Beijing Travel-log ~ Day 1

In front of Kun Min Hong Lake

I'll start Day 1 as in 'my' Day 1 ok. Coz my friends arrived more or less 12 hours before I did. They arrived in Tianjin and took the bullet train to Beijing. Our cute tourist guide, Max who can speak Indonesian/Malaysian Malay, waited for them in Tianjin Airport and went on the bullet train together with them. While I arrived in Beijing International Airport and another tourist guide waited for me. I was then brought to Summer Palace to join my friends who just came back from the bird nest Olympic Stadium.

Sawan batu

Beautiful scenery here.

I found out that the tourist guide changes the itinerary as his likes. So we wouldn't know where we're going unless he tells us. In any case, Olympic Stadium = checked (without me). I got to see it from afar on the last day.

That's a bird's pose

The weather was nice actually. Cold. But nice. Since I came from a very hot country, I had to cover myself properly in order to adjust with the low temperature.  Hence the inner+t-shirt+sweater+winter jacket. Sunglasses to hide the zombie eyes. 

Then we were brought to the Pearl Centre. It's a government sponsored shop. You'll see that all tour group will have to bring you to all these government link company shop. That's why they can give a very low price coz it's subsidized. Plus, the tourist guide will get tips and commission out of what you buy here. Anyway, this pearl centre used the pearls from the lake inside the Summer Palace itself. They made it to pearl cream, pearl powder and pearl jewelry. 

The price was acceptable. Pearl cream; 150 yuan for 3 cases (free one powder). Pearl brooch; 50 yuan each. Btw, the salesgirl here can speak Malay as well. Most salesperson in Beijing can.

After that, off to my first experience of meal in Beijing. Super bad. They told me the dinner before was worse. Went to a mosque for prayer after lunch then off to Dr Tea House for the tea ceremony.

Again, it's a GLC shop. We didn't buy anything as the tea are all overpriced. So no commission for Max. hehe..

Since we didn't buy anything, the process in the tea house was very quick. We went straight to the Puppet House to watch the acrobatic show. This is the time where I manage to get some rest, as in sleep. wakakka..

After dinner (again, yucks!) we went back to the hotel for the end of day 1.

Hotel; we stayed in Tian Shun Business Hotel outskirts of Beijing. It's a little bit far from the city. Once we're there, we're there. No chance of roaming around. The room was bad. Got some sort of weird smell. And the breakfast was even worse than any other meal in Beijing. We stopped taking breakfast provided on Day 2. Can't take it. Really... So, if you're going to Beijing, do bring a lot of serunding, sambal ikan bilis, a few slices of bread, or the best is Brahim Nasi Goreng Kampung. TERBAIK!!!

Beijing Travel-log ~ Original Itenary

Day 1 KL – Tianjin - Beijing
Arrive in Tianjin in the afternoon. Transfer to Beijing by private coach. Check into hotel for rest & refreshment after lunch. Dinner. Enjoy the wonderful Acrobatic Show at night

Day 2 Beijing
Our program starts with the tour to Tian An Men Square -- the largest city square in the world, bordered by the Great Hall of the People and Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum. Then head to the Forbidden City, the complex of imperial palace, which was home to the Emperors for over 500 years. Grand halls and courts gradually give way to more intimate domestic quarters, giving an insight into the pampered isolation of the emperors. Visit to Niujie Mosque which is the oldest Mosque with over one thousand year’s history. Shopping at Muslim Super Market which is the only one in Beijing. Shopping at the most famous Silk Store, which has many kinds of silk materials with the best quality. Dinner at the most famous Xin Jiang Muslim Restaurant

Day 3 Beijing
Visit to the Jade Museum to have a better understanding on china culture. Today is the highlight of our China tour, the climbing of the Great Wall of China. First built in the Warring States period (475-221BC) as a series of earthworks erected by individual kingdoms as a defense against each other as well as from invasions from the north, the wall we see in the present day wall was left from the Ming dynasty. Lunch at a local Muslim restaurant nearby. Shopping at the Crystal Shop. Then visit the Burning Cream Centre on the way back to downtown. The rest of the day will be devoted to Wang Fu Jing Shopping Street and Night Food Market, where you will see a collection of Halal snacks. Shopping at Hard Rock Cafe Souvenir Shop at night

Day 4 Beijing
Shopping at the Fresh Water Pearl Center. Visit the Summer Palace in the morning. Being the largest imperial garden in China, the Summer Palace was first built in the Qing emperor Qianlong’s time in 1751 and burned down in1860 by the French and British army and restored by the Dowager empress Cixi for her own enjoyment. It became a favorite haunt of Cixi, who preferred it to the Forbidden City, and named it Yihe Yuan meaning the garden of health and harmony. After lunch we will visit one of the most famous mosques in this city, the Ming dynasty-built Nan Dou Ya Mosque that has a unique Chinese style with hundreds years of history. Foot Massage at the Chinese traditional medicine center. Enjoy the tea ceremony at the Tea House.


