Edisi: Heh!?

Assalamualaikum. Annyeong.

Weekend passed by too fast I reckoned. I woke up this morning feeling too restless. It’s like weekend drained out my energy. 

I've been feeling a bit weary for the past few days; while trying my best ignoring things that bring nothing beneficial to my life. Putting them aside instead of dealing with them had brought me to this phase today. Too big a toll to pay for something I could avoid from the very beginning.

I can’t recall how I ended up standing at this road. Overflowing; caused by swallowing too much of this & that. I nearly vomited all those shits this morning. Alhamdulillah, a voice suddenly awakened me. I was quite surprised how I managed to force myself to suck everything up albeit the bitterness.

Just now, I was about to vent my anger when the voice appeared; warning me to calm down. And keep reminding; I wouldn't like it myself if I were to be the punching bag for something I have no idea about. For something I have no relation whatsoever. With very little energy left, I tried pulling myself together. To not do nor say something I will pretty much regret later. Too many times I’d allowed myself hurting innocent people with my nasty words. For the sake of what I called my uncontrollable anger; just to cover my guilt. Also to justify my immature action.

It only took little thing to ignite the 'not in the zone' mode considering I've been in & out the zone since last month. I succeeded before; pushing the negative feeling away. But definitely NOT today because the system seems to can not handle any longer. 

First, it's the airfare difference. Like, for real huh. Airfare difference could change my mood in an instance. Drama enough! And later a message I received from a girlfriend; made me feel even worse. I just can't think straight upon receiving her message. I tried looking for answers but to no avail. I was indeed being too emotional about it. Yet, another message I received from her late in the evening has somehow lightened me up. It took me hours to realize that the hibernation room has opened its door to us. Just that she went there a bit early than me thus explained the sudden drama. 

Insya Allah, thing will get back to its right track in no time. I pray we wouldn't spend too much time in the room. There's so many beautiful things in life need to be cherished. Phew, I am one happy lady today. I wrapped my day with a wide smile engraved in my heart. Alhamdulillah, another success in controlling my anger. Another success in managing my drama side. 

p/s Serius melampau bingai kan, mengeluh ndak tentu arah. Pening ndak tentu arah. Yang tiada² bah. Belum kau rasa hidup di Gaza tu Bie oii. Langsung ndak da kesempatan mau fikir itu ini. Sila abai perangai bertabiat bingai kau tu ah. Be grateful already!

eryantierdabdulkarim

Edisi: Jiwa Koyak

Assalamualaikum. Annyeong.

Yesterday evening, on my way back home Bunda suddenly called. First I thought she wanted me to stop by at the market to buy something. But I was no longer in my right mind the moment she told me that Cafe was gone. He was no where to be seen in the house. Seriously, whenever it comes to the Children...I could be a bit emotional. Most of the time; over emotional! Everything related to them is of priority. They ranked somewhere in the upper level. 

I can accept if the children left me due to thing that is beyond my power. For instance; death. Albeit mourning & grieving would definitely take place BUT at least I know they went to a better place. Yet, went missing is too harsh a reality for me to swallow. I couldn't sleep well; I couldn't stop my mind from imagining frightful things. Where will they be sleeping during the night, have they eaten...and if they had, what did they eat. Yadda yadda. 

After I parked my car, I immediately took out the flash light. Female driver like moi loves to prepare things for rainy days. *sempatlah kan puji diri* Bunda was already waiting for me at the parking lot. Soon after getting out from the car, she told me she saw something 'blackie' under one of the neighbor's car but she wasn't sure if it's him or not. I sacrificed my newly washed jeans; kneeled down on the wet muddy ground just for Cafe. Alhamdulillah, turned out it was really him. 

But the most painful part arrived the moment I flashed the light over his face. I trembled when I saw blood stains all over his right ear. Also his chin. Bunda took him out & held him in her arms. I can't stand seeing his confused & in-pain face. Not to mention his feeble meow. Simply heart breaking! Once inside the house, I burst into tears upon seeing the blood. Bunda asked me to hold Cafe while she cleaned him up. I was trembling for God sake. I couldn't bear to see his teary eyes! No tears of course! I ain't that drama queen lah. 

