My 2015 Review

I have been doing this for 3 years now (since 2012!) and I still think it's one of my favourite post to write so far. I get to reflect back to the past year, list my achievements, count my blessings, and get ready for the next year.

Alhamdulillah, this year has been a really great year. I am a very ambitious person, so I do have quite a long list in my new year's resolution. However, not everything gets ticked this year - as usual. And I also add and remove goals as I go.

What I managed to tick off from my 2015 resolutions list:

Moving to our own place
This year we started paying for our own place. The things that get me excited about this are that I finally get to hang something on the wall (because we weren't allowed in our previous apartment) and we now have two bathrooms - which means we don't have to fight over who gets to go in first *grin*!

Launch my blog
I have been blogging on and off. My lack of writing skills and full time job just made it even harder to start again. But I have realised in the recent months that I do need a place to vent and share things. There may not be a lot of readers just yet, but hey, at least I'm trying to start again and hopefully now I can post more regularly because I'm trying to commit to keep this blog alive.

Travel more
Last year I was saving my hard earned salary towards a hajj trip. Every month I would see my salary come into my bank account and disappear in a few days because I needed to pay for the trip. So we didn't have a lot to spare for other things, let alone a small trip, but it was all worthwhile. So this year I put a bullet point in my 2015 goals list to travel more.

At the beginning of this year I finally ticked off something from my bucket list, which is hiking to Mt. Kosciusko summit. And mid August we went for a quick trip for my birthday to Melbourne. Then on October when mum was visiting, we visited Canberra and the beautiful Tulip Top garden.

Not staying back at the office too often
Last year I was definitely guilty of staying back at the office almost everyday. Not because I have to, but because I was waiting for my husband to pick me up. This year, I only stay back 1-2 days a week. But I feel like I didn't get a lot done compared to last year (perhaps because I'm active in several other things outside of my main work), so this year I may have left office on time a little too often :).

Working in a regional team
This year I get to volunteer in the regional engagement team, working with colleagues from around South East Asia and Pacific. I didn't realise that this was in my goals list until I recently discovered another goal list in another book/device.

Getting an award
Simply Excellent is an award that is difficult to earn, but I am very humbled to have received this. It was also a testament that Muslims can do well too (and that not all Muslims are bad!). I'm one of the very few people in my office who wears hijab and I'm proud of it!

Give to charity $x in Ramadhan
We always try to set a goal of how much we donate every year and alhamdulillah we met our goal again this year.

Get L license
For those who don't know, I don't drive in Australia although I have an overseas drivers license and drive perfectly fine in Indonesia. I was about to get my L license in 2012 but because I had just been in Australia for less than 6 months, I can still use my overseas drivers license.

Before this year ends, I just feel the itch to get this ticked off from my bucket list. So, I signed up for the written test a month before the actual test (didn't know that you have to wait for weeks to get a place!), studied the sample questions the night before the test, took the test, and voila now I have an L license!

Apart from the above, I'm also working towards in becoming a better Muslim. I do have ibadah goals listed as well, but indeed it is difficult to make it a habit! My ibadah goals consist of shalat rawatib, qiyamullail, al matsurat, tilawah, and reading Al-Mulk. I guess in order to succeed in this, it comes down to a good progress tracking. I haven't been able to diligently document my ibadah. This is definitely something I need to work on next year!

Train of Thoughts: I Found Happiness in Fried Duck

Today is the last day before my office officially closed for the holidays. We were allowed to leave early but unfortunately work was still holding me back. I already have appointment to tutor my girl for her Arabic reading at 3.30pm and it got pushed back to 5pm because I didn't leave office until 4.50pm. Eventually I arrived super late, like at 5.15pm.

Although I was a bit hesitant to come I was telling myself, "I have to do it. I've already promised to come". Then, I didn't realise her mum texted me to say not to push it if I can't make it that day. But I was already at her door, so we proceeded with the tutoring.

No matter how tired I am, I always feel energised every time I teach kids. Currently, I teach a 10 year old to read Arabic once a week in Chatswood. I only get paid for the transport cost (this is what I had asked for, but the mum kindly gave me extras), plus, I always get to take away Indonesian food! The mum is a really good cook. We often have conversation about food and recipes. Every time I come to their place, the mum is always cooking something new. And although she said, "just trying a recipe", the food always comes out really good.

Anyway, today she packed me fried duck with chilli sauce (sambal) - yummy! Me and husband shared the duck together for dinner. I can't tell you how grateful we are for it. Husband has been craving for fried duck for a year and I, tired from all the activities, really enjoyed a good meal to end the day. Afterwards, I thought, "this is my simple happiness for today... trying my best to come and teach Arabic for the sake of Allah and was rewarded by fried duck, alhamdulillah :)"

My First Super Splurge

Apologies if this post may offend anyone. I am not by any means trying to brag, just wanted to share my experience about getting my first high end designer item.

APPRECIATING HARD WORK

Everyone has their own way of appreciating their hard work. It can be with a vacation, dinner at a fancy restaurant, movie night, or splurging on expensive items. I don't normally celebrate achievements by splurging because I'm pretty much a frugal spender all my life, but once in a while I do have desire to own nice things (blame this on Youtube review videos).

I know it may sound very materialistic, but I did put one goal in my 2015 goals which is to obtain an item from this one particular designer. The items that this fashion powerhouse sell is not cheap at all, so if I were to get something from them, I must have worked my a** off and have real achievements to be proud of. I think for the hard work, charity donations, and the frugal spending that I have done in the past 2-3 years, I deserve to splurge a bit this time.

CHOOSING THE 'RIGHT THING'

I have always wanted a high end designer 'thing', but not sure what 'thing' I should get. I did a lot of research here and there, and put a lot of thoughts and considerations into it. I asked myself several questions:

           "what type of item are you going to purchase? is it a bag or SLG (small leather goods)?"
           "what brand are you getting?"
           "how often are you going to use it?"
           "how are you going to care for it?"
           "what size are you going to get? and what colour?"

