Krabi Holiday

Finally, a vacation which I have longed for has arrived. It was a fantastic break away for me although it was only for 3D2N stay in Krabi. After working like a dog for more than 12 months, nothing sounds better than a holiday along the beach, on an island.

For this trip, I had forced my parents to come along since I have not bought them any vacation since I was born. So, this is the first affordable vacation I could buy them, although it sounds pathetic.

We left for KLIA at 4.45 am since we have to catch the plane at 8.20 am. It was a self check-in for all of us, first time for me although it was a bit "leceh". Everything seems to be electronic and self-service nowadays. This will help to reduce the dependency on manpower - will be useful if the ground staff suddenly decided to go on strike!!!

It was a long wait since the flight was delayed due to cleaning matter, so it was not a good start to the trip but since I am flying with MAS, I decided to forgive them. The Boeing 737-800 MH810 plane was not full, leaving abah the option to move across our seats to occupy the empty ones. Our dedicated seats were 9D, E & F for this flight.

Eric & Erica in action. Entertainers at waiting area

We were served Western breakfast, omelette, a sausage, wedges and cookies on the plane. Has been a while since I had breakfast on the plane and well, I do not have any complaints on the taste of the food etc. But one thing which had caught my eyes was the cleanliness of the tray and the seat cover. It is a no no when it comes to cleanliness and I have to tell MAS about it. It must be a quick cleaning done or no cleaning done at all!

We reached Krabi International Airport at approximately 8.30 am local time and was so "gang ho" that we walked out of the immigration counter without our luggage. We had a great laugh and had to show our boarding pass to the officers to enter the secured area again to claim the baggage. Was greeted by a local named Rajan, not an Indian but a Buddhist Thai. We were then grouped together with a Chinese family, Lee. So, there were 9 of us in the group and it was sure a havoc. 

Once we were all grouped in the van, we were greeted once again and the guide had briefed us on the itinerary for the day. First, we were all heading to a place called Wat Tham Sua a.k.a Tiger Cave. It reminds me so much of our Batu Caves except that the number of steps that you have to climb before reaching the top is about 5 times more - 1237. So, I started climbing to test my fitness level but unfortunately I gave up at the 230th step. Was not in proper gear to climb the steps and we did not have the whole time to do so. Probably I will try to time myself during my next trip but I know that it will not be a jiffy :)

I then decided to take pictures at the big temple at the main entrance with the big gong and the two tamed tigers instead.

So, where is the "pengetuk gong"?

Malayan Tiger vs Thai Tiger

Next on the itinerary was Krabi city visit for lunch and jalan-jalan on our own. Looking at the watch, it was only 10.50 am and we were already asked to have lunch. Oh no! There is no way the food could go through my throat and down to the tummy. But as soon as we were introduced to the "nasi ayam" at the Halal food outlet, a very early lunch is negotiable after all.

Target found

Our nasi ayam

The Lees are having a hard time deciding on what to have 

Ibu examining the subject before placing her order 

Another food inspector 

And this is the subject well examined

Alhamdulillah, the food review made by both the food inspectors were fantastic. Both ibu and abah liked the food so much, ibu commented that it tasted like nasi beriyani and abah had ordered for an extra chicken to complete his meal. Good job chef!

We took a walk around the small city to look for any souvenirs etc. and I did take the opportunity to buy some fridge magnets and pistachio for abah to munch later. Quite nice magnets but unfortunately I have forgotten to picture them and had given them all away :)

The faces of Krabi City

Next stop was the Tapom Nemo Fish farm which was not really an interesting place to visit. They should have looked for another spot to visit instead as there was not many things to look at except for a few species of fish swimming here and there.

Abah meeting a new friend

Look at that sound asleep man behind ibu.            
The hot weather will sure make anyone tired and sleepy

Abah is admiring the Honda motorbike. I like it too

The weather was so hot and we were all happy that we will all be checking in into the hotels soon. The Lees were sent first as their hotel was on the way to Ao Nang. Next, we were dropped at Ao Nang Buri Resort, located just across the beach. I could imagine the good time I am going to have soon as I throw myself in bed.

This calm sea is just a stone throw away. Bliss!!

So, after checking in, we were ushered to our rooms, which were just next to each other. Room 214, that is where I will be staying in for 3 days and 2 nights. I jumped with joy upon seeing the room and the surroundings, bliss, bliss and blissssssssssssss..........................

My bed

There was nothing left to do for the day except visiting the pasar malam later that day. So, I decided to unpack my stuff and make myself a cuppa, sitting at the balcony reading the National Geographic magazine I have bought earlier. No interesting figures across my balcony except for a few Malaysian children who were screaming around.

