A delayed post!.

My apology.....

This post is supposed to be posted last year but I had problem assessing my blog at that time. Just another story from what I experienced on one of my cruise vacation........ The Canary Islands and Morocco and I want to share with you......

_____________________________________________________________

Technology sometimes fail us. In times of in need at that particular time,  it 

failed to contribute... very frustrating. But Alhamdulillah, the memory that 

Allah provided still working very well. In the many years of my age, some 

people of my age already lost parts of their memories but gladly I still had mine! But sometimes, yes sometimes it is normal for us to forget where we 

put our car keys, glasses and those little things....absolutely normal! 

Well, last night I was at my son's open-air restaurant called the GROUND 

CABIN CAFE watching the high lights of the EURO 2016 on his big screen. It was Portugal playing and this handsome player Christiano Ronaldo missed many chances of making goals. At last, he managed one but.......off side! Too bad.

I am not going to write about the EURO 2016 because I am not a fan 

eventhough I watched. I just want to share my feelings of being able to 

visit Christiano Ronaldo birthplace in Funchal, Madeira Island back in 

2014.  Such beautiful island!

My group of 10 went on a 10 days cruise from Barcelona to Morocco and 

the Canary Islands. It was full of fun and laughter. So many things that we 

saw and so many things that we did together.  I used to handle almost 50 

people  so 10 is just a handful. After all we are all friends of the same 

interest, needs and wants. So we understood one another. Going vacations 

in a group, we have to be ready for the unexpected such as the climate, 

the health, the food and most ofall the company  you are travelling with. 

In Islam, we were taught that after three days of being together will be able to know who is who. Just give a try. You will find out that the true colors of your innerself will come out. That is the time you know who your friends 

are. 

In order to reach Madeira we have to pass through the  famous Straits of 

Gibraltar. Unfortunately, we were not able to capture photographs because it was midnight when we pass through it. All my past cruises sailed in 

confined Mediterranean and Baltic Sea.  Very safe and we sailed along the 

coastal area. Unlike this cruise. Eventhough we sailed with The Norwegian Spirit  to the 
Mediietrranean Cruise before but the feeling is different. 

Straights of Gibraltar connected the Meditteranean Sea to the open sea...

The Atlantic Ocean. For the first time we are sailing in the open sea! Wow!

We started cruising on NCL Norwegian Spirit from Port of Barcelona. The weather was fine but windy and the sea was choppy. You can see small waves all over but it was okay. One of our group member, Captain Nasaruddin 

(maritime) told us that all is well because ships have stabilizer and it will 

sail as usual. Well it did not happen that way! As we walk, we had to hold 

the reels and if we don't we might end up on the other side. Just imagine us carrying our
food and drinks and at the same time trying to balance our movements.... hahahhaha. we 
walked like the cartoon characters...... We really had a laugh at ourselves. Luckily these 10 old folks were fine throughout the journey. No sea sick....... healthy and happy all the time.

Geographically, Madeira and Canary Islands are situated closed by one 

another. We visited two out of seven slands of the Canary,   Tenerife and 

Lazarotte. Madeira is owned by Portugal and The Canary Islands is under Spain.

Upon reaching Funchal, Madeira Island, somewhere that we cannot 

imagine of we were so excited. A new place a new adventure. Canary 

Islands were made by the eruptions of the volcanoes. It took many thousand of years to develope. The people of Madeira and the other islands of Canarylooked more Moroccans. Just look at the map and then we know why.... it is because  this island is situated very near to 

Morocco as compared to thousands of miles away from Portugal! Funny but this is a fact. 

The Portugese youngsters will leave their homes to Portugal mainland to seek educations, 

new life and new excitements leaving the old behind.  

When these old people are gone, the young ones will come and visit their homeland maybe once a year . The people who were left behind on the island will look after their homes and belongings until they come back again the next year. Well, there is no job for them in the 

island. 

Once, the economy was good and people from the mainland came in thousands when 

Madeira was building the roads all over the island. The island came alive and everybody ws happy. But, when the roads were ready, there were no other infrastructure to build. So bit bybit they left. Once again Madeira was quiet. That was why the young ones left but they came back richer. So in other words, Madeira became  holiday homes for the wealthy Portugese. 

