I rarely bake. I am not a good cook either. My first exposure to Earl Grey flavoured cake was from the Japanese Konbini (コンビニ) FamilyMart. What I had back then was a really good Earl Grey rolled cake.
I tried to find local bakers who could recreate the cake, but to no avail. Hence, I have been scrolling through Instagram, searching for easy-to-follow recipes for the cake. I found and saved a few reels. I managed to bake one today. The taste was OK. Perhaps I should find a recipe that infuses the tea flavour into the cake rather than just incorporating the tea leaves. It is because after the lemon glaze, it felt more like a lemon cake instead of a tea cake. Nevertheless, it was still delicious. I hope to send some to my MIL next week. She seems to like lemon-flavoured cake.
I am hoping to try making some cinnamon rolls or a chocolate cake in the many months to come. Maybe something in purple since BTS is coming to Kuala Lumpur in December. Baking is about precision. If you follow the steps to the dots, it is fail-proof. Sometimes, I lack patience. Which is why, for amateurs, it is best done when you have the time. It calms you down as you go through the recipe meticulously, and just let your thoughts sink into the process. As a bonus, if it turns out fine, you get to feed your family with delicious home-baked goods, which would probably cost me RM30 if I decide to buy them from a baker.
I did my baking just after I did my laundry and cleaning of one particular windowsill. The latter was on my to-do list since my last birthday. While waiting for another load to finish in the dryer, I decided to bake this cake. It took me at least a good 30 minutes for me to assemble the ingredients and go through the process. I was slightly frantic when the recipe asked for the oven to be preheated to 370. My oven only had numbers till 280. I then realised that it was in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius. Silly me.
The cake was finally done just after I had my lunch of rice with chicken curry.
Ee is now in his 3rd year at KPPN. He is doing well in his studies and extra-curricular activities. Who would have known that this seemingly quiet young lad had his hands full last year? He is a very different person at school. He shines in charisma. At home, he sloths.
What surprised me most was that he volunteered (as in sent in an application) to become an Emcee for the annual dinner. He was selected. I mean, he doesn’t really talk much at home. Always on the phone playing his game, and suddenly, he WANTS to become an emcee.
No, wait.
Another surprising thing was that he provides ‘ironing services’. As in RM3 for a shirt, and if it is a full set, the combo is priced at RM5. On average, he is able to get RM15 per week. He said, that is ‘harga satu kemalasan’. He has his eyes on another side venture already. I am not going to tell you what it is yet. But I did say to him that he has got to be kidding. I can’t believe kids would actually pay for that.
Surprises like these are ok. I hope not to hear of horrible ones.
This year, apart from his studies, he is a member of the volleyball team. That is also new. He was into badminton before. I don’t really know what made him choose ‘botam’ instead. I am sure he has other goals in mind. How time flies.
Having done Umrah makes me want to do Hajj. Or at least another Umrah when time, health and wealth permit. InsyaAllah.
After spending 4 nights in Madinah, it was time to say goodbye. Our Air Asia flight was at nearly midnight, but the hotel was very kind to keep our luggage in their storage after we checked out. Thus, we were able to spend our remaining hours until Maghrib at Masjid Nabawi, where we prayed, ate, and rested.
We arrived at the Madinah airport fairly early. Hence, we were rather calm at the check-in and security checkpoint. I felt sorry for a group of Malaysian jemaahs who had to cut the queue because their flight was on the verge of boarding. I could sense how pissed the other travellers are. To be honest, their travel agent could have done better by taking the responsibility to inform the security officer in charge. At least, an announcement could be made by the officers in order for these passengers to pass through first. I believe one of the reasons why Mr Husband hates going with travel agencies is because of accountability issues.
We brought back with us 3 bottles of Zamzam. They were priced at 12.5SR for 5 litres, limited to only 1 purchase per passport. In the flight, our family of 3 were sat with other families with smaller children. Of course, I had a non-restful flight. I really cannot sleep upright. I was ready to sprawl myself across the floor. I think I can fit. But I do not want to appear silly. Naturally, I had a headache once we landed.
