Ayam Rempah Beriani ...

I found this recipe in the newspaper. Looked easy enough. Since Akmal was home, why not give it a try? The recipe was ayam rempah beriani. I was bored of cooking the same chicken dishes again. The boys could not care less as long as Mum was cooking. Sometimes I wondered if I did the right thing in cooking for them. Since Akmal returned from KK, we had not eaten out except that one day when I was too tired due to fasting, he asked me not to cook. Instead we bought dinner which was Nasi Mandee Kambing / Chicken since I did not quite like lamb. Akmal was a good assistant chef and I honestly felt sorry for his future partner. The week he was home, he vacuumed and cleaned the house. He helped me in the kitchen. I had prepared their lunch so he would reheat and fry whatever for his two brothers. It's like he wanted to spend his time with me while he was home. He was a very obliging son. He was only back for nine days. Thus, he fully ate home cooked food. Today he went out with his father to repair the motorbike and he did not take lunch. I was very upset because he returned home almost 6:00pm. He refused to eat out as he said there would always be something for him at home. Thus, this was what he had for his early dinner.

Nasi tomato, ayam rempah beriani, telur sambal and salad timun+tomato with lemon juice.  

I was very tired after school and the ULBS pemantauan. Yet, Allah gave me the strength to still cook for these guys. I found another recipe on cheese frosting. Maybe there will be time this weekend to try it out .... :-D))) He is leaving for Langkawi Underwater World on Sunday for his three months intern there.

For those who would like to try the recipe : Ayam Rempah Beriani

• seekor ayam
• 100gm bawang merah & 100 gm bawang putih (kisar semua bahan 2 - 5)
• 20 gm halia
• 100 gm ketumbar
• 10gm jintan manis & 10 gm jintan putih
• rempah 4 beradik (kulit kayu manis, bunga lawang, buah pelaga & bunga cengkih)
• susu cair 1/2 - 3/4 tin (bergantung kepada kepekatan)
• 1 paket rempah nasi beriani
• gula & garam jika perlu

Cara memasaknya - panaskan minyak & tumis rempah 4 beradik 

                - masukkan bahan kisar & tumis hingga naik bau

                - masukkan rempah nasi beriani & tumis hingga pecah minyak

                - masukkan ayam dan sedikit air - masak hingga empuk

                - akhir sekali masukkan susu dan masak sehingga naik minyak 

                - masuk gula & garam secukup rasa

Hasbiyallahu wanikmal wakeel ....

Cukuplah Allah bagi ku. My strength. My patience. My tolerance. My faith. My life. My death. Anything can be faced in this life if He is with you. InsyAllah.

Life goes by in the blink of an eye ...

Andy Lo. He was 20 years old. He had just completed his diploma programme from a private college in Medical Assistant. A charming, obliging, tall and gangly young man. He was of Chinese (father) and Indian (mother) parentage. He was one of my favourite ex-students due to his easy going personality. He was an average student, hard-working and diligent. Even his death made the news in the 8:00pm news and the newspapers. Such was the impact of this young man on all his ex-teachers and friends. He was an active St. John Ambulance member during his school days and after that, he became a registered voluntary member of Kedah St. John Ambulance.

His death was a shock to all of us when we heard of it. I was watching the news the night before (Friday, 21st June) and I heard about this St. John volunteer who died in an accident in Alor Setar. I was not really paying attention to the news - just another accident news - thus, I missed out on the name. Hence, when we were gathered for assembly on Sunday, Khoo told me about Andy. He was also in the newspapers. It was so tragic. I could not imagine his parents. He had a brother who is studying in Form Four in the same school. There was only two of them. All of us - both teachers and students - took turns to pay our respects to him. How did the accident occur? Witnesses (other St. John Ambulance members who was there with him) said he lost control of his motorbike and fell onto the road and a bus which happened to pass by, ran over him.

The next day, Saturday (22nd June) I was at my tafaqquh ad-din class with Herlina. Halfway through the second period (Sirah Rasulullah) she told me that she was leaving the class after the lecture ended. When I asked why she told me her neighbour's daughter died in an accident in Jordan. That night, the news was also in the 8:00pm main news bulletin. That girl was one of the top students in a premier school here and was studying in London. She went for a holiday to Jordan with some college friends. They met with an accident and she was one of the victims. I may not know her but getting news of children dying a sudden death in an accident troubles me. My sons are always somewhere and or course, going off somewhere in the course of their studies or leisure. I honestly do not know how I would react upon receiving such news. Whenever I heard this type of news, I could only feel for the parents and pray for them strength and patience to face this major trial in their lives.

