I DO.

"More than anything else in Asia that I want to see in September, I want to see you. I want to make you mine when I am there. I don't know how I can keep you after that. I don't know where I will be or what I will be doing. Somehow, I will find a way to keep you."

He said it back in year 2011 when his heart has decided I am  "that girl"

Woman at my age knows what she wants and knows what's the best for herself. Remembering the time when I was young, I realized every choice and decision I made was wrong. Mistakes after another and I keep on wishing that I will be given a second chance to make it right since then. Now, that I am glad that I have the chance to do it all over again, at this age. I am blessed.

I am glad that I am able to finally experience a true meaning of union of a man and a woman at very basic. 

A wedding officiant (Kadi)

A Wali which is my brother

2 witness

Immediate family and BFF

Dowry (mahar)

Wedding Rings

Nice but not so expensive attire so that people can tell we are the bride & groom. 

However, when it comes to ring, I am such an ass person. It took me 2 months to find the sparkler that struck my heart when I first see it. Well, I am no Kim Kardashian to get a 15 Carat sparkler, but I am truly happy with 1 Carat solitaire with 42 encrusted diamonds  *pause. staring at my ring* and it is the second most beautiful thing I ever get in my entire life after Mike's care & attention. I can stare at my ring in 1001 different angles during my free time, so now I don't have time to play Candy Crush on my mobile phone anymore.

I always love champagne color. It is the most classy color in pastel chart. Also, I am a big fan of tulle so I got it done in a simple dress which can serve me both decent look for solemnization & modern outdoor photoshoot. Veil sewn by my sister 3 days before the wedding. As for Mike's attire, it was prepared 4 days before the wedding at RM 120. My brother gave him his 'Songkok' (Fez) which he use it on every Friday and sampin is borrowed from my brother in law. So we got the something old, something new and something borrowed.

I bought this shoes 2 days before the wedding. Last pair left of the shelves, in MY SIZE. Well, it just meant to be my wedding shoes, waited for me to pick it up, I guess. With 15% discount. RM 160. It didn't took me that long to like the design. Once I saw big bow, I knew that is my type of wedding shoes that I wanted to be seen on my feet.

I know berinai (henna) is not a sunnah, but I get it to cover up my dry hands :( and it really helps to fire up my look as a bride. No fancy majlis berinai. I drove to the mall nearby my house and get it done in 30 minutes. Mike stood besides me enjoying the process because it is his first time seeing it. RM60.

It happen that I have a lot of friends and 'adik angkat' that doing freelance in Make up artist and photography. So, I don't need to queue or book in advance for this area. Just whatapp and confirmed.

So, while the groom took 10 minutes to get ready, it took almost forever for the bride. Nampak sangat tak natural beauty.

Tak dapat muka secantik Che Ta, bulu mata ala ala Che Ta pun... aci lahhhh.

I saw this hairdo from youtube and I asked her to do it for me.

The session is wrapped out with the veil. Among of all items on my wedding day, I love the veil the most. My sister must sewn it with love & heart full with sincerity.

Puff some powder on that nose before put on earrings. I never thought I will ever wear pearl accessories before age 50. Rasa macam umur Rosmah Mansoor je tau pearl pearl ni. But the dress & the color seems suits it very well. The earring was a gift from my officemate when he went tour leading a group in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and my bracelet was a gift from my boss when we were in Pearl shop in Beijing.

No necklace because I don't want it to look too much since the neck of the dress is heavily embroided.

The solemnization ceremony is scheduled at 10AM at Pejabat Agama Islam Ipoh.

So for those who get used to see fancy solemnization at the comfort of home, sitting on big fluffy cushion, infront of the fancy pelamin OR at the Mosque, I show you what is it like in the office of Religious Department.

Ours is kinda special. It was performed by deputy director of religious department in Ipoh, Perak. 

I did asked Mike whether he feel nervous like the most of those guys I knew, he smiled and answer me 'no'.

From that moment I knew, he is so ready to marry & to take care of me & very sure that what he got himself to. He is not afraid of what future may come because he finally got me in it. And because of that,  Im not afraid too.

I got texts from few of my friends asking how many times Mike had to pronounce it (lafaz akad). I told them how hard it is to say 'I DO'?

