Saturday, June 30, 2012

Babysitter From Cairo, Egypt

yes we got a nanny – and not only did we transport her all the way from cairo, but she’s also currently studying to be a dentist. future dentist as our boys’ nanny? their teeth would be so well taken care off! haha.

welcome teh!

 

 

well, teh is actually my sis-in-law lah. hihi.

it’s her summer break from uni, and on her way back to malaysia for raya holiday, she was *forced* to make a LONG pit-stop in dubai, courtesy of her beloved eldest bro, mr, khairul. my boys were beyond excited knowing their ateh is gonna be here for the next 2 weeks or so.

she would be here up to the day that all of us would leave for malaysia. woohoo! in the meantime, i was absolutely looking forward for her helping to babysit the boys while mr. khairul and i enjoy our rare romantic dates around dubai (including that most important BIG date on my birthday!)

thanks so much teh! (upah mintak kat along! hihi)

 

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…and she has already making herself useful in the kitchen too especially that day when i was down with fever. thanks for the paprik-kangkong belacan-telur dadar set that was really delicious. naik selera, terus tak demam! hihi.

 

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…and the sweetest gesture was making my favorite nasi tomato (rice cooked in herbs and tomato puree) for my birthday lunch. i mentioned it to her casually the day before, and i wasn’t sure she really was gonna make it! it was just so delicious! the ayam merah was SO SPICY, because teh ni memang gile pedas hihi… but it went quite well with the nasi tomato.

good job, teh, and thanks for making my birthday lunch extra yummy. you surprises even your own big bro!

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hmm. wonder what she’ll be cooking today…

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Masterchef Selebriti Malaysia : I’m Hooked!

aku suka tengok masterchef selebriti malaysia. suka sangat!

hari-hari check youtube tengok dah ade orang upload latest episod tak! masa blog post ni dikarang, aku tengok setakat episod 18, episod penyingkiran – opps, takmo kasi spoiler ok. so korang pun shh je ok.
staying in dubai, i don’t get to follow regular malaysian channels, but i really would love to watch the occasional malay drama – tapi banyak sangat, camne nak tau mana yang best, mana yang bosan kan. so suddenly i stumbled into masterchef selebriti malaysia – terus follow!


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why i like masterchef selebriti malaysia :
  1. dapat tengok selebriti in a different setting that we used to see them
  2. menunjukkan selebriti in a new light – just like us normal people yang gelabah nak carik bahan, terkejut dapat tau pasal cabaran-cabaran
  3. paling seronok nak tengok azwan ali, tomok, fazley ngan jehan miskin masak
  4. masterchef selebriti malaysia ade drama, ade lawak, ade suspen, ade emosi – fun to watch!
  5. suka nak tau ape cabaran-cabaran yang diorang akan face – cross sungai nak amik brg kat pantry, or masak pelbagai jenis mushroom, ngan masak masakan kampung and also cara menentukan ahli kumpulan yang kadang-kadang suspen!
  6. at the same time bole la pick up some cooking tips from the chef judges, as well as the contestants themselves! cth macam chef ckp serbuk kopi ditaruh sikit dalam adunan coklat supaya rasa coklat tu naik. ooOoo baru aku tau!

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takde keja kan, so ni aku punya personal take on each contestant. PERSONAL opinion ok. kalo korang tak setuju takpe. setuju la jugak. hoho.




Dr Faiz Selebriti MasterChef Malaysia




Msian Astronaut Mejar Dr. Faiz - the first celebrity to leave the masterchef kitchen

YAY : he's humble, enthusiastic in facing the cooking challenges, and for someone who has gone through more complicated situations and mind-bending challenges as our malaysian astronaut, i like that he still seemed nervous when he hears about a difficult cooking task. makes him seemed 'human' like the rest of us! hihi

BOO : he's boring! sorry ye mejar! we watch 'celebrities' because we want to be entertained, inspired and amused by what they have to say. he doesn't impress me. so-so je, so bye bye to the moon, doc!







Siti Sarah - Singer

YAY : ade time dia bising, tapi most of the time she's always calm and cool, yet can be feisty for her small built.

BOO : also boring, and this may be because i don't really have any opinion about siti sarah as a person, or even as a singer. but then again, i also have never heard of so wincci and thanuja, but i like them already! 






Serina Redzuawan

YAY : i like her. she seemed so down to earth. and for someone who is the daughter of an internationally-acclaimed chef, she's very humble, accepts her fate whenever she's included in the elimination round and always positive. she's quite funny too. seronok tengok dia di dapur, sebab ade je time dia kelam kabut sama mcm kita-kita yang bapak bukan chef pon hihi

BOO : i don't find anything i dislike about her; losing her from the masterchef show was a sad blow since she's fun to watch in the kitchen. i was just very surprised that she doesn't have her father's masterful touch when it comes to cooking!





