Always Mengantuk (Scenes from a Life)

osaka

2012-01-27T10:24:00.001+08:00

Day 1

Touchdown at Kansai, Osaka's airport at 6.30 am. Early, groggy due to lack of sleep. Night flight of almost 6 hours with plenty of entertainment. At 3am, J was still giggling..sigh..Kansai airport was very bare, plain but it was located on a man-made island; constructed just for the airport. Initially, we didn't feel much difference till we stepped outside..bak kata Jib, it was like being at the frozen food section! Temp: 12 degrees celcius. Hopped onto our bus with our guide, Chow. Aiyo very the apek one; he either spoke cantonese/ mandarin or very broken Malay which sounded very Indonesian. Ada ke bus, dia sebut burst! Rupanya he always takes on tours from Indo too.

And to Universal Studios we arrived at 8.45am. It was cold outdoors. Thank goodness i managed to prep J and I with warm clothing prior to the flight. The place opened at 10am. We had to queue and wait for more than an hour. It was amazing to see the entrance packed to the brim in neat rows as mostly Japs and us, tourists patiently waited to enter sharply at 10. Nak duduk atas bench or on the floor pun cannot..our butts were freezing!

Once inside, it was total lost in translation! Everything's in japanese. We couldn't understand a thing if they went on yakking and yakking and suddenly everyone laughed. Arnold Schwarzennegger pun cakap Jepun in Terminator! Macam episod Istana Takeshi meets Iron Chef! But the rides and atmosphere were awesome. Yelah akak kan jakun, blm pernah sampai USS before. Tapi best! When it got cold, we would walk indoors to heat ourselves then dah ok, keluar lagi..explore, naik rides, maki2 org :P Jib upon seeing multitudes of merchandise, semua nak beli tapi bila maknya looked at the price..all multiplied by 4. Letak balik la nak, simple keychain pun jadi RM40! Nak makan pun payah, bismillahi tawakkal jelah apa2 vegetarian. But here actually, you can smuggle in food. Cuma when i'm hungry and it's cold, i want hot food! Hot choc and churros never tasted better ;)

After 3.45pm there, we headed out to Osaka city. According to the guide, it is Japan's second busiest city. The evidence was there, we could see the busy port operations, the hustle bustle of the city. Cuma what caught me surprised was that the buildings lack fine architecture. Everything looked boxy, plain, grey (bkn sbb habuk ye!) and orderly. Rupanya the action was at the backlanes; all the neon lights, endless human traffic. The guide told us Japs love using the backlanes for entry and exit of places. That night we dined on shabu-shabu but there, the shabu2 was only meats and vege. No seafood. Aishh go vege and eggs la kami. Toilet di restaurant ni was very clean and spacious, seriously Jibril was so in awe sampai nak tidur there! Siap marah aku tak susun slipper elok2 after using it.(we were barefoot inside) Me? Was super excited to check out the lights and shops outside. Ada H&M just behind the hotel but because peserta dua org lagi tu v sleepy and tired, no time to check it out. sob sob. The shops stretch for kilometers at the backlanes, but yg maybe murah sikit than shops in M'sia was only Uniqglo. Oh see here - the iconic neon light of the Glico man. And there's the Shinsaibashi river by the shops; very clean, very scenic. Shops generally close at 8pm while restaurants at 10pm.

Checked in Cross Osaka Hotel. The place was nice. Ada org mula2 sampai termenung at lobby, next minute dah snoring there! I was in love with the toilets. So cantik and the bath foams and shampoo were Shiseido! I like, i like, i like!! Cuma they were packaged in big bottles so janganlah rembat. Toothbrush, toothbrush, razors were all packed nicely and aplenty. Itu kami angkut. Outside each hotel floor ada vending machine to buy drinks or TV card. If tak beli tv card, mmg layanlah tv bahasa jepun semata-mata. Btw that was the view from J's bedside. The front section of Osaka city roads. Compare it to the earlier pictures of the vibrant backlanes.

In love with Java: pt 1, day 3

2011-11-16T12:43:00.001+08:00

Back from Jogjakarta a few weeks ago. I truly had fun exploring the culture and heritage of that place. It was one of the places in my 100 places to visit before i die. Anyhoo since i have a bit of time now BUT apologies i have not collected the full pics from madame official photographer, i'll blog parts of it here, with limited pictures though.

The pictures below showed the third day we were here. Decided to venture to nearby Kraton (palace of the reigning Sultan. Yes, Jogja has a Sultan though it is much more of a ceremonial thing since head of entire nation is President SBY. Nevertheless the Sultan, Hamengku Buwono X is very much respected and loved by his subjects. He is also appointed the governor of the special region of Jogja) Jogjakarta is the heart of Java. Kraton lies at the end of Malioboro Street. Malioboro is the heart of the city of Jogja. Most hotels, shops, malls and eateries are littered around the (perhaps) 2km stretch. The end of the stretch is the Kraton. On the first day we arrived, the Kraton was closed. The day before, the whole Malioboro was celebrating the wedding of the Sultan's youngest daughter. In fact free food were given to everyone on the streets. Amazing! Too, too bad we missed the festivities. So we were at Kraton on the third day of our stay i.e a Friday. Took a cab there which cost about RM2 since it's nearby and we were welcomed to a huge crowd in front of the palace. Had to pay about RM2 for entrance with lots of guides/ volunteers working. After paying, suddenly a 50-ish (or older) uncle from Canada (he's ethnically Indian), VJ began talking to us. Said something about wanting to join us for the tour of the palace since he was kind of lost with majority of Indos not speaking English. (perhaps he heard me speaking english to my son or June) I said, yes, why not? So he tagged along and we got a nice english-speaking Indo lady to guide us to the insides of the palace (for a small token). I am forever nice to old souls like Uncle VJ :P

Inside, we were ushered to a great hall. More of like our own balairong seri whereby there was a traditional musical instruments assembled at the side - the gamelans and all. No one was playing anything except for an old man reading something from a huge book in the middle of the hall. At first glance we thought he was reading an old Quran. But hell no, it was an ancient Sanskrit book! Whatever was he mencarut on a Friday morning! :D Then there was the spacious courtyard - whereby princes and princesses used to play and gather in the old days. Palace officials and guards in traditional Javanese outfits were at every nook and cranny. A smaller hall located inside is where the public can come and follow exercises every Sunday morning. There is also the grand dining place to entertain guests - looks so much like the Grand Palace in Bangkok; i kept telling the guide this. Influence of Hindu-Buddha culture is very prominent. Then there's the usual galleries, museums whereby pictures of the former Sultans are showcased. There is a special gallery dedicated to the former Sultan (father of the current one); his life from infancy to death. We were also ushered to the gifts rooms; showcasing gifts received from dignitaries the world over. Actually parts of it were funny cause it looked like grandma's decaying antique collection. (sorry, i couldn't resist that!) But the whole place is fascinating; how this place is well-maintained and public-friendly when in reality, the Sultan lives next door. Smiles were in abundance with everyone obliging for photographs or chit chats. All this while, Uncle VJ was talking on and on to his video camera making a documentary and introducing us as friends from Malaysia while trying to grasp as much as what the guide offered us.

The Kraton tour was fairly short but we were asked to continue to Taman Sari water castle nearby. The guide said it was just 5 mins walk from the back exit, going left after the big pohon beringin. Aha pohon beringin? Uncle VJ selamat recorded video of some small fountain behind the Kraton's gift shop saying that was the Taman Sari hahahaha! So we walked. Quite far actually or perhaps we weren't as fit/fast as the Javanese? Macam sampai kat area rumah orang..err? Thank God did not get lost as everyone on the vicinity were eager to help. Upon arrival at the entrance of the Taman Sari area, we were greeted, led and ushered by a nice chap whom i've forgotten his name. He only spoke Indonesian so uncle VJ was squirming and we had to explain every thing the chap said. I think i mistranslated(blasah uolls!) a few while trying to listen and explain at the same time under the open-air heat. He brought us to the old site of the Taman Sari which was currently being restored at a tortoise' pace and expected to be ready in God knows when. No worries, I'll be back on 2021 to evaluate the progress! It looked like ruins everywhere and we were walking amongst people's houses and courtyards. Felt dodgy then. Even Uncle VJ was suspicious. But i told June, well Uncle VJ's with us, he's a guy so i didn't think ppl would cheat us and lead us to nowhere to rob/rape or what. Uncle VJ wanted to abandon ship halfway through and follow other tourists but felt guilty to us(we were ok) so he stayed put. We followed the unappointed guard here and there under the scorching mid day heat till we arrived at the Taman Sari entrance. Aah this looked more like it! Uncle VJ ni kuat bebel and grumble; expected much from the Indos but kedekut pahit! He said he's a teacher in Canada yet we, the less-paid professional kulis from M'sia were still more patient and generous than him.

This is the inside of the complex. Oohlala i felt like stripping and jumping into the water! Finally rewarded for our endless walks with a breathtaking view. Even Jib's spirits was rejuvenated. Earlier he could compete with Uncle VJ on who was surlier. Ok snap, snap pix here n there and smile ;) One side of the pool behind me was for the wives and concubines to swim and frolick while the sultan would view a tower above and throw a flower picked from 1 of the 3 big flower pots far behind me.(masya Allah, skodeng power..speak of such perversion!) Whoever caught the flower would be picked to spend the afternoon/evening whatever swimming with the king on the other side of Taman Sari at the Sultan's private pool. They would then retire to the Sultan's chambers to rest and bercanda atau memadu kasih! Uncle VJ kept on repeating what a good life the Sultan had! BUT rest assured, this practice was last observed during the reign of the second Sultan some 200 yrs ago. Another side of the pool was where the Sultan's daughters swim.

Our unappointed guide was actually very good. He explained to us thoroughly and with much patience. He made me feel like wanting to be a dedicated guide for Malaysia someday haha! Next he brought us to the underground paths used by the soldiers then and secret tunnels to bring the Sultan to safety in case of war or invasion. There was the castle ruins located at the nearby grounds with people's houses everywhere in between. The guide told us those residing in the vicinity all belonged to the Kraton community-they have strong/ distant blood ties to Jogja sultanate and worked inside palace grounds. Then there was the sultan's rooms everywhere (the beds looked hard), the toilets for the Sultan and separate one for his wife(quite maju as compared to most jambans even here in our country), the wadrobe rooms (byk gila baju raja ni, mesti tak penah wear anything twice!), the crown prince's quarters, the separate kitchens for preparing meats and vegetables and the well for water supply. I just found out well=perigi in M'sia=sumur in Indo! No wonder the pantun kalau ada sumur di ladang, boleh kita menumpang mandi.. waduh! He also showed us the meeting ground for the Sultan and the Queen of Southern Seas. (Ratu Laut Selatan) I immediately remembered, Nyi Roro Kidul! (if you are a child of the 70s/early 80s, you will remember Suzanna, the Indo horror movies queen as Nyi Roro Kidul or Sundel Bolong) These Javanese truly believed in the mystic. Islam tetap islam but yg mistik tetap dikenang, dipuja! The guide was beaming upon knowing we kind of knew who Nyi Roro Kidul was; even recalling that many were possessed by spirits while shooting the film then (he must've been 2 yrs old then banyaklah propa dia!). He said the Sultan would still meet the Southern Seas Queen every now and then but would require a person of a higher skill and knowledge to summon her. He said he's only capable summoning the common genies who inhabit the area; not up to par yet to summon the Queen herself! Ok spooky cause we read too many of these myths and folklores so we ventured out! June later blamed our truly bad cough after our Jogja trip to all the genies and Queen there LOL!

So after that, Azan Zuhur was widely heard in the background. Eh mamat ni tak pergi solat ke? We were next brought to the underground mosque whereby the former Sultans used to gather their families for prayers and religious activities. Nice place, cooling, really underground but not used for religious services anymore. I'll post the pictures in my next entry. I was captivated by the architecture of the places made by people from past centuries. Truly spectacular! Later, we were just worn out and bade goodbye to the guide and Uncle VJ. Oh sibuk dia minta email address sbb he has several more travels around Southeast Asia to be finished. Tak habis2 lah puji M'sia for its progress and developments. Well if you don't like culture and kampungs, why venture into Indonesia, right?

Next we went back to our hotel of stay, Ibis Malioboro onboard a trishaw. The good thing about Ibis Malioboro is that it is connected to the Malioboro Mall; all fast food restaurants and good shops, supermarkets are there. There's also free wifi inside rooms. Other than that, services are just adequate, price-not cheap for Indo standard. One interesting thing i found at Malioboro Mall is this coffee joint serving the kopi luwak. Couldn't resist! Touted to be the most expensive coffee in the world due to the complexity in attaining it, it cost about RM 29 for this small cup! The verdict? Thick. About 3x thicker and full flavored than the already thick Kopi Cap Tv that i like. But still good. Will i drink it next time? Yes! But not regularly.

More stories later.. enjoy this for the moment!

Ramblings about J

2011-11-15T09:46:00.003+08:00

School is coming to an end. Anak aku dah nak finish kindergarten and starts the REAL world..gasp! How did that happen? Betapalah time zooms pass you by.. I'm still coming to grasp with it. Nanti sedar2 dah nak masuk sekolah menengah. Sure mommy sayu2.. Before you know it, dah masuk uni and tak ingat aku..WAAAA!!! (yes, over!)

This week, each time he'll tell me he's too lazy to go to school, i'll tell him..jgnlah. Just finish the week. After this you won't step foot in Bahtera Ilmu anymore. You're a big kid now. Have to go to SKBJ with a gazillion other kids! Well i do worry whether he'll be fine coping with new environment, longer class hours and canteen operations. Bkn reti count money pun; yg he knows when he wants something, mommy or papa will provide the cash. Ada once i gave him RM5 to buy roti telur. Dia memandai order teh o' ais skali duit tak cukup and he panicked. Merah padam muka running to me in the car minta additional cash; siap bebel you gave me insufficient cash LOL! Rupanya harga roti telur tu pun dah increased. If jln dgn the papa, lagilah no limit. Belilah apa nak. Nak beli kedai tu skali pun boleh :P

Anyhoo i remembered our conversation yesterday evening.
M: J, what do you feel like having for dinner? (i ask him this daily then negotiate my way around)
J: Porridge! (Uncle Lim's. We love it!)
M: OK. Can we go home first and change clothes?
J: OK. Can you something real nice?
M: Huh. Why do you say that?
J: Well you are slim, so you can wear something nice.
M: Really? I am slim?
J: Yes!
M: But opah always says i'm fat. (GRRRR)
J: No lah. You're slim. But your butt is BIG!
M: Thank You! But sabar jelah kata my butt is big.....
J: Ya lah!
I take this as kids being awfully honest. So dear mom, thank you for draining it on that kid that his mom is fat and not succeeding! Clearly, his loyalty lies with his parents. First and foremost ;) Mumsie's just envious her butt is flat. :D

Then i remembered another conversation late one night at mom's while he was guzzling plain water like nobody's business before bed. At other times, he always resist drinking plain water. Too many excuses. Blame the dad!
M: J, don't drink too much water. It's bedtime. Nanti you'll wet the bed. Opah will turn CRAZY!
J: Chill mom. Plain water's good. (copy my sentence) Besides don't you know bedwetters are actually CLEVER people? (with dead-pan serious face)
M: What the???? Pandailah kau nk twist and turn words to save your butt! Since when is there ever a saying or study?
J: Grins cheekily.
Note: that night he did not wet the bed. But the night before, he did and it drove me mad. When i asked, he said it's only water. Water from the sky, is it???!!!!

the day everyone wants to get married

2011-11-11T11:16:00.004+08:00

11.11 am on 11.11.11 passed by just now.

The radio stations were abuzz with this date. Ada apa dgn tarikh? But what were you doing? I did shout it out to dear colleagues here in the office at the exact time. It's a wet, cold morning in Glenmarie. Well November's always wet and cold. But i'm loving it. The birth month of mine and the mister. Mom and dad's anniversary is tomorrow. They should've gotten hitched on 11.11 instead, right? Nicer number to remember. But who cares? Alhamdulillah their marriage is still strong after 34 yrs. And i'm thankful for that. Thank you to God too :)

What should i get them? Mom's being hinting she wants to Umbai for fresh seafood and the nasi lemak. Maybe should just indulge her. And what should i get the mister? Hmm... suggestions? He seems to have everything. Or whatever he doesn't have, i can't afford!

Well, my thoughts, love and prayers are more expensive yet meaningful, right? :P

Sofi

2011-11-09T00:02:00.002+08:00

The pc at home is back in business..YEAY! Perhaps i can blog more. Now am sleepy already but i don't know why i still linger here.

By the way, drama Soffiya has ended. Do you like the ending?

Truth to be told, i missed last night's and last Thursday's episodes..so a bit blurry on the storyline. 1 thing for sure: relieved Fiona is out of the picture but ain't her death quite gruesome. Or did someone of her caliber deserve such a death?

One thing for sure: i have mixed emotions on the ending. Was watching with my bro's gf..and she was going...no, no, no.. why didn't the old man die? Hahaha i bet Azhar Sulaiman didn't imagine to be 'the' old man so soon. Once upon a time ago, he was 'the' one! As for me, yes i want her to be with Ilyas, bringing up babies n all. But well that Kamal was kind of nice and maybe the ending shouldn't so cliche, should it?

Well, never marry old man. Way too old. Very emotional! Hahaha cheers to Soffi! And hopefully someday she'll be paired with Ilyas again..they have chemistry. Not bad for a drama that i got so stressed out during the first episode and vowed never to watch again :D

Who says Malay dramas are boring?

Jom jadi producer! (this is other half's idea :P)

Korban

2011-11-06T21:01:00.005+08:00

selamat hari raya aidiladha to all..

and,

happy birthday to me! 33 according to Gregorian calendar.

my wish for aidiladha: moga dapat jejak tanah suci mengerjakan haji soon and do more kebaikan to cover deficit.

my wish for the new age: may i live to celebrate coming birthdays, be debt free, travel more and be in good health and happiness always :)

-blank canvas carrot cake-

jenuh tunggu bdk ni balik from rumah nenek dia nk cut cake

-gambar gelap di pagi raya but i'm loving my white jubah!-

it's a small, temporary world

2011-11-02T15:15:00.003+08:00

November and Zulhijjah are here. Diam tak diam 5 Zulhijjah berlalu semalam. I turned 34 as of Hijrah calendar. Tua dah. Middle aged! Aku pun tak sedar till tadi. What did i achieve semalam? Nothing much. Malam pergi watch Tower Heist (not so islamic,heh? :p); starring Ben Stiller, Tea Leoni, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Gabourey Sidibe, Alan Alda and many more exciting cast. What can i say? I totally enjoyed the movie-the chemistry among the cast was amazing, First time i found Stiller not annoying and Alda totally annoying. Bernard Madoff the wall street crook must've been like this in real life! Eddie Murphy was brilliant as the crook with the foul mouth, unlike his not-really-funny roles/ acting in Pluto Nash or any Nutty Professor. Tea Leoni..where do i start? I wish the girl would act more cos she's just so cool and good and damn cool! And watching Casey and his slurs and mumbles made me miss Ben a bit but Casey's definitely more interesting ;)

Anyhow let me share a bit on Zulhijjah. Sempat lagi puasa sunat before Aidiladha.

Puasa hari Arafah ialah puasa sunat pada hari kesembilan Zulhijjah yang disunatkan kepada orang-orang yang tidak melakukan ibadat haji. Kelebihan berpuasa pada hari itu menghapuskan dosa-dosa setahun yang telah lalu dan dosa setahun yang akan datang sebagaimana diriwayatkan daripada Abu Qatadah Al-Anshari berkata:

Maksudnya: "Dan ditanya (Rasulullah Shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) tentang berpuasa di hari Arafah? Maka Baginda bersabda: "Ia menebus dosa setahun yang telah lalu dan setahun yang akan datang."

(Hadits riwayat Muslim)

Manakala bagi orang-orang yang melakukan ibadat haji pula adalah disunatkan untuk tidak berpuasa pada hari Arafah dan adalah menyalahi perkara yang utama jika mereka berpuasa juga pada hari itu berdasarkan apa yang diriwayatkan daripada Ummu Al-Fadhl binte Al-Harits berkata:

Maksudnya: "Bahawa beberapa orang di sisinya di hari Arafah membicarakan puasa Rasulullah Shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam (di hari Arafah). Sebahagian mereka ada yang mengatakan bahawa Baginda berpuasa dan sebahagian mereka ada yang mengatakan bahawa Baginda tidak berpuasa. Maka aku hantar kepada Baginda segelas susu yang pada ketika itu Baginda berada di atas untanya, lalu Baginda meminumnya."

(Hadits riwayat Muslim)

Disunatkan juga berpuasa pada hari ke 8 Zulhijjah di samping berpuasa pada hari Arafah (9 Zulhijjah) sebagai langkah berhati-hati yang mana kemungkinan pada hari ke 8 Zulhijjah itu adalah hari yang ke 9 Zulhijjah (Hari Arafah). Bahkan adalah disunatkan berpuasa lapan hari iaitu dari hari yang pertama bulan Zulhijjah hingga ke hari yang ke lapan sama ada bagi orang yang mengerjakan haji atau tidak mengerjakan haji, bersama-sama dengan hari Arafah berdasarkan hadits yang diriwayatkan daripada Abu Hurairah Radhiallahu ‘anhu, daripada Nabi Shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam bersabda:

Maksudnya: "Tidak ada hari-hari yang lebih dicintai oleh Allah untuk dilakukan ibadah kepadaNya daripada sepuluh hari di bulan Zulhijjah, dimana satu hari berpuasa daripadanya (sebanding) dengan puasa satu tahun dan mendirikan ibadah satu malam daripadanya (sebanding) dengan mendirikan ibadah pada lailatulqadar."

(Hadits riwayat Tirmidzi)

Dalam hadits yang lain yang diriwayatkan daripada Hunaidah bin Khalid, daripada isterinya, daripada setengah isteri-isteri Nabi Shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam:

Maksudnya: "Sesungguhnya Rasulullah Shallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam adalah melakukan puasa sembilan hari di awal bulan Zulhijjah, di hari ‘Asyura’ dan tiga hari di setiap bulan iaitu hari Isnin yang pertama dan dua hari Khamis yang berikutnya."

(Hadits riwayat An-Nasa’i)

- taken fromhttp://www.brunet.bn/gov/mufti/ic3_1999.htm

Dan di bulan mulia ini juga terjadi episod lost and found. Yesterday i discovered a new colleague was actually my junior in school. Yg best tu she knew i am here before i realized her existence. I spoke to her this morning. Let's hope for the best. And tadi, i just discovered another colleague yg dah years kenal rupanya sekampung dgn my dad in Alor Star. I mean really, really sekampung yang tahap tau lokasi koordinat rumah and knew the same people! How awesome is that? Subhanallah. All in all, it is just a small world. Yg tak best, my grandma and most of my uncles/ aunts are gone, tanah pun dah dijual. Makes me miss Alor Star more. :(

Ahoy!

2011-10-11T12:37:00.007+08:00

We went aboard MV Logos Hope one fine Saturday evening. Jib was excited to be on a ship. The last time we did, he was still a baby; couldn't remember much now. Previously there was a MV Doulos bringing books onboard a ship 5yrs ago, i think. But that ship was old but this was quite new and nice.

Jib's happy face climbing up the gangway to the ship, was priceless to me!

Inside we were given a short briefing about the ship, its purpose and pathways throughout the ship. Ok there were books aplenty. J rambang mata, semua nak beli. Mmg beli kat dia pun..mostly buku maths and puzzles.

It's actually a missionary ship. Yes, it sells books on board. But mostly it is a ship that goes around the world helping those in need silently in the name of Christianity. Yelah i still board the ship and buy the books sbb..why not? Bukan everyday ada ship yg dock bearing books. And i hope whatever money spent can be used for goodness. No need to be so narrow minded about everything in life. My only regret was if only umat M can group together and start this idea travelling together around the world kan bagus. Not only can you broaden your horizons, you can also provide assistance to communities in the name of Islam. Harum nama agama kita ;) The crew onboard are volunteers from various parts of the world working for free. In return they get free meals, lodging and get to travel on a ship to different places.

After viewing, browsing and paying for the books/ stationeries, everyone walked by a section whereby the ship displayed in colorful illustrations the choices one makes in life..to turn good/ not..to walk into a casino and gamble or not hehe! We were just happy to pose before rushing to buy ice cream! There was even a section where one can listen to a crew member relating his/ her life experiences and the path the person chose. Mmg bagus punya preaching. Again, kalaulah kita ada these resources and spread the love and generosity all around, sure fabulous. I wouldn't mind volunteering for a month or two.

A pic for keepsake. Me, mom and aunt..Cheers!

Words after silence

2011-09-29T16:22:00.003+08:00

I'm so glad it's the end of Syawal. Welcome Zulkaedah! It's so tiring to attend those open houses. Pardon me, i love meeting my friends esp. if we haven't met in ages but to go from one end of Klang Valley to the other end and stuffing the tummy with lots of food week after week, day after day..it gets exhausting. I hope i don't see nasi himpit till Aidiladha. (but i can eat ketupat palas anytime cos i have not overdosed on it this Syawal, courtesy of mom who always gives out food to others sometimes even before we have seen/ touched the thing!) Anyway, there's still an invite this weekend. Mak sempuuuut! My son caught the open house bug and requested an open house firstly at mom's so that our house won't be messy; later on at home, so he can parade his toys for all to see! Mak tak larat la!!

What's for sure, i want to visit the floating bookstore aboard a ship this weekend. Sure perhaps there are many bibles or small babies' books but i don't care, Jib hasn't been on a ship since the last 5 years. For those interested, it is at the Star Cruises terminal in West Port, Klang. My aunt @ mom's twin is here, commemorating the end of Syawal. This is the first time she did not beraya with us since she reunited with mom many yrs back. Did we miss her on 1st Syawal? I don't know. J & I were busy having fever on the first day. Then we were busy catching up on my other half's side; new babies, old faces. We didn't have time to pose for Raya pictures but we hooked up a lot with Astro 1st-segala movies kami layan! Perhaps we're saving up for a more meaningful celebration of Aidiladha. It'll be great this year i think..Can't wait for Zulhijjah :)

Next week, cant wait for the Big Bad Wolf book warehouse sale. I'm giddy with excitement. It will be held at the MAEPS. The mega sale will be on from 7-16 Oct. The week after i'll jet off for a short trip to Jogja with dearest son and dearest buddy. Jogja's one of the places i wish to go before i die with Borobudur, Prambanan, Istana Kraton and Pantai Nyirorokidul (who remembers cerita hantu Suzzana dulu2?) all in the itinerary. The downside of this trip, i'll miss J's graduation ceremony :( Thank God he already took pictures in the hat and robe BUT darn, i just discovered he's got lice on his head! Mak stresssss... It's almost the end of the yr and my kid's finishing kindy! Gosh how did that happen?? Just now, the primary school called to reconfirm his class. Anak aku dah besar...sob sob!

Time...it just zooms past you!
In the 5 weeks i abandoned blogspot, My home pc went kaput and I still can't blog from ipad. Grrr! Jibril finished 22 days of fasting, with lots of drama, tears, patience and rewards. He followed Awie & Dhani to an art session with Mister Maker, i think his picture (more of his head) with Mr Maker was featured in The Star last Wednesday :D I moved downstairs at the office and i have a new boss. Maybe it's for the better. And yesterday i did something i should've done a few yrs ago. But i'm still the same me. I want new clothes and bags that i still don't have. I still need to lose gazillion kilos. My male colleague went on twice daily Herbalife diet and lost 12kg in 2 months! Should i emulate him? Remember i am the deluxe master of laziness and procrastination!

Praying always the remaining months of 2011 will be good and kind to me, pls. I hope whatever i wished for will materialize soon. Firstly, welcome October and Zulkaedah. Then comes sweet November and Zulhijjah..and December, Muharram..start of something new and better, perhaps ;)

News down south

2011-08-22T11:32:00.004+08:00

Look what i found on yahoo news in singapore.

Man complains about Muslim prayers at McDonald's.

Such an ignorant prick. Only sensitive to his needs. Thank God the comments from readers were more positive and tolerant. Even here, we don't have azan in McD, do we? I grew up in that place. It did not teach ppl to be disrespectful of others' cultures and beliefs. You'd be surprised that i know more about the hungry ghosts' festival than the average chinese would expect me to. It was in the curriculum, to know more about other people's heritages and religions and to co-exist in peace. I don't know about things now.

