fried foods that increase mucus production

· Drink hot liquids such as herbal tea or chicken broth to moisten the airways and break up the mucus

· Add a teaspoon of turmeric to half a glass of milk – turmeric contains antiseptic properties that fights infection

· Use a humidifier or cool mist vaporizer in your bedroom at night to thin the mucus– this helps to moisten the air and is particularly helpful during winter

· Limit exposure to irritants such as household cleaners, paint fumes, chemicals or cigarette smoke

· Stop smoking as it irritates the throat and worsens respiratory conditions

· Eat spicy foods, horseradish or hot chili peppers to loosen mucus

I know this may seem normal; anyone can handle it, easy to cure, etc. But from my experience, I haven’t found any real medication for this. I’ve tried taking cough syrup, they’ll say the phlegm will thin down. But no, my throat became so dry, the phlegm can’t move, it’ll stick even more. And flu pills, they get the mucus out, but the mucus still there. And this problems has made me feel embarrassed for quite some time, to the extent of feeling embarrassed to Mister Partner. But now he understood and he's been patient with me, choking and all.

If anyone out there, anyone.. has the same issue, do share. And I would be happy to know if anyone has found a particular cure for this health problem.

Last but not least, do remember to wash your hand after coughing or sneezing, or after picking your nose. Haha.. Good hygiene for good health. 

Source: nativeremedies

~beijing trip~

Assalamualaikum,

Just a quick post, since it's been soooo long since I posted. I'll be off to Beijing next week, with Mister Partner and the rest of my colleagues. It's our office trip :) Yay! Ehem, alhamdulillah.. We only need to pay for Mister Partner's part. So I've been playing around, thinking (already!) what I should be wearing. It's gonna be the end of autumn there. So here's a sketch of what I'd be wearing (without the coat):

Note that this is not a fashion designer's work. Uhuk..

So, there. Bye :)

~why don't you like macarons~

Assalamualaikum.. A lot of compliments and sweet talks have been going around about the colourful confectionery, the macarons. People had blogged that this food is so delicious, and nobody could resist the taste. Why are macarons so famous? Is it the taste? The colourful appearance? The price?

Source: Wikipedia

My first macarons was about two months ago, when my mum decided to do aqiqah for my new niece. I doubt that any of our guests would know what macarons are. The menu during any kind of feast at our place usually include fragrant rice, chicken, lamb, acar, or laksa, bihun goreng, some traditional kuih, something like that. You get the idea, it’s kind of old fashion. But we like it that way. But this time, I’ve thought of adding a new menu into the ‘old-fashioned’ menu. I was thinking.. yeap.. macarons. Came the idea of ordering them from my sister’s friend, who also made a chocolate moist cake. I never ordered food via post before. So, when the food arrived, they were all messed up, the cake was covered with ants, and the macarons, some of them were crushed and falling apart. So both of them can’t be served to the aqiqah guests. That’s disappointing, but that's not the story. We still get to taste the macarons.

The macarons were made in tiny round shapes, the size of a mineral water bottle’s cap. We tasted it, and we agreed that the macarons were too sweet, and the texture was quite hard. After the tasting, we concluded that my sister’s friend… don’t know how to make macarons. Still, we never waste any food, the macarons were finished in 4 days.

Then last two days, I went to KLCC. Walking from shop to shop, outlet to outlet, my aunt and I were already exhausted. We need somewhere to relax. What can I eat during a humid afternoon. So I remembered macarons! Someone informed that the best macarons are there in KLCC. I won’t tell which cafe, guess it yourself. So I ordered a set of 6 macarons, a total of RM 23. The flavours, blueberry, pistachio, chocolate, strawberry, and 2 orange. They also have pineapple’s, but I don’t like pineapples, so no pineapples. The size is like the top picture, about 2 times the size of my first macarons. The appearance is much nicer. But..I was so shocked when I tasted it. The taste was exactly the same with the one’s my sister’s friend made, super sweet. So she is a good cook (or baker), tererla siap boleh compare dengan the famous macarons in KLCC. The texture was slightly softer compared to the first macarons, but not too soft. I read that the texture should be hard on the outside, and soft on the inside, and it melts in your mouth. But not this one.