The wedding officiant says it all complete with my name & mahar. All the groom has to say at the end is 'I Do'.

Sesungguhnya Islam itu mudah. Hanya adat Melayu menyusahkannya.

Anyways, it was twice. Because the wedding officiant (tok kadi) mentioned the mahar 'one hundred thousand instead of one thousand'.

hmmm kalau tak, kaya mak dapat rm seratus  ribu mas kawin gitu.

Ring exchange and all.

pose sikit2  untuk kamera PHONE yang ada...

and after lunch at the hotel, we took santai pose with the family.

Mike with my mom. He said my mom is cute for great grandmom at age 72. So I know he is now not worrying  about how I look when I reach that age anymore. Because I will be looking as cute as my mom. Hehe.

and that is the last day my brother able to treat  me like a little girl.

with my pet sister who helped me a lot. I couldn't thank her enough,  now I have to find the best gift for her during my honeymoon in the states. She is the one who drove me &  my family around in Ipoh. My bridesmaid and a photographer. No she is not a freelance photographer. All she do is took photos with his samsung tab and then I set my dslr to Auto mode & let her snap pictures during the ceremony as anyhow she likes it. Because in the end,  it will be me who edit it :)

so,  start feeling feeling photoshoot ala poster la kan...

Some taken by my husband,  Mike, when my pet sister has to go to toilet.

After that we went to Kellis Castle for outdoor photoshoot gitu.

My pet sister paid for the entrance fee RM5 for local & RM10 for foreigner plus RM50 for CAMERA FEE!! Total RM75 for all of us and thats her wedding gift to me. Thats the most memorable & useful wedding gift ever a friend can give to another friend! Now I got all 800 nice digital pictures which I can freely choose & edit anyhow I like!!!

I can't put all 800  though. I am on my way to Alaska for wedding reception & honeymoon trip, 4 days after these pictures taken. In fact, Im updating this post from Seattle airport, on my mobile phone while waiting for my flight to Anchorage, Alaska

Thank you for the well wishes and doa from you guys. I am glad that I am able to share my happiness among friends although it is only through Instagram, facebook and blogspot.

Also, Thank you as well to those who think that we were not going to make it, because you gave me the chance to prove you are dead wrong. It is YOU who are not going to make it in LOVE and HAPPINESS so you need to drag everybody else with that nasty thoughts because you do not want to be alone being pathetic lonesome. Hey, aku tak payah date berpuluh mat salleh untuk kawin with one lah. Classy sangat lah kau tu ya hanya sebab head to toe pakai branded.

Untuk sedara mara & kawan2 yang lain... jangan cakap aku tak hebahkan berita baik ya...kalau tak,  mcmana you olls dapat tau dari instagram, facebook & blog? kira dah hebah la ni kan.

next post-reception di Alaska & honeymonth pictures :)

Yogyakarta: Borobudur. A heaven on earth.

I must admit that Borobudur temple is a creme de la creme of Yogyakarta. It's the only thing that draws people all over the world to Yogyakarta. The rest, are just bread crumbs - you can opt it out or include it in your salad but still didn't change the whole taste.

And as always, I chose sunrise hours. The price is almost double for sunrise Borobudur compared to normal hours. It costs around RM 105/ USD 33 per entry but it was worth it.

Sunrise Borobudur viewing only can be accessed through Manohara Resort Borobudur, a two star resort with a 5 star price. The access through this resort at such price, entitled you free morning coffee and slice of cake. 

The sun light up in Yogyakarta way too early than here in Malaysia. By 5.30AM, we already saw the red sky. We were still on the road at 6.00PM and it was totally bright and I thought I screwed it this time, being too late. The journey from our hotel in Malioboro to Borobudur temple took almost 1 hour and I almost pee my pants thinking I'm going to miss the sunrise by the temple.

When we arrived at the foot of the temple, everything is in golden color. It reminds me of Hamunaptra raised under the sunrise in the movie 'The Mummy.'.

Stands at 35m high, but I didn't realized how fast I was climbing to the top. The excitement being at the world heritage property which was built in the 9th century, (older than Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia) recharge my well being, instantly.

Since the sky was kinda bright, I went to the back of the building to get the silhouette effect.