Even in our country, claimed a Muslim state - we have read/ heard our fellow countrymen moaning and complaining about this and that about Islam; oblivious to people's sensitivities. Heard of the lawyer in Bangsar complaining about azan subuh? Now there are so many complaints here and there. And we Malays @ Muslims have become defensive if not apologetic about everything. As if we are the ONLY ones who did wrong and NOT in spirit of muhibah. There is always something they are not satisfied with us. Do they forget the country is called 'MALAYSIA'? They should be grateful it is no more called Tanah Melayu! There is nothing wrong with azans by the way. I tolerate church bells and Buddhist chants since young. But not extreme over preaching or proselytizing your beliefs to others.

Where is the love, my brother? And we said we have been merdeka since 1957???

Here's to our much-cherished 54 yrs of independence; may our unity be intact and celebrated with much warmth and togetherness. And don't preach about bangsa Malaysia if you are not ready to give up your vernacular schools.

Isian jiwa edisi 9 Ogos

2011-08-09T12:34:00.004+08:00

gOSH the head's spinning today. Must be due to lack of sleep these past few days.

This morning as i was tossing and turning trying to jumpstart my ass from the couch to be ready for work, i howled with laughter hearing (partly) the story Ustaz Hassan Din shared on tv3. Something about puasa. The story's more or less like this: A wife thought all the while her husband had been fasting cause he woke up for sahur and by the time, he reached home daily, he looked tired and all. One day she cooked something that he liked and he came back while the food was still hot; totally enticed. The wife went to perform her prayers and the greedy husband gobbled up a piece of the food while the wife wasn't around. Suddenly the wife heard noises and after praying, went to the kitchen to find the husband choking like mad. Alamak the still hot food was stuck! After maybe some hard knocks and downing water, only then the choke subsided!!! Hahaha nasib tak mati tercekik tak puasa LOL, the wife of course was furious till mengadu to the ustaz :D

Tu la the ustaz pesan... the thing about syaitan being chained in this holy mth is more of a symbolic saying. If truly there is no syaitan in this mth, there won't be any crime or dosa right? No bribery, no slander, nor cheating. Or worse no robbery or murder like the lady suffered in Ipoh. Kesian sgt2. May Allah forgive her sins and bless her soul and those guilty will be punished severely. Suka2 je some ppl nak senang cepat..tak nak kerja and usaha, sanggup rompak, bunuh org demi harta dunia. Nauzubillah :( Tu blm case gruesome murder in Ampang. How convenient is it to kill ppl these days..ever imagine what the victims' families would feel? Imagine if it were yours? What is happening to this world? I pray we will be hindered from these calamities.

The ustaz also touched on parents hellbent on training kids to fast. It is a good gesture but isn't it better if it applies to solat too? Disciplining kids to pray from young will encourage the kid not to miss prayers when older. Mendalam maksud dia. My boy makin lama, makin malas nk pray. Dibawa ke surau pun main je lebih. Note to self: must work on this. Makpaknya kenalah rajin solat tak tingggal kan... The ustaz said something along the lines of; if a person prays without miss, he will definitely fast (as the ustaz points out he has yet to meet anyone who prays but do not fast) but if a person fasts, it does not mean he does not miss his/her prayers.

And he also said that sometimes a person prays yet he's still doing something against the religion. Mengumpat/ memfitnah/ merasuah ke etc.. Then something is not right. Perhaps his prayer is not right and tidak diterima Allah. Sebab if seseorang tu bersolat lima waktu and all, insya Allah he will follow the other guidelines of Islamic life. Terasa kerdil and serba kekurangan diri ini.

Wallahualam. Sekian tazkirah utk hari ini. May Allah grant us more forgiveness and barakah today and in the coming days, amin :)

This Ramadan

2011-08-05T11:45:00.004+08:00

This Ramadan, i really feel like going to Mekah to do my umrah. Membuak-buak rasa teringin. Tapi bab2 apa rukun umrah n doa2 yg berkaitan, satu pun tak tau. (ok perhaps lunchtime mission is to go cari kitab psl umrah!) Tengok telecast solat terawih di Mekah macam meriah sgt2. Imagine being tetamu Allah in the holy mth..and dlm hati terpikir, if i'm there tak payahla pening nak pikir nak buka/sahur apa..just go with the flow. (meals n shopping pun org tanggung:P) Other half told me eating kurma + drinking zamzam is enough. Yg plg best dapat leave all thoughts of mortal world like this mess of a job and why cafe world aku asyik problem loading far, far away! The first day of iftar at mil's pun ramai asked whether i was ready to go there. Seems someone has been telling everyone we're going there this Ramadan. oh sadness.. it is already the 5th day. Macam tak kesampaian je. I don't know why suddenly the heart yearns to be there. Is this a sign i'm turning old or i'm turning better or i'm gonna die?!! Anyway there are like many obstacles before i can reach there..do pray i'll be able to be there very soon or soon. I remember a saying; when you have a will to do good, heavens and earth will open doors for you. Amin. Insya Allah.

Anyhoo, today 5th of August bersamaan 5 Ramadan..i baru start puasa! Harapnya segar bugarlah till berbuka nanti and dpt berterawih di mlm hari. Harini juga birthday mil..satgi nak call and wish her..may Allah grant her happiness, love, barakah and peace of mind in her golden yrs.

This Ramadan too, my Jib is 6. Tgh giat train dia fasting. Last yr he fasted for 1 day only. Alhamdulillah. Me at 5 dulu tak ada kot tapi by 9, dah fully fasting. This yr, the dad is more adamant than me to make him fast. Nampaknya so far since it has been schooldays, kurang berjaya. Nak bangunkan dia sahur, tak susah sgt. Apa dia nak makan, the dad layankan. But at school, godaan banyak. Kawan ajak lunch. Since it's a kindergarten and daycare, the bibik will still prepare food. Smlm he told me, bibik masak korma..saya tak tahan! Bengang si bapaknya! There was 1 day he stayed at home with the dad, siap sahur roti canai telur 2..then he woke up earlier than the dad and his norm after waking up is either to search for me or open the fridge to look for items to drink. So he took out Vitagen and drank like half bottle while watching tv. Skali the dad woke up and saw the evidence, mengamuk! Aiyoo dah kena banished berkurung in room and iPad threatened to be sold. Nasib baik when i came back, baru ok dua2..funny pulak. I think he genuinely forgot about fasting and all; tak makan apa pun, kesian terbaring inside room. So tunggulah time buka, makan together with us! Tomorrow's the weekend, we'll see how he fares. Akulah kena selalu ingatkan dia to fast and all.

Btw J turned 6 last wk..we celebrated in school but i had problems uploading pics from his dad's iphone. The kids were happy just seeing cakes and partypacks. Jib plg excited nak bagi partypacks to people and showing off the cupcakes, kalau boleh to the whole school..horror! Cupcakes were from my ex-neighbor and kawan Rozie/Mia/Deed dulu, The Smiling Baker. Suka order from her walau tak selalu sbb cakes dia sedap, priced reasonably and she tak berkira sgt bab price and delivery. Ramai my friends pun ordered from her and are satisfied. My fav is her carrot walnut cupcake; sedap gila babs! And icing dia pun best..sweet but not too sweet. Kalau Yulie dekat, boleh pulak order choc cake from her :P

Oh i still have cupcakes in my fridge..nanti can eat served with tea lepas buka nanti.

aku rindu sayang kamu

2011-08-05T10:29:00.004+08:00

Di hari yg tenang dan sejuk ini, mata terasa begitu kuyu sekali...till tetiba teringat masih ada blog ini!

Maka korek2 gambar sbb tak tau mana nk mula cerita, terjumpalah gambar dgn abe usop wilcha. Hehe comey aje dia posing :P Tapi jumpa personally agak serious. Nasib i remember his stage name sbb segan nk panggil abe usop! Rakan sekerja i beriya sungguh lentik jari-jemari ala abe usop tapi dia pun tak berani nk buat! Tapi semua beriya nk bergambar dgn dia walau msg2 ala malu2 kucing..miao!!

Today's news ada kisah dia nk resign from his mgr post in Tanjung, nak concentrate fully on entertainment industry. Wow it takes guts to do that, with a small kid and all. Bilalah aku nak berani ni? But if rajin and tgh hangat, insya Allah entertainment industry can be rewarding too.

Salam Ramadan to all. May we be nicer to ppl all around us, in addition to our amal ibadat towards God. And may Allah grant us lots of barakah in this holy mth, amin.

*note: aku bukan nak masuk entertainment industry ehhh, kang kalah fasha sandha! btw apa jadi dgn ending series dewi cinta yg dia jd june tu? takde chemistry langsung dia ngan iqram but lagu black dlm tu best.

E-Day

2011-07-08T13:46:00.003+08:00

In June, many things happened this yr. Other than the fact that J and K celebrated their 33rd yr in this world, my bro got engaged. All 24 yrs of age of him. V young! I think most of us at 24 were still yippee ya-ya struggling with new job, convocation (that was delayed) and trying to grasp holding lots of cash in our own hands.

Anyhoo to those many yrs in love already, perhaps 24 is not such a young age to get engaged and married. He's been with her for almost 6 yrs already...ahh true love lives :P Well life isn't without its dramas. Firstly, we couldn't believe it would be this fast. Secondly, mom took quite some time in the denial stage. She had her reasons, i believe. 1. He has just started work, the convo was only in Dec 2010. 2. He's the baby of the family; she tak puas manja with her. 3. My second brother is still single and without girlfriend currently. Any takers?

I knew about it quite late so i was asking mom, was she preparing anything. She kept going on..nantilah, lambat lagi! Thank God the girl's side was cool and we knew them beforehand already. Nevertheless we did the merisik thingy in May and come last month, they were engaged to each other. It went well with bit of drama here and there but the event was smooth and almost prestigious. If they got hitched that night, it'd be perfect! Seriously looking at the gifts the bore each other (and the decorations all around), it did not look like they were newbies in the job market. My dad, the Mr Scrooge, of course would go all out as long as it wasn't his money. Mom settled some of the costs (it's her darling son, after all) and the bulk was from the girl's side. I just hope brother dear won't be settling debts for his big day well past his honeymoon yrs! Hantaran money and date of wedding weren't discussed yet or maybe i don't know.

Good luck on the upcoming life! Sometimes i too, can't believe it..This is the brother all cutey pie yelling for me at the hostel then, the brother who jumped over tables and chairs in kindy, the brother who immediately stripped to his undies back from primary school to lunch in front of the tv, and the same brother i diligently visited in school and met the principal few yrs back. I see lots of him in my son now. But one thing for sure, i do miss my brother. Very much. But well, he's grown up now. And Jibby, pls don't grow up so fast.

Mom and her stunt double with her old-school camera!

The moms, the pinkish deco, the doorgifts, the iPad banner, the jurucakap, my mahaguru silat-imaged dad and the cheesy couple

My favorite boys ;)

dismey baru

2011-07-04T12:27:00.006+08:00

It's July already. Half a yr is gone. Macam2 gak terjadi, will be blogged in another post yg lebih mengizinkan. Aku nak blog tapi connection blogger di sini always against me. And work has been hectic. Seriously these days walau masih selalu lambat, i feel i'm earning my pay's worth ke co. terkurang bayar. Banyak workload. Kadang suka cos it keeps me busy. Kadang tak suka sbb i have less ruang utk berangan.

Today i have a new pc but blogger still slow. Ofis mmg tak redha aku blog or baca blog org. Sabar jelah. Last wk ada some conference yg my department had to organize. I came for the food and costumes hehe. skali ambik gambar, tgk balik..mak aii very the fat. I need to lose 10 kilos and saw off my tummy. How much does liposuction cost???

Saturday, thanks to auntie J yg always cool and happening and berjiwa kanak-kanak, we made it to padang kuda bkt kiara for the launch of Disney.Junior. Dulu nama playhouse.disney, starting 11th July, jadi disney.junior. I don't quite see the difference except for the content; there are some new shows. Best this launch:carnival-like tapi rather short duration. Jibby enjoyed himself playing games, collecting stamps and redeeming them for freebies. Auntie J pun sama suka, sgt bsemangat mengalahkan kids n tembak2 air tapi tersasar jauh hahaha! Yg best atmosphere was lively n snapping pics was picturesque..i nak syorkan next family day office siapa2 buatlah macam ni daripada merapu yg bkn2. J after the event, nak join org main polo pulak! Haha ni easier opportunity to get to Argentina :P Oh my boy has a new vision and mission. Nak pergi Argentina. Nak pergi kampung Messi! Studied the world map and dok memorize location Msia-Arg. God bless him; may we have a chance to be there someday. Btw since lakiku kata i named him after some argentine footballer, wajarla visit birthplace his namesake, x gitu? :P

Jake, new cartoon show and Jib, pirate wannabe.

Kantoi tak reti eja at station word world. haih bila la dpt read fluently?

build a box at handy manny's station.

flag ke argentina pun wajib hoist..bersungguh!

My manny garcia!

The folks at astro bade us goodbye after the event.. see you soon! Yg budak kecik ni sejak sunday, monday and soon satgi tuesday dok tanya: soon means now, right? (sebab said on saturday); nak pergi lagi this carnival. Sungguh wth..jenuh nak explain see you soon means see you on 11th july, on tv. And he argued, noooo..see you soon. bukan kata see you soon on tv! Aah sudah!! Astro folks, tlg jgn be misleading. Budak2 kecik zaman now susah nak ditipu, they might even twist and turn your words! Yg suffer adalah the parents and kawan2 baik parents yg menangkan the tickets!!

Don't wake me up when holidays are over!

2011-06-15T10:53:00.002+08:00

Ever since school reopened after the two week break, Jib has been up to countless antics to avoid school. The first day he told me he had fever; ok his body was warm from the day before so i said fine, no school. He stayed with mom for the day but had the cheek to request pancake breakfast at McD in the morning. Reminded me many times the night before; "if i can't wake up, pls splash my face with water & i'll surely be up!" I did indulge him that morning and he seemed like the happiest kid in the world, fever or no fever. Oh kalau yg dihajat di hati, boleh pula bangun dan cergas! Bab to school banyak excuses. He even told his grandma that i don't have money so he can skip school and stay at home!!

The second day, i managed to push him to go to school. But he made me promise to fetch him early. "4.30 ok?" "That's too late.." "Well the usual is 6.30, you are lucky if i come at 4.30." We struck a deal but he reminded me again at his school gate, "Remember your promise." His dad picked him up at 4.30 ;)

The third day, he was crying after the bath that he had stomachache. When i asked was it because he was hungry/ cramps/ whatever, the response was incoherent. So i agreed to bring him to mamak for roti telur while grumbling both of us would be late. "Roti telur small sized only then.." was the hopeful reply. As if there is such a thing. Then i noticed his left eye was bit swollen n red; checked to see whether there was a stray eyelash in the eye (as is the usual case for me) but no. Must have been bitten by an ant or something while asleep. I refused to panic but he seemed ready to wail only to be met by indifference by me :P Well i cant afford to take EL each time he starts acting up weird or sick. Anyway roti telur he ate, and he seemed satiated and calm though he asked, "i thought i asked for a small roti telur?".

Tomorrow, i wonder what will he be up to? Sigh.. ini 1) lagi malas daripada penyakit malas aku nk jejak kantor. 2) baru cuti 2 minggu dah liat, what will it be like if he attends school in Singapore and cuti in June is the whole 30 days?! sure like badak melekat dlm lumpur!! 3) i must wake up early and prepare his breakfast, himself earlier to anticipate newer untested tricks and techniques. Cue: panggilan subuh memanggil, aku je super liat, byk setan!

How were you at 23?

2011-06-03T20:50:00.007+08:00

I haven't had time for ages to blog or read others' blogs but i had time to catch up on movies. I really enjoyed catching Up in the Air a few days ago on astro. Went through the scenes and emotions and for the first time, i found George Clooney rather cute! But only after he went wild dancing/ jumping to Bust a Move by Young MC. Ok if you have no idea of the song, obviously you are too young and can't relate much to the movie.

George Clooney made a living going around America firing people but in a subtle, most professional way. By doing so, he collected lots and lots of frequent flyer miles and aimed to collect 10 million ffm. However his career existence was threatened by the arrival of a young, new co-worker who had the idea that it was quicker and > cost effective to lay off people through videoconferencing than to traipse through clouds and gazillion miles to personally meet each and every of them. Nevertheless George had to drag this girl around during his next trip to familiarize the girl of the actual reality of his work and also familiarize himself to the convenience of video technology.

Actually the story was not much about technology and work but more of people and relationships. How George seemed to cocoon himself in his work and travelling than to pursue any serious relationship of his own. And the story centered around the differences between people in different age gaps. How the fresh graduate 23 y-old was so perky and confident and fearless and always eager to thrust herself forward pursuing new ideas and environment..and how the past 30, 40 were content to be doing what they were doing and a bit jaded yet grateful for whatever they had. Hey wasn't the young girl you and me then? And aren't the older set, us now? How were you at 23? Weren't you so full of enthusiasm and had no fears or worries for the world? And look at us now..so full of worries and baggages etc etc. Perhaps some of us are better off; doing exceptionally well in life and career. But most of us .. we have that struggle yet we still feel grateful and blessed for the little things that we do have in this mortal life.

Yes, the movie struck a chord in me. I don't know if i could turn back time to 10 years ago, i'd be doing it differently? perhaps. But i am grateful to still be able to breathe, to have a job, a cute kid and a husband with still lots of hair on his head :P Hah that was what the other frequent flyer girl whom George Clooney had a casual relationship with said..past 30, looks are not important; she'd be grateful if she could get a guy that has an ok job (or something like that), hair on his head and a nice smile! *but towards the end, the movie had a rather sad ending*

In a way, when you are young, you are reckless and ruthless. The world seems to be in your hands. Nothing can go wrong. In the story, the young girl was hell-bent on technology to minimize human contact and emotions. The bf even broke up with her via sms. Yes, quit the job eventually via text message too. But the older you get, the more you need human interaction, emotions. Tell me, wont you be happy if you are feeling slightly blue and suddenly you can strike up a wonderful conversation with a person? Sometimes that person/ conversation can make your day!

Anyhoo, i have a new colleague coming in next wk and i haven't got time to clear up her space or laptop..i hope she won't be perky and annoying like the character in Up in the Air (though towards the end, i sympathized a bit with her..the young can be so naive!). And my gazillion yrs here seem to amount to nothing. I have no frequent flyer miles or tons of cash. But nevermind, i have other things to concentrate on. June is the summer month..surely promising sunshine. Tomorrow i will be out for a makan road trip to Johor with 2 of my good friends and kids. Can't wait to walk down memory lane and enjoy delicious Johor cuisine! Btw i hope i wasn't annoying to my colleagues when i was 23. And at 33, hopefully not that jaded or bitchy hahaha. I recently met a dear ex colleague who was really naive and perky then but more relaxed and calm now. perhaps time and experiences changed her but i was glad with her transformation. hopefully she wasn't that annoyed with me then!

Do go and watch movies too. I enjoyed the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie..Johnny is wickedly charming as ever..i intended to sleep in the cinema but for the first time, i did like a Pirates movie. In this, i felt the producers did not have to fight equal screen time between Mr Depp, Mr Bloom and Ms Knightley and made the movie plot messy. (I do adore Mr Bloom and Ms Knightley though :)) I got free tickets to Kungfu Panda 2 (courtesy of June) and thought the first one was better but Jack Black is so much better as an animated character than an actual one, right?! Oh i was in heaven too having watched THOR. OMG that Chris Hemsworth is HOT! Nevermind the unsuited romance between him and Natalie Portman; he himself is a BIG gift from God! I don't usually go for guys built up like that BUT omg it was really drool-worthy to catch him in action. Those eyes, those abs, the smile...sigh......i am looking forward to more of him. Now i wanna catch Paul(hello simon pegg!) and Fast and Furious 5 via cetak lompak, Captain America, X-men and dunno what else through the legal channel. The summer is looking hot!

my new fantasy hero! handsome, handsome, handsome but so taken :(

I am the queen of hearts

2011-04-27T13:40:00.003+08:00

Little one came home from school telling me his teacher practically fainted in class. I laughed, 'you must be jesting, right?' 'No mommy dear..it is indeed true. A classmate was being very noisy in class and lo and behold, the teacher suddenly dropped to the floor. It was that classmate's fault!' I still looked at him laughing, 'Seriously just because a 6y-o kid (albeit a very naughty one) was noisy, a teacher couldn't have just dropped to the floor?' 'O mommy, i am telling you the truth. Then all the teachers came in and sprinkled some water on her face and she woke up later..' In my heart: wow, what drama for 6y-olds but it must've been nice for the class to be interrupted! So i told him, 'Perhaps the teacher wasn't well and was feeling dizzy, that's why she fainted. I don't think it's due to your classmate..' But little one was adamant his classmate was the naughty and noisy one, causing the teacher to faint!

Thank God the teacher was alive after all. It could've been traumatic if she were to drop dead.. touch wood! And thank God too, i have never experienced any sort of drama or trauma of anyone passing out or turning cuckoo in class. Must've been hell of an experience that could be remembered for many, many yrs to come. The most dramatic was a teacher in high school who suddenly got stressed out or enraged with my class for being too passive (or stupid?), she threw our books to the ground and stormed out of class and never came back. We were shocked then but none of us bothered to chase after her. Perhaps we were too tired. That teacher is in fb, many of my friends added her but i did not. Or i have not. I'm not scarred or what, just.... whatever.

Anyway in conjunction with the oncoming teachers' day, i wish and pray the best for all my former teachers..may God bless them always. Some are in my fb list. It may be nice to meet and chat with some of them after all the yrs. But i'm no big fan of major gatherings or dinners. Everyone's a somebody now heh? I have nothing to shout about. Not that i want to shout about anything. The atmosphere where i spend at least a third of my living hours is like Hogwarts under the presence of dementors everywhere. All the joy and happiness seem to be sucked out of the soul. No one is safe and secure. Like no soul can escape the clutches of the dark lord; those who are with him are rewarded finely. Those who aren't or seemed to be threats, will be left high and dry to fend for themselves. It is dull and grey everywhere. Oh where is our Haryy Potter?? Or are there horcruxes anywhere to fend off the rising power of Voldemort???

I wish instead i am the big-headed queen in Alice in Wonderland..to anyone grotesque in mind and manners, off with his head!

why oh why?

2011-03-30T11:36:00.005+08:00

Dear blog, i'm sorry for abandoning you. The ideas in my head have not run dry but time and my management skills have not been on my good side. Besides having to catch up on cafe world and treasure isle, i have added cityville to my repertoire. Then came ipad seducing me to greater levels of time-wasting; bakery story, restaurant story, smurfs, scramble and whatever kiddo installs and plays. Oh there's twitter too for all the great short ramblings and updates. In addition to that, i have to prepare meals daily, ensure the house is at least in livable condition, take on laundry for 2 people who love to change clothes 10x daily (and 1 who's nonplussed), revise kiddo's reading or his homework, wake up every few hrs at night to carry kiddo to the toilet in case accidents happen AND yes accidents do happen. Handling sheets and duvets when one is living on non-landed property is not easy peasy even when there's a dryer at home! And what's worse, he now has 1 or 2 spellings per week. If i don't go through, no one else will and he won't know and will be terribly disappointed if he doesn't get many, many stars while others do. BOTTOMLINE: I am exhausted. Only consolation: i have 1 semi-independent (yet very messy child) to deal with and no babies. But the dad is another baby issue..le sigh... Anyway to cheer me up, i'm meeting my much-missed (for bitching purposes:P) friend later.. yeay! She's had the travels of Phileas Fogg recently..i hate her! A thing that creeps me into my head for today is that i bumped into a uni friend at the neighborhood this morning; took me almost half a minute to recognize her but yours truly is always so recognizable much to her dismay sometimes. Btw nothing is wrong with the friend. It is just that i wonder why oh why can't my bloody good friends stay like within a 5km radius from my place? Even better if they are my next door neighbors or living across the corridor! But one can only dream. Somehow some people that are .... and ex boyfriends are those who keep on popping around the vicinity. Other half's ex gf is also here and i see her many times occasionally; i hope she doesn't know me! Next year when everybody's child enters primary school, let's do a gathering hahahaha..NOT!!! I yearn for the day to start reading again. American Gods is awaiting to be devoured. Books, i have abandoned you too :( But my tv viewing is back on track; stress-relieving mode after all those hrs in front of computers. *i just noticed i keep on repeating the same things and explanations for my recent entries...aish seriously i have no life other than fb, ipad! and damn the kantor, susah pulak nk reload picture entries :(

Bola dan Hantu

2011-03-08T16:27:00.003+08:00

I vow to write more and more. But the vow remains a vow day to day. Till February turns to March. Time flies. I crawl or maybe i am stagnant :( Anyway, i've been sucked up in the world of iPad only to discover 2 weeks later that the iPad2 will be out soon and the old iPad's prices are slashed RM400. Bummer. Oh the ipad can't be connected to wifi last night. Bugger! Then there's FB with the Cafe World, Treasure Isle and Cityville to catch up. Seriously it is exhausting. In the end, i'd up watching back to back movies on Astro or coaching J to read/ memorize spelling or just plain sleep. Sleeping is bliss. Weekends spent sleeping are just fab. Don't ask why i love sleeping..it just clears the mind and relaxes the body.

But in between sleeping, i made time to watch Liverpool thrashed Manure 3-1..Woohoo! It must be painful for supporters plg taksub di dunia ni :D (Chill Manures out there!) To see Kuyt score again and again, it was phenomenal. To see Suarez so excellent, syabas to whoever who bought him. To NOT see Stevie G anywhere in action, hurts a bit but very glad Liverpool is A team once again and no more relying on one-man action. To see Nani super crybaby cry, PRICELESS! For a macho team like Manure, it is puzzling how they like to pick n choose softie sissy Portuguese like him and Christina Ronaldo dulu! To rub further salt to wound, let me share Guardian's commentary on the game: Liverpool v Manchester United: Five things we learned

Tonight is a different matter. Gunners will meet old rivals, Barca. As much as i love them, i don't think they have the strong will to overcome Barca at Nou Camp. But i'm keeping the faith and saying a little prayer. And semoga prayers segala muslimin dlm Arsenal tu dimakbulkan Allah hehehe. If not, there's always Tottenham. It is captivating and exciting to see them go this far and that Bale..oohlala sedap mata memandang :P

Enough la cerita bola. I haven't got time to watch all those Oscar movies lately. Dari hari ke hari niat nak ke wayang but either tak sempat or no geng. TG for cetakrompaks.com. My principle: buy ori for the local artistes but those outside, it's okay. The Jews who control H-wood are filthy rich enough even minus our support. Menu for this wk: Angsa Hitam, Jaringan Sosial, Narnia, Ucapan Raja, Pelancong, Pejuang, Isteri Pengembara Masa. I had time earlier to catch these movies and feel like sharing my reviews and definitely recommending them to anyone reading me.

1) Julie and Julia.
Omg this story is really great. Superb acting by Amy Adams. Tells of a former writer, Julie Powell who so idolized Julia Child, the woman who taught America how to cook in the 60s or s'thing. As Julie was disillusioned with her current career and life, she decided to embark on a quest to cook 524 (betulke figure ni?) in 1 year=365 days and blog about it. I immediately like the concept of this movie already because 1) i love blogging, 2) i love perusing through cookbooks and dream. Cooking is another story because i have two very fussy eaters. I'd hate to slog it out in the kitchen and in the end, it is me, ONLY ME, pigging out the end results. Nevermind the excuses, i can cook and i cook fairly regularly but usually the same old dishes. Anyway back to the movie, Julie's quest got more interesting by the day and through trying out those Julia Child's recipes and visualizing what Julia's life must have been in the 50s or 60s in France, life started to look colorful on her. Oh i could share her excitement and I could also identify with Julie's disillusionment with life and all and to be happily cooking/baking and writing and sharing it with the world must have been a relief and truly satisfying moment! Meryl Streep as Julia Child was rather ditzy and overly cheerful to me or was the real J.Child like that? OK. Someday i'll have a nice quaint kitchen with better equipments/ utensils and cook/bake more, insya Allah and perhaps try a Julie Powell! Cooking to me is definitely better than cleaning/ tidying up the house. And pls one day, can someone present Amy Adams with the Oscars? She's such a delight to watch. I've thoroughly enjoyed each and every movie of hers.

