Our Mini Library - The New Look :)

Finally, our new mini library is up and serving.... :) Previously, we've been using another display shelves that is provided by the company for the books. However that shelves is not suitable for the kids as it has a mirror door that need to be open and close everytime they need to access the books. And one day, while Rayyan is trying to get his book,  one of the mirror fell off to the floor. Luckily, it didn't hit his foot. We got this new shelf from the IKEA store for SAR125. The kids were excited helping daddy putting up the shelf together.

Marhaba Dubai!

Happy 6th Anniversary in Dubai !

Finally, I have some free time to write and document one really amazing episode of our life here in the middle east. In May 2011, we have decided to give our 6th anniversary a bit more spice and have something different.

Being a such a wonderful Wifey and a mother to my kids, I just felt that she really deserves something special this time. This is not like a really husband n wife getaway for another honeymoon. Infact, we brought the kids along to also have a vacation. It was actually anniversary + family vacation in one nice package.

So, we set off to Dubai for 4 days 3 nights, although I know it will be not enough to cover the whole Dubai places of interest. We initially thought to also cover Abu Dhabi, but later on decided to just enjoy and focus our attention to Dubai solely. Approximately 2 weeks before the trip, we were so anxious and super excited, especially Wifey and my princess Elana.

The time finally came and off we go from Jubail, Saudi Arabia with our 3.5L Honda Odyssey, loaded with stuffs at 4am !!

I can sense that these camels were also heading towards Dubai Mall :)

Alhamdulillah, all went well and we crossed the border to UAE after about 5 hours from Jubail. Immediately after crossing the border, my wife got behind the wheels and test drive this car for the first time since November last year. Heheheheh.... She looked cool even though this is a left hand drive system. Bravo !

Now we have somebody to drive us around! Pasnih buleh aaa drive kat US eh?

Erfan singing and cheering up our journey with his endless talkative voice :)

This is Syeikh Zayed Road...love this road , 7 lanes on each side with fantastic view left and right

Sophie yang excited, waiting for daddy to check in Number One Suites Hotel, which was very close to Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Luckily we got the end lot room with magnificent view.

Some of the buildings along Syeikh Zayed Road

Dah puas berendam dalam bathtub, now it's show time !

There it is... Burj Khalifa is sooo tall to the extent that I could not fit it in my camera vertically. This reminds us about akhirul zaman... Dunia mmg dah nak kiamat dah, seperti pesan Rasulullah SAW.

Charge balik energy with fresh juice after round2 Dubai with MRT . Lana and the twins really enjoyed the MRT ride!

Too bad we were very tired and went on to the Dubai Mall , which is the largest mall on planet earth, comprising Aquarium, External Dubai Fountain with the tallest vertical dancing jet spray with music, thousands of shops and eateries, and many many more. It was really an impressive one to me. No wonder people call Dubai the shopping heaven. If you have 50000 to spend, I am sure that would still not be enough and can easily be finished sucessfully here. Mommy finally found her main interest, Louis Vuitton, Channel and belambak2 lagih gallery . We just tour the mall just for a while because everybody were exhausted due to the long journey. We decided to come back later on for the Dubai Fountain the next day.

Checked in Atlantis Palm Dubai, an integrated resort with aquarium and amazing water parks and really nice beaches. Too bad we only stayed here for a night ! This resort is located at Palm Jumeirah man made island with the shape of palm tree. 

Lana yang dah tak sabar nak main air... Mula mula macam takut , but later on she was excited. Bear in mind that the temperature was 44C at that time. :)

The kids amazed with the Altantis Aquarium fisheries. Erfan was initially scared with the giant fishes and sting rays . Finally he managed to cope with it.. Good boy !

Pancittttttt ...... after a really good splashing time at the water park. Too bad daddy had only figured out the real Ziggurat, the Fountain of Leap Faith thrill rides on the next day... Nih yang kena pergi sana balik one more time nih... :)

The Red Jelly Fish... The twins were really amazed looking at how these creatures move around in the water.

