New Spa Experience : Hammam Spa - Bangsar Village II

My dear friend Aandes a.k.a Ms. A and me were very stressed out from our daily routine and when she suggested to take a day off to try the Hammam Spa - I spontaneously said yes!

(It has been more than a year since I got my last neck and shoulder ache and last 2 weeks it happened again, so I decided that I need to take a break and treat myself to a spa)

I've never been there, and don't even know what it was until Ms. A mentioned it then I remembered that I've heard it from a friend who was planning to go there with her sister that this is a place for a Turkish bath and scrub - Moroccan style and if we added massage to it, it will be heaven on earth~

With the very busy work schedule, I managed to Google to read the services offered in details and was intrigued when I read a post by JACSAFTERMARRIED blog (Honestly, she took better pictures and gave the place justice in her writings)

I was so excited after reading her post, I couldn't sleep. I didn't know which package Ms. A booked for us because I was too busy to text and when I did, I always forget to ask *duh*

En. Ali dropped me off at Bangsar Village II around 10:30 and since Ms. A was a little delayed I took my time to locate the spa.

Caught this sign as I reached the 3rd level of BV II 

We went in slightly before 11am (which was our appointment time) and was served tea while being briefed on the four types of argan oil used for the massage at the entrance seating area.

Ms. A told me that she booked the Prince/Princess Hammam package which consist of the Hammam & Gommage and Arromatic Massage.

(We then changed our minds to switch to the My Favourite Concubine Hammam but due to some misscommunication between the staff there, we didn't get to change it).

There we 4 types of argan oils to choose from. I chose the argan oil which has the muscle relaxant capabilities while Ms. A chooses the rose oil which smells nice but I've forgotten what it is for (x_x)

I also added the Rose Blossom Hair Masque as I was hoping it can bring shine and fragrant to my stressful hair huhuhu...

After the briefing and oil choosing session, we were shown to the locker room where we changed into the disposable bra & panties and bathrobe.

Once we've done changing we were brought to the bath and sauna room called the hararet.

The Hararet - in real life, its actually wetter and dimmer
Source

Honestly I didn't know what to expect when we were asked to remove our robes here. I thought we will be bathing ourselves and be seating on the heated marble seats but boy was I wrong!

The therapies that ushered us in requested us to seat when they started to bath/drenching  us with warm water. I felt like a toddler being given a bath by her nanny ahaha... *seriously*

The rose hair mask was also applied during this time and my head was wrapped with a thin towel.

Then our whole body was lathered with olive soap and we were asked to lie down on the heated marble for 10 minutes.

As we lay there, Ms. A and I took the time to catch up with each others life and work news. Although I wasn't comfortable lying half naked in a room with anyone, the ambiance gave a good friendly catch ups.

Hammam Trivia: 

Hammam is a traditional Moroccan Turkish Bath which as a word means "spreader of warmth" in Arabic and has its roots in ancient Greek Roman bathhouse culture. Its always been about beauty and well being, purifying the body and spirit, nourishing the relationship between people and water, and our instinctual need to connect with others.

After what seemed like an hour on the hot marble (there is water on the marble so we were not fried from the heat and oil :p), the therapist came back and gave us another round of bath and asked us to move to the adjacent area for our Gommage session.

Our bodies was scrubbed using exfoliating gloves and it was painful at first but we got used to it after a few minutes. This reminded me of a childhood folklore about a dimwit Pak Pandir where he scrubbed his little boy to death because he kept getting dead skin when he bathed that boy and thought that by scrubbing him down to the bone will ensure the boy's cleanliness. Lucky for us the therapist are not Pak Pandir :p

After that, we were ushered to the main area where we were served a sweet delicacies (bakhlava) and tea so that we can relaxed before our massage session.

We took that opportunity to grab our phones from the locker and camwhoring for awhile until the massage therapist calls for us to the room.

The main area

The Hammam Foot Ritual seat also located in the main area

The massage room

Then we spent about 45 to 50 minutes being pampered with a whole body massage using the oils that was chosen earlier. It was sooooooooooooooooo relaxing and rejuvenating!

After the massage session, we got dressed and was served tea again before we leave.

(No need to worry for those with long hair, there is a hair dryer in the changing room)

Ms. A and I was so tempted to take on the 10 session package offered but honestly I don't think we have the time to go to the spa for another 5 times wthin a year.

Highly recommended if you are planning to distress and catch up with your girl friends!

I wish we could do that again Ms. A!