2)Law Abiding Citizen
I'm no Gerard Butler fan. I don't like any of the sappy rom-coms he did cause the first movie i was introduced to him was 300. All blood and gore and all he did was growl! Then to see him go romantic in PS I love you was kind of no-no-NO esp with that bulk of body and the hair everywhere! But then there's Law Abiding Citizen. Here he was, a husband and a father and then after having to watch his wife and kid being brutally murdered, he had to satisfy with only one of the killers subjected to death. Feeling betrayed by the botched investigations and screwed up justice system, he went for revenge in his own carefully-planned and totally wise revenge methods; killing almost everyone involved in the flawed justice system. Wow all action and explosion with such brilliance, this is like watching one of those gripping Prison Break series made into movie. Gerard Butler as romantic lead NO-NO! But Gerard Butler as action star, YES!

3) Hantu K. Limah Balik Rumah
Sape yg belum tgk, mesti tgk. Either buy the original DBD or watch it on Astro First. Mmg best. What's your favorite scene? Mine was the singing and dancing of Soley Soley. But there were just too many great, funny scenes. Awie as the tak control macho hero was great; def. better than his Sembilu days. Johan Raja Lawak was also fab. Ok i confess this is the first time i found him genuinely funny and NOT annoying. And surely we can't miss Husin the ex-penari kebudayaan. Gosh even Jib couldn't resist lentikkan jari bila bercakap ala2 si Husin!

4) Sini ada Hantu
Yes, Malay movies or perhaps Malay culture is so full of ghosts; bak kata Awie in film Hantu K Limah tu 'hantu kopek la, hantu ni lah..' i don't remember the rest but it is funny yet very true! In Sini Ada Hantu, currently on Astro First, tells of 3 stories. Firstly cerita hantu Melayu: hantu pokok pisang. Oh Fasha.S was very beautiful as the hantu! Next then kena ada hantu cina pulak - Hantu Nombor Ekor. Haha this is a bit gory, showcasing the stupid things people do in order to strike lottery. Made me wonder whether the dude who recently won RM17m jackpot in the news did any of those things or not. The last story is about hantu Jepun. Anyone who has been to boarding school, must have either encountered or heard these stories, surely could recount this story. Teringat dulu2 akak senior suka cerita (ke takutkan) ada hantu ni lah, hantu tu la, siap konon ada hantu Napoleon every 4y ke apa..with sound of hooves and chains knocking on the doors at night. Ingat2 balik bila dah tua lg dewasa ni, bloody hell whenever did Napoleon come to Tanah Melayu and nak mati jd hantu here pulak?!! Yg ada tgh2 mlm if i were to go to pee was my junior with big hair staring in front of the toilet's mirror massaging her face or something. Alone. Hehe! Or maybe Mia.F naik hantu kena sampuk Kak Limah ke hantu kopek hehehe :D

Have a happy week ahead no matter the football outcome!

S'thing Borrowed: from book to movie

2011-02-21T21:12:00.003+08:00

Oh i'm so excited..one of my fav books is already made into a movie! Think i've reviewed Something Borrowed here too. The book is great..go get it and enjoy it. I hope the movie is as exciting.

Quite satisfied with the casting. Think Ginnifer Goodwin is right for the bookish Rachel role; she with doe eyes and innocent look. Kate Hudson is also very perfect as the skanky Darcy. Oh i'm a little tired with her lately; been hooking up with everybody in Hollywood and suddenly happily getting knocked up by Matthew Bellamy of Muse. Gosh that dude is super cute and Muse plays the coolest music in the world. (yes, even the great Coldplay is no match) But why does he have to impregnate that tart?!! Or was she the schemer??? I'm pretty emo, ignore me.

Anyway will def. want to catch this movie. Just unsure on the male lead. He did not look too impressive in this trailer, let's hope i am proven wrong later. John Krasinki plays their buddy, Ethan. I bet there's another movie out...Something Blue. Just like the book!

Emily Giffin rocks!

The forgetful rabbit

2011-02-07T16:11:00.008+08:00

This is the day i came back to office after the long break to find the office rather empty and quiet..but the boss is here and yours truly.. le sigh... This is also the day that i can't recall any of my office-related login password: pc, email.. either i am really getting old and senile OR the process of changing so many passwords monthly is taking up its toll on me. Gila tau. Aku segan nk call head office nak ask for passwords many, many times. Mesti org IT tu ingat pompuan ni beraya sakan kalah cina sampai segala passwords lupa. Not to worry password google and fb and twitter masih intact in head :P

Today i feel better. Hopefully the combo of cold, cough, tonsillitis, sore throat ends for good. Azabnya sakit teruk for days and weeks despite finishing 3 courses of antibiotics and a host of other meds. My tahap is rendah sikit drp junkie je! Tupun dada ala2 sakit mencucuk, maybe after effects of too much coughing like mad. Please, please February and new year of rabbit, be kinder to me. And make me more rajin and happy.

And thank you God for the gift of my Dad. He turned 62 (mengikut kalendar masihi) yesterday. May we get to see each other in many more yrs to come in good health, wealth and lots of happiness and love. There's no words to describe how much i love my dad though i might never tell him upfront. Heh we're not big in displaying too much emotions. But without him,i wouldn't be the person i am. For better or worse. Whatever that means!

Steamboat for unity and prosperity :)

Budak bosan asyik makan nasi and telur only.

wingardium leviosa

2011-02-01T01:19:00.002+08:00

My son, the ever cheeky one, wants to be Harry Potter. Ever since turning 5+ and watching endless reruns of Harry Potts 1 and 2 on astro (and finally grasping the storyline), he's been very obsessed. He found the latest Harry Potts' instalment at the cinema totally fascinating(even when many people claimed the movie was very dark and grim). He wants to be bespectacled like the chosen one. Hahah NO WAY! Enough with everyone at mom's wearing glasses except for yours truly, i hope there won't be any need for you to ever wear glasses one day. He pretends that balloon sticks are wands and one day, i caught him chanting wingardium leviosa at every object in the living room! Hee i found that funny and rather cute :D But the funniest occurred one afternoon in front of the tv. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was on 613: Goofy was forgetting the magician's spell hocus pocus. And my one and only was getting very agitated and screaming, say wingardium leviosa, wingardium leviosa! Why are you not saying that??? Seriously FUNNY! Seems wingardium leviosa is way more interesting than plain old trusted hocus pocus!! And i have more of a Hermione than a Harry at home :)
Oh baby, there is no Hogwarts in this world. Not that i know of. I know it'd be cool to have an invisibility cloak (it sure won't be cool for the parents but i might borrow and escape to the boutiques at KLCC :P), ride on broomsticks, fly in a car, have Hedwig as a pet or Hagrid as a buddy. But wasn't it you who told me Harry Potts is just a story? His parents didn't really die. They were there in in front of the stage watching Harry act :P
Anyway mommy would still like to be Bellatrix Lestrange. It would be cool to be totally deranged and zap off anyone truly loathsome and unworthy of living in this world! Oh those pesky muggles...

back to the idiot box

2011-01-27T23:03:00.000+08:00

Li Na made it to finals of Australian Open. Yeay for Asia! Go beat supermom Kim and make whole of Asia poud. I know who to root for at the finals :)

My mood to watch sports is back again. Maybe because all the meds i'm taking has made me groggy in front of the pc or maybe because lately Astro sucks.. despite subscribing to almost all channels now, there's nothing exciting on it. Astro..revamp, revamp, revamp! (minus charging extra to your loyal subscribers) Or maybe i'm missing House? Smlm ter'watch' Grey's anatomy ntah season berapa ntah. I don't keep track anymore. Izzy, George n pak itam tu dah takde. Derek was the head of surgery now, Meredith was married to him n looking extremely healthy n happy, no more stick thin. (maybe this was shot after she gave birth) Karev, Yang, McSteamy, Miranda Bailey and Callie masih ada. Tiba2 ada pulak perempuan from Lipstick Jungle as one of the regulars too. Then everyone was sleeping with everyone or was it McSteamy was sleeping with all but Callie? Macam haram. Tu blm Meredith's half sis (is it?), Lexie sgtlah skanky n bitchy-looking.. seriously are all the hospital staff that horny and sex-deprived that they must end up sleeping with each other each time ada break?! Hahahaha! Okay now i cannot look straight at the doctors, nurses and others at hospital next time i'm there!!

Anyway on Saturday, it'll also be the final of Asian Cup. I'm rooting for Honda and company, go Japan! Australia team matsaleh, macam x fair lak nak masuk Asia :P

Oh gleeks out there, the new season of Glee starting on starworld, ada tak yg ada gwyneth paltrow tu?

Kisah bermula di Januari

2011-01-24T19:59:00.000+08:00

Good January to all!
Masih adakah pembaca tegarku? Hell i'm no cik makmerah yg kaya sampai dikejar lhdn tp masih ada kot yg setia membaca :P

January is approaching the end. Muharram pun dah jadi Safar. The new decade has begun. I'm still the same. Camnilah.. No new yr resolutions. Except daily dok push thoughts in my head; be better person all round, eat less, exercise more, eat less carbs n processed food, take care of health better (this ultra new yr- i've been to the doctor 5 times..urgh), spend less time on the Net, read more books and Quran (!), be rajin banyak, be bit tidier, procrastinate less, be thankful more, sleep earlier, wake up earlier, be more punctual, try not missing subuh, be nicer to people all around more, learn something new, write more, be more confident of self, smile more and always count my blessings!

My Jib is in his final year of kindergarten. I hope he'll enjoy the year. So far we have been arriving better than last yr. Heaps more to be improved, insya Allah. He has started on his spelling. Mak yg stress. Yg BM he got 1 wrong, yg English ntah apa story. Amazingly his dad is quite adept in teaching bits of BM to him. Well, at least i don't have to do everything (which i am already doing currently..hmmm...)

Recently we went out for dinner nearby our home. Many new cafes/ restaurants/ shops are sprouting in the vicinity. Yg best ada this steakhouse yg even sell cold cuts n raw meat whereby we can take it off and grill it sendiri. (okay so i malas) We don't do this eating outside episode together as a unit that frequently. Some people are extremely choosy of the food and venue they eat or else, eat at home! While arguing and deciding to try which was nicer - grain fed striploin steak or plain striploin steak, i saw a middle-aged couple eating quietly together.. unlike the rest, all struggling to keep kids in tow. And suddenly, i thought hey if Jibby leaves home for school/ whatever, it'll be just me and the mister. Tu pun kalau dia rajin nak layan aku eat outside. Nanti i'll miss my sparring buddy, my culinary companion, my window-shopping comrade..dang, anak aku dah besar.. sedih lak.. sob sob. When i voiced out to the mister, he was nonchalant.. yeah, what do you expect? It'd be just us later..Of course one day Jibby will grow up and leave home and have friends and girlfriend and mommy suddenly (or eventually) will no more be his bff or most important being in his universe. Sad to think about it (not the part of not being most important though but more of he'll be nowhere around for me to pester or bully). If i voice it out to the kiddo himself, his response will be he doesn't want to grow up. He wants to always be the cutesy, hyper kiddo content to watch tv, read Gingerbread Man and play Playhouse Disney games all day. And nak tidur bawah ketiak kami always. Esok lusa nanti dia pula terlebih excited nak go to asrama n eat, sleep, fool around with friends (err tu aku :P). Nak grow up, stay up all night watch tv, ada aweks la.. ni pun awal2 dah plan nanti the papa must buy him a motorbike when he's older so that he can lepak2 at padang dekat rumah every evening!

Grain - fed.

Grass or whatever - fed.

Does it even look different?

Sausages... yum yum!

Anyway our steaks were okay. No difference grain or grass fed. But Jibby's chicken sausage was sedaaaap! The gravy, potato salad all were fab. (so much for chanting cut the carbs, cut the carbs to myself..perhaps i should buy the carbo blocker thingy i saw at the clinic!). If you wanna eat here, lunch is cheaper than dinner. And the restaurant's called Ayer Rock.

I promise i will write more frequently :)

Christmas Tree

2010-12-23T23:43:00.004+08:00

Omg lady gaga has a new song and she has turned a joyous xmas song into something very bloody skanky! Heard it first 2 days ago and i was like.. why did this song sound so weird and the lyrics so suggestively doubled meanings? Did i hear it wrong? At that time, i didn't know it was her singing that song but i kind of suspected it. Who else can turn s'thing skanky into a hit? Then the next morning, Rudy on red.fm was discussing the song and true enough, it was HER. And the lyrics were like wtf?! Sorry i'm no believer of Christ nor any goody goody two shoes BUT seriously turning s'thing joyous like into s'thing skanky really was like very... low. No doubt it's catchy. She just has no limits, does she?

In case you're the mood to listen/ see it for yourself, help yourself...

Anyway, merry x'mas to those celebrating it. No harm wishing, right? I'm not trying to glorify any other religious celebration but in the spirit of 1Malaysia and for the sake of work, this boy helped me decorate this tree at work. Personally it sure ain't that much fun. So don't envy those big, big trees!

By the way, someone shared this on my fav couple on fb and i scoured this on youtube and this is just what i get.. oh nevermind, just enjoy! I love those two..love, love, love them :)

Baby, let's cruise...

Anak datin

2010-12-20T21:46:00.007+08:00

Tired. But it was worth it.
We went to a home for the underprivileged in Chemor, Ipoh earlier today. Fun drive cos it was early and i was still fresh. Told lil one days before, we are going to rumah anak yatim soon. He asked, anak yatim tu apa? I answered, anak yg tak ada mak atau ayah..dah meninggal. He replied back, so kakak ada tak? (!!!!) Esoknya, nak bagi presents to all the orphans. Err, mommy tgh cukup2 makan je now..kalau tak we'll go buy books for them. Lusanya, anak yatim dah disebut anak datin! Hahahaha anak datin bapak kau!!

And we were there. It was a scenic drive, passing by the Ipoh toll plaza, through Tambun, then Tanjung Rambutan town (baru kutau where it is) and arriving at Chemor. Dulu2 masa younger, i've been to Chemor before. Siap mandi sungai lg..best! Back to story, we were greeted warmly there with speeches, zikir2, selawat, song and simple recitations from the kids. Yg kami dtg konon sbg blue Santa..so tak masuk concept! We were briefed about the history of the home, the kids there, their activities and taken on a tour inside to see how they live. Interesting tour. Yes Jibby, no toy/ psp/ cool schoolbags or colorful books scattered around to be thrown anywhere at your whim and fancy. So on each locker (which is smaller than the clothes locker i had in boarding school), there was written a name, age, date of arrival at the home and whether the person is yatim (with one parent dead) or piatu (both dead). Err..quite depressing. Then there was one performance done by 2 young sisters; one aged 4, the other 6. One of the caretakers of the place told me..they lost their mom, both grandmothers are also gone and the dad did not come to fetch them for Hari Raya recently so berayalah di rumah pengetua. Aiyoo..sayunya..nasib i didn't cry. At this age and time, i found it hard to believe that people yg piatu ni masih have no place to turn to except for these homes. Sedihnya. I thought that now people have more education and affluence, adalah saudara-mara dapat tumpangkan kasih syg + sikit sebanyak wang ringgit to bring them up. Rupanya..tak. But who am i to judge? I might not know of others' hardship. I bet being brought up at the home, they receive good spiritual guidance to navigate their ways through life in the future. Cuma tulah yg sedih bila the emcee told us, baru seorang dpt masuk polytechnic and last UPSR result, the best was 2As only. Takpelah, may they improve with time, hidup senang bila dewasa and mendapat berkat dunia and akhirat.

Going there made me open my eyes a bit. I am fortunate ada ayah, mak yg hidup and sihat till now. Ada ayah yg can provide good food, nice clothes, good education and material wants. Ada mak yg bring me up with love and excessive nagging (hehehe) and guidance in every aspect. Ada org nak angkat aku bila tertidur in car and malas nak bangun, jln masa kecik2 dulu. Ada org to hug and assure me it's ok masa takut thunder or apa2 masa kecik dulu. Ada org nak visit or send me to and fro masa aku dok jauh from home dulu. Ada org nak solat hajat, doakan aku pass segala exams i went through all the yrs dulu. Ada org nak buy me a car bila i started work dulu. Ada org nak telephone aku everyday even till now though it constantly drives me crazy. (ok at least if i die, takdelah jib akan duduk terpacak 3-4days macam the kid in miri recently.) Ya Allah, i should be more thankful for all these.. i should be, i should be.

Just now, it made me think if mom and dad passed away dulu, who would take care of me. One grandma mcm couldn't bring us up in the modern world je, the other had other people to care for. Aunts and uncles. Ada yg rapat dgn us now tapi dululah tak mesra kids langsung. Yg lain2 tu, wallahualam. Tak la kot buang us tapi we might end up ntah apa2 too..maybe.

If me and other half takde, apalah jd to Jib? He has my parents or his paternal grandma. Takpun his uncles and aunts yg ramai tu..tapi samakah or at least fair tak the love and attention to him? I don't know and i hope it doesn't happen to him. But i do know my 2 brothers do love and adore him very much. For his part, the feeling is mutual.

Which reminds me of my late maternal grandma, the mom died when she gave birth to grandma. So the dad left her in her maternal aunt's care while he disappeared (perhaps). So she was brought up by the aunt, leading a hard life. dari sekecil jib tu dah kena buat all sorts of chores for the whole household (dah namanya menumpang rumah org), silap sikit mmg alamat kenalah. Tapi in a way she's fortunate she did not end up on the streets and the aunt taught her well in agama and quran till she later taught other kids mengaji too.

Mom is a different story altogether but not as fortunate as me either. Susahla nak cerita; let it her own story to tell. If she ever wants to tell it. But she wasn't brought up with lots of nice things available either. Dad's life is pretty ok and things had always been fine for his forefathers. No sob stories there :)

Anyway all i have to say is that be grateful for whatever you have sebab ramai lg out there yg not better off than us. And sekali sekala dpt pergi tempat2 gini mmg is such an eye opener. Budak2 tu dapat makan McD, terpancar happiness from their faces while gobbling up the burger, fries, nuggets while admiring the free toys. Anak aku sempat pau aku, his dad, his grandpa, his uncles to buy the same version of the toys byk kali..geram aku bila i saw 2-3 same cars..surely you don't need the same toy sampai 2 or 3, right? And for all the angan2 nak pergi bercuti overseas main snow and ski (konon) plus handbag Lady Dior yg perhaps 8k+...imagine what you can contribute to the underprivileged for the same amount of money????

Yours truly,
Ngantukalways yg tersebak beberapa ketika...

p/s jibby, this is your holiday trip for this yr-end :P

december, december

2010-12-15T11:32:00.005+08:00

My life has been taken over by the wikileaks exposures. Never before have i been so intrigued by the whole thing. Our neighbors down south sure had so many things to talk about us. Nampak sgt tak boleh percaya. Patutlah ada org kena buat bodo dgn mantan ketua negeri kita dulu. Now dah termalu sendiri sbb dah talked too much about everybody in the region. Yelah sbb negeri sekecik zarah, kena protect interests n pi sembah pungkoq kononnya biggest gun in the universe kot2 satgi kena attack atas, bawah, kanan kiri; terjunam kot skyscrapers yg byk sungguh kat sana; dgn tanah pun tak cukup; air and other resources pun kena beli. Sikit2 report. Cakap psl sembah pungkoq, ada org pulak dah bengang org lain pun kata dia mmg kaki pungkoq..nak saman org tu, org ni psl pungkoq x habis! Kes pungkoq dia dok tangguh dah berapa lama dah..mmg pungkoq punya org! Bagusla dok sibuk cakap pungkoq psl negeri sendiri kat luar sana (ingat org suka sgt dia), last2 pungkoq dia n mangsa2 jugak jd bahan bualan. Bukan setakat dlm negeri, sampai nun jauh di luar sana; merentasi lautan atlantik, pasifik people talk about it:P So ironic!

What's new in my life? Nothing much. December has been a broke month for me. Jib dok rumah jelah cari psl dgn aku daily. Takpun cari psl dgn grandma. Oh she also cari psl with us. Gosh so stressful. My own mom yet so difficult to please. Aku mmg anak yg jahat lg ungrateful. Let me take all the blame. Nowadays bukan parents yg super ambitious, grandmas pun sama. Malah lebih over. Anak aku yg 5 yrs old tu tak reti baca lagi lah, x cukup pandai apa ntah, x masuk class pandai lah..maybe should masuk smart.reader. I have nothing against that kindy tapi rimas bila tgk concert2 dia mesti penuh dgn bdk.hindia yg bercakap n bercakap like maknenek parrot tak berenti. S-how minta ampun, i find that v annoying. Kdg2 di rumah pun aku suruh anak aku shut up! Pastu nak send anak aku pi sekolah agama private apa ntah not so near her house. Hello rumah aku n her place 30km apart. (Lagi jauh lagi bagus utk kesejahteraan bersama. :) i believe absence makes our hearts fonder and nicer to each other) Well near my place ada byk sekolah agama private yg also good. Si kecik tu pun dah nak naik iqra' 3 and pandai wuduk n pray. He ain't stupid in normal school either. Haritu jumpa his teacher at yr-end meeting, teacher said he's bright, serious in learning and would always demand answers until he truly understands. Bab membaca ni taklah fluent sgt tapi i'm cool with it. Insya Allah boleh nanti. Maybe my fault gak always sends him an hour ++ late daily. But his english vocab is definitely better than me or her when either of us were 5 dulu. Maths n science ok; he likes it. I'm sure he'll be fine because at home he's always scribbling some letters or numbers or drawing all sorts of things and creating s'thing fanciful. And he's always egging me to read books or newspapers with him. Ok la kan.. though not top student stage yet. My prayers to him are always for him to have happiness above all in life. But there's no satisfying her. Of course everyone wants the best for their loved ones but let him learn and play at his own pace. He has that thirst and curiosity for knowledge; that's very welcoming to me already. She wants biar bdk tu excellent macam aku dulu in primary school; tiap2 tahun pegi prizegiving ceremony. Senang hidup semua org; tak payah coach extra or send for tuition. Within few wks or mths i could read fluently in English and Malay. That's me. Maybe reading's my thing. Tapi now tak kemana pun jadinya. Aku jadi lg malas n disillusioned. Yg patut guide aku makin ridiculous and biased. Seriously dead-end. bagusla kita try to avoid msg2 when possible. Boleh kan hidup gitu? Anyway i just don't like it when anyone nak boss their way around through my son. Not even his dad. My son is my son. I yg spend most hours attending to his antics and quirks. I'll consider advice and comments but i'm his mom. And i'll do it my way. Full stop.

Dahla these stress are getting me nowhere. The other day sampai blood pressure rose n i got terrible dizzy spells sampai rasa di awang2an in car, lifts, elevated highs. Sudahnya kena prescribed ubat vertigo which one of the pills made me doze off on and off throughout 2 days! Receptionist kata ramai yg keje sini ended up with pressure spiking..paham apa maksud tersirat?

Be happy, be happy, be content, be content.. and be positive tomorrow will be better! Bad vibes, sick vibes go away..shoo shoo.... Oh kononnya to keep me occupied this month, i bought like 8 books from the previous big.bad.wolf.sale yg super cheap. Till now blm habis satu pun. Pastu ada hati nak visit book xcess for more delights pula! Reading mojo pls come back...(ini pun can contribute to stress kalau tak finish at least half of the books) I think i nak apply cuti supaya can hibernate at home against all evils outside. Tapi duduk rumah asyik memasak dgn org cerewet perasan top chef pun stressful. Blm lg kira org yg asyik buat sampah satu rumah. Then there's the neverending laundry..uurgh! There's no equilibrium in life..i guess :(

Freedom and justice for Julian.Assange!

And esok 10 Muharam. Selamat melakukan perkara2 sepatutnya, more details click here. For more readings on Asyura Day @ 10 Muharram, bolehla i share my friend's link here. Moga hidup makin diberkati Allah and jiwa makin tenang. And moga kami lebih boleh menerima each other seadanya.

i'm a secret agent, get me out of here!

2010-12-09T10:42:00.005+08:00

I am alone in the department. Blissful. Yet connection sucks. Bummer then!

It's already December now. Year end..gasp! The older you get, the more you agree that time flies. Where did all the hours and minutes go to??? With the rains and school hols and the festive deco in malls, the mood gets lazier to be in present state. Can i just go home and cuddle up to little one? I don't have enough time for fb now!

Managed to watch Unstoppable last night. (thank you umat baik hati for the complimentary tix, staff at tgv b.tinggi as usual x reti nak key in mana those tix..haish) Great train action stuff, dahle baru watched documentary on the railroads of America..how vast it is and what actions to be taken by an engineer daily in checking the trains. Yes, aku mmg sucker suka tgk cerita plain/train/ automobiles crash then freak out takut nak naik semua. Bab automobiles can't do much sbb in kl, minus cars - life's a hell. So tawakal, baca doa n mengucap je each time drive. Tapi menyelit, menyempit, mencucuk masih diamalkan :D. Anyway back to the movie, rural Pennsylvania sure ain't pretty. But Chris Pine and Denzel Washington are always welcome on the screens. Oh there are too many movies i have to catch before the year truly ends:
- Narnia
- The Social Network
- Rapunzel
- Harry Potter
- Tron
- Gulliver's Travels
- The Tourist.
And percaya tak ada movie Melayu tajuk 'Aku masih dara'?! Baiklah namakan Virgin Mary!

Is there enough time to watch all? Still have balance 6 days more of annual leave. Finish all or carry forward half? And i hate 3D movies cos they are pricey and the 3d specs give me headaches. I think this is all a ploy by film studios, distributors, cinema operators to get ppl to pay more for movies. Now they even have 3D tvs. Meaning: even at home you must put on the goggles to watch eveything?! Kalau cerita zaman merah Jins S, Azean A, Uji R, Hail A, Noor K - apanya yg nak di3D kan? :P Anyway i'm reminded by movie Grown Ups kot whereby Adam Sandler and Salma Hayek took their kids to his high school reunion cum old coach's funeral - the kids were laughing their heads when they saw a NON flat screen tv. 'like which prehistoric age was that tv from?'

Gosh this talk about movies and 3D are not getting anywhere. I'm more intrigued with the Wikileaks scandal. At first i thought wikileaks is part of wikipedia concentrating on exposures. But now even wikipedia has stated that they are 2 different entities. Seriously i find the wikileaks ppl are extremely brilliant and brave. Reading the US exposals have been enjoyable yet embarassing (and alarming) for them. Either everyone is a double/ triple/ quadriple agent (like in the Alias series - I finished all seasons of Sydney Bristow and was v obsessed once upon a time ago!) or White House has extremely lax security? Click here for some stories summarized. Then suddenly the Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange is wanted for rape charges in Sweden. Sweden? The country whereby most are open about sex n all. Don't you think it is all a conspiracy to get him so that all the leaks will stop? US and its allies must all be sweating hard now. Now Assange is arrested in UK but whether he'll be extradited to Sweden or wherever else is another matter. Well anyway, i'm all for Mr Assange. Seems to be a fascinating individual. I don't believe Wikileaks = Assange alone. I believe more revelations will be out. In times when Sarkozy is doing nothing, Obama got his lip cut in a basketball game and Berlusconi is claimed to be bedding each young, nubile teen - we need a new hero :)

*in another life, ngantukalways would like to be a powerful super journalist or maybe a top secret agent. it's def. better than to be stuck in this dead-end existence. hell, how do you know she's not one already? :P*

mega sleepy

2010-11-29T11:57:00.003+08:00

Status update as at 12.02pm: Kepala pusing and sleepy tak hengat! (yes, what is new?)

Anyway nak add, I heart Megamind! Despite his big, blue head - he is lovable :) And excited terlebih bila dengar lagu Guns n' roses Welcome to the Jungle tiba2 ada in the movie! (I miss Axl n co in their heydays.) Moral of this story: There is kindness in each person; you'll just have to dig deeper :)

And update at 12.06pm: Just read that uncle Leslie Nielsen of Naked Gun merapu series, dah mati. Eh Atok Leslie. He must've been a hundred yrs old :p (warning: nielsen, bukan cheung!) When i was younger, i always confused him with Steve Martin. My bro still does, till today lol!

My November

2010-11-27T23:16:00.014+08:00

Jib's year end concert ala2 cheerleaders to the tune of Waka waka. So now he claims it's his song then asks shakira's not fat, right? cheh kalau fat, tak nak minat la tu!

Look at him prior to the concert after getting hair and face done.. so NOT sunshine in the morning. Samalah mommy and your dad; we're all not morning people.

Nasi mandi at TTDI Jaya for my parents' anniversary. Sedap nasi dia with very reasonable prices. Next time if lapar like nak mati, nak pegi lagi. Jom anyone?

Chocolate bouquet from Shila for my birthday. Thank you dear, it is much appreciated. Pd sape yg berminat nak order, anything about chocolates dia ni pakar. Pls. check out her blog. http://shilalizachocolate.blogspot.com/

Birthday carrot walnut cupcakes for myself..sedap!

