Hoo..Ho..Hoo..Balik Kampung

You all ader kampung ker? kiter orang kampung.. mesti lar ada kampung. So, everytime raya balik kampung is the best moment to think about :-D Apatah lagi when it happens...emmmm siokkkk!


Normally I'll start my journey at sun rise, 5-6am. Less vehicles on the road, no road block and not too hot if travel within this period. By 10-11am dah sampai kampung :-) Alhamdulillah setakat ni blum pernah stuck in the middle of super heavy or traffic jam yg slalu kluar kat paper time festive season tu. Yang penting plan your journey.

I'm leaving KL for Kedah after work next Monday - yeeha! quite risky actually but I believe many of us start balik kg on saturday or sunday. Here few important things need to prepare before balik kampung: service keta - checked
Ini mesti. Almaklumlah more than 400km/way. Pegi balik + jalan2 raya lagi dah 1000km. Jauh tu. At least 4-5hrs drive. But my personal record KL-AS is 3.5hrs - Warning! watch your speed limit. Do not speed. Bahaya!


Petrol & Toll
Full tank of course. When reaching Sg Perak dah tinggal 1/2. Refill lagi.
Reload T&G at least rm150. It's easy using Smart Tag tapi I'm still wonder kenapa masih ramai lagi yang using manual on festive season. Kalo sampai Tol Jelapang/Ipoh & Penang, fuhhh! panjang betoi Q. Pastu cilok line smart tag plak tu..huh!kacau jar pemanduan tanpa henti kiter

Will pass by this beautiful Bernam Jaya Bridge - another prestigious project completed by my company 3yrs ago

New Jelapang Toll Plaza opened few days ago. Wider & convenient

Don't really like reaching this area (somewhere @ Perak). Hilly and winding up & down road. Absolutely can't speed

When reaching this tunnel, it means I'm almost half way of my journey :-) Bibi likes passing by this tunnel as she will stand up at the window and enjoy the lights & tunnel echo sound

Packing - checked

Dah! awai2 lagi dah siap. since last week pun dah..hehehe semangat balik kampung. It's a habit of mine to make a list of what I supposed to pack and bring back with me. By this way, insyaallah I won't left anything behind, pastu baru nak kelam kabut which I don't like :-{

1 bag jar..HA? mana bulih..at least 3-4 bags. Sorrylah, memang banyak barang. 1bag -daily & nite wear outfits, 1bag -baju raya & outing outfits, 1bag -accessories & make up, 1bag - undies & toiletries, and many bag for shoes!!! Pastu ada berbeg2 of kuih muih, kerepek, tempeyek & tumpi (Kaktah bagi-TQ) pastu Bibi & her needs lagi..iskk..isk..pendek kata penoh lar..tak celuih. serious! Like previous years I used to fly home for raya. So what I did, I'll curier all those kuih & kerepek and anything that can fit into a 29" tv/desktop pc box first. Sometimes I need 2 boxes..dasat2

Raya Notes & Peket Raya - checked

Pun sudah. Tukar note RM1 & RM10. Buat duit raya bagi budak2. Kena ada kroni kat bank or else alasan standard depa is this "bank negara keluarkan skit jer tahun ni, sapa cepat dia dapat". Itulah dialog tahunan kalo p bank :-( Tapi ya ampunnn rupa2nya....hemmmm ;-P

Inform security that I'm away
Another good thing to do. Every time I'm away more than 3days I'll inform the security guard. No harm telling the security guard (if any) or even your neighbour that you will be on long holiday. So at least there is someone could watch your house for u incase of anything. Pastu, pandai2 lar bawakan kuih raya for them :-) Tapi nasib baik I ada Kaktah..tolong Kaktah ekk..tengok2kan rumah I yg best tu ..hehehe

Hold / temp stop any newspaper/magazine subscription
This one no need to worry. I don't subscribe anything. Everyday baca online paper jer ;-P

Siram pokok bunga

Ha! ni lagi satu. Penin jugak kalo cuti more than 5days. Kesian pokok2 I..dahaga

Usually I'll water my plants more than usual so at least it can survive 6-7days in hot weather. Tapi balik jer KL, first thing to do is siram pokok dulu!

