My random thoughts..take a stroll with me

Balik Kampung

2011-05-16T19:38:00.003+08:00

Last Saturday Hubby was away till the wee hours for a football game in Kuala Pilah.. since we don't actually have anything planned for the weekends i decided to spend some quality time visiting relatives and be a good daughter + good supir to dear parents. It's been a while...actually lama la jugak.. my father has been asking me to take him to see Mak Cik Jah, my auntie who is bedridden because of a sudden stroke attack last year..

So off we went - grannies and 4 kiddies - to Morib where Mak Cik Jah is being taken care off by one of her sons..Before going to the house, we thought of making the kids happy sikit la and had a small picnic at Morib.. the beach (should I even call it a beach when it looked more like Sg Klang yang super berkerak and berkeladak) was like in the worse ever condition..kids were of course excited...ingat ala2 Redang or PD boley turun main sand castle ke apa... i was going like hell noooo!Duduk kat tepi makan keropok je sayang oiii..don't think the kids had that much fun apart from makan chips especially as I was screaming every 5 mins to stay away from the beach or the tembok..The stalls were quite sad looking also (lupa nak take pics) but the goreng pisang was so sedap...dah lama tak makan that kind of goreng pisang.. u know the ones yang manis+masam sket and lembik2... niceeee... kinda blasah sampai 6 pieces of goreng pisang... hehe

Why in the world did my Mama put me in Roxy t-shirt and brought me to this berkerak beach.. :p

Mak Cik Jah's son (Halim) stays in Kg Tali Air, Morib... a really nice kampung area.. the kids were more excited when they reached there than the beach... I am not sure what my cousin Halim really does but he has a kandang kambing with some gigantic kambings... cows... and also some buah kelapa sawit yang dah kena kait there as well.. so u can just imagine how jakun the kids were and the questions that I had to entertain.. :) ...

I spent a couple of minutes with Mak Cik Jah... can't really bring myself to be with her too long... made me so mellow.. :( she was all healthy the last I went to her house... could drive..active in Wanita UMNO and all... then suddenly she just could not walk,talk or do anything.. it's just lately that she could sort of react to people's voices and make sounds... I think my father could not bring himself to be there too long too.. so we were there for just a while..

3 kiddies so jakun kat kandang kambing Kg.Tali Air, Morib

Before going home we stopped at another 2 houses.. one was of my dad's very best friend..Cikgu Mahful.. been friends since gazillion years so it seems...so there were some jejak kasih moment...hehe

The last house was of Uncle Bahari..my uncle who lives in Banting...when we reached his house he just came back from cycling with his wife... so sweet.. Wife is really good in baking and used to bake me some yummy cream puffs if she comes to parents' house.. since that day was a surprise visit she only managed to give us some yummy kuih pau which the kiddies blasah la kat rumah..

Tiring Saturday... coz of the long journey.. but felt good that after so long I finally managed to make up for some lost times with parents and relatives... usually occupied with the kiddies.. kinda miss being their supir and spending long lunches/hi tea with them... so I hope this will do la for the moment...Nanti bonus can blanja holiday, maybe... :)

Eating vs cooking

2011-05-14T22:47:00.012+08:00

Like I said..I've been eating and eating and eating...
This whole week has been like food testing week for me...

Lamb shank @ Full House

Brownies with ice-cream, Blueberry cheesecake and Black Forest @ Full House

Great discovery! Super Yummy Pavlova @ Alexis that would make you go OMG!

It's amazing how some people can prepare these kind of meals in a heartbeat.

I am rather ambitious when it comes to cooking but get disheartened easily if what I prepare don't go the way I expect it to be or don't get the kind of response that I would hope for from my 'customers'. Hence I have not been doing that much of cooking for many many moons already.

Tuna Potato Salad - tried this about 2 months ago

Ayam masak kicap and sambal tumis kentang - tried this 2 months ago

I guess as far as cooking is concerned, well it’s no secret that I am not a great cook. On the days that I would grab some onions or chillies from Mama's kitchen, Mama would go like...you wanna cook? Sure or notttttttt.... :p Yeah...I try laa… it would usually take me hours and hours to cook a simple dish sometimes because I need to look at the recipe and follow every single thing that it says to the core. So kalau ada resipi yang cakap ‘garam dan gula secukup rasa’, then I would go like WHAT THE HECCCCKKKK..cakap je la berapa sudu or berapa cubit..

These days, my level of cooking and experimenting recipes have been downgraded to cucur udang for breakfast, nasik goreng kampong for lunch and nuggets/french fries on weekends. However like any other great or not-so great cooks, I have my own specialty too - mashed potatoes… Yeappp…that’s Jiji’s specials.. I am sure glad that it is because I love everything potatoes. And mashed potatoes goes on the list to be one of my all time favourite foods.. maybe it is the softness of it that somehow gives me a sense of warmth, comfort and sheer pleasure... :)

I was looking at a blog for some recipes the other day and found this lovely quote by Nigella Lawson, British food writer, journalist and broadcaster.

" ...... there are times when only mashed potato will do.”

So yeah.. I think I should not be so frazzled about cooking. Not that I am going to cook mashed potatoes everyday laaa. But I should cook what I like and what my 'customers' would like to have. I should not be too ambitious. And should I fail in my cooking... well, fret not... just grab the car key and take the 'customers' elsewhere for good food... hehe..

Note: Next on cooking list - ikan siakap masak stim..

Soul cleansing

2011-05-11T18:51:00.006+08:00

I have been told that I am just not myself lately. I feel the same too actually. I am ....... evolving?

I don't know if many would share the same views as I have. But I think over time people evolve..we may not change ourselves entirely.. but I guess we can't really avoid changing when we evolve or to put in simple term, when we age and go through some episodes in life.

Some changes may be positive to you but could be perceived negative to others and vice versa. If we have people who holds us close to their hearts for the person whom we were..then the change is even harder to accept. So I guess it is important to make these people understand the change. Hopefully in time they would be able to accept and be happy with the change.

Of course like we all know, no one is perfect and we can't make everybody happy. But the corny bit would be if there is acceptance for the person that you were then there would be some form of tolerance for the person that you have become, yes?

It could be the migraine or whatever today that made me sort of list down some of the stuff that I like and don't like about myself these days.

I think my take about soul searching is all wrong. It should have been soul cleansing instead.

I have so much of bitterness, crankiness and whatever crappy crappy crappy stuff in me... hence even the smallest thing could tick me off these days! And I end up hurting people who are important to me. Which is just not right.

There are times that what others feel is far more important than what you feel.

Evolving or changing should be for all the right reasons and towards being a better person.

If it is otherwise and you come to realize that you just don't like what you see in yourself, then hit the 'Pause' button...think real hard. No matter how bitter you are, even when you are thinking with your heart and mind, you should not lose your soul in the process. Hence, you would think twice and stop yourself from being a heartless ogre... :(

This is where I want to officially say sorry to those people that I've hurt in this process of evolving - parents, hubby, friends etc. I will pause and think when needed and I will resume to be the sweet angel that I was... (hehe..ok..ok..nyet don't puke..)

My soul cleansing process begins today (soothing saxaphone solo effect here) ... :)

Watch your thoughts, for they become words
Watch your words, for they become actions
Watch your actions, for they become habits
Watch your habits, for they become character
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny

Monday Blues

2011-05-09T11:18:00.002+08:00

Mode of the day - Zombified
Reason - Sleepless and Restless till the wee hours
Theme song for today - Lazy Song, Bruno Mars
Time check - 11.30am
Objective of the day - To survive till end of day
Obstacles - Hungry.Possibly gonna be cranky. Piles of work on my desk.Tonnes of emails to reply. Overseeing the preparation for an event tomorrow.
What i need - a time machine and Sarah to entertain me with her antics.
What keeps me going - planning for the next holiday..

Hahaha..hancussss..asyik nak berjalan je..

Note to self: Have not wished or done anything for Mama. Hmm..

Budget Traveller goes home

2011-05-07T19:42:00.003+08:00

I think I have basically covered all the places that I wanted to go to in SG except for Sentosa/Universal Studios. But at least (thanks to Yeen) I got to see USS from Vivocity. We almost hopped on the monorail to Sentosa but there were too many people.

It was a good retreat for me...with retail therapy included albeit being a budget traveller. Last minute pun sempat lagi grab some stuff at Vivocity. Shopping wise.. hmmm... I dunno.. told hubby that the best place to shop will always be Bandung la for me. But yeah... you wont be able to get the latest trend/fashion in Bandung lah.

Anyhoo... lessons learnt when in SG:
1. Ask if you dont know - malu bertanya sesat jalan. Pandai bertanya will save you some SGD.
2. Know when to walk away and when to make a comeback... ;)
3. If you are low on cash, for a free flow of coffee and nescafes, go to Marina Bay Sands.
4. Sup Tulang is a must try!
5. Take pleasure in walking and strolling especially at night.

Had a good time and huhuhu...a bummer la next week kena gi keje dahhh...

Yeen... thanks so much for taking me around and cooking the yummy nasik ayam walaupun ayam dia hitam. Sedap tuuu... :)

Next trip (if there is one) should be to USS and with the whole family! :)

With Yeen and lil' Afreen..cosy crib you have Yeen... nanti we all serang ramai2..you should have a guestbook for the TKC girls who have been to your crib.. hehe..

Some pampering for Budget Traveller

2011-05-06T15:29:00.007+08:00

Fickle minded as usual.

From walking to Orchard...decided to take a bus... while waiting for the bus decided to just lepak at Marina Square...from coffee at Starbucks..decided to have coffee at a slightly posh coffee place called The Coffee Connoisseur.

Coffee and meal was just so-so... BUT the dessert was superb!

Dark chocolate cake+lava+vanilla ice cream+strawberries. Abis je rasa cam nak order lagi satu!

Some pampering for budget traveller over lunch = SGD 24

Dinner kena makan murtabak je nih..

Note to self: Despite being a touristry destination SG is not like KL..if you are a tourist, asking people to take a picture of you will make you feel uncomfortable or super weird.

These shoes are made for walking

2011-05-06T13:30:00.003+08:00

I reached Singapore at about 10.30pm on Wednesday. The initial plan was to take a cab from Changi to Marina Mandarin (which is in Raffles Blvd, not Orchard Rd). I went to the info desk and asked how much is the cab fare to Marina. She said between SGD 25 -30..uiyyoo...that could be one cool blouse for me to grab at Orchard! So I asked if there is a bus to get there and she said I can take a shuttle that would drop me off in front of hotel at SGD 9 je!

I decided my game plan for Singapore is to ‘act,think,do – budget travelling’.. I’ve got to be calculative and think like Hj Bakhil.. hehe .. Well, this trip is more like a relaxing retreat anyway not so much to shop.

Marina Mandarin is a really nice luxury hotel right smack in between a couple of malls.. Room is not that big but there is a balcony and a good view of Singapore – especially as the amazing looking Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino can be seen from the room. The last I came to S’pore for work, I stayed at Conrad, just nearby Marina Mandarin. But there were not that many malls that time. I decided to brave myself for some window shopping at all nearby malls the next day.

5 minutes in Marina Square and I almost bought a SGD 40 blouse! Almost ajelah coz then I put on my calculator mode and letak balik the blouse.. hehe.. Think I walked no less than 10km and more than 5 hours in,out and around the malls..I love the dresses and shoes that they have here...When it comes to fashion I guess memang SG has it far better than KL.. tahan je like crazy looking at the cool stuff...nasib baik the blouses are mostly with ruffles and polka dots (haishh...not really my kind of thing)... the trend is back kot..

The damage in the end was just about SGD 40 in total... *applause* *applause*.. Got myself a designer blouse which I have always wanted and was on sale at SGD19.90 only!! And a pair of shoes which was just love at first sight for me and also on sale at SGD 19.90 only!!! Super duper worth braving through the 5 hours at 3 malls and be choosy. But I think I might end up buying some more shoes laa... susah mau tahan laaa... i am a sucker for strappy and lacey shoes... hard to find in KL but simply abundance with some really nice designs in SG!

Since Hubby raved so much about the Sup Tulang in S’pore, I decided to just have it a go.. had dinner at M.A.Deen Biasa, Jalan Sultan... the mere mention of soup made me think of the normal clear soup, like in KL.. but this soup is blood red. My first time makan sup tulang camtu and yeappp...true to what hubby said..it tasted super good...the nasik goreng was super yummy too..but the murtabak was a bit disappointing.. maybe kena try jugak murtabak kat Arab Street tu kot..

Went to Marina Bay Sands after dinner...didn’t go up the Skypark because it was already late by then. Due to some strictly ‘private and confidential activities’ I can’t say much about Marina Bay Sands and no pics to post... haha..Word of advice: If you wanna come here make sure you have no less than RM 10,000 to burn. Kalau takde, a couple of Nescafes could cost you SGD 150! And Nyet, you can only come here with me! ;p :)

@ Marina Square just in front of Hotel where I window shopped for 5 hours

View of Singapore from the room..

2nd pic is Marina Bay Sands..I think the architecture is just uber cool!

Lounge at Marina Mandarin..pretty nice too.

Bloody red Sup Tulang..ordered for 1 person but these came! Giloss if sorang makan camni..

How can I not go crazy looking at the shoes!

Love at first sight :)

Sakit kaki and so tired by the end of the day so decided to stay in for half a day today. Still undecided now whether nak pegi check out Universal Studios (try pop corn and beli fridge magnets je..hehe) or walk to Orchard Road. Dinner with Yeen pun tak sempat lagi because I got the timing all wrong...

Whatever it is, am not gonna be a bum in SG..These shoes will be put to good use.

Note to self: Kalau nak tinggal S’pore I shall be a taxi driver..demand higher than supply!

I'm travelling! Yeay!!!

2011-05-03T16:25:00.003+08:00

I am such a sucker when it comes to travelling!

Since I am on so-called probation right now..a trip to S'pore pun on ajeeerrr!!! Even when cash is low and bonus tak masuk lagi.... onnnnnn ajeeerrrr!!! Thanks Nyet! :)

4 days and 3 nights of leppppaaakkkkkk..... niceeeeee!!!!!!!

Gonna check out the city at night... possibly going to Marina Bay Sands .. (can Nyet?)

The Street where the Hotel is.. can just walk for daily coffee! yeay!

Murtabak S'pore! Heard great stories bout this..

Chilli Crab at Changi with Yeen on Thursday nite! Yummy!

The last I went to S'pore was probably back in 2004! So yeah... totally looking forward for some relaxing time and of course exploring!

Snippets

2011-04-29T13:11:00.014+08:00

Looks like my spirit to blog daily is a bit on the 'hot hot chicken s*it' side...

Been wanting to update but I've been occupied with stuff..

And today when I have a lil' bit of time to blog cam takde mood la pulak.. since yesterday I've been having this tak sedap hati or stressed out kind of feeling... dunno why... I really hate it when I feel this way...

Anyhooo... I am just gonna give some updates...short ones..since I dont really have my thinking cap right now...

Finalllllyyy... after close to 3 years, we got together again.. my DaimlerChrysler clan... Missing in the picture was Najib (coz he was taking it), Amir (too busy with life and possible extra curricular activities.. ;p) and Judith(if she's around it could have been like a 1Malaysia clan..haha) ... Think I've not met Najib and Amir for 5 years already.. like since I left DCM.. Had a good time catching up with the clan.. for some reasons they always make me and Shirl feel like we're still part of the DCM family...so yeah...nak tak nak me and shirl will pretty much know about all the gossips... :p

Will always remember these ladies.. made a road trip with them from KL all the way to Penang in the teeny smart car for Amir's wedding... one of the best trips I've made although it was just Penang.. :)

That's me at an audition for Hantu Kak Limah Part 2... ;p Had the opportunity to have lunch with Usop Wilcha and Mamat Khalid to discuss some possible collaboration... Usop Wilcha is uber cool.. not only is he funny, he is also super smart... can talk.. and not talk2 kosong lah..

Ok ke jadi Kak Limah?

This is loooonnnggg overdue... Happy Belated B'day Sikin! You are such a lovely person + an amazing wife and mother. We are all so lucky to have you as part of our family. You have been and will always be my brother's pillar of strength... Here's to many many many more good years of love and happiness...

The usual tradition for every birthday...sure kat rumah Sg Ramal gak... :)

Bieber Rain and Bieber Fever all in 1! :) Even the rain could not stop us..Totally enjoyed myself.. obviously enjoyed it too much even more than the kids kot..siap sanggup beli contact lense to make sure boleh nampak the stage.. was singing and jumping with the kiddies and probably made some teens wanna puke all over sebab cam over... haha

CB Ice blended at the concert! Now...how can I not love Bieber!!

Yeapppp.... those are some stuff that has happened the past week or so... Will post more errr intelligent stuff after I de-stress okay! :)

Aneroxic - NOT

2011-04-23T19:43:00.004+08:00

D said I look aneroxic these days..In this particular picture she said l looked like Olive, Popeye's wife. I've been getting comments from people that I've lost a lot of weight...I could sort of see that I was... but up until she showed me the pics that she has taken at a wedding recently, I didn't realize that I looked totally aneroxic lah...

I think those who know me would agree that I love eating. I really do. And I can eat a lot. I love love love buffets. I love love love chocolate cake/brownies. I love love love nasik lemak Kg Baru.

After getting too many comments about being too thin, I decided to go all out on makan last week. I think the best makan place for last week was Las Vacas. Hubby has been raving about the place for so long. Punyala susah to get there coz dua2 org punya sense of direction memang fail when it comes to area kat Hartamas/Mont Kiara. But it was worth the 'sesatness'! Totally great food and ambience.

Nasik lemak Kak Sham @ Kg. Baru

Steak at Las Vacas - totally yummy!

Beef wrap @ Las Vacas - fantastico!

Lemon Cheesecake @ Taste, Bangi - surprisingly very very nice

Lamb Chop @ Taste, Bangi - not bad

Have always been on the paranoid side when it comes to my weight. Bila makan banyak I know I have to balance it up with exercising.. I think I should start going for jogging and aerobics again. Been procastinating as always. But yeah.. I won't stop my eating spree lah...gotta keep some fats at certain places... :p

Me, myself and I

2011-04-19T17:35:00.002+08:00

D is a silent reader (read:stalker) of many many blogs.. (don’t kill me D)..It’s fun though to have someone like her around. Keeps you on your toes of what’s happening around you..things that maybe you don’t have the time or even bother to read. It’s also more interesting to get it from her because she is ever so bubbly and makes everything seem super duper interesting no matter how lame it is. Couple of days ago D asked me whether I know/read a particular blog by a chic who is so full of herself. Told her that I’ve read her blog and thot the same so I kinda stopped reading it. Then we both went like… hmmm….then again come to think of it, all bloggers are like so full of themselves… haha

So for this posting I decided to be even more full of myself… hehe.. I’ve been doing some analytical thinking (soooo not me)…been analyzing things and myself in particular.. did a lot of reading as well..I found the following article about Scorpios which I thought is the closest to my character.. not that I really believe in star signs or mystical stuff.. but yeah.. I guess I have always seen myself like a true Scorpio even though I am actually an in between – Libra/Scorpio.

So, let me share with you some interesting stuff about a Scorpio … and err..me I guess..

Physical characteristics

The physical characteristics of Scorpio are not that difficult to spot in a crowd. These are the people with intense soul-piercing eyes,that are made even more mysterious with their ever-dignified, contemplating demeanor. Scorpios are the quiet lots that stand at the edge of the crowd, dissecting every facet of each person in the group and encompassing and storing a large amount of collected data in a memory card like memory, for future use. Most Scorpions give out a robust physical appearance and are usually medium in built. Though usually on the thin side, Scorpio people have a tendency towards increasing waist inches as they grow older. (me gonna be old fat lady.. huhuhu)
Though usually calm and cool in composure, you will notice when standing near the Scorpion aura, that you are engulfed by an invisible air of silent superiority. She is definitely someone who is giving the appearance of being bored with the entire conversation while making sure that she has enough information gathered from it, to give a high-handed judgment in the end.

Temperamental Scorpio Traits

Whenever you are exposed to a Scorpion, the first thing that you will notice is her ability to stare. Most of us find that stares make us uncomfortable but being stared at by a Scorpion is in a league of its own. A Scorpion stare increases that feeling by three-fold, for no one can stare like a Scorpion. They will stare and stare in an unblinking fashion, as if they have delved into the realms of an unseen parallel world and gotten hidden files of secret data on you, things you would rather have no one know. (I’ve been told many times like not to stare or look at people directly in their eyes..can’t help it though..not that I want to..sometimes that’s just how I look at you ok… )

The best of Scorpio traits revolve around the fact that Scorpions are gifted with the ability and intellect to write their own destinies. These extremely strong personalities can both make it, as well as break it for themselves, with equal ease. Being gifted with the power to envision and make true their own future, brings with it some unique Scorpio traits. Almost all Scorpios are stubborn, ambitious and independent.

Like with all water signs, the deeply emotional Scorpio is prone to bouts of periodic depression. Scorpio depressions usually last longer and are deeper and bleaker than those experienced by most other star signs. They go to the depths of extreme melancholy and it is difficult for them to resurface.

Scorpios are deeply committed and faithful once they give their hearts away. Most frustrations in Scorpio relationships arise out of their inability to open up. Scorpio's support their spouses through thick and thin, in sickness and health,and all that. The only hurdle for them to overcome to become the perfect mates is to curb their tendency to dominate decisions and opinions and to make the partner a true partner by sharing thoughts.

