Nabila Zaid

Happy Sweet 17th Birthday to my niece

NABILA ZAID

Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do.
Don't bother just to be better than your friends.
Try to be better than yourself.
Never mind what others do; do better than yourself.
Beat your own record from day to day, and you are on your way to success.

Nikon D7000

...click... click... click... click...


Anybody can shoot a snapshot. But is it a good photograph?

Kenapa tiba-tiba cakap pasal photograph ni?

Sebab...

... Yasmin has got herself a ...





... Nikon D7000 (16.2 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR), sempena joining Photography for her final year semester. Excitednya dia !!! Tak sabar-sabar nak start lessons next week! Equally excited is her younger brother, Firdaus, who is back for the weekend. (Mama pun excited jugak, pepagi hari dah google cari tutorials for beginners and sibuk membaca !)

We look at things everyday tapi apa yang kita nampak tak seperti apa yang dilihat oleh the ‘eye’ behind a camera in producing an image. Nampak macam senang jer snapshooting away tapi sebenarnya a huge amount of work goes into deciding what composition gets included or excluded in the photo to be taken... the lightings... the positions... colors.... time of day and dozens of other artistic elements to acquire the perfect photograph. Itu sebab Photography is not only an art, but also a skill.

Itu belum lagi cerita nak pegi cari lokasi-lokasi yang menarik for the shoots, dan kemudian hauling a load of equipment dan sebagainya. (tapi tak per... not so soon for my Yasmin!)

I hope ‘Uncle Wan’ (En. Ridzuan Ismail) will be a big inspirational mentor to her while she slowly finds and create a talent in Photography.

Semoga dengan menyertai Photography, she will have a new set of photography friends at her level to chat, learn and grow in sharing knowledge together, insyaAllah, sebab peers can come in handy when you need someone for a quick advice or information.

Perhaps later, kalau rajin, boleh create a blog to share knowledge and post photographs. (Kalau rajin laaa... )

Tooth Extraction

Monday, took Farid to the dentist. Dah seminggu lebih complaining sakit gigi geraham. Upon checking, Doktor kata perlu di cabut. Aduihh.. kecut perut aku! Itu baru dengar cakap dari Doktor. Tapi bila tengok Doktor 'in action' mencabut gigi tu ...

.. uuihh! sungguh menggerunkan! ..

Danial & Nathrah

Merisik sudah bertunang pun sudah,
Nikah dilafaz sunnah diwarisi,
Termeterai sudah janji bermadah,
Majlis pernikahan kini dirai.


Tarikh:
Ahad, 18 September 2011


Bertempat di:
Dewan Kondo Mutiara, Bandar Perda


Majlis Perkahwinan:

Khaliq Danial Bin Mohd Noor
&
Nathrah Binti Bakar

bagai pinang dibelah dua

ketibaan pengantin

persandingan


"When two people become one flesh by way of marriage, it is not only their hearts that are united, but their minds and souls as well."
-Julie Donner Andersen

Career

New semester, final year has begun for my daughter, Yasmin.


Begitu juga for my youngest child, Firdaus.. who started his 2nd year A-levels.


Belajarlah rajin-rajin anak-anakku. You have both come a long way up to this stage, berusahalah dengan bersungguh-sungguh to complete your studies demi mencapai cita-cita.

Lepas ni, for my girl, nak membina career pula. While for Firdaus, you have another major step to go.

So...

What's the best career for you, girl?

Jawapannya: The best career is one with meaning.

To be truly happy in your career, you need to find the right kind of work for YOU.

Not something you think you SHOULD do
or
something somebody else WANTS you to do.

Some women like to lead...
others prefer to follow.
Some are independent..
and others prefer to be part of a team.
There is no right or wrong.

Ask yourself..

"What feels right for me?"
"How can I use my unique and natural talents?"
"How can I bring out the best in myself and provide it to others as a service?"

Kekadang when people (especially those whom we regard as valuable or important)... ask us what our ambition is?... what we intend to do later in life? ... and kemudian 'pooh-pooh' us upon hearing our answer, that is the quickest way to kill a dream! Mulalah muka ter-berubah (terkebil like a deer tiba-tiba kena suluh dengan headlights kereta..), cakap pun dah nak ter-babble and blurt garblish nonsense, kan?

haha..
chill..!!

Stop the struggle and allow the truth of who you are to rule your life! It may be difficult to allow yourself to be the real YOU for many reasons. We may feel insecure about the validity of our choice. We may be wary of what "Others" will think.


Haishh...! Jangan macam tu, my love. Dare to take the steps toward finding your own true path by answering the questions above. You'll discover what comes naturally and what activities make you the happiest.


Best of all, you'll feel genuine satisfaction and pride when you spend your days doing something you value.


The next time someone asks you "lepas ni nak buat apa?"... have a strong confident answer for them, and answer with pride "I am going to be a Spa Director, insyaAllah" (contoh la kaaann...)

Turun , tapi naik ?

Nak kata frust, nanti kata tak bersyukur pula.

