Salam to everyone.

All my successes had been built on my failures – Benjamin Disraeli

Days gone by. I came to realize that May is almost at it’s end. By starting off mumbling regarding what had happened to me in the past few weeks is plain boring. Let the quote above reflects something out about ourselves. I have something else in mind.

Alhamdulillah business had been tremendously good. I can’t thank Allah enough, for His endless bless, His guidance and rahmat. Alhamdulillah. Rough patches arose every now and then but the power of tawakal had been doing it’s magic. Beyond any available prowess made achievable by men, somehow we slipped. Sometimes we forgot. But we can’t put Him aside. Trust me. He scrutinizes every un-uttered lines, every whispers in our little hearts.

For this perfect fates, I thank Him. For this gracious bliss, I thank Him. I can get very misty-eyed whenever I brought this subject up. I guess Maher Zain’s Thank you Allah will somehow describe my soul as per se.

Countless ni’mat, how should I express those in words. His gifts had never failed to surprise me. At times I thought I needed my friends to support my downs, they were not here. And I don’t blame them either, I hadn’t been there for them all the time as well. At times I thought I would cut off some ties over something which happened to be what matters most to me at the moment, Allah lose them all for good. My life had been miraculously happier without them around. Strange, but true. We just need to view it as a third party, insyaAllah, without hesitation, we’ll know what’s good and better Allah had in store for us.

I am forever seeking His bless. May WE ALL forever be under His bless.

Has He counts my thanks in? I never think it will be enough.

I’ll be posting some good news, insyaAllah, very very soon.

Best regards.

If I can freely  put into words what I have in mind right now,  this is going to be another long and (as always) very boring post.

Salam to everyone.

Weekends had been busy. Nothing unusual happened. MaulidurRasul (a day that marked Prophet Muhammad’s PBUH birthday) was celebrated on Friday; while in while the world is still looking pretty much the same. The end of it is nearing, yet, they have no fear.  Or shall I say they’ve forgotten how to feel the ‘fear’. They recited selawat with great enthusiasm. But they neglected the rest of the Rukun Islam. They talked about how great His Prophet was in leading the ummah, how undeniably courageous and  soft  He was in person. But they still don’t  listen to rakyat. As a matter of fact, our rights were denied, especially when poor people were concerned. They faked the empathy. Sad. But it’s true.

I never compromise hypocrisy. I never do.

By telling my heart out won’t do the justice. I did not come from a filthy rich family. But we’ve been fine. Thanks to Allah’s endless rahmat, we managed, by far, to live the life everybody’s envy of (literally speaking). I pulled the strength (thanks to Allah again), persevering my way through any obstacles, toughening myself while in while keeping up with endless challenges that come along the way. I don’t think I will give up that easily now.

I know and HE knows how hard I’ve worked.

I know and HE knows how badly I wanted this business to succeed.

I know and HE knows what I had had for dinners for the past 18 months.

HE knows. And HE had been with me all along.

I might get a little emotional now.

Oh my~

I don’t ask them to play God. I just hate their fake smiles.

As I’ve mentioned above, I never compromise hypocrisy.

When I was hesitating to jump into the water [starting off my business], no one cares. No one was there to teach me how to swim [piece of advice]. No one was there to watch my back [courageous words]. No one was there to offer me a float [funds and capital]. Most of them were discouraging me to swim [ laugh behind my back].

But the great Muhammad PBUH had leaved a very good track of entrepreneurial skills and knowledge.

And Allah had clearly described the power of tawakal. Plus how much HE mentioned how HE loves hamba-hambaNya yang bekerja keras.

And so I jumped.

Then I got almost drowned [ setback ], swallowed a lot of water [obstacles], I cried for help [ I mean, real help]. But no one come to my rescue [ I was downgraded, misjudged and manipulated].

But then again,  Muhammad PBUH the prophet had thought the ummah the meaning of patience and perseverance. And ALLAH had promised handsome rewards for those who did.

