IlmFest Malaysia 2014: The Festival of Knowledge

This year has certainly been an adventure, barely six months in the year of 2014, I feel as if there's so many exciting things happening this year and it's as if the best part is yet to come! Anyway, this year we have definitely been very lucky to be able to participate in the ILMFest Malaysia 2014, happening right here in Putrajaya, Malaysia.
The conference is organized by Al Maghrib Institute and iMuslim and is supported by Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia. Held over a period of two days, 17th to the 18th of May 2014, we managed to grab early bird tickets (woot! woot!) for the conference and the best part is, it's baby friendly so Alexa gets to come and join us for her first ever Islamic festival and conference.

 

Lovely view from Prescott Hotel.

 

We stayed at Prescott Hotel for obvious reasons. It's located about 10 minutes walk from KL Sentral and since we'll be attending the festival for two days and traveling via KLIA Transit to Putrajaya, this seems to be the best option for us. There's also easy access to food (plenty of eateries nearby) and the nearby shopping complex (Nu Sentral) provided us with a bit of retail theraphy. Although truth be told, we never did get to explore Nu Sentral as we spent the whole weekend at Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), the venue of the conference.

 

We took KLIA Transit to Putrajaya. The whole trip to Putrajaya was only about 15 minutes and the tickets were about RM9 each. However, the waiting time (for the train) was almost 30 minutes =(. We then took a cab to PICC which costs us somewhere around RM20.

 

At the conference. They had Instagram and Twitter captions for moments like these =).

 

The best part about this conference is that it's baby and wheelchair friendly. There were about 3,000 attendees of this conference and there were so many parents bringing their children of various ages that it made me feel as if I wasn't the only one with a baby (which was good). Of course there are the occasional baby cries here and there but that did not stop us from listening attentively to the course.

 

This is Dr Reda Bedeir, one of the speakers of the program. All in all there were 14 speakers and let me tell you, they are absolutely amazing! Their lectures were filled with gems and insights on the life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. and not only that, they also managed to convey their lectures with such passion that it certainly is not the same as reading it from a book, you must be there to experience it.

 

I bought Alexa this pretty little hijab from Pretty Princess Zara for RM30. There were several booths outside the auditorium where we get to buy pretty little things like these =). If you're interested, you can visit/ follow their Instagram account [here].

 

For mummies with little kids (like me), I know that it must be rather daunting bring a child/ children to a religious conference and let me be truthful, I wasn't sure whether I would be able to handle Alexa during the conference. For this conference, there is a separate Mother's room available for mothers to listen to the conference (there's a live feed of the conference set up in the room) and at the same time your child/ children can run/ hop/ crawl/ walk safely (with your supervision of course) in the room. You can feed/ sleep/ diaper change/ play with your baby all you like in the privacy of the room.

 

Luckily for me hubs was kind enough to offer his help in minding Alexa that we both had the opportunity to enjoy the conference from the main hall. Syukur Alhamdulillah.

 

In the afternoon session we'd have an entertainment session after Asr prayers and this is one of them where Shaykh Saad Tasleem teaches Shaykh AbdulBary Yahya how to use a skateboard. This is definitely my first time seeing someone in a robe use the skateboard =P.

 

 

This is the first female instructor at Al Maghrib Institute, Yasmin Mogahed. Here she recites a moving poem written by herself, I Prayed for Peace Today. It almost moved me into tears.

Among the things that I remember from the conference:

In terms of the physical appearance of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w., he has 17 strands of white hair and all of them are located at the beard, near his lower lips.

In terms of the character of the the Prophet s.a.w., he never yawns. He is also very fond of children. At one point, he was leading a congregation of prayer and he took a long time in prostration and when asked why, he said it was due to his grandchild who was sitting at his back. He did not want to rise from prostration to avoid from injuring his grandchild. He would also excuse himself so that he could go home and make time for his family. There were times he would excuse himself and say that he has promised to spend time with his wife. When facing difficult times (like during da'wah where the Prophet s.a.w. was facing difficulties and rejection from the people of Taif), the Prophet s.a.w. would pray to Allah and ask whether he has displeased Allah. Subhanallah!