Nak kata happy, tapi rasa tak puas hati pun ada.

Ni tengah dok analyse carta...

jenuh mikir ...

What am I doing wrong?

but at the same time, there is evidence that it's actually working.

my recent measurements

Semua turun.. which is good, except for Skeletal Muscles which should increase (mine went down!) and Body Fats which should decrease (mine went up!!) haishhh...!


So, kalau my Weight, BMI, Skeletal Muscles, Visceral Fat, Basal Metabolic Rate has gone down sementara my Body Fats pulak going up.. macamana tu? How do I 'go in' and 'attack' si Body Fats ni? tengok tu.. si Visceral Fat dah turun, yang engkau (Body Fats) tak mau turun tu pasaipa?


...hmmm...

Hobi Baru

"Curiosity killed the cat" is a proverb used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation. (Wikipedia)


.... so ....


janganlah nak adventure sangat!


Orang dah siapkan untuk dia elok-elok...

...daaak!! nak pi cari adventure jugak!!??


Yang engkau pi lompat keluar tu buat haper??

haaa! kan dah mati!!??

tinggallah yang selebihnya ...

nowadays, kat sinilah Faiz and I sering melepak ...


appreciating his fish pond ...

ni pun satu keja jugak... sepuluh kali dah dok betulkan position lampu-lampu dalam air tu! kejap hala ke sini... kejap hala ke sana ... hmmm ...

New Pets In The House

Meet Yasmin's new sugar-gliders...

Freddy & Freda

eemm... ni Freddy kot? sorry grandma confuse which is which laa..

Yang ni pulak ...

Faiz's new hobi

hmm... ikannya dah masuk rumah baru. Orang-orangnya bila laaa nak boleh masuk niiii... ?

Trip To Universal Studios, Singapore - Part 2

2nd September 2011 - Woke up to perform Subuh prayers with high spirits and excitement in anticipation of today's itinerary - to Universal Studios, Singapore. wuhuuuu...!!!

Surprised to see Firdaus huddled at the corner of his bed looking sickly.

"Eh?? what happened, Adik?"

"Diarrhoea... the whole night.... and now rasa nak muntah..."

"Laa! Makan apa, eh? Everyone else ok jer. emmm... must have been the Nasi Goreng Daging Merah you took last night." (my excitement and high spirits immediately vanished into thin air!).

Ransacked the mini fridge looking for 100Plus ...

... none.

Aduihh..!

Went down to the lobby, asked where's the nearest clinic. Thank goodness, considerably near ... but opens at 9am. "Ok, where's the nearest 7-11 ?". "Just around the corner."

to 7-11 beli pill
Chi Kit Tek On

9am, our transport came. First stop ...








While waiting for us, Ani and Yasmin got down to filling up the Immigration Cards.

Ok... ubat dah ambil ... the Doctor made him take 2 tablets at the clinic and to follow up with other tablets, if condition persists.

"Ya Allah, sembuhkanlah anak aku. Amin". ok, jom...

drop / pick-up area at the basement under the park

asal posing ja, mesti nak tunjuk 'peace', kan?

Alhamdulillah, Firdaus is looking more or less his playful self now

Tak caya?

Tengok ni...

ceria, kan? hehehe..

Dengan rasminya, Mama's worries flew off !

Ok, ambik tiket masing-masing ...





"Nak pi yang mana dulu, eh?"

For a person who loves the excitement of roller coaster rides and couldn't wait to madly dive in for his first ride in the park, it wasn't surprising when Firdaus answered: "ANCIENT EGYPT - REVENGE OF THE MUMMY !!"

On the way to 'Ancient Egypt', we stopped to see an indoor Steven Spielberg's special effects short movie at "Lights, Camera, Action".

We were made to stand in a boathouse by the harbour and experience a Category 5 major hurricane in New York. Interesting!

ok... sambung perjalanan ...

... sampai dah!

'dug.. dag.. dug.. dag' ... hati kecut tapi posing bukan main lagi!

Come on! You can do this, Dolly!


Revenge Of The Mummy, my first ever roller coaster ride in 48yrs of life! This indoor roller coaster started-off slow before suddenly reversing and then exhilarating and plunging us into pitch black total darkness. I could feel the rush of adrenalin as I opened my eyes wide, partly in shock, trying to catch a glimpse of even the slightest of light. I could hear myself screaming my lungs out, clinging on tightly to the safety lap bar for dear life throughout the wild ride!! What have I got myself into!!??

"aaaa.. aahhhHHHH.... AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH..!!!!

aik? apasal grandpa's and grandma's in the two front rows (except for that young fella) nampak relax jer macam not affected langsung, eh? (reminds me of one of Mr Bean's episodes on TV).


"Amacam, Mama? OK dak?", Farid asked. He's the one yang bersungguh-sungguh sangat nak Mama dia naik roller coasters.


"Eh! Mama okeyyyyhh... (cewah!!??). eemm... kat mana toilet?"

Ani waiting for me in front of the restroom. "Sorry eh, cheq lambat skit. Ni nak sudah dah".

