What-a-Wonderful-World

Kalau datang ke Kuching memang banyak benda yang boleh di dapti hasil dari kraftangan tempatan dan juga makanan. Aku paling suka adalah kek lapis Sarawak. Berbagai design, warna dan rasa. Memang menunjukan ciri ciri Sarawak. Aku beli juga batik Sarawak yang bermotifkan alam semula jadi seperti paku pakis dan rebung buluh betung. Ingatkan memang sesuai untuk kerja kerja my patchwork quilt. Tapi risau juga sekiranya warnanya akan luntur. Rasa macam nak datang lagi. Tetapi bila ye........

Lama dah nak cerita perihal makan kenduri di Brunei tapi tak berkesempatan. Pertamanya sebab internet problem dan yg keduanya gambar gambar ni ada di smart phone yg lain. Nak download and upload kembali ke blog jutaan malas. Kenduri ni adalah atas jemputan Hassan ke atas majlis perkahwinan kakaknya. Aku dan zaini menjadi tetamu istimewa sebab cuma kami berdua sahaja yang datang tanpa pakaian melayu dan sampin. Dari segi hidangan pun berlain dari Malaysia. Dan yang unik sekali bila pengantin lelaki dan perempuan bersama parents dan mertua datang bersalaman dengan para hadirin sekalian. Makanan pula memang best terutamanya rendang daging....

Itu lah permandangan Dewan Undangan Negeri Sarawak. Rasanya desgn macam ni sezaman dengan design Masjid Negara. Di Malaysia kan the architecture ni ikut peredaraan zaman dan bermusim. Kalau tak percaya cuba audit. Rasanya 85% kenyataan aku ni betul. Tapi kedudukan dia yang unik di tepi sungai Sarawak membuat ia lagi terserlah. Tenang dan damai. Aku pun ambil kesempatan untuk buat satu posing yang hebat....hahahaha.

Sudah lama aku tak ke Kuching, Sarawak. Kalau dihitung rasanya sudah lebih 15 tahun. Dulu masa kerja di Bintulu, bila nak balik ke Semenanjung pasti melalui Kuching. Sekarang bila bila ada direct flight Airasia dan Mas ke Kuala Lumpur memang liat untuk datang ke Kucing. Semalamaku datang ke Kuching untuk bercuti di hujung minggu. Aku nak relek2, lepak lepak sambil membelai diri. Ye lah setelah penat berkerja. Orang kata nak rehatkan minda. Setibanya di sini memang aku terkejut sebab terlalu banyak perkara yang berubah. Tetapi bandaraya Kuching tetap nyaman tenang dan selesa. Apatah lagi bila bersiar siar di sepanjang water front. Niat memang nak datang lagi. Bila tu entahlah tapi teringin untuk bawa keluarga ke sini....

Sudah lama aku ingin memiliki pokok fig, tapi aku tak tahu bagaimana untuk mendapatkannya. Dulu aku pernah bawa balik pokok zaiton dari Copenhagen. Masa tu summer time. So far pokok tu naik ok je. Tapi lepas tu dia tak dapat bertahan lagi sebab suasana hujan yang lebat ia tak berapa sesuai. Satu hari aku nampak ada group peminat pokok fig dalam facebook. Aku pun like. Esok tu aku lihat group ni memang actif. Aku pun hairan dari mana depa dapat. Lepas tu berbagai bagai jenis buah ada. Bila depa petik buat dan di jamu untuk makan aku jadi terliur. Buah fig yang fresh aku pernah makan masa di Munich. Tapi yang dry aku dah makan banyak kali. Satu hari aku masuk group ni dan terus bertanyakan siapa menjual pokok fig. Dalam masa dua jam aku terus dapat jawapan dari peminat pokok fig, Shahrir Harun. Aku terus chat dgn dia dan terus kerumah dia di Selayang. Rupanya dia mempunyai 30 koleksi pokok fig. Setelah buas mendapat ilmu dan bertanya satu persatu perihal pokok fig ni, aku pun terus bel...

Masa berlalu begitu pantas dan tanpa di sedari ia berlalu seperti perjalanan sebuak keretapi pada satu perjalanan yang jauh. Sekiranya aku dapat balikkan masa nescaya aku mahu menjadi muda sentiasa. Tetapi semua itu adalah mustahil. Masa yang berlalu itu sebaiknya menjadi pengajaran pada manusia yang sentiasa mahu beringat. Bertaubat dan memperbsiki amalan untuk mencari keredaan Allah. Destinasi manusia hanya satu. Iaitu kehidupan akhirat. Kehidupan pada alam ghaib yang kadang kadang seperti dongengan pada mereka yang leka. My trip to Brunei was do special. Even pertama kali bertemu Osmali di hari raya pada rumah mereka di East Ham, London 26 tahun yang lalu, tetapi ingatan kenangan pada gambar tersebut masih tersimpan rapi. Aku madih ingat Hasan jamu ayam panggang yang di sumbat dengan macam2 benda. Osmali dresding his chinese friend with baju melayu. Anyway  I was happy to celebrate hari raya with them. Bila Hassan bawa ke rumah Osmali yang cantik dengan dedign ala english cott...

