Apple

From iPhone to the iPad and now iMac, he had it all!!!   He really loves Apple.  What to say, redha ajelah.  I pun bolehlah tumpang dua kaki nnti.  Komputer mmg mahal kt Qatar ni.  Harga iMac lebih mahal dlm 1k++  dari Malaysia.

iMac 27"

keyboard pun tulis arab....

iMac Magic Mouse - Touch Mouse

***EMB said, "This is my birthday present, I bought it earlier".  (sendiri punya b'day sendiri kasi hadiah....hahahaha...)

Yes, I'm Hayao Miyazaki's fan!

I've collected most of the Studio Ghibli's anime/movies.  Started to fall in love with all the movies when EMB bought "Spirited Away" - directed by Hayao Miyazaki.  Award winning at the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival.  I have friends that also fans of Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli.  We exchange Dvd's, & keep updated to any Ghibli's new movie. 

Here's are the list of my collection except for no. 18 & 19....haven't got chance yet to buy!  (source:  WIKIPEDIA)

#	Film	Original release date	Director	IMDB rating	Rotten Tomatoes Rating	Budget (in USD$)	Gross (in USD$)
1	Castle in the Sky	August 2, 1986	Hayao Miyazaki	8.1	94%	N/A	N/A
2	Grave of the Fireflies	April 16, 1988	Isao Takahata	8.4	96%	N/A	N/A
3	My Neighbor Totoro	April 16, 1988	Hayao Miyazaki	8.2	90%	N/A	N/A
4	Kiki's Delivery Service	July 29, 1989	Hayao Miyazaki	7.8	100%	$6.9 million	$18,172,849
5	Only Yesterday	July 20, 1991	Isao Takahata	7.7	-	N/A	N/A
6	Porco Rosso	July 18, 1992	Hayao Miyazaki	7.8	100%	N/A	N/A
7	Ocean Waves	May 3, 1993	Tomomi Mochizuki	7.2	-	N/A	N/A
8	Pom Poko	July 16, 1994	Isao Takahata	7.4	83%	N/A	$34,200,000
9	Whisper of the Heart	July 15, 1995	Yoshifumi Kondō	7.9	89%	N/A	N/A
10	Princess Mononoke	July 12, 1997	Hayao Miyazaki	8.4	93%	$23.5 million	$159,375,308
11	My Neighbors the Yamadas	July 17, 1999	Isao Takahata	7.4	67%	N/A	N/A
12	Spirited Away	July 27, 2001	Hayao Miyazaki	8.6	97%	$19 million	$274,925,095
13	The Cat Returns	July 19, 2002	Hiroyuki Morita	7.2	94%	N/A	$50,590,057
14	Howl's Moving Castle	November 20, 2004	Hayao Miyazaki	8.1	86%	$24 million	$231,711,096
15	Tales from Earthsea	July 29, 2006	Gorō Miyazaki	6.5	42%	$22 million	$68,673,565
16	Ponyo	July 19, 2008	Hayao Miyazaki	7.7	92%	$34 million	$201,750,937
17	The Secret World of Arrietty	July 17, 2010	Hiromasa Yonebayashi	7.7	93%	$23 million	$126,368,084
18	From up on Poppy Hill	July 16, 2011	Gorō Miyazaki	7.3	-	N/A	N/A
19	The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter[8]	Summer 2013[9][10]	Isao Takahata	-	-	N/A	N/A

There's one movie called Howl's Moving Castle based on novel by Diana Wynne Jones.  Soon after I watched that movie, I urged EMB to buy me that novel.  Been searching for that novel at local bookstore but couldn't get it.  At last, EMB found it at the Amazon.com & ordered one for me. 

pic from google

Plot summary (source:wikipedia)