I was clearing up my inbox when I found this email from Ayah 7 years ago about the subject matter. My first instinct was to delete it, but I honestly cannot recall what was the msg in the story. Allah hanya memanggil kita 3 kali saja ...tahu kah anda bila?

Story Shared by Shinta

Saat itu, Dhuha, hari terakhir aku di Masjid Nabawi untuk menuju Mekah....... .aku bertanya pada Ibu. 

'Ibu, kataku, ada cerita apa yang menarik dari Umrah....?' Maklum, ini pertama kali aku ber Umrah.
Dan Ibu, memberikan Tausyiahnya. 
Ibu adalah pemilik Maknah Tour Travel dimana saya bergabung untuk Umrah di bulan July 2007 yang lalu.
Kebetulan umrahku dimulai di Madinah dulu selama 4 hari, baru ke Mekah.
Tujuannya adalah mendapatkan saat Malam Jumat di depan Kabah. Jadi aku punya kesempatan untuk bertanya tentang Umrah. 
Ibu berkata...'Shinta, Allah hanya memanggil kita 3 kali saja seumur hidup..'

Keningku berkerut...... ....'Sedikit sekali Allah memanggil kita..?'
Ibu tersenyum.. 'Iya, tahu tidak apa saja 3 panggilan itu..?'
Saya menggelengkan kepala. 

'Panggilan pertama adalah Azan', ujar Ibu. 
'Itu adalah panggilan Allah yang pertama. Panggilan ini sangat jelas terdengar di telinga kita, sangat kuat terdengar. Ketika kita sholat, sesungguhnya kita menjawab panggilan Allah. Tetapi Allah masih fleksibel, Dia tidak 'cepat marah' akan sikap kita. Kadang kita terlambat, bahkan tidak sholat sama sekali karena malas. Allah tidak marah seketika. Dia masih memberikan rahmatNya, masih memberikan kebahagiaan bagi umatNya, baik umatNya itu menjawab panggilan Azan-Nya atau tidak. Allah hanya akan membalas umatNya ketika hari Kiamat nanti'.

Saya terpekur.... .mata saya berkaca-kaca. Terbayang saya masih melambatkan sholat karena meeting lah, mengajar lah, dan lain lain. Masya Allah....... .. 

Ibu melanjutkan, 'Shinta, Panggilan yang kedua adalah panggilan Umrah/Haji. Panggilan ini bersifat halus. Allah memanggil hamba-hambaNya dengan panggilan yang halus dan sifatnya 'bergiliran' . Hamba yang satu mendapatkan
kesempatan yang berbeza dengan hamba yang lain. J alan nya bermacam-macam... Yang tidak punya wang menjadi punya wang, yang tidak merancang pula akan pergi, ada yang memang merancang dan terkabul. Ketika kita mengambil niat Haji / Umrah, berpakaian Ihram dan melafazkan 'Labaik Allahuma Labaik/ Umrotan', sesungguhnya kita saat itu menjawab panggilan Allah yang ke dua. Saat itu kita merasa bahagia, karena panggilan Allah sudah kita jawab, meskipun panggilan itu halus sekali. Allah berkata, laksanakan Haji / Umrah bagi yang mampu'. 

Mata saya semakin berkaca-kaca. ........Subhanal lah...... .saya datang menjawab panggilan Allah lebih cepat dari yang saya rancangkan.. ......Alhamdulill ah...

'Dan panggilan ke-3', lanjut Ibu, 'adalah KEMATIAN. Panggilan yang kita jawab dengan amal kita. Pada kebanyakan kasus, Allah tidak memberikan tanda tanda secara langsung, dan kita tidak mampu menjawab dengan lisan dan gerakan. Kita hanya menjawabnya dengan amal sholeh. Karena itu Shinta, manfaatkan waktumu sebaik-baiknya. ..Jawablah 3 panggilan Allah dengan hatimu dan sikap yang Husnul Khotimah.... .......Insya Allah syurga adalah balasannya.. ....' 
** Mata saya basah di dalam Masjid Nabawi , saya sujud bertaubat pada Allah karena kelalaian saya dalam menjawab panggilanNya. ....

Kala itu hati saya makin yakin akan kebesaranNya, kasih sayangNya dan dengan semangat menyala-nyala, saya mengenakan baju Ihram dan berniat..... .....
Aku menjawab panggilan UmrahMu, ya Allah, Tuhan Semesta Alam........ ....