So now the source of income of Madeira is tourism. Good that they built 

good roads so the tourists can reach to many parts of the island. Thousands of tourists from all over the world visited Madeira. Weather is good, people are nice and the views are picturesque! From the top of the hills you can see the ocean......ooooooo I can only dream to have such a view everyday as I woke up! There were quite a number of places of interest but what we admired most was the building of the houses ..... amazing. 

They built their homes from the top of the hill until the valley! We just cannot imagine how in the world did they carry the building equipments and materials like cement, plaster, wood, machineries...just name it!  We were told that they had to carry them one after another manually because there are no roads wide enough for vehicles to pass through. They only have 

paths and very narrow roads  for people to walk. A very simple life indeed.  

Most of the people here walk uphills and downhills everyday throughout their life! Even mails had to be collected from their mailboxes with their names and addresses written on it  at the side of the main road! 

Pretty amazing! No wonder the old folks here lives a long life because they exercise. I am 

now thinking about myself...when was the last time I brisk walk? 

Oh dear, need to start all over again. 

These memories came back when I saw that handsome professional footballer with a class of his own. He was born as the youngest child and his childhood was not as pretty. His birth year was 1985 which made him a year older than my son and a year younger than my daughter. He was named Ronaldo because his father was a die hard fan of  the film star Ronald Reagan...but Ronaldo is not like the actor.....not even near! He is a star by 

himself, classy, good looking and the best of all, he never mess his hair 

throughout the game! hahahhahahahhhaha. the hair stands straight in its 

path even after he headed the ball but missed the goal! Such a pity. It was not meant to be!

After Portugal team missed many chances of creating goals,  things got worst when Cristiano Ronaldo missed the penalty kick against.......... sorry I forgot the other team! hahahhahahhaha. Sign of old age but not senile! Nauzubillahminzalik!!!!

The day I lost my buddy...January 2014

I wished the news was not true. I hoped I heard wrong! It cannot be! I refused to believe it! 

It was Wednesday, The date was 22nd of January 2014, after packing all that I needed for the trip, my husband and I hopped on our Starex and we drove straight to Kuala Terengganu. Tomorrow night will be an old boys from Alam Shah Ex students and we both were looking forward to this event. I had made my own plans to see my friends too. 

The traffic was quite heavy so we drove slowly. We arrived safely at the Felda Residence Hotel in Kuala Terengganu late night and some friends were already waiting for us to snatch my husband for supper! Oooo,,, this is men business! I decided not to join for I was very tired, worn out and sleepy! That night I slept like a log and I totally forgot to recharged my phone. I only realised it after my Subuh solah! Like someone was telling me, I switched on my notebook and there it was....... the bad news! Tears flowing down my cheek. I can hardly able to absorb the news. MAny times I asked my husband to read again and again.... 

The message clearly mentioned his name, time and place of his death! Yes..... my brother, a dear friend, my buddy Mohd Ali Manaf died on early morning of Thursday 24th of Januàry 2014! I was so helpless! My phone was dead and all my contacts were in it! Lucky me my husband managed to call a familiar number and it was confirmed that the news was true! I felt sad with the news and even upset because my phone failed me at the time I needed it most! I cried my heart out because he always havebthat special place in my heart.

Everybody knew Arwah Ali!  He was a man who would not budge in his words. We were together with many more Turtles in MPKT in 1981  to 1983. He was a very likeable personality with a quality of his own. He headed the Red Crescent and a very good hockey player! He represented the college hockey team!  I remembered trying out the game when suddenly out of nowhere a hockey stick landed on my face! I fainted, lost a tooth and a swollen forhead and blood rushed out from my mouth..... lots of blood! I heard voices and I recognised his in the state of panic. His voice was above others and when I opened my eyes, he was there crying and the same time smiling down at me. I was in pain. I screamed and cried  but I will never forget that moment. He was a true brother, always there for me  in my ups and downs..... Ya Allah, how I miss him....  

Arwah Ali was  a very serious  when at work but when he was off duty, he was a very funny person! A very easy going person he was and as I recalled nobody would feel angry with his way of handling meetings and events or his practical jokes! We all felt at ease with him around ....just like a big brother! 

