. . . rambling thots . . .

Don't speak

2008-10-08T08:39:00.001+08:00

not that i'm telling you not to... it's me...

i don't dare to speak bcoz of this terrible sorethroat i'm having...
it hurts even more if i swallow my saliva...

i guess it's time i went to see the Doctor...

Race Against Time

2008-09-12T09:40:00.004+08:00

I'm reactivating this site as an effort to save money for my Spain trip next year!

catch me if you can

2008-05-15T14:45:00.001+08:00

because i'm moving on to something new.

so, see you there! ;)

2678 has left the building!

what a mess!

2008-04-03T09:32:00.004+08:00

i'm thinking of taking a hiatus from blogging for a while.

why?

my work is in a mess
~~my house is in a mess~~
my finance is in a mess
my mind is in a mess
my life is in a mess
and i think this blog is also in a mess

it's ALL in a huge pile of mess that serves no purpose whatsoever!
i need to clear things up and reorganize my entire life!

reorganize. reprioritise.

hahahah.. sounds so serious, aye?
no... not really... it's not as bad as i made it sound to be.

c'est comme çi comme ça.

Maybankard deducting extra at Petrol kiosks

2008-03-28T13:30:00.003+08:00

As i mentioned in my previous entry, i have changed my atm card to the new visa debit.

i used it last tuesday, which incidently is my payday, to fill in the car fuel. went to petronas and paid via the petrol kiosk instead of going to the counter to pay.

the weird thing i noticed while fueling is, the system didn't ask me for the amount. previously, it would ask whether to fill in 'full' or 'certain amount', right? but i thought, perhaps i'll just fill in rm50 and it will automatically deduct it from my account.

came into the office, decided to do my monthly budgeting, went into my maybank2u and voila! the today's transaction history shows one 'pre-auth debit' transaction which i'm sure i didn't conduct! and the amount deducted is rm150. 1-5-0 i tell you. that's no small amount.

thinking that it's very strange, i decided to call maybank.

to make a long story short, the way the maybank customer service officer told me, it sounded like a normal thing whenever you fuel at petrol kiosks. what?

regardless of the amount filled, the system will deduct rm150 from your account and the balance will be credited back into your account once the merchant has 'claimed' the actual amount transacted.

again, what?

and that's within, 2-3 working days.

WHAT!?!

i was also told, that in order to avoid this, i had better pay at the counter since there the cashier can immediately deduct the required amount.

if that's the case, can somebody tell me why, in the first place, we have those kiosks installed?

i know some of you out there might already encountered the same problem as i did. because, the CSO didn't even need to go into my account to know what my problem was.

but my question is this.

how can they, be it Maybank or the merchant or the petrol kiosk system, simply deduct more than what was transacted from the account? i don't think that's right. and to hold the money for 2-3 working days... ? you can do so many things with that amount, during that period of time... e.g. invest, cycle capital... and what if the merchant, worst case, claimed more than what was transacted? waht will happen then?

if i didn't happen to check my transact-history, i wouldn't have known this. i wasn't even informed about it when i changed the card. this thing should at least be communicated.

lucky it was tuesday and i have money to spare.

imagine if it was thurs/friday and you really need that money for something over the weekend???

definitely not right...

need to bring this up to the relevant authorities...

My yukata

2008-03-28T13:05:00.007+08:00

yeah, it's a bit over the top for me to actually have several entries just to tell you about my recently bought yukata.

but, i love it so much, you just have to humour me.

so, this is how my yukata looks like. it's quite simple looking actually.

the background color is dark blue, with repeating print designs of a crane over a, what looks to me like a sakura tree.

clockwise:- the print design, the yukata hanged, the yukata tied with my own version of obi (the red obi is actually a thai silk cloth i found lying in my room)

this one, bought by my colleague during her trip to tokyo, is size 's'. my colleague thought size 'm' might be big for me. errr... 'thank you'? and it's not a complete set though since i only gave her rm100 (me, being broke, again...heheheh) and i guess she didn't have that much of shopping time.

well, i don't have any occasions to wear it to anyway...

since that's the case, i'm thinking of making it into a decorative item for my house. perhaps, get it framed (it's gonna be a very big one though) or hanged. before that, i'm gonna try to find something that can become something like a 'mock up' of the missing accessories.

already have a spot (in the house) to display it, in mind!

What is a kimono?

2008-03-28T12:39:00.006+08:00

i have been very busy lately and could hardly find the time to update you fully on my yukata. But, here's some of the info i wanted to share with you.

********************

the word 'kimono' itself literally means 'clothing'. but the kimono we all know is actually referring to the national/traditional clothing of the Japanese. it is also known as 'gofuku'.

Kimonos are T-shaped, straight-lined robes that fall to the ankle, with collars and wide, full-length sleeves, which are wrapped around the body and secured by a wide belt called an obi, which is usually tied at the back. They are generally worn with traditional footwear and split-toe socks.

The history of kimonos went way back to as early as the fifth century ce,
which back then were heavily influenced by the chinese 'hanfu', and the design has changed over the time.

Traditional kimono are sewn by hand, and their fabrics are also frequently hand made and hand decorated. materials used to make the kimonos and its obis are usually silk, silk brocade, silk crepes and satin weaves. that is why the costs to buy a kimono can be really expensive.

There are so many types of kimonos, about 10 of them i think. among those are Furisode, Yukata, Houmongi and Tomesode. Each type of these kimonos are worn to different special occasions and according to the status of the wearer.

There is also a kimono for men, but, today, the kimonos are mostly worn by women.

Picture of kimonos, taken by colleague at one of the shop in Tokyo, perhaps with the intention to make me 'eat my heart out' (especially love the black one!!!), cuz i can never afford to buy them (1 set=RM16,380). unless i marry a millionaire... ;P

Souvenir from Tokyo

2008-03-25T14:56:00.007+08:00

finally, i've got it. my first yukata! yeay!

actually, i wanted to buy a kimono but was told a kimono, be it the complete set or not, is very expesive. that's why i settled for a yukata instead.

but, in any case, i'm still a happy onna!

right now i have to dash off to a meeting.

later, i'll tell you briefly on:-
- what is a kimono
- what is a yukata
- its difference with kimono
- how to wear yukata
- and how mine look like!

tsugoi!!!

ps: anybody knows where i can register for a free/cheap (me being broke all the time) Japanese language class here in KL? i want to take my fascination into another level. ;)

stuck in the office

2008-03-24T20:53:00.004+08:00

i was unaware that i am all alone in the office. SHIT! everyone went home without telling me!

i didn't want to go home yet since the traffic's like craaaaazzzzzzzzyyyyyyyyy out there!

i hate to get stuck, in what normally takes me about 20minutes, for at least 40 minutes on the road back home esp with my current fuel tank's level.

Not sure if you can see it clearly, those lights are the vehicles stuck on the road.
All the possible routes back home are jam packed with vehicles... Ku-zo!

KL is like this all the time. whenever it rains heavily, people (like me) will stay and wait in the office til the rain stops and then only goes home. that's why the traffic gets heavy at this time of the night.

i'm definitely seriously considering of taking the LRT to office!

well, that's another story.

better make my move (to go back home) now...

ps: tomorrow i'll be happy for about half an hour (upon looking at my account) cuz it's payday. but after that, it's back to waiting and counting down to the next pay day... sigh!

New MAYBANKARD Visa Debit Card

2008-03-18T15:33:00.006+08:00

just came back from the bank to exchange my current Maybank ATM card to their new Visa Debit Card.

took them about 15 minutes to do the processing since i already have an account with them. well, it is faster and cheaper (you still have to pay rm12 for the new card) than having to apply for a new one in another bank.

Top to bottom :
common atm card, early bird atm card, and the new Maybankard Visa Debit Card

one thing that mainly attracted me was... no, not their features, not the benefits either (although they are quite good!)... in fact, it was the card design.

yeah, i'm that gullible. haahahah...

my previous ATM card's design was also different from those commonly used. they were distributed to the first few early birds during the migration of magnetic stripe card to those of chip based.

i'm so attached to it that i even requested the officer to return the old card to me for my keeping.

ps: my system is still having problem. now it's regarding the database dbms_pipe. i haven't got much clue to how it functions! for all i know it's used to relay messages. Boghe'! That's a problem on top of another problem!

such innocence!

