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readmylip-s · 6 years ago

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thank u, next.

so here we are, a week left until we usher in the new year. 2018 is probably one of the more major roller coaster rides i’ve had for a while now. i’ve had quite a few accomplishments and fcos the usual emotional-down-turns. i’ve also had tons of blessings and a lot of lessons learnt through the year. i’ve always been told to count my blessings so thats exactly what i’ve been doing.

if you know me you’d know i prefer keeping my social circle small, though it may not seem that way on socmed. but thats the thing, thats social media. i dont revolve my life around social media. i think i’ve said this way too many times - what you see is only what i choose to show. on a personal level, i rlly prefer the company of a small group of people, even if it means just hanging out with one or two friends. i think 2018 is also the year i’ve had one of the most me-time. i enjoy going to the movies alone, having the entire couple seat to myself, i love sitting at starbucks sipping on GT Cream or seasonal drinks and occasionally with a plate of beef pie. teehee.

i’ll prolly share some positive and not so positive highlights of my year, as well as all the blessings i’ve had through the year.

this year, just like the past 2 years, i landed myself in the hospital.

pretty much because of the same old issues i’ve been having. was put on oxygen supply for quite a fair bit, had multiple needles poked through my skin, and multiple bags of glucose. it was a crazy period because it was during the fasting month and prior to the hospitalization, i was fasting. and even when i was in the a&e and eventually warded, i was still not allowed to have food. i was cranky, i was upset and best of all? i felt like i was gna faint. i was due for surgery, again, the next day so i couldnt eat. but i was a rebel. during the night, i secretly chewed on Mr Bean pancake that my brother got me when he accompanied me for a bit. so glad i didnt get caught hehe. fast forward, post surgery, i ate like a monster. the little brother was supposed to fly off the next morn for his school trip but he still came to visit me during the night. he even brought me bubble tea?! i was discharged after what seemed to be a torturous 3d2n staycation at NTFGH.

2018 was the year i get to tick off certain things in my bucket list. i finally, finally did something i really wanted to do.

i got myself a septum piercing. its a pretty unorthodox thing considering how i dress and all but hey, a girl can dream, and make her own dreams come true. it was on a very random sunday that i decided to get it. but i’m kinda glad i did. i guess all the needles from all my hospitalizations helped me coped with the needle that poked through my septum. pretty sure this is only gna be a phase so all you hateful people, shut your trap. hahahaha. :)

also this year, i finally got to climb a mountain again.

it was DFOALC’s first overseas staff expedition. (no, i wouldnt consider pulau ubin ‘overseas’, haha) it was the toughest climb i’ve had of all the 4 climbs i’ve done before. in summary - my injury acted up during the ascend and descend, and i also almost lost my life to Gunung Berembun. i survived, alhamdulillah. i just needed my cast when i got back to Singapore. phew.

moving on to counting my blessings, i call them my constants.

#4.

its no surprise that AY is one of the greatest blessing i never knew i needed in my life. i never know where to begin when it comes to how beyond blessed i am for his presence in my life. its still so surreal how we were friends for the longest time and now we’re planning for a future together?! WHAT. hold on, time!

it is rlly crazy how this whole love thing works. but whatever that is, it has brought so much joy in my life. and AY has made me the happiest kid ever since we began our journey in chasing NZ! thank you, AY. you’re so bloody amazing, and i can’t wait to spend forever and a day with you. dont know what i did to deserve you but i’m glad i did. x

#3.

my bestfriend; nurul. we went through our poly days together, and even when we were separated in to different classes, we still made it a point to have lunch together atleast once or twice a week. clingsterzx much. we even applied for the same job together and among our group of friends who applied, only the two of us got it. is this fate or what?! thank you sissy for being there, always. and for always being the one with the sneaky pick me ups, and listening to all my sob stories. but please dont degil when i try to help you find a boyfriend??? but if you insist then i hope you find your oppa lah okay. we have had our differences and our bumpy ride but what doesnt kill us makes us stronger, yes? so much love for you, sissy! x

my other bestfriend, zulh.jsmn. this photo is the exact representation of our bestfriendship. he annoys the living shit outta me but i have got no choice but to accept him the way he is. unlike nurul, this one is lowkey always asking me to find him a girlfriend. smh. your day will come soon, buddy. i’m grateful for all the times you made sure i was always in check. also for being my guitarist bcus i’m that much of a loser who cant play the guitar, and most importantly for the letter you wrote to me 5 years ago for me to look back to when i feel like the worst person on earth. oh and all the times you traveled down for me just to send food that you cooked so i’d have food to break my fast with during my internship?!?! you always have the most interesting gifts for me whether its for my birthday or just a random gift. the box of clouds from genting, i still have it! appearing in Chicago with SD and a guitar to sing me a birthday song at midnight for my 19th birthday. and the lantern we flew for my 20th birthday in Tennessee at midnight? i choose to believe its still flying somewhere in the sky! thank you, buddy for everything. smell ya in futura tomato saucin, buddiok! #OHOS #GBT #NZV lives!

my sister, SD. oh sisthur, the resemblance we have is uncanny. it is no wonder people automatically recognize us as sisters through photos. our taxi stand incident will always be etched at the back of my mind. it is one i would never forget bcus it is that one short incident that led us to how close we are up till today. though things cannot be exactly how i imagined it to be, i’m still glad i have you almost entirely. here’s to more sisthur hangz! sayang sawah! x

and of course, my number one constant, my only older brother. you suck and you’re such an idiot but you care for me in ways no other human would. no one, and i rlly mean no one, can ever take your place in my life, for blood is thicker than water. i promise, to always make you proud of me. and i too promise that when the day comes that you shed your tears for me, i’d cheer you up and promise to always be the same baby sister you grew up with. thank you, for calling me your bestfriend, and for loving me with all your life. growing up together hasnt been an easy feat but i’m glad our rivalry only lasted through the times we wore the same sneakers, shared the same room and have the same mp3 player. you rlly suck sometimes but i love you every other day. x

/wow so much of a summary and a wrap up, nurfa./

but yep, these pretty much sums up my 2018. fcos there were pockets of crazy shit that happened through the year; from suffering cuts and bruises bcus of anxiety attacks, to losing my sanity, to falling out of a relationship, to my injury and to losing friends i thought who would be around a little longer.

some other things i ticked off my bucket list was meeting Haqim Mokhtar and watch him perform live, singing on stage (i got to sing with sufian suhaimi!), being present for TLV gigs, and fcos, completing my desired Nike Collection hehehehe.

i am very much thankful to God for allowing me to unlearn and relearn whatever i needed to. i dont really do resolutions but in 2018, my goal was just to seek happiness. i’m glad to say that i have achieved my goal of being happy. and in 2019, i pray for constant happiness with the people i love most, and for inner peace. may 2019 be the year i break the chain of having to be hospitalized, and may 2019 also be the year of recovery.

x, nvrfa

1623 | 23rd December 2018

#nvrfadiary

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izaedkhanblog · 3 years ago

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Life on a cliff!

Just few days back someone asked me on my instagram about the greatest struggle that I've overcome yet. To be honest with you, it sounded simple. If you've read my previous blogs, you'd know it was the period between 2013-2014 and that's exactly what I replied. It was a difficult period, no doubt. My head had become my greatest enemy. There was so much to process and sometimes I'd just give in. It shouldn't have happened but it did. Sometimes I would be worn out to the extent that I would shower a volley of abuses at my parents to their face and for that I have still not been able to forgive myself and perhaps never will. Sometimes I was just a football match away from contemplating the extreme step. I'd say to myself looking at the poisonous substance that I had got access to, okay, let this match finish, then that's how I am going to end my life and just after the match was finished, I'd just sleep because for me the only good thing about that phase was that I used to sleep a lot. Hell lot. I still can't believe that I got out of that phase but Alhamdulillah it's gone. But that's not where it finishes.