From early on, I have decided to get an item from Chanel instead of Louis Vuitton, because it is still difficult for me to see their monogram print as something beautiful. I knew that if I'm going to spend a lot of money on something, I must use it often and I'm not going to 'baby' it. So, I was thinking of getting a card holder/wallet (not a wallet with cash compartment) because that's pretty much the 'thing' that I use most often (in fact, almost everyday). Why not a wallet? Because I hardly need to bring cash and I'm happy just carrying my cards. I checked Chanel's website and saw that their prices have recently rise. The card holder that I was eyeing was around $560. I was ready to spend that much money in the boutique until I found something else in Reebonz website.

PRELOVED DESIGNER GOODS

After deciding what I wanted to get, I contemplated on the options whether to get brand new or preloved. I actually wanted to feel the experience of actually going into the Chanel boutique and coming out of the store holding the black Chanel shopping bag for my first ever high end designer goods, but then I thought "if I'm gonna use the item so often that I may leave scratch marks here and there which will quickly decrease the value, might as well just get the preloved one." So, on the basis of that, I tried to find a preloved Chanel.

Finding preloved Chanel items is difficult! I have tried eBay, but I won't risk of getting scammed by a seller, so I turned to Reebonz. Surprise, surprise, when I was checking their website, they had a Chanel small wallet in pristine condition with the price tag close to the original card holder/wallet that I have been eyeing but it's almost 50% off the original price of a new small wallet. I thought this might be a better option: small, wallet, pristine - except for the type of leather, because I was initially looking for a caviar, but will settle for a lambskin as well. I asked my husband for the final approval (although I'm paying with my money, I have developed a habit of asking for his permission every time I'm making a 'big' purchase). We had few disagreements, but he finally gave the sign off!

And here it is, my 'new' preloved Chanel small flap wallet...

TIPS ON GETTING HIGH-END DESIGNER GOODS

• Use it as an incentive to encourage yourself to work hard. I don't recommend getting high-end designer goods when your brain said "I just have to have it". Remember, don't get trapped in debt just to appear like you live a life you can't afford.
• When deciding on what to get, reflect on your lifestyle and do a lot of research before spending your hard earned money.
• Preloved items are just as good, if you can find the 'right' one and you're on a budget. Many people buys preloved items as well. You can find preloved on websites such as Reebonz.com, Yoogi's Closet, or Fashionphile.com. 

Buttermilk Scones

I've often heard about scones, but I had no idea what it was and how it tastes like. I only knew that it is often served in high teas and you eat it with cream and jam. Fortunately, I had just purchased a "Women's Weekly High Tea" book which featured a recipe for scones. It was easy to follow and not a lot of ingredients involved, so I was able to execute the recipe straight away without any hesitation. Please note: The recipe below is adapted from "Women's Weekly High Tea" book. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cups self raising flour
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 30 gr butter, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups of buttermilk
• Jams/conserve of your choice
• Double cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celcius and grease a square cake pan.
2. Sift flour and sugar into a large bowl and rub in butter.
3. Add buttermilk. Use knife to cut the buttermilk through the flour mixture to make a soft, sticky dough. Turn dough onto floured surface, knead gently until smooth. (For this step, I just mix everything together and let my standing mixer work the dough).
4. press dough out to 2 cm thickness, cut out 4cm rounds. Place scones, just touching, in pan. Gently knead scraps of dough together and repeat the process. Brush scones with extra buttermilk.
5. Bake scones about 15 minutes. Serve warm with jam/conserve and cream.

This is recipe is my favourite if I'm hosting or invited to a high tea party at home. I always get raves for this recipe. It's easy to make and I just love love the taste of buttermilk scones. The cream and jam adds the extra flavour to it, which I think it's very nice. Yummo!

New Series: The Meaning of Life

I was scrolling through my Facebook timeline and found that I had shared this article. The article is about "What is the meaning of life?". It offers two different point of views to life: looking at the big milestones or appreciating the small small things that leads to it.

I'm not a philosopher or whatsoever, but I do contemplate a lot about my life like why does this happen to me, why can't I be like them, why did I end up here, why can't I be content with my life, etc. As time goes by I forced managed to learn to take lessons on every single event that happens in my life. I guess this is how I eventually matured and was able to appreciate the small small things in life.

So, I'm going to start a personal series about my own story of "The Meaning of Life". I think it will be good to share the wisdom that I have learned along the way. Perhaps other people can benefit from it as well, who knows :).

The series will be broken down into 7 parts:
      Part 1: Birth
      Part 2: Studies
      Part 3: Job
      Part 4: Marriage
      Part 5: Get Settled
      Part 6: Having Kids
      Part 7: Becoming Old

But because I have only come up to point 5, point 6 & 7 will have to wait until it happens and I actually have enough knowledge to share :D.

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry muffins! Who doesn't love warm blueberry muffins for breakfast? It's a quick fix for an empty stomach to start the day, and don't forget your favourite cup of tea. This is actually the first time I had made blueberry muffins, so I wanted to ensure that I get it right. The recipe that I used is from the Brown Eyed Baker.

By the way, please ignore the watermark :). This post was supposed to go up on the old cooking blog, but never made it. Now that I am back to writing blogs, here it is, the scrumptious blueberry muffins.


INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1¼ cups sour cream
• 1½ cups frozen or fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin (or line with paper liners) and set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk the egg in a separate medium bowl until well-combined and light-coloured, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar and whisk vigorously until thick, about 30 seconds. Add the melted butter in 2 or 3 additions, whisking to combine after each addition. Add the sour cream in 2 additions, whisking just to combine.
3. Add the berries to the dry ingredients and gently toss just to combine. Add the sour cream mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until the batter comes together and the berries are evenly distributed, 25 to 30 seconds. Small spots of flour may remain and the batter will be very thick. Do not overmix.
4. Using a large spoon or a cookie scoop sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, divide the batter amount the muffin cups. Bake until the muffins are light golden brown and a toothpick or thin knife inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan from front to back halfway through the baking time. Immediately remove muffins to a wire rack and cool for at least 5 minutes. Serve immediately or at room temperature. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Sydney Local Etsy Market

My craftsy friend the Mrs. Crochet, Citra, asked me if I would like to come to the local Sydney Etsy market. Of course, I would say yes to such invitation because I used to be an Etsy seller (my inactive Etsy store) and I adore unique handmade things a lot! The artisan products at Etsy are just second to none in terms of design and quality compared to the mass produce things that you find at department stores such as Target and K-Mart. However, unfortunately, because they are not mass produced, they tend to be on the expensive side in pricing.

