A Little Bit of Me

Engagement 26.12.2009

2009-12-29T15:46:00.009+08:00

Hihi... Sorry ya, terlambat upload. I suppose I don't need to say much, because pictures tell more stories that words ^_^

The pictures here are taken from the official photographer's camera (a few), Hakim's family camera and mine... I am still waiting for my sticky album.

Alhamdulillah... So happy. I tengah berehat this week before I pulun for our wedding, which will be insyaAllah in April 2010 ^_^

Wheeeee!!!

Yes, my face nampak sangat bulat & tudung tak berapa kemas. Haih... I thought the dry cleaner will fix it. So Kak Awin (the make up artist: www.seindahwajah.com) had to lipat tudung tu ke atas sikit so that kedut tu tak nampak sangat. But muka I pun bulat la. Uhuhu... But, you know what, I was so overwhelmed by the camera flashes (ahaha, macam celebrity pulak. Poyo!) that I really couldn't care less about how my tudung was. I was just too happy to be engaged and that the majlis went smoothly. I think that was more important (Well, sort of :-P).

Enjoy!

Berdebar-debar nak sarung cincin...

I was overwhelmed by the flashes of camera. Banyak!

Hakim's mum dah sarungkan cincin. Aminnn..

With my sweet future MIL and my lovely mum

Hakim and his father joined in.

Happy faces (Fuh... Finally)

With some friends who came, thank you ladies!

Hakim, myself and my bestest friend, Muni... She came the earliest on my engagement day and honestly, chatting to her helped me to calm down. Thanks love!

May I introduce my fiance', Hakim...

Mama and Mak Ngah (on my mum's right) with Hakim's mum and relatives.

And two lovely photos from my photographer ^_^

New Profile Photo

2009-12-24T00:09:00.003+08:00

I am thinking of putting a new profile photo for my little blog. Tapi tak tahu yang mana satu. So here are the finalist:-

1. 2006 - My cousin's wedding

2. 2006 - Hakim & I first adventurous date (Pergi Chester Zoo. Hihi)

3. 2008 - Inside the Merseyral with Mum & Hakim on our way to Llandudno, Wales

4. 2008 - Graduation photo

Hurm... Yang mana satu yer? I tell you what, kalau any of my engagement photo turn out cantik nanti I will put that one. Hihihi...

My Preparations ^_^

2009-12-23T23:38:00.003+08:00

TWO more days to go to our engagement, yezza.... I am sure that all of you do the same as I do - MESTI ada checklist. Kalau tak, cannot keep track of the things yang kena complete kan. Huhuhu... So let's see what have I done so far:-

1. Kemas rumah - CHECK
2. Edarkan map to Hakim, friends, photographer (Kak Fad), makeup artist (Kak Awin: www.seindahwajah.com) and Astana Kristal for mini pelamin (astanakristal.blogspot.com) - CHECK
3. Gilapkan silverware and brass for hantaran decoration - CHECK
4. Buy fresh flowers for hantaran - NOT CHECK
5. Facial - NOT CHECK (tomorrow)
6. Manicure and Pedicure - NOT CHECK (tomorrow)
7. Get chocolate door gifts and hantaran - NOT CHECK (tomorrow)
8. Get cake from Abah - NOT CHECK (Friday)
9. Get baju tunang, tudung and selendang from dry cleaners - CHECK
10. Send invitations to Imam and neighbours - CHECK
11. Get curtains - NOT CHECK (tomorrow)
12. Hantar all the hantaran items - NOT CHECK (Friday, final)
13. Get dulang & lapik dulang for hantaran - NOT CHECK (tomorrow)

InsyaAllah, by Saturday most thing will be ready.

Ya Allah, aku memohon padaMu agar Engkau melancarkan segala urusanku dan majlis pertunanganku. Izinkanlah agar semua persediaan lengkap dengan baik dan majlis berjalan dengan sempurna. Berikanlah cuaca yang cerah pada hari majlis ini. Dan rahmatilah kesemua tetamu dan ahli keluargaku yang hadir pada majlis ini.

Amin amin, ya Rabbal A'lamin...

My Office

2009-12-15T15:53:00.003+08:00

Ehehehehe…

Akhirnya, I have my own place at my work place. ^_^

Ok, I suppose you don’t know what I really do. I graduated from Liverpool John Moores University in July 2008 and came home (Shah Alam, Malaysia) not long after that. With my degree, to practice as a pharmacist, I underwent a period as a Provisionally Registered Pharmacist (PRP). Sort of housemanship la. Alhamdulillah, in November 2008, I landed on a job in Petaling Jaya, di National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau (Biro Pengawalan Farmaseutikal Kebangsaan) – website: http://www.bpfk.gov.my/. It is a regulatory body for all pharmaceutical, traditional medicines and cosmetic products.

In my workplace, ada 5 departments/units. So, for the past year I dah merantau from one units to another. I never really had a proper desk to do work (actually, all of the PRPs don’t have a proper place to work. Tumpang meja orang or the library). But that never stopped us from working anyway, Cuma tak seronok la kan. So alhamdulillah, now my ‘housemanship’ is done and I am now a Fully Registered Pharmacist (FRP) and ditempatkan di Unit Farmakologi/Toksikologi di bawah Pusat Kawalan Kualiti. And the best part is – I have a proper desk! ^_^

My office is inside a lab. And the lab specifically perform tests for injectables such as vaccines, insulin etc. So memang lab ni sejuk gillllerrrrr. Below 16 degrees la! So in addition to the other stuff I have to bring (like coffee mug, a mirror and more stationeries) I have to bring a damn good cardigan and body lotion to keep my skin from drying in the super extreme chill!

Here’s a preview:-

Mudah-mudahan dengan kemudahan ini, I will become an excellent pharmacist, dan kerja-kerja yang I buat akan diberkati. Aminnnnn….