Salamiah Hassan

YAY : i like her in the beginning, bak kata karl shafek - she's like the nagging but loving mother in the kitchen.

BOO : soon enough, she started to show her diva-ness, probably because she's the oldest celebrity competing and konon macam banyak pengalaman. when she left, i say 'good riddance'!





Louisa Chong

YAY : i really like her. she proves to be as funny in her acting as well as in the masterchef kitchen. she doesn't hog the limelight eventhough she was the leader for a few challenges. pokpek macam makcik, tapi itu yang buat meriah!

BOO : can be annoying at times, especially when she teamed up with equally noisy celebrity azwan ali! kecoh! haha. however, i didn't really wanna see her go as she brings humor and cerianess to the masterchef kitchen.




Raja Azmi

YAY : she surprises me with her occcasional humility and rendah diri. you know with all the previous controversy that surrounds her personal life, she seemed well – normal!

BOO : aiyo, too sensitive! this is supposed to be a fun, healthy competition to win money for a good cause! leave your diva bags aside, and enjoy the ride lah. melenting-melenting will only make you look so emo for tv – i’m referring to that incident with juliza adlizan dek kerana potongan timun dan bungkusan nasi lemak!




Karl Shafek

YAY : ok i have NO IDEA who this dude is when i first saw him, (actually sekarang pun aku masih tak kenal dia ni host rancangan ape) but he’s so cute! pretty boy! if not for his occasional complaining, he’s a real eye-candy. pandai masak pulak tu!

BOO : suka play the blame-game. getting into elimination round is because of raja azmi giving him the wrong tips. or azwan ali’s food got worse critic than his. or this. or that. there’s always something. me no likey.


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Thanuja – Miss Malaysia

YAY : a beauty queen who is gorgeous and terer masak! she’s giddy and giggly, just like any excited young girl embarking upon an interesting challenge in the kitchen! suka tengok dia jugak, especially when she takes pride making indian food, or food with indian touch. bangga dengan asal usul dan akar umbi sendiri!

BOO : so far ok je. comel je dia dikenenkan dengan angah. hihi.






Soo Wincci – Miss Malaysia

YAY : suka tengok dia! so sweet! seriously she’s SO much prettier without make-up, rambut ikat tocang macam budak sekolah – cute sangat. i really like her. so gorgeous, and so talented. and though everyone else in masterchef selebriti has recognized her as the dessert-pro, she’s still so humble. looking forward for more of her dishes.

BOO : nothing to dislike. she’s sweet, she’s talented, and she’s humble about her ability in the kitchen.





Jehan Miskin

YAY : all this while, for me tak pernah pun rasa jehan miskin ni hensem ke ape ke, but there’s something really sexy about a hunky good-looking guy who can cook. sexy chef in the house? bring it on! he's cute, he's fun to watch, and he can cook! also humble and knows his limits but still reach out to do more. his comments can be quite funny too – “jangan kasi pelawak kira duit” haha.

BOO : not yet. i would love for him to stay longer in masterchef selebriti just because he’s the handsomest of the bunch!





Angah Raja Lawak

YAY : i’m in dubai yang tak pernah ikut mana-mana raja lawak series so i don’t know him. i don’t know how funny this guy is but i like that angah ni tak over sangat nak menonjolkan lawak dia. he’s just like any normal guy who makes jokes here and there, tapi tak sampai annoying. ok la. low profile. i also admire his creativity when it comes to decorating his dishes. bagus lah!

BOO : he’s not my favorite contestant, but there’s nothing about him that i dislike. bagus dia ni sebab tak over walaupun dia terkenal as pelawak.


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Farouk Hussain

YAY : what else can i say, he’s a funny-man, so he’s enjoyable to watch. his so-called ‘permusuhan’ with azwan ali (which i think is TOTALLY made-up for the show hihi) is also fun to watch, because it’s like “yeah we hate each other, but to be professional, we can work together well!” which speaks volume of his personality.

BOO : ok. so far so good. lawak!





Juliza Adlizan

YAY : she sure can cook. i think she’s one of those people who can take a simple dish and make it really good with her touch. and she has that leadership quality that keeps her ‘workers’ on their toes and working well. she’s confident, but i like it that she’s not cocky about it.

BOO : boring. i just don’t have any opinion on her personality. she would probably stay for her talent.





