Simple Birthday Card

This pattern was chosen because it looks good for both girls and boys...(It represents pink theme and purple theme). I made a ribbon using purple crepe paper instead of pink ribbon, so that it will be more outstanding out of the background paper. It is suitable for either boys or girls.

A traditional rope was used to tie the "Happy Birthday" tag and stamped it on the card. A piece of very thick double-tape was used, to make an illusion like "the tag is hanging".The white flower was glued on the purple ribbon. I made it myself by using two different ribbons (white & green) and stitched them together to make a little rose with two leaves.With this card, I joined:
1) "Challenge 20 - Patterned Paper" at http://www.amberscraftsandstuff.com/
2) "PTT#26 - Anything Goes" at http://partytimetuesdays.blogspot.com/
3) "Challenge#77 - Stitching - Faux or real" at http://kaboodledoodles.blogspot.com/

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Congrats: Alia & Oma

Happy Wedding Day : You'll make a wonderful couple....
Above: I used digital scrapbooking...using Adobe Photoshop CS

The wedding gifts & the goodies for guests....to inspire you...
These are amongst my friends who attend the Solemnization Ceremony..... It's a regret that I wasn't there because I had teaching thingy on that day.
I also got wedding goodies!!!
Yeay...my friend, Alia kept one for me...haha!
I hope it might inspire you somehow...you can also use the same type of goodies for any parties...birthday party, baby-shower...etc.


However, I have posted a wedding gift to the newly wed couple... :-)
In case you cannot attend your friend's wedding and have to mail her something, here is the idea..... it is so light (not even exceed 1 kg, can be posted via Pos Express Box =Malaysians only!

Stuff you need:
Golden yellow ribbon was used, to decorate the folded towel. I made a tiny piece of wish tag and pinned on it. To make the towel look firm and steady, I used a piece of square cardboard and put it in the towel while folding it. This kind of towel can be easily bought in any supermarkets. Simple!!!
You can try & do it yourself!!


May God bless both of you....**Credits to Miss Aimi Sheikh Ibrahim for the pictures taken

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Candy Goody...

This small candy goody was made for a friend, Faten. She was wondering how my favourite cheap chocolate would taste, and so I gave her the chocs. I don't like giving plain and boring things to people. I'll at least wrap them up or decorate them somehow....

I used this piece of....whatever it is. I cut it somewhere..hehe

Then, it was folded to be a box-like basket....then I decorated it with laces, flowers and ribbons to make it cute!
Who says cheap things can't look outstanding??!

The chocolate's brand which I'm talking about is Fun Chocolate. It's only 10 cents per chocolate....RM0.10. It is originated from Guangzhou, China. It has been re-branded here, but the taste and the packaging are still the same. It doesn't have a certified HALAL logo from JAKIM. However, it has gone through BP Healthcare Malaysia.....so insyaAllah it doesn't contain uncertain ingredients.

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Black & Gold Birthday Card

I am invited to a birthday party....the birthday-girl-to-be is my friend's niece. She's becoming 5-year-old cute girl and loves Barbie dolls so much. But her birthday party this year is not going to be 'pink world', but Black & Gold. Wow! So glamorous!
And so, I made this fancy yet simple birthday card to her. I just finished it a while ago. It was quite challenging to play with these two colours. However, I ended up with this (after so much viewing the experts' blogs)....A dress!! Yes...to represent what the girl might wear on that day.
I was using golden crepe paper to make a big flower, and used a big button on it...I love buttons very much.

And at one corner of the card, I put three golden roses...the easiest flower paper ever, and the cutest!

With this card, I joined Lace, Ribbon & Button challenge on http://paperplaychallenges.blogspot.com/ and managed to be in Top 3.

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A Homey Card

This is Hasinah's picture, I made her to be half cartoon.
I will make "Homey Card" for Hasinah, using above picture, for her belated birthday....( I will print this out). Instead of giving a birthday card, I choose to make a scrapcard which she can use it everlasting for various purpose. I've found a quote from an anonymous, about determination. I hope that this upcoming card will help her building up her spirit and be stronger to face her life onwards....as a postgraduate.
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Scrap & Roses

This picture was taken when I lead a group of students from one of universities of China (4July2011). They were visiting UiTM Malaysia. The funniest thing was, they once asked me about a name of a tree planted around here. They said, they have the same type of tree in China too.
OMG....How should I know about trees? Haha...I'm not a garderner here. But of course, I professionally answered them. Yes, I might have told some lies....about the trees!! But...well, I have to...in order to save face. I was carrying our university's name and even our country's brand, Malaysia! Cheewwwahh!!
It's fun to make roses...you should try too! They are beautiful...well, I'll improve my skill...of course.
Practices make perfect...that's what people say.

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Scrapping again!

I made this scrap card on Sunday..17/07/2011
I love scrapping very much….I normally use the leftover things I made for decorating wedding gifts and other gifts. This is a very simple scrap card I made today. All you need are colour papers, ribbons, a black paint marker and pen, a double-sided tape and accessories. Don’t forget your scissors and a glue gun! These two tools are my heart and soul….I simply cannot live without my dear glue gun and darling scissors!

This is the close-up of the simplest flower paper ever!

