~ enjoying the time: full-relaxation mode ~

I've not written much. it's either that I have some spare time but it's fully utilized with watching movies/dramas online (or sometimes doing ntah apa2), OR that I don't have the time but things are spinning in my head like "I have to let this out now!!! nowwww!!!". but the "NOW" didn't permit. too bad.

 

what happened after June? let's see..... there was the fasting month (Ramadhan). and then Hari Raya. Alhamdulillah, masih lagi ada umur utk sambut Hari Raya thn ni. tp celebrate Hari Raya this year dgn sederhana je. prior to Hari Raya, some people I know were not well (pretty bad condition actually), some other were hospitalized. so for me to be healthy and celebrated Hari Raya, syukur Alhamdulillah (was unwell for a couple of days in the fasting month, I take that as penghapus dosa kecil).

 

after Raya, the "wedding season" started. or, was that DURING Raya season? every weekend during the month of Syawal ada je kenduri kawen. dh jd cm Open House Raya cum Kenduri Kawen, hihihihi. congratulations to all the newlyweds =) and I attended the wedding of my officemates. the ceremony was held at Kuantan. it was a short 3-days-2-nites trip yg quite last-minute arranged. went to Kuantan after 5pm on Friday (gigih tau nk tempuh jammed blk kerja on Friday from KL nk masuk tol kt Gombak). hotel pn book yg murah je. the wedding was on the Saturday. lps knyg mkn kat kenduri, we went back to hotel, tukar baju, solat & siap2 g jln kt Kuantan. emmm... not actually jln2, pegi tgk wayang sbnrnye. lain feelingnye bila tgk wyg kt kwsn luar fr KL ni.

 

 

after wayang, we went to Teluk Chempedak. saja2 nk g tgk pantai & take some crazy photo. we were there dari ptg around pkl6lbh smpai la membawa ke nearly pkl8. then it was just the right time utk MAKAAAAAAAAAANNNN, yeahhh!!! this was my 2nd trip to Kuantan after the first trip to Kuantan I made last year. and I will always come to Kuantan for its seafood. sedap & murah. mmg marvellous la. bersyukur dgn kenikmatan dunia yg sementara ni.

 

 ~ this is the most sopan gambar rasanye ~

 

on Sunday, we checked out early from the hotel, searched for place to have our breakfast and drove dgn sgt bertenang to enjoy our last day before heading back to KL. bertenang yg sgt2 py bertenang la, yg mmg enjoy tgk kiri kanan jalan. we stopped at Pantai Batu Hitam first. saja2 berdiri tepi pantai & enjoy the sea breeze. & of course took some crazy photo, hihihihih. sempat jgk beli air kelapa & duduk minum kt tepi pantai tu (we were really in relaxation mode). then we went to buy some keropok lekor & ikan masin kt gerai2 tepi jln. stopped for lunch dkt rumah abg kwn I. org dh ajak, rezeki jgn ditolak. after solat & waited a while for the rain to stop, we drove back to KL.

 

it was a trip yg mmg "bersantai-tak-payah-pikir-apa2-tapi-singkat-sgt-sbb-3hari-je" :( I'm really grateful for the time, place and ppl that I've spent the time with. it's a very short trip, but as they usually say, "it's short but sweet" =)

 

I forgot to tell you that that was middle of August this year (14-16). my schedule after that was crazier. will tell you that in the next entry...whenever that may be.

 

take care. be good.

 

~ Singapore - work-related ~

I just got back from Spore. travelled for work this time around.

 

 

I attended a 2-day conference on Monday & Tuesday. Then had meetings at IRAS & NTU yesterday. I find the conference and meetings very beneficial. there are techniques that I think can be applied and many info that I've never heard b4. my schedule was quite packed, but I managed to meet up with my friends who are working in Spore, just to do some catching up with each other. de-stressor =)

 

the organizer of the conference arranged for the international delegates/participants to stay at Park Avenue Rochester. the condition of the hotel/room is at least according to my preference (apa sgt nk preference beriye pun sekadar dok kt bilik bila mlm je, hahaha). it's not really located at the centre/heart of Singapore so it's quieter around the area. the hotel is connected to Rochester Mall. from outside, look's like there's nothing much at the mall (xmasuk lgsg pn sbb from outside pn mcm xbyk kedai bkk). ada la a few restaurants/café opened but musykil nk mkn, so takyah la masuk.