Day 5 Beijing
Photo stop at Olympic Stadiums – Bird Nest and Water Cube in the morning. Shopping at Olympic Sponsor Jewelry City. Shopping at the Kitchen Appliance Store and the local Bazaars – Hong Qiao Tian Ya Market & Xiu Shui Market and Yang Guan Jin Jie Market..

Day 6 Beijing - Tianjin - Home
Take private coach to Tianjin in the morning. Tianjin, a city of 130 kilometers southeast of Beijing, serving as the gateway of Bohai Sea, means Port to Heavenly Capital. People started to settle in Tianjin in the Song Dynasty (960-1279A.D) By the 15th century it had become a garrison town enclosed by walls. After several decades of development, now it’s one of China's leading manufacturing and commercial centers. There we will visit the famous Food Street and Culture Street. After lunch, transfer to airport for Air Asia’s flights to KL

Teaser - Beijing Trip

Sila Dengar Cakap Orang Tua

Blogcation

Cuti dari berblog. Untu beberapa hari. 5 hari to be exact. Will be going to

Great Wall of China

Determine to panjat it sampai atas. Tak sedar diri yang kaki dah sakit2 ni.

Come and visit me for full coverage on Beijing Trip next week k...

Thank You For The Miles

Day 1 - Upon arrival in Incheon. Due to the incident, seems like I woke up at the wrong side of the bed. I had no mood to do anything even though I had all the time to myself that afternoon. I didn't go out for shopping. Didn't go for gym. Didn't go for swimming. Didn't even sleep for that matter. I just WORK. As a result, when the guys came back from the meeting and we met up in the lobby, I looked really miserable. 

Day 2 - Meeting day. Woke up in the morning without any problem. Alhamdulillah... Met the rest of the group. Meeting was postpone 1 hour later than scheduled. Was informed during breakfast when everybody was already suited up. Sighh... Went through the morning session without having to say anything. After lunch had a session for me. But only for half an hour. Meeting finish by 9pm. My stomach was already bloated. Really painful. Went back to the hotel only to find out the Dinner Buffet will end in 20 minutes. Rushing with food which really not helping my stomach to rest.

Day 3 - Woke up late. No shopping for me. Packed up. Checked out. Brunch at 1.30pm. Taxied to the airport. Got the chance to shop a bit. Alhamdulillah... It really makes me feel calm a bit. Went in the plane only to find out it was the SAME CREW as my fly in flight. Hahaha... 3 of the cabin crew came to me and apologized for what happened the last time (tau takut). Arrived in AD to a super long queue for passport control. My E-gate card didn't work. DENGG..

Due to all the hassle only to meet the customer for half an hour. Really thanks for the miles. At least I can start recovering my miles to achieve Gold Membership..

Unwelcomed!

Coming to Seoul used to be the most awaited biz trip for me. But not this time.
Since I know I might need to come here, I was already reluctant to come. And was saved by a meeting in AD. But then, last minute changes, I have to attend both. They will push the meeting in Seoul to Friday so that I can fly in after my meeting in AD. I was quite furious. Unfortunately, that's what we call as 'duty calls'.
Deciding which flight to take was another challenge. I had 2 options; to fly out of AD at night or in the morning. The trick is I'll arrive in Seoul morning or night respectively. Knowing how my body would react if  I travel out in the morning and arrive at night, I decided to go for fly out at night and arrive in the morning.
Bad decision.
The flight was full. Totally full. No space to even move.
Hence I store my laptop bag carefully underneath the seat in front of me.
I was unable to sleep until 2am AD time which is 6am Korean time. Bad enough. When I finally able to relax and sleep for like 5 minutes I felt my neighbor to the left starterd to touching my legs. WTF??!!
Then I realized that he spilled some water. At that time I didn't realized what kind of water. I bend down to take my laptop bag away from the water when I suddenly smelt the beer. DANNGGG!!!!
My bag was soaked with beer. One whole can of it. How can he actually drop the whole can ACCIDENTLY?!!
I became really angry. If it's plain water or tea or even coffee I can tolerate. But we're talking about beer with that stinking smell. YUCKS!!!
That guy just stood there doing nothing. I asked him nicely "How do think I can clean this?"
Ignoring my question he just shoved me back to my seat.
I refused. I want to know how to clean it up. I'm not gonna carry the bag soaked with beer smell. The smell (or even the stain) could have transferred to my clothes. And I (most probably) would wear this clothes for prayer (you see... when travelling u'll tend to travel as light as possible. so, not going to bring a lot of clothes)
Then one of the cabin crew came. She understood my concern as she is also Muslim. I appreciate her help trying to wipe off the stain and put on some perfume to make the smell go away. While waiting for her to do that, one stupid big head cabin crew who was not even on duty suddenly came to me asking me not to be rude to this Muslim cabin crew. AND WHEN DID I BECAME RUDE AGAIN??? She was saying that the bag can easily be cleaned if I just send to any dry cleaners and dry cleaners in Korea are pretty fast in service. <-We'll see about this point by this stupid and arrogant Korean.
I became angry again. I was upset. I had enough stress. You are NOT on duty. Why do you care anyway?! It's easy for you to say since you can actually bathe with beer and go without having a religious concern. Who are you to ask me to talk nicely since "it's just an accident that can be happened to anyone"???!!!
Do you know that the guy didn't even say sorry to me? STUPID OFF DUTY KOREAN STEWARDESS!!!!
I was a little bit calm when the Muslim cabin crew brought me away from that stupid girl.
Upon arrival I asked that guy how does he planned to pay for the damage. And he was like "What do you want from me?" WTH!!!! You destroyed my bag for God sake!
He said "Ok. Let's meet outside". Once landed, he went out of the plane and shoot, I don't know where he went. ANOTHER STUPID KOREAN GUY!
I went through passport control, took my luggage from the carousel and waited. Spotted him waiting for his bag. I approached him and again asked what's his plan to pay for the damage. He just asked what I want. Since the only thing I know is to send the bag for cleaning in the hotel, I told him I'm going to stay in 'this' hotel. I don't know how much they will charge for the cleaning. He gave me 20USD and walked away. I had no choice but to try to find a solution with 20(stupid) USD.
I went into the hotel. Called up the laundry services. And they said they don't do bag cleaning. I"M ABOUT TO SHOUT WHAT ABOUT 'WE KOREAN SURE CAN DO THESE THING VERY FAST'??!!!! I swear to God if I ever see that STUPID KOREAN CABIN CREW again I will make her life as difficult as I can.
Now, I'm stuck with a smelly beer soaked laptop bag.
Hopefully tomorrow will be much better for me.

