China - Part 2

Tak mengantuk lagi, so let la sambung kongsi gambar.

BEIJING

*reached Beijing at about 6.30 am. Michael (our Chinese tour who speaks Malay very well and knows so much about solat jamak takdim and takhir and yet he's not even a Muslim) dah tunggu dengan setianya di railway station. After breakfast at a local Muslim restaurant, kami dibawa ke Tiananmen Square and passed by Beijing Opera House (see photo). Damn, so chanteq and smooth. So much better than Istana Budaya ibarat kater.

*the historical Tiananmen Square. Pagi2 buta dah ramai tourists. Muka Melayu ramai kat situ, even though we didn't come from the same group. Teringat cheq satu ketika dulu ada the popular news clip pasal students demonstration kat sini dan depa tried to obstruct the kereta kebal from dispersing them away. Scary sangat kalau jadi pisang lenyek time tu.

*Forbidden City. This place was so huge and beautiful. Kalau tak silap cheq, ada 7 gate untuk sampai yang terakhir. Each gate ada building2 yang tertentu which served for different functions and occasions. Dan paras lantai pun ada 7 lapisan. The reason being, susah untuk orang luar cuba masuk ke istana. And istana tempat emperor resided pun ada 29 rooms and he would sleep in different rooms every night. That shows that the emperor sebenarnya penakut jugak. Takut kena bunuh katernya. And ironically, he had 3000 concubines. Talk about kuat nafsu kan....??

*pintu terakhir kat belakang istana. And through this door, the family members akan keluar masuk kalau nak ke mana2. And the potential concubines pun akan masuk ikut pintu ni for the emperor to scan-scan katernya and she would never leave the palace again kalau emperor dah suka, even though the emperor subsequently died. Hmm....... janda kertu la jadinya. (Note : I love this photo too)

*Benhai Park. Tempat emperor and family pi sembahyang kat temple di sini. This park chanteq sangat and even now, people are queuing up to buy the monthly pass untuk sembahyang kat sini. Tasik masa time cheq sampai sini tengah membeku tapi tak la sampai boleh ice-skate lagi.

*a giant crystal ball at a local crystal shop. Dok tilik nasib, kot2 year 2009 boleh bawak lebih 'ong' in my life.

*posing sat bersama2 replicas of Terracotta warriors. Maybe someday boleh tengok the actual ones kat China lagi, InsyaAllah.......

*Great Wall of China. My dream finally came true, but sadly enough tak seperti yang cheq idamkan. I got to see it alone, instead of with my loved one. Tak pa la, tadak rezeki. One interesting fact, kat sini banyak padlocks yang dikuncikan pada rantai2 besi di tepi dinding. The reason being, Chinese people believe that kalau kita kuncikan our padlock kat situ, our love akan bersemadi selama2nya dan seutuh tembok ini (*tetiba teringat lagu Ramlah Ram and her blinking dress). I didn't actually leave my padlock there but I did leave something behind at the Great Wall. Semoga kasihku bersemi selama2nya (ohh payung.....!!) and hopefully someday when I return to the place again, the thing will still be there.

*my climbing partners, Sharifah & Onie. Dengan depa ni la cheq termengah2 naik ke satu point (macam nak mamp...!!) dan melayakkan cheq to claim a certificate for it. See... how steep and uneven the steps are.

*something to be proud of and I had to pay for it (damn....!!)

*I slipped and fell at this place, due to an icy/frosty pavement. And my back has been aching since then. Harap2 tadak apa2...... I may get my back checked one of these days. Bak kata pepatah, tempat yang jatuh lagi dikenang (true enough)...... How ironic.

*tak tau dia tulis apa. Maybe someone can read it for me :)

**bersambung in China - Part 3

China - Part 1

Ni hao (hello). It's good to be back. I've noticed that there have been some remarks made towards my last post. I don't want to add much to it. In short, I know what I did and didn't do. That's all. Silence speaks a thousand words. Lantak la orang nak cakap apa.