Sunday (23rd June) we heard that our student met with an accident in front of the school that early morning. Some said she died and others brought news that she was unconscious. Today we got the correct information. She was a Form 3 Malay girl. She was riding her motorbike at a high speed and turn into the main junction without checking out whether the road was clear. Of course, these students do not wear the helmet. She crashed into another another bike with a pillion rider who was also going very fast. The impact of the crash was such that all three fell onto the road with major injuries. The Form 3 student was unconscious. The pillion rider, another girl, also a student, was seriously injured with the bones sticking out of her hand. The male biker, her friend, injured his head seriously. All three were taken to the hospital when the ambulance arrived. As of dismissal today, we heard that the hospital asked the Form 3 student be taken home as nothing much could be done for her as her injuries were very serious. The other two were in critical condition.

We could only pray for the students and their families. We wished these students would take care when they were riding their motorbikes and time and again, the police had reminded them to wear the helmet. Still they ignored it. Being in a sub-urban area of padi fields and narrow roads among the padi fields, motorbikes are the main form of transport. Majority of them were without license. It was a way of life for them and the police, although they showed their leniency due to these students circumstances, would only turn a blind eye.

Whom should we blame? The family? The school authorities? The police for their leniency? The society for accepting this way of rule-relaxing culture? Students as young as Form 1 and 2 are already riding the motorbikes. This is not the first time fatal accidents have taken place in front of the school. Well, we can only keep reminding them to be careful. As I always tell my boys when they are driving - the road is not a friendly place. Driving is not a game. Patience is cultivated. Tolerance is instilled. Traffic rules should be adhered to. One can never be too careful. Always start with Bismillah and recite the du'a for safekeeping. It is always a case of letting go yet afraid to relax the strings. May Allah bless us all in his safekeeping. InsyAllah.

Time out ...

Akmal arrived finally from Kota Kinabalu yesterday after 2 days of travelling. He had completed his three year degree course from UMS. He left KK by the 11:00am flight on Wednesday. Reached KLIA at 2:30pm. Managed to get the bus to KL Sentral and reached there by 4:00pm. He got an 8:40pm train ticket to Alor Setar with ETA at 7:00am. Somehow, he overslept and missed his stop. Hence, he proceeded to the next stop which was Arau, Perlis. Lucky for him his father had something to deliver to his sister in Kangar so he picked up Akmal at Kangar. Hmmm ... what a journey!! :-)) 

I was already in school on Thursday. I had prepared breakfast of his favourite sambal kacang and ketupat instant. I had to go to another school for checking their ULBS files. Then, I had promised to meet up with Rini, a friend, at 2:30pm. Thus, mother and son finally met at around 4:00pm. Yes, I missed him and his chattering. So, of course mum had to cook as this is one son who preferred home cooking. What was for dinner? Oh yes, we had fish asam pedas, chicken masak merah, ikan siakap goreng and vegetable, which was actually for the parents. I was tired yet I still cooked since he would want to eat in.

So, today, being Friday and a weekend for me, after Friday prayers and lunch (ikan jenahak masak lemak cili api, sotong goreng kunyit, egg tofu with chicken sauce and vegetable) Akmal and I went off shopping. Just the two of us for bonding and quality time together. He needed a few items for his internship in Langkawi next week. I would be busy during weekdays. Thus, I suggested we went today. Of course, he drove. We bought the items needed and ended up at Georgetown kopitiam for tea. We talked and exchanged news - personal, studies, plans for the future, his girlfriend .... ;-}}  

We had a good time out together. We had an easy and open  relationship. Even though he had not returned for a year, we went to KK last November to see him. We chatted through facebook and spent hours on the phone updating each other. Thank you Allah. For the three boys. For the love and bonding that we shared. As we grow older, the boys have become more patient and tolerant with me. I may be the most untypical, unstereotypical and unconventional mother they have yet they accept my idiosyncracies and weirdness. I am glad for our open and close relationship even though they never cross the line of mother-son borderline. They have become not only my sons but also friends, confidante, advisers, critics .... The simplest reasonable explanation? I love them and they love me. Unconditionally. Nothing much is needed. Alhamdulillah.

Coincidences???

I recalled the Mufti of Kedah said in one of his lectures in class  :  "There is no coincidences in life. Everything is fated. It is meant to happen at the right time, at the right place, at the right moment and with the right person. Nothing is accidental." 

Sometimes we wonder why we meet someone, why certain incidents happen, why accidents happen, ... all the whys .. what ifs .... All we can do is just take a deep breath, have faith and believe that everything happens for a reason.  :-))

Cry if you must ....

Haven't all of us gone through this at least once in our lives? In fact many, many times? We always hope the downpour will cover our tears .... ;-{  yet, Allah knows. He ALWAYS knows.

Thus, He is the safest one to turn to and pour out all the feelings, emotions, hatred, dissatisfaction, unhappiness, burdens, sadness and tears ... He will always listen without judging you. Somehow, a good cry is the best way to wash away all the sadness and whatever is a weight upon your heart.