Azwan Ali

YAY : believe it or not, i like watching him in this. call him weird with that bulu he always carry around or mulut laser or emo memanjang or whatever – he’s the life of the kitchen! that is what reality tv is all about! i will always look forward to hear what he has to say about someone or a challenge or a result of a task. most of the time he would be this pokpek makcik, but it’s still amusing to watch!
also, aku suka yang walaupun dia nampak difficult dan becok, tapi bila time keja dia memang buat bersungguh-sungguh and takde pun nak tunjuk diva dengan judge or kawan-kawan selebriti. bagus lah tu.

BOO : bak kata sorang selebriti tu (aku lupa sape) “azwan ni menang pun nangis, kena masuk pusingan penyingkiran pun nangis. kawan terklua pun nangis” haha. drama king! however, i think if he were eliminated, the kitchen will lost one little sparkle, and would be much less noisy, and a little less interesting…






Tomok

YAY : ok. aku pun tak sangka yang tomok ni my favorite masterchef selebriti contestant so far, sebab aku memang tak minat lansung la dia sebagai penyanyi. i just like him in the kitchen. he’s really cute lah. he's moving under the radar - not too kecoh, dan sentiasa nak cuba dan cuba walaupun dah 5-6 kali sipi-sipi nak terkeluar dari dapo masterchef! semangat!

BOO : not yet. still too cute to be cooking. hihi.





Dato’ Fazley

YAY : my choice on first msian celebrity masterchef? dato’ fazley, hopefully!
being an established motivational speaker, he always knows what to say, and i like that. he’s humble, banyak tolak ansur (orang lain reject bendera ireland, tapi dia sorang je yang volunteer nak try benda yang orang lain taknak. sama mcam dia nak bekerja dengan azwan ali yang org lain nak elakkan. bagus!)


paling best, aku suka sebab fazley ni selalu mention isteri dia dalam komen-komen dia. “isteri saya yang terer masak kek ni…” atau, “kalau isteri saya tau..” and yang paling sweet, “saya terbayang isteri saya tengah sorak-sorak..” itu aku rasa sangat sweet, sebab dia sentiasa teringatkan isteri dia. hihi.

BOO : setakat ni, aku nak dia dan tomok masuk final. or fazley and soo wincci. full stop.


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ok. bila la diorang nak upload episode 19 ni. cepat sikit ye. terima kasih!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Bday Bike Ride to ‘Up on the 10th’ Jazz Club

it may be waaaay past 24th june, but in this blog, it’s still my birthday! haha.

after that deliciously romantic wagyu steak birthday dinner at MJ’s steakhouse, we drove back home. however, the evening was not over so soon. mr. khairul had another surprise!

we changed quickly – transformed into zack-azura almost-looka-likeys hihi, and off on his harley-davidson into the night! vroom!




 
this was a really rare moment for me to go on a ride with mr. khairul, since usually i have noone to leave my 3 boys with. thanks to my sis-in-law who is here for a LONG transit from cairo back to malaysia, i finally had the chance to hop on an exhilarating bike journey with him!

it was just for a while, but still so exciting!

it’s currently summer in dubai, when even the night can get really hot. however that day, the weather was on our side, alhamdulillah. it was a cool night, welcoming us in its breezy embrace!





we just hang, while watching the brightly-lit dhow passed by across the dubai creek


our destination : this fantastic jazz club at ‘radisson blu’ deira, overlooking dubai creek. it’s called ‘up on the 10th’ because well, it’s on the 10th floor of the hotel.

it’s well known to be one of the finest jazz bars around dubai, with it’s simple yet chic setting alongside the LIVE jazz performance that is the crowd-puller for the place. this was another romantic setting for my birthday! oh my, there’s nothing more sensual than jazz music playing while you’re with your loved one.
thank you honey!




it was just nice – me, him, and jazz. just us. in the moment. sometimes speaking without uttering a single word, and still having the best times. we just hang, while watching fancy, lit-up dhow passed by the peaceful creek down below. and that jazz.

oh, i LOVE jazz music!



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birthday girl me, and all that jazz!





had fruit-mix smoothie while enjoying the smooth silky LIVE jazz sounds. khaleef, kahfi & kazim were *there* too. hihi. once a mom, always a mom lah.




it’s not called a JAZZ bar for nothing – they’ve got LIVE jazz shows with live music and all. the in-house jazz talent can play the guitar, piano, and was singing all things jazz from the classic sinatra to even oasis’ ‘wallflower’ in jazzed-up style! awesome! i love his voice!




there was another hoopla when suddenly the jazz singer broke into an announcement, “we’ve got a birthday girl in the house..” in his cool jazz voice haha. wah! *mata berkaca-kaca* full of excitement! hihi. thanks honey for the surprise!