Before he joined Maktab Perguruan Kuala Terenggànu on 4th Mày 1981, he was working in Genting Highlands. His arwah father wanted him to be a teacher and registered his name for the purpose without his knowledge! Being a good son, he joined anyway! Of all the many, Arwah Ali, Azmi Mahabob, myself and few others had working experience behind us while most were fresh from school. We found out that we had the chemistry and since then we became buddies!

Arwah Ali was the Tesl B head of unit. I was in Tesl C. There were three classes  of Tesl teachers and we all think alike! We did everything together and kept little secrets within us! Even outings downtown or campings, all of us acted as one. Most of the times, we were always together. But being a newly opened college, all of the students regardless from other classes, were our friends too. Such a big compound with less than 200 students and started with only 5 lecturers.... what do you expect? Everybody knew everybody!  That was how and why we became close. 

I still remember our first Pestarama held in Penang. It was all about music. Taksiah, Saadiah, Kak Teh, Noradna and I were in the dancing group. Kasmawati and Titina were in the choir. Arwah Ali was not in any of the competition but with his sweet talk and wittiness, he was included in the team as a crew member! We had lots of fun in Penang. Wow! Those were the days!

But as I said, those were the days. We felt sad when someone who is dear to us pass on. What is left are the memories. Arwah Ali will always be in our mind and in our heart for as long as we live. Whenever any of the Turtles met, his name will be mentioned. 

Ya Allah please grant Ali a good place in Jannah for he was a very nice person. Please pardon all his faults. Al Fatihah!  

Till today, whenever Turtkes MPKT get together, we will always be in tears when his name popped up...... I still  miss my buddy......I really do. We still contacted his family until now. His wife Cikgu Norihan and his daughters are doing fine. We even attended his daughter's wedding in Kuantan at his new home which he bought for his family. A good choice of location. Well done bro!

Especially to .......Pensioners Club Members

This little bird made her nest from the roots of my plants.
 She did it twice and had 4 litlle ones. MasyaAllah.

Many times I heard people saying how time flies! Indeed it is so true. When I was young and still in my primary, I used to ask myself why is the time moving so slowly? I had done so many things and yet I still have lots of extra time? But as I get older, especially now, I realized that time moves faster...sometimes I felt like I am out of time...not enough time....so many things to do and yet too little time! Masyaallah!

\

Sometimes, when I bumped into old friends, they never fail to ask me this question,"What did you do to kill your time? It must be very boring to stay at home doing nothing! You shouldn"t have quit teaching!" I just laugh out loud. Too bad my friends....that is very wrong! Well, being an unemployed , I have lots of time to do the things that I have been wanting to do for my family and for myself! 

I looked after my two children and now my  grandchildren, ....well only part time! But when I am in the mood, I just grab my sketch book  and do some sketching.... just sketch anything that crossed my mind. Painting is another love of my life. But it is impossible to sketch or paint when the little ones are around.....I just need to have a space and calmness to do so. 

I used to read. Dan Brown, Prahmoedyah , Sydney Sheldon are my favourites. I can claim that I have read all of their books. Oooops....suddenly I realised that I have done not much reading lately. Will have to start again. Actually when you read, you are feeding your brain with knowledge.... no wonder I am not as sharp!  Got to read again!

But the best of all is I have all the time in the world to learn to recite the Al Quran. This is ultimate. I have classes on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the day time and once at night. I have wonderful teachers to teach my friends and I. Alhamdulillah, after 5 years of struggling, Khatam (recited the whole Al Quran).  I have been  looking forward to this very day. The effort, the sacrifies and the learning and the passion..... Alhamdulillah.

Just recently I got engrossed with gardening. There is one group in the watsapp called the Kebun Bandar Tanam Sendiri.  Looking at the photos of their well grown plants may it be edible or flowering plants, with their colorful garden. Ya Allah, I told myself that I must do it too.... maybe in small scale. One thing good about this group is they share their experiences of how to start a nursery, how to take care of the plants, choices of fertilisers and so on. I really enjoyed reading comments and reviews and along the way, I pick up some knowledge. Alhamdulillah. Well.... like I said, I am just starting to enjoy gardening and my two grandsons love doing it too but most of the time making more mess than help! hahahahahaah.

A bouquet of vege from my garden.

Mulberries.

Other than the things that I do above, I love spending my time with my friends for tea and sometimes test our pitching! Hahahahha.  it is the best time! Girls day out. Time to misbehave and let ourselves out! We will laugh at each other  with new dancing steps and not forgetting the wrong tones! Hahhahhahhahahah.....