We left for the pasar malam trip in Krabi City after 7.00 pm in the same van. Abah, ibu and myself had decided to have our dinner before walking around the market. Abdullah Halal Food across the road caught our attention and yes, what more do you do when your stomach growls loudly?

Food was fantastic and price was reasonable. Would not say that the food price are cheap, it is about the same as our price back home.

The pasar malam is nothing different from ours. Obviously not much food to buy since most of the stalls are non-halal.

We left the pasar malam at 9.00 pm and were looking forward to go back to the hotel and rest. Upon reaching the hotel, I decided to look around and see where things are located at within the vicinity.

 

  

Kembara Universiti Kehidupan

Alhamdulillah, my niat to be in Baitul Maqdis has been materialized. A trip that I had been waiting for since November 2014 but had died off since Israel did not grant the group our visas. I shall post more on my journey once I have the time to do so soon.

Giving Back to Society - Post Flood Cleanup

As salam, I open the curtain for 2015 with this big mission accomplished for the year. The cleaning up activity is a continuing effort from the last packing that we did at Tractors Malaysia on 3/1/15. But this time travelling to the affected kampung in Gintong, Jerantut, Pahang was required.

Our finished products

With my eldest sister Suraya Sanusi who was there to help too

The journey started early as we have targeted to reach Gintong by 8.30 am on 24th January 2015 but we were out of the schedule a bit since some volunteers have turned up late. It was a two-hour drive from Wisma Sime Darby to the Sekolah Kebangsaan Gintong and the first task we were asked to do was to prepare the rooms for repainting and cleaning of the areas assigned to us. I was teamed up with another 4 girls and three boys of whom 3 are non-Simers. There was AFA, K Zue, Hanim, Rahinee, Hendra, Ramli and another lady whom I cannot remember her name :)

We were assigned the library and computer lab a.k.a Block B in the morning. So, the cleaning started and there was so much hardened earth in between the curtain rails, the green board, the soft board and elsewhere. The school was submerged as the mud mark can be seen till the rooftop. We did the first coating repainting to dry up for the next coat to be applied on. Later in the afternoon, we were assigned to do the repainting of the classrooms of Tahun 3, 4, 5 and 6. Thank God, we have Hendra in the team as it helps a lot since he was the tallest person whom can reach the places where we could not.

The new coat of paint

Zuhur and Asar jamak qasa was performed at the mosque located just a few steps away from the school. The mosque was also affected by the flood, one portion of the building nearby was totally covered by the mud. I guess, the section is no longer in use, thus it was not cleaned at all.

The day ended at 6 pm when we were all ushered to the bus and ferried to our accommodation at ADTEC with such a clean, huge and well arranged campus. Since everyone was rushing for their shower, we opt to have our dinner instead, at the cafe. There was so much food available but being so tired just make one looses her appetite. Once we were back to the hostel, we had our shower and quickly hit the sacks.

Next morning, we woke up for our Fajr prayers and had our showers early before the whole crowd wakes up. Then we headed to the cafe for nasi lemak (again?) and was picked up by the bus to the school. The mission for the second day is to paint the external walls of the school and also the railings and wood frames of the windows. So, there I was with the team painting the school pink, good job I must say. I had the opportunity to speak to Hendra whom had also offered me to use the less heavier stick to reach the top part of the walls. After the change, my job was made much more easier and super fast. So, Hendra is an aeronautical engineer who teached in UNIKL once upon a time I guess and currently is engaged with a US based company operating in NYC. Didn't get to talk to him more since we had to split the walls. It was such a great loss of opportunity :(

Drying up process in progress

Cleaning in progress

The panels I have painted have dried up and turned out to be BEAUTIFUL!!

Good job by the amateurs

Before calling off the day, we had finished up the repainting works which we have not completed the day before in the rooms. However, there were more things which had required completion but due to time constraint, we had to leave the chores to the next team who will be coming in. We were treated to aiskrim potong while painting, to beat the heat of the afternoon.

We left the school with heavy hearts but were happy to see the school internal and external walls were covered with new coats of paints and the children left with cleaner classrooms (except Tahun 1 and 2). The 33 children would be happy to go back to the 'new look" school. A group photo with the Guru Besar was taken as a momento and I think the Guru Besar was so glad that we were leaving as he himself was looking tired from the continuous visits from volunteers.

Everyone was so exhausted but were given pats on the backs for job well done. So, ADTEC was our next stop before we headed back to KL. Along the journey, I could see the great extend of damages caused by the flood. True enough it was a mini Tsunami and not a normal flood. I know that the villagers would need a long time to do the cleaning up and settle down, but I pray that Allah will give them all the strength to move on and continue lives as usual. And I pray that we would all be protected from being hit by harsh weathers again and that we are all forgiven for our sins.

