Balboa Island, Newport Beach, CA

The journey to CA was a pleasant one, with the bright sunny morning greeted us that day. Flight pun on time. But I fasted for 16 hours on that day since CA time lagged 3 hours behind NY... aduhh... letihhh!! Sengaja taknak guna rukhsah sebagai musafir sbb mengenangkan uzur sharie' ku yg sudah tersgt banyak lah harinye... nak menggantinye nanti satu hal... so I continued fasting for the rest of the day.

We stayed at Marriot. Detour around the area on the first day, mmg cantik lah tempat ni... very clean and fresh! Terlupa kejap akan subway kat New York yg busuk dan buruk ituuss!! I burnt my skin while walking around, tak perasan... udara yg sejuk nyaman but the sky was blue and clear... takde awan. So i got direct sunlight from the sky w/pun ada lapisan ozone i believe... dan tau2 je dah legam! Thereafter, I decided to lock myself up in the hotel room dengan niat nak study but end up sleeping most of the time while hubby was on course during the day... and that went on for 4.5 days.

Went out once to "Fashion Island" but dare not going again as I was afraid i might cause more damage on hubby's credit card. It was just across the street opposite the hotel, a huge shopping complex where the Macy's, Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Nodstrom, etc... (u name it lah) are all there. Expensive, but tersangat lah cantik koleksi baju dan handbagnyerr... sungguh teruja but being the very 'isteri mithali' of me.... I declared it as DANGER ZONE!! utk menyelamatkan credit card dari digesek tak tentu hala.... hanya pegi utk beli fruit salad buat bukak puasa jer... hehehehh... baik tak akuh??!!

But the best part was I got to treat myself by immersing in the hot bubblejet spa pool almost every nite berdua2an with Abaji.... oohhh... so heaven!! We conquered the swimming pool... after that the spa pool... so relaxing... so refreshing... Sgt sesuai berterawih lepas tu. And we had a great time jalan2 at Balboa Island on our final day although didn't manage to go whale watching. It was foggy, kabus tebal pulak hari tu walaupun dah tengahari, not so good for cruising. Pun begitu acara shoping-shoppingan tetap ada... Got some souvenirs for the loved ones in NY...Hanna, Nenet, Shelly and Zarina... mereka dan keluarga mereka...

Balboa... tempat yg cantik dan menarik, but is a very expensive vacation spot. It is a high end, very the up scale vacation treats for orang2 kayass. Kurengg ssesuwaii utk aku yg ciput bajetnye. Luxury bungalows but empty, private decks, yatch and luxury boats bersusun sana sini... and the owners only come here during summer. What a waste!!.. bagi kat aku lagi baik!!

I'm leaving on the jet plane....

Ke mana? - Newport Beach, L.A, California again... another 6 hrs journey... huhuhuhh...

Bila? - Sept 21, 08 (Sunday)

Naik ape? - Jetblue Airways hehehe.. seb baik tempah awal... dpt murah beb!

Sampai bila? - Sept 27, 08 lama beb... seminggu!!

Apsal? - Menyebok ikut Abaji conference... hehehehhh... breaaakkk awaayyyy!!!.. Sambil menimba pengalaman, meninjau dan menikmati keindahan alam ciptaan Allah di sana.

Bulan2 puasa ni? - Iye... ape salahnye...

Abis Hanna camna? - Tinggal ngan Nenet kat rumah. heheheh... aci tak??! Lagi pun dia tgh suka nak gi skolah tu... biar lah...

Sampai hati tinggalkan dia? - I believe she's in the good hand... and with my entrusted neighbour upstairs, Insyaallah ok.

Doakan slamat pergi dan balik ye.... TQ

Mari Berenang :)

This entry was dated sometimes in Aug 08... hehehe betapa malasnyer aku time tu nak mengupdate. Anyway, me, Shelly and the contigent were exploring the newly discovered play park @ the upper-east side of Manhattan... it's called John Jay Park... very cool!! Imagine in the one big area, there are several playgrounds specially designed for different kind of age... for infants/toddlers, for small kids and preschoolers, and for bigger kids (bigger than my size hehehe... size shj ye.. umurku telah melebihi had kelayakan tidak sesuwaii utk dibuat comparison). Budak2 ni apalagaa... pantang nampak, nak main terus tak nak balik. I like this neighborhood although not as "high end" as our area... apartment area sini ala2 ancient European style... they are old buildings i guess, tp cantik and well preserved... takde la petak2 batu-bata semata. And kat sebelah tu ade tennis and basketball courts (i'm sure Abaji gonna love this)... and the other side kawasan lapang with few benches for picnic... and jengg...jengg...jenggg... kat hujung sebelah sana pulak akak ternampak ini!!!