Celebrating my birthday at a wedding of my colleague. Orang makan nasi minyak dgn gembiranya, budak kecik makan potato chips..merepek sungguh!

Inilah Shila yg baikhati gave me the choc bouquet; together with my boss yg duduk betul2 depan aku in office and his wife. Kenduri org, kami gamat posing :p

Us at Bagan lalang. decided to check it out, takde apa pun but the resort there sure looks nice.

Happy birthday to papa tapi org lain yg overrr..siap nak buat party packs; bukan ada guests pun. Dia ingat papa dia 7y old!

Just like one of Batman's mean machines. Seen at COTY expo. Forgot to ask how much it costs.

The glowing bride in Sagil with 2 boisterous boys..ampunkan kami kalau budak2 ni buat riuh je.

Awie model baru Burberry and wonder how Hajja still looks 17?! What's her secret? In 15y time, she can jalan2 with Ariana n Irsa like sisters :)

Life..like a headless chicken

2010-11-26T14:10:00.004+08:00

It's not that i don't want to update. It's that life has been hectic for me though it's supposed to be MY month. Work, household chores, running around like headless chicken everywhere, Raya Haji, his and my birthday though no special party or what, my parents' 33rd anniversary, weddings, charity drive, book sale, FOS warehouse sale (still going on nearby my place), Natrah preview night and making sure 2 babies are always okay at home. Seeing/hearing kids frolicking in the pool each morning obviously enjoying their school holidays makes me envious; i started asking myself daily should i be at work today? :p Dulu masa belajar tak sabar nak kerja. Now dah kerja rasa nak belajar again n leave all the current madness!

Ok either pc aku or internet office ni crazily slow (as always)..so no picture update. Till next time. Hopefully it won't be December yet and i have bit of time to write this weekend. Now..it's time to sort out clothes for this charity thingy.. sigh.. I need uninterrupted 12h sleep. Bilalah nak kaya so that ada chauffer, maid and p.a nk buat aku lg gemuk? :D

I miss writing! and whoever who reads this..

can we pretend airplanes are shooting stars?

2010-10-26T20:34:00.006+08:00

Anak saya kata, mommy ni dah tak cantikla. Tak pakai baju baru tiap2 hari!

Like what was that about?

Okay nk quote lagu B.o.b featuring hailey williams 'airplanes' - can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars, i could really use a wish right now...

Yes, wish tiap hari ada new dress cantik akan magically appear in the wadrobe. By a year dah kena tambah 5 wadrobes baru. Or wish duit berkepuk-kepuk turun dari langit. Daily!

Suka-suka dia je at 5 years old nak suruh pakai baju cantik-cantik, mekap lipstick terang-teranglah..ada competition ke kat sekolah mak sape plg lawa/vogue/hot? Mak org lain kulihat lagi comot/ biasa/ tua than me :P

Inilah cabaran menjadi emak di tahun 2010.

Btw dulu2 aku always wish my mom would dress funkier and never ever wear kain batik at home again. To this day, dia masih suka sgt kain batik (bukan berkemban ye) daily and aku masih tak suka and tak wear kain batik!

Soul-searching Wednesday

2010-10-20T13:01:00.006+08:00

I've read the book, i've written the review AND i've watched the movie.

So actually Eat, Pray, Love was okay on the big screen. What do you expect of a thick book, 3 countries compiled then turned into 2 hours + on the big screen? Of course there's not enough time to condense everything in the movie with bits and pieces missing. There should be more depth in the friendship of Wayan and Liz, and Liz and Ketut Liyer in Bali; the drama behind buying the house for Wayan. I've also pictured India more differently(but what the heck - i've never been to an ashram) but Richard from Texas is still my fav character (almost cried to him). And everything looked nice in Bali in the movie whereas in the book and real-life, it did not look that picture perfect. But every food in the movie looked delicious. Kind of like food porn; tempting one every now and then.

However i have this to say..
it took Liz Gilbert THAT long to search for herself/ happiness yada yada because she was the one who asked to divorce. She was the initiator. She was the one with the guilt. She was the one waiting for him to forgive her.

Imagine if she's the one to be dumped, she'd be the one who'd probably spend the first two months bawling and cursing and feeling low but then she'll emerge stronger and perhaps with full of angst and might to face the world in record time. Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned :)

Of course we did not know what actually happened in the marriage. It could be very difficult or unhappy to live with the husband BUT before one just bails out of a marriage, one would try to tell the other party..i'm not happy. i want more. is it just this to life? Not just jump out and leave the other party bewildered, angry, sad, heartbroken. Work on it first before reaching a decision. I thought the Americans are masters to the shrink thingy??

I don't know but life is like this. Nothing stays the same. You meet a person, you fall head over heels in love with the person, you quarrel, you fight yet you can't live without the person. Then later, things start settling down. Everything becomes normal then mundane then perhaps boring. That is LIFE. No one gets super excited and giddy like randy, lovestruck teenagers after perhaps spending like 10-20-30 years together. You have other things to think about, other people to care for. But the base beneath it all, you do love each other and you've been through a hell lot of ups and downs together and reached many milestones together than to just leave what you've worked for all these years.

Sorry Liz, i'm not really on your side. And watching that movie, i'm more in deep sympathy to the husband(billy crudup)'s character. My heart just went out to him. I think Billy Crudup did a good job there. Sure maybe you could find that happiness or whatever you're searching for somewhere. And for him too. But sometimes that excuse is just very lame.

Anyway i remember reading someone comment about this book. If a woman were to leave everything and did what Liz Gilbert did, she'd be called courageous. But if a man were to do it, he'd be called irresponsible.

:P

Perhaps people should be more accepting that nothing lasts forever, things could be easier.

English on Tuesday

2010-10-19T14:36:00.003+08:00

Lin's latest entry got me chuckling. Sungguh, aku tak sedar yg dulu aku cakap Melayu pelat2. Eh ye ke? Or korang buat story nak sabotage aku?! I spoke Malay too (besides English) with my primary school friends; not English all the way! And i'm not that good with English either. Rasa dah lama2 duduk tanahair sendiri ni dan cakap Melayu almost all the way dgn everyone, English pun ala2 rusty blade :P

How did my English turn out fairly fine?

Well orang kata sebab i grew up and went to school in S'pore sbb tulah pandai English. Yelah duduk pulau LKY tu semuanya in English. Tiap2 hari in class dari kecik kena drill dgn the right grammar to use, new vocabulary to learn and spelling tests all around. Tapi to give full credit to my teachers pun tak boleh. My parents were hardworking as well. Mom forced me to memorize my spelling and learn new words by checking out the meanings in dictionary. She would hand-wash the laundry/cook in the kitchen while testing my spelling. Dad would forever be glued to the tv watching segala English series; Scarecrow & Mrs King, V, Remington Steele (Pierce Brosnan was, is and always good-looking), The A-Team, TJ Hooker (dulu2 taktau the alternate meaning of hooker tp Heather Locklear was the bomb! now muka dia minus make-up is super scary; whatever happened to aging gracefully?) and i was always cozying up to him reading the subtitles or asking him what were the characters saying or what was the meaning of certain words. He was and still is my mobile dictionary. And we always have books and mags at home. I love reading since young. And the good reading materials were mostly in English. They both used to buy me lots of books and read the books to me. (Pun begitu mom never missed buying Dewan Pelajar for me as a kid dulu.) But they did not speak English much at home. Cakap Melayu pekat slang utara lagi you! Paper harian pun Berita Harian from M'sia (yg ntah sape rajin beli and supply to dad daily). Cuma bila dah bertekak, barulah keluar segala syarahan in English!

Anyway bila masuk sekolah menengah, i was shocked. Eh even non-Malays like the Indians, Chinese or Sabahan/ Sarawakian spoke Malay? Wahh amazing. Ok akak jakunz! Di Pulau Singa, jgn mimpilah org2 bangsa lain faham atau boleh cakap Melayu. Kadang2 1 month tu Singapore gov dedicate for all to speak English. Then next month campaign improve grammar ke apa. In Johor, jenuhla aku pusing blakang dok speaking berabuk dgn si See.tha, Pu.nitha; traumatized gamaknya depa mendengar soalan2 aku in English dan kena jawab pulak! Maafkanlah diriku yg culture shock ini. Tu blm lagi realize segala Maths/ Science/ Geography semuanya taught in Malay pulak..adoii! Diharapkan sesiapa yg duduk dkt2 aku, dapatlah improve their English proficiency and be more confident with the language :)

Well now gelak2 je teringat kisah lalu. At least aku x ngada2 panggil mak ayah aku mommy n daddy. Zaman 80s siapalah very modern americano gitu ye tak? Lainlah zaman now. Si Jib panggil aku mommy, sometimes mom, worse at times mother. Dgn bapak dia pun nak panggil dad ke papi tapi tidak dilayan..hahaha espanyola pulak! Budak tu v psycho..ntah apa2 yg spouts from his mouth. Haritu Ika nak terpengsan dgr him speak English. American slang lagi you! Cousin dia yg older than him pun surrender bila talk to him. Ampunkan dia tapi i tak bersalah. Budak tu dah too much American English on tv, sudahnya mak dia pun terikut skali!

Esok, lusa bila dah sekolah rendah macam manalah ye? I'm so disappointed dgn the government's decision to revert teaching Maths and Science to Bahasa Malaysia again. I just think that these subjects and Geography are better taught and understood in English. Lebih banyak reference materials out there in English. Bolehke si Jib cope nanti? Hilangkah American English dia tu? :P For all i know, i still cannot remember the Malay words to syringe, numerator, denominator and i am still confused the barat daya/ barat laut/ timur laut directions or the names of the planets in Malay (kenapa mesti ditukar?). Siap kena google for the English-Malay translation. I like the comment given by the head of the private schools association - if Chinese/ Indian schools are given the leeway to teach Maths and Science in their mother tongue, why can't it be the same for the national schools? Why can't the government offer choices? English AND Bahasa Malaysia. Aku paham ada orang langsung tak reti English, how nak learn Maths/ Science in English pulak. But not all. We are not orang putih but my son and i are equally at ease in English as well as Malay. (personally the thoughts in my head are mostly in English.) I think the gov banyak sgt bagi muka to these national types schools but for the national ones, semua kena ikut gov's decisions no matter what. Of course kita nak perkasakan bahasa Melayu. I'm all for it. Kita orang Melayu mesti tahu dan pandai Bahasa Melayu. I am disturbed dgn parents yg langsung tak ajar anak cakap Melayu..aishh surname dia White/ Smith/ Hamilton ke? :) Tapi in order to progress well, we must master the international lingua franca too. Bukan setakat jadi jaguh kampung or katak di bawah tempurung..chewah! And kenapa ramai sgt di Malaysia ni scream for equality for all Malaysians tapi bila disuruh cakap Melayu, serious lagi teruk than pendatang asing. Bangla2 yg rajin dan dedikasi itu jugak yg pandai cakap Melayu. And English! Hidup Bangla!!!

*Lin, thanks for the trip down memory lane. Yes, we did sit next to each other in F1 and Heaven is a place on earth is still one of my fav songs!
**Debbie G, if ever ada retro concert Belinda C, pls count me in!

Seeing backwards

2010-10-12T13:25:00.004+08:00

Look at this clock!
It's amazingly reverse!
This got me shocked several minutes ago. Why is this clock like this? Apparently it is a clock for the left-handers. Anti-clockwise motion is the natural direction for left-handers.

I was reading an article in the NST (not today's edition) on a shop selling products catered for people who are left-handed when this picture caught my eye and it totally dawned upon me; maybe that's why little one ALWAYS writes backwards. Yes, he is left-handed. Nothing's wrong with it and i never correct him except when he eats or he's in the loo. My brother is left-handed too but he did not seem to encounter such problems then. But well, everyone is unique.. Jib is always kind of confused - eh which hand should i handle food with? This hand? (while raising one hand asking me, ok sometimes mommy's sense of left and right is also haywire!)

Anyway he has perfected the art of mirror writing! Always writing j.i.b.r.i.l totally reverse. S'times i'll tell him, that isn't right. S'times i just let him be because he's a young kid and kids always jumbles up letters and numbers. S'times i think maybe he is confused of Jawi and Rumi. Jawi starts from the right and Rumi is the reverse. S'times i worry if he's dyslexic. But as i read further, dyslexia is when one jumbles up and confuse certain letters. But he writes perfect mirror writing. Perfect to be on the ambulance!

Thank you to the NST article for clearing my mind regarding this. I can breathe easier :) There's even an online site selling stuff for the left-handers. Pity Jib for having so many people nagging him and correcting him for so many things. Especially with the Malay culture that one has to do everything with the right hand! Thankfully i have not been that hard on him because 1) i refuse to be a pushy mom to such a young boy 2) despite it all, he seems to be incredibly smart and creative; always reading, conjuring up stories, drawing or scribbling something at home. I've met his teacher before and according to her, in current times there are just too many learning disabilities out there therefore do not worry too much. A child's learning ability will be fine by the time he turns 6. So Jib, mommy hopes you'll be reading and writing right soon. No need to work on an ambulance :D

Anyway, for more readings and products for left-handers, pls refer to Anything about Left-Handed. 'Left-handers are very good at reversing images in their heads, and as children often do it unintentionally - writing backwards or "mirror writing" which they can read effortlessly. Although not exclusively a left-handed phenomenon, the ability to read a backwards clock face is easier for left-handers than the majority.'

The day Ngantukalways lost it..

2010-10-05T15:43:00.004+08:00

One has to write.

Weekend was full of open house till one secretly craved for simple white rice with normal, plain dishes. Nevertheless at Ika's, semuanya sedap n one sampled(more like gobbled) more than enough. Same as at the boss' house the week before. The lontong and shepherd's pie sgtlah marvellous. Benda2 lain dah naik muak. What more with the madness of traffic of Klang Valley (apa yg best sgt dok KL ni haa?) n the unkind weather. Sudahnya sudah tergolek dog on Sunday. TRuly tergolek demam panas. Syawal, you better end fast. You are so tiring. That is why i always prefer Ramadan. Always, always.

Come Monday, demam got a bit better but fatigue and hibernation has caused one to feel depressed. Depressed pikirkan diri yg tak ke mana. Tak ada apa. (Forget segala episod kesyukuran, ayat2 penenang hati, quotes from E,P,L and whatever one has..) One started feeling sorry for oneself. Hidup tak kemana. Belajar tinggi2 pun x excellent pun;no life or career and one doesn't feel happy. Depressed, depressed, depressed. Lagi lama lagi teruk. Jumpa kawan baik pun tak ok. Cafe world pun tak menghiburkan.(This is calamity!) It came to a point that one blamed marriage and the kiddo for one's nothingness. Ye kawin salah, x kawin pun salah. Okay lepas tu sampai tahap one hated life. Or anything like it. Hate, hate, hate! Rasa mati pun bagus. Tapi damn, amal tak cukup. Ada org ingatkan eh tak boleh mati lagi.. nanti takde sape nk ajar, tengokkan kiddo. Kiddo lagi?! Takde org lain ke nk kena ingat dulu? Semuanya must prioritize him first. Sbb tu lagi skali blame him hidup x kemana. TAPI if takde dia pun, jiwa sure kacau n lg depressed. That's the thing about him. At times, one loves him to death. It's like don't anyone dare to touch him or hurt him OR yours truly will not hesitate to kill that person. OK sindrom mother cub. At other times when life takes a potholes-filled turn, terdetik (or banyak kali detik) senangnya hidup if there is no excess baggage. Sigh..... BIG SIGH..... To him, all his life problems can be settled with a bottle of Febreeze! Kepala hotak kau berjambul nak oiii! OK so your mom's plain evil and she's crazy too. Better be warned. Yet you continue making life difficult for her. But for the sake of you, she cannot die perhaps for at least the next 16 years (as she's being reminded by many) so that ada org yg lebih sane and caring and clever to guide you through life's treacherous curves and conniving plots! So note to self: bear with depression, bear with it, bear with it. Sebab org lain are either too self-centered or neurotic or uncaring or plain dumb to deal with you. Yes, You again!

Come Tuesday, this depression turns into melancholy. One is feeling weepy and very, very pessimistic about life. One is a failure and can't be much. Besides no one will aprreciate. So should one sit in the loo for 3 hours and cry her heart out? But crying's no good..it won't solve problems or erase this melancholy cum depression. And one would emerge from the loo looking like a pufferfish ready to savored by those cuckoo Japanese! Or worse resemble that woman on yesterday's cover of Hmetro!! And still, no one here would look at yours truly with a straight eye and genuinely sympathize. She must be bloody crazy..cry for what? Crap, one hates sympathy or loathing from the general public! O Lord, is it the meds or have the hormones gone haywire this free-flowing M day???

The next day, apa pulak nak rasa? Rage? Anger? Insanity? Hysteria?

The only good thing out of this disorder is that everyone says one looks thin.... So betullah org kata one must suffer in order to look nice? There's no in-between, is it? You can't have the whole pie and eat it ALL is it? You can't be happy and thin, can you? Other than that, one loves the hair. It is really fabulous. Anyone out there care to recommend a good shampoo and conditioner to keep it looking more lustrous and dandruff/itch-free? You know despite life's deficiencies and one's miseries, one could be the next Sunsilk/ Pantene/ Redken/ Wella model! Perhaps one should feed on others' jealousies (should there be any) to gain strength and march on? :P

Kasih dengarlah..

2010-09-29T15:23:00.006+08:00

Kasih...
aduhai pagi ni terdengar lagu ni on the way to work. Walaupun very late, rasa dibuai-dibuai by the beauty of this song and its lyrics and the breathtaking voice of Hetty Koes Endang. Masya Allah merdunya suara dia. I can always remember her singing impromptu at diva bridezilla's live wedding on tv and how she blew everybody's breath away by just opening her mouth to sing.. Kalau aku ada voice begitu, alangkah bagusnya. (yes tadi mode perasan menyanyi alone macamlah suara aku ni like Hetty's!) Tapi kalau i have her voice, takdelah aku duduk di sini writing this. But then again, Tuhan Maha Kaya..kalau aku ada suara + fofulariti sebegitu, kalah segala kontroversi Kak Pah, Tok Ti maupun Keris Dayanti! Sebab tu aku masih di sini, hidup begini :)

And as i peruse through the lyrics, i found this song is best dedicated to the Almighty. Hidup matiku hanya untukMu.....

Malam ini kasih teringat aku padaMu
Seakan Kau hadir di sisi menemaniku
Ku yakin diri diri ini agar tiada sepi
Ku lewatkan hari di dalam mimpi

Seandainya mungkin ku mampu terbang ke awan
Detik ini jua ku akan melayang ke sana
Kan ku bawa pulang diriMu yg ku selalu sayang
Bersama berdua kita bahagia

Kasih dengarlah..hatiku berkata
Aku cinta kepada diriMu sayang
Kasih percayalah.. kepada diriku
Hidup matiku hanya untukMu

***Kasih ini yg abadi***

Celebrating Eid

2010-09-28T23:21:00.000+08:00

This is the Eid post. We didn't pose like mad cause evereyone went separate ways after prayers, ada adik skip solat raya sbb lambat bangun, bonda masih di dapur memasak n memasak. Aku masih anak pemalas yg tak reti tolong lebih2..i shudder to think of the future when i have cook everything when the time comes. Kalau mak aku tak ada, mati aku nak masak utk everyone. But then again, i'm not confident of barging in into other people's (mom included) kitchen and i don't like people barging into mine.

Anyway,we went for Eid prayers; the hall was packed to the brim till i couln't walk to the female section. Dengar jelah khutbah raya sambil berdiri tepi kereta. Ada pahala too, right? J was excited as ever in his finest outfit and songkok tinggi. Percaya tak - size songkok dia 21 3/4! Adult's size! Dia siap kejutkan papanya yg tertidur dengar imam berkhutbah! Bila anak dah makin besar and pandai excited nak raya, the parents pun rasa seronok too walaupun kdg2 perjalanan ke arah raya tu agak fucked-up. Bulan puasa sgt mencabar, not just to the kids. And we posed right after balik mesjid..bkn selalu nk posing in baju sedondon. Aku cool aje but ada org tak boleh..mesti kena sedondon, seiring dan sejalan. Tinggal blm buat vidclip Kak Pah and Broery M je :P Whatever..look at us; muka zombiefied! Lepas few minutes, semua dah terbongkang tidur!

Nasib in the afternoon, the brother-in-law came with an entourage. Beraya and berborak and mengheret us to rumah lelaki itu! Wah actually i am more entertained listening to his father's stories. Suka tau dgr pakcik2 tua bercerita..kisah2 dari another era, another zaman..seronok! Kita tak pandai bercerita (except dgn kawan2 rapat) so jumpa org pandai bercerita, terpegun mendengar..:) Suffice to say, i could easily understand how his kids are polite, good and disayangi ramai. I guess they were brought up well by the parents. So rezeki pakcik tu mungkin tak seberapa dulu tapi di hari2 tua dia, hidup dia sgt senang-lenang dijaga oleh anak2. Looking at him, i berani kata he is an example that even if our rezeki tak seberapa sekarang tapi if kita pandai didik anak with good values and practice what we preach, maybe bila tua, ada rewards nya. Not to say that everything is measurable by wealth but dapat anak2 yg menyenangkan hati mak bapak pun rezeki too. Other than that, J was unfazed by the star himself. Anak aku mmg gitu..selamba kodok; he even asked..so you sing on tv? :) Sudahnya dia yg jadi star kat rumah org tu..ramai sgt interview dia sampai laki aku tersilap salam dia ingatkan dia guest!

And so..the week-long holiday was well-spent resting, relaxing, watching tv and visiting close family friends. Sampai naik jemu makan makanan raya. Yg plg saya nak - lontong complete set yg lazat can tambah bermangkuk-mangkuk macam yg di Singapore tak ada..:( Sedih + kempunan sgt. Dahle raya in Klang Valley..bosan sungguh jadi org takde kampung jauh yg nostalgic n rustic sikit. J's collection for raya is quite lucrative and still accumulating; alhamdulillah and thank you to generous contributors. Dah sempat beli toys and what-nots. We also finally had time to go to i-City after bypassing it like a thousand times before..it was quite fun esp with family and friends. (entrance per car is at RM5 on weeknights and RM10 on weekends; redeemable for entrance at other places there or for F&B purposes).

Yg tak best this feative season, i ended up reading too much news and scouring for news all the time online on the Sosilawati's missing case. Turned out they were believed to be murdered in such an inhumane manner and all turned out dead. So sad, so tragic..my heart went out to the families of the deceased. And to the policemen who had to be on duty throughout the festive season. (mesti nak selit too: if ramai bangsa2 lain yg scream for equality tu sanggup nak kerja kerajaan and dapat gaji kecil, takdelah balik2 mostly org kita yg kena kerja 24-7-365) I just cannot believe the cruelties that people inflict on each other these days. Takde ke compassion and sense of humanity anymore? Sense of right and wrong? Are we so blinded by worldly wealth and possessions that we have to do anything just to achieve whatever we want? Lena ke tidur kita setiap malam bila kita dah buat jahat kat orang? I believe no matter what religion you adhere to, each preaches good values and teaches us to be kind to others and do no harm. And what you do to others will one day come back to you. Tu belum bab org yg hidup sihat walafiat tp nak bunuh diri. No matter what the reason, there is more to life and siapa di dunia yg tak ada problem? Cuba bayangkan org yg nak hidup tapi tgh bergelut dgn stage 4 cancer ke chronic heart ailment ke? Imagine they are fighting to be alive and healthy and ada yg healthy and well, senang2 nak take own life away! What a world we are living in! Renung2kan and selamat beramal dan marilah sama2 mendoakan kesejahteraan humankind. We are so in need of bright lights, hope, more kindness and positivity. Amin.

Makan. Doa. Sayang.

2010-09-25T02:19:00.008+08:00

I finished Eat, Pray, Love. Lega. After mths of procrastination and start and pause reading then re-reading again!

Suffice to summarize: Italy was where the author went to EAT. India to PRAY. Indonesia (Bali precisely) to LOVE. Italy was great. She made me salivate for all the pastas, pizzas, gelatos there. After losing hope and appetite for life, she regained the pounds there in Italy. Dahle impian hidupku adalah utk ke sana..sgt terliur aku membaca. Utk menyusuri piazza di sana sambil berangan. then duduk di cafe tepian jalan dan minum latte dicicah biscotti sambil berangan lagi... :)

India was where she went to meditate. Find inner peace. Shut off bad thoughts and negativities. Block the rest away and learn, try, learn, try to make peace with herself. It is a hard process. Ask anyone who has ever had their hearts broken.. Even if the other party is at fault, you can't help asking yourself..didn't i try hard enough? If i had done this/ that/ whatever, will we be fine? And i believe, making peace with your ownself is the most difficult yet best feeling ever.

Bali was where she went to let go and enjoy life again. To love and let go of the past. There is life after heartbreaks and divorce. And it's not wrong to have a little bit of fun and love and enjoyment after all the tears and anguish.

So, ask me which part do i love the most?

Most of my friends love Bali esp. since she got some "action" there! Lots of action in fact! Plus the hilarious eccentricities of the Balinese there.

Me? I love the India part best. My friends warned it could be the most boring part of the book. But i found India to be the most inspiring and beautiful part of the book. The author is not really into Hinduism there. In the book, she claimed that people who went to retreat there, were of various faiths and beliefs (muslims included) and they went there to meditate and do yoga and strip life back to necessities.

The part i loved most was when the author sent a friend off to the airport and the friend advised her, next lifetime you might come back as one of those poor Indian women busting up rocks by the side of the road, find out life ain't so much fun. So appreciate what you got now. Keep cultivating gratitude. You'll live longer. And Groceries, do me a favor? Move ahead with your life. (ain't it cute - the guy called her Groceries?!)

Logically i don't think it is kind of viable to take a year and the half off your life and go tripping on various parts of the earth trying to find yourself. Unless maybe you have a fat trust fund or huge divorce settlement :P But the story did deal with the pain and difficulty of a bad break-up even if it's you who were the one to initiate the separation. It's not easy even after a year or two. The pain, the sense of failure, the uncertainty of days ahead, the hollowness. Anyway critics have not been too kind to the movie but i am still excited to see Julia on screen with the guys: Billy Crudup as the husband, James Franco as the rebound lover and Javier Bardem as the hottie in Bali. Even if the movie disappoints, the book doesn't.

Though in real life, should i ever be like Liz Gilbert..i wouldn't ever want to meditate in India but i'd want to be able to do all those yoga poses and clear the mind totally blank. I wouldn't want to go all loving in Bali either..been there, done that. (meaning: taklah jumpa mana2 hottie thank you!) But since aku selalu sebut like 100,000 times would like to see Timbuktu for a while and daydream and sunburn myself in Krabi. But then again, why would one want to be in those places when one has great family and friends who are there in times of glee and times of tears. Baru tadi dok ketawa sampai menangis berbincang psl Don Juan de Marco dgn old schoolmates! Thank God for friends (and FB) for keeping my sanity intact! And then there's always Mekah. Doakan aku sampai there one day for hajj and umrah and all the inner peace in life and after-life. (doakan ye esp sape yg akan sampai sana in the near future)

My life is not always fab, kadang terpeleot gak cuma belum kena langgar train sampai hancur badan (:P), and nasib aku esok, lusa, 20 tahun lagi pun tak ketahuan but i hope to find that inner peace and good sleep always. So far it has been ok. God has been kind to me though there are many shits bertaburan kat living hall kadang2! To those yg terasa life down, no one is always down forever..there will be sunshine later. And pada yg hidupnya serba lancar currently, learn to cultivate gratitude. Appreciate what we have. The future's not ours to see; que sera sera :)

Makan. Pizza. tapi bukan di Italy :(

Solat :)

(takde pulak gambar aku in telekung ke stretching yoga!)

Sayang. Bali. (tengokla Jiben comot je kecik2 dulu)

Station Sunway

2010-09-07T08:45:00.000+08:00

27 Ramadan - 4 years since my late grandma's departure. Feels like yesterday she was here with us, mengajar mengaji, buat cokodok n all. Well yg hidup akan mati. May God bless her soul and the others who are departed. And moga kita yg hidup ini diberikan sinar to be better beings and do more kindness to others around. Pencapaian terawih thn ni baik sikit je from previous yrs. Selalu 4 nights average, this yr 5. Tu pun sbb i gagahkan terawih sendiri gak if x sempat ke surau. Nak kejar lailatul qadar tapi bagai x terkejar.. dptkah experience it in this life?