Anyway, I'm back now. Alhamdulillah. It was quite a good trip, though I didn't quite enjoy it as much as I did during my holiday in Langkawi back in May. Nevertheless, I've seen and experienced a lot of things in China. It will be another experience in life that I will treasure. I am not really in the mood to tell it all at this juncture but I am attaching some of the photos taken there for my friends' viewing. Let the photos tell you the story :

SHANGHAI

*Pudong Airport, Shanghai. Departed KLIA at 1.40am and arrived in Shanghai at about 6.30 am. There is no time difference between these two countries. My first time setting foot on Chinese soil and it was freaking cold (range between -6 to 6 degree celsius). With very basic knowledge in Mandarin (e.g. xie xie (thank you), zai jian (goodbye), bu keqi (you're welcome), bu yao (don't want), duibuqi (sorry), wo yao jiu cesuo (I want to go to toilet) etc.), I was looking forward to the tour at this point of time.

*upon arrival, we headed to the "Bund" (the famous waterfront in Shanghai). Boleh nampak Shanghai World Trade Centre, Shanghai TV Tower and other skyscrapers yg dipisahkan oleh Huanpu River. In short, the skyscrapers represent how ambitious the Chinese government is to turn China into a developed country. Semuanya out of the world punya design. As a result of the massive construction and flyover yang sampai 5 tingkat, it was dusty here. Duduk sini boleh pendek umur rasanya.

*opposite the "Bund" was the "Bank Street". Semua bangunan colonial peninggalan orang putih diduduki oleh bank2 terkemuka di China (either local or foreign banks). At this place also, cheq di-approached oleh a group of local girls yang fascinated with our "alien" faces. Mula2 ingat nak suruh ambik gambaq dia, rupa2nya depa nak ambik gambaq dengan cheq. Penuh ni kiri kanan diapit oleh not so gorgeous looking girls (hiks.....). I was wondering, cheq ni celebrity ka? Nothing of me resembles Justin Timberlake or even Andy Lau. Heran...... (!!!???)

*posing jap kat mailbox depan a local muslim restaurant after lunch.

*2nd day in Shanghai, shopping trip to the famous Nanjing Street. As it was on sunday, berpuluh ribu orang keluar shopping at that time. Gila akak barb punya ramai orang. That street cuma punya kedai2 & mall yang ada nama. Tapi kat alley2 tu ada kedai2 kecik yang penuh dengan penipuan. The trick is to get someone (normally a female accomplice to attract tourists like us with "Hello sir, you want bag? watch?? iPod?? iPhone??" (of course, in a very bad English sampai tak paham dia cakap apa). Pastu ajak pi ke kedai dia and once you enter, the door akan dilock and a whole bunch of gangster-like guys ugut you beli something not worth buying. Luckily, I didn't get into the trap tapi one of us dipaksa beli imitation iPhone yang tak elok langsung for 1200 yuan. A tip for you guys the next time you go there.

SUZHOU (pronounced Su-Cho)

*we left Shanghai on the 2nd day in China by bus. After a 2-hour journey, sampai la kat Suzhou and it was already dark at 6 pm. Personally, I prefer this city which was well-planned and organised. It was like visiting Putrajaya tapi kat China. Industrial area pun businessmen from Singapore yang helped to develop once upon a time.


*photos taken from the government owned silk factory. I bought the kungfu master shirt I long for all this while. I've talked to my darling before of getting this shirt tapi tak sangka sampai ke China pulak dapat belinya. Yang penting it's pure silk. Meletop......... (pic not included).


*photos taken along the canals kat Suzhou. It is famous for its man-made canals and it was once called Little Venice of the East. So romantica de amour ibarat kater naik gondola along these canals waktu2 winter macam ni. Kecut telor siot....... I'm not joking. Kena search for "it" kalau pi toilet. Kecut segals........ ibarat kater.

*Surging Waves Pavillion was built in 1044 AD and the garden is the oldest classical garden in Suzhou. I am not much into gardens, so tak pandai sangat nak appreciate this place. Cheq hanya tengok batu2 laut yang tua diletak dalam garden ni and old chinese houses yang mencecah berabad usianya. Look see look see and snappy snappy sajork. Next.....!!!!

