Stepping into the Holy Land 2016

Surah Ar- Rahman : "Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both [jinn and men] deny?" 

No words could describe the moment I laid my eyes on the Holy Kaabah. Only flows of tears started streaming down my face. Allah has blessed me with this opportunity to witness His miracles and magnificence, Masha Allah.

I remembered clearly the calling to the Holy Land two years ago. I always knew deep down in my heart that someday I wanted to visit this special Holy place dedicated for only Muslims. But somehow, I always felt not ready, that was until the Ramadhan in 2014.

I was watching Muslims circumambulating the Kaaba through the live link at youtube and every time I watched them, I would just cry and cry. I knew then, that it was time for me to go.

So I set my heart to go in 2015, but as Allah is the greatest planner of all plans, I was unable to go to Mecca due the change of the 'mahram' policy by the Saudi government. For years, single ladies (unmarried) were allowed to perform umrah without a 'mahram' or a valid male relative until 2015, where due to the massive construction being done at the Masjidil Haram caused the Saudi Government to limit the quota of the pilgrims drastically.

So there went my dreams of visiting the Holy Mecca and Medina. But I had faith that someday, that day will still come.

So on 30th April 2016, we finally with the blessings of Allah traveled to Baitullah (the Holy Cities) with our family. Masha Allah, the feeling of being in Allah's blessed lands are indescribable. 

A sudden peace enveloped my heart. All my troubles and worries were left behind. I felt loved, protected and safe. Almost figuratively speaking, the feeling that I was enveloped by Allah's love, almost like being in a parent's warm embrace. Subhanallah!

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Withdrawal Symptoms

It's been more than a week now after coming back from my 3 weeks holiday from New Zealand and Gold Coast, and I must say I am having a hard time adjusting back to life here in Malaysia.

Yeah, it was actually 20 days to be exact, including a few days of flights and airports. In all honesty, I was moping around and refused to leave the comfort of my bed for 6 days except on 2 occasions, one was a meeting and another was lunch with a friend. I know it's lame to give jetlag as an excuse when it was actually withdrawal symptoms kicking in.

But today, I've realized that I was going through a life changing process during these last 6 days. Somewhere along the way of my 3 weeks trip, I was altered and changed forever. It just took attending the court and going to work to make me realize, that it is time to act upon my life discoveries or forever be drown in misery like what I have allowed myself to feel whole of last week.

I was really lost last week. Felt like I somehow lost myself from this trip. Didn't know where to fit in, didn't find anything in my life worthy, finding my work and career stagnant and mundane, and looking at life in Malaysia as meaningless.

And then I truly realized what I needed to do in my life, and here I am just sharing that I am ready for my next adventure and looking forward to really catching my dreams.

This New Zealand trip has made me realize that I need to own up to my dreams, and start to run after  it.

Till the next post about the trip itself.. have a good week.

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The Mystical Island of Langkawi

Langkawi must be one of my top list of recommended places to go in Malaysia.

It must be my favourite place in Malaysia because I have lost count as to how many trips I've made to Langkawi over the years and I most probably will return again and again.

You're probably guessing what is so special about Langkawi. Is it the beach? The sea? The people? Or the tax free goodies?

I must say all of the above and more. Langkawi is special to Malaysians because the island is haunted with a sense of historical myth and mystery.

It was believed that Langkawi hundred years ago was a cursed island. The history stated that a married woman called Mahsuri was accused of adultery while her husband was away at sea or at war. It was a plot of conspiracy, plotted by her jealous mother in law of Mahsuri's magnetic charms.

A potrait depicting the beautiful and legendary Mahsuri

Mahsuri was sentenced to death by the head of the village and her death sentence was carried out publicly before the villagers. However Mahsuri claimed her innocence right before her death execution and begged for her life to be spared but nobody believed her. As she was about to be killed, she made a promise and a curse and said that if she was innocent the island would not prosper for 7 generations to come and the curse will only end upon the birth of her 7th descendant, and her blood will be of white colour instead of red.

And according to legend storytellers, her blood was indeed white. And the island of Langkawi was indeed then not as prosperous as today. Siamese invaded the land, paddy fields were burned, to which some evidence remained on the Padang Matsirat till this day. Whether it is a myth or a real story, this is one of the many reasons why Langkawi is so special.