Risau Kerana Masih Belum Berkahwin?

Ferrari World - The Story

Ferrari World atau dalam bahasa melayu nya Dunia Ferrari. The one and only in the whole wide world. It's the largest indoor theme park co-sponsored by Ferrari itself. Located in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi right beside the F1 circuit. It's the main tourist attraction in Abu Dhabi.

Entrance fee for those who are 1.5m and above is AED225. Between 1.5m and 1.0m is AED165 (Almost go for this one..) There's also a possibility of having an annual pass for AED1995. It's really worth it especially if you have kids below 1m. The annual fee will end one year after the date of purchase.

Mine! <bajet kalau tensen je g seround jap>

Operation time is from 12 noon to 12 midnight. So, don't bother waking up early in the morning. 

Location Map of Rides

There're 19 rides to try on, divided to 3 categories; >Family (Made in Maranello, The Pit Wall, Paddock, Cinema Maranello, Driving with the Champion,Galleria Ferrari, The Racing Legends, V12, La Gara)< >Kids (Speed of Magic, Belle'Italia, Carousel, Junior GT, Junior Grand Prix, Junior Training Camp)<  > Thrill (Formula Rossa, G-Force, Fiorano GT Challenge and Scuderia Challenge)<

It's difficult to determine the type of rides based on the names. But you should be able to tell that rides in Thrill are really the most challenging ones. There's also acrobatic shows that has timings (3,5,7 and 9). The Prayer Rooms are located right after the entrance. Toilets are everywhere. Parking are free. Restaurant inside are formal type of restaurant. Be prepared to pay AED8 for one small bottle of mineral water. But we manage to get a decent meal for AED30 each. We went to the 'international' restaurant. Ordered one Fried Rice and one BBQ Chicken. The bread are complimentary and refillable (dasar melayu)

Cerita kami...

Kalau tak pernah pegi Ferrari World ni tak duduk Abu Dhabi la namanya kan. Kebetulan ari tu kawan Cik Nad iaitu Kak Mawar nak pegi. Dia ajak kitorg skali. Yelah.. apa barang gi theme park sesorg kan.. So kitorg pun join. 

Pagi kol 10 bertolak dari AD City. Breakfast Brunch kat IKEA which happen to be sebelah je dgn Dunia ni, Kol 12 gerak g beli tiket. Mencari pintu masuk dah satu hal. Paling senang sebenarnye if you take the Yas Island exit yg paling dekat dengan Dubai (where IKEA is). Then dari situ senang nak masuk ke entrance Ferrari World ni. Parking free, so no issue.

Sampai je kitorg terus naik Fiorano GT Challenge. Since aku pakai tudung, semua rides yg roller2 and coaster2 tu kene pakai coverall. Dah nak ngamuk dah aku. Kamon la.. If I can survive Genting, Sunway n Disneyland.. apa lah sangat Ferrari World ni. Tapi itu mmg rules kat sini. So terpaksa la ikut.

Dah pening2 dengan Fiorano kitorg g relek2 kat Belle'Italia. Ni naik kete ferrari zaman tok adam pastu pusing2 Mini Italy. Exited jap nampak Venice... Kete tu slow je jalan dia. So mula la buat perangai kan..

