So, I was watching this sports show on Astro the other day and they showed this one Malaysian futsal championship 2011 for both boys and girls. And I gotta admit that were pretty good but the problem that I faced while watching the highlights was that I can’t differentiate them.

I could not differentiate which teams were the girls’. =.=’

I really don’t get it. Why do you have to look like a guy to play like one? It doesn’t make sense at all! Plus, you don't need to look like Messi to also get FIFA Player of the Year 2011. =)

FIFA Player of the Year 2011, Homare Sawa and Lionel Messi.

Of course there is nothing wrong with having short hair. And you can totally still look like a girl.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a long hair looking like a normal girl. Or if you’re a Muslimah, there’s no harm on playing futsal while wearing hijab. My friends and I have been doing that and is still doing it.

Exhibit A, world champions for  FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011, Japan. Well, most of them look still very much like a girl. Hmm.

Exhibit B, since they’re world champions, it’s so obvious that they’re amazing at playing football.

Plus, in the religion of Islam, isn’t there this one hadith which states that it’s haram to wear any types of clothing which would cause other people to confuse you as the opposite sex? Please correct me if I’m wrong.

And another thing, when it comes to football and girls, the typical Malaysians would always say to me:

“Ish, buat apa dok main bola, macam laki-laki.”

“Hang tu perempuan, sedaq sikit, nanti orang ingat hang laki.”

“Tak takut ka nanti orang laki tak suka kat hang?”

What the TOOOOOOOT? Like C’MON! Playing or being a fan of the game would not transform you into becoming a boy kayy. *Slaps head*

You tell me, while it’s okay to play hockey, netball and handball, why is it not okay for girls to play football? You still run around the field, chasing the one same ball but rather than using your hands or hitting it with a stick, you use your legs. *Squints*

So, Malaysians (the stereotype ones), please stop being such a stereotype! There’s nothing wrong with girls playing or even watching the game, okay?

And let’s not even go to girls playing rugby. That’s way off for many Malaysians to accept that still. Since I’m the little rebel, I’m still gonna play both football and touch rugby regardless of what people are going to say and have said to me.

Feminist much? Nahh, just being an outspoken athlete and a football/rugby fan. =)

So, just so you know, I show my appreciation towards someone by giving presents to them like key-chains or chocolates or food or whatever that I could afford. C’mon, who could ever say “No” to good free stuffs? =B However, some people have different styles of showing their appreciation like maybe, they would make up a cool song or tumpangkan bilik (thanks Saliha and Irfanah!) or produce awesome vids or write on their blogs or drive their friends around Penang (thanks Wani and Eeling!).

Even a simple gesture of “Hi” could put a smile on their face and even mine. =)

I was quite shocked when some of my UIA friends were like, “Shaf! Ko ingat aku lagi ek? Terharu aku ko datang jumpe aku. Hehe,”. MESTILAH! I’m not that vein to forget you guys kayy. Insya-Allah, at this rate, I WON’T lerh. =D

A few tear drops here and there. ;)

Lots of Hu-Ha-Hu-Ha and hugs everywhere. =D

And definitely gossiping sessions anywhere! =p

I was flattered that my friends and family can’t seem to forget me too. =p

At least I know that people who are called FRIENDS still appreciate me. =) They manage to squeeze in my short trip to Malaysia into their tight schedule so that I could meet up with them. Regardless of it being a whole-day outing *winks at Eel, Wani Nizam, Saliha, Irfanah, Nisa, Mirah* or even a really really short convo *winks at the other awesome people* =p.

I would like to say to EVERYONE:

Just to show off to you guys, I had so many cool presents from around the World given by my beautiful friends. It’s such an irony coz I had to come back home to Malaysia and get all these stuffs. LOL. =p

Thanks to Eel Seah for the cool Zodiac cutting and the Tarracotta Emperor Key-chain from BEIJING.

Thanks to Wani Nizam for the stylish scarf from THAILAND.

Thanks to Luqman Kasran for the dangly keychain from EGYPT.

Thanks to Nadiah Rashidi for the unique emu magnet from AUSTRALIA.

Thanks to Zahira Zahari for the cute keychain from SINGAPORE.