*being in the same species as Panda, cheq gian nak tokak batang buluh ni. So serene sangat kat sini. Someone mentioned macam dalam video clip Atilia - Sangkar. Ya ka...??

*merenung luar jendela teringat orang jauh...................

*lost in Suzhou (and translation).

*leaving Suzhou at 8.30 pm for Beijing on the Night Soft Sleeper Train. Kena pulak share dengan 2 local people, sorang jants dan sorang betins. Macam ayam dan itik, aku tengok kau, kau tengok aku. In the end, dengaq iPod dan terus ke wonderland. Excuse me for the snoring........ what an experience. (Note : I love this photo walaupun gelap. The image nampak unique)

** bersambung in China - Part 2

Siaran Tergendala Sebentar........

By the time this post got published, I would be on my way to Shanghai. I'm taking a few days off and berjalan2 tengok negeri orang. Cheq tak kan bersiaran selama seminggu. InsyaAllah kalau umur panjang, kita akan berjumpa semula. Diharapkan this trip akan berjalan dengan baik dan selamat. Jika tidak, cheq mohon maaf di atas segala salah silap, terlanjur kata serta perbuatan selama ni.

Buat insan tersayang....... I love you more than words can say, and this is for you, Yang :

"Stay The Same" - Joey McIntyre

Don't you ever wish you were someone else,
You were meant to be the way you are exactly.
Don't you ever say you don't like the way you are.
When you learn to love yourself, you're better off by far.
And I hope you always stay the same,
cuz there's nothin' 'bout you I would change.

I think that you could be whatever you wanted to be
If you could realize, all the dreams you have inside.
Don't be afraid if you've got something to say,
Just open up your heart and let it show you the way.

Believe in yourself.
Reach down inside.
The love you find will set you free.
Believe in yourself, you will come alive.
Have faith in what you do.
You'll make it through.

Back To Basic

Mula2 cheq pindah ke KL ni, I just brought my clothings and my ownself. My former housemate, who happens to be a relative, tak bagi bawak apa2 sebab he got everything. So, basically cheq ni agak senang la sebab everything dah ada dalam rumah tu. But that was just a temporary arrangement. I had informed him that I would be staying for a while until I got my own place. He didn't mind. In fact, when I wanted to move out, he said the house would be quiet without me. Sigh....... susah jugak kan? Duduk sana jauh sikit and the feeling of menumpang rumah orang, somehow made me uneasy.

Ever since I moved to a new place (closer to work place and easy access to food - ini yang penting. Hehehe.....), I've been living on basic. No proper bed, closet, TV, washing machine etc. I don't really mind as I used to live in dormitories back in school and university. Bukan susah sangat kan? Cuma dok tunggu another housemate who is yet to move in. From what I gather, he has got almost everything. Cepatla........ tak larat handwash ni. I need a washing machine and a kettle. Nak minum kopi.... hehehe.

Okay, let us take a tour around my room. Thanks to Carrefour, Jusco, Giant, IKEA, Nilai 3, Aussino and Ace Hardware Store, Ikano Power Centre di atas barang2nya (bukan tajaan ye?? I purchased them myself).



Ok tak..............?? Home sweet home.

Selamat Beraya

Orang dah sibuk balik kampung masa cheq balik keja. Reached my rented house at around 8 pm. Badan letih, kepala serabut. People had been giving me pressure all day long. To add to my misery, my own dad called up to ask whether I would be coming back home or not. Sigh.........

All week I had been busy with my work. The three main projects dah berjalan dalam masa 3 bulan ni. Hari2 my time at the office occupied dengan benda ni, endless meetings, ad-hoc projects etc. I casually asked my Head for a day off next tuesday, a day after Raya Haji. My intention was to visit my dad kat kampung. But that dick-Head of mine refused to grant me the day off, since a meeting for my project is scheduled next tuesday too. Then I wrote to the project manager to reschedule the meeting but sadly to say, it was not entertained.

So tak pa lah........ f*ck it. I was not in the mood to argue with anybody. Tried so hard to complete as much as I could for the past 5 days. Suddenly at 6 pm, that dick-Head of mine was so-called sympathetic to me and allowed me to take that day off I had previously asked for. Hey...... f*ck you. There's a catch to it. Before I was allowed to go, I had to complete this and that. And a lot of things to be summited next week.

