Hal's Haven
a piece of my mind of everything and anything under the sun...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Starstruck
the man himself..
hehe.. bila dah jumpa artis camni la jadinya
April Birthday
tgh berebut sape nak potong kek dulu
birthday girls with ina.. mek trying to slice the cake with eyes closed
birthday girls with yours truly.. sampai ke sudah kek tu tak dipotong-potong lagi
last2 kak zila yg potong kek.. muahaha..
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
insight of the day
Ida Scott Taylor
1820 - 1915
my thoughts:
how true this is. we often lead our lives blinded by the regrets of our past and uncertainties of the future that we forget about the things that matters; the people and things around us to be thankful for.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
My vacation in the UAE ~ Part 3
5th day (friday 12/12/08)
The day we've been wating for..
we're going to
at the hotel lobby
The first place he brought us is to a restaurant called al-tawasol where the infamous 'nasi mandi' is the specialty there. the dish is simply delicious.. the rice alone is surprisingly tasty.
dining arab style
the entrance of the restaurant
Shortly afterwards, we were taken to
dubai mall
dubai aquarium inside the mall
striking image..
when we were done looking around the mall, it was already dark. We were then taken to a beach where we had an amazing view of dubai's landmark, called the burj al-arab. I enjoyed strolling there a lot but the wind was awfully cold that night.. and i forgot to bring my jacket.. fortunately, i'm spared from suffering in the cold wind coz my uncle had a spare jacket.. After that, abang arin treated us to a cuppa to unwind before we retreated back to our hotel.
the burj al-arab
group photo
6th day (saturday 13/12/08)
The day started with a light breakfast at the hotel. Then we went to the mall of the emirates for a second round of touring and shopping. The mall was pretty much the same as
at the mall of the emirates
After grabbing a bite to eat, we were taken to global village, a carnival-like yearly event at
went to global village.. so many people!
in front of the UAE section
various cute stockings available
at the Syria section
7th day (sunday 14/12/08)
First thing in the morning, we went for breakfast at the hotel’s cafĂ©. After packing up our bags and checked out from the hotel, we go on our last agenda of the trip, which is to look for souvenirs for friends and relatives back home. Abang arin brought us to this discount store where we found many lovely gifts with reasonably cheap prices. I took this opportunity to ‘borong’ as much things as possible for the people back home. When the shopping is finally over, we parted ways with abang arin’s family and head back to
the Sheikh Zayed Masjid
the interior walls are decorated with carved marble stones in flower motives.. so beautiful..
asmaul husna decorated one of the walls of the main prayer hall.. the scale is gargantuan!
the intricately decorated ceiling at the women's prayer hall
a beautiful reflection in the pond beside the masjid
8th day (Monday 15/12/08)
Today we break from our non-stop traveling and shopping routine and had a relaxing stay at my uncle’s home. I took the opportunity to play with my cute and adorable cousins as well as checking out my emails. A day to rest before we head back to
9th day (Tuesday 16/12/08)
Regrettably, it is time for us to pack up and go home. But not before going to a last round trip to Khalidiya Corniche, a nearby public beach. The beachfront was privatized for tourism purposes so we had to pay an admission of 5 dirham per person to enter. The beach has utilities like restaurants, toilets, shower area, canopies and walkways with some landscaping. The azure water is crystal clear and not muddy at all. Sadly, I haven’t been able to swim at the beach coz it feels weird to ‘mandi manda’ Malaysian style at a foreign land.. What more in an Arabic state with western tourist sunbathing in their bikinis and swimming trunks... soaking my feet at the water’s edge is good enough for me hehe.. with the mild weather that we are having where the sun is not too hot and with the cool winter wind, it was a pleasant afternoon walk.
