Friendly Manitoba

The decision to come to this small town was made one year ago. At that time, he was offered a place at all the 3 universities that he had applied for - university of manitoba (UOM), Winnipeg; Korean Institute of Technology (KIST), Seoul and University of Ryerson, Toronto. So we made some research and did some rough calculation, and i insisted on him to choose a place with the lowest living cost.. hehe. Fortunately, berpadanan dengan research interests mr z pulak :P

So here we are, in the small heart of manitoba. We have yet to secure a place (apartment) thus we still need to compromise living in this small bed & breakfast. Thanks to Elsa, the gorgeous old lady. She makes us feel very welcomed. I must say that the people in this town are all very friendly. There are always smiles and "hi", "how are you?", "do you need any help?" and "thank you"...Always.

17th August 1.30am (Malaysia = 18th August 2.30pm)
We arrived here in this bed&breakfast at around 1.30am,18th of August, knocking the door of a stranger hoping there would be some "light" emerge from the darkness and coldness of the night. There were slightest hope that there would be someone still awake at that time. The taxi driver was kind enough to allow us to use his cell phone. We rang the bell several time before an old lady dressed in white (hehe) came out and greeted us with a genuine smile.. She was Elsa, the owner of this b&b.

18th August
There isnt time for jet-lagging and beauty sleep. Aisyah was wide awake at 4.30am and "took" mr z for an early morning walk. You cant expect a girl who slept all the way from Kl to Narita to Vancouver to Winnipeg to stay in bed for another couple of hours. Later during breakfast, we met another guests, the 2 siblings from Germany, and a couple whose husband was from USA and wife was a Filipino staying nearby the b&b.

The person in charge at the international student center told us that they've arranged a malaysian family to assist us via email, whom in return have replied the email saying that they would ("do" so). But that was all and that was it. Thanks but no thanks.

19th August
House hunting began. Huhu~ it was wa~yy tougher than that Ive ever imagined. Out of 15 leasing offices that we've called/went to, only 2 were opened. And only one apartment is available. Thanks to Mr Z's helpful supervisor who drove us all around winnipeg to look for a house, bank, halal shops etc.

Back to the motel, we were extremenly hungry. I almost broke to tears thinking of the diffilculties we, especially that little girl, had to face. Masya-Allah, around 2 or 3 minutes later, we received a call from Fida, former Malaysian (now a Canada citizen) whose husband a Bangladeshi. She had called us like 4 times since we've came here, asking if we were doing ok...and FYI, we havent met before and she shouldnt have worried anything about us - total strangers to her. We were introduced to her via Mr Z's friend. And if she wanted to, she could have just ignored our SOS, pretended as if nothing had happened...just like...

She and her husband, Mr Feroz, invited us for a dinner. And it was 4 days since we saw any rice, or eat anything that you could call a meal. Alhamdulillah, and they gave us A LOT OF OTHER BASIC LIFE EXTEND SUPPLIES.. They were both nice, very warm, and together they make a cute couple :) It was through them that we regained our energy and confidence that things are gonna get better. They gave us a lot of useful tips and shared some beautiful stories. Fida also took us to buy some halal stuff, where i bought some sausage and fried chicken, which later, along with the nasi she gave us, were the only foods that satisfied the stomach of my fussy-2-year-old daughter.
Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah.

Setiap yang berlaku ada hikmahnya. Sebelum ini mungkin sebab kami jumpa yang manis-manis belaka di Jepun, Jerman dan sebagainya, maka Allah berikan sedikit masam dan perit agar tak lupa rasa manis tu. Tapi Alhamdulillah, peritnya mnula-mula sahaja. Sekarang kami dah semakin biasa dengan keadaan di Winnipeg ini. If anybody would ever asked me on how Manitoba is , I would certainly say "It's friendly Manitoba, indeed!"

(Tema tempat ini ialah Friendly Manitoba, ala2 Kedah Jelapang padi or Sabah di bawah bayu, and believe me, memang friendly betul)

maikuru jakkuson vs SMAP

I was full of tears when I heard Sudir died...I always thought that I would get the chance untuk bertemu jodoh dengan beliau...haha. Zaman kanak-kanak dulu :P so transparent :P

And now, another King of pop has gone, of coz la this time tak terasa sangat, though we must admit that he was one legend and we grew up listening to his songs. I guess the citizen of the ignorant states - especially the press, would feel extremenly tremendously sorry...or guilty (coz they've been treating him badly these recent years?)

I just love the reactions from the SMAP guys in this video, when michael surprise SMAP (one of the most popoular (overrated?) group in Japan)....




Arent these expressions priceless? :P -->

The Smallest and the Most Precious

The negative energy...
...too tired and too exhausted and hating thyself to the max...
...wasnt at all the dream thy have had

Signing a lifetime contract as a slave.
Extending it to another four years.
Will be moved to the new jail with higher level security.
Fooled by the nights and hated by the days.
Alone in the dark room without anyone to talk to for 22hours a day, and the balance of the two hours would be used to continue slavery works under tremendous pressure.
Tremendous pressure...
Tremendous pressure...

