Kenora

Hari tu kami ke Kenora, Lake of the Woods.

Pertama kali kami sewa kereta.
Pertama kali kami keluar daripada province Winnipeg.
Pertama kali pegi picnic ramai-ramai.

Cuba meniru gaya ambil gambar artistik macam cik sarah tapi gagal

Konvoi 13 van dan kereta.
Ada 65 orang saudara Islam semuanya.
2 jam setengah drive, baru sampai sana.

Sampai-sampai, suami sibuk bekerja berBBQ di "dapur".

 Yang ni tengah bakar ayam

 Yang ni tengah bakar dapur

Yang ni tengah..err..mm..buka plastik timun?? Oklaa...

Kalau ada events makan-makan atau piknik, memang kaum lelaki yang masak2 dan sediakan semua benda. Kaum ibu cuma jaga anak sahaja. Dan kaum perempuan dan anak-anak makan alas perut dulu once ayam dah bakar. Ini macam kalu, tiap-tiap minggu pegi piknik pun takpa :P

Anak-anak pula biasala..

lari-lari

lari-lari lagi

mandi-mandi

 mandi-mandi lagi

Tapi Aisyah sikit pun tak minat nak terjun air tuh. huhu~ dari mula sampai dia dah request nak main benda nih ->

building Sand Castle

Kebetulan ada yang sama hobi dengan dia :) Si Hamzah nih pun asik berkelek ikut maknya..Maka lagi lerr senang kerja kami :P Tak payah tukar baju mandi diorang

Kalau ada yang perasan, gambar wanita takder dalam entry nih, atau entry mana2 akan datang, kecuali gambar malaysian :p Ini atas menghormati pendapat, budaya dan mazhab rakan2. Ada dari India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Arab (tak ingat mana), Korea, Jepun dan err, of course Malaysia... Kelakar bila ada mat saleh ni tegur dari mana, dan bila kita jawab, dia kelihatan sangat2x kagum sebab kami dari macam-macam negara.. Inilah salah satu keistimewaan persaudaraan dalam Islam :)

Pertama kali bergambar berempat :P

Kenora sungguh cantik. On the way ke sana, berbelas-belas, mungkin juga lebih 20, tasik yang kami lalui. Ada tasik nama "Engineer Lake" dan ada juga "Deception Bay". Kali nih tak sempat naik cruise or hovercraft, tengok ler tahun depan kalau ada rezeki :) Insya-Allah

 Ayyan yang cool

Shades of Pink

I love pink! And all shades of pink. I think the color does reflect my personality the best. I wear pink (or yellow) for luck!

post-grad in pink!

It was not until I gave birth to my daughter that I had these silly ideas that pink is just so lame and boring and childish, that I decided not to like it anymore. Dont hate me, I have had lots of experiences being treated like a sophomore student so it wasnt totally my fault when I tried too hard to "look matured"? (That was how a friend used to describe me errr...)

So I chose other colors, yellow, red, brown and everything else, trying my best not to dive into shades of pink. Although some colors like black really did not do me justice, I began to love the other bright and pastel colors too, but alas, pink still remains "my color". And I guess it really obvious because I kept receiving gifts in...err.. pink.

Ms Sanae made me choose between the two pairs of Japanese handkerchiefs so when I instinctively took this pair, she smiled and said that, "I knew you'd love the pink-red pair"..Wohoho, what an open book I was :P  Arigatou ne :D

Well, i did say that i opt for this color for luck but Nitz was so funny, she went a step ahead and left some coins in the purses that she gave me. She told me that it was Filipinos' belief that to put some coins in the purse would bring some good luck..adih. So yeay, this is my ang pau raya for this year, i guess.

 I was long looking for a bag with a lot of rooms and compartments to keep all my stuff well organized inside, without being bulky or with the excess weight. I was shopping around when my husband took this one out of the rack and said, "This is pretty. How about this one?"

I took a glance and I saw pink, so trying not to add more pink into my collection, I hesitated. I thought it looked buky and..mmm, cold. But he insisted me to try it on. Hmm, I guess I would just go with the flow, no harm in trying a new bag right? But when I laid my hand on the soft, supple leather, guess what, Im sold!