And so I swam further. From dog paddling to butterfly stroke, I can even now dream of winning an Olympic medal!

Thanks to my Creator and His beloved prophet. Thanks to dear family and friends.

But thanks not to them.

Again, I never compromise hypocrisy.

This is the wrong time for you to show up with your yacht or even a banana boat and offer me a ride.

So, so wrong.

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“Oh Lord, lead us to the correct path. And bless Your endless love upon Muhammad PBUH. May His spirit will shine in us all. Amin.”

This cake was made in December. Last year. And a few more pictures went missing here and there ever since my laptop broke down. Speaking of high-technology’s ‘wonders’, aite? My bad. I didn’t back-up my files.

But anyhow, the damage had been done. Basically there’s nothing much I can do regarding updating my blog since December. The truth is, I’ve been busy. And I know, I can get even busier than this. Soon enough.

But..

It was just an excuse, kot.

Kalau sibuk, macam mana boleh sempat baca blog keretamayat sampai pukul 3 pagi?

My parents had safely arrived Beseri last night. Leaving me all alone, again. While I wished I could savour my mom’s meal instead of this homemade strawberry milkshake, I know that’s not going to happen in the near future.

I hope I can get married to a cook. I hope I can hire some new staffs. I hope my high expectation about ‘that person’ is true ( I was over-praising him, I guessed-  kecewanya) I hope I have at least a few more thousand MYR inside my bank account ( I might lose that perfect little shop which is open for rental in KP, oh!). I hope I can stop merapu now.

Good night everyone. I might had taken XtraSharp a little more than I should today.

Best regards.

p/s : Fara, congratulations upon your engagement. I’ll upload your gorgeous cake picture soon, k?

Salam to all.

Time has flown so fast, I can hardly catch my breath.

When they said welcome to the world of business, it means welcome to weeks without a day off. Fast foods. Headache. Sleepless nights. And gaining a few extra kilos when you least expecting it.  They were not lying.

When they said making big bucks was the main purpose, it means you need to burn a big hole in your pocket before you can earn more. Lose some. Earn some. Betrayed. Cheated. Manipulated. I’ve gone through some. It was never easy as it sounds. And they were not lying.

When they said entrepreneurs will reach a serious profitibilty after seven years of starting off a business, don’t lose your preseverence. Fight your lust and delay any sort of instant gratification. New cars. Expensive handphones. Latest gadgets. Forget it. Don’t break the law. They were seriously not lying.

When they say I am too young for this business, they were not lying. And that will only make me stronger, in some ways. Regardless how I feel right now.

Obstacles will make or break you. It’s about time to grow up. And I am not lying.

Yes, right. What’s my age again?

Salam to all.

Wow.. Lama sangat dah tak tulis blog. Feels like forever! Nak type down pun rasa sangat lembab ni!

It’s been two weeks without a single post. Kerja masih banyak. Tapi alhamdulillah. Ever since operating from LemonVanilla’s Bakery, everything had been working out so well ( I lied, ok!). But nevertheless, despite my never-ending works, I enjoyed fulfilling clients’ demands and orders. Although sometimes I screamed (inside!) for those late orders, God still gave the courage to be patience and considerate. OH! Please, try to understand me this time. I had my working hours fixed, even most of the time, I did have to stay back until late at nights. Things did change and they required a lot of readjustments. We need at least 5 days in advance for any orders, especially the ones regarding weddings and engagements.  Hmm..

But anyway, I need to finish up some paperwork. Family and friends, thank you for the support. Clients, we are here to celebrate every bite of life. Call and make advance appointments. We never like to turn you down.

And here goes some pictures taken from our Yaasin’s recital majlis.

Adakah ini spokeperson LemonVanilla ^_^?

My eldest sister with Amir.

My beloved ayah, Tn Haji Sulaiman Ismail (R).

Beloved mak, with orang pangkal, my adik!