2008-03-18T12:27:00.003+08:00

found this picture in one of my senior's photo collection in Facebook.

one thing i love about facebook is that i'm able to lookup for my long lost friends...

this pix was taken during my college's year, about 10 years ago, i think. look at that faces... so innocent. so thinner than now... eheheheh...

Top (L>R) : Batt, Daghar, Moi!
Bottom (L>R) : Cik Lee, Kak Ainnie, Pochot

it made me smile today!

NGV vs Petrol

2008-03-17T16:20:00.001+08:00

most of my monthly salary are spent on my car fuel.
a week going back office-home requires around rm70 worth of fuel.
that's rm280-rm350 per month.

this month, for example, i'm only left with rm15 until my payday, which is next week, to survive.
about 5 minutes ago, i found another rm21 'hidden' in my organizer. lucky me!
but still, obviously not enough for fuel.

i told my colleague of my 'pitiful' condition.

she told me what her brother did.
installed an NGV tank in his car.
driving a Kia Spectra, what normally costs him RM70 of weekly fuel, he now spends only rm8 per tank. but, the installation costs him around rm2000++. i guess it depends on the type of car coz her friend who drove a CRV had to pay rm4000++ for hers.

the tank is placed behind the car, in the boot. therefore, if you're driving a Kancil, might as well forget it...

even with the NGV tank installed, they can still switch to the normal fuel when the need arises. e.g. in case there's no NGV stations around.

but then again, when i think of the idea of having to wait in a long queue, which mostly consists of taxis, to fill the NGV, is it worth it?

but rm8 per week instead of rm70.
that's a really big saving monthly!!!

should i do the same?

ps: using NGV that costs rm8 per tank, why does the taxi fare also climbs up when there's increase in fuel price? understood that it is of the same origin, but still, why the increase in taxi fare? i don't quite understand?

Time to change?

2008-03-14T19:57:00.004+08:00

is it really? is this really what we want?

i must admit. i'm no pro with these political matters.
but, even a simple minded citizen (like me) should take heed of what's happening in this country now. especially during this post-election time.

not a day gone by since 8th March that good post-election news were reported. most of what i've read, or heard about are those that could jeopardize the unity and harmony of this country; boycotting of swearing-in ceremony, plans to "run the government free from the New Economic Policy (NEP)", stocks reaching down to its worst, etc.

are these signs of where the country is heading to? na'uzubillah.

i've heard so many theories as to why the BN lost the election, from so many people e.g. wrong election strategies, people want change in the leadership, voting in spite of the government etc.

but, i think, it might be a trend picked up from what is happening in US right now. this might have influenced most of the 'yuppies'. youngsters who previously were too busy focusing on their own careers are now picked up by this wave. see what happened in Bangsar.

in honest truth, i don't mind that Shahrizat lost her seat to Nurul Izzah Anwar. thinking a young mind would bring in some fresh and good ideas. but, never did i thought in the end, the change would be history-altering.

i guess that's the reason why, when Tok Det was at the helm, he tried to ensure the government strategies their best to avoid the opposition parties from getting hold of the parliamentary seat. perhaps.

although united during campaigning, these parties could not see eye-to-eye on certain matters, post-wise. PAS fighting for the a Muslim country (aren't we already?), DAP with mostly non-Malays members (i wonder what is their agenda? hmmm?) and PKR wanting 'justice' for the people (or really for you-know-who)... looking at their separate agendas, this is expected to happen.

they say, together they'll make a strong opposition against the government. but, if they can't even come up with ONE decision and continue on bickering between themselves, will they ever be?

when i heard the election result, i thought, "hmmm... at least, with this, the government will always be on their feet and not simply make decision without getting challenged".

previously, it was like during Schumacher's era. every year, he kept winning and winning. and if it looked like he might lost to other racer, even his own teammate had to give his own chance of winning his first title to the multiple-title Schummi. for ferrari fans watching, it's great. but for others, it was pure boredom.

with this year's election, with this change, will it become a 'hamilton-alonso-raikonnen' battle?

or, will i (or all malaysians alike) be disappointed and end up being the victims in the end?

yes, like what sheryl crow said, "a change would do you good".
however, it should be something for the better, not worst.

hold on really tight people... it's gonna be a bumpy ride...

thank god for little girl!

2008-03-13T20:00:00.004+08:00

Who is this bebe? you might ask.
Well, i call her "budak pipi boyot" (translation : chubby cheeks)

i don't have the time to introduce her to you properly now.

if i have spare time, i'll do so tomorrow.

right now, i 'll just leave you this pixies.

Tamaki, Ueno, & SMAP

2008-03-11T17:19:00.010+08:00

Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi of Nodame Cantabile guests in SMAP Bistro.
Love the interactions between Ueno, Tamaki and Takuya... they're so unpretentious! Especially in the 2nd clip.

Unlike most of our local celebrities. Why they need to be so, I'll never know.
Well, what can I say... everything has its good and bad.

And who would've thought Takuya can cook like a chef!

Tamaki HIroshi & Ueno Juri 1/3
Uploaded by forevergirl

Tamaki Horishi & Ueno Juri 2/3
Uploaded by forevergirl

Tamaki Hiroshi & Ueno Juri 3/3
Uploaded by forevergirl

You can go to Memento's website to read about what happened, in case you can't view the clippings above.

SHE'S COMING HERE!!!! ARRRGGGHHH!!!!

2008-03-11T14:08:00.004+08:00

Celine Dion is coming here to KL this April 08!!!
It's for her Taking Chances World Tour Concert.

I'm definitely going!!!

The tickets are selling like hotcakes!!! Gotta be quick!

Halal Korean Food in KL

2008-03-10T18:03:00.003+08:00

as a follow up to my search of halal korean food in KL, i think this might be it.

my cousin, who has been kind and perhaps persistant enough (even when i am almost at the brinks of giving up), have found one Korean Restaurant that's halal. it's located at Darby Park.

apparently, quoting her, "all restaurants in Darby Park are certified halal". it's supposedly their policy to only have halal food providers in their premises.

and did you know that there are such thing as halal certification of hotels, which is based on the hotel's main kitchen, given by JAKIM?

as i did, you might be asking "Are you sure?"...

well, for one thing, if you're unsure, might as well skip it altogether.

as for me, with the halal certification from JAKIM, i think i'm gonna give it a go. but for my own good and comfort, i'll ask them first!

Online file convertor

2008-03-10T17:48:00.003+08:00

this is not a sponsored entry. but, i do think it deserve some mention.
besides, this is what is known as "knowledge sharing".

for these past few months, i have been downloading and converting youTube videos and other files using Zamzar Convertor.

since the file conversions can be done via its website, i find it definitely handy and i don't actually have to install the convertor unto my laptop. (begging the question!)

all these while, how i did it is:-

just upload the file or provide the URL of the e.g. videos that i want,
select the file format to which i want to convert,
enter my email address
and click the 'cONVERT' button.
a few minutes later, you'll receive an email containing the link of of my successfully converted file.

easy-peasy!

easier still, whenever i am on any website containing the video of my interest, i just click on my zamzar bookmark button on my toolbar, it will capture the video's URL for me. it reduces the number of click-through.

"If you are on a video sharing website such as YouTube or Google Video you can click the Zamzar button to convert and save the video you are watching. On any other website if you click the button Zamzar will auto-detect if any of the files on the page can be converted and highlight them on that page for you - you can then click a button to convert them."
- on how to use the Zamzar web browser button.

oh. did i mention that it is FREE?

however, as a non-paying user, there are limitations. some of them are:-

i only have 24 hours window (after receiving their email) to download the converted files
one file can only goes up to 100MB
only 5 concurrent file conversions
and although they say conversion priority is given to the paying customer first, but as to date, most of the time, i got the files about within 5-10 minutes timeframe.

but, no complaints from me.

conversion is not only limited to video files. there are several other file types that they can convert for you.

rather than have me misleading you, why not check out the website yourselves (or read the FAQs) and give it a try.

you'll be 'zamzar'-ed for sure!

ps: up to today, i have converted about 50 video files, to say the least!

my father the hero

2008-03-07T19:09:00.009+08:00

i have been wanting to blog about this icon of mine for quite some time now but i don't think with my standard of writing, i would do him justice.

growing up in these past decades, when Malaysia is developing tremendously, i'm sure many of us find Tun Dr Mahathir, the Father of Development, to be our hero.

this is my personal opinion of him.

i'm not going to talk about his involvement in politics, as i am not verse and not interested in that particular area.

