Threep: Pulau Lang Tengah

Hi people!

Seems like I made it a routine to update this blog of mine once a year. I write less and lesser now that I am older. There are so many things to write and say but so little time. To cut thing short, I went to Lang Tengah for the kind of compulsory, mandatory annual trip with Miyah and Piqah. I really really really love islands and I honestly feel like my hometown, Terengganu, has the best beaches and islands and sky. The sky home is really pretty. Really bright and blue. I can lie down and stare at the sky for hours. That's how pretty the sky is back home. 

Lang Tengah is kind of small and quiet island between Redang and Perhentian. You have to take the boat from the old Merang Jetty. It's the wooden jetty that makes you question if you can still use it or not. But hey! We came back in one piece so it's definitely safe to use. Also, because we learnt from previous trips that 2 day 1 night would be too tiring, we decided to stay for 3-day and 2-night at Lang Tengah. We booked Sari Pacifica on Agoda. The price per pax was around RM550+ including the return boat trips, breakfasts, lunches and dinners. 

I shall not ramble on. So, let me share few pictures of the gorgeous Lang Tengah. 

We were told the hotel was fully booked but can you see how very few people or empty the beach was? 

Just you, the sky, the sea and the breeze. It was a bit cloudy on the afternoon we arrived but still very very beautiful.

The first lunch we had as soon as we arrived. Endless prawn and squid. I was in heaven!

Sunset during the first day. Well when you are in Pantai Timur, you can't really see sunset at the beach because if you can, it means...

I took this picture while lying on a big rattan lounge chair. If it was not for my grumbling stomach and smelly sweat, I would have stayed in that position until the sun completely set and the moon took over the sky. Looking at this kind of thing made me realise how lucky we are to be able to see things, beautiful things.

Oh this trip, we celebrated Piqah's birthday too! It was a celebration in advance. Happy 28th Qah! We all love you dearly.

A brownies I made. I arrived home on Friday morning and baked this straightaway. I ran out of choc powder so I have to substitute it with chocolate protein powder. Piqah and Miyah said it tasted nice. I hope they were not lying.

We spied on fishes, every day. All day long. There are all sorts of fish. I don't know what species they are but I know baby sharks. It was fascinating to observe them.

And then on the second day, we decided to hike. There's this place called Batu Kuching and people said the sunrise was very pretty. The day we arrived, we asked the receptionist about the sunrise spot. We were told that the sun was quite shy that particular week and the sunrise was not as spectacular. As all three of us love lazing around, we decided to not watch sunrise and instead, just hike after breakfast. It was HOT. But the view OH MY GOD THE VIEW. 

We were greeted with this. You know, it was 10 something in the morning. The sun was out. The water was literally glittering blue. If it was not too high, I would have jumped into it. 

I kid you not, the water was glittering. It was so serene, so peaceful up here and there were only us three. 

Same spot just different angle because I am obsessed with this place.

Miyah and Piqah. We stayed quite long up here until the sun was literally burning our face and arm. We went down back to the hotel but we stopped somewhere else first.

You'll see this signboard during the hike to Batu Kuching because Lang Tengah is also the home to Lang Tengah Turtle Watch.

We were walking by the beach when a woman emerged from the bushes (sumpah tak tipu) and asked us if we wanted to learn more about turtle? We've been warned not to follow strangers who offer gula-gula but this one was talking about turtle so I believe it's safe.

We were briefed by the head of the volunteers about their work and we also bought two bracelets with turtle charms to help them with their funding. The lady told us we can come back any time to volunteer and stay with them and honestly, that was an interesting idea. 

Three of us. All red and baked.

I really enjoyed this trip. We had lot of fun. Oh, we wanted to see the blue tears too but it rained both nights we were there so yeah we saw our own tears instead. I will definitely come back to this island. Maybe stay in different resort just because. Also, I believe I enjoyed this island not only because how very few people were there on the island, but because I have good companies with me. 

Thanks for reading.

Till next time.

Threep: Pulau Kapas

Oh hello people!