Antara tetamu-tetamu yang hadir. Terima kasih daun keladi

All the way datang dari Ampang! Semangat nak sign guest book! TQ for coming, JK!

And last but not least, sekitar Majlis Hi-Tea Lembaga Kebajikan Perempuan Islam Malaysia yang diadakan pada 12 Disember lalu di Seremban. Let the pictures do the work la ye!

Kek terbesar dalam sejarah LV

Kerusi kuning itu….

Kek kuning itu..

Dif- dif kehormat

According to plan, the cake was supposed to be the officiating cake.. but then, ditukar jadi kek untuk auction.. First donor was YM Tuanku Ampuan Najihah;

Dan penyumbang- penyumbang seterusnya..

Pembida terakhir, a doctor, who then give back the cake to be distributed to all of the guests. Sungguh baik hati!

At the end, the amount of money collected through auctioning was RM580!! I was so thrilled!!

With Tengku Mariam, Aini and some other guests. Thank you so much for this rare and special opportunity!

I am going to have a very busy day tomorrow.

Untuk warga Kuala Pilah/Seremban, please feel free to come over to LemonVanilla Bakery. Berhadapan Pusat Pertanian Ampang Tinggi, Jalan Kuala Pilah-Seremban. Kami kini beroperasi setiap hari, 7 pagi hingga 6 petang.

Best regards

It’s the time of the year when embarrassment is toying with myself.

Time to knock some great senses back into my head, send wishful hopes and thoughts out so that God can listen and angels can smile.

Yesterday was my birthday. But why am I feeling ashamed?

I had no ulterior intention of down-siding the true meaning of a birthday celebration. Very selfish of me when I personally think that birthday is just another mark of a year full of mistakes and honors, plus with anything else in between. A birthday is just another day. A day to make a great muhasabah of oneself, whatever one had achieved and one did not.

A day to mark an additional digit to your age. A day to realize you’re growing older and ponder if you have what it takes to diligently bring yourself out in the real world for at least another year.

A day to try not to cry for all the things you wished you shouldn’t do in the past 365 days.

A day that leaves you with an unenviable question, how come your friends can remember your birthday and took sometime off to write down those heart-warming wishes while you on the other hands, did not do the same?

Why?

I hate to admit I never really like to celebrate mine. It shows the bad side of me. But it shouldn’t be comprehend that others feel the same way too.

Some people just happened to enjoy their birthdays to the fullest. And I should learn how to remember theirs despite how busy and hectic life I may be having, through out the next whole year..and more years to come, right?

Somehow, tears stung my eyes. For all His bless, for all this super great family, for all my  fantastic friends, for all amazing clients; I hope they understand my flaws at ease and forgive me for all my wrongdoings.

Ayah, I enjoyed watching endless football matches with you. Screaming in joy, exchanging high fives, curses and praises; these are what made us a perfect companion for each other. A match is not worth watching without you by my side. Afterall, love is a verb. I don’t know how to tell you how much I love you but I know, somehow, deep down inside, you’d understand that you mean the world to me. Thanks for this sepet eyes, thanks for igniting the passion for football in me. Thanks for those hugs and words of wisdom. Thanks for trusting in me. Thanks for those countless support. Thanks for those breakfasts and lunches and dinners while in while it should have been a part of my duty as a daughter to you. Thanks for remembering my favourites. And the most important thing of all, thank you for understanding me. Thank you for all those chances you asked me to seize. I love you ayah. So much.

Mak, this road I’m taking is undeniably honey-combed with great pain. I stumbled, I fell and I learn not to weep. The only thing that keeps me running is your faith in me. Even at my lowest point of life, you’re still here to sing me lullabies and cheer me up with your voices from heaven. Did I make you proud? Can I still be able to make you prouder?

For your extreme patience, thank you. For your perfect judgment and sensible chants, for those unconditional love and affection, for your endless support and profundities; I humbly thank you. I can’t ask Allah for a greater gift than you. I love you mak. So much.