Tun, or lovingly referred to as Tok Det, is a charismatic leader like no other prominent figures of this country, aside from Tunku Abdul Rahman.

after Tok Det, i don't think anyone else can manage to fill in the big shoes and leave behind a legacy such as his.

an opinionated and outspoken person, Tok Det always becomes the target of leaders from the opposition. But, although not a journalist myslef, I'm sure this side of him is what makes it interesting at any press conference. journalist and people alike coming to listen to what he has got to say next.

i find it really interesting to read his thoughts. anywhere. even if it's in MalaysiaKini.com.

he's among the first Asian leaders to stood up to Israel and US, expressing his viewpoint on the situation at Middle East, when everyone else is just sitting back and watching quietly and not backing out when being pressured. he was controversial, indeed. referring to Israel and US as the devils, he was stamped as being anti-semantic. what the...?

and when the big financial crisis occured in this region, with the support and assistance of people around him, he stand firm and rejected the aid from IMF. otherwise, our country would be in bigger trouble today, like what happened to Indonesia.

remember that interview he did with CNN? damn great!

whenever posted a question, he'd casually give his answers. never once did i saw him looked taken aback, nervous, or even scared... as what he normally does in any interviews.

that's why when i heard from my cousin's husband about mahathir admitting his guilt for what he did to Anwar, both his wife and i told him we didn't believe it. mahathir being mahathir, i knew he might have said it sarcastically. and true enough! i searched the video on Youtube and showed it to him. the news was spread by (foolish) parties, misusing it perhaps to sway people's vote for the upcoming election. these parties put shame to people who actually are loyal and working passionately for their parties.

this just proves to show the extent to which whatever said by Tok Det can influence people greatly.

"I did an interview with the Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. It was a difficult interview because he is a great statesman and a powerful politician." - Zain Verjee, CNN Int. when asked who is her favourite personalities she had interviewed.

i respected him. and that respect continues til today, even if he's no longer the Prime Minister.

but, i think he might have gone a bit overboard with the Anwar's case. but a man's got to do what he believe is best for everyone.

to me, whatever he has done up to today, is for the best of Malaysia and Malaysians. he has big plans for this country. i don't care if he has personal stake in them. that's between him and Allah.

all i know is that most of what we've achieved today is thank to his efforts.

i don't care if what he does today contradicts his previous actions. mahathir is mahathir.

j'adore Tok Det!

ps: i remembered a time i was so excited to take picture with him to the extent that i accidently stepped on Sultan Johor's foot! KUSSO! i immediately begged for His Highness forgiveness, but he said it was fine. this coming from Sultan Johor, the Sultan who is known for his temper...scary! but i still heart you, Your Highness! i guess he knows i'm just too giddy seeing Tok Det! ;P

pps: i wish i can meet him again!

so dirty

2008-03-05T18:52:00.004+08:00

things i hate about the election time are:-

parties' banners and buntings hung all over the place, disregarding other people's safety. i even heard that a motorcyclist was injured because the bunting's rope got caught in his wheel.
everyone plays dirty condemning each other and playing the blame game, instead of really focusing on the people.
getting caught in traffic for half an hour just to go through a 500m stretch of road (where it doesn't normally jammed) just because of some stupid people parking their cars wherever they like in order to attend talks and thus blocking the road. i felt like going down from my car and scratch theirs!!!

i hate! i hate! i hate!

Beautiful FLOWER

2008-03-04T14:22:00.005+08:00

Like a flower petal withering away
The encounter with you was like a dream
Being in love, getting into fights
We conquered over many walls together

Even after I’m reborn I shall be a flower close to you

Will this sun be above us forever?
Will I be able to protect you forever?
Your expressions of you cry laugh and anger

If everything is going to fade one day
We should appreciate each other more
That time, that place, when that miracle occured
It will bring about another miracle

Becoming stronger by loving one
Overcoming things by believing in one
The things you left are still in my heart
See, without ever losing its shine
I feel blessed for meeting you
For bringing back my smile

I continue to walk holding close to this emotion of “Thank you”

Even if I’m reborn, I want to meet you again

Like a flower petal withering away
Let us accept everything in this world
The things you left me
The treasure of reality I call “Now”

That’s why I shall live to my fullest and become a flower

Why do flowers wilt?
Why do birds fly?
Why does the wind blow?
Why does the moon shine above?

Why am I here?
Why are you here?
Why did I meet you?

Meeting you, that was destiny

After the rain a rainbow casts
A light shalt be born upon a storm

There’s an unyielding important thing here
I’ve realized what it means “to love”

You can still walk can’t you?
You can see it already
“Emotions” will cross time
And shall ring into eternity

Your happiness, your pain, your everything
Now, Bloom with pride
More, more, and more…

What do you think of that poetry?
Personally, I find it beautiful, like the flower itself.

Reading it at one go, I find myself falling in love with it.
Reading it again, trying to distinguish the best out of the many lines are difficult when every line is wonderful in its own way.

Like these...
"Even after I’m reborn I shall be a flower close to you"
"If everything is going to fade one day, we should appreciate each other more"
"Becoming stronger by loving one; Overcoming things by believing in one"
... i can go on and on...

If it is this beautiful after translated in English, I can't imagine how the poem would be in Japanese (cuz that's the original language that it is written)!

*Yeah... I do have this fascination with the Japanese language...*

You might realise this by now.

This poem is actually the lyric to the song "Hana" by Orange Range (オレンジレンジ).

I first heard of this band somewhere last year through their song "Asterisk" which is the opening song for my fav anime "Bleach". But I only found out about "Hana" accidently over the web when I was looking for Bleach OST's mp3s to download.

If you've ever listened to their songs, which are mostly uptempo and rock/techno-like (I might be wrong here), and looking at their appearances, it's a bit difficult to digest that this song was written by them. EverytimeI looked at their pictures, the word "Pop Shuvit", the Malaysian band who incidently managed to penetrate the Japanese market, comes across my mind.

Orange Range (formed in 2001) has released 8 albums and 19 singles to date. HANA, which is their 9th single released in 2004, sold over 1,000,000 copies and won them 2 awards for :-

MTV Video Music Award Japan 2005 for Best Video of the Year: Hana
Japan Gold Disc Award 2005 as Artist of The Year : "Hana"

In case you're wondering what the song sounds like, you can listen to it on my Playlist (in the column to the right).

HANA (花)
by Orange Range

Hanabira no youni chiriyuku naka de
Yume mitai ni kimi ni deaeta KISEKI
Aishiatte KENKA shita
Ironna kabe futari de norikoete
Umare kawatte mo anata no soba de hana ni narou

Itsumade mo aru no darou ka ORE no maue ni aru taiyou wa
Itsumade mo mamori kireru darou ka naki warai okoru kimi no hyoujou wo
Izure subete nakunaru no naraba futari no deai ni motto kansha shiyou
Ano hi ano toki ano basho no KISEKI wa
Mata atarashii kiseki wo umu darou

Aisuru koto de tsuyoku naru koto shinjiru koto de norikireru koto
Kimi ga nokoshita MONO wa ima mo mune ni hora kagayaki ushinawazu ni
Shiawase ni omou meguri aeta koto ORE no egao torimodoseta koto
“Arigatou” afureru kimochi idaki susumu michinori

*Hanabira no youni chiriyuku naka de
Yume mitai ni kimi ni deaeta KISEKI
Aishiatte KENKA shite
Ironna kabe futari de norikoete
Umare kawatte mo anata ni aitai

**Hanabira no youni chitte yuku koto
Kono sekai de subete uke irete yukou
Kimi ga boku ni nokoshita MONO
“Ima” to iu genjitsu no takaramono
Dakara boku wa seiippai ikite hana ni narou

Hana wa nande kareru no darou
Tori wa nande toberu no darou
Kaze wa nande fuku no darou
Tsuki wa nande akariterasu no

Naze BOKU wa KOKO ni iru n darou
Naze KIMI wa KOKO ni iru n darou
Naze KIMI deaeta n darou
KIMI ni deaeta koto sore wa unmei

Ame agari niji kakari ao arashi ni umareshi hikari
Koko ni yuruginai taisetsuna mono
Kidzuite’ru “aisuru” to iu koto
Mada arukeru darou? mieteru n da mou
“Omoi” toki wo koe toowa ni hibike
Kimi no yorokobi kimi no itami kimi no subete yo
Saa saki hokore motto motto motto

Alright. That's all for now.