And this yr, 27 Ramadan - the love of my life fast for the first time ever. Unbelievable sbb dr awal ramadan, bila ditanya/ dipujuk/ disuruh CUBA puasa, x nak. Maybe tak paham kot. Tiba2 on that day, he slept late the previous night n had maggi for supper then i fed him milk before subuh. So tido lambat, bangun pun lambat. Bangun2 tak tanya psl food, mommy pun mls nk masak. So i let him be, watching tv and all. Ptg tu he was with the dad, mommy keje.. skali around 5pm baru teringat and terasa hungry so he asked the dad for milk. Dad said.. ala syglah it's 5 o'clock now, nanti 6 o'clock n then 7 o'clock dah boleh makan dah. Tunggu lah ye. 2 hours more only.. so he waited sambil tgk tv (thank God for tv and cartoons!). At 7++ buka time, mcm bullet he came into mom's house and told me, nanti lepas saya makan nasi, mommy buat susu ye! Kesian..:) But he did it and we were so proud and happy! Okayla kan at 5 years bolehla berjaya puasa one day. Mommy dulu darjah 1 baru dpt puasa 4 days! (hehe anak org lain sebaya ada yg puasa penuh, ni sehari pun aku nk kecoh :P)

Anyway tahun ni tak gamat shopping or berjalan. No Pavillion or KLCC visits :( Asyik2 ke Sunway. I pushed him to accompany me tgk wayang cerita2 yg terqada' sambil buka in wayang- Sorcerer's Apprentice - enjoy je, no stress. Jay Baruchel wasn't that bad eh...but the One Republic's song, Secrets, has been in my mind ever since. Inception - mesti tgk sbb if not kang aku mimpi instead of jaga tgk movie ni. Leo's playing so much conflicted characters lately, i still like him best all cheeky n naughty in Catch me if you can. But Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon -Levitt (comeyyy..suka!) are really riveting.. and the storyline lain betul dr lain..umpama mimpi dlm mimpi dlm mimpi..nasib i wasn't lost. Salt - beb i didn't expect the plot to be this way.. there must be a sequel! And i want to be Angelina Jolie as Evelyn Salt; so clever and strong like that. (tapi nak body Jessica Biel...mati hidup blk takkan dpt!)

But Sunway ada KTM train to menggamit nostalgia balik kampung OR scene perkenalan Ali dan Asmidar in Ali Setan :D (angkat tangan sape tak suka that movie..bodohnya!) Jib was very, very happy to see that train walaupun tak bergerak. Posing tak ingat. I love trains too. Dulu masa mula sampai Singapore, kat atas railway station Tanjung Pagar, Singapore tulah we slept. Dulu2 it was like a resthouse ke apa up there. Banyak memories aku di railway station tu. Tup2 now gov nak bg balik ke exchange that land with Singapore government pulak. I sort of grew up there. Sometimes dad's office was there so i was in and out his office or the train coaches. But the place was kind of dark and gothic. As i grew older, adalah sesi balik kampung dgn kawan2 naik train from Kluang. They stopped in JB mostly and i was the lone ranger to Singapore. Best gak borak2 dgn friends, kadang2 berkenalan dgn budak2 lain onboard, kadang2 dating :P Kalau musim blk raya, meriahla stock up on mags nak baca n belek baju2 raya artis2. Plg ingat URTV dulu sure ada bumper issue for raya. akulah pembeli setia! Pastu salam2 n wish s'mat hari raya cheerfully to all.

Anyway before that Tanjung Pagar station close for good, rasa nak take one last trip down memory lane with little boy and his dad. Maybe we should take the evening coach, boleh baring and try to sleep. Apa pun, aku plg teringat Rozie and Mia on those yesteryear trips! Here's to good old times and great friends over the yrs..

Hopscotch..apa in malay eh? (sorry kami org putih celup!)

Posing dgn aweks manalah in vintage vespa!

Puasa Blues

2010-09-01T15:54:00.004+08:00

Kawan-kawan,
This year i am broke. Flat broke. So kalau aku tak bagi duit raya kat anak-anak korang or anak-anak buah korang, jgn terasa hati ye. Ke terbagi kurang dr biasa ke... Selama hidup aku bekerja sepenuh masa selama 9 tahun ni, tak pernah tak dpt at least sebulan bonus for Raya (or the whole financial year) tapi tahun ni, sgt sepi tanpa khabar berita menggembirakan. Inilah nasib kerja di antara konglomerat terbesar di negara ni, bila division lain suffer huge loss, div kita yg in the black pun terheret sekali. Padahal overall company is still profitable for the whole financial year. Hai.. nasib badan, dahle gaji tak selebat mana... Actually i am procrastinating sending out cv ke tempat lain sbb i cannot recall where i've stashed my old certs. Damnation betullah! and don't ask about kuih raya or sewaktu dengannya..tapi langsir raya mcm ada :P

Dahle enough stressful episodes..yg penting Jib has multitudes of baju to beraya this year. Yeay to the Bandung trip! Sukalah si kaki melaram ni..:) Kalaulah the other day at Bandung, sebanyak itu choices baju perempuan + with those prices, sure aku dah borong sakan for me! So tahun ini in history, ada satu je kot baju kurung baru for me. Yg lain tak sempat hantar kedai..totally my fault. Tapi Subang Parade dah menggamit-gamit, memanggil-manggil marilah borong.. tgklah ada org pemurah ke tak nak belikan. At the rate angin gila dia naik di bulan penuh rahmat ni, aku malas nk minta apa2. Esok2 kalau org kata baju aku tak cantik ke tak banyak ke, bolehla aku jawab ini aje yg aku mampu! Err..ini bukan entry lepas geram but i am in dire need of new sandals.. mmg buruk2 sandals yg i have now OR yg in excellent condition mesti too high to properly walk and be merry!

Anyway dlm kekusutan nak raya, ibadat di bulan Ramadan ni tergendala buat seketika. Harapnya masih sempat nk berterawih a few more nights and do more good in this blessed month. Kubur arwah nenek pun tak terjengok lagi..(err cuti raya pun blm apply..nk start from when ye? Mind you.. i'd have minimal efforts to clean the house since i'm not celebrating raya at my own place and i do not anticipate ppl coming over; thank you very much! ini indicator, aku takde nk buat open house.) But the good thing so far is that i haven't gorged myself silly with food kali ni. Makan ala kadar and in lesser proportion than normal days. Puasa ke tak, aku tetap bangun sahur and masak apa yg patut daily, nasibla sedap ke tak..kalau org tak appreciate pun tak apa, harap2 adalah tercatit pahala utk aku kat atas tuuu.. Tapi prior to Merdeka, sempatlah merasa makan buffet at hotel dgn family. Mahalnya now..semua tempat averages at RM 80++. Yg best at Hyatt Saujana, many varieties ada..sup ekor, nasi and lauk-pauk + 1001 ulam/ salads, kambing panggang, Indian food - capatti, tosai, roti canai, putu mayam; Chinese - ada carrot cake!, mee soup, pastas, Arabic chawarma yg agak tasteless; satay and i'm sure banyak lagi. Seronok makan itu sikit, ini sikit esp benda2 yg lama tak makan. Skali bila blk buka FB, stress pulak tersedar i missed out on the bread pudding! Tu la rambang mata makan benda lain. Jib la paling bosan. Pergi buffet with such a spread makan roti canai je dgn dhal melimpah ruah! Nasib the roti sedap. Sudahnya i pushed him to cups and cups of ice cream.. buat rugi je makan benda2 simple di tempat mahal. Tapi tak tau la kot esok2 dia besar nak makan roti canai only at hotels ke..(i hope not!) Since during dinner kena mingle and talk because we had a small company, seganla nk ambik gambar food at all..yg posing cumalah Jibril dan mak dia for a few short moments :P And the boy asked me after feeling all full, err mommy did you bring my pants and shirt? Alamak, dia nak tido hotellah! Kemaruk betul anak aku, pantang ke hotel..kesian!!

Elaborating on my company for the dinner, it was a datuk-bapak-anak trio. Si anak adalah doctor yg sgt muda di Ostolia whereas her elders were owners of a thriving business venture. Si doctor tu cerita-ceritalah each time she's on a plane nak balik M'sia, mesti ada medical emergency inflight and she has to attend to it. In return, dia pun dptlah free tickets to be used bila2..sampai tahap dia refused sbb dia tak larat nak kumpul free tickets plus she badly wants to sleep in peace dlm flight! Suddenly barulah aku teringat a movie about air travel in the 60s i watched recently, Airport (it is still making its round on Cinemax 412) and barulah aku paham why there's an option of Dr as to how to address your name when booking flight tickets. There's the standard Miss/Mr/Madam and then Doctor. Kot2 ada medical emergency, captain of the flight and the head stewardess would know how many doctors are there onboard and their seat numbers! Bodohnya tak terpikir prior to this.. the doctor yg with me tu pun tak terpikirkan benda yg sama! pastu bila dah bercerita pasal doctor, si Jib pun kata nak jadi doctor :) I said baguslah..jd pandai macam Dr House tapi jgnlah jadi asshole macam dia sudahlah!! Come to think of it, i've been watching House since he's 3 months old and mmg dia pun kena paksa tgk skali till now.

Dahla aku tak tau nk cerita apa lagi.. this Wednesday sure feels like a Monday. But i feel like watching Inception before all the crappy movies start screening in the cinemas. As much as i can't wait for the holidays to start, aku sgtlah tak ada mood nak raya tahun ni. I hope the tv offers good movies. And roadtrip dgn gal pals menjadi nanti..

Sekian. Wassalam.

cheeky boy always eager to pose.

do i look slimmer this ramadan? or was it just the black slimming effect?

poster of the 1969 Airport movie. Confession: i love watching movies or documentaries on air travel or plane crashes..lps tu freak out bila naik plane!

3

2010-08-30T16:33:00.004+08:00

3 Reasons it's fun to have a small kiddo

1. There's someone to clear your perfumes that have been idle for the last 6,7,8 years or more.. Spray..psst psssst.. head to toe!

2. There's someone fighting with you on who can sing loudest (and better) so what's your name, hey baby what's your name, oh yeah.. sexy's my name, yeah sexy's my name! in the car. Ok baby, you'll be Colby O'Donis and i'll be Mizz Nina ok?

3. And there's someone who insists on wearing jeans in the middle of the night because mom is wearing so! Or someone who wants to wear red cause mom is wearing red :) Cutesy!

3 Reasons it's not fun to have a small (and bloody big-mouthed) kiddo

1. You're always late, yet you have to prepare little one for school too and becomes even tardier. It doesn't help when he screams at you or tells the teacher..It's not my fault! Mom's always late! That is very uncool! (and unfair considering his tantrums and daydreaming each morning!!!)

2. You're fasting and tired and lazy yet you have get up to prepare food for the kiddo because he insists he's fasting yet he wants to eat because someone said to him, eating and drinking = fasting too! Or he insists there's the azan already.. azan zuhur! Okay, there you go cooking soup and rice for him only to be greeted (or yelled) 2 hours later..I'm hungry! Damn tak baca bismillah ke budak ni??!!

3. You bought new fresh A4 paper or notepad home for some assignment and suddenly you found everything missing because someone had taken the liberty to scribble and sketch and cut everything under the sun! Da Vinci in training? Hopefully!

Jiben10

2010-08-24T12:19:00.006+08:00

JiBen10 waiting calmly for his classmates to settle down.

Eagerly handing out goodie bags. He loves being the party host!

What is it about spitting saliva onto cakes that gets kids all excited and happy??

Jib celebrated his birthday recently with his friends in class. Happy betul dpt kek Ben10 yg simple (nasib sedap) to show off to his friends and goodie bags to give away to them.. The kids were thrilled. Lagi penting goodie bags than makan! What's in his bag? Mini chocs, lollipops, mini jelly puddings, mamee snacks, party blowers and cute cartoon pens for everyone. Ok la kan? Tu benda2 yg he likes..so i bought them to share with his friends. Stuffed all in pirates-themed party bags..cutesy aje dahle class dia nama Royal.Caribbean di sekolah Bahtera.ilmu, patutnya he wore a pirate hat, eye patch n plastic sword tapi since brg2 tu dah dibeli awal2, ntah manalah pulak at the very last minute..:(

Tapi beli stuffs for the goodie bags pun penuh drama. Was at the local neighborhood supermart to shop for semua benda..dah sumbat bags of lollipops, chocs, mamee for the goodie bags and some bread, cili padi, eggs and fresh milk for daily consumption into the almost-full basket so i ventured nak tgk rice and toothpaste. Put the basket down on the floor kejap (like less than 5m duration and 7m distance), suruhla si Jib tgkkan kejap..skali dtg blk basket sudah takde. Eh.. pelupa benarkah aku sampai x ingat mana letak basket? I scoured the surrounding perimeters..takde pun. Tanya budak kecik yg aku suruh jaga basket tu lglah blur kan..dia boleh survey2 benda lain pulak! Sudahnya i asked a few guys around me. Semua tak tau. Tiba2 ada 2 very suspicious guys pegang 2 baskets yg ada bags of mamee lurking around. Aku pun selamba tanya..was that basket mine? Terkejut each person tapi vehemently they denied. I wasn't satisfied. Aik baru seminit tadi macam ala2 takde basket (ok supermart was full n baskets suddenly were like limited items!) tetiba kau dah ada baskets yg full dgn brg! I couldn't let the matter rest, i followed them around. Sorang seemed natural n at ease. Yg lagi sekor dgn mak dia kot (a very old n kampung-looking makcik) seemed fidgety and asyik dok sorok kat one corner. Bdk kecik dah pegi jengok store and asked for help from the banglas there! Bangla cari pun x jumpa. Hatiku sudah panas. Penat wei tawaf satu supermart angkut2 brg skali xde and flavors lollipop yg aku nak pun tinggal yg dlm basket tu je! Org lain mesti ingat aku either gila or delusional. Bangla pun rasa gitu kot. Sudahnya they got me a trolley sbb crowd mcm dah surut sikit..then as i started my journey back retracing steps to get each item again, we found some of our items discarded into an empty shelf near tempat the guy and his mom tu bertapa. Sungguh cheebs! Rupa je pakai sopan2 siap ada nerve nak ask me earlier..'dah jumpa basket?', perangai mcm haram!! Kalau dah ambik basket aku, ngaku jelah. X payah nak berdrama lepas tu hide at one corner. Nasib blm byr, if not, aku dah demand tgk cctv. Tapi selamatlah aku menyumpah dlm hati semoga either brg2 kau beli tu will either tergolek tgh jln or busuk sblm waktunya OR kereta kau naik lps keluar from the mart will mati engine!!! Jib dah jerit satu supermart dgr kot...'hah ni dia brg2 kita, mommy!' Proof aku blm nyanyuk or delusional. Bangla2 tu pun heran ada gak org cam gini kat neighborhood ni. Hai mmg sgt2 cheebs. Orang dahle penat. Kau nk kebas basket org pastu menipu n berdrama pulak..Dulu2 masa tgh pregnant pun penah jd gini @ Giant. Nyonya kiasu mana ntah main rembat my trolley lps tu bila aku claimed, she said it was hers. Time tu i was very bad tempered so mmg dah gaduh dua2 org. Sudahnya mmg ada brg2 aku in it..later on baru dia discovered her bloody trolley was left 2 aisles away.. stupid nyonya. Termalu dia tp haram xnk apologize..dah mmg dasar kurang ajar!

Okaylah anyway, have a blessed Ramadan..jgn dpt tahan diri fr lapar n dahaga je, pahala lain apa x dpt. I just managed terawih 3 mlm so far; annual average 4 mlm..let's hope tahun ni lebih berhasil tapi tulah asyik buat 8 rakaat je. Dulu2 at least did the full 20. Puasa masih full. Si Jib je ngaku puasa tapi mkn and minum. Bila suruh, pujuk cubalah puasa..he said kawan dia yg mana ntah said teacher mana ntah said puasa tu boleh makan dan minum. I rest my case :P

And baby, thank you for being my sunshine always! Mommy loves you to bits and pieces :)

July, July

2010-07-19T16:01:00.011+08:00

Half a year is gone..it's July 2010. Nothing much have i achieved. Kepala makin serabut adalah but lately macam ok sikit..there will be a way to overcome everything that's bugging me. Insya Allah. And don't forget the power of doa. (Dalam korang2 berdoa, doakanlah aku sekali moga tetap iman, jd better being n tido lena tiap mlm:))

One,
my good friend dah balik. I think she's looking better than ever! As usual dgn 1001 kisah padang pasirnya plus stuffs from santa claus. You wouldn't believe what i asked her to buy..but then again i won't tell until my prob is settled! Agenda utama kami apa lagi mkn, mkn, mkn till ada member tu dah puked overdose! Anyway there's this dessert cafe @ Empire, Whisk..ada cakes, macarons (yg ramai kata sedap tp kami mcm kurang enticed with it), pies, fine chocolates n mcm2 lg. Well since kenyang, we just ordered hot choc n carrotcake. The hot choc, she said was nice but i think the carrotcake was so-so. My neighbor and my good friend in Seremban buat lagi sedap :) But the cafe proprietor's warmth and friendliness just scored top points. She gave us extra cream, chit-chatted with us, offered this n that and even shared with us on how some fussy customers of a certain ethnicity demanded less sugar and preached to her on health and eating well and made guilty n all. My God..it is a cake store, what do you expect? Muesli n oats? Go to an organic food store then! Anyway her son's very good-looking :P And next time, perhaps we'll try the hummingbird cake. It's actually banana cake but when we asked, why is it named hummingbird? They couldn't answer either..said it's just called that!

Two,
@ Empire again..(i'm missing Subang Parade already!)
We celebrated my brother's 28th birthday..dah 28 adik aku ni..time zooms bloody fast. Jib pun dah besar and berebut sama2 nk blow candles. Nanti besar lg, bolehla share cake dgn Alil ye? Same birth month..jimat duit! Btw ain't the cake, cute? It's small, full of cream, nice and bloody cute; at RM 10 from the cake stall in the middle of Empire's ground floor. Ada budak tu whispered to his other uncle.."hey i have a surprise for the b'day uncle..i bought a ladybird cake!" Skali birthday uncle tu was right behind him!!!

Three,
we went to the Flowers Festival in Putrajaya..nice but we were dampened by the rain. Habis basah n all. Potong mood nk posing or snap more beautiful pictures. Punyalah lama tak pergi Putrajaya..nk head for location Flowers Festival nipun x jumpa at first; daddy dearest boleh kata this was a pasar mlm! Pegi Alamanda pun lupa coordinates toilet n surau! Tapi jln pegi sekolah lama adik aku ingatlah.. yg best as we passed by the school, i told my son, "Inilah sekolah yg Acik pegi n dia kena gantung tuuu..." Boleh beloved matriarch asked, "eh bila dia kena gantung??? aku tak tau pun!" I think she has selective memory. Kalau benda2 tak best pasal the sons, mesti dia tak ingat or buat2 tak ingat or bagi comments like..biasalah kids. Kalau it involves the only daughter and resident black sheep ni, sure sampai mati pun memory dia fresh! (no worries, i don't bear grudges tapi kalau aku side dgn ayah, jgnlah tersentap! fair la kan? 2 votes for her, 1 sympathy vote utk dad!)

Lastly,
can't wait for next week..Jibby boy will be 5 and finally the whole clan will be on overseas holiday.. it's been ages and i can't wait! (macam jauh sgtla kan? :P and doakan lah kesejahteraan aku semoga sane and tak snap kat sape2!!)

About a boy

2010-07-11T00:20:00.007+08:00

What's your favorite Hugh Grant movie?

He was stuttering charming in 4 Weddings and a Funeral, bumbling cute in 9 Months and heartwrenchingly forlorn in Notting Hill (that William Thacker from Horse & Hound :P and i always hate Julia in this movie..only this movie!). Yes, i admit i love Hugh. But my personal fav is About a Boy. There's just something funny yet endearing about that movie. In it, he plays an easygoing single man who didn't work but had loads of cash, a cool pad and really good taste in music thanks to royalties earned from his dad's christmas hit played yearly come year-end. Anyway he was quite a lonely soul in that movie till he befriended a boy. Well that boy was kind of weird (with pointed eyebrows and all) but i loved watching the friendship and bond he had with Hugh. And worse, Toni Collette was his crazed, depressed mom whom Hugh likened to a yeti! And somehow Hugh had used this boy in order to pose as a single parent and hit on the girls and single moms!! Sneaky but totally lovable; each time i watch this, i just cannot stop chuckling :)

But this post ain't about Hugh..it's about that boy. The real name is Nicholas Hoult. This was how he looked like then...

And now...

Omg he's very HOT! I didn't expect him to be soo delicious!! Sorry it's despicable of me to fall for anak ikan hehehe!! But can't help it. Even Yahoo News called him the Brit Zac Efron (err i've just watched 17 Again for the tenth time!!!) And he'll be featured in the coming X Men movie where it'll feature all the mutants in their younger days..ooh i can't wait! I read that he was also featured in A Single Man - any Colin Firth fan care to lend me the DVD? And he was also in Clash of the Titans..gee i missed that..anyone?

And i've just realized i don't have DVD of About a Boy either..hmmm....

Arne

2010-07-08T16:10:00.006+08:00

To my comrades who haven't got enough of the macho Germans, i found this link but the players were from Euro 2008. Still sight of Friedrich adalah menusuk kalbu :)

Skuad kalah tapi macho!

Dahle no mood, i want to excuse myself now... Work today is blerghhh. I keep on dialing wrong numbers or no one bothers to pick up the phone.

Bila rajin, will update pictures and comments of players who will feature on Sunday & Saturday. And the current Deutsche team. My highlight of the day: buka puasa and tengok House (pengubat duka lara ku) later.

Btw my much-missed good friend will be back tomorrow, yeay!

Eh do you know that Christina Ronaldo has become a dad? And apparently he's been given full custody of the baby boy. And the latest that i've read; he's even named the boy after himself and planned to mould the boy to be his mini-me! Gasp: like how full of himself is he? And why surrogate mother? Doesn't he have all the gals n boobs bouncing all over him all the time?? Perhaps maybe he's closeted gay; the girls are just for show..besides his styling always makes me cringe..A REAL man? Urgh NO! I do shudder for the young boy!!

A bad day

2010-07-08T11:59:00.003+08:00

So the final will be between Oranje n Espana..congrats kepada finalists. Tak dptlah Oranje share flight blk rumah dgn Germans nampaknya :(

So am i ok? KO more likely.
Sedih. Yes.
Devastated. No.
Tired. Yes.
Depressed. No.
Frustrated. Yes.
Crying. No.
Annoyed. Yes.
Angry. Yes.
Defeated. Yes.

More of when is it will they ever win again? Penatlah asyik jd most consistent team at each major tournament tapi tak menang2.
1990 - won WC.
1992 - finalist Euro.
1996 - Euro champ.
2002 - finalist WC.
2006 - semi-finalist WC.
2008 - finalist Euro.
2010 - semifinalist WC. Again!

Dgn semalam Spain gila control midfield like mad tak bagi Germany chance to move pun. Tapi if they play like this again..they can win wc but performance sorry to say, very boring walau strong. Asyik menang 1-0 je. Yes, i'm a sourgrape!

Tapi tak le like some people tu before each game gloat like mad team dialah plg hebat di universe tu, then bila kalah diam seribu bahasa pastu bila team org lain kalah..kata team nazi lah, jersey nak buat alas kaki lah.. seriously statment cam celaka. Aku pun ada tak suka certain teams like Ghana ke Espana ke tapi takdelah nk kata jersey can buat bra ke spender ke..if they play well, then they play well la kan? Si England tu more hype than substance..syg tau with the amount of superstars they have, they can't make it as a team. I like Gerard and Walcott. Si Argentina tu kesian sgt tgk Messi but one man can't guarantee win for the whole team; defence Argentina mmg tertinggal kat Buenos Aires gamaknya.. or Maradona is delusional pikir nak bawak team full of strikers je ke SA. Laki aku pun sokong Brazil/ Arg; takde pun aku gloat bila his teams kalah! Besides i have lots of friends supporting these teams cuma bosan sikit Brazil dah plg byk mng WC..bilalah Germany, Argentina n rest of the world nak catch up?

Anyway thank you for the great nights, WC and my comrades and friends! Post 11/7, i'll surely suffer withdrawal symptoms! Yes 2014 will come..macamlah can win. Kalau aku dpt pi, bagus gak...*mode berangan sambil senyum*... Tapi i can't erase the image of Schweinsteiger so sad last night. Must be hard to have always landed in finals/ semis yet not winning. Ozil and co at least have won the European U21 last year.

And kalau sape2 nak letak komen ala pukimak kat sini, don't even think about it. Nak kata aku emo, suka hati. I love watching football and have always supported the Deutsche. I am passionate about this. Well, but life moves on and bad days do occur.. even for the sotong!

lintasan gosip

2010-07-05T00:13:00.002+08:00

Lintasan gosip sebentar....................

Petikan dari ruang gosip Just Jared,

Something to the lines of Leo di Caprio arriving in Cape Town recently to catch the Argentina - Germany. Well my bet is he's supporting the Germans since his grandma is German. But that was not the point. He was seen travelling and mingling with Paris Hilton there. Ok not the point either. Everyone parties with Paris! The next line was... The twosome were flown from London in a private jet by a mysterious Malaysian millionaire so that they could watch WC.

Who is this millionaire??? I am so curious. So rich and connected to fly 2 of the most well-known persons in the world to watch WC! Hey, i wish i am bff with this person. I wanna go to Cape Town too. And rub shoulders with Di Caprio too.. comey beb!

Meet doe-eyed Bambi

2010-06-28T15:25:00.007+08:00

Meet the new posterboy of German (and possibly) world football, Mesut Ozil! Much loved and ogled by my fb buddies; esp Amy and Zetty. Thank you girls (and my other friends too, Awie, Ninie and Lin J esp.) for the wonderful online time/ updates each time ada game. Terasa best sgt camaraderie between us; proves that girls like football too and NOT just for footie stars' looks :)

Ozil - Such a doe-eyed gem. During the first game, i was wondering who this pale-faced German was. Seemed alien to me. It turned out he was absolutely brilliant; outrunning the opponents and creating chances every minute for the strikers to shoot. Marvellous! It's been a while and such a delight to witness such excellent display of football skills from someone in my fav team. And me, ever quick to google, rapidly found other info of him online. He's 21 and oh a Muslim. Halal dan toyyiba lagi!! He's been reciting the doa (which some papers reported and readers commented as reading the Koran dgn tones yg macam racist and prejudiced) prior to each game. Macam dengki je these foreign press if ada yg Islam and proud of the fact. In fact i was so happy when i saw him aminkan doa after one of the game. Well tak taula how alim he is but it is good to read and know there are good players out there who are Muslims and proud of revealing that fact. (Si Zidane tu terang2 mengaku non-practicing.) And to prove how hot he is, his German popstar gf kononnya dah converted nak kawin dgn dia.. wow hebat. Ozil, if you ever want to waste time in EPL, pls don't play for MU. Thanks!

And last night, we witnessed the demolition of the English team. Too little effort, too late for regrets. I know the linesman was blind and should Lampard's goal had been counted, it'd make a better fight. Perhaps the score would've been 3-2 or 4-2 or 4-3. But the English were outpaced, outrun and outwitted by the Germans. Klose yg tua tu pun laju than any defenders there. And it was his first goal (out of 12 currently) using his foot since 2002! Ada kawan aku ni keji tau; dia kata adalah sgt hina bg England bila goal Klose finally guna kaki to score (selama ni dia headed all his other goals)..nampak sgt England x terer!!! Tapi semlm sempatlah jugak felt like having heart attacks witnessing the counter attacks and so on till yours truly couldn't take it for a moment; sempat ambil wuduk and prayed la kan! Pjg jugak aku berdoa supaya team fav menang hehehe..tup2 tgk score from 2-1 jadi 4-1. Mesti power kan doa aku..??!!!! Or Ozil dah buat solat hajat the previous night :D Nampaknya no Ballack like no problem for the team; everyone seems to shine brighter. But the English were definitely dejected and sour in losing; including Astro's obviously English commentators; when will they ever find the right formula? Despite all the superstardom and primadonnas who earn more than 100k pounds a week??

Life is packed with football lately. This is how GILA i am. If not football, then it'll be sleep on whatever time i can squeeze for all the haywired schedules lately. And the rest will be utilized for working, eating, family and FB. Little one has to fend for himself if i'm dead like a log! But he's caught the bug. He jumped when Argentina scored goals; my team won! my team won!! Been insisting on us to call him Messi, requesting for a no 10 Argentina shirt and also insisting to learn Spanish! Btw he taught me one Spanish word last night..i wonder where he picked it from. Musnah harapan nk encourage dia learn German! It'd be interesting (and nerve wrecking) though Argentina will meet Germany next in quarter finals.

