Carbonara White Sauce Recipe

Assalamualaikum

It's been a long time i do not share any recipe here. I always cook our usual and comfy food, so nothing special to share its recipe because everyone already knew it. 

This time, i would like to share about the homemade white sauce for spagetti carbonara which i'd found on Google. But it was the basic one. So i'd improvised it a little bit up to my liking. 

Fortunately, it turned out well. And my hubby and kids loved it so much. Alhamdulillah...:)

Hence i decide to share the simple but yet yummy recipe here for my personal collection. Hopefully it could also benefit others. :)

For the ingredients:

1/4 cup of butter

1/4 cup of flour

1 cup of fresh milk

5 clove of garlics (sliced)

A pinch of salt, black pepper and oregano

300 or 400g minced beef

Some olive oil or cooking oil

Method:

1. Cook sliced garlics in oil and butter until it brown a lil bit and smelled.

2. Pour the minced beef into it. Stir it well.

3. Pour in the flour. Stir evenly with slow fire.

4. Then pour in the fresh milk and stir for a while.

5. Put a pinch of salt, black pepper and oregano according to your taste

Lastly, serve it on with spagetti which you already boiled earlier. Then garnish it with anything you and your family like. 

For us, we only had in our stock some sliced of chicken salami!  Voila, it's yummy! ;D

Hotel Cowboy Melaka Swimming Pool

Assalamualaikum

Well, this month is quite stressful for all of us. Since the haze keeps coming on and off, we decide to stay indoor most of the time and keep hydrated.

The kids complained that it was boring but what can i do. I admit its pretty boring. Huhu.

However, we took the kids out for swimming during the public holiday on awal Muharram. It's zahin's idea. Fortunately that day the haze in Melaka was not bad and the IPU was also low. So off we went.

The kids were over the moon as soon as they saw the swimming pool at Hotel Cowboy Melaka. It's our first time there. Excited much!

The hotel management kindly opens its swimming pools for public from 9am to 8pm daily. There are two swimming pools which are for adult and for kids. Ticket price for adult is RM11 per entry and RM6 for each children. Then you can swim for hours. So worth it! :)

We brought our own swimming attires (not too strict though) and floats from home. But mind you, foods are strictly not allowed. You can buy from the cafe at the hotel. There is a toilet and changing room at the swimming pool area itself. So convenient!

That day, only hubby took our kids into the swimming pool. I just checked the area out but all looked fine and safe.

To cut the story short, as a mummy i'm glad to share here that Zahin can swim now! That day she just did it shortly only in one session of training given by coach Babah and Mummy. Hurray, well done Along Zahin. Keep it up! ;)

As for Iris, she was still scared. So no pressure..we can try again next time in shaa Allah.

As for Zafri, he didnt want to be in the water without his float. So let alone swimming. Hehe. No worries, he's still 4 years old. Again, no pressure. :D

Hopefully both of them can counter their fear soon!

Swimming is good for Athmatic people. Hopefully by swimming, Zahin and Iris's Athma will subside as they grow up. Ameen..

Here are some tips that we used to teach Zahin how to swim on that blessed day of Awal Muharram:

1. Hold your breath, pinch your nose to help. Then be in the water as long you can.

2. Try to float your self and holding your breath at the same time. (Try this for a while until your kids could do it calmly.)

3. When you are already floating, then try paddle your hands and legs. (And without she knows it, she's swimming! ^^)

Both hubby and i never go to any formal swimming class. When i was a kid, my mom taught me how to swim. Only after i got married then i know how to swim but not for too long. I always short of breath. :D

So now we are trying to teach kids swimming ourself. If we could teach them until they can swim then we can save alot. No need to send them to a formal swimming class, right. In shaa Allah..

Alhamdulillah...

Be happy and be positive always! :)

Wassalam

A Short Trip to Pulau Perhentian Kecil

Assalamulaikum

Alhamdulillah my sister's wedding reception at Besut turned out well and successful on 19th September 2015. We wish her and her husband to well embrace the journey in their marriage with love, patience and happiness till Jannah. Ameen...

The next day, some of the relatives had to return to our hometown in Muar earlier than us because some of my cousins worked on Monday. We were really appreciate and would like to thank them for joining us as the bride and groom entourage from Muar to Besut. Mucho gracias! Xoxo. :D

After sending them off at 10a,m, my family sat down discussing on what to do and where to go that day.