The Sting

Last but not the least, beware of the Scorpions sting. Scorpio never forgets crimes against it, neither in deeds or in words. All insults and misdeeds are recorded away in a database and then Scorpio will plan her revenge. Scorpios are known to come up with their vengeance years later, when the incident has been erased from the memories of other mere mortals and the pages of time have also updated themselves to more current happening. Unfortunately, for a Scorpio, the wound is still fresh, seething and festering, and be assured she will exact a revenge. (huhuhu...this one maybe not lah...don't think am that bad lahh..vengeance je kot.. no revenge...but u better not mess with meeeeeee...hehehe)

Watch out for the Scorpio traits of being loyal, passionate (intense even), resourceful, observant and dynamic and you will soon learn to ignore the jealousy, obsessiveness, suspiciousness and manipulation.

All that being said, I've been told that I am not that easy to understand. Hmmm... maybe kot... but it's a real bonus for those who can.

An epiphany

2011-04-14T17:37:00.008+08:00

A long talk at the wee hours last night made me have an epiphany I think.

[An epiphany (from the ancient Greek ἐπιφάνεια, epiphaneia, "manifestation, striking appearance") is the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something. The term is used in either a philosophical or literal sense to signify that the claimant has "found the last piece of the puzzle and now sees the whole picture," or has new information or experience, often insignificant by itself, that illuminates a deeper or numinous foundational frame of reference.

Epiphanies of sudden comprehension have also made possible leaps in technology and the sciences. Famous epiphanies include Archimedes' realization of how to estimate the volume of a given mass, which inspired him to shout "Eureka!" ("I have found it!"). The biographies of many mathematicians and scientists include an epiphanic episode early in the career, the ramifications of which were worked out in detail over the following years. For example, Albert Einstein was struck as a young child by being given a compass, and realizing that some unseen force in space was making it move.]

Obviously with my {downgraded} level of intellegence these days, the ephiphany that I had was not a tehnological or scientific discovery which would make me shout 'Eureka' or 'Jiji Boleh'.

But it was one of those moments when i could see things ever too clearly. Some ugly,some good. There were also a couple of vague ones in a fuzzy cotton candy sort of way which suddenly becomes evident.

The epiphany made me:
1. Politely declined an offer from a reputable organization
2. Talked to Arida about how I felt - how screwed up i've been as a manager - what I wanna do to fix things
3. Called a for a dept meeting to iron things out
4. Re-allign my priorities
5. Really considering to further my education (part timelah)- guess this would be the investment that I would make from my bonus.

Sometimes a wake up call gives us that sparkle of thought. And sometimes in our own unique way and at an appropriate time, our so-called awakening occurs quite naturally, unpredictably
and with absolute spontaneity.

Some Girls

2011-04-13T17:40:00.007+08:00

This is what I am currently reading...Some Girls by Jillian Lauren. Picked this from the shelf because:
1. I am a memoir addict
2. The author looks hot

Summary

Some Girls: My Life In a Harem is a riveting memoir about an 18-year-old NYU theater school dropout-cum-stripper who is lured by the promise of a $20,000 paycheck to party in Southeast Asia for a couple of weeks. On the day of her father's surgery, Jillian Lauren lies to her adoptive parents, claiming she's booked an acting job on an independent film in Singapore, and leaves her boyfriend and crummy East Village apartment behind. Under a cloak of secrecy, Jillian lands in Borneo, where she and a handful of other beautiful women are driven to the Sultan of Brunei's brother's remote palace. Every night all 40 women, who reside in guest houses on the palace grounds, get dressed up and wait for Prince Jefri Bolkiah to arrive, then they turn on their smiles and party until he leaves. When Jillian is chosen to spend time with the Prince, she wields her feminine charms and is rewarded with jewelry. Swept up by the extravagant lifestyle, Jillian spends the next 18-months jockeying for the Prince's favor in a contemporary harem filled with backstabbing intrigue. (excerpts from goodreads.com)

Should have guessed that it could be a slow/boring read. I am still not even half way through it...hmmm...maybe that's why.... Jillian baru nak sampai Brunei - where the exciting bit happens. I get bored of her flashbacks back when she was 16-18-19.. aiyoo...she's like long winded..even when I think I am speed reading, it seems like i am crawling in turtle mode.

Hot, u think?

I hope this will be a good read in the end. Right now with all the flashbacks, all I could think of is how scary it is if you have a daughter who ends up like this. She is like 'go with the flow' aje from the age of 16... *cringe* *cringe**cringe*.. Even if she has made millions now (paid off by the Bruneians and sold copies of published memoirs) ... not a good example for kiddies or teens...so hmmm...this would be strictly for adults!

Wonder if I would find any good quotes in here.... errrr.... doubt it...

The Wedding Planner

2011-04-12T19:15:00.005+08:00

Masa kecik cikgu tanya nak jadi apa..my answer has always been that I want to be a vet when I grow up. I'll be the only one in the class to have such ambition. My ambition was such because I love animals..I love them lah..but malas nak jaga.. just like to play with them.. my father really manja me when I was small so whatever pets that I wanted he would buy for me.. I had 2 tortoise (died after 3 months), a white parrot named Kiki (can't talk even after we put her in a dark room with a radio in there - no not torturing but apparently that's how u teach them talk) and kalau tak silap we bela about 20 cats! - All well taken care off by my father who sooo manja me lahh... :)

Bila dah besar sikit, I told my parents that I really want to be a teacher. Of course I got an outright NO from my parents who are both teachers (??!!)... My mom told me that yes, teaching is very noble but she would really want to see her kids grow up to be something other than a teacher. After finishing my SPM, I thought hard about what I wanted to do. I finally decided that I want to pursue my studies in only these 2 areas i.e Law ( I applied for a BNM scholarship for Law) and Journalism ( I applied for Mass Comm at UITM). One day my dad showed an advert for an Accountancy course in Uniten under TNB scholarship. He said try je la..for the sake of trying..lagipun it's like 15km from parents place. I applied for the sake of it and prayed hard that I won't get lah...

BUTTTTTTTT of courseeeeeee.... God had something else planned for me I guess... hence I only got a call from TNB..hence I took up Accountancy...hence I never liked what I studied and hence I spent every day wondering what the heck I was doing...

Anyhooo...as expected, I was never in the Dean's list lah..so it was no mystery that I was not selected to join TNB.. (TNB scholars yang kena keje with TNB would say that this is a blessing in disguise) and of course I never even pursued a career in Accountancy... hehe..but I successfully made a career out of talking and is now in Communications. In between all these, I even had the thought to be a wedding planner. Seriously I did! I planned my own garden wedding which I thought was totally cool (masuk bakul angkat sendiri..hehe) sampai Jamie, my manager in DCM said that it's the best Malay wedding ever for her.

Flowers I did for my wedding

Japp...what was the reason and title of this posting? Ohh..Ok..The Wedding Planner..

Ok..reason for this posting..

2 important realizations came to me today.

1. After collecting and reading a 'special letter' - I can now be called a Communication Specialist. 2. After attending a 'special briefing' on a 'special ocassion' - damnnn...I still want to be a Wedding Planner. Hehe...yeah..I really do.. last Friday I passed by this one tol dekat Ampang and it had a big banner saying Eat, Wed, Love - Bali in the Soul of KL.. and i thought how nice it would be to be planning such wedding for a couple...hmmm...really this would be something I would consider doing if it so happens that I get booted out of my workplace.

So....yeahhh....it's time to make another hard decision.

I am torn. At a crossroad yet again. Tomorrow is THE day to decide.

Still thinking.

So, we'll see where my heart lies.

Orange or Yellow?

Wedding Planner or not? :p

Bieber Fever!

2011-04-11T18:29:00.003+08:00

I am officially a ‘Belieber’! Watched ‘Never Say Never’ over the weekend…was skeptical before watching it.. Dahla 3D lak tu kan.. like so poyo siap tengok 3D.. Avatar pun tak tengok 3D.. :p .. but before you say anything, that movie memang semua 3D ok… Surprisingly I totally enjoyed the movie! Siap ada some moments that I went all sappy..especially the scene when his dad was crying watching him perform… huhu..sapppppy… crapppp…Well, I think JB is super talented. Thank God I am now a mommy.. if I were a teenage with raging hormons I would probably be like those girls screaming their lungs out or crying buckets at the concert.

My fav song by JB may not be everyone’s fav like ‘Baby’ , ‘One Less Lonely Girl’ ..but the one that’s always stuck in my head everytime after I listen to Bieber’s CD would be ‘Overboard’. (I shall not re-produce the lyrics here coz then people would think I am a teenage who just got her heart broken). But If I’m stuck in the traffic like last Friday (@#$%^&!@#$!!!!!), the song that I would put on repeat would be ‘Baby’ just to keep me all chirpy and in la la land.. :)

Since we are going for JB’s concert, I am now more worried about myself than the kiddies.. haha.. takdela.. I’ll behave..I hope JB would be as big as MJ and not lame like some teenage celebs ie that blonde BSB guy punya brother which I can’t even remember his name now, Mccaulay Culkin, Mamat Exist (ok, sorry..am exaggerating here) . Then the Kiddies would thank us for being such cool parents to be bringing them to a legendary concert for all the right reasons instead of cursing us for its lameness.. hehe. Looking forward to be having fun and jumping with the kiddies at the concert on the 21st of April! It’s been ages since I last went to a concert.. My*SN concert doesn’t count lah.. Hmmm… over tak if I do up like a giant poster of The Kiddies loving JB with their pics on it? Okay.. they are so gonna kill me when they grow up.. haha.. Get your Bieber tix if you’ve not gotten them.. tix selling fast!

Note to self: Must wear glasses or get a disposable contacts for concert!

Little Sister is 3!

2011-04-11T08:03:00.004+08:00

This entry is long overdue.. Lil' Sarah is not so lil' anymore... my brutal angel turned 3 on the 28th of March 2011. Banyak tul celebration for Sarah...Redang (pre-celebration), Sg.Ramal (actual celebration) and Basil Bangsar Village (joint celebration with Aneesa)... Happy Birthday Love.. Loving you for who you are.. and loving you even more every day..thanks for the laughter and joy that you bring! :)

Lady Yaya!

Almost the same height as big brother..

Cake yg tak berapa princessy .... sooo Sarah...

Candle pun nak makan...

Announcing the arrival of Lady Yaya! (poyo..poyo)

Brutal Princess

Tak puas ati?

Yaya's BFF!

Gambar paling susah nak ambik..Yaya spoiling a picture perfect moment! Soooo Sarah...

Yessss...still spoiling a picture perfect moment!

Durian party

2011-04-10T09:58:00.010+08:00

When I was small, durian party at our house was like a ritual..when it is the durian season, my father would buy like 6-8 durians for us to eat. We would wait anxiously for our father to kopek the durian in the kitchen... me, my sister and my brother duduk bersila around the durians... During those days, there was no guarantee whether the durians were good or bad. Sometimes half of the durians had worms in it. Tapi even if we see worms in any of the bad durians, that didn't really make us lose our appetite on the rest of the durians... no fear factor elements at all.. hehe

Nowadays the quality of durians are much better. Couple of years back me and hubby made a great discovery at USJ 14. We found David The Durian Expert. True to his name, David sells super yummy durians but cost a fortune lah..So on those days that we have extra cash to splash and spend on durians, we would just camp out David's durian stall and blasah durians like there was no tomorrow. Up until I met David, I never knew there were various types of Durians apart from Durian Kampung and D24. David was the one who introduced us to Durian Marjerin, Musang King (ada turbo and tak turbo.. :p) and yesterday I even tried Durian Kaki Bulu.

Yeah..it's been a while that I really blasah makan durian. Think those days macam almost gone lah.. for some reasons, the most I could take at one time would be 3 seeds aje. Anyhoo, we had a small Durian Party yesterday. Spent the Saturday with the girls at Sho-on's crib in USJ for lunch then we went to David's stall. Ija was like craving for Durians but Dzul refuses to bring durians in the car coz of the smell. So Durian Party was arranged expecially for Ija who is preggy and takut kempunan if tak dapat makan.. :)

When we arrived the girls were like skeptical looking at the durians.. Ija specifically asked for Durian Kampung.. so David went like "Dukacita dimaklumkan tiada Durian Kampung di sini'.. yeah..his BM is that good.. told the girls try lah dulu what David has..let him choose for us... So David chose for us.. we had Durian Marjerin, Musang King and Kaki Bulu...the girls were like all in awe at how tasty all the Durians were.. siap beli bawak balik rumah lagi.. But lepas bayar semua menyumpah la... hahaha.. think we spent in total about RM 250 on the durians! Can you believe that!

I think it would be another month or two baru kitaorg gi balik buat Durian Party kat situ.. The girls sure dah serik makan durian samapai ratus2 ringgit.. hehe.. Ija, hope this ends your craving! :)

Waiting for the durians..

Sweet preggy mama

Even baby Mija could not stop eating the durians

Durian Kaki Bulu

Durian Marjerin

Living in the present

2011-04-09T15:16:00.000+08:00

Back when I was at school, the nights when we have our girl talk, (apart from citer 4U2C) one of the topics would definitely be about what we want to be, tak sabar nak carik duit, nak kerja, nak carik boyfren kat Uni and nak kawin dengan Mamat alim muka cam Brad Pitt or in my case I wanted someone who had the looks of Azhar Sulaiman… :p

To be a matured grown up with responsibilities and thinking about the future seemed to be something exciting for us. Little do we realize back then that the future is not as easy as we envision it to be. There would be challenges and drama along the way, hard decisions to make, or possible disappointments when things don’t turn out to be as planned. Sometimes when these things happen, we tend to dwell and everything around us seem to be in slow motion. I guess if we sit in sadness and wonder why life passes by our brains will play some tricks on us and we see ourselves as victims. Once we get into the victim mode it takes a catastrophe to get out. Seriously we would not want that to happen.

As a grown up (and I would like to think that I can think like a matured one) who had gone through some challenges myself, I believe that the best is to always have faith and as corny as it may sound, embrace the positives no matter what comes my way. There are a lot of things that we should be thankful for. These realizations may come to us at any point of our lives, they could even surprise us.

So, stop dwelling. Move on.

The I-Ching says “Never combat evil directly for it thinks of weapons. Rather, make energetic progress towards the good and evil dies from lack of fuel.” That book is about 4,000 years old and the wisdom still applies today. Hubby’s niece posted her status update in FB yesterday as ‘it’s never too late to live happily ever after’.

That, I believe, don't you?

But I also found this quote 'happily ever after is so once upon time'.

Hmmm... I guess we chart our own happiness.

Say farewell to the past. Don't get too anxious about the future. Just live in the present and make the best out of it.

That's my simplistic view.

R & R in Redang

2011-04-08T14:05:00.000+08:00

Okay..sorry peeps.. some things never change.. I procastinated.. :p .. Maybe I’ve still not gotten back my groove for blogging and it doesn’t help that I’m still in my moronic state of mind.. should probably go grab a blogging for dummy book at Kino or something.. hehe .. Anyway, the spirit to blog is still very much in me… but since I can’t really be putting on my writer’s hat right now, I shall make this entry very much pictorial… I guess the first few entries would be like no serious stuff... but hoping that you will enjoy them all the same. Sharing with you a brief family retreat to Redang recently… The idea to have the retreat was sort of 'in conjunction' with Sarah's b'day...She rarely asks for anything.. so we thought a retreat would be a nice pre-celebration for her b'day... We totally love..love..love the beach…Maybe I love it more than hubby lah.. coz hot weather is not his kind of thing.. but he was cool enough to be laying sprawled on the beach with me without complaints..Kiddies had the most fun..think they loved the beach more than the pool.. 5 hours at the beach like ok ajer... Excellent service by Laguna Redang Island Resort (where we stayed)… the only bummer was the weather..it was raining on the day we arrived… sunny after midday on the 2nd day and awesome weather on departure day… :p

Kiddies were both excited to naik plane.. Yaya je mula2 toye..ngantuk..flight was at 7.00am..she usually wakes up at 12pm...

Cool place for beach bummin

Memey's fan..

Awwww.... ;p

Ice cream tastes damn good at the beach

Beach bum kiddies Memey's proud moment

Hey babe.. can i have your number?

Nice kiddy pool too

Looking out for some hot chicks.. :p

Babah showing off his architechtural skills

Had a nice time with the family...would definitely want to go there again.. :)

Back to blogging

2011-04-03T17:02:00.002+08:00

I am back.. Making a pledge to blog diligently.. Hmm...We'll c.. Will be posting some stuff starting err... tomorrow maybe... OK..no maybesss... will definitely post some stuff tomorrow... Taaa....

Nestum Butter Prawn for sahur anyone?

2010-08-25T06:03:00.003+08:00

Experimented for the 2nd time... had this for sahur today.

Think it tasted much better than the last one and did justice to Sally's recipe.

But am still wondering how in the world nestum butter prawn kat kedai2 could be so crunchy and well rupa dia tak camni la...

I should add that tepung jagung/tepung beras kot.. gotta check with Sally and do the 3rd experiment...maybe not in the near future though.

This cooking for sahur stint..think I am not that bad lah... :)

Soul mates - Is there one for everyone?

2010-08-22T15:37:00.006+08:00

2 weekends ago I was reading the New Sunday Times and came across an article in the Sunday Spotlight about 'What Women Want' .. Since I've not been contributing that many articles to be published anymore, I thought I would just give my 2 cents worth about the topic.

My view below was published in NST last weekend.

For a woman, fulfillment of the soul sets in when she finds someone whom she would have an emotional feeling of deep connection, friendship and compatibility. If companionship is what she's truly looking for, then the possibility of her brains being muddied by physical attraction would be less likely. Physical attraction could be the starting point. But developing that connection would be a different ball game altogether.

If there is a soul mate for every one of us, then they could cross our path when we're 10 or 70 years old. So we should all be prepared for a lovely surprise. But for those who don't like surprises, maybe the best is to quit looking for a soul mate. Instead, look for a partner who is willing to do the hard work of staying in love once the thrill of believing you found your one and only is a faint memory.

On the same note, I am currently 're-reading' Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and found this quote about soul mates to be pretty interesting:

"People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. That's too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave."

Very recently, I have indeed found my 'sole mate'.. hehe..Bought these from Zett and totally loving em! :) My first pair of Pied A Terre... could have gotten my first pair of Jimmy Choo's (at half the price that's why rela nak consider..) if I had Cinderella's feet instead of the stepsister's.. ;p

So... if 'soul mates' are just like 'sole mates', would there be one soul mate or many soul mates that would cross our path?

..... Pause to reflect... bout the topic AND the sandals... hehe..

At the crossroads

2010-08-18T18:34:00.000+08:00

I think I am..at the crossroads of life.

Too early to be here?

Maybe..

Been asking myself like where would be the final destination that would give me the fulfillment? What is the future that I am longing for? How am I going to get there?

It could be because things have been very much routine. Not that routine is a bad thing. But there comes a time when routine could be dramatically changed by fate.

Hence when I think that I could be at a dead end, I now find myself to have actually reached a crossroads = a place for transformational points in my life, and relate to time and choices + a place to go unblock my path.

But here I am.

Just standing at the crossroads looking at the possibility of going through that journey.

Yet overwhelmed with fear of taking the next step.

Which route would it be?

Hmmm...

Futsal Camaraderie!

2010-08-07T11:51:00.008+08:00

This entry is long overdue.. want to cerita but the cerita all basi already...

Anyhoo....in summary:

1. We lost - ALL the games.. siap kena blasah teruk ngan geng makcik2 lagi...

2. We lost - even the best dressed - we were like the clear winners but due to some rasa ketidakpuashatian well, we lost..

3. Yes, we're like losers of all losers and should go into hiding for a couple of months

BUT...

yeah.. even as losers... we had fun! Instead of moping around and behaving like losers, we were like champions when it comes to taking pictures and heckling the other teams.. haha..

Pancit like mad but kinda enjoyed my 1st futsal stint. Would not mind jadi muka tak malu and main again if there is a team who would want me to be one of their players.. :)

Lesson learnt: Never underestimate the makcikkkkssssss............... hehehe

Team Kakak2 and Makcik2 from KL branch was the first to blasah us 3-0!

Team yg kitaorg confident boley buat lauk... last2 kitaorg gak yang jadi lauk...

The Credit team... slightly better than us... maybe next year we can beat em'... ;)

The underdogs..The Champs from Jabatan Khidmat Bayaran... the guy is the coach..nampak je camtu tapi gile garang masa team masuk main...

And here comes the Shiny Happy People.. The Losers...muahahahahha... ;p

Strategizing for next year?

Konon ganas la tu...siap ada calit2... the only scary thing about us was how we played! hehe

CSR week

2010-07-25T22:40:00.001+08:00

Have not been doing much charity this year... I guess that's why God kinda made plans for me to do so last week..

Visit to R*K

As part of fact-finding for our next philantrophy exercise, the CSR team was asked to visit a 'Home' which was caught in a political and media frenzy a couple of weeks ago. I am sure the caretaker of the 'Home' is genuinely concerned and has the purest intention to help the kids/others in need - something not many people would be able to do... but the 'Home' is not in a good condition at all... I hope when B*N helps them with the needed financial assistance they would improve in managing the 'Home'...

14 kids crammed in here?

6-8 kids in here...

Not so condusive study area..

B*N Inter-Varsity Social Venture Challenge

Been going around the Unis giving talks/presentations about the challenge in order to garner interest/participation. Was at UUM last Friday. We've a couple of states more to go - Sabah, S'wak, Johor, Penang, Perak... so, gotta split the team in order to settle before puasa...visits to Unis makes me miss studying? ;p

UUM students asked some pretty tough questions..

