The Mystifying Nature

Nature. 

Amazing, and you can’t explain, how nature has always been the source of inspirations for many.  I just love looking at nature. Nature teaches us how to look at things differently.

He's not listening to you Cahaya, he's too shy for the camera!

 That was a unique 'thing' which you can get from nature. I took that picture of my Cahaya with a very cute looking monkey kept in the safari of the A'famosa Resort in Malacca where we went to for holiday last year.  

And, here are nice pictures of beautiful Mount Dandenong in Melbourne which our eldest daughter Kaka took.

 

"The earth has music for those who listen" - A Philosopher

~   Sinar

Swift and Shift

Hmm.. another weekend. How swiftly time flies. I woke up early this morning, then now as I look at my watch, it's already 10:30! Where has quarter of the day gone to? 

Well, just shift the mind to something useful ... Time to cook for lunch. This is what I have in mind for my babies - Cahaya and the pearls. Sinar's Arabic Rice. A quick and simple dish to cook, everything in one.

Jemput makan, Bismillah....

Here's the recipe:

RICE:

The rice is cooked separately. You need basmathi rice, ghee, sliced big onions, green chilies, fresh tomatoes, blended garlic, shallots and ginger; 2 teaspoon of coriander powder and salt. You also need some chicken broth. 

Melt ghee in a rice cooker, then fry in the onions and blended ingredients. Stir and add in the coriander powder, fresh tomatoes and green chilies. Keep stirring. Add in the rice and finally the chicken broth. Let the rice cooked well. When cooked, the rice should be yellowish in colour, looking nicely blended with the tomatoes and green chilies.

CHICKEN:

Chicken - cut nicely into pieces
Blended ingredients - onions, garlic, ginger, fresh tomatoes
Coriander leaves
Cumin powder
Coriander powder

Ghee or oil or olive oil for frying

Heat oil, add in the blended ingredients, and powdered spices. Stir fry to make sure it doesn't dry. Once the fried ingredients settled in nicely, put in the chicken. Add in some water and let it simmer till almost cooked. Then add in coriander leaves and allow chicken to cook well. Make sure the dish is not dry, there must be some gravy.

VEGETABLES - Egg plants, Carrots, Potatoes - All cut and fry separately.

To Assemble the Rice: Once everything is cooked, layer the chicken in between the rice carefully, together with the gravy. Finally add in the fried vegetables. Serve with salad.

Enjoy your lunch and have a good day!

~  Sinar

Yeyy Yeyy Yeyy... Look Who's Cookin'?

Hey, someone's busy in the kitchen!

My kids and I get excited whenever ayah Cahaya is cooking. Yeah of course, you are talking about an expert. Tonight Cahaya prepared dinner. Yes, our favourite menu - Tenderloin Steak with a choice of black pepper sauce or mushroom sauce. Oh I got to choose chicken, because I'm eliminating meat in my diet this week. 

  

PAnya biasalah, siapa lagi kalau bukan si-kecik... 

Here, dinner's ready - Steak cooked and made simple. 

 

And for dessert - My yummy oreo pudding and the famous mango ice cream from Philippines (beli di Hua Ho hehe ...)

 

~ Terima kasih Ayah/Cahaya, diatas semua kasih sayang 

dan pengorbananmu untuk kami. We love you ~ 

  

 ~   Sinar

Bahagia Itu Ada Dalam Kita

Assalamu'alaikum semua. Adakah anda bahagia?

Kalau dulu-dulu, saya tahu yang kalau ingin merasa gembira, pergilah jalan-jalan tengok movie, bercuti melancong ke luar negeri atau jalan-jalan cari makan, dan sebagainya. Tinggalkan dulu  sekejap segala masalah-masalah. So kita pun happy lah...

Tetapi kita tidak menyedari, hakikat happy atau kebahagiaan itu sebenarnya adalah sangat dekat. Yang lebih menakjubkan lagi - ianya percuma - ia ada dalam diri kita sendiri.