I'm off to my first Jazzercise class (after 3 years since my last class!) trying to pick up the momentum again.

Well, so much for my effort to save $$$ for Spain!

It's a boy!

2008-02-29T16:40:00.008+08:00

here's welcoming another addition to the world's citizen...

Sammy boy!

definitely inheriting his father's features more than his mom.
let's just hope that he'll grow up to be more of his mother's tough rocking attitude
rather than his father! hahahaha!!!

Sammy was born (3.13kg) yesterday(28/02/2008) at 1.30pm.

Skin managed to escape the 29/02/2008 date.
The mother said that she would even hold her contraction just for 01/03/2008 rather than giving birth to Sammy on the Leap day!
otherwise, imagine celebrating your birthday 4 years apart!
no pun intended for those Leap-day's babies.
personally, i think it would be so cool to be born on Leap day , coz you'd be hell younger than your other peers!

congrats to the very proud parents, Hasrul and Skin!

Well done, guys!

left brain, right brain

2008-02-28T17:08:00.004+08:00

my official working hours is 9 to 6 and usually by 8.20 i am already out of the house. when i went out this morning, it was already 8.30. i was late.

i grabbed car-key and my handbag, shoved my handphone into the bag and went out of the house.

i arrived at the office around 9.15am. damn you, traffic jam!

at the parking lot, i decided to leave the handbag and just bring with me the keys, some RM and my handphone.

as i digged into my handbag, in search of my hp, i instead found ... guess what? ... my tv remote control! How did that get in here?, i thought to myself and continued looking for my hp.

suddenly, it hit me.

yeup! you've guessed it!

in my rush, i have accidently grabbed the remote instead of my handphone!

go figure!

heheheheh..

remote. handphone. remote. handphone.
remote.handphone. remote. handphone.
handphone. remote. handphone.
handphone? remote?
err...???

coordination

2008-02-27T10:23:00.001+08:00

when your brain is tired, it's very hard to instruct your body to do things. does that makes sense to you?

it happened to me yesterday.
i was thinking of one thing, and was finding it difficult to write it down.
somehow the 'proposed' idea was 'rejected' by my hand. it suddenly grew a mind of its own. and it kept saying "No, that's not right. I refuse to write it down".

and so, the battle between these two minds took place.
at the end of the day, the rest of the body felt drained out and can't really function properly.

now i know why they don't encourage you to drive when you're tired.

My thoughts today

2008-02-25T14:52:00.003+08:00

on Oscar...
1) who is that kid in the arm of my Viggo? I don't think he has a daughter, does he?
2) Mr Mortensen, you look better without the beard.
3) Jessica is absolutely glowing!
4) Must watch 'La Vie On Rose'.

on Brangelina...
1) so happy that they are pregnant again!
2) are they really having twins this time?
3) if it's a boy, he surely be as handsome as Angelina. If it's a girl, as beautiful as Brad. hehehehe...

on monthly budget...
1) wake up early so that i don't have to take the highway (less spending on tolls). Saves : about RM 30
2) only have meal for breakfast or tea break since the food's usually less pricey. Saves : about RM 60
3) have to find a way to saves up on fuel consumption. more LRT rides perhaps?
4) other ways to save money...?

on work...
GOD PLEASE HELP ME SOLVE THIS ONE STUPID PROBLEM SO I NO LONGER HAVE TO 'RUNAWAY' FROM MY BOSS!

All tied up

2008-02-22T16:29:00.003+08:00

I have so many work-related problems right now!

To add to that, my boss is breathing down my neck on this one problem which to the BOSS is crucial and requires my utmost attention!

What a headache!

Fortunately tomorrow is already weekend! yeay!

If wishes were horses...

2008-02-20T11:17:00.002+08:00

If you've heard of that idiom before, you know what it means.

But, regardless, how I wish the wonderful dream I had last night, well, the first part of it anyway, comes true...

*sigh*...

Pilihanraya Malaysia 2008 : Exercise your rights

2008-02-20T10:17:00.008+08:00

Election Date/Time : 08/03/2008 - 8.00am to 5.00pm

If you're a Malaysian but not sure whether you're eligible to vote (registered) or not sure where you're supposed to vote, SPR has provided an online service via this URL to help you check.

It only requires the IC No as the input. Details provided are:-

Personal Details
Locality
Polling District
State Assemblies
Parliamentary
Polling Centre
Polling Stream
Voting Time
Serial No

Are you a registered voter? Where is your polling center?
Adakah anda layak mengundi? Di mana tempat mengundi anda?

teenagers these days!

2008-02-19T14:19:00.004+08:00

i've been wanting to blog about this for quite sometime now but couldn't find the time to.

want to share it with you since it puts a smile on my face everytime i remembered it.

it was on my last trip to Bandung with my 2 colleagues, NAR and NWAL. being that that was our last nite there and the rest have finished their shopping spree, i asked our cheuffeur (of our rented MPV) to bring me to any CD Music store that he knows.

we were on Jalan Dago, which is the liveliest place in Bandong come weekend-nite, when upon approaching a traffic light, suddenly a teenage boy jumped rite in front of our car blocking it to a halt. Luckily, there were lots of traffic on the road and the car was just cruising about 10-20kmph.

back to the boy.

"Is he crazy!?!" "What is this guy trying to do?" "Is he trying to kill himself!?!" All sorts of things came out from our mouths. Of course we were shocked. Scared? Not really. But I then looked at the driver. He was calm and smiling even. Perhaps he was silently laughing at us, heh?

My colleague asked him what's going on. He just smiled and we saw his side of the mirror slowly going down. There, lined up just beside our car was several teenagers eagerly looking in. I saw one of them equipped with a guitar in his hand.

"1,2!" shouted this guy and his friends opened their mouth and started to sing!

hahahahaha...

"oh! so, this is what they were up to!!!" we said to each other almost in unison!

only then that we noticed the same thing happened to the other cars...

these boys and girls were singing to us their song in that short 2-3 minutes while the traffic light is still red. happily clapping to the rythm. their singing was not that bad! it cheered us up actually, especially after our long and tiring shooping spree!

knowing how it is in Indonesia, I open up my purse looking for some money to tip these happy youths! but it was my colleague who tipped them in the end coz she wanted to finish up her Rupiahs. I think she gave quite a hefty amount coz the teenagers cheered thunderously upon receiving them and loudly thanked us!

hahahahah! isn't it wonderful to be at that age again? *sigh*

shocked and surprised, I didn't remember to capture them on video but NWAL managed to snap a picture just as the car was about to move.

not having that much of pocketmoney but still wanting to enjoy a nite out with their friends on weekend nite, these Bandung teenagers do this quite regularly perhaps. i don't think it's harmful though.

in the words of Miss Lauper, "they just want to have fun!". enjoying the company of their friends, forgetting about their worries for just that one night...

how i wish i could do the same...

a word to those teenagers, though.

"Do your parents know you're doing this?"

hehehehe...

You are what you eat

2008-02-18T19:12:00.007+08:00

For the past few months, my tastebuds have been dying to try Korean food and thus, I have been pestering my cousins to go with me.

I asked around, should anyone come across any decent korean restaurants in KL or the PJ area that is Halal, which the possibilities are almost none of course, knowing that mostly are non-halal.

Food I wanna try : Eomuk (fish-based), Tteokbokgi (rice-based), Gimbap (sushi-like), Kimchi (fermented spiced cabbage).

I've heard one or two people saying, "Oh, that one is Halal!". This coming from people that I question their understanding of "HALAL" and its actual meaning.

When I convey this to my cousin, a few days later she came back and told me about this one restaurant in AmCorp Mall. Today, having a few minutes to spare, I Googled it.

Korean Food @ Haeun Khon Restaurant, Amcorp Mall.

This place has been reviewed by many Bloggers (the likes of masak-masak, KYSpeaks, wantanProductions), but no Halal mentioned in any.

Perhaps I can find at least one listed in FriedChillies.com. Or so that is what I thought. Look at the list it returns. It's more of a forum rather. Going through one by one, hitting CTRL+F and typing "halal" resulted in "Phrase not found". Instead, I found "3 layered pork" or people talking about the latest korean drama they watched or missed.