Aside from being a mystical island, Langkawi has a lot to offer. From it's blue and green seas to it's super duper cheap and tax free chocolates, I'm sure everyone will enjoy themselves here.

So below are the top 10 Reasons that makes Langkawi so special:

1) The mystical history of Langkawi will intrigue not only locals but foreigners alike because of the island's magical history. The fact that Mahsuri's descendant (the 7th generation from Mahsuri called Wan Aishah) is still alive today just creates a special mystery as to whether the curse was indeed real.

Wan Aishah, Mahsuri's 7th descendant

2) The wonderful islands surrounding Langkawi. Island hopping is a must do activity when visiting Langkawi. There are several interesting smaller islands around Langkawi where visitors can snorkel or scuba dive and watch the magnificent fishes and coral underwater.

The trip will also allow you to watch eagles flying openly and freely. The eagle is also the mascot for Langkawi. The colours of the sea are to die for.

3) The amazing Geopark where it is protected as one of the heritage site under UNESCO. It covers a few areas such as the Kilim Mangrove Park and the mysterious fresh water lake called 'Tasik Dayang Bunting' or Lake of Pregnant Maiden, a natural landscape sculpture of the said mythical pregnant maiden resting on her back.

The locals believed that the lake water has some magical ingredients that could fulfill wishes of unfortunate childless couple to gain fertility. Another magical mystery of the island.

The famous Dayang Bunting Lake where the water is emerald green

The area at the Dayang Bunting Lake where people can dip their toes in the water

4) The Gamat (Sea Cucumber). Langkawi is famous for Gamat/sea cucumbers products. Gamat found in Langkawi have been used as a natural medicinal remedy for wounds, cuts or bites for many years. Due to its effectiveness in healing wounds, one can find numerous Gamat products in Langkawi such as the gamat jelly, gamat cream, gamat oil, gamat soap and others. Be sure to try at least one of its products.

Different types of Gamat products which are sold throughout Langkawi

5) Mat Chincang Cable Car is one of the main attractions in Langkawi. The cable car will bring you to the the peak of Mount Mat Chincang, the second highest peak in Langkawi. There will be a few stations in which you can stop and have a look at the observatory deck, but most people would be eager to go to the most top station. At the top station, you are able to observe the island with its amazing view of sea, forests and skyline. To the faint hearted, viewing from this upper deck can be a little daunting, but no worries as there are other lower decks from where you can admire the view.

The view of the Observatory Deck from the cable car

Me, at the observatory deck, 5 years ago (700 metres above sea level)

The view of Langkawi from above

Upon descending from the cable car station, you will exit through a souvenir shop. There are other interesting souvenir shops located for shopping in the Oriental Village, where the Cable Car Station is situated.

       The cable car in Langkawi

6) Since the whole island is filled with the mystical legend of Mahsuri, visiting her tomb is one of the must do things in Langkawi. It used to be a simple place where her tomb was located, however due to the influx of tourism in Langkawi, the state government have converted the place into a cultural site, where you can read on the lineage of Mahsuri and visit her old village and house. It will be an interesting place to visit especially if one is curious to learn about this magical island and its legends.

7) One of my favourite reason to visit Langkawi must be their duty free chocolates. One can go crazy over the abundance of local and imported chocolates at a fairer price. Imported chocolates can be super expensive in other parts of Malaysia, brands like Lindt, Ferraro Roche, After 8, Hershey's, Daims are sold with a lower price in Langkawi. Liquors are also sold at a lower price since it is also considered duty free items in Langkawi.

Among my favourite chocolates

8) The Underwater Park located at the Cenang Beach is another main attraction to Langkawi. It is one of the largest marine and freshwater aquaria in Asia. There are thousand varieties of fishes and underwater species placed in over 100 tanks. This underwater park is a fantastic way to learn about the underwater species up close and personal.