Spoilt for choices (Edited)

2009-12-09T21:46:00.007+08:00

[I have added one more pelamin picture that I suka sangat! (-Dina Halim)]

I am not sure if having too many options (and all are good ones) is actually a good thing or not. Almost everyday, I browse so many websites, look at so many pictures, read so many comments etc about wedding preparations. From wedding dresses, to make-up artists, to photographers and wedding decorators. Sampai semalam, I actually pening kepala (like, literally) sebab tengok terlampau banyak pilihan. Haih...

But anyway, I have made a shortlist of the people/companies that I like and am considering for each categories:-

Wedding dress :

For nikah, it is not a problem. I have my own material (kain french lace) that I bought from Bandung. And as it is for nikah, I will tempah baju kurung modern (yang singkat tu) dengan kain kembang sikit (Mak Teh I panggil kain goday - betul kot spelling!). Then have it beaded, but not too heavily.

Taken from Arma Wedding Couture

The problem is for reception! I also have kain for this, but the BIG problem is, masa kat Bandung tu, I beli cukup2 4 meter. Mana cukup nak buat train! (Sikit jer train nye). Nak pergi ke Bandung balik, macam problem la pulak kan. So kalau nak tambah, takkan nak tambah dengan kain plain jer? Itu pun kalau dapat jumpa kain yang exact match to the lining. Uhuhuhuhuhu...

And I have checked out Butik Udaimatunnur and I fell in love with this wedding dress yang sangat sangat sangatlah gorgeous. Uhuhuhu... It is very very new, baru seorang sahaja yang nak pakai this weekend (lukcy girl!). But the thing is - It is white! And my theme colour is purple. So the option is... Is that the bride and groom pakai baju putih and all the family members pakai baju purple. Okay tak? Plus, the tudung is very nice and apparently, Mr Ismail (the designer) can help my face look less bulat. Ehehe.. Penting tuh.

How do I de-round this? Huhuhu

So, second option is to tempah. I have got some really good tailors who can jahit baju kahwin. Not tailor yang jahit baju kerja tu, ni memang tailor jahit baju kahwin. But... I don't really have an idea of how I want it to be. I nak dress, tapi I nak nampak ciri-ciri tradisionalnyer. Adeh... So nak combine dua2 ker?

The Lovely Traditional Kebaya

The Gorgeous Modern (Contoh moden je tau! Nauzubillah I pakai macam ni. Uhuhu!)

Kalau nak combing dua2, I will need ideas. So for this, I think a designer will be a good option. But actually, dalam hatiku ini ada juga rasa risau, will the design really suit me?

Uhuhuhu...

Photographers:

- Candid Syndrome
- photoaura (Aween Rashdan)
- Wow Photography @ Hafiz Ismail / Faris Fakri
- Pretty Peektures
- mycutemoment

So... What do I really look for in photographer?
1. Obviously, quality. I love candid photos, of me, my hubby (masa tu la!) and my family and mertua and ipar. I tak nak amek banyak sangat gambar guests, unless I know them.
2. Candid & capture of the moment - like bila I rasa happy, terharu, perasaan my mum and sis, perasaan my hubby to be, semua lah. So that by looking at the pictures... We can live it all again, kan kan sayang? ^_^
3. Communication - The photographer must be able to communicate and tolerate us well. Tak berkira pasal masa atau duit sangat. Open minded, cool and funny. Tak stress and understanding.
4. Hasilnyer - What do I get for the money I am investing - berapa keping gambar, what type of album - storybook? sticky ones? picture frame?
5. Harga - money money money. Need I say more?!

Pelamin:

Well, since that I am opting for either Udaimatunnur or designer or tailor, maknanya I kena sewa pelamin separately. And I have seen some lovely pelamins. And because I nak ambil pelamin asing2, harganya agak mahal.... Uhuhuhu... I think I have made an entry about pelamins, but some that I really like are from:-

- buymebridal.blogspot.com
- Zaifie Zainal
- Dina Halim

- Puteris
- Arma Couture (but I think this one is wayyyy out of my budget)
- Astana Kristal

I also hope they will have arch as part of their service (kalau free lagi bagus, hehehe..)

Make-up Artist:

- Udaimatunnur ada makeup artistnyer sendiri
- Kak Awin - www.seindahwajah.com
- Emma Pesona - www. emmapesona.com
- Zaifie Zainal
- Dina Halin pun ada makeup artistnyer sendiri

Wedding Decorator and Caterer:

Hm... Having a wedding decorator for the dewan is pretty... Membazir. I hate to say this, but it is true. HOWEVER, a lovely wedding venue makes the whole wedding complete! But hiring wedding decorator is a lot of money. So I am hoping that my caterer of choice will offer this service. Caterer tersangat, sangat, sangat penting sebab tetamu memang akan puji makanan. Tak kira la betapa lawanya pelamin atau panjangnya train pengantin atau handsomnyer the groom, if the food sucks, the wedding event is not a successful one. Huhuhu... I hope the caterer of choice will offer:-

1. Superbly excellente food yang bersih and tak berkira pasal harga and amount of food and friendly service
2. Tablecloth (clean and tidy)
3. Chair covers with ribbons
4. Meja pengantin yang lawa
5. Pelayan yang berhemah
6. Red carpet
7. Fast service (i.e. cepat dapat pinggan & cawan bersih, cepat refill semula makanan, cepat refill air basuh tangan etc)

Caterer is where most of the money will go to anyway. Jadi sepatut-patutnya, inilah yang patut dicerewetkan.

Jadi... Itulah al kisahnya... Kenapa lately I senang pening. I am not sure if I am making this complicated, but my honey, my mother and a good friend at work told me that - it is good for me to be particular about things for the wedding, but jangan terlampau banyak. Because it will never ever be sorted.

Haih...

Majlis Pertunangan ku...

2009-11-25T11:05:00.005+08:00

My engagement is exactly 30 days from today!!!