Happy Family checking out from Atlantis Palm , heading to Media Rotana Hotel in Dubai next

Daddy and the kids were waiting for the queue to climb up the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa. Sophie and Lana were very excited. It has been Lana's favourite to talk about high towers like KLCC, KL tower and other tall structure since she was a little one... That's the reason behind the excitement, I guess.

Wifey and the twins at the top of the world

We then spent the next day touring Dubai Outlet Mall, which is located slightly outside the town. Nevertheless, the deal was soooo great. Wifey grabbed so many things for her new warddrobe and we all got a pair of shoes each.

Well, the time has come for us to go back to Saudi.....Well, I must say that our heart are still there in Dubai, eventhough we had to continue our day to day life in Jubail. I even thought of living in Dubai or Abu Dhabi next, but that would be extremely expensive and too much inclined towards Duniawi :)

In summary, Alhamdulillah this trip was a really wonderful anniversary + vacation for us and before we even reach Saudi, we already had some plan for our next visit later this year , InsyaAllah :) Of course, this time I am sure Wifey will grab that Loius Vuitton that she had been aiming for ! 

Playground Equation

Observation & Derivation

Kids - Playground = Cranky

Playground- Kids = Empty

Kids + Playground = Happy

Integrate (Happy Kids)  = Parents Happy

Parents Happy = Tummy Happy

Tummy Happy = Sleeping  Comfy !

Sophie's  joyous facial expression while  enjoying the helix slide at Fanateer Park with Erfan

It's Our Twins 2nd Birthday

Happy 2nd Birthday Twins!!

Mummy and the Twins at Playground in Fanateer, Saudi

Today, 2nd July 2011 marks the 2nd birthday of our adorable miracle twins , Erfan Rayyan and Eryna Sophia.  Both are magnificent gifts from Allah to Mummy and Daddy and Lana.   I have never ever thought of having a set of twins as my children but there it is, time really flies and there are already 2 years old... Alhamdulillah..

This past one year  has really seen a dramatic changes in our life episode, including the twins.  Despite being twins, they are really two different kids with different characteristics..

My boy, Erfan Rayyan, which is my  first boy in our family (tak tau lah kalo dapat lagih sorang boy ker  tidak.... hahahha...  ) is really really manja with his mummy and daddy.  He has a beautiful set of cute and romantic  eyes that is really sweet , according to Kak Ita, a friend of mummy here..  I must admit that my relationship with Erfan has strengthens million times since we moved here to Saudi. Alhamdulillah...,kalo kat mesia dulu, dia asyik nak berkeit dgn bibik saja dia...langsung tak nak ngan daddy... I guess because daddy pon very very busy and tak serious sgt nak jaga dia sebab ader bibik kat rumah.... Well, itulah hikmahnya yang daddy realised... It is totally different when mummy stays at home compared when mummy works.... Syukur, Erfan or Boboy or  Pumpkin is a healthy and joyful kid with a big loud voice yang tak reti  dok diam.  He is the "sound system" of our family.... Bila daddy bawak kereta naik bump or pusing kat selekoh tajam, he will produce the sound effect  "woooooaaaahhh", following the turning....  Lagu nasyid Maher Zain + Raihan pon dah humming2  everytime we go out in the car. Skarang dah pandai sambung hafal surah Al kauthar and baca doa tido and selawat ke atas Rasulullah...Oh ya, he loves French Fries  and Trucks and Cars!

My little princess, Eryna Sophia is another joy to our life. She likes to draw and conteng2 like her elder sister Elana. Habis sofa and carpet di belasahnyer... hehe... She has a very powerful energetic voice when she cries (tapi pitch lower than Erfan's) .  Sangat2 lah suka mandi and main air and main bubble... Tak kisah kalo baju dia basah ker ape ker... , which is totally different behaviour from daddy... heheh.. 

