Why Shopping Malls Are The Best Place to Hang Out

Assalamualaikum and hey there



That's Alamanda, my favourite shopping mall in Malaysia. I'm not saying the best, 'cause there are so much better malls but I love it. IDK why,,, most probably because there's an MPH Bookstore there... oh and 'cause it has a karaoke place. (bwahaha you should know that) Oh, and because there's a waffle stop (it's not even the best but I just love waffles. Don't judge ) Oh, and it used to have a SPEEDY but now it's gone.

Okay, I don't know why I like that mall, maybe because it's not too big. Or just for the fact that I went there to shop since I was very young, and since the very early days of that mall.

Anyway,,,,

I've read somewhere that 60% something of Malaysians spend their weekend at the shopping complex. So, this just shows how much we love shopping malls. And in Malaysia, we have sooooo many shopping malls - be it the biggest (One Utama) , the most reachable (perhaps Mid Valley and Suria KLCC oh wait, of course NU Sentral! How can I forget that one? :PP ), some newbies (IOI Mall, Bangi Gateway) , Mahkota Parade (Melaka), Gurney Plaza (Pulau Pinang) and many more.

So, this is why we love shopping malls so much, or at least I do. :P

1) Very comfortable (Read as: There's air-conditioning system) 

It's an obvious fact that Malaysia has a scorching weather so aircond is practically a basic necessity. Plus, as a tropical country which lies near to the Equator (garisan Khatulistiwa :P ) , we receive plenty of rain too. So, if it's raining while you're shopping, nothing to worry folks, we're under a rooftop. ;)

It's easier to find ATM....

Also, there are of course toilets, and almost in every mall, you don't have to pay to use the toilet. (almost every, okay, almost)

And there's a surau, so it's very convenient for me to perform my prayers.

2) Smoking is not allowed 

Of course, when you're in a closed, indoor, air-conditioned place, you can't smoke. Which is a very good thing for me since there is a quite number of smokers in my country which makes me HATE eating at a Mamak restaurant or just any outdoor restaurants (yes it's very rare to see drunken people here but it's very easy to spot people smoking cigarettes here. And shisha. And vape. And e-cigar. And any other killing machine that practically kills other people nearby too.)

So, thanks to the rule that smoking is prohibited in shopping malls, you're free from being a PASSIVE SMOKER. 'Cause I'm one and I hate it. You know what I mean.

3) Easy to park your car

Compared to those shop lots on the street, shopping malls are of course easier for you to find a place to park since there's a parking lot. Some shopping malls are even connected to the railway system (eg: Mid Valley, Suria KLCC)

4) All under one roof

I like the fact that shopping malls have a shopping directory, where it's listed all type of shops they have in several categories. It makes my life easier.

And it's also very practical that since it's under one roof, after you're tired shopping, you can go grab some meal easily without having to move your car.

5) Music

I love listening to the songs playing in the shopping mall. One time, at Suria KLCC, they played "Last Kiss" by T-Swizzy and I was having an internal screaming while walking out from the Kinokuniya Bookstore. I suck.

6) Safer

IDK, I think it's safer to shop at shopping malls 'cause there're securities, compared to if you shop at the shop lots by the road. IDK... This might be an invalid reason, but I'm gonna put this anyway.

Okay, done. Tata....



. Ikhlas Daripada,

 

7 Things I Enjoy About Raya

Assalamualaikum and hey there.

Okay okay, I know I'm 1 week late for this post, but who cares. I'm gonna do it anyway. :PP

So, after a month of fasting, here comes Eid-ul-Fitri, or Hari Raya Aidilfitri or simply known as raya, to commemorate our success in completing our fast. (or do we? :P ) So in Malaysia, Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the biggest celebration for Muslims here, even though other countries (mostly Arab countries) will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha much merrier.

1) Balik Kampung!

Balik kampung basically means "coming home/ going back to our hometown". This is the time of the year where I get to gather with my cousins and catch up with everyone's lives (this sounds so like my Form Four's English essay :P ). And then we will visit our relatives which I will only meet them once in a year, which is, of course, during raya.

The thing about my extended family is that, almost 3/4 of my cousins are female, which is why I am so awkward with boys, especially the ones who witnessed me grow up from a cute innocent wide-eyed girl to a not-so-pretty, not-so-innocent weird young lady. It's AWKWARD.