Whatever happens, thank you Ozil and co for the wonderful football so far! And let's hope Andy Murray will perform wonders for the English at Wimbledon - they need something to cheer on for!

Year of underdogs perhaps

2010-06-21T15:11:00.006+08:00

It's cold in the office but hot from the results of the recent WC clashes. My mighty Germans had floundered to the Serbs last Friday and to make it worse, Podolski remains the only player NOT to convert a penalty so far during this season. Bummer! I have no foresight on what will happen in the coming matches. Italy (world champs) only managed a draw through a penalty in last night's clash with NZ, a nation known better for being prime in rugby! Kudos to the NZ defence and especially the keeper, Paston..i hope he'll move to a professional Europe club next. England (favorites of many esp. with abundance of superstars) were also held to a draw by Algeria. Australia (non-threatening) was still spirited despite playing with 10 players in both their matches. Personally i think Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell both did not deserve the red cards.. what poor judgment calls by the ref. Not to mention, the disallowed goal scored by the US in the US-Slovenia game.. what was the reason behind it? That group is still in a stalemate; everyone's achieving draws. Fan favorites, Spain (Euro 2008 champs) were stunned to a defeat by a mediocre Swiss team; this outcome i believed was a result of sheer bad luck or keeper Casillas' slippery hands. It is funny though that some papers blamed Casillas' gf as the cause of the loss because she was live broadcasting/ commenting just behind the goal post so maybe he was distracted!

My schedule for the last few days have been spent entertaining the young kid during daytime and watching WC, sleep, fb, twitter, watching WC again during nights. Exhausted but happy. Even lil boy joined us and woke up late daily. Yet still demanded me to honor my promise of bringing him on a train ride. Commuter la, what else?! So excited was he that during each stop, he'll asked (in his best american-accented english) is this it? here? to which i replied, a flat..No. Poor boy. Tired of standing up and no one to offer him a seat. Our times clashed with the going-home crowds. When i switched trains, it was packed to the brim and i had to carry him while standing up, not holding to anything. Again no one bothered to offer us a seat. Superb Malaysians! Thank God we were greeted by Woody and Buzz onstage upon arrival at MV. Thank you, TM. You made a small boy happy and a mom feel it was worth the whole hassle. Later in order to repay mommy's efforts in bringing him out and aboard a train, lil boy had to endure sitting and eating at the mamak shop so that mommy could watch fav team in action without paying a fortune. But.. fav team lost and the food sucked there :(

So today i read the news that the French team had refused to train and boycotted the training session in protest of Nicholas Anelka's dismissal. What a mess! Imagine in the brink of exit and suddenly no players to play?! It could happen. I still blame the French FA for re-appointing Domenech even after their disastrous campaign in Euro 2008. And the rest, i blame Domenech (the coach) himself for all the sloppiness and disunity of the team. Even England's coach, the Italian Fabio Capello, fared no better. John Terry tried to create an upheaval against him but luckily he didn't have the support of the entire squad. Well when one's not doing fairly well, point fingers all around except to your ownself! Now only Argentina, Netherlands, Brazil have ensured safe passage to the next round; the rest of the teams will have to toil to the final match of the group stage. And it's embarassing to find the stadiums visibly half empty during some matches. If only they'd give the tickets to me!!

If the Germans don't win, i hope the Argentines do. If Maradona's men can't do it, i hope it's not Brazil over and over again. (my other half might disagree tapi aku bosan asyik team dia aje menang) Or perhaps this is the year of the underdogs? The Americans look mighty and exciting. Perhaps we need a new football hero. My boy has been excited for Messi. It must've been from the countless ads on Astro. At home each time Messi appears, he'll go fetch his WC sticker book (we've got half of the stickers already!) and flashed Messi's pics to the tv (as if Messi sees him!). When Argentina played, he proclaimed that's my team and mommy is team white (Japan then) and my team is the winning team! So besotted with Messi..telling us call him Messi! And insisting to personally pick his own shirts daily and choosing all light blue-colored shirts!! So cute..kecik2 dah pandai and suka bola; mommy suka :) Suddenly his dad said: well if you wanna be good like Messi, you have to eat fish, chicken, meat, fruits and vege. Messi does. That's why he's so good in football. LOL! Well, you should've seen his face.. kind of crestfallen and stressed out thinking of having to eat everything! (btw he's a bloody picky eater!)

One thing for sure, Jibril Messi is messy! And i'm giddy anticipating the next game. (and half wishing when this is all over, i'd like to catch up on my sleep and get my life back in order)

Singapura dilanggar todak

2010-06-16T17:19:00.005+08:00

Break from bola kejap..

As i was browsing through twitter, i found Orchard Road trending. Wondered why and i peeked into the tweets; rupanya Orchard Rd was flooded earlier in the day! No wonder someone posted earlier on fb that part of Hermes boutique was submerged into the water or s'thing like that!!

Singapore the mighty can also be flooded due to continuous, heavy rains eh? And many thought only KL or Jakarta suffered that fate. So it isn't so invincible after all! Actually i'm not surprised as there are too many construction/ upgrading works in the vicinity and concrete jungle everywhere with not enough big drains to absorb the water. Wonder whether water seeped through to the underground MRT or not...

If you don't believe me, pls read it >>> here >>>.

And someone had the cheek to post this!

* nampak superimposed kan?

p/s images sourced from twitterfeeds.

from 1990 to 2010

2010-06-15T12:09:00.004+08:00

People of the world,

I'm very alive this WC season. Sleeping schedule has gone haywire but the mind and heart are happy and euphoric esp. with fav team, Germany's performance totally breathtaking and superb in the first game. Pity the Aussies - they were hardworking and never gave up yet of course they were no match for the ever efficient Germans. It's been 20 years since Germany last won WC and it is high time for them to do so. Hopefully they'll continue their marvellous display of strong, beautiful football and march forward with grace and progressive excellence. It is great to watch the best performing team win a WC. That was what happened in 1990 when i first discovered WC.

1990 - it was held in italy in the month of June (i think) then (it must be June because the whole month of June was school hols in Singapore and i seemed to be free to watch each game each night). I remembered somehow waking up in the middle of one night and couldn't sleep, switched on the telly in my room and lo and behold, there seemed to be some exciting late night football on tv.. A tournament! So there i was night after night, watching games by games trying to pick a team to root for (without remembering whether i ever felt sleepy the ext day..it must've been during school hols). Argentina was the defending champs from the past WC with Maradona high on top of the world. But i was bewildered..how could the world go ga-ga over a short, fugly man who seemed overrated? (well he and Argentina were better in 1986 whereby i was too young to watch/understand footie then or whether there were live telecasts then in either S'pore/ M'sia). Then friends in school were mad collecting stickers of fav WC stars and playing the sticker book game. Everyone then seemed to be into England and went gushing over Gary Lineker and everyone wanted to have his sticker! Yes, he was handsome and England was always the popular choice to support; it didn't seem interesting to me to be supporting them. Besides aside from Lineker and a few others, they were not that impressive as opposed to.. Germany! That's the start of my love affair with the team. I watched them play and was totally in awe. And never before have i came across a fascinatingly handsome captain like Lothar Matthaus then :) I remembered feeling nervous when Germans reached semifinals and wishing and praying hard they would make it through to the finals and they did. Only to meet Argentina! I think Maradona and co then was quite undeserved to be in finals, but hey, he was the Hand of God and they were the 1986 champions. Damn it! Remembered watching the game and feeling so jittery as if it were me on that pitch! Thank God, life's fair that year..no Maradona hand of god that night..no injustice done to football..the best team of the tournament (not just my personal opinion but critics too) won the WC!

1994 - USA. I didn't watch most matches as i was in boarding school. Besides we're girls and girls are not supposed to like or comprehend football. NOT! (such sexist remarks from shallow minded people) But thankfully for the newspapers and some football fans (and kind hearted souls), somebody managed to get the key to the tv room and i remembered watching few later stages games. I definitely remembered the finals - Brazil vs Italia. Germany somehow got lost in transit! In the tv room during the finals, there were a sea of people and most of them were my friends. (i have such great footie-loving friends!) 2 Camps - Brazil and Italia with the Brazil supporters (including me that night) outnumbering the Italy fans. Ilie was the one who stood out for staunchly supporting Baggio & co :) The rest of us we were mesmerized by Bebeto, Romario & co. Brazil won and Ilie was badly booed by us..poor gal! (but she's still loyal to the azzuris!)

1998 - held in France, won by France for the first time ever. That was the emergence of the wonderful Zinedine Zidane and whole lot of new stars; among them Ronaldo of Brazil, Beckham and Owen of England. I was watching part of the games at my house in Malacca with my uni mates. Managed to convert some of them to be footie fans or even German supporters. I remembered an England game where Becks got red-carded and even the Queen had something to say about that!

Fast forward to 2010. New people, new faces; i feel lost. everyone looks younger and alien! Managed to catch at least several minutes of each game so far. I've been updating each game's summary with either a tweet or fb status update. Love it! Like i'm micro blogging about each game!

The opening match South Africa vs Mexico was good and even though i might say the Mexicans have a slight advantage but the African keeper was quite good; managing situations well. Next game France vs Uruguay. High expectations all around as France boasted names like Anelka, Henry, Malouda and many big stars and on the other side Uruguay qualified easily for the South American zone. However the game was dead boring from both sides. Both looked listless, uninspired. For France, i blamed the manager. Bloody stupid formations; should shove his ego up his ass. No one likes him in France yet he's still there. I think having no Benzema is also no good to the team. even the PM asked him "no Benzema? can we go to next round?" I'm not surprised if South Africa and Mexico would be the ones to advance from Group A.

Argentina and Nigeria - i'd say both played well but kudos to Nigerian keeper who denied many attacks by the superstars of Argentina. Thank God Argentines looked well and spirited. I earlier thought coach, Maradona would have screwed them all. But he was the man of the match indeed. Cameras kept on catching his antics by the roadside every now and then; such a riveting presence even though ugly and short!!! And for Group B, i was so happy the South Koreans won over Greece (former Euro champs in 2004 - most boring champ ever!). Despite their small sizes, they didn't lack speed, skills and determination. Go Asia!

Group C - the highly anticipated game between England and USA..just as i expected, england fumbled; the keeper slipped the ball into his own goal and well somehow i hoped the Americans would win. They were fast. Coach capello might be very grateful the result was a draw and not a loss. Perhaps they'd have better luck with Algeria and Slovenia. And the other game, it was such a pity to see Algeria losing spirit after they had one of their man out and the other scored. In football, mental strength is vital.

Group D - my faves, Germany VS Australia. Clearly nerves were visible prior to the game even to the coach, Joaquim Loew. It was Australia attacking first and looking fierce and Germans seemed to be moving the ball in circles at first; not reaching any strikers upfront until an unknown newbie, Mesut Ozil broke midfield and fed Podolski the first goal. And the other goals keep coming. This was the Germany i love; not so much of the old totally defending but more attacking. And that Ozil was def. the one to watch. So clever with the ball at his feet. I hope for more bautiful plays, wins and goals esp from Klose. He scored one on that day and has already 11 goals total from the previous 2 WC. I spent the night discussing the game online with several friends..happy! As for Serbia and Ghana, it was an even match and as i hoped for Ghana to win; it must be cruel for Serbia to see their opponents given a penalty with few minutes left in the game.

Last night it was Holland vs Denmark. High expectations too but it was kind of boring and tame. I hope either team could buck up for next game. The Japan vs Cameroon game was def. more interesting and again, another Asian team claimed victory though Cameroon with star players like E'to attacked endlessly. Keyword: never give up! It'd be nice if Japan and Cameroon were the ones to proceed from this group instead of the Europeans.

And last game was Italy vs Paraguay. The game was good, Italians attacked and paraguay did well too. Bet Italy nearly got scare. Former world champ nearly lost. Anyhow waiting for more games today and so on..Feel that this June is indeed exciting! Today's games: NZ vs Slovakia, Portugal vs Ivory Coast and Brazil vs North Korea. I'm hoping North Korea will spring a surprise :P

Anyway even my little boy got all giddy with excitement; joining us watching most games and yelling and clapping hands for each goal. He even got the football sticker book; mommy and papa overzealous in buying and collecting the stickers! So far among notable names we've got - Stevie G, Fernando Torres, Park Ji Sung and whomever else..ended up with many North Korean players..wtf???
item of the moment: the vuvuzela. source of loud buzzing sound in the stadiums. very annoying!

Footie Hotties

2010-06-11T23:15:00.016+08:00

In the mood for footballers and football and everything connecting, i'll share with you some of the most gorgeous males out there. So should you NOT be interested in watching the game (or you comprehend nothing about footie), you could ogle and feast your eyes on these hunks..

Yoann Gourcuff. French, yummy, ooh la la! Looks like the seducer in 1 french film i watched recently.

Martin Demichelis. Argentine playing at Bayern Munchen. Also known as the Batman for that facegear. But now has taken it off and looks like mere mortal. Still i like the mask; makes him look like Don Juan de Marco :P

Kun Aguero. Argentine. Menantu Diego Maradona. But he's a good footballer on his own.

Carlos Vela. Mexican. Gunner. Comell!!

Roque Santa Cruz. Paraguayan. Total hottie. Can switch career to modelling or do Hollywood anytime :)

Roque in a dangerously hot pose!

Cakkk! Roque again..:D

Hans-Jorg Butt. German. Nama Butt and he guards German's & Bayern Muchen's butt. Not typical muka anak ikan tapi seems like a real man. If you wanna hook up with an expat, carilah yg muka dignified gentleman like this!

Thierry Henry. French. My sweetheart always..Got the killer swagger. Bad news: he'll be off to US new season; no more feasting on him regularly :( World Cup seems like the last i'll see of him and i don't think France will go far. That Domenech is merde (looks like a bumbling Closeau)

The Italiano hotties modelling for D & G. Cannavaro, Zambrotta, Gattuso, Pirlo and _________? I think only Cannavaro and Pirlo are in squad currently and perhaps this will be their last national outing.

In honor of Mexico's savior, i shall include Rafael Marquez. In pix, he kinda looks like Wilmer Valderrama @ fez of That 70s Show @ Handy Manny. Marquez has short hair now and looks yummier on tv than pix.

Alamak dlm bersemangat blogging, South Africa scored one! I thought Mexico was the better team. Vela, apa dah jadi? But this is football. You might play beautiful, you might control the game but sometimes the result is the opposite. Perhaps that's the beauty of it. I don't get why or how America doesn't go ga-ga over footie like the rest of us the world over? They must've come from a different planet!

Note: At final time, it was 1-1. Enjoy the World Cup people!

And berbanggalah anak watan, Sukbkhidin.Mohd.Salleh was the fourth official in the opening game and will the referee in other games too. Ada juga malaysian there. Someday i hope our boys will make it to the WC. There's nothing but sports to unite us all.

Perempuan psycho

2010-06-03T15:35:00.006+08:00

Parents went to Istanbul and all they bought me was a table runner! Yes, i sound bitchy and ungrateful but currently macam bloody stress dgn table runner. Like why do i need one? I don't have coffee table at home and my dining table is definitely for eating; bukan utk dihias cantik2 maka haram utk any gravy to spill on it. Uurgh! I haven't seen that runner. Maybe cantik bagai turun dari kayangan. Tapi as at now, i am feeling not ok. All i want is any of those Arabian nights lanterns. Or mangkuk comel2 yg nampak sgt exotic. I think it's cheap. Dah i lent them my humongous suitcases (dasar buruk siku mengungkit) tapi x nak bawa; nak bawa yg kecik2 je(also mine). Segala hand luggage device mmg satu pun x bring. Takut sgt excess luggage. Sudahnya dia ingat aku kirim some crystal lamps, heh sape minta yg crystal? Belikan yg simple yet cantik dahle. I'm sure org kedai tu knows how to pack those items seelok mungkin. Anak them 3 orang je; bukannya sorang2 minta carpet or darah nyamuk satu baldi! If tau aritu, baik kirim lampu Aladdin; mana tau gosok2 keluar genie can grant endless wishes!!

This is crazy. I'm not ok. Life's not ok. It's stupid to be so worked up over a lantern or bowl tapi i just can't help myself. This blogger thingy and segala entertainment sites dah kena blocked from office. I've to resort to google reader and segala internet trickery to view stuff. Bila i'm not ok or feeling good, takde tempat nk vent out/ share my thoughts. Bila balik rumah, dah penat, busy or mood langsung hilang.

Good day people.
I am thankful they are back allright. tapi aku tak mau tgk that runner, boleh tak? Bila aku nak sampai sana; taktaulah kan.. maybe never kot. World Cup, come rescue me fast sbb i turn into fugly, mean, green ogre(at least Shrek's nice)! 8 days more, 8 days more...

I should do those t-shirts yg stated, "my mom/dad/ moyang went to ____________ and all he/she got me is a _____________!" Ok kalau anyone nak comment yg macam bagus/preachy, pls refrain from doing so cos my mood is not ok. Bye.

Mari naik train pakai baju disco

2010-05-24T12:12:00.002+08:00

Hello! Good day! This is sleepiness writing..
I've been up since 6 something and took the commuter to work today. Why? Other half's car broke down again somewhere yesterday and he needed a car to go to Penang urgently so here i am now carless as a result and had to bunk off at mom's last night for trusty old daddy to send me to commuter station this morning. (Jibby has the day off and will def. enjoy bullying everyone around at mom's.) Btw there i was early morning in i don't-know-what pants and disco top for work on Monday!! (i thought there was something decent of mine to wear to work besides baju kurung this morning :( )

It's been years since my last ride and it wasn't bad. Nothing's changed much. The ticket machine at Telok Gadong station was out of service, the dude on ticketing duty was yakking on the phone early morn, i had to wait for like 20+ mins for the train to arrive (i thought 7++ a.m was peak hour) and i stepped into...the ladies only coach for testing. It was comfy and nothing was all pinkish as touted (perhaps the coach on my train was not painted pink yet) but there were many big stickers outside and inside the particular coach stating 'women's only' in various languages. Nevertheless as the coaches started filling up at Padang Jawa to Subang stations, some of the guys just entered w/o bothering to read. Until they noticed the stares and glares from womenfolk everywhere, they squirmed and clenched their butts despite the crowd! But Malaysians being Malaysians, not one woman raised her voice..tidak apa :D Anyway the seats now are designed like a long bench facing another long bench so i couldn't help myself this morning paying attention to the lady in front of me applying make-up step-by-step while discussing with her friend on which are the best ways to ensure make-up lasts longer. Then there's another auntie (seated next to me at first before i shifted farther from her) who ended up sharing with the whole coach (instead of just another auntie in front of her!) on tales of her daughter who somehow ended up in prison and she refused to bail the daughter, then the daughter had gone to court and got married somewhere, then the daughter gave birth and she didn't visit at all but all was well when she organized a feast welcoming the baby on May Day. Jeepers creepers for sharing all lurid details of your life in early morning!

Anyway everything's fine and dandy for the moment but i can't help feeling crappy. I hope the car will be fine and the workshop boys will really check every inch of it. (despite repairing at own co's workshop, many hassles are abound) I hope the car will really, really be fine this time around w/o us needing to break any bank! I hope i'll manage to find a car somewhere here to use for the day for if not, i have no idea on how to go to work and send J to school tomorrow.. from home, it is possible to walk to J's school but NOT to office. I hope money will drop from the sky or at least i can find a way how..I hope, i hope, i hope...so many hopes and dreams even at this age. It is tiring to be this old!

p/s cuti sekolah nanti nak bawa jib naik train lah..surely he'll enjoy it.

Inspired by House

2010-05-20T23:07:00.005+08:00

After watching a great episode of my fav show ever, House, i'm inspired to do this tag requested by Awie!

What will u do if u know that your friend has been back stabbing u ?

* Buat bodoh tp sure aku mls nk layan dia lepas tu.

6 people in your heart?
* Jib n his dad, my parents, my mil, and at the moment: J in Qatar - okeykah dia?, A in Bandung - okeykah dia?, R in JB - okeykah dia?

Do u think u're cute?
* No. I'm gorgeous! (ayat berani mati perasan!!!)

Single or taken?
* Taken

Blog(s) that u like?
* The former Lily Liverbird sbb blog dia sgt funny and honest and tak censored and penuh kisah bola yg even i can't google myself! Blog OpEd yg penuh updates psl current situations told in a very refreshing, unboring way. And latest blog Mimpi Murni yg nak kahwin tu which i found from K Dilla's link - everything is so beautiful in there. How i wish i am creative and inspiring like her! (Tuan punya blogs: if you ever read this - i love your blogs very much and pls keep blogging!)

Do u clean your room everyday?
* No. I am lazy. Besides it's always me and no one else bothers ok!

The last song u listened to?
* That annoying BustinJieber(!!)'s song.

Last text message?
* From Awie kot..

Last phone call?
* From TM sbb blm pay bil streamyx :P

Last day u cried?
* Entah..

List down 5 of your favorite colours?
Yellow - my best mood uplifter and i always look great in it!

Blue

Red

White

Fuchsia

The last people chat with u in YM?
* I rarely chat. Tak suka unless necessary. Eh YM pun tak install.

Your favorite game?
* Online - Cafe World. Or word games in mags, papers.

Are u a fan o MCR?
* NO!

What do u feel when u answering this tag?
* Suka tags tapi selalu malas nak buat.

Do u think this tag interesting?
* Okay je

Now, tag 10 of your frens...

1) Kak Dilla
2) June
3) K-lynn
4) Dian
5) Azura
6) Zaimah
7) Baiti
8) Ika
9) Rozie
10)Sarah

and anyone yg RAJIN/ Bored..silakan!

Scenes from a wedding (scenes from a life)

2010-05-19T11:48:00.005+08:00

A colleague greeted me with this news one recent morning, "Hey there's a vacancy, you know?"
"What vacancy?"
"Group ceo!"
Hahahaha...NOT funny. As much as i hope for a suitable vacancy for me, the current vacancy is also not good for the lot of us. May the force be with us..

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The other half's car broke down late afternoon yesterday. Today the service center is taking ages to attend to the matter and the car is at times ok, at times not. And i have to look into the matter. Haishh keje opis kereta pun susah nk solve problem kereta sendiri. Ntah berapa pulak kena nanti. Costs, costs, costs. The owner tu berapa kurun agaknya tak servis. Inefficiency 101 on both sides..

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I wanna catch the French Film Festival at GSC Midvalley/ Pavillion / OU currently. I love French films. There's just something quaint and charming about French films. Have not missed it for the past 2 years. Among my favorite actresses are French; Audrey Tautou and Emmanuelle Beart. This year there is Audrey as Coco Chanel in the Chanel's founder's biography. No Emmanuelle Beart around but there are Sophie Marceau and Juliette Binoche. The thing is i wonder if Jib can stand being in a cinema for 2 hours with me watching something he doesn't understand. (this is the downside of not having a maid. and the boy might end up insisting to watch s'thing else!) Most of the shows are screened at night; only the weekend shows are screened throughout the day. For more info, pls refer to http://www.gsc.com.my/ Other than French, i love Thai movies. Oh Qatar, meh balik sini teman aku. This year's selection seems better.

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And my last weekend was quite unexpected. My good friend from uni finally got married. Congratulations and best wishes to her and partner. At first since the reception was on a rainy Sunday, i felt very lazy to go. Ironing in front of the tv seemed more blissful! But a promise is a promise and i haven't seen her for quite some time. I don't even know who her husband is. Anyway was glad i attended because i saw many familiar faces there and those seated at my table were chatty and friendly without being annoying. Everyone looked relaxed and none knew of the newlyweds' love story! I caught up with a Bosnian girl at the table whom i knew briefly during uni and after a while, she remembered me too! Turned out she had a few pictures of me attending her birthday party but couldn't recall my name. There's a funny story involving her. Once when we were all in Malacca, we went to a club - she, the bride, me and another very pretty Bosnian girl. Imagine the furore we created - 2 matsaleh and 2 international gals (caution: ini ayat perasan!) suddenly landed in a club in quite quiet Malacca! Suddenly all the guys (even staff) in uni knew us and in fact called me Twister girl. Bloody hell i thought the club was called something else! (nampak sgt suddenly i had the partygal image attached to forehead padahal pegi clubs there not more than 5 times there! a'a lately asyik cerita psl kenangan clubbing pulak) Back to the wedding, what's more surprising upon arrival, i was greeted loudly by an old school friend at the entrance. Very shocking! Everyone within hearing distance knew my name then. (this face is still very recognizable despite the lines and excess fat) All i can say is that my former classmate from F1-3 looked very good, his wife was gorgeous, his daughter looked exactly like him and they were all back in M'sia for good after 11 years overseas! And while i was just seated, someone from my past flashed a smile from the table in front. Right! Everyone and everybody was there..except for the bride's former rockstar pal :P We were all like a scene from 4 weddings and a funeral!

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So there it is people..my update for the week. Let's hope this car business will be settled soon with minimal damage and i can watch at least 1 french film! (keeping fingers crossed!)

Impian

2010-05-14T19:41:00.001+08:00

Kadang-kadang gaji berpuluh ribu pun tak cukup. Ada nak tambah, ada nak sauk. Yes, kita mere mortals mmg bernafsu besar utk segalanya. Tapi kenalah ingat. Satu hari nanti benda2 ni akan dtg balik kat kita. Kalau bukan di dunia, di akhirat nanti. Sbb balasan Tuhan mmg ada for each and every action in this world. Belajarlah bersyukur dgn segala yg ada. Tak salah wanting more tapi biarlah achieved in proper, accountable means. Ini peringatan utk diri sendiri and to anyone reading. Bukan saja politicians yg must have accountability, integrity and transparency. Akhir kata, walau apa terjadi i still want my bonus spiritually and financially tahun ini. Harap dpt direalisasikan. Sekian terima kasih.

Ada Maya

2010-05-12T17:45:00.001+08:00

Ini kisah Adamaya yg tgh hot and ending soon on TV3; ntah2 it will end today. Mula tertengok sbb sampai rumah awal dan nak muntah tgk cartoons. Lama2 suka pula melayan cerita tu. Sweet betul pairing of Syed Hussein and Lisa S. Sein tu sgtlah handsome; actually i find him even prettier than Lisa!

Anyway aku rasa adalah sgt sengal si Maya tu still syok kat bf lama dia, si Dani tu. He is v annoying ok. He's just pissed cinta dia x kesampaian towards Maya. And si Adam tu punyalah baik; too good to be true beb! Adakah real man out there boleh cool je nampak bini dating dgn bf lama? Macam tipu kan? Apa pun, i guess this is common nowadays. Dpt bini baik, laki buat hal. Ada je yg x puashati. Bila dpt laki baik, bini pun sama naik nk buat hal. Rasa kurang something lah. Well aku bukan baik or skema tapi c'mon bila before or baru kawin if nak buat hal, silalah kan.. consequences tanggung sendiri. Tapi once you have kids, set your priorities straight. Because it's just not about you and your partner; your kid is part of the big picture too. Inilah manusia.. Pls communicate if things feel not alright drp duduk memendam rasa till bernanah and parah. Anyway nak aje aku suruh si Adam tu pilih Lisa instead!

Emo pulak aku tgk cerita ni! Hehehe somehow i kind of hated si Maya for doing whatever she did. Mmg if i'm her good friend, Sarah in that story, i'll tell her off. And kesian that cute little girl, Amani. Suka her voice yg ala serak2 itu. And suka her wadrobe in it. I rimas girls yg too girly-girly princess types like Suri Cruise; maybe sbb masa kecik asyik dipaksa pakai gowns memanjang by my mom tapi i don't feel like a princess pun. Si Jib suka layan cerita ni too. Konon2 dia perasan dia mcm Amani; tido/manja dgn papa dan mommy, pergi school dijemput/ dihantar daily then jalan2 dgn papa or mommy. He is very close to both of us. And what an imagination he has! The other day he was so worried when Adam saw Maya jalan mesra2 dgn Dani; he asked me "kenapa dia tak syg that guy? Dia x nk talk dah so no love ke mommy??" Ok aku nak tergelak bila dia tanya. Kecik2 pun pandai main emosi!