admission booth at the corniche
taking a stroll
details of the pathway
chilling out at the beach
taking a rest with my mom
At night around 12 midnight we head towards the airport. It was an enjoyable week and I wish that we could stay longer. Who knows when I will be able to go there again. But drama ensues when we were not able to check in at the airport due to some confusion over our flight itinerary. We were stuck at the check-in counter for about fifteen minutes coz the clerk is confused and couldn’t communicate effectively with us. Things got quite heated up as everybody is trying to make their point. People around started to stare at us and I could see the uneasiness of the people who queued behind us. I was worried that we could not go back home that day. Fortunately, things finally settled down and we are able to check in. The flight home took 7 hours and we finally arrived at KLIA at 2pm. Upon arriving home, I hit the sack for a couple of hours before unloading the goodies that I brought home. As exhausted as I was, I’ve got to prepare to go back to work the next day. Just hope I wouldn’t get the jet-lag afterwards. All in all, it was the most memorable trip in my entire life :)
Thursday, January 8, 2009
My vacation in the UAE ~ Part 2
In the morning my uncle brought my brother and I to Khalidiya Corniche for a stroll. We got some drinks while admiring the scenery. After that, we went to Hamdan Centre where a lot of low priced goods and souvenirs are available. I bought some key chains and fridge magnets for souvenirs back home but regrettably I haven't bought enough.. At night, my uncle took me and my brother for a walk on the streets of Khalidiya to check out the scenery and stores at the streets. Then we were treated with shawarma (a kind of food, like kebab) and I must say, it was the most delicious shawarma I’ve ever tasted! Especially the one with lamb meat coz they added a kind of sauce like laban (yogurt) that tasted out of this
world! That become an instant favourite and I recommend anyone who goes to Khalidiya, Abu Dhabi, should definitely check this shawarma out.
Day 3 (wednesday 10/12/08)
Haven’t done much during the day cause we were waiting for my mother and sister to arrive from Malaysia today. They arrived later than me and my bro cause of some problem with my mom's passport. But that have been taken care of so today they are coming here.. can't wait!
Day 4 (thursday 11/12/08)
My uncle rented a van to accomodate my family cause his car is not enough to carry all of us. That day we all went to Madinat Zayed Shopping Centre to look for jubah and other goods. We went to one of the clothing shops there and the selection of jubah were varied and beautiful. At first, i did not intend to buy any jubah coz they are quite expensive, but after being persuaded my my mom and uncle, i finally gave in and bought this black jubah with beaded sequins at the middle front and on the sleeve end. It was nice but I have no idea when to wear this besides during hari raya coz it's a bit flashy for everyday wear hehe.. well, what to do.. it's not everyday you can buy something from the other side of the world isn't it? my mom also bought one.. and so does my bro who also bought one for his officemate. Then, we went into a perfume shop. they offer a lot of alcohol free perfumes that imitates popular scents like bulgari, burberry, mademoiselle coco and etc. there were also an array of perfume bottles to choose from, from the very simple to the more expensive ones according to your budget. We looked at a few more shops before heading back home.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
My vacation in the UAE ~ Part 1
Monday, December 22, 2008
Tagged!
First, the rules:
1. List these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
5. Link the person who tagged you.
6. Leave a comment for each blogger.
7 Facts about me
1. rode a plane for the first time in my life last week (not as nerve wrecking as i thought)
2. sleep with the lights on everyday
3. have a sweet tooth
4. easy going but can be stubborn at times
5. need nescafe in the morning to jumpstart my brain
6. seriously lacking exercise.. living a sedentary life
7. terrified of rats
My Unspectacular Quirks
1. can be rather indecisive when choosing things (esp when shopping)
2. have a bad sense of direction.. lost people please don't follow me!
3. hates to cook but loves to eat
4. never calls back when got a missed call hehe
5. laughing with no sound
6. can't find stuff fast enough in my bag.. always have to rummage thoroughly to find my handphone/wallet..it's a black hole in there
People to tag
no one! cuz none of my friends have blogs yet except friendster blogs.
kak joe's blog: http://joehannajoehoney.blogspot.com/