Kebahagiaan itu terletak di dalam. Di dalam hati. Tak jauh sebenarnya, hanya kita yang tak sedar atau terlupa. Hati yang bagaimana ? - 

Hati yang sentiasa ingat ALLAH. Hati yang sentiasa bersyukur - berterima kasih kepada Allah Maha Mencipta dan sesama insan. Hati yang sentiasa terdorong dan berniat ke arah kebaikan. Hati yang penyayang, yang sabar dan tenang menghadapi ujian. Hati yang mudah memaafkan, dan sentiasa memaafkan orang lain. Hati yang terdorong kepada yang positif. Hati yang mendorong kepada suka untuk membantu orang lain. 

Setengah daripada kita berfikiran kebahagian itu berpunca daripada faktor-faktor luaran yang dapat dilihat dari mata kasar seperti kebendaan, kemewahan, pangkat, cinta dan sebagainya. Silap. Bahagia itu ada dalam kita. Kita yang menciptanya. Semuanya terpulang pada diri sendiri.

Pendek kata, kebahagiaan itu adalah dari hati yang mengenal Tuhan. Itulah dia sebenar-benar bahagia. Apabila bahagia itu lahir dari dalam, ia akan terpancar sendiri di luaran. Inn syaa Allah. 

"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything, 

they just make the best out of everything that comes their way"

~  Sinar

Our Kokomi is Back!

Cahaya and I were the happiest parents in the world today. Our Kaka arrived from Melbourne after completing her study there, at Deakin University. 

Syukur Alhamdulillah, terima kasih Ya Allah, kerana Engkau telah mendengar doa-doa kami, seorang anak kami telah berjaya menamatkan pengajiannya dan pulang ke tanah air dengan selamatnya.

(She was carrying her bantal bucuk with her in the plane...)

I remember when she left us for Melbourne in last February. It was an "empty nest" phenomenon for me. That wasn't the first time though. It wasn't a rollercoaster form of emotion, but enough to make me worried for almost everything! Her well-being in a place which was not so familiar to any of us. Allah Maha Pengasih lagi Maha Pelindung.

It was brilliant that in March, my boss took me to Melbourne on official visit, about 2 weeks after Kaka left us. Meloncatku kegembiraan. Itulah yang dikatakan rezeki. Anugerah rezeki dari Allah adalah dalam pelbagai rupa, seperti mana yang Allah kehendaki. Hebatnya Allah SWT. Aku bersujud syukur kepadaMu.

Before departure

With Boss, upon arrival at Melbourne airport 

Moments of happiness -

Posing with Kaka at her uni - Deakin University

Celebrating Ummi's birthday at Churio's

With Kaka Izzah

 

Melbourne is indeed a beautiful city to visit. I love it. 

 

Yummy Fish & Chips

   

Halal Steak

Well back to Kaka now. Alhamdulillah, it's already done. Congratulations on your success, Kaka. You are ready for your new direction, girl. Mummy and Ayah wish you all the best.

"Raihlah ilmu, dan untuk meraih ilmu,

belajarlah untuk tenang dan sabar"

- Sayyidina 'Umar Al-Khattab

~  Sinar

  

Dream Bigger

Are you a dreamer? I am. A huge dreamer. 

There is nothing wrong with dreaming, but you must be a doer. If dreaming is just what you do, with no doing, then you should worry. A dream makes a vision, the big picture. When you dream, you are building up ideas in your head and the doing will put those ideas into actions, to reach that 'big picture'.  

We always want a perfect-picture kind of future - luxury cars - one small and one big, a cosy and classy house in the perfect area with a flashy surrounding, and a really good looking partner. We have become so ingrained with figuring out how to be perfect, rich or stand higher that we have actually begun to forget our original purpose in life.  

We have forgotten that our life is already amazing as it is, already beautifully painted. We always call for things that we think would make us feel happier and fulfilled.

We must be contented with what we have, stop complaining and stop whining. For life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react and respond to it.

Aamin Ya Rabbal 'Alamiin.


~  Sinar

Come on, Don't Go to Bed Angry ...

You marah? Dak ehhh... 