Live penguins

Beautiful corals

9) The beaches of course, is also a reason why Langkawi is so famous. With its white sandy beaches and clear blue sea water, no one can resist not going to the beautiful beaches in Langkawi. The most famous one is the Cenang Beach, where most resorts, restaurants and bars are situated at. There are plenty of small shops along the roadside and these shops are usually open till late at night. You may also visit any of the seafood restaurants along the area. 

Other beaches include Pantai Kok which fronts a beautiful bay with limestone hills and jungle. At the waterfront of the beach is situated the Telaga Harbour Park, which is a yachting marine with rows of shops, restaurants and bars.

An upscale of a private beach would be in Tanjung Rhu or Datai Bay where the rooms in the hotels around that area can reach to a minimum of RM1,000 per night.

10) Lastly but not least is the seafood. Everyone who loves seafood will enjoy the fresh seafood served in Langkawi. Seafood restaurants can be found in the Kuah town (the main town of Langkawi), or if you will like to enjoy your seafood while enjoying the breeze from the sea, then head to any of the seafood restaurants along the beaches, such as the Cenang Beach. However do note, that the prices of the seafood in these restaurants might vary. Usually restaurant customers are given the opportunity to choose your own selection of seafood, and the price will depend on the weight of the seafood chosen.

So have you visited Langkawi yet? Or are you planning to visit Langkawi soon? Do give me your comments if you have anything to share or ask about this beautiful magical island.

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Traveling Dreams

It's not easy to convince people of my dreams of traveling.

Not many people understand that in order to grow sometimes you need to travel to the outside world.

God has created this world to be explored and not to just be there.

I always have a hard time explaining my dreams or my priority in traveling to certain people. Yes for me it is a priority in my life.

Some would say it is a waste of money, some would say it's a waste of time and many other negative connotations comes into mind when traveling is mentioned.

They may have their reasons and I have mine.

I am dedicated to traveling. I may travel occasionally, only when time and situations permit but I do try my hardest to make it happen.

First I choose a place I really want to visit for that year. Usually I plan a year ahead. I would invite any friends who are interested and together we will survey and monitor the prices of ticket flights.

Once we found the right price, immediately we will book/purchase the tickets.

And from there we work to make the trip a dream come true.

I must say I work really hard to achieve my targeted budget for certain trips and I work all year long to make it happen.

So when people blame me for spending all my hard earned money for traveling I do get a little upset at times.

But you can never satisfy anyone. Not everybody understands your need to see the world.

Not everybody understands that you want to hike the mountains in Nepal instead of buying that new LV handbag.

Not everybody gets your idea of spending money on an airflight ticket to Europe and not a brand new car.

Not everybody appreciates that you would rather spend money paying for your trip than wasting money on costly social activities like throwing a birthday party at expensive restaurants for your family or friends.

And not everybody will understand that seeing those snow capped mountains is more worth to invest for than a double storey house which will have you being in debt for the next 35 years of your life.

So let people say what they want to say. They have their idea of living and so do I. And mine is definitely traveling the world as much as I can.

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How to Save Up For A Trip

It's more or less than 15 days from today, before I fly to one of the most expensive trip I have ever taken in my life.

I have always spend around RM500 to a maximum RM3K for any trips overseas that I make. But so far, this New Zealand trip has been the most expensive. Our budget was initially lower than expected but due to the unstable currency our budget has increased. But alhamdulillah, I have managed to have enough budget.

Anyhow, in this post I will share on tips on how to save up for your dream vacation or ways to cut down your expenses in order to make that dream vacation come true.

1) Save Up Small to Big

Depending on your dream trip and the time that you have, you may start to save up small amount of money from coins to RM1, to RM5 or RM20 per day, per week or per month.

For me if my trip was a less expensive one, RM5 would suffice but since New Zealand costs me more than any of my other trips, I began to save up all the RM5 and RM20 that I have or obtained later in any transactions.

Well, although it surely wasn't enough for my NZ trip, I did manage to use that savings for another air ticket to Australia in December, Insha Allah and also used it to sponsor my expenses in Beijing last April.

The important thing is you must be consistent and disciplined.

2) Cut Down on Buying Expensive Unnecessary Items

Sometimes after working your full time job, all you want to do is reward yourself by buying that expensive handbag or shoes. I used to feel the same. But ever since I started traveling and find it more rewarding, I'd realized that those expensive handbags can only grant you temporary happiness and not a lifelong memory to treasure.