I did spot a lot of cute things at the market, but unfortunately I was on a shopping ban until I-don't-know when since I just splurged big time on 'something'. Anyway, I picked up business cards from the shops which sold stuff that I was eyeing, if God and money allows I will purchase them next time - or perhaps next year at the next market, hahaha.

Some of the things that I adored at the market:

1. Watermelon vase/jug and Chillies small dish - from Things by Bea (beabellingham.com)
2. Taronga Tea Towel - from Maya Muse (http://www.mayamusetextiles.com.au/)
3. Champagne and Strawberries reed diffuser - from Addicted to Candles (http://addictedtocandles.bigcartel.com/)
4. Couples wooden toilet sign - from Mooza Designs (http://www.moozadesigns.com.au)

Images are taken from the artists' respective shops, all credits goes to them - I'm just simply sharing these lovely things!

And this is me, a proud Sydney-based Etsy seller!

Quick Kitchen: Oliver Brown-Style Belgian Waffles

Ever since I tried Max Brenner's and Oliver Brown's Belgian waffle, I was constantly craving for it. It tastes sooo sooo sooo good! But the price is a bit heavy on the wallet, around $12-$14 per portion.

And then, when I was once shopping at Woolworths, I found a pack of pre-made Belgian waffles. I thought, "Wow, this is convenient! I can make my own at home and all I need to do is reheat the waffle and arrange the fruits and ice cream." So, when I was hosting a get-together at my house, I made this plate of goodness for my guests. I was surprised at how it turned out. It was so yummy and it tastes just like the Oliver Brown's one. Ok, enough introduction. Here's how you can make your own.

WHAT YOU NEED TO GET:

• A pack of Belgian waffles
• 1 milk chocolate block of your choice
• 2 punnets of strawberries (250gr each)
• 3-4 Bananas
• 1 container of vanilla ice cream of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Reheat the Belgian waffles according to the instructions on the packaging
2. Melt the chocolate on a double boiler. You do not want to try to melt it in the microwave - trust me.
3. Cut strawberries and bananas into small slices.
4. Once the Belgian waffles cooled down and chocolate is warm, arrange the waffle, strawberries, and bananas on a plate.
5. Scoop 1-2 scoops of ice cream and place it on the plate.
6. Drizzle the warm melted milk chocolate onto the waffle and ice cream. The chocolate will immediately hardened once it touches the ice cream (love this!).

The best thing about putting together your own Belgian waffle is that the price per plate comes down to only $3.37 per plate! That's a huge saving! Here's the detailed price breakdown for 8 portions:

• Waffle (@$5 per pack of 4): $10
• Strawberries (2 punnets): $6
• Bananas: $2.50
• Ice cream - Peter's vanilla: $5 (you can go for a more expensive one)
• Cadbury milk chocolate block: $3.5 (you can substitute with your favourite milk chocolate, Lindt perhaps?)

Cilok

Rabu minggu lalu setelah mengajar ngaji, seperti biasa, ibunya si Anak pasti membuatkan cemilan. Cemilannya selalu ganti-ganti setiap minggu dan kali ini menunya adalah cilok! Wah, waktu diicip, kenyalnya passs banget, beda dengan ketika aku buat karena cilok yang aku buat terlalu lembek. Aku sebetulnya sudah hampir menyerah membuat cilok, sampai akhirnya si Ibu berhasil bikin cilok yang oke. Dan seperti biasa pula, pasti aku menanyakan resepnya :).

Si Ibu memakai resep dari blog ini. Aku sudah dua kali membuat cilok menggunakan resep tersebut, tetapi menurutku percobaan pertama kurang oke sehingga di kesempatan kedua aku ubah-ubah takarannya sesuai bahan yang aku punya di dapur. Nah, jadilah cilok ala Dita dengan resep berikut ini:

INGREDIENTS:

• 200 grams tapioca flour/sagu tani
• 200 grams plain flour
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 sachet of shrimp/ebi stock powder
• 2 blocks of chicken bullion
• 400 ml water
• 2 stalks of spring onion

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix together flour, salt, shrimp/ebi powder stock, white pepper, spring onion.
2. Mix together water, chicken bullion, minced garlic. Heat the mixture until it boils.
3. Pour the boiling mixture onto the dry ingredient mix and stir until it clumps together.
4. Take a small piece of the dough and roll it into a ball. Repeat until all the dough is finished.
5. Fill half of a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Put the cilok one by one into the pot and boil until it floats.
6. Remove the floating cilok from the water and steam until the cilok is soft and thoroughly cooked.

The Last Train to Istanbul

Image source: click here.

“Ayse Kulin is a clever writer. She draws the reader into the story of the life and loves of a Turkish family in wartime, and by the time the reader realizes that she has also cranked up the tension with a rescue plot, it is too late to put the book down unfinished. For aficionados of wartime novels, as well as for anyone glued to his or her seat watching the film Argo, this is a must read.” — Helen Bryan, bestselling author of War Brides and The Sisterhood.

Born into privilege to one of the last Ottoman pasas, beautiful, spirited Selva is the brightest jewel in her father's household — until she falls in love with Rafael Alfandari. Though Turkey has long been a safe haven for Jews, marriage between a high-ranking Muslim girl and a Jewish boy is strictly forbidden. Yet young love will not be denied, and Selva and Rafael defy their parents and marry, fleeing to Paris in hopes of a better life — only to find themselves trapped in the path of the invading Nazis.But in the midst of darkness shines a beacon of hope: A handful of courageous Turkish diplomats, protected only by the tenuous neutrality of their homeland, hatch a daring plot to spirit the exiled lovers and hundreds of innocent Jews to safety. Together, they will traverse a war-torn continent, crossing enemy lines and risking everything in one last, desperate bid for freedom.