She has a very cute round belly like her daddy and likes to eat intitially.... Tapi skarang dah kurang makan dah.... Sophie or "bam-bam" or honeybun  is a playful girl but with a very very serious face. A lot of people say that she follows daddy's characteristics...But once she smiles, cairrr daddy and mummy.. Unlike Erfan,  Sophie tak tahan kalo dia pooo - pooo. She wants her diapers to be cleaned immediately, pembersih like her daddy kot.. Sophie likes to play with  toys while talking  to herself... just like Elana. I guess her imagination capability is very high like Elana's. She likes SHOES..! like her mummy of course... :) ..Tapi Sophie suka mengelamunnn ....Ape yang Sophie pikir ntah... :)

Well, what can I say... I am here in Saudi this year and cannot be there with my wife and kids to celebrate their 2nd birthday. Of course, thanks to my wife + Atuk + Nenek for organizing a small family celebration for the birthday one week before daddy took off to Saudi. Really appreciate it even though the birthday cake  from "Lavender Bakery" did not meet the expectation.  Insyallah, next year let's have  ice cream cake pulak .

Elana and her Twins reading books, wearing Crowns that Mummy Made Exclusively

Time really flies and there are sooooo many things happened. The twins presence really adds sooo much joy to everyone of us in the family, especially to Elana Jasmine... She has adik two adiks to play at the same time ..! Isn't that wonderful ?  One of the key things is having Erfan to scream "Daddy" everytime daddy gets back to work.  Daddy enjoys showering the twins everyday during the evening session and not to forget  Playing horseride with daddy... Went to the playground with mummy and daddy,  Atuk + Nenek's visit to Saudi.... Cooking together with Mummy.... Went to Umrah + Ziarah together with my wife and kids ...Went to Dubai for our nice sweet and sweaty summer vacation ,  Going out to Shopping at Dhahran Mall/ Khobar almost every month and many2 more. 

The Twins Thinking About the Future , at the World's Tallest Building, Burj Khalifa Dubai.

My dearest Twins, Insyaallah, when you grow up later on and when u can read this post, (I don't know whether this website will still exist or not) , Daddy wants both of you to know that Daddy & Mummy loves you guys sooo much! Both of you are the miracles  and pure blessings from Allah to the life of  Daddy & Mummy.  Both of you must be good to Mummy and must grow to become good Khalifah Allah in this world, Insyallah. Both of you must really thank and love your Mummy for being the best mother in the world, who endured every single pain and hardships to nurture you both to be the best Khalifah dalam dunia nih yang sementara . Jasa and segala pergorbanan Mummy takkan dapat terbalas. Hormatilah ibu dan ayah kamu sentiasa.  Daddy pray that always hope that both of you will know the meaning and purpose of life and become excellent Khalifah, like what Rasulullah taught us. Daddy doakan moga kamu berdua berjaya di dunia dan di akhirat , InsyaAllah.

Happy 2nd Birthday Boboy + Bambam !! 

From Daddy with Loads of Love.

We LOVE it! Cheesecake

and the name was given by hubby. This is actually Nigella's London Cheesecake. The taste is really good and I can say that this is the best cheesecake recipe I've ever tried. Ok, not that I have tried dozens of recipe.. but this is simply delicious and not too difficult for beginner.

You can get the recipe from this link > http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/london-cheesecake-147

Bon Apetit!

MORTCO Compound, Jubail Saudi Arabia

This was the place when we first arrived Jubail. Hubby requested company housing before the rest of the family moved there. Ibn-Zahr have several housing companies that located in the royal commission (RC) areas and in the Jubail town areas. We were hoping to get one in the RC however there were all full house at that time. Instead, we were given one nearby jubail town.

This compound is located nearby several other big compounds that consisted mostly the westerners namely Golden Sand compound, Jude Village and Bajrai Garden. Our compound residents are mainly from India. I did met one South African Lady, however she is going back for good in a few weeks time when I met her.

Facilities available in the compound are gym room, tennis court, playground, hall and if im not mistaken a swimming pool (i dont have a chance to visit the pool when we were there!) When we were there weather was pretty cold and we didnt walk around that much. However ladies can walk around in the compound without wearing abaya and can even drive within the small area :)

The house is pretty small, simple rectangular shape. And you can clearly hear your neighbour's TV if it is on high volume :( Water tap supply can be salty sometime. Road entering to the compound area pretty dodgy to me and heavily guarded. You will see sort of small army tanker and men with machine gun all time guarding the area. And we are not allowed to take pictures. I guess this must be typical in the westerner compound area in saudi.