Starting to feel a bit disappointed here people!

I've heard of the one Korean BBQ Restaurant at the Plaza Kerinchi but again the question of whether it's Halal or not kept creeping in my mind.

Remembering about the service provided by JAKIM on list of certified Halal Restaurant and Product, I quickly went to their website.

Again, nothing but disappointment. This time typing "Korean" returns zero result.

Maybe I should just forget the idea of trying Korean food.

Or, perhaps, I should just open up a restaurant that serves authentic HALAL Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese and all the other food I love, so that whenever people (or me myself) feels like eating something other than the local cuisine, they know where to get it and not be wary of its Halal-ness.

I just love trying new and different kind of foods. As long as they're HALAL. Fullstop.

ps: If you've came across my site in search of list of "halal Korean food in KL or PJ", sorry to disappoint you. Cuz, I don't quite have the answer myself! );

green-eyed

2008-02-15T13:30:00.003+08:00

There are high possibilities that two of my colleagues are going to Tokyo come March. They've been invited there by their Japanese project team member.

You see, the project that they are involved in, consists of members from Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, New Zealand, Phillipines, Singapore, Thailand, Japan and Malaysia.

These colleagues are incharged of developing the web site and since it will later be hosted and maintained in Tokyo, they were invited to do the setup; flight and accommodations to be covered by their Japanese counterpart.

The invitation reached my Director some time end of last year. It wasn't confirmed until early this month.

*sigh*

uwaaaa!!! I am so jealous!!!!

I think it'll be very long 'til I get the chance to go there myself.

The travel cost is damn expensive. In Lonely Planet, they say the daily budget, assuming you travel only near distance, should be around USD$60.

Get this. The price of one movie ticket, which is RM10 here, is about RM52 there! Not that, I'm planning to go to the cinema there anyways. Meanwhile, one can of drink costs RM3.50. Erk!!!

But, I still want to go there...

Those two colleagues of mine sure are lucky. And to think that it'll be spring in Tokyo come March. It's the time when the Sakuras bloom!

*double sigh*

I am sure they'll be at my face when they return to the office, knowing very well I'm crazy about Japan.

My eyes are green with envy!!! HON-TO-NI!!!
);

Hey, guys! Can I follow you?
If not, can you please bring back something for me from Japan?

Nothing much.
Just an 'ikemen' will do for me!

Hehhehehe...

es-tu habla espagnol?

2008-02-14T10:50:00.004+08:00

Here's an interesting conversation that is going on between the "singles" in the office this morning...

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

IZZA :

hello my dear...
there's a wind-news-news that you're interested to go to Spain but next yr??
how early u have in mind???..hehe...
let me know, and maybe we can work somethg out!...:))

SSH :

heheheh... am very, very interested !!!
agak2 u how much money i need for the trip?
u tell me the rough figure, and then i see lah if it's a "reacheable target" ( ;
otherwise, hehehe.... guess u guys have to go without me. ) ;

IZZA :

the more the merrier la, ..
if there are 4 ppl travelling..that's ideal "travelling grp"..hehe..:)..
i think roughly (assuming we go for 1week):

flight - 3k (depending on mth, but i think early next yr after xmas & new yrs should be around that)
accommodation - normal motels to safe 3 star hotels would range from 12-20 Euro per-person per-night so let's say la euro 20 * 6 = 120 euro
travelling - if sewa kereta we may be able to save a bit but i drove in italy and was not one happy driver.(drove manual so was worst since auto much more expensive).so i'm thgkg spain is not much better...:) but if let's say we take train/bus let's sayla give or take between euro 200-300 per person..we can stil consider kereta
food - let's say once a day we eat out lain semua magee or bread stuff then we can put around euro 20 a day so that's approx euro 150
sightseeing tickets, shopping - probably aorund euro 100-200 i think depending on how much we shop or sight see.
So give or take that's a total of : RM3K + EU800 (being prudent could be lower) = RM7k (assuming EU will be around 5 times higher:)

U have no excuse, start saving RM1k mth, by end of the yr you should hm rm12k for spain...kah kah kah...:)...
we're still considering packaged tour tho but so far i havent found an interesting one. so was thgkg if we decide packaged tour best option would be to go to london first (save flight ticket a bit) and get one from there since they will have tonnes and cheaper ones as well becos competition is higher)...
but will see la..
at least if unstructured travelling more adventurous la..:))

Plus guys, this could be our LAST chance to find some sexy latino who can flamenco or tango all the way to Malaysia!hihihihihi...

NAR :

wow!!!!..
terus rasa bersemangat.. ni nak kena gi asb simpan duit lagi nih.. hahahah.
last two days i chck hotel price at granada... 3 star hotel.. the cheepest..is euro71 per room.... but not more than 85 euro...
tapi tak tau la.. tu rate kat internet.. might be cheaper...
gi london dulu???..waaaa best gak tu...hehehhe

IZZA :

euro 71 per room not perperson right??...if yes, then if fits our budget else..huaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!..that means prices have really shot up...
kalau pergi london dulu can shopping sikit there..hihi....
takpe takpe..we have time to survey and check out options...

NAR :

yep..per room.. that one is without breakfast.. if with breakfast.. lagi la mahal..
so bawak jer la bekalan megi byk2.. hahaha.. balik mesia.. terus rambut gugur.. :D

ha...betul tu... amik2 gambar dulu kat london.. shopping kalau mampu.. kah kah kah... yg penting.. leh cop passport... :P:P:P

SSH:

UWAAA!!!!! very the very the menggoda!!!! awh! tidaks!!!
kena save rm1k per month ek? gulps!
I'll try my very best... nampak nyer i have to rework my monthly budget nih. as if!
so, u all bagi me time until when nih? u guys gimme until june... if by then, i still can't afford the flight ticket, then, with a very pain-ful feeling, bye-bye se-pain.

btw,kalau nak drive manual, saya memvolunteerkan Kak NAR! hehehehe...

NAR :

chissssssssssssssssssssssssssssss <---- itu adalah perkataan yg spontan keluar dari mulut aku masa baca ayat terahkir ko ituhhhhh....
boley..boley.. kenapa pulak tak boley..
tapi korang kena bgtau dulu.. longkang mana yg kita akan tujui... kah kah kah...

SSH.. mesti boleh punya..
utk dis few months nih.. ko jgn berjoye2..
sumer duit simpan.. hahahha...

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Wargggh!!!!!

To save RM1K every month for a trip to Spain is definitely gonna be really, really, really difficult for me! Somewhat 'unreacheable'.

Besides, which weighs more? RM7K for a once in a lifetime trip OR RM7K for a long overdued SLR Camera?

SPAIN? SLR?
SLR? SPAIN?
SPAIN? SLR?
SLR? SPAIN?
SPAIN? SLR?
SLR? SPAIN?
SPAIN? SLR?
SLR? SPAIN?

Help me decide.... pleeeeeeaaassssse....!

a nice stroll

2008-02-14T10:39:00.002+08:00

it was quite some time ago that i last took the LRT back from the office.

i did so yesterday. the weather was just nice for a walk. it resets all the noise from the traffic and the STAR train passing by me. even the fume from the buses didn't bother me much.

it felt somewhat, serene...

i guess a change is good once in a while.

Rats!

2008-02-13T17:28:00.004+08:00

It's known that this is the year of the wood rat.

And from what I've heard it's not really gonna be a good year for anyone born in the year of the Horse due to some reasons which I don't think I can recall. Bad year in terms of health, wealth, and relationships... etc...

If you believe in those sort of things...

Well, I'm a Horse myself.

But as a Muslim, these sort of things should not bother me much. Everything is Qada' and Qadar...

Pokey-pokey...

2008-02-04T19:22:00.000+08:00

Today, I've been poked by Afdlin.
On Facebook.

But, he hasn't accepted my request, yet!

);

PayPerPost - Finally! Yeay!!!

2008-02-04T19:01:00.001+08:00

I first heard of PayPerPost from Cik Tinn, I think about 3 months back or so.
She told me that someone actually made a living just by blogging about the opportunities presented in PayPerPost.
She herself did communicate with PayPerPost and asked several questions to satisfy her curiosity.
A few days later, she signed up and her blog was approved in less than a week.

