From Aku, with love

Tomorrow ( February  1 ) is not only my niece's wedding in Melaka but it will be my nephew's  "Majlis Sambut Menantu" in Kelantan.  The same date. It's sad because we can only attend one venue. And I think my sister needs me more to help her tomorrow and that's why my husband and I made that decision. May Allah bless both ceremonies.  Aamiin ya Allah. 

Preparing the ingredients for sambal udang. My son helps me with the dried chillies - cut, boil and blend.  He will also help me with the onions - peel. Thank youuu. I will clean the prawns and cook it , maybe at 2 or 2.30 p.m. Oh ya, not forgetting gula Melaka, salt and tamarind paste. The akad nikah ceremony will be tonight.  So I'm not worried. Yes, yes, yes we can do it! Alaa only sambal udang. It's not rendang. 

On my blog, I prefer to write all about myself - my experiences, my hobbies, my loved ones, my friends. Easy to say, all about me. And the title of my blog also states it well, "From aku,.." which means "From me,....". So it's all about me ler. Simple! Or is it "Sempoi"?

My husband, my mother and I attended Kak T's daughter's wedding. Kak T is my former colleague. She invited my mother too because our families performed Umrah together in 2017. We used the same travel agency. That's how she knows my mother.  I congratulated Kak T for her daughter's wedding. So happy for her.  And I'm also very happy because I met Kak F, Kak M, Kak Z, Kak N, Kak A and Kak G there. A few said that I put on weight. Yup, it's ok laa "Orang Pencen".

We had Shellout at Restoran Selera Kampungku, Klebang this evening. It's in Melaka ler. It has been months since the last time we came to this restaurant. I love the seafood and the 3 rasa sauce. There are other Shellout restaurants here that you can choose. After having our early dinner, we went home. I did not feel like going to other places. Staying at home is better.

I listened to a talk on Israk Mikraj at the mosque last night. It's a one hour talk and a very good one. I didn't fall asleep. He talked about Al Quran, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and also other prophets , Israk Mikraj and he emphasized to keep reminding ourselves that we are only Allah's slaves (hamba Allah). He asked us to always praise Allah. Subhanallah Walhamdulillah Wala Ilaha Illallah Wallahu Akbar.  Ok, it's time for gardening. Take care.

W : Alamak the cafe is closed today. H : Where do you want to go? W : Remember the restaurant that we went to last time.  It's .............. H : That's quite far. W : I don't mind. I love jalan-jalan, not jalan kaki.  H : Yes, but who's driving? Krik krik, krik Kirk, krik krik..........

I bought three kilos of prawns at the market this morning. I had to buy it early. I'm going to cook sambal udang kebaboom this Friday. Yup, it's for my niece's akad nikah ceremony that night. I just want to add it to the menu list. My plan was to cook tempoyak daun kayu and sambal udang. But I changed my mind. It's better to have only one dish but a lot. So, more people can taste it. And I've already ordered three boxes of brownies for the wedding event. It's this Saturday. My sister's daughter's wedding. Ok lah. Tambah-tambah sikit.

A lady was having a problem at the ATM machine. A bank officer was helping her. But there's a man behind them.... M : Hello madam. Is it ok if I do it first? I just want to withdraw my money. L : Please wait for your turn. Settle my problem first. M : I'm an engineer. L : Who cares? I'm a retired teacher. I was a teacher. You should respect me. M : ( laughing ) ok ok sorry. The story continued...... After the lady settled her problem, she wanted to leave . But before she left the bank, she looked at the man. L : (smiling) Sorry and thank you. M : It's ok madam.

Back to my normal life as a gardener in my spring garden. Oh ya , yesterday, I gave my pink flower and yellow flower baby plants to my neighbour, Achik J. Supposed the two baby plants were going to be planted together in my big pot. But never mind la. I still have a few small baby plants ( pink, peach and yellow).  Achik J had planted twice but all her plants that she cut a bit from my induk plants died. And those plants are not sold in a nursery anymore. So I gave her my two strong baby plants and Insya-Allah, they will grow healthily and beautifully. 