and to that suit-up dude on the piano, thanks for crooning the jazzed-up bday song for me! yay! here’s the clip of that birthday song. sweet!




thanks honey! this is just so sweet, and i can’t stop saying it - me, you & jazz. just phenomenal.

and after we left ‘up on the 10th’, we rode along dubai and mr. khairul headed on to another surprise location – a pit-stop on this clearing, where you can clearly see dubai skyline, including the magnificent burj khalifa, the world’s tallest building.





that long bright dots heading upwards is that skyscraper burj khalifa!





thanks for the birthday steak, thanks for the ride on your harley, thanks for the romantic birthday song on a piano, and all that jazz. thanks to my honey cookie mr. khairul! alhamdulillah, what a perfectly planned birthday celebration.

it’s gonna be difficult to top this next year! love you!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Bday Dinner @ MJ’s Steakhouse Al-Qasr, Madinat Jumeirah

i wanted steak for my birthday. full stop. it’s either that, or itallian food at naked chef jamie oliver’s restaurant in dubai festival city. i still want steak.

so mr. khairul took me to al-qasr hotel at madinat jumeirah to dine at ‘MJ’s steakhouse’, said to be one of the finest steakhouses around. so exciting!





MJ’s steakhouse is situated inside the beautiful and elegant al-qasr hotel. ‘al-qasr’ means ‘palace’ and the design of the whole hotel building tries to emulate a sheikh’s summer home! gorgeous, with wind-towers and all!


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MJ’s steakhouse is dimly lit and so romantic. the only ruckus comes from the busy open-style kitchen. otherwise it’s really a lovely setting for my romantic birthday dinner. hihi.

it has somewhat a sensual, gothic setting – with the use of black and red. a little plain without much decor, but classy. i love the high ceiling and high chairs – bold and spacious. i love the abstract painting on the wall too.






we were seated at one secluded corner – quiet, private, alone. perfectly romantic!


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after we placed our order, the waitress came to our table offering a box of fine knives to choose from; which took us by surprise!

only afterwards i read somewhere that the signature of MJ’s restaurant is ‘choose your own steak knife’! this was definitely a first for me! i chose the most unique design, while mr. khairul picked the most plain.





i really didn’t mind, and maybe choosing your own steak knife is totally unnecessary as it doesn’t affect the food you’re going to eat – if it’s bad, it’s bad, if it’s good, it’s good – but it was just fun having someone open a big box filled with steak knives, waiting for you to pick one that you wanna use.

i felt a little pampered – and that’s SO fine on my birthday! hihi.


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i got myself the wagyu beef fillet. ‘wagyu’ literally means japanese cow – bred to perfection, thus making the steak from this breed of cow a real delight. my steak felt slightly burnt but it seemed that this was ‘supposed’ to happen when you order a medium fillet steak. hmm.

but when you talk about texture – oh, my it was the best. juicy, tender – what other adjectives? i’m out of words. delicious.




mr. khairul took the angus beef (scotland beef) t-bone steak. equally delicious, sweetly marinated to perfection. this was a winning choice.

the best (although a small part of the dish) part was that the sauces were complimentary – and they gave 4 of them! most steakhouse charges for extra steak sauce, but here at MJ’s, they came with the dishes. mushroom sauce, black pepper and sour cream – FOC!

…oh, and i have to mention their mashed potato. absolutely creamy and just so tasty!


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after we’re done devouring our steak, mr. khairul surprised me with a sweet birthday treat – no, not a birthday CAKE, but a birthday creme brulee! hihi.




crème brûlée is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel that’s purposely burnt. it is normally served cold.

it was just the perfect end to a lovely birthday dinner. just us, dipping our spoon cracking the creme brulee from that one plate. it was sweet, it was cooling, it was yummy!





overall, a delicious dinner with very attentive staff in a calm, romantic setting. thank you so much to my honey cookiedough for the beautiful evening.

but wait – he said the evening is not over yet!

after dinner we drove back home, quickly changed into a more lepak clothings, and went out again to continue on the second phase of my birthday celebration! it was so exciting! where did we go? next posting!


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enjoy the pictures of the beautiful al-qasr hotel, madinat jumeirah. lawanya!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

I’m 33 : FB Bday Wishes!

thanks to the magical invention of FACEBOOK, wishing someone a happy birthday has never been easier. tip tap tip tap at the tip of our fingers. thanks for taking the time to type out those lovely words on my 33rd birthday. THANK YOU!

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wish11wish12

 

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from my youngest sis~

 

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from my eldest sis~

 

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from my sisters-in-law~

 

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see you in 2013, and many more years to come insyaAllah!

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