There were many other things that were shared during the conference like how the Prophet s.a.w. has also been known to give gifts to his wife and on the challenges of Muslim youths like zina etc and I can't possibly share all of them here.

So, as a first timer, what can I say about ILMFest? I would have to say that it totally exceeded my expectations. I came to listed to these speakers talk about our beloved Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. and I learnt so much more that I could have expected. The speakers were not only able to educate and convey their knowledge, but they were also able to inspire, they inspired me to do better, be better and to emulate the best, which is our Prophet s.a.w. So for those of you who are thinking about joining the program, well, what are you waiting for? Al Maghrib Institute offers various programs, talks, seminars and courses and of course they also organize conferences like the ILMFest. I would have to say an investment in education and knowledge is one of the best investments you could ever make for yourself.

 

To future attendees of ILMFest, let it be known that bringing an 11-month old baby (like me) or being in a wheelchair should not stop you from attending events like these. It's definitely a not-to-be-missed event, you'll be glad that you attended (I definitely was!) and you'll gain so much from the wisdom, knowledge and experience shared by these wonderful and amazing speakers.

For those who'd like to attend programs like these, you can visit Al Maghrib Institute's website [here] or iMuslim's website [here].

To learning, life, religion and becoming a better believer, inshaa Allah.


xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Book Review: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari

This is one of those books that have always intrigued me and to tell you the truth, I've been thinking of reading this book for many years now (well, there's plenty of books in my reading list so, it's kind of difficult for me to prioritize which book to read first). A couple of months ago I finally made the move in getting the book.

 

For those who might be unfamiliar with the author, Robin Sharma is an international speaker and motivator and the reason why I know this is because I've seen him on Oprah for a couple of times. Anyway, the title of the book have always intrigued me and at first I initially thought this book is about monks selling Ferraris (shameful, I know).
WhenI finally read the book last February, I was unable to put it down. The book tells a story about a hot-shot lawyer in the U.S. who had a heart attack that almost killed him and that made him realize the important things in life (which is not the legal profession unfortunately). He went off to India in search of himself and came back a few years later as a monk teaching what's important in our lives.

My Review:
I love the way how the book is written, it has a story-telling style that makes it interesting and easy to follow. And the best part of the book is the analogy that it portrays, the sumo wrestler coming out of a lighthouse, falling in the garden and finally walking up a pathway filled with diamonds. That is simply an ingenious analogy (in my humble opinion) and seriously, you need to find out what it means.
However, being someone who've had my share of books (and I read A LOT of books), some parts of this book is quite predictable which I feel the author could have improved upon. All in all, for those who are seeking to find their true purpose and direction in life, I really, really recommend this book. It will motivate you, it will teach you, it will guide you, and I promise you, if you practice some of the things taught by the book, it will truly change your life for the better.

Happy reading peeps!


xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Al-Fatihah Ayah

In loving memory of:

Raden Alwie bin Raden Yusop

10 May 1944 - 10 April 2014. 

10 Jamadilakhir 1435H.

Having planned our trip to Tokyo (the trip was planned to coincide with hubs birthday on the 12th of April) for many months,  we've decided to pack Alexa's bag first, considering she'll need more stuff than we do and also to ensure that if we've forgotten anything, packing the bag would definitely help us to remember what else we need for her. So, we've packed her bag on Tuesday night and set Wednesday night for us to get some of the stuff that she needs (i.e. socks, toiletries set, extra wet wipes etc). 

We decided it would be easier for Alexa's stuff to be in one bag so that if we need anything for her, we'd can look for it here.

A friend of ours, Nur Syarfeeza mentioned that Tokyo would be slightly chilly (according to the weather app in my iPhone the temperature in Tokyo is somewhere between 8 - 14 degrees celcius) and reminded us to pack warm clothes, so we prepared her travelling outfit with the weather in mind. Having been to London during spring a few years ago reminded us not to underestimate the cool weather so we prepared an extra jacket for her. 

