Dec 29, 2011

Winter Break 2011: Bahamas

Assalamualaikum

Lepas beberapa hari sampai rumah, setel laundry, kemas barang-barang last quarter dan bersedia untuk quarter baru yang akan bermula 3 Januari ni, barulah terasa bersemangat untuk update pasal trip Florida hari tu.

Okay mari bermula dengan first week.

As I mentioned in the previous post, we went to almost the whole Florida, from north to south (although we missed some attractions). Florida is known as the sunshine state, and it is really blessed with a lot of sunshine. As the temperature mostly above 20 degrees, winter in Florida is just warm and windy. Tepi pantai dia janganlah cakap. But overall, Florida and Bahamas are beyond awesome. They are beautiful and people there called me "Honey" :D

Our very first destination was Bahamas. And yes, it was my first time being on a cruise. :)

This is our ship. Time ni kami atas boat nak balik atas ship lepas seharian berjemur di private island Norwegian Cruise. Ramai yang tanya, macam mana naik cruise ni sebenarnya? I had the same question too on my first day. Basically what we did was something like this. Around 5.00 pm kapal akan boarding and pukul 7.00 am camtu sampai pulau. Bila sampai dekat pulau, it depends nak turun or stay on kapal. Begitulah selama 4 malam.

First stop! Grand Bahama Island. Time ni still pening-pening tak biasa tidur atas cruise. 

Second day, Nassau. Ada massage therapy betul-betul tepi pantai. So cool. Bahamas ni ada banyak pantai, boleh pilih nak public ke private. Kalau private kena bayarlah.  


Nassau (sebut "Nasso") adalah capital city Bahamas. Basically, Bahamas is still developing but the country itself is very nice. The natives speak English fluently and know how to treat tourists. Since Nassau is the capital city, dia agak maju compare to Freeport and ada banyak gerai, kedai, even Starbucks and Hard Rock Cafe. I wonder how much money the country earn from tourism.
Last destination is Stirrup Cay Island, the private island owned by Norwegian Cruise itself. Perhaps my favorite one. Air dia cantik, biru, bersih, and not that crowded, so dekat sini tewas dengan godaan air laut, lalu terjun bermandi manda di gigi air.

Basically, here are some tips to go to Bahamas/cruise
  • Sila google dan print out segala information tentang Bahamas and what you really looking for there. Sebab atas cruise tu nak bayar internet sangatlah mahal and Bahamas is outside US so kena roaming data which is fairly expensive.
  • Make sure you bring semua identification documents. Passport, I-20, debit card etc. Secure everything in a safe and easy-to- reach place.
  • Prepare cash yang secukupnya sebelum naik cruise bagi mengelakkan cas outside bank. Bahamas ada matawang dia sendiri, but they accept US Dollar everywhere so it won't be a problem. Cash pun cuma untuk transportation ke pulau je. Kalau nak shopping atas cruise, you can link all your expenses directly to your credit or debit card so it is not really an issue.
  • Make use of everything you have on your cruise! Pergi setiap activity yang ada, guna setiap facilities, and snap a lot of pictures haha. You've paid a lot so you deserve everything that is considered 'free on board'
  • Bawa compass qiblat and make sure check everytime before nak solat sebab kapal bergerak kan. Jadi kena make sure kita menghadap arah qiblat yang betul.
  • Bawa satu botol penuh sunblock ye jangan lupa. You don't want to get that kind of free souvenir from Bahamas.
  • Enjoy your cruise and trip! Sometimes weather kurang nice, hujan or ombak mengganas, but be positive and look at the brighter side. Observe and think about everything you see. Compare and analyze the culture, lifestyle etc. It is fun and meaningful.
Overall, being on a cruise is an awesome experience. Give it a try and you'll have a memorable experience!

Dec 26, 2011

Winter Break 2011

Assalamualaikum

Alhamdulillah I am here again, back in Columbus after more than two weeks on vacation to the other part of US, South America, or literally, Florida and Bahamas
I went to many places which I have never imagined of - all of them are beyond beautiful mashaAllah
As I am a faithful lover of beaches and islands, I must say that Florida is a perfect destination for me
Besides that, this trip taught me a lot about culture, geography and other qualities which are very interesting in my point of view (they might don't make sense to you)
I really hope I can blog more about this road trip, but I have to get my sleep for now
InshaAllah if ada rezeki, I will write more about this since there are also few tips I wanna share, especially if any of you guys are interested of having a road trip to Florida

Basically, here are the places I visited during last two weeks. (ihsan google maps)























Till then, take care and enjoy the remaining days of 2011! :)

Dec 3, 2011

Final and Football

Assalamualaikum

10 minggu dah berakhir, alhamdulillah
Sekarang tinggal nak final je minggu depan
Semoga semua urusan semua kawan-kawan OSU dipermudahkan :)

Btw #nw MSU vs WISC Big Ten Championship Game sambil tengok timeline twitter
Serious seronok tengok Fatin Inani and Farah Izni tweet pasal football
Semangat gila, macam time Harimau Malaya lawan Garuda dah diorang update hehe
Tinggal nama je tukar jadi Spartans and Badgers
And nama pulak, adjust sikit jadi nama American
Isn't that interesting?
Tak pernahlah terfikir, as a Perempuan Melayu, akan minat tengok American Football
Dah lah ganas, tak pernah dapat exposure pun, bukan macam soccer
Tapi boleh semangat kan? haha
Effect of being in Big Ten universities, maybe?

Pape pun, the new head coach is here.
Soo..Welcome back Buckeyes!
Can't wait for the next football season

Okay focus balik, nak final ni :D