Home safety

Finally before you leave, please unplug all electrical items/devices. Close & lock properly all windows & access doors. Check, check and re-check

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Ok sekarang bulih balik :-) Well, itulah ragam orang balik kampung. Kalo yang family ada anak 3-4 orang tuh lagi kalut & meriah. Yang penting how do you "organize & manage" it. Kalo feel sleepy or drowsy stop and have a cup of coffee to wake yourself up..arghhhhh - refresh! Think about your precious cargo, of course yourself and other road users as well ;-)

Nampak ni jer...senyum..senyum..senyum...sampai dah!

New  Interchange. It makes my trip a lot more easier & save me 20minutes if exit via this i/c instead at AS Selatan

New toll plaza with smart tag, TnG and cash lanes

"To all Selamat Balik Kampung. Berhati-hati di jalan raya. Patuhi had laju & peraturan jalan raya. Anda mampu mengubahnya"

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New ID in town!

Yer ker? Capable enough to turn something bad into good? hemm...jap(thinking) ;)

Bulih lar kot sbb dari dolu2 lagi my hobby memang suker kemas rumah & all pretty things :-) Habis perabot rumah my mum kena pindah2 every month...hehehe sekarang ni I pindah2 my own furniture plak ;-P

Last year masa tengah time posa cam ni lah, Kaktah hired me to become her ID. Katanya dah bosan ngan old look. Need some changes. New things & better view while sleeping..hahaha

Well, no budget given & no specific theme fixed by her. Tapi takleh lar melampau2 expenses nyer kan..agak2 lar. Lagipun not all new & expensive things will give you a different or better look. Maka bermulalah the new episode. But unfortunately forgot to snap few photos of the old bedroom. too xcited sampei luper :-D

Basically old bedroom was in dark blue (bottom) & striking yellow (top) colour (can u imagine that?) divided by the wallpaper border in the middle and all furnitures were in brown/varnish colour.

Of course I chose my fav theme. English Country! - good luck

The border has been removed and the entire wall was re-painted with off-white colour. The bed, side tables & dressing table that aged almost 15yrs, built in wardrobe were also re-painted with off-white colour.
The funny was, we were using TOA brand paint both for interior wall and woody type items. Bought this at Damansara. Half way painting, we realized that the paint was not enough. Went back to the same store and she said has no stock!Aiyooo! Then went to DU & DJ area, also same. Less hardware shops sell this brand. Kataiyoo!Went to Subang Jaya & SA - also same!Purrr! I can't simply used another brand as the colour will be different though. Finally 2days b4 raya found this TOA shop @ Klang but still don't have the exact matching code paint. Have to wait for them to mix and prepare the paint on the spot..phewwww

Finally, it's done! Got the bedsheet @ Subang Parade, curtain @ Macy, drawer cabinet priced at only RM90 @ kedai AhSeng, wallpaper & border by Lamex @ Midvalley, table lamp, photo frame, vase & flowers @ Ikea. Floor mat @ 1U.

The existing arm chair was placed at the corner to give colour contrast beside hommy & comfy look.

Something different - the built in cabinet was re-painted with white colour on the bottom part and layered with wallpaper on the top side. It was not an easy job ok! I need to climb up and get all the wardrobe knobs unscrewed so that the wallpaper would nicely and evenly pasted ;-B

I've completed the task within 2 weeks but basically only able to work it out only on weekend and after terawih on week days. So, how was it? ok lah huh? free tau...I hope Kaktah like it :-)
Psttt...suddenly feel so sleepy sbb tengok katil ZZZZZzzzzzzz....