On Thursday morning, 10th of April, at almost 6 am, we received a phone call from hub's sister, and the sound of her voice is one that I will never forget. The painful anguish of a daughter calling to inform her elder brother that their father have passed away. Indeed the whole world came crashing down on us at this one single moment, we cannot believe that someone who is as active as he is, had suddenly left us, leaving us to go back into the arms of our creator.

Shaken with shock, we quickly got into action and went to hub's family residence to help out with the funeral arrangements.

We are definitely thankful for the help from the committee of Surau Kampung Surabaya Hilir, getting ready to clean and cloth the deceased's body for the last time.

Yassin recitation for the deceased. 

Solat jenazah. 

His final resting place at Tanah Perkuburan Islam, Samariang.

In Islam, we believe that everything we have are borrowed from Allah. We do not own anything, we borrow them from Allah and Allah is the rightful owner, our body, our life, our family, our wealth, our health, all are given by Allah and should Allah wills it, all can be taken away in the blink of an eye. That is why we are accountable to all that have been given to us, we are accountable as to how we behave to others, we are accountable to our body (ensuring our health), we are accountable for our wealth and how it has been spent, we are accountable to the relationships that we have with others, in short, we are accountable for every single thing that we say or do. 

In the same manner, as we are living on borrowed time, Ayah's (this is what we call him) time with us is up. No matter how sad I am at his passing, knowing that we have lost him, knowing that Alexa will never get to know her Atok (as he calls himself), knowing that the future now will be different, how he has left such a huge gap in our lives... In a way I am glad and thankful. I am thankful to Allah for giving me the opportunity to get to know this amazing man, this person who has taken me into his life as his daughter-in-law, this quiet person who has been such an amazing father to my husband, who has taught him the values and principles that has made him what he is today, this simple man who adores that simple things in life and is eternally grateful for the little blessings that he has been granted with. I am eternally grateful to Allah for the time that has been granted to us in having him in our lives.  

Hubs and his parents and siblings during Eid 2012.

The grandfather, Raden Alwie bin Raden Yusop and his granddaughter, Raden Alexa Iqlima binti Raden Chekra Muda in January 2014, a few months after his operation, removing tumor from his brain.

Al Fatihah to my father-in-law Raden Alwie bin Raden Yusop. May Allah grant you Jannah and when the time comes, we will join you in the afterlife.

xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Travels: Bandung and Jakarta, Indonesia

[This post have been edited since I last posted it on the 2nd of April 2014]

Two months ago me and some of my fellow colleagues decided to go for a short trip to Jakarta and Bandung as a way for us to take time off from work and also spend time knowing each other's families.

This trip consisted mainly of Bandung (except on the last day which we spent the morning in Jakarta, we had driven from Bandung to Jakarta right after breakfast). I have been to Bandung a couple of times before, my last one being about three years ago (you can read the entry [here]) with another colleague and I have always loved the place. It's a great place to shop (there's plenty of factory outlets for bargain hunters), there's also plenty of fabrics to choose from for those fashionistas who's keen on designing and making their own clothes (like my friend Sherry from Sherry Says is among one of those talented creative people who can design and sew her own clothes), or even those who are passionate about food (like yours truly).

Despite some concerns over the eruption of Mount Kelud which could hamper our trip and also have adverse health implications but we decided to wing it anyway (the volcano is about 600km away from Jakarta so we decided that the mountain might be quite a distance away).

So here are some of the photos that we took while in Bandung and Jakarta:

Tangkuban Parahu, a dormant volcano (it last erupted in 1983) about an hour's drive from Bandung.

Tangkuban Parahu is considered as one of the tourist attractions in Bandung, thus you can find many vendors selling their wares near the parking lot next to the volcano.

Tourists at Tangkuban Parahu.

Wooden idols, anyone?

The row of stalls were set up strategically right next to the volcano's crater. I guess that unless the volcano display signs of volcanic activity, it would be quite safe doing business next to the crater.