My engangement check list:-

1. Baju I dah ada (I so love it!), thank you Hanis... Alhamdulillah... CHECK

2. Door gift pun dah order, tapi tak tahu lagi camner nak decorate. HALF CHECK

3. Photographer pun ada. So okay, that is sorted. Thank you Kak Fad... CHECK

4. Hantaran - erm... Guna fresh flower so memang kena buat a few days before tunang. The stuff are mostly food so I am not too concern about it. My aunt (Lovely Mak Ngah) is helping me out with the ribbons and dulang etc... Terima kasih Mak Ngah... ^_^. But she is not well at the moment, so I really want her to rest well and recover. Itu yang paling penting sekali... p/s: I hope you enjoy the pau I bought for you yesterday... NOT CHECK BUT OK

5. Tudung - insyaAllah no problem. Nak pakai veil ker? Huhu... Or should I save veil for the big day? Tapi belum cari pun lagi... I want chiffon tudung with awning yang ada beads/batu... Pernah try Ariani. But because my face is quite round... (actually, not quite. It is round!) and bila pakai Ariani macam lagi bulat pulak. So... Nak tempah ke? Hanis recommended some names yesterday... NOT CHECK

6. Makeup artist - arghhhh!!! I dah try contact one that I like (Sentuhan Derina) but she is occupied on my engagement date. So I am going to try a few more... From the photos, memang ramai yang talented. But then again, mostly nampak agak tak natural. I don't want to look like so heavily made-up, I want my own skin colour to show, not pink or white. Eye make up, I want smokey, but purple - not entirely black. SO NOT CHECK!

7. Manicure, pedicure - 2 days before - NOT BOOKED YET

8. Facial, spa - the weekend before - dah book appointment CHECK

9. Kemas rumah... Penting tu. Kena ambil cuti 3 days before engagement. APPLY FOR CUTI NOT CHECK YET (Boss outstation)

10. Guest lists - 60 from my family + 30 from Hakim's family + 20 neighbours and friends. HALF CHECK

11. Caterer - sorted. yums yums. CHECK

12. Khemah - belum call tapi okay kut. My uncle kata dia kenal orang. Hehehe... NOT CHECK BUT OK

13. Doa sentiasa supaya majlis berjalan lancar...

Wish me luck everyone!!

Why I love doing my bizzz

2009-11-21T22:21:00.006+08:00

Reasons why I love doing my biz:-

1. Dapat jalan-jalan before and after meeting clients. A real breather!

2. The happy look on my clients' face when they see and feel the changes after wearing Premium Beautiful. It's a real 'job' satisfaction...

3. Make money while having fun. Honestly, how many of us are doing that? Day in day out at work, so mundane and monotonous? Why the trouble?

4. I get to meet and interact with new people. Getting to know and making connections with my clients - simply interesting! Buat kawan-kawan baru!

A very lovely client @ new friend even gave me a very nice tudung as a gift... Awh... Really, thank you so much Sis! ^_^ I doakan yang terbaik for you...

I like this tudung because it is not too big, love the colours and patterns - and more importantly, tak jarang. Hehehe...

Today - 21.11.2009

2009-11-21T21:11:00.002+08:00

Today, ada two very important occasion:-

1. It is my Hakim 26th birthday and it is the first time that we celebrate together in Malaysia. I still remember the first time I gave him a card for his birthday... We were still friends back then, good friends.... He accompanied me through rough times when I was in Liverpool, and he always stayed by my side ever since... I am very lucky. Anyway, Hakim was so happy to get that birthday card surprised from me! It really was just a birthday card, but he said "It's the thought that count" and that he really did not expect it from me. He told me that, after he read the card, he drew a caricature of me... I really love it... Awh... Berbunga-bunga hatiku bila teringat masa tu... Hihi...

Hakim's caricature of me in white turtle neck and my red trainers. Wish I was skinny like that tho. Ehehehe...

Anyway, Hakim (baby)... No birthday wish or gift can be enough for a really wonderful man like you... ^_^ But I hope you like my present!

2. The second occasion today is - Hakim and I attended kursus pra perkahwinan. Hehehe... Inevitably, we celebrated Hakim's birthday in in Pejabat Agama Islam Daerah, where boys and girls were separated, including masa lunch time. Huhuhu.. Sorry yer Abang. Mesti you fikir, ish.. Tak ada hari lain ke nak pergi kursus kahwin? :-P

Although isi kandungan kursus kahwin tadi banyak disulami dengan remarks and lawak-lawak lucah, but I learnt quite a lot from it. In fact, I have to compliment on the catering and how punctual and smooth the kursus was. Tapi kerusinyer kurang selesa and my shoulder is aching from sitting there... Huhuhu...

Actually, we planned to have cake together tomorrow after the second/last day of the kursus... Can't wait!

Let's Get Rich!

2009-11-09T16:00:00.003+08:00

Do you have a dream for your wedding but you it's just too expensive?

Would you like to perform Haj or Umrah but cannot afford it?

Do you wish you can give more to your parents, children and partners?

Do you wish that you can shop and shop without worrying about your bank balance?

Do you want to BREAK AWAY from debts and credit card?!

If YES to any of this, I can help you!

All that you need to do is to CONTACT ME:
YM or email me: nur_azra@yahoo.com
Add me on Facebook too! ^_^v

Customer Testimonial

2009-11-07T08:08:00.006+08:00

Alhamdulillah.... I am always ever so happy for those who've tried Premium Beautiful and feel amazing changes!

Kak S, Accounting Executive, Shah Alam

Before PB

Bust = 107.5 cm
Under Bust = 97 cm
Waist = 94 cm
Hips = 115 cm

Immediately after pakai PB

Bust = 107.5 cm
Under Bust = 94 cm (3 cm smaller!)
Waist = 87.5 cm (9.5 cm smaller! WOW!)
Hips = 113 cm (2 cm smaller!)

Kak S's text:

"Semalam pakai sangat best sebab pinggang tak lenguh" - She had back pain due to perioud at that time. I am so happy for her!

YOU CAN HAVE THAT AMAZING CHANGE TOO!
email/YM me: nur_azra@yahoo.com
Add me on Facebook too!