You feel cleansed. You feel light hearted. Now, He will take care of you. Not now ... maybe not today ... but you will be alright. Have faith.  :-) 

5th JUNE 2013 - Tronoh

We got ready to check out at 11:00am. We had a good night's sleep and rest. The room was comfortable and the basic facilities worked very well due to the hotel was still new. We checked out and dropped by McDonald's (where else) for breakfast. We were lucky there was still breakfast!!!! I had my usual hotcakes with butter and maple syrup with hot tea, Ikram had his hotcakes with chicken sausage and Syafiq had his Spicy Chicken burger. Then, with Syafiq's GPS we proceeded to Tronoh. It took us only 25 minutes and we found her house with ease.

It was lovely to see her after more than 25 years!!! We were in Kelantan together. She was in Pulai Chondong while I was in Pasir Mas. Yet, we only met about once or twice the duration of two years she was there. She got married to Zainuri, our senior in college, and transferred back to Ipoh. Zainuri was a soft spoken, gentle and very nice man. He still looked the same and they both were so happy. We just held each other tight and looked at each other while laughing at each other. We caught up with all the latest news while reminiscing old times and old friends. Zainuri went to the trouble to fry mee for us!! She has five children with a pair of twins. All were very successful in their academic achievement. The eldest was in Scotland doing medicine. We finally took our leave with my standard farewell greeting - See you when I see you. This was not goodbye just a temporary separation until we met again. InsyAllah.

I could only recite "Alhamdulillah" again and again. Thank you Allah for giving me the opportunity to meet up with these very dear people in my life. We bonded a relationship that went beyond time and distance. The same question arose - Why are you doing this? Even going through the trouble of spending the night in Ipoh just to see me? Same question from Hafizah and Muna. I did not know why. I just felt the urge. Allah had graced me this moment of time and making the journey and each meeting easy and smooth. What more could I ask from Him? I did not deserve His kindness and compassion but time and again He bestowed upon me with such favours that I could only said Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. 

At the same time, it was bonding time with the boys, Syafiq and Ikram. We would not have this time together again. After September, with Allah's grace, they would be off somewhere to further their studies. I would be on my own again during holidays. Life is full of surprises and unplanned incidents. We just accept. Besides, I have been having issues with my health since last year. So, while I still have my health, the financial resources from unexpected quarters, the boys, the time ..... maybe at this moment of time it was meant to happen. I was glad I did it. I was glad I made these few people happy with my presence. I was glad they felt they were significant enough in my life for me to look them up.

Mostly my thanks, gratitude and appreciation went to my sons, Syafiq and Ikram, for their unlimited patience, tolerance and time to spend it with me, taking care of me, slowing themselves down for me, making sure I did not push myself to the limits and making everything easier for me. I could never repay them their kindness and grace. May Allah always bless them for being considerate children to their mother. I asked for so little yet He gave me so much more. Thank you Allah. SubhanAllah. MasyAllah. Alhamdulillah.

4th JUNE 2013 - Ipoh

After 3 days of the gotong royong for the "wedding of the year", we decided that we really needed to rest and recuperate our aching, groaning, overused and abused bodies and muscles. That evening after everything was over, I honestly could not do anything anymore. I had pushed the limits of myself and I excused myself from my mother in-law's house. Syafiq, Ikram and I went back to kak Leha's house and immediately we went to sleep like logs. The next day, with Wah in tow, we drove back to Kelana Jaya with our aching bodies.

I had made an appointment to meet up with Furziah, my USM classmate. We were supposed to meet up in Penang since last December holidays but were too busy with our schedule. So, since both of us were in KL (she in Ampang and me in Kelana Jaya) we decided to meet up. We met up at Starbucks at Giant Kelana Jaya. We talked about school, our frustrations with the system, friends, updating our lives ...two hours went by without us realising it. We made a pact to go to Kuching to pay Vie a visit sometime in December. InsyAllah.

After lunch and prayers, the boys and I proceeded with our next journey - Ipoh. We were supposed to drive to Tronoh tomorrow to see Leha, my final leg of the nostalgic trail of my college housemates. But I felt so tired and I did not think I could take the long journey back to Alor Setar after that. So, that night we checked out available rooms in Ipoh for accommodation. We found a reasonable priced room for three adults right in the heart of Ipoh for only RM88 through booking. com. It's a new budget hotel - CheckedInn Hotel. Thus, we travelled to Ipoh and decided to go to Tronoh tomorrow. It would be a shorter journey - only thirty minutes according to the friendly receptionist. The room was clean albeit small and just enough space for performing our prayers and putting our luggage. It's air-conditioned with free wi-fi which were important to the boys. It was very near TESCO, AEON and there was McDonald's nearby too. We had an early dinner, bought extra food for supper and settled for the night before we continued our journey tomorrow. InsyAllah.

The stairs leading up to the rooms 

So welcoming - the towels were tied up in ribbons ...  ;-)

Instead of bottled drinks, we were given cups. There is a hot and cold water dispenser along the corridor...

We just wanted to rest our tired bodies. So, with food for supper had been bought, we did not intend to leave the room. Thus, we settled with our own laptops and watched movies with the free wi-fi available and from Syafiq's collection of movies. We were laughing and looking at each other's movies and finally went off to sleep after 1:00am. A blessed day. Alhamdulillah.