Because he can't endure the pain or perhaps he was still in shocked after falling from the second floor of the apartment unit...he pulled out his claws. And grip my hand. Firmly. I tried to calm him down but it only lasted for few seconds before he struggled to escape again. As the wounds are still new, Bunda decided to not directly touch them. She dabbed the wet tissues around the wounds & later cover them up with the antibiotics powder. Lucky we still have that at home. 

Cafe didn't sleep with me last night...so yeah, I felt a bit awkward for he is one of my most loyal bedmates apart from Cheeloh. Tried to call him from the bedroom but he ignored me. He only stayed on the bed for less than a minute before going back under the cabinet in the living room. This morning before leaving for work, I applied the powder once more. 

Honestly, I didn't quite concentrate despite being busy at the cafe. Thus I went home early. Alhamdulillah, I managed to wash the blood stains on Cafe's face. Also around his ears'. I succeeded in convincing that I was gonna cleanse him. So he lied down on my lap, willingly 'showing' his injured side to me. I did the dressing with so much ease. He no longer struggles to run away from me. After a good twenty minutes of cleansing & wiping, Cafe is back to his handsome-self. Except for his chin though. He meows every time I try to clean the area so I take it as 'not here please, it hurts...still' kinda sign from him. 

Cafe has shown signs of him recovering. He got his appetite back. And he is already sitting on his favorite spot in my room. He even took a quick nap on my chest just now. It's just a matter of time before he started running around the house again.

Bliss! I couldn't put the exact feeling in words. Above all, I thank Allah for still giving me the opportunity to take care of Cafe. Syukran Ya Rabb. 

 

From my instagram. I just don't get it, WHY this picture was being 'liked'. Seriously?

Cafe immensely enjoying the moment being pampered! 

Taken few days before the unfortunate incident. He was contemplating; whether to read the book or to apply the face mask! Aigoo.

eryantierdabdulkarim

Edisi: Old Friends

Assalamualaikum. Annyeong.

Wah sudah masuk tahun baru. Azam last year alhamdulillah ada yang berjaya aku langsaikan...tapi sebenarnya banyak lagi yang belum terlaksana. Tetttttt! Baru halfway executed, lepas tu lupa diri. Entah bila ni mau sedar diri untuk jadi lebih baik. *insaf*

Anyways, salam Maal Hijrah kepada saudara seIslamku! Moga tahun ini membawa seribu kebaikan & redha dari Nya. Lebih baik dari tahun² sebelumnya. Insya Allah. Mau selalu dapat hidayah dari Allah silalah sibukkan diri untuk dekat dengan Nya. Jangan Islam hanya pada nama...yang lain kena seiring ya Bie!

On another note. My darling besties; Dayang & Yang came down for the holiday. Dayang came with her husband while Yang came with her two heroes. Alhamdulillah despite the heavy rain on Thurs' morning, they landed safely. Dayang arrived few hours earlier than Yang. Thus she helped Yang to check-in the hotel room. 

15 Nov 2012

Ini bukan kebiasaan. Indeed it's very rare to see Adam *in white shirt* so willingly to be snapped. That Drama King of a boy is very hard to please ya. Bila dia sudah masuk air & suruh snap gambar with different poses, harus aku ndak lepas peluang.

Both heroes were beyond excited upon entering the room. Budak² kan, senang jak mau beli jiwa diorang. Lepak dalam bilik hotel pun diorang berabisan happy. Oh damn, how I miss those carefree life! 

We had dinner at Grace*Point, Sembulan on the first night. Hentam telan Korean dishes ah. Yang even said "Confused lah ada kat Sabah ke Korea sekarang ni". With the drizzling & breezy air...ada serupa feeling springlah kunun kan.

17 Nov 2012

The main point they came down to KK was for the mini reunion gathering. UiTM - Diploma in Science* batch 2000-2003. Although only few of us managed to come...we had fun catching up with everyone. Some of us had never met since we left the university. So yeah, it was indeed a great get together. Lepak², cerita². Tapi harus rugi banyak sebab ntah apa penyakit aku kelupaan mau ambil gambar. 

Meeting Sari's handsome boyfriend; Reza for the first time. She is now preganant with her second baby. Produktif sungguh kawan² gue ya.