Hope to see lotsa participation from all the Unis..

Islamic Outreach ABIM - Walkathon

The Bank supported the event by being one of the sponsors. Had about 30 B*N Community Rangers participating in the walkathon - be it suka/paksarela.. This was my 1st time joining a walkathon..kinda proud of myself that I finished like 4km...same category as the Kiddies..don't know how the adults can buat like 7-8kms...

All-set before the race..

This is Auntie Jenny... apparently peserta paling semangat for the past 2 years already.. think she even won like top 8.. so cool..

No VIP from B*N so I had to be the one to flag off the participants..ingat pakai bendera rupanya a gun... I sooo can't act in Gerak Khas...:p

Women's category had the most participants, I think.. hence, all the more reason for me to just join the Kiddies...

This is a 'different' kind of CSR, ye En. Rahman... :p

Tiring week.. but it feels kinda nice to be doing some CSR/Charity apart from the coins that I'd put in the tabung at McD/KFC... ;p

Weekend retreat with the kiddies!

2010-07-23T16:18:00.003+08:00

Date : 10/7/2010-11/7/2010
Location/Venue: The Gardens Hotel
Mission: To keep the kiddies occupied and happy to lessen the number of times that I have to chase them around the house or scream at the top of my lungs.
Methods:
1. Check-in the hotel @ 12pm
2.Buy McD value meal for lunch and eat in the room while watching Cartoon Network - 2 hrs
3. Rest and sleep - 1 hour
4. Chuck them in the pool - as long as they want
5. Bribe them with junk food after pool session
6. Stuff them with heavy food for dinner
7. Rest and sleep - Kiddies will be super duper tired by 8pm and retire to bed.
8. Long breakfast the next day
9. Chuck them in the pool after breakfast
10. Check-out when they are super duper tired and could sleep soundly in the car on the drive back home.

I think they had a super fun weekend retreat and I could pass as one of the super cool babysitters! ;)

Heavenly Bali..

2010-07-21T17:02:00.007+08:00

I think I've loved travelling since those days back in Uniten. Though at that time the most adventurous travelling that I've done was with Azah, exploring Singapore - Takashimaya included.. hehe...

On board the train to S'pore with Azah back in 1999...

The thing is, opportunities, money and time will always be factors that would hinder me from doing so. Hence, when I was given the opportunity to go to Bali for an all-paid-for conference, had some bonus money left to cover for some HRC t-shirts, fridge magnets etc and some time to kill.. I thought...what the heck.. just go for it larr..

Bali has always been one of the places that I'd want to go to...especially after having read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love (which by the way is simply a superb book for all women out there)...

Sidetrack jap - About the book: Eat, Pray, Love is a humorous account of Elizabeth finding herself after a bad divorce by spending a year in Italy, India and Bali.

Eat represents her four months in Italy, filling her void with food (pastas and pizza in particular) and pleasure (friendship and companionship) while learning Italian.

Pray is the four months spent at an Ashram in India in meditation and worship.

Love is her four months finding peace and love in Bali.

Though I was on an official business, I can't help to feel a little bit excited to do some exploring on my own. Did some research on the net for must-go places in Bali as well as asked Azah and Zett for some tips..

My overall review for Bali would be:
1. Places to AVOID - Kuta - the town is too busy and crowded.. the beach there, just skip it laa... u won't miss much except for checking out the surf dudes and chicks in skimpy bikinis.. so if you are on a honeymoon or something, STAY AWAY from this area coz then your other half would be thinking about romance but not necessarily romancing you... :p

2.Accommodation / places to stay - Hotels..villas...are abundance in Kuta and the whole of Bali for that matter..the hotel in Kuta that they put us up at, was just 4 star but it was pretty cool...nothing to complain.. of course if you have the moolahs, and you want to stay at somewhere happening in Kuta, then some options would be Ramada Bintang, Kuta Paradiso or Kartika Discovery.. I was lucky to also been given the chance to stay at a 4 star villa in Tanjung Benoa, Nusa Dua... the villa is REALLY nice...felt more like 6 stars to me... my recommendation: Nusa Dua and Seminyak should be the area for you to stay if you want some privacy and some peace of mind...

3. Shopping - I only shopped in Kuta... Quiksilver, Roxy, Billabong like bersepah kat situ... so, if you are like the surf dudes and chicks, takyah la bawak banyak baju to Bali and just beli je kat sana. I did'nt really manage to check out Seminyak... only passed by the strecth of boutiques which looked much classy than the ones in Kuta... ingat nak beli some Uluwatu stuff.. but in the end like tak sempat and then totally forgot about it...

4. Food - SUPERYUMMY SEAFOOD with romantic setting by the beach... Go to Jimbaran beach - Menega Cafe in particular... sedap and murah... tapi sebab ramai sangat orang, you might have to wait kinda lama for the food to come...Restaurants to check out - Sarong at Jimbaran..Asian Cuisine yang amat sedap.. wanted to check out Ku De Ta tapi tak sempat...

5. Beautiful beaches - yes, if you go to Nusa Dua - no, if you go to Kuta or Jimbaran --- these 2 beaches would be like PD revisited tinggal just campak like hundreds of surf chicks and dudes kat situ..

6. Spa - Did'nt have much time to scout around..so tried the one at Ramada Bintang, Kuta...hmmm... totallly mind blowing...very very nice... but forgot to take pics of the place la..though lepas tu rasa macam nak tido aje...

7. The pics that I think could pass as Bali Tourism website material.... check them out...

Was brought on tour/sightseeing to Karma Kandara Beach Resort in Jimbaran...a very private and posh resort on a cliff...would cost about RM3000-4000+ per night if I'm not mistaken.. that white Villa behind me is where Julia Roberts stayed at when she was in Bali for the film Eat, Pray, Love..

The private beach at Karma Kandara... to go down to the beach you need to go on this thing called 'The Inclinator' .. (you can see the rail for 'The Inclinator' on the left side of the pic)

Jimbaran Beach - just putting this pic to show the contrast between this beach and the one in Karma Kandara...

The Bali Khama - the Villa where I stayed at.. cool huh...

It's also by the beach...

Just nice to lepak... termenung or read a book... ;p

8. The overall feeling for Bali - Nice and would definitely be remembered! :)

p/s: Zett, if you are reading this, I finally ordered Krispy Kreme on Air Asia..will post pic as proof.. could not find it pulak.. only those 2 flavours haaa? (had vanilla and peppermint with choc)...

Holiday vs 'Holiday'

2010-07-04T15:54:00.006+08:00

My parents are off with my sister for a holiday in Australia for almost 2 weeks...holidays like this would be the one time that my parents can 'cuti' from taking care of 7 kids on a daily routine....they love holidays but usually will go with a heavy heart leaving behind their grandkids...

So for 2 weeks, me and my brother will have to take leave and make arrangements to take care of the 6 kids (1 kid got lucky and is enjoying herself in Australia) as well as the house...

My father gave us his amanat, nicely written for each of us and also a copy placed on the fridge:

1. Hidupkan enjin kereta2 (panaskan enjin) 1-2 hari sekali.

2. Bagi kucing makan/minum (pagi dan petang).

3. Tutup/kunci tingkap/pintu/gate waktu keluar. Malam tutup langsir.

4. Pasang alarm.

5. Siram pokok bunga. Bunga orkid tiap2 hari pagi atau petang. Bunga lain 2 hari sekali. (jika hari tidak hujan)

6. Pasang lampu luar waktu malam dan tutup waktu pagi.

7. Vitagen & milo dekat dalam fridge belakang.

8. Biskut and Coco Crunch dalam almari.

I hope my parents are having a blast coz I'm sure my 'holiday' at home with the 6 kiddies will be a thrilling experience! ;)

Should I.. move on?

2010-06-29T19:13:00.000+08:00

Of late I've been toying with the possibility of leaving much loved B*N.. 5 years.. this would be the longest that I've worked in an organization... ingatkan I would only last 2 years the most here... technically I'm bonded for at least the next 2 years for attending that training in HK/Aceh... but that aside (maybe I could save up, to pay up) I think maybe it's time, no?

I always tell myself that, wherever I'm at, if there comes the day that I feel like dragging my feet to work or braving to see the doc every other day just to get a freaking mc, then that would be the time to leave.

For some reasons, @ B*N, I've not really gone to that stage..(Ok.. maybe I have... like during zaman pemerintahan Mdm Cenc... but the rest of the 1825 days, I'm pretty contented to be here!)...of course there will be issues but with the people I have with me I guess those issues are manageable..

So looking for a greener pasture would not be the reason why I should leave...coz I kinda like it here..I like what I do and the 'scariest' of all is that I can actually see myself retiring here.. haha.. (On top of that for all I know the grass on the other side could be poisoned.. contaminated.. whatever..)

Maybe I should just start with updating my resume... that could take at least a month or two...and also put in the resume like a package.. if you want me then you've got to bring some of my clans in Corp Affairs... hehe...

I guess when considering the situations that I was/am in, my mind is telling me that it's time... but hmmm..my heart is telling me something else... so, should I, move on?

I'm back - in spirit

2010-06-24T17:40:00.000+08:00

Why I've not been blogging?

I got distracted.

The spirit to blog is still there.

To those who emailed/sent msg in FB/sms asking me to blog - tks for the reminders.. :)

Will resume to blogging soon -- maybe..I dunno..can't promise.. c how..

Tiring + Exciting = Satisfying

2010-04-23T18:47:00.006+08:00

It's been a crazy and tiring week. Had no energy to blog. My definition of sleep can't be found in any dictionary. It's almost like scarce minerals to me.

But as corny as this may sound I just love my job. The projects that we've been doing the couple of months have just been very exciting - MyBSN-Hujan, Internal Brand Ambassador (coming soon in May) and Social Venture Challenge (coming soon in June). I can't stand routine. So, it's just been great to be doing different things every day and see them progress!

Still too tired to think.. so, won't blog much. Check out pics of the MyBSN-Hujan concert. I had fun! And I'm ever so happy to be part of this project! Truly an experience, money can't buy!

Sharing is caring ...

2010-04-07T19:11:00.005+08:00

I thought of putting up a post on the bonus and increment which at the moment masih lagi samar2 ... (which by the way had caused some freaking big zits to have a fiesta on my face and some people going all cuckoo at the office with all the predictions and rumours and cerita2 from so-called 'reliable sources')...or about my lil' Sarah who turned 2 on the 28/3 and as part of commemorating her advancement to 'toddlerhood' almost broke her arm..or about how much I need to do rebonding to my hair.... or that tonight I have to squeeze my very expensive toner harder sebab dah kering tahap kronik tapi saja degil taknak beli yang baru nak tunggu bonus punya pasal...or yack and yack and yack about how I'm stressing out...

But...instead I ended up reading Ja's blog and ... and well.. it made me kinda 'sebak' la pulak... and made me think about how other people out there deserves to stress out more than I do but they just don't...

Excertps from the post:
Bulan nie, Firman sudah saya hantar ke tuition. Cikgu tadika dia dulu yang offer.Okla. Suami saya setuju jadi saya pun on jelah. Isnin, Rabu dan Khamis kelas dia. Ala, bukan jauh sangat rumah Cikgu dia pun. Dekat sangat. Mula2 saya risau lah dengan keupayaan Firman. Pagi sekolah, petang sekolah agama dan tambah 1 lagi.. tuition. Huhuhuh. Sian takut dia penat. Tapi nampak dia ok dan sebenarnya saya mmg patut hantar dia tuition.

Sedih saya.. yelah saya bekerja. Time tula saya terpk, bestnya saya tak kerja dan jaga anak2. Semalam masa saya sampai awal pkl 6.30pm kat rumah bbsitter saya, saya dapati Firman sedang main di tepi longkang bersama budak2 di sekitar itu. Dia ok saje.. tapi sayalah yang risau. Bbsitter dia mmg takde sbb ambik budak2 sekolah. Pkl 7pm baru balik. Yang jaga dia ialah kakak dan abang dia (anak bbsitterlah). Abang(Form 1) main bola kat padang dan kakak (Form 3) plak sedang bergossip ngan kawan2 seumur dia dekat tepi longkang itulah. Sian anakku... tapi saya take it positive la kan. Biarlah dia campur2 gitu. Tak jadi masalah pun. Semua orang kat area situ ok saje. Kalau jaga sangat dia dan tak boleh itu ini tak kebal plak anak kita. Biar dia bercampur dan lasak sket walaupun mcm orang kampung. Adventerous sket. As for RYan dan Emran, ok saje. bbsitter mereka mmg tak kasi mereka keluo rumah dan terkawal. Firman je tak suka duduk situ lama2 sbb dia tak biasa sangat.

Okla, saya mandikan Firman dekat rumah bbsitter Ryan. Siap2 kan dia nak pi tuition. Lagipun mmg tak sempat nak balik rumah. Selalunya saya akan beli makanan utk dinner. Tapi sbb Firman nak kena ke tuition, saya beli nasi lemak panas kat area situ dan suap makan dalam kereta. Sedih saya gak masa tuh sbb tak proper. Nasib baik Emran tak ngamuk. Ryan okla. dia pun nak makan sama. Yelah, sebelum belajar nak pastikan perut kenyang baru boleh concentrate.

Lepas hantar Firman tuition, saya pun balik rumah. Emran berak dan Ryan kena mandi. Settle benda2 tuh semua saya solat. Adik lelaki saya sms suruh ambik dia kat LRT Sri Petaling sbb baru balik Tepen. Okla sbb pkl 9.30pm saya dah kena ambik Firman. At the same time, saya sms kat suami saya apa aktiviti saya buat sbb takut jadi apa2 kat saya.. yelah mana nak tau kan. Minta dijauhkan.. Dia pun tengah sibuk dgn kerja dia jadi saya mmg bagi dia ruang utk bekerja dan tak ganggu dia. Penat..penat.. tapi sabar.. sabar..

more.....

Ja, I hope you don't mind me sharing this with others..

Life is indeed worth living and fighting for if you have a purpose!

And this one, without a doubt is my ultimate fighter! ;)

I want to let it all out!!

2010-03-30T19:43:00.004+08:00

Lately I just feel so tired you know...
Like really tired.... emotionally...mentally...(physically - that goes without saying -- mother of two don't deserve a rest until you hit 50... :))
I'm just tired of being around angry people... and just because being the way I am, I just keep it to myself, with this muka cekodok basi... hmm... this is just not gonna be good for me in the long run...

I guess this is what happens when I keep everything bottled up inside me. I just can't let it out. The only 2 people that I can shout at would be The Kiddies.. I dunno la... I should probably be sent for an Anger Management course but for all the wrong reasons --- for me to BE ANGRY enough to let it all out! Rather than be the quiet mouse with a cekodok face.

But don't you angry people know that it’s no fun being around all that negative behavior?

Then again, it's no fun being around someone with a cekodok face either! So then this cekodok face will have to pretend to be happy and all ok.. then what? From cekodok becomes cuckoo? :p

I so need my Mocha Ice Blended now.

From splendid reading to deep realizations....

2010-03-26T13:12:00.003+08:00

I have to say that I'm actually impressed with myself... I've finished reading 3 books in one month! Okay if you don't think Diary of a Wimpy Kid should be acknowledged as a book --- get this - I read 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini and khatam within a week!

When I started reading the book, honestly, I was quite hesitant to continue. I did'nt think that I would be able to finish the book. Heavy drama which would require full concentration and time. Tough!

But the book is indeed a page-turner. I was consumed with emotions throughout.

The book tells a story about the plight of 2 women in Afghanistan, Laila and Mariam. I love the way the writer differentiated the strengths and weaknesses of these 2 women. In the beginning, you can't help but feel uncomfortable about the mistreatments and the inability of these women to fight for their rights. But as you go along reading the book, you tend to understand why they are what the are... and you will have a sense of admiration for these women especially for Mariam who in the end had sacrifised so much for the happiness of others.

I find myself a bit heartbroken as well. I had wished that Mariam too would find happiness with Laila. I had wished that she would fought for her life when she was sentenced to death for killing her husband. But that's the syariah law and she fully took responsibility for her wrong doings.
And she knew that she would find an even more meaningful sense of happiness with God.

"Mariam wished for so much in those final moments. Yet as she closed her eyes, it was not regret any longer but a sensation of abundant peace that washed her over..... Mariam's final thoughts were a few words from the Koran, which she muttered under her breath:
He has created the heavens and the earth with the truth; He makes the night cover the day and makes the day overtake the night, and He has made the moon and the sun subservient; each one runs on to an assigned term; now surely He is the Mighty, Great Forgiver. "

Although the book ended with Laila and her efforts to make a difference in her life and others in Kabul, Mariam's character is too compelling to be forgotten. It is through her inner character that she has reached out to others - in the book - and also the readers.

This book has in a way inspired me to be a better mother and o well... actually to even have another baby.... ;) It's amazing how Khaled Hosseini, a male, could write very well about the love of a mother. I could feel the strong bond and the love of Laila, Mariam, Aziza and Zalmai.

But what I love the most about the book is all the realizations that it had brought on to me. The realization .....
..... of how thankful I should be with the life that I have....
..... of not to be consumed with petty things....
..... of the joy and appreciation that I value to be in the company of good friends...
..... of my parents who will forever be my umbrella of comfort..
.... 0f the hope of as a mother that when I leave this world I want to have the comfort of knowing my Amir and Sarah would be living a good life, if not better than I have...
.... of the awakening that as a wife I want to leave the world as a woman who had loved and been loved... that I will always be remembered as a guardian and a companion.

I guess the quest for a meaningful life and existence will never end.

This is a splendid book that I will definitely treasure!

Recording session with Hujan

2010-03-17T18:31:00.002+08:00

Recording session for the jingle had to be done at the wee hours for 2 nights coz these guys are like owls... I could only manage to go for the first night... kalau dulu2 boleh stay up/lepak sampai pagi buta... ni pukul 12am pun rasa cam nak pengsan..

My sister got excited when I told her about the recording.. though she was complaining about how tired she was coz of work, tiba2 semangat nak ikut... at the studio, she got even more excited and asked if we could bring her 3 kids and hubby the next day! Actually she even suggested to bring my mother and father! ;)

So, really among the budak2 muda tiba2 sesat lak 2 org makcik and 2 orang pakcik (Eddy and En. Rahman who were also there to take pics and footage) kat situ...

I kinda thought when they say recording, that would mean the whole group singing/playing the instruments together and they record it la kan.. tapi zaman sekarang canggih...sume pakai machine/computer... so it could be done one by one... i.e by the time we came, it was AG's turn to play the guitar... Am's session with his drum dah habis... and although Noh was there, he would only sing the next day bila sume music dah ready....

It was kinda cool really to be experiencing all this... tinggal memang tak larat je la.. and the thought of having to attend to the kids when I reach home at 1.30am and then going to work the next day lagilah buat rasa macam nak pengsan....

I have to say that I'm really pleased with the commitment by the band.. maybe it's too early to tell? I dunno.. I guess reading the newspapers about them the past one year made me skeptical about their behaviour/commitment... but so far they've been very accommodating and they can do things really fast... It's good also I think that they have someone like Dimas who is more matured and really cares about the band... kalau tidak I'm sure they won't be able to survive this long...

Can't wait to share the jingle with you peeps! :)

My sister who was like malu2 kucing bila Noh ajak amik gambar... she went like .. takpe..takpe..tak payah.. tak payah.... and then Noh slamba said...Kak, bukan senang akak nak duduk kat kerusi ni pastu amik gambar ngan saya... ;p

See.. like me... no malu2 kucing one..... :)

AG Coco

Noh Hujan foolin around in the studio

Al Fatihah, K. Ruby Ahmad

2010-03-16T11:31:00.006+08:00

It's always sad when you put a face to death...

K.Ruby Ahmad, our fellow TKCian senior who is known to be so full of life, passed away last night.

Al Fatihah... My condolence to her family.. she will be remembered...

"I have friends of varying ages (both younger and older), of varying professions and background. The association with many friends is so enriching. It opens up my wolrd to the different perspectives of life. It makes me do new things in my life. Changes!

I learn more today, than I ever did before, through the various friendships, I have struck along the way. It mellowed me somewhat, with sharing of both happiness and sadness, successes and failures with our friends.

It is humbling to realise that friendship is about value not material. - Ruby Ahmad "

Other tributes to K.Ruby:

Marina Mahathir
Nuraina Samad
Zetty J
K.Teh's

Farewell...We'll miss you!

2010-03-15T19:10:00.004+08:00

Last Saturday we bid farewell to Pn Azian a.k.a Numero 2...
My history with Pn Azian started waayyy back then when I was in DaimlerChrysler... we were not close then... we hardly even see / speak to each other because we were not in the same department or even the same wing.. so it was the occassional hi(s) and bye(s) in the loo..at the pantry.. at the coffee machine etc... but on her last day with DaimlerChrysler she came to my desk and asked if I were interested to join B*N.. did'nt think she was serious then... did'nt even think that I would hear from her again after that.... but ... she followed-up.. called..texted me... and finally asked me to come for an interview with the CEO...

Soon after my history begun with her at B*N... There were many people who came to me and said that she's a gory boss... but hmmm... I dunnola.... maybe if you don't perform and don't do your work properly then she has to be gory with you la to get the job done... but till today after like 4 years working with her I find her to be very OK.. to me, the Bank needs someone like her to change the working attitude, culture, environment etc in order to bring the Bank to the next level... and she has indeed done a lot for the Bank!