Imagine one Coach bag could cover your all in all trip to Bali. What a difference!

3) Eat More At Home that Outside Restaurants

Ever since the implementation of GST in Malaysia, I have decided to eat less outside and cook more at home. Although in all honesty I'm not much of a cook, I do buy weekly groceries and prepare my food at home rather than having all lunches and dinners outside.

And boy did I save a lot. Because eating at a mamak can cost you RM15 per meal, what more restaurants like Delicious and all these new happening hipster coffee cafes, it definitely can easily cost you RM50 per meal.

Yes, we all want to meet up with friends, have a good chat. Why don't we meet up in a less expensive place maybe? A picnic at the park with some homemade sandwiches? Definitely a less costly setup with the same satisfaction.

4) Do Social Activities That Costs Less Money

It's the time of the month, when you are super stressed out with work and all you want to do is relax and catch the latest movie with your friends.

Watching a movie in cinema is no longer cheap nowdays. A movie ticket may cost you around RM9-RM15 per movie not including the popcorn set that you must have while watching the movie.

So instead why not opt for renting a movie or downloading it from the internet free of charge and watch it together with your friends at home?

Maybe you and friends can even volunteer at a shelter, orphanage if you just want to spend some quality time with your friends. Not only you get to bond with your friend, the experience of volunteering for community work is so much more rewarding and most importantly it is free. What a bonus!

5) Sell Old But Good Items On Websites

One of the easiest way of saving up or making easy money is by selling pre-loved items on online websites such as E-Bay, Carousell or even on instagram.

By selling those pre-loved items that you no longer need will help you in increasing your funds much, much faster.

6) Donations/Charity

As a Muslim I believe that by giving to those in need, will earn you more than you give. Because the Al-Mighty loves to those who gives, and hence He will reward you double or triple from the amount that you initially gave away. So always believe in the powers of giving.

Like the saying goes "What you give, you get back"

7) Prayers

After all the money that you have saved up, all the expenses that you have cut and yet you still find yourself not having enough? To Muslims especially, do increase in Dhuha prayers.

Please don't do it as a last resort but make it as a daily routine. If you practice, in time Insha Allah you will see the benefits and blessings by performing this additional prayer to your daily obligatory prayers.

8) Work Hard

Some of us earn our money by being employed and some run their own businesses. For me, I run my own business and knowing that I had 3 major trips this year made me work extra hard this year, maybe a little too hard.

But alhamdulillah with those earnings I managed to save up enough to finance my trips. Hopefully in the future, I can save up for my trip in a less strenuous way.

So if you do have any extra comments to add on how to save up and finance your trips do share it here at the comment section below.

Salam.

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Jakarta 2010

It was my first overseas trip as a working adult. I was super excited to finally be able to go somewhere outside of Malaysia with my friends.

I remembered how worried my parents were about me flying off for a holiday but they were supportive too. My late dad even gave me some pocket money to spend in Jakarta while my mom gave a long list of things to buy for her.

And so off we went for my first independent holiday adventure. We were quite confident as we had a friend who has been going to Jakarta on a regular basis.

Upon arriving we immediately took a cab and headed for our hotel. We did not prebook so we went from one hotel to another looking for available rooms. Finally we ended up in the hotel in one of the smaller roads, Jalan Jaksa.

We paid the hotel and were looking forward for our first shopping trip. Jakarta as the capital city of Indonesia is also known as a shopping haven.

Most stuffs in Indonesia are cheaper compared to Malaysia due to the lower currency of rupiah to Ringgit Malaysia.

We headed to Mangga Dua (one of the most popular shopping centre for tourists) and was ready for some serious spending.

We took the public bus in order to save some cash. The bus being a public bus was packed and crammed. Our friend reminded all of us to be mindful of our handbags and money and we did as the crime of pick pockets were quite rampant.

One of the most adventurous part of the trip was when our friend made us jump from the moving bus to the street. Boy, we nearly got killed. Phew!

As we were heading to do some shopping I fished in my bag in order to see the list of things I was supposed to buy for my mom and suddenly I realized that my purse was missing.