18 Nov 2012

It's raining...and sebab malas, we had dinner at the hotel's restaurant on their last night here in KK. Jimat masa & tenaga. Tapi bazir RM di situ. Alah bukan selalu dine di hotel. Trip tourist ndak habis² kan kalau kau Bie. Once in a blue moon, harus treat sang perut something special. Walau almost everyday kot kau melantak macam ndak pernah makan kan Bie kan!

Adek & his drama. Buat bunyi rengek for less than 5secs, pastu pamer cheeky smile. Geram! Perlu tarik perhatian Ibu kan...

Macam tau² jak kan diorang akan balik early the next day. Adek terlebih pamer aksi manja sama Aunty Bibie. He requested to sit on my lap twice. Jarang² budak kecil ni mau beramah mesra sama aku. Selalu susah betul mau dekat. He has developed the comfy feeling towards me, as per Yang said. Alhamdulillah, ndak lah diorang memanjang meng-alien-kan aku. Ngeh.

12 years of friendship. We have had our own bittersweets, ups & downs. Arguments & whatnots. Yet we managed to endure every hardship; live with it & move on. Beautiful souls in my life; one of Allah's countless gifts for me. Syukran Allah!

18 Nov 2012

Yang & lil perwiras left KK early in the morning. Memang superwomen kami pagi tadi. Woke up late.  Like really late! Lucky I was awaken by the alarm sound. Kalau ndak, memang super kejadian macam aku tinggal flight tu hari akan repeat kan. Barulah betul macam Yang cakap, jangkitan penyakit si Bibie. Huhu. Pity the kids kena paksa bangun awal. Budak² bolehlah naik flight without taking their bath & berdandan sana sini. Cuba kalau yang tua bangka, harus bau tilam bagai. As to quote Dayang.

After bidding goodbye & hugskisses...I went home straight away. Sambung tidurlah kan. I spent the whole night bercerita sama minah dua orang tu. Tu pasal sampai terlajak tidur. Woke up at 10a...went to Gaya St with Bunda. Had breakfast with her. Sempat menyumbang duit lagi...reason why I hate going out in the weekend. Mesti ada jak aku membeli terbelah. Plan untuk saving terus ke laut! 

p/s Looking forward for more meet-up with them! Missing the kiddos already.

eryantierdabdulkarim

Buang Tabiat: Meroyan

Assalamualaikum. Annyeong.

Hari ni adalah hari meroyan sedunia untuk aku. Dari pagi aku rasa macam mau sepak orang. Semua pun serba ndak kena. Yes, si Err memang kaki blame circumstances kalau suddenly dia rasa macam things are not going the way she wants them to be. 

This month alone, I've met three super brilliant people in KK. Brilliant enough to not even care about the safety of others. Apa barang mau risau nyawa orang lain, kalau nyawa sendiri pun ndak dipeduli. Kan?!?!

Seriously, kalau betul rasa mau bunuh diri...baik buat tempat yang ndak da orang. Yang langsung ndak akan melibatkan orang lain. Kalau langsung tiada rasa sayang sama nyawa sendiri, silakan drive kereta tu laju² & terjun gaung. Banyak tu jalan bukit bukau sepanjang Tamparuli-Ranau. Pilih jak which cliff u like to jump off from. Ndak pun, tekan minyak berabisan & langgar lori balak yang ber-parking. Senang.

Way better a solution dari kau sibuk bertelefon while refueling. Memang tempah maut paling bingai! Ramai lagi kot orang di fuel station tu yang masih mahu hidup lama. Jadi ndak payah susah² bunuh diorang. Besar bah signboard di station tu. Dilarang Menggunakan Telefon Bimbit. No Mobile Phone. Itu pun susah kah mau faham. Ndak pandai baca, tapi simbol bergambar kan ada. Apakah perlu jadi pintar berabisan. 

Lagi haru kes pagi tadi...sioknya si Ibu ni berketawa while talking on the phone. Anak tiga orang bah di belakang. The husband was in the midst of refueling. Betul aku ndak paham! Kau ndak sayang nyawa kau, ndak palah. Tapi nyawa budak tiga orang di belakang tu? Tau cuak masa aku sound...tapi ndak kan tiap kali kau jadi bingai gitu mesti mau ada orang tegur baru kau stop?! Kan?! 