 

 

you don't need to worry about getting Halal food if you stay at this hotel 'cz Star Vista mall is very near to Park Avenue Rochester (5 minutes walking). I can see the mall from my room, so mmg consider dekat la kan =) you'll find nearly 10 Halal food outlets at this mall, such as Papa Rich, Nandos, Manhattan Fish Market, etc2. just look for the Halal logo from Singapore religious body - MUIS. by the way, iron & ironing board, flatscreen TV, free wifi, telephone, safe box, coffee/tea/mineral water/kettle/2 mugs and spoons & fridge are available in the room. I brought my own snacks and 3-in-1 drinks, in case I got hungry during odd hours/b4 I could find Halal food outlet. so I don't really mind not having anything in the fridge =)

 

the room

Star Vista Mall from my hotel room

getting around Singapore is easy if you stay at this hotel. the East-West Line MRT (Bugis station) is just next to Star Vista mall. if you refer to the Star Vista Mall image above, it's the building on your right hand side. so, it's about 10 minutes walking from the hotel (10 minutes yg x terasa lama pn). you can also get the Circle Line from this station. I don't have trouble getting cab 'cz I got help from the hotel. but if you are adventurous, can try to hail a cab on your own, taxi stand is not that far as well.

 

if you ask me whether I'm gonna stay again at this hotel the next time I come to Spore, I would say YES but with a condition. for my own holiday/vacation/jalan2 to Singapore, I think I might hv to save some money in advance if I choose to stay at the hotel. depending on the season (peak or normal) and also room type, the room rate is affordable/OK to some people but a little bit pricey to others (like me). as this is working trip, the company is paying for the stay =) so, for next holiday/vacation to Singapore, it's either I'm doing some saving in advance OR there's someone who would be kind to pay for my stay here. at the moment, it seems that some saving is required on my part, hihihi.

 

I wish to come again, Singapore =)

~ what's your note taking method? ~

A) pen&paper?

B) laptops?

C) smartphones?

D) other gadgets?

which from d above that u use d most when u r taking notes? I prefer taking notes using pen/pencil & paper. no doubt smartphones nowadays are smart. u can use ur smartphones to scribble, draw arrows to connect similar points, draw lightbulbs/stars to mark important points, etc2. but I still prefer pen & paper.

 

my notes

 

 

I actually read an article recently about note taking. that's how i got the idea to write this entry. you can read the article here (source: http://m.chronicle.com/article/The-Benefits-of-No-Tech-Note/228089/#).

 

I'm not saying whether i agree or disagree with the points and findings in the article. to me what's important is to write (or draw, when necessary). I've been trained that "taking note is important". it doesn't matter whether on paper, or using smartphones, tablets, etc2. "taking note is important". just so happen that I prefer to do my own note taking using pen/pencil and paper. and in my uni days, students bring notebooks and pen/pencil to class because laptop blom cukup byk masa zmn tu (sape la nk bw PC g class, kn?). and the phones students use were just basic handphone - to make call and send SMSes. so, we took our notes dgn pen/pensel + notebook.

 

& sometimes i draw when the points involve diagram. still, using pen/pencil and paper =)

 

i am not against taking notes using laptops/smartphones/tablets, etc2. but i have issue when people don't write anything when i teach them smthg (this is already work-related). or, when they don't draw diagrams bila keadaan memerlukan lukisan diagram (also work-related). or, when in a discussion with a vendor and the vendor, thinking that it's just a DISCUSSION, do not write down anything that we were discussing (again, work-related).

 

sekarang i ada additional device bila i gi meeting. when i go to a meeting yg i rs important, i'll borrow a recorder from my colleague to record whatever it is we are discussing + at the same time i tulih the points in my notebook. in case i missed out any points from the discussion, i still have the recorded discussion to refer to.

 

tak kesah la apa cara pun, janji "taking note is important".

 

I'm still traditional - set calendar dlm notebook (mirror it from calendar in my PC).

 

 

p/s: I'm not for or against the article and the comments given by the other readers.

 

~ knowledge seeking activities ~

have not been updating for quite some time sbb nothing interesting to update. very low-key lifestyle + social life not so huhuhaha + been re-adjusting here and there.

 

Anyways, just want to share some knowledge that I've gained from two religious talks that I've attended in December 2014 and last month (February 2015). Alhamdulillah, badan sihat and umur panjang to sit and listen to reminders from the speakers.