Life is so full of phases, so full of diversity that yesterday can never be compared with today and today can never be compared with tomorrow. I chose the the headline of this blog as "Life on a cliff" because with everyday that passes, life indeed does hang on a cliff. People who know me closely, especially from college days would know about my disdain for corporate life and it stands the reason why I gave up so many job opportunities. I have always been one for a competetive exam but things haven't been smooth on that front, with the pandemic forcing schedule changes in so many of the exams that I have been preparing for so long. It gets to your head sometimes... you ask yourself whether you're good enough or whether you were right giving up job opportunities for something that isn't even guaranteed. It worries me sometimes, but pondering over it will only be a waste of time. I am a confident guy and I am sure In Sha Allah something good will come out soon for me. Jobs, financial stability however do not worry me much to be honest. I have been blessed that way in the sense that I have my own personal car and a good one at that too, premium gadgets, my own personal income and absolutely no liabilities and my bank balance will soon get me in trouble with income tax department. I can afford time that way to pursue a career in law. But as things move on, I also realise sometimes you don't really get what you wish for. I belong to a business family and words of my friend Shivani still ring in my ears, '' Zaid, karega kuch bhi, wapas tujhe apna kaam hie karna hai, it's too big a source of income to let go.'' At that time I honestly thought it was the biggest load of nonsense I have ever heard. But now I do realise, yes... it is too big a source of income to let go.

I'd be honest with you though, I am obsessed with achieving something on my own terms. I want people to appreciate me for the hardwork I have done and it is the reason that I have come to think that jumping over to family business would be an absolute failure for me. I don't necessarily think it's the correct attitude to perceive things, but my mind has been moulded that way and I can't help it. I have to succeed at what I am doing, otherwise I think I'll be done (in my mind atleast). I am one of those guys who does get affected by people's opinion about him. It does affect me when people say I have it easy in my life being the only Son who has established sources of income for generations to come. It does affect me when people say I have it easy because I can still buy most expensive gadgets, own a personal car without being employed unlike those who are employed and have to think twice before shelling out money. It affects me. I think about it when honestly I shouldn't. It bothers me more when it comes from my own cousins, friends, people who I thought were close to me. But I won't dwell too much into it. One thing is for sure, no matter how much people's opinion bothers me, I no longer make decisions in life based on what they have to say. It's my life and I live it my own way.

One of those decisions like I spoke about it in previous blog is marriage. Why do people think marriage is the ultimate purpose of life? It's definitely not. I do think it is a beautiful concept but it shouldn't be ruined by people who constantly try to convince you about it. I truly believe this is a matter ordained by God and we should just shut up and bow down to what he has written for us that way. I don't wanna get married just yet. No. What a travesty it will be! People who know me always tell me I'll make a good companion especially because I cook amazing food, but let's not get into that 😅

Next few months are critical for me. Lot of life changing decisions have to be made. I have two-three preliminary exams coming up too, please pray all goes well for me. I'll be seeing my friends in Delhi soon and for a longer period since I intend to prepare for MAINS examination there if I do qualify these prelims. Fingers crossed!

#LifeDecisions #Future #Career #Struggle

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anastasiana · 4 years ago

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superhero mode

i was feeling a massive sense of achievement yesterday when i managed to do so many things.

after half a day in school in which i managed to mark and the usual lessons, i accompanied grizzly to his appointment located all the way at ubi. it was 215pm by the time we reached and it was also the time i was supposed to fetch the girls. so obviously, late. just as he dropped off, the jam was rather massive because it was an industrial area and by the time i reached cck, it was almost 3! my poor girls had to wait for almost an hour. the other 2 were also already home.

thankfully, their spirits were high and when we reached home, i had to quickly cook. somehow i managed to usher all 4 kids to bathe and settle down asap. however, they were hungry beasts. they kept on coming every few minutes asking for sth to eat. this is why, my friends. always keep stashes of snacks to fill in their tummies. like biscuits and bread. when desperate sometimes, i even let them have sweets BEFORE their proper meal. -__-

after serving their food, i quickly hang out the laundry (started it as soon as we reached home and let it wash as i cook) alhamdulillah the sun was majestic and i was glad it lasted till maghrib when i finally took them in.

after meals, it was revision/hw for the kiddos. as they do their hw, i did a half hr workout from youtube.

n then it was bath time for me and marking all the way till dinner. usually il be spending that time for reading of religious books or memorizing lines but bcos of marking i had to focus and let them watch tv for about an hour. by the time i was done, it was time to sleep and i managed to clean the kitchen before finally in bed with all of them.

basically, by the time i had a chance to myself, to rest and relax, it was pretty late and i was soooo tired. but im so happy i accomplished whatever i that i was supposed to do.

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seriouslyidgxf · 4 years ago

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small things

alhamdulillah, for all the little things that has happened so far

little things that bring me joy and satisfaction

my family, my friends, my bedsheet that i am literally obsessed with right now,

my paintings; small ones and the big ones, my brushes and my mug that still contains paint water

my new big ass white mirror that i wished i could take my ootd pictures with but its pkp nowadays lol

my cute lavender phone, my carpet, my fluffy pillows for being there to soak my tears during my sad days and my drools

my moms cookings, small talk with fam, the look of my mom and dad’s faces being proud of me yesterday coz i singlehandedly kopek 10 durians with parang

upi and pia’s obsession, ye, obsessed with me. mengekor je everywhere i go but im not complaining!! coz honestly, i like being dependent on especially by those 2 budak cenonet

and lastly, small conversations with my favourite guy every night...

and im still counting days till i am able to meet him in person

me: bila lah kan :(

him: *laughs* soon, insyaallah. for now, kenalah bersabar...

me: okay... T.T

he is so sweet

#life #afiq

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easyfoodnetwork · 5 years ago

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Iftar in Isolation

A halal butcher shop in Spain remains open during the coronavirus outbreak | Photo by Carlos Gil Andreu/Getty Images

For Ramadan this year, Muslims are doing what they can to break the fast without breaking quarantine

Last Friday, as the first day of Ramadan drew to a close, Rami Ismail prepared his iftar, the meal to end the day’s fast, at his apartment in Hilversum, the Netherlands: laban bil balah, an Egyptian-style fast-breaking drink of chilled milk with dates and cashews; Dutch uienkruier flatbread with cheese and onions; salmon over a bed of quinoa and spinach. The portion size suggested it was a dinner for one, but Ismail was about to host an iftar party. As he sat down to eat, he turned on his Nintendo Switch and set a virtual table in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

“I built a little marketplace like they have in Egypt, with a carpet, for a communal meal, and made eight seats — one for me and the seven people that would come by,” he says, describing his corner of the popular life-simulation game. Guests soon began filing in from Singapore, London, Canada, and Seattle, some bearing virtual gifts and fruit baskets. “They just wanted to make sure that a stranger wasn’t alone for iftar,” says Ismail. “It’s meant to be a communal experience; you don’t really do it alone if you can help it.”

Thank you so so so much to everyone that came out to my first @animalcrossing Iftar today. Made my first day of Ramadan really lovely <3 pic.twitter.com/6nCxeguf3c

— Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) April 24, 2020

With Ramadan arriving as social-distancing measures remain in effect across the globe, Muslims are doing what they can to foster a sense of community in quarantine. Zoom dinners and remote prayer services have been commonplace since the early weeks of the pandemic, but Ramadan poses unique challenges. For many of the world’s 2 billion Muslims, the holy month is the most social time of the year, synonymous with large gatherings, group prayers, and community service efforts. Now, as many are in isolation during Ramadan’s requisite fast from dawn to sunset, jam-packed social calendars — lively iftar parties followed by taraweeh prayer congregations at the mosque and late nights culminating in suhoor (the pre-dawn meal before the next fast) hangouts at IHOP — have been replaced by group-chat scheduling conflicts.

While Ismail is an avid game enthusiast — he’s a developer and cofounder of the Dutch independent game studio Vlambeer — he doesn’t typically observe Ramadan virtually. His hectic travel schedule normally sees him breaking fast with large groups in Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, or India. “It’s always a fun, communal, celebratory experience for me,” he says. “It’s strange to be home in the Netherlands all month and not be able to do that.” So he tweeted an invitation to his 167,000 followers to join him in Animal Crossing for suhoor or iftar; the response was so overwhelming that he had to make a sign-up form. Ismail isn’t the only Animal Crossing fan using the game to observe Ramadan virtually — there are even simulated congregations that read the nightly taraweeh prayer together.