Yess... yessss... hakak suke!!! It's free... the best public swimming pool in Manhattan, is it??! Dan nampaknye tak ramai orang. Ini sudah bagusss!!!

I LOVE SWIMMING very much!.. Kalau kat KL dulu merata cari tempat nak swimming (yg private and free of course... hehehh). It was easy when I was in UKM coz ade dedicated swimming pool for ladies only. Tak la besar mana... but good enough for me. Then when I started working, rasa2 nak berenang aje, menempel la aku kat condo Mala @ Hill Park, takpun gi BNM swimming pool kat HRDC which always be more men than women in the pool... so akak kurengg la sket nak layan pool BNM ituss. So kalau gian sgt, lari gi Bangi, did few lapses kat UKM's pool. Fee pon murah jer... jauh sket la tapinye...

Years after... (few months b4 I left for NY) Lynn lak offer swimming kat UM... Yess.. olympic sized pool opened for ladies once a week, bayar RM2 ajer... yeayyyy!!.. Apalagaa.. tetiap minggu la aku layann... thanks Lynn for introducing it to me. I had great times swimming with u, buddy :). Sure ko dah terrer free style ko tuh! Skarang tgh master kuak ape lak Lynn?

Kat sini boleh la join health club nak swimming doplohpat jam... hehehe. Cuma sediakan $$$ jer la. I've surveyed, paling murah pun $250 with other facilities which I don't need... ohh.. tidakkk!!!!... aku nih bukannye nak berenang hari2 pon... buat rugi duit jer. Itu pasal la aku dah terover excited bila dicovered John Jay swimming pool yg free itusss... :)

And the very next day, sungguh bersemangat mengalahkan Michael Phelps... aku telah berkobar2 menerjunkan diri ke dalamnye... Fulllamaakkk... sojukkkk gilerrrr air dia!!!! Dah la angin sejuk sepoi2 bahasa dipenghujung summer nih. Laggii lah aku menggigil... and I found my skill deteriorated... huhuuhuhuu :( .... Stamina hancuss.... separuh lap jer aku sudah pancit!!!!... uuwawaawawaaa!!!

Less than 20 mins I decided to get out from that freezing water... aku dah sesak nafas... tak pepasal kang pengsan dek hypothermia!! muskel gak aku org lain releks jer berendam dlm tu... iskkk... Sabar... sabar... aku tunggu next summer 2009!!

Time nak masuk changing room ade la sorang minah ni pangkat makcik gak kot?! tegur aku.

Minah: "Hey... nice attire!!.. i like this very much, especially the weather is getting cold like this, it's good to cover up".

Me: "Thanks, I'm a Muslim. I have to cover up in public regardless what's the weather like. (sungguh aku bermujahadah nak menutup aurat but yet masih tak dapat nak buang keinginan towards fashionable and trendy dressing... syndrome lemah iman... :()

Minah: "I'm a Jewish. You know... we Jewish have to cover too. I normally cover myself when I go out, but not when going swimming. But looking at yours, I think I have to find one for me. Does it come with a skirt?"

Me: "This is the normal diving suit, I know that there's a swimming suit designed for muslim women that is not so tight, with the skirt covering the hip and with full head gear covering the neck. But don't think it's available here. Perhaps u could check in the Internet" (Serta-merta aku teringat Kak Mimi (or Sina?) yg jual muslimah swimming suit kat opes dulu. Rugi lak rasa tak beli. Kalo tak leh gak promote kat dia...).

Minah: "Oh.. that's interesting! For the sake of my health, i need to swim but u know... the pool rules is to wear the swimming suit. I wish one day they'll sell it here."

Me: "Yeah, I know... I'm sure u'll find one that is suitable for u..." (sambil bersalam kenal and borak2 jap before saying goodbye).

