Annual Dinner

PERMINT held its annual dinner last week at Taman Tamadun Islam. Some pics from the event:

Waiting patiently for event to start (arrival of VIPs)

The Chief Minister giving his speech - in Terengganu dialect..

'Eating' event at last... for starters - mushroom soup

Main dish

H

Simple dessert

Hmm.. must get ourselves matching batik suits..

PS: Happy 'Maal Hijrah' (new year) to Muslim readers! Resolutions? To keep to my resolutions.. lol

Convo

Last Sunday (28 Nov) the hubby and I were at UiTM in Shah Alam attending the daughter's convocation. She has completed her diploma program in Actuarial Science (what on earth is that, you ask? Try the video I posted below for an answer.. ) and is now into her second semester of a degree program at the same university. Alhamdulillah she was also one of the 5 who received the vice-chancellor award (thus the sash).

With proud Dad

Celebrities for the day..

28 years together!

It was our 28th wedding anniversary 11 days ago - 11/11/10. I didn't have time to go online to document the event, so here I am 11 days later.. Anyway, we had our usual dinner date, this time choosing the restaurant at Primula Beach Resort (just next door to Sumai where we had our anniversary dinner last year). We ordered Western, again.. this time the meal was much better than last year. We ordered smoked salmon salad, asparagus soup and steak. Unfortunately, the steak was leathery and after trying my best to chew without success, the hubby asked the waiter to take it back to the chef. Fortunately they admitted that their meat that day was not very good and other diners had complained too. So we ordered fish and chips instead.. (missing British fish and chips!). I want to post some pictures but I can't seem to be able to.. (darn!) Anyway, here's a lovely song by Maher Zain (the hubby loves his songs, too) dedicated to his wife. Well.. hoping the hubby feels the same.. well, towards HIS wife (me! me! me!) not Maher Zain's, lol!

LabbaikAllah!

It's the time of the year again.. when I hear and watch with 'envy' about people going off to Makkah to perform their pilgrimage.. It's not that I haven't been there but it's normal to yearn to go there again and again and again.., maybe not for Hajj but for umrah. Up till now, the chance hasn't presented itself, yet. Nevertheless, Alhamdulillah, we had been given the opportunity to perform the 5th pillar of Islam about 6 years ago. Adik was just 8 then and we left him with our good neighbour, Kak Nab who took care of him for about 40 days... Kaklang was in form 3 and she was staying with a friend, Noraini in Bangi as she went to a school there. Bangah was in form 5 and staying in the hostel at Hira' while Banglong was at UiTM. I'll have to continue some other time but here are some pics from 6 years ago:

The prophet's mosque in Medinah

A view from my hotel room in Makkah

An 'illegal' picture of the Kaabah taken with my mobile phone..

The hubby, looking not unlike a Yemeni.. the local shopkeepers used to ask him whether he came from Yemen, haha

Another Granchild!

A second grandson was borne today, 22nd Oct.. Our daughter-in-law was due 2 days ago and we were actually anticipating a 'glamorous' birth-date of 20/10/2010 or at least 19/10 which is his father's birth-date. (his elder brother, Umayr shares the same birth-date as their mom ; 31/1). Ammar, though, decided to arrive 2 days late but it's ok, mother and son are doing fine... This time around Banglong will have to cope on his own with the daughter-in-law's confinement and looking after Umayr. When Umayr was borne Banglong's mom-in-law stayed for a month in Adelaide taking care of things. However, she couldn't make it this time and as for me; next to impossible due to work.. I remembered when MY babies were borne, the hubby coped wonderfully without any help. The first two boys were borne in Cardif, UK. No help from home, then. Kak lang was borne in Sungai Petani 7 days through Ramadhan. Both mothers had responsibilities due to Eid-ul-fitr preparation or something like that, but I can't remember being waited on! And the youngest was borne in Kota Kinabalu; my late Mom only came for a few days to visit. So looks like Banglong will have to learn coping on his own.. just like his old Dad! Anyway, here are some pics that I got from Banglong's facebook:

Big brother probably wondering who on earth is this little guy that Mom and Dad are fussing so much about?

Looking serene and contented, and only less than a day old..

Can't resist uploading this picture of Umayr - so smart and handsome!

Bye bye Baby

Adik went back to Cairo last Friday (sob sob) after exactly 2 months home (well, minus 2 weeks in Australia). His flight was at 3 in the morning on the Friday. The three of us took the night bus from KT and arrived home in Meru just before dawn on Thursday - slept soundly almost all the way.. beats driving; I'd usually arrive a total wreck! Anyway, travelling by bus means having no transport but our good neighbour let us borrow their car. We started off for the airport at about 11 something but the baby wanted to go to 'the city of lights' first so at almost midnight found us at the top of the hill of I-city enjoying the sights and lights..

