Selamat Hari Raya!

Selamat Hari Raya AidilFitri to everyone reading.

Thank you Atuk, Nenek, aunties and uncles for your duit raya,
for you have just contributed to my education fund.

Kisses, Shaqeel.

Selamat Berpuasa

Taken during Majlis Tahlil Shaqeel's Nani

Selamat Berpuasa to all my blog readers.
Jangan lupa bersahur walau hanya seteguk air ya.

Shaqeel Turns 2

Happy 2nd Birthday dear Shaqeel Aidin.
Semoga membesar sebagai anak yang soleh, sentiasa menghormati ibu bapa, sentiasa gembira,
sihat walafiat dan rezeki melimpah ruah.
You can be anything you want to be dear Shaqeel Aidin,
but it has to be within the Islamic boundaries.
Put your mind into it and you can reach great things.
I love you unconditionally.

Shaqeel Conquered The Great Wall!

Shaqeel conquered the Great Wall, woohooooo!

The thought of travelling with a 2 year old who can't sit still for 5 minutes was quite daunting at first, but thankfully Shaqeel behaved well throughout the 6 hours flight. Atuk suggested that we give him cough medicine so he'd sleep throughout the journey which we did not do lah. Somehow, we survived ;)

It was a 5 days vacation for us in which we spent all in Beijing alone. Food was not an issue at all as Beijing's population is 13 million and the 3rd biggest religion is Islam. Halal restaurants are everywhere and I was very relieved it suited my taste. It was also the beginning of summer, hence the weather was not too hot, very similar to Malaysia.

Of course no trip to Beijing is complete without experiencing The Great Wall. We had to climb countless stairs to finally reach a point where I can't feel my legs anymore. I carried Shaqeel up and down and was panting the whole way, all the time thinking how strong I am with additional 12kgs I had to carry. As Mao Zedong have said and depicted below, He Who Does Not Reach The Great Wall Is Not A True Man....and Shaqeel, ladies and gentlemen, is a True Man.

Mao Zedong's handwriting

The highlight of the trip for me was the Summer Palace. I have been obsessed with the life of the Chinese Emperor for quite some time then. I read a lot of historical fiction prior to the trip in which the author beautifully described the majestic palace that I thought, I have to experience it! It was breathtaking, really. No words can do justice to the resplendent architecture, nature and intricate details of the palace.

Lotus flowers at Kunming Lake, Summer Palace

I have only fond memories of Beijing. I recommend this city with 2 thumbs up. All the way to the sky.

Happy Father's Day

On behalf of Shaqeel, I'd like to wish Happy Father's Day to Emil, the father of my child who has been a terrific provider; financially, physically and emotionally.

Thank you for being a hands on Dad, always helping me to clean Shaqeel's poo so I can keep my manicured fingers clean, take him out for a walk while I stay home and put my feet up, read him warrior educational books so he learns as a man he has to protect his family, putting him to sleep by just telling him to sleep (seriously, Emil just has to say "Sleep" and Shaqeel will close his eyes and eventually drifts to slumberland) .... and so much more! You have been a great family man so please keep it up hehehe

We didn't do anything special to celebrate Father's Day because I didn't get special treatment either on Mother's Day haha! Emil hinted initially asking whether we are going to do something but I said Shaqeel has no income so he can't treat you to dinner or buy you gifts. Anyway, what started as hints eventually became straight on requests to have a father's day celebration. Well, I relented and cooked him a mean Kari Kepala Ikan for dinner which is really one of his favorite dish.

So yeah, Happy Father's Day to all fathers out there. Irresponsible fathers not included.