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Lamoni Rice & Congkak


17th July 2011 @ Penjara Kajang (Alia's aunt's house)
Yesterday became the first time ever I gave a try on Lamoni Rice....it may sound like lemons or lemonade to you...but it's nothing to do with those ingredients. Now I've realized that there are plenty of Malaysian foods out there that I've never tasted and even known about. Huh....I should read more on my own country's food, instead of other countries....Dear me!
Well, below is the sample of lamoni leaves from South-land of Peninsular Malaysia. Yes, lamoni is a name of a three....and its leaves are one of the great herbs in Malaysia...it's believed as an anti-aging herb, you know! Those who consume lamoni leaves regularly will look younger than their real age...(really??!!). Instead of consuming the leaves as a food flavour, we can also boil the lamoni leaves and use the water to bath. It can beautify your skin....haha...just believe it! To make lamoni rice, you have to blend the leaves and add it into your rice cooker while cooking the rice...that's all!
The lamoni rice can be served with sambal bilis (anchovy curry) or udang masak merah (fried prawn in sweet-spicy red curry)....
I had a chance to play congkak...this is one of Malaysian's traditional games. What a shame that this is also my first time playing it....haha. This was when I played congkak with a 6-year-old girl, Irdina. I won of course! (Haha...I cheated on the game...the girl's actually talented than me..)
Wikipedia- CONGKAK
Congkak, which is mostly played by girls, has simple rules that allow the boards to have different numbers of holes. The word congkak is believed to originate from old Malay "congak", meaning "mental calculation" which is mainly practiced in this game. It is regarded that an efficient player who mentally calculates a few steps in advance will have an advantage in collecting points to win the game.

The game ends, when a player has no seeds in his holes at the start of his turn. The remaining seeds are awarded to his opponent.

The objective of the game is to capture more seeds than one's opponent.


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Langkawi....I simply miss you!

Although this was not the first I visited Langkawi, this trip was the best ever! Thanks to Academy of Applied Language Studies UiTM Malaysia and 1 Malaysia Project & the gang for such a wonderful yet memorable trip (17 May- 20 May 2011).... This might be the last trip I've ever joined in this academy since I've completed my degree programme....(oh, how I'm gonna miss my degree-student life!)
I can still vividly feel its island breeze....
the divine pictures of its land and beach are worth to see....
where the birds and monkeys are singing and will always be...
the smell of nature seems to keep me free....
Oh, how I miss Langkawi....
I love it, seriously!


Island hopping....from island to island



Dayang Bunting Island
Beras Basah Island


It reminds me a song in Barbie: The Island Princess

"Nothing beats the brand new shore
streaming into view
after weeks upon the waves
let's feel up somewhere new
all the richest of the world
can't compare to these
golden sand and silver cloud
the fragrant island breeze
what we'll i discover next
is all the mystery
different everyday
there's so much to do and learn
and touch and hear and see
just a step away"

Langkawi.....I'll come again
*******************************

> HOBBY@Diary.Nie <
My hobby is to decorate things...& so

I've collected kilos of dead corals
at Beras Basah Island Beach
and made these....

Don't Cry (La Tahzan)


We don't cry for nothing....'cry' is a verb (action) that we know how to use it in sentences. Yes, but it should have its subject. We rarely use 'cry' to instruct or command, am I right? Have you ever asked someone, like, "Cry! Cry! Please cry now! Cry!". I haven't. If you answered yes, you are the most sengal person in this whole wide world.

Why? ...because we can't be forced to cry.

Crying comes with nature, and it is related to emotions. We often cry whenever we feel upset, sad, happy and even too angry. And so the teardrops fall, moisturizing the cheeks, finally stop at the chin....Then, one drop falls on the ground to be absorbed by the earth, to fade the agony & pain away.

But some people cry because they are too happy. Malay people say terharu (touched)...chewah!Do you cry often when you regret over something? Don't cry over the spill milk....don't cry, because it's over. (Whatever the reason is...)

Regret?? It sometimes means you lose something/someone. Worth or not, you'll decide. Yes, to cry for the deceased (who's passed away) is worthy enough, of course. Malay people say, 'don't cry in front of mayat, nanti mayat will cry too'....'don't let your teardrop fall on the mayat (face), it's a sin'. Really???!! NO....it's totally WRONG!! Even our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW once cried over his Sahabat's death (forgot who), and his teardrops fell on the Sahabat's face. Well, teardrops are not najis, are they? Tak batal air sembahyang pun......Hence, it's pure and clean. It seems a sunnah to cry over the ulamas' death and someone we truly adore/love (parents, perhaps). Yes, they are valuable....of course. But don't be too carried away. Two to three days are enough.....

Tears are too valuable to drop over some petty things. Think first before you cry; whether it worth to or not.

But, do you realize that after you cry, your eyes become more beautiful. They'll look like two sparkling stars. I tell you what, dear girls, a woman's eyes are the sword to kill a man's heart.....hehe. So, when your are out of money, go & cry in front of your father! (Now I use 'cry' to command..haha)

and for men, to cry is to sacrifice. What do you sacrifice when you cry? Yes, it kills your ego, masculinity and macho. However, in my opinion, it's not a sin for a man to cry because it shows how valuable/special the reason/person is...... Men have hearts too, don't they?

Girls keep treating men like they don't have feelings, sorry, it's nature. Women always beg for care, so they feel men must care. But remember girls, men are human beings too....born with non-stop heartbeats. Sometimes, treat men like they are women....they need care, not only to care. (Girls, I'm not suggesting you to give flowers to them....they will simply throw it. Bagai kera mendapat bunga..*no offense: I don't mean to say men are like monkeys...it's just a proverb.....tp monkey comel ape!!!)

In a nutshell, there is actually the strongest reason why we should cry for, which is 'our sins'. Indeed, Allah is ar-Rahman, the Most Compassionate, and ar-Raheem, the Most Merciful. We, human beings should always seek for HIS forgiveness and mercy so that no one would despair due to the amount of sins he may have committed. This is proven by the following verse of the Holy Quran:

"O My servants who have transgressed against their own souls, despair not of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful".

(Surah az-Zumar 39:53)