Look at the title! I made a cute name 'Threep', because there are three of us (Me, Miyah and Piqah) and we went for a trip. So, Threep! HAHAHA. This was our second trip together, sleeping somewhere. The first trip was in Terrapuri. This time, we went to Pulau Kapas! Patutnya we went there in March, but one of us (me) was tested positive for Covid-19 so we changed the date. We stayed at Kapas Coral Beach Resort. For two days one night, we paid less than RM250 per person for accommodation, lunch, dinner, breakfast, return boat trip and good moments (ehek!).

Sadly, I don't take that many pictures of the resort, our room, and the meals we had. But safe to say, with the very affordable price we paid,  the room is very comfortable for three of us. It's clean (very important point) and every unit has a small balcony. Electricity is 24 hours available. Meals? OMG the meals were amazing. Also we are all non picky eaters so we finished whatever we put in our plate. I actually miss the dinner we had. Fresh fried ikan kerisi with sambal belacan wehhhh sedak dooh

I don't have much to say, so let's just feast our eyes with some photos.

I can lie in the sand and look up to the sky half day long. Of course not all day long. It's super hot in the afternoon, I would like to stay as human, not sate. Thanks.

We planned to hike Bukit Singa and we actually started quite late, around 5.30 pm if I'm not mistaken. And sadly, it looked like it was going to rain so it was a bit gloomy. But good thing was, less people going to hike because of the weather so the beach was kind of empty, at least this side.

I like beaches, I like islands. I just don't like getting wet. But I still want to go to beaches and islands, whatever. During the hike, we had to wade through water about the shin level and some parts, the water reached your waist or in my case, chest. But I chose climbing and struggling on the rocks instead of wading the water because again, I don't like getting wet.

Our tour guide, Miyah. She went to hike Bukit Singa once, so she knew better about the trail.

Syafiqah, the one who had the most misfortunes during this short trip. That black pants did not make it to the mainland. The rocks during our Bukit Singa hike had claim the pants as the sacrifice. HAHAHAHA

We did not finish hiking even though we were so close to Bukit Singa. Miyah was tired from guiding us, Piqah was traumatised because of her pants. So ended up watching sunset from one of the empty beaches. Literally only three of us. In picture, Miyah and Piqah. I think if I have some editing skills, I can turn their photos into Jaws-like movie poster.

The next day, Miyah and Piqah were planning to go snorkeling. They paid for everything already. I as usual, just want to laze around and planned to walk on the beach, just enjoying whatever the island has to offer. But after few minutes, they came back. Apparently, the snorkeling trip had already departed before they arrived at the meeting point HAHAHAHAHA.

So we planned to go kayaking instead. Kayak, I like. But, it was drizzling by the time we went out from the room. In the end, we just sat by the beach and after some time, went back to our room, pack up, and wait for the boat to take us back to the mainland. Before 12, we already reached mainland. The journey by speedboat was so nice. One of the reasons I like visiting small islands like Pulau Kapas is because you can ride speedboat. 

From Jeti Marang, we went straight to a coffee shop, Pastel Mono. Such a cute shop! Food is okay, coffee I don't know. I ordered their matcha because I saw they used Niko Neko matcha powder, so of course I have to order matcha. 

Nothing memorable from here. Nothing that makes me feel like mannnn I want to go and eat their pastries again. 

Ah, Niko Neko matcha, my love.

Our short trip just ended like that. Also, we learnt that even though Pulau Kapas is a small island, we should not take the dua hari satu malam trip. We should sleep there for at least two nights! But it's okay, we can go again after this.

Two last pictures because why not?

Three of us.

Reminder for everyone!

Anyway, that's all about my short trip with Miyah and Piqah. People often say short and sweet but I feel like when it's come to trip, if it is short, it will be exhausting. HAHAHA. So, lesson learnt. No more short trip unless it is really really really close. I'm looking forward for more of Threep in the future, insya Allah if ada rezeki lebih. Aamiin.

Thanks for reading!

2021 Wrap Up

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Hello, people.

Last day of 2021. Feel like I just left high school few years back but when I count, it's been 9 years already! Where did the time go? I am now closer to 30, closer to death *wah insof. Anyway, I want to recap some of the things happened or things I have done in 2021. May another year bring me more wisdom, more patience, more faith and more gratefulness. 