Actually I was disappointed with the taste. I can eat sweet tasting food, but this.. was just TOO sweet. I could feel a diarrhea coming from the moment I taste (no, I'm not exaggerating). I don’t know why anyone would like to eat this food. Even if you get it for free, but would you be able to eat the oh-so-sweet-macarons?

Go and get a taste for yourselves. You might like it, my tooth might not be sweet enough J So, if you’re a sweet tooth, try them. But for me, they’re just over-rated. I’d better have ice-creams instead. Baskin Robbins or Haagen-Dasz.

Ps: Among all the flavours tasted, chocolate is the best, because instead of just sweet, it has some bitter taste to it.

I know I might be quite late to review about this delicacy, but better late than never right? J Oh, and this might not be a review, it’s just an experience I’m sharing, maybe a different point of view from other people. Or maybe I’m just old-fashioned?

Oh, and speaking of ice-creams, I haven’t tried Tutti Frutti yet. But that might not be to my liking, because I don’t like to mix fruits and ice-creams. I’ll try them later (without the fruits), and that’ll be a different post.

So, ciao!

~blog influence~

Assalamualaikum,

I started blogging since end of last year. At that time, I was encouraged (indirectly) thru blogwalking the blogs related to fashion. At first, I frequently read blogs from London, USA and Australia. Then I found out about Malaysia, narrowing to bloggers wearing hijab. I was so amazed because the bloggers created such a trend, and their fashion spread like fire. Yep, the ‘lilit-lilit’ hijab style, the skirts, the turban, the palazzos, the harem pants, and so many more. I’ve learnt so many fashion terms (though I didn’t always remember them).

I want to point out that blogs (bloggers) give huge influence to the public. From fashion blog, I started following Bashtiah, just because she followed me first (no, I don’t simply follow just anyone, I checked them out first). She got a lot of writing in her blog. So that was new. Fashion bloggers mostly put images (which I like very much – the professional ones).  Since then, I got to know skills in writing.  I’ve never skipped her entry J She got me begging for more. I especially love her story about her job as a swimming instructor. Her writing’s serious but funny at the same time. And she’s just started donning the hijab like a few months back. Her followers haven’t reach to a thousand yet, but I’m sure she’s going to achieve that in a matter of time.

And just recently, I started reading Namee’s blog. I found out thru Bashtiah’s entry. Wow, she’s quite a fast-turned-famous-blogger. Thousands of followers in just 8 months! Her writing is somehow straightforward in an indirect way. Ah, I can’t put that into words. But she got me reading her entries from the day she started blogging J And she got me laughing out loud too.

The two bloggers got me distracted from fashion a little bit. It’s because each of them are a simple girl, always reminding us to be modest and humble (instead of being vain). Because I changed from reading fashion blogs to ‘opinion’ blogs, I feel a bit ashamed, yes I do. I think I may be vain too, showing off my outfit. But I think it depends on the intention itself. Being vain or not, I just want to compile what I wore in any day. I don’t include my face because I think that’s not necessary (no offense to those who do, everybody's have their own opinion). People would know who I am, and that’s not what I want. So, do you think that’s vain or what? Conflict, conflict.

This is just my opinion. I may start reading other types of blogs next time around, right? J I don’t totally ignore fashion blogs, I still like them as much as before. It’s just that reading opinion blogs got my attention more. Fashion blogs got my attention thru the great pictures J So, no offense.

p/s: See, I can’t do opinion blogging. Do you know the conclusions here? #All jumbled up#

~blogger's life~

Assalamualaikumwarahmatullah,

I'm not the type of person who have the guts to advise or to make a point on something wrong to someone, except among family members. I don't call this guts, but I've commented about something to Ami Schaheera of Sptnkswthrt, and I've been uneasy since. It feels so hard to breathe while I'm writing this. I've been telling myself that I'm doing a good thing, but did I offended her?

I've read her current entry, and it makes me feel even worse. To Ami (I don't know if you read this), I hope you will be strong (as you always has), always remember that Allah will always be there for us, and have a rest whenever you need one.

I'm posting this entry to apologize to Ami if I offended you in any way. I mean really, this comes from my heart.

I felt that I need to speak it out. This uneasy feeling in my heart won't stop until I do. And hope Ami understands.