2) Bunga Api & Mercun!

It used to be much more varieties to choose from, but not nowadays since firecrackers are not really legal (i.e. illegal) anymore,,,,, but well, you still drink alcohol even when you're under age. So, don't judge us. :P

This is bunga api, aka sparkler, but I don't really like this type because it's quite painful. But this one is more beautiful though.

This one is safer, but it's not really entertaining, and it lets out too much smoke (this is why air pollution is severe during hari raya :P ) And it's not as beautiful as the sparkler, so well, I don't know, maybe this is why I prefer firecrackers :P

I love this one - it's called mercun lebah. (bee), basically because it looks like a bee. And when you light it, it will fly like dancing starlight (bwahaha)

This one is quite similar, called mercun rama-rama (butterfly), 'cause of course, it looks like a butterfly. I think this one is prettier and cooler, but I barely found this one, so yeah, it's rare.

This one is the most typical one, called mercun naga (dragon). I don't even know why. Oh, maybe because the packet has a dragon logo? Maybe,,, IDK. But this one is colourful and fun. And safe. So it's a smart choice. I like it too. ;)

This one is called mercun gasing (top) because it spins like a top. It's beautiful, soundless and it's safe, probably safer than mercun naga. But it's not really fun though. But I still enjoy it. 

Oh my God, this one is not even a firecracker! It's practically a real bomb! Well, at least, the sound produced is like one. It's so ear-splitting I can't even bear with it. And it doesn't even create beautiful light patterns. So, I hate it. (oh btw, it's called mercun bola (ball) 'cause, umm, look at the shape. Duhh.

This one is called mercun aiskrim (ice-cream). I never played this and in fact, I never saw this one. It looks intriguing though. :P 

I think this is why some people called us terrorists- maybe they visited the villages during Hari Raya and saw children playing these less-scarier-version of bombs and be like "oh my, look at these kids, they're trained to be terrorists from such early age! Where's humanity?" Just saying. 

3) Baju Raya 

The Malay Traditional Clothes are Baju Kurung and Baju Kebaya for women and Baju Melayu for men. But nowadays, women opt for jubah too 'cause well, we ladies need more choice, right? :P

The interesting part of this is that most of us will go to a textile store such as Jakel or Nagoya and choose our own 3-metre of fabric and then pay a tailor to sew a Baju Kurung from it. So, we practically have our own custom-made apparel every Raya! Isn't that cool and exclusive? :PP

 


These are called baju kurung. It's simple, comfortable but still stunning.

These are called baju kebaya. Nowadays, I barely see ladies wear this anymore 'cause let's be honest, it's kinda,, revealing. But there's a Muslimah version of this which is more polite and still gorgeous.

This is just a few style of hundreds fashion for jubah. It looks like gowns and it's beautiful but personally, I'm not a fan 'cause it's uncomfortable for me. But it's still pretty tho.

And yes, guys have to stay with the same design of Baju Melayu every year, and only depend on the samping for some differences. Ahahaha.

4) Kuih Raya!

Just generally the food 'cause Malaysia is a food haven so of course, Hari Raya is one of the days that shows that title. Some essentials include ketupat, rendang and lemang. Classics would be dodol and wajik, which I barely see these days. And tremendous amount would be kuih raya, aka the biscuits and pastries, no matter traditional or modern ones.

the right one is the ketupat. Well, the left one is also a ketupat, called ketupat palas which basically a lazy version of normal ketupat 'cause let's face it, that weaving is an art and it's not easy to make art. 

this is called lemang. That's sticky rice (same like ketupat, wait, is that what we called it? oh well) 

this is rendang! What you eat ketupat and lemang with so that it'd be more appealing. 

this is dodol. I've tasted it before. It's very chewy and it's kinda sweet. Not a fan, though. 

this is dodol in making, and this is why dodol is so rare these days. 

this is wajik, I never tasted it. But it looks like sticky rice... too... 

kuih kapit, it's sweet and crunchy and tasty.

kuih goyang/ kuih ros. Also my favourite, sweet, crunchy and delicious. I think I prefer this more than kuih kapit.

yes people, we eat muruku during Raya. We are more 1 Malaysia than you thought :P 

Anything with cornflakes is an easy winner. 