I rather stay in KL for raya than going back home. If I do go home, my mind won't be at ease, thinking of work. I need to complete it before my long leave end of next week. Normally, I would be looking forward to my holiday trips, but not this time. I have less than a week to my China's trip but it seems like there's no excitement to it. Firstly, for an obvious reason, I have to go without my loved one as I planned earlier. Secondly, the life I'm leading right now is wearing me out.


I had to get out of the house for a while, just to get some air. Ironically, I ended up at KLCC....... had dinner and catched a movie titled "Bolt". Kelakar nak mampus. Nasib baik la best walaupun filem animation saja. Now it's almost 2.30 am and I'm still freshly awake. I have the thumbdrive brought back from the office, considering whether to continue working or not. To my dad, I'm sorry for not going back. I had to make a decision. I will go back home after my China's trip, hopefully. But for now, I'll be here for the next three days and back to work on tuesday. To the rest of you, enjoy whatever you do during raya. Pardon my vulgarity.

Kau Yang Amat Ku Sayang

Kau yang amat ku sayang
Yang amat ku cinta
Bersemadi di jiwaku

Ku mengharap kasihmu
Bertakhta di hati
Untuk selamanya

Tak mungkin daku lupakan
Kenangan manis kau dan aku
Kau bagaikan permata di hati ini

Bagai irama dan lagu
Melodi yang menyentuh kalbu
Kita bersatu melayari cinta
Abadi..

Hanya untukmu
Laguku ini
Isi hati ku
Dalam melodi nan indah

Lirik nan syahdu
Curahan perasaanku
Bagaikan sesuci embunan pagi

Kau menyinari hidupku
Dengan kasih sayangmu
Untuk selamanya

Kau yang amat ku rindu
Yang amat ku perlu
Tiada lain di hatiku

Ku rindukan belaian mu
Tanpamu di sisi
Ku kan kesepian...

Happy Birthday, Yang........

28th of November marks an important date in my life. It was the date my loved one was born. Every year I make a point untuk sampaikan ucapan padanya. Only this year, I was lucky enough to celebrate hari penting ini bersamanya since I'm now living in KL. Untuk insan tersayang, Happy Birthday to you. I hope you had a good birthday and may everyday brings you happiness and success.

Semoga you suka dengan pemberian tak seberapa ini. Since I know both of us like perfume, I got this one especially for you.

I sneaked out from the office at 4.45 pm sharp on friday. Started my journey to Bandar Sunway at 6.15 pm. Tapi got stucked at traffic jam for one hour before I managed to reach NPE. My luck was good enough sebab dapat parking dengan mudah dan managed to reach Sunway Pyramid on time. The dinner was at Ole-Ole Bali Restaurant. It was a spontaneous decision. While waiting for orang yang diraikan, cheq dok tengok2 directory kat situ and spotted the name Ole-Ole Bali kat situ. Teringat pulak a post by a fellow blogger in his blog on this place. So I chose this place masa tu jugak.

The specialty drink kat situ, iced barley lime. Very refreshing indeed.

Deep fried Cuming-Cuming or commonly known as fried kalamari.

The main course was Nasi Campur Ole Ole. Quite banyak lauk, so we decided to share this instead. I hope you enjoyed the dinner. Nothing fancy, but as you said, to live in KL we have to go frugal sometimes. Enjoy the rest of the weekend, Yang. I love you......... then, now and forever.

Kopi ais and sagoo pudding at Boraque Kopitiam, Setapak with Man who is also in town for the weekend. Dessert kekdahnya, selepas puas berjalan kat night market di Taman Danau Kota :)

See Ya.........

I've had enough. For the past few weeks, I had been stressful and not getting much rest. I reached home at about 10 pm every single day. Workload had never been reduced. It kept getting more and more. On average, I had 10 meetings per week and personally, I felt they were just a waste of time. Nothing much had been accomplished. Kalau tidak kerana that controlling bitch yang being nosy nak tahu semua benda yang kami buat, I would have not attended any of those meetings.