Yang attendants di fuel station pun satu hal...gila punya takut mau tegur orang bingai begitu. Kunun atas alasan; customer. Or takut kena marah. Aduyai. When life is of concern, cogan kata Customer is Always Right tu bolehlah kau buang dalam longkang ah. It is ur bloody duty to tell that brilliant customer. Kalau kena marah² or maki², senang jak. Report to ur manager. Kalau manager pun jadi tikus, make a police report then!

Rules are made by reasons. NOT to trouble us! So please; to those so-called cool people...sila berhenti jadi bingai. As I said earlier, IF u really can't wait to end ur life...do it elsewhere. Tempat yang ndak akan involve orang lain.

But again! Kalau kau pilih terjun gaung, kau still akan menyusahkan orang kot. Yalah, satu kerja pula kan mau cari mayat kau di bawah sana. Kalau kau pilih mau langgar lori balak yang ber-parking, pun satu hal juga. Kesian nanti driver lori balak tu disoal siasat ditanya itu ini. Padahal yang bingai tu kau. Sudah jadi mayat, mana boleh lagi kau bagi statement sama abang Polis kan. Paling pun nanti family kau blame driver tu.

Phew!! Pusing mana pun, life memang tetap akan involve orang lain. Sudah mati pun, masih tetap kot 'perlu' pertolongan orang lain.

Ok, sila stop mumbling Bie!

eryantierdabdulkarim

Hostel: Absolute Hostel, Paris

Assalamualaikum. Bonjour.

Ngeh mood super rajin for the time being. This was the second hostel I stayed at during my solo adventure last June. Though I stayed there for a night only, I have to say that I am fully satisfied with their service. And also the room/hostels condition. 

I chose Absolute Paris because of it's location. Through the Hostelbookers' website, I saw many good reviews the hostel received from its previous guests. And that played a big part in my decision making as well. This hostel is barely 5 mins walking distance from the Republique Metro station. And yeah, it's so easy to locate this hostel. 

As I've mentioned here; I left everything I've printed about my Paris trip in London. Because of that, I got lost...and didn't make it to the meeting point for my day-trip to Versailles. My plan was to check in at the hostel after getting back from the day-trip. Since I didn't get to join the trip, I decided to go to the hostel instead because it's the only place in Paris that I was sure of the location. The direction from the metro station to the hostel is at the back of my head. Up to this moment, I still remember vividly. 

Thanks to my weird habit! I got 'to see' the real picture on how to reach the hostel through the street view  by Google Maps. One of the many advantages of people who enjoyed daydreaming like moi. Ngek. I usually do the street view just to have that bit of an excitement in advance. Orang bilang, ambil feel! Dang!!! Enough with too long an intro already. 

Here's the direction to Absolute Hostel. 

Note: First three images below are NOT mine.

Out from the Republique station, this is the view I first saw. The picture wasn't mine. It was drizzling when I reached there, thus I didn't take any picture. Or maybe because I wasn't in the mood to. The weather was a bit gloomy; as if it understood the feeling I had at that moment. Aku sesat; sebal ok! 

Anyways, from the station...I walked straight & left the monument behind.

From the direction in the website, I shall see the Habitat store on my right side. In the live street view map, this is what I should expect. (picture above)

But when I reached near the Habitat store, this was what lied before my eyes. Roads under construction, few were blocked with Pas D'Entrée signs. From the picture that I took (picture above), there was a community service event ongoing. Hot drink & food were served for the homeless.

 I walked straight...until I saw this. Exactly as has been described in their website.

The hostel entrance is next to the coffee shop. Refer to the arrow.

The entrance!

The reception.

The hostel provides three computers at the reception area for the guests. For free! They also have free wifi internet. I can access the free service from my room; super fast connection I must say. Password is different for each floor & I received my password upon checking in. Oh, that's Han in the picture. A friendly Chinese lady who is currently studying in London. I met her at the metro station...and we went to Versailles together. Little did we know that we're staying at the same hostel & in the same room! What a coincident!

 Mine was Room No. 37 - Third Floor.

There's two bunk beds in the room when I entered. The lower bed next to the window was already occupied so I settled with the one next to the wall. Unlike the dorm I stayed at in London, this room is more or less look like a hotel room to me. Except for the bunk beds of course. The upper bed belongs to Han; my new friend. She stayed there for two nights; she was in Paris doing a research for her final year thesis.