 

Twins of Faith Conference 2014

 

it was 2-day conference, packed with talks and workshops on the unseen world (tema adalah "World of the Unseen"). we listened to topics about angels, syaitan/jin, the hellfire (neraka), the jannah (syurga), the day of judgement, the Qadr, and many more. sangat, sangat, sangat berilmiah. the two topics that I like the most adalah about the Angels (Malaikat) and the Jannah (syurga). smbil dgr speaker berckp, smbil tu berangan about betapa cantiknye & bestnye syurga tu. tapi bak kata Sheikh yg bg talk about Jannah ni:-

"we'll enter Jannah through Allah's mercy" ~ Sh. Yahya Ibrahim

kalau rasa2 diri byk buat amal, jgn terus rs "aku byk buat amalan ni, CONFIRM masuk syurga". jangan ye ada rs cmtu sbbnye nak masuk syurga tu is with Allah's mercy/rahmat Allah. byk2 berdoa supaya kita sntiasa dpt rahmat Allah + amalan2 kita tu akn diterima utk kita masuk syurga. Amin.

 

and Sheikh yg bg talk pasal Angels ckp:-

"there's also angel who looks up at Allah's throne without blinking" ~ Sh. Tawfique Chowdhury

so, Malaikat apakah itu... yg pndg kpd Allah tnpa berkelip? itulah Israfil, peniup sangkakala. nak tau sbb apa tak berkelip? sbb, Israfil awaits the command from Allah utk tiup sangkakala pertama. bila Allah kata tiup je, terus Israfil akan tiup & semua menda kt alam ni akn hancur. begitulah taatnye Malaikat sebagai makhluk ciptaan Allah.

 

Marriage Conference 2015

 

it's a 1-day conference, lg padat & berlari2an la nk follow talk & workshop at different rooms kt PICC tu. it's typical for ppl to think that this conference is meant for org2 yg di alam perkahwinan je. No, no, no... walaupn namanye MARRIAGE conference, yg blom kawen pn leh join, yg dh kawen & berpisah (sbb kematian or perceraian) pn leh join. the points delivered by the speakers/panels ada yg berkaitan dgn our life sbgi INDIVIDU. bak kata Sheikh yg ckp about Broken Hearts:-

"the only one who'll never disappoint you is Allah" ~ Sh. Omar Suleiman

mksdnye, even if you are facing difficulties/disappoinmnt, your response twrds the prblm/issue should be smthg that will mean "I'll please Allah". nk tau sebab apa? sbb, dlm kita tgh susah/berduka, Allah will never disappoint us if we put Him first. if our heart is filled with Allah, we'll be able to respond to the hardship better. see? ni kn nasihat utk semua org as INDIVIDU.

 

kita ni bkn tak tahu, tp as human we need constant reminders to improve ourselves. jgn be judgmental to others and don't worry too much about nk jg/maintain our reputation. ada bgsnye ada social media nowadays. tp bila social media jd platform for us to b jdgmntl of others and also we become more and more conscious utk nk maintain our own reputation, itu dh jd tak perlu lg dh. ni nsht from Prof. Muhaya herself ye (she was one of the speakers). org yg worry too much abt what others think of him/her, that's the sign that you are an ego-conscious person. ni pn Prof. Muhaya yg ckp.  and when Prof Muhaya asked the audience, "who here doesn't have Facebook account?", wanna guess who put up her hand? (correct answer: saya la tu, hehehehe.)

 

Promo: The Straight Path Convention 2015 will be held on 28 & 29 March 2015 at SACC Mall. Click here for details and to book your ticket.

 

 

~ hoping for a better tomorrow ~

it's d 2nd day of 2015. things have been good for me in 2014 & therefore i'm hoping for more good things to come in 2015. 

for those of you who have been directly affected with the recent tragedies that came to us (the flood, hurricane, the MAS and AirAsia flight tragedies in March, July and December 2014, etc2), be strong and pray that there'll be good things that come out of the whole situation.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow" - Albert Einstein

 

 

My prayer for 2015:-

Protect us, O' Allah, from disasters when we are flying in the sky, walking on your land, or being at the sea.

Guide us, O' Allah, for we are lost without your guidance.

Bless us, O 'Allah, for with your blessings that we'll enter Jannah.

 

Semoga semuanya baik2 untuk 2015. Amiiiiiinnnn!!!

 

~ what's your reading habit? ~

it's October... and I'm reading my 12th book this year. yeah, u can say "wth??? baru 12?", but I fall into d category of "people-who-read-several-pages-a-day-depending-on-the-daily-schedule". sometime I can finish up a book in 3days, often times it's about a month. so, October and now in my 12th book, not bad.

 

i read mostly chick lit because i consider it as light reading. i don't want to read something that requires too much brain-work. i love John Grisham's works (thumbs up) but i can only enjoy his books when I'm on a holiday for 20 days. yeah, yeah, keep on dreaming!!! hahahaha (who's gonna gimme 20-days holiday and just chilling while doing nothing except reading John Grisham's?). when i read chick lit, i can just pretend to be the main (or supporting) character and imagine myself laughing/crying/dreaming/going crazy over things. once a while, tersenyum sendiri2 on d train/in the car/on the plane. crying? not when I'm in public places laaa... kalo nangis sambil baca atas katil/dlm bilik, most probably have done that.