And this Yogyakarta sky at 7AM. It is totally bright and yet the mist still masking the ground provides the magical effect to us, the spectators.

Or maybe since this temple located at higher ground makes it exposed to the sun earlier than lower surface.

The horizon is backed up by view of Mount Merapi adds up the nonchalant feel and for a while I feel like I want to stay here, forever.

There is no ugly angle from the top of Borobudur. It is so beautiful and it gives you feel like you score A+++ in photography skill.

Trust me, I got more than 100 snapshot from the same angle because I can't get enough with the view. I wish I can keep it with me so I captured every single second of it. And now I'm having a trouble to choose the best to display on here since every picture is pretty.

Another perk of visiting this temple early in the morning and pay such amount is, you got the whole temple for you with other 15 peoples. So you can save a lot of time queuing to snap the picturesque view and usually those who pay such amount to come up here usually those who are really know how to appreciate the view by using their eyes more than mouth (talking and chatting loudly) 

And you get to wear a very nice 'sarong' in golden hue indicates 'Sunrise Borobudur visitor'

This temple contains 504 Buddha statues. 72 of it seated in the stupa and each of it with a different 'mudras' or position of the hand.

It seems like Borobudur Temple is in complete restoration after the damage caused by Mount Merapi's eruption in year 2010. So there is no ugly sight like cast iron or pile of new bricks like the one in Angkor Wat sitting around which really spoil the mood of 'ancient' feel.

Im not going to write details about the construction and history of Borobudur Temple since you can always get it from Wikipedia. Just enjoy the snapshot.

And these people really embrace the moment here in silence.

You do not get to bask under the Yogyakarta sky with andesite stone  on your back EVERYDAY.

The corridor wall heavily masked with reliefs intricate depict the Law of Karma, the story of Siddhartha, the story of Buddha previous life and many more.

uhm, ok. I guess he understands the inscriptions very well.

We spent almost 2 hours here and we decided to make our move when we saw hundreds of people came down from the tour bus. School kids, tour group, noisy aunties...

and as usual, when there is a heaven, there is A HELL..

After experience such a heavenly feel on top of the Borobudur, now, it's time for you to come back, down to earth, to reality which resembles hell.

The souvenir seller, selling postcards, key chain, fridge magnets and all the bullshit gave you hellish experience in place like this. They follow you for as long as they could and don't stop until you buy something. And I was the person who 'buy something' in order to end the pain walkaway from Borobudur Temple. And I wish I can master Mike's  "just don't care" attitude and walk like a Stalin with his hand waving like a Hitler.

Sigh.

2014

Belated New Year Post. I started my 2014 enjoying songs from Bee Gees and Boney M. 70's song is a candy to my ear now. Don't get me wrong. I'm still young though.

And that party pack left unused because to me new year celebration is NOT all about noise, music, drinks and dance like some of you think and you all went like "oh, I am a Muslim, I only celebrate Maal Hijrah". But some of you are so happy with shaving your eyebrows, wearing colorful contact lens, asking for hefty sum of money for dowry so that you can do your wedding grand with the pelamin, and getting henna all over your hands and foot is so Sunnah lah. Fuck you.

Few days before new year, I brought Mike to see my fourth great grand niece. And so he manage to meet all the first, second and the third one too for the first time. For such a short visit, he had time to see them launched a homemade rocket made out of plastic bottle and listening to princess story book read by one of them. I noticed of how they love the "night fury" from "How to Train your Dragon" because they keep on mentioning it over and over again.

Few days after that visit, I received a text message from their mother telling me one of her kids drew something for Mike.

A man riding a night fury. This one drew by Aishah, 5 years old.

and notice that orange man? That is Mike. Mike is riding the Night Fury. Orange is because Mike is ginger. So Aishah precisely picked the color that match Mike. Hilarious.

Back at KL, we arrange a proper arrangement to welcome the New Year. Because last year was sucked and tiring, so try to make it more proper this year.

Actually it is more like a short year end vacation. I've been working so hard and always came home angry. Although I frequently travel out of the country, I didn't consider it as a vacation because I was busy with the sightseeing and waiting at the airport is kind of pain in the ass. I always tired after I came back from traveling and my soul and mind is far from rejuvenated.