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Pasar Ramadhan

Jom jalan-jalan pi pasar Ramadhan? This one is at my hometown. Very the merry. But starting this year it has been modernized and relocate. Bigger space & really convenient. Still a great place but I prefer the old pasar ramadhan. More to kampung style - the smell, the stalls, the old umbrellas and of course the worn out griller that used to grill fish, chicken & etc - emmmm yummy :-)

Ayaq nyioq isi kelapa :-)

Banana trunk curry. Previous years was rm2/pack. Available only during fasting month.

Ayam Golek. sedapp!

From clockwise:

Typical vendor selling 'Air Nira' - LinChiKang & Air Jagung - Laksa Asam Utara - Murtabak

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Hem..my dad & my sis really love that Air Jagung. huh! I wonder why ;-P But I always make an excuse not to buy it. It just toooo sweeet.

Right: My fav stall. Everytime balik kampung mesti beli nih, Laksam & Laksa Lemak. Besttt! RM2 only.

Left: Varieties of kerabu & masak lemak pucuk manis + rebung

Wow! delicious ikan bakar. Tapi rugi sebab I don't eat freshwater fish. It looks so tempting! nyumm..nyum..

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Baju Raya

Dah beli baju raya? emmm...ye lar..since raya almost at the corner I bet sumer orang dah beli/siap yer...

Ni nak citer pasai baju raya. Fuyyo! dasat raya tahun ni..bukan saja petrol & barang2 keperluan naik harga, baju raya pun naik harga..ishk..ishkk :-(

Since working, tak pernah tempah baju raya, sumer ready made. Senang and kalo nak compare pricing pun actually almost the same. Actually, kiter dah serik sangat tempah baju kat tailor. Hampehhhh! 4 times teraniaya! Masalahnya, bukannya kiter tempah kat Cikjah belakang rumah, tapi kat butik! Kain lace plak tu. Pakai skali jar pastu masuk stor. Dah lar mahai, huduh plak tu..iskk..iskk..

As usually, stok baju raya kiter kat Subang Parade jer every year. Tapi saja jar nak menyedapkan hati, satu KL kiter round. Dengan harapan baju raya kiter lain dari yang lain, pastu cantik (mesti lar), within budget, glamer tapi tak keterlaluan..heheee - setahun skali katakan.

Few day puasa jer kiter ngan Kaktah dah terjah Kompleks PKNS @ SA. Kat situ punya lar melambak2 baju raya, tapi tawaf beribu2 kali pun tatap tak jumpa baju idaman.

Tapi dari pengamatan kiter lar kan, tahun ni tak dak new style. Almost all stalls jual baju recycle tahun lepas hat tak laku or tak habis stok. Kalo ada new design pun baju c/w pattern tapi matching ngan kain kosong (cut budget). Like 4yrs ago, baju kurung/moden labuci2 from Vietnam tgh meletop-letop waktu tu...3yrs back were baju kupu2 & embroidery kebaya dengan kain pareo.fuh! masa tu lar ramai training macam mana nak ikat pareo pakai buckle. 2yrs back famous ngan kain chiffon bertakhtha batu permata. Last year organza & lace. This year? hemm...

I went to the Curve, 1U, Mid Valley, the Gardens - nothing interesting! Shopping raya @ KL town? woo..woo..think thousand times pun blum tentu kiter pegi. Leceh, macet, overcrowded & too much hassle.

Alhamdulillah..baju raya for mum, dad, nieces & nephews sumer dah selesai. Dah bagi2 dah pun. So, it's my turn now :-) setelah sibuk ngan pelbagai aktiviti, only yesterday berkesempatan p shopping raya. Mestilar @ Subang Parade. Memang tak salah my choice. Every year, SP never let me down. Cuma, this year all the stalls scattered around @ 1st floor instead @ ground floor. Sampai jer sana, terus jadi ketaq lutut..hahaha..xcited nak sopping ;-)

Kat SP byk choices and never seen those outfits at any places that I had been above. BUT...oh goshhh! all RM200-1000/outfit. r u kidding? yeahhh..no jokes. Kalo budget rm150 - alamatnya dapat baju saja lar :-P

Satu set kebaya+silk pareo+selendang = rm350...fuh kayap lar cik abang cam ni. pastu chiffon+batu lip-lap = rm299..Sutera chiffon = rm600-800...huh!Tapi memangggg lawa. Pastu, yang paling kiter kesian + ralat - ada kat patut baju yg harga rm180-250 tapi sangatlah huduh design + materialnya. hemm...tepuk dada tanya lar selera masing2. Yang penting puas hati dan berbelanja bijak.