Me and Alexa. As usual, she prefers the Ergo baby carrier compared to her stroller. I guess she just loves to snuggle next to me or hubs .

A lady selling grilled corn on the cob. There's actually plenty of stalls selling these around Tangkuban Parahu.

So this is basically how Tangkuban Parahu looks like.

Alexa, having woken up from her nap.

Hubs and Alexa. Weighing around 7 kgs, she's quite heavy to carry now.

For Muslims, there's a musolla for those who'd like to perform their prayers.

Post Tangkuban Parahu, we stopped by at a tea plantation for some tea.

Burnt grilled corn on cob. A word of caution though, most sellers use kerosene to light up their grill, therefore I do not recommend the corn. We took a bite and immediately we can smell the kerosene from the corn. Yuck!

Hubs and Alexa.

Next we stopped by at Sari Ater for a short dip in the hotspring

You can sit at the benches and enjoy a short dip in the hotspring. The water is almost boiling hot, so enter at your own risk!

You can see the steam rising out of the water. I must say, the water from the hotspring is definitely very, very hot.

Hotspring.

There's also a mosque within the area.

We also stopped by Paris van Java for a lil' bit of shopping.

Those who are looking for exotic food could try sate biawak (monitor lizard sate), rica-rica sate (spicy sate), or sate kelinci (rabbit sate). And in case you're wondering, nope, I did not try any sate when we were in Bandung. I am a foodie, but exotic food are definitely not my thing.

Nasi Uduk anyone? For those who are interested to know what is nasi uduk, you can click [here].

We ended our trip with a short stop to Hard Rock Café Jakarta for Alexa's first Hard Rock t-shirt. Hopefully she's be able to wear them for our next holiday trip which will be to Tokyo, Japan, next week.

It's a tad unfortunate that I'm pressed for time, there's still a few more photos that I'd like to add to this post. Will try to edit this post later so that I can add some photos of Jakarta. Am looking forward to our next trip which will be to Tokyo, Japan, next week.


xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Praying for MH370

The past couple of weeks have been harrowing to Malaysians. We not only lost a plane; on that plane, someone lost a parent, a child, a sister, a brother, a grandparent, a grandchild, a loved one, a friend, an associate, a colleague, a crew and the list goes on. As days trickle on to weeks, the situation became more and more difficult as Malaysia came under siege by criticisms from various individuals and media.

Despite this unfortunate event surrounding our country and our national carrier, given the opportunity, I would still travel with Malaysia Airlines. 

I initially did not want to write on this issue, there's been numerous blogs, write-ups, tweets, even spoofs on the matter. My blog is just one out of the millions out there who are writing on MH370. I guess this is how people vent out and try to make themselves heard, by putting thoughts and feelings on the net.

Last night, our Prime Minister announced that there is much certainty that the plane deviated to the southern corridor and the last indication given by Inmarsat is that the flight's last location is at the southern Indian Ocean, west of Perth. Could it be true that the debris from the satellite photos be of MH370? Until it is found, we could not be sure. In fact, until any evidence is found, we can never be sure of what happened to MH370.

So, why write? I would have to say that I feel compelled to thank those out there who are involved in helping the search for MH370. You deserve better recognition and thanks by us, the people who are reading the news, the people who are waiting anxiously in front of the telly for the current press conference, the people who are hungrily scrounging the net for any piece of news that we can find of on the missing plane. And yet, there you are, under siege by the media, irresponsible individuals and parties who are keen to find fault at every single thing that was done and announced. 

So here's me saying thank you for all that you've done on this mission to find the missing plane. I know it must've have been difficult, finding clues, identifying and searching every single piece of evidence that you could get your hands on (yes, that includes all the various police reports that eyewitnesses say they have seen, including those that seems incredibly ludicrous), checking and rechecking your data to make sure you have not missed anything, making sure with all means possible that the information that you are about to announce is certain to be true, facing ruthless reporters and journalists who seem to be hungry to pinpoint the blame on anyone or everyone, answering various questions and allegations on the missing plane. To the search and rescue team whether you're behind closed doors analysing and reanalysing data till your eyes blur and your head swim at the various charts, raw data and information that you have to process, and to those who are out there braving the skies, oceans and seas just so that we can get a single glimpse at any evidence that we could get our hands on; those who are working tirelessly day and night from day one, I salute you. I could and never would be able to do what you have been and will be doing until this missing plane is found. 