The aftermath of the tragedy

Since the Second Floor showers were all occupied, I went up to the Third Floor to have a relaxing shower instead. We left ADTEC at approximately 7.30 pm since there were two dainty ladies who did not turn up as instructed at 7.00 pm. 

We reached Jalan Raja Laut at approximately 9.30 pm and I had performed my jamak prayers before heading home. Despite the many dirty laundry which require my attention, I was very satisfied to have completed the mission which was nothing much compared to what those volunteers have to do in Manik Urai and other parts of Kelantan. I pray for everyone's wellbeing and for the safety of all Malaysian wherever they are. Ameen

Tests from Allah - missing plane and flood

It is yet another shocking news for the whole world, in particular Indonesia and Malaysia for the missing Air Asia Indonesia plane QZ8501 on 28/12/14. It is the third mishap which involves Malaysian related carrier as Air Asia is the brainchild of Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, a Malaysian.

The bad news took in while many Malaysians are suffering from the flood, the worst disaster after the Tsunami 10 years ago. This may be a reminder from Allah The Almighty for all of us as a result of our greed towards Mother Nature especially in deforestation. It is time to reflect and evaluate ourselves - where we went wrong, how we can make good all the damages done and how do we move forward.

Although the flood in Kelantan is subsiding, there are a lot of cleaning up and rebuilding of the state required. Let us, as Malaysians, put our efforts together to help those in need. The generosity of the Malaysians are being reflected in the abundant contributions given in terms of energy, food, clothes etc. to the flood victims. What is important right now is the emotional support required. The damages to assets can be replaced but not the stress, exhaustion and despair faced, what more when lives are involved.

To all flood victims, I pray that Allah eases your pain and you will stay strong to rebuild your lives. To the families of passengers of QZ8501, I pray that the plane will be located soon and all rescue works can be carried out. I pray that you will all be calm and continue praying for the best. Whatever is the finding, remember that God has better plans for us all.

Don't stop praying and may Allah grants us our doa. Ameen

AFF Suzuki Cup 2014

You all must have known by now the result of the final match between Malaysia and Thailand tonight to fight for the Suzuki Cup. Yes, it has been a disappointment for us, Malaysians but hey, we lost the game with dignity. We won the match tonight but not the overall aggregate to emerge as the champion. Whatever the crowd has to say, our boys have done their best despite always being so relaxed after scoring the first point and the energy reducing towards the end. There is a lot to learn, we are far from being the best in SEA. But, if we take it easy during the games, show lots of sportsmanship to avoid yellow or red cards, we can go far. The boys would need to manage their energy, their spirits and temper.

I love you Harimau Malaya - yesterday, today and tomorrow. And most important is I love Malaysia and we will stand by you our Tanah Tumpah Darahku. Salute to all Malaysians

Qaisara Is One

She has grown up so quickly into that little angel everyone loves and adores

Hijrah 1436

As salam. Another year has passed and we are in the new Hijrah year of 1436. Alhamdulillah for given yet another year to live with all the blessings despite obstacles in between. 1435H has been more positive year for me. My first umrah was performed and I had managed to settle the marriage issue I had for more than 3 years. I pray that the new year will bring me more blessings, like Allah has always bestowed upon me. I also pray that Allah will give me the strength to endure all challenges given to me, make me wiser and smarter when making decision and handling difficult situations. My prayers too for me to be istiqamah in carrying out my responsibilities as a Muslim, be more generous, helpful, discipline and always remind myself that DEATH is just around the corner and is inevitable. I pray for the success of our ummah and may Palestine be free and the Palestinians achieve their freedom, being able to enter and exit from their homeland whenever they wish to and from wherever they feel like. Ameen 

Internet Scam - Robert Mccord

This is a serious matter that I have to share with all readers. It is not a new item on the shelf though. We have been reminded over and over again on people being cheated or scammed where a huge amount of money is involved. I finally experienced it recently, but thank God there was not much money involved. It was merely a sedeqah for another Muslim at first, but when I knew that I was cheated, I will demand for what is owed to me until the judgement day.

Beware of a person by the name of Robert Mccord who claims himself as an American citizen and residing in UK, but is currently in Kuala Terengganu, working with Petronas.

Do not fall for his request etc. and please report the matter to the American Embassy should you ever come across him as a friend. I seriously pity the guy whose pictures is being used, if he is innocent.

Have a great day guys!! Cheers

My favourite 2014 Raya Iklan

Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

As salam, it is less than 14 days now before we meet the blessed month of Ramadhan again. I would like to wish all readers a fruitful Ramadhan and may this Ramadhan be yet another better month where we can spend more time seeking forgiveness from Allah, seek for His Blessings and be a better Muslim to enter Jannah. Please forgive me for all my wrongdoings and may all of us are granted the health to meet Ramadhan again. Ameen