And it didn't stop there. I had to bring back some work to do at home. Sleeping at 1 or 2 am is becoming a trend now. What a f**ked up life.....!!! Even today, I tried to speed up a bit tapi still balik pukul 9 malam. I submitted my annual leave application about 2 weeks ago. It only got verbally approved less than 4 hours ago. F**king hell....!! And it was just for 2 f**king days. I even had to fight for it. My superior was reluctant to let me go. "What if something goes wrong", he said. "Screw you.....!!"

Finally, I'm free to go........... I'm leaving for home in the morning. It has been a while (bukan lagu Britney "Break The Ice", okay??).... I miss my hometown..... my Dad, my siblings..... (and definitely, my ahem ahem). Hopefully, I'll be okay when I return to KL. And I'm moving to another place soon. God..... there are so many things to do. Ujian Ilahi agaknya.... sabar je lah.

Lara

Di balik rona ceria
Terpaling mendungnya
Bagai pelangi yang pudar warna

Serinya diambil
Segala semua
Terumbang-ambing cari arahku
Bekalan rindu hancur dan berderai
Yang kuidamkan kini terlerai

Serahkan kembali cinta itu
Yang pernah kau sanjungi dahulu
Apalah erti sandiwara ini
Hari-hari yang bakal bersua
Pasti kosong tidak bermakna
Khabarkan sahaja pada semua
Akulah lara

Seperti tak percaya
Luka masih ada
Bila kau hilang rasa derita

Mungkin kekal begitu
Siapalah tahu
Kan aku cari penawar pilu
Bisakah ikan lemas di dalam lautan
Begitulah aku penasaran

Pencarian erti diselangi mimpi
Kerana kasmaran cinta aku menderita
Berikan ku jalan
Biar karma sahaja
Yang akan menentukan

Kafe Kampung Aunty Aini

A friend of mine, KC has been talking about this place since I was still in Kedah. He said that if I ever came to KL, he would take me to this place someday. Even masa bulan posa pun dia dok cakap nak pi makan kat sini lepas raya. Cheq ni of course la, suka makan kan. So I had been waiting for him to take me there. Both of us kadang2 quite adventurous sikit kalau pasal makan. Sanggup travel jejauh tak hengat ni.

Fair enough, it is in Nilai....!! But it was worth the trip. Masakan kampung ibarat kater. I'm a kampung boy, suka la makanan macam ni. Lets look at some of the photos taken :

*from top clockwise, ayam kampung goreng, kerabu pucuk paku dengan kerang, pinggan nasi cheq (hehehe.....) and gulai lemak cili api daging salai. Yang nampak tangan tu ialah KC (wave to the readers, my friend....)

*sambal tumis petai dengan udang galah dan sambal belacan (with ulams). Sebenarnya, cheq dulu tak reti makan sambal belacan. Setelah 30 tahun hidup di muka bumi ni, cheq tak reti makan sambal belacan walaupun di kampung, arwah mak dan kakak selalu prepare sambal (bukan kekwat perasan orang puteh okay??). Hanya setelah "the love of my life" yang ajar cheq makan, cheq rasa macam "hey, not bad lah.... walaupun tak tahan pedas, cheq suka" (gitew...!!). Banyak yang cheq belajar daripada dia. Teringat sangat..........

*tapai pulut with vanilla ice-cream. Kat kampung, whenever my sis buat tapai, I would rush out to the nearest 7-E or supermarket for vanilla ice-cream. Sedap la..... and teringat jugak si Dia yang makan tapai ni di kampung cheq........

*posing sekejap depan cermin lepas makan banyak tadi. KC, if I get fat again, I'll blame you. Huhuhu...... just joking. It was a really nice dinner. Thank you very much. We'll go again someday. Kawan2 Penang, ingat na, if you are up to it, KC and I will take you guys pi sana. Kena buat reservasi dulu sebab ramai orang.