My Weight Loss Attempts

2009-11-05T15:59:00.005+08:00

Okay lah, I am not that thin. I have an average body size. My height is 154 cm and weight, well, 54 kg (on good days) to 56 kg (usually when I have PMS, you know, water retention :-P). Therefore, my BMI is around 22, which is healthy (BMI of 18-25 is ideal). But dulu I pernah overweight, berat I yang maksimum ialah 70 kg, so masa tu BMI 29! Huhuhu...

Ni masa berat badan 65 kg and above la..

Okay, masa I overweight tu, I penuh dengan rasa rendah diri. Susah nak cari baju, I constantly rasa sedih bila orang tegur “Kenapa ko ni tak kurus2 lagi yer?”. Kena panggil tong deram la dsbg. Siapa yang suka kan. I memang tembam dari kecil, kononnya baby fat la… So, just like others, I looked for solutions. I oergi ke gym, ada personal trainer. Went on so many diet programs, like Tesco diet (all involved Tesco product specifically planned for me! Huhu…), I was always of SparkPeople website reading inspirational stories and get diet tips, I went to gym regularly and had a personal trainer. I went to two different gyms, joined the classes like Body Pump, StepNDance, BLT (Bum, Legs and Thigh), Salsa. On top of that, I pernah minum Herbalife, makan diet pills (like Adios), pakai Hoodia patch. Huhuhu… Apa2 jer lah yang you boleh fikir. I even considered surgery! Boleh tak?!!!!! Tapi duit pun tak banyak and tak suka darah and pisau and stitches pun… Huhuhu!

So with that, I feel that I have a fair share of experience pasal nak kuruskan badan ni. Dalam masa 3 tahun, Alhamdulillah, I managed to lose the excess weight and achieve my ideal weight. Kiranya, sekarang ni nak maintain, tapi kalau boleh memang I nak lose more. But not to the extent sampai skinny. I like a bit of muffin on my hips and a bit of love handle, ada good shape. Memang ramai nak body macam the catwalk models, but we all know that it is not healthy. But, in the end, itu masing-masing la kan. As far as I know, curvy is more attractive than skinny. Men prefer women with curves. Bukannya kita kena cantik for the all men, but for our husbands (and mine in the future), we must try to… Yang paling penting, looking good for yourself!

Exercise and diet really did work. But of course, the weight that I carried memang dari I kecik tau! Memang accumulation of fat, carbohydrate, sugar etc dari kecik lagi. So imagine la, betapa banyaknyer effort yang I kena buat. Masa tu, I dekat UK where diet food, were not cheap food. I switched from white rice to brown rice (kurang kanji), I didn’t eat white bread, only wholemeal. I stopped using palm oil for cooking but olive oil. Most of my portion were fish and vege. Fish, in the UK weren’t cheap. And vege too, sebab nak variety kan makanan, so belila sayur & buah-buah yang mahal2 sikit like pepper (or capsicum), asparagus, I don’t really like apples, so I beli exotic fruit in UK like mangoes, buah delima and such. So imagine la, semua2 tu, memang mahal. On top of that, I pergi ke gym. I went to Green’s gym (which was fantastic!) and also Executive Fitness. Both of them cost GBP 35 per month, and the contract went for a year. Back then, I was a student. So bila penat, ada kelas, ada assignment, I tak de masa nak pergi. In the end, agak membazir jugak cause I didn’t make full use of it. Dengan duit scholarship I, I actually struggled to diet (as in, financially).

Masa tu juga, I makan Adios, which is a supplement for weight loss. Beli kat Boots pharmacy. Dalam satu packaging tu ada 30 tablets, and sehari kena makan 3 kali. And satu packet tu harga nya GBP 29.90 and only lasted 10 days! Sama juga dengan Hoodia patch, I used to buy from Holland and Barrets. Tak ingat berapa harga exactnyer, but yang pasti, I agak pokai la masa diet2 tu.

Then, I tried Herbalife (together with diet & exercise). Since that, this is a sensitive issue, I might as well clarify that what I wrote below is a fair opinion that I have. I am only telling what I feel, not trying to memburukkan atau influence anybody ok?

I was introduced to Herbalife when I was in England. I was desperate to lose weight so I searched online and came across one Weight Management Advisor named Kelly. We contacted by telephone, I have never met her before. After consuming Herbalife, Alhamdulillah. I was so happy! I gradually lost weight. Mula2 3 kg in the first month, then another 3 kg in the following month, sampai a total of 12 kg. Around early 2008, I berjaya mencapai berat 58 kg, sangat2 lah happy. But, Herbalife was also very expensive for my budget. Mungkin sebab I student kut. One set of Herbalife, which consists of 2 flavours of Formula 1, 2x14 peanut chocolate bar and also the lemon tea, cost me almost GBP 120 a pop (that is almost RM 850 tau!). All that lasts for around 21-28 days. Memang berkesan, I memang nak continue. But in the end, due to my financial reasons, I had to stop. I just couldn’t afford did, couldn’t maintain on it.

Tengok la lelemak tuuu... Malu giler.

Ni pulak masa berat badan I dah reduced... Masih tembam lagi, but dah kurang banyak... My skin was flabby and not toned.

Of course, I do have other opinions about Herbalife shake. I am very thankful that after using it, memang badan I slimmed down. But I think I will keep those opinions to myself, before I kena serang..! Huhuhuhu… All I am saying about in here is just the money aspect of it.

After I stopped Herbalife after 3 sets, I still maintained healthy diet and I was quite active (physically). Yer la, kat UK, mana ada kereta. Memang turun naik bukit, jalan kaki everywhere I went. So, I managed to maintain my weight like at 58 kg. Cuma berat badan I memang macam yo yo sikit. So ada juga kadang2 tu naik juga 2 -3 kg. And masa tu, I tak rasa fit. I tak rasa cergas atau bertenaga. Then, I balik Malaysia for good. Wah wah, memang sedap aja lah makan masa tu. Makan nasi 2-3 times a day, lauk yang oily, makan luar tak teratur, minum teh tarik, kuih2 yang sedap2 belaka. So memang lumrah, badan I naik balik. My mum and sister dah tegur, makin berisi. Maybe masa tu, I dalam 60 ish kg kut. Huhuhu… Walaupun tak teruk sangat, but you know lah, siapa suka bila semua baju dah sendat kan? Huhuhu…

I memang jenis yang control makan. I limit my portion, I share my food with my mum (instead of ordering for two, order for one), I never made it a habit to eat nasi lemak and roti canai selalu. Once a month pun jarang. KFC, McDonald pun, very sparingly. The tarik kurang manis and minum air sampai 1 litre. Coke, sugar carbonated drinks, biscuits, cakes etc, memang I makan sikit jer. Bak my mum kata, makan untuk rasa, bukan untuk kenyang. However, berat I masih gitu. Maybe kurang 0.5 kg jer kut. I memang susah nak kurus. My body shape pun tak best. So although I was in my healthy BMI, I didn’t feel good.

