Love of My Life

Assalamualaikum

Been ages since i last posted something. 

When you’re successful or when you’re down, Allah is always with you. Alhamdulillah 

Family is a pillar of strength for me too. From my parents and entire big family to of course especially my love of my life, wife and children. May Allah bless them all. 

Be there for your love of your life. 

:)

Revisiting the past and future

Assalamualaikum. Had an eventful week. Now enjoying a very long break.

This morning accompanied me dad to a class at the mosque. Alhamdulillah it was sort of refreshing.

I think at times we tend to want everything on this earth....be it wealth, flashy cars, smartphones that can do everything and big titles etc. But we tend to forget that these are just worldly things which will bring us nothing much in the Hereafter. Its how we optimise these worldly things to gain Allah's blessing on earth and the Hereafter which is more important.

I was going through some old albums and stumbled on photos taken way back in the 90s. Smiles everywhere rekindling how fast time just passed. Didn't realise tears rolling down when i recall how much my parents sacrificed for the family. We stayed with each other through thick and thin. Only Allah knows the hardship we all went through. Alhamdulillah for all the love and rezeki that Allah has granted us. Love everyone to bits.

Grateful

Assalamualaikum. Recently, a colleague was hospitalised due to some health complications. I've not really been to the hospital for a while, but the number of babies and elderly patients at the emergency department was rather disturbing. And on top of that, the hospitalisation costs remain elevated.

But Importantly, it made me ponder how critical it is to maintain good health.

May Allah maintain our good health and prevent us from getting major or minor diseases.

Goosebumps: Happy 200th Anniversary PFS

Brings back so much happy memories. Happy 200th Penang Free School!

P.S: wish list: i so want a drone with a cam :)

Life

Bismillahirrahmaanirraahim.

Two things today:

1. Opened the Quran on the tablet, and the verse of the day suggested Surah Al-A’raaf Ayat 200: “And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing.”

• We are all normal human beings who cannot run away from making mistakes or say things which may hurt others. But more importantly, if we realise it or not, Allah will always be there for us to seek refuge and His forgiveness. Unfortunately, when everything is going well, some tend to forget Allah and neglect their duties towards Him. May Allah make our hearts remain steadfast in His path and May Allah forgive us for our wrongdoings.

       2. And surfed JAKIM’s e-hadith:
           Daripada Aishah RA katanya, “Rasulullah SAW wafat dan meninggalkan baju besinya yang digadaikan kepada seorang yahudi dengan tiga puluh gantang           gandum.” (Hadith Riwayat al-Bukhari dan Muslim)

• Selawat dan salam ke atas Rasulullah SAW.  I asked myself this time and time again. Will there ever be anyone currently living on this earth who is willing to live modestly and/or willing to commit and live with the other half if he/she was facing difficulties in life? Till today, I don’t have enough samples to answer this. 

Restart. Reboot

Assalamualaikum. Just realised its a good 3 years since i last updated this blog.

Maybe it is time to restart. Start afresh and open a new chapter.

Semoga dipermudahkan Allah.

Crap

Have you ever felt that crappy moment in life? I think the past week has been the crappiest (is there such a word?!) ever since i came back. Just want to forget it. 

Conflicting messages

Assalamuakaikum. Opah was admitted to the hospital. Kind of sad to see her cry :-/. Pray that she recovers. 

On my way out of the hospital. I encountered two conflicting messages. First, while i was walking towards the lift. I saw a soft drink vending machine. Second, was the message on the lift door which warns people of the dangers of obesity and diabetes. How conflicting indeed ;)

Crossroads & Dilemma

Just experiencing this dilemma. Work & personal life.

Sometimes, it feels like we're stuck at a crossroad between monetary gains & power and even more monetary gains & even more power. Pening.

Personal life. Well, i ask the question over and over again, is there someone willing to accept me? I just don't know if I'm not trying hard enough or if other people are just making it tough for me. Sabar2.

Ya Allah please permudahkan segalanya buat hambaMU yang lemah ini.

Broga Hill

Ive long wanted to do a hike up Broga Hill. Must say ive heard about it from many friends. Its one of the 'busiest' hiking spots around the Klang Valley.

I drove off to Broga after Subuh prayers. I reached the destination, which is near a palm oil estate (which is opposite a Rabbit farm). You can choose to park in the estate (for a RM2 fee) or simply park outside by the roadside.

As it was still dark, it would be wise to bring a torchlight but should you need one there is a stall selling it. The hike up was relatively flat for the first 5-10 mins. Then the elevation was quite steep in certain stretches.

