In the name of Allah...

Bismillah.

Bismillah. What does this word means? Bismillah? It is an Arabic word which brings the meaning, "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Compassionate."

I feel moved to share a scene in my life that has to do with this common word, which is being cited countlessly everyday by a Muslim.

This happened when I was in Bosnia. In my office cubicle, there were four of us. All man except me. And the one who had always have the time to 'entertain' my long listed queries is Haris. He was sitting next to my desk plus he is more fluent in English than the rest in the cube so that explains why he had to answer me. Hehe. 

One day, he offered me a snack , Štapići, a salty stick biscuits. 

I took it right away and after the first bite, Haris said to me in puzzled face; 


Haris  : " Hey, you were saying something". 


I stopped chewing and asked him back.


Me      :  " What did I say?".
Haris  :  "You were saying something right before you eat."


Then only I understood what he meant.


Me     : " I was saying Bismillah."
Haris  :"I know but we say that only when we are having a feast like when iftaar and during eid etc."
Me     :"Oh. I suppose we say that everytime before we eat or drink. No matter how big is the   
            meal." 

                                                                                ...

What I would like to highlight from the story above is that, I would not have realized that I recited Bismillah if Haris did not mention it to me. It is good that he asked. That made me think that, one could actually done something naturally, if it is done repeatedly. That when it becomes a habit or natural, one might not notice it anymore.

I read it somewhere from religious storybook when I was little. There is a story of a woman who always say Bismillah everytime she is about to do anything. Before cooking, before eating, before working. Her husband just could not get his wife's behaviour. So one day he put her on trial. He emptied a wheat jar his wife usually use in cooking before his wife comes into the kitchen that day. When the wife came to the kitchen to cook, she took the wheat jar and before opened it, as usual she said "Bismillah". MashaAllah, as God has willed, she scooped out the wheat and start cooking. The husband who was hiding behind was very surprised to see that there the jar is filled! He was very sure that no one get into the kitchen after he emptied the jar and went into hiding and was waiting all the way for his wife to come in. Unbelievable but true. Allahu akbar!

Such a wonderful story we can learn from. Now, I try to make it a habit too. To say Bismillah before getting into vehicles, before making telephone calls, or when I am about to step out from the elevator. ;) 

Because I believe in the word. Because you know that you are asking Allah for his blessings on whatever you do. I don't think a person would say Bismillah before committing a crime or stealing. That would be twisted. ;) 

"Sayyidina Ali (ra) was reported to have said that saying Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim is a duaa that helps simplify a hard task and removes grief and brings happiness to the heart."

Bismillah. It may be just a word. But it has made and will make a difference! 

The Teapot Cafe, SS2, PJ

Bismillah.

Here's my review on The Teapot Cafe. Just got back from there after getting hooked up by Teapot Deli, another branch in SACC Mall Shah Alam. So, thought of having a go at this branch. Once we stepped into the cafe, I could not help myself from smiling and tried to control so that I won't overdo my facial expression. The interior was so warm and cozy. And lots of porcelain pots were put on green-painted wooden shelves.  So English. Just that it was filled by non-Englishman. hehe.

 "Would you like to order, miss?" I adore that floral table cloth.

 Was a pair of scones. With cream and strawberry jam to spread on

 Rosemary Chicken

 Fish Milanese. Dowry fish coated with breadcrumbs together with creamy white sauce. Along with potato salad and veges.

Bread pudding with custard sauce 

We really enjoyed the atmosphere there. There were lots of people coming in and out. Mostly Chinese. And seemed like most of them were having tea with variety of pastries and pies instead of meal. :)

Comments on the food:

The overall taste was mild. If you watch on your salt and sugar intake and not a tangy kind of taste bud, this definitely the place. ;) 

Rating: 7/10

Witnessing Geneva, Switzerland

Bismillah.

At first, we had come to a cross path on chosing which city to visit in Switzerland. It was either Bern or Geneva. Finally, we decided to go for Geneva, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland after Zurich. From Venice, it took us about 5 hours drive, including a stopover at a petrol pump for refreshments and solat.

Along the road, we were passing hills and mountains. And there are so many castles on the hills. I was like seeing them every 5mins, on both side of the road along the journey. (Terus teringat masa belajar subjek Sejarah tingkatan 5 tentang negara kota) I was wonderstruck by the amazing view. Subhanallah. It was like bringing me to the past. All those epic movies that I watched, suddenly felt so real.