Seeeeee, I told you guys I had awesome stuffs from around the Globe. Guess I’m one lucky person who is surrounded by so many awesome people who would remember me. =)

Again, I thank you for everything you’ve done for the past two months. Well, I wish you all the best and see you guys again real soon. *Winks*

Thanks For The Memory. =)

Haha. Bak kata Wani Nizam, I nih gedik macam superstar. Tak maw announce kata dah balik Penang. Haha, SURPRISE!! LOL. To those I yang I tak call or bagitaw lagi, bukan tak maw call, but tak sempat. So, no terasa hati yeah? =B

So, I dah ada kat Penang for more than a week. Haha, agak2 ahh, since we all sampai malam Selasa lepaih, esok tuh, terus pi makan KFC! Wee~ coz dekat sana KFC mana lah halal. Dah la kat belakang rumah ada KFC. Boleh lalu, tengok and drool jaa. Heh. 

Heavy Malaysian food macam tak rindu sangat sebab kat rumah ibu ngan abah selalu masak. Plus, kalu other Malaysians panggey pi makan rumah, makan makanan Melayu lagi. So, macam orang Penang kata, tak kebuluq la. =B

These are the food yang dah pekena since sampai sini. Hehe.

Cendoi pulut
Ais Kacang
KFC
McD
Nasi Kandaq
Roti Canai
Roti Tisu
Teh Tarik
Maggi Goreng
Sambai belacan
Pasemboq
Ikan belah belakang
Ayam masak merah

Haha, the list could go on, so, I’ll just stop here. Hehe.

Met up with my honey bees Eel ngan Wani. Jalan2, makan2, shopping2. Plus, orang macam kena buat appointment plak bila nak jumpa. Next week, nak pi merepek ngan minah Ashley Leow ngan Adilla Munir plak. Wah wah wah, nak mengada lah kan bak kata orang. Haha. Well, to those yang I tak jumpa lagi, we would definitely meet. Wee~

And I definitely like it when other Malaysians tell me, WELCOME HOME. =)) 

Though I <3 New Zealand a lot. =B

Okay! Fine! I can’t help it! I think Rugby World Cup (RWC) phenomenon died too quickly. So, I’m gonna live it up all by myself. Heh, syok sendiri. Dah la dok exam. =B So, I owe you guys a blog update on my presence at one of the  RWC games between Eagles and Wallabies at the Wellington Regional Stadium, New Zealand. I know, you rugby enthusiast out there must be thinking, “Why lah this makcik nak update benda yang dah berzaman habis. Hmph.” That’s why I said, I don’t care! =p So, I’m still gonna write down my experience watching a RWC 11’ match between the USA and Australia. Wee~ Ya Rabbi, berteghabuq English. Tsktsktsk.

Me in front of the RWC Official Poster at the stadium

'Don't tell Michelle I'm here'-Barack Obama =p

American flags, check. Australia’s flags, check. 4 Barack Obamas, check. Captain Americas, check. Statue of Liberty, check. Cowboys, check. Buzz Lightyear? Owh okay, check. And… guys wearing-extremely-tight-wrestling-clothing, urr, check? So, those were the people, or shall I say, characters and stuffs that filled my 23^rd of September (okay, literally it’s the stadium really =p). With spotlights over head, which could literally light up the whole Wellington City, is the Wellington Stadium that was going to organize the not-so-legendary game between States and Australia. Even though it wasn’t the All Blacks playing, I still got overexcited coz I was about to meet Quade Cooper, Samo, Will Genia and other big names on Wallabies team then. Okayy, no offence to the USA but I know none of you guys. Sorry! Owh and again, no offence, I did think it was going to be an easy game for the Wallabies. =p

Captain Americas. =)

USA vs Wallabies

Wellington Regional Stadium or known as Westpac

However, Australia was the most hated team on RWC 11’. You could actually see that the whole stadium was covered by American flags and fans. There were small teeny tiny spots of Australian fans scattered around the stadium who were technically the minorities in the game. LOL. Even people who had never supported USA did on that night. Like I did. Hahah! None of us wanted Wallabies to win so most of us ended up cheering for U-S-A. Plus, everyone went there just for the fun of the atmosphere and people dressing up as cool characters.