As ive not really been hiking, the mistake i made was not to properly warm up. Ya, towards the summit, my leg muscles started to pull. It was kind of bad. But hey, what the heck. At least I'm trying my best :)

The scenery was nice. But i must warn that there were like hundreds of other people doing the hike.

All in all i definitely treasure the experience minus the cramps. Haha.

Will i do it again? Definitely. :)

Visiting an old pal

The last time i met Syafiq, my old KMPP classmate was the day he got married two years ago. How time flies.

So, ive long wanted to visit him & his family. He's currently teaching in Perak, on the other side of the Bernam river.

It was quite a journey. K.Selangor via LATAR. Then to tjg Karang up through till sg panjang @ sg besar. Then i needed to take a tongkang to get across the river.

Seriously, the teachers here have my utmost respect. The sort of hardship faced is much bigger than us who are ao called living comfortably in the city.

Trip to Melaka

Its been a few years since i last visited Melaka. So, as i was on a working trip, i finally had the chance to go visiting once again.

My oh my. Bandaraya Melaka is sooooo booming. Buildings, malls, hotels sprucing like crazy.

Development has definitely arrived.

Colourful characters

Assalamualaikum

Throughout the journey in life, we come across lots of people with different characters. For example, some might be extremely friendly & chatty while others timid & quiet.

These are the different shades of colour we go through in life. No person is perfect. Patience and resilience is upmost key when we have to endure a certain colour. Just like the blades of a rotating fan, you might have to go through it over and over again. "Bersabarlah menghadapi pelbagai karenah manusia".

Whatever colour we go through, just make sure it doesn't change you for the worse. If it changes you for the better then good for you. :)

Just rambling.

Self-reflection

Assalamualaikum

Its been awhile. Many things have changed. Many people have come and go.

One things for sure, we become older & older by the second, minute and hour. Not sure if I'll be able to live long enough to get married, to have kids etc. Hanya Allah Mengetahui. Please forgive hambaMu ini, Ya Allah. Permudahkan segalanya & jadikan diri ini insan yg mensyukuri nikmatMu...

A review

Assalamualaikum

Its been close to 5 months since ive returned to this blessed country. Many things have happened in this short span of time.

First and foremost, ive grown another year older. Hopefully, wiser and closer to Allah..

Second, my niece Humayraa has grown up so fast that it feels as if it was the first time i carried her at the airport.

Third, job responsibilities have changed (personally feels like I'm a nomad. Not that I'm complaining. Haha). No no not changed. Correction: have been piling.

Fourth, the traffic jam endured daily to and fro makes me miss Canberra so much. How i wish i can just walk to work (dream on).

Fifth, seriously i need to shed the extra kilos and get back into shape ala studies dulu.

the end. :)

P/s: I'll avoid from talking about politics. Just feels better that way :)

Selamat Datang ke Malaysia

Assalamualaikum

First posting since I've been back to Malaysia. Definitely missed my family big time.

However, I do miss Australia. Not because of anything in particular, but just because of the clean environment, the tranquility that I experience while living there.

Ever since returning, I've had a hectic life of going through endless traffic jams, facing people with lack of road ethics etc.

Just hope that one fine day, I'll be back. Insya Allah.

101: Halal Food / Produce: Canberra (Part 3)

Assalamualaikum

Just to introduce some halal products which are readily available from major supermarkets in Canberra.

Steggles. Whole chicken, nuggets, etc. Most of the products are certified halal by the australian federation of Islamic Council (afic). The tip is, I only buy when there is an AFIC logo on the product.

Pacific west. Fish tempura, squid, prawns. Yum.. Be careful when purchasing products  manufactured by Pacific West (in Malaysia). Only purchase the ones that have the Malaysian halal logo (jakim). Some of the products are clearly not halal as they use beer batter (mainly for export markets such as in Australia).

Semoga bermanfaat. :)

101: Halal Food / Produce: Canberra (Part 2)

Assalamualaikum

Part 1 was more of the basics should one intend to indulge in some self-cooking. Part 2 is more of introducing the halal restaurants available in Canberra. A disclaimer: The restaurants are based on recommendations by local Muslims, certified joints from 2011 till mid 2012; you might want to recheck again just in case there are any changes after that period :)
(Image source: Google & respective websites)


Halal Restaurants / Fast food etc.


1. Ali Baba - website








Theme:  Lebanese, Mediterranean

What is halal? Everything from kebabs, zucchini balls, grilled chicken etc.


Location: Its practically everywhere - Canberra Centre, Civic, Dickson, Gunghalin - Click here for location

Comment: Its like a fast food chain which is available in most suburbs in Canberra. Price  ~$5-$20 depending what you order.