See the castle? It is all the way up on top of the hill behind me. 

Note: I did my prayer in an open space, under a tree, on grassy ground near petrol station. The wind was blowing softly and I was facing Qiblat and with breathtaking view around me made me realized of two things. 1) The beauty of Allah's creation.
2) We can never forget Allah where ever you go because everything that existed around us is his. La haula wa la quwwata illa billah.

Approaching Monte Blanco (Mount Blanc), Switzerland.

We got to our hotel nearly sundown. Here is the interesting part. You know, Geneva is located close to the border (Switzerland- France). And our hotel is located in Ferney-Voltaire, France, which is less than a mile away from Geneva! So, it’s like you can live in France, and have a drink in Swiss. J

After checking in and we got rest till the night falls. That night, we went to Geneva, fulfilling our empty stomach from long tiring journey and chilly night. Had a walk at the harbour at Geneva Lake. Not much can be seen at night. However, its peaceful and quite city makes it worth walking at night. Some more if you are planning to escape from some mind bothering, this will do. J

The next day, we checked out early in the morning.

Had breakfast/lunch in Geneva. 

Turkish restaurant is easy to be found in Europe.

Doner Kebab

...and continued touring the fourth expensive city in the world. (Rank 2009)

Pictures taken during the tour:

Them! <3

The Jet d'Eau, is one of the city most famous landmarks in Swiss. And one of the largest fountain in the world.

Souvenirs anyone? Mahal mak oi

Flower Clock, Geneva. A symbol of the renowned Swiss clock and watch industry. It is one of Geneva's most photographed sites.

Around 2pm in the afternoon, we left Swiss and headed to our next dream place. The city of love. Paris.

Halal Eateries in Ho Chi Minh City

Bismillah

To find halal restaurants in Ho Chi Minh city is easy only if you know where to find them. There are several Malaysian halal restaurants there.

The VN . Halal is one of them. A place that offers you Malaysian cuisine and also the local Vietnamese cuisine. Located near Ben Thanh market, the tourist attraction market place.

If you are near Dong Du street, you are close to a centre of halal food. In that street, it is where you can find an old mosque and just opposite, you will find two those restaurants; Malaysian halal restaurants, an Indian muslim restaurant and a Turkish restaurant.

Malaysian restaurants are Halal@Saigon and another one D'Nyonya Penang.

'Kerabu' or southeast Asian salad. This salad is made out of fresh shrimps, lime zest, sliced bird's eye chilli, and some of which i couldn't tell but obviously this salad is so tasty.

Vietnamese cuisine are known for their variety of vegetables. So, this is one of it. I couldn't recall this type of plant. But, it is nutty and crunchy. Not bad at all.

If you are looking for a briyani rice, just next to Halal@Saigon, you will see Bombay Indian restaurant. Or you have another option which is to walk into Parkson mall, on the 3rd floor (it is actually at the food court), you will find another Indian restaurant.Well, I went to the one in Parkson.

Malaysian briyani is different from Indian briyani,. I guess i prefer Indian briyani as Malaysian briyani  is more oily and the gravy is thicker. This one is just nice. Lighter yet never less in taste.

Enjoying every bite. You can order lassi (yogurt drink) too.

I think there is more halal eateries in HCM city. After I came home from Vietnam, I saw a TV program, Rasa Halal Orient Vietnam, they discovered a street food which is halal which I feel unlucky to have miss it. It better be a good reason for me to come again and give it a go. :)

For more info and food close-up, browse my mom's writing. :)

Let's spin the globe.

Bismillah.

I have been thinking to skip my Europe Trip journal because I think it is too overload. Since my internship in Bosnia, i have been blogging and writing on my travel in Europe for almost 7 months now. =P

So, i decided to skip Europe story for a while. Let's make a spin to the world globe. Searching Asia, alright? :)

Tomorrow, i will leave the country for Vietnam. This is my first time to Ho Chi Minh City as it will be second for the rest member of my family. But, they didn't enjoy much of Vietnam since they went there during Chinese New Year, and everything, stores and souvenirs shops were closed. And this time, hoping for a better shopping spree.