And one of the dudes who sat next to Abah had been trying to make the whole stadium to do the ‘Mexican wave’. He only managed to make the whole stadium to do one round like after what, 10 gazillion times? Hahah! Hey, it took tones of energy to make the entire stadium synchronized. =B LOL. And the paling kesian part was when the whole stadium boo-ed at Quade Cooper whenever he had the ball with him. I mean, yeah, he was the most hated player during RWC coz he kneed McCaw’s head during the last Tri-Nation Championship, but c’mon guys, where’s the sports spirit?? But Cooper kept his composure and managed to play beautifully although he missed out like 2 penalty kicks or something like that. Can’t remember. So yehh.

Quade Cooper making conversion kick

At the end of the day, as usual, the Wallabies kicked USA butts by scoring 67 points to 5. It was an okay game I suppose. I manage to meet up with Man of the Match, Adam Ashley-Cooper from the Wallabies. He was walking around shaking hands with people but I didn’t. My brother did. Cheq kan orang Islam, mana dok boleh nak shek hend ngan orang laki2. Huhu. =)

Adam Ashley-Cooper

It was one heck of an experience. I’m really hoping to be able to watch at least one All Blacks game live next year in NZ. Preferably Tri-Nation (which is gonna be called Four Nations next season =S) or any friendly matches between All Blacks with anyone. Preferably with Springboks or with Wallabies themselves. =p So yehh. Next RWC is going to be held in England. A huge and definite no no since I’m still gonna be in uni, studying. So, RWC 2019, wait for me in Japan! I’m coming right at cha! =)

Okay, before I start, I still owe you guys my raya story. Since my story on AidilAdha is still very fresh, I’ll write on this first. I’ll have my Aidilfitri story done after my exams. Owh owh, wish me all the best! =B

What comes across your mind if tomorrow is AidilAdha? Here’s a few:

Ouhh, boleh makan kari kambing nih. *slurps*

Okayy, lepas semayang sunat, boleh lah tunggu nak tengok lembu kena korban. Wee~

Nak pakai jubah ka jeans? Eh eh, baju kurung la, baru ada aura raya. Heh heh.

Owh wait, mana ada duit raya. Haish. *simpan purse balik*

But to me, it worked pretty differently this year. Selalu, kalu pagi raya, you can listen to takbir everywhere. Dekat radio, TV and even the nearest masjids. Tapi pagi tadi, sangat lah sunyi. I dully put my jubah on and my family were on our way to Johnsonville Community Centre untuk sembahyang sunat EidulAdha. Bukan dekat masjid pown.

And guess what?? I pegi sekolah youuu. That's why tak pakai baju kurung. Sejuk kowt! Ada kelas, langsung lah tak rasa macam raya tapi apakah daya, dah nak exam, still gotta go to the tutorials. =S Tapi, bila balik dari sekolah, I made my exquisite crème brulee. Sedap woaah, tak sangka I terer buat. Dah ada banyak peminat kowt. Muahaha!

Creme Brulee

Kat sini pown ada buat qorban but then I didn’t go coz it starts earlier in the morning and ended at 3pm-ish tadi. So, memang tak sempat nak pi tengok, so I have no idea how they do it over here. But we all dapat daging korban though. Wee~ Daging NZ sedap woo. =B

Tapi thanks to Ibu, Uncle Is and Aunty Jini, raya best lah sebab kami dapat makan Nasi Beriyani lauk ayam and kambing, turkey, steak and ice cream! Wee~ Kiwi style. Hahah. So, technically, the whole day, kerja makan ja. Hahah. So, in my opinion, raya kat NZ tak semeriah and fun macam kat Malaysia. Raya at home is still the best place. =) I miss Malaysia. I know, I gotta admit it. =S

5 hours and over 400 km. Hmmm, sempat kah nihhh?? Okayy, I’ll just sleep now and hope that when I wake up, we’ll reach there in time.

15 minutes later...

Me: Are we there yet?? *pouts*

Ibu: *Chuckles* Kakak dah worry we’re gonna miss world cup finals. Chill, we’ll reach there in time.

