Hooray, Hooray ... It's A Holi-Holiday!

Yayyy….it’s already mid-November! Then come December! Holiday season for me and my family. Time to spend our time together at our Malaysian home. A home is always a home, a place where we always love to be *biiiiiig grin*

As Madonna says in her song -

"You can turn this world around.  And bring back all of those happy days.  Put your troubles down.  It's time to celebrate.  Let love shine.  And we will find.  A way to come together.  And make things better.  We need a holiday!"

Yes indeed Madonna, we need it. We have the all-inclusive holiday feelings every time December comes. I don’t want to write out the plan. I pray that everything goes well, inn syaa Allah. Ya Allah, tunaikanlah segala hajat-hajat kami sekeluarga, dan permudahkanlah segala urusan kami, Aamiin Ya Rabb. 

My 3 babies - Kaka, Luq and Fatima - flew off first with their Ayah. 

 

Maya and I will be joining soon. And the best part is the 2 neneks will be coming too ... Yoohooo! Now let's enjoy this song by Boney M ... And meanwhile, I'm also sharing a simple fruit cocktail jelly recipe - My family's all-time favourite dessert!

Mummy Sinar’s Fruit Cocktail Jelly

Here's the recipe:

1 packet of  jelly powder (I used the Red Man brand - white)

Water mixed with fresh milk to make 1 litre of liquid

60g sugar (adjust quantity to your taste)

2 pandan leaves, tied into a knot

1 can of fruit cocktail

Few drops of vanilla essence

Dissolve jelly powder in the liquid in a pot. Add in the sugar, pandan leaves and bring to boil. Do not leave it long, just one or two boils will do. Remove pot from heat, then pour in the fruit cocktail. Mix the mixture lightly.  Pour into a mould or in a container and leave to cool before refrigerating until chilled.

Serve chilled.

Selamat mencuba!

~  Sinar  

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