As for myself, I could not wait to taste Vietnamese local food. According to my family, Vietnamese cuisine is very different and unique. I doubt that and still do. I have the feeling that it would be something like chinese-style cooking which i'm not into. But, when my family members trying very hard to convince me, now I could not wait to swallow it. :)

Am i gonna hook up onVietnamese cuisine? We shall see that.

May Allah bless our journey to Saigon. Ameen.

Till then.

Viva la Venice!

Bismillah.

First Visit to Venice

The first time was when I accidentally ‘drop-by’ at Venice while in Zagreb, Croatia two months earlier. ;p This first time also made us feel how lucky we are to be there in Venice when the city was having carnival.  The famous winter carnival in Venice happened from February 26 till  March 8. You know, it is when everyone is wearing colourful traditional masks, and some in costumes and the city is crowded with people and Venetian costumes parade. Yes, that’s what I’m talking about. The feeling of “Casanova” was felt all over us. ;p

When we were lining up to buy boat ticket, a stranger came to us and gave us his tickets for free. Alhamdulillah. I guess the saying "Don't talk to stranger" is not always relevant. :P

Heading to San Marco

Seeing everyone with masks on, I decided to join the crowd. Looking at those beautifully made mask excites me to have one. Furthermore, during the carnival, the masks are cheaper.

Trying out masks was so much fun. :D

He loves me...

.

...he loves me not..

Oooouuu... Okay, I like this one. 

At Piazza San Marco. The building behind us is the Basilica of San Marco, one of the best known church of Byzantine architecture.

Actually, we had chosen Venice to be part of our EuroTrip. Since we went there without the other five members, the possibility to come back to Venice was very high. Datang lagi sekali pun datang la :)

Second Visit to Venice

We started the journey as early at 4am or so in the morning from Sarajevo and headed to Venice. The journey took 10 hours and we arrived Venice around 3pm and right away checked in at Villa Dori. Nice place.

At the entrance of our villa. Simple. I like it.

View in the room

Then, we hopped on a mini-bus provided by the hotel to go to Venice which is located at saltwater lagoon stretches along shorelines. Well that explained why the city smells salty and somehow stinks. ;p

My favourite view of the building

I still can't believe that I finished the whole pizza by myself. It was my first time. 

We took the evening lightly as we were just arrived. We walked and saw loads of stores that sell masks, souvenirs and even you can find Chanel store there. The small booths can easily be found on the street and to our surprised, we can say that most of the booths were held by Bangladeshi. Some even asked us, “You are from Malaysia?” and spoke Malay with us. Funny.  J I wonder how Malaysia has been recognized in the eyes of Bangladesh people. And because of that, I got a discount for an Italian bag which I bought for my sister. :D Yo, thanks!

Moreover, Venice would be perfect if you are looking for some place romantic.

The next day, our mission in Venice was to ride the famous boat in Venice, the gondola. We tried to search and bargain for a cheaper price to ride gondola. But then, if you want cheaper price then they will reduce the time. We bargained for 70 Euro and all they could offer is for 40 minutes ride. Fine. We took the offer and sailed through the city. 

Venice has been known by so many names, some of which are, “City of Water”, “City of Masks”, “The Floating City” and “City of Canals”.

When we woke up this morning, it was freaking freezing. Upon the stroke of 11am, the sun started to show itself and the air gets warmer. I felt much better just the sun was too bright. So it’s time to put your shades on. I have got to understand the four-season weather now. In the morning it would be very cold but yet it gets better and warmer as the sun shines through the day. But, it will get colder again when the night falls.

I can say that you can complete touring the city just in one day if you start from morning till dinner time.

As to be expected, most of the restaurants serve their Italian specialty. Pizzeria is everywhere. I went into a pizza restaurant once which only serves pizza. I was overwhelmed just by looking at the menu booklet.  There are like seven pages just merely for pizza toppings. I didn’t know that they could come up with such variety of  toppings. We can also choose what kind of tomato sauce we want on our pizza, with cheese or without, thick or thin crust. Well, for us Muslims, there are not many choices we have. Always go for something veggie and fishy. J

Whoa! What a huge pizza! 

In the afternoon, we dashed out from Venice city, heading to our next stop, Switzerland. :)