Her commitment and hardwork were both well-acknowledged which is why within 5 years she could moved on to be Numero 2 in the Bank diapit oleh Numero 3 and 4 who are both males... definitely not easy...

I wish you all the best Pn Azian... We will definitely miss you! I hope you're really staying home to bake and cook.... ;)

It should have been just the 3 of us.... picture would have looked better... did'nt have the heart to crop Kama's picture though... ;)

Yes, she cried..but this was not a picture of her crying... this was when we showed a clipping of her first appearance in Selamat Pagi Malaysia - with Mak Datin hairdo and bushy eyebrows!

The singing emcees - yes, they can sing and emcee!

The team with Pn Azian..

With Sally who did 2 really cool multimedia/video for the night!

Yes, yes... we all want to follow u wherever you wanna go after this... haha.. kidding..kidding..

Huhu..I'm ssoooo gonna miss you!

p/s: Her best advice to me ever : Emilia, no matter what happens don't cry in front of him! -this was when I had to face an ex-Senior Management member who is super duper garang and famous for quotes like "Someone will die today!"

HUJAN! It's raining men!

2010-03-05T19:39:00.004+08:00

Things are moving so fast!

Contract signed.Hujan came back from Europe tour and worked on our jingle. Noh did'nt sleep .. yet did a fantastic job on giving us 3 proposed jingles. Totally love 2 of em - we were in consensus though on which had the commercial value.

Same afternoon gave jingle to ad agency and discussed on the concept. Totally loved the concept and it opened my eyes to a whole branding campaign that we could do with them. Same evening Numero 2 was excited to get Numero 1 to listen to the songs. I was skeptical as to whether he would like any of them. But he loved both too - well we did have an interesting discussion on the 2 songs coz he preferred the one that we thought was not that commercial. I tried soft-selling the branding campaign coz it was still something very 'rough' at that point of time. Numero 1 looked at me all weird.. like.. hmm..biar betul budak ni... :p

Same night called Dimas-Hujan and agency to improve the lyrics and meet up for proper presentation on Friday i.e today.

13 people in the room during presentation including Hujan, agency and Numero 1 & 2. I could see from their faces initially that they did'nt quite buy the concept presented by the agency. But I was actually really excited with the concept. I love it because it would be fresh. It would be something that I guess people would never ever thought BSN would do. So I just gambled and blabbed about the branding campaign that we could develop from the proposed concept. In the end it was almost like I was pitching for the campaign instead of the agency... ;) AND THEY BOUGHT IT! (i hope the agency would really do a good job on the campaign if not it would be my head on the chopping board!)

So next Monday would be our private get-to-know/chill session with Hujan at a cafe in KLCC. The E-Channel department would then be working with them on a photoshoot for below the line ad campaigns. We're also finalizing the lyrics for the jingle next week. Week after would probably be to work on production schedule for the TVC. Then the shoot for TVC would be done for 2 days before these guys leave for their US tour.

I think I am getting too comfortable with this agency. Can't blame me when they have done such a good job and put some really good thoughts for all the projects right?

I've to give credit to Numero 1 & Numero 2 lah.. it's much easier to be creative when we're not bogged down with budget constraint. I'm glad that they were very open with all the suggestions/ideas. Of course they've got stuff that they disagreed to. But those to me were constructive disagreements?

Well ok.. I don't wanna get too excited here. But I really hope the TVC will be another cool TVC for *SN! As for the branding campaign...kalau betul2 jadi, memang best!

With Dimas, Noh, Adelina, Linda and Numero 2 at Hujan's studio.. listening to the jingle.. Took lotsa pics.. but this Noh likes to make funny faces.. so, I can only put this one laahh...

1 book, 1 month

2010-03-02T06:26:00.006+08:00

In my effort trying to keep up with my personal campaign of 1 book,1 month, I've decided to go back to basics and read simple books which I can foresee that I could finish reading within the deadline.

I took up Mona's suggestion and bought this.

And I'm so glad that I did..It's freaking cool and hillarious!

Honestly, when I was at MPH it was between this book and that book. This was suggested by Shahzan...apparently this book is good for soul searching..I was memang looking high and low for this book... since I was not well-versed with anything Paulo Coelho's I told the Shop Assistant that I was looking for a book titled Alcamous or Alcamus - she gave me a Microbiology book!

I tried stuffs by Cecilia Ahern.. but this book is too sappy for me la.. it's good.. but it kinda make me feel I dunno...lost and sad? Bought this 2 months ago and I was stuck at page 109. I've got 600+ pages to go! :p

Yeah... for the moment, I'll stick to the Wimpy Kid! Already bought part 2! :)

Brand Ambassador

2010-02-12T23:53:00.005+08:00

We had a mini signing ceremony with HUJAN who will be the Bank's first ever Brand Ambassador. It was not easy to get a Brand Ambassador especially because we have in mind a specific group that we want to target. There were a lot of things that we had to look at. I guess Miss Y could have been the most ideal with her image and all. And the other band that we approached seemed pretty promising too - but too expensive!

But HUJAN's not too bad either. Currently the band has a large fan base/followers and personality wise, I feel that they are pretty unique... poyo at times... ;p but that's how they are I guess.. as in people in the indie scene/budak2 muda... We look forward to exciting stuff with the band!Especially a new jingle that they will write and compose for us.We're having them on board for a year so yeah...they will be making a lot of appearances in our events.

Rimas giler tengok rambut Noh Hujan..rasa macam nak amik gunting and kerat time tu jugak!

Sempoi...discussing the terms over nasik lemak..

HUJAN with makcik2 skema B*N.. ;)

Maybe if things don't work out with the indie band.. we can go for someone veteran like him... hehe..

I was here

2010-02-08T23:10:00.000+08:00

No..no.. was not in Thailand... close to Thailand though... I was in Kelantan...

The past 3 weeks have been crazy for us at Corporate Affairs...timbunan keje and events.. hence no time to blog at all.. I was in Kelantan for the opening of the Bank's 1st full-fledge Islamic Banking branch..

Before going off to Kelantan we were forewarned to bring lotsa moooollahss...apparently Kelantan is a happening place to shop especially for pinggan mangkuk and kain2... since both K.Arida and me are not into these things, memang tak banyak bawak cash le... lagipun it's already end of the month....

Gedik Fesyen.. hehe.. lawak..

Banyak giler soft toys! I bought a gigantic Spiderman for Amir and K.Arida bought a cool guitar for her Amir which had attracted lotsa attention in the airport.. even the Minister who came to officiate our event commented on the toys when we bumped into him at the airport..

Nice.. but they are sooo not me..

We got curious to see org beratur ramai2 kat stall pakcik ni...

Rupanya sebab mende ni.... YUMMYLICIOUS!!!!!

Sebab ujung bulan, ni je lah yg kitaorg mampu borong...

I was super ecstatic to find these at a very cheap price!

eh..wait...wait.. we went there to work.. this was just a side activity... ;)

A proud and syahdu moment for all.. (Adik ni is a johan tilawah peringkat kebangsaan sekolah2 for a couple of years already...he is blind and he reads the braille quran..a teeny boy but suara sedap sangat2..)

This was my first time Kelantan.. won't mind going there again..cheap stuff..good food..

Bringing out the Bree in me

2010-01-23T01:00:00.006+08:00

Been dying to update blog! But I've been busy at work and at home..not to mention lack of sleep coz at the new house, for reasons I dunno, the kiddies would only sleep like 1-2am everyday!

But since moving to the new house, though tired, I somehow have this spirit to cook. I mean, I'd like to cook la for dinner and all. Though a lot of people have been telling me that it's just impossible to cook on a working day - save it for the weekend. Tapi cam suka plak nak try main masak2... hehe..

The first meal that I tried to cook for dinner was Fetuccine Alfredo which only Memey and me could eat.. my hubby called it Fetuccine Astaghfirullahhalazim.... Looking at his face when eating almost made me swear to never ever cook again till eternity!

I told Sally about the incident and dia lak tak puas hati because I kept on saying that I don't think I could ever cook... she was determined to make sure that I could at least cook a decent meal and gave me some really cool recipes...most importantly all were like very easy to do!

I tried cooking the Nestum Butter Prawn --- I could eat it and hubby had like 5 pieces of the prawn though after that he said the prawn takdela sedap sgt... gotta agree with him..I think kuali was too panas and I put too much butter... lepas tu mende yang takde dalam recipe pun gatal pegi tambah so last2 tak rasa sgt the nestum... but Amir really liked the fried rice..had 3 servings of em..am sure if I practice a bit more, my nestum butter prawn can be improved.

Sally pesan, jgn lupa buang misai udang...pakai gunting je.. when doing that I wondered like nak gunting byk mana...last2 I almost buang the whole kepala...most of the udang takde mata.. :p
did'nt even know that I should also buang the taik kat badan tu until hubby pointed it out to me... yeah...I'm that bad...

Nestum butter prawn.. tapi nampak cam sambal udang plak..I think my biggest mistake was to add the '*aggi Cukup Rasa' tu... not in sally's recipe tapi gatal gi tambah sebab dah cuak tengok nestum tu jadi kaler brown sgt (sebab kuali panas sgt kot)...

Tarrraaaa...

Then I tried my hand at Western food... I was all over the place preparing this coz it was already about 7.45pm when I wanted to start my 'experiment' ...so kalau tak jadi sume org kena makan nuggets ngan fries je lah... dahlah kat umah tu takde lesung...ketuk and lenyek pakai whatever that I could find.. :) BUT in the end the Western meal especially the mashed potato turned out to be superyummy!

Siap print recipe..Sally rajin gile..her recipe came with pictures of how it should look like for each and every step..

Teka mana satu alat melenyek potato?

Whoallaahhh! Mashed potato sedap giler tahap gaban okay!

Asked hubby what he thought of it coz I thought I deserved an A+... he said oklah... OK je, I said? Takde puji2 ke? Then he said dia puji dlm hati je.. so I guess that's a compliment?

I guess I may not have brought out the Bree in me (yet!)... but at least I no longer have that Susan in me!

Welcome 2010!

2010-01-05T18:31:00.007+08:00

Unlike other bloggers, I guess I don't really have a super cool entry to mark the new year.

Looking back at 2009, I am actually very contented with what I've done and accomplished. And what an end to 2009 - new car that I truly truly love and makes me want to go to the office early everyday, unofficially moving in to the new house and learning to manage things on my own at home like an actual wife and mother, that trip to Hong Kong/Acheh/Medan which had been one of my defining moments, a very pricey family holiday which had given us priceless moments with the kiddies! So yeah contented could be an understatement? I am happy and thankful for just about everything.

I hope 2010 would bring me even more joy. Though I somehow feel that 2010 could be a very challenging year as well. Especially because:

1. Financially, we (me+hubby) had spent a lot in 2009 particularly for the house so we need to be extra cautious of our spendings this year.

2. New Chapter - I have finally moved out from the nest. I am excited to have a home of our own. It is really nice actually..comfort..privacy..but yeah..shoot me! I am still sappy.. while packing my clothes the other day I actually felt kinda mellow and had flashbacks of the memories that I have in the house with my parents... but I am looking forward to creating new memorable moments with my hubby and kiddies at our own nest! :)

3. I want to move up the ladder! - I want to do so much to change people's perception of the Bank. I am particularly excited to embark on the new CSR project and make a difference, should it be approved. Most importantly I need my own covered parking space for my new car so yeah I will work my a** off for this! ;p

4. I want to travel the world - One of the regrets that I've had to this very day is that I've never travelled (like just the two of us) with my husband. We never had a honeymoon. I would love to do this with him at any point of time in future. But now that we have kids, it breaks my heart to leave them behind. And I don't think both of us could stand the thought of them at home while we have our own private time. Oh yeah.. I also wish that I had travelled with the girls when we were all single. It could have been so much fun. I guess we all never really thought of this before -- semua sibuk bercouple, patah hati and bercinta.. :p My point is: I hope this year I could do a bit of travelling with hubby and the girls.. I know it's tough.. but even if it's just for a couple of days and just once this year, it would be good enough for me.

5. This is the most challenging of all -- improve my culinary skills which as of now is still at the level of 'No skill' .. I try.. If I have more time I could probably be better at this.. but I need to explore, fail a couple of times and then after I am sure I would be able to cook some cool/good dishes.

6. I aspire to do something for the community - After that trip to Acheh, I've done some errr.. soul searching? and thought hard of the one thing that concerns me the most about the world.. or u know like what role I could play to make sure that the world will not be so ugly in the next 20,30 years.. I've discovered that my concerns are more towards the children.. i.e sexually abused..missing/kidnapped etc... so hmm.. yeah.. I'm doing something about this.. my battle this year is towards fighting pornography and helping to find missing children. Not easy. But I'll try my very best and do my bit!

Looks like the challenges would be like my resolutions? I had 10 resolutions last year.. {read here} which I have thus far fulfilled like hmmm 90% of em.. So 6 resolutions for 2010 would not be that hard I guess... granted that they are pretty ambitious but definitely not impossible to be accomplished!

Happy New Year you all! I would like to welcome the new year with my favourite pic in 2009, taken on the 31st of Dec 2009. Despite driving me crazy with their antics, I love these two brats more and more everyday!

Tsunami - A history

2009-12-28T18:59:00.006+08:00

This entry is kinda overdue.. after visiting Acheh I had thought of putting up an entry about Aceh, post-tsunami on the 26th of Dec itself to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the tragedy but I got myself occupied with some stuff... Anyway....

I've been reading the newspapers the past couple of days about the tragedy... somehow it seems like it is a tragedy that people would want to remember? Or maybe because it is just nice to say that it is the '5th Anniversary'.. I dunno... meeting the people in Acheh and actually talking to them, I get the feeling that they just want to move on... and they need to move on i.e socially and economically.. I guess although reconstruction was very much in need, post-tsunami, it had made people pay less attention to the needs of a normal living human... yes, they build houses, buildings, shops, etc.. but what about in terms of their needs for sustainable income? Livelihood?

We met Mrs Linda, a British citizen who runs the Lamjabat Foundation with her husband Pak Yadi. Linda has worked with various NGOs and been living in Indonesia for 15 years (married Pak Yadi when she was working with Lamjabat - Pak Yadi lost almost all of his family members during tsunami). Lamjabat Foundation was set up one week after tsunami to help the victims in terms of livelihood program. Throughout the days that I was in Acheh, I have been listening to gory stories about deaths, bloated dead bodies etc.. so it was quite a change to hear stories from Linda about what had been done instead of what had happened...

Granted that she started with giving us some alarming statistics i.e like Ulilie (not sure of the spelling) which had lost 95% of its population and buildings.. but she then continued telling us about the programs that they have done with the local people.. One of the first programs that they had done post-tsunami was to help the people at Maralisa (again, not sure of the spelling).. a slightly wealthier area in Aceh..many of the people there were quite well-off before the tsunami as they had their own business..when tsunami hit them, they have lost their family members, business, houses etc and were living in small camps.. despite already pshychologically affected by this, the community at Maralisa, even the young ones were asked to go to the village to use shovels and search for bodies..they were actually being paid for this but they were very very depressed..

So the people at Lamjabat Foundation under the children's program had taken about 500 children from Maralisa, (many of whom have lost their family and friends) away from the distressing camps to get them together so that they could actually have friends and basically have a life... when she was telling us all this I just could not help thanking God for giving my children all that they have today... really...I can't bear thinking about these kids in Acheh who could not understand what was happening to them, with no father / mother/ relatives/friends...

Their program sounded almost too simple - they started with a swimming class! But simplicity works the best especially because all of them were still in shock and the tragedy still very vivid in their minds... they had swimming competitions, playtime for the kids.. basics stuff to get the children together and have new friends... after some time the program seemed to be working and they then continued to have more programs to help the youths and women... computer classes for the youths and handicrafts for the women...

They are still trying their best to get the community more involved and having a source of income apart from fishing and farming... at the village where she is, it's sometimes frustrating when there is no proper structure in terms of leadership...and in a place like Acheh where it was like a war zone with gun battles and all just before tsunami, makes things much harder...without an active vilage head, things were moving slowly... apparently at the village, the people elected a 23 year old man who cannot read and write because they think that if he's not educated then he would not be corrupt... hmmm....

I can see that there is a lot of potential for Acheh.. the beaches (minus) the cows/cow dungs are very beautiful.. but it would be tough to develop it into a tourism area when the beaches are just behind somebody's house.. or even simple handicrafts made in Acheh are not that easy to find..

We were told that the donors money, about 6.7 billion USD are all gone. Which is why the govt is now almost in a panic mode to sustain the economy of Acheh. I truly hope that moving forward, there would be more programs to help the people economically.

The people will have a future, and tsunami will just be a history.

Masjid Baiturrahim..125 years old...I was told by Pak Irfan who brought us to the mosque that almost 2000 people who ran into the mosque during the tragedy were all alive..others outside the mosque died and buildings ruined... the only damage to the mosque was the side gate..

The infamous 'Kapal PLTD Apung 1' which weighs 2600 tonnes right in the middle of a housing area..

Photo taken at Ujong Pancu, a very beautiful village by the beach..

Fishing is still their main source of income..

Some of the villagers had gone up to the hills before tsunami to save themselves...they had predicted that something bad would happen because the sea looked different..

Playground for the kids at Lamjabat Foundation..

The participants listening to Linda..She can speak very good Bahasa Indonesia by the way..

Linda and Pak Yadi..

Checking out some of the crafts made by the villagers..

A view of Acheh from the sky.. go visit... not much activity to be done..but a beautiful place and a good place indeed for some soul-searching...

An amazing experience..

2009-12-13T23:51:00.000+08:00

A belated update on the presentation/conference and my last day in Medan..

How was the presentation? It went pretty well.. had cold sweat..felt like my heart could explode and that I could have a heart attack and pass out.. But I did'nt! I think there were more than 80 people that day... nasib baik it was decided that the presentation could also be done in Bahasa sebab the majority yang datang were Indonesians. When presenting I sort of focused my eyes on those who would nod when I deliver my points -- because then I know that there are people who are actually listening to me.

We're all loking forward to seeing the project materialized. It's still a long journey. But even if it takes longer than what we expect, I truly hope that GIFT will do its best to bring forward our ideas.

I had these as desserts and a big cup of cappucino the night before the presentation to calm myself down..

Pic not so good ler.. I am seated in the middle..

Err..that's me doing my presentation..

With Hans from the Swiss Premium Choc company.. gave us really good input for our materials..used to be a farmer..he now travels the world..and he's just 35!

The B*N gang..

At Jimbaran restaurant in Medan..we had seafood and it was delicious! All the participants including the Mat Sallehs makan pakai tangan...it was funny.. one of the first questions that I got was why right hand, not left? ;)

Fazul, born in Msia but miserable in Bahasa.. :) now in Beijng continuing his studies.. with Xiau Juan from Beijing who is ever so innocent yet fun to be with..

Anna, who was the youngest pasrticipant I think.. pretty impressive this gal.. at 23 she runs her own company and is the founder of this environmentally friendly renewable energy of some sort.. kalau tak silap..

Will most definitely miss Cindy and her antics.. had drinks, just the two of us the night before we parted.. rest of the guys were on a rendevous to find a club/karaoke joint in Medan..I can't sing and I can't dance.. was ever so happy to have company for a cup of coffee..

On the bus going to the airport, I saw these 2 kids asking for money when the cars stopped at the traffic light... They saw me taking their pics and showed me their bum.. ;p

They were more than happy to pose for the camera..

Too happy I guess.. :) Had wondered where the mother was.. then when the bus moved, I saw the mother sitting by the roadside with 2 babies (probably like 10-11 months old) tengah baring kat tepi jalan tu under the hot sun..the babies were sleeping.. tak pakai baju and were just covered with kain batik... :(

My 2 kiddies fetched me at the airport.. in the car Sarah merajuk like mad sampai tengok muka mak dia pun takmo... pegang tangan dia pun kena tepis.. hug pun dia takde perasaan...sampai kat rumah baru okay... tapi nak melekat je lah macam koala bear... Amir is all chirpy and happy.. told me many times that he did not cry at all when I was away... :)

At the end of the program we were all asked to say a few words on what we think about the whole experience, traits of a leader etc. I simply said that I was really glad that I decided to go for the program. I've learnt a lot and that this has been one of my defining moments apart from giving birth!

Will definitely tell the Bank to continue sending people. I heard the next one will be in Kalimantan..

To sum it all up, I've had an amazing experience.. I've learnt to appreciate life and the things I have.. be thankful.. be mindful of what's going on around me.. I guess in life, we can give ourselves all sorts of reasons and forgive ourselves for not being able to contribute to the society regularly.. i.e busy with work..kids..family..but we could do it if we want to every single day of our lives.. don't have to go for a crusade to save the world...but start small.. there are a lot of things that we can do.. i.e instilling good values to our kids, switching off the aircond when we don't need it,recycle, join a society/NGO and many many more... yes, work and family is important but the society that we live in is important too..

p/s: Have you ever wondered where your old handphone, laptops, computers had gone to? Are the relevant organizations doing something to avoid those stuff being thrown away just like that and affect the environment?

Butterflies in my tummy!

2009-12-10T22:51:00.005+08:00

Ngantuk..ngantuk...about to board the plane to Medan..

The newly-opened Marriot Hotel...sssssoooooo niceeee...

Can't wait to get into bed....

View of Medan from the room..

Toye siot muka masa rehearsal...

Update!