MY THOUGHTS

I haven't been reading a non-fiction for quite sometime, since "The Deception Point" by Dan Brown to be exact. I picked up this book in the Amazon Kindle 99 cents deal. Knowing that it's an international bestseller, I didn't hesitate to purchase it.

So, the story took place in the World War II when the Jews were captured by the Germans to be sent to labour camps. The main story of the book is about saving a group of Turkish Jews by boarding a train, which was organised by the Turkish Embassy, to Istanbul to safety. It started with the story about Selva who married a Turkish Jew and because both families despised their marriage, they decided to move to France which was close to be occupied by the Germans. They lived in fear when the German started to capture Jews. Then, informed by an close friend of her brother in-law, she was told to return to Turkey for the sake of their family, especially that she has a young son now. Then the adventure begins when she and a couple of other people organised a well-planned strategy to bring the Turkish and non-Turkish Jews to safety.

Most of the story revolves around Selva and her family, but it also tells the story about other Turkish and non-Turkish Jews who will also be seeking refuge to Istanbul, for example David Russo. He is spoiled young Turkish Jew who was caught in ID check at a station where he was supposed to meet his friends. He was later sent to a labour camp for 14 days. He was stripped off his name and was given a number. So, in the labour camp, he is just a number. Eventually he was saved by the Turkish Embassy after his parents reported him missing. 

I have not been able to put down the book since I finished chapter one. I guess it's just 'me' that I tend to be focused with books which recounts historical events, especially stories taking place in World War II. Some people complaint about the translated version of this book, but I think the wordings were easy for me to understand and not too complicated (I tend to finish books with difficult words much much longer).

MuslimahBloggers.com

I love reading blogs. In fact, more than watching Youtube. My favourite kind of blog is lifestyle blog because I like to read about the interesting things happening in other people's lives. And also because I have this love-hate relationship with fashion and beauty blog. I surely love reading them, but I'm also positive that my wallet is going to hate me ;). However, I'm quite disappointed that I rarely come across a lifestyle blog created by a fellow Muslim sister (or perhaps I just don't know where to search for it?).

I think there are a lot of Muslim sisters out there who wanted to read blogs that are relatable to them. Relatable in the sense that if it is a cooking blog, it is easy to make without non-permissible ingredients; if it is a fashion blog, the styles shown are covering aurat and suits a Muslimah lifestyle; and if it is a lifestyle blog, any contents is based on Islam. So, I personally wanted to support other Muslimah bloggers to make their blogs more discoverable. I had thought of creating a website which feeds all of the new posts from blogs run by Muslim sisters. But before proceeding, I needed to make sure that I'm not duplicating an existing website. So, I went for a search online and that's how I came across Muslimah Bloggers.

MuslimahBloggers.com describes themselves as "A community created to unite bloggers from all over the world, to showcase their talents. Our aim is to unite all Muslimah Bloggers, helping them to grow and nurture their talent." There are three sisters who runs this platform, and tirelessly helping out other Muslim sisters to gain more exposure to their blogs. Me loves this!

So, I decided to join their community and I find it very helpful. Unfortunately I haven't had the time to properly 'advertise' my blog there. I had joined their Facebook group as well. All of the action pretty much happens in the Facebook group. Sister Fozia, Najmah, and Aaliyah, are actively posting different stuff everyday - from introducing new members to calling all members to comment on each others blog. Their Facebook group is set as a closed group, but do not worry! You can still join by following these simple steps.

I think if you're a Muslimah running an interesting blog, don't hesitate to apply for Muslimah Bloggers membership! It's free and you will receive good exposure to other Muslimah bloggers and also the support you need to grow your blog!

What If You Only Have 7 Months to Live?

For the last couple of weeks I have heard several people telling me to watch a Youtube video about a brother who was diagnosed with cancer and had only 7 months to live. This brother considered the cancer as a gift from Allah because Allah had given him the chance to change.

For a long time I have wondered why people say we should be thankful for our imaan and why Islam is a 'nikmat'. The answer is because Allah is the owner of all hearts and he may do whatever He wants, including flipping it around 180 degrees. The brother's story also correlates to this. Allah had flipped his life around from being a successful business man with lavish lifestyle to become a humble servant of Allah who dedicates the remaining days of his life doing charity around the world.

What happens to the brother can happen to you, to me, to anyone in this world at any time. None of your worldly possession will follow you to the grave, only your good deeds will. This is a good and constant reminder for me and everyone that everything you have in this world, if you don't use it in the way of Allah, doesn't mean a thing for your hereafter. It will not help you in any way. So, what have you done today to prepare for your journey to meet Allah?

Watch the video here: https://www.facebook.com/LivingMuslim/videos/543875542446950/?pnref=story

Silky Almond Pudding

Yesterday, we had guests coming. I was hosting the female Islamic study circle on Saturday. I had planned to cook Soto Betawi and also make pudding for dessert. Those are the easiest food to make because you only need to dunk all of the ingredients in the pot and stir.

I had limited time to prepare and make everything because I had just started cooking at 12pm, whereas the me study circle starts at 2pm! Fortunately I was able to cook Soto Betawi and the cook the pudding mixture in parallel, so everything was done in two hours.

