[Dad’s Special] The Japanophile Babah (than me)

私より日本が好きババ

Babah, who is (kinda) obsessed with Japan more than I am. Who would have thought. The ‘Babah’ who doesn’t even like Japanese food. Or even very hard to please when it comes to traveling. He is now savvier than I am about things in Japan and I kinda feel intimidated haha. Now, he cannot help to compare everywhere in the world with Japan. And he basically is looking forward for our next Japan trip more than I am.

One of the few pictures of Babah and I together. Resting by the river at Kitakami Tenshochi Sakura Festival in 2015.

Life of a Polyglot

Welcome to the World with No Boundaries (at least with the languages)!

When asked about what I like to do when I am free aside from traveling, I can only answer, ‘Hmm…learning language(s) or anything related to it.’ Well, that’s basically true. I don’t do gardening, shopping or going to cinema. I usually cook, not because I like it, but to save money for my traveling or to understand better other’s culture, together with the language that comes with it. つまらなさそうですね！(Sounds boring, right!).

At first, I was a bit worried about myself. I did self-reflection on my daily life and whether such hobby is normal enough. Thankfully I chanced upon this VIDEO by Student.com, titled ‘Being bilingual changes your brain (and your IQ) in all these …’. It is somehow scientifically proven that learning languages can help to develop your brain and do all sorts of good things to yourself. Thus, I am just gonna be happy doing what I enjoy and strive to be the ultimate polyglot!

[Ramadhan Special] Projek Usrah ABRAR- Lets Write!

Ahlan Ya Ramadhan!

Credit: We<3It

It’s already almost a week into the blessed month, and alhamdulillah, praise be to Allah, we are still privileged by Him to make the most out of the month to gain His Forgiveness & Blessings. Moreover, it is also a good time to develop good habits, either in term of our manners (Akhlaq) or even our skills.  

Si Muka Tebal in Cambodia

‘Muka Tebal’ is a ‘simpulan bahasa’ an idiom in Bahasa Malaysia that can be literally translated into ‘thick-skinned’ in English and yep, it has exactly the same meaning. In general IMO these phrases give off negative connotation of being insensitive to one’s surrounding (in the way KY or 空気読めない in Japanese) or ‘tidak tahu malu’. But surprisingly I like the definition given in dictionary.reference.com, which translates it as ‘not easily upset or affected’. It is somehow uplifting since after my last solo-trip to Cambodia & Vietnam, I found myself being more & more ‘muka tebal’.

‘Si Muka Tebal’ enjoying her colorful adventure in Cambodia!

My last trip to Cambodia/Vietnam was not my first time traveling solo, well it was never meant to be one until my brother had to cancel it due to work. I have traveled a few times on my own in Australia & Japan. However, that trip made me realized I am ‘Si Muka Tebal’ & got me addicted to solo-backpacking.

「単独旅行」Solo-Traveling is the Way!

Enjoying Autumn Foliage in Okayama University during Solo-Travel in Japan 2013

Traveling alone is nothing new for backpackers/globetrotters out there and certainly for me. However, it is still a ‘last-resort’ for many around me, especially ladies.

Personally, I am an extrovert thru-and-thru (combination of sanguine & eagle+peacock). However, going thru the process of structured ‘tarbiah’ (self-development), I am shaped to be versatile and all-rounder to be able to fit and adapt to whatever situations and conditions. This is also reflected in my traveling style and preference. I love traveling with my familes and friends, especially if I can make them happy along the way. This suits perfectly with my personality. However, there are times that I would prefer to have all the space and time for my ownself and solo-travel is the answer.

「自省」Travel-Reflection 2015

Sneak Peak! – Good things come to those who continue to work hard with sabr (patience) and shukr (gratitude)

お久しぶりです。。
오랜만이에요!

Ah, it’s been a loooooong time since my last post (almost 5-month of update-procrastination!). Since the last post, many things happened, whether within or beyond our control. Things that may or may not affect our lives.

詳しく北海道！DIY Hokkaido！- Of Gratitude and ‘Koyo’xication (Day 3)

Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar…
La Ilaha Illa Allahu wa Allahu Akbar…
Allahu Akbar wa Lillahi Alhamdu

It’s the tenth of Zulhijjah!

Celebrating Eid Adha in Obihiro, Hokkaido

Alhamdulillah I felt grateful to Allah for blessing me with a sempoi, cool and spontaneous family. When I suggested for us to spend our Raya Haji (Eid Adha) in Japan, my parents were quite thrilled and excited. It may be due to the fact that most of our family members spent quite some time overseas or living far apart. For us, as long as we are together, where we are is secondary.

日本語 x English: Asking for Direction!

Lost in Direction? (in Biei’s Patchwork Road)

Learning languages has always been my favorite pastime or even a way to release my stresses from office work and life. This comes handy with my passion for travelling and backpacking. I have learned many languages, either by taking classes or thru self-learning before any trips, and find (and sometimes create) intriguing crossovers between the different languages (and  cultures).

For this post, I would like to share the crossover that I (basically) create between English and 日本語 (Japanese) when asking for directions (which are very important for travelling).

Major Throwback! Celebrating Spring 2015

春もう来た!

Spring is here!

The OZ Series (2)- Sydney’s Coastal Walks (Track 1-Bondi Beach to Watson Bay)

 

The Glorious Clifftop Walk

Sydney was not my first choice for a place I would like to stay for a valuable one-year of unpaid leave. I prefered Melbourne due to some reasons. For me, Sydney was pretty much like Auckland (where I stayed for 3.5 years) with respect to its hilly geography, its coastal position and its function as the central business city of the repsective country. Given the limited choice of university I was able to choose due to the duration of unpaid leave allowed, I ended up in Sydney for 1 year. And that was when I started to discover the valuable gem of Syndey: BEACHES!