Pada hari kiamat akan keluar seekor binatang dari neraka jahanam yang

bernama 'Huraisy' berasal dari anak kala jengking. Besarnya Huraisy ini

dari timur hingga ke barat. Panjangnya pula seperti jarak langit dan bumi.

Malaikat Jibril bertanya : 'Hai Huraisy! Engkau hendak ke mana dan siapa

yang kau cari?' Huraisy pun menjawab, 'Aku mahu mencari lima orang.'

'Pertama, orang yang meninggalkan sembahyang.

Kedua, orang yang tidak mahu keluarkan zakat.

Ketiga, orang yang derhaka kepada ibubapanya.

Keempat, orang yang bercakap tentang dunia di dalam masjid.

Kelima, orang yang suka minum arak.' 

#alfatihahmh370

Source: ASHAMSURI

#prayformh370

I went back home to have a weekend of celebration for my birthday, but the celebration did not last long when the news broke out last Saturday.

My heart goes to the families and those onboard the MH370. Such a tragedy...never did we imagine that it will struck us Malaysians.

May they come home safely.

Perginya seorang ibu & nenek~

On 8th December 2013 at 7:15pm - my step-grandmother from my father's side has moved on to the other side.

She died peacefully surrounded by her children.

I was playing kite in Taman Layang-layang, Puchong when I heard the news...what would have been a happy Sunday ended with such a news.

May her soul rest in peace, and may she be grant Jannah~

:'(

A week of summer in Japan~ (PART 1 : Preparation)

Note: The first part consist of me blabbering my anxiety and preparation for the trip :p

My friends' fascination for Sakura and my interest to see the land of the rising sun has long been a topic of discussion.

We've made a vow somewhere in 2006 to one day set foot in Japan.

But there were many stumbling blocks to that plan...most of it is due to time, money and fear. Yes, the fear that we would not survive if we cannot speak the language or going with someone who can.

So we procrastinate.

It was when Air Asia made its first promotion last year to OSAKA that we decided to book the flight 10 months ahead and make the necessary plans so that it will go out smoothly. Its either just go or no go! No fear!

But just like any other normal people...that 10 months past through like water and it was not until a couple of months left did we managed to gather ourselves and prepare for the trip.

En. Ali & I bought some books to study other people's experience and see nice pictures of their Japan/Tokyo Trip. We also browsed websites and interviewed friends who have been there before (really interviewed ok, with paper and picture snapping and all).

We even studied the map and railway so that we can prepare our itinerary without wasting precious time.

Of course 6 days in Japan would not be enough to cover all the wishlist for 7 people. Some wanted to go see Sumo Wrestling, Geisha Performance, Gun dam ....pay a visit to Mount Fuji, Red Temple, Osaka Castle, Ancient City Tsumago, Momiji Matsuri Bamboo Park, fish market, the hustle street of Shibuya and the list goes on and on...

Tokyo Quick Facts from Air Asia's Travel 3-Sixty June Edition
Source: A friend's FB Page

So, in summary there are several preparation needs to be made prior to a Japan trip:

1. Book a flight ticket :p
2. Make sure your passport expiry date is more than 6 months from the travelling date
3. Apply for VISA at the Japan Embassy (basically this requires 2 visits within 7 working days or so; one is to submit the application and the other one is to collect the passport + visa) //this step is no longer required for Malaysian biometric passport holder with embedded microchip that is compliant with ICAO standards beginning 1st July 2013.

4. Buy the Japan Rail Pass prior to the trip if you are travelling in multiple cities. Trust me, this will save a lot of money even though you have to pay around RM1000.00 to get it. We got ours from JTB Malaysia.
4. Book your lodging. I find airbnb to be a really cool site to book lodgings outside Malaysia.
5. Study the railway map and pin down the places to visit so that you can manage your time to the max. Your itinerary is required during Custom clearance there.
6. Plan your expenditure and change your Ringgit to Yen. If you have time you should check out several money changers to get the best rate.
7. Keep a simple note for emergency contacts and addresses in Japan just in case you get lost.
8. Bring a dictionary and memorize some simple words to ease your trip.


I'll share some pictures and our adventure there in the next post :)

KPOP Fever Hit Me! - "Chilling Romance"

En. Ali downloaded this movie for our weekend movie at home, and guess what? I fell in love with it!

I first thought that it was scary to watch, but honestly the movie's horror scene is not ghastly and the romance and comedy will ease you through it!

Love it :)

When love comes, no matter what flaws a person may have, you will see right through it and will work towards helping that other person endure or improve it. You may also find it cute :)