After that we run off to Driving with the Champion. Ni kene amik nombor giliran. Kitorg nya giliran kol 2.30pm. Basically this is an F1 simulator. Tapi agak cool jugak la. Simulator dia kalau ada org langgar kat belakang terasa gak wooo sakit hentakan dia. I almost tak dapat main due to my height.

Sementara tunggu giliran, kitorg g The Pit Wall.

Pastu g acrobatic show (tak la aku terkilan tak pat tgk kat Beijing nanti). Memula macam bosan. Pastu tgh2 tu dah jadi mcm cool plak. Especially bila dia mula bawak kuar lampu pusing pusing yang sangat menarik itu. Susah nak gambarkan. Kene tgk sendiri baru tau kenapa aku kagum sangat dengan lampu tu. N of course la dapat amik gambar dengan abang ketak....

Jangan Marah....

Tibalah masanya untuk kami menaiki roller coaster terpantas didunia. Formula Rossa. Bukan Rossa penyanyi tu.. Tapi roller coaster terpantas di dunia ok. Diulang sekali lagi. TERPANTAS DI DUNIA. Sebelum naik tgk org lain yg berlepas mcm gerun je. Dah naik "Ini je??!!" <-Berlagak tak hengat okkk... Owh, btw. Formula Rossa ni mula operasi jam 3 petang. Sebelum tu tak jalan. 

Pastu Cik Nad dah lapar. Makan. Stop jap kat V12. Masuk dalam enjin kete Ferrari yang giant. Last skali di basahkan dengan lube oil dia. Yucks!

Last skali beli la buah tangan sket kat kedai dia.. Kang orang tak caya lak dah sampai kan..

My opinion. Ferrari World is like a big playground for your kids. If you are a resident in Abu Dhabi I do feel it's really worth it to get the annual pass. You can bring your kids over the weekend and let them run and play in there. Quite nice actually.. Even I want to join the kids turning the wheel and race them.

If you are single, it's still worth it. Coz you need to really push it if you want to finish all the rides in one day. We only did 6 in 7 hours and were really tired. There's a lot of picture taking spots as well. Cik Nad and I were thinking to come one day just to take pictures. Coz our pictures after all those rides.. err... not going to show anybody...

Since I have the annual pass, anybody want me to accompany you to Ferrari World, just let me know. I can even be the babysitter. ahaks!

Nak Mintak Pendapat Sket

Apa pendapat korang?

Watak:
Si A ni lelaki. Umur 40-an. Dah kawin anak 3.
Si B lelaki gak. Umur 40-an gak. Pun dah kawin.
Si C perempuan. Bujang.
Si D perempuan. Bujang.
Si E perempuan. Berkahwin.

Lokasi:
Perantauan, jauh dari keluarga masing masing (termasuk la anak bini)

(Macam nak buat drama radio plak ekkk...)

Anyway, A B C dan D kawan baik. Slalu kuar sama2 la. Makan, tengok wayang, lepak ngutuk orang lain and all. Then satu hari A call C ajak kuar dinner. Katanya B ada skali. Tapi C sibuk. So C kata lain kali la. Pastu another day came. A call C lagi ajak dinner. Masa tu C mmg nak kuar tapi D not available. Kiranya bila A call ni mcm orang mengantuk disorongkan bantal la kan. C ingat B ada sama. Tapi bila C sampai ada A sorg je. A kata B tak angkat phone. So A and C pun having a good dinner.

The week after that, A call C lagi. Ajak dinner lagi. Masa tu C still kat ofis. A kata takpe la, dinner dekat2 dengan ofis C je. C rasa tak sedap hati. C ajak E skali. Bila g kat restoren, C lega sebab B pun ada. After dinner, B kata seluar C kotor kat bahagian bontot. C takmo la tepuk tepuk bontot kat depan A and B. Tetiba A tepuk bontot C there and then jugak. C terkejut beruk mat yeh...

C dah mula mcm nak hangin ngan A. A B C and D g main futsal. C cuba ignore A. Tapi A sedaya upaya nak get C into the conversation. The next day, A B C D E and a few others g tgk wayang. A takmo release phone number C kat 'a few others' tu. Than after wayang, g minum A mcm ter over give attention to C plak. Sampaikan D and E pun perasan that over acting si A ni.

So, C D and E started discussing about it. Probably A has a crush on C. Tapi A kan dah kawin. So C jadi conscious la. Jadi nye C dgn D pun nak try experiment. Mengikut statistik, A akan ajak C dinner hari isnin n rabu. So C akan cuba ngelak tgk apa jadi.

Isnin seterusnya, C cepat cepat ajak D and E kuar dinner. Plan asal isnin ngan rabu C akan g gym. Tapi isnin tu C tak larat otak. So contingency plan is D and E la. Just before C D and E kuar, A called C ajak kuar gak. C cakap la dia kuar ngan D and E. Jom la ikut skali. Memula A kata ok. 2 minutes after that A call balik tanya, D ngan E tak kisah ke dia nak join. C was like, bukan ke biasa ke kita g makan sesama. Asal nak kisah lak. 5 minutes after that phone call A send sms to C kata tak jadi nak join. C cite kat D. Now D dah rasa tak sedap nak kawan dengan A.