This pudding is very easy to make and fast. Unfortunately I don't have the exact measurement as I was just dunking in everything that I had. But I think the most important part is to make sure that the mixture comes to a rolling boil before you let it cool into a pudding.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1.8 litres of water
• 1 can of condensed milk
• Sugar (half to one cup)
• 1/2 tsp of almond oil (or less)
• 2 sachets of agar-agar (seaweed jelly)
• 1 can of mixed fruit in syrup

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix water, condensed milk, sugar, and almond oil in a pot and cook on low heat.
2. Adjust the taste of the mixture. Add more condensed milk, sugar, or almond oil as desired.
3. Add 2 sachets of agar-agar and bring the mixture to a rolling boil (the surface will rise and create a layer of foam).
4. Turn off the heat and ladle the mixture to a glass serving ware or jelly mould. 
5. Let the jelly cool down before refrigerating.
6. Serving: cut a piece of the jelly and serve on a plate. Put two spoonfuls of the mixed fruit and syrup onto the jelly.

Bapak's Day

I give up. I've been trying to write this in Bahasa, but my words turned out very dangdut. So, here goes the English version.

I didn't realise that 12 November is National Father's Day in Indonesia, around two months after Australia's one. No wonder today I found so many social media posts about fathers - someone's father or husbands who are already a father. Although this post may arrive late, at least I would like to participate in giving my testimonial for my dad.

There is nothing special with my relationship with Bapak (as I usually call him), or anyone in the family, really. I had difficulty in describing my relationship with him, but a friend of mine in Facebook was able to describe it precisely, pola komunikasi keluarga kami dari keluarga Jawa sederhana yang jarang mengungkapkan kata-kata manis. Bapak is not the type of person who can initiate a fun conversation.

Bapak is a very busy man. He's busy at the office on weekdays, and busy practising golf on the weekends. Perhaps because I am used to not seeing dad relaxing at home, it's very diffciult for me to imagine Bapak not having a job once he retires. After he retired from his post in one of the national banks, Bapak was allocated a post in one of the bank's subsidiary, working two to three days a week.  I was waiting for my visa approval in Indonesia at that time, so I was home almost everyday and I would see Bapak at home more often. Believe it or not, it's so odd seeing him at home doing nothing. But I can't really tell whether he is bored or not just staying at home doing nothing. Eventually, when I went for Hajj last year, I asked Allah to give him a full time job. Alhamdulillah Allah granted my prayer. Now that Bapak works full time, he couldn't take days off to accompany mum to visit me in Australia *oh dear...*.

Anyway, despite of his shortcomings, at the end of the day he's still my dad. And these are the reason why I still think he's a good great dad:

DOORS TO OPPORTUNITIES

When I was 10 years old, Bapak received scholarship to pursue MBA degree in the US. He brought the whole family along about a year after he completed his language school and ready to start the MBA course. When I arrived, I had zero English conversation skill. Two years later, I was talking fluently and I also had picked up the American accent. 

When we returned from the US, people knew me as a kid who's fluent in English. I would participate in various English competitions and often won. I also consider myself lucky because I never really had to worry about my TOEFL ITP score. I would always pass the minimum requirement to apply for a scholarship overseas. This definitely has opened doors of opportunities for me. When I interviewed for exchange to Tokyo Institute of Technology, I'm almost 100% confident that it is my English conversational skills that had won me the golden ticket. Sometimes I wonder, if I had not learnt English naturally from the natives, would I be this fluent?

SMART

I often hear from mum's stories that Bapak is very respected in the company, also dubbed the smartest in the company. However, he never made it to the board of directors - always very close on being one though. 

I never doubt that he is smart because he can help me with my Physics course in university. Can you believe it!? I mean, he has been out of the university for 30 years and perhaps hasn't touched that subject for decades since he started working in a bank! Also, he is the can-do-everything type of person. He can do various handyman jobs. I think these have influenced me to look for the same type of person as a husband. So, yes, if you're dad has excellent traits, there is a chance that you might look for a similar one in your future soulmate :).

HONESTY AND INTEGRITY

When mum was spending her time in Sydney, we had a catch up discussing everything from important issues to gossips. She was telling me about a couple of incidents which touches integrity issue at Bapak's office. Of course Bapak, being the very honest man, always criticises and questions data discrepancies and also refusing to sign a document which has false information. I just can't believe someone with very high rank at Bapak's office is actually doing dishonest acts. Well, I pray that Allah would give that person a lesson (looks like Allah had given him the lesson, but perhaps he just doesn't realise... poor man). Anyway, I'm very very proud of Bapak for sticking to the right path.

DON'T BUY IT IF YOU DON'T NEED IT
I guess my parents are the best at this, managing money. It looks like all of their three kids picked up the same traits, with my brother being the most stingy and me being the least. This financial advise has been really helpful for me and I live by it.

My parents are a big believer of "don't buy if you don't need it", but mum said Bapak is even more stingy. Bapak managed to stick to his old Honda Accord for years, I reckon that car is as old as I am. He finally retired that car after he received car facility from the office. He doesn't wear fancy watch, cufflinks, or other branded items; he doesn't eat at fancy restaurants or eat out very often. He would settle with anything as long as it is comfortable to wear and as long as it fills his tummy. He refused when I offered to purchase an iPad for him. So, I eventually got one for mum, but now he's the one using it most of the time hahaha.

Corn Dogs

I was transferring my  pictures from my camera when I found pretty pictures of corn dogs that I had made for the first time.

I have never really tried corn dog until this year when I spotted halal "Pluto Pup" (they call it) at a Gozleme booth in Flemington. If you have never tried corn dog, it is basically frankfurt sausage wrapped in bread dough and fried. Then top it off with a drizzle of BBQ or tomato sauce. Yum!

INGREDIENTS

• 8 hot dogs (frankfurter sausages)
• 1 1⁄4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 cup cornmeal (I used polenta)
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 3⁄4 cup milk
• wooden skewers

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix all the dry ingredients, then add eggs and milk.
2. Mix till lump free.
3. Skewer the dogs & dip into the batter to coat.
4. Deep fry in 350 degree oil. Remove when golden brown, about 5 minutes.

NOTES: 

• I used polenta as substitute for cornmeal as cornmeal is not widely available in Australia.
• You can find halal frankfurter sausages at halal butcher. I got used to get mine at a butcher in Guildford. Or you can also use chicken sausages available at selected halal Red Lea shops.