Almond London. Very common/ It's biscuit covered with chocolate, and there's an almond in the core. Not really my favourite.

When I was in Form Three, I guess, my Mom bought two boxes of red velvet cookies and let's just say that was the most palatable bunch of cookies I've ever tasted. Even more delicious than Famous Amos! 

Yes we eat modern cookies too and oh my, I LOVE MERINGUE COOKIES!!! It's the perfect balance of crunchy and chewy and it's soft and it's mess-free and it's,,, expensive. Of course. (I never ate these cookies anymore after I met them 3 years ago. Huhuhuhu~~) 

5) Duit Raya!

                                      

It's like angpau, and children will get them. Wait IDK, I don't think only children get them 'cause even I got some a lot this year. Ahahaha. I guess as long as you're not working yet (among your close relatives) or as long as you still look young (among your far relatives and your parents' friends) 

Lately, the smallest amount I received would be RM2, compared to when I was little (RM1) which means Malaysians are getting richer. Bwahaha :P

6) Lagu Raya! 

Oh my, we have copious Raya songs! And for this one, traditional songs are still the winner. I don't like the modern ones, it's not really sentimental and of course, not nostalgic. 

And it's a lie if you say you don't listen to Raya songs every time you turn up the radio in your car during 1st and 2nd Syawal, 'cause radio stations are outrageous. :P 

Songs that are repetitively played during Raya to get into the mood:-

~ "Selamat Hari Raya" by Saloma 

Marilah, bergembira, bersama menikmati hari raya, minta mak, kuih sepotong, saya mahu makan kerna perut kosong ( I think the child's voice must have been around my mom's age by now :P ) 

~ "Seloka Hari Raya" by Hail Amir & Uji Rashid
Usahlah abang membuang waktu, mari menuju ke rumah bonda, usahlah abang membuang waktu, mari menuju ke rumah bonda 

~ "Pulang Di Hari Raya" by NoorKumalasari
Di hari mulia ini, kususun sepuluh jari

~ "Selamat Berhari Raya" by Rahimah Rahim
Enak menjamu selera, jangan lupa yang tiada, selamat berhari raya, walau di mana kau berada

~ "Suasana Hari Raya" by Anuar Zain & Ellina
Ketupat, Rendang, sila nikmati kawan, penat memasak malam ke pagi

Songs that are a must to listen to during Raya:-

~ "Balik Kampung" by Sudirman
Perjalanan jauh tak kurasa, kerna hatiku melonjak sana

~ "Menjelang Hari Raya" by DJ Dave
Menjelang Hari Raya, berakhirnya puasa, bergema takbir senja, menyambut Syawal tiba 

~ "Sesuci Lebaran" by my girl, Siti Nurhaliza :P
Bersihkan jiwa, sesuci lebaran

~ "Satu Hari Di Hari Raya" by M. Nasir
Satu hari di hari raya, aku menangis tanda gembira

Sappy songs that is possible to make you weep:-

~ "Cahaya Aidilfitri" by Black Dog Bone (I swear they speak Malay)
Siapakah yang sudi, menghulurkan simpati, kepada nasibku ini....

~ "Ku Pohon Restu Ayah Bonda" by Mamat
Tanpa kusedari, air mataku mengalir....

~ "Pulanglah" by Aishah
Di pagi hari raya, hati sayu....

~ "Dari Jauh Kupohon Maaf" by Sudirman
Dalam dingin Subuh, hatiku terusik...

Songs that are my personal favourites:-

~ "Indahnya Beraya Di Desa" by Azlina Aziz
Wahai perantau-perantau di kota, pulanglah ke desa, berhari raya

~ "Senandung Hari Raya Untukmu" by Dayang Ku Intan
Maafkan aku, kerana tak dapat, bersamamu sayang, di hari raya, hari yang bahagia, kerana, tugas pada negara....

Okay,,, that's so many.

7) The Special Raya Shows! 

Be it be the blockbluster movies that you figured there are so many more beneficial things you can spend your money on than buying a movie ticket (which I adore very much) or the special Raya episode of your favourite novel-adaptation TV Shows (which I'm not looking forward to), there are special and interesting. And thanks to the recording system, I can record all the shows that I want without sacrificing my time to visit my relatives.

See? Raya is fabulous and epic. ;)

Til then.

Salam Aidilfitri!!!