Dah lama aku idam kan kete ni. Niat tu memang nak beli tapi masih berbelah bagi. Pertamanya aku masih berfikir adakah aku membazir. Iyelah kereta dah ada dua kat rumah. Yang keduanya ialah adakah aku sudah membuat keputusan yang tepat. Ingatkan nak beli mez aje. Tapi bila tanya pendapat Che Mat aku bisa berubah keputusan. Aku pun jadi bingong. Tapi aku masih ada masa untuk berfikir. Finally solat istikarah adalah jalan yang terbaik utk aku. Semasa di Brunei, Hassan ajak aku ke show room Mini Cooper. Kami pun masuk ke geleri dan terus berangan dan bergaya tanpa segan silu....hahaha. ye lah berlagak macam orang kaya gitu tapi poket selalu berdebu. Tugas aku terus ambil gambar sana sini sambil berbual panjang dengan sales lady. Warna Mini ni memang menarik and bright.  Kira terpikat and terpegun sejenak lah. Hhhhmmmm....bukan senang nak buat keputusan..

I was early arriving Pasar Baru. I escalate to level 4 to find Sonna but it was closed. I saw a notice mentioned ' open 9.30'. It means that I have to wait for an hour. OMG.....what should I do? So I went to upstairs and looking for a nice luggage and has identified one. I went down again when the time about 9.30. The people are increasing to all the floors. Luckily Sonna just opened the shop. I browsed around left to right and up to down to find matching fabrics and proper colour tone. I am looking for something striking and bright. Hhhmmmmm....the stoke were not that good. I continue scanning at the floor but nothing suit my selections and finally I bought these fabric and the idea was comming for the next design of my project....

Sarah is very attached to me. Whenever I am at home, she would stay close to me. She would talk to me continuously and starts asking so many questions. Hhmmmm.....sometimes I dont really know how to reply the questions. But I would also talk again and again. When I was at home last week, I asked her to perform solat with a proper reading surah Alfatihah. She was so happy to show the proper steps of solah with a proper recitation of surah Alfatihah. She would be 4 years old this coming June and I will prepare a proper birthday present for her...,

Aku tak kenal pun singer ni. Tapi satu ketiga kak Aishah puji this singer in her facebook. So aku pun pegi ke youtube and search for this singer dgn lagu lagu Ismail Marzuki. Aku dengar dua tiga kali lagu tersebut dan suaranya sungguh merdu di iringi oleh petikan piano. Finally aku bertekad untuk mencari CD nya semasa ke Bandung baru2 ini. Aku naik teksi dan terus ke Paris Van Jawa sebab terdapat Duta Records di situ. Aku terus mencari dan terus jumpa koleksi terbaik lagu lagu Hendri. Sampai saja di Malaya aku terus pasang di kereta tapi kesemua muzic tersebut berbentuk jazz. Rasanya iringan piano itu lebih soothing and mengasyikkan...

Niat di hati nak ku miliki, tapi saiz tak ada. Apa la..... Design yang aku tak berkenan tu pula yang berlambak. Hhmmmm....bila boleh aku miliki lagi.... Pegi Pasar Baru memang banyak tapi coraknya mak datuk......macam kampung. Aku bukan nak kutuk orang kampung ok.... Jangan salah tafsiran ye.... Yang dalam gambar ni harga pun boleh tahan juga. Tapi tak adelah mahal mana. So sapa datang Bandung untuk cari baju batik, elok datang ke Paris Van Jawa.

Kali ni aku memang ambil cuti panjang. Banyak benda yang aku terpaksa uruskan. Tapi sebelum balik kerumah aku break journey dulu ke Bandung. Niat utama nak cari fabric untuk project quilting aku. Setelah aku tilik habis habisan, aku hanya perlu satu hari satu malam je untuk berada di sini. Aku bertolak dari KL naik Airasia pada pukul 6.50 pg dan selamat tiba pada pukul 8.10 waktu tempatan. Aku terus pergi ke Pasar Baru untuk beli fabric. Sampai je, kedai Sona tak buka lagi. Aku pun pi menilau sat gedung ni. Then turun balik. Nampaknya tak ada banyak choice. Color pun pudar pudar. Memang tak sesuai untuk quilt aku. Pilih punya pilih adalah satu dua yang berkenan. Pas tu jalan lagi. Jumpa pulak kedai ni yang jual jingam fabric. Borong lagi. Perut dah lapo. Aku pegi food court makan sop buntut (kita panggil sop ekor), tilapia bakar, avocado juice dan air suam.....semua sekali rm35. Wow mahai jugak depa belasah aku. Lepas tu pegi beli luggage dulu. Dah tak kuasa nak kendong barang2 yang ...