Narrow. Typical room in Paris. That door leads to the bathroom. Attached bathroom ya, no sharing sama bilik lain. Ngeh. And the entrance door is on the right; next to the bathroom.

Shower area pun memang super kecil. Lucky the debab moi can still shower comfortably.

View from my room. Immediately my tummy played the dangdut song upon spotting the kebab cafe! Dasar perut tembolok!

I noticed the alphabetical arrangement of the keyboard is somehow different from ours. Sudah serupa orang belajar menaip aku guna keyboard tu ya.

I thank Allah for my smooth journey throughout this trip. Hostels I stayed at were never too far from halal cafes. They were like everywhere. Pasal tu balik Malaysia, I successfully gained few more kg-s. Daging jak kan ditelan. 

Syukur. For 29 €, breakfast is included. The kitchen is situated at the basement level. It's a small kitchen. Lima meja jak disediakan. Tapi super cramped if all tables were occupied. 

Told u...breakfast aku memang meriah. Kalau boleh semua yang dihidang aku sapu. Ni pun gelas jus aku excluded ya. I left immediately after I finished my breakfast...the claustrophobic moi can't stay long under such confined space. Sesak nafas. 

I hop on the HoHo bus at a stop near the hostel. And pengembaraan jelajah Paris for halfday pun bermula. Petang tu departed for Amsterdam via Thalys pula. Hence akan menyusul Amsterdam Hostel nanti. Au revoir!

eryantierdabdulkarim

Hostel: Clink 78, King Cross London

Assalamualaikum. Annyeong.

Ok, tiba² semangat membara mau update entry(ies) regarding the hostel(s) I stayed at during my 2 weeks adventure. As I said in few of my posts before, I stayed at my bestie's place in Saltley, Birmingham for a week. I went to her place the day I landed London.

Weeks before I bought my flight ticket, I was busy browsing for the cheapest hostel in London. Yalah, 1 week memang sudah confirm stay di Birmingham. Another 1 week tu yang buat aku risau bingung otak. Have to calculate all budgets needed as well. I filtered few hostels & specifically search for a female dorm. Memang intended to stay with few other girls in a room. Memang ndak mau stay hotel; sebab budget traveler kan konsep solo adventure aku ni. Aku dapat idea untuk stay di hostel ni pun sebab selalu jadi stalker blog solo travelers. 

And finally, after few weeks of decision making...Clink 78 top my list. Mula tu mau stay Generator Hostel; because the female dorm is super pink vogue habis...but there was no bed available on the date I chose. 

Paling sempoi untuk sampai hostel ni. Either guna superwalkertapaki (10 minutes) or naik double decker. Your pick. Rajin ndak jak. Bus stop memang betul² depan tangga hostel ok. Just take bus no. 63, ring the bell at the second stop from King's Cross station. Gerenti ndak kan sesat. 

Look for bus stand D in front of King's Cross departure hall...and sila rajin tengok no bus yang kau boleh naik from this stop as well. Aku sudah beli Oyster Card di Victoria Station, so aku just flash kad tu at the machine next to the bus driver. Ndak payah beli tiket bas if u have the OC.

Bus stop is situated right in front of the station. Nampak kan background gambar ialah dua tiga biji double decker tu. Memang plan untuk stay area King's Cross Station.

Reason paling kukuh is because early the next morning, I will be taking the Eurostar train to Paris from St. Pancras International; which is situated next to King's Cross station. 

How the hostel looks like from the outside. This picture was probably taken in front of the kebab cafe where I bought my dinner throughout my stay there.

Reception area. 

Upon confirmation of room I had paid the 10% deposit to secure my booking, hence I just need to pay the remaining balance during the check-in. Ouh, passport is needed as well. Bukti pengenalpastian jak kot. Great service they have here! Super friendly, super helpful, super efficient. Senang cerita, aku memang tiada problem masa checking in as well checking out. 

I made the searching to booking to paying deposit for the hostel; at HostelBookers website. Senang kerja. Mau tau pasal hostel tu, sila rajin baca reviews from previous guests. Apart from that, paling aku pentingkan is of course the location. Siap google live view ok. Kunun mau dapat feel poyo! 

Furnished & decorated with super elegant architecture. Daebak!