 

i like motivational books as well. but nowadays i prefer listening to inspirational videos online. my ideology is that even if I'm not listening to it (because I'm so into doing my work walaupun headphone melekat kt telinga), the unconscious brain will still register the message. i believe that. daku percaya kebolehan minda separa sedar =)

 

i just came across this survey on the internet: http://survey.pnm.gov.my/. at the moment, the National Library of Malaysia is conducting an Interim Survey on Malaysians Reading Habit. This effort, which is in collaboration with the Dept. of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Educational Technology Division of the Ministry of Education Malaysia, Librarians Association of Malaysia (PPM), the Malaysian Public Library Directors Council (MPAM) and Conference of Academic Libraries and National Library of Malaysia (PERPUN), aims to identify number of books read by Malaysians based on demographic and the trend of reading habit among Malaysians.

 

I've completed the survey in less than 10 minutes, it's that simple. so, let's contribute to the survey. who knows you might win a prize (every 50th entry will receive a prize).

 

p/s: the 12th book I'm reading now - "The First Muslim: the Story of Muhammad". I'm on page 7 and already think that it's awesome.

 

~ we mourn ~

we mourn the tragic incident of flight MH17. it is with very heavy heart that we have to say "goodbye" to the victims in this way. we don't know them directly, nevertheless we still feel the lost as they were our fellow Malaysians, our "family".

 

as for me, it's saddening to know that one of the victims was my junior at school. during those days, we didn't talk much but she was a closed friend to my juniors in my dorm. so when the news spread after sahur last month on my whatsapp group that "Shazana" was the flight attendant on board the flight that was shot down, I was stunned. her friends/my juniors will have a hard time to let go of such as "happy-go-lucky" and bubbly friend. her picture that's shown on newspapers with her bright smile, well that's who she was in person. at least that's how i still remember her, a girl with a bright smile.

 

Shazana, I knew you when you were in Form 1 (i was in Form 3 at that time). you were good friend to my dormmates and other juniors (your same batch) at my block (go, go Dang Anum). a friendly and happy-go-lucky girl, u'll definitely be missed by many of us. Ya Allah, semoga rohnya sentiasa dicucuri rahmat.

 

.Al-Fatihah.

 

p/s: let's pray that the other victims will be identified and be brought back to Malaysia.

~ 10 days in Turki (final) ~

I'm gonna share with u some (important/interesting) info about my Turki trip. this is gonna b d last entry for my Turki trip... berzaman nk perabihkan, hahahaha.

 

Money (duit)

currency used in Turkey is Turkish Lira (TL) but USD and EURO are also accepted. I brought USD & Lira with me (more USD than Lira actually). where to get Lira in KL? not all money changer sells Lira.yg i tau, the money changer in Midvalley & Ampang Park ada jual/beli Lira. disbbkn there's not many source to change to Turkish Lira in KL, some money changer operator sells it (a lil bit') higher than necessary. once u r in Turkey, u can go to d money changer, change ur USD to Lira. important tips from our guide, don't change ur money on Sundays. kita xnk rugi cz losing on d exchange.

Currency exchange

when we were there, 1 TL = RM1.60 (lbh kurg).

What to buy with 1TL?

1TL can b used to pay to toilet/restroom operator. other than that, I got 4 postcards for 1TL.

Food

for Malaysians who r used to spicy food, bring ur own chilli/hot sauce. I bw chilli flakes with me tp once there, I think it's actually not necessary. at every tmpt mkn that we went, they usually hv chilli flakes ready on d table. I bw jugak sos Nandos (beli Hot Peri-Peri Sauce kt Giant) ms g Turkey & I ate it when there's chicken in d menu. nk mkn ayam dgn chilli flakes mcm x cukp pedas je. I hv in my group yg bw McD's packet chilli sauce in d trip. ni bgs bila bab kalo mkn & nk bercicah sos cili (in our case, nk mkn sotong gorg tepung). bring small packs of biscuits if u r d kind of person like me yg sng lapar when in cold, hehehe. otherwise, can just buy jajan when u stop for toilet break/solat/mkn.

Weather

we were in Turkey when it's Spring time (end of March to early Apr). temperature changes in different parts of Turkey. sometimes it's 13 Celcius or 11 Celcius. other days, it can be 17 Celcius. depending on how well your body cope with the low temperature, wear comfy clothings.