Ratings:
Food satisfaction: (1----------------------7-------10)
Cleanliness: (1---------------------7--------10)





2. Nando's - website

Theme: Portugese

What is halal? Chicken


Location: There's four branches in Canberra namely in Belconnen, Canberra City Centre, Woden and Tuggeranong - Click here

Comment: Argh, that Portugese peri-peri chicken wonder is also available in Australia. No different from the Nando's in Malaysia. I personally would avoid the rice (nasi kunyit??) as its not to my taste. Price range ~$5-$30. A bit pricey, i must say. A quarter meal could stretch you to $15.

Ratings:

Food satisfaction: (1-------------------------8----10)

Cleanliness: (1------------------------8-----10)



3. Turkish Pide House, Yarralumla - website

Theme: Turkish 

What is halal? Everything

Location: 47 Novar St, Yarralumla (its actually beside the Yarralumla Halal Meat store - refer previous posting)

Comment: There are many Turkish pide restaurants in Canberra. But this particular restaurant deserves mention. In my humble opinion, it serves the best kebab and Turkish pide (note: even non-kebab lovers revert to eating kebab after visiting this joint :) ).Price ~$5-$30. By the way, the kebab ($9.50) is so fulfilling that it can last you the entire day)

Ratings:

Food satisfaction: (1-------------------------9--10)

Cleanliness: (1---------------------7--------10)



4. Roti House - website

Theme: Malaysian


What is halal? Everything


Location: Shop 4, Ground Floor, Ernst & Young Building, 121 Marcus Clarke Street Canberra City ACT 2601

 

Comment: Well, if you're craving for Malaysian food, here's the place to go. Its the only halal Malaysian restaurant that i know of in Canberra. However, be prepared to pay a premium. A roti canai would take you to ~$6 / piece. If you're hungry and you have many friends to dine with, my suggestion is to order the lauk-pauk and rice to share. The portions are huge. Aussie-style :).


Ratings:

Food satisfaction: (1--------------6---------10)

Cleanliness: (1----------------6----------10)


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There are a few more restaurants which are halal. I'll try to add more in the forthcoming postings.

101: Halal Food / Produce: Canberra (Part 1)

Assalamualaikum

I had this posting in mind since its been a year since i arrived in Canberra, Australia. For any Muslim, im sure we would try our very best to search for halal food / produce. I'll start with basics and slowly expand on halal restaurants based on the suggestions by local muslims and my own experience. (*note that all google map locations / streetviews are sourced from Google :)

1. Halal meat (fresh chicken / beef etc)

a) Superbarn Supermarket, Canberra Centre

What is halal? Whole chicken, chicken pieces, fillet (Cordina Brand)
 

Location: Shop EG24 Canberra Centre, Cnr Bunda & Petrie Streets Canberra ACT 2601

 

Comment: There are many brands in Superbarn. However, only Cordina is certified Halal.

 b) Yarralumla Meat

What is halal? Mutton, sausages, chicken, beef, pies, nuggets etc.

Location: 45 Novar Street Yarralumla ACT 2600 Tel: (02) 6281 0396

Comment: Initially, this was one of the first places i sourced my meat from. The price is a bit on the premium side. But sometimes they do special promotions on Groupon (for all you coupon lovers!)

c) Jabal Halal Market

What is Halal? Everything!!!

Location: Jabal Halal is located in two areas (i normally visit the one in Holt)

 a) 2/104-116 Hardwick Crescent Holt ACT 2615  Tel: (02) 6162 1495

 b) 2 Heard Street Mawson ACT 2607  Tel: (02) 6286 7333

Comment: Put it like this, if Mydin Mart is like a one-stop centre for reasonably priced goods, than Jabal is exactly the same except its a fresh food store. Besides meat, Jabal also sells fruits, veggies, nuggets, frozen produce etc. The customer service is good.

d) Belconnen Halal Market

What is Halal? Chicken, beef etc.

Location: 1 Walder Street, Belconnen ACT 2617

Comment: The name of the shop changes a lot (i think). Probably, due to change in ownership (it does happen in Canberra). Its quite cheap here. However, i personally think they should improve on customer service. At times it can be quite slow. Teguran ikhlas :)

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Ok, so we've covered the basics. Hope it's beneficial. End of Part 1 :)

The search & quest for halal food in Canberra

Assalamualaikum

Just a teaser before I stop blogging for a while (due to exams). I'm planning this short but easy guide in searching for halal food in Canberra based on my relatively short experience & interaction with the community & students here.

Insya Allah, it'll be out once I relieve the headache I'm experiencing. :)

Hope it'll be of benefit to everyone out there.