Recipe source: http://www.food.com/recipe/perfect-corn-dogs-345232

Quick Kitchen: Hearty Anchovy Porridge

I made up this recipe when I was having toothache. My wisdom tooth was trying to erupt from the gum. It hurts so badly that I wanted to cry and I was unable to do anything just to cope with the pain.

I was hungry, obviously. I wanted something warm and fulfilling, yet simple to make. My only option is porridge, but I've never made porridge other than bubur ayam where you have to cook the porridge and the toppings separately (more work!). I gathered all the ingredients that I thought would match each other and dunk it all into the pot. I let it boil until it softens. I also added more water if the porridge gets too dry.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup of rice grains
• 1 chicken bullion cube
• Water
• Anchovies (ikan teri)
• Fried onions
• White pepper
• Salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Wash rice
2. Dunk all of the ingredients in the pot
3. Stir as it boils
4. Add more water if it hasn't reached the level of softness that you like
5. Add white pepper and salt towards the end. Be careful with the amount of salt that you put in, because usually anchovies are already salty (at least mine was)

Because I'm Proud of My Identity

Blog ini memang dari awal sengaja ingin dibuat dwi bahasa, suka-suka penulisnya lagi kepingin pakai bahasa apa :). Dan kali ini sepertinya lebih mudah mengutarakan cerita ini dengan bahasa Indonesia. So, here we go...

Identitasku sebagai seorang Muslim selalu aku bawa kemana-kemana. Orang akan mudah mengenali bahwa aku adalah seorang wanita Muslim. Ya, jilbabku yang selalu dengan indahnya menutupi auratku sejak kelas 1 SMA.

Akhir-akhir ini fenomena Islamophobia semakin menjadi-jadi di Australia. Mulai dari reaksi terhadap Lindt Cafe siege dan kemudian insiden penembakan di Parramatta. Selalu ada rasa was-was di hatiku setiap kali berjalan di area publik di suburb yang mayoritas penduduknya adalah non-Muslim karena tidak jarang juga Muslim (terutama wanita) mengalami tindakan rasis. Alhamdulillah, aku beruntung bekerja di perusahaan yang menjunjung tinggi perbedaan dan memiliki kolega yang memperlakukan aku sama seperti yang lain.

Hari Jumat lalu adalah salah suatu hari dimana aku sangat bangga pada diriku, terutama sebagai seorang Muslim. Aku mendapat sweet surprise dari manajerku. Rupanya, aku manajerku mempersembahkan sebuah penghargaan bagiku di dalam pertemuan business update di kantor di hadapan orang banyak yang mayoritas non-Muslim.

Saat beliau maju ke depan, sebetulnya aku sedikit takjub karena akhirnya SESEORANG dari tim kami akan ada yang mendapat penghargaan! Aku sudah ngedumel hampir setahun karena tidak ada penghargaan apapun yang diberikan ke tim kami. Aku pikir pemimpin-pemimpin kami sudah lupa caranya mengapresiasi kerja timnya. Sebagai gambaran, tahun lalu sebelum tim kami direstrukturisasi, selalu ada ajang pemberian apresiasi karyawan setidaknya tiga bulan sekali. Jadi memang sangat jelas terlihat perbedaannya.

Ketika slide mulai dimunculkan, aku melihat tulisan yang sangat familiar. Itu adalah tulisan yang kolegaku kirimkan bersama daftar pertanyaan untuk interview! "Jadi... rupanya? It's an award for me?!". Saat itu adalah saat dimana akhirnya aku bisa menunjukkan ke khalayak ramai bahwa orang Islam juga bisa berprestasi. Dan aku tidak perlu banyak bercuap-cuap, cukup aksiku saja yang membuktikannya. Because action is louder than words. 

Penghargaan itu aku dapatkan untuk kontribusiku selama hampir satu tahun terakhir. I've been juggling between three things: BAU, adhocs, and volunteering, and never dropping the ball (based on managers' testimonial). Sejujurnya aku merasa kerjaku kurang optimal dibandingkan tahun lalu, tetapi alhamdulillah for everything. Setidaknya aku dihargai lebih dari sekedar gaji. I love my job.

Sekarang piagam pernghargaan itu tepampang cantik di jendela dekat meja kerjaku sebagai pengingat bahwa kerja keras akan diapresiasi. By the way, I have a very beautiful window seat overlooking the beach building next door, hahaha. You just to keep going on and do your best, and let Allah do the rest.

My First Ever Interview

On Saturday morning, I was checking my office email for some reason (don't follow this!). I found an email from my colleague who is currently handling one of the initiative that was formerly mine. The initiative was employee profile, where an associate gets nominated by their managers to be interviewed. The result of the interview would then be published in company's Yammer group.

I scanned through the email's recipient list and said to myself, "why does she need to copy me on this?". I didn't realise until I read through the whole email that I was nominated to be interviewed this time! I read through the testimonial that my manager and her manager gave why I deserve to be featured. It's really sweet of them. I don't think I've done a better job compared to last year, but I'm definitely grateful to be appreciated for my efforts.

There were 7 questions in total that I needed to complete. Three questions were quite easy because it was only asking about my role and myself. Three questions were super difficult and one question I couldn't answer at all hahaha. The three difficult questions are as you see below. Despite of it's difficulty, I really do like the questions as I'm able to share my values and point of view through these questions.

30-day Minimalism Challenge - Day 1

Today I tackled challenge #23 Go bare-faced pretty easily. Until very recently when I figured out the correct way to apply make up, I used to never wear any make up at all. So, I have been bare-faced a lot in the past.

Yesterday I was feeling like I was about to get sick as my throat has been sending the signal from the morning. I took Codral tablets to minimise the symptoms so it wouldn't get even worse. Unfortunately, the phenilyphrine really got me in the afternoon and I immediately fell into deep sleep when I reached home without taking off my make up! There I was sleeping through the night with full make up on.