Alangkah bagusnya kalau tidak pandai marah. Kalau sebut tentang marah, pasti terbayang muka yang merah padam, wajah bengis, mata besar tajam, bibir mengetap terketar-ketar... panas oh panasss..!

Marah adalah sifat semula jadi, tidak boleh dibuat-buat serta merta. Selalunya ia akan didahului oleh sesuatu yang boleh menyebabkan seseorang itu marah. Mesti ada punca. 

Keluarlah perasaan yang berlawanan, memberontak dan boleh menghasilkan tindakan luar kawalan - tindakan negatif yang melulu. That is natural, spontaneously we respond aggressively when we are angry. Mengeluarkan kata-kata kesat, dengan suara yang tinggi, menendang, menumbuk, atau menghempas barang adalah antara reaksi-reaksi akibat kemarahan. Hilang pertimbangan. Kalau mata ini boleh telus melihat, tentu nampak asap keluar dari telinga! Terlempiaslah pulak kepada orang yang kebetulan berada disebelah, menjadi mangsa kemarahan kita. Marah yang berlanjutan pulak menyebabkan permusuhan dan konfrontasi yang berpanjangan.

Marah adalah gerakan dari nafsu diri, sama ada dalam spontan kita melepaskan geram, meleraikan dendam ataupun mempertahankan diri.  Tidak semua orang dapat mengawal kemarahan dengan baik.

Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person

and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, 

and in the right way - that is not easy 

~ Aristotle

Apapun, just don’t turn into a green monster. Api kemarahan itu kesukaan syaitan. Na'udzubillahiminzaalik. Bak kata hikmah, setiap minit kita marah, kita membuang 60 saat kebahagiaan dari hidup kita. Ingatlah, setiap kelemahan dan kesilapan manusia adalah ujian untuk kita. Nobody is perfect.

Let's always remind ourselves - Didiklah hati supaya sentiasa bersabar dan tenang. Belajarlah tentang 'kepintaran emosi' atau emotional intelligence dan pengurusan hubungan secara empathy. Belajar berkomunikasi dan mendengar secara aktif (Communicate with emotional awareness and listen actively with empathy). Tingkatkan muhasabah diri kita. 

   

Rasulullah S.A.W bersabda :

"Sesungguhnya marah itu dari syaitan. Syaitan itu dijadikan daripada api,

apabila kamu marah, maka hendaklah kamu mengambil wuduk" (Abu Daud)

Kita tinggalkan sifat marah itu. Jom kita makan - Sotong Masak Hitam dengan nasi panas-panas ... wwoohhhooo, sedap....! Tak marah kan?

Sotong - dicuci bersih dan dipotong, jangan dibuang dakwatnya 

Bahan tumis:

Campuran bahan yang dikisar (Bawang merah, bawang besar, bawang putih, halia, lengkuas dan serai)

Cili kering yang dikisar

Sedikit serbuk kunyit

Garam

Perasa

Sedikit air asam jawa

Kicap manis dan masin (Jika suka)

Minyak untuk menumis

Daun limau purut

Buah tomato - dibelah

Hirisan bawang besar

Panaskan minyak dalam kuali. Masukkan bahan-bahan tumis, dan gaul hingga naik bau dan pecah minyak. Masukkan sotong, dan gaul. Dakwatnya akan pecah dan warna kuah setentunya menghitam. Gaulkan air asam jawa. Bubuh sedikit air jika kering. Masukkan kicap jika suka. Saya suka masukkan kicap. Gaul hingga sotong masak. Akhir sekali masukkan bahan hiasan - daun limau purut, buah tomato dan  dan hirisan bawang. Hidang bersama nasi yang panas.

Masakan ini adalah kegemaran my baby Fatima... Selamat mencuba!

~  Sinar

You Are There-lahh..

I Miss You 

(Poem by : Susan Polis Schutz)

You are there

and I am here
thinking about how much
I love you
thinking about how much
I respect you
thinking about how much
I miss you

You are there
and I am here
thinking about how much
I cannot wait
until we are together again
thinking about how
I will appreciate
more than ever
the time
we will spend together
I love you

~  Sinar