So I had suggested all of us to go to Pulau Perhentian since we were already near to the jetty at Kuala Besut. The jetty was just 5 minutes driving from our homestay at Kg. Air Tawar, Besut. Too near, glad that we made it. :D

Actually, the plan was made in my mind earlier to celebrate our septemberian's birthday; Zahin (Sept 17), my husband (Sept 20) and my father (Sept 28). :D

Luckily, all of us had agreed and decided to go except the newlywed couple who had to help the groom's family on the post-wedding's clean-up session. :P

Enjoy the pics! (Sorry they were not in order and i had trouble to choose them. So many pics!! Hope i could share some more later ;D)

Fr left: hubby, mom, future sil, my 2nd bro, my 3rd bro, dad, and sil and her son Erizz. Sitting onthe floor fr left: Zahin, Zafri and  cousin, Izzrizz at Jetty Pulau Perhentian Kecil. Iris was clingy to me who took this pic :D

Here was Iris, Zahin, Zafri and Izzrizz looked a bit tanned after swimming, waiting for our boat to go back to the land.

Were over the moon selfie with my siblings n inlaws at the back  each with their 'peace' sign as soon as we arrived at Pulau Perhentian jetty. 

Family selfie in the crsytal clear water. Happy birthday Babah and along Zahin! xoxoxo :))

me n kids loving the gorgeous water! Seriously, we dont wanna getout fr it that day.  Tskk

too crystal clear to see the cute tiny fishes....excited ok!! heheh. Zahin je yg takut with the fishes :D

and this was our private spot at Shari La Beach Resort that day. Awesome!!

Iris darling berkepit je dgn Tok Mak in the boat otw to the island..hehehe

Anyway, the boat return tickets cost rm70 per adult and rm35 for child. In our group, only us and Zahin had tickets..the other four younger children got free fare. The boat embarked from Kuala Besut Jetty at 12.30pm and it took only 30 minutes to arrive at Pulau Perhentian Kecil. And other different smaller boat came at 4pm to fetch us. Too short rite...huhu. but in shaa Allah perhaps next time we will try to come again for overnights. :D

Nontheless, we really enjoyed the trip though it was a brief trip. We needed it so much! ^_^ But 

I might say the first boat that we rode in while going to the island was much bigger and preferable (ada bumbung and partial wall and life-jackets for lil ones) than the one that we rode during our return to the land. Anyway, we all survived, alhamdulillah. And yet we would love to go there again next time! Coz we forgot to buy any souvenirs such as FM as we were rushing to get to the jetty. Hehehe. 

Last but not least, happy belated birthday to our beloved Septemberians!!! Many happy returns and may Allah bless you three and all of us always. Looking forward to more trips in the future! Ameen! :)

Till then, Wassalam. 

September Comes Early

Assalamualaikum

Huhu I feel so bad looking at this abandoned blog of mine. :D

How come it is already in the mid of September...?! sigh. I have so many things to share but yet so little time to do so. :(

Anyway, this morning we went to GH as Iris have appointment with a doctor. No Athma attack since last ward admission. Alhamdulillah, the doctor was also satisfied after checking her progress. So another appointment will be in three months. :)

Well, actually the school is closed due to the haze, since the AIR is already in 'not healthy' stage. Hence, Zahin jusy stayed home with Zafri while us taking Iris to GH. They were fine when we came home afternoon. No drama air mata! Good...Hihi

Last but not least, my sister had finally tied the knot with her beloved fiance last saturday. So happy for her!! I could not believe that my lil sister already got married, really. Hehe.

Thankfully, the wedding ceremony went smoothly that day. We were touched to see many guests coming even though in hazy day. May Allah bless them all...:)

Lastly, all of us are looking forward to going to Terengganu for the wedding receptions on the groom side this coming weekend. Can't wait!! :D

May Allah protect us in our journey to Terengganu and pray so that the event will be as smooth and successful as ours...in shaa Allah, ameen!

                 Barakallahulakuma!

Tips Bawa Balik Barang Dari Oversea

Assalamualaikum

First of all, selamat hari merdeka yang ke 58, Malaysia! Semoga Malaysia sentiasa dirahmati Allah dan selamat daripada sebarang ancaman dalam dan luar. Ameen.

Kami hanya menyambut kemerdekaan di rumah sahaja.  Cuti hujung minggu yang panjang kali ini banyak dihabiskan dengan 'spring cleaning' di rumah. Terasa lega melihat stor sudah semakin 'clear'. Banyak kotak sudah berjaya kami 'unpack'. Hampir 9 bulan kami sudah berada di Malaysia namun  masih ada lagi kotak-kotak yang belum habis di 'unpack'. Huhu..

Kepada kawan-kawan yang masih berada di luar negara, ini ada tips untuk jimatkan ruang dalam rumah daripada saya.

Barang-barang yang tidak perlu dibawa balik apabila anda mahu back for good.