The next evening, as the sun began to set in New Haven, Connecticut, Omer Bajwa, his wife, Lisa, and a few friends donned masks and gloves to operate a makeshift drive-thru in the parking lot of Masjid Al Islam, a mosque in the city’s Dwight neighborhood. They handed out prepacked iftar boxes of dates, naan, and chicken curry from Ali Baba through rolled-down windows in car after car. “We all normally love the communal aspect in Ramadan — iftars are a big part of the American Muslim experience,” says Bajwa, the director of Muslim life at the Yale chaplain’s office. “There’s been a genuine anxiety leading up to Ramadan [this year], a sense of loss, people feeling bereft.”

Since many people are reliant on mosques for the nightly iftar meal, Bajwa asked his friends to pool money to feed 130 people every Saturday. “The reality of New Haven is it can be quite poor,” he says. “And we have so many Muslim-owned businesses in the restaurant industry, which is taking a huge hit — we’re trying to buy meals from them, give them business.” This first grab-and-go iftar was such a success that more donations poured in, enabling Bajwa and his friends to serve more meals this month.

Charity is one of the key components of Ramadan, and many of these same hard-hit restaurants are stepping up to serve their communities themselves. Since mid-March, Hamza Deib, owner of Brooklyn’s popular Middle Eastern restaurant Taheni, has worked with Muslims Giving Back to pass out falafels, chicken, and hummus to the homeless once a week, despite the struggles his own business faces. Now with the onset of Ramadan, Deib has increased his efforts to daily meal deliveries, while also dropping off food to a mosque and to police officers and hospital workers. “We’re not pushing our efforts to cater toward just Muslims. We’re just trying to take care of the entire city,” says Deib.

Muslims Giving Back/Facebook

Meals from Taheni, packaged to be distributed by Muslims Giving Back

Countless health care and essential workers happen to be practicing Muslims, and many of them are now fasting, too. For Dr. Uzma Syed, an infectious disease specialist and chair of a COVID-19 task force at a Long Island hospital, the last few weeks have “been an out-of-body experience — you’re in this constant feeling of being in a twilight zone.” But despite the added challenges she’s facing this Ramadan, she’s never considered not fasting. “It’s actually been fine, alhamdulillah,” she says of her first few fasts. “Fasting in itself is a practice of having resilience and willpower — it’s always been mind over matter. It’s a very spiritual time for me, very therapeutic.”

The Islamic Center at New York University, which serves 10,000 people at the university and the broader New York community, is one of many mosques across the globe that’s trying to beam the sense of spirituality that congregants crave into their living rooms. They’ve lined up a robust schedule of virtual programming, from Quranic recitations to lectures with scholars to Zoom iftars led by imam Khalid Latif, who’s also planning to offer niche iftars around interests like books and sports. In London, the nonprofit Ramadan Tent Project has also gone online, bringing its inclusive, popular Open Iftar events to people’s homes with a #MyOpenIftar pack of decorations, a trivia game, and a recipe book by chef Asma Khan of London’s acclaimed Darjeeling Express. There’s also a daily Zoom iftar with a rotating roster of speakers, and Khan plans to host a live cooking lesson later this month.

Offline, but socially distant, activities like remote potlucks — where everyone makes a dish and drops it off to other homes, letting friends enjoy the same meal at the same time — are gaining popularity. But finding the necessary ingredients to satisfy Ramadan cravings isn’t easy in the middle of a pandemic. “It’s already been like playing Tetris with your pantry — ‘We’re out of this, what can we replace that with?’ It’s been like that since the start of the pandemic,” says Brenda Abdelall, a consultant and law professor in northern Virginia, and founder of Middle Eastern food platform MidEats. Unable to go to her local Middle Eastern grocery store to stock up on her usual Ramadan supplies of lentils, fava beans, sumac, and za’atar, Abdelall has been strategizing for weeks, and in the process has become an internet-sourcing MacGyver. “It’s been tricky this Ramadan, trying to figure out how to preserve traditional foods without access to the ingredients. I had to get creative, going online to find what grocery stores sold dried fava beans — I found them on some obscure Russian website.”

Ramadan-centric, quarantine-compliant content is quickly taking over social media. You can take a fasting-friendly fitness session with a Nike trainer one day and learn how to make healthy suhoor smoothies the next on British lifestyle magazine Azeema’s Instagram feed. YouTube rounded up Ramadan content from top creators around the world, including LA-based modest-lifestyle vlogger Aysha Harun. Her “Ramadan Daily” vlogs chronicle her Ramadan decor and learning how to make the Ethiopian sambusas she grew up eating for iftar. “I do an Eid lookbook every year,” she says, referring to clothes for Eid-ul-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. “I haven’t gotten any of those requests this year, for obvious reasons.”

But going virtual has its own challenges. “How many people actually have access to the internet and know how to use it?” asks Samira Abderahman, who founded Black Iftar in Chicago in 2018. The iftar events geared toward black Muslims and their friends took off organically and were held in 11 cities last year; now, Abderahman is trying to figure out how best to take the events online. “I think about digital literacy a lot. That’s why in-person events are so beautiful — we’ve been gathering together since the beginning of time.”

This year, Black Iftar will offer virtual iftars centered around talks by Makkah Ali and Ikhlas Saleem, hosts of the podcast Identity Politics, and scholar and community sexual health educator Angelica Lindsey-Ali. “I just want to provide something beautiful, to not be the dominance of their Ramadan experience, but to assist it,” says Abderahman. “Ultimately, Ramadan is best experienced in person, and not through our phones.”

Just as people start to get into some semblance of a routine during this unnerving new take on the holy month, the next hurdle awaits at the end of Ramadan: how to commemorate Eid ul-Fitr in May, a holiday that’s usually marked by massive prayer congregations at mosques, sharing the traditional three hugs with strangers and friends alike, and a blur of brunch, lunch, and dinner parties. Ismail will likely host an open house-style Eid party on Animal Crossing, collecting “gifts” throughout the month and leaving them on his island for guests who pass through that day. But he isn’t sure what will be more difficult: fasting without friends and family, or marking a normally festive occasion in isolation. “Needing strength from the community while fasting [during Ramadan] and not having it is tough,” he says. “But Eid is a celebration — and celebrating alone is weird.”

Sarah Khan is a food and travel writer based in New York.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2VVunff https://ift.tt/2KRbnbn

A halal butcher shop in Spain remains open during the coronavirus outbreak | Photo by Carlos Gil Andreu/Getty Images

For Ramadan this year, Muslims are doing what they can to break the fast without breaking quarantine

Thank you so so so much to everyone that came out to my first @animalcrossing Iftar today. Made my first day of Ramadan really lovely <3 pic.twitter.com/6nCxeguf3c

— Rami Ismail (@tha_rami) April 24, 2020

Muslims Giving Back/Facebook

Meals from Taheni, packaged to be distributed by Muslims Giving Back

Sarah Khan is a food and travel writer based in New York.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2VVunff via Blogger https://ift.tt/3aTA0il

#Blogger #cooking #Eater #food #recipes

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sosolero · 3 years ago

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ramadan 21:

aaaah today was good! alhamdulillah

im grateful bcs i woke up early-ish? i did experience a headache waking up but after a quick shower and some clean-up i felt a bit refreshed. today i reread all jacin’s parts in cress and omg i love him so much more now. he’s lowkey hilarious & frustrating at the same time

im grateful bcs i made one of my faaavorite dishes ever! it’s known as paprik back in my home country but i honestly dont know whats it called here in the states or in thailand where it presumably originated from. it took me 3 hours to cook that one dish though. such a mystery

im grateful bcs the weather was amazing so we had yet another picnic haha. we took pics with our seniors who are graduating soon, and stayed at the park until after sunrise <3

im grateful for doing the dishes. who wouldve thought something so tiresome can also be therapeutic in a sense? if u ever have to wash dishes try not to plug in your earphones or multitask by listening to anything. the silence -save for the sound of water and scraping dishes- is actually very calming

it’s the 17th of ramadan and i realized how i’ve been quite distracted the past 17 days. so i thought it’d be nice to share one thing i’m grateful for every night :)

ramadan 17:

i’m grateful for a friend who checked up on me earlier today because she (and another friend) were worried since i kept replying their texts with emojis and keyboard smashes instead of actual responses. in my defense i was busy reading winter so i didnt really feel like talking to anyone haha.

i’m also grateful because i had my iftaar at the mosque today because most of my housemates are out for work & exams so i had to break my fast alone. butttt i saw a familiar face there so we ate together; and she introduced me to three of her friends! i’ve always enjoyed the company of other muslims, strangers and friends alike. there’s something so comforting to see people of the same faith as you, especially when everyone is so different in terms of the way we dress, speak, and eat. but in essence we are inherently the same!