Israk and Mikraj, An amazing night journey, Allah's gift to Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Israk and Mikraj, To strengthen our iman, By praying 5 times a day, Subuh, Zuhur, Asar, Maghrib and Isyak, To show our belief in Allah and our Rosul. Subhanallah Walhamdulillah Wala Ilaha Illallah Wallahu Akbar 

Home sweet home. Happy to be at home, to be in my garden. My mother called me asking about my plants . She's worried. I told her that all of them look ok, even the bird nest is still at the sandpaper vine. Alhamdulillah. Hopefully, the eggs are ok too. I haven't checked, it's quite high but let them laa. Don't want to disturb.  Before we reached home, I dropped by my mother's house first to give her "patin pais" that I bought at Gobang Maju Tol, Temerloh.  We had lunch there. Another surprise from my husband. Thank youuu.  Take care and ba bye!

We went to the new Pasar Payang, Kuala Terengganu. It looks like a mall to me. There are escalators, not stairs to go from one floor to another floor. My husband told me that he wanted to buy me a batik crepe silk fabric. So I just agreed to go there. But instead of buying one, he bought two batik crepe silk fabrics for me. I was touched. Batik crepe silk is  not in my budget list. Yalah, now,  I'm a retiree without a pension. He knew his wife loves batik crepe silk. So he just wanted me to be happy. Thank you, love you,  thank you, love you, thank you, love you. And I bought a batik shirt for my son. He bought me a few baju kelawar. This time, my treat ler.  Today, we're going home ( January 26 ). There'll be another event and another Cuti-cuti Malaysia, 2 in 1. Take care and ba bye!

Took a few photos of my husband with his three younger brothers and his younger sister together with the bride and the groom at the wedding dais.  Loved to see all five of  them together. A very precious moment. That's why I didn't mind standing near the wedding photographer to take their photos . But not that near laa. I love all the photos so I shared them with my husband and his younger sister. Still a good photographer hahaha. About the bride and the groom - a young,  beautiful couple. Future ustaz and ustazah. Only 23 years old. But never mind. As long as they know their responsibility as husband and wife, they have our green light.  And to the gorgeous bride, "Iz", welcome to our family 💕. From Kuantan, we're in Kuala Terengganu now. Stay one night in our favourite hotel ," Grand Puteri". Ok ba bye!

We're staying in De Rhu Resort, Pahang. It's not only Cuti-cuti Malaysia but it's also my brother-in-law's son's wedding today ( January  25 ). The wedding  will be held at the hall which is near our resort. Last night , I met my in-laws, my handsome nephews and my cute nieces. So happy to meet all of them.  We're going to check out early because we don't want to miss the akad nikah. It's this morning. I would love to come to this resort again. The room is very clean and its breakfast- superb! No regret! 

While I was sitting on a bench with my husband in AEON Ayer Keroh, I saw a very familiar face - my former colleague, Adik R. She's with her husband and her daughter.  I was so happy to meet her. I think it's been one year or more and yesterday, we met. We hugged, laughed and smiled. Adik R is like a sister to me. Sometimes, when I felt so tired, I would sing a song in the staffroom. She and a  few Adiks would listen to it. After that I laughed, they laughed because my voice was horrible hahaha. And it was the same song I sang. Oh ya, she told me that her daughter is a student in my former school, her mother's school. She is going to be a Form Two student. That's good. I kissed that girl's forehead and smiled at her. She'll be the top student in that school. Aamiin ya Allah.  

We had our lunch at Pak Man Asam Pedas, Melaka today. Yesss, Melaka ler. In Malaysia, we have lots of choices on what food we want to buy and eat. Whether it's street food, cafe/restaurant  or the hotel food, I enjoy eating it. The taste is great , what else do I want? .

A conversation between Wan Su and her 4 year old granddaughter, An. At home Pottttt Wan Su : Did you fart, An? An : No. Wan Su : But I heard something. An : Alaaa kentut sikit ye. In Wan Su's car, "Achik Vee" Pottt Wan Su : Did you fart again? An : Bunyi kusyen aje ( she showed how she  moved while sitting on the car seat but actually, there's no sound ). Pottttt An : Wan Su kentut ke? Wan Su : No lah. Bunyi kusyen aje ( she did the same movement like An did ). 

I love watching shows about these amazing, talented people whether they're singing or dancing. Don't look at their age or their physical disability. Watching their spectacular performance made my tears drop. Very impressive and yup, it's true. Nothing is impossible. Just believe in yourself.