Skang ni, kalau u lelaki, cuba u komen kenapa A tu wat camtu?
And kalau u pompuan, u rasa D kecik ati tak kat C?

Tolong la komen ye...

Diva to Divani

Me = a known Diva.

Kalau kuar nak g tempat aircond jek. Baju kene matching segala. Travel kene in style.

Tapi lately ni aku dah jadi Divani.
Pada yang tak tau, Divani dalam bahasa Hindi maksudnya gila. But not gila as in really gila. Gila yang really gila tu ialah Pagal. Divani ni gila mcm gila bayang gitu.

Nampak tak kegilaan aku yang tengah cuba nak explain apa maksud gila tu?

Want To Be Me??

17th Oct - Meeting with BIG Boss
19th Oct - Meeting with Customer A (Morning)
                 Fly off to Korea (Night)
20th Oct - Be a zombie in Korea
21st Oct - Meeting with Customer B
22nd Oct - Fly back to AD
23rd Oct - Struggle to complete Customer C's request
24th Oct - Fly to Beijing
25th to 29th Oct - Try not to be zombie in Beijing
30th Oct to 3rd Nov - Struggle to complete Customer D, E and F's request
3rd (Night) to 11th Nov - Fly to Malaysia
12th to 23rd Nov - Hoping nothing will come (Finger cross all the way)
24th Nov to 10th Dec - Back to Malaysia for 3 weddings
11th Dec - Bernafas......

Ferrari World - Teaser

Reall Steel - From The Eye Of An Engineer

Marvelous! Probably Super Marvelous!

As a control engineer, I'm amazed by all the cool controllers being used. As an electrical engineer I do look into details on how smooth Atom's hands move compared to others (really shows that some of the other Bots are done by 'interns'). As a overworked engineer, it was a fun and refreshing movie to watch on a stressful week. As an engineer, the whole movie feels really realistic.

The emotion, the fun, the excitement, the surprise elements,  the story-line, the technology, the details, it all came together logically and realistically. Definitely a movie worth every penny even if you watch on a 3D theater. You'll laugh. You'll cry. Your heart will beat faster. 

Even though I know by going to watch it tonight means I'm wasting one of my precious long awaited weekend, it's totally worth it. Otherwise, I would go through the non-stop travelling thinking when will I got the chance to watch it. 

Teaser: Watch out for the dance. It's super cool!!!! 

Also the box!!

SUPER DUPER COOL!!!!

Hard to choose which one is better between this one and Fast 5. Since I'm an engineer, I do appreciate the effort being done in this movie more.. ahaks..

...............................................................................................................................................................

Enough about the review. Now cite dari hati plak.

Jumaat yang penat. Memang rasa nak tido je. Semalam g main futsal dgn fellow Malaysian sbb nak kononnya nak kenalan dgn client. Tapi takde rupanya. Ari ni bangun terus start tgk TQ. Masak n basuh baju sket. Then ingat nak g Madinat Zayed cari khandura si Anip. Skali tgk kat luar tu bersepah 'set dia' ambik angin. Since I ni orang suka ikutt... tak berani la nak pegi...

Sedang berjalan di Mushriff Mall, Pak Nol call tanya nak g tgk Besi Sebenar ni tak. Memang ada dlm my must watch list. And I know, kalau I tak g tgk ari ni kompem I takkan dapat tgk wayang nye. So sangat berharap yang dapat pegi. Doa dimakbulkan. Dapat pegi!

Sampai Marina Mall just in time before the movie starts. Memang totally worth it. Robot pertama keluar I dah amazed dengan how smooth the movements are.Although I know it's just CGI technique, but I'm still amazed. 

Kuar plak anak dia. Jalan cerita starts jadi funny. Sama je anak ngan bapak kan. Kalau ada depan aku memang dua dua aku 'tangan'kan.

The story continues. Garam, gula, cili, semua lengkap dan sebati sehingga menghasilkan satu masak lemak cili padi yang cukup lemaknya. 

Nak cakap banyak pun tak guna. U all g la tgk sendiri ye...

When Berries and Apples Are No Longer Fruits

SPANX Pre-Order by Kerry Blogshop

Tau ke SPANX tu apa?
Kalau tak tau SPANX, ASSETS tau tak?
Tak tau jugak?
Ok. Meh sini nak cite...

SPANX and ASSETS tu ialah pakaian pembentukan badan atau body shaper yang diilhamkan oleh Sara Blakely. Bukan sejenis je barang yang dia ada. Dari girdle mirdle, sehingga la ke swimming suit. Sume ada. And bukan satu je jugak tahap kekurusan yang you boleh dapat. Dari Medium hingga la ke Super Duper slim kata orang gitunye...

In-Power Line Super Higher Power

In-Power Line ni range SPANX yang paling glamer la gamaknye. Harga, kalau ikutkan taklah semahal brand PCantik tu. Nak pakai pun tak la sesusah PCantik tu. Kaler pun ada byk pilihan.