Before that, my sister dah mula pakai Premium Beautiful. I was quite skeptical about it. Macam mana pulak korset boleh slim down a person? Masa awal2 lepas bersalin Luqman, she was around 80 kg. My mum expressed her worries. But then, everytime dia balik ke Shah Alam, she looks better. She started losing weight, inches after inches. So I pun curious la, mana boleh jadi ni! Hehehe… So I opened my mind and I bought one, masih half2 lagi. But what do you know, the first time I pakai pun, I could see the effect! Baju yang dulu Nampak sendat gila dah boleh muat, like immediately! My waist kurang daripada 30 inches to 28 inches with PB on. My thigh and bum appears tighter and kemas, tak menggelebeh. My breast memang push up habeh la. Huhuhu…

This photo was taken immediately after I mula pakai Premium Beautiful.

So I bertambah positif. I thought, maybe sebab dianyer material and such, it shrinks the body size. But I also found that, bila I pakai PB, perut I mengecil. As in, I memang tak boleh makan banyak. A small portion memang membuatkan I kenyang macam I dah makan 2 pinggan. Memang the term “Ikat Perut” bersesuaian sangat dengan PB ni. I makan apa yang I nak. I makan desert, kuih, biskut, mi goreng, but such small portion memang cukup untuk satisfy my appetite. Around 2 months after that, not only that I look better in clothes, berat I pun berkurangan to 56 kg. Memang tak banyak, but imagine this – A person with low metabolism like me, memang sensitive. Makan lebih je sikit, memang naik. But with PB I am not forcing myself to limit what I eat. I am very happy that my taste bud and my appetite tak disuppress. But my weight tak menaik and naik. However, I still tak makan nasi lemak and roti canai selalu, once a month pun jarang. Bukan sebab nak kurus semata-mata, tapi sebab kandungan cholesterol and bad fats in these foods yang sangat tinggi. Kalau dijadikan habit, semua jenis masalah jantung, darah tinggi and stroke akan datang! I am thinking long-term health here. You should too!

I am not saying that exercise and diet is not good for you. As a pharmacist @ healthcare professional, it will be crazy if I tell you to stop exercising and eating healthily and pakai PB samata-mata untuk kurus. Premium Beautiful, masa ia direka, the objective is 70% health and 30% beauty. So healthy person is the main and true objective. Jadi, teruskan bersenam dan jaga pemakanan anda dan Premium Beautiful ini adalah alternative yang sangat baik untuk membantu anda dalam memperoleh kesihatan and that extra umph in your beauty. ;-)

Apa-apa yang you consider to help you lose weight, make sure you weigh the pros and cons. Jangan bahayakan diri dengan pil-pil atau jamu-jamu yang tak berdaftar. Sebab macam2 masalah akan menyusul. Rosak hati, buah pinggang, dan sebagainya. Side-effect ubat2 macam ni terlalu berisiko. Also consider the financial aspect, sebab kalau terlalu mahal, susah nak maintain. Health and weight loss is a lifetime investment. Kalau terlalu mahal, your weight memang akan jadi macam yoyo. Naik turun naik turun. Haih…

Apa-apa pun, good luck and all the best!

Just sharing ^_^

2009-11-03T21:43:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, my office (BPFK @ NPCB) held a whole-day seminar. Tajuk seminar tu ialah Seminar Personaliti Unggul. When the flyers came out, what I had in my mind was, mesti ada talk pasal kecantikan, beauty, penampilan… All the superficial stuff. So I signed up for it. Macam best habeh la. U know I like all these beauty2 punyer hal kan? (I am not vain though!)

So yesterday morning, when I sat at the hall, the speaker for the morning topic walked past me. I macam “Eh, she looks familiar la.” Then a friend, Kak Fad said, “Azra, tengok CV dia. Memang banyak sangat experience.” So, I did. Then, bila I tengok gambar speaker tu betul2, then I know siapa. She always appeared on Astro Oasis. Orangnyer lembut jer. She usually talks about women, female, family-related stuff, in Islamic pov. Her name is Profersor Dr Harlina. And the title of her talk was “Keunggulan dan Kesihatan Wanita”.

So she started off like normal… Tak ingat lah in detail every thing that she said. But, she was such an excellent speaker! I mean, memanglah on TV Prof memang arif tentang bidangnya (she is an OandG specialist by the way). Dalam masa Prof menyampaikan all the important and meaningful ilmu, she was also very very hilarious. Her sense of humour memang tak dijangkakan because on TV she appeared not to be so. Still, she maintained such a grace and soft spoken personality. She is an intelligent person, with unbelievable sense of humour, open minded and religious. Sangat2 la best!

I was always kept on my toes during the whole talk, I took note of all the points that she made. Cuma terlampau banyak sampai I tak boleh nak tulis semua. So, below is the summary of the stuff Prof said. Mungkin agak berterabur and incoherent, Cuma… Ambillah isi-isinya. Just for sharing ya?