I find it sad that there are many out there (Malaysians included) are bashing our beloved country due to the way how the investigations are being done. As someone who is not involved in the investigations (I am after all part of those who are glued to the telly waiting rather impatiently on the next update or press conference) I will not act as if I know more that those who are involved in the matter. Despite the name-calling and country-bashing exercises by unscrupulous individuals or organisations (it's definitely a pity how some are taking advantage of this situation so that they can get some 5-minutes of fame), I would have to say that I am definitely proud by how we Malaysians have stuck together despite our different race and religion to pray for the missing plane.

To the families of those who were onboard of the missing plane, I will not pretend to know how painful this must be for you, to be ripped off the ones that you love in a manner that is completely incomprehensible such as this, I will offer the only thing that I am capable of at this time of need, words of prayer and support. And to be honest, until that plane is found (or any evidence indicating that it indeed did crash into the Indian ocean) I and many others who are like me would still be hoping and praying that those who were onboard are returned to their family safe and sound.

To quote a verse from the Quran (6:59):
"And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there with the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record."


xoxo Mrs Fashionista

Fashionista's Hotel Review: Hotel 1915 Kuala Lumpur

I had another overnight trip to Kuala Lumpur last weekend and this time I booked a room at Hotel 1915, not far from Masjid Jamek LRT station. This time I chose a hotel right smack in the middle of town (since my past few selections involved me traveling quite a bit to where I wanted to go). Initially I was not keen to stay at a hotel in the middle of the hustle and bustle of KL simply because I was unsure of the amount of noise that I'd be subjected to (especially at night when sleep is critical) and of course I was afraid that the environment of the hotel wouldn't be conducive for me to complete my tasks when I'm in KL.

 

 

Hotel 1915 is located about 1 minute walk away from the Masjid Jamek LRT station which is definitely very, very convenient.

 

It markets itself as a boutique hotel, and as boutique hotels go, I definitely love the cool design of the interior.

 

Lobby.

 

Corridor leading up to my room.

 

I opted for the deluxe queen room. Compared to all the hotels I've ever stayed in, this is among the smallest room I've ever seen. Luckily I'm not claustrophobic. If it wasn't for the room (and the lack of space) I would definitely repeat my stay at Hotel 1915.

 

TV console at the foot of the bed. You can actually see how small the room is from here. There's probably only about one feet of available space between the bed and the wall. There's a couple of sachets of tea and coffee and they've actually provided drinking water stations (for hot and cold water) at every level near the elevator. Jar and glass are provided in the room underneath the TV console.

 

The toilet/ shower.

 

Toilet.

 

And shower.

My review of Hotel 1915 (terribly sorry for the grainy photos in this review, this trip was rather packed so I didn't have the luxury of time to take proper photos):

To be frank, I absolutely love the location of the hotel. It's conveniently located next to a subway station which is definitely a plus point. There's plenty of stalls next to the station for you to do some shopping if you like and food is definitely easy to find when you're in this part of the city. I also liked the fact that despite the hotel's high occupancy rate, the hotel itself is very quiet, there's hardly any noise that I can hear from my room (even though we're so near to the station) and this is definitely another plus point. I like hotels for their location, cleanliness and privacy which I find this hotel fits all the criteria that I look for in a hotel. Unfortunately, the room is super small. It's okay for one person, but for two, it would be terribly cramped. So, if there's more of you, I suggest looking for a bigger room at another hotel. Other than the size issue, this hotel is absolutely perfect!

If you'd like to know more on the hotel, click [here] to visit their website.


xoxo Mrs Fashionista