It was beautiful. It was all that I was looking for. I love it. Yesss..I want I want.

It was B. Makowsky Toulousse Shopper. Mine is in Hibiscus color.

Compared to other brand names, it is relatively very new in the ladies industries and came in much cheaper prices than those famous names, coach lv etc. But alas, Im not into names. But guess what, I fell in love with almost all B. Makowsky designs that Im thinking of having the bag in white or turquoise as well :P You can check them out here

Ini adalah "hadiah bersalin", dari mr Z

Sebut pasal pink, mestila kena sebut baju pink juga.. The latest pink tops from my closet would be -->

:)
Perasan tak? Baju pink tuh..Baju nursing t-shirt muslimah dari mymuslimart. I love~e it. Very comfortable and modest. Check them out at mymuslimart.com, not much left.. or add our facebook "sales mymuslimart"

Nak buat kek pink la harini.. Ceria-ceriakan hati sendiri

Boomerang Life

She said, "It's good that we came here you know, if you were in your country and I in mine, we would have never met each other in the first place"

So we bid each other good bye. And saying good bye has never been easy for me. And the next day, they would be home in their own sunny country.

We were nobody in this foreign land. And we've been supporting each other in every possible way. Kokoro no sasagiai. We were overwhelmed by their cozy and warm words and the abundance of love and support.

There were so many things we've learned from them. MANY. And one of them is the fact that no matter how hard you try to mingle with the others, they would be nice to you because they ARE indeed very nice people. Because they wanted to be nice. And it has nothing to do with you. It is His bless and His Mercy that you have the chance to get to know these kind people.

"You are like a sister to me. We'll meet again one day." And I found a strong confidence in her words.
"Insya-Allah", I answered. Still very surprised by everything, thinking that she would be around for sometimes. Even planned some picnic together...

It's a boomerang life. We travel thousand kilometres away from home, but still we would always come back to where we belong.

Alas, friends come and friends go. But true friends stay in your heart forever.
"Yes, we'll meet again. Im sure." I said.

Makanan Pantang versi Winnipeg

Antara soalan wajib dijawab (selepas melahirkan anak) ialah
1. "anak nama apa, boy or girl, c or normal etc.."
2. "macamana kakak punya reaksi dengan adiknya"
3. "macamana pantang di kanada"

Ehehe, entry nih untuk soalan ketiga tuh. Tajuk karangan hari ni ialah "Mari Berpantang di Kanada"

Lepas c-section tempohari, berbanding dengan operation first time dulu, they did not put me into sleep immediately, as they said, the procedure of putting a mother to sleep immediately after the operation could increase the death rate by 15%...Huhu~ how was I to know that I was like 15% closer to death last time..

Eh, apasal jadi bahasa inggeris kanada pulak nih..pening nak baca..takper hentam sajala..

I was warded for 4 days. So antara makanan yang diorang kasi for breakfast (lebih kurang jer breakfast tetiap hari) ialah:

Untuk lunch pula (2 pics jer)

Soalan:
Cuba cari 5 kesalahan di dalam ketiga-tiga gambar di atas..hehe
:
:
:
Jawapan:
1. Breakfast tapi dia kasi juice orange
2. Nescafe is provided for every breakfast
3. I had ice creams for every lunch
4. Juga crackers dan sebagainya, yang dilarang makan dulu2 takut batuk etc (c-section)
5. Pisang (dan pelbagai sayuran)..ada orang cakap tak boleh makan (sejuk?)

Mungkin tak masuk dalam pic, tapi 24hrs ada cold drinks (plain water). Air yang ada ketul2 ais lagi tuh, offered immediately after the operation :P

So yang bestnya makanan hospital ialah:
1. Selalu ada cake or sandwich for lunch. Atas tuh gambar carrot cake (yang sedap)
2. Lentil soup tuh pun marvellous
3. Malam-malam kalau lapar boleh mintak sandwiches or toasts or pudding...jadi sangat2 la dimanfaatkan kelebihan ini, nanti malam2 or kul 2,3 pagi tu nurse bawak pudding coklat, rasa macam budak2 tapi tak kisah la kan