A young woman named Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three daughters living in the town of Market Chipping in the magical kingdom of Ingary, where many fairy-tale tropes are accepted ways of life. She is very deft with the needle and makes the most beautiful hats and dresses. She unknowingly talks life into objects. As the eldest, she is resigned to the "fact" that she will have no chance of finding her fortune, accepting that she will have a dull life running the family hat shop—until she is turned into an old crone by the Witch of the Waste, a powerful witch who was not satisfied by Sophie's hats. Sophie leaves the shop and finds work as a cleaning lady for the notorious Howl, famed in her town for eating the hearts of beautiful young women, trying to make a bargain to be returned to her authentic age.
Sophie soon learns that Howl, a rather self-absorbed, dishonest and cavalier but ultimately good-natured person (and an extraordinary wizard), spreads these malicious rumours about himself to ensure his privacy and smear his own reputation to avoid work and responsibility. The door to his castle is actually a portal that opens onto four different places: the moving castle Sophie first encounters in the hills above Market Chipping, the seaside city of Porthaven, the royal capital of Kingsbury and Howl's boyhood home in Wales, where he was named Howell Jenkins.
Sophie strikes a bargain with Howl's resident fire demon, Calcifer: if Sophie can break the contract Howl and Calcifer have signed, then Calcifer will return Sophie to her original form. Part of the contract, however, stipulates that neither Howl nor Calcifer can disclose the terms of the contract to any third party. Sophie tries to guess the specifics of the contract, while Calcifer supplies frequent hints which Sophie usually doesn't pick up. Howl realizes that Sophie is under a spell and secretly attempts to remove the curse; when met with failure, he comes to the conclusion that Sophie wants to remain an old woman.
Howl's apprentice Michael Fisher runs most of the day-to-day affairs of Howl's business, while Howl chases his ever-changing paramours. Howl and Michael court Sophie's two younger sisters Lettie and Martha, respectively. Martha, the youngest, was sent to study magic, while the middle sister, Lettie, was apprenticed at a local bakery. Disguising herself as Lettie, Martha arranged for the two of them to switch places, as Fanny (Martha's mother and Sophie and Lettie's stepmother) did not take their wishes into account when arranging their apprenticeships.
When Prince Justin (the King's younger brother) goes missing while searching for Wizard Suliman (Benjamin Sullivan, also from Wales), the King orders Howl to find Suliman and Justin and kill the Witch of the Waste. Howl, however, has his own reasons to avoid seeking a confrontation with the Witch of the Waste; the Witch, a jaded former lover, has laid a curse on him. Howl attempts to weasel out of it by having Sophie, pretending to be his mother, petition against the appointment— but to no avail. Instead of blackening Howl's name like he asked Sophie to do, she gets him appointed the new Royal Wizard, the post he has been trying to avoid for years.
Howl continues to avoid the Witch of the Waste until she lures Sophie into a trap; believing that the Witch has taken Howl's current love interest, Lily Angorian, captive, Sophie goes to save her and is in turn captured by the Witch of the Waste. Howl comes to save Sophie and defeats the Witch of the Waste. He knew all along that Miss Angorian was actually the Witch's fire demon in disguise. The Witch's fire demon had, over the years, taken control of the Witch and, once the Witch is defeated, tries to take Howl's heart to stay alive. Howl is able to stop the demon but fails because Miss Angorian took hold of Calcifer and tried to squeeze Howl's heart out of him. Sophie uses her talent of talking things to life to break the contract between Howl and Calcifer without killing either of them. Sophie has been unconsciously retaining the spell on herself, but her concern for Howl weakens the spell, and with the death of the Witch of the Waste, who was a significant force behind the spell as well, Calcifer, as promised, breaks the spell the second she concludes the contract between him and Howl, and she returns to her proper age. When Howl awakens, he destroys the witch's fire demon. This breaks the curse on Wizard Suliman and Prince Justin, whom the Witch had fused together in an effort to create a 'perfect human' (Howl's head was meant to complete the being) to use as a puppet to rule Ingary.
Calcifer returns under the condition that he can come and go as he wishes. Sophie and Howl admit they love each other (without actually saying it) and Howl suggests they live happily ever after.

 ***soon after I read that novel, I got pregnant & I told EMB that if the baby is girl I'll definitely will name her "SOPHIE"!  That's how my daughter Sophie got her name...hahaha...

Hayao Miyazaki - pic from:  wikipedia

this is my lovely Totoro (large forest spirit), my favourite character from "My Neighbour Totoro"

Makan, makan, makan & makan

EMB dijemput ke rmh oleh ex-collegue dia masa kerja kt Kuantan dulu.  Seorang muallaf Indian dr India.  Sudah few years kerja kt Qatar stlh habis kontrak di Kuantan.  So, dptlah we all merasa authentic Indian food!  Semuanya home-cooked meal, wife dia masak.

nasi beriani

mutton curry

roti arab

kuih India (rasanya vadei) & spicy milk tea (hmmm...dlm teh pun dorang taruk rempah)

an Indian sweets (dessert), rasa spicy jugak & byk nuts mcm almond, sunflower seeds...mcm2 lagi la, tapi I x boleh nk trace semua bhn2nya

Al Khor Fish Market

 (

kt sini lah I dptkan bekalan ikan & seafood

ada satu kedai yg pekerja India pandai cakap Melayu

fish cleaning, nk siang udang sotong pun boleh...upah cleaning dlm QR5.00 (RM4.15)

and.......

temp. semalam....

temp. hari ni

Souq Waqif

Located behind the Corniche, off Grand Hamed St, Souq Waqif is a showpiece of traditional architecture, handicrafts and folk art, and was once a weekend trading area for the Bedouin.

Meaning “standing market” in Arabic, the Souq evokes the feeling of ancient Arabic heritage and community. Beginning in 2004, the Souq was renovated according to traditional Qatari architectural techniques, using authentic materials.

The only traditional souq to remain in the Gulf, it’s now a charming labyrinth of narrow streets where visitors can bargain and purchase an amazingly diverse range of products including spices, dried fruit, nuts, perfumes, local honey, clothing, oud, incense, pots, tools and garden equipment, as well as Bedouin weaving, gypsum handicrafts, model dhows, wooden brass-studded bridal chests, pictures of ‘old Doha’, and paintings by Qatari artists.

A visit to one of the falcon shops is a unique experience – some shopkeepers will allow you to photograph and handle the birds while explaining equipment and training.

Open from 10 am – 12 pm and 4 pm – 10 pm, Souq Waqif is one of the liveliest place in Doha, boasting an increasing number of restaurants, where you can taste traditional Qatari food and various specialties from the Middle-East.

There are several traditional cafés and restaurants which open until late (some 24 hours). Sample local delicacies or try the traditional shisha or water pipe, often referred to as ‘hubbly-bubbly’ because of the noise it makes. There are regular displays of folk dance and music, particularly on festive occasions, and opportunities to photograph donkeys with traditional patterned saddles. Source: http://www.qatartourism.gov.qa/pillars/index/1/leisure/267

 **Every weekend ada event kt situ katanya.  Sbb kebetulan masa I pergi souq last Saturday evening ada event, mcm2 persembahan ada.

  

This is what happened to our cars when ayah taking care of it....

satu baru basuh, satu lagi berbungkus & ayah siap blok lagi dgn basket plastik (basket tu biasanya ayah guna utk angkut hasil kebun dia naik motor bawa balik ke rmh)

Gambar ni anak sedara I yg tag dlm FB.  Nak pecah perut rasa tgk kereta we all yg dijaga & dikawal rapi oleh ayah.  Terima kasih ayah....we all pun x boleh nk jaga kereta mcm dia jaga.  Rindunya kt parents di kg...

Sudah settled down

Wah...lama x dpt nk update WWFE.  But I kena cut short la story ni, kalau x mesti panjang punya.

Jan 27th, 2012 -  Moved from Twin Mansoura Apt. to permanent housing @ Al Khor Community.  I like this house.  It's double storey semi-D.  Next door, belum ada org masuk lagi.  still kosong.  Best sbb dpt end/corner lot.  As I mmg x suka area yg terlalu crowded & rmh yg rapat2....opposite my house, my nebor from Malaysia.  Same day we all pindah masuk rmh ni, furniture yg we all ordered earlier pun sampai.  kalau x, mmg tido kt lantai la jawabnya.  Then, I busy kemas2, adjust2 furniture dgn EMB.  Pastu everyday keluar shopping nk tambah2 lagi apa yg belum lengkap.  Barang2 kt sini mmg mahal ok....terutama furniture x byk barang yg harga murah dr Malaysia.  I tell you, furniture made in Malaysia mmg org nak kt sini....I don't know why mungkin kualiti bagus kot..... Nk tahu lebih lanjut pasal Al Khor Community klik sini.

Jan 29th, 2012 -  We went to school to register the kids.  We have to fill up few forms, & they will email us the date for the test.  Yes, they have to test the kids before they can enter that school.  I'm worried sgt takut my kids x lepas that tests, then takut x dpt enter that school.  I solat hajat for them mohon sgt2 supaya Allah bagi my kids lepas test tu.

Feb 1st, 2012 -  Went to school again, bringing kids for test.  Waited for a few hours there.  For Sophie they have set an interview with parents.  She never been to any school before.  They  asked us everything that we think they need to know about Sophie.  Hareez finished the test first, here's come the result!  Bang!!  I takoooot sgt rasanya.  I don't want to hear anything that can make me unhappy.  The teacher Mr Lee, asked us, "Do you know your son is clever?",  wahahaha......we all mcm "errrr...", x tahu nk answered mcmana.  x sangka he went through that test dgn jayanya.  Lepas review Hareez's result, we all dibawa oleh Mr Lee tgk2 sekitar kelas & sekolah.  Then, si kakak pulak habis test....si kakak ni lama sikit test dia sbb dh Year 5 kan.  Si kakak cuma cukup makan je result dia..hehehe...ok la tu kan.  Otherwise kalau they all x lepas test ni harus lah ulang balik year yg sblm ni....

Feb 5th, 2012 -  Kids had started their schooling.  Si kakak in Year 5, Hareez in year 4 & Sophie in Foundation Stage, in the same school.  The teachers mostly from UK, cakap pekat accent British meletop-letop.   Terkial2 jugak la I pasang telinga nk tangkap apa yg dicakapkan!  That's why kena ada EMB utk jadi jurubahasa I. Ada juga teacher from Indonesia utk ajar subjek Islamic Studies, ada juga teacher utk ajar Bahasa Melayu.  nak tahu lebih lanjut pasal sekolah dorang ni klik sini.

1st day, nk pergi school

kakak & Hareez go by bus.  there's one lady yg akan turun amik dorang naik bas & bila balik nnti dia akan turun jugak utk pastikan kids selamat