Next, we proceeded to the outdoor roller coasters, Battlestar Galactica, where they have two high speed roller coasters HUMAN (red) and CYLON (blue), moving parallel side by side twisting, turning & narrowly avoiding collision with each other!

Naik HUMAN dulu, ok?


Jom!!

'peace'
who am I kidding? trauma tadi pun tak habis lagi!
risau aku!!

OMG!! aahhHHH.. aahhhHHHH.... WHOAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH..!!!!

There was no harness on the upper body part, just a lap bar, and I felt as though I was going to be flung out from my seat! It was scary!!


Down from HUMAN, diorang kata, "Jom sambung naik CYLON pulak!".


"You guys go ahead... bak sini tiket Mama, I'M DONE !!" (nasib baik cheq tak mati atas roller coaster tu tadi! ... eeeiii...)

water! nak minum! nak minum! my throat dry from all the screaming just now!

after CYLON. I noticed Firdaus was a bit pale and was not as 'cheerful' anymore.

"Are you ok, Adik?"


"Pening skit. Nak muntah ... panas ..."


It was midday and was getting considerably hot. With Firdaus starting to feel unwell, we quickly went into one of the air-conditioned souvenir shops to cool down ... browse ... and do some shopping.

After getting some souvenirs and T-shirts, we moved on to "The Lost World" which is divided into two themed areas: Jurassic Park and WaterWorld. It was most unfortunate that Jurassic Park was closed for technical maintenance as we were actually looking forward to this thrilling outdoor river rafts ride (eemm... does this mean we have to come back again for another visit? hehehe...)

Ani: "Lapaq laaa...".

beli nachos...

... drinks and a fancy 'water bottled' fan to keep cool

Next, we proceeded to ...

The live water show at "Waterworld" was about to start as we hurried into the sheltered enclosed area. The stunts, thrills from real explosions of fire and spills of water made the show a sensational one.


Next area was Far, Far Away where we watched the Shrek 4D adventure. There was a long wait in the introductory hall which was quite boring because the hall was packed with sweaty people and smelly clothes which made the place stuffy! eeuuww! I was so relieved when we were finally ushered into the cool comfortable theatre. As I sat, something fell off my seat. Hey! I found an iPhone!! The show started. It was an entertaining 4D adventure with gentle breeze of water and rocking chairs making the story somewhat 'real' as it progresses. Fun!


After the show, we stopped at Madagascar's Casa Del Wild for lunch where we had chicken rice and spaghetti. Meanwhile, Firdaus made calls with the iPhone we found to try to locate the owner. Within half an hour, a young Chinese lady walked into the cafe and was straining her neck as though searching for 'someone'. On instinct, I waved my hand and she came to our table and was so grateful and glad to claim back her iPhone, snapping a photo of Firdaus before leaving.

Perut dah kenyang, sambung perjalanan...


Next, we tried Madagascar's "A Crate Adventure", an indoor river boat ride adventure.

Thank goodness we bought 'Express Passes' together with our tickets online, so we breezed through entrances to all rides and shows. The waiting queues were 45mins to 1hour each!

It was a very very slow and boring ride. As the boat glided gently down the river, I kept expecting something to shock / scare or get us wet but was disappointed with the tame river ride all the way ...

After the ride was over, the penguins and other animal 'friends' entertained us with a dance show.

Last stop, Hollywood. It was here that Firdaus's diarrhoea and nausea started again and he declared that he could no longer bear to go on and badly wanted to get back to the hotel to rest. So, kat sinilah sessi menghabiskan Sing Dollars yang masih ada dengan membeli segala macam souvenirs and Tshirts.

OK.. selesai dah? Jom balik ...

Called our transport and within minutes we were on our way back to Johor Bahru. Made a quick stop at Hard Rock Cafe Singapore to buy some Tshirts. Perjalanan selesa without any traffic jam on the Causeway, arriving at the hotel within 30 mins.


"OK, Ah Wei.. Come fetch us at 8pm for dinner, ya".


8pm - We were entertained again by Mr Teng, Faiz's friend, to the famous Indah Selalu Nasi Lemak and seafood dinner at Kampung Senibong, Permas Jaya.

The restaurant was constructed by the waterfront overlooking Singapore. It has a relaxing ambience with sea breeze and straits view that makes dining a pleasant experience.

3 September 2011 - Time to head home. Our transport came to pick us up at 7am and by 7.30am, we were at Senai International Airport.. getting ready to board two 8.40am flights; ours to Penang and my sister's to Kuala Lumpur.


Alhamdulillah, no flight delays and by 9.30am, we arrived safely in Penang where Pak Kozeni and Faris were ready to pick us up.

Summary:

The Universal Studios in Singapore was nice-and-easy and smaller compared to the one we went to in Gold Coast, Australia a few years back.

Looking at the holiday photos made me feel all sentimental. I am so blessed to have all of you in my life. The laughter and screams would be lasting memories cherished and would forever bring fond smiles whenever I think of them.