Cik F sangat comel. Dia datang melawat the third day bawak bubur nasi yang sedap sangat, pastu saya yang takder selera makanan hospital (sebab nak makan bubur nasi ayam) terus offer sandwich, nescafe etc untuk cik F.. Pastu dia cakap, dia suka sangat makanan hospital...hahaha.. Saya pun suka makanan hospital, tapi kalau melawat orang warded la, kalau sendiri yang warded, tak besh~

Actually I owed tremendous favor kat cik F :) Dia tak baca blog nih (sebab dia suka tengok gambar jer, hehe) tapi tu la, amatla berterimakasih kat dia dan hanya Allah sahaja mampu balas, panjang ceritanya... Waktu nih pun dia tolong hantarkan ke hospital pagi-pagi, siap temankan sampai after delivery, dari bilik persiapan sampai ke recovery room dan ward around 3 pm, dan tulong jagakan Aisyah hingga montel selama 4 hari etc etc... kalau nak tulis memang kena buat karangan khas 32 muka surat.

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Makanan untuk Mr Z yang peneman setia 4 hari tuh pulak,
-Malam pertama kesian dia, terpaksa keluar cari fast food dan tidor agak kelaparan agaknya. Sebab cadangnya nak balik after delivery tapi tukar rancangan sket. Tapi keesokannya balik makan kat rumah (ada nasi + ayam yg masak siap2 sebelum tuh)

- Pastu malam2 berikutnya kawan2 ramai tulong masakkan, jazakallah. Alhamdulillah. The debt that I just dunno how to repay. Kari2 yang sedap yang memang mr z suka (isterinya nih sentiasa fail masak kari).

Bila sampai rumah, Mr Z pulak ambil alih. Tapi antara yang tak boleh ingat ialah hari pertama breakfast dia buatkan kopi dan 7 keping toast! 7 keping! TUJUH !

Pastu tiga minggu Mr Z tak masak apa-apa sangat, melainkan dia prepare food (especially for breakfast) sebab tak putus-putus makanan dihantar. Semacam ada budaya di sini orang menghantar makanan untuk ibu bersalin. Komuniti Islam yang sederhana kecil di sini membuatkan ikatan sesama Muslim erat. Ada yang tanya perlu bantuan apa2 ker seperti kemas2 umah etc, tapi takperla tak perlu sampai macam tuh. Mr Z ada kat rumah cuti 4 minggu. Cuma terus terang saya terharu dan segan juga sebab kami nih bukan siapa-siapa di bumi Winnipeg nih. Jadinya saya harap suatu hari nanti di Malaysia pun, kalau ada kawan2 foreigner yg kesusahan di Malaysia, we would try to do the same, pay forward.

Minggu ketiga ke atas tuh baru Mr Z masak. Antara masakan beliau
- caesarean salad
- jus carrot
- nasi ayam
- nasi beriani
- tandoori ayam
- butter chicken 
- sup Chiang Mai (dia letak nama nih, hehe)
- grilled lamb + black pepper sauce
- burger... kekeke

caesarean salad mr z (sedap tp kedekut betul nak bagi resipinya)

 yang ni sup tapi tak chiang mai (by mr z)

Tuh yang ok la, kena buat honorable mention sket, a token of my appreciation atas kesedapan masakan tuh dan kesudian beliau masak. Yang horrorable mention tak payah buatla :P just kidding, k. Thank you :)

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Yang ni pulak ialah yang kawan-kawan kasi, saya cuba ringkaskan dalam sekeping gambar:

sup seaweed cik F + ikan

nasi kuning + kari kambing + ayam + kari tomato + beriani daging + sayur bendi + limau (cik Khan + cik H)

roti paratha + dal kambing

bubur nasi ayam (brown rice yang sedap dan dah dapat resipi)

lamb curry cik M (nanti nk tanya resipi, sedap)

Dried druit

Daging masak merah (?) + sup sayur tomato + sayur bhaji apa ntah + sayur bendi + nasi minyak (?) + pineapple

Semua nama-nama di atas rekaan semata-mata...
(nama masakan pun tipu, dah ler tipu cakap nak letak sekeping gambar jer, terpaksa letak gambar lebih sket wat kenangan)

Saya tatau nama masakan diorang, walaupun namanya kari tapi lain-lain jenis dan rasa. Dan nasi2 tuh pun ada nama tapi segan la takkan nak tanya, kan? So di sini lepas operation saya tak larat, jadinya saya ikut jer la cara makanan pantang orang Mesia (yang mana ingat), atau Bangladeshi, India, Jepun/Korea...