Arrived in Medan at about 9.00am today. Was in awe with the hotel. It's damn bloody nice! Room is superb. Too bad only 2 nights here and most of our time would of course be spent in the conference room. But I would really want to have a good sleep tonite.. that is if I'm not hyperventilating!

I'm soooo nervous for the presentation. We slogged again tonight...And had like 2 rounds of rehearsals. But we finished earlier than the nights in Aceh. We've decided to have 1 emcee and 4 presenters tomorrow. Since the majority that would turn up tomorrow would be Indonesians, we will have 2 English presenters and 2 Bahasa presenters. I've been asked to present the Community section in Bahasa. Time rehearsals pun rasa cam nak terkucil.. besok depan 80 orang tak tau la camna.. but I told myself.. hmmm those speaking English obviously won't understand what I say and those who speaks Indonesian would probably just be confused with what I say... so, what the heck! Present je lah! It would be over in 10 mins.

I pray that the conference would go well.. the U*DP rep did dot seem too pleased with the materials that we've done.. kept on stressing about training to the farmers may not be funded etc etc.. hmm... we're still going ahead with the Business Plan anyway... mainly because we have received pretty good response from 2 big chocolate exporters i.e Armajaro and Olam. And the Heads of these 2 organizations will be at the conference tomorrow.

We also have with us for the past 3 days, a rep from a Swiss Choc Company who is also said to be the son/kaum kerabat from the Porsche family. He's been giving us feedback on the materials and our presentations. Pak Hamzah, the trader King has been giving us good feedback too. He is apparently driving from Pidie to Medan (8 hrs journey) to attend the conference tomorrow.

So, I guess we're all set to go. Power to the farmers of Aceh!

I already have butterflies in my tummy. Can't wait for this to end. Just chill. Sleep. Shop. And then go back to kiss and hug the 2 kiddies! :)

Ready to go!

2009-12-10T01:49:00.005+08:00

Looking at the whole situation, it's obvious that the crucial part is to think of ways to improve production. The production team initially struggled to come up with some good analysis and proposals. But they finally came up with really good stuff for the Business Plan. We now have a pretty solid Business Plan I would say.

I guess the best thing about working on the Business Plan is that everyday we get news about parties who have already shown interest in the project, be it an NGO or chocolate exporters. I know that it is not easy to get them to 'buy' our ideas but the fact that these people have RSVP to attend the conference in Medan and hear us out shows that there is some promise in this project. Apparently the total number of people attending the conferenece would be about 80 people now! I look forward to the Conference yet a bit nervous because I'll be presenting to this bunch of people...

A bad cocoa plant.

The Finance team -- thank God I'm not in this team!

By now, all of us have become experts in cocoa.. ;)

See...told u..main blasah je nak keringkan the cocoa..

The past 2 days we all had been slogging till the wee hours to finish up the business plan.

I'm actually very tired. I guess the slogging has now gotten to me. I'd better go..need to get some rest. We all need to wake up at 5.00am tomorrow morning to go to the airport and take a flight to Medan.

p/s: Heard the hotel in Medan is kinda cool.. Marriot,new - about 6 months...5 stars but 6 stars quality.. Nice... :)

Cocoa Calamity

2009-12-07T01:52:00.000+08:00

Have you been to a cocoa farm?
Have you seen how the farmers dry their cocoa beans?
Coz if you have, I guess you would think twice before eating that piece of yummy chocolate! ;)

The journey to Pidie seems like forever although it was just about 3 hours..road going up the hill was bumpy..I thought the Mat Salleh's would get sick tapi yang rasa nak muntahnya minah Aceh yg jadi our translator for the day... :p

As we needed to get as much information about the farmers and the cocoa industry in Pidie fast I hopped in the van with Pak Hamzah (a cocoa trader) and Pak Sayid (a rep from APED/UNDP). Pak Hamzah is a reputable cocoa trader in Pidie district -- probably the one and only cocoa trader in Pidie who had the capital to buy,process and sell cocoa to big exporters.

I also met with Pak Jailani a cocoa farmer who poured his heart out to us. He owns about 1 hectare of cocoa farm (about 800 cocoa plants). He works on the farm with his wife and daughter, 7 hours a day. But Pak Jailani and in fact all of the farmers in Pidie lacks the skills and techniques to produce good cocoa beans. I got a shock to see how they dry the cocoa beans -- in front/at the back of their houses/wherever possible! Kalau hujan, then hancuss...Since the cocoa's quality is not so good, they can't demand much on the pricing...so although they have a big farm, the money that they could get from selling cocoa is barely enough for them to get by... their minimum wage per month is about RM 350 only!

Winding road to the cocoa farm.. it's the rainy reason.. jalan licin and lecak teruk..

With Pak Jailani..apsal muka aku poyo tu? :p

With Pak Hamzah, the trader King!

My team with Pak Zulkifli, Pak Hamzah and Nadra (our translator)

Drying the cocoa beans.. hmm....wonder how something so yummy could actually be so icky!

More cocoa drying -- on the baadminton court..

Processed cocoa at Pak Hamzah's place..

Dried cooca beans..

The cocoa kiddies.. :)

We were at Pidie District for a couple of hours.. The journey going back was scary coz it was dark (lampu jalan takde), it rained heavily and the road was slippery. By the time we reached the hotel it was already 8.30pm. Everybody was pretty tired but we of course had to conggregate and share our findings. Our session ended at about 11.30pm -- I was half dead by then... that was just the first day.. still a long journey for the team...

The project begins..

2009-12-05T00:53:00.002+08:00

Hi all,
I've been sending emails to people to keep them posted about what has been happening but I've not been blogging..my schedule is really really tight..I thought of blogging about the places that I've been to in Hong Kong but I'm actually more excited about this project...

Today, after a 3 hours flight from Hong Kong to KL, 2 hrs transit in KL to catch a flight to Medan, 3 hrs transit in Medan to catch a flight to Acheh, I safely arrived at about 9.00pm...
Yes, I'm tired. The program has been very drilling so far. BUT it's just great. If anybody were to ask me about the program, I only have good things to say about it. These people at Global Institute of Tomorrow (GIFT) is a bunch of amazing people with a determination to bring about positive changes.

I've learnt so much the past couple of days.. met with some very inspiring people and realized how little I knew about the things going on around the world. I mean, I am a working mother who is satisfied with the way things are --- I don't think about things like globalization and it's effects..what's happening in China and India...CSR vs social entrepeneurship.. but if I don't learn about these things I will be left behind.

Anyway, here I am in Acheh. I've a big responsibility. The group has been divided into 4 teams - Finance, Governance, Community and Production and for God knows why, I've been elected to lead the Community team. In my team I have Cindy (Australian), Becky (China) and Xiau Juan (also from China).

The project?
The cocoa producing communities of Acheh have volatile incomes and lack reliable access to credit facilities. This traps them in a cycle of poverty and dependency. The participants of the Global Young Leaders (YLP) program has been given the task to create a more sustainable model for cocoa farmers to relaize greater economic benefits for their efforts. Right now, the farmers do not realize that they could really make a business out of their cocoa. So,they kept on producing cocoas of bad quality, will get sold at a cheaper price and won't be able to be exported to the outside world. So, we need to help them out.

We've got a busy day tomorrow. At 8am all 20 of us would be taking a 2 hours journey to the cocoa farm. This is for us to see the production of cocoa. Apparently it is the harvesting season now so I guess this would be interesting to see. After that we would be brought to the cocoa collection centre in Sigli to meet the farmers so that we can learn more about their challenges and concerns. We would be meeting about 5 farmers from Aceh Utara (they need to take a 12 hrs drive to come to Banda Acheh) and 5 farmers from the Pidie District. The 3rd stop would be exciting I think. We've been invited to the Bupati's (like Penghulu) house. We would only be back to the hotel at about 8pm.

We all don't have much time actually. We need to do the groundwork on the next couple of days and after that consolidate all the information for the business plan. On Thursday we will be flying to Medan and on Friday present the proposal in a conference held at JW Marriot Hotel, Medan. I've been told that about 100 people will attend the conference -- UNDP, APED, local authorities, people from Cadbury, cocoa exporters and Body Shop.

Okay, I'm gonna catch some sleep peeps. Hopefully, I won't be too tired to blog tomorrow.

Hong Kong - Day 1

2009-11-29T23:44:00.004+08:00

The very very busy street in Mong Kok..

Got a room with a nice view of the city..

The room is also facing the Hong Kong football club.. so it was really cool to see the football field full with all the teams having their training..

The teeny Pakistani ala Mamak shop at Wan Chai Road..

The most expensive roti canai meal that I've ever had in my entire life!

Brief update - (too tired to type and think of a good storyline)

- Arrived safely at about 12.45pm (HK and Msia time is the same).
- No sign of 'Sellcom's' roaming service --- crap!
- Took a cab to Cosmopolitan Hotel - shared cab with Azmi and Shahzan - cab very terer.. taruk 3 luggage besar kat boot tapi takyah tutup-can't say anything coz he seemed to know what he was doing.
- Arrived safely at Cosmopolitan Hotel with luggage still in the boot.. phew
- Taxi costs us HK 375!!
- Contemplated to go to Disneyworld but tak jadi coz ticket counter closes early today
- Walked around Times Square --- met, saw a lot of Filipinos and Indons (???)
- Decided to experiment with the MRT
- Went to Mong Kok - huge street market probably like 5x bigger than Petaling Street -- yes, this is where I'll buy your key chains and fridge magnets... hehe
- Got hungry after walking for 3 hours .. MCd and KFC looked damn bloody yummy.. tapi iman masih kuat... :)
- Took the MRT to Wan Chai, which is near the hotel and said to have a lot of halal food ... walked round and round and round but could not find any... time was 7.30pm but it felt like 10pm ...we walked no less than 30km today
- Bumped into some Arabs who told us where we could find a Pakistani restaurant
- Pakistani restaurant is actually like a very tiny mamak place
- I ate the most expensive roti canai ever -- RM 30!!
- Damnnnn tired...
- Missing the kids already
- Hard to sleep without the kiddies... thank God I brought their clothes... at least adalah jugak bau...
- Programme starts early tomorrow -- just found out that b'fast not included -- :p
- Money spent today = RM 187! I could be broke by the end of the week..
- Tomorrow we plan to check out Central or Victoria Harbour after the programme
- Weather is just nice.. not too cold..

Itinerary

2009-11-24T14:37:00.003+08:00

Got the itinerary yesterday.. tight schedule especially in HK.. don't think I would have time for Disneyland.. :p Ainun who's now in HK, gave me some really goos tips and info... so I hope I would still be able to do some shopping or exploring in HK.. Looks like I'll have more leisure time in Acheh..I'm surprised to see that there are a lot of places for us to go for makan... siap ada Italian Restaurant lagi...

I've got lots of reading to do before I go...The briefing notes is like a 70-pager thingy with a gazillion things to know about cocoa and the economic condition in Acheh... I see that there will also be a presentation that we have to do to potential funders...I hope I won't be the one to present!

My new ride...

2009-11-20T05:01:00.008+08:00

When I was in secondary school, my dream car was a yellow vitara...masa kat Uni I had wished for a Civic bullet tu...but since the day that I got my licence to drive, I've been a loyalist of the Proton family... Proton Saga..Proton Satria..Proton Waja..

I have collected my long awaited b'day gift... and I totally totally lurrrrrrvvvvvvvveeeeee it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sorry peeps..had some probs downloading pic from hp..so terpaksa mengoogle..

Don't you just love the colour? It is just apt that orang pembersih like moi to get this colour kan... ;)

Thanks Nyet..I promise you won't find any karipap 3 minggu in the car....

Pain in the neck

2009-11-20T04:07:00.005+08:00

It's 3.30am..I'm tired but I can't sleep..My neck is bloody painful..This has been going on for 2 weeks already..the first time I felt the pain, I could not even move my head..but I thought it was just like salah tidor ke apa..went to see the dr and she thought the same too..told me that the pain would go away in a day or two..gave me an MC to rest, some muscle pills, calcium and painkillers..

But it's been 2 weeks now and it's not getting any better.. sometimes I would even experience dizziness..if I take the painkillers memang rasa tak sakit langsung and I could move like normal..so if at the office, I really have to take the pills or else I won't be able to get any work done..but I'm trying to refrain myself from religiously popping the painkillers..like cutting it down from 3 times a day to 1 time a day... the last thing I want is to be dependent on painkillers to function...

Somehow after what had happened to my brother, I've got this phobia of going to the dr..it's like, really..I don't wanna know if it's anything serious..so instead I've been googling to find out about the possible causes and ways to reduce the pain..although I found some cool stuff such as these,

Some of the info is just as scary as that trip to dr...like having to go for an MRI scan...injections..surgery... am giving myself one more day...if still sakit, then I guess I have no choice but to see the dr.. :(

Hong Kong.. Acheh.... can I survive?

2009-11-17T18:58:00.003+08:00

Looks like it's confirmed! Got that phone call from GIFT today to confirm the details for them to arrange a flight to Medan and Acheh.

I have not gotten the full itinerary yet. But I was told that I'll be in Hong Kong for 7 days..and then off to Medan for 1 day as well as to take a flight to Acheh... I would be in Acheh for 7 days..

I'm excited but fairly nervous about this trip.. I know I would be miserable without the kiddies for 14 days --- no offence nyet..I would miss you too.. but I would go bonkers thinking about the kiddies.. not hearing Sarah say good night to me and having her cuddled next to me... or Amir calling himself my pipipipi (ni gelaran manja that he gives to himself when he wants to be like a baby)...My boss said that this would be when I would realize that the bed is actually huge without the kiddies... :)

And history has proven that I would just get homesick like madddd... when I went to Germany years ago, the minute I checked into the hotel I was already in tears and calling my parents at home...and I don't need to tell about my zaman tkc lah kan...

I'll be going with two men whom I've specifically asked to be my designated bodyguards. I dropped them an email today...

Hello my fellow travelling mates..
I know we are going for this program for the benefit of the Bank... but please promise me that we will not forget to have fun!
p/s: I nak jugak jejak kaki kat Disneyland!

I know that this would be a really good experience for me.. I mean..to be part of an actual project that will help the people of Acheh... how could it not be exciting and meaningful, right?

I just hope I'll survive the misery being away for home... tsk..tsk...

My moment with the First Lady

2009-11-10T14:54:00.004+08:00

Last week Yayasan Harapan Kanak-Kanak Malaysia expressed their interest to feature the kiddies' paintings at one of their events, the Children Public Speaking Competition (PM's trophy). We jumped on the idea as we thought it would be good mileage for the kiddies and of course the Bank.

Event was held at Dewan Siantan, Putrajaya Holdings with our First Lady as the VIP. Since the Yayasan people had an ESQ program for 400 kids running on the same day, we had to do the set up on our own. Rasa macam senang je nak tepek gambar kat board tapi actually memang leceh giler... lagilah nak make sure paintings tu tak jatuh or even the board tak collapse when 400 kids rush out for makan.

We put up 2 displays panels so there were about 30 paintings that we featured..

Announcing the arrival of our First Lady.. dunno why.. but I was nervous to be at the presence of the First Lady... that's En. Nazri, Yayasan's CEO explaining bout the paintings... if I were the First Lady I would have gone closer to the paintings and at least show a lil' bit of interest... I'm sure our previous First Ladies would have done the same... hmmm...

That's Dato' Atikah Adom with her... she is a legend at B*N...used to be B*N's Corp Comm Director.. now she's her Media Advisor..

Since she did'nt get close to the paintings we had to think of Plan B for at least a good photo for the Bank's record. We decided to try and get her to sign on the description of the project after she officiates the event. Bought a marker pen and searched high and low for a ribbon to be placed on the pen.

Yes, that's me hijacking her from the crowd.

Woohoo! She signed it!

We took a picture with Dato' Atikah so that we can paste it on our walls and picture ourselves in the next 20 years... hehehe

Heard a lot of stories about how 'warm' and 'loving' our First Lady is.. this is just my 2nd time seeing her like right smack in front of me.. so I can't really judge... but I hope she would smile more... learn the tricks from Dato' Atikah who is ever so friendly... :)

Adult and Baby Shower

2009-11-03T13:05:00.003+08:00

From Wiki: Traditionally, a baby shower is held only for the mother-to-be, and only women attend. The original intent was for women to share wisdom and lessons on the art of becoming a mother. However, men are also starting to participate. Many people choose to have baby showers for both parents, and some people have a men-only shower. Traditionally, baby showers were given only for the family's first child, but over time, it has become more common to hold them for subsequent or adopted children. Even when a shower is held for only the first child, it is not uncommon for a parent to have more than one baby shower, such as one with friends and another with co-workers.

We threw a surprise Baby Shower for Azah. Walaupun Azah membebel sebab komplot dengan laki dia for the surprise.. I guess she was happy.. :) Hey, you girls never threw one for me ok..anak dah 2 dah ni... :p

Yang diraikan...

Turut diraikan.. It's gonna be a boy and the name will start with the letter 'S'

Owner of the crib..

Home cooked food (inclusive of my satay kajang ;) ) and Edi's lovely cupcakes..

The one who managed to force the guys to play baby shower games... :)

Amir who was at this point still clueless of what would be done to him..

The father yang mengelat and used the son as his victim..

Soon to be father of a baby boy seemed to know his stuff..

Cik Maya - our make-up artist for the day..

Sho-on came to the rescue.. For me to do that to Mudz would just be sooo wrong!

The winner..sebab orang lain sume tak muat nak pakai bib.. :)

Sporting participants..

Sarah, not in any of the above pictures sebab langsung tak sporting and nak duduk celah ketiak mak dia je..

Yoppie came too!

The girls..err ladies..err makciks? ..

I don't care what they say in Wiki! If I get preggy again, you peeps better plan a baby shower for me! :p

Azah, we pray that you have a safe delivery and 'enjoy' every single moment of being a mother! :)

Cuci The Musical

2009-11-02T08:05:00.000+08:00

The Corporate Affairs team went to catch the show last week. We had fun! I was skeptical that it would be a good show because I find the movie to be a lil' bit boring. Didn't even watch it sampai habis when it was shown during raya. But The Musical was superb! Maybe it was our luck to have bought the tickets on the night that our Deputy PM and Information Minister were also among the audience so the casts probably worked extra hard to ensure a good show.

Can't remember the last time I laughed that hard..sampai kluar2 air mata!

Go watch!

Tickets were hot selling..we were seated 2 rows in the middle, 2 rows from the stage..

From left: Dato' Yasmin Yusof, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, Info Minister and Deputy PM

Main casts - Awie and AC rocked the house!

All the casts...

*Point to note: Blurry pics sebab gambar curik2 ambik.. :)

A belated entry

2009-10-29T14:17:00.009+08:00

Happy Birthday to me!

In the morning I got these..thanks Nyet for the lovely roses and Sally/Kama/K.Arida for the yummy famous amos cookies in a cool jar which I can put in my not-so-new-house..

In the afternoon I gave myself a good treat without feeling any guilt..

At night..sorry no pics of dinner at home with the family.. lupa nak ambik...

Over the weekend, the girls gave me a surprise b'day cake @ Azah's baby shower.. actually macam dah boleh guess ada the surprise cake because Ija's son, Daniel kept on saying bila nak makan cake... :)

On Sunday, I invented a new Italian dish --- Kerepek Lasagna! Sebab still tgh b'day mood I thought why don't I give my family a treat... so I tried out Nik's lasagna recipe (Nik makes really yummy lasagna, by the way)...tapi in the end we had steamboat for dinner...sebab lasagnaku walaupun baunya best and rasa pun sedap tak cukup moist from the bolognese sauce agaknya so jadi keras macam kerepek!

As for the b'day present...huhu...tak sampai lagi!!!

Thanks all, for the b'day wishes!

Paint your soul...

2009-10-29T02:05:00.009+08:00

I've been so 'chembeng' the past couple of weeks. I dunno why. Could be my hormones. No..am not preggy nor am I hitting menopause.

It started from watching Papadom...heard it was a good family movie and wanted to watch with hubby but he was busy. So, I watched it with 2 Mamadoms..the movie was hillarious but had some really mellow moments. Agaknya sebab tengok dengan 2 Mamadoms, memang layan giler.. so yeah we all cried NOT once but FEW times!! I mean to imagine that I could one day be leaving the kiddies and hubby.. and to see the struggle of a father who just wants to protect her daughter... alamak...sedih siot...

Last weekend we invited kids from some orphanage Homes in the Klang Valley i.e Rumah Al-Khadeem, Rumah Amal Belaian Kasih, Rumah Charis, Rumah Kanak2 Ini Disayangi and Agathians Shelter for a CSR project. We had about 59 kids in total. (Againlaa...bila tengok anak yatim especially the really young ones, dah nak meleleh air mata)

For this project, the kids were asked to do some paintings on how they see BSN and also on some other general themes. We are going to select the best 12 paintings to be featured in our 2010 calendar. Winners will get RM 500 of savings, their homes will each get RM 3000 and the rest receive a token+some goodies.

I was skeptical at first that the kids could produce the kind of paintings we'd want...especially when 90% of them do not have the experience of painting on canvas (Aku pun sebenarnya! hehe).. Tapi I was impressed with the kids..some of the paintings were like really cool. For them to be able to come up with a painting in 3 hours, to me, is just superb. Of course, just like when we were kids, we would first paint a picture of a house, birds, clouds, trees, cars so we had so many paintings with these elements...

But the one that really touched my heart was this painting. Dah balik rumah pun boleh teringat lagi and yes 'chembeng' lagila...