I, on the other hand, was a bit sceptical at first.
The idea of getting paid for blogging about something sounded a bit ridiculous to me.
And how much money does one can make just by doing so!
I decided to wait and see...
One should never dismiss an idea straightaway, rite?

In her blog several weeks ago, she mentioned that she has received her first payment from PayPerPost.
That's definitely my cue to register and I did.

Registration is easy.
Key in your details, add in your blog, add in your credit cards details, click to agree on the T&C, and press submit.
Voila! C'est tout!

The approval is a bit difficult.
That is if your blog:-
1) does not have any posting for the past 20 days
2) can't be indexed by Google

That was why my blog was rejected a couple of times by PayPerPost.
But, I didn't give up!
I tried again and again, until today.

FINALLY! "Your blog has been approved!"

So now, I can get paid for what I love to do and what's more they pay in USD$!!!
KA-CHINGGG!!!!
mUAHAHAHAHAHhahHahAHH!

well, not to say that I don't love my job...

Anyway, now that my blog's been approved, I've start to think what I'll do with the money, when and if I get them.
So, here's a list of what I've thought of up til now:-
1) Clear off my credit card debts
2) Buy that SLR I've been dying for since only God knows when!
3) Save some for any of my upcoming trip
4) Spend some, invest some!

But, I agree with Cik Tinn.
One thing good about signing up with PayPerPost and getting paid for blogging, is that I can sure use it for clearing off the debts!!!

Apart from Cik Tinn, there's also another person who've signed up. Guess the trend is really catching up huh?

So, what ARE you guys waiting for?
PayPerPost is perhaps of of the EASIEST MONEY one can ever dream of!

blog ads

Attendant

2008-01-30T18:58:00.000+08:00

I am at the Co's training center, surfing the Net via WiFi and waiting for my download to finish (it's currently 52% completed). Had to come here for a meeting.

Two things I like coming here.

I can use the Wifi without having to move from my workplace. Cuz you see, in the Co's HQ, WiFi are only available in the Cafe and in our KMC. None in the departments.
I'm away from the phone and no need to attend to user's problems with the systems. It's ok if they're simple to fixed. But hate those that the root cause are unidentifiable and vague.
I can ask for a room to sleep during lunchtime. You see, this place has hostel to room staff who are on trainings i.e. on-boarding etc.
I can claim for mileage.

Things I hate about coming here.

The traffic coming in and out of the place is terrible. Not just before and after office hour. It's all day long!!!
I don't have time to resolve problems that I really need to attend to!

But after today's meeting, I believe I'll be coming here more often as the team's agreed to meet up every week in our effort to improve our system.

However, I'm planning to ask them to rotate the meeting venue between here and HQ. It would be better this way.

Now that it's gonna be weekly, I'm just wondering whether I can still claim for mileage...

?

That said, I just remembered that I'll be coming here again Monday for another meeting on another matter.

ps: my download status is still at 58% (but the signal is already at 100%) and people here are already going back and I'd be all alone!!! s@$%^@$!!!

More memory, more space

2008-01-29T12:56:00.000+08:00

my cousin and i went to LowYat yesterday. i decided to buy an external hard disc to store all my personal files that are currently residing in my office's notebook.

there were so many shops to buy from. i couldn't decide. and we only had several hours before they closes. we stopped at several near the escalator but too many people. the shop that we bought the items from is located further inside and was less crowded, so more personal attention! heheheh...

tried to look for SEAGATE but it seems that most of the vendors have ran out of it. instead, i bought HITACHI 120GB SATA with a COOLERMASTER USB2.0 casing. all in all RM310. ok lah kot....

am not sure whether it's good enough but i bought it based on my colleague's recommendation.

alang-alang i was in LowYat, i did think of recceeing for SLRs. but again, limited time and we were already tired. so, maybe one of these days, i'm gonna go there again (hopefully with the money to buy), take my own sweet time and finally buy it (preferably, cheap!) !

Outstanding

2008-01-28T17:30:00.000+08:00

Eversince the start of the new year, I don't think I've accomplished much, in terms of my work tasks.

I've got several items from last year that is still pending and waiting approval from the Management, and due to the Server and DB admin migration excercises, applications are queuing up to be tested. Not to mention the almost frequent calls received from users reporting of the problems they encountered.

And yet, I'm still surfing and bloging....

Definitely not efficient of me!

I just don't feel like doing them...

So, how do you keep yourself motivated with your work?

I think it's just me. Not having enough discipline for it.

Malheur

2008-01-25T17:54:00.000+08:00

Looks like another item in my wishlists is about to go down the drain...
Well, not entirely though.

You see, I was thinking of buying an SLR this month by applying for that AEON Easy Payment scheme. But I need to settle my CC debts first because otherwise my AEON application might not get through due to my sort-of-bad-credit history...

My plan B is to apply for the Co's personal loan, which actually is much better than any of the easy payment schemes offered outside, with lower yearly interest and easier payment method (salary deduction).

After calculating Plan B, I rethink my options. Why?
This would have me paying in total about RM800 (at least) monthly for my KoOp loans. Arrrgghhh!!! The thing is, this amount includes my payment for the previous loans that I applied also with KoOp. And, no, RM800 is not purely the loan repayment. It includes my contribution to the KoOp.

If I was to apply for the new loan this time around I'd have to increase my contribution amount to RM200. This will be put into my KoOp account and at the end of the day I will receive dividents and if I was to quit the KoOp (given I've cleared up my Loan payment), I can take out the entire contribution amount (from the date I join til end).

So, in the end I will also get the profit from it.

But, it's just that I think, with all the other monthly deductions I have to make, RM800 is just too much for me right now.

The main reason why I wanted to buy it was because of my friend's wedding that'll be held next week. She asked me to take photos for her. I've already engaged Roy's photog service, as the main photographer. However, I want to be able to snap some decent photos myself. That's why I thought it would be high time for me to buy the long due SLR.

I don't know...

I'm still gonna go to LowYat and Bukit Bintang just to compare the prices.
And I've also inquired my cousin about the possibility of getting the quotation from her X-company's supplier, which she is still in contact with. She said they could sell the stuff I want at the cost's price. I guess that would be cheaper a bit la...

Yeah, well....

We'll see how it turn out.

I'll put an update on this matter soon enough.

If I finally decide to make that purchase, then comes another difficult question. Which Brand/Model to buy?

If I'm not limited by budget, I'd go for Canon EOS 350D. But I do have to bare in mind that in future if I want to buy the accessories, it's really gonna costs me!

With limited budget, I'd go for Nikon D40x perhaps. It's cheaper, both camera and accessories. But of course, quality not quite as good as the images produced by Canon la...

Quel dilemme!

On the other hand, I have good news. You might be a bit confused about it though cuz I'm not gonna tell it straight. Yesterday, I checked, 2 has change to 4, in 5.

Well, that's yesterday. I'm gonna go to chez cousine to check again... heheheh...

2 days later

2008-01-22T13:32:00.000+08:00

2 down.

at least 8 more to go!

kanbate-ne!

Poison
Sung/Lyrics by: Sorimachi Takashi
Composition: Inoue Shinjirou
Arrangement: Yoshida Ken

itsu made mo shinjite-itai
Always, I want to keep believing...

saigo made omoi-tsudzuketai [1]
Until the very end, I want to keep thinking...

jibun wa ikiru imi ga aru hazu to
that there has to be some meaning to my life.

sameta me de waraikakete'ru
Smiling with a cold glare

tamashii wo okasareta yatsu
Do guys who have had their very soul violated

namida wo nagasu itami wa aru no kai?
really feel the pain of shedding tears?

iitai koto mo ienai konna yo no naka ja
In this kind of world where you can't say what you want,

Poison

ore wa ore wo damasu koto naku ikite-yuku [2]
I'll go on with my life, still being true to myself

Oh Oh

massugu mukiau ima ni [3]
In this moment we face it head-on,

hokori wo motsu tame ni
we have to fight

tatakau koto mo hitsuyou na no sa
in order to keep our pride.

kaidan ni suwarikonde
Sitting on the stairs,

owaranai yume no hanashi wo
we went on talking of unending dreams

yo ga akeru made katari-tsudzuketa
until the break of dawn.

sarigenaku kisetsu wa kawari
The seasons change casually

muishiki ni shisen wo otoshi
I unconsciously drop my eyes

nagasareru koto ni narete-yuku no ka
Am I really getting used to being swept along?

chiisa na yume mo mirenai konna yo no naka ja
In this kind of world where you can't have even small dreams,

Poison

jibun rashisa zutto itsudemo suki de itai
I want to always, always be able to like being who I am.