Orang Korea/Jepun cakap seaweed bagus untuk legakan luka, dan cik F buat sup seaweed, saya makan jer :) Orang India cakap makan pineapple bagus untuk heal luka, saya telan jer. Orang bangla/ Arab cakap makanan berempah baik untuk boost susu dan heal luka, pun saya tak komplen, makan jer la. Jus carrot tuh petua kawan-kawan (m'sia), terima kasih ya :)Ada juga makanan lain yang first time jumpa macam bubur rempah India dan bubur nasi yang manis (Iran)..etc etc...Dalam keadaan tak larat nih, semua saya makan. And sometimes food is no longer for pleasure, tapi untuk survive and heal luka cepat.

Ada juga beberapa benda yang saya discover. Contohnya macam jus apple nih mengurangkan susu manakala makanan yang berempah heavy ni memang menambahkan susu. Memang abundant supply. Tapi too pedas for me, my husband suka la tu :P Memang mr z nampak makin berisi sejak dalam pantang nih... hihi.

Banyak sungguh kenangan tak dapat dilupakan sepanjang berpantang di sini, membuatkan saya terfikir, walaupun kadang-kadang saya rasa kuat dan mampu berdikari, tapi good friends always make you stronger, emotionally. Terima kasih atas all the nice du'a and kind prayers. I am forever thankful for all Your guidance and blessing ya Allah, Alhamdulillah. Semua peristiwa nih akan jadi sejarah satu masa nanti..

Saya masih lagi berpantang, Mr Z pula dah start research, tapi Alhamdulillah dah dapat manage my time dan dah boleh start masak sikit2..Dan dapat tackle sikit perangai newborn Ayyan Fateh.

It's just that, errr, I just....I just..I ....Huwaaa~

I miss my mom, and my sis now..

Tetamu Tidak Dijemput

:P
Tajuk macam nak cari gaduh...

Sebenarnya dalam 3 minggu nih dah tak join perjumpaan 'rahsia' wanita-wanita setiap hari Ahad tuh :D Sebabnya tak larat nak dukung budak 13kg sedangkan berat dah bertambah 15kg..huhu~ingat mamanyer nih jengkaut ker apa... Memang tak dukung sangat, tapi ada part2 tertentu macam jalan becak, naik tangga, lintas jalan, nak pakaikan car seat etc tuh, still kena dukung jugak..

Dan juga dah tak berapa jemput sangat kawan2 ke rumah, appointment dengan doctor sampai 2 kali seminggu. Totally worn out. Ditambah kesihatan diri dan kesihatan rumah yang sungguh tak stabil :P Rumah macammm...gedung toys'r'us

Tapi agak terharu, ramai juga bertanya khabar..huhu~ Tuan bed n breakfast dulupun telefon, agaknya orang risau kut diam-diam karang dah deliver sorang-sorang rupanya..hehe..

Tapi tadi dapat kejutan dari tetamu-tetamu yang tak dijemput..haha~ Tetamu yang tak dijemput tapi sangat dialu-alukan.. Tak sangka ya, "tekanan darah rendah" boleh dihilangkan dengan "bertemu dan berbual dengan sahabat-sahabat baik".. petua nih kena bagitau Misah nih..:) Cik F dan Cik San datang hampir serentak tanpa dirancang :) Macam berjanji..

Cik F, terima kasih kerana bawakan benda warna coklat yang sungguh menyelerakan...dan nampak mahal tuh..:D

Cik San, terima kasih kerana bawakan senyuman menawan dan sesuatu yang dah 2 tahun kucari itu.. I'll share it here with u gals :) Sharing is caring, right? hehe

Dan paling tak tau nak cakap apa, sesungguhnya rezeki tiap anak tuh sangat murah... Saya terharu dengan perhatian sahabat-sahabat di sini yang sangat bertanya kebajikan anak dalam kandungan sampai ke tahap yang tak pernah saya bayangkan dan harapkan. Terharu~ Takper, saya rasa cukupla persiapan yang ada, cuma doakan anak ini lahir dan diselamatkan dari bisikan syaitan..
Insya-Allah..