Suki showed this to me when we were shortlisting the paintings. This is a painting done by a 6 year old boy from Rumah Al Khadeem. When Suki asked him who the human character in his painting is, he replied that it's his mother. As you can see, the mother is crying and she has claws..according to Suki when the boy had gone to the library, he was so fascinated with pictures of ghosts and draculas. He even told her that he often sees ghosts.. Suki soon found out that for many years, this boy was abandoned and left at home alone when the mother goes out to work.. he was locked in a dark room till late night sometimes sampai pukul 12.. he makan and does all his 'business' in the room..so obviously in the dark, what else would you imagine or see right? Probably thinks that he had been lucky to be friends with whatever spirits...

He is now in his 4th week at Rumah Al Khadeem.. the first few weeks at the rumah he was teased by the kids sebab tak tau nak buang air.. he was doing it everywhere.. and yeah.. he does not like to bathe either sebab the mother does not bathe him...he likes to march around the home sambil nyanyi lagu dangdut... ;) But now Alhamdullilah, he knows how to do his 'business' the right way and instead of marching sambil nyanyi dangdut, he now recites Al-Fatihah.

We had some really good paintings that day. But I guess this was the most honest...

I hope the kids had fun and I hope we would have more of this kind of CSR activity in future! :)

TKC 90-94 Raya Rendezvous 09

2009-10-21T11:51:00.008+08:00

Date: 17 October 2009

Venue: The Residence

I was late --- but I was not the last .. :p

I forgot the blueberry tarts that I took from my auntie all the way in Rinching!

But I guess it did'nt really matter anyway..because sape2 yang bawak kuih that day pun kurang laku coz everybody was into Rie's chocolate cake.. --- sorry Nik, it would be hard for you to sue a lawyer for false misrepresentation .. :)

I of course had fun catching up with the ladies..most of them I've not met in ages.. seriously! Like Dyiena (who would have won the best dressed award if we ever had one that evening), Ayu, Iza Airina, Sha memang last masa zaman sekolah lah kot..macam Ummi, I thought the last I met her was when she was stil Fida's housemate padahal dah dekat 7 tahun dia pindah..and it's good to know that there is a pediatrician in the batch -- GGee, I would definitely be haunting you after
this...

Small group in a small room -- probably like hmm 20 of us -- excluding the men that we dragged to come along and kiddies that we were forced to bring... but being TKCian, bisingnya sama je macam hari makan nasik ayam kat dining hall... :)

With Fida Nor, Fiza (+ her'handbag') and Erlena

Fydd and her cute lil' son who had to leave early sebab tak bwak bantal busuk..

The group (- Fern)

With Umi, Ayu, Ggee, Erlena, Mona, Fad (preggy),Fida,Nik and Hida (not preggy this time)

Zett's designated PR officer for the evening with Parliament's PR officer

The organizer with the Queen of the evening!

* Pics courtesy of Zett's/Erlena's FB

Thanks Zett, for organizing the gathering this year and for years to come... ;)

p/s: Me thinks that our batch has got quite an interesting variety of profession --- paed, psychytrist,skin specialist,dentist,doughnut peddlar, tokei restoran Jepun, tokei petrol station..

Calling all makciks --- Metrojaya Shopping Fest is back!!!!

2009-10-16T08:44:00.006+08:00

I shopped like a madwoman yesterday!

Thru FB I found out that there was a Metrojaya Shopping Fest at Mid Valley exhibition hall. After attending NSTP's Open House at Hilton KL yesterday I thought what the heck..I might as well drop by and check it out.. My MAIN OBJECTIVE was to find stuff for the new house (yang dah sepatutnya tak boleh dipanggil new lagi).

But when I stepped into the hall .... I was greeted by clothes from Laura Ashley and Liz Clairborne at 70% discount!!! EIC were all at 50% .. Somerset Bay 70%.. Gile siot! I guess because it was the first day not that many people knew about the sale.. although ramai it was kinda okay..I did'nt have to fight my way thru a throng of people or wait for ages for an empty fitting room... salesgirls were also damn helpful..siap tolong angkat baju and carikkan fitting room yang kosong..Masa time carik2 baju I did'nt see the household punya area.. I could only see signs put up for Cosmetics and Fragrances..Shoes..Handbags...

Sekali bila sampai kat area Household, lagila cam psycho! Almost everything at 70% discount! Like where on earth could you get a nice piece of stoneware plate @ only RM 5! Or glassware that they use in hotels at RM 17 bucks!!I know...like as if la I'm gonna be doing much cooking or serving for dinner parties and all... tapi I could not help myself. Sampai mangkuk yang tak tau untuk serve apa pun boley rasa nak beli just because murah and shape dia cantik..I ended up buying 3 bakul besar pinggan mangkuk okay ---- was telling myself not to feel guilty because new house memang takde pinggan mangkuk pun..takkan nak bagi guests makan dalam daun pisang lak ---

Since I came alone, cam sakit kepala la pikir camna nak angkut all the stuff.. siap tanya one sales assistant to help me and I'll give tip..tapi sales assistant kata takleh tolong.. last2 kat cashier counter the girl in charge there was soooo nice to me...she said that it's impossible for me to carry all the stuff so siap arrange for a trolley to be sent up to the hall and 2 guys to help send the barang2 sampai kereta..bila nak jalan keluar tu siap bukak special lane lagi tu....

I tell you....

Kalau dalam movie Pretty Woman, there's Julia Roberts stylishly shopping away at Rodeo Drive, but I was like a 'Pretty' Makcik clad in baju kurung with one hand pegang bakul plastic and the other hand carrying Metrojaya's gigantic sling bag. Some more with 2 skinny 'bodyguards' tolak trolley sampai my red Ferrari.. errr.. I mean, my dad's supercool red Proton Saga.. hehe..

Go check out the sale peeps! It ends on the 19th of October but I can bet you before the weekend sure banyak brg dah habis punya...

p/s: Saw Datuk K and Datuk Siti at NSTP's open house. Siti is back to being cun...and Datuk K..(don't say that I'm gross) I think he's pretty good looking laa...

Should I get the singer or the bachelor?

2009-10-14T18:00:00.001+08:00

I have been asked by Numero 2 to try and get Ms Y, a new singer in the indie scene to explore the possibility of being the spokesperson for our new products. Since the product is targeted for the young generation, we thought we could reach out to this market through her. Of course it would then be a win-win situation because we can also promote her to our 7 million customers.

However, my attempts to get to her has been futile. I was told that in the entertainment industry she is known to be a bit 'unresponsive' hence the bad publicity that she's been getting lately. I contacted her manager who happens to also be in her band and he asked me to drop him an email so that it's kinda like a formal request. But I never got a reply. I sent him an sms to remind him about my email. Again I never got a reply.

Just a week before Ramadhan, I was introduced to her Label Manager. Ms S, from my ad agency helped to set up the meeting. Because we're chasing after a chick from an indie band, I guess it was understood that the venue for the meeting was at a mamak place and over a teh tarik. I expected the Label Manager to be 'kerek' lah.. a generalization that I make to those in the indie scene.. dah lah nama dia pun macam poyo.. Jeremy Laguna.. I was like.. amende nama camni..ni mesti nama tipu ni...

BUT ... Mr Jeremy Little Laguna was actually nice and helpful. Not only that, he was HOT! He came clad in a t-shirt which looked like it has never been washed for many weeks with scruffy hair like tak pernah sikat and all...tapi muka memang hensem giler beb...he's of mixed parentage..Melayu campur apa ntah.. tak ingat.. too busy oogling.. hehe... anyhoo, he gave us all the details that we needed on Ms Y. He kinda liked our idea and we discussed the areas that we'd like to explore.. before leaving, he promised to try and set up a proper meeting with her before Ramadhan...

Then... Ramadhan came... still no meeting...on the 2nd week I called up Jeremy and he profusedly apologise saying that Ms Y has been very busy with shows, classes, exams... he said that he will keep me posted. I told him even if it's a no, just tell us. I had totally forgotten about this very- the -busy -indie chick - who seems to not like publicity-but wants to be a singer?- if not for Numero 2 chasing me for the status updates.

To know the status, I've to get Jeremy. Since I've changed to a new hp, I've lost some of the hp numbers i stored in my old hp. So, I googled for 'Jeremy Little Laguna' hoping to well get lucky and find his hp or office number somewhere.. instead I found this:

Okay, intermission jap: The scruffy mamat was one of Cleo's Most Eligible Bachelor and was in the popular indie band Prana!!!

I finally got both his numbers. The hp was unreachable. So, I tried the office. Only to find that Jeremy had gone for Umrah. I had to ask repeatedly like "Umrah?".. cam tak caye la pulak lepas dah tergoogle mende yang atas tu kan... and his Assistant was like laughing.. and repeatedly replied betul...Umrah... hehe..

He's coming back tomorrow. I'll give him a couple of days to rest, before I start chasing after him... :p

p/s: A guy who claimed to be M*wi new PR officer came by the office to offer M*wi as our spokesperson. Lagi senang nak dapat M*wi rupanya drpd Ms Y.... hmmmm....

He has cancer.

2009-10-14T10:05:00.005+08:00

About 2 weeks ago my brother had to go for a surgery. A minor one, we thought. He has a small lump in his throat. When we went to the hospital to visit him, he told us that it could possibly be cancer. At that point of time, the test results were not final as yet. We were hopeful, nonetheless that it would not be cancer and since he seemed to be doing okay after the surgery we were looking forward to a speedy recovery.

A day after his birthday my brother had to go to the hospital to get the test results. I was at work and when I got back home, my mom was already in tears. She told me that my brother had called her 4 times that day wanting to speak to his son. In his first phone call after asking for his son, he said that he had gotten the test results and the cancer is in his perut! So my mom, was of course shocked and devastated as she was not expecting it to be as serious as that...as in spreading from the throat to perut??! In his 2nd,3rd and 4th call, he again asked for his son. But in the 4th phone call, he was like a bit blur when my mom said he had called 4 times. He thought the 4th phone call was his first. Laaagilaa my mom became all worried about what the drugs had done to him.

We waited for my sister in law to come back home and tell us the actual situation. That evening, we all -- my mom, dad,sis in law and me - sat at the family area.. all teary eyed. I think that was my first time seeing my dad cry. I felt like I was carrying a gigantic stone in my heart. My sis in law said that from the test results, my brother has been diagnosed with a throat cancer (not perut!!!!haiyo..my mom...) stage 1. He started chemo on that day -- which had explained why he was kinda weak and a bit blurry --- and the dr had to still do some tests i.e ambik something/air/tisu from the tulang belakang --- not so sure. The dr said that if we ever get cancer, the best place to have it is at the throat because it would be easier to treat...I guess that made us all feel a bit better..

To those close to me, you all would probably know that my brother is not the chatty type..even with his family i.e my parents and siblings. I still remember when I was TKC, I used to envy the relationship that Hanim has with her brother because they were very close like best friends who could tell each other anything..chat on the phone etc. Yes, we talked but I mean, I won't be calling home just to chat with him la... and I doubt that he ever missed me when I'm not around... :p But ada jugakla time yang dia buat gempak... hehe.. I felt really proud masa hari penyampaian hadiah in 1994, he came with my parents to see me go up on stage! That day I cried extra long at my cupboard --- homesick as usual + happy that he came ---! Yes, I love and adore my brother! --- i dare to put this because I know he's not reading my blog and not gonna know --- ;)

Back when he was in secondary school and uni, my brother was like really naughty..had made my mom cried many times..tapi he is still like the gem in the family i.e anak laki sorang. So he escaped all the housework. Yang kena torture would be my sister, the anak sulung... haha.. But throughout the years after that, to me, he has really changed... I've watched him grow up to be a matured son who takes care of his parents well and most of all a very loving father.

I am sad to see that he has to go through all this.. my brother now has to berpantang makan, go for chemo for about 4 months and followed by radio therapy... I pity the children because they may not be getting the amount of attention that they are used to from him..I know that it would not be easy for my sis in law... But on a lighter note, it's good to see that he's indeed trying to stay positive..we're all gonna support him and will not show him that we're sad and all that.

I pray and hope that he would be strong to fight this battle.

Keajaiban boleh berlaku

2009-10-07T13:50:00.003+08:00

Walaupun keputusan saya tidak secemerlang Ainun, saya rasa amat bangga kerana telah lulus. Seperti perumpamaan "Miracles do happen" atau dalam terjemahan Bahasa Melayu "Keajaiban boleh berlaku" saya telah lulus ujian yang saya sangkakan akan menemui kegagalan.

Wohhoooo!!Let's do the chicken dance y'all!

One more module to go to be certified!

Aceh, be good to me!

2009-10-02T08:37:00.003+08:00

Before the Raya break, Mr D, our HR Director had a brief chat with me about sending me to Aceh for a leadership program under United Nations and Global Institute for Tomorrow (GIFT). I thought he was not serious. I mean.. Aceh? I had images of Tsunami and the gory pictures that were shown to me by Dr Jemilah of Mercy Malaysia back in my Daimler days when I was helping out the victims in Kedah.

But yeah.. he was serious! Apparently the bank has identified/selected 2 candidates to go for this International program. The cost per participant is a freaking 12,000 USD okay! I'll probably have to be bonded with BSN sampai ke cucu cicit!!!Of course ayat2 Mr D macam power lah.. i.e Emilia, the bank selects those who are still young... has the potential for good carreer progression...etc. But in my head I was going like... yeah yeah... ni mesti org lain sume takmo pegi... hehe...

He asked me to read the brochure and gave me 1 day to think about it.

The program is called "The Global Young Leaders Programme" (YLP) coordinated by GIFT. Taking place in Hong Kong and Aceh from 30th November to 12 December 09, participants will be part of a project to develop new commercial strategies for promoting the sustained recovery of Aceh province following the 2004 Tsunami. For this project, UNDP together with Aceh Partnerships in Economic Development (APED) forges partnerships with various sectors and economic clusters.

One such economic cluster is cocoa. So, I'll be staying at a cocoa farm.. yes...this is not like a conference where I'll enjoy good food at a 5 star hotel and think about whether I have time for spa during breaks..I was of course pretty reluctant to go. What more thinking about being away from the kiddies for 12 days! Asked a few people's for their opinion:

My husband - Indon kan tgh teruk skarang ni.. buat pe nak pegi..

My sister - Jiji, u should go. You will never get the opportunity again and you will definitely not pay for something like this. Plus... sure awak kurus balik nanti Jiji...takyah de nak pegi Bzbodi ke apa...

K.Arida - Ji...jgn tinggalkan I sorang2 Ji.. I nak amik cuti la few days kalau u pegi.. u buat la sembahyang istikharah..

Kama - huahauahua..matila u K.Arida..

After some hard thinking and soul searching for the Angelina Jolie in me, I have decided to go.
The one and only experiental learning program that I've been to was when I had gone to Stuttgart, Germany for DaimlerChrysler's PR induction program. Uber cool! That was like what..5 years ago??

This is at a restaurant in Stuttgart where I tasted my first Mediterranean black rice yang dibuat drpd 'ink hitam' sotong tu... no that's not my wine.. :p

At DaimlerChrysler's HQ

So, what my sister said is true. Opportunities like this is hard to come by. And I'll be doing a good deed for the people's of Aceh --- this is the Angelina Jolie in me talking.... Lagipun kat TV kata Indon tengah gempa bumi and all so I'm praying that the program will be done elsewhere like in Paris ke.. London ke.. har har har I wish!

So Aceh, be good to me and I'll be good to you!

Makan, Sumo and Puke Fiesta 09

2009-09-29T13:13:00.003+08:00

I guess as we get older err.. I mean wiser.. ;) our Hari Raya fiesta spirit would be more for the joy of having a long break.. but for the kiddies, it is something that they really look forward to.. Amir aka Memey (bukan Memey Suhaiza ye) who could now understand the meaning of raya, baju Melayu, songkok and duit raya was all excited and eager. And just like when we were kids who would stay up as late as we could on the eve of raya, both Amir and Sarah slept at almost 3 am that night.

We celebrated the first day of raya in Kajang. Since both my mum and dad are the eldest in the family, visits from relatives were like non stop from 10am - 11pm. Average number of pax per visit was like 30 pax! So we had no choice but to downgrade from pinggan kaca to pinggan plastik..hehe

For those who came on the first day, they were the lucky ones who got to taste my mum's infamous Rendang Mak Kasim -- this you won't be able to get anywhere else I swear! I have relatives who would come to visit on the first day for the sake of the rendang.. hehe.. Unfortuntely for the past 2 years, my mom or even myself have not had the time to bake my mum's infamous chocolate chip cookies but I plan to at least try and bake em' if we have an open house this year.

On the 2nd raya we all headed on to kuantan..on the way to kuantan we decided to stop by at koklie's inlaw's house in kg belimbing to see her and her syawal baby girl..just like last year Memey refused to wear anything else but a baju melayu to show his tok tan tapi sadly, macam tahun lepas gak amir puked all over his baju,my one and only branded handbag and in hubby's beloved car..we thought that was end the of it but Sarah joined in the puke fiesta when we almost reached the kg.

We were in Kuantan for 4 days and I stuffed myself with nasik minyak throughout..somehow nasik minyak seemed to be the favourite menu this year.. I ditched all my diet plan for the whole week..so, this week kena krash kozz diet lar konon..but I've so far failed miserably sebab ada je companies ajak gi their open house.. huhu..

All in all I think the kids really enjoyed their raya...especially bab dapat main ngan cousins sampai kul 2 pagi..They were also overjoyed when decided to stay at a hotel in KL that weekend sebab dapat mandi dalam swimming pool and bath tub.. I just could not tahan the constant bickering and 24-7 sumo wrestling.. adik belasah abang kat muka plak tu so amir had damn a lot of scratches on his face.. sian je beraya dengan muka macam kucing comot!

Hope you guys had a fun raya too!

Mak Cik Temah ngan Pak Maun

This is how far she could go to irritate the brother. Ni belum part dia gaduh nak pakai baju ultraman abang dia lagi.

Masalah tul adik aku ni...

Pakcik kayo!!

With the 3 dara pingitan..

This year ramai pulak pakai green.. Sorry mama, Sarah enter frame pastu photographer tak terer lak tu.. :p

Puteri Rania Sofia, koklie's lil baby girl who decided to pop out to celebrate raya with the family..

Don't be fooled by this innocent face..

Memey tengah kulum air sirap after I asked him to stop drinking his 6th glass of air sirap..

No more vomitting puleeesseeee... tak larat siot...

An Affair to Forget / To Remember?

2009-09-15T16:40:00.002+08:00

Paul Newman once said of his lifelong marriage to Joanne Woodward, "Why go out for a hamburger when you can have steak at home?"

Is it in to have an affair these days? Seems like ramainya pulak manusia yang tengah ada affair -- but maybe in denial that they are indeed having one. Okay before I go on, how should we define an affair?
2 married person of different sex enjoying the company of each other + having great conversations+exchanging smses, emails -- would this be under the definition of an affair?

This is an article I found on the net:
On a recent British chat show that was dealing with the topic of infidelity, one of the participants was denying the fact that she'd had an affair.

"I didn't have an affair. It was a relationship that involved sex", she said. To me, that just sounded like a poor justification for cheating on her partner. However, I then realised that it is how the individual or, more importantly, a couple defines an affair. If a couple agree that an affair is something that involves more than sex e.g. companionship, understanding, empathy etc., then pure sex alone cannot be defined as an affair in the eyes of such a couple.

Personally, I would define an affair as an ongoing, dishonest relationship with someone other than your partner, which involves intense feelings such as deep affection, love or lust. By dishonest, I mean a relationship that is deliberately kept secret from the regular partner or one that involves deceit, such as lying to your partner about where you're going, where you've been, why you're late home or why you didn't come home at all.

I would regard any intimate physical contact with someone other than your partner as being unfaithful and that includes kissing, but a one-night stand is not an affair, it's a one-off act of infidelity.

When I asked my partner what his definition of an affair was, he said, "Spending quality time with anyone other than your partner", to which he immediately received certain favours for giving a more than adequate reply! When I then accused him of having an affair with his mates, with whom he enjoys the occasional game of football, he re-phrased that to, "Spending quality time with someone of the opposite sex then." Unless you happen to be gay or bisexual, in which case spending time with someone of either sex who is not your partner would meet the criteria of an affair.

My very possessive friend Julia, 33, told me that her definition of being unfaithful was, "Having lustful thoughts about someone other than your partner." If we all agreed with that definition, then I imagine everybody has been disloyal at some time in his or her life, even if it was only through a dream whilst asleep!

A work colleague of my partner had this to say. "There's nothing wrong with sleeping with someone purely for sexual gratification, even if you are in a long-term relationship. If there is no other feeling involved, then there is no threat to the relationship and it can therefore not be regarded as an affair. Just because you sleep with someone, does not mean that you have all the other feelings of love, respect and complete adoration that you have for your partner, so how can it be classed as betrayal?"

If you have any respect for your partner and, certainly, if you really love your other half, there is no way that you would even consider seeking gratification elsewhere. What about the guilt, the consequences from being caught out and the possibility that you may end up re-enacting a horrible scene from Fatal Attraction?

As far as I am concerned, if you are happy, then you don't have an affair, a one-night stand or even a passionate clinch in a drunken moment. Blaming the alcohol is another over-used, pathetic and completely non-feasible excuse for having a fling. Alcohol just gives you the courage to follow up your intentions, to act out some intimate scenario about which you have already fantasised.