1. Baju tebal dan berlengan panjang serta skinny jeans.

Kt Malaysia ini panas..tak sesuai dipakai disini even pada waktu malam. Men and boys would not want to wear it. Untuk kita perempuan takpelah kalau bawa balik berlengan panjang sebab memang kita akan pakai. Untuk anak lelaki, lebih baik belikan singlets and shorts untuk mereka. Untuk anak perempuan, belikan leggings not tights! As for my girls, denim jeans pon mereka tak mahu pakai lagi..and most of them pula memang jenis skinny jeans yang melekap bila pakai. Panas Huhu.

2.  'Unused toys'

Menyakitkan mata kalau tiada ruang untuk disimpan. :D Kalau rumah besar dan mempunyai banyak storage untuk menyimpan kesemuanya tidak mengapa kalau hendak dibawa balik. Jika sebaliknya lebih baiklah didermakan sahaja atau jual di ebay/carboot/garage. Bayangkan kami yang telah bawa lebih daripada 10 kotak toys. Pengsan!

3. Pinggan-mangkuk.

Alasan yang sama seperti 'unused toys'. Pening kepala bila tak muat kabinet! :D maka beli sekadar cukup dan belilah yang practical untuk semua peringkat umur. Hehe. Macam Portmeirion agak berat, saya pon jarang2 memakainya di sini. Some people like our parents memang tak larat dengan Portmeirion. Lenguh tangan nak mengangkat dan mencucinya. Hehe hanya sebab ianya cantik dan murah serta buatan dari UK yang membuatkan saya pon turut terjebak membelinya. Nak jual memang tak lah, sayang kot! :D

4. Kasut, stokin dan tights

Cukup seorang sepasang sport shoes sahaja. Kat sini sport shoes hanya digunakan jika ingin berjogging. Anak-anak saya kalau tidak dipaksa pakai kasut memang mereka prefer selipar atau sandle sahaja. Huhu stokin lagilah diorang tak ingin pakai. Akhirnya, terbuang sahaja.

5. Basikal

Mula-mula semangat berkobar-kobar nak 'cycling' bila balik Malaysia. Sekali bila dah kat sini rasa bercinta pula nak cycling. Cuaca yang panas membantutkan keinginan. Duduk dalam rumah pon kadang-kadang saya boleh migrain tau. Makanya sampai sekarang basikal tu tak bergerak-gerak. Huhu. Tapi kalau tahan panas, bawalah balik basikal tu..sayang, kan? Sebab basikal daripada luar negara lebih berkualiti dan harganya pula murah berbanding di sini. :)

Ok setakat itu dululah based on my experience. Semoga ianya dapat membantu anda dalam membuat keputusan dalam penghantaran balik barang-barang ke tanahair.

Lastly, less things not only save space in your home sweet home but could save space on the container as well.. hence could save the money! ;)

 Wassalam.

4 Dreadful Days in Hospital

Assalamualaikum

Iris was taken to Emergency Unit Hospital Melaka around 9am on last friday once she was referred by doctor at panel clinic due to rapid breathing and known Athma. Panic mode was on! So Hubby quickly called his boss and took EL that day. I called my mom just to let her know.

Upon arriving at Hospital Melaka, i got out the car and carried Iris as quick as i could towards the emergency and the paramedic in charged let us straightly went into the emergency room. Few doctors and other paramedics had already waited and welcomed us at the door. Then we were ushered to the bed while at the same time i was busy answering questions by the doctors. They worked very fast and i was very satisfied with that. after about two hours of getting treatment by the dedicated doctors and paramedics, iris seemed stable and the progress was surprisingly shown very well too. Subhanallah..alhamdulillah.

But as expected, they admitted her to the paed ward as she still needed to be monitored closely. Afterall from the xray, the result shown that her lungs were hyper inflated. Then Hubby and Zafri came into emergency room soon after parking our car and he had to went out again to register on the ward admission before off to fetch Zahin at school at 12pm. Around 1ishpm my parents arrived from Muar to take care of Zahin and Zafri while hubby went to the mosque for friday prayer.

At the hospital, only after three hours of waiting in the emergency, we finally got a call and the permission from the ward. It was apparently fullhouse and it's already at 2ish pm! Luckily they managed to secure one place for Iris in the special care room which was air-conditioned. What a relief! I just texted hubby after being sent to the ward. He came back with my parents to visit iris at ward at 4ish pm.

By the way, Iris was treated with 3 times nebulizer,  had completed salbutamol on drip and was on going oxygen in between in the emergency unit. Meanwhile in the ward, she still depended on and off on oxygen and she needed to be pumped, 12 puffs with blue inhaler every 2 hours and was also advised to continue back on the preventor, the brown inhaler, 2puffs every day and night. She was also immediately started on penidsolone (steroid), antibiotics, paracetamol orally day and night as well. All the meds especially penidsolone taste were really horror..Iris hated it the most She even refused it and i had to force her. Two times she spitted half of them out and had made me mad at her then she cried. Sorry Iris, Mummy was too worried of you. So i had to bribe her by promising to buy her something about the Little Pet Shop if she properly took her meds. Surprisingly after the deal, she never failed taking the med. But still pity my lil girl and me of course esp during the giving med time, its really a battle..huhu...