Dulu saya rasa susah jugak nak beli. Ragu ragu pun ada. Pasalnye benda ni tak jual kat kedai. And memandangkan ia lagi eksklusif dari jenama PCantik tu, tak jugak ia di jual merata rata. Jadi macam mana nak beli kan...

Cari punya cari... Blog walking dan blog jogging bagai... Saya terjumpa satu blogshop ni. (Nota kaki: Saya adalah manusia yang paling tak suka beli kot online). Blogshop Kerry nama dia.. Apparently, Cik Kerry ni mmg jual barang dari jenama yang agak susah atau agak mahal di Malaysia. Saya jadi terexcited terlebih sudah.... 

Jadinya, apa kata.... Kalau you all nak try Spanx ni... cuba cuba la kat kedai Cik Kerry tu. Mungkin dari jenis yang asyik ada masalah bila membeli online mcm saya ni pun boleh puas hati. Apa kata anda?

Atlantis The Palm Jumeirah Dubai

Ini lah sebabnya kenapa aku takleh attend Handbag Auction For Charity semalam.

Eh! Salah. Sebabnya ialah ini...

Middle East, North Africa and Turkey Regional Leadership Meeting.

There're a few sessions and the session that I was involved in was Women in Leadership Role held by the Women Network.

Kebetulan session ni dianjurkan di The Palm Jumeirah Dubai or better known as Atlantis. Cantik tempatnya. Since aku sampai awal tadi, dapat la jalan2 tengok2 keadaan sekeliling. Kat sini kalau not a guest there takleh jalan suka2 hati.

I drove from AD and sampai kat Atlantis konpius mana nak park. Rupanya valet park. Nasib baik company bayo. Kalau  tak haru gak tgk rate nye 150AED. Masuk hotel hilang bayangan yang saya sebenarnye berada di Middle East (if you know what I meant). Beach dia lawa. Tapi tempat main main air tak sempat nk g checkout. Nak amik gambar byk sgt tak berani pasal mana2 pegi pun mesti ada ikan duyung (dugong pun ada gak).

Me checking out the fish (kali ni real fish)

The session is about what should the company do to encourage women to become leader. Apparently, in this region, there're only 15% women population in the company. So, they're saying that, out of 15% brapa je yg berpotensi nak jadi leader. They're afraid that the pipeline is not enough for future growth.

Berperah otak la kami mencari idea and action plan mcm mana nak encourage women to take the leadership role. Mcm2 benda gak keluar tadi. Tapi mostly cakap nak longer maternity leave (yg mana I personally think should not be there), company sponsored nursery (this one is brilliant), part time worker (also not a very good idea), training (common), mandatory quota in each team (well.... ), start having business lunch rather than dinner (can't agree more. single pun malas nak g dinner tau) and many more.

Personally, I think that the women here are lack of self confidence and skills. Compared to what I've been through in Malaysia, women in Malaysia is much more aggressive. Maybe because we have the channel (Women Network there is quite strong) that provide all these opportunity for us to shine and be known. Here, they think too much of work/life balance. I know it's important. Of course you would want to see you kids grow up. But if that is more important to you, than you have to let go your career as a leader. If a company is willing to let you work as part timer, they won't pay you as much. And how can you be a leader if you only work 6 months out of 12? Doesn't make sense isn't it?

What I think they need are opportunities. They need to have the opportunity to understand what the company needs in a leader. They need to know if they have the leadership quality that the company is looking for. And from company perspective, they need to give the opportunity to the women to show that they can do it. Give the women small projects to work on. Get to know these women. Get them involve in your conversation. Women are naturally shy. It's our nature. But that doesn't mean we don't have great ideas. Just give us a chance. Shut up and listen to what we have to say. You'll be surprise.

Last skali, saje2 g amik gambar bengong kat bawah ni. Company bayo kan... belasah je la...

Shaimaa, Me and Hema - Iron Ladies in GEONG MENAT

Mandey Lagi

Asal Mandey je Farewell. Asal Farewell je Mandey. Yeke?  (Kedai ni pun favorite rakyat Malaysia di Abu Dhabi gak nihhh...)

Ntah la. Mungkin ye, mungkin tidak. Ini Farewell Nor.

Dia dah 4 tahun kat sini. Tapi tak pernah makan mandey rice kat Meena Kitchen ni. So, untuk farewell dia ni kitorg decide makan kat sini jugak. At least dapat la jugak dia merasa kan.. Lagipun I tak berani nak suggest tempat2 lain. Takut tak sesuai dengan tekak orang lain kan.. 

Seperti biasa, pengerusi majlis yang setia menjalankan tugas bersama suami yang sangat sporting. Dengan kereta nya pun skali sporting (SLK convertible habaq hanggggg....)

Jejaka yang hadir. Jejaka lain tak datang masa dinner sebab takut terserempak dengan seseorang. Tapi akhirnya seseorang tu tak datang walaupun dia yang beria. So kurang lah manusia yang datang malam tu. 

