Menjelang Raya di KB

Hi everyone! It's already the 20th day of Ramadhan! How time flies! Can't believe that in 10 days, we will be celebrating Hari Raya. To all Muslim blogger friends, semoga puasa dan ibadahnya terus berjalan lancar, ya..

Last weekend, we were in KB again. KB town was a bit crowded last week. A lot of people were flocking the shopping complexes and malls to do their Hari Raya shopping. There was heavy traffic just everywhere!

On Friday night, after performing Tarawih prayers near the stadium in KB, we went to the night market infront of Siti Khadijah market. Lama dah tak ke situ. We are done with our Raya shopping....so jalan2 cuci mata sahaja. Well, the night market in KB was so alive and happening..banyak orang, banyak barang!!! Everything is so cheap!

At a stall selling dried squid strips which are roasted in an open fire - a delicious snack!.

The next day, we went to Pasir Mas to buy Akok at our favourite stall. Infact, every week we would go there just to get the delicious Akok. Alang2 dah sampai Pasir Mas, next, we headed straight to Rantau Panjang near the Thai border.

Sekejap je Akok ni habis licin..so you would have to wait while they are preparing the Akok

... queuing up for Akok at Pasir Mas. Akok is a favourite traditional delicacy during Ramadhan. Sedap sgt Akok kat sini..It's by the roadside on the way to Rantau Panjang

AT RANTAU PANJANG..

Syurga tudung kat sini..

I was actually looking for Hari Raya gifts for my friends.. Every year my colleagues and I would exchange Hari Raya gifts

and finally I bought a dozen brooches for my friends.. dah bagi pun kawan2 tadi..

On the way back to KT, I noticed the 'welcome home' banner in KB. So, anak-anak di perantauan..mak ayah dah tunggu di kampung tu! Selamat Balik kampung!

Kawan2 blogger beraya di mana agaknya ye???

Best wishes for the remaining 10 days of Ramadhan..

Bunga Gantung!

I love gardening but never really have time for it. Photos of flowers and beautiful gardens (especially English gardens) at some of my favourite blogs have always inspired me to start gardening. I dream of having a garden but it's quite impossible to have one at the moment because we never stay at a place for a long time - selalu pindah-randah cam Nomad. Nevertheless, I do have some flowering plants/house plants at my frontyard...beberapa pokok je tapi..

A few days ago, while I was visiting MADELIEF ( my favourite blog), I came across a set of photos of lush and beautiful hanging baskets. I love those hanging baskets flowers so much !

The art of hanging basket at MADELIEF. There are many more awesome photos at MADELIEF.. I like the idea of planting different types of flowering plants in one pot..

Then, yesterday, I was at Pasar Tani and saw this healthy looking hanging pot flowers. Gumuk pokok ni but it's not for sale..

Some other flowering plants at Pasar Tani . Suka sgt tgok bunga2an ni..

And here's what I bought yesterday..dek kerana tengok bunga kat blog itu...I went to Pasar Tani to buy fish tapi bunga pun ku bawa balik

I bought this striped Petunia (I think it's a Petunia-correct me if I'm wrong) infront of SACC mall Shah Alam(at the main entrance) about a month ago-Pegi situ nak beli baju anak sebenarnya tapi pokok bunga pun I bawak balik. So, it came all the way from Shah Alam tu!

Bought some fertilizer and pesticides to make sure that those plants will continue to survive.. but I don't really trust myself..hehe. I am just not Mrs. Greenfinger...

Iftar Menus From Friends' Blogs

Here is another post about food! Can't help it... Most of the days during Ramadan, our conversation at work would be about food. Bukan apa...usually our colleagues would be asking for suggestions on what to cook for Iftar(fast breaking) . Nak masak apa ye buka puasa petang ni ?- would be a common question and it resulted in a long conversation about food when everybody started responding. Another favourite topic among us would be about losing weight during Ramadan. We'll be asking each other, berapa kilo dah turun??- how many kilos have you lost..?? as Ramadan can be the occasion to lose weight and shed some pounds.(if you are careful of what you eat)

I also realized that this Ramadan, I tend to visit foodie blogs more often than before (obviously I ni kaki makan). The reasons are - it would give me ideas on what to cook for Iftar ( macamlah rajin sgt memasak) or what to buy at the Ramadhan Bazaar (yang ni tersangatlah rajin).I also love to see the Iftar menus at our friends' blogs in other parts of the country or in other parts of the world.