Clothings

frankly, i'm not very comfortable when it's cold. smtimes can get a lil' miserable mentally, hahaha. so, I brought tshirts byk2 for d 10 days trip. and also long sleeves & inner. jacket I bw 1 je (sbbtu gmbr I sume dgn jacket yg sama, hahaha) and sweater (just d thin one) ada sehelai gk. konsep I to keep myself warm adalah dgn wearing layers. on most days during d trip, I wore 3 layers of baju at once. bila pki jacket skali, then it's 4 layers already =) wear comfortable shoes, seelok2nye yg xde high heels. kalo byk brjln, xde la lenguh. raincoat...ermmm.... I dnt see any use of it. ms trip aritu hujan skjp je & xlbt pn, tu pn 1 day tu jelah, hari2 len sume cerah. selipar...ermmm...I ada bw 1pasang, tp gna ms nk g mkn kt hotel je. lps chck in hotel, hntr beg dlm bilik, tukar fr kasut to selipar (kasihan kakiku seharian tertutup) sbb nk turun g mkn.

Solat

ada yg sggst I bw selipar with me ms naik bus cz bila stop utk solat kt msjd, dh tukar pki selipar siap2 utk g wudhu (kasut tggl dlm bus). tp I ended with lap kaki dgn tissue lps wudhu, then pki stoking & kasut blk to walk to d mosque. tmpt wudhu sllnye in different building/place than d main building of d mosque (not like in Malaysia yg tmpt wudhu dlm msjd itself). xpelah, dh amik wudhu', doa la semoga setiap lgkh to enter d praying hall akn menghapuskn dosa2 yg ada =) Subuh adalah around 4lbh tp kul5.15 or 5.30 can pray dh. I wasn't aware of d timing for Zohor, Asar sbb everyday guide yg akn ckp dh boleh smyg. as for Magrib & Isya', once dh chck in hotel, br buat jamak ta'khir. or kalo stop for Mgrb kt msjd, buat je jamak taqdim.

Souvenirs

u can get souvenirs such as fridge magnet, table runner, shawls (silk or tak), bookmark, keychain, ceramic items, apple tea, Turkish delight, baklava, etc2. if u r only going to Istanbul, Spice Bazaar & Grand Bazaar r d two popular bazaars to shop. we didn't get much time in Spice Bazaar, so I don't really know how to compare d price of similar things sold at Grand Bazaar. kalo u jmp pe yg u berkenan kt Spice Bazaar & dgn limited time yg u ada, risau xjmp d same thing at Grand Bazaar, so beli jelah bila dh jmp kt Spice Bazaar tu. tp kalo de byk lg masa kt Istanbul, boleh la repeat byk2 kali masuk Spice Bazaar & Grand Bazaar... tinggal larat kaki nk jln/x jelah, hehehehe. important, Grand Bazaar x bkk on Sundays. suggstn, kalo nk bw blk baklava to Malaysia, beli la ms dh dkt nk blk M'sia. my experience, air ros yg gna dlm resipi baklava I x meleleh ms nk bw blk. ada yg beli ms awl2 trip, trpksa buang cz dh meleleh2 air dlm kotak baklava.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I think those r some useful info that I hope will guide u guys who r planning a trip to Turkey. if u hv any info to ask, do leave ur question in d comment & I'll reply to it (if I hv d answer). so, sesapa yg dh cnfirm nk g Turkey soon, enjoy ur trip =)

.bye.

~ 10 days in Turki (Pt.10) ~

~ 9th day ~

(and 10th day as well)

 

it's our last day in Turki. sobsobsob...sedeyyy... huhuhuhu. I'm enjoying my time in Turki & enjoying my new friends. we started our day as usual after breakfast. first, we headed to the famous Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. (note: Grand Bazaar x bkk on Sunday. we were there on Monday). it's not very far from our hotel, so we just walked. sbnrnye xtau nk ckp jauh/x. mbe jauh tp x terasa sbb sebok sgt potpetpotpet sepjg jln dgn kenkwn&sebok bergmbr.

 

~ me, my friends & d places we passed by to Grand Bazaar ~

 

dari berjln kaki tu, kitrg masuk kt bhgn yg ada jual2 buku. dh mcm bookfair pn ada jugak gayanye. x jauh frm tmpt org jual buku2 tu, then tadaaaaa.... tu dia dpn mata Gate 7 to enter d Grand Bazaar. our guide gv instructions on d time that we should meet again at the same spot. so igt.... kt mna kita masuk, kt ctu la kuar blk. lpstu bertebaran la kitrg memulakn misi mencari brg apa2 yg ptt lg. we only hv 8.45 am 'til 11 am... not enough time =(

 

seeloknye last minit shopping dgn limited time cenggini kita dh set siap2 dlm kpale apa lg yg nk beli & dnt get influenced by ayat2 manis si peniaga kt cni. bknnya apa, ko ada 2jamsuku je & Grand Bazaar ni besor, tak dan la kalo sume brg nk tgk & br nk decide nk beli apa. kalo masuk Grand Bazaar ni pagi2 cm kitrg, bgs sbb org stil xrmi. kedai pn br bkk. nk memilih brg rs cmfrtble la sket sbb xyh nk sesak2 dgn org rmi. kalo ptg, cnfirm jd cm kt Spice Bazaar d day b4.