Oh ya, main activity hari nih ->
- Set rambut (dengan recently bought vidal sassoon multistyler), "wave"kan rambut cik san - hairstylist ialah cik F, cantik lerr..booking yer lepas deliver nnti tulong setkan. Saya nak buat rambut lady morgana (Merlin)

Boleh ker? :P

Manakala main activity minggu nih ialah a quick picnic di St Vital Park ->

Tema: Alice in Wonderland

Sangat comel bila kanak-kanak dua orang nih lari bertaburan kejar layang-layang seseorang kat park tuh. Manakala si abang tuh pula kejar dua orang budak nih takut diorang pijak layang-layang tuh.Budak lelaki yang bapanya tengah pegang layang-layang tuh pulak kejar 3 orang budak nih, takut layang-layang tangled. Saya n cik  F pula terkedek-kedek kejar budak-budak 4 orang itu tapi laju gilerr diorang lari macam matrix. Manakala tuan punya layang-layang pula lari berpusing-pusing dari dikejar keempat-empat budak kecil ini sambil gelak-gelak, "this is funny! Owhh This is funny :P"  Sian, dah tangled sikit layang-layang tuh..

Okey..masa untuk kembali ke dunia nyata...

Golden Spring Fever

Sekarang tak mampu nak teruskan aktivit scrapbook lagi, tak larat nak mengemas, so cuma buat scrapbook versi digital jer la dulu.

Harini good friday rupanya..takder bus, shopping center tutup..hari penting dalam perayaan kristian..check sini kalau berminat -> hari Jesus crucified. Macam-macam diorang nih. Lusa easter day pulak, easter day nih agak comel...

Saya tafsirkan easter day sebagai hari mencari telur rabbit. Tataula kalau ada yang sambut Easter kat Malaysia, sebab kan orang Melayu/Islam kita pun dah sambut Halloween, Valentine Day dan Krismas jugak sekarang nih...Islam modern, mesti berfikiran terbuka terhadap agama lain, kan? so tak mustahil nanti sambung Easter Day pulak. Ibubapa sibuk sembunyikan egg-shaped choc ker, sebab sangat comel perayaan ini... sigh~

Jangan sambut!

Easter day ialah hari di mana Jesus dibangkitkan selepas dibunuh oleh kaumnya sendiri.. Resurrection day!

Kalau kat kedah jumaat hari cuti, pastu dulu2 mesti mak sibuk2 masak sambil tunggu ayah n adik balik naik motor. Maka keja yang paling 'perempuan' saya buat waktu tu ialah hidang makanan..:P Pastu nanti satu kampung dengar bunyi menderu-deru orang naik motor balik solat jumaat.. best best!

Tak perlu Good Friday untuk kita, Friday is always good! Happy Friday untuk umat Islam..

Nibbles and Noshes 1 - WaterLily

Ive learnt that what makes a meal delicious isnt the taste of the food itself, in fact, it was the dining experience that matters the most. Mr Z has been extremely busy these few weeks. Most of the time, he'd take the last ride home.. And he's been spending his weekends in the university as well... Thus, Ive tried to make the most out of nothing on the few times when we were together, even though that was just another plain appointments with the family doc.

So last Friday, on the way home from the routine (tiring) pregnancy assessment, we stopped by a shop located immediately opposite St Vital bus station. I noticed the restaurant's name that catered/sponsored a party (by a Muslim association) on which we've attended not long ago - Lily Water, and pointed it out to my husband. I didnt expect him to suggest that we have our lunch there but guess what, it must have been my lucky day after all.. Moreover, mungkin dia setuju nak makan di situ because Ive warned him that I only have bolognese spaghetti for the dinner. Dua-dua father and daughter nih takkan kenyang kalau tak makan "n.a.s.i"... at least sekali dalam sehari setengah..sebab masuk hari kedua si papa mesti komen