During the four days stay, the medication routine was the same. It was dreadful, i was sleep-deprived and sometimes i missed the pump routine esp in the middle of nights as i was exhausted and didnt hear the alarm clock!! I hate myself when that happened but fortunately the doctors and nurses were kindly said it was fine since Iris seemed comfortable in her sleep. Then based on that, the doctors agreed to increase the pump time from every two hours to three on saturday, the  to every four hours on sunday. The breathing was also alreay getting slowly..

By Sunday Iris had not feverish anymore, already very active, climbed on and off the cot bed..she even ran and jumped! oh myyyy i almost lost my mind to tell her off..because she must rest according to the doctors..but this cannot-sit-still-girl tak makan saman ok...sigh. She already got bored..and kept saying wanna go home, ..and she even insisted to tag me to the musolla as well.

But too bad that she was still having chesty cough and wheezing on and off, hence the doctors still kept her warded. Only on monday afternoon, the doctor in charged had finally agreed to discharge her. Phewww..what a relief!

But i cannot relieve yet since she is still not fully recovered. Currently she still continuing on medication therefore needs to be monitored closely at home..

So now she's on antibiotic day and night, rhinitin for cold only at night as it causes drowsy and as well needs to be pumped with the blue inhaler, 6 puffs every 4 hours for two days. Then 6 puffs every 6 hours for another two days before stop it. After that she needs to be pumped when needed, like whenever having difficult to breath. But for the preventor, the brown inhaler she must take it 2 puffs every day and night until next appointment with doctor in a month time.

Honestly it was tough taking care an athmatic child. Need to control her food and wellbeings. But anything for her, really. I just hope she will be healthy with the controlled meds taking and all the precautions. i will always pray so that her Athma will be eventually gone as she grows up. Ameen..!! Zahin pon dah lama tak Athma, alhamdulillah..

Lastly, speedy recovery and get well soon my darling, Iris! We love you so much! Hope jaga makan, makan ubat dan kene pantang..in shaa Allah.


Ps. I just want to thank all the doctors, paramedics, nurses, hospital assistants of Paed ward of Hospital Melaka (in case of they ever tumble on this blog of mine.) They really did an excellent job. Hope they will keep it up! And May Allah always bless all of them for their patience, kindness and sincerity. Again, thank you!!

Hadiah Hari Jadi Ke 34

Assalamualaikum

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri! Dah nak habis raya baru dapat wish kt sini. Tapi ini belum nak share pasal raya lagi..tunggu k! :D

Pada 24 Jun yang lalu adalah merupakan birthday Mummy yang ke 34. Alhamdulillah..di atas segala nikmat dan rezeki yang Allah berikan..:)

Kebetulan pada hari yang sama ialah hari terbuka sekolah Zahin. Kami dah tau markah semua subjek tapi tak tahu kedudukannya no berapa.

So masa turn kami berjumpa dengan guru kelasnya barulah kami tahu yang Zahin telah mendapat tempat pertama di dalam kelasnya. Masya Allah memang terkejut habislah mummy dan Babah masa tu. Rasa terharu sangat. we felt so proud of her. Alhamdulillah.. all her efforts had been paid off. :)

Bagi Mummy, inilah hadiah hari jadi yang paling istimewa buat teacher Mummy..hehehe. Babah turut berterima kasih pada Mummy sebab Mummy lah yang banyak membantu Zahin dalam membuat homework dan memastikan all her homeworks finished first before anything else. Lepas tu baru dia boleh buat benda lain..;)

Walau macam mana pon Mummy rasa masih banyak yang kena improve esspecially Bahasa Malaysia Pemahaman dan Penulisan. Subjek ini amat mencabar even for Mummy! ;P But issokay perlahan-lahan kita sama-sama belajar. BM sekarang lagi high level plak tu. Huhu..

Guru kelas Zahin pula mengajar BM, jadi beliau sarankan agar Zahin lebih banyak membaca buku cerita BM untuk tambah kosa kata.

Memang mencabar sebab koleksi buku cerita Zahin kebanyakannya dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Tapi In shaa Allah..akan diusahakan. Sekarang Setiap kali ke public library, Mummy akan pastikan Zahin ambil buku cerita BM. So far nampaknya Ok..alhamdulillah..;)

Sebenarnya kedudukan no berapa itu tak penting. Kt UK memang tiada numbering system or even examination. Yang paling penting anak-anak belajar for the sake of gaining knowledge to be applied in their life, not studying for the examination only. Huhu..