Anyway i wonder apa perasaan Faizal Yusop and Putri Mardiana jadi supporting characters, Dani and his ex-wife. In real life, they have failed marriages too. Oh i can't wait for 6.30pm later. I'm sure si Maya akan sedar and Adam won't leave her and may Dani's ex-wife end up with his good friend too; padan muka Dani :)

ini cinta hatiku dgn his dearest cousins. i miss his other cousins; lama sungguh tak jumpa :(

I'm too sexy for my shirt

2010-05-12T12:10:00.006+08:00

Red FM has this ongoing blast from the 90s each morning whereby listeners will sms for their fav 90s song from like 3 choices n the winning song will be featured by 10a.m. As i listened, there were songs - Unbelievable by EMF, Gonna Make You Sweat by C+C Music Factory and I'm too sexy by Right Fred. Hey i loved Unbelievable and anything by C&C Music Factory would be great..skali yg won was I'm Too Sexy! Aiyoyo nothing wrong with the song but it screams GAY all the way!!!!! I think it was from 1990 and at that time, gays were a bit hush hush though everyone knew Elton J was queer and there was s'thing not right with George Michael :P Gay in my childhood days means happy. Not queer.

Anyhow i am reminded me of an incident in an earlier episode of my life. I was in a club in Langkawi which was kind of kampung but konon the most happening place there (even worse than DV8) and the patrons were mostly locals with the odd tourists including me. Among the crowd was a beachboy who was so tanned (read: dark) he looked like an orang asli, sleeping in the club despite the blaring music and mmg tak bangun even after music stopped for the night, boleh? And boring old me, yg tak minum and tak dance because i was born with 2 left feet (other half said aku control ayu), was skimming the place observing characters to pass time while acting n feeling bored.. skali this song came out..and OUT jumped two jumping jack flash - all 6-footer toned, buffed bodies with bald heads and garish outfits dancing the night away like from an MC Hammer video clip! OMG we were shocked, we were stunned. These guys definitely had moves, had groove and segala MC Hammer dancers would be put to shame! Kot anyone who wanted to feel happening, mmg joined them on the dance floor. Takdenya nk party gitu2 je to 50 Cent's In the Club :) It was really shocking ada umat happening gitu di Langkawi time tu hahaha. The locals were really wide-eyed! Later the whole gang managed to have supper with the 2 guys.. and they really seemed gay. Sorang tu rupanya budak Kluang nama Pauzi! Tapikan macam x reti sgt cakap melayu (ntah2 bdk kg melayu ke gunung lambak lagi byk act!) and they spoke English american slang lagi uols! The conversation we all had was def. dumb because everyone was trying to make fun of these 2 baldies but they were too blurry to catch it. Hai lah right said fred, you're in the wrong country!

Anyway itulah kisahnya whenever i heard this song.. When i hear EMF, i'll think of Smash hits mags and my fascination with popstars then.. sape yg i didn't know? By the way, lagu apakah yg happening now in the clubs? Don't tell me Justin Bieber's Baby, baby, baby ooo! Hahaha itu budak tak akil baligh lagi..yg minat pun semua x period/ wet dreams lagi :D And kawanku yg berada jauh di perantauan telah commit murder on the dance floor.. you'd better not kill the groove! (Sophie Ellis Baxtor looks like a tranny now..why??) Kepadanya, ku ucapkan Oh you're unbelievable!

And I'm too sexy for this song!

*clips are from youtube and dailymotion.

selling the drama

2010-05-08T23:34:00.002+08:00

Sometimes i wish i have a heart of stone and could just wash my hands off forever. It is tiring. I am tired.

And as days passed, i feel i have less and less to share. Everything is mundane. Everything is boring. Perhaps i am sinking more and more into this..

I thought of updating since last week but couldn't think of anything worth writing. It's not my mojo..is it me? Nothing is exciting about me or my life. It's not that i'm not ok but something feels not ok. I don't know.

Somehow i am reminded of this song...though i never understood whatever it meant.

To sepang and back

2010-04-30T12:25:00.004+08:00

Jodohku dgn F1 mmg panjang. 5 or 6 trips in 10 years. One day i was just watching the qualifying rounds on tv and reliving the memories in my head; the next day my friend texted me informing of free tickets available..wow great!

So there i was early morning off to Proton HQ to collect tickets for corporate clients (my friend is a true Proton supporter; the other is part of a diligent and dedicated Proton team). The Lotus cars never looked as good before :P And the free goodie bag was totally awesome; headphones with radio connection and live BBC2 commentary, handfan, t-shirt, and whatever else i cannot recall now.

And by noon, we were off to a great start in Sepang. We got most-wanted and very available parking stickers last minute that someone earlier freaked out there won't be. The weather was nice, the traffic was great and our seats were fab! Even though i had been seated at far more expensive seats in prior years but this year, the view of the race from where i sat was the best. The race was awesome..the matsalehs in view were aplenty and we had great time bitching about the s.p.g till some matsaleh father-and-son combo spoke to us and the whole F-side spectators viewed us with suspicious s.p.g looks!! Hahaha padan muka sibuk sgt :D This great Proton-Lotus hospitality also offered free lunch on site.. seriously not a cent forked out! Thank you, thank you, thank you again E for making our day! And thanks to Proton and Lotus too.

For the team Lotus, i wish you better luck this season. Personally i feel they have good drivers and crew but the engine needs major tweaking..it's as if the drivers can't push the car harder. And for this year, i hope Jenson outwits Lewis overall and if he doesn't end as top driver, i hope Vettel does it. He's a good driver; very driven, very good and very cheeky! As for Schumi, as much as i love you, i think your time is def. over.. move on OR buck up! I still support Ferrari overall..it's just that 1) i don't like Alonso..a bit smug. 2) Massa's too bland.

BUT..when will it be when i will pay for my own luxe tickets? Or when will i get to witness the night race at Singapore GP? Or party with old man Briatore on a yacht overlooking the Monaco GP?? When, when, when??? (takde sape nak kawin dgn sultan brunei and mengaku aku bff dia ke?!!!)

confessions

2010-04-29T14:39:00.004+08:00

This blog has long been abandoned since god-knows-when because the author has been busy catching up with life. There are moms n newborns to visit, parties and events to chill, books to read, people i love to meet and lots of birthdays to wish.. Happy B'day April babies..Awie, K Azah, DD, Makda, Has, my bro Kamal, my sil, Ilie, and forgive me if i missed anyone else..too many!

The good thing lately was i managed to finish 2 books in 2 days. Perhaps mojo to read is back. Let's see whether mojo to write will be the same or not.. Anyway i'd like to recommend you to read 'Confessions of an Old Boy' by Kam.Raslan. Such a delightful good piece of reading from a local author. I was chuckling throughout the whole book; well i didn't put the book down till the end. That was how good it was and how engrossed i was!

It tells of the story of an old MCKK boy, Datuk Hamid who was attached to the civil service and married to a matsaleh lady..this book paints a picture of how these top civil servants were then and perhaps i have a clear picture of those couples of Malay-English marriages. In it, Datuk Hamid shared his (mis)adventures in his student days in England till he ended up in Algeria or was it Morocco. The funny things that happened when he grew older; his working relationship with his boss; his r'ship with his son, the Ayatollah (hahaha it's funny to call your own son Ayatollah!); is adoration for his cool matsaleh wife; the people surrounding him - all in different shades and personalities, leading him to various predicaments. Such a joyous retelling of Malaysian society at its most glorious. I suspect the story is based on the author's personal experiences and the lives of his family and friends. Kam Raslan answers queries on The Edge regularly and i've always enjoyed his responses though some are either absurd or blah! And here's an article i found on him>>> CONFESSIONS OF A MALAYSIAN BOY. He's cute! Do check it out :) He has a brother, Karim who also writes and i love his writings too; though it is more serious than Kam's.

Anyway the not-so-good thing about April is that it will end soon, May will come and soon before i know it, i will turn 60! (a bit melodramatic!) Let's hope i'll be more illustrious in writing this blog.. Erk by the way..special or not, i hope Jose Mourinho won't win the Champs League treble AND i can't wait for World Cup! 43 days to go..

Riding in cars with boys and moms

2010-04-09T11:31:00.005+08:00

This was the cool car we saw at NKVE rest area last night. All of us were curious what car was it? Luck put us side by side while refueling.
Me: Wow nice car! What car is it?
Him (who maybe Dato'/Tan Sri/some rich fella): Lotus..
Me: It's a vintage right?
Him: Yeah...

Then the 2 boys jumped out of my car to have a look and proclaimed loudly...wow! wahh!! And we asked them not to touch. And the guy went..it's ok. You can touch. Go take pictures. Haha so the moms snapped pix of the 2 boisterous ones ready to jump n roll in front of the car!

Awie: Such a nice guy letting the boys pose and gawk at his car. Even answering our queries.
Me: Yes, nice.. But with guys, let's be cautious. You might never know the contents of their minds!

:P

But i think he's nice and kind. And the car is super cool. Forgot to ask how much gas it guzzles regularly..bet it's not for everyday utility!

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Anyway earlier since Madame Bandung said she's leaving soon, we took time to gather nearby with our boys and chatted the hours away. Poor Awie she had to sleep at McD to wait for us! and poor us having to cope with the boys! Mmg tak makan saman... how to have lots of kids if 2-3 pun i can't cope!! And yesterday it was fun meeting up with my friend who i haven't met since 1992 perhaps. Eh actually i saw her several times in Subang Parade over the recent yrs but i was shy to say hi :) Member very vogue; manalah tau tak kenal aku lagi!

Yes i seem to bump into everyone at SP. Macam mascot tak bergaji!

p/s gambar dah senget-benget, aku malas nk edit.

standard party pack

2010-03-30T17:00:00.006+08:00

My baby on his field trip to the bird park. So serene posing for the camera :) Dahle cap adjusted to suit his hip hop taste! Macam2 dia ni.. now in the mood to wear hooded jackets with cap bila jln.. kecik2 dah pandai melaram. The other day he requested for baju ada gambar (lambang) horse! Last yr he and his schoolmate discussed handbags mak2 diaorang sama brand!!

Anyway the boy at the center of the picture celebrated his b'day recently and inside his partypacks (in medium-sized paperbags) to his classmates were: 2 mini cupcakes, 1 big cupcake, 1 big cookie with icing on top, 1 pack of Tiger biscuits, 2 big-sized jellies, 3 mini chocolates, 4 sweets, party noisemaker (apa nama benda tiup2 and roll tu?), 1 set color pencils, paper aeroplane assembly kit, paper for coloring, name tags with b'day boy's name engraved..maybe that's all of it. Gila banyak! I mean is this the standard party kit? Selalu i gave jellies, small chocolates, noisemakers, small drink like Yakult, Vitagen or the likes, and small stationery or toy all squeezed into 1 cartoon plastic bag. Tapi this boy's party pack kalah kenduri kawin kan? Maybe parents dia murah rezeki thn ni :) I don't mind whatever's he's giving cuma yg tak best, Jib doesn't eat all these nonsense and mak dialah yg jd tong sampah masyarakat! Speaking of kenduri, what is it with people also giving all sorts of stuff in a goodie bag? Segala kerepek, potpourri, chocs/ sweets, small towel/ handkerchief, cakes/muffins/baulu all stuffed into a paperbag like stuffed turkey on thanksgiving! Seriously yg plg aku suka dapat bila kenduri is plain old egg! Walaupun yg lain aku bedal. Plg excited if kenduri tu bagi telur..the more the merrier. Esok lusa boleh kupas makan or buat sambal telur. Plg x suka potpourri.. sorry i feel as if it of no use. Unlike my mom who keeps and arranges everything, i usually stash these stuff s-where not within my normal visibility!

Anyway i know end of July is far away..but i have to plan bdk kecik's party pack. I don't know what he'll request this yr! He is def. one fussy and demanding boy.. ikut sapelah tu?? Not me!

p/s semlm ada lagi partypack b'day sape ntah tp it was more normal hehe :) (but with free color pencils too)

*image taken from his school's fb page.

Let's all come out n play

2010-03-30T15:50:00.005+08:00

Finally this is out for the world to know: Ricky Martin admits he's gay. Like finally! As if people didn't suspect. Tapikan now since semua orang nak mengaku diri gay and embracing the truth bla bla bla.. sape lg yg tak gay yg tinggal??? In 20 years time, gamaknya dah takde straight guys in the world except for the really hideous ones! Emo pulak aku tp kesian kaum hawa macam kita ni.. syok2 tengok lelaki skali depa minat sesama sendiri. Now dahle tak cukup straight good guys for grabs..in the future lagilah..extinct gamaknya! I told my colleagues habislah then the women have to resort to liking each other then since there are no more guys to love them and share their lives together :(

So i went back analyzing Ricky's songs.. those smile, those hips rupanya utk guys..sheesh! He's shaking his bons bons definitely to a different target group.. gelek bang gelek! Patutla beriya! Who's next after this? Ryan Seacrest? Kevin Spacey? Aaron Eckhart?

But actually among the Latino men, i had a huge crush on Alejandro Sanz, the one who sang with Shakira on La Tortura. Sexy!

it's not easy to forget

2010-03-25T11:46:00.006+08:00

This is a quick one..

I once studied in a boarding school sleepy hollow town in Johor (that is no more sleepy now). There were good bits (esp. on the friends, education, living independent aspects) and sucky bits (the oppressed environment, not enough sleep, the prejudice etc). Anyhow i don't hate the school just that sometimes i feel so lazy to be involved in alumni activities or even to admit that was my school.

The good thing about that school was that i got a sis there. She's cool and really nice and also gorgeous (:P if you read this) and i don't know why after all these yrs she still wants to live and work in that town near that school. Well she works in a bank.

One fine day, a familiar face of an ustazah came to the bank and somehow spoke to her..somehow to these lines (sort of).. "Eh budak sekolah xxx ye? Sama batch dgn Ngantukalways & Waheeda.Wassini ke?" And my sis couldn't help giggling thinking of yours truly.

Damn it i don't know if i should feel insulted or proud! Insulted because after all these yrs out of the 75 girls in my batch, she still remembers me who was not actually her student unless the school sometimes segregate us to gender during certain religious classes. Insulted that she might think i was bad enough to remember after 15 yrs! I was a rebel. I didn't wear hijab and always had boyfriends.

Or should i just be positive and think that i was really that popular and noticeable (read: perasan) that she just can't forget me. Or perhaps she really does pray for my wellbeing over the yrs? (istilah kenang daku dlm doamu :D)

Sigh.. i'm not even Waheeda. or a singer. or a celebrity. yet i'm still in her mind! Btw Waheeda was my classmate from F1-F3 and she was nice and very cute then. In fact i bet she is still nice :)

treasure hunting adventures: women in black di zaman novel raja azmi, black widow was hot!

let's share this: the pic that made someone wants to jump building!

me and my heart, we got issues

2010-03-18T13:24:00.005+08:00

Technology sometimes can be bad for you. Take for instance, me. I love FB. There is almost not a day i'm not logged on it. And i love Cafe World on FB. I would spend cooking, planning and admiring the cute visuals in it w/out bothering much on other stuff except maybe quizzes. This obsession has somehow turned me into an internet addict; no more bookworm. I find it hard to concentrate on a book and finish it w/in a day like i used to do. Mind you, i discovered FB not recently; it was 3y ago! And now since i'm not much of a reader, i sometimes find it hard to read through a single blog post at times or even have the patience to write! That is like really bad. Thank goodness Cafe World can't be accessed at work therefore i still have time to read newspapers, keep up with the world and especially Malaysia where there has been many tragedies lately, find suitable articles to analyze and complete my job. (as if!)

Anyway technology is also bad when someone innocently posts his/her groggy state of mind and find some other party commenting on it and later freaking out over stupid unrelated events. Sometimes even an engineer, research analyst or doctor can be dumb and discuss stupid matters in the wee hours of morning. (this is not related to anyone i know)

Worse if a person choose to air his/her dirty linen or share every personal bit of his/her life for the whole world to read, ponder and respond in private or public. Sometimes your life is your life. It is sacred, it is personal. Some things are meant to be private and best left a bit of a mystery. Things sometimes do not go well; no use ridiculing yourself or pointing fingers to others. Sometimes your life is fantastically roses high up in cloud 9; it is also not nice to be all smug and strut around like the zoo's most prized peacock. You could hurt others even you don't mean to. (these lines do not reflect the lives of actual ppl i know of) Some ppl are positive; that's fine but some can be very negative and that's not cool!

Thank God i don't have a blackberry and have to peek into it like every 5 mins to chat and do whatever these beri-beri ppl are doing. Thank goodness too that Tiger was caught lying through his teeth..exposed by technology. Elin should have swung the golf club harder; mana tau muka tiger can be senget like halimah jongang ke!!! Well, we all now know the real life of brand Tiger :P

Anyway i'm trying to find a purpose to this existence besides the Cafe World thingy.. World Cup do hurry, will you? I can't wait for the adrenaline rush and giddiness that will surely sweep me off my feet! World Cup is special. I fell in love with it the first time in 1990 and watched secretly each night in my room to joy and agony (of not enough sleep!). And last 4 years, my baby started walking when we were all busy watching and cheering for our fav teams. Oh before that, Arsenal.. keep on winning, will you?! We could bag two titles this season.. we're still in the run.. i'm keeping my fingers crossed :P

Having written all these and confessing not reading much lately, i am still delighted to be surrounded by books. Tomorrow there'll be an opening of the new location of BookXCess Amcorp Mall still in that mall. There are loads of popular titles at very cheap prices. I hope to get some good buys and start reading again :)

Good day people!

Get the tiger out of the woods

2010-03-10T09:42:00.000+08:00

Some hide in the year of the tiger.
Others get out of the woods.

Those are the words found on the De.loi.tte ad for Chinese New Yr. Clever isn't it? Well the Tiger had gotten out of the woods to make a public apology but it didn't seem and sound sincere and heartfelt. It was more of like he was embarassed and annoyed he was caught with his pants down everywhere than he was remorseful to those that mattered to him.

February is gone and there were no tigers around at home but we took time to feed the fishes when people were busy tossing fish during their reunion dinners. Thank God for the simple pleasures of life. Sorry i took a long time to publish this entry.

We also ushered the tiger year celebrating mom's 56th birthday. Many dramas involved but no pictures except of us at Lake Gardens. We love Lake Gardens, we can go there daily!

A week before, it was dad's birthday. Double birthdays, double Aquarians in the house; albeit of different personalities. I can't help wondering why... I love them both a lot but i am more tolerant of dad. He's less complex, a bit like me. Why do we get along better? Because we ignore each other most of the time unless there's really something necessary hahaha but very true! Even mom says he is nicest to me in the house maybe it's because i am most like him? :) Anyway the cake was nice; thanks to next door neighbor who is a wonderful cake-maker.

And the last week of February was packed with events and food and food and food.. tossing and eating yee sang became a bore! But the other food, i enjoyed them all and i also enjoyed the camaraderie with my colleagues..sometimes it's great to hang out with them, chat, do silly stuff, pose crazily and just laugh the hours away. Like for example - we got to share a hotel room to freshen up before an event and we walked and walked confidently to get to the hotel room only to discover (gasp) we went up the wrong hotel! So embarassing after like 10 doormen/ bellboys wished us good day and welcome back and all!! The best thing was there were even 2 matsaleh dudes who got stuck with us in an unmoving elevator trying to swipe our room card in vain for the elevator to move yet to no avail! I had a grand time smiling to them while cursing them in malay language right before their eyes :P

menanti sebuah jawaban

2010-02-21T00:12:00.003+08:00

Mood adalah jiwang di mlm sabtu..well better jiwang than full of rage.

My favorite Indon song ever..version penuh perasaan live!

aku tak bisa luluhkan hatimu...dan aku tak bisa menyentuh cintamu...

p/s bila nak karaoke ni???

dandelions in the sun

2010-02-18T14:34:00.004+08:00

*image from google

Ngantukalways is lacking mojo to write. There are ideas but to pen them down, nantilah. Saya penat berpikir and stress sepanjang beberapa minggu. Dlm weather yg panas ni, hati saya pun cepat panas. Tapi tadi jumpa shrink favorite saya so dada rasa lapang. And well langit tak selalu mendung, Allah is merciful and kind, maka thank you for the opportunities. I'm glad too i met my much-missed good friend last night and bought beautiful top from her that lifted up my spirits. there's nothing like pretty things to make a girl happy! I am thankful for the small blessings in life and to things that don't go my way, i am optimistic life would be better, insya Allah.

Next.. calling geng dangdut ek ah ek ah..bila nak karaoke before ada org menambah handbags? :P I have a song-list in my head already. Asal jgn jadi macam org tu dahle, karaoke suara out sikit dah rasa tertekan..macamlah selama ni suara dia mcm mak peah buang!

Telur rebus

2010-02-10T13:55:00.003+08:00

Entry hari ini adalah entry jarang-jarang dikongsi di sini :)

Semalam dia takde. Tapi dtg angin rajin nak masak. Sup daging + sayur, ayam masak merah dan daging kicap. Budak kecik cuma makan nasi, kuah sup dan telur rebus.. apakah??? Bilalah nak upgrade citarasa makan bahan makanan yg complicated sikit + lebih varied supaya bukan aku saja yg menghabiskan lauk-pauk? Barulah makin semangat nk masak-memasak. (cheh alasan..nak masak regularly utk bapaknya pun malas!)

if i'm 13, i wanna be Miley!

2010-02-05T14:09:00.003+08:00

Mana pilihan hati?

I love Alicia Keys! She's gorgeous, keeps a decent profile, keeps on churning good songs n kind of down to earth. Hai bilalah nak ke NY?? Itinerary dah ada :P Btw Jay-z macam bapak ayam; duet dgn Alicia, produced Rihanna's albums, married to Beyonce, good friends with Chris & Coldplay. Tapi suara dia rap mmg best!

Super-cool video and unique song!

Garbage chic at its best, she'll be this year's Lady Gaga! But if you read Ke$ha's biography, you'll be glad she made it big. now the dudes are lining up cause they hear we got swagger, but we kick 'em to the curb unless they look like McJagger. Mick Jagger in the 1960s bolehlah!

And lastly,

Happy, trippy, gleeful! National anthem utk girls of all ages..Party!!! And the Jay-Z song was on, And the Jay-Z song was on, And the Jay-Z song was on..(hai ada lagi Jay-z mentioned in this song..he's really big)

I love all!

Potty woes

2010-02-04T16:41:00.008+08:00

Untuk emak2 yg rasa gagal dgn anak2 yg masih in diapers, let me share something that will let our minds be at ease. At least for a while.

What My Kids Taught Me About Potty Training

All my mom-friends had helped their kids make the transition with M&M bribes and encouraging words, but I hadn’t been able to coax Daniel, smart as he was, into making the switch. Not so unusual, says Dr. Mark Wolraich, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Science Center, who literally wrote the book on potty training for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Says Dr. Wolraich, “The age range you see is from 18 months to 3 years, but you certainly get a number of kids who would be the outliers.” Well, that’s not much comfort when you’re spending year after year buying diapers in bulk. Every time I hoisted my 40-pound child onto a ladies’ -room changing table, I was sure everyone around me was thinking, My child was trained before he could walk. What’s wrong with that mom?

Read the rest, here.

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Mine still wears pull-ups at night. In school, selalu came back with slightly damp pants. I don't know why he resists going to the loo at the first instance. Cakap punyalah pandai tapi bab ni agak gagal. Kadang up to 10 pants in a day at home or he prefers to be bottomless (tapi tak menitik pulak merata). Dah puas pujuk/ reward/ marah/ threaten/ psycho dia tapi improve sikit only. Dad and grandma also failed to train him. Baby, mommy can only hope and pray you will outgrow this phase fairly soon, insya Allah. Dah tak larat nk monitor diaper prices and do so much damage to the environment (and my pocket).

Sesungguhnya sukar menjadi emak.

Solitude isn't loneliness

2010-02-03T11:50:00.005+08:00

*image from freefoto.com

I yearn for solitude.

No, i did not have a quarrel with other half nor was i feeling harassed with small boy.

It's just that sometimes i wish to have time alone with no pressure to do anything or attend to anyone or think of anything. I can wake up as late/ early as i like. Whether i bathe or brush my teeth is no one else's business. How and what i'll eat, i'll manage. I'll have "me" time. Maybe i can finish up all my pending books. Maybe i can tidy up the balcony or the back room. Maybe i can do nothing at all and let the plates pile on the sink!

But i do want company of internet, tv and to a lesser extent-the telephone. Except perhaps, just text, don't call. Sometimes i feel tired talking to people. On some days, i feel tired seeing people.

No i don't want to go to Antarctic or Timbuktu to be alone nor would i want to sail around the world just to be alone. Just a few days in my own home undisturbed, unpressured would be nice. Not a whole year in seclusion.

Maybe i am anti-social. Or maybe i feel sometimes i've talked and mingled a lot in my younger days. I've shared rooms with grandma, brothers, friends, partner, child. Not always alone.

Anyway, i found a brilliant article on people enjoying solitude online. I'll share it with you:
"The joys of solitude"

But currently the little boy needs me. And his dad can't even pour himself a glass of water when i'm around. So i have to be content of what i have for the moment and fantasize of solitude in the future.

If you ask me whether i've been alone for a solid 24 hours or more? Yes, i have! And i loved it.

So don't pity me if you find me alone. Or even see me walking/eating/watching movie alone. (this is not solitude because i have the public with me) I enjoy it! But i know after a few days, i will miss loved ones and dearest friends. And i think i'll definitely write if i'm alone. Maybe then the great Malaysiana epic will be written! (i have a friend whose ambition is to write scripts for M'sian soap opera Dynasty style!)

At the end of the day, everyone dies alone.

*To Mia, happy birthday! I'll always love you :) There are many other friends' and family's birthdays in February. May the new age bring lots of happiness and good things. Amin.

Sleep well each night

2010-02-02T15:33:00.003+08:00

I read Ilie's entry about her grandmother and how the grandma still got compliments for her looks even now she's 80+. Best kan? Bukanlah aku nk dipuji bila tua nanti maupun now. I also read Yulie's entry psl penjagaan dlm pantang and how to avoid drinking cold drinks like for a year to evade being fat. Terasa patutlah gemuk! Bab pantang makan mmg jaga tapi bab nk pantang ice for a year is like azab! Not that i drink cold drinks daily.. tapi a year is too much! Apa2lah i am hating current state of stomach and overall flabs n curves. Pegi futsal pun tak slim. I'd like to attribute my bad metabolism and stress for everything! Ini baru 31 and anak sorang. If 40 and anak bertambah, and weight and flabs pun bertambah, mati depression lah aku. Dah blm apa2 ada white hair here and there. Mom always blames me sbb tak nak lumur kepala dgn minyak kelapa masa kecik dulu. Busuk hapak ok! I think she has good genes on the black hair factor and i'm taking bad early white hair genes from dad's side. Tapi bagus gak brains, temperament and butt ikut dad's side hehehe. (i pray she'll never read this)

Apa pun when i'm past 55, i hope i am still alive and jadi manusia yg ingat Tuhan dan berbuat baik kepada sekalian umat lain. Dan semoga tidur mlmku lena. Takde nak pikir masalah2 dunia yg remeh-temeh. The greatest possession that one could have is kelapangan dada. Especially in golden years.

Dan harapnya time tu aku taklah succumb to botox, surgery, liposuctions maupun any sort of super injections yg bakal buatkan wajah nampak pelik lagi kejang semacam. Biar ada kedut asal muka berseri. Dan bila hati bersih, insya Allah muka berseri. Amin! (tapi nak jugak get rid of the fats)

Why am i rambling about getting old when i'm only in my 30s?
I find myself asking Jib last night, "baby, has anyone kissed you before in school?"
To which he replied, "Syaira, Nabila kissed me!"
And i went, "Haaaaa???? Why did they kiss you? Did you kiss them???"
Blushing and looking scared, "No! eh eh only Syaira. I don't know why she kissed me."
"Where did she kiss you? How many times did she kiss you?"
"On my cheek. 4 times!"
"Hah?!!! Why? Did she kiss any other boy?"
"No..", looking sheepish and mighty embarassed.
"I am so telling papa!" and i did. To J's mortification. (please don't tell papa, mommy! i managed to blackmail him not to switch tv channel!!)
Papa.."How did she kissed you? Come show me!"
Terpaksalah Jib simulated kissing papa's cheek 4 times! Omg rasa nak mati. Terus i warned him not to go around kissing anyone or let anyone kiss him.

Baru 4.5 years dah kena kissed. And kenapa these days the girls are getting so bold and aggressive? Tell me again macam manalah i can't help feeling old!

jabu.lani

2010-02-01T01:13:00.005+08:00

Ini adalah ranting mlm buta sbb Arsenal is trailing 0-3 to Manure. what the bloofy fuck was that? pakcik wenger, tell me what went so wrong? And bilalah engkau nk beli some 1st rate goalie to replace Almunia haram tak guna tu. Sakit jiwa ok. Baik kau masukkan budak Italian Mannone tu pun better. At current rate, no team would want to buy Almunia. And aku, peminat tegar Gunners, dah penat menanti buah yg tak luruh2!