#sosolero’s ramadan journals

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aimisya · 5 years ago

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Eid Mubarak 1440H

Salaam 1 syawal :)

I’m so sad with ramadhan leaving us all. I thought it’s going to be one of my best ramadhan, but it’s not... because I had my menses on the last 10 days. Too bad huh? I was so excited planning for qiamulail at masjid shah alam with wani, but I couldn’t make it huhu... so in sya Allah, next time then. Many things had happened during this year’s ramadhan— I finally cook, enjoy cooking and even quite good at it, alhamdulillah. Abah was the one who said my cooking were all gooood. First time, yet all tasted good! Oh yess I can be proud of that because abah is absolutely one picky eater okay haha... Emm then I failed to start a relationship with a guy huhu, I still think we’ve already started something actually, because I felt a lil bit bitter now. We’ve started and it just didn’t work out. Hmm it’s okay Allah knows best. Oh, and then I met Syed Saddiq and Tun M face to face during a medical check-up event I volunteered for, and it was one of the most historical and amazing moment in my life! Both are so charismatic and prestigious! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I also made our family’s favourite raya cookiessss, and brownies with ice cream as dessert for the last iftar too. Alhamdulillahhh, Ramadhan was wonderful!! ❤️❤️❤️ May Allah accept all of our ibadah and good deeds throughout this ramadhan.

For this year’s syawal, everyone is home!!! It’s my brother’s and sister’s turn to raya with us. I’m happy because it’s probably going to be the last raya which I can celebrate with them before housemanship begins, before I won’t get cuti raya on the first day of raya. So I am definitely going to celebrate this raya to the max yeah! 😍😍😍

Well, about my long lost love, he never replied to my messages. But last month, he suddenly texted saying he was reminded about Adam, my nephew and the kopiah that he once posted to me for him. Though he didn’t talk about us at all, it gave me high hopes again!!!! Like he’s saying, I’m still here, babe. So now tell me what’s the probability of him coming back to me??? 🥰

In sya Allah.

May Allah answer all my prayers to meet you again soon, MFA.

Okayy, I better sleep now or I’ll miss raya prayer tomorrow 😂 Happy Eidulfitri, peeps! Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir batin.

Much love,

Aimi.

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sabrofaseapearl1 · 7 years ago

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too cold to be out of bed. I can't believe I get so nervous before pracs. It went fine alhamdulillah. I guess I just wanna get good marks. He had to calm me down coz I was so nervous :/ SubhanAllah Atleast I have a good group to work with alhamdulillah. Now I just gotta stay on top of it and work as well as study. gotta cook this weekend. Make some meal prep food. Wanna make pastaaaaas! Yum love it. Sleep in all Saturday, the life. alhamdulillah. Then mayb go to lunch with the mates inshaAllah. Tag a Sarah Gift voucher won hahahaha.. can't believe it lol nywayz these notes are usually for me to understand my crazy mind.. no one else would understand. Make dua i finish up tho.. with my studies. im over it now.. Just wanna focus on work soon inshaAllah :)

#personal #tagasarah #lol

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perfectionistincrisis · 7 years ago

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Longest post ever. Keep Scrolling! Look away!

About my brother leaving. Now there are two sides to it. One is how he is so young & he will move so far away & has to take care of everything. He has to study first of all, which is the main thing. And this in itself is a whole new experience. Starting university & facing all the pressure & tight schedule & deadlines that come with it. And to top that all, he will move to a new country. An entirely new place he has never been to & one which is very very very different from the country where he was born & raised & literally spent entire 18 years of his life in. Now whether this is the lifestyle & culture & religion we are talking about, or just the weather. You name it, & it's something different he has to face. Let's go back to studies. The ‘studies’ part, is totally acceptable! I mean it's his responsibility. No one will or is expected to do it or help him with it. This is totally on him. He has to figure it out himself. If he needs help, he needs to look for it. If he has a problem he needs to find a way out, or deal with it. The idea of having an elder sibling or family to help you with your studies, i believe, is totally absurd when someone is moving to university. At school, it might be ok but when someone is starting uni, cmon, I think it's time to stop already. Let them grow up on their own. You can't be wiping their ass for them their entire life. Not to mention, everyone has their own share of responsibilities, their own affairs to handle. Everyone of us are struggling everyday, to build our futures. And NO. This is not selfish. This is our responsibility towards ourselves. We owe this to ourselves, and no, you are not in any way, supposed to expect anyone to actually help you deal with your responsibilities in life. So with you share of duties, is it really selfish to focus on your affairs & prioritize them? & also what good will you be really doing by helping someone? How much of someone else's responsibilities can you own? There will come a point where you’ll have to leave them on their own except that now you've already spoiled them and they'll be more lost than ever. So yeah, plus i'm not even studying engineering so anyways i couldn't do much or anything at all but even if i could have, i really never liked the whole concept of doing it in ‘uni’. I have such a strong opinion about it seeing my cousins and other people. Meaning, it's not just me randomly thinking about it and commenting but i rather did always have such an opinion about this matter. So yeah that's the only ‘okay’ thing! From now, things are changing. Now, let's talk about the end of everyday! When he comes ‘home’/ dorm room. He doesn't come home to anyone. Whether it is your siblings being lame and stupid, or your parents being in a fight, or some really good day where everyone's happy and laughing - you're not getting any of it. Is anyone bringing you food? Cooking for you exactly what you eat? No. When are you going to bed? No one cares other than you. Who’s making sure you wake up and don't miss class in the morning? Who’s making you breakfast? Filling your water flask? You buy your food if you have time before class. Such a good day, just 3 classes and you're home by 11. Who do you go home to? Yourself. Weekends? .. Nvm But we are only trying to provide the best future for him. And i can NOT disagree to this at all. Not even for a second. Since almost a year, my dad & my mom has thought of everything & every tiny thing that we will need for him. Whether it is the fact that winter clothes are sold in shops during winter and winter in ksa was 6 months ago, so keeping that in mind and shopping for him things which is just too hard to get in the shops right now cause it's totally summer rn over here! Or whether it is something more serious like meeting all the different formalities to apply for a visa. And shopping for him all these months. Making lists of everything he might need. Things like plate, glass, things like rugs, things like brush, toothpaste, things like pillows, bed sheet, things like laundry basket, warm gloves, things like rain coat. Like you name it, and it somehow is something he actually needs. Also, we are so concerned about providing him the best. I think all my life, a part of shopping included looking at the price tag and seeing if its a good bargain. But now, suddenly thats not done anymore. Anything he touches (which is very little btw) & anything we choose for him (which is like every single thing we see), its just getting the best for him. Its like theres this thing in our heads. Like this is it. My brother hardly gets anything for himself. He is kind of different. So we are just getting him all these stuff because once he goes there, he might not get it for himself. And even if he does, us getting something for him now will be the last time we are doing so. Cause from now on he'll do his stuff himself. So like i was saying. We are only trying to provide the best future for him. And i can NOT disagree to this at all. Not even for a second. And this is a stage that comes in everyone's life & we can not and should not run from it. This is the right thing to do in my brother’s case. Everything till now has gone so smoothly Alhamdulillah. But it still doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. Especially when i think of my mom. I get the whole idea of how it's the hardest on the moms. In fact i have even witnessed many moms crying & breaking when their kids had to leave and all. But. This is different. I am talking about ‘my mom’. I respect all mother’s love, i do. But about my mom; unless you live under the same roof as her, you will find it impossible to believe how much of her heart & soul & energy she invests on our family. For which, I will be forever grateful & will consider myself blessed. I will never be able to start and finish talking about her but let me mention some interesting stuff! Let's start with me! So im 21. And i don't do my laundry (none of it at all), i don't vacuum (the house or even just my room), I don't iron my clothes (never did), I don't clean the dishes (not even my own plate or glass or water flask), I don't clean my room (the furnitures & stuff) & interestingly, i don't even know how to make tea or coffee (unless it's those sachets you get, but i just use them at uni). TADA - Mom does all of that for me. I don't remember the last time i did ‘any’ of the things i mentioned. I can't say i never did any of them though, but it was only for one of the 2 reasons: 1. I was younger and mom got angry with me maybe & she’d punish me by making me do it OR 2. I voluntarily offered maybe cause it was vacation and i wasn't lazy & stuff (btw this vacation, i'm totally lazy, i never offered or did anything) So like i said, i don't remember the last time i did any of it. Infact, to TOP ALL THAT, mom makes sure of all my ‘excess’ needs too. She pays so much importance to them. Like, my diet. Diet - meaning the food i eat. Now regardless of whether im trying to lose weight or not, i totally dont like asian food, more specifically, all the daily food cooked in a bengali household. I dont like ‘curries’. I prefer ‘dry’ food. It doesnt matter what it is. Chicken, beef or veggie. If its a ‘curry’, im not putting it in my mouth. Curry meaning the whole making it liquidy with all masala & stuff. And i ‘especially’ hate chicken curry. I also dont honestly remember the last time i ate it. And i am NOT exaggerating but i stopped eating it like way back in grade 11 or 12. By chicken curry, i mean the MOST REGULAR meal in almost every bengali household, more like an EVERYDAY meal especially for the kids. And it works for my bros too lol. But no way on hell im eating it. The reason is, this is one food ive been eating since i learned to ear and then after around a pretty 13 to 14 years of eating chicken curry i had to say NO one fine day xD xD Ok now i have 2 phases: one is the normal daily phase where unis going on and i'm stressed and all i eat is junk food, or maybe something not junk but has to be all delicious or maybe sometimes i'll consider eating healthy and want some classy salad and stuff. Mom always has to prepare a different meal or me. Then she has to prepare something else for her and dad too cause chicken is kids stuff and also mom does not eat chicken at all if she is the one who cooked it so yeah. And then there's chicken for my bros xD On top of that, when im in the other phase where im trying to lose weight - Oh god. The whole menu of food changes. All green veggies and salads and stuff. All grilled chicken, grilled fish, grilled beef. She does all of that. Also. she THEN ‘decorates’ my food cause she knows i love taking pictures of my food. She decorates my food. She makes sure I like the plate on which she is serving the food; whether the plate will look good in the picture. She makes sure I get to take a perfect picture. If she gets confused about how to decorate something, she'll tell me to do it and ask me what i need. I mean man, who does that to a 21 year old???? I know i am spoiled! Now ^ i got carried away! All that is a small gesture of what my mom does for ‘me’. And i'm like her eldest kid. Like she actually thinks i can take care of myself ‘more than my brothers can’ Yeah do you see where i'm going with this? You can not imagine HOW much more she does for my bros, like ‘woahhhh’👌 I’ll just give one example for each bro. My elder bro - he never actually had to open his closet and decide on which dress to wear till now in his life!!!!! Yesss!!!!! Mom even takes out his clothes. Clothes. Every garment :):):) and keeps it ready for him to wear every time he showers, or changes, or goes outside :) and that's the one who’s already 18 and moving soon! And my younger bro - well he is kinda different. Like he is all concerned about his looks and he demands on choosing his own clothes from his closet and wearing them xD xD but then mom still feeds him lunch and dinner most of the day and he is almost 14 :):):) So yes. Idk how my mom is going to handle it. But what i know is that she is such a brave and strong and intelligent and amazing woman mashAllah. She is so hard-working & she puts aside all her sickness and pain & prioritises our needs, and our wants, even if theyre really stupid. And she means the world to me. And she is my number 1 person. And I can give up anything for her. Words cannot express how much she means to me. I once had to stay a night away from her during the 1st week of my uni in 1st year of med school. That was the night I actually realized how important she was to me. I was away from her and due to some circumstance I couldn't communicate with her. That whole night, i lied in bed crying & asking Allah to let me meet my mom in my dreams as I fall asleep now… Idk if I ever told that to anyone before, but yeah here it is. Ahhhh. God!!!!! Such a huge post wth man )@+%;’!(%)#!%(£))@!%!%) but Ughhhh I just needed to get it all out of my system! Hmphhh