Masa mandi dan salin baju macam2 perkara terlintas kat fikiran... Pasal swimming suit, pasal Yahudi, pasal Palestine yg ditindas oleh Yahudi, pasal muslim community living in Judoe-Christian country... hhhmmm.... I'm making friend with Jewish and yet my Muslim brothers and sisters in Palastine are killed by the Jewish... hhmm mcm2 perasaan timbul lepas tu...

Ada Apa Dengan Handbag?!!

USD vs. RM... uhhhuuu :(

Alahaiii... found so many big and roomy Aigner, Nine West, Kenneth Cole, LC, Furla, Guess... etc... cantekkss sangat2!!.. Discountnye pun menarikssss jugaks tuu... meleleh jer tengok... tangan ni dah gatal nak membeli...

Tapikan... FOREX dah semakin haru... dollar/ringgit is getting higher and higher... exchange rate today $1=RM3.507... Jadi mahal la kalau nak jual nanti... isykk... kesian kat org2 M'sia... tak sanggup laks owang nak beli... mencikkk la cenggini... mencikkk tawww!!! isykkk... isykkk....

How lehh??... to buy... or not to buy....

Ayat-ayat Cinta...

New semester has begun... while Hanna is constantly developing her skills in pre-K, I have 2 more subjects to complete my Part 1... aiyarkss... baru part 1 dah tercungap-cungap... This means from now on I'm back again with activities of reading, digesting, brainstorming, researching, thinking, filtering and completing my assignments and project papers before the exam at the end of the year. Namun, taufan kemalasan masih melanda tanpa reda.... Oleh itu mari kita tengok wayang!!!... heheheh...

Through Saifulislam.com I found my favorite film of the year!!.. filem sepanjang zaman... an Indonesian film "AYAT AYAT CINTA" ohh.. sungguh syahdu... dah ler tgh PMS nihh... sebak... sayu... pilu... dan paling penting sungguh menginsafkan!!! Recomended to everyone!!..

Credit to the original writer of the novel... Habiburrahman El Shirazy, yang mana diantara lain, telah meletakkan konsep poligami dari kacamata Islam dalam konteks yg betul. Syabas!!

RAMADHAN MUBARAK...!!

Alhamdulillah... Ramadhan datang lagi... diam tak diam dah genap setahun we all berhijrah ke NY. We arrived on 6th Sept 07, just a week before last Ramadhan... so kelam kabut, dgn luggages berbondong2... jet lagged lagi... moving twice from hotel to temporary apartment before we settle down at the actual residents... was so restless... mental, physical, emotional and spiritual.

Syukur... kali ni Ramadhan disambut dgn lebih tenang and gembira... serba serbi dalam kesederhanaan. No Bazaar Ramadhan.. no extravagant foods... no wasting of money and time. We just do our tarawih berjemaah at home... just the short ones to begin with, Abaji as the Imaam. Hanna always want to slit herself between me and nenet, joined us performing solat together with her brand new telekung, Zarina bought from KL recently. I never discourage her nor compel her to join us. I just said she can stop and relax if she feels tired. But I was impressed as she obediently followed the solat and completed until witir... cuma the last few rakaats tu dia dah goyang2 dah... menempel kat aku or nenet. Kesian... nak tergelak pun ade... Dan yg best tu, baca Fatihah lagi kuat dari suara Imaam... ohh.. sungguhlah mengganggu konsentrasi ku...

And the next day dia pun nak puasa jugak... refused to eat and drink since morning... ehh.. cuak gak aku tgk budak ni... tp dia selamber jer... "HANNA PUASA..." katanya....

I'm in dilemma... terpaksa la aku mengayat... "3 yrs old, Allah sayang... it's ok to eat a little bit while u puasa... coz small kids hv to eat... if not u'll get stomach ache. Later when u grow up, when u r big and strong like Emak, u can puasa the whole day... ".

"But mommy... u r small, u r not big like Abaji... u hv to eat too...."

Ohh.. tersalah bagi example aku rupanya... tapi tak pe lah.. dia makan dgn lahapnye selepas itu...

To families and friends.... selamat menyambut bulan Ramadhan yg mulia dan penuh barakah. Semoga Allah merahmati amalan kita semua dan dipanjangkan umur utk menyambut Ramadhan seterusnya. Maafkan segala kesalahan kami sekeluarga dan halalkan lah rezeki yg kami terambil secara sengaja mahupun tidak.

Lots of love from us in the far away land.... missing home a lot!!