 

~ tshirts, keychains, wind chimes, shawls, brg ceramic, lampu2, leather products, bags, table runner... u name it ~ 

 

 

~ see those plastic bags I carried, sikit je brg I beli fr d Grand Bazaar ~

 

2 hours and 15 minutes later, we waited outside Gate 7 of & walked to our bus. pegi berlenggang, so boleh jln kaki. blk dh de plstk beg brg2, so kna naik bus, hahaha. once we reached d hotel, it's time for final packing and to bring our bags to d lobby. beg drpd nipis jd tebal aftr 10 days. ada yg dr 1, jd 2. kt lobby hotel ada penimbang. so masing2 dok menimbang beg masing2 sbb takut overweight. kalo overweight, kna tumpang dgn brg org len.

 

for final Zohor (and Asar) prayer, we walked to a mosque nearby d hotel. it was not yet Zohor time, so we took d opportunity to sit in d mosque and wait. ada ceramah kt dlm msjd ms tu tp sbb xpaham ustaz tu ckp bhs Turki, kita dok diam2 baik2 je ye dlm msjd =) smpt amik gmbr interior sket, hehehe...sket jelah tpnye. sket as in 2 je.

 

~ outside & inside ~

 

dh semua2 settle solat, semua2 jln sesame blk hotel & wait for d bus. we had our final lunch together b4 d guide send us to airport. for our lunch, we went to Neden Urfa restaurant and had kebab. as usual, kita ada starter yakni lentil soup & roti & gabungan tomato&timun&bwg, plus distime ada cm air asam yg cicah dgn ikan bakar tu (anyways, itu sedap) lpstu main course dpt kebab & nasi. fuuhhhhh.... I can say that it was d best meal ever for me. Nasi dia rs cm nasi goreng, sedaaaaap sgt smpi x amik gmbr, hahaha.

 

finally for dessert, kita ada surprise surprise!!! it was d birthday of our fren d day before (6 April) & guide telah dgn baik hati bought a birthday cake for her on this last day. nk potg cake ms bday semlm mcm xsempat sbb aktiviti packed. we decided that it's best if d guide join d cake cutting skali bcz his bday was on 1 of d days masa dia bw kitrg berjln2 ni. dh la xde org bg adiah kt dia ms bday dia, dia pulak baik hati belikan kek utk my fren. so kasihan if x celebrate sesame.

 

 

then, it was time for group photo. sedih bcz of 2 reasons: 1)sbb dh nk blk, 2)sbb de grp mmber yg dh balik cz their flight was in d afternoon. so, diorg xde dlm gmbr, huhuhuhuhu...

 

 

finally it was time to say goodbye. kt airport after dh settle2 chck in bag semua, we said our goodbye to our guide. rs cm terharu. dia tgg smpi la kitrg sume dh lps d immigration gate. yg kitrg ni, kt dlm tu borak2 lg mcm2.... citer mcm xabis2, hahahaha. our flight to Doha was at 7.30 pm and once landed at Doha, we had to quickly catch our plane to KL. transit time was short, distance from aeroplane nk masuk building to transfer to another gate pn jauh. dh lps chck in for flight to KL, naik bus lg skali to d aeroplane pn jauh. serious rs cm Amazing Race. nk g toilet pn x smpt weh, huhuhuhh.

 

we arrived at KLIA d next day at around 2.10pm (this was our 10th day). br la npk masing2 dh letih ms ni. I couldn't get much sleep on d flight so mmg mengalu2kn waktu utk tidor, hahahaha.

 

it was indeed a very special holiday for me. I'm grateful that I got to know these good people. I'm grateful that I got to see beautiful places in Turki. I'm grateful that I got to hv different experience in a different land. sooo looking forward for another holiday like this. even though I've completed d story of d activities for my 10days Turki trip, i'll share in another post some tips or other useful info ya.

 

.enjoy your holidays.



~ 10 days in Turki (Pt.9) ~

~ 8th day ~

(*entry trlbh pjg sbb byk gmbr2)

dh nk habis dh rupanye kesah journey to Turkey. tp I stil haven't completed d story for d last two days of d trip. so, let's continue...