I just need to relax. Leave work out of my mind, do nothing at some space different than my small apartment, away from my bossy cats, soak in a big bathtub with rock salts and curl my hair. Because during my normal day I keep checking my emails until my sleep time and attending inquiries about travel package on my phone and Facebook like, forever. Be it Sunday or Public Holiday, I have to pick up calls even I am in some Hotspring jacuzzi with friends and get online for work. I still hook up with work emails and phone text even I was out of the country. And this is why I hardly write anything for this blog too.
*she works hard for the money*

I love fireworks. But traffic on new year eve is a triple bitch, bitchier than my daily routine. So we get ourselves a big ass suite in the city center with the possibility of fireworks view. We tried to get suites with KLCC Twin Tower view, so that we didn't have to get out from the room during the countdown, just watch it from our room, but it was all taken by the time we checked in. Sad.

We get ourselves a hearty meal for two on New Year eve. It was so quiet because we busy galloping everything on the food counter and come to my surprise, I love dessert section for the first time in my entire life. Usually hotel desert buffet is suck. Too sweet or taste weird.

We went back to the room and Mike continue watching TV or maybe all on Facebook, so I had few hours to curl my hair and put on a nice dress. No rush and I even have time to take millions of selfie and continue drown in my own space (which is a dressing room with big ass sink counter and mirror mirror everywhere!!!)

Actually I don't really call it a New Year celebration. But I am more like welcoming it. Every beginning of the year I get this feeling like, fresh and ready to take all the challenges, fully recharge and happy. I DON'T GET THIS FEELING FREQUENTLY so I really take my time enjoying this one night. I don't know about you, but as time, days, weeks, months goes by, I start to feel sluggish, ugly and messy all at once, then it will explode on November, which is my birthday month where Mike has to deal with a crazy, beyond crazy lady until New Year eve. I pity him :(

It was so relaxing, I even wear my bathroom slippers at the lounge and enjoy my mocktail and the view of KL city center at night. This hotel has a lounge called SkyLounge situated at the 13th floor, with a glass balcony facing KLCC Petronas Twin Tower.

I don't have to think about car park lot, traffic jam, selfish people who step on your shoes just because they have to go or to do something more important than the rest of everybody in this world, noisy horn blow by the kids and sweat.

Look like somebody is so ready for the countdown.

and pose for selfie.

12 midnight. So they lit up the sky. And no one write about this SkyLounge balcony has the back view of the firework field. wtf%$#@!!^^%*%$!!. So, we only manage to see like 1/4 of the firework.

I went back to the room and sleep 15 minutes after the firework end. What a vacation.

Well, whatever it is, this is going to be the last time of us welcoming New Year in Kuala Lumpur. Mike and I is planning to become a New Year Firework hunter and get our ass to those big cities all over the globe on every new year eve to come. Inshaallah.

As for New Resolution - I don't have one. Because mine is never expired and it keeps on improving since the day I set it,  after I got my Bachelor Degree back in year 1999.

Selamat menempuh tahun 2014 everyone and do better.

Butterfly Dream.

I woke up this morning realized that I had a weird dream. I never dreamed about butterflies in my whole life. It seemed surreal and it felt like it was not a dream at all. Me, laying on my bed, opened my eyes just like other morning and there, I saw a lot of butterflies, colorful butterflies mixed with giant moths on my bedroom ceiling and wall.

It sits closely to each other and sometimes moved its wings a little. It was so beautiful with striking colors..yellow.. pink.. glowing green and some are black... I reached for my mobile phone to capture the bizarre but beautiful moment, my mobile phone freeze on me.

While I was struggling to get my phone to work, those butterflies and moths flew out through my bedroom window one by one..starting with the biggest one.. and then the smaller one. So I just watched it flew out with sadness and thinking who's going to believe me of what I just saw.

Few seconds later, I woke up and staring at my bedroom ceiling. Empty. I questioned myself, was it a dream? or there were real butterflies up there just now?

On my way to office, I can't stop thinking about it. What was the meaning of it? I hope those butterflies did not represent my colorful dreams and wishes that I have for myself. I am a day dreamer and I wish a lot of things. And if that dream is trying to tell me that all my dreams and wishes are leaving me, I will be the saddest person in December.