Our in-flight meal was Nasi Lemak and coffee. Oh, how I missed Malaysian food so much. I do not think I can eat another biryani or shawarma for the next few months. I also missed our huge, roomy, accessible toilets and prayer rooms in Malaysia. Home sweet home.
By the time this post is up, it will have been nearly a month since I came back. The memory still lingers, and I long for those peaceful moments I experienced back then. I hope to hang on to the thought that all worldly problems are small. That they are solvable and Allah bestows upon us these problems because He loves us and wants us to become better human beings.
Everyone who has been to Madinah would utter the word, RINDU. In fact, both Mekah and Madinah taught me how to carry my worldly burden differently. The worries of my job, my family matters and others seem so small and distant. The goal there was so clear. To worship and please Allah.
The stay at Madinah would have been better if I had gone for the ziarah. Even then, the calmness in just seeking to pray 5 times at the masjid, reciting the Quran, and just resting at the masjid was enough.
Haramain Speed Train
2 adults, 1 kid: RM 662.00
We checked out of Al-Kiswah Hotel and took an Uber to the station. My husband had bought the ticket online. Once the train arrived, we boarded the designated carriage and looked for our seats. It was a 2-hour-plus ride at a speed of 300km/hour. Before this service was available, Jemaah would take the 6-hour bus ride to Madinah. The fare is of course cheaper.
We enjoyed our doughnuts, and soon enough, we arrived in Madinah. The temperature was slightly cooler compared to Mekah.
Al-Mustarah Hotel, Madinah
5D4N: RM 968.00
It is a new hotel, and we loved that it has a shuttle service. The shuttle would leave 30 minutes before prayer times. Occasionally, the shuttle was full, and visitors needed to find their own transport to the masjid.
The hotel is located near eateries as well. We did not include breakfast services with the room. Overall, it was a really comfortable stay. The hallway smells clean and fresh all the time. The sheets were crisp, and having a mini pantry to prepare our beverages was great. They even have a Netflix service in the room.
Masjid Nabawi
The beauty of Masjid Nabawi rendered me speechless. I could only pray that Allah would bestow His Mercy and Rahmat towards those who keep this place beautiful and clean for all worshippers. Finally, I get to see the majestic umbrellas, the prayer halls and sniff the smell of the masjid. Although I did not get to set foot in Raudah, the chance to just be within the grounds of it was a grateful experience.
We were very relaxed in Madinah. We joined the obligatory prayers, and we read the Quran. We ate, we shopped and we rested. Then we prayed again.
We bought souvenirs here. My daughter bought bracelets and chocolates for her friends. I did the same. We also bought Saudi snacks to bring back home. We had sips of Zamzam water in the masjid. In short, our main focus there was just to perform our ibadat.
I wish to revive the spirit of my personal ibadat in Malaysia. Slowing down in my prayer movement. Improving my Quran recitation and supplication. Perhaps polishing my Arabic. I learned it in secondary school. When everything you do is focused towards worship and pleasing Allah, indeed, I do feel that my problems back home are so small.
I can see why muslims want to return for Umrah again and again. It resets your life and thoughts. It stills your heart and programs your mind to believe that Allah is The Al-Mighty and that He loves you and will take care of you, no matter what you’re going through. Trust in His plans and at the same time strive to become a better muslim.
Our time in Madinah passed by really quickly. Soon it was time to go home. That will be the matter in my next post.
Over 14 days of holiday + umrah, I survived with 3 sets of jubah, 3 T-shirts, 1 pair of cargo pants, 1 jacket, 5 pairs of socks, 5 bras, 2 inner scarves and daily disposable underwear with pantyliner. Additionally, I brought three pairs of telekung, one bawal tudung, and one shawl.
My daughter had 5 outfit changes, including underwear, 1 jacket, 2 jubah-hijab sets, and 1 telekung.
My husband packed his own luggage, but I think he had way less. We did not use any laundry services. We washed them with our bare hands and hang it to dry in our hotel room.
The Umrah
After checking into the hotel, we walked up to Masjid al-Haram at a comfortable pace, just after 7PM. We started with the tawaf on the 1st floor. I wore tawaf socks. In my 2nd umrah, I changed it to hotel slippers, and in my 3rd umrah, I decided to just wear a clean pair of Crocs. That was the most comfortable for me.