 

we went to 1 leather boutique in Istanbul. seriously, I had soooooo much fun there, hahaha. we pretended to be Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia & d other famous people in fashion industry as we watched the fashion show on d runway. yepppp....fashion show. glamer gitu!!!! after that, we listened to a briefing from d host with regards to their products. then came d time to try and buy =) ni samaada ko rambang mata & nk beli semua, or u become just like me... trying those that I think nice, bergaya dpn cermin, take photos of myself with d jacket, give it back to the salesperson & try another one & bergaya dpn cermin, take photos, give it back to d salesperson & d cycle continues. hahahahahahahah...don't b surprised. sila la sila tgk betapa byk aku try.

 

~ 1st look... same jacket with different styling ~

~ 2nd & 3rd look ~

~ 4th look...u can wear d same jacket inside out ~ 

~ 5th and 6th look ~

 

all these trying and posing and taking photos and changing to new jacket and so on were made possible with d help from these two people... mereka tidak forcing I to buy & penyabar sgt layan I yg asyik brtukar2 jacket & posing tanpa beli walau sehelai. rs guilty... huhuhuhu. tp nk buat cmne, kn. di dunia reality, blom tntu leh berangan nk pki bj2 leather yg cntk cmni. I rs cm Cinderella cntk kjp kt sini (cuma aku xde glass shoes je, hahaha)

 

~ thanks to these 2 gentlemen (gmbr kanan, I dh brtukar jd Cinderella yg asal after 12midnite, huhu) ~

next, we went to Topkapi Palace. it was a sunday, so there's a big crowd there. but according to d guide, itu bkn la big crowd pn. pffft. d entrance fee was TL25. some things are not allowed to be brought along with u while u r inside. so, u can just leave it at d security (at d main entrance) and collect it back before u leave.

 

 

take note, no photos allowed inside d museum. thus, d reason y I only took pictures at d compound. if u r wondering, inside d museum u can find mcm2 brg sejarah Islam, cnthnye tapak kaki Rasulullah, pedang yg Rasulullah dan beberapa sahabat gunakan, pakaian Fatimah az-Zahra, etc2. we didn't spend a lot of time here as we had to go to our nx destination - Hagia Sophia.

 

from Topkapi, we walked to Hagia Sophia. the entrance fee is also TL25. this historical place used to be a church, then it became a mosque, and now it's a museum. when we were there, there's some construction work being done inside.

 

 

 

it's soooo beautiful inside. ada sections tu yg cat dh terkopek2 dh tp d remaining pictures on the wall still jugak cantik. mcm gmbr kt atas yg belah kanan.

 

take note, the queue to get the ticket for both Topkapi and Hagia Sophia is quite long. same goes when u want to enter these places. our guide has bought the tickets to these places earlier, so we don't need to queue anymore. jimat la sket masa. otherwise, it could take about 1hour to get the ticket, according to our guide.

 

after Hagia Sophia, we went to hv our lunch as it's already time to eat. npknye cm from 1 place to another tu xde la jauh, so we just walked to the restaurant. after lunch, we went to pray Zohr (and Asr) at the Blue Mosque.

 

Subhanallah. again this is another nice place to go when u r at Istanbul. and it's more special for me when I got to pray inside. I didn't get much time to tour inside d Blue Mosque after I've completed performing solat. but I managed to capture some pictures.

 

~ (l-r): inside the Blue Mosque, outside b4 wudhu', outside after wudhu' & inside after praying ~

 

the Spice Bazaar was our next destination. we were given only 1hour to complete our shopping. huhuhu... kalo bg 1jam, mna cukupppp nk bershopping. walaupun nma tmpt ni Spice Bazaar, tp yg dijual bkn spices je. u can get souvenirs, shawls, baklava, Turkish delight, tea, and many many more interesting things at the Spice Bazaar. I managed to get baklava for my officemates and Alhamdulillah, it's nice + not too sweet =) we reached there in d afternoon (around 3.30 p.m) and d place was too crowded. nk g survey brg kt kedai yg jauh2 sket pn xleh sbb de 1jam je & sesak sgt. so kalo sesapa nk g Spice Bazaar ni, i think d best time would b pagi la kot utk mengelakkn bersesak2. beware of pickpockets ye.

 

~ Spice Bazaar ~

 

and then, it's time for d Bosphorus Cruise (yeay!!!). this is an opportunity for me (us) to see both the Europe and Asia sides. it was cold tp I cuba utk tak rs tekanan mental sbb kesejukan, huhuhuhu. bot yg kitrg naik tu ada serve minuman panas, tp kna request&byr. bila dh kesejukan smpi nk beku kt belah atas ni, leh la turun ke belah bwh bot to request for hot drink. I bought hot nescafe (TL3).