It is strange,
When everything seems to be against you,
When every faith you have was betrayed,
When your words were twisted again and again,
When the big L has completely gone,
When the dejavu of the insanity began to devour your strength,
And you just cannot lie, cannot hold on, cannot breath,

Who would have known?
The only thing that would keep your sanity is the smallest thing you have in life.

Listen - to the song here in my heart

It is strange that when there were so many things to say, I would choose to say nothing at all. Hoping that someone would listen, to the song in my heart..And it aint easy

Listen to the song here in my heart
A melody I start but can't complete
Listen to the sound from deep within
It's only beginning to find release

Oh, the time has come for my dreams to be heard
They will not be pushed aside and turned
Into your own all 'cause you won't
Listen

Listen, I am alone at a crossroads
I'm not at home in my own home
And I've tried and tried to say what's on mind
You should have known

Oh, now I'm done believing you
You don't know what I'm feeling
I'm more than what you made of me
I followed the voice you gave to me
But now I've gotta find my own

You should have listened, there is someone here inside
Someone I thought had died so long ago
Oh, I'm screaming out and my dreams'll be heard
They will not be pushed aside on words
Into your own all 'cause you won't
Listen

Listen, I am alone at a crossroads
I'm not at home in my own home
And I've tried and tried to say what's on mind
You should have known

Oh, now I'm done believing you
You don't know what I'm feeling
I'm more than what you made of me
I followed the voice you gave to me
But now I've gotta find my own

I don't know where I belong
But I'll be moving on
If you don't, if you won't

Listen to the song here in my heart
A melody I start but I will complete

Oh, now I'm done believing you
You don't know what I'm feeling
I'm more than what you made of me
I followed the voice you think you gave to me
But now I've gotta find my own, my own

-listen-
*beyonce knowles*

Temporary accomodation

How about this?




I think the house look very warm and cozy. Just a peek inside the bedroom...


And into the dining...


Not what some of you might think. Bukan rumah impian ker aper, just some bed and breakfast that we've booked for a week in Canada. Only C$65 per night, for three of us, everything inclusive and no taxes. The owners sound very warm as well :)

This time, we dont really know anyone aka Malay friends around the Winnipeg area. We really missed the time kat jepun and Jerman, sempaitachi yang tak berkira dan adik2 yang sungguh peramah-tamah.

Tunggu kami, Ms Elsa... :P
Ahhh..living under zero degree? hate it

Things to let go

Iskk...lagi 2 bulan tak sampai.
I hate it, but still need to face it. Takperla, takdir :(

Oklah, berikut ialah things to let go, Ada yang free ada yang nk jual - garage sale ler nih.

Yang nak kasi free:
1. Boots from hush puppies
Details: warna light brown, paras ankle
Used few times
Size: 4

2. Boots from hush puppies
Details: warna dark brown, paras ankle
Used sekali jer rasanya
Size: 4

3. Black Swimsuit modest
Details: Bought for RM90, with cap, no tudung/hijab
Details: Used few times, bought in IIUM 4 years ago and havent been used for 3yrs,
Size: XS
*ini bukan made from spandex, but made from nylon, so agak melekat dan tak cepat kering berbanding lycra

4. Blender

5. Bread toaster

6. Microwave oven

7. Rice Cooker

8. Rak hiasan tepi 4 tingkat

9. Rak kasut 2 tingkat

10. Almari baju made from clothes saiz 5' x 1'

11. Almari baju made from clothes saiz 5' x 1'

12. Almari baju made from clothes saiz 3' x 1'

13. Television LG (berapa inch ntah), elok jer tapi just nk let go

14. Meja makan (court mammoth) for 4, bought at RM199 last year

15. Baby mosquito net (hadiah tapi tak guna, sebab bb dah besar)
Gambar ala2 cam kat bawah tapi warna putih plain


16. Penyidai baju
Bukan hanger tapi ala-ala cam nie -- >


17. Walker baby

Lain-lain to be updated soon...


Nak jual pulak:

1. Kembara automatic, market price RM23000, to be sold at RM17000

2. Stroller + baby car seat, beli RM400 to RM650, to be sold at RM150
(Kalau ada anak yatim/asnaf, nak kasi free jer)

3. Sunflower - controller buaian baby automatic(adjustable speed), guna less than sebulan, ada kotak lagi,
Harga asal RM195, to be sold at RM50
(Free untuk asnaf dan anak yatim)

4. Buaian bayi yang mudah alih tuh, percuma 5 spring (tahan > 15kg, to be sold at RM100 (kalau ada asnaf/ anak yatim yang nak, free jer, sila bagitau)

5. Meja kopi (kitorang buat meja komputer) bought > RM250,
Kayu apa ntah, tahan lasak dan tahan calar jugak, so far ok, nak jual at RM100

6. Rak buku 5 tingkat bercermin bought at RM2++, to be sold at RM100

7. Mesin basuh automatik 6.5kg + peti ais 1 pintu, RM200

8. Rak TV 5' (width) x 0.5' x 1.2' (height), bought at RM200++, to let go at RM100


Jenama, details n gambar to be updated sooooon. Hehe, memang tak informatif. Im catching up my breath. Email me: zakiahhanim [at] gmail [dot] com

** updated:
merah --> dah diamik
kuning --> booked