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withnina · 6 years ago

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Another Ramadhan

Here i sit on my bed typing... thinking about how tomorrow will be the last day of Ramadhan 2018. So much has changed for me from the last Ramadhan til this year's, Alhamdulillah.

In a year's span, I fell in love, travelled a bit more, finally quit my job to pursue something for my future, started work, started school again... I feel like i have grown so much the past year.

I wish i could have done more in this beautiful month, but i did try my best... I hope He will allow me to meet another Ramadhan again, inshaallah!!!

I can safely say i feel so at ease now that i have completed all my assignments and attended all my classes for Term 1of school! I've got 3 more to go. But for now, i hope to enjoy Raya with my family and loved ones.

Tonight i will post some photos of my little adventures from the past few weeks, nothing too fancy but i would love to keep them here for memories sake. ♡

(I was actually really busy with school and my assignments but I managed to spend some quality time with my family and friends.)

I went to Artbox with A few weeks ago. We had a simple dinner at the mosque for iftar and Maghrib prayers before we visited Artbox, it was crowded and so yucky but I got the cute photo booth shots I wanted so badly, hehehe!

Next, Stacey came by on one of the Saturdays to exchange more books with me. Always a good time with her. We watched some chick flicks and cooked dinner together for my iftar.

I spent a Sunday with Aryn to the museum. It was such a simple day, we walked around, took silly photos and had a nice iftar meal together.

That’s all I can write for now.

I promise to write soon again.

Probably tomorrow, I will share snippets of how the family and I prep ourselves for Raya. It will be fun!

Xoxo.

#friends

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easyfoodnetwork · 5 years ago

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A halal butcher shop in Spain remains open during the coronavirus outbreak | Photo by Carlos Gil Andreu/Getty Images For Ramadan this year, Muslims are doing what they can to break the fast without breaking quarantine Last Friday, as the first day of Ramadan drew to a close, Rami Ismail prepared his iftar, the meal to end the day’s fast, at his apartment in Hilversum, the Netherlands: laban bil balah, an Egyptian-style fast-breaking drink of chilled milk with dates and cashews; Dutch uienkruier flatbread with cheese and onions; salmon over a bed of quinoa and spinach. The portion size suggested it was a dinner for one, but Ismail was about to host an iftar party. As he sat down to eat, he turned on his Nintendo Switch and set a virtual table in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. “I built a little marketplace like they have in Egypt, with a carpet, for a communal meal, and made eight seats — one for me and the seven people that would come by,” he says, describing his corner of the popular life-simulation game. Guests soon began filing in from Singapore, London, Canada, and Seattle, some bearing virtual gifts and fruit baskets. “They just wanted to make sure that a stranger wasn’t alone for iftar,” says Ismail. “It’s meant to be a communal experience; you don’t really do it alone if you can help it.” Thank you so so so much to everyone that came out to my first @animalcrossing Iftar today. Made my first day of Ramadan really lovely

http://easyfoodnetwork.blogspot.com/2020/05/iftar-in-isolation.html

#EasyFoodNetwork #ComfortFoodRecipes #EasyRecipes #GoodFood #BestComfortFoodRecipes #TastyFoodv

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enliktjioe · 7 years ago

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G’day mate.. finally I had time to write my story again. In this blog post, I would like to share my experience for 4 months living in the Outback Australia, Northern Territory, with its capital Darwin. City name like Tennant Creek, Alice Spring, Katherine, Renner Spring, may seem unfamiliar for you. How come? Because the area is more often targeted by backpacker than tourists who want to visit Australia. My story this time focuses on the Darwin city and a little bit in the Tennant Creek area.

Getting Know Darwin City

Darwin is the capital of Northern Territory, one of the states of Australia. The tropical city at the northern tip of Australia has a different climate than most Australian cities in general. Darwin has only two seasons, Dry and Wet Season, very similar to Indonesia. If you look at the map, Darwin’s location to Bali is much closer than Darwin to Sydney or Melbourne.