 

~ with frens...I'm excited!!! (*yeahhh, kesejukan smpi agk miserable sbnrnye) ~

 

 

 

 

last activity for the day, bergambar di taman bunga =) it was nearly 7pm by d time we completed the cruise. agak bergegas ke tmn bunga (naik bus) sbb hari dh nak gelap. tp stil managed to bergmbr2 & kagum dgn bunga tulips yg mcm2 kaler. fuuhhhh, cntkkkkk sgt!!!!

 

 

d next day would b our last day in Turki. sedih pulak dh. blk je from berjln2 ni, g dinner & kms2 brg kt hotel. bersggh2 wt krja packing2 sbb dh beli mcm2 dr day 1. kna kosongkn sket beg sbb d final day, we are going to do our last shopping. that and d rest in d next entry.

 

.bye for now.

 

~ 10 days in Turki (Pt.8) ~

~ 7th day ~

 

we started our journey fr Ankara to Istanbul after breakfast. by d way, d name of d hotel where we stayed for a night in Ankara is Turist hotel. we were supposed to overnight in Bolu d night before but there's a change of plan. so, we stayed in Ankara. if u want 2imagine how Ankara looks like, just imagine Putrajaya. Ankara adalah cm pusat pentadbiran kt Putrajaya where ada byk offices kt situ.

it's quite far from Ankara to Istanbul. we passed Bolu on our way there. our captain took us to Istanbul using a different route from d one normally used to travel from Ankara to Istanbul simply because of the view. as usual, we stopped at several places (R&R) for toilet break and at some places kt tepi jln sbb nk amik gmbr. owhhh, cantikkkkk!!!!

~ keychain Istanbul for my bag & jajan utk mkn dlm bus ~

 

route yg kitrg lalu tu is dkt kwsn tinggi. jadinye, can see d connecting highway & also kmpg2 kecik kt kwsn tanah rendah.

 

~ sayuuuuup kt blkg tu is d connecting highway ~

 

~ itu kwsn kmpg2 ~

 

we stopped for lunch at another R&R. ms ni dh terer dh cmne nk bg lentil soup sedap. dh everyday mkn kot... & it's being served during every meal, drpd xpandai nk bg sedap smpi dh jd pandai dh, hahaha.

 

~ yg ada arrow pink tu rs dia cm murtabak sket, or roti canai. that's delicious ~

 

our guide took d opportunity dgn distance yg stil jauh to get everyone to introduce themselves. dh dkt nk abis trip pn, dh jd geng sesame kitrg pn, baruuuuu ler nk wt proper introduction, hehehe. xpelah. there were 18 of us, majority adalah org2 muda seangkatan je cm kitrg (i still muda ye, hahaha), tp ada jugak 2families in d group.

 

finally, we arrived in Istanbul dh ptg2, so d traffic was quite bad. we first went to Miniaturk. this is like LEGOLAND kt Johor. this park has miniatures of bangunan2/tmpt2 famous dlm Turki.

 

 

we prayed Maghrib at Eyup Sultan Mosque. it's a historical mosque where u'll find d tomb of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari and other companions here. as it was near Maghrib by d time we arrived at d mosque, we decided solat berjemaah je skali kt masjid ni. senang.

 

dinner time.... we went to have fish for dinner. yummy!!! our guide brought us to one seafood restaurant. ms dpt sotong gorg tepung, mcm kenikmatan abadi. lagi2 cicah dgn sos cili McD yg 1 of our grp members bw. dpt packs of sos cili McD, masing2 mmg muka bhgia, hahahaha. amboi, selera!!!

 

~ lentil soup & salad... as usual ~

~ one cherry drink for me ~

~ ikaaaaannnn...kenikmatan ~

 

if u r in turki, they'll give u chilli flakes kalo anda mahu lbh spicy kpd food anda. dats y we bring our own sos cili, or sos nandos (I brought this with me during this trip), or sambal kentang with ikan bilis.

 

we checked in to our hotel - Buyuk Keban Hotel - after dinner. it's our 2nd nite in Istanbul (1st nite ms sampai fr KL aritu). d location is strategic as it's located not far from a mosque, shops and byk penjual di jalanan ms malam2. sempat la jugak singgah tgk apa yg dijual kt tepi2 jln tu.

 

 

if I recall correctly, "bersiar2" dpn hotel tu arnd pukul 10lbh or 11 mcmtu...waktu Turki. with d 5 hours time difference, dat's waaaayyyyy past midnight kt Msia, hahaha.

 

.bye.