Nestum Butter Prawn for sahur anyone?

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?

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

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!

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

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!

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..

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'

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?

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

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

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 ...

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! ;)