By morning I felt really sorry for my skin and decided to give my face a break. I cleaned my face and apply the usual serum and moisturiser, then off I go to the office bare-faced. Gotta love those freckles and acne scars!

I'm so grateful that my skin has never been better. Although I have those freckles and acne scars, I'm still loving my skin. I was never able to afford the skincare products that I'm using now, but to be honest it's what makes all the difference. I love the fact that they actually work on my skin!

4 Reasons Why I Keep My Wardrobe Minimal

MINIMALISM
noun | min·i·mal·ism | \ˈmi-nə-mə-ˌli-zəm\
A style or technique (as in music, literature, or design) that is characterized by extreme spareness and simplicity

I have just found Joojoo Azad's blog recently about minimalism (minimalist wardrobe). I (sort of) jumped into the "minimalism" wagon several months ago after I realised my closet is getting too full. When I moved to the new house, the new closet was even more screaming "I can't fit any more clothes!". I just can't comprehend how I was able to accumulate so many clothes.

I haven't really done any closet clean-up, because I still love my old clothes. So, what I'm trying to do now is to SHOP LESS. I did challenge myself to "no clothes shopping" for a year, but only managed to commit for 6 months (those darn SALE!). Something important I learned along the way, tho, is to buy only something that you will wear over and over again.

This is my 4 MAIN REASONS why I like to keep my closet minimal:

NO MORE OVERLOADED WARDROBE
As I have mentioned, since moving to the new place, the new wardrobe seemed to be screaming "I can't fit any more clothes!" The rack is just full with clothes to the extent that I wasn't able to slide the clothes easily. It takes quite a lot of energy if you have to forcefully separate the clothes while browsing through the rack. I said to myself, "I'm not going to add more clothes into the closet." - which I have already disobeyed because I just purchased sleeveless blazer from David Lawrence.

SAVE MORE MONEY
Do you realise how much money you spent on purchasing clothes? If you normally budget $100-200 a month on purchasing clothes, that is a whooping $1200-2400 a year! After seeing my closet really stuffed up, I tried to limit my shopping spree. In the first half of 2015 I only purchased one David Lawrence cashmere cape, and that was heavily discounted. I went a bit overboard on my my birthday though, but I still purchase discounted items which included a very pretty black trench from Portmans. And my most recent purchase is a sleeveless blazer from David Lawrence outlet. I don't have a sleeveless blazer, so it's a perfectly sound reason to purchase! In summary, within the past year, I only spent my hard earned cash on 5 pieces of clothing, which I think it's pretty good. Chaching!

CHOOSING OUTFIT IS NOW A BREEZE

Choosing an outfit is now down from 15 minutes to just 5 minutes. I have been so frustrated with the time it takes for me to choose an outfit to work! Until I found an article about someone who wears the same thing everyday (it's not that she doesn't wash her clothes, she just had multiple quantity of the same item). I thought, "hey, why don't I do that?". So, I did. I chose my basics (cardigan, t-shirt, chino pants/jeans) and stick with it. 

MORE APPRECIATIVE OF WHAT I HAVE
I know it's very easy to get bored of your wardrobe, but perhaps it's also time for you to learn to appreciate of what you already have. I now try to be more appreciative of the clothes that I have in my wardrobe. I have purchased my clothes for two reasons: I REALLY REALLY REALLY like them and I'm gonna wear them (many many times); so I try my best to get the thought "I'm bored of that outfit" out of my head.

***

UPDATE: If you're looking for information on how to start minimalist wardrobe, I find this website very informative. So, please do check it out!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

I know by now that this product has been reviewed million times by beauty gurus, it is a cult favourite, and it is also one of Kiehl's 10 best selling products. But I just wanted to add in my two cents, because who knows if anyone out there would still benefit from my review :).

HOW I DISCOVERED THIS PRODUCT

Asking for free sample of a product was never in my dictionary (clueless!). I wanted to try both the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution and the Midnight Recovery Concentrate, but not sure how to get the samples. So I was looking at their online store and found a special offer where you will receive deluxe sample (of Midnight Recovery Concentrate) with any purchase. So I purchased the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution in full size and received the Midnight Recovery Concentrate in a mini size bottle for free.

HOW THIS PRODUCT FIT INTO MY ROUTINE

I usually use this product only at night after cleansing my face with face wash (La Roche Posay Effaclar) and exfoliate with Bioderma. Why? Because after the dead skin cells are stripped off of the skin, it will be much easier for the skin to absorb the serum. I don't wear any moisturiser after the Midnight Recovery Concentrate as it is already super hydrating. If I need to clear up some hyperpigmentation, I will apply the Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution first before the Midnight Recovery Concentrate.

HOW I USE THIS PRODUCT

I usually dispense the product right onto my face rather than on the hand and rub it on their hand palms like everyone else (well, not really everyone). Three drops is the perfect amount for my skin. I would drop the oils on to my right cheek, left cheek, and forehead, then distribute the product around my face. Then, I massage my face with warm hand palms by rubbing the two hands together to help the serum to penetrate into the skin.

WHAT DO I THINK OF THE PRODUCT

+ Sinks into the skin immediately, so it doesn't leave your face too oily.

+ You will be surprised at how plump and soft your skin is when you wake up!

+ Keeps your skin hydrated without needing moisturiser.

+ When used in conjunction with Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution, it will help fade your acne scar faster!

+ It smells beautiful. You can smell the strong lavender scent, which is very calming and relaxing, so it's perfect to be used before bedtime.

+ The packaging is gorgeous! I love the midnight blue colour of the glass bottle, so chic! And it also comes with pipette which helps to dispense the right amount of product.

CONCLUSION

I think this product works wonders to help your skin recover overnight from stress. I will absolutely repurchase as I don't think I can live without this product.

One bottle lasts me a really long time. I don't use this religiously (I'm never diligent with skincare or makeup). I've used up only one fifth of the product (30ml bottle) in more than 4 months, therefore I think it is worth the money. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate currently retails for A$61.