Rasanya ada lar jugak 3-4jam dok camping kat SP tu..confuse nak pilih baju raya. pusing2 pi mai pi mai tang tu jugak. Almost give up actually. Rasa macam tak per lah kalo tak der baju raya tahun ni. Redha. Bukan tak berkenan kebaya+pareo tu - cantik, cuma tak praktikal for myself. maybe it's good on the raya day itself, but after that? Lagipun kiter nak pegi Jakarta after raya ni, so kat sana ada more choices, better quality & cheaper.

Yes!jumpa yang berkenan! tapi tak der size! arrgghhhhhhh!

That's it. nak balik. tak mau dah sopping raya...then...on the way to exit, singgah jap kat satu buotique outlet ni (walaupun dah singgah 3-4 kali dah)- saja cuci mata for the final time.

Entah macam mana, kiter terambil satu baju ni. It was display kat belakang skali. Satu jer tinggal. Bertentang mata jer terus berkenan! without hesitate terus try and WoW! it's so perfect! Exactly what I'm looking for. Definitely different from others. Sutera opel with my fav colour-Pink. Dengan kembangnya kakak jual baju tu tunjuk lar dia orang punya fashion spread kat ruangan Fesyen Raya @ magazine Nona Oct 2008.Hemm..pandai taste ni..pilih bulu :-P

and yang paling best - guess what? I'm wearing XS size! huh? another joke of the day. Really XS...betoi ker ni? maybe cutting baju kot? hemmm..tak jugak lah..baju kurung moden jer ;-P takder pesen2 (elehh..cakap jar lar dah kusyuss) hik..hik..How much? hemmm...pejam mata jar lah..sebab dah penat pusing, alang2 dah jumpa yang berkenan di hati...rm329. hemmm...alahai baju raya :-)

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Saturday Day Market

Called by local as Saturday Flea Market. Why? Held every Saturday as early as 7.30am until 2-3pm. Almost similar like any flea market at other places. Goods sold are more to fresh produce from farm or kampung backyard garden, dry & wet daily home products- vegetables, fish, meat, clothes, footwear, kitchen utensils, food & drinks and etc. Be sure to reach here early to avoid big crowd and sun heat :P

Varieties of fresh vegetable available at very cheap price

Atmosphere is usually crowded and noisy with sellers/hawkers shouting try to sell their goods. Bargain is recommended for clothes but don't expect too much.

Here also is the best place to get varieties of 'Ulam Kampung' like daun pegaga, cekur, putat, cemamak, pucuk janggus/gajus, and etc. Price range is between RM0.50 - RM1.00/pack. Cheap huh? and let me remind you - it's extremely FRESH! Usually it's sell by old grannies whom grow these 'ulam' just at their backyard or widely available within the village. But sadly ;-( number of them who sell this product has become lesser and lesser since young sellers more interested selling ordinary veggies.

I used to come here every weekend during my childhood. If my dad can't drive me there, I'll cycle with my sister or friends and sometime alone. Just because to buy my favourite - PICKLE! Damn cheap at that time. It was only RM0.50/pack. A lot of pickles - many type of fruits, colour, flavour...hem yummmyyy! The most I like is Tamarind & 'Cermai' Pickle. Oh goshhhh :-P But since these photos was captured during fasting month, many food stalls were not open. So, no pickle photos ya! ;-)

And definitely, the last saturday of this month will be the most crowded ever of the year due to last chance for people to get Hari Raya stock especially 'Daun Palas' - the main ingredient to prepare the most anticipated dish served during Hari Raya, Ketupat Palas (Ketupat pulut), a dish with sticky rice wrapped into triangular using daun palas.