Emosi adalah like cipets mlm ni. Too many things are in my head. And to top it off team favorita lak like puss$ies mlm ni! Sports is supposed to soothe whatever's not ok in my head. Now it is giving me headaches and heartaches. Dahle thn ni WC.. as much as i anticipate it, i hate it very much when my favorite teams lose. Hanya peminat2 tegar bola saja memahami rasa hati ini. Btw nak invite sape2 yg gila bola too mehla lepak n sleepover di rumahku bila free..bersemangat sikit nk stay up! *offer open for perempuans only* (macamlah ada jantan baca blog ni tapi rasanya ada :P)

Till then, i will move on and dream jersey apa nak beli by June 2010. (Adidas dah start stocking up cool world cup merchandise)

*this is the ball.

Empire state body

2010-01-28T17:23:00.012+08:00

Empire state of mind in my head for these few hours..i love the song!

But currently the body like empire state building..fat! Rasa the stitches on my kebaya nak pop out..help!

Yesterday the stomach was like balloon..dah tu ada lak yg gigih nak komen. Back kick nak???

Mana tak empire state of perut..

wajah-wajah kebuluran dan penat berjalan tgh beratur..dan bukti kekenyangan kami 20m later!

Tadi ikut rombongan Encik H yg ada kerja di big town (bukan NY :)) and sibuk nak pegi makan nasi kandar. Park kat mana ntah then walked n walked n walked. Alih2 nampak pasar Chow Kit hahaha! Pastu u-turn blk and crossed the road. Almost died there. Red light pun vehicles moved. Welcome to big town! Anyway sighted the restaurant whereby people queued till the road.. Fabulousity! Nasi membukit tapi everyone finished up fast.. 4 pax = RM 30.40. Nasib tak ambik ketam which looked damn appetizing; skali jeling price board.. ketam= 14.00 - 40.00. Hah lain hari lah macha bila ada mr banker to pay!

Pastu Encik H ajak eat desserts lak.. to a club by the lake in the middle of town. Class you! Yg tak class ramai annoying old aunties all around. Coffee and cake. My date walnut brownie with capuccino were great. Thank you for introducing us to the good life and sharing tales of it with us :)

suasana lebih tenang dan exclusive tapi budak ni tag pun tak mau cabut!

Thank you to the generous Encik H who treated us all. (moga murah rezeki dia) Esok bila tua, i want to be like the annoying aunties - spend day after day at the club; go to taichi/tennis/karate then waste time bitching about unnecessary maids and bratty kids; and dining till my kebaya burst!

Dream on!

the first month

2010-01-26T12:29:00.003+08:00

My attention span is very limited nowadays hence the silence in efforts to update the blog. (i hate drafting entries, prefer following the flow)
As clock struck midnight on 1.1.2010, i wondered what could happen in the new year.. hopefully less of the grim episodes. However almost a month has passed and it is full of deaths.
The episode on the man who butchered his own family; father, grandma, grandpa, sister. Whatever happened? It was so sad to read the father was beheaded. I believe no one should deserve that kind of death. My utmost sympathy to the mother; it must be difficult for her most. To Allah we pray and pour hearts out.
Then the whole Allah controversy thing. Please. No more bombing of any places of worship. Personally in our nation, i believe Allah is reserved for our one and only Almighty. Don't fuel controversies in staking claims to the name. We are not in Arab land or Indonesia where the name can be used for people of all religions. To the Muslims, don't start out wars that we might regret later. We are SO living in dangerous times. Please for the sake of peace, love and tranquility.. love our brothers and sisters, even of different faiths. Work things out, have respect and in return, people will respect you. No religion encourages violence and barbaric behaviors.
And just last Friday, the Sultan of Johor died. May Allah bless his soul. It is a big loss. He may be different in his ways but i feel that he had a good heart. And where else can one find a ruler not afraid to voice out his frank views anytime, anywhere? Somehow i feel sad though i am not a Johorean. It's difficult being me, brought up everywhere, i don't really belong anywhere..anyway since i went to high school in Johor, Johor state anthem was and still is the only state anthem i know of and my friends are mostly from there..he's like my Sultan. Moga Allah ampunkan dosanya dan selamatkan Tuanku di alam baru. And may the new Sultan rule with the same charisma and might as his late father!

Oink oink

2010-01-19T15:50:00.004+08:00

Upon parking my car at our designated spot and discovering the tong sampah i temporarily put there missing, i went.. "babi babi babi pukimak sape yg ambik??!!!"

I forgot next to me was this bloody chatterbox small being who automatically responded with, "babi babi babi what is that?" with a mocking tone and cheeky grin on his face.

Ever quick to recover, i went "babi is pig. Piglet in My friends tigger n pooh is a baby pig. when he grows up, he'll be a pig. Pigs are the ones who make oink oink sounds. Remember the Old MacDonald had a farm song?"

So case closed. And he went asking further whether piglet would ever grow up to be big pigs etc. Thank goodness he didn't ask about the second word! Note to self: must remember to speak better and not utter any curses in front of him. And to NOT lose my temper in front of him. I'm always full of rage behind the wheels!

Btw the tong sampah was there. Someone moved it aside. Aku yg buta :P

The wise thing to spend your money on is education

2010-01-08T13:21:00.004+08:00

2020.
The cost in RM to school 5-year old Al-Jibril this January. Inclusive of Jan and Nov monthly + daycare + sekolah agama fees, insurance, materials and supplies for the first sem, annual concert, sports day, field trip charges AND dunno what other bullshits. (why must every deposit be collected in January?)

Hefty, ain't it?
After that, it will be RM515 monthly with another big amount to be collected in June. Iqra' pun kena beli sendiri semlm. (what are the materials and supplies fees collected for?)

But the sound of him trying to practice iqra' by himself was priceless. And the utmost attention and devotion (read: he bullies them. like father, like son) showered by the bibiks to him were amazing. Suffice to conclude: he's very happy there.

I am beyond broke. Nothing is cheap in KL.

And yesterday i discovered 2 things:
1) Cendol in front of Shell SS17 Subang now costs RM 1.70. Nasib sedap! Dunno how the regular one in BJ cost now. It used to be RM 1.50.
2) Gardenia small loaf bread now is priced RM 2.30! wtf??

Even if the price of sugar shoots up, must everything else rise up by 20 cents? For the cendol seller, his price hike may be reasonable. He is a sendirian berhad (sole proprietorship) entity therefore i'm thinking perhaps the school bus operators have hiked up prices for his kids or dia pun kena blackmailed macam aku in kindergarten fees hence the increase.
But for Gardenia? Seriously it produces bread by the loads daily. Is it justifiable to add another 20 cents? Why not 10 cents? Just because it is a consumer good; a daily staple so it can afford to increase prices as it likes nevertheless people will still buy? Dear Mr Gardenia, i think i shall have to cut down on you and switch to Mighty White or its cheaper yet still tasty group of friends next time. Just because you monopolize the industry, you can increase prices as you like huh?! Or maybe switch to the lembut roti benggali. Dulu masa duduk Kg Jawa, Klang.. senang nak dpt supply roti sedap + murah. I'm all out for these small time operators.

An information for those out there, AFTA has been enforced since the new year meaning import duties within ASEAN countries have been reduced or removed; thus should result in lower prices of most goods including foodstuff. But yet as a consumer, i have yet to see the cheap stuff. The only way seems to be up, up and to infinity. The thing that doesn't rise in tandem with everything is our purchasing power. Still low wages and expensive everything all around! Corporations just refuse to ease the masses but just focus on their balance sheets. But working for an auto company (which is a non necessity), we however face pressure to lower down prices constantly to make our cars affordable. Some can be blamed to the government, but i blame corporations more. They operate just for profitability for themselves. Not their workers. While we sweat it out to make it out there, they (the owners and their circles) get richer and richer.

So is it a happy new year? Not to most parents, i think!

*note: this is like writing for my weekly economic report! And i am NOT against increase in sugar prices because i think it is time for us, malaysians, to educate ourselves to consume less sugar. i always ask for drinks 'kurang manis', why can't the rest? sadly my own son doesn't like plain water and prefers sweet drinks. time to blame the dad!

My FB status updates in Review

2009-12-30T18:42:00.000+08:00

Your Most Popular Status (last 60 days)
i'm broke but i'm happy, i'm poor but i'm kind, i'm (NOT) short but i'm healthy yeah

You wrote this status on November 11, 2009 at 10:27pm and you got 0 likes and 19 comments.

my comment: hey who doesn't love this song? :)

Your Statistics
Statuses so far
188
From cell phone
4
Word count
1975
Average words per status
10.51
Average word length
4.35
Days since first status
487
Average statuses per day
0.39

my comment: Not much of a status whore, am i?

Your Favorite Words
happy used : 11x
nak used : 9x
sleepy used : 8x
sleep used : 8x
good used : 7x

my comment: I am truly Ms Ngantuk, right?!

my comment: who would update at such ungodly early hours of dawn? (unless it's ramadan!)

my comment: obviously i have loads to share on weekend's escapade and eager to close up for the next coming weekend :P

Good day people!
PD is still on tomorrow and i am still in office at 8pm; no packing done yet, have not registered my son for next yr yet. .yikes!

Meet me in Timbuktu

2009-12-30T12:52:00.007+08:00

I thought today is the last day of 2009. Actually there's still tomorrow. But then again..

Yesterday ada org tu nak buat satu kepala aku beruban overnight like Lin Ching Hsia dlm Bride with White Hair gamaknya. Dia punya masalah, aku yg pening kepala. Aku yg risau. Aku yg macam org gila harried and hassled. Aku yg tak boleh siapkan kerja aku sendiri. Claims utk the past 5 months pun tak buat2 sbb gangguan perasaan dan minda. Dia duduk diam2, tak nak cakap, tak nak respond; nak jadi batu gamaknya. Hello! Masalah tak evaporate into thin air or solidify into plain brick wall within minutes, hours, days or months of absolute silence or denial. The keyword is TALK. Communicate. Walau kdg2 communication tu tak ke mana dan tak go your desired way. At least org tau apa terjadi di sekeliling. Plans and schemes can be formulated. (yes, aku tetap market analyst!) I'm not a worrier but now i bet my blood pressure has risen to histerical levels! Tau tak if dia tak mati tegak, aku yg drop dead melintang heart attack kot satgi. What a way to end the yr!

Now sangatlah wish aku berada di Timbuktu. Jauh dari civilization. (i must be bloody british, asyik nak ke timbuktooo :P)

Or at some tropical beach outside Malaysia/ Singapore, listening to the sound of waves, enjoying lots of fruit punch while reading the trashiest paperbacks with no one to bother me. With no care of the world. No FB, no blog, no net. And no org2 dan benda2 yg menyakitkan hati. Jadi waitress serve org makan, minum pun lagi stress-free dari hidup aku sekarang.

Yg best tahun ni cumalah these:

1) My Coldplay and Duffy trip to Singapore. It was fun, happy, hilarious; totally rejuvenating!

2) My short mini reunion of my primary schoolmates also in Singapore.

Selain itu life had been a series of bizarre jolts and lifeless blurs..I don't anticipate the new year. I'm tired of being adult. I wanna be 15 again, pls? That was the happiest year of my adult life (over 12). I had everything then; sunshine and lollipops. Or i wanna be as young as Jib so that i can't really remember anything good, bad or bland!

p/s org kata kalau sebut something more than 40x, it will be true. well, i've said i wanna be in timbuktu dah >100x. so will i get to experience solitude in mudhouses for real???

Frantic December

2009-12-28T16:55:00.004+08:00

I have a headache come December. There's so much to settle before the new yr. Claims to peruse and submit, books to finish, papers to clear on my work-desk, major clean-up to do at home (partly accomplished) and all the must-watch movies to finish yet i am still stuck, not accomplishing much, even though there ain't any ski trips to Aspen, Colorado or sunny Gold Coast hols or even nearby hotel-stay in Jinjang or Puchong hehe. My friend even had time to update her stories and adventures of 2009 this last wk of the year. To make things worse, other half (the master of all non-planners and impromptu getaways) suddenly said last night 'let's go to PD' this weekend. Wow ain't so bad even if it's just plain, near PD. Well at least there's the sun, sand and sea. I hope. (this is actually a guilt trip for us cos he had that work trip last wk to Perth and will be going off to Phuket next mth on another work/society trip. i hate it but i am nothing in this organization and my friends know how much i am such anti-social than to involve myself in clubs/ societies.) I hope Jib will be happy because he's been pestering for beach hotel thorughout the year.

Anyway PD does not come cheap during super peak season i.e year-end and in our case, the new year. Last yr we gatecrashed a resort and managed to get a 2 rooms apartment for the whole clan at Regency Tg Tuan for RM 480. So i dreaded calling to ask for availability and rates till he suggested Laguna Condo Resort. And i called and enquired. Yes, there's room.. yeay! BUT funnily enough as i prepared to share my credit card details with the person on the other side of the line, she told me i have to make a deposit of RM50 (booking fee) to its Ambank account tomorrow and fax her the payment receipt after that. Wahh..there is such method still to book rooms these days???? I'm shocked but since the rates are fairly cheap, i'm all for it. Wait for my return to see whether the resort is worth the money!

Jibril has been asking me nightly whether i'm off for work the next day. He'll either say, don't go to work tomorrow and stay with me or bring me jalan2. OR Bring me to work, i'll be your handy helper. I love your office, mommy! Each freaking day is like this. There was one day he ambushed me when i was ironing my shirt and i had to entertain him for the whole morning session! He's with mom today. Just now i called him and he went 'is that you, mommy? when are you coming home? please i need to go to jusco!' Everyday nak jalan or he'll be happy glued to tv watching his shows all-day! There was once i told him, eh i have no money already nak jalan and shopping to which he replied, hey there's the machine. you can press, press, press and money comes out! ; referring to the ATM. Haha darling if mommy doesn't work, there'll be no money coming out of the machine!

For the new yr, i don't do resolutions. But i'd like to get my butt moving towards certain things next yr. High priority would be change of career for better financial gains and mental wellbeing. Improve my financial status; this year has been tough. Next to finish all my half-read or 3/4-read books; top of the list is Eat, Pray, Love. Then to travel more. Other half promised me Sydney cos i badly wanna go there..can combine a trip to Gold Coast and Canberra (june, u got me wanting to do Sydney; minus the crazy factory outlet hunt!) as well but the last time i checked rates on Reliance, a trip to Rome is just RM200 pricier than Sydney; what with the Oz dollar so high and things are mighty expensive there. Oohlala if i reach Rome and see the Colloseum, Vatican, museums and row the canals of Venice, i'd die happy :D Really happy even if Venice is actually smelly and Rome is full of vagrants! Cos that is MY dream of a lifetime. After Rome if i can't go anywhere fab, i'd be at peace with myself. (tapi masih berniat nak buat haji di Mekah too) errk but i do want a short getaway to Bandung before my friend comes back for good and a short shopping trip to Saigon cos another friend said the ready-made beaded baju kurung there are dirt-cheap! Either Saigon or do Lara Croft-inspired adventures in Angkor Wat or do Borobudur in Jogja..I would also like to go for umrah too; it'd be great feeling devoting oneself totally to God. And i wanna spend at least a day in December in S'pore. I miss the place. So many wants eh?! (so much for dying happy after Rome!) Before all that, i guess i must check the wanted list at JPA first, so far no prob but i've been wanting to settle things there since ages! On a more personal note, I'd also like to have another baby the year after next. Hopefully there is luck. And maybe change into another bigger sized car but cheaper to maintain. I don't know. These are guidelines on what could be done in 2010 whether or not they'll materialize is a different matter. I hope 2010 will be good and kind to me. A whole decade has passed, perhaps i should write about the 10 years that have just passed me by... perhaps!

School holidays activities

2009-12-23T17:52:00.006+08:00

Scenes from snowing at Curve courtyard near Cineleisure entrance. Budak kecik and mak budak pun excited terlebih nak pose. For others, the snowing is on each night at 7.30 pm and 8.30 pm. My son felt as if he'd landed on North Pole and met Santa the man himself that night! (how happy it is to be a kid; life is less difficult with no worries and full of feel-good dreams and fantasies!)

A few days earlier, we had fun at KL Bird Park. Thought beforehand it was crappy and lousy but it was quite good actually. It claims to have the world's largest walk-in aviary. Betullah kot. Inside we mingled with all sorts of tame birds who flew really inches above our heads and walked side by side with us. Yes, peacocks were everywhere and blocked some of the pathways; spooking me and i literally had the film Birds in my head. Creepy! The plain old rooster seemed like the exotic bird there when we spotted only one! To make things more dramatic, we witnessed the caged eagles tearing off every anatomy of the small yellow chicks into pieces and gobbling them up. If the eagles were let loose, mmg matilah kami! Bagus gak jalan2 dlm tu, luas, banyak knowledge dikutip and nature at its beautiful best. We sweated macam dah enter Biggest Loser :) (i am even dressed bagai masuk that show!) Anyway entrance fees are RM 15 for adults and RM 6 for kids under 12; foreigners have to pay RM 42 and RM 32 respectively. Too bad we missed the bird show as it was held at 3.30pm and another time earlier. Opening hours are from 9am to 6pm; souvenir shop pun kami miss :( KL Bird Park is situated at Taman Tasik Perdana (Lake Gardens).

To J, thank you for the wonderful time and babysitting services. Bodyguards from Kelate mmg boleh diharap :P

* note: pls do NOT eat potato chips inside as it welcomes the birds to flock to you.

I.spy

2009-12-23T17:04:00.007+08:00

Tak pernah aku imagine Harun.Salim.Bachik akan jadi hero filem melayu di abad ini. Dan tak pernah aku imagine aku akan tengok Harun.Salim.Bachik di panggung wayang and enjoyed it very much!

Yes people, my.spy is good! Terhibur saya selama 2 jam, asyik ketawa memanjang. Harun.Salim.Bachik mmg good actor, he didn't have to try hard or resort to slapsticks or stupidity to induce you into tickles and laughter. I like him on tv cuma tak expect he'd be made hero in year 2009. Proof of his excellence: even my 4y-o kiddo laughed hard and didn't fidget around restlessly during the 2 hours. In fact each time HSB and AC appeared on tv for the cel.com ad, he'd go.. mommy it's the movie we watched!

Anyway plot cerita a bit idiotic tapi acting and execution of the storyline aren't idiotic. Cuma warning to those with kids: cerita ni like cerita te.tek. ada saja boobs and generous cleavage and bimbo-ism everywhere. I just felt a bit puzzled then how on earth that famous daph.ne whose blog i read regularly and seemed smart and posh would always look very bimbo and dumb in movies? And that Han.nah T, in a way she's pretty but that orange hair made her look very jinjang inc! (rozie, pls hide my orange hair pictures of long, long ago yester years!)

People, nanti buy the original DVD and enjoy this movie sbb rasanya dah no more at wayang. Saya dah lama tengok tapi malas nk review and update blog earlier! December is such a movie month and we so want to catch the following movies:

Avatar. 'cos everyone said it was really good. and best viewed in 3D.

Sherlock Holmes. For these two handsome lads and Guy Ritchie. I like most of Mr Ritchie's work. (katanya ada tones of gay-ism; mesti J suka!)

Chipmunks. Sbb jibby suka sgt chipmunks. Boleh tak this time they will have gf in a group nama Chipettes. (sebut lagi skali people.. chipettes.. cipets!)

* for the record in response to some claims of shock and disbelief, i do watch malay movies at cinema; cuma agak choosy. tgk sape actors and directornya lah. takde lah org putih sgt saya ni! dan saya beli dvd/vcd original utk cerita2 malaysia ni. sokonglah industri filem negara!

All i want for Christmas is you

2009-12-03T17:48:00.004+08:00

November has ended and it is already December. How time flies. Blogger pun tak access for a week, sibuk FB only. Dulu average one entry every 3 days, now 1 entry for every 6 days! Makin tua and makin malas. Masa teenager, didn't feel like time was flying away.. Somehow now i felt that my late 20s passed in a hurry and now in the 30s and later sedar tak sedar dah masuk 40s. And i am still like this. Broke. Still dreaming lots. In need of a vacation outside M'sia or S'pore but with no funds. Dream on lagi... Bondaku telah disampuk hantu perang di Vietnam sibuk nk visit Ho Chi Minh after reading there's a market selling beautiful beaded baju kurung at very cheap prices there; can i ask her to crawl the cuci tunnel? Dia nak sponsor kononnya but the planning and all, yours truly la kena buat. KIV dululah but Air Asia is currently having cheap promos to various destinations (very tempting) tapi Bandung tetap mahal. Awie, how am i supposed to reach there when return price there equals to HK?? Tarikan Hong Kong macam lebih hebat hehehe. Tapi aku masih berangan lah sbb no funds. To accept head to toe sponsor from anyone else besides other half is like a crime to me.

Aidiladha was fine. So much food to eat, so much food to cook. One of my sil introduced me to teh 3 layer at Pelita - sedap! And so many other dramas too. Nevertheless it was great to meet up with family and relatives after so long. My son woke up early and followed his dad to prayers at the mosque. He was so excited yet groggy but by the time khutbah was read, he doze off on his dad's lap :D Later the young ones had fun poking and teasing the cow for korban, my son inclusive until he realized it was an actual alive cow to be slaughtered, baru backed off .. takut! The ladies duduk la hours mengopek like thousands of onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, whatever to cook. It was amazing even though mil wasn't at home, the house was full of people. People i barely know. Layan jelah memotong dgn pisau tumpul till my finger melecet. Itulah pengorbanan saya di Aidiladha. Tapi Allah tu maha Kaya. Walau melecet and kulit terkopek, tak ada pula sikit rasa pedih.

December is still raining after the brief (but much welcomed) sunshine last week. I have plans to attend a friend's cafe launch this week, then explore Lake Gardens and pasar mlm Jalan TAR with another friend (hopefully it doesn't rain) and little boy and then attend a kiddie birthday celebration this weekend. Next week will resume futsal training in the office; the body needs to burn the calories and heart needs to pump better :) December for the past few days has been chaotic. School's out and i have daycare issues. The normal school daycare is charging more this hols and i'm too tired to travel to and fro mom's daily. Other half is very busy this month; susah nk communicate or bully him. I am taking some days off to entertain little kiddo around KL. I heard there's a Power Rangers thingy in Sg Wang, then he wants to take a monorail/MRT ride (mcm x pernah naik LRT pulak), explore museums and galleries or maybe a trip to Bird Park. Anyone wants to join or make playdates with me and my little one, do buzz me!

Anyway it's Christmas season currently. Mulalah berangan lagi nk pi NY to the toystore in Home Alone 2, FAO Schwartz..surely heaven on earth. kalau dpt pi this place, bolehla dream nk ski at Aspen, Colorado pulak. Jgn mati macam Natasha Richardson dah! Eii byk betul berangan!! Speaking of heaven on earth, i went to the big.bad.book.sale in amcorp.mall the other day. Was disappointed to find most of the good books taken BUT... i discovered BookXcess store there. OMG this is like heaven on earth for me. Books, books and books at cheaper prices than normal bookstores or even warehouse sales and the shop is quaint and small and cosy and nice and bright and nicely-decorated with a X'mas tree and well-stocked with plenty of choices. Will definitely go there again. Actually i'd be happier high up in the clouds in a bookstore than in any designer boutique. Pun begitu i still want the Lady Dior and Chanel 2.55 bag anytime :)

And lastly, i know i'm not a Christian but i really like the sight of those well decorated Christmas trees. Kadang rasa i wanna buy one and put it at home then decorate it as gaudy as i want with Jibril. He's been adoring all the trees too and singing many Christmas songs all by himself (ntah mana belajar). Boleh tak nak beli????

*gambar hiasan from cupcake chic yg menjadi pengubat duka di hari sejuk dan penyumbang utama kepada lemak tepu di sekitar badan :P *

the (previous) week that was

2009-11-25T14:27:00.006+08:00

*this was written last week. sorry for the incompetence in publishing late.*

Grey skies, sudden downpour, lighting, thunder, soggy earth, floods..typical of November in Malaysia. So much for it being my month. I hate the constant rain and grey sky; dampens the mood. Even though i so love the song November Rain, i loathe the actual thing. Feeling all cold and brittle in the office is unproductive either; almost nothing gets done cause the fingers are just too numb and stiff to cooperate. And i'm too lazy to go anywhere too; traffic jams due to rains and the cold atmosphere everywhere.

Last week highlight of my week was only the debacle around Thierry Henry's hand of god moment. I'd like to see the wonderful Ireland in World Cup next yr but any tournament minus Henry has no shine for me :) So people move on. It was fated, it was destined, it was luck; Henry had admitted his mistake, the referee didn't blow his whistle and even admitted his error later.. move on. It was good coincidence it was Henry the conjurer of the hand of god moment; he's up in the ranks of good old Maradona (the original hand of god controversy). Hopefully he won't be as bloated as Maradona 10 years from now! And hand of god or no, Henry always scores beautifully and played well. There's no doubting his talent. Move on.. even Zidane has :P

Anyway the weekend turned out better.

I turned 32 on 5th Zulhijjah 1430. (pegilah calculate umur/ birthdate sendiri on the islamic calendar thingy on fb) Other half turned 36 on 23rd November 2009. Anyway sil planned a surprise for other half on the Sunday. So off we went to Life Center and watched Hu.jan the band performed. Surprisingly best! We went with no expectations. One of my sil only knew like 1 song. (I knew quite a few) N.oh just bowled us over with his clever and witty interactions with the audience, the selamba sempoi songs, the good performance by each and every one of them, the simple yet very appropriate backdrop. 2 hours+ passed like minutes. He even wished other half and my nephew happy birthday..yeay terkejut beruk pakcik tua! There were lots of celebs there, adalah terposing dgn Scha the actress. Tu pun anakku buat hal n tak mau pose pdhal the poor girl was cooing on how cute he was.. aisey sorrylah ye.. balik rumah dia yg sibuk Awan.Dania :) We rounded off the day later having dinner at TGIF downstairs. Again, pakcik tua terkejut beruk had to stand up on chair and being sung happy b'day by everyone. Okaylah, everyone loves you! But seriously the place was under-staffed that night or perhaps we lingered there for too long, even the kids had made it like their own private zoo! I was just thankful the X'mas tree did not topple down. Okaylah kan 13 years x pegi Life Center, and i spent 6 hours there last Sunday.

Happy birthday, we love u lots!

And salam aidiladha to the rest, marilah lebih mengenang pengorbanan org2 di sekeliling kita.

Up, up and above

2009-11-19T23:00:00.003+08:00

After feeling mostly lows lately, it was nice feeling quite high today. Went to my baby's school to finally catch up with his teacher on his developments in school. The report book was filled with mostly A and A+; a stark contrast to his mid-year performance - a combo of A and B. It was a pleasant surprise with him being late daily in class and always looking dazed and stoned. (ke mana tumpahnya kuah kalau tidak ke nasi? :P) The teacher had good things to say about him. He is much improved, can speak well in both languages and recognizes words and numbers well. On how he always finishes his assignments even though he arrives late. He concentrates in class and he's very observant of everything and will go straight to the teacher if he doesn't understand anything and will demand the teacher to explain to him till he gets it. Gosh i never knew he was taking this school thing seriously but i know he enjoys school a lot; berbaloi lah kami pay a lot for his education. Teacher also said he's meticulous in his work; demanding perfection in his work and behavior (ini perangai his dad; i am fairly simple) and he's quite the loner when the classmates are noisy and pushing and jostling each other but he'll join when they run around or hit the playground. Oh anak saya memang tak suka orang push/ touch/ cling to him; samalah macam mak dia yg rimas clingy beings! Anyway thank you God for this gift in the form of this wonderful little Ultraman, i love him so very much..oh syahdu pulak tulis begini. Baru pre-kindergarten dah happy terlebih! I am no pushy mom but i hope he'll grow up fine and happy and smart. Speaking of good things, my youngest brother-in-law also did well in his UPSR, alhamdulillah. I heard a huge sense of relief in his voice when i spoke to him earlier. Here's hoping m.i.l will be able to perform her hajj in peace and happiness and she'll come back safe and in good health; rindu pulak kat dia.
Sorry posting today is all about little boy's achievement and family. Back to reality, school hols is approaching and next yr's early term fees will kill me!

p/s henry and co qualified for world cup, yeay!