My daughter wore croc-like shoes. A clean pair, never been worn outside. For each round of the tawaf, I made different do’as. I made them for myself, my parents, my siblings, my husband, my children, my friends/co-workers and for all the muslimin and muslimat. I also made a prayer that the cleaners and guardians of the holy land be rewarded handsomely in dunia and akhirat.
In between the tawaf rounds, we had sips of Zamzam water. On our 2nd umrah on a different day, our tawaf met the prayer time of Maghrib. So we paused tawaf to give way to our obligatory prayers and continued on. We also got to perform tawaf on the rooftop. There, I saw buggy cars lined up for Jamaahs to hire. My husband’s friend used it before and said that it took him roughly 15 to 20 minutes to complete the tawaf on the buggy.
Saie comes after tawaf. I have to admit that umrah nowadays is far more comfortable than it was before. Nowadays, the hallway is air-conditioned and beautifully lit. They even install Zamzam fountains for refreshments. Based on pictures taken many decades ago, the facility they had was far less than how it is today.
Once saie is done, we perform tahallul, and just like that, our umrah is completed. It took us approximately 1.5 to 2 hours to complete. We did not rush, as we did not want our daughter to feel too tired and burdened by the rituals. After that, we walked around the masjid to soak in the beautiful atmosphere of people worshipping.
Before this, I had thought that New York was the city that never sleeps. I was wrong. Mekah is indeed a city that never sleeps. There will always be people walking around the Kaaba 24 hours a day, and they come from all over the world. We were able to use the shuttle bus back to our hotel. My daughter had a really restful night.
For the subsequent umrah, we took the taxi to Miqat Aisyah first. A fair fee is 50SR to and fro. At Miqat Aisyah, I see some Jamaahs kissing the pillars of the mosque. I don’t really know why, but it was interesting to see. After the niyat and prayers there, we returned to Masjid al-Haram and continued our umrah.
Overall, we managed to squeeze in 3 umrahs over the 5 days we were at Mekah. I performed one on behalf of my mom, who passed away 5 years ago. It was also an incredible experience to be able to do this with my daughter. I rewarded her with 100SR for her efforts. She was delighted and spent it on gifts for her friends.
Mini thoughts during umrah
Arabic is the main language (obviously). Everyone just assumes you can speak Arabic, and the best that I could utter was probably ‘waalaikum salam’, ‘syukran’ and ‘eywa’.
The guards/soldiers may look fierce, but they are very kind and accommodating. My husband used a selfie stick to take pictures of us after tawaf. A guard spoke in a stern yet gentle manner (using Arabic) that he should keep the selfie stick in his bag. It felt like his name should be Abu Ubaidah. The guard had so much authority in his voice tone.
There were times when I forgot what doa I wanted to recite during Tawaf and Saie. I ended up saying the Asmaul-Husna and mathurat.
Drink and take back to the hotel as much Zamzam water as you like. You will miss this once you reach Madinah.
Food options are wonderful and affordable (as long as you don’t go for selera T20). The portion is also huge. Maybe we are not big eaters as well.
The toilet outside the masjid is big. It is almost the size of the mall. It has escalators going down to the toilet and wudhu area. The cubicle is slim. It also has both squat and sitting options.
A visit to Bin Dawood is a must.
Umrah is the ultimate healing method that one should go for if you are able to do so. Prayers feel so different here. The mind does not buzz frantically like it did for me back home. It felt weird to attain that peaceful feeling while I was there. Although some would say that they focused on ibadat 100% there, for me, it was more like worldly problems felt so small there. So distant. Solvable.
It is because I still have to update my HRMIS online. It is a government body platform that stores the end of the year performance reviews. But I did it calmly. I felt that there was no reason to panic. And remembering how not all people like me back home, there, it doesn’t seem to bother me at all. I was amazed that I could experience the ‘I have Allah with me all the time’ moment. That Allah will help me, and whatever He has planned for me is the best for me. Even if I do not know it yet.
I hope that all Muslims can perform umrah at least once in their lifetime. It is a priceless experience.
Minci Moss 