We only stayed there for about 2 months before moving to the RC sometime in Jan 2011.

Our house door

View from our unit

Big satellite dishes

My kids going to Mia's house

The Living Hall

The kitchen

Torta Alla Gianduia...

Or can also be called as ‘Nutella Cake’. When I first saw the recipe from my Nigella’s Book, I can’t resist the temptation to try out this recipe. Mainly because of the look of the cake plus the ingredients itself. Yes, I am a big fan of Nutella Spread and Hazelnut.

It turned out ok, but a bit sweet. Maybe the sweetness of the cake cake be reduced with better selection of dark chocolate I guess.  And the hazelnut was a bit overtoasted.  Should try again next time.

Our Travel Wish: Where To Go ??

We are planning to go somewhere nearby @ within middle east before going off to Malaysia this coming June. So, which will be the best destination available? Somewhere that only require us to drive as I prefer road trip nowadays compared to plane journey. I have a list of places that I wish I can visit while we are here in Saudi..... Dubai, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and list goes on :)

Given that hubby don't have that much vacation days left (saving for Malaysia's holiday) we will only able for a short and nearby trip. Now juggling between Dubai and Kuwait.... which one should we choose? One will take us around 10 hours of driving and latter merely 4 hours. But the 10 hours one offers much more exciting places and shopping venues of course! And now I'm busy doing some research and study of those 2 places..... 

Let's Picnic @ Park

As the weather is nice nowadays and given that we only have a few months left before the hot summer comes, we go to the park almost everyday after daddy comes back from work around 415pm. Maghrib pon masuk lambat sket around 6pm, so we have around 1 and half hour before dark. The kids are happiest person on earth as they can run around and play the nice playground.

Here in jubail royal commission area, there are a lot of parks with playgrounds available. We have one even walking distance from our house. However, the kids love the one in Fanateer area which is about 5 to 10 minutes driving from our place. So we go there almost everyday.

Yesterday a bit different, i cooked bihun goreng so that besides playing the playground facilities we can also picnic.

The special bihun goreng

What's that over there?

Can I have somemore?

Let's walk together ...

swing time....

Lana's Birthday Dress

Akhirnya, berjaya jugak jahit baju dress untuk lana. untuk sophia kemudian la kot :) I specially made this for her 5th birthday last 6th April. This is inspired by a friend of mine Aida. Sehari suntuk jugak la nak jahit baju nih, esoknya terus demam :P. I think supposedly i started off with sophia punya baju, takde la terkejut sangat. Nih terus size besar punya. Turned out nice but a bit short i guess. Nih size 5 tahun punya template nih. Agaknya Lana terlebih tinggi kot :)

Homemade Books

When I decided to be a fulltime mother, there are too manay things in my head that i wanted to do. Bunyinye macam lagi sibuk dari keja engineer jerk :). One of the thing that i wanted to do most is to be the best teacher to my kids. But it really needs patient and consistency I know.

One of my key goal (do I sound too technical?) is to read a lot to my kids and instill good reading habit towards them. My eldest daughter is now turn 5 this year, I hope that she will be able to read on her own before she goes to school. She is now staying at home and I plan to send her school starting next school semester which should be starting in september this year. And if she pass the assessment, she will go to Primary 1. Cepat jer dah darjah satu kat sini.

As part of Lana's reading program, I make some homemade books for her. Reason is to make her reading activity more interesting as some of the books is personally about people and things around her. Besides that, it is quite difficult to find good books around here in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. I did brought box of books and reading materials weight around 50kg from Malaysia when we came here to Jubail. I like to go this website http://www.starfall.com to find some reading materials that is suitable for her and then will get them printed.

Alhamdulillah she is now progressing well in her reading skills.

Some collection of her homemade books