To my great clan; shoot me for I’ve been a great pain in the ass. Slap me for I’ve been messing our perfect little house with my things. Punch me for I had sometimes being boastful and proud over these few victories. Scold me after all my wrongdoings, congenital habits and unintentionally hurtful words. Do whatever you wish you want to, but I will never stop thanking Him for giving me a group of sincere yet outspoken critics. I will never stop loving you for all those bittersweet times we shared as we grew up. And I will never forget your beautifully phrased praises for all things I’ve managed to achieve by far. Sisters and bro, I love you so much.

Supportive friends and creditable clients, you have a special place in my heart where He knows what I’ve been praying out for all this while.The world may sometimes be ruthless. The people may somehow turn toxic and poisonous. But I do hope you can bear with me. I may forget more birthdays, I may even forget some names. But I pray so hard so that those encouraging words and ripple of pride will stay vivid in my memory. I love you guys. So much.

Ya Allah, thank you for all those lessons of life. Thank you for another great year I had lived on. Thank you for Your bless. Thank you for making my dreams came true. Thank you for Your trials and tests. Thank you so much dear God. Lead us all to the correct path.

Gosh, it’s more like a prolix already!

Take care all.

Endless love,

SITI MUNIRAH SULAIMAN

Salam and a great, great hello to everyone.

I’ve been in a great spirit. Regarding on one big project I’ve mentioned in the previous post, I managed to pull it through with an awful lot of difficulties. But first, sembah takzim dan tahniah buat Ke Bawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia, Tuanku Muhriz ibni Almarhum Tuanku Munawir upon His Highness installation as the 11th Yamtuan of Negri Sembilan. As a Negri native, I felt extremely proud and grateful Daulat Tuanku!!

As how anyone would put it, success never come overnight. Lucky is not accidental. And failure is not an option.

I’ve decided to choose victory, despite the dear price that I have to pay. Failures came and went as they pleased but I looked up at them as opportunities to learn something new. I might be very much inexperienced (as how some of my lecturers put it), I might as well learned everything the hard way. But I know, somehow, I’ve made my mind. I know what I want and where I am heading.

(Mr. XX, thank you for the irresistible offer, but no, I don’t want to be a pastry chef~)

There’s a long way to go, though.

But Alhamdulillah. Patience pays it’s price. Everytime I come to think about it, I wished I could do a little bit better, a little bit faster, a little bit nicer; a little bit more of everything. But nope, Allah had wrote my path according to His plan. The timing is just perfect. Just perfect.

With so many dreams in one hand and tireless effort in the other, growing up with supportive family and friends is a huge rahmat. I might weep and smile all at the same time, but for those who know me better, I wouldn’t be able to stand this tall without their support. Unintentionally done, I might forget an awful lot of birthdays, missed a handful of gatherings, weddings and God-knows what else, but please remember one thing; I never missed praying for everybody’s good health and prosperous life, every single day.

I know this journey might ruin a few bonds.

And I couldn’t do anything about it.

To those who understood, thank you.

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One of my 100-things-to-do-before-I-die-list had come true.

#17 Serve my cake to a King.

It’s been a great year.

Even I’ve accomplished #5 Watch MU plays in front of my bare eyes. And a few more of #’s [ of which I couldn't spare the details, yet ]. But anyhow, all praises to Allah for this bless. Alhamdulillah..

Till then, have faith in yourself. Do whatever it takes to achieve your dreams. Impossible is indeed, nothing. You need to stumble before you can run.

Best regards

p/s : A huge thanks to Tengku Tina of Istana Besar Seri Menanti for making one of my biggest dream come true. To my dear friends; Aini, Along, Syikin, Fifa and Nadiah, what would I be without you guys. Last but not least, Kak Lin, for all those encouraging words. Thanks a lot.