*ni pulak apa yang cheq makan for lunch tadi. Lauk gulai lemak cili api siput sedut, paru (a.k.a. kelempong for oghang utara) goreng and sayur kacang botol. Sedap siput sedut tu...... nostalgia *sigh*

Deepavali's Weekend

Sunyi semula........... After spending 3 nights at my place, my best friends from Penang dah pun meninggalkan KL ni. They arrived at the very wee hour on Friday night (actually dah pagi Sabtu pun). Man, Cha'ein and Zin decided to come here for the long weekend. Zin was actually heading home tapi since dah lewat, dia pun tidoq sini sajork.

Saturday morning dah bangun awal2 untuk breakfast di Bangi (kelass tak?? breakfast melanggar sempadan daerah..... boleh consider jauh jugak dari tempat cheq ni). Tapi the journey tu berbaloi sebab dapat makan nasi kerabu dan nasi dagang yang sedap sangat di Kg Abu Bakar Baginda. I was born kat pantai timur, so I'm used to eating food dari sana. To me, makanan kat kedai ni memang sedap. And my friends pun agreed with me. Okay, this is not a cheap promo, tapi kalau ada masa, you all pi la makan kat sana. Call Zin if you need assistance sebab dekat kpg dia... ooops.

Hari yang sama, my sis was also in town. Kena la jugak entertain dia ibarat kater. Harap2 dia puas hati la sebab tercapai jugak impian dia untuk membeli tudung from Sri Munawarah Design kat TTDI. Kalau tadak adik dia sorang ni, tak dapat la my sis and friend shopping tudung2 impian they all from there (note : I had to find the place 2 weeks prior to her trip here, so that we wouldn't be sesat on the day itself..... over tak??). And my sis spent RM1000 plus for tudung saja pada hari....... talk about gila shopping kan...??

Kalau my friends tak datang, I wouldn't sampai rumah another friend, Syed tu. Dapat la jugak melawat rumah dia dan jumpa anak2 yang dia comel tu. I'm happy to see a friend who is doing so well di samping keluarga. And special thanks to Syed and Bid, terima kasih sebab masak bihun, nasi impit, kuah kacang, rendang and the lovely jelly semata2 utk kami. Kenyang sangat hari tu. Cheq memang suka makan dan macam tahu2 saja, kan?? And cheq also got the chance to meet up with Miza and Kamel after living in KL for 2 months. Kalau they all tak mai dari Penang, tak jumpa la kita no....?? Camtu la... hehehe.

Sunday was also packed with activities. For the first time ever, cheq sampai kat Aquaria, KLCC. Tourist sangat kan.....?? Bila masa lagi cheq nak pi kalau tak dengan someone. It was not bad all. I've never been to other famous aquariums, so tak boleh la nak compare. It was almost a perfect trip, kalau tak my boss tetiba call nak pinjam access card masuk office. Benci sangat, cuti2 nak kena bercakap pasal keja. I had a good time at Aquaria and here are some of the photos taken :






After Aquaria, it was time to shop shop shop :) At first we all just jalan2 cuci mata sajork. Tapi ended up membeli belah jugak la kat KLCC, IKEA dan Ikano. And cheq pun terpikir yang cheq akan pi holiday tak lama lagi, tangan pun makin gatai nak berbelanja (*matila). So after spending a few hours here and there, cheq beli benda2 berikut :



Nampaknya cheq agak excited nak pi holiday ni. So far cheq dah nekad nak pi, booking semua dah buat. I can't stand of being depressed and lonely all the time. I have to try to make myself happy..... and if possible, my loved ones too. Walaupun keja banyak, tak suka with my current job and having personal problems, cheq cuba sedaya upaya pamper myself with something I like to do. Sesusah mana pun hidup, we have to make the best of out it. Call for help if you have to.

After working for 12 years, for the first time cheq terpikir nak buat sesuatu yang unthinkable sebelum ni. I've talked to some close friends and they gave their opinions. Whatever I choose to do, they'll support me. I have not been happy living in KL. I may need to make a big decision which I'm not sure whether it is the right thing to do. Home is calling me and I will answer to that call if I have to. To friends, thanks for listening. And to Man, Cha'ein and Zin, thanks for making my weekend an enjoyable one. Do come again..............