When you are alone, what should you do? I dont think that I can let TV3 corrupt my mind for the whole day and I dont think I need to lay on the bed for hours. Yes...I have many alternative activities. To engage myself with something meaningful and fruitful is more encouraging isn't it? Tak kan nak lepak dengan member gossiping again and again.... I think, I got enough gossips and politics. Sometimes  I adked myself what is the best way to please myself and people surrounding me? The only thing I realise is just to be ME. Finally I opened the freezer and looking at my frozen squid. It would be a good idea if I cook sambal tumis sotong with nasi nelayan. It would bring me back to my mother that I learned how to cook nasi nelayan. Then I saw somebody posting a recipe how to masak asam sotong garnish with spring onion, red chilly and onion. This also brought me back to those yester years where I mother presented me this menu after coming home from school. I was wondering which choice...

I am feeling little bit ok eventhough my runny nose and coughing is not fully recuperating.  Ah.......I have to be strong being orang bujang perantau. This is life and perlu hidup berdikari dan kuat. Nowadays to do a washing is so simple and quick. All you need to do is pour the detergent,  set the water level and switch on. Wait for 40 minutes and finally everything is ready to be hanged. Those years we were living with tight budget. Money was not enough to buy a washing machine and meant for the rich. I remembered when I assembled my dirty clothes and put in the bucket. Soaked with detergent and wait until the next day. The first two clothes were ok to brush. But when the next turn of other clothes it was tough to brush everything and I tend to rinse only. Finally I did it daily before my bath and eradicated my precious hours and energy. I still remember my friend used to brush his teeth while his feet stamping the soaked clothes in the bucket. It was a good idea which you...

I am not feeling well since two days ago. I was sneezing in the sponsor meeting and I knew that I was already caught a fever. Oh...not again. The next morning my body was feeling bad but I got to chair a meeting at 8.00am with my contractor and I had an appointment with Zap. I went upstairs to meet Gareth and informed him to cancel the meeting and replaced for next Monday. I have no mood to work after being exhausted for the whole week dealing preparation for the meeting. I have decided to go to the clinic and resting at home. I got a day mc, and drove straight home. I took a warm shower, medicines and lying on my bed hopefully I got a speedy recuperation.  This morning I work up at 8.00am and wondering what should I do today. I open a can of baked bean for my breakfast and still wondering how to spend time for today. After I completed my shower and dressed up, I drove to Pasar Ikan Bintulu to buy squid for my breakfast ( mmg semangat sangat sangat berkobar untuk masak sambal tum...

Since I came here for the past 5 months, having nasi lemak in the morning is not my registered menu. I tried once, with sambal sotong but the taste and style was not I expected. I left the table and went to the counter for payment, and asked how much I need to pay. With nescafe tarik and nasi lemak cost me for rm8. Wow...never expected that much! I tried to find other restaurants and stalls for scrumptious nasi lemak but nothing suit my troat. The gravy was thick with plenty of grinded onion. The best about Bintulu is its pasar melayu near muara sungai. It opens near 4.00pm and ends about 8.00pm. There varieties of seafood to enjoy and is very cheap. If you buy ikan tenggiri, it would cost you only rm16 per kilo. Similarly fresh squid only rm12 per kilo. Now I have a better idea..... and my idea would save mykitchen expenses. Since I adore for nadi lemak sotong I would never forget to bring my turperware and ask the seller to fill and pack for me. Last weekend my wive prepared for me...

If I were to gather my memories, I think I have many sweet memories that could make me proud of it. Today, my wife showed me the quilt that I made 15 years ago. It was made of from ABC cross stitch blocks altenated with blue and navy  gingham cotton fabric. I made specifically for Kiz when she was 4 years old. Yeah.....it was a very long time ago. The quilt is still in a good condition since my wive have kept them inside a sealed plastic bag.

Dont you like to own a green kitchen? It is not to have a painted wall with a green colour all four corners but to live your kitchen with green plants. Here I have collected few such as lemon balm, parsley, mint, rosemary and oregano to enhance my cooking. Many people asked me how to grow and where did I get the seeds? Ooo...oooo.... This is easy like a piece of cake. I bought them from Sg Buloh nursery for rm12 per pot. But becareful when you brought them at home. Never leave these plants in the garden coz you would end up your plants without leaves because the snails would love to chew them right to the root. But to make you kitchen looks wondergul, just simply arrange them on the window sill. You would enjoy the beauty and just pluck them and put in your cooking. Especially your roast lamb....

What do you think when the old and senior otai get together? Sure everything would be renminise back from the past 25 years. Bukan senang nak jumpa. But for sure we missed everybody and everybody seems so different. Ye lah umor semakin meningkat kan. Then the old stories started to flow again and asking where is this guy and this guy. As for me bagus dapat jumpa semua kawan kawan lama. Kalau tak jumpa belum tentu dapat kenal bila terserempak di jalan...

One thing that nice about Bintulu is about the seafood. Everything is so cheap compared to Semenanjung. For example, ikan tenggiri fresh from the sea is only rm18/kg. Similarly for sea prawn. Since I am going home forthnightly, I would go to pasar Melayu and get 2 big ikan tenggiri to fly home. And the next idea is to bring prawn home. Since everything in Semenajung becoming so expensive and so unthinkable, worth to carry them home....