Oh Oh

jiyuu ni ikite'ku hibi wo
I want to cherish

taisetsu ni shitai kara
each day I can live freely, so

ikitai michi wo ima arukidasu
I'll walk whatever path I want.

kitanai uso ya kotoba de ayatsuraretakunai
I don't want to be manipulated by filthy lies and words.

Poison

sunao na kimochi kara me wo sorashitakunai
I don't want to turn away from my true feelings.

iitai koto mo ienai konna yo no naka ja
In this kind of world where you can't say what you want,

Poison

ore wa ore wo damasu koto naku ikite-yuku
I'll go on with my life, being true to myself.

Oh Oh

massugu mukiau ima ni
In this moment we face it head-on,

hokori wo motsu tame ni
we have to fight

tatakau koto mo hitsuyou na no sa
in order to keep our pride.

**************************
[1] Or "feeling" or "dreaming"
[2] Literally, "not deceiving myself"
[3] "ima" (now) is the reading given for the kanji for genjitsu (truth, reality)

counting down

2008-01-21T13:20:00.000+08:00

i'm targeting to clear up my credit card debt by end of this month.

i hope i'll achieve it.

why?

cuz, i want to buy that SLR using installment payment scheme, if any.

i'll start recceeing for it soon...

die-with-a-capital-T

2008-01-21T12:11:00.000+08:00

i almost didn't come to work today.
last night was feeling a bit feverish and couldn't sleep.
kept turning left and right and whichever position possible to get some sleep.
in total, i think i only managed to get 1 hour of it.
however, i woke up feeling fresh and am very energetic this morning.
weird...

anyway...

weighed myself yesterday and got the shock of my life.
the 5kilos i managed to loose the first half of last year came back with another 2additional kilos!!!

arrghh!!!
i'm in a desperate mode now.
am willing to do whatever possible (within budget) to shed off those 7kilos and insyaAllah more.

luckily i have people around me that is also dieting.
sometimes, eventhough you don't have the discipline to get through it, but with people around you giving the necessary support and encouragement i'm sure it's within your grasp.

eversince i was a teenagers, i never weighed less than 55kilos.
i was never the skinny type. not that i want to be.
but, being able to go to your favorite shop and buying the first clothes you like or easily fitting into the pants/jeans... that'll be bliss...

don't get me wrong.
i'm not THAT fat. just, how do you say, with a little extra baggage.
right now, i'm about 70ish kilos.

i don't know why, but these last two months, my appettite has gone up the roof.
especially when i go to my cousin's house.
rice is my main target. rice with fried egg, or rice with fried chicken or even rice with just the steamed veggies...

so, today's my second day dieting.
YES. it's crash dieting.
i know, i know. it's bad for my body.
but, i promise, it'll be just for a while.
once i get back my momentum, i'll start going back to the gym.

for the meantime, this is the only method.
i hate the "chicken wing skin" on my arms...

GREAT NEWS!!!

2008-01-17T15:09:00.000+08:00

Received this sms from a dear friend of mine sharing a very wonderful news indeed!!!

"Alhamdulillah, syukur ke hadrat Illahi kita dah disahkan pregnant 7 weeks. InsyaAllah dapat baby merdeka! Terima kasih atas doa kalian...."

They've been wanting to get pregnant for about, i guess, 10 years ago. My friend, she's received so many tips, that she said, she can make a book out of it. hahah!

Whenever we meet her, we try our best to avoid talking about how many children this or that person already has, or who's preggie. Even if we succeeded avoiding it, she'd be the one asking.

Yesterday, after receiving this news, i immediately dialed her number to wish her Congrats! She said I was more excited than the mother-to-be herself. hehehe... just sharing her joy. I guess she's just trying to keep her calm until the bundle of joy has actually been delivered.

Here's hoping to her safe terms and the delivery of a healthy new addition to her family!

To Amnah, "It's about damn time!"

\(^ v ^) /

fatigue

2008-01-16T11:35:00.000+08:00

one tip for all of us

if you plan to go on a holiday and also have to attend a training back to back, which will preceed the other? not priority-wise, more to its arrangements.

from my very own recent experience, better have that holiday after the training or whatever things that might require lots of your energy (physical and mental).

otherwise, you'd be like me. really feel tired and i can't really concentrate on the training...

at least after the training, you can have that holiday for relaxation and pampering...

The only place in Bandung where we took pictures together - Tangkuban Perahu

Love the background on this picture

Nice candid shot by Nurul

oh la la!

2008-01-04T12:11:00.000+08:00

eversince my last (one and only) trip to France, I've fallen in love with those vintage posters.

especially those with the Moulin Rouge and Varga/PinUp girls. S-e-x-y.
and those adverts of Coke, Bally's and cover of Life and Vogue are really retro!

i like it so much that i wish i could have them all framed in my house!

the ones i have

the ones i WISH i have

i guess that's why i'm also drawn towards Constance's drawings.

ps: i'm having a bad headache...

current state of mind

2008-01-02T16:53:00.000+08:00

in your opinion, am i, or have i been a bad person?

ps: i just feel a bit down today... m(_ _)m

Flower Power!!!

2008-01-02T16:17:00.000+08:00

these 2 women are my icons! they're not only the pride of the Nation but also us women!

To achieve their current stature, definitely require lots, lots, lots of hardwork and perseverence which I don't think i'll ever be able to do...


Asian Sportswoman Of The Year 2007	Top Global Central Banker for 5 Consecutive Years

my 2cents on ...

2008-01-02T12:13:00.000+08:00

... my 2007 fixations
these are my ratings of the Dramas I've watched.

Legend:
Good. OK-lah /Haven't watched. Waste of my time.

JDorama

Hero

Hero Special

GTO

GTO Special

Bleach

Bleach Movie

Mukodono!

24Hours Emergency 1

24Hours Emergency 2

24Hours Emergency 3

Nobuta Wa Produce

Hanazakari No Kimitachi E

Queen of Lunch Time Cuisine

Yamato Nadeshiko/Perfect Woman

Story of One Century

Hana Yori Dango 1

Hana Yori Dango 2

Beautiful Life

With Love

Engine

Karei-naru Ichizoku/The Grand Tribe

SoDorama

Coffee Prince

Goong/Princess Hours

My Name is Kim Sang Soong

Witch Yu Hee

One Fine Day

Full House (borrowed)

Spring Waltz (borrowed)

The VineYard Man

Jumong/Prince of the Legend

Taiwan

Silence (borrowed)

for more info on individual drama, you can go to AsianDramaResource.

PS: come to think of it, rather than listing and reviewing this down, I'd better do the listing for my works that are still pending!!! heheheh...

7,8

2008-01-02T11:15:00.000+08:00

so what's different in 2008?

my habit of surfing the Net (rather than do my work) is still my No 1 priority when i sit at my workstation in the morning.
i still arrive just on time if not late at the office.
i'm still as stubborn as i could be.
that scene, or maybe scenes, still plays in my head from time to time no matter how hard i try to put it aside.
my ambition is non-existing.
i'm still wishing for that Japan trip instead of being here in the office but $$$ is close to none.
the traffic to and back from the office is bad if not worst.
i still get Monday Blues on mondays and the day after holiday.
the sky is still blue.
blood is still red.

so.

the only difference is...
7 is replaced with 8

yeah, you've guessed it.
this is my 'Monday Blues' doing the talking.

ps: someone has mistakenly transferred rm400 into my account! i have the person's name but i don't know how to contact them.

GET WELL SOON CCSALA

2008-01-02T09:18:00.000+08:00

My colleague fell down while washing her car and broke her left leg.
She had to undergo a surgery since she broke both her leg bones (refer picture) and is still warded in the hospital.

see if you can count how many screws are placed in her legs!

i can't imagine the pain she's going through...

hey Sala, here' wishing for your speedy recovery Dear!

Bonne année mes amis!!!