When we were in the restaurant, it was already 1.30 p.m. I wanted to order mi bandung for my mother but she told me that she's hungry and she preferred to have chicken rice. Aiseyman. That's not the purpose of bringing my mother to Muar. So I ordered two for her, chicken rice and mi bandung. She didn't want the udang galah mi bandung. I gave her my small udang galah to taste.  Alhamdulillah I ordered two types of food  because the chicken was a bit hard for her to eat. Yalah an 83 year old lady, what do you expect? She didn't finish her chicken rice and her mi bandung. Ok lah. No problem. I told her not to worry because as long as she had tasted Mi Bandung Muar, I was happy. 

We went to Restoran Mi Bandung Udang Galah Muo Ori. The same restaurant that I met Cikgu K and his family last year. After having our lunch , we went to the mosque to perform  Zuhur prayer. Then my husband drove to Melaka. He wanted to buy a book that our ustaz used. It's for his reference. During the ustaz's class , I prefer listening to writing. Ala, I'm just lazy ler. But I would like to share three things that I learned from his class last Saturday night. 1. Read ayatul Kursi after performing solat fardhu. You can google to know its benefit. 2. After Ramadhan, please continue doing these three - give sadaqah, do puasa sunat and read Al Quran.  3. Give food to attract people to come to the mosque. Ok ba bye.   

Cuti-cuti Malaysia. We're going to Muar today ( Saturday - January 18 ). Muar? Yup Muar. But this time, my mother will join us. She always mentioned Mi Bandung Muar and I feel guilty if not taking her there. I just hope she'll enjoy herself.

A group of girls was watching a sad movie, Everybody was crying, That's normal, It's a sad movie. But none of them knew , One of them cried, Really-really cried,  Not because of the movie, But because her boyfriend left her.

My husband and I went to the market this morning. It's our Sunday routine, except if we're not at home. Nyonya and Adik were so happy. I bought lots of fish from them. They asked me whether my mother is coming to my house. I laughed and said, "Yes". They know me well. There's something that I admire about these two fish mongers. They are not competing to attract the customers to buy their seafood. And they're not jealous of each other. If one of them has many fishes to be cleaned, the other will take some of the fishes to clean them. They help each other. Good!  I also bought lots of vegetables. My mother loves vegetables. And I still have pieces of chicken in the fridge freezer. I can make begedil next week. My mother and my  family love it.  Ok it's time to unpack the things that I bought, either to put them into the pantry or the fridge. Ba bye!

Many girls were having lunch there. They're primary school students. I noticed the teachers and students were wearing pink.  Even one of the beverages was the pink sirap bandung.  And there were also two plastic containers of pink ice-cream.  So I just assume their theme is pink. Yup, very cute.  Enjoyed the view, enjoyed the food and the beverages, enjoyed seeing the people. Three 2 kerat pantun for my dearest husband . One Gendang gendut tali kecapi,  Konyang perut senang hati.  Two Terima kasih daun keladi,  Kalau boleh poi lagi.  Three You like "warna biru",  And you know I love you. Ba bye!

 S : What are you going to wear tomorrow? M : Sabella  S : It's your day tomorrow.  M : After having lunch, your papa wants to take us somewhere. So I feel more comfortable wearing Sabella. S : But I'm going to wear my shirt. M : Never mind. Just bring along your t-shirt  ok. S : Ok . Thanks Mama. Mama looked at her son and smiled. 

 It's Friday today. Let's talk about sadaqah subuh. Sadaqah subuh again? Sorry. But there are many benefits of doing it. You can google. So for my sadaqah subuh, how did I do it? Every Subuh, after performing the subuh prayer, I put some money into my special jar. Insya- Allah. Alaa, I just use the empty  kuih raya jar . When I was a teacher that money I used for my students.  Now, I use the sadaqah subuh to give it to the persons who help me or to anybody that I think needs it. Sharing rezeki.... Just imagine, if you put RM 1 into your subuh sadaqah jar, for one month , you  have sadaqah RM 30 or RM 31. What about  one year? Your sadaqah is actually RM 365. Wow. So don't feel ashamed if you  sadaqah only RM 1 every subuh. It is a little but do it consistently. That's better.