Room keypass. Menarik tertarik? This hostel is a youth hostel set in a 200-year old courthouse building. Hence explain the image on the pass. Handcuffs gitu.

For those who comes prior the check-in time, u can always leave ur belongings in the luggage room located at the basement, near the cafeteria. No worries, the room memang berkunci. One need a pass to enter. Pas tinggal barang dalam tu, bolehlah continue berjalan² round the city.

I bought my day-trip ticket to Windsor, Bath & Stonehenge from the Travel Shop. 

No lift available to access the deluxe girls' dorm. Sila usaha sikit untuk menapak & naik tangga. Alah bukan jauh pun.

Stayed in this oh so girly decorated room for a night only...thus memang ndak sempat beramas mesra sama dormates lain pun. Sampai dari jalan² tawaf London pun sudah malam. Only few were still awake, I managed to have a little chit chat with a Scottish & Japanese ladies while doing my packing. Excited jumpa yang sekapal sama aku. Travel solo. I went off to bed soon after I finished my packing, gue lagi cape' dong!

My first bed on my first time staying at a hostel in my first time travelling alone! Fuh!!! Pengalaman. I paid £22 per night for this private dorm. Toilets & showers are private as well. The dorm is located separately from the other rooms in the hostel. Special sikit kedudukan dia kunun. 

Because of the hostel's strategic location I decided to stay here once again; after returning from Amsterdam. Aku lambat book sebab sebelum tu sibuk mau cari hostel lain kunun; ended up the deluxe girls' dorm adalah fully booked. So I have to settled with the girls' dorm located on the same floor with the mixed dorms. Not a big problem, as long as bukan sebilik with boys. I got the bed for £18 per night. Stayed there for 4 nights. 

On  my second time there, masih dapat katil yang di tingkat atas. The first bunk bed upon entering the room. Just like my first time. Whatever lah, janji selesa. Tilam pun super empuk. Sebab katil atas, jadi aku solat duduk jak. Memang superb habislah kalau aku still solat macam biasa kan.

And hooray! The girls have their own toilet & shower...so as the boys. Oh yeah!

Siapa malas tunggu lift boleh menapak naik tangga. This is one of the staircase located in front of the dorm. Love the colors combination. 

I took my free breakfast during my second stay. Didn't take my breakfast on my first stay as I had to leave the hostel at 3am to catch my early 5am train. 

Only basic meal is provided by the hostel. So sila jangan ada hati demand lebih². Ok lah kan, hot drinks...toasts...breads...cereals. Selamat tinggal sementara to heavy breakfast; nasi lemak, fried mee etc etc! Walau hakikat sebenar, aku makan terlebih. Toasts 3-4 kepings, cereal 2 bowls. I drank the coffee, the tea too, and the juice as well. Memang perut kerbau! 

Yours Truly in the courtroom that was turned into an internet room. Di hostel ni ndak da free wifi ya. If u want to use the internet service, sila beli kad top up at the reception area. If I'm not mistaken, its £2 for every 15 minutes of usage. Because I only wanted to check-in my flight back to Malaysia, I reloaded the card with £5. Balance tu aku trip lah kunun surfed fb, update status...pastu trip pelancong bingai siap checked-in location bagai. Serius gaya bikin panas!

 

Kalau dari King's Cross station, memang super senang mau sampai hostel tu. Hop on the double decker jak. But from the hostel to the station, aku memang guna khidmat superwalkertapaki. Alkisah, ndak jumpa bus stop. Ala, it's barely a 10 minutes walk. Kalau beg berat gajah, memang berbakul jugalah sumpah seranah. Tapi best berjalan awal pagi, I have the chance to embrace the morning breeze. Paling penting, dapat cuci mata secara live. Tetttttttttt.

Overall, memang puas hati. Lokasi pun strategik. King's Cross lebih kurang macam KL Sentral. All the lines for the underground tube are connected here. On my last day, I took the tube to Heathrow Terminal 4. Adalah lebih kurang an hour of journey. Malas sudah aku fikir mau hop on hop off coach...Oyster Card still ada balance, so I thought taking the tube is of great idea. Ndak payah exchange train bagai. Memang direct journey to the airport. 

Will continue about the hostel I stayed in Paris later. Insya Allah. Kerajinan membara kunun sekarang ni. Till then! 

eryantierdabdulkarim