Trees of lights or lighted trees or.. whatever

More lights - colourful too..

At the airport at last. He was going on Kuwait Airways but those checking in that morning were mostly Malaysian students going to Cairo. So, no worries there.

Dad giving last minute advice; Adik probably going YYSSW (no.. he's a good boy, really!). Sis probably going: I'll be the only child again, heh heh!

Here he is with his 'juniors' who were also on the same flight with him (except for the 2 elderly men of course)

Our last sight of him as he went on to board the plane.. Bye bye Adik, we love you baby!

It happened to me..

This could happen to you.. Yesterday I took out some money at the atm and found out that my balance was somewhat less than it should be. I checked my transaction history and found out that a 'holiday-package' company had charged RM499 using my debit card. I've had my Maybank atm/debit card for nearly a year and have never used it for any purchase and I've never heard of that company before in my whole life! So, the hubby and I complained to Maybank KT branch and all they could say was to make a police report and gave me a new card. Before that we checked out the company from the internet and got its address and contact number. The hubby called up the company and they admitted that they had made a mistake with the debit card numbers! They agreed to refund my money but are charging RM50 for processing (whatever). RM50? Are you kidding? We made the police report this morning and the company has promised to deposit the whole amount to my account - or else. What we should do is to make a police report against Maybank. I mean how could they just release the amount from my account without some kind of security check? Anybody could just use your debit card number and charge whatever from your account.. So Maybank debit card holders out there, be warned...

Eid in Adelaide

This year we decided to celebrate Eid with the whole family together and that means travelling all the way to Australia.. The four of us, the hubby, kaklang, adik and I started our journey on the 8th of September. Here are some pictures of our holiday in Australia:

At the LCC Terminal. Those boxes are filled with Terengganu 'keropok'. Our second son in Melbourne is selling 'fish crackers' (at an exhorbitant price).

Looking apprehensive as we are over the weight limit.. Never mind, our 'keropok' businessman is going to pay up.. (he sells them at exhorbitant price anyway, haha)

Boarding the plane. Good old Now-everyone-can-fly Air Asia!

Arriving in Melbourne at 12 midnight.

Freezing while waiting for Bang Ngah to pick us up.. (staying overnight; flight to Adelaide early the next morning)

Adelaide at last!

Excited and happy to see uncle Khalid and grand-dad!

Umayr with his favourite vehicle. Zooms around pretty fast on the thing..

Adik helping to mow the backyard.

Adik having fun on the trampoline - after posing with the lawn mower! haha

The last fast-breaking for this year's Ramadan..

Eid morning; cute and adorable...

Eid prayers at Al-khalil mosque

The women section (children not allowed)

The sermon - in Arabic! (translated briefly later on)

Kak Lang and Adik posing after prayers.

Attended an 'open house'

Bang Long and his family - in green.

The children - in brown (second day)

The food at our 'open house'

Guests enjoying the food

hmm..yum yum..

Seeing blue - four pretty girls in pigtails..err ponytails (and mom)

Forgotten her 'raya' shoes, so buying a pair of cheap ones at 'Jack Cross' - the flea market (Sunday, 12 Sept)

Always gets his favourite toy...

Having fun with grand-dad. Looks like they are playing charade..

Having picture taken with a cuddly koala - Gorge Wildlife Park

Is that a kangaroo or a wallaby?

Saying hello to a camel: Assalamualaikum ya jamal...!

Help! mommy, save me! I don't like kangarooos..

At the Botanic Garden: unfortunately spring is only just beginning..

Tantrum, tantrum...!

Free tram-ride around Adelaide

At the Central Market

Mangosteens! My God, RM60 per kg!

Durians! Don't even glance at the price!

The 'Mangkok Ayun' - Malaysian Restaurant owned by one of Banglong's friends..

Whee... Adik enjoying a slide at Kilda Park - Playground for children AND adults!

Down on the Flying Fox.. I tried this one - God it was exhilarating!

Attending another 'open house' before our departure for Perth the next day (15 Sept)

Most of the guests were post graduate students and their families

On the 'Blue Cat' - free bus rides around Perth.

Waiting for the train for an excursion to Fremantle

Lucky we didn't get on THAT tram!

Trying to coax a tune out of a didgeridoo..

Wow pay-yourself at the supermarket!

Durians again? They must be growing them in Australia..

Trying one of the pay-them-yourself machine

With our hosts in Perth..

The hubby and I arrived home on the 16 th of Sept. Kaklang and Adik stayed for another week, visiting Bang Ngah in Melbourne the last few days. They have just got back today..