I can say that my life is full of colors. That what makes it interesting and no time for feeling boring! Well, actually, when you are your own boss, there is no limit of what you want to do....JUST DO IT!

Go travelling. Cruising is one of the best. It's relaxation and affordable!

To the land of rising sun

It was one of the best decision of my life for having chosen Japan as our holiday destination and spend time alone with my love. But it was not really a chosen place. Actually we were scrolling the internet and we saw this great offer! MAS offered a very cheap price ticket to Japan for less than RM1,000.00! It will be a sin for not taking it! So that was how it began!

I have never been to this part of the world but he had been there once in 1982.....that was a very long time ago. He was just a junior officer in UDA and he was one of the many who were involved in the building of DAYABUMI!  A month in Japan and all paid for. Alhamdulillah.

So, I am going to share some tips regarding visiting Japan. I wan to share how we did everything on our own .... no such thing as ground handling or tourist guide. Totally on our own. This is how pensioners should do.... hahahhahahaha.


1....Be alert....as you are browsing the internet, do not miss looking into best price offer for flight tickets. Just try your luck. but you need a Credit Card to buy online.....

2....Search for a place to stay. The cheaper the better. we searched from Airbnb and found a Studio Apartment with a small kitchen and a double bed, a heater and all the neccessities for only RM213.00 per day. Very cheap compared to staying in a hotel for at least RM1,000.00 per day! Why waste money? JUst think that you are not going to stay in the room all day long.

3....Transportations in Japan. Buy JR Pass in Malaysia. The price is very cheap and is meant for visitors only. With JR Pass you can hop on any normal trains or the bullet train called the Shinkansen and travel throughout Japan. We need to use it for 7 days only.

4....Communications! Use your Malaysian number but switch off your Mobile Data. Browse the internet and look for 'SAMURAI Mobile wifi.' You have to book it online and pick it up at  KLIA near the arrival hall. It cost us RM15.00 per day with usage of Unlimited Data and one unit can be shared upto 5 divices! You can communicate using Internet, Watsapp, Facetime, Facebook and anything that you like. We found it so very useful. We can use Google Map when we want to get to certain places and never failed!

5....Language! Your Google Translator App is the best! It really helps. Well some of the can understand English but they answered in their language!!! How in the world am I to understand. But they really want to help. So very nice of them!

6....Your health. We have to walk alot in Japan. And worst of all, we have to walk very fast. We did a lot of climbing up and down stairs because lifts are for the elders and disables. I can gurantee that we walked more than 10 thousand steps daily.  but you have to hang on with your Google Maps to survive!

7....Shopping! the best word of the day! after experiencing the walking, rushing and climbing, me with my back ache, I totally forego the word 'shopping.' This time around, I did not shop at all! A shock but I feel good!  Shopping malls like SOGO, AEON and DAISO are the common names in our country. The prices are much cheaper since they have Winter Sales and the choices are a bit different than ours. Sizes.... no such thing as size 42 and above!!!! Sickening! 

8.... Food. We brought some cans of Sardine Cap Ayam, Different flavours of paste and multiple choice of rice by BRAHIM , Maggi Chilli Sauce , Enaks Soy Sauce and Maggi Mee. We survived! But when we were out during the day, we Google Map and looked for HALAL Food. Alhamdulillah we did find some!

9.... Visiting places. Before we left Malaysia, we both agreed to visit certain places from what we read from the internet. We managed to visit Osaka which is 3.5 hours from Tokyo and Hiroshima which is 5 hours away from Tokyo. But the visit was worth it!

10... How much did we spend? Well,  from the beginning to the end both of us spent  roughly RM11,000.00 .....for the two of us and for the whole journey!

So my friends, that was my summary for my holiday in the Land Of The Rising Sun. This is my experience and it could be different from  yours if you have been to the same destination!

Overall, I am thankful to Allah for giving my husband and I the opportunity to see His creations. Thanks to my love for taking me for this surprised vacation. To the people in JTB   stationed in AEON Mall Shah Alam especially to Farah, who has never visited Japan before but gave us the best choice and understandings of how to go around Japan on our own. She did very well in her explainations and always smiling. May Allah bless you my dear.