Honoured : With YAM Tunku Ali Redhauddin ibni Tuanku Muhriz and friends.

Assalamualaikum everyone

Gosh, it’s been forever since my last post! My laptop had finally ‘gone’ ( the motherboard had broken beyond repair~) and yes, it was not the only reason why I hadn’t write for quite sometimes now. I am grateful too, as my brother had retrieved all of my pictures and data to an external hard disk just a few days before the laptop couldn’t be able to function. Thank God.

And before it is too late, SALAM AIDILFITRI and MAAF ZAHIR BATIN; from the bottom of my heart! I’m missing my parents terribly, wishing I can lepak with my dear friends and chat about life. But no, life has to move on. A big project is coming about and I can’t wait to tell you about it, soon..

Ok, I give you a hint. I am seriously in need of funds for the moment. Ada jutawan yang dermawan tak kat Pilah ni?

I had a lot to mumble around about, and yet, I am running out of time. As soon as I can spare some time, I promise I’ll upload more pictures.

Till then, take care and best regards

p/s : I just saw Tunku Ali driving his Mercedes with his sunglasses on. Uhh..

Assalamualaikum buat semua.

Hari ini berubah mood untuk menulis di dalam bahasa. Ayah pulang beberapa hari yang lepas untuk menemani saya membuat jualan di bazar Ramadhan sepanjang bulan, InsyaAllah. Bertemu kembali beberapa ‘regular customers’ dari Ramadhan yang lalu. Alhamdulillah, indah perasaan itu apabila ada yang masih ingat dan kenal.

Ketibaan Ramadhan kali ini disambut tanpa kehadiran emak di sisi. Adik- adik kembali menyambung pelajaran. Hanya saya dan ayah di rumah. Canggung rasanya apabila harus bangun di awal pagi dan menyiapkan hidangan buat ayah. Bukan sesuatu yang menjadi kebiasaan, apatah lagi saya selalunya ‘eat for one’. Kala ini, baru saya faham, tanggungjawab emak dan bagaimana emak memikul serta melaksanakannya tanpa alasan, tanpa jemu. Saya seronok melatih diri, seterusnya akur hakikat menjadi seorang isteri dan ibu bukan suatu perkara yang mudah.

Ayah yang juga faham situasi saya yang agak sibuk, turut membantu memasak lauk untuk makan malam dan sahur. Naik segan dibuatnya. Namun, disebabkan masakan ayah semestinya jauh lebih sedap daripada masakan saya, perasaan serba salah itu ditolak ketepi. Ayah hebat dan cekap dalam memasak, sehebat emak ketika di dapur. Semalam ayah menyediakan lauk udang masak lemak cili api berserta ikan parang masak asam dengan petai. Ayah saya hebat bukan?

Laptop akhirnya dapat dibaiki, alhamdulillah. Seronok menyorot blog-blog dari penulis-penulis kegemaran, sekaligus dapat mencurahkan rasa di blog sendiri. Jiwa seakan kosong kebelakangan ini. Terlalu banyak perkara yang ingin dilakukan. Perancangan dan perlaksanaan kadangkala tergendala dek pengharapan-pengharapan yang diberikan oleh manusia. Seharusnya saya akur, keterbegantungan harap hanyalah kepada al-Khaliq. Mungkin ini ujian. Manusia tidak dapat lari dari setiap ketentuanNya. Saya masih muda dan mentah; naif. Jika ‘mereka’ terus-terusan ingin mengambil kesempatan ke atas saya, teruskan. Saya ada hak untuk menentang namun tidak ada keberanian untuk menyatakannya. Rasa hormat terhadap yang lebih tua masih menebal. Saya yakin, jika janji Allah itu benar, hak saya di sisi Allah akan sentiasa dilindungiNya. Tomorrow is always a better day for me, insyaAllah.