· Kaya Bukan Pada Harta, Tetapi Pada Hati…
Prof started off her talk with this story. Prof always terlibat in many NGOs activities. So these activities involved sponsorship… She approached a fellow OandG specialist yang kerja kat private hospital. Apparently gaji OandG specialist kat hospital swasta in RM50K per month! Before Prof sempat ask for the donation, her colleague mula mengeluh pasal duit. His/Her car kena langgar, anak dia nak masuk kolej, etc etc etc… Sampaikan Prof tak sampai hati nak tanya pasal donation tu. So she went back to the office empty handed and she put her donation leaflet on her PA’s desk. Her PA ada 8 orang anak, dengan gaji sebagai PA, boleh dikatakan that she is not orang yang senang. Then, her PA knocked on Prof’s door and asked “Prof, saya tahu tak banyak. Tapi kalau saya nak derma RM 30 tak apa ke?” Prof was completely speechless and her emotion masa tu memang tak boleh nak describe. Walaupun RM30 tu bukannya apa sangat, tapi untuk orang seperti her PA yang bukannya orang senang, RM 30 tu sangat bermakna. Then she realized, kekayaan sesorang itu… Adalah pada kebesaran hati, bukan pada harta…

· Count your blessings untuk menjadi orang yang gembira dan bersyukur

· Protective mechanism of breastfeeding towards breast cancer will only happen if a mother breastfeeds for more than 10 months

· Jika sesorang memendamkan perasaan (bottle up their feelings) their immune system will reduce. Ini kerana, the immune cells yang buat surveillance akan berkurangan. So all the bad cells and bacteria tak dibunuh. Therefore, jangan la pendam2 perasaan yer?!

· Spacing of pregnancy akan mengurangkan post-natal depression (meroyan)

· Jangan lawat orang bersalin pada hari ke 3 selepas bersalin, sebab masa tu, she needs time for herself because that’s when the post natal blues starts.

· Suami ada hak seksual terhadap isteri sekiranya suami penuhi 3 syarat ini (3R of sexuality):-
o Responsibility: Is he a responsible husband? Does he fulfills his responsibility as husband and a father? Contohnya, adakah dia menyara makan minum pakaian dan tempat tinggal keluarganya? Bukan isteri yang bayar tau!
o Rights: If he fulfills his responsibility, then he has the rights towards the wife.
o Respect: And even so, husband must approach (mendekati) the wife with respect. Bukan main terjah /lompat je! Huhuhu…

· Nusyuz is not applicable to wives only. But husband can also be nusyuz. Contohnya bila dia tak jalankan tanggungjawab hakikinya

· Job description for husband: protector, provider and maintainer
· Seorang suami mesti sara isteri dan anak-anak tak kitalah sekaya mana isteri tu.

· Tips: Beli pergi ke pasar atau pasar malam, tinggalkan purse di rumah atau dalam kereta. And don’t tell your husbands! Sebab nanti memang dia akan bayarkan for groceries. Heheheh! Good one!

· Sebelum kita minta anak-anak kita lakukan sesuatu untuk membanggakan kita, tanya mereka dulu – Adakah mereka bangga mempunyai ibu dan ayah seperti kita?

· Jangan tidur sekatil dengan anak-anak bila ada suami

Okay, hopefully, ada sedikit sebanyak yang boleh kita sama-sama ambil iktibar… ^_^

I love pelamins

2009-11-02T11:14:00.002+08:00

Pelamin fresh flower, pelamin moden, pelamin dalam taman, pakej pelamin, pelamin artis, pelamin pelamin pelamin.

Memang itu jer la yang I dok google sekarang ni. Ahahahaha! Walaupun I tak plan nak bersanding (malu la... Ada hidung, tapi hidung tak mancung! :-P) but I still want a pelamin for my wedding. Just for photographic purpose. But when I went to my friend (Shahirah) brother's wedding, the bride and groom walked to the pelamin, sat there for pictures, and then baca doa. After that they walked to the meja makan pengantin lak. I think that was sweet. So maybe I (I mean, we. Hihi!) will do the same.

Kalau pelamin tu grand giler, wedding pun kena lah grand nak mam.
Kalau pelamin tu fresh flower, I kena la buat fresh flower theme.
Kalau pelamin tu dalam taman, I kena la buat dalam taman.
Kalau pelamin tu macam artis nyer, I kena la jadi artis!

Syukurlah ada extra income dari business untuk support I dapat pelamin yang I nak... Tak der susahkan Mama and Abah... And seriously, puas hati betul to use my own money for my wedding... Ada la dalam 5 digits yang I make from my business... Jadi, adalah sikit freedome of choice for baju and pelamin indamannnn. Ahahahaha...

Duit nyer dah ada, tetapiiiiii... Yang mana satu pelamin idaman hati ni?!!!

Huhu... Sudah la tu, tak habis2 ngarut. But here are some photos that I reallyyyy loike!

p/s: Ini pelamin masa reception k... Tunang ni I tak ada pelamin. Segannnn....

Cantiknyer... Bergemerlapan...

Huhu.. Sweet and simple... I love the chandeliers

Macam Ekin and mawi la pulak

This is my favourite! Kerusi panjang so I and Hakim boleh duk dekat2. Pastu warna purple is the theme colour. And takder la banyak benar bunga... Wowwie!!!

My Journey in Weight Loss

2009-10-30T07:27:00.004+08:00

My Transformation ^_^

Thailand, 2005
Weight: 64 kg
Waist: 34 inches

Liverpool, 2006
Weight = 70 kg
Waist = 36 inches

Port Dickson, September 2009
Weight: 56 kg
Waist: 27 inches

Aidilfitri, 2009
Weight : 56 kg
Waist: 27 inches
(masih maintain you! Even after makan-makan masa raya, hehe!)

Do you want to know how did I do it?

Call/email/text me! I will help you!

Azra
nur_azra@yahoo.com (YM Me!)
Add me in your Facebook too!

Make up for Engagement

2009-10-27T15:21:00.007+08:00

Huhuhu... Since our (Hakim and I) engagement and nikah dates were agreed, all I have been thinking about is the preparation. I have a little book that I bought from One Utama to record what ever that is wedding-related and keep all the business cards, packages details in there. And since then, I have looked at bridal packages, like tonnes of them! Huhuhu...