So , if ever you want to to have a taste of Japan..... just do it your !

Silence and tears....

You were once up there,
High high up
That I can't reach you
Not that it was impossible 
but.....
Too many road blocks
I just can't reach you
Ooooh.... how I wished I could
N
Then something happened
They took your love away
Away from the system
Away from all
It  must have been hard for you
I pity you
I really do

Last I heared he came back
They let him go
You are one again
I was so happy for you

But... not for long
Someone else followed him
You felt betrayed
I can't blame you
I understood... I really do

Then we bumped 
Our eyes met
Tears......
We hugged
We cried
We hugged again...
Wouldn't want to let go
Let the silence did the talking....
Nobody uttered a word
But the tears showed the hurt
You did recognise me
You did remember me
Alhamdulillah

At last I managed to reach you
You looked good
Much much better
Keep it up
Lead a happy life
Let bygone be bygone
All will be well
We'll meet again
InsyaAllah



.....Specially dedicated to Ara.....
 a long lost friend!

Just fo you

I would tell you that I love you tonight
But I know that I've got time on my side
Where you goin'? Why you leavin' so soon?
Is there somewhere else that's better for you?

What is love if you're not here with me?
What is love if it's not guaranteed?
What is love if it just ups and leaves?

What is love if you're not here no more?
What is love if you're not really sure?
What is love?
What is love?Tell myself I wouldn't cry when you're gone
But I know it's easier said than done
Look at me, look at me, choked up now
Try to tell you but it won't come out

What is love if you're not here with me?
What is love if it's not guaranteed?
What is love if it just ups and leaves?

What is love if you're not here no more?
What is love if you're not really sure?
What is love if it just ups and goes?

I can't live without you (I can't live without you)
I can't live with you (I can't live with you)
What goes around will come right back around, you won't know 'til it hit you
We were supposed to be (an empire)
We were supposed to be (an empire)
We were supposed to be an empire

What is love if you're not here with me?
What is love if it's not guaranteed?
What is love if it just ups and leaves?

What is love?
What is love if you're not really sure?
What is love if it just ups?

Oldest TURTLE.....a comrade!

Let's ponder.... for just a while. think about ourselve. Where we were, our past, our present, our future...... 

No human can tell what's going to happen, whom we are going to meet, who will make us laugh, hurt, cry and so on. None! it is all fated......only Allah knows!

Further back in May 4th 1981 ( it was my birthday), was the day my friends and I whom we call ourselves TURTLES came together in Maktab Perguruan Kuala Terengganu, Batu Rakit, Terengganu. we were the teacher trainees and how naif we were back then.

We were the first batch for this college because it was newly opened. Wow!! Every corner and nooks and furnitures and everything smell so fresh and new! Unfortunate or lucky for us because there were nobody called the SENIORS to bully us! We were totally on our own lead by 5 lecturers, a Principal and 3 office staffs.....

Batu Rakit back then was very quiet.....a few villages surrounded , a primary school right in front....public transport....do not ask!
So, most of the time, we Turtles will gathered together  enjoying each other's company, talking, teasing and singing. Were were like brothers and sisters....that was and still is the kind of bond we had. We just sat on the grass, at the corridor, the curb and when we have extra money, we went for Teh Tarik Session at Warung Pok Pin which is situated opposite the entrance.

Nothing fancy, no specialties, simply nothing BUT Pok Pin the owner made us visit his warung almost everyday! Being youngsters, we were quite naughty. Sometime we ordered 4 glasses of drinks but paid for 3 and so on! The Keropok Lekor and Mee Goreng tasted like the best on earth because we have no choice. The BEST always come  from Warung Pok Pin.

Last year, we attended a wedding in Kuala  Terengganu. We paid Pok Pin a surprise visit. He looked old and gray but that man behaved the same, calm, quiet.......just like he was thirty over years ago.... He was puzzled to see so many cars stopped by his warung and when we told him who we were, Pok Pin cried. The tears brought tears in our eyes too. He was so happy that we still remembered him and came to visit him. he was so touched. Each and everyone of us chip in some money and we managed to collect quite a lot. We handed it to the old man and asked forgiveness for being naughty towards him. He just smile and told us how he had to stay up late at night just for us to finish out Teh Tarik, Teh O Beng and so on. He said that he simply love us very much eventhough we misbehaved. Hahahhahhha.... He and thanked us for visiting him. He said HALAL for the past unpaid meals! Alhamdulillah..... we owe him no more money but we will always cherish the way he treated us like his own children. Thank you Pok Pin. We will never forgt you.