"dah dua hari abang tak makan nasi" 

manakala si anak pula dah 2 kali 'menjerit' tengah2 malam, (kul 12 lebih, definitely)

"mama, nak nashik, nak nashik, nak nashikkkkk...no mee! I dont want mee"

What puzzled me the most is the fact that these two people are (respectively) half and quarter Chinese, does that mean that Chinese consume more nasi than Malays? Huhu~

So atas sebab demikian, kami singgah sebentar di restoran tersebut. Sorry, no pics sangat, sogan sebab orang makin ramai... dan the owner sangat peramah kejap2 datang to the table :P

* The menu came in a unique, scroll-like thingy

* I went for the buffet, n got myself some rice, tandoori chicken, few soups/sauces, and goat curry :P

* While Mr Z went for the ala-carte and treated himself with chicken butter

Chill down, honey. The menu isnt in the robotic paper, anyway :P

* Overall, the food were nice, the dining experience was fantastic :) The owner/staffs were nice and greet each of their customer from table to table. As for the meal, I love the rice and the goat curry so much..For that reason alone, I wouldnt mind coming back for another nibbles :P

* There were around 12 dishes for the buffet not including few types of desserts available. Although they didnt serve pork etc, not everything there is halal. You can ask the owner which one is halal on that day or can simply request for the halal food from the ala carte menu. This type of restaurants (halal food on request) is quite normal here. I considered myself lucky, since on that day, other than the butter chicken, everything else was halal... Hehe, not that I ate that much

* There wasnt much to say about the dessert. Fresh tapi macam available kat mana-mana 3,4-star hotel jer. But the onion bhaji sure looked delicious..Tapi terlalu kenyang.. Next time boleh try lagi kan abang kan? :P

Harap-harap ada lagi siri jalan-jalan cari makan nih, memandangkan cuaca dah semakin cantik :)
Hello spring!

The Evening Ramble under the Sun

It was a warm and sunny Saturday. And we took the opportunity to stroll through the hustle free neighborhood. Who could have guessed that such a small evening walk under the sun, with all of  us three - together - could bring back so much joy and happiness.

We used to do this (walks) a lot, before we've got each other occupied with the so-called-jobs-and-responsibilities . There were few reasons for me to jot this down as one of the best memory we've ever had since we came here last August, although there've been hundreds of similar occasions that took place.

1. We havent spent so much time as a family, lately. He's been very, extremely, terribly busy lately. The few words that I recall every time he came back (late as usual) from the university were

"Sayang apa khabar?"           *love you, im fine, thanx for asking*
"Aisyah ok tak hari nih?"        *happy as always, thanx honey :)*
"Abang tidor dulu yer.."          *err*

2. Every time we went out together, we were rushing against the time, since Zohr to Asr to Maghrib prayers were just like 2hours +- intervals (in between)...And I havent had the guts to pray on the snowy park yet :)

3. We've been spending A LOT of time with our own friends. He has pile of friends of his own while I have my own bunch of best friends here. And in no time, the convenience and abundance love from friends has became the ultimate cause for us to think that it was ok not to spend so much time together as a family, since Ive already been busied with 'formal' meeting with the girls every weekend and crazy shopping few times in the weekdays, while he were not at home...and vice versa for him...And i know that love really needs some kind of give and take, and this is the sacrifice i have to give, for the abundance of love and warmth that i felt from people surrounding me, especially from him..

There was still snow melting here and there, but most of the sidewalks were clear :)  And the green grass started to pop out from the earth surface :) The sun were so much warmer than the last time I remembered. Mr Z and I had to take both our winter jackets of, while Aisyah tried her best to cover her eyes from the amazingly shining sun.

The snowmelt, predictably, caused some floods in few places here and there. In addition to the black pile of snow on the park, these werent very pleasant sights, although I must say that I really find it kind of amusing and interesting that such a developed country hasnt find the ultimate solution to the melting snow that has been causing major floods every year.

Winter in Canda has been quite tough for me.. -46'C? Gosh.. We are in the north pole anyway :P Guess what, we just realized that I actually survived this cruel winter of Canada by......locking myself at home, whenever that is possible and permissible :P

The view from our balcony. The warm taste of the spring that is soon to arrive...hopefully.