Hopefully, Zahin (dan juga adik2nya) akan terus rajin belajar dan sentiasa berusaha untuk menambah ilmu pengetahuan untuk menjadi orang yang berilmu dan berakhlak mulia. AMEEN..

Kepada Babah, Thank you so much belanja kita semua buka puasa kt luar on our big day. Double celebration! ;)

As for Zahin, she asked for Geronimo Stilton's book as her reward. Haih..bagi can la buku cerita BI..hadiah dia kan..so she deserved it. Hehe..

Last Day in Istanbul

Assalamualaikum

Pada hari terakhir, walaupun berasa letih selepas sightseeing dari pagi sampai malam pada hari sebelumnya, kami terpaksa gagahkan juga diri. Barang-barang perlu dikemas dan apartment mesti dibersihkan sebelum kami check out. Kami juga pastikan sampah semua dibuang dan cuci pinggan dan gelas yang telah digunakan serta disusun semula ke tempat asalnya. 

Setelah berpuas hati, barulah kami mandi dan bersiap sedia untuk breakfast di hotel restaurant. Sur hotel terbahagi kepada dua bangunan iaitu bangunan hotel dan bangunan apartment. Namun lokasi keduanya berdekatan sahaja. Oleh kerana cuaca pada hari itu mendung dan suhu juga semakin sejuk, kami terpaksa memakai baju tebal sebelum turun berjalan ke arah bangunan hotel. 

Pengalaman istimewa dengan Sur hotel ialah apabila dapat breakfast sambil menghadap Laut Marmara. Awesome view! :) Hotel juga menawarkan free breakfast kepada kami setiap hari.  ;) Walaupon makanannya bukanlah kena dengan taste kami tetapi kami tetap bersyukur dan berasa selesa, apatah lagi layanan yang diberikan oleh waiter dan waitress yang murah dengan senyuman di restaurant begitu mesra sekali. :)

pic at the hotel lobby..just after the breakfast..mummy je yg bsemangat posing, kids plak buat muka boring ..haih :D

hilly, stroller and cobbled street...bertabahlah! :D

fresh pomegranates was almost everywhere here...

Suasana di Sultanahmet pada hari terakhir amat berbeza. Polis kelihatan di setiap penjuru Sultanahmet area. Cuak juga kami, ingatkan ada rusuhan rupanya Pope datang melawat Blue Mosque dah Hagia Sofia. Huhu. Kawalan ketat sehingga kedua-dua tempat tarikan pelancong ini juga turut ditutup sementara daripada orang ramai. Huhu nasib baik kami sempat visit semalamnya. 

Kesian pelancong tak boleh masuk Blue Mosque. 

kereta polis sampai parking atas tram line near Sultanahmet station huhu

Setibanya di Sultanahmet station, servis tram juga tergendala. Ramai orang bersesak-sesakan menanti tram. Maka kami decide untuk berjalan kaki sahaja ke Topkapi Palace. Tak jauh hanya selang satu station je kalau tak silap. 

Tapi jalan kaki slow-slow sambil tolak stroller still takes time. But it's fine, it was really interesting walk while passing the shops along the road and the tram line with other people..so happening! Bila lagi nak merasa, kan? ;)

alhamdulillah tak takut pon jalan sightseeing di sini sebab ramai orang

sekali terjumpa signboard ni..dan2 mata terus tertangkap pada 'London' adeyyy..syahdu sekejap! 

sempoi betul makcik buat flat bread secara open cenggini in one of the restaurants...ceria je hehe 

Di pertengahan jalan, kami berhenti sebentar. Hubby masuk ke salah sebuah kedai dan membeli Istanbul map. Setelah yakin laluan kami betul, kami pon meneruskan perjalanan.

And we finally arrived at one of the entrance of Topkapi Palace! Taman ini merupakan public park yang tertua di Istanbul dan Gulhane bermaksud 'Rosehouse'! ;) 

Hmm cantik juga landskapnya...dan rasa tenang je berada di dalam taman. Tempat yang sesuai untuk merehatkan minda dan kaki untuk seketika hehe. 

Nway, walaupon takda playground my kids tetap seronok! Hopefully you enjoy the pics.. :D

seronok main air:P

happy girls...pon bolehhh ^_^

so calm and peaceful

the fountain lovers..

gloomy background with the leafless trees...:)

Setelah spent some time let the kids enjoy themselves di Gulhane Park, kami pon beredar dan menuju ke tram station berdekatan untuk pergi ke Galata Bridge plak(in the previous entry). ;)

Gulhane tram station (for Gulhane Park & Topkapi Palace)

seronok naik tram :D

  :)

Gulhane Park during Spring time...so lovely!!!  credit pic to Google 

Setelah puas berada di Galata Bridge kami terus ambil tram berpatah balik ke Sultanahmet untuk check out hotel. Setibanya kami di hotel dalam pukul 3pm, pemandu van juga baru sahaja sampai di depan hotel. Maka tanpa berlengah lagi, kami terus loading barang dan luggage ke dalam van. 