Me: *Stares* Nanti ramai orang kat fanzone, tak boleh masuk tengok kat bigscreen. *pouts* I’ll just sleep again then. *sigh*

Our road trip to Rotorua, north part of North Island. That was how far we drove last weekend. We went there coz a very close family friend came to New Zealand and we decided to go to Rotorua on the same day as the World Cup finals. Went around the beautiful sulphur-odoured place, visited an awesome Maori Marae named Whakarewarewa AND got to the fanzone* on time and watch the glorious victory that All Blacks manage to hold on to after 24 years! It was definitely one nervous-wrecking game coz the Abs only won 8-7 against the French. Phew! I bet Piri Weepu felt all the pressure on him but heyy, that’s why they’re called games I guess. =S But then, Stephen Donald saved the day and managed to get a conversion out of it. And they only put Sonny Bill in like 5 minutes before the game ends. *pouts* And I just adore Richie McCaw’s cheeky grin when he looked at the time which was over 80 minutes, indicating that they’ve won the title. =D

You gotta read it in Malay so that it will sound the same:

 Tey-fakarewa-rewa-tanga-o-tey-o-pey-ta-uwa-awa-hi-yau

The view of sulfur blast from my hotel room.

The cool Maori traditional dance performance.

The Marae.

Singing Aotearoa National Anthem: God Defend New Zealand

When The All Blacks won the Championship at Rotorua Fanzone.

*fanzone - a place where they build at almost every town in NZ so that everyone can watch rugby on bigscreen, play all sorts of rugby games and cool events, and if you’re lucky like me, you’ll be able to meet the All Blacks. Depends where and when though. =D

From left: Cory Jane, Ma'a Nonu, some cute kid =p, Piri Weepu, Dan Carter, Sonny Bill Williams, Conrad Smith and Richard Kahui

Fanzone at Waitangi Park, Wellington.

Okay, to tell you the truth, it wasn’t such a good game. I know that they could do a lot better than that but Abs have done their best and owned the World Cup title for the second time. However, here is my Top 5 must-watch RWC matches list:

1)     Ireland vs Wales (Quarters)

2)     Australia vs All Blacks (Semis)

3)     Australia vs South Africa (Quarters)

4)     Tonga vs France (Pool)

5)     Japan vs All Blacks (Pool)

I know, you guys must be thinking JAPAN? You kidding me? LOL, it was definitely an easy game for the Abs (no offence to any Japanese =B) but you gotta agree with me that Japan didn’t give up even till the last minute. You just gotta love their spirit. =)

The All Blacks had a victory parade in Auckland on Monday, Christchurch on Tuesday and in Wellington itself on Wednesday but tragically I couldn’t go coz it was during school. They did the haka at the parliament staircase!! Huaarrgghh!! *Geram* One horrible day but you just gotta do what cha gotta do =S. But, all hail the All Blacks, the world champion. =D

PS: Now I don’t have anything else to look forward to every weekend anymore. =S

“Why do you fast? Why can’t you touch dogs? Why can’t you eat pork? Why do you have to pray five times a day? Why do you have so many rules in Islam? How can you be so committed to them?” Those are a few questions which had been asked at me for the past few months since I moved here. Well, to tell you the truth, I do know the technical reasons but I’m such a horrible person when it comes to explaining stuffs. So, the best way for me to generally explain why Islam has so many rules, is by using an analogy. (Gosh, bio is really getting into my brain. Wait, it is a good thing right? LOL) So, since most of my peeps who asked me these questions are New Zealanders, I’m gonna use a great analogy which can be perfectly linked to their lives, rugby. =B To my Malaysian friends, I’ll explain a little bit about the game throughout the way. Got loadsa pictures you guys can look at. =D Plus, not only you can relate to Islam but also life. =)

PS: It’s just my opinion and it may sound funny because it was a sudden random idea that I came up with. =p Damn you Rugby World Cup, you’re distracting me! =p

2^nd PS: Tribute to All Blacks. They rock!

Let’s start off with this:

Rules

In rugby games, of course you need solid rules in order for the game to work. They are the ones that keep the game civilised and intact even though rugby is one brutal game. That’s why there are so many rules in Islam that we have to follow in order for our life to work and not diverge from this beautiful religion. If you break the rules, you’re gonna end up killing everyone on the team and not winning the championship =p.