 Ikhlas Daripada,

What I Love About Ramadhan

Assalamualaikum and hey there.

I know I am 1 month late for this entry, but, better late than never, right? (definitely my go-to excuse if I were late for my class, like, most of the times)

For those who don't know, Ramadhan is the month when Muslims will fast from dawn to sunset. In Malaysia, we fast for roughly 14 hours, which can be considered as quite short, compared to other countries, especially four-season, northern hemisphere countries since it's summer right now.

So, due to the non-eating circumstance, our lifestyle will also slightly change during Ramadhan. Let's start with:-

1) Sahur

 

Sahur is basically a meal you have before dawn. So, it's like a very early breakfast. Usually, we will wake up at 5 am to eat and since we're Asians, we eat rice. 5 am in the morning. Epic, isn't it? But during my time in boarding school, I was too lazy to dress decently and go to the dining hall for sahur, and plus, I was so sleepy. So, I would eat Oreos or Gardenia Cream Bread for my sahur in my dorm. And also, plenty of water 'cause let's be honest, when you fast, it's the thirst that will grasp your throat so bad that you won't even feel hungry. Just, extremely thirsty. Also, if my friends had some dates, I would ask for one because dates are very wonderful energy suppliers. And plus, it's the Prophet SAW sunnah, so there's nothing to lose.

I remember my primary school days where I couldn't eat rice too early in the morning, so I ate anything but. Mostly, roti canai 'cause it's simple. But seriously, I don't know how I survived that. No wonder I was underweight when I was little.

And, what's a boarding school student if you didn't oversleep and miss sahur for at least, once? So, I also did, like twice maybe. I didn't eat or even drink anything at all that day until sunset. Of course I was extremely drought by the end of the day. But miracles did happen 'cause I survived that day, just like I did for other days of Ramadhan. Indeed, Allah will help you if you do good deeds.

2) The Extra Time 

Since there's no lunch, usually I'd use that time for sleeping 'cause it's so good and refreshing to take a nap at noon.

And do you know how torturing it is to go to a shopping mall during Ramadhan? It's so distracting to smell the food and see people eating in the restaurants. And what's more tempting is when you can't fast due to acceptable reasons but you can't buy any food 'cause people will either frown at you 'cause they don't know or they will smirk at you 'cause they understand why.

I don't know why when we fast, we will get so sleepy. Is it because I didn't eat well during sahur? I don't know 'cause fasting is not supposed to be an excuse for anything 'cause Muslims during Rasulullah SAW's time had a battle during Ramadhan. If they could win a war during fasting, why can't I, for God's sake, stay awake in class during Ramadhan??!! I'm so sad.

3) The Bazaar Ramadhan

Basically a bazaar with various type of food, be it be sweet traditional pastries, spicy chicken delicacies, Malay cuisines, Chinese dishes, Indian cookeries or even Western food. But Malaysian's favourites are martabak (yes people, that's how we actually and correctly spell it, not 'murtabak') and roti john, which are normally very popular in bazaar ramadhan.

this is martabak - basically pratha bread with chicken/beef in it and curry to dip in. 

roti john - basically long loaf with omelette and chilli sauce in it. and chicken.

When I was in form two, I used to eat onde-onde (it's also better known as buah melaka) for iftar every single day. I was addicted. That white flakes are coconut and inside the onde-onde, there's red sugar (I think that's what you called it, IDK... :P ) 

But this year I was addicted to bread pudding, 'cause oh well, I'm so westernized. :PP

that's how our bread pudding looks like. :P 

4) The Break Fast 

Iftar. Or berbuka puasa. It's the most awaited meal of the day, right after Maghrib, around 7.30 pm. It's when you break the fast. 

What more can I say? I am eating now. :P 

5) Tarawih Prayer

It's an additional prayer after the Isyak prayer that you're very encouraged to do. It's 20 rakaat, but most people will do 8 rakaat only, including me. My family and I will go to the mosque and perform Isyak prayer, followed by Tarawih prayer. It's very tranquillizing to perform prayers in the mosque together with other Muslims. The Tarawih will end with Witir Prayer, which basically is a closure prayer, and usually is 3 rakaat. 

And if you stay until 20 rakaat, there'd be a moreh, which is basically a free supper prepared by the mosque. 

I think, there's more. But for now, that's it. 