Apa yang penting, niat kita dalam setiap urusan adalah semata-mata untuk mendapat redha-Nya. Bersikap bongkak dan takabur atas pemilikan pangkat dan harta jelas menunjukkan keegoan, kedangkalan, serta kurangnya rasa syukur terhadap pinjaman nikmat yang dikurniakan Allah itu. Mohon dengan sangat agar Allah tetapkan hati, kuatkan iman, agar kita tidak tergolong dari kalangan mereka yang lalai mengejar nikmat dunia dan mendamba pujian manusia.

Apabila Tunku Ali Redhauddin Muhriz; Tunku Besar Seri Menanti, mencemar duli di perkarangan bazar Ramadhan dengan hanya seorang polis sebagai ‘escort’, t-shirt polo hitam, ‘khakis’, dan DSLR di tangan, saya tergamam. Baginda berpendidikan University of Cambridge, memegang gelaran yang paling kanan di antara Putera Yang Empat, namun baginda tetap senyum dan menyapa rakyat yang rata-rata terkesima dengan kehadiran baginda ( saya tidak terkecuali!). Pengalaman emak ketika lawatan baginda ke Perlis turut sama hebatnya. Baginda sangat peramah dan mesra rakyat. It’s very rare and uncommon, contrary to our typical views on how usually a Ruler should behave in public. Hebat seorang pemerintah yang hidup penuh dengan hakikat ‘hanya manusia biasa’!

Selamat menjalani ibadah puasa buat semua

I had no idea what I had turn myself into. Isolation had played it’s trick, or maybe it’s magic. By saying so, I admitted that living alone is never a good idea after all. Often by thinking back, again and again and again, I wish I could just move back to KL anyway.

But it won’t possibly solve my problems ( I know I’ve created some unnecessary ones), but all in all, I need some companions. Although people can joke around and I can gladly give my smirk upon their remark on why I should get married by now, I took it as a personal insult.

Yes, they can play cupid. Some single lecturers in the college, some gorgeous doctors in the hospital, and then what’s next? ” Hey, my name is Munirah, single and available. When do you possibly think we can tie the knot?” Nah. That’s just plain great.

My lifestyle back in the city was not that perfect either. By becoming a loyal customer at a mamak restaurant back then, I got so used to menapau, and my skill at doing so is becoming more flawless nowadays. Socializing had been quite a challenge. Simple reason such as “I’m seriously busy” is just another, well, reason. Although I enjoy outdoor activities just as much as I enjoy napping in the afternoon, dragging myself out of my house in the evening is impossible. I couldn’t answer anymore, “Mak dengan ayah tak balik ke?” question. Nor that I can stand the view of housewives in kain batik, standing by the road, chatting gleefully while laughing. And, I can’t stand anymore stupid gestures from some pervert guys in town.

Is my life that miserable?

Looking at the bright side of everything, well, I’m about to turn 23. And yes, the question of “When will you get married?” surely bombarded any working females out there too. “When ayah and mak are coming back home?”, for one obvious fact, hey, these strangers know my parents, and they know me too (surprise, surprise!). Being well-known to a group of strangers can be quite spooky but who cares. I should feel good about that, I guess.

Tapau? I better eat for one rather than polishing up my cooking skill which end up wasting. In fact, I am good at cooking my own meal so why bother? Gossiping housewives? I better think twice about my future would look like too~

And yes, pervert men are everywhere. By moving back to KL won’t solve the problem. At least we don’t have that much of immigrants, here, in Kuala Pilah.

What do I do now?

Being an optimistic is easier said than done. But it can be achieved. At least, I am my own boss. I can wake up at any time I want, without worrying over my punch card’s timeline. I have my cats to listen to my nag and my neighbours who are concerned about me. I don’t have to do a wardrobe makeover every now and then, I am more than comfortable in my old pair of jeans and sneakers. And yes, I did meet a lot of gorgeous, young, hot doctors in the hospital everyday.

Feeling lucky?

I did!

Thank you Allah for this bless