Although there appears to be no clear definition of an affair, one thing is evident. A couple has to establish firm ground rules about what is and isn't acceptable conduct, before entering into a long-term commitment.

Mann...people say that marriage is tough but then go and have an affair? Why not work on the marriage? Tak ke lagi susah tu bila ada affair..nak cover line lagi.. yeah rasa macam on cloud 9 but tak takut ke rasa bahang api ataupun panahan petir?

Me not here to judge. I know everyone has got their unique little problems and of course expectations. I guess you should follow the path of happiness righteously. Because if it's the wrong path, it would not be easy to find your way out.

I pray that you'll find the happiness that you seek. Actually I'm sure that you will... if you decide to do the right thing.

What you have missed

2009-09-15T13:41:00.004+08:00

1. I have now sold about 150 pairs of shoes! Thank you very much to those who had bought the shoes -- trust me -- what you've bought are definitely not the same as those selling at Jalan TAR okay. And my heartfelt appreciation goes to Hida who I nearly hired to be my part time agent coz she's just soo good in promoting the shoes, Nik who had cooked a yummylicious lasagna and organized a mini crocs buka puasa and to Fern+ Azah who had promoted the shoes to their colleagues and siap book meeting room lagi and my sis in laws who bought the shoes for their kiddies. You guys are the best! :)

2. New boss. Maybe it's too early to judge but my new boss is nice. She's young -- 37 years old I think. She has that infectious smile and she's just very cool. So far takde nak kelam kabut. I likkkeeee...

3. New handphone. Finally got meself a new handphone. Was contemplating between a Nokia and a Blackberry. But I guess I'm so used to the simplistic life -- hence the new Nokia E75. Totally love the keyboard. Totally love the fact that I can easily sms while driving.

4. Sarah's first sentence --- Yaya aik amis ngan Memey --- translation: Yaya naik Thomas dengan Memey.

5. New car -- nope not for me -- but yeah..my dad has a new car, a red Proton Saga with the black top. Jiwa muda, I tell you.. To those from my yesteryears, you might still remember my dad's old Volvo in green.. THE car yang paling banyak berjasa to the family and budak2 SMAP yang nak fly pegi Kajang.. ;) I don't think my dad will ever sell the car.

6. Madam C adopted a baby girl. As at today, the baby is 11 days old. I think it's sweet. I hope being a mother would change Madam C for the better. Despite everything, I believe she could be a good mother.

7. I have lost 4 kg this Ramadhan! Woohoo!

8. I have not had the time to test drive any car hence no new car for raya.

9. I only have 2 pairs of baju raya this year. You think it's enough or do I have to brave through the throng of people at Jalan TAR again on Raya eve?

10. My neighbour painted his house green.. hmmm... ?

No laptop..no blog..

2009-09-04T14:13:00.003+08:00

I miss blogging.

My laptop konged out on me so I can only blog from K.Arida's laptop. So feel tu ada sikit kureng la...

Trying to get it fixed ASAP and will resume to blogging in a more appropriate manner.

I love Song

2009-08-25T13:48:00.001+08:00

Looks like that was not my last Song.

Yes, the event was cancelled at the very last minute.

I pleaded because I had hoped for the event to still continue if without the VVIP then the Deputy or whoever lah that is lesser of a VVIP than him. From the airport sampailah sambil makan roti bom yang sedap gile kat kedai mamak Nur Islamic cafe, I was constantly on the phone exchanging SMSes with the officer in charge. But when I got the final sms, all my hopes went down the drain at the mamak's place.

'U come back we'll have a bukak pose. We owe u one, my boss is on 5 days mc'

Back there when I was still in Sibu and Song, I had so many things that I would want to blog about, particularly, my dissatisfaction towards people's insensitivity. {Read:cancelling an event at the very last minute konon because of high fever and suspected H1N1, had to be on 5 days quarantine but the next day to be seen officiating another function!!!!!}

But, after reading K.Arida's blog about her experience and the people that she met in Song, I said to myself..why bother? These people have not been to Song. They ---- don't know the length that our people have gone to in order to ensure that the event will be a success and all of them are well taken care of. Don't see the excitement of the community in Song to know that there is a VVIP coming to their kampung -- the orang Iban siap pergi carik some exotic fruits in the forest for the guests. Understand how it feels to stay in a small rumah tumpangan called "Mesra Inn" for one week. Bila malam kebulur, you are given maggie mee and a can of sliced pork by the kampung folks as all the shops there close by 6.00pm. Take a 2-hr boat journey overloaded with people,when it was raining heavily and hanging on to dear life when the boat hits the kayu2 balak yang bersepah-sepah in the river.

Boat chartered. Hotel rooms booked. Police escorts were already on standby in Sibu and Song. Canopies were already put up. The stage was built. Food for 600 pax of people ordered. Kek lapis specially brought for Kuching dah dipotong kecik2.The one and only Mercedes-Benz in Song dah disewa for the VVIP. Nasib baik Numero Uno said that it's okay to just proceed with an activity with the people. So, we decided to have like a community thingy with them.We apologised for the cancellation, have some lucky draws and makan2 to make them happy.

Some say that it was like a paid holiday for us. But trust me it was far from a holiday. We still had to take the boat to and fro for 2 days.. we still had an event that we need to coordinate albeit without a VVIP. So penatnya sama aje. Yang mengurangkan rasa penat was the camaraderie of everyone involved... :)

Nak gi tempat banyak buaya kena la pakai crocs.. :)

Please..if not him then somebody else as a replacement...

The best roti bom ever! If you go to Sibu make sure you try this at Nur Islamic cafe opposite of RH Hotel.

The ride. Owner siap baru pasang bendera.

The floating petrol station. I don't know how they fuel up their boats and cars.

Boats that the people usually use.

The express boat.

Mangsa2 keadaan...

With the DO-Gallong ak Luang, residen2,tuai2 rumah,toke2 kedai, toke2 balak and police escorts.

Ni Orang-orang Besar Song...

At the jetty, about to board the boat to head back to Sibu after the event. Check out the happy faces.

Sibu town. Nothing much here either.

At RH Hotel. Should have taken Kelv's advice to stay at Tanahmas. Apparently it's much better than RH. I just got scared when Kelv said that Tanahmas has been there for 30 years so thought a newer hotel would be nicer.

Hmm... as much as I dread to think that I'll have to go to Song again after raya, I can't help but feel a lil' bit of love for the place. And like a politician, I feel that I owe it to the people to be there.

Let's pray that this is my last Song...

2009-08-19T01:44:00.002+08:00

Am going to Song again tomorrow.

Finally we have managed to get the Minister to officiate the branch.

Arranging for this event has been hell for us.. despite the distance and the need to frequently communicate with the people in Sarawak to manage the event, I think we are quite prepared. But the real headache is actually when we have to accommodate to the requests by the VIPs who are probably all too excited that the Minister is going to a jin bertendang place like Song.

I'm just so damn tired today..work at the office was like never ending... and at the very last minute some issues came up and we had to sort it out by today..pastu kena gi hantar kasut lagi, sebab takut lambat nanti, stock habis.

Ngantuk..baju tak pack lagi..malassssssssssnyaaaaaaa!

Flight is at 11.00am and this time no fokker plane! Thank God!

I shall be back to update you all more on the event.

Tips for moms and moms to be!

2009-08-12T18:27:00.001+08:00

Somebody sent this to me and I thought it's cute and funny. This is dedicated to all mommies and mommies to be! Ladies, make sure you treasure every single day of being pregnant okay!

There are things that every educated woman should know before she gets married and becomes a mom.

1. Do not forget to the pill, men can be surprisingly irresistible and cause recklessness- You don’t want two babies at your hand when you’ve just married --- okay, too late for that Jiji.. :)

2. Get used to the Murphy’s law of marriage - everything that can go wrong will go wrong.

3. A long term living arrangement resolved earlier is better. Be sure to discuss the location of your home, home loans and payments earlier so you are prepared.

4. Shelf all travel plans, and place them somewhere after you hit menopause.

5. When you get pregnant, and feel low on self esteem, self doubt hounds you, you will be faced with confessions of your husband’s past, which will act like a balm on your self-existence, and you’ll never know what hit you. Sooner or later, you figure you’re still alive and that helps you generate overconfidence...confident enough to shove him off a building if he ever does it again.

6. You may receive an occasional massage from your husband. This is truly an added value of being pregnant.

7. Co-workers will become anorexic because you eat their lunch. Prepare your own snacks when you are pregnant at work.

8. Learn how to cook. One of the greatest misconceptions faced by high achieving woman is that they can get away with overlooking the role of feeding men.

9. During labor, you will vow to leave your husband.

10. After labor, you will change your mind when you see the baby latch on its little fingers around his.

11. After birth, you’ll love your husband like there is no tomorrow.

12. When you hold on to your baby who’s a spitting image of your husband, you’ll be fooled into believing that the world is a cradle of peace, justice, and unity.

13. Breastfeeding is worse than birth.

14. Only your husband can encourage you to breastfeed. This is the single most benefit of having an educated high-achieving husband – a man who sees you as an all encompassing woman rather than a sex object with perky boobs till 80.

15. Going to the bathroom for a quick pee is possible, because half of it is out anyway, but a shower is too self-indulgent a process after the baby is born.

16. You must wait to spend more than 15 minutes in the bathroom until the baby is big enough to drag you in herself and insist on a co-shower.

17. Raising your son/daughter will bring a new dimension of your own mother’s sacrificial existence before you.

Liabilities vs Responsibilities

2009-08-11T13:45:00.001+08:00

I need a new car.

Why?

1. Because my Waja has a dent since the day I hit that mat motor at the simpang -- that's like last year kot and I could not be bothered to fix the dent because I just want my car to look super pathetic so that I can psycho myself into buying a new car.

2. Because my Waja has this nail-biting screeching sound everytime I start the car. The sound will last for 5 minutes if I switch the aircond on and probably 2 minutes if I turn off the aircond. I don't mind waking up the nighbours in the morning when I go to work...it's just the neighbours..but if at the office then I would be attracting the attention of the Pak Guards, people working at the canteen, staff, customers etc. Ni belum masuk bab people who would probably call me crazy for winding down the windows when it's now burning hot. This is of course me suffering without the aircond just so that the noise would stop.

3. Because my Waja likes to play tricks on me and I don't think I could ever outsmart my Waja. i.e
- if I unlock the car (autolock) I have to open the door within 10 seconds or else the car will then locks itself.
- never leave the keys in the car when I open the boot because the car will again locks itself after 5 seconds. Kalau taknak the car terkunci then I'll have to put the key kat dalam the keyhole of the boot.
I dunno..maybe my car is just really smart like Kit in Knight Rider. It has worked up its own security measures.. :p

4. Because everytime it rains, my feet would get wet! Sent the car to the mechanics many times but nobody ever knew where the water comes from.

5. Because my Waja wants a new owner who can take care of her wellbeings better.

Since I'm fasting today and tak keluar makan, I took the time to do some calculations on my financial obligations. So at 1.37pm I'm now absorbing the fact that if I want to get a new car then it would not necessarily be what I want because I can't afford to have what I want. So if I ever get a new car I will have to settle with what I can afford.

What I want ... *sigh*

What I can afford.. *sigh*

Since the day I got my licence I've owned only Buatan Malaysia cars.. first car proton saga, 2nd car proton satria and 3rd car proton waja. So could it be that I would in the end be the owner of this car?

I hate being an adult. Must manage the finances. Think of the liabilities and some aliens called savings. Car. House. Loan. KWSP. Refinancing.

Gosh! Let me be a kid for a day and give me RM 1.50 for nasik lemak with ayam masak merah and 60c for sirap limau..

I hate babies!

2009-08-10T18:25:00.001+08:00

I mean I hate looking at pics of babies.. or seeing a baby .. because it just makes me want to open a baby factory and produce more and more babies to make the world a better place! As much as I would love to, I don't think I'm ready for another one now...the memories of delivering 2 babies..hmm.. still very much fresh in my head.. thee hee hee... :)

I guess this year must be the bulan mengambang year.. I feel like I've been invaded by The Preggers! Pregnant friends, relatives, colleagues... Don't get me wrong..I'm happy for you people! I pray that you will have a safe delivery. Enjoy your pregnancy and cuddling your little ones...

This pic taken from Pa & Ma magazine June 2009 issue was posted in my FB.. this is Fairas my ex-colleague in CAT.. He and wifey have been trying for a baby for ages. To be exact : he waited for 8 years and 362 days!! Am so happy for him! And look at that...how can I not hate looking at pics of babies? How can you be that cute when you're sleeping? Why can't u look sloppy like us adults, the normal mortals?!

Urggh.. I hate babies! Why do you have to be irritatingly good looking, lovable and cuddly? And that smell..why do you always have that nice smell right from the first day that you were born?

H1N1

2009-08-06T08:45:00.001+08:00

A friend said rilekla..hari2 lagi ramai orang mati because of cancer, accident or other types of illness..why need to panic now? That's true. Hmm dunnolah..This just worries me. It seems to be spreading so fast killing innocent people as young as 3 years old? :(

A neighbour who is a pharmacist at one of the government hospitals told my mom that the hospitals have been crowded with people until they had to open a special counter till the wee hours. She's tired and also very worried to come to close contact with these people as she is now pregnant. Another neighbour who is a doctor is now being quarantined in his house for a week - he lost a patient to H1N1. My brother in law's office contractor, a 40 year old male passed away because of H1N1.

So really.. I could not care less about a street protest. Can the government please do something to curb the spread of the virus? Or at least don't be so vague about the whole thing.. i.e If the Minister had said that if we have a flu, don't take it lightly, because it could lead to something more serious then don'tla after that say do not be alarmed if you have a fever or flu and insist on throat swabs because it could be nothing.. huh????? Tak paham.. I've just recovered from a fever. I now still have a flu and just started coughing. The 2 kiddies now both have flu...a PA in the office has been having flu and cough for 2 weeks.. one of my staff has a fever, flu and cough...so should we all be running to the hospitals to check our conditions??

And when you say there is such a thing as a 'saringan' at the airports, I thought that would involve checking the temperature and all that. Not just filling up a form with personal details.

Don't just give us masks. We need to know. We need more facts. We need to understand.

Serabut

2009-07-30T05:55:00.000+08:00

Suddenly I feel so damn serabut.

- I've to sit for a penterjemahan exam tomorrow at 9am in the morning. Apparently, last time more than half the class failed the paper. *cringe*
- Woke up at 4am to study but Sarah wakes up like every 15 mins. So I've been spending more time going up and down the stairs and breastfeeding.
- At 5.30am I've just realized that Mr Mogan gave me Kamus Dwibahasa tahun 1992!!!!!!!!! Argghhh!!!!!!Nooooo!!!!!! Tulah tadi diorang gi beli Kamus takmo beli...Pegi beli novel and buku Thomas The Train... :p Tried to find Kamus Dewan in the house but it's nowhere to be found.
- Now at 5.45am I'm contemplating to go to the office as early as 7am to search for the latest kamus and be at Legend Hotel by 8am so that I could study just before I sit for the exam.
- Just now at about 5pm, the Minister's office gave a confirmation that he could launch the branch in Song on the 6th-7th of August!!!That's just a few days away!!!
- I've to go to Sibu on the 4th/5th of August and be there till the 7th to prepare for the launch.
- I've to prepare the Minister's speech and send to his office by this Friday.
-I've to meet the supplier, discuss changes and settle a photoshoot for the festive collaterals before I go to Song.
- K.Arida and Sally are going to Bandung this Friday, leaving me alone in the office...huhuhu
- I'm sleepy!

Serabut giler!

Superwoman vs Superman

2009-07-29T14:46:00.002+08:00

Last weekend when I felt so burned out with Amir jumping on the bed smelling stinky sebab baru lepas uk-uk and while my husband was busy 'farming', I looked at him and said, "Nyet, u think you've married a superwoman, eh?" and he just gave me the smile.

When I was single, I used to be a lazy ass. Really, ask any of my friends. I seldom do any housework. I don't cook. On weekends I would wake up at 11.00 am, read newspapers till late afternoon, take a bath and then be a couch potato or go out to watch movies. At night, I could stay in my room for hours even sometimes skipping dinner just to read or be on the net. No obligations. No worries. For probably like what.. 25 years this is how I was! Simply put, I was definitely not the epitome of Perempuan Melayu Terakhir lah...

But gosh.. the paradigm shift after a marriage and most of all parenting/motherhood is just unbelievably intense. The things that a wife and mother has to do.. the expectations..the emotional roller coaster..the pain of childbirth and waxing.. :) Yes, it's a bittersweet journey where most of the time when I'm burned out, I am comforted by the silly lil' things that the kiddes do or comforting words and gestures from my dear hubby. At all other moments however, I am overwhelmed by the physical tasks that accompany motherhood and the misconceptions which awards the ability to withstand physical strain only to men. Is it because we women have the drive, passion, ability and strength to push out a baby from a hole originally smaller than its eye, that men would think that we can practically endure / do anything in the whole wide world?

Really I don't know how our mothers do it. But these days, whether you're a housewife or a working mom, it's just tough being a woman. If you think that you can be a housewife, a carreer woman and a working mom while everything else remain constant. Woman, you're just sooo wrong. Well, maybe these multiple roles would have been perfectly alright and democratic, as long as women have democratic partners as well. If not, yes, a woman will just have to develop her own super powers and in her best ability be a superwoman. Because if she does not, then consider this:

1. Without a superwoman, men wouldn’t be able to flaunt the status of having an educated, opionated wife with whom they can discuss the intellectual depth of the Da Vinci Code, have arguments that involve cutting edge brain theory, rather than the best type of diapers.

2. Without a superwoman, men will not be able to get their children raised in a better environment with minimal health crisis which are prevented because the mother is educated and remembers all the dates for the kids to get their shots.

3. Without a superwoman, men will not have the right to reject a meal if something is off, even though the woman preparing it has less time and more worth on her hands.

4. Without a superwoman, men will not be able to opt out of washing the kiddies' poop, changing diapers on the count of being unskilled, though the woman who does it had no such skill before either.

5. Without a superwoman, men will not have their leisure time with the guys, watch whatever tv programs/be on the net/do work at home for as long as they want.

Me? I'm most definitely not a super woman. Yes, it would be good if I've super powers. To be able to juggle 5 things at a time without having to feel drained or tired. If I have the power like plastic man then I could watch Desperate Housewives and yet stretch my hands to save Sarah from falling down the stairs or maybe Flash Gordon so that I could do the laundry, clean the room, bathe the kiddies in just secs, the talent to cook like Jamie Oliver or paling tidak pun Chef Wan to serve excellent meals for the family... but hmmm.. I'm an ordinary wife and an ordinary mother with ordinary abilities and well, the need to once in a while scream for help or take a break for her own good. So yeah, it would probably take another 25 years for me to be a true superwoman.

Thank God, unlike men, women aren’t that difficult to please kan? At the end of the day when a woman feels tired, stressed out, burned out, with over 10 more tasks to be accomplished before she goes to sleep, all she asks for is a bit of a helping hand, a companion to listen to her whine about the day, a kind gesture, a considerate word or two and a reassurance that she is always loved and that her man would always be by her side. She does not need her man to be a superhero. She just needs her kind of man. Someone who would be adorable and a source of endorphins, and the one that she can depend on as her only source of recharge of a tired day.

Do you think men worry as much as we do? Do you think they too wish to be Superman, to have superpowers for the right reasons i.e not to get hot chicks but to multitask around the house? ;)

Masih Suami Isterikah di Alam Akhirat?

2009-07-23T16:08:00.004+08:00

1. Wanita yang meninggal dunia sebelum berkahwin.
Wanita yang meninggal dunia sebelum berkahwin akan dikahwinkan oleh Allah SWT di syurga kelak dengan seorang lelaki di kalangan ahli syurga.Rasullullah SAW bersabda ‘ Tiada si bujang di dalam syurga’ (Muslim).Ini kerana ada juga lelaki belum berkahwin yang meninggal dunia.

2. Wanita yang meninggal dunia setelah diceraikan dan tidak berkahwin sesudahnya.Wanita ini juga akan dikahwinkan oleh Allah SWT dengan lelaki daripada ahli syurga.

3. Wanita yang meninggal dunia sedangkan suaminya tidak masuk syurga.Begitu juga wanita yang meninggal dunia yang masuk syurga sedangkan suaminya tidak masuk syurga, akan di kahwinkan oleh Allah dengan serorang daripada lelaki yang masuk syurga.

4. Wanita yang meninggal dunia setelah berkahwin.Wanita ini akan berada bersama suaminya di syurga kelak sekiranya suaminya masuk syurga.

5. Wanita yang kematian suami dan tidak berkahwin sesudahnya.Wanita ini akan tetap bersama suaminya yang dikahwini di dunia sekiranya suaminya masuk syurga.

6. Wanita yang kematian suami dan berkahwin sesudahnya.Wanita yang kematian suami dan berkahwin lain akan bersama lelaki yang terakhir dikahwininya di dunia tidak kira berapa kali dia berkahwin. Suami yang terakhir adalah suaminya di syurga sekiranya suami itu menjadi ahli syurga.

Rasullullah SAW bersabda.. ‘wanita adalah kepunyaan suaminya yang terakhir'.

God is fair..there is hope for everybody...