I would like to share with you some of what our blogger friends had for their Iftar . Yesterday, while I was visiting Nana's blog - Something To Smile About Everyday, I found this yummylicious looking jelly in her Iftar Menu. Nana is a Malaysian who has been living in Japan for four years! Everyday, she would share her Iftar menu from her home in Japan.

It's called Warabi Mochi which you eat with Kinako (sweet toasted soya bean flour).I would really love to try this Warabi Mochi. Geram tengok Jelly tu Nana!

This is Bubur Lambuk Pedas (Hot Herbs Rice Porridge) which I found at Mak Isah's blog- Blind Perfect. Mak Isah is a blogger friend from Sarawak. Seriously I have never heard of this Bubur Lambuk Pedas. Tak penah tengok beb! I wonder how does it tastes like. Below are some of the ingredients used in making Bubur Lambuk Pedas as described by Mak Isah.

Skin of a cow's feet (kulit kaki lembu).

wet black mushroom

turmeric leaves

To find out more more on how to prepare this Bubur Lambuk Pedas which is a favourite in Sarawak and other recipes from Sarawak do visit Mak Isah's blog-Blind Perfect.

And...this is Bubur Lambuk Terengganu which is a favourite here and also a favourite for Iftar... Some of the ingredients for this rice porridge are fish, polyganum (daun kesum), reddish colour fern(pucuk paku merah), turmeric leaf (daun kunyit) and black pepper. I like this Terengganu rice porridge very much. I first tasted it 3 years ago when I moved here to KT. It is absolutely delicious!

P/s Nak makan Bubur Lambuk Cheqna buat..

It seems that there are many versions of Bubur Lambuk (rice porridge) all over Malaysia. How interesting!

Bazaar Ramadhan di Kota Bharu

Yesterday, we were in Kota Bharu. I really miss my mother in law's home cooked food...Rindu masakan ibu mertuaku yg sedap2 tu...As usual we would stop at the Ramadhan bazaar near the stadium in Kota Bharu. I think it's one the most happening Ramadhan bazaar I have ever been to. Meriah sgt2...At the bazaar, I think there are more than a hundred stalls and you can find lots and lots of mouth watering food for the breaking of fast. Not only you can find Kelantanese food at the bazaar, Rojak Pecel Jawa pun ada tau!!!

Some Kelantenese traditional delicacies- buah tanjung, jala mas, tahi itik..

The Bazaar is near Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium.

Beledo (jelly)

The popular Thai Som Tam

Percik -Grilled Chicken

Yg I suka sgt2- Kerabu Kaki Ayam, Kerabu Perut and Sambal Pauh..Pergh!!!

Murtabak yg tebal..

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Kuih talam & agar2

Butir Nangka

Eveytime we go back to KB during Ramadhan, I would ask my mother in law to make Butir Nangka. I like it so much! It's made of rice flour and coconut milk. It's called Butir Nangka because it looks like biji nangka (jackfruit seeds).

Apa2 pun, I must remind myself that Ramadhan is not an eating festival... Overeating is bad for our health. Instead of eating more, we should concentrate on feeding those who do not have much food. Peringatan utk diri saya yg selalu rambang mata bila pegi bazaar Ramadhan....

Empire Shopping Gallery

Last weekend, I went back to my hometown. Balik jap before the fasting month...With very limited time and so many places to go, we rushed from one place to another and from one shopping complex to another. Most shopping complexes were so crowded with people and there was heavy traffic everywhere...

We also stopped at the newly opened Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang..kat sebelah Subang Parade tu je.

At the main entrance at ESG, we saw kittens for sale! Cats are definitely much cheaper in the East Coast! When we went inside, we saw more and more cats! No wonderlah..ada pertandingan kucing rupanye.There was a Cat Show. Once we saw the cats, we had totally forgotten about shopping ! My children would go crazy when they see cats..Me too..We are so fond of cats!!!

One of the judges



Some of the cats' owners were so kind to let the public snap photos of their cats..Geramnya tgok kucing2 tu...Dah puas tgok kucing2 tu barulah jalan2 jap kat ESG.

Bestnya cuci2 mata kat butik2 tu

We had to rush back to KT so sempat beli kasut anak2 je..

So, we are going to start fasting tomorrow. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all muslim blogger friends, Happy Fasting -Selamat Berpuasa and have a blessed Ramadhan!!!!