They all looked good and nice. Semuanya best2. And since that the websites are usually in form of blogs, always ada links to another bridal website. Memang tak akan sudah. Websites after websites after websites sampai I pun dah pening. Huhuhu... I do shortlist the ones that I really, really like, and even told Hakim that "Yay! I finally have made up my mind which bridal package I want!" but esoknyer, I found another yang equally nice. Huhuhu...

InsyaAllah, our wedding will not be long from the engagement (dalam 3 months sahaja). So I am searching for both tunang and nikah+reception. Huhuhu...

For tunang, it will be a small and casual ceremony. Just for his family and mine to get to know each other... I pun jenis yang malu-malu kucing kan (haha!) so, no pelamins... I require make up and nice, nice baju. Kalau ikut perkiraan, jimat lagi ambil pakej tunang, in comparison to tempah baju and makeup sendiri. Tapi, bak orang kata, biar betul-betul puas hati kan? Huhuhu...

I can do my own makeup. Takder lah hebat, tapi for a day look, I am not that bad. But, the thing is, I dont want to use the makeup that I have. I nak guna yang baru. Haha! Boleh tak? So here are the stuff that I want for my tunang makeup (if I end up doing it myself). Semuanya dari Benefit ya, I suka Benefit!:-

Big Beautiful Eyes... Kit (Eye Make up)

Hello Flawless (Foundation + Finishing Powder)

Dandelion (Blusher)

Lemon Aid (Concealer)

Dr Feel Good (Primer)

I do have my own stuff that can be used also:-

1. No 7 blusher brush (UK brand)
2. Chanel Waikiki lipstick
3. Ruby and Millie magic liquid eyeliner (UK brand)
4. MAC shadowstick in Sharkskin

Hm... Macam mana lah rupa I agaknya kalau I make up sendiri? Huhuhu...

I am still considering getting a makeup artist though. But I macam takut nak cuba sebab I don't want to look over-done, you know. It is only engagement ceremony, I don't want to be mistaken for kahwin pulak. Huhuhu...

One thing I know for sure is, if I do my own makeup nanti, I will need someone's help to apply false eyelashes for me!

Internet oh Internet

2009-10-26T13:11:00.002+08:00

I am not sure if you experience the same problem as mine... But here is the details of my ordeals with the internet connection and ISPs.

August 2008 - Returned home from Liverpool and straight away signed up for Streamyx. I was very much impressed with Streamyx advertisement on the telly (the one yang ada this nobody-geek who became famous because he is a hardcore, terrer gamer tu). So, I was so chuffed to sign up.

October 2008 - The internet connection went from OK to terrible. Keep contacting their helpline and was told that my modem was faulty. Okay, so the whole modem exchange took around 2 weeks.

November 2008 - Started working, didn't use the internet much. In addition, I gave up on the fricking slow connection.

January 2009 to June 2009 - I was still paying for the bill, but I was not getting what I should. I actually made friend with the Telekom technician who kept coming to my house to fix the internet. He said, my area is problematic. Yeah, what ever.

August 2009 - My contract with Streamyx already reached 1 year, so wee hee! Time to leave them and sign for the next best thing. Celcom Broadband. I bought the more expensive USB modem, because it has an extra year warranty. The modem, fees etc yada yada yada costed RM 300. And bill, RM 99/month. But OMG it was worse than Streamyx!!! Arrgggghhhh!

October 2009 - Decided that I have to sign up with an alternative ISP. So I offered t0 my sister the Celcom USB modem and signed up with W1Max. It's a 2 years contract, free cuboid modem and 1 week trial. RM 99/month and free the first month.

Guess what, during the 1 week trial, the internet was perfect. Laju giler memang boleh blogging, facebooking, etc etc selalu. But after that one week, ada mood swing pulak. Kejap ada, kejap tak ada. Although the time tak ada lebih banyak dari yang ada.

So, please please excuse me with my lack of updates in the blog. I am really trying!

Huhuhuhuhuhu... Sedey giller.

Hai O Dinner Celebration

2009-10-25T13:28:00.000+08:00

I know it was a while ago... But I hope it is not too late for me to post these photos online. My sister and I went to Hai O Dinner around 2 weeks ago. I didn't expect it to be nice, but it was actually sangat happening. There were so many people there, semua pakai baju merah and hitam (it was like a sea full of red people!). I pakai simple jer, baju kurung merah with kain hitam and tudung merah. Make up pun was done myself dekat the venue. Hehehehe... (Sebab nak sampai awal punyer pasal so buat semua kat sana jer!).

I met new friends and connections there, and the environment was so different. Everyone were sharing about their inspirations and experience in the business, which I have learnt a lot from. Although it was a few weeks ago, but I can still feel the 'aura' from the whole event.

Anyway, nak cerita panjang, panjang sangat lah pulak. So let's sum it up with them photos below. Sorry that I could only upload 2 pictures that were taken from my camera. Lama sangat-sangat nak upload. Huhuhu... The rest are from my sister's blog, awomanstale.blogspot.com.

My sister and I... Kitaorang ni tak pernah pakai baju semerah ni, but cun la pulak (Haha! Perasaan sungguh.)

With some of the amazing people yang semeja. From left: Kak Izan, Mak Teh, Kak Amirah, my sister, Hanis, Wani, Myself and Salha.

Bila lagi I dapat bergambar kat red carpet macam ni? Ehehehehe...

Myself with my forever-stylo and very inspirational business partner + cousin Hanis, tambah2 lagi masa pregnant ;-). In fact, dia lagi ligat daripada I. Siap baru balik dari Japan lagi!

InsyaAllah tahun depan we'll be going for this grand event lagi. So if you are interested, you are more than welcomed to join me! ;-)

Financial Freedom? No Problem!

2009-10-04T15:02:00.012+08:00

Do you dream of these?

Holidays abroad

Expensive car

Diamonds and gold

Designer handbags

Education for your children

Medical care

Financial freedom

You can achieve all these! Nothing is impossible!

If you want to know how to, give me a call/message or email me. I will show you how. No pressure, just a casual chit chat, really! ;-)

nur_azra@yahoo.com (YM and/or Facebook me!)