Order yang tak berapa nak banyak ni pun tak berapa nak abis gak. 2 dulang Lamb Mandey. 2 pinggan Ikan masak kicap. Sayur sayuran pahit. Air mineral 2 botol. Sambal belacan bermangkuk mangkuk. <- Kata tekak melayu...

Inilah group picture yang paling sopan skali. Gambar2 yang tak sopan tu... Kitorg jelah yang tatap sendirik ek.. Nak share pun sogan... buat perangai tak segan lak kan....

Untuk Nor: Walaupun saya jumpa awak 3 kali je sepanjang hidup saya ni, tapi awak memang happening lah... saya suka dapat kenal dengan awak... kalau di izinkan Allah, harapnya kita jumpa jumpaan lagi ye.. Selamat Maju Jaya di tempat baru.

Patah Tumbuh Hilang Berganti

Nor dan Icah

Nor dah 4 tahun dok AD. Sekarang dia dah pun balik Malaysia. Cuti jap 2-3 bulan sebelum meneruskan perjuangan mencari rezeki di Saudi plak.

Icah baru 4 hari kat AD. Hari ke-empat dah jumpa ramai orang. Aku dok sini 7 bulan kot baru jumpa Malaysian lain (selain kazen aku dan anak anaknya la)

Nota kaki: Ice Coffee with Ice Cream kat sini sedap bangat weiii... Cafe De la Paix, Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi. Landmark, kat sebelah ice skating rink.

Handbag Auction

Saya agak terkilan.
Saya ingatkan saya kene g Dubai hari ni.
Jadi saya dah beria ia nak g ada satu event ni.
Divine Desert and Handbag Auction nama event tu.
Auction for charity.
Sambil membeli sambil menderma.
Kan saya amat suka shopping.
Handbag yang di auction kan tu pun bukan calang calang.
Dari Miu Miu hingga la ke LV.
Sume baru.
Starting auction price is 500AED.
Event ni esok.
Disebabkan saya ingat meeting saya kat Dubai hari ni,
saya pun register la untuk attend.
Ada cabutan bertuah.
Hadiah utama bukan calang calang.
Trip for 2 to Maldives ok...
Tapi rupanya meeting saya kat Dubai tu esok.
Maka saya terpaksa bagi sayanye ticket tu kat officemate sayanye wife.
Saya sangat sedih.
Untuk mengubati sedih saya ni....
Boleh tak saya nak beli bag kat bawah ni?
Original price boleh?

Raiqa Dates

Malaysian kat AD ni ada satu habit (Malaysian yang aku pernah jumpa la. Malaysian lain I tak tau ek...). Habitnya ialah, kalau satu Malaysian dah suka satu kedai ni, semua akan pegi situ. Takde koser nak survey2 lagi dah nye. Like seriously. Dari restoren, kedai abaya, kain (very specific lagi... silk kedai lain cotton kedai lain) kurma sehinggalah ke kedai langsir. So, kalau Malaysian yang baru nak sampai kat AD ni tak payah la korang susah2 nak survey murvey bagai. Carik je any Malaysian, korang akan dapat the best deal.

Makanya, ari ni aku nak cite pasal kedai kurma ni. Al-Raiqa nama kedai dia. Terletaknya dia pasar kurma, Meena Port. Masuk kat Fruit & Vegetable Market. Jalan yang jual kurma ni dekat sebelah jalan jual buah. 

Kat pasar kurma ni, sepanjang panjang jalan tu kedai jual kurma. Tapi kalau Malaysian yang pegi, kompem akan terus ke kedai Al-Raiqa ni. Memula kazen aku bwk aku g sini. Pastu bila aku jumpa Cik Nad, aku ckp le nanti aku bwk g kedai kurma best. Sekali dia dah g dgn Azie. Bila kitorg bertiga g sekali, semua berenti kat kedai yang sama. 

Kat sini harga letak tu boleh di tawar tawar. Macam2 jenis kurma ada. Dari yang fresh, sehingga la yang dah dicelup coklat. Dari kurma Abu Dhabi sehingga la ke kurma Saudi. Kurma Ajnabi pun dari yang saiznya kecil hingga la ke saiz besar. Dari yang AED15 sekilo sehingga la AED200 sekilo pun ada. Sume pun boleh di rasa di tempat kejadian. Kalau agak2 tak nak beli, g la dengan perut kosong. <- dasar Melayu.

Oleh kerana kedainya berturut Amber Dates tu nama kedai sebelah tau...

Cik Nad ngajor cara makan kurma fresh kat org baru 4 ari

Kurma2 yang harganya lebih AED100 dok dlm aircond

Perbincangan tahap penawaran harga yang nak diminta japgi

Orang Ketiga

Saya dan Cik Nad

Ini saya dan Cik Nad. Kawan baik saya selama saya kat AD ni. Boleh dikatakan kadar kerapatan kami ni macam saya rapat dengan Che Yah atau Ir. Ke mana je berdua. Sama bengong. Takde istilah kecik kecik ati. Kalau kecik pun kejap je dah baik balik. Pasal dah tau she didn't mean it. Baru kenal bulan 7 dulu.