Last week, we got  news regarding Pok Pin from his son. He who is 78 years old now, for the first time in his entire life was rushed to Hospital Besar Kuala Terengganu because he complained short of breath. We all made dua for Pok Pin to get well soon. Turtles in Kuala Terengganu already visited him. He looked better and he smiled when our Turtle comrade Titina told him who she is and Pok Pin sent his salam to all of  us.

It is fated  that we met and we make dua you will get well soon Pok Pin. Officially you are not a TURTLE but now you are. You are our oldest comrade!

We will visit you again. InsyaAllah.

The very thought of you

The Very Thought Of You 

The very thought of you

I forget to do

Those little ordinary things

That everyone ought to do

I'm livin' in a kind of a daydream

I'm happy as a king

And foolish though it may seem

To me that's everything

The mere idea of you

The longing here for you

You'll never know

How slow the moments go

Till I'm near to you

I see your face in every flower

Your eyes in stars above

It's just the thought of you,

The very thought of you, my love

I see your face in every flower

Your eyes in stars above

It's just the thought of you

The very thought of you, my love

I see your face in every flower

Your eyes in stars above

It's just the thought of you

The very thought of you, my love

I see your face in every flower

Your eyes in stars above

It's just the thought of you,

The very thought of you, my love

I see your face in every flower

Your eyes in stars above

It's just the thought of you

The very thought of you, my love

I see your face in every flower

Your eyes in stars above

It's just the thought of you

The very thought of you, my love

Selamat Tinggal 2016

Dalam masa beberapa jam sahaja lagi, tahun 2016 bakal kita tinggalkan. Perginya ia membawa bersama banyak kenangan yang tidak terbilang jumlahnya.

Setiap hujung tahun, aku akan bertanya pada diriku, apakah pencapaianku tahun ini.Semakin berusaha aku dapati semakin  banyak lagi yang kurang. Ya Allah..... permudahkanlah buatku.

Sebentar lagi muncullah  2017.  Apakah yang Allah sediakan buatku. Akan aku berusaha mempertingkatkan amalan ibadatku. Semoga aku menjadi umat yang lebih baik. InsyaAllah.

Selamat tinggal 2016.

selamat datang 2017!

Doaku semoga tahun hadapan  akan lebih baik dari tahun

Burrpppp........

 Up until today, we have been driving for 1587.7 kilomteres and it is our fifth day! Yesterday we left Ban Tattuk Resort in Surat Thani and moving towards Ban Sa Phan.

We stopped by a wet market to get some ingredients for our upcoming meals. Very cheap indeed. Large sizes shrimps costs us half the price.  Varieties of vegetables and fish with very reasonable prices can be found here. Both Norliah and I had to remind one another not to go overboard! hahahahhahahha.

On our way, we stopped by a district called Chumphon. Many Muslims can be found here. The RnR in Chumphon catered a part of their food court for Muslims and even built a surau........ and guess what, they use Bahasa Melayu in the signage even though the spelling is a bit out but the one written in Jawi is correct.  They have rows and rows of toilets but amazingly you do not smell anything! How did they do it? What technology are they using? Simply amazing.

Surau di RnR Chumphon.

Rows of very clean toilets.

We had late lunch and packed some so we do not have to prepare dinner. We have driven for almost 3 hours from Ratchaprapa Dam to Chumphon and   2 more hours to reach our next destintion...Ban Sa Phan.

Looked so inviting but those are inner organs.

Lucky us for this lady speaks some Bahasa Melayu.

Muslim food court.

Halal cakes and munchies .

Muslim food stalls.

Now you see it!

Damage is done

 

Norliah enjoying her food.

A Muslim coffee corner.

 We arrived in Ban Sa Phan quite late. Looking hi and lo for a suitable place to stay and at last we found Ban Sa Phan Resort. Nothing fancy but rooms are spacious, clean and cheap! THB 500 per room..... and they have wi fi!  What more can you ask for?

Beautiful sunset when we left Chumphon.

Have a good rest people. Long way to drive tomorrow.....