2008-01-01T01:01:00.000+08:00

the stage in Mid Valley has been set up.
the band in Dataran Merdeka have already started with their sound check.
and i guess the fireworks in KLCC are already in place for the show when the clock strikes 12 tonite.
looks like everything's already in place for 2008.

i'm sure people are looking forward to going out to town tonite to celebrate the new year with friends. drinking and be merry! singins 'auld lang syne'...

i'm sure even the Junior Mat Rempits, with the Jalur Gemilang tied tightly at the back of their bicycles, will also be celebrating, cycling by the roadside until the wee hours of the morning.

most people will be out and about...

but, not me. no, i'm not sad.
i'm in a way relieved.

why?

because i hate to be stuck in traffic and with all those crowds.
no. not me.
why go all the trouble when i can spend the night resting, watching tv with my cousins, in the comfort of our house...

yeah, that's my way of celebrating.

anyway, no matter how you decide to celebrate the coming of the new year, here's wishing everyone,

a better,

more productive

and wealthier year ahead!!!

ignorance is bliss

2007-12-31T10:52:00.000+08:00

eventhough ignorance is bliss but ...

word hurts

so, when you wanna say something, think first.

RM50 Banknote to Commemorate Malaysia's 50th Anniversary of Independence

2007-12-28T12:29:00.000+08:00

just bought my first special release note.

don't know why i bought it. never did before.
we were told that it comes with a special packaging. so, i imagined it to be in a frame of some sort. but just now, when i collected it from Admin, the packaging is just some card.

the note itself, personally, i think is not that pretty. and it's not even polymer.

anyway, i've pasted the info on the Commemoration RM50 Note below, in case you wanna know more.

ps: there's possibility of me using the money in the future in case i'm desperately broke. but, if i did, rugi lah... cuz i bought it at a price more than RM50.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

21 Dec 2007 - The Prime Minister today unveiled the new design for the RM50 banknote to commemorate Malaysia's 50th Anniversary of Independence. This new design of RM50 banknote is the first denomination of the Fourth Series of Malaysian currency notes which will be replacing the existing series in stages.

The New Design RM50 Banknote
The new design RM50 banknote retains the predominant colour of green-blue. The main theme of the design is the National Mission where the first thrust is "to move the economy up the value chain" which reflects Malaysia’s economic transformation to the higher value-added activities in the agriculture, manufacturing and services sectors of the economy.

The dominant intaglio portrait of the first Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Rahman ibni Tuanku Muhammad, is retained on the right and the national flower hibiscus is in the centre on the front of the new RM50 banknote. Design patterns from songket weaving, which are in the background and edges of the banknote, are featured to reflect the traditional Malaysian textile handicraft and embroidery.

The first 50 million pieces of the new RM50 banknote features Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj at the historic declaration of Malaya’s independence and the logo of the 50th Anniversary of Independence on the reverse side.

Security Features
The security features incorporated in the Fourth Series of RM50 banknotes are as follows :
The Watermark Portrait can be recognised by tints that are lighter or darker than the surrounding paper. This watermark portrait which has a three-dimensional effect appears without sharp outlines. At the base of the watermark, the numeral 50 is clearly visible.
The Security Thread is embedded in the paper and appears on the reverse side of the note as a silver coloured dotted line. When the note is held against the light, it is seen as a continuous dark coloured line and the repeated text BNM RM50 can be read. When viewed under ultra-violet light, the thread is seen in various changing colours known as the "rainbow effect".
Micro-Letterings of "BNM RM50" which can be viewed under a magnifying glass.
Invisible Fluorescent Elements can be seen through various elements of the background on the obverse and reverse side of the banknote and will fluoresce in different colours when viewed under ultra-violet light.
Perfect See-Through Register feature where the graphic songket design on the obverse side of the note will register perfectly with the same graphic songket design on the reverse side when it is held against the light.
Multicolour Latent Image of the denomination 50 can be seen when the banknote is tilted slightly and the colour changes when it is rotated.
Holographic Stripe features the denomination 50 and the hibiscus flower, with a multi-coloured pumping and matt-structure effect.
Hidden image with moiré effect where certain areas of the design appearance will change when the banknote is copied.

Members of the public are advised to take note of the security features and design of the new RM50 notes outlined above. The existing series of the RM50 banknotes will continue to be legal tender.

Sale of RM50 banknote with Special Packaging
The new RM50 banknote with a special packaging will be available for sale to members of the public. It will be priced at RM60 per set. Twenty thousand (20,000) sets will be available for sale from Wednesday, 26 December 2007 at Bank Negara Malaysia’s Head Office, and at Bank Negara Malaysia’s branches in Pulau Pinang, Johor Bahru, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. The availability of these banknotes will be on a first come first served basis and will be limited to one set per person.

The new RM50 banknotes without special packaging will be available through commercial banks on 30 January 2008 onwards.

KLMJ

2007-12-27T10:19:00.000+08:00

That's short for "Kenangan Lalu Menusuk Jiwa"...hheheheh...

It was around this time last year, me, Cik Lee, Cik Tinn, and Acu spent our Eidul Adha and New Year with our favorite men; Dutt, Eross, Bri, and Adam.

The bus ride, the ferry across to Lampung, the show, the durian eating session, etc etc etc...

That is one memory we can never forget and will always treasure...

Wish we'll have more opportunities like that after this!

"we'll be coming round the mountains, here we come"

2007-12-26T12:34:00.000+08:00

phew! it's been a great one week vacation for me.

it was a last minute decision (made by Cik Lee) that i went to ipoh, penang and cameron for the hols. granted, the journey was tiring and of course, an exercise that had left my purse almost half empty.

we initially decided to do some touristy stuff but ended up eat-eat-eat instead! at the end of the vacation, i've put on almost 4kilos of weight. gotta do some serious dieT-ing quickly!

ipoh
unlike my last visit to ipoh, i opted to drive instead of taking the bus there. although some say that taking the bus is much easier and less hassle, but personally, i'd rather drive as it's more comfortable, i can take my own sweet time and further more, I JUST LOVE DRIVING!!!

however, i'd like to say just one word to those travelling on the highway during (any) holiday seasons - SMARTTAG. but do make sure you've reload your card before hitting the road or at least some cash in your wallet to reload it at the Toll plaza.

i arrived in ipoh just in time for breakfast. Cik Lee had promised to take me to a shop that sells some delicious frshly made Prawn Chee Cheong Fun. yep! it's definitely delicious and cheap. i'll make sure i'll go there on my next (and every) visit to Ipoh.

penang
in Penang, we stayed at Anggerik Lodging near USM. the place was cheap, clean and small. by small, i mean, around 8ftx8ft with bathroom ensuite. yeah, what do you expect from a RM65 a nite room!?! regardless, it was clean and we didn't spend most of our time in the room anyway.

i'm not sure why, but Cik Lee had a 'craving' for Assam Laksa and we went to search for it around Georgetown. In his sms, Cik Lee's friend recommended us to look for it near Gama and Swatow Lane. This was on our second and last day.

When we found out the one behind Gama opens around 2pm, we headed to Chowrasta for some 'ole-ole' shopping and later went to Swatow Lane. To our delight, there is one shop selling Assam Laksa there, but to our disappointment, it's non-Halal.

So, guess what we had instead?

after having Nando's and BR31 on our 1st day, due to frustration (of not having found Halal Assam Laksa) and hunger, on the 2nd day, we had our lunch at... (drumroll...)... Manhattan Fish Market! yeah, imagine our friends asking "So what did u eat in Penang? Assam Laksa? Char Kuey Tiow? Nasi Kandar?", and we'd reply "No. We drove all the way to Penang to have Nando's, BR31, and MFM!"... soooo not the local cuisines!!!

what else did we spend our money on in penang?

i, myself spent about rm50 on *cough*pirated*cough* DVDs bought during our (lengthy) walk at Batu Feringghi on our 1st night in Penang. OK la, there are risks of you buying the Cinema instead of the Master Copy, but it's only RM4 per DVD. If you don't like the quality, u can just throw it away...

on our way back, we stopped again at Gama, cuz i insisted on buying the Laksa Penang (tapau). When we arrived at Seberang Perai, we headed North to Sg Dua to have the famous Mee Udang.

The different thing about this place is that you can pick your own prawns. Ada la udang harimau and kertas. Pricey!!! 100g=RM8. but worth it la, if you love prawns. and the gravy is delicious too!!! so, if you're on a journey up North or if you're from North, do stop by the restaurant. It's near Sg Dua Exit, go straight about 2-3kms, across the bridge, and the restaurant is on the left after the bridge. yummