Rumah Tangga Bahagia

Nasihat Seorang ibu kepada anak perempuannya yang baru bernikah: 

"Wahai anakku, sekiranya tidak perlu aku memberi nasihat ini kerana pekerti yang mulia dan keturunan yang suci, maka tidak perlulah aku menasihatimu kerana engkau memiliki sifat-sifat tersebut, tetapi biarlah ia menjadi peringatan bagi mereka yang lupa dan membantu mereka yang bijak"

"Wahai anakku, sekiranya seorang wanita itu tidak perlu kepada seorang suami atas dasar kekayaan bapanya dan taggungjawabnya terhadap bapanya, maka kamu tidak akan perlu kepada seorang suami, tetapi sesungguhnya wanita itu diciptakan bagi lelaki sama sebagaimana lelaki itu diciptakan bagi wanita."

"Wahai anakku, kamu akan keluar dari rumah yang kamu membesar di dalamnya, di mana kamu pertama kali belajar melangkah, menuju ke tempat yang asing. Apabila dia menikahimu, dia telah menjadi tuanmu, maka jadilah seperti pembantunya dan dia akan menjadi pembantumu."

"Ambillah dari ku 10 sifat, yang mana akan menjadi bekal dan peringatan buatmu."

"Yang pertama dan kedua: berpuas hatilah dengan kehadirannya dan patuhilah dia kerana berasa puas hati itu akan membawa ketenteraman di hatimu dan mematuhi suamimu menjamin keredhaan tuhanmu.

"Yang ketiga dan keempat: pastikan kamu sentiasa berbau harum dan kelihatan terurus. Suamimu tidak harus melihat sesuatu yang tidak indah pada dirimu, dia tidak harus menghidu sesuatu yang tidak nyaman daripadamu. Bercelak adalah perhiasan yang terindah dan air itu adalah wangian yang terbaik.

"Yang kelima dan keenam; hidangkan makanannya pada waktunya dan jangan ganggunya tatkala dia sedang tidur kerana kelaparan itu bak api yang membakar dan mengacau rehatnya akan membangkitkan kemarahannya."

"Ketujuh dan kelapan; jagalah anak-anaknya, serta jagalah hartanya, kerana dengan menjaga hartanya menunjukkan kamu menghargainya dan menjaga anak-anaknya menunjukkan pengurusan yang baik."

"Kesembilan dan kesepuluh; usah kamu buka rahsianya dan usah kamu melanggar kata-katanya, kerana jika kamu membuka rahsianya kamu tidak akan rasa aman dari pengkhiatannya dan jika kamu melanggar kata-katanya, hatinya tidak akan senang denganmu."

"Hati-hati anakku, daripada menunjukkan kebahagianmu tatkala dia sedang bersedihan dan usah tunjukkan kemurunganmu tatkala dia sedang bergembira, kerana yang awal itu menunjukkan pemikiran yang cetek dan yang akhir itu akan membuatnya bersedih.

"Hormatilah suamimu dan pendapatnya supaya dia senang berteman dan berkomunikasi denganmu."

"Ketahuilah anakku, bahawa kamu tidak akan dapat apa yang kamu inginkan sehinggalah kamu meletakkan keinginannya sebelum keinginanmu dalam segala perkara yang kamu suka dan tidak suka. semoga Allah memilih yang terbaik untukmu dan memeliharamu."

Melancong Ke Singapura

Pernah terfikir nak melancong ke Singapura tapi tak tahu mana nak tuju? Apa yang ada di negara yang kecil ini yang tiada di Malaysia? Cuaca, budaya dan makanan lebih kurang sama sahaja antara , bahkan Malaysia lebih kaya dari segi eco-tourism. Tapi apa salahnya kalau nak bertukar angin dan melihat apa yang ada Singapura. Bak kata pepatah jauh perjalanan luas pemandangan :) 

Antara tempat-tempat yang menarik di Singapura adalah:

1) The Istana; dibuka hanya 5 kali setahun pada Hari Raya Cina, Hari Raya Puasa, Hari Buruh, Deepavali dan Hari Merdeka 

2) Universal Studios Singapore

3) Singapore Zoo

4) Night Safari

5) Fort Canning Park

6) Henderson waves

7) Hort Park

8) Airforce Museum @ 400 Airport Road

9) Little India, Tekka Market & Mustafa Centre (bagi membeli-belah bajet)

10) Geylang Serai Market, Tanjong Katong Complex dan Joo Chiat Complex (popular untuk pakaian tradisional / busana muslimah) 

11) Arab Street (kain ela) , Golden Landmark, Jalan Pisang, Haji Lane (busana muslimah)

12) Far East Plaza untuk pakaian trendy budak-budak muda yang murah

13) Orchard Road (Dari sepanjang-panjang Bugis MRT station sampailah Orchard Road MRT station, pilihlah mana satu shopping centre yang nak disinggah, semuanya sama sahaja) ala-ala KLCC dan MidValley  

14) Masjid Sultan di Arab St, Masjid Hajjah Fatimah atau Masjid Malabar berdekatan Lavender MRT Station, Masjid Haji Muhd Salleh@ Maqam Habib Noh di Palmer Road berdekatan Tanjong Pagar MRT Station

15) Gelungsur Paling Tinggi di Terminal 3 Airport jika anda mempunyai anak berusia 5 tahun ke atas. Lapangan Terbang di Singapura bukanlah sahaja tempat untuk berlepas ke negara lain, bahkan menjadi tumpuan masyarakat tempatan untuk membeli belah, menjamu selera dan beriadah pada hujung minggu bersama keluarga

16) Singapore River

17) Esplanade; untuk melihat perpustakaan awam di Singapura

18) Marine Barrage & Singapore Flyer

19) Wild Wild Wet (Permainan Air)

Henderson Wave Singapore

Tallest Slide @ T3

SingKids @ T3

Hort-Park

Marine Barrage & Singapore Flyer

Singapore-Night-Safari

Universal Studios Singapore

Kalau nak tengok sekolah agama di Singapura, boleh lah pergi ke Madrasah Al-junied Al-Islamiah (Bugis MRT Station)  atau Madrasah Al-saggof (Lavender MRT Station) tapi setakat tengok dari luar aje lah. Kalau nak tengok betapa meriahnya sekolah agama separuh masa di Singapura; di sini kita panggil madrasah masjid; bolehlah pergi ke Masjid Al-Istighfar (Pasir Ris) atau Masjid Darul Ghufran (Tampines) pada hari Sabtu. 

Kalau nak makan:

1) Nasi Lemak; cuba di Adam Road atau Changi Hawker Centre

2) Nasi Rawan; Blk 18 Bedok South atau Bedok Food Centre@Bedok Corner

3) Murtabak; Zamzam Restaurant

4) Beriani; Islamic Restaurant

5) Nasi Campur; Rumah Makan Minang, Hajjah Maimunah, Sabar Menanti

6) Turkish; Sofra Restaurant atau jalan-jalan di sekitar arab street terdapat aneka macam jenis restaurant, turkish, egyptian, moroccan dan sebagainya.

7) Western; Swensen Restaurant (lebih sedap dari Swensen Malaysia)

8) Japanese; Ramen Ten di Far East Plaza

9) Seafood or chinese; Chai Chee Seafood Restaurant

10) Mee Goreng Mama, sup tulang, mutton chop; Golden Mile Food Centre

Kalau teringin nak makan makanan hotel, bolehlah cuba:

1) Straits Kitchen @ Hyatt

2) Carousel @ Royal Plaza on Scotss

3) Asian market Cafe @ Fairmont

4) Tiffany Cafe @ Furama City Centre

Yang penting di Singapura memang terdapat banyak tempat makan, jangan lupa perhatikan logo halal MUIS dan juga sijil halal jika peniaga bukanlah orang Islam. 

Selamat Melancong!

Anda mungkin meminati:

Halal Seafood at Newton

SkyPark@MBS

Learn Arabic - Fun Videos for Kids

Yet another post to show how much time I spend on youtube daily. But, I can't help it, the videos are good and educational albeit you do need to know Arabic. If you need help in getting the subtitles or lyrices to any of the videos do post your comment and I'll be glad to help.

One beautiful day:

 Allah doesn't forget:

Vegetables / Fruits songs:

Names of Animals:

Colors Song:

Ok, I shall not post other videos, you should check out all of arabiansinbad videos on youtube, I find it quite interesting and funny.

Have fun!

Animal Videos for Kids

Hmm.. it seems that my Alif Baa Taa blog was my most popular post at my other blog www.moslemparents.blogspot.com. Therefore, I decided to post another video list blog for your reference.

This time around I'm not ranking it as it's all different videos of different animals yeah? But the songs and animations are really catchy. Enjoy!

My sons current favorite:

Mom's current favorite:

Elephants:

more elephants:

Rhino!

Toucans

Monkey:

Animal Sounds:

various animals singing "We are Family":

Iguana:

Dinosaur:

Bunnies; you gotta do the actions together with your child though for them to enjoy it:

 Ok.. I just have to put this one in though it's in arabic.. if it's any consolation the subtitles are in English :p

and this one is amusing though I haven't tested it on my kids yet.. animal names songs in arabic:

Halal Food in Japan

Decided to go to Japan Disneyland in July 2010 with my small kiddo before he turns two to take advantage of the lower fare :) My concerns were mostly the language barrier and food accessibility. Spent about a week in Tokyo, Yokohama and Hakone. All in all, halal food was easy to find in Tokyo but we survived on instant noodles, fruits, egg and bread in Hakone. Language wise; it's still easy as the rails maps are in English, and the people are very friendly, though not all can speak English, just arm yourself with an English - Japanese guide book and show them the words if they don't understand your pronunciation, you will most likely then understand their responses thru hand signals and basic english :) 

We found this website very helpful in planning our travel and eating arrangements. 

Halal Food in Japan #1 : Siddique Indian and Pakistani Restaurant in Nihonbashi

We settled for Siddique Indian and Pakistani Restaurant in Nihonbashi (ate there twice! naan was very nice, butter chicken was good and tandoori prawns was fantastic, the milk tea comes without sugar though, so you have to ask for it) The place is packed with locals during lunchtime so best to avoid that timing. (actually saw one guy perspiring eating their mild curry!) The staff are very nice, we actually called them up before arriving to ask for directions and as my husband can't really understand them over the phone, they picked us up at the nihonbashi bridge :) how great is that? Just look out for a indian guy dressed in white cook shirt and black pants; oh well if you can't recognize them, they will definitely recognize u as tourist) For a list of their restaurant chains click here.

Halal Japan #1: Siddique Rest at 2F and Vietnamese Rest at Basement

Halal Food in Japan #2: Khazana at Queen's East Shopping Centre

The next place we ate was at Khazana at Queen's Square ( alight at Minato Mirai station and just a short walk away) Minato-mirai 2-3, Queen's Square "At 3rd", B1F. Open 11am-10pm daily Contact No: 045-682-2873. Get there early to avoid the queue. It offered a buffet lunch at an affordable price. Buffet spread was normal but hey it's halal and its a buffet! So, I ate enough to last me till dinner as hubby didn't tell me he planned to check out another halal restaurant for dinner. 

Halal Japan #2 : Khazana @ Queen's East

That night, we went to World Porter's as hubby read somewhere about a halal Indonesian restaurant there, we went around in circles as there were no signs and what we found was an Indian restaurant instead; but we were not sure whether it's halal. 

We went round and round until we saw a staff dressed in kebaya, so we assumed that she was from the restaurant and asked whether it's halal, she said that the restaurant name is Surabaya, but it's not halal as they serve pork. Oh well.. I'm still full, but hubby was ravenous, so we had to settle for fruits bought at the basement supermarket. 

Halal Food in Japan #3 : Al-Ain at Stalk Tower Ohdori-Koen Bldg

We should have checked out Al-Ain instead, it's a Middle Eastern restaurant run by a Lebanese; Ziad who is a former chef at Kuwaiti Embassy. Restaurant is  at Yokohama Kannai just a few stations away from Minato Mirai. Add: Yayoicho 2-17, Stalk Tower Ohdori-Koen Bldg. B1F. [along Ohdori Koen, about 3 min. west of Isezaki Chojamachi subway station exit 6, at Yayoicho 2-chome crossing, underneath a Family Mart] Open 5:30-11pm. Contact: 045-251-6199 Closed on Monday.

Halal Japan #3: Al-Ain Restaurant

Halal Food in Japan #4: Vietnamese Restaurant at Nihonbashi

On our final day in Japan, we went back to Siddique and noticed that there is a Vietnamese restaurant at the basement, (see frst picture) checked that out but wasn't really convinced that it's halal even thought the staff said it was. So, we ate at Siddique and when we bid our farewell, we remarked in passing regarding the Vietnamese Restaurant and they said yes it's halal! Oh well, maybe next trip then :)

P/S: If you are still planning for your Japan trip and have yet to book your hotel, could you do me a favor and book through this website?  Its's Agoda and I'm an affliate. Chances are you are going through book through Agoda anyway but clicking on the link and booking through it earns me a commission and that would really help me a lot. Thanks!



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A night in Yokohama

Multi Sim Quick Number Guide

For users of Singtel, Starhub or M1 multi-sim cards, below are the numbers to set your phone as the primary phone:

Singtel Multi Sim : *141# and press call

Starhub Multi Sim: *118# and press call

M1 Multi Sim : *136# and press call

Fairmont Hotel Halal Restaurant - Asian Market Cafe

Had our buka puasa at Fairmont Hotel today..it was our first time and we had no idea where the restaurant is located so we went to the hotel's reception to ask. The lady at the counter kindly informed us that the restaurant is located on the 2nd floor and we should take the South Tower lift. What she neglected to tell us was that the lift is only for hotel in-house guests, so we had to detour back to Swissotel to take the escalator to 2nd floor. 

Once you take the escalator, just go straight ahead and you will find the Asian Market Cafe, although I feel that the signage is not prominent.

The ambience of the restaurant is very relaxed, I prefer Hyatt's Straits Kitchen decor. Food wise, they offer quite a selection with cold seafood (crabs, prawn and oyster), Japanese food (soba, a few sushi) standard fried rice, fried bee hoon, chilli crab, satay, murtabak, prata, some local vege and meat dishes, laksa and a bit of middle eastern and sudanese food thrown in. Dessert was suji cake, thai mango sticky rice, egg tarts, caramel pudding, umm ali, rice pudding, cendol, cincau and ice cream among others. Free flowing drinks was rose syrup, sugar cane and sour plum drink. Teh Tarik, tea, coffee and juices are also available ala-carte. All in all, other than the grilled squid; nothing really stands out, it's not that the food is not nice, it's just that it tasted normal, nothing outstanding or finger licking. everything taste rather mild to me. We didn't really go for seconds. 

One plus point is that prayer rooms are provided just outside the Cafe (beside the escalator; again signage a bit small) which is very convenient. Do note that you will need to take your ablution in the toilet and there is no telekung provided. 

Prayer Rooms at Fairmont Hotel Singapore; (circed in white) Male on the right; next to the escalator and Female on the left

Male Prayer Room at Fairmont Hotel Singapore

Female Prayer Room at Fairmont Hotel Singapore

Dinner costed us $120++ for two adults, which is relatively cheap to me. Overall, I prefer Asian Market Cafe over Carousel at Royal Plaza on Scotts, but it still lags behind Straits Kitchen at Hyatt. 

Chicken Pox Twice? Never!

My first son (Mikail) was infected with the chicken pox virus when he was turning two last year, I remember that it was a very trying period for me especially since my second son (Umair) was only 5 months old at that time. I was quite worried that it will pass on to him, in the end their father got it instead of Umair :p I decided to post in the facts so that other mommies will benefit from it. All these facts are from my sons PD;  Dr Sim from Pasir Ris Baby and Child.

Fact #1 Chicken pox is highly contagious but once you have gotten it, you can not get chicken pox twice. This is because the virus doesn't mutate unlike the flu virus, so once you are exposed to the virus and achieved immunity against it, it is for life. The flu virus on the other hand mutates with time, and that is why we always get the flu and can never achieve total immunity against it. New vaccines are always needed for the flu virus but for the chicken pox virus, the vaccine is always the same and the virus stays the same. You may be able to get infected by other viruses similar to chicken pox for example the shingles, but you will not get chicken pox twice.

Fact #2 The Mumps, Measles and Rubella (MMR vaccine) that is compulsory for toddlers in Singapore does not protect against chicken pox, for that you need the extra vaccine "Varicella" hence take MMRV instead. However, this does not mean that your kid will have total protection against chicken pox if vaccinated, there will still be a chance he can get it, but if he does get it, the outbreak will be milder.

Fact #3 If someone in the house is showing symptoms of chicken pox and you isolate that person immediately  in hope that it will not spread.. that's just in vain.. as that person is already infectious 3 days before the symptoms appear. (tiny blisters filled with fluid all over the body, face, back, stomach and pelvis is where they generally appear first)

Fact #4 Chicken Pox virus hibernate in the body for around 2 weeks before showing symptoms. So, if you are thinking "phew.. luckily I separated my son from that boy fast." Don't breathe that sigh of relief yet.. Wait for another 2 weeks to see whether he is or not infected. 

Fact #5 Babies up to 6 months can inherit their mother's antibodies, if mommy has gotten chicken pox before, especially if you are breastfeeding :) but after 6 months the antibodies wear off, hence the need for vaccine.

You can not get chicken pox twice. This is because the virus doesn't mutate unlike the flu virus, so once you are exposed to the virus and achieved immunity against it, it is for life. The flu virus on the other hand mutates with time, and that is why we always get the flu and can never achieve total immunity against it. New vaccines are always needed for the flu virus but for the chicken pox virus, the vaccine is always the same and the virus stays the same. You may be able to get infected by other viruses similar to chicken pox for example the shingles, but you will not get chicken pox twice.

Ok, to illustrate fact #4 and #5 further, let me explain how it was in my situation. 

I was on holiday at my mom's in Singapore, let's just say on Monday and my son was pretty excited meeting up with his cousin (who was also sleeping over at my mom's) and played with him the whole day. The next day, the cousin displayed symptoms of chicken pox, his mom immediately isolates him and took him out of the house by evening and I went back to KL with my son on the 5th day (note: there was no contact between them starting from symptom day) 2 weeks later; My son and I came back to Singapore, thinking everything's clear... when lo and behold.. the very next day that I arrived in Singapore, his symptoms appear. Two weeks after that? My husband's symptoms appear.. you can imagine how tiring it was taking care of chicken pox infected persons one after another.. well my son was still a better patient than my husband though, he wouldn't stop picking on his pox even when scolded. Of course, now he is scarred.. Good news is, my second son didn't get it :) phew.. if not, it would have been 6 weeks of caring for the sick ones.

In retrospect, had I known all the facts, I wouldn't have bothered going back to KL. I would have saved my money, time and effort and wouldn't have infected my husband :p

Mommies, if your kids have the pox, here are some of my tips:

1. Let them play in water, as water makes it less itchy,
2. Put calamine lotion all over the body to prevent scratching
3. Expect fever as the body fights the infection, (that means less sleep for you mommies)
4. Do not pick on the blisters as the fluid is infectious. Wait until the blisters has totally crusted over, if you pick on it too soon, you risk other infections to your son as the skin is like an open wound and can attract any kind of bacteria in the air. 

Children with chicken pox, generally doesn't feel sick except for itchiness and when the fever hits them (which is usually at night) so, prepare lots of toys and indoor activities for them so that they don't feel bored. Jigsaws, coloring books, balloons, story books, building blocks etc etc. 

Hope the above helps. 

Renewing My Singapore Passport

With 6 months to go to my passport's expiry date, I was advised to renew my passport as most countries will not allow entry with less than 6 months passport validity. So, not wanting to cramp any impromptu travel plans, I sought to renew my Singapore passport. 

I had a few options:

1. Go to the Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) at Lavender (besides Lavender MRT station)  to renew my passport over the counter at a slightly higher price (around $80) and longer waiting time (depending on crowd)
2. Fill up the passport renewal application form, attach a passport photo and drop the form at the deposit box at ICA or post it to ICA with a lower charge (around $70) payment is either by credit card (particulars to be completed in the application form) or by nets at the ICA itself. 
3. Renew my passport online thru the Application for Passport On-line Electronic System (APPLES) at www.ica.gov.sg at an even lower price ( I heard its around $60++ but am not really sure) but to do this, I would need a digital passport photo and a debit/credit card. 

The third option is the cheapest and the least of hassle and would have been choice had I not left my digital camera in KL (I didn't know that you can use mobile phone cameras too -hmm-)

So, what I did was I went to ICA to get my photo taken, so that I can go ahead with option 2. Since the passport booth at level 2 had quite a queue, I went to the level 4..big mistake.. less queue and slightly cheaper  ($5 instead of $5.35) but photo didn't turn out to my liking. 

Since my passport is going to last 5 years, and the customs are going to look at it.. I went back to the second floor "Yishun Broadway" Passport Photo Booth. It seems, I shouldn't have bothered too much about the queue cos the had 3 people manning the booths as opposed to 1 person at level 4, and.. this is what I like most about "Yishun Broadway", they even offer the APPLES services at a small fee, so they snap your photo and send it electronically to their other booth across the hall where another staff will help key in your passport details online without you queueing at the ICA passport renewal counters! All in fee together with the photo was $76, I find it to be fast and quite convenient. You do need to bring along your current passport and IC for verification purposes though) The only gripe I have is that they only accept cash, so I had to walk back to Lavender MRT to withdraw some cash.

Passport collection is around 4 working days at ICA Singapore (best to make an appointment first through https://eappointment.ica.gov.sg/ibook/index.do ) or you can also arrange to collect at one of the 30 Singpost near you at a small fee, it will take about 3 working days after you book an appointment with ICA.

The selected Singpost are :

Geographical Location Post Office Central Bukit Merah Central, Change Alley, Chinatown Point, Crawford, Orchard, Tanglin,Tanjong Pagar, Thomson, Toa Payoh Central West Bukit Batok Central, Bukit Timah, Choa Chu Kang Central, Clementi Central, Ghim Moh Estate, Jurong Point, Jurong West, IMM East Bedok Central, Hougang Central, SingPost Centre, Marine Parade, Tampines Central, Pasir Ris Central North, North-West, North-East Ang Mo Kio Central, Yishun, SunPlaza, Woodlands Central, Bukit Panjang, Sengkang Central, Serangoon Central

Cheers to Singapore and good service :)

You may want to read Singapore Passport Number and Passport Photo Dimension here

Tips for Flying With Young Children

Mothers of small kids all know too well how tiresome it can be travelling with small children especially since they can't sit still when it is required. And my heart always go out to the parents of kids screaming or crying in planes or trains.

To make sure that the travel is fun for the kids and stress free for us, below are suggested items to bring when travelling with kids.

1. Enough diapers, wipes, plastic bag ( for putting in soiled diapers when the rubbish bins are not accessible) a small towel (for wiping vomit etc)  and tissue papers 
2. a change of clothes - absolutely essential if your kids have a tendency to puke after running around like mine or like to mess about with food
3. milk powder, 1-2 small drink, some easy to eat milk chocolates / pastilles / baby biscuits, the latter is more for travelling in planes during take offs or landing to ease their ear pressure as eating or drinking will get them to swallow their saliva. If your baby is too small to eat, you can give him some honey water to alleviate the ear pressure.
4. Ipod/laptop/dvd player with their favorite videos enough to last the journey (be sure to charge the appliances the night before travelling)
5. other activities to distract them during take off and landings as these require them to sit still in their seat and no electrical devices are allowed. My fave activities are:

• sticker books especially with animals and alphabets (pick ones which your kid is interested in)
• a small notebook and a few markers
• a lift the flap storybook or activity book with magnets  
• puzzles - cubed ones are great as they have a few different puzzles that your kids can play.
• hand puppets or small soft toy

My sons fave magnetic book: Funny Monsters by Top That Publishing 

Billy the Bear By Top That Publishing  (available at Singapore Popular Bookstores)

Pack everything in a lightweight backpack and stow it under the seat for easy access. Make sure that it isn't too heavy for you! 

Happy Travelling!