Getting all panicky I continued to search but could not find it. To make a long story short, I lost all my Indonesian money in the one purse where I stacked all my rupiah. It was almost 2k plus of Malaysian Ringgit.

It was an invaluable lesson. After that fateful incident I have never ever stacked or placed all my money in one purse ever again.

I tried to be positive although initially I was feeling a little upset and almost wanted to fly back to Malaysia. After all one of the main reasons I went to Jakarta was to do some bargain shopping and what kind of shopping was I able to do without any cash.

My friends were really supportive and persuaded me to stay. I finally decided to borrow some cash from my then employer in Malaysia. And the next day Alhamdulillah they managed to send me some money.

And so we headed to another famous shopping centre called Tanah Abang. Tanah Abang is one the most popular textile centres in South East Asia. It has 6 to 7 floors of shops selling cloths, clothes, praying cover for ladies, scarves.. you name it.

They also sell other clothing items, accesories, bags and many other stuff. I assure you that it will take you many hours just to have a look around.

After finally spending a few hours at Tanah Abang,  we then visited the National Monument in Jakarta called The Monas. The monument commemorates and symbolizes the sacrifices of the soldiers in gaining the independence from the Dutch occupation.

In the evening we went to a Mall called EX. It was situated next to The Hard Rock Cafe. The mall mostly sells high end products. Most visitors were dressed to the nines with Louis Vuitton handbags and Louboutin heels.

The  most obvious disparity of Jakarta is the people and their level of living standards. In certain parts of Jakarta you can witness the poor society, so poor that they have to beg from stalls to stalls for money using small children. Some even sings or dances just to earn a few coins. This real living situation in Jakarta eased my pain of losing all my cash on the first day.

While in another part of Jakarta, the rich roams the malls in their expensive clothes and cars.

We spend another few days in Jakarta doing some more shopping such as their marvelous brownie and cakes. If you do visit Jakarta make sure to buy those moist steamed brownies. Those are really different from the fudgy brownies that we have here in KL.

Another popular food in Indonesia must be their 'kek lapis' or layered cakes. It is an Indonesian traditional cake made from spices. It's also very delicious. Indonesia is also famous for their avacado drink called 'Alpukat'. It's avacado mixed with chocolate and a must try.

The Famous Alpukat or Avacado Juice with Choc

Simple tips while in Jakarta :

1. Always be mindful of your money. Stack them in different pockets, purses etc.
2. Be careful when riding public transports (there is where I probably got picked pocket).
3. If you do have extra budget just take a taxi. But if you are on a tight budget, public transports are really cheap. It cost only 80 cents back then. But be prepared for the crowd, smell and pick pockets again.
4. Do not donate to the beggars. Yes you feel sympathy for them but once you start giving them money, there will probably be a few more waiting and it will never end. In no time at all, you will run out of money.
5. If you lose your money or passport do head to the Embassy and report about it. Lucky for me my passport was not stolen together with my cash.
6. Always put your national ID in a different wallet or purse. I did that so I was grateful I still had my Malaysian identity card.
7. Always, always bargain for the items that you buy at the shopping centres like Mangga Dua and Tanah Abang. These shop owners are so used to bargaining that it will be weird if you do not bargain. You could save a few Ringgits if you bargain.
8. Try to learn a few Indonesian dialects or words. Being a Malaysian it is fairly easy to communicate since we speak in an almost similar language, but if you are from a European country you may want to learn a few simple phrases to get you by.
9. Try Indonesian food like their 'Nasi Ambeng' or 'Nasi Ayam Penyet' or 'Gado-Gado' a kind of salad with peanut sauce. Be mindful of their level of spiciness. If you are not that tolerant to spicy food avoid their chillies based paste or the like.

10. 

    Nasi Ambeng

    

    Nasi Ayam Penyet

    10. Have extra space for shopping in your luggage as Jakarta, besides being a bustling city is a great place to shop and shop.
11. Original music cds are half the price compared to the ones sold in Malaysia. So if you do listen to CDs do check out the prices in Jakarta.

Well that's all for now. If anyone has any further tips to share, do leave it at the comment sections.

All comments are most welcomed!

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