The cost of eating in Darwin is relatively more expensive compared to Sydney or Melbourne, but in balance with the relatively larger income gained here. Find a job is also relatively more difficult here if you have no casual work experience before. Darwin also only has buses as a public transportartion, no trains or trams here. The largest Shopping Centre is Casuarina Square, and the newest Gateway, both far away from the CBD. Darwin also has a top University named Charles Darwin University. The famous National Park here is Kakadu and Litchfield. During dry season, you should visit Mindil Beach Sunset Market, enjoy the beautiful sunset time while buying some yummy Asian food here. You can read the reference Things To Do in Darwin here.

My Reason Moving To Darwin

The main reason why Work and Holiday Visa makers (abbreviated as WHV) is to meet WHV second year requirement, for WHV Subclass 462 holders must work for a minimum of 88 days (or 3 months) in all areas of the Northern Territory and parts of Queensland, with specified work set by the Australian government. Darwin is one of those cities that meets these requirements. You can check more info here.

Our WHV generation, who departed around the end of 2016 yesterday is a lucky generation, considering the newly officially released 2nd year extension process for WHV subclass 462. And it may seem strange for Darwin, whose previous years were not the favorite destinations of WHVs from Indonesia, is now one of the most populated cities of WHV makers from Indonesia. For your info, there are some big employers in Darwin who are mostly workers from Indonesia, such as Compass Group ESS, Leprechaun Resort, and possibly others.

Apart from that requirement, personally I also want to experience a different experience in Australia. I hope by living in Darwin as well as other Australian outback areas, I can find ‘hidden treasures‘ that may be hard to find in major Australian cities.

Stay Overnight at Darwin Airport

Before the departure, I had ordered ‘Uber’ from one of Darwin’s WHV friend to pick me up upon my arrival at midnight, June 20, 2017. But apparently, she is already asleep matee! My phone and SMS are not picked up. Since it was already midnight, transportation to Darwin City was not available. I also decided to spend the night at Darwin Airport, the internet wifi quality here is good and the room is also air-conditioned, security guards are also there, it’s safe! I spent the night till 6 am here waiting for the first shuttle Shuttle Van departure to Darwin City.

Darwin Airport on midnight

Nintendo Switch became my traveling companion while on the plane and waiting room

Shuttle Van from Darwin Airport, cost $20 to Darwin CBD area

Enjoy One Day in Darwin

Arriving in Darwin City, I stopped at Mas Yunas’ house to stay temporarily here until the evening before returning to Airport for transit to Tennant Creek. I got acquainted with some housemates here, as well as my day-mate room mate, Nandra, who was still looking bored waiting for a job in Darwin. Other WHV friends here also told me how difficult it was to find a job in Darwin. One story, some work as Kitchen Hand, he should have worked for 6 hours, but because the restaurant was quiet, he was discharged even though only worked for 3 hours. Another story, those applying for Housekeeping positions here without prior experience will find it difficult to get the job.

With WHV friends, from left to right: Glenn, Dipta, Pandu

The first impression in Darwin, the weather feels ‘super hot’ during the day. The effects of being in Sydney for winter season the day before. Another impression? I was able to meet ‘indigenous’ Australians almost along the way. Many times, i don’t know why they are shouting, then come up to us and ask for “2 dollars please”. I’m grateful, during these 4 months living in Darwin, I have no bad experience with them. Whatever the negative view for them, they are still the same human being as us, who we should treat equally, “who am i to judge?“. Did you know? The boomerang we often see in those films is one of their discoveries.

My first $15-$20 lunch in Darwin

Thinking I might not be in Mass again for the next 3 months because of working in the remote area of Tennant Creek, I took part in the daily mass at 12PM in St. Mary Cathedral Darwin. It only takes 5 minutes walk from the home.

Visit the Museum of Art and Gallery of the Northern Territory. I learned a bit about the history of Darwin and Northern Territory and the history of Darwin’s great disaster like Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve in 1974 and the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese army during the second World War.

Nice wall hangings inside the Museum

Coastal Walk to Mindil Beach

Beautiful Mindil Beach

Remind me of masterpiece from Animek The Alkemek

Ketemu temen2 baru, Alhamdulillah masih bisa silaturahmi dan ketawa bersama. #whvindonesia #whvdarwin

A post shared by Arip Hidayat (@rujakdressing) on Jun 20, 2017 at 6:36am PDT

With WHV friends in Moil area, on night before i’m going back to Darwin Airport. Thanks Arip Hidayat for the hospitality

Starting from Tennant Creek

Uh, the title of this blog post is about Darwin, why is Tennant Creek? Yes, my adventure in northern Australia, it started from Tennant Creek. For about two weeks I was here working in a mining camp.

Arriving at Tennant Creek Airport, it’s a small airport, which looks like a house with an airstrip around it. Waiting for approximately 15 minutes, we are directly escorted by a mini bus to the Bootu Creek camp site.

Arriving at the camp, Camp Manager calling our name one by one. After receiving the room key, I was escorted by the manager to my room, and informed that I will start work soon this afternoon. I met with WHV Indonesia partner here, Yuko, delivering his iPad Pro parcel from Sydney. And enthusiastly, I started my first day working in the Northern Territory.

AirNorth charter plane with some FIFO (Fly In Fly Out) miners who returned from his vacation to work again. The airplane is also relatively small with a capacity of about 20-30 people only

Arriving at Camp

Luxurious room at Camp, it’s too good to be true

My working uniform

Limited Food for Lunch Time

It was lunch time, I realized that there is no food service during the day, because the miners are still working in the mining area. For us Hospitality workers (Kitchen / Housekeeping / Cleaner), can only eat food from the fridge, cook instant noodles, or into the Cool Room to grab food from the morning or evening before. This kitchen only serves breakfast in the morning (open at 4am to 7am) and dinner (open at 4pm to 8pm).

Opening Hours Dining Room

Dining Room

New WHV Friends from China

At lunch time, I met two WHV makers from China, named Alice and Emma (they use nickname, * as you know * Chinese names are hard to remember for Western people). The first introduction at lunch time was really memorable, because I as the new boy, could immediately be familiar with them, we asked each other names, niceties, and exchange little stories of our background. They also mentioned that in China, almost all social media was blocked by the government, they just made up their social media account just when arriving in Australia. Imagine how strict the regulations in China.

Lucky for current generation, though only be a friend in a short time, we can still communicate via social media, share our stories in other places. It’s always fun to share stories, because with our limited time and opportunities to try everything, we can still experience it by reading or watching other people’s stories, as I try to share through this blog post.

Nice and Very Nice Food

While i’m staying here, the food category for me is just two kinds, Nice and Very Nice (as Trinity says in The Naked Traveler book). Luckily we have Chef Jason and Chef Simon who are so amazing when preparing Asian Food, which is perfect food for an Indonesian like me.

One of the Menu

The Mighty Chromecast

Chromecast that I bought at JB Hi-Fi Sydney for $60, is really useful for entertainment purpose. With HDMI TV provided in our room plus WiFi internet in camp area, I can stream my smartphone screen directly to TV wirelessly. Watching YouTube, Netflix, and so on the bigger screen certainly gives different satisfaction.

Two Weeks Isolated

For two weeks in this remote area, I felt so productive, have finished reading many books, study online course in Udacity, without forgetting to have leisure time by playing video games or watching TV. I also routinely prepare for the ‘quiet time‘ every day, which I almost never miss every single day. I find that praying and reading holy bible can be done anytime and anywhere, the most important is the intention. I can ignore all the things that usually keep me busy during my stay in the big city while I’m here.

But on the other side, I miss the freedom of exploration like I did in Sydney before, when I finished my work and on the day off, just enjoy walking in Sydney CBD, meeting friends and family, and go to Church.

Then what really makes me isolated here? I have difficulty socializing with some of my co-workers here, either because of differences in personality and way of life or maybe because I’m an introvert guy. I know that relationship can’t be forced, I try not to wear a ‘mask’ just to get along with them. As a result, two weeks I work here, I can only be friends with few people. Feelings of isolation made me to know more what the real meaning of freedom is.