Oleh kerana kami selalu berdua, jadinya kalau g dinner atau supper, aku tgk dia, dia tgk aku. Sampai dah 'bosan'. Jadi kami me-war war-kan pada yang lain lain bahawasanya kami memerlukan orang ketiga. Kalau asyik berdua je kami akan jadi bertambah kronik dari keadaan kami sekarang. 

Makanya keluar la satu kenyatan menusuk kalbu dari salah seorg rakan kami yang sering mengeluarkan lawak2 bernas. (Seriously. Dia ni senyap je orangnya. Selalunya lawak2 dia keluar slow2 je. Tapi pedas gak wooo...)

"Sebenarnya korang memang dah bertiga pun. Sebab tu korang jadi macam ni."

Terkedu kejap. Hamik ko..

Nota kaki: Sesungguhnya Rasulullah S.A.W telah bersabda : "Janganlah seseorang lelaki berdua duaan dengan wanita; sesungguhnya yang ketiga diantara mereka adalah syaitan" (riwayat Imam Ahmad)

Kepenatan

Kenapa?
Sebab saya tgh cuba nak turunkan berat badan.
Dan sejak balik dari cuti raya proposal tak henti henti due date nya.
Disamping itu, saya nak cuba balance kan dengan social life saya.
Termasuk la menguruskan diri dan rumah.

Ingat senang ke?

Nickname Baru

Skang kat ofis aku ada nickname baru. Bebudak ni panggil aku Ju-on. Asalnya di suatu pagi yang damai, ofis tu penuh. Selalunya tak penuh sebab Shinhab slalu tak datang. Masa tu ntah kenapa dalam pada aku dok pikir nak tulis email kat sapa ntah aku terbuat satu bunyi. Bunyi nye lebih kurang macam dalam video kat bawah ni, minit 0.25. (PERHATIAN: Kalau korang tak berani tengok cerita hantu, tak yah le dengor bunyi ni ye..)

Terkuat plak aku buat bunyi tu. Sekali Shinhab tegur "Do u need oil for ur throat?". Habis satu ofis aku gelak. Maka aku plak pi bercerita pasal bunyi tu macam cite Ju-on. Being non-Asian, none of them tau cite tu. Punya lah beria aku explain bagai.

Since then, sebut la pasal apa pun mesti diorg ungkit pasal Ju-on tu. Dari kira bape kepala yang nak attend Gorla nye farewell sehingga la siapa yang habiskan biskut kat ofis tu. Sume Ju-on. And kadang2 tersasul sebut Jungmin jugak.

Wakakakakka....

Pertandingan Memasak Penulis Blog

Ingat lagi post ni?Aku dah agak yang aku takkan boleh attend kalau dijemput (walaupun aku nak sangat2 pegi). Oleh kerana tak nak mensia sia kan jemputan ini:

Congratulations! You have been selected to participate in the Astro Blogger Masterchef Contest as a semifinalist. The details of the contest is as follows:

SEMI-FINALS (DAY 1)
Date: 1 October 2011 (Saturday)
Time: 10.00 am – 1.00 pm
Venue: The Cooking House (20-1, Jalan 31/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur)

Maka aku pun offer kat Ir suh g.
Ngikut kata jemputan ni, tak pyh bawak bahan masakan. Sume di sediakan. Ingatkan kena masak resepi yg kita tulis kat dlm blog. Dia (pihak penganjur) sediakan bahan based on that. Rupanya tak. Ir kata dia bagi bahan yg sama kat semua org. HAMIK! Ingat senang nak jadi Masterchef?

Tak sure apa yg Ir masak. Am still waiting for the piccies and updates. How I miss being in Malaysia....

Ir yang pakai tudung n tgh 'rukuk', 3 dari kiri tu. Miss u gal!

The Crepe Cafe

Malam minggu. Jadi mari kita lepak2 memancing ikan kat Old Souk. Ingat nak mancing kat roof top. Tapi full house la plak. Jadinya kita mancing kat ground floor je la ek...

Ikan tak berapa nak menarik sgt kat ground floor ni. Nama pun ground floor. Ikan yg menarik mesti la kat roof top kan. Jadinya terpaksa la kami mencari kegembiraan sendiri.

Stop kat The Crepe Cafe. Boleh tahan gak menu dia. Sesuai la untuk kami yg nak makan ringan ringan sambil memancing ni.

Order Cik Nad: Pancake with ice cream (pekejadah makan pancake memalam....) ngan Vanila Latte.
Order Cik Mag: Chicken Pesto Crepe (baru cool) ngan Hazelnut Latte.

Pancake

Chicken Pesto Crepe

Yang menjadi persoalan, Cik Nad dapat Vanila Latte dia dalam cawan yang serupa cawan ini

Tapi kenapa saya dapat Hazelnut Latte saya dalam cawan ni????