My Hajj Miracle Story

I consider myself very lucky because I was able to go for hajj when I was still in my 20's and without my parents financial aid. Me and husband had the opportunity to practice hajj in 2014. In that year, Arafah day fell on a Friday, which is considered the best day of the week.

A lot of people asked me "what miracles did you encounter?" when I had just returned from hajj. I got confused because I don't think there were anything particular things that stood out. But when I went on to tell the story of how I even get to go for hajj in 2014, someone said "that's your miracle".

HANG YOUR DREAMS 5CM IN FRONT OF YOUR FOREHEAD
In the book "5 cm" by Donny Dhirgantoro, there is a quote "hang your dreams 5 cm in front of your forehead , so that you can remember and strive to reach it".

I'm a firm believer that one should always keep a written list of what he/she wants to achieve or have a visual reminder. It may sound silly, but I believe it plays a part in achieving your dream. So, when I was still a student in university, I created a list of things to achieve in life. One of the points in the list says, "go to hajj before 35 yrs old." I was a bit doubtful when I wrote "35 yrs old". But then I thought, "you know what, anything is possible for Allah."

Then, when I first started working in 2011, I setup a picture of Ka'bah as my desktop background. My colleague said, "wah, masang gambar ka'bah di laptop". I said, "Yes :) I'm going to go there someday". The Ka'bah desktop background was my visual reminder. I see it almost everyday. And even when I don't think about it, I believe the universe conspires to help me achieve it.




FROM A 10-YEAR PLAN, TO JUST 1-YEAR

After two years of marriage, our household income is still just enough to get us by and set aside some savings, alhamdulillah. I wasn't working at that time and was constantly in stress because I used to be so active. I was praying night and day, begging to Allah to give me a job. And in the previous Ramadan, we sort of did the unthinkable, we gave all of our savings to charity.

Just one month before I finally got a job, husband and I were having conversation about saving up for Hajj. We made a target of going for hajj in 10 years, calculated the cost and also took into account the inflation, and finally calculated the monthly amount that we needed to save. We then made a commitment to save our money x amount each month for the next 10 years for Hajj.

About three months after we gave up all of our savings, alhamdulillah, finally Allah answered my prayers. I secured a contract position within the company I used to work for in Indonesia. It was only a contract position, but I'm grateful for anything. A contract position will do just fine.

So, I received my contract and began calculating the salary that I will be earning during the contract. Miraculously, the amount is just enough to pay for two person to go for hajj. I didn't know what was going on in my head. I could have thought of buying other things, but I was thinking about going for hajj (?). I was so excited and asked my husband if he would like to go for hajj the next year. Of course, he would say "yes!".

ALLAH DOESN'T CALL ON THE WEALTHY, BUT ENABLES THOSE WHO HAVE THE CALLING

Alhamdulillah we will have sufficient amount of money to go for hajj, but the problem doesn't really stop there. The hajj service that we used is one of the popular one amongst Indonesians, so we had to book it fast. We inquired about the price around October 2013 and we were told that there are only few seats left. So, if we're interested we need to registered ASAP. Usually quotas won't be full until a couple of months before the month of hajj.

We were in panic because we haven't done our homework on comparing the price of different hajj travel services and were also told that we had to pay $2000 for deposit to secure a seat for next year's hajj. We didn't even have that kind of money in our savings. But alhamdulillah, with basmallah (and faith to Allah) we were able to scrape money from other budgets and pay the deposit. A month after that we were trying to get by with little money, but alhamdulillah we were able to manage and it was all well worth it.

IN CONCLUSION
Most people will wait until they achieve everything, especially finance independency before going for hajj. But I'm very grateful for the choice that we made. There are a lot of places in Makkah and Madinah where prayers will no-doubt will be granted (inshaaAllah). And alhamdulillah, since returning from hajj, Allah has made our life much easier. The homework now is to maintain our ibadah to show our gratitude to the Almighty.

Melbourne Trip - Pt.2

YARRA RIVER WALKS
We initially planned to go for the Yarra river walks in the afternoon of our first day in Melbourne. Unfortunately due to exhaustion, we ended up sleeping the whole afternoon. But since I was afraid that we wouldn't have any more time the next day, we then decided to go for the river walk at night.

What do I think? I love it! I think it was a good decision to take the walk at night because the night panorama around the Yarra river is just gorgeous.

BRIGHTON BEACH AND BIRTHDAY BITE
Early morning before we went to get my birthday bite at Toorak, we went further south to Brighton beach to have a look at *you know what* the iconic bath houses! I saw a friend of mine on Facebook posed in front of the bath houses several weeks before, and I just can't miss this one icon of Australia (or perhaps Melbourne to be exact).

We parked close to Brighton station, which I thought was pretty close to the bath houses - well, wrong! I had to walk around 500-700m to get to the beach where the bath houses were. We then only took few pictures and headed back to the car because we're almost running out of time for the parking meter.

SCIENCEWORKS MUSEUM
Because hubby loves museum, we decided to include a trip to one museum. I've had enough of general museum with ordinary exhibition, so we decided to go to Scienceworks museum. I thought it would be fun for hubby because he's an engineer afterall ;).

When we arrived, I was actually disappointed with how small the museum is. The general exhibition is small (and there were heaps of kids on the day we visited), but they have various shows throughout the day which you have to pay extra to watch. We really wanted to see the Planetarium show, but unfortunately time wasn't permitting so we decided to only watch one show which is the Lightning show. (After checking the website again, seems like they change their shows quite often).

Although I was disappointed with the general exhibition, I have to admit that the Lightning show was very entertaining! The host explained about colours, how to see different colours through chemical reaction (this is the basic of fireworks), what infrared/UV is, etc. They also showcased a machine generated lightning and the impact to various items if it struck.

DFO SOUTHWHARF
DFO Southwharf is one of the factory outlet centre in Melbourne located close to the city. I wanted to have a look at the shops which we don't have in Sydney e.g. Kate Spade. Unfortunaly I couldn't find anything that I liked, so we went around and around for two hours for nothing :(.