Bootu Mining Site, far far away from town

You’re Fired

That morning was feels unusual, I spent the morning dawn until sunrise to take some photos in the camp with my Sony mirrorless camera. And the night before I dreamed of a place that was completely new to me. And it’s coming true, on afternoon, Camp Manager came up to me and asked for time to chat. With a heavy tone, he says that I will not get a working shift anymore and have to leave this place tomorrow, it means “you’re fired!“.

What is the main reason for me being fired? Very simple, I can not drive a car. Sad? Yes i’m so sad, being fired because of the lack that I have. My head feels hurt, it feels like i want to learn ‘driving car’ as soon as possible so I can keep stay here. Happy? Also yes, because this means I will leave my isolation zone soon, and once again hope for a better experience in a new place later. This is the first experience for me to feel ‘being fired’, and then feels sad and happy at the same time.

Got fired or rejected teach me that “when one door closes, another door open“. Learning from the Walt Disney story who did not give up even though he was got rejected many times, but later he founded Disney and created a masterpiece with his mouse character that we know until today. Another success story about being rejected was from WhatsApp Founder, Jan Koum. Because of that, I try not to be discouraged, there is always a way, one door closed, another thousand doors will open. Hopefully!

Goodbye Bootu Creek Mining Camp!

Spend 1 Night at Renner Springs

The next day, I was given a job as Housekeeper for last time. Together with Yuko, my WHV Indonesia colleague here, for the first time I’m get this housekeeping experience in Australia. We were given a list of rooms to do, then wandered around the camp area with a trolley of housekeeping tools. The heat of the sun become a challenge for Housekeeper in a open camp area like this.

Rob, the Camp Manager, accompanied me to the ‘super expensive’ hostel in Renner Springs area, for an overnight stay and wait for the Greyhound bus schedule on dawn. The cost of $96 per night with the quality of a hostel or two star hotel, makes me think, this must be the monopoly price because there are no competitors nearby, in the middle of nowhere.

There’s not much thing I can do here, the streets look like the big pasture with the longest road in Australia, Stuart Highway, in between.

One Night Outback Experience at Renner Springs Desert Inn

Night Time

One Month Living in Casuarina

I have not got accommodation in Darwin until my overnight stay in Renner Springs. With just simple keyword “room Darwin” in the WHV Indonesia Facebook group, I finally found accommodation in the Wulagi area near Casuarina, Darwin region. With a price of $120 per week I get a big private room with a double bed, cabinets, and air-con.

My luxurious private room in Casuarina

The one thing that makes me ‘annoyed’ here, that is the dog barking frequently along the road to the house. But eventually I somehow got used to their barks, and the doggie got bored barking into me. I lived with Mrs. Kristy and Mr. Tony for about a month here.

My home in Casuarina

Beware of the Wife!

Hello Buddy, stop barking, let’s be a friend! 🙂

My favourite Library

One Month Working in Darwin Turf Club

A few days being jobless in Darwin, it makes me thinking too much. I was also waiting for an interview with one of favorite employers in Darwin, Compass Group ESS. Based on information from my friend, it tooks about 2-4 weeks from the interview until you can start your first working day there, it’s really a long time. Rather than jobless too long in Darwin and waiting for ESS schedule, I had to start submit my Resume both online and offline (drop directly).

A few days later, I was accepted to work as Kitchen Hand at Darwin Turf Club, after going through walk in interview with a lot of candidates, praise God! I work with casual status but with full-time working hour, five to six days a week.

How exciting working as Kitchen Hand here, I do a lot of food preparation like Sandwich, Hot Dog, Pork Roll, Fruit Salad, Burger, and so forth. Together with Grandma Dawn, Antonnette, and Anapolla, I was helped learning many new things in this kitchen. In addition I also learned to be an all-rounder, delivering orders from the kitchen to the customers at the bar. I even feel the wrong order experience during my all-rounder time here. The most exhausting day was when the event day was over, the pile of dish wash and cutlery was ready to hit us. One month working here feels so good, because I enjoy this job so much, with many great colleagues.

Colleagues at Darwin Turf Club

Sunday Party at Monsoons with #DarwinTurfClub #DarwinCup staff family #Hospitality #Kitchen #Darwin #NorthernTerritory

A post shared by Enlik Tjioe (@enliktjioe) on Aug 13, 2017 at 5:47pm PDT

Didn’t Pass ESS Medical Checkup

The long process of job application in Compass Group ESS starts from notification email for info session. I had to ignore it several times because at that time I thought it would actually work for 3 months at Tennant Creek. Lucky I did not directly reply to the email so I still got an email regarding info session schedule until I finally returned to Darwin again. Coming to Manigurr-ma, I with other applicants fill out the job application form so much, I also have to prepare some work reference, work history, disease history, and so on.

Finish the interview phase, I’ve got an email for medical check up. At that time I was still working at Darwin Turf Club, finished my work at 5 pm, I headed straight to Darwin City, to start medcheck around 6 pm. Again I had to fill in the form, fill in the history of the disease again, and I filled in my backpain history while working as Kitchen Hand on Google 6 months ago, and maybe this is one of the important points in recruiting new employee at Compass Group ESS. And it seems true, a few days later after medcheck, I received an email that I did not pass the selection of new employee in Compass Group ESS. Due to company policy, they did not provide details of why I did not qualify, so I can only guessing.

Sad? Definitely yes.. For couple of days, it feels like there is something hanging in my mind, “Why i’m not passed? Why like this? Why like that?”. Very stressful. However, this is Australia, life is hard, how the working holiday visa holders like us struggle to find a job, to survive here. Many stories from the WHV friendsthat I heard, there are some people who being jobless for a couple of months, have no more cash to survive, borrow money for few times. Another story, some people being fired after only working for 2 days, in another case, some people who working hard but their wages are not paid by the employer, waiting for a few months (how can they pay rent?). Later, there are other cases of friends who are exposed to fraud cases ranging from hundreds to thousands of Australian dollars, imagine the hard work in Australia should just vanish into empty hands. Therefore, my problem is a piece of cake compare to that, as OZ people said, “No Worries, Mate!“.

God is very good, His plan is always beyond my expectation, I thought positively back then. On the same day I received a job reference from Darwin Turf Club to work at one of the big restaurants in Darwin Waterfront. I was immediately looking for new accommodation in Darwin City, with the condition that I was still living in Casuarina, far away from Darwin Waterfront. Another consideration, I’ll get work on the night shift in this new place, so it’s a hassle if i’m coming home on midnight and i have no private vehicle. And starting from here, I will feel a new experience of living in a sharing apartment and meeting great friends in Darwin.

From Pinterest

Life Experiences in Sharing Room Apartment

This is one of life experiences that I want to feel in Australia, living with WHV friends in a sharing room apartment. This is a new experience for me because i’m always live in private room before in Jakarta, Sydney, Tennant Creek, and lastly in Casuarina. Located in Darwin CBD area, 4 men and 6 women start their lives together, all housemates are Indonesian except there is one Japanese, named Kenji-san. It took several days for me to get to know them one by one, due to our different working hours.

The first night arrived, I was ready with a melodious ‘snoring’ from my roommate. Believe me, living in the sharing room is not complete if you do not meet a ‘snoring’ roommate. And since I slept in this sharing room, I became more aware that I also have the ability to ‘sleep-talking’. What kind of ability is this!

Badminton mini-competition from Consulate of Indonesia in Darwin

Have Cooking and Dinner Together with Housemates

Morning Jogging together with motivation “medical check up preparation”

My new room mate family at Darwin City. . . This should be my first experience live in apartment and sharing room, because i'm always live in private room in Sydney and 'kost-an' Indonesia before. 4 men and 6 women start their lives together under one roof, reminds me of #TerraceHouse Japanese TV Series . . And once again, i've met Japanese friend in Darwin, Kenji-san. In some way, help me to try Japanese culture in home like saying #Itadakimasu when we're starting to eat, #Tadaima when i'm going back to home, #Ittekimasu when i'm going out, or #OtsukareSamaDesu when we're finishing something together. . . Life is beautiful when you're appreciate every single moment, and be grateful always in any condition. Happy Sunday! #WorkingHoliday #Darwin #NorthernTerritory #Australia #Indonesia #Japan

A post shared by Enlik Tjioe (@enliktjioe) on Aug 27, 2017 at 4:25am PDT

Afternoon at balcony

Hangout in Mindil Beach

Trip to Litchfield National Park

A trip? Hurayy… I really missed doing 1-day trip again, because since arriving in Darwin I’m become a workaholic and hardly had time to do a trip. Starting from my short message in the housemates Whatsapp group, I sent a plan for a trip to Litchfield. Because of the good response of one or two persons, they give a list of names who interested for the trip. Honestly, seeing such a positive response made me more excited, and immediately preparing well for this trip. We’re using Bargain Car Rental Darwin service for one day car rent. Saturday, August 26, 2017, five housemates are ready to take a long trip together for the first time.