Hantu

2009-07-21T18:26:00.002+08:00

I was telling my colleague today about a very bad dream that I had last night which had made me screamed in my sleep. The main character in the dream was a makcik with long hair and mata yang tak ada anak mata... I sort of ran her over with my car as I was reversing and when I checked her body she said this "Makcik tak ada apa2...Ada 30 jin dan hantu dalam badan makcik ni pun tak ada apa.."...I freaked out when she said that and ran.. as I was about to run she grabbed my legs! So I could not move.By then I was screaming Astaghfirullah and the 2 kalimah syahadah.. I was like half awake.. I could hear my hubby snoring! Wanted him to help me, so I screamed some more but he snored some more! Haiyoo! I read the ayat kursi and entah macam mana the makcik let go of my legs and I woke up!

Maybe this is the classic case of kena tindih..not my first time..I dunnola maybe it's because I've just watched a hantu movie last weekend.. Now that we have a house, our weekend getaway means lepakking at our Bangi house catching up on the movies/DVDs. So far we have managed to watch quite a number of DVDs Angels and Demons, Dark Knight etc. Anyway, the most recent is 'Histeria'..cerita Melayu...to be exact, cerita hantu Melayu. The movie was about a ghost at a boarding school which had gone on a killing spree because it found a new 'owner' that has not been 'feeding' it properly. When I watched the movie I was really not scared of the hantu. Yes, the killing spree was gory. But the storyline was kelam kabut..i.e love triangle, lesbian issue, scandal with cikgu, kids neglected by parents... yeap! All these issues in a ghost movie! So of course the hantu yang siap bertanduk and muka horror gile was overshadowed by all these elements, causing it to lose its 'charm'.

Maybe because I said the hantu was not scary la..eksyen kan..amik ko kena tangkap ngan antu.. Ye la.. Why can't they make a simple ghost movie aaa.. like Nightmare on Elm Street...Exorcist..that's super duper scary sampai kalau nak tidor pun rasa macam takut je nak tutup mata even with the lights on! And actually, if dekat boarding school, from my own personal experience, the simple ghost stories are much much more scary than a hantu going on a killing spree.

When I was in TKC, I had a ghost which played a trick on me. One night, when I was just about to doze off, there was water trickling INTO my ears... and bila bukak mata of course la tak nampak apa kan.. so I closed my eyes...and again the water! After like the 4th time and rasa nak terkucil thinking that there is actually something next to me, with my eyes closed I tried the usual petua from our seniors la...baca ayat kursi,fatihah and then sapu satu badan from the bottom to top... pastu baru okay. And there was this one time during bulan puasa, I came back late from bukak puasa with my parents so had to go and get signature from the warden at this room (can't remember the name)...while I was walking, I could see on the ground the shadow of something flying above me okay! It was just following me! Of course I ran! Nasib baik dia tak ikut lari sama! Cam siot je kan!

Back then I also wondered why nobody ever dare to mention about a white dove which will bertenggek in the shower during Maghrib and Subuh..or why most of the time when we go to the loo at 4am in the morning mesti akan ada toilet yang berkunci macam ada orang kat dalam tu tapi tak pernah dengar pun bunyik orang buat apa2 no matter how long you are in the toilet.

But I think masa kat TKC the scariest was Lisa's experience. It was Maghrib. She was alone in the praying room, tengah ambik air sembahyang. And she realized 'someone' walked in to ambik sembahyang next to her. After she's done, she turned to look at the 'person' next to her, and that 'person' turned to her as well. Guess what? That 'person' looked EXACTLY like her and was smiling at her!

Thank God at that time memang nobody at the school kena histeria..except for one lah..tu pun pretending to jadi hantu and have a histeria.. pastu her bed was just next to mine! I shall not elaborate... Only those in the same dorm and who have had the 'privilege' to experience this would know.... :)

Gosh! I really hope tonight I can sleep peacefully and the damn makcik won't be in my dreams!

Sunat

2009-07-17T15:39:00.003+08:00

When I gave birth to Sarah the dr had reminded me to do it cepat2 before she grows up and understand the meaning of pain and takdelah nak ganas sangat. But we procrastinated. So now not only she understands the meaning of pain but she is already a toddler who is known to be grumpy and well you certainly do not want to mess with her or put her in a bad mood!

My other half refuses to go and be part of the gory stuff. Not the operation. But Sarah's wrath! So I went with Sarah's favourite person in the whole wide world, her Datuk and her 2 cheerleeders tagged along.

Had to bribe her with her favourite drink before going in.

It was very fast. The dr was really friendly with her and made her comfy by giving her toys and all that. Of course Sarah threw the toys bawah meja la.. nak tunjuk dia ngamuk... but the whole thing ended in less than 3 mins. She cried but so far she still has not broken the record in Penang. Tu 10x lagi bingit!

To calm her down after, Datuk gave her favourite sweets.

And she was all okay!

Maybe in 20 years Sarah would be mad at me for blogging about this but this is considered as a one time very very important event what... :)

Hopefully lepas ni dia jadi baik sikit and kurang cranky.. Aminnnn...

Good, clean, fun!

2009-07-17T14:28:00.005+08:00

Took a day off yesterday and spent time with the kids. Amir went to the movies for the first time with my other half. No, not for the movie 'Obsessed' .. :) they watched Transformers. Amir came out with a big benjol on the forehead sebab tergolek dog kat dalam wayang... :p

While they were at the movies, I was left to entertain super cranky Sarah. To avoid crankiness, I kept her occupied with food.

And thank God for the creation of this push candy which looked like a lipstick. This kept her quiet in her stroller throughout. I was window shopping and book browsing, peacefully.

We also brought the kiddes to Megakids. It was our first. I think it's really good la to have such a place. I see mums dropping off their kids with the maid and boleh pegi jln2. For those without maid, they can still leave their children there and the staff will take care of the kids.

Teka siapa yang paling banyak berpeluh? ;p

We had fun and yeah again.. to hell with the diet.. I had strawberry cheesecake at d'licious.. ate Cheese Fries and Nachos at Chillies!

Petty conversation

2009-07-15T18:37:00.005+08:00

I've gone off rice for 2 weeks and coffee in particular, Mocha Ice Blended for 3 weeks.

Today I could not resist an invitation to eat Nasik Ayam Chee Meng..it's not any DJ's nasik ayam..it's THE nasik ayam hainan okay... so yeah.. that is a good enough justification to break the main pantang!

And because of that I decided to just break the coffee pantang on the same day and rush to the nearest Coffee Bean after work.

As I was making myself feel at home with my legs up on the chair, enjoying my Mocha Ice Blended, browsing thru FB and well blogging this, somebody next to me who is probably bored of waiting for his friend decided to strike a conversation with me.

Haiyaaaa... I'm really not someone who is up for petty conversations with strangers no matter how good looking you are ---- not that he was la --- but that would have at least given me a motivation.

I just want to enjoy my Mocha especially after my 3 weeks pantang!

Stranger: Are you local?

Me: Yes I am -- no elaboration.

Stranger: After work?

Me: Yup -- no elaboration.

Stranger: What do you do?

Me: Corporate Affairs -- no elaboration

Stranger: What organisation?

Me: BSN -- no elaboration

Stranger: This is your 2nd home, is it? You look very comfy.

Me: Uh-huh..I'd like it to be.

Stranger: Nice phone..

Me: (???!! I'm using the old blackberry which does not even have a camera!) You like? I bought it cheap.. can sell it to you and buy myself a nicer phone.

Haiyoooo...can't you get the message already aaaaa... I want my 'ME' time!

Since I was already holding the phone I kinda went like a cuckoo talking to myself pretending like I was answering a call.. konon phone was on silent.. nasib baik the phone did'nt ring when I was talking la kan .. and thank God right then the friend came and he left with his friend.

Unless I'm in a foreign country where I find it interesting to chat with a stranger over coffee about cultural differences, places to go, good food to eat etc, really I'm just the type who can't be bothered with making petty conversation.

Would this mean that I'm a snob?

Fruit diet..my toooot!!

2009-07-14T16:37:00.004+08:00

The consultant had asked me to go on a fruit diet.

Fruit diet = u eat fruits ONLY aaaa...

Day 1

Breakfast : Pineapple

Lunch: Papaya

Dinner: Pineapple

Note: Eat as much as possible

Day 2

Breakfast,lunch,dinner: Watermelon

Day 3

Breakfast: Prune (not more, not less than 8 oz)! That's freaking a lot of prunes!

Lunch: Strawberries

Dinner: Baked Potato and green salad - acceptable because the prunes will make me go to the toilet 10 times so I need energy. (WTH?!)

Day 4

Breakfast, lunch, dinner : Green grapes

Why I need to go on a fruit diet?

- Pineapples and strawberries contain an enzyme called bromaline which interacts with and activate the hydrocholoric acid in my stomach to help burn up the fats.

- Papaya contains an enzyme called papain, which interact with and activate the pepsin in my stomach to digest all the extra protein and surplus flesh (pekebende surplus flesh tu?).

I got so mad they gave me this diet when I have already stopped eating rice for 2 weeks that I went to the nearest Theobroma Chocolate Cafe and had a very thick chocolattie frappe + an ommelette (even though it was tea time) to calm myself down!

Would anybody in the right state of mind follow the diet religiously???!!

Fruit diet konon! :p

Where is the love?

2009-07-13T09:15:00.001+08:00

I've been reading the messages in my FB from friends about the meltdowns that they've had...It saddens me to know/see that wives/mothers are subjected to all these ritual meltdowns......I often wondered, why in today's society, when you get married, the bond, the love, the commitment, the fun, the devotion, the friendship, the comunication and many other things that would strengthen a relationship seem to be non-existent or not that important anymore.

What change?

Is the concept of being ONE so hard to understand?

When we all took the akad/nikah vows does'nt that mean WE are now ONE and from that day onwards we have made a promise to each other and to God that WE will make that conscious effort to nourish the marriage with lots of love and build a family together. For a good life di dunia and akhirat?

In my years of growing up I've witnessed my parents arguing,buying things together,being the architects of our family home, saw them celebrate birthdays and anniversaries by buying one another nice gifts etc. I could also still remember, when I was in standard 5, my mom was crying while washing the dishes because of a fight she had with my father over our cat's poo. When I was in Form 4, as I walked with Fad to Lot 10 behind my parents, Fad went like .. "Ji, your parents still hold hands?" Yup! Even until today okay! Yeah, In today’s society where divorce and separation is all too frequent it leaves me wondering, how did they do it? How did they survive the good and bad times together yet maintain their flame for more than 30 years?

How come the friendship is still there, the love, and the passion? These days you would be lucky to get a good ten years out of a marriage. And if you're a celebrity it would be what 2 years tops? Why is it so hard to find that special someone that you can spend the rest of your life with? When you were dating, in love and can't wait to get married would’nt that be the period where you so-called have an awakening that you have indeed found your soul mate? Someone that you want to grow old with?

I guess the possible reasons why our parents', the much older generation's marriage / relationship last this long because they truly understand the concept of a marriage and they both have the drive to keep the marriage. Nowadays people use anak2 as the medium/reasons to keep the marriage. Then it would be an unhappy marriage consisting of unhappy couple with happy kids? That does not seem quite right. Looks like, it's the love and friendship after marriage that seemed to be so hard to nurture..not the kids.

My parents have always been good friends to one another and they have always been able to communicate / talk things out. And each is always ever so ready to help the other. The best is that, it's like one hand always knew what the other hand was doing. Granted that their relationship is not always smooth sailing. There were moments of petir and kilat sambar menyambar but I guess that’s when they would then learn to be more patient and understanding of each other’s ways and needs.

These days there is too much of individualism in a relationship, and that's not good. Couples are not willing to conform to the commitment of communication. Try and remember what you talked about with your loved one last night? How many words/sentences as compared to your colleagues/friends etc... I once read an article by a famous motivator about relationships.. and he asked the simplest question... does your spouse ask you “dah makan ke belum?”... if yes, how many times in a day and week.. because if it’s less than 5 times, then well sadly that is one of the signs to show that love is just slipping away each day...that he/she just do not care anymore about what's going on with you. Realistically, can a relationship blossom like that? I don't think so.

Now, apart from being ‘tortured’ by their ‘kids’ and cucus, my parents take comfort in one another and enjoy simple things like dengar lagu keroncong together before tidor, watch TV and gardening (though this activity could sometimes lead to small fights.. :))

Really, when we made that promise to be together till eternity, did’nt we actually mean it? Don’t we all long for the same kind of comfort and happiness? Don't we all want to have a trail of anak, cucu, cicit together?

My mother getting the birthday donuts ready for a suprise b'day party for my father..

The trail of cucus..

My dad blowing the candles on his 71st b'day last month...

Exam fever

2009-07-09T03:12:00.003+08:00

It's 3.00am. I can't sleep.

I tried to but I kept on having this recurring dream as to which of this is correct: memperbaharu or memperbaharui. It became too irritating that I decided to just get out of bed and find the answer.

Why am I like this? For the past 3 days I've been attending a BM course i.e Kursus Bahasa Malaysia Berakreditasi Sektor Perkhidmatan Kewangan. Modul II: Penggunaan Bahasa Malaysia dalam Penulisan Rasmi. The course is conducted by a Munsyi Dewan from Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. At the end of the course we have to sit for a 3 and a half hours exam: 1 hour (objective questions), 2 and a half hours (subjective).

The exam is tomorrow as in another 6 hours. And here I am still confused about Kata Kerja Transitif and Kata Kerja Tak Transitif, trying to make sense of the Morfologi and Sintaks and cursing myself for not taking notes when the Munsyi told us who should be using the gelaran Yang Berhormat Mulia when he had said that it would come out in the exams!

Do you know?
- Ada 2 jenis sebutan 'e' .. one is e taling and the other is e pepet -- no I'm not swearing here.
- Dash panjang is called a sengkang. This is used for i.e 6 - 9 Julai or Iran - Iraq. Kena ada spacebar before the sengkang. Dash pendek is called a sempang. This is used for Kata Ganda i.e anai-anai, kura-kura. -- all my life I've been referring to both types of dash as sengkang.
- Kalau Kata Adjektif tak boleh ada 'kan' di hujung perkataan. i.e mempercepat not mempercepatkan, memperbesar not memperbesarkan. -- I usually put 'kan' because it makes the word sound nicer.. :p
- It's mencolok mata and not menjolok mata, salin tak tumpah and not saling tak tumpah.
- Oleh kerana is wrong it should be Oleh sebab.
- Menemui is for benda bernyawa and menemukan for benda tak bernyawa.
i.e Sarah menemui Amir di kedai Pak Ali.
Amir menemukan kereta Sarah yang terletak di belakang rumah.

BM rasmi / baku is tough man.
Attending this course, I've discovered the many BM bloopers that I've done in the press releases/speeches that I do. Ikut sedap je buat padahal tatabahasa semua hancus. Kalau fail ni malu siot.. especially if one of my staff who is also attending the course pass..

Oh God... I feel feverish... really... this is like SPM revisited man...tak boleh tidor.. peluh sejuk dah start keluar...mind mapping punya notes dah bersepah..

With the lack of study and sleep I'm sooo prone to answering the questions like this...

Huhuuahuhu!

Trip to Penang

2009-07-03T09:06:00.005+08:00

Had an event in Penang last weekend so I thought we might as well make it a family trip. Did'nt have the heart to leave them over the weekend with their grannies anyway.

Both kiddies had flu but when we reached the hotel we serbu the pool first.. Amir who was super excited konon before the the trip to jump into the pool, as expected, takut nak masuk dalam air... "Nanti wet baju", he said.. haiyaa.. he was very the skema one... but Sarah..huiyoo..for a first timer she was everywhere man.. not scared at all... siap nak masuk adult pool lagi taknak main kat kiddies pool... she swam like a fish..

K. Arida brought her hubby and kiddy yang suka bergaya and berposing.. the kid I mean, not the hubby.. :)

I've always liked Penang.. the beach.. the hotels.. the food especially la kan.. but then we did'nt have much time to explore Penang this time..lagipun Oh God! Sarah was super duper cranky throughout! On the night that we wanted to go makan at Padang Kota she cried non-stop for almost 45 mins in the car! Dahlah traffic jem teruk..lapar pulak tu.. and then ada background budak tantrum.. I think she probably had Kama and Suzie who were with us in the car swore not to have babies!

Food at Padang Kota was not that great la..Or maybe it was because super cranky Sarah made us all lose our appetite.. :p I pitied Amir who seemed a bit neglected because we were concentrating on Sarah..but he was being a really good boy throughout the trip.. like my other half said.. sian Amir ni kena jadi macam budak 17 tahun because of Sarah.. padahal baru 2 tahun.. still nak manja2 lagi...

Since semua orang dah phobia ngan Sarah dalam kereta that night we ditched the idea of going up to Feringghi beach and went back to the hotel.

Instead we went up to Feringghi after checking out from the hotel the next day. Of course the DVD stalls were all closed and small food stalls with nice seafood pun tutup.. yang bukak banyak kedai Arab... so we all decided to eat seafood at Eden Seafood Village (yes, yes yang kat KL ada taknak pegi..pegi gak yang kat Penang which would obviously be more expensive)..the place was pretty cool...by the beach where there were lots of activities going on.. siap ada horses lagi..

This is the biggest ikan kerapu that I've seen and eaten! It's almost as big as Sarah! All 4 adults were at first very doubtful that we could finish this but ..

yeah.. in the end we whalloped the ikan, finished the yummylicious buttered prawns tapi did'nt quite enjoy the crabs..

Ni budak naughty nak makan tomato sauce aje.. pastu dengan tangan penuh tomato sauce celup tangan kat dalam Apple Juice..

Arrgghhh Sarah..dahlah tu.. pening.. pening...

Despite the kiddies' crankiness in the hotel, restaurant and car I'm still glad that we made it a family trip because we seldom do it.. nak pegi shopping mall pun dah takde idea nak buat apa dah.. balik2 beli Ultraman..since I brought the family together when I work kan.. here's hoping that my other half will also bring us for the next working trip (sarah included okay!).

At Our Heart

2009-06-25T12:19:00.004+08:00

The new corporate TVC will start airing tonight! Am very excited about it.. tapi cam syok sendiri pun ada gak .. :)

I would like to have a soft launch of the TVC in my blog.. So, guys, here it is..I present to you.. B*N's 60 secs corporate TVC - 'At Our Heart'..

Let me know your thoughts about the TVC okay!

And sape boley spot anak Ija dlm ni memang terer! :)

I am going to the movies after 2 years!

2009-06-24T15:52:00.005+08:00

When I told my other half that Numero Uno is getting an invitation to attend the exclusive viewing of Transformers Revenge of the Fallen by Petronas..he went like...la..apa yang gempak sangat..invitation to watch a movie..

Well it so happens that Numero Uno can't make it (not that I think he would be interested to go pun because ada 1 ticket je!).. so I'll have to be the rep to go..

Maybe it's just a sign from God...like..Jiji..takyahlah ngada nak pegi kelas poco-poco.. ni amik tiket Transformers... :)

Well..memang takdela gempak mana kan... but considering that I'm going to the movies after 2 years.. (Can you believe that? Me who used to be a movie buff dah 2 tahun tak pegi tengok wayang!!!) and looking at segerombolan manusia yang sanggup beratur sampai kat luar TGV tadi just to get the tix.... hmm...boleh la jugak nak digempakkan....

And yes... ironically the last movie that I watched was also Transformers!

My thoughts would be with the kiddies but I'll most definitely try to enjoy it!

Farewell

2009-06-24T11:33:00.005+08:00

I shall not go on and on again on yet another successful event handled by my team nanti ada yang kata perasan bagus.. but really how can we not be perasan when after the event this is exactly what Numero Uno said to the team and those involved:
"Guys normally after an event I would call everybody to tell you the mistakes..what you've done wrong..and how to improve..but tonight everything is just perfect..our Chairman was very touched..Numero 3.. Emilia.. and the team.. you all have done a very good job"

Terkembang la kejap kan... worth it la beli baju batik baru ala mak datin pastu tak tau bila lagi nak pakai... but whatever it is I hope everyone was just as pleased with the whole event... and for us, despite the compliments I pray that we would still be as grounded and tak terlampau perasan bagus.. :)

Yeah..back to the topic of a farewell..

We bid farewell to our dear Chairman last Friday night..he is the longest serving Chairman for B*N.. he came on board at the age of 39 in July 1999..
I think what I'll miss the most about Chairman, would be his speeches and his anecdotes.. He can give really good speeches off the calf.. will always have funny anecdotes even in meetings.. he's great with the media.. tak leceh / cerewet.. very knowledgeable.. despite what's out there in the papers about him and the political scandals that he's in.. to me, it would be hard to find a replacement who is equally good and nice..

The Marquee @ Carcosa

The VIPs..

It amazes me that even that night he could give a very moving speech off the calf..

We had a Western dinner...all served course by course.. Tapi minum cordial la bukan wine.. :) Some said that it also marks a transformation for B*N yang slalunya kena makan masakan Melayu for a dinner function held at a 3 star hotel..

The team together with Chairman + wifey, Numero Uno + wifey and Numero 3.. note that next to Numero Uno (girl in green) is not his wifey..she's just there because she's the shortest among us all.. Chairman kata tulaa.. kecik2 degil takmo minum susu... har har.. see..funny anecdotes..

And we showed this before singing Auld Lang Synd ... i've cut out some parts because the file is too big.. when it was shown on the big screen the team cringed because of a minor 'hiccup' that only we knew.. time tu macam tak sabar je nak tunggu video tu abis.. but the rest, I was told was moved to tears... the ladies la.. not the men..

Farewell..good luck and all the best to you, Dato' Seri Chairman.. (like as if u're ever gonna read this blog.. :) )