Selamat Hari Raya semua!

2009-10-01T21:09:00.010+08:00

Assalamualaikum all...

I apologised for not wishing you Selamat Hari Raya Aidilftri and Maaf Zahir dan Batin in advance... And I hope that it is not too late for me to do so... :-)

Anyway, panjang nak cerita how raya this year has been. All in all, walaupun penat giler, but memang best... Syukur everything went well and smoothly.

So here are some of the photos taken throughout the first and second week of raya. Pictures tell better story than words kan? ;-)

And like always, gambar photographer la yang paling tak banyak. Huhuhu... :-P Hampeh sungguh!

Myself with my second nephew, Ameer Luqman...

With my aunts and cousins from my father's side.

Abah tersenyum lebar with cucu dia.

Along, aunty, me and Abah.

Ameer Luqman showing off his dimple!

Makcik-makcik muda and anak-anak buah.

Me, my mother, and Along. (Dah besar pun still berpaut kat Mama!)

NekMa with her two sweethearts. NekMa je yang larat nak layan diaorang ni actually.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri dari kami sekeluarga!

@--,---

(My uncle (Pak Aziz), myself, Mama and Amaar, Along and Luqman and Abang Long)

I love my GPS/Sat Nav

2009-09-17T21:23:00.003+08:00

Sat Nav = GPS, what ever you call it. I am used to calling it Sat Nav (short form for Satelite Navigation) because I was introduced to it when I was in Liverpool and that's how it was said. Anyway, I have always wanted one. Actually no, I have always NEEDED one because I am no good with direction. You know, the whole why women can't read map. Yeah, that is me! :-P

Alhamdulillah... I finally manage to buy one. The brand is MapKing and at the beginning, I was well-impressed with the packaging. It's sleek, almost like an IPhone. Huhu. The screen is wide and large enough. So these came in the box:-
When switched on, it looks like this. The function is very good. It has its own data storage (memory) as well, where I can store my music, photos in it. It is also quite easy to find the destination using it. But anyway, I decided to put it to the test when I went to Port Dickson to meet a client of mine, Kak Is. Hihi...

So, my review is: Memang best. The voice of the satnav lady was loud and clear, the direction given was also accurate. The map could be seen very well and clearly and the one thing I like most about it is that, (probably the same with all other satnavs) it detects speed trap. Hahaha...

But of course, it can be pretty annoying because the satnav lady kept telling me to slow down. "Please, slow down" and 5 seconds later if I haven't slowed down "Please, slow down" like hundreds of times and will never stop until I decelerate to like 80 km/h on highway! And you know what, I was driving barely at 110 km/h! Huhuhuhuhu...

And it's also pretty cool because at night, the whole screen will get dark, except for the map which will be glowyyy... Like this:

So you know what, where ever you are my future business partners, I can come to you with no problemo at all! ;-)

Body type

2009-09-16T22:11:00.006+08:00

So... I did a test on ivillage.com to find out my body type... And found which celebrities do I share my body shape with? Ehehehehe...

Kate Winslet

Scarlet Johanson

Drew Barrymore

Alicia Silverstone

Ahahahah... I wish!!!

Syukurrrrr....

2009-09-16T21:02:00.008+08:00

Money doesn't make the world goes round... But, we need money to move in life.

I bukannya nak duit melimpah ruah sampai boleh berendam dalam duit. I am not trying to be Bill Gates, who can practically use dollar bills as toilet paper (hihi, so my honey says!). All I am trying to have is a stable financial, with plenty of savings after paying for all the necessities. Alhamdulillah… I bersyukur yang gaji I lebih sikit dari kebanyakan fresh graduates. Tapi… Dengan semua perbelanjaan bulanan, berapa banyak yang dapat kita simpan untuk kecemasan dan masa depan kita?

I am sure all of us ada commitments that we have to bayar kan? Some of mine are…
1. Phone bills
2. Car mortgage
3. Astro bills
4. Fuel + tolls
5. Yada yada yada

Those are just some of my expenditures. Not to forget unexpected/annual expenses such as:-

· Road tax and insurance ·
Repair atau servis kereta
· Birthdays, weddings
· Medical (Alhamdulillah, tak selalu…)
· Etc etc…

Dah tolak-tolak semua ni, macam mana lak dengan my leisure? Movies, dining out, shopping? What about my dream handbag, colour coded shoes, baju baru, spa, facial?! Nak pergi haji dan umrah? How about my wedding?! Huwaaa!!!

Jadi itulah lumrahnya kita yang makan gaji ni… Gaji yang ada tu, boleh dikatakan cukup-cukup jer. Savings pun kadang-kadang terpaksa dikorbankan… Ini belum lagi berkahwin, belum ada anak, and belum lagi ada rumah. Huwaaaaa!!!

But you know what, di mana ada kemahuan, di situ ada jalan. Aku nak memajukan diri aku. Aku nak hidup yang bebas dari hutang, risau pasal duit and boleh beri orang disekeliling aku dan mama abah aku kesenangan.

Alhamdulillah… Allah SWT tunjukkan jalan yang insyaAllah akan bantu meringankan perbelanjaan setiap bulan… Dapat bagi mama and abah lebih sikit every month...

This month, on top of my salary, rezeki I ditambahkan dengan:-

1. Bayaran ansuran dari clients untuk Premium Beautiful…
2. Jualan dari Cherry Comel
3. Bonus dari Hai O… Ehem ehem…

Alhamdulillah… Syukur yang tak terhingga kepada Allah SWT. I'm so glad that my sister encouraged me to join Hai O and Allah bukakan pintu hati I untuk ini... :-)

Bukan nak menunjuk-nunjuk… Cuma nak share with you all, how important it is to have side income, sama ada business atau part-time job Kalau tak, bukan sekadar makan gaji cukup-cukup, malahan boleh tak cukup pada waktu terdesak.

So ladies and gentleman… That brings me to the next subject, which is… Which side income suits you best?

(To be continued...) Hihihi...