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Cik misai goes boarding again

I'll be away for few days back to hometown. Usually, I'll bring cik misai along, but I don't have enough space for her this time. No choice - have to send her for boarding :-P
From the moment stepping inside the pet shop cik misai start hissing, hissing and hissinggggg...
(Normal for jer though). This is because she felt threaten by other boarded cats as it's been ages she has never experienced having another cat in the house beside herself and seriously seldom mixing with strangers.

She got spacious multi storey cage with ginger and tabby cats as neighbours. The petshop owner, Lawrence has to put cadboard in between cages to avoid her seeing her neighbour :-P

Inspecting around her new territory. Very fussy cat!

To avoid her become cranky & moody after boarding, I'll make sure to bring her own comfy bedding where she can rest, relax & sleep for the next 6 days

Bye-bye darling!

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Lovely Friday

What a lovely Friday today. Car's battery "kaput". Call AAM and need to wait for 1hr for them to come and accomplish a rescue mission :-P Huh! and I'm late to work!





While waiting, I saw Uteh. My neighbour's cat cum stray cat. Last 2 nites she slept in front of my door...hemmm pity her. Wonder why she refuses to go home :-(

Remember the Whiskas Pouched wet food that I still keep in the car? Hemm…I gave some to her :-)

Cheers Uteh...yummylicious breakfast :-P brought to you by Pienkcat, Kaktah & cik misai ;-)

Uteh licking and cleaning her mouth after eating while cik misai can't take her eyes off her from the carrier :-P

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Cik misai & a bird's feather

A bird dropped this out :-P

Looking patiently with a lot of interest...

Wagging tail but still thinking "should I take that? How?"...

Yeaaahaaa! Got it!

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Gulai Buah Munggai

Aha! never heard of it?  Well, I'm not sure what it called in other states but @ Kedah, we call it Buah Munggai..amma! It's Indian veggie and widely available at Night Market and normally only @ Indian stalls. But that day, I saw it @ Tesco too.Tapi, kalo kat kampung, free jer...petik @ rumah jiran..hihi :P


Yesterday, right after work rushed back home to cook Gulai Munggai with Eggs. Dolu-dolu, my mum used to cook this for us..so, ambil mood nak balik kampung la ni :P  Here it goes...


Ingredients

• Buah munggai (skinned off and cut into 3 - senang nak makan)
• Curry powder
• Onion + garlic (blended)
• Shallot + garlic (pounded)
• Curry leaves
• Eggs
• Coconut Milk
• Salt & sugar to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil and stir-fry pounded shallot & garlic and curry leaves until golden brown
2. Add curry paste (curry powder mix with blended ingredients)
3. Cook until almost dry then add buah munggai. Stir for 2 minutes
4. Add coconut milk, salt & sugar to taste. Leave to simmer
5. Add 2 eggs and stir briefly
6. Cook under slow heat until buah munggai become tender

It's done! Yummy for buka puasa :-)




Notes: Only inside buah munggai can be eaten. It's like lady finger (with beans).

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Jom buka puasa

Then, I cooked few other dishes...terangkat jugak lar dapur Cik Jah dibuatnya. Tak menang tangan. Maklumlah I only got 2hrs to cook curry & marathon all these :-P

Choy Sum with Enokitake Mushroom in oyster sauce

Ingredients:

Then, the most powerful dish of the day!...the smell is heaven :-)

Fried Fermented fish / Ikan Pekasam Goreng

To add flavour to the fish, immediately after fried squeeze some lime on it. Fuh!
Can't see the fish here :-P covered with fried golden brown onion, dried & bird chillies.

Pienkcat Fried Eggs

Then lastly, Cucur Udang

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