Perjalanan ke Atarturk airport mengambil masa dalam lebih kurang 40 minit. Flight kami dari Istanbul ke Kuala Lumpur dengan Emirates pada hari itu, 29 Nov 2014 ialah pada pukul 8 malam kalau tak silap..hehe lupa sudah..apapun kami sempat check in di kalangan yang terawal...;)

Anyway, so long Istanbul, you were being so nice to us! Teşekkür ederim, Thank you! Kalau panjang umur dan ada rezeki lagi, memang teringin nak repeat Istanbul and other parts in Turkey, in shaa Allah.! hehe :) (Dreaming is Free of charge :P)

9th Anniversary in Istanbul

Assalamualaikum

Tansit di Istanbul hujung November lepas juga merupakan hadiah untuk hari ulangtahun perkahwinan kami yang ke-9. Oleh kerana tarikh anniversary ke-9 jatuh pada 24 Disember 2014, kira nya sambut in advance lah masa tu..hihihi :D

The only pic of the two of us in Istanbul (Galata Bridge in the background). Kepala Iris kat sebelah tue...no matter how the other half  adjusted the tripod for only the two of us, but she's still managed to be squeezed in the pic..hihihi...

Setakat ini belum pernah lagi sambut berdua-duan, sejak first anniversary lagi kami dah ada anak. Sorry nak throwback sikit. :P. Kebetulan pada tahun 2006, Babah dapat sambung master di Coventry University, UK, jadi masa tu Babah kata jomlah kita sambut first anniversary di city of Love, Paris! ^_^

Ingatkan pergi bulan Januari 2007 (delayed anniversary treat) dah kurang sejuk.. sekali nan ado yer...mengigil-gigil kat atas Eiffel Tower lagi ada! hahaha. Dah la Zahin baru umur 4 bulan masa tu, mummy dok berdoa aje agar dia sihat walafiat sepanjang di Paris. All praises due to Allah, it was a beautiful memory. :)

Happy 9th Anniversary to Us from Istanbul with Love!! berlima sudah...hihihi

manja-manja mummy yang asek berkepit aje dgn mummy all the time...

Gambar-gambar kat atas ini adalah pada hari terakhir kami di Istanbul. Gigih lagi berjalan semata-mata untuk melihat sendiri pemandangan selat Bhosphorus di Galata Bridge yang sangat cantik. Memang sesuai sangatlah dijadikan sebagai background our 9th anniversary hihi. 

Galata Bride, Sebelah bawahnya terdapat deretan restoran-restoran...

Mulanya kami ingat lebih romantik kalau menaiki cruise menyusuri laut Bhosphorus dan Golden Horns tapi disebabkan masa yang suntuk dan kesihatan yang tidak mengizinkan kami tidak jadi ambil pakej cruise. Lagipon, cuaca agak mendung dan suhu pula semakin rendah. Di tepi laut ni pula angin tersangatlah kencangnya membuatkan kami terpaksa menahan kesejukan.

The kids were also not too excited as yesterday. That's why we did not go on a cruise. Masa yang diperlukan sekurang-kurangnya satu jam untuk naik cruise. 1 jam adalah tempoh yang lama bagi anak-anak kami yang jenis cepat bosan dan tak reti duduk diam ni. I thought we would not be able to enjoy the cruise peacefully in that kind of situation within the rush hour. 

Tapi tak kisah sebab meriah juga kat tepi laut nie. Ramai betul orang memancing sambil tengok bot dan cruise lalu-lalang. And from here, we could see another famous mosque across the sea. Nice background, indeed! Too bad we did not have time to visit the mosque too. Lagipon kalau tak silap masjid itu terletak di atas bukit, jadi memang tak berdayalah nak mendakinya. Huhu..

Actually, Turki terbahagi kepada dua iaitu di sebelah benua Eropah dan benua Asia. Istanbul Attarturk airport and Sur hotel (where we stayed..) in Sultanahmet area was in the Europe side. Tapi gambar-gambar di atas ini diambil dari sebelah Asia. Spice Bazaar yang terkenal juga di sebelah Eropah. Kami naik tram aje menyeberangi melalui Galata bridge untuk ke sebelah Asia. ;)

Antara tempat menarik di Turki Asia ialah Galata Tower dan Taksim Square ala-ala Oxford Street, London, syurga membeli belah. But unfortunately, we did not have a time to visit all of the three mentioned attractions. Memang tak sempat. Lepas lepak-lepak kat tepi laut dekat Galata Bridge, kami terus ambil tram dan balik semula ke Sultanahmet area.