Our first ever trip together

In the middle of nowhere

About two hours drive from Darwin, we arrived at Litchfield. Beautiful natural landscape, away from the crowd of Darwin CBD (*eh crowd!?), and waterfalls with swimming pools open to the public, enough to unwind the fatigue of work and the routine of living in the city. We swam in Wangi Falls, had lunch with the meals that we had prepared the night before, then proceeded to Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole. There is not much we can do while in Litchfield, but our bonding as housemate feels stronger since this 1-day trip. This is what always makes me want for traveling together again, because the wiseman saying, sounds like this, “Once Traveling Together, We’re Friends Forever!”

Moments in Litchfield

Midnight Birthday Surprise

Birthdays are always become an annual moment to give appreciation for someone, through words, gifts, and most importantly, prayer and hope to become a better person. September 9, 2017, it is our housemate birthday, Kenji-san from Japan, who may feel isolated in the midst of Indonesians people. With the intention to reduce the sense of ‘isolation’, together we’re planning a birthday surprise for Kenji-san.

Honestly, the most difficult thing about planning is choosing the right time because our working hours are different, some are morning, noon, afternoon, evening and even until dawn. From the original plan, the surprise was done during the day, with consideration of many being at home then, then come the idea surprise at dawn time when we were all majority still at home (read: sleep). But in the end we chose this brilliant idea, “How about in midnight 12 o’clock?”. Quickly, we also prepare a birthday surprise for Kenji-san, birthday cake, candle, gift, greeting card, camera for documentation and so on. Finally, come the moment of togetherness on midnight. I’m really miss that moment! 🙂

Group Photo during Kenji’s Birthday

Three Weeks of Temptation

After finish my job at Darwin Turf Club, I started a new job at a restaurant in the Darwin Waterfront area. I started shifting from Kitchen Hand who used to work in the morning shift, moving to the night shift in this new place. I have to learn to sacrifice the night time that should be a relax time and quality time with my friends. Living Sacrifice!

The toughest trial is that there are times when I work really hard overtime, starting at 6 pm and finish until 4 am. How come? The overloaded dishwashing and kitchen utensils almost every night plus an inefficient work system made my early weeks working here feel so full of trials. Several times I have to work alone (which should be handled by at least 2 Kitchen Hand) plus the absence of a trolley that I can use to transport dirty plates from outside the kitchen during opening time, I have to go back and forth from the Dishwashing Area to where dirty dishes placed which is quite far away, carrying an empty container to accommodate the dirty dishes. My waist seemed to be detached because of the extreme work of Kitchen Hand.

How can I motivate myself who always feels stressful at that time is, try to remember my dream back then, remember my motivation to start this Working Holiday, why I want to ‘falling down’ after all the hard way to Australia, all for the family that I love in Indonesia. Remembering my happy moments, how I feel so blessed and loved, always give back my motivation to get back to work and survive in this temptation. Another way, I re-read my favorite fictional story like One Piece, and found one or two chapters that re-energized my mood at that time. Spiritually, the same thing applies when you read the Scriptures and find one or two verses that corroborate yourself. Sometimes in your life you will feel this ‘aha’ moment (EUREKA!), Do not be afraid! 🙂

https://twitter.com/Enlik/status/897780759813017600

What we say and what God says #promise Thank you @kpa.sydney for this "welcome card" God really love us

A post shared by Enlik Tjioe (@enliktjioe) on Mar 7, 2017 at 1:15pm PST

In the end, I only worked for three weeks here because I got a new job at another restaurant that I hope will be better. I decided to go out with various considerations especially for my health reasons.

Become a Volunteer at Vinnies NT

Starting from my boredom in the absence of activity in the morning until noon (my office hours were just afternoon to night), i visit at one of the Vinnies retail stores in Darwin CBD area, and meet Bianca, one of Vinnies NT managers. With her beautiful smile and humble figure answered my simple question, “hi there, how can I become a volunteer here?”, and within a few days I was given the opportunity to become Retail Assistant Volunteer at Vinnies Shop Darwin CBD.

Being a Retail Assistant, I learned how to set up shop to keep it clean and tidy, learn to use cash machine, learn how to give a greetings to every customer who comes in. Through volunteering, I got a new experience for something that I’ve never done before. I learned how Volunteering become part of Australian culture. Making money is a happiness, but making other people happy is a super happiness! 🙂

Making money is a happiness, but making other people happy is a superhappiness. #Volunteer team at #VinniesNT #Vinnies #Shop #Australia #Darwin #NorthernTerritory

A post shared by Enlik Tjioe (@enliktjioe) on Oct 4, 2017 at 8:40pm PDT

Two Months at Ducks Nuts Restaurant

Now I am getting more nimble in new workplaces, maybe this is a positive effect from super stresfull heavy work before. I work more passionately, not only because this work more humane, but also because the coworkers here are a great and humble people.

Ducks Nuts, one of the biggest restaurant in Darwin CBD

At the end of September, the Ducks Nuts boss gave “bad news” to every employee including me, that this restaurant will be shut forever by the end of October 2017. So next month, we all have to leave the job in this place, and try to find a new workplace out there. A surprising news especially for employees who have worked for several years here. The closure of Ducks Nuts, which has been operating for more than 10 years in Darwin, is also a bad news for their loyal customers.

Two months working here also became the end of my working day in Darwin, Australia. After hearing the news of the closing restaurant, I decided to end my adventure in Darwin at the end of October, because on one side I’ve managed to get 88 working days as a requirement for my Work and Holiday Visa extension, and on the other side I’m very curious about the other city in Australia, such as Brisbane or Melbourne. Finally, my choice was Melbourne with some consideration, one because the creative industry in this city that looks quite promising and many community and industry events held in this #1 most liveable city. In my mind, I have to try to get back in the industry that become part of my life in Indonesia before, Video Games and Information Technology.

My coworkers in Ducks Nuts Restaurant

Second Year Visa Granted

Lucky since my school time, I was used to taking care of my own school administration without the help of parents. Collecting files, scanning documents, and other things to complete the requirements, it’s a piece of cake for me, because everything listed in official website. After complete all the requirements, I immediately submit online form on the Australia immigration website, lodging a process to extend period of my stay in Australia on a work and holiday visa for one year.

On October 11, 2017 I did an onshore application (in Australian territory), the expectation of getting a second year visa started. The HAP ID from my medical check-up in 2016 was still valid so I no longer need to do a medcheck here, which cost about $300 in Darwin, quite expensive. With that money, i can be to buy airline tickets to Melbourne. And after the long wait for three weeks, my second year visa granted on November 2nd, 2017. Thanks so much to Merry, Dewi, and Cardona housemates who helped me a lot during the preparation of this visa lodge. I’m feel blessed! 🙂

What’s Next

When i’ve finished writing this, I’ve been living for about 2 weeks in Melbourne. Again I get lots of new experiences, new friends, and new communities. I am also still trying and struggling to get a job in the field of information technology here, a challenge that is quite difficult but it seems not impossible. When the opportunity came, I also have a dream to write a book about my Working Holiday story for a year. I will doing my best again in this second year opportunity. *Please pray for me, friends 🙂

Thanks to all of my friends that I met in Darwin and Tennant Creek, i’m feel blessed to know you all.

This the end of my writing, hope you’re get inspired! “Because sharing is source of happiness” *quote from Akademi Berbagi

Sunset in Mindil Beach

Have a blessed day! 🙂

My Story in Darwin, Australia G'day mate.. finally I had time to write my story again. In this blog post, I would like to share my experience for 4 months living in the Outback Australia, Northern Territory, with its capital Darwin.

#australia #darwin #mining #northern territory #second year visa #tennant creek #working holiday

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