Referees

Referees are the individuals who are responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making decisions that enforce the rules of the sport. So, referees are like our family members, teachers and friends who keep reminding us of the rules. Let’s face it, we’re homo sapiens. Duhh. We have flaws and we do need a lot of people to remind us of what is right and wrong. The game won’t work without them coz we’ll be too arrogant and realise that we’re doing the wrong thing. And ending up bashing one another. Wow, that sounds harsh but yeah. =P

RWC 11' Referee: George Clancy

Training

You know how in every games (and even exams!), you gotta train and practice before the day reaches. I know it’s not easy and all those hard work and those hardcore blood, sweat and tears (and probably some broken bones. Yeep!) would definitely come around in one way or another. So, in order to win a game, you have to train. Without the training, you’re going to fail miserably and not winning the cup. Training can be symbolised as the 5 pillars of Islam which are acknowledging Allah as the only God and that Prophet Muhammad is His messenger, pray 5 times a day, fast during the Ramadhan month, goes for Hajj in Mekah, and almsgiving which is also known as zakat. In my belief, without them, you’re not going to al-Jannah (heaven). Period. That is why you have to fast, pray and etc in order to get into al-Jannah. They are all preparatory stuffs which will make you a better person and confirm a place in the heaven. In a way, if you slack in doing your training, you can kiss goodbye to the cup. *winks*

Sonny Bill Williams during All Blacks training session

Injuries and Opponent

Owh, hell yes rugby is one brutal game. Not in a single game that no one gets injured. Injuries are like our downs in life. We just gotta get right back up and continue fighting even though it hurts like hell. Let’s just say that the aggressiveness in the game is like life in general. Life is one bumpy brutal ride! They’re not gonna be sweet all the time. And opponents symbolise your obstacles for you to face in order to get to your goals. In rugby, obstacles for you to get a try =D. You get knocked and pushed and jabbed at but at the end of the day, you know that you have to win and that life is worth fighting for because life is a gift from Allah to us. So, treasure it. =) Life can be rough to you but heyy, if you don’t have any broken bones, where is the fun of it? =p

 All Blacks against Wallabies

Try and Conversion

So, you non-rugby watchers out there, try means grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area which behind the goal line. It’s something like what we call touch-down in American Football. 

Conrad Smith making a try

After every single try, you’ll get a conversion which is when the ball is kicked and must pass over the crossbar and between the uprights.

Rugby post

So, tries and conversions are like goals in our life. We’ve got to put our head in it and really aim for it. And it’s definitely hard to reach but once you get to the line, I bet it feels amazing. A goal can be as simple as saving up money to buy your favourite team jersey and it can go up to as hardcore as getting your 5^th PhD or whatever you want it life. Just remember this, nothing is impossible, just do it. Keep in mind that your goals have to be good things though =p.

Scrums and Penalties

Scrum is a way of restarting the game, either after an accidental infringement. Players will bind together in three rows and the scrum then 'engages' with the opposition team so that the player's heads are interlocked with those of the other side's front row.

While penalty score works the same way as conversions do.

Dan Carter making the penalty kick

So, scrum and penalties are like second chances in life.  If we take it for granted, you’re gonna lose the ball, the scoring points and cause the opposition team to win. If you’re not focused and slack off, you’re not gonna  win the match. What I’m trying to say is that we should really be grateful and work harder in life. There must be a reason why Allah gives us second chances. Think about it. And never take granted of anything in our life. It’s just too precious to be lagged off and you might not get it anymore. Even one point in scoring can separate you between winning and losing.

Team

The team IS your family. They have to support you no matter what happens. Friends and family are the ones that help us to reach our goals and are expected to be there when we need them and vice versa of course. We have to take care of them and love them in order for them to have your back. ‘Nuff said.

Winning the Cup

Winning the Cup is like getting a place in al-Jannah. And yes, it feels like heaven. *winks* You have to do so many things and follow many rules and fight and face your obstacles in order to win. And at the end of the day, it is definitely worth it. Nothing is better than pleasing Allah as we all have to remember that He is our creator and that we are His best creation in the whole wide world. And that is why I am committed to my religion. Coz I wanna win the cup. =D

So, guys, put your rugby boots on and side-step your way to al-Jannah. =B