'Til we meet again, Ramadhan.  

 Ikhlas Daripada,
 

My Obsessions over the Years

Assalamualaikum and hey there.

      I came from a generation that witnessed the rapid evolution of a handphone - from the days when we used keyboard phones, then it turned into flip phones, then slide phones, continuously changed until touchscreen smartphones were invented. (Trust me back at those days, touchscreen stuff was a big deal.) From the old days when handphones could only be used to call, text (which btw all using solid money) , then MMS and camera were available, to now, it could use to do literally, everything. Nowadays it's like a portable, small laptop.

See? Don't you miss those glorious days of Nokia? Until it was eaten away by some fruit (*cough apple *cough)

Anyway, that's not my point. The point is, I feel so old, in a bad way, watching handphones transformed from thick large rectangle, to smaller ones, to flip ones, to slide ones, and then back to those thick large rectangular forms. So, I realised, I've been through tough, crucial phases in my life, ie, childhood and teenagehood.... And I also have moved on from my past obsessions.

1) PlayStation 

Yep, that's right people. Remember PlayStation?? Aahhh, the closest thing I had to technology during my childhood.... I remember I was so obsessed with Spyro the Dragon. Hahahah. Hah. Back to those days when you actually needed to pay quite a sum of money for video games.

2) Habbo 

I know, I should've played the Sims, but I prefer free games. So, when the Internet was getting more accessible in my country, and when I actually had a shared laptop, I found out this website and it was splendid. Habbo is like a multiplayer, social, avatar, interactive game where you can have an awesome virtual life - your own house, your own job and eating at the restaurants and swimming in the pool. (kinda like the Sims) I was so addicted to this game when I was 10 that I spent plenty of my phone credits to buy Habbo credits, in order to purchase their furniture. Like, I USED REAL MONEY FOR THIS STUPID THING. URGH. See how addicted I was? Unbelievable. 

3) Facebook 

      

        Actually, the first social media that I had was Myspace, and then Facebook, when I was 11. And I swear that after I made my account, Facebook became instantly famous! (Hahahahah) I was obsessed with its games, namely Pet Society and Farmville. (Come on, don't tell me you guys never played these games at some point of your life.) I would sign in and stress over the almost 100 notifications I received, mostly from the games I played. It was stressful, just like my Whatsapp notifications. Hah. 

4) Blogging

     Yep, if I was addicted to Habbo when I was 10, obsessed with Facebook at 11 (actually until I was 13), I was obsessed with blogging too when I was 12. Most of my time on the Net, I would use to decorate my blog, write some silly entries and 'blogstrolling' (as I called it back then) to other blogs, follow them and practically force them to follow me back. Yep. And thanks to that, I got 120 followers. (Is that even a massive number?? huh)

5) Detective Conan 

And then, when I was 13, I was absurdly addicted to this fellow over here. (still am, tbh) Actually, I was a fan of this anime since I was 7, when I first saw it on TV3 every Tuesday night (I guess, how do you expect me to remember?) I just love how intelligent he is. And this anime triggers my mind, Plus, I learn some basic Japanese from it. So, it's very beneficial to me, right? RIGHT? Please say yes 'cause due to this severe addiction, I have spent a hefty amount of money to buy its DVDs of movies and episodes. Hah. 

6) Switched at Birth 

Wait, WHERE'S EMMETT??

      When I was 14, I discovered my favourite TV show. Hah. IDK why I like this show, it's just... intriguing I guess? Anyway, since I was hooked with this TV show, I learned American Sign Language (ASL), which is quite similar to Malaysian Sign Language, so at least, I gained something beneficial, right?

7) Taylor Swift 

Yes, and then I was obsessed with this fella over here. Great. Still am, actually, but at least not as bad as I used to. Actually, I started to become a swiftie when I read about her dating Harry Styles, 'cause I felt like that was too fanfiction to be real. So I cyberstalked her like crazy, and then I was like, "oh, she's kinda cool." So yeah, Harry didn't stay, but I did. :P HAHAHAHAHA. I mean, I used to be taylurking (yep I'm gonna use that word) her sooo bad as if I had an SPM Paper named 'The History of Taylor Swift'. It was that horrible.

So, yeah, I have a few obsessions, and actually I didn't get over some of them, did I? :P


 Ikhlas Daripada,