1. I read 35 books!

My plan was to read two books per month for this year. But as I was commuting to work by train that took me around 45 minutes, I was blessed with the opportunity to read more. Hence, I exceeded my own target. Yeay! For 2022, I am thinking to read more autobiography, non-fiction and buy more preloved books. 

2. Went for staycation(s) with my friends

People who know me will know that I am a very much homebody. I can stay home for weeks and I won't even feel bored. And when I say I'm busy at home, I AM busy. There are books to read, clothes to fold, shelves to be dusted off, things to arrange and clean, planner to be updated, recipes to try. Really, there are endless things to do at home. So, when my friends ask me to go for staycation and I agree to join, it means: a) I have sufficient social capacity to join, b) I am comfortable with them

In 2021, I went to TWO staycations with TWO different group of friends. Look at me, all grown up, mingling around lol. Evidences as below.

Sarang @ Kuala Kubu Bharu. I love it. It's small cabin-container site with amazing facilities and nice hosts. Very affordable too.

I went with them. Same faces since 2008, just older.

Sadly, I don't have that many pictures in Sarang. We had BBQ and games! I had so much fun even though I had to eat lemon during Truth or Dare game. 

And then, I stayed at Terrapuri, Setiu, Terengganu with another group of friends.

This is Amirah and Syafiqah. I have known Piqah since we were 9 years old and then I invited myself as a third-wheel in their relationship HAHAHAHAA. Thank you guys for accepting me.

One of the things I will always be grateful for is to be able to see. To be able to feast your eyes on such amazing creations (the sky, the beach, the trees) created by our Lord - you should never take it for granted.

3. I went to a Pottery Class!

I have always wanted to learn pottery but come on, it's expensive and I always have this kind of uneasy feeling if I spend on myself. But I finally made up my mind and register for a pottery class. For the first session, I made a bowl!

See? I stamped it with my name, BA ehek

4. Got to wear convocation robe for the second time

The reason I had my picture taken with my thesis instead of a scroll is because I did not attend the ceremony. HAHAHA. I just picked up the robe and take a photo of me in it. I did not want to go through all the formalities and protocols but I still want to have a picture of me in that robe. So, there.

5. I lost my baby nephew to cancer

My little love, Ahmad Aidiysyafin bin Ahmad Adzrulsyafiq lost his battle with JMML. He left us on 27 May 2021 and I can't even be there for the funeral because of the MCO thing. I avoid talking about his passing because it's still raw and there are no way to talk about this boy without tears coming out and lumps in throat. See you again one day, my love.

Also, losing your loved ones to death really change your perspective of life. Other problems suddenly seem small and insignificant. And you become more appreciative of the time you can spend with your loved ones because you don't know when will you get another chance to be with them. So people, always tell your loved ones 'I love you' and treasure every single moment with them. Hug them when you can. It's awkward but just do it!

What else happened this year ah? Oh ya! I was in quarantine, twice! HAHAHAHA. The first one because I was a close contact of my colleague. The second time was because I was a close contact of my brother in law. But I was fine through all two quarantines alhamdulillah.

And then, I experienced raya without my parents. for the first time ever. But still, I was lucky because I had my sister and her family here. So, it was bearable. Can't imagine people who have to raya alone. My heart bleeds for them.

Oh I also got best staff award for October! HAHAHAHAHA. My boss' opening statement about me was: "This person - you can hear her before you can see her." And then other people in the chatbox (we're having virtual staff meeting) started calling out my name. I think I have to accept that I memang noisy. Next year, I will work harder to compensate for the noise I made. HAHAHA.

That's my 2021. For 2022, I just hope we can live safer, healthier, happier, even with Covid19 still around. Also, recycle more stuff, reduce single use plastics, don't litter, safe the turtle, and stop forcing your dreams onto other people and don't believe everything you see on the Internet. Spend more time with your loved ones, tell them you love them. Do it.

I hope your 2021 is amazing and your 2022 would even be better. If you feel like 2021 is not your year, it's okay. Make next one yours. If it doesn't work, try again the year after that. Don't give up on your dreams and hopes. Hard works and efforts will always pay off. Be patient and keep hustling.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Thanks for reading!