Actually, maybe sempat juga nak ke salah-satu attraction tu kalau tram beroperasi pada pagi sebelumnya itu. Tiba-tiba hari itu ada Pope datang melawat Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia..itu yang  menyebabkan tram service diberhentikan seketika di Sultanahmet station. Huhu..

street musician, sedap nyanyiannya :)

banyak cat, gebu2 dan gemuk2..geram sgt! :D

haih tgh tido pon comel hihi

Setiba di Sultanahmet tram station, mummy sempat lagi beli pashmina...;D

Last but not least, to my darling husband...Belated happy 9th Anniversary, Sayang!! Thank you very much for everything..I Love You more n more day to day... May Allah bless us, kids with good health, success and happiness till Jannah. May Allah bless our marriage till Jannah with Sakinah, Mawaddah and Rahmah..Ameen..:)

my beloved husband baru habis solat jumaat di Blue Mosque. Alhamdulillah! :)

Sebenarnya sebelum kami naik tram ke Galata Bridge, kami sempat singgah ke Gulhane Park. Dari Sultanahmet kami jalan kaki aje, Saja upah kids dengan bawa mereka ke park. Memang favourite place kids, kan! :D Nanti next entry kot mummy sambung lagi, in shaa Allah! 

:)

Istanbul Aku Datang

Assalamualaikum

Sebelum pulang ke Malaysia (back for good) pada bulan November tahun lepas, kami telah membuat keputusan untuk transit di Istanbul, Turki terlebih dahulu selama dua malam. Alhamdulillah, tercapai juga hajat saya nak tengok Blue Mosque dan solat didalamnya. Masya Allah..:)

Since it was an impromptu decision I didn't have much time to do enough research on Istanbul. Lagipon, kami semua tidak berapa sihat pada minggu terakhir di London dan terlalu sibuk dengan urusan serta mengemas barang sebelum dimasukkan ke dalam kontena.

Anyway, Istanbul is a very interesting city! And based on our experience, two days is not enough to cover places in there. Budaya dan tempat mereka mempunyai keunikan dan daya tarikan tersendiri. Orang Turki baik tua mahupun muda bukan sahaja cantik dan tampan tapi mereka sangat baik, sopan, murah dengan senyuman dan peramah walaupun kebanyakannya tidak boleh bertutur dalam bahasa Inggeris. Respect!

Semasa tunggu tram, Mak cik ni tegur tapi kami macam ayam dgn itik haha. beliau sangat baik hati bagi Iris bracelet dan duit pada Zahin dan Zafri. :)

Makanan halal juga murah dan senang didapati di mana-mana sahaja. Untuk saya yang kuat pedas dan lidah melayu memang tidak sesuai dengan makanan di sana. Huhu! Tapi bagi penggemar kebab dan lamb macam my hubby, Istanbul memang heaven! Hehe

nice gourmet in Sultanahmet area

Istanbul Attaturk airport..

Dalam city kami sempat merasa naik tram. Tramline map Istanbul agak mudah untuk difahami. Tiada masalah, tiket boleh dibeli di mesin yang disediakan di setiap tram station.

But most of the time we just walked because we got two strollers. Tapi jalan kaki sambil tolak stroller di Istanbul sungguh memenatkan kerana struktur muka buminya agak berbukit. It was adventurous indeed! ;)

Hop on Hop off (HOHO) Istanbul City sightseeing bus were also everyday in service. But surely the ticket is  more expensive. ;)

Di Istanbul kami menyewa sebuah apartment di Sur Hotel dalam kawasan Sultanahmet. Harganya ialah RM100 per night kalau tak silap. Agak murah kan! Our apartment was clean and cosy, We also got free complementary breakfast dan room service everyday. Awesome! ;)

Rata-rata memang ramai yang cadangkan supaya duduk di kawasan Sultanahmet sebab ia berdekatan dengan kebanyakan tourist attraction seperti Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar dan banyak lagi. Within walking distance! But as i mentioned earlier, we did not manage to visit all the places. Kesihatan tidak begitu mengizinkan dan kami semua masih dalam kesedihan setelah meninggalkan London. :P

sunny and beautiful Friday but ssejuk...brrr!

Turki mengunakan matawang Lira. Seingat saya masa tue masih nisbah 1:2 dengan duit RM. 1Lira dalam lebih kurang RM2. Kami tukar siap2 duit pound sterlings ke Lira dan juga euro. Biasanya sukar nak tukar apabila sudah berada di sana.

kami tukar di Marks & Spencer Money Changer, di Exchange Mall, Ilford. Kadar tukaran matawang situ lebih murah berbanding di tempat lain. Kadar tukaran bergantung pada money changer ye so kene cari yang paling murah. Ketidak nanti kita yang rugi. :D

Most of the time and place kami bayar menggunakan Lira. euro digunakan semasa membeli souveniers berdekatan dengan Grand Bazaar.

different angle of the Blue Mosque. Magnificent!