No "kenduri" at my mother's house. My mother and my siblings decided to have it at the mosque near my house. My mother asked me to contact a caterer to cook and pack the food. So tonight, the caterer will bring the food to the mosque. My bang ngah and I will take all the food from the caterer and put them in the ladies' praying area first. Then, at 8 p.m., the food committee members will put all the packed foods on the tables outside the praying area. So after Isyak prayer, the jemaah will take the packed food before they leave the mosque. Hopefully, many jemaah will come tonight. Insya-Allah, our loved ones who have passed away will earn rewards from the food sadaqah.  Aamiin ya Allah.

My husband asked me to book a lunch buffet for three people at Bayview Hotel this Saturday. Surprised but excited, I looked at him and asked, " Why? He just answered, "It's for you laa. To appreciate my wife". Wahhhh. Alhamdulillah. I smiled and said, " Ok ok ok. I'm going to do it now. Thank you".  If my husband wanted to give me something, I said YES and THANK YOU. Do like " kecil tapak tangan, nyiru saya tadahkan". If my husband wanted to take me somewhere,  I also said YES and THANK YOU. Be like "orang mengantuk disorongkan bantal". Simple!

So busy in my garden this morning. I haven't put the pink, yellow, red and peach flower baby plants  in the big pots.  Let them grow on their own first. In their own small, white pot.  After their roots are strong enough, then I will do the repotting. There are three white flower baby plants planted in the ground. So far, only one plant, its leaves have come out. Ok lah for a beginner like me. The snow plant needs to be repotted and transferred to a new place. It needs more sunlight. I will do it tomorrow. The mother and baby bromeliads - all are ok. Alhamdulillah.

If you have made up your mind to retire early ( before 55 years old ), please make a preparation for it. 1. Make sure you have your SAVING BEFORE your RETIREMENT, at least one year saving. 2. Your CAR LOAN is SETTLED.  3. SETTLE your PERSONAL LOAN. The only loan you have to pay is only your house loan. If you bought a house ler. 4.  Put your money ( gratuity + saving +......) into your few accounts. I'm afraid if you put all your money into one account, you'll always think that you have lots of money. And that's not good because you'll just spend your money without planning. Four accounts ( for example ):- a. Fixed deposit / ASB -  it's for your long term saving. Don't forget. After one year, you must pay "zakat simpanan". But don't worry. You will get your bonus from your one year saved. b. You won't get your pension until you're 55 years old ( your birthday ).  So this is very important. You need one account  to withdraw the same amount e...

Yesterday, Ateh RR and her son stopped by my house. They were on the way to Mydin. She wanted to give me her Ayam Masak Lemak and bubur kacang hijau. Thank you. And I also gave her something, my sambal udang meletop ler , what else. If Ateh's my neighbour, besttttt.  And today, like last Thursday, I'm fasting. Alhamdulillah. It's Monday puasa sunat. So excited to fast hahaha. I know Ateh is fasting today. I always wish her " Selamat berpuasa" and "Selamat Berbuka Puasa". And I asked myself, "When am I going to be like Ateh?  Have to change la". So that's the story.  But next week, I cannot fast. My mother will stay with me.  I just want her to be happy. Have breakfast outside. Cook together.....ok lah. May be, I can learn a new recipe from her. 

A year before I retired, I became a bit sensitive. Every weekend ( except if we went back to Kelantan), I had to visit my son. He's staying in a hostel. The traffic jam, it's very tiring. Once a month , I accompanied my husband going  back to Kelantan. My late mother in law was not well. My Form 5 students also needed my attention.  And Alhamdulillah, English SPM results from 2019 until 2022 , they're good. And there were also other important things to do.  So my decision to submit the form to retire early is right. Only after I retired, then I realised that I was so, so, so tired.  I changed my phone number and had a small circle of close friends, my RR friends.  It took one year for me to recharge my energy and my brain, hahaha it sounds like charging a battery. Read Al Quran daily also helps me a lot. Thank you Allah.  

It's Sunday. So happy to meet my former colleagues in the market. Last time , I met Kak H. This morning, Cikgu R and Madam V. Cikgu R didn't notice me at first. He was having a conversation with my husband. Settled ,  then I called him but he just raised his hand. I was a bit disappointed. I had to stand with my hands on my waist  like Peter Pan and I called his name again. Then he laughed and said my name. Sighhh. He told my husband that I looked a bit different. Muka orang pencen. Yalah. I have already retired for one and a half years. I think only my expression is different.  More relaxed hahahaha.