Timing In Life

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

This is a post I kept as draft for so long, Tuhan je tahu lama mana terperuk dalam draft bin. So, if you see any words like yesterday, a few days back, do know that the word actually means few months back. Publishing it now because I want my blog to have some life. Thanks.

Hi people,

I haven't ramble for so long. Mainly because I don't have enough time and also, as usual, I'm lazy to write. Yesterday, I chatted with one of my friends, Nadhirah. She asked one question: 

If you are still not married when you reach 30 and you are happy with your life, would you continue living so or would you look for a husband?

My answer was: I don't set any age limit to get married. If at certain age I feel like getting married, then I will look for a husband. If I meet someone who loves me, can accept myself and family (vice versa) and blah blah blah all the criteria, why not get married? But no, this post is not about marriage lol.

I think back then, growing up, almost everything that I was taught about revolves around age. Like what age to finish study, what age to start working, what age to get married, what age to achieve this, what age to achieve that. It was not bad. It helps you to see your goals clearer and motivates you to work your ass off to achieve those goals. 

I myself, also used to set goal in life based on age. When I was in school, if people ask me what age is appropriate to get married, I always said 27 year old. But now that I am older, I feel like there is no appropriate age to achieving something in life. If you got your degree at 30, it is still an accomplishment. If you buy your first house at 50, it is still an accomplishment. I just feel like whatever you do in life should not be set by age.

Also, have you ever thought of how people view age? There's no fix point to view it. You see, when someone got married at 35, they are old. They have to rush to have kids. But if a 35 year old person died, he or she is too young. I don't think people would say 'Ohhhhh, they should have rushed buat pahala masa umur 30 haritu now dead already.' That would be rude, right? Using the same concept, it would be rude to tell people they have to rush in other things too. Except rush to perform solat after azan, that one good rush ehek #donedakwah

So my point is, do not let age limit you. Your achievement in life, does not matter your age at the time you achieve it, it is still an achievement. Your achievement is as valid, as amazing, as great, as terrific, AND NOT LATE. I also don't know how many times I have to emphasise, but everyone's journey is different. We all want different thing and we all work differently. So, why expect same result?

And oh, age might be limiting us in some aspects. Like once I hit 25, I can no longer be out after 10pm because the next day I will have runny nose and feel tired. But did I let my age defeat me? No. I still go out at night and come back late. I will just have to take some panadols and plenty of rest LOL. 

Anyway people, live your life. Be grateful. Be inspired by other's success but never feel pressed like you are running out of time to achieve your dreams. 

Bye and thanks for reading!

Hidup Tanpa Jiwa

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Tiada kata mampu mencungkil bungkam

Seorang bapa kehilangan anak

Tiada istilah sesuai digelar

Seorang ibu kehilangan anak

Tiada lukisan mampu melakar

Kembar kehilangan pasangannya

Tiada jawapan untuk soalan

'Hari ini baikkah?'

Makna baik itu sudah berubah

Kalau dahulu, baik itu maksudnya tiada cela

Baik hari ini sudah berbeza

Baik hari ini maknanya

Tetap makan tanpa selera

Tetap bangun pagi tanpa ada ke mana arahnya

Tetap menjawab soalan walau tanpa jiwa

Tetap melakukan banyak benda walau banyak jugak tanpanya

Sesungguhnya

Jenazah paling kecil itu

Paling besar sedihnya

Paling berat dukanya

Paling rumit penawarnya

Hanya masa dan doa

Mampu membawa mereka keluar dari pedih derita ini

Walaupun parutnya kan kekal ada sehingga habis usia

Tapi sekurangnya

Satu hari nanti

Bibir mereka kan menguntum senyum hampir seperti biasa

Begitulah doa saya untuk kakak saya, suami dan anak-anaknya

In loving memory of Ahmad Aidiysyafin bin Ahmad Adzrulsyafiq

My beautiful nephew, who is now running in syurga, free from pain

You fight so bravely sayang and you deserve the best pain-free life there

You are so so so loved, forever will be remembered.