Blue Mosque

Ok kalau google, boleh nampak banyak tempat untuk dilawati. Antara yang top ialah Blue mosque atau Sultan Ahmet Camii (in Turkiye). Memang wajib visit this mosque. Kenapa dipanggil masjid biru? Sebab didalam masjid biru, tiles yang digunakan untuk dindingnya adalah berwarna biru. Interior design blue mosque sememangnya sangat cantik dan senibinanya sangat halus. Very impressive! Sila check jadual waktu lawatan di dalam website. Masjid ditutup seketika pada waktu solat Subuh, Zuhur, Asar, Maghrib, Isyak dan Solat Jumaat bagi menghormati  dan memberi ruang kepada jemaah untuk bersolat.

Hari jumaat merupakan ialah hari yang paling sibuk di Istanbul terutama sekitar Sultahahmet area. So crowded especially time Solat Jumaat. Peminta sedekah juga ramaaaaiiii...agak tak selesa dan tak aman nak sighseeing that day. Quite scary but controllable though. Polis ada di mana-mana sahaja. Ada beberapa peminta sedekah yang ditangkap polis di Blue Mosque di depan mata kami sendiri. Poor them..:(

Since kami punyai satu hari sahaja iaitu Jumaat maka terpaksa juga pergi. But i like, nampak meriah sangat. :D Untung my hubby sebab beliau berpeluang solat Jumaat di dalam Blue Mosque. Kids and i just sat on the bench at the square right side of the mosque while waiting hubby. Alhamdulillah rezeki..dapat tengok Turkish men and women rushing to the mosque for Friday prayer. At the same time, jamu mata melihat sekeliling. Ada yang berniaga jual sahlep (turkish drink) dan buah delima. Some kids were feeding pigeons, my kids pon enjoy dan leka tengok, mummy enjoy ambil gambar! hehe. 

Pada sebelah petangnya, giliran saya pula dapat menunaikan solat jamak zuhur dan asar dan solat sunat di dalam Blue Mosque. Ada ruang khas untuk jemaah wanita di belakang sekali. Mula-mula nak masuk kene tanggalkan kasut dan simpan di dalam plastik kemudian letakkan di rak yang disediakan berdekatan dengan pintu masuk.

 as soon as i enter the mosque, terpegun sejenak dengan suasana didalamnya. Semuanya cantik belaka daripanda interior design nya sampaila ke permaidaninya yang mewah. hehe..Lepas tu bila ternampak pengawal yang bertugas, barulah cepat-cepat saya masuk ke ruang solat wanita. Risau kalau2 pengawal ingat saya non muslim visitor plak, bukan nak solat. :D (sorry no pics inside the mosque, tak igt plak kt dlm file iphone yg mana satu. Banyak sgt huhu)

Alhamdulillah atas peluang yang diberikan. Cuma sedikit terkilan sebab my kids tak berpeluang untuk masuk langsung ke dalam masjid Biru..tapi takpa tetap bersyukur kerana setidaknya mereka bertiga masih ada ikut bersama-sama dan sangat behave duduk diperkarangan masjid. :D

From Blue Mosque with love

Hagia Sofia

Merupakan sebuah church suatu ketika dahulu dan kini dijadikan sebagai muzium. Hagia Sofia atau Aya Sofia terletak berhadapan dengan Blue Mosque. Saiz binaannya juga lebih kurang sama dengan Blue Mosque dan kelihatan berwarna peach.

Kami cuma melawat di luar perkarangannya sahaja. Landskapnya agak cantik dan mempunyai sebuah fountain. My kids really enjoyed watching the fountain and had a good time there. Waktu malam air pancut bertukar-tukar warna, lagi bertambah cantik!:)

Tapi jika dapat masuk ke dalam Hagia Sofia sudah tentu lagi memuaskan hati. Huhu. Kat Hagia Sofia ni pon ramai sangat orang. Susah betul nak ambil gambar satu family, ada aje yang photobomb. Huhu. But at least ada juga satu gambar yang ok...:D

the only family photo yg tak kene photobomb.. kids pon dah boring masa ni tp kene paksa...:D

beautiful fountain in front of Hagia Sofia

In shaa Allah to be continued..:D

Inipon dah lebih setengah tahun baru dapat update kat blog. Tapi takpalah 'better late than never' rite. Kalau nak diikutkan banyak lagi cerita yang lagi lama daripada cerita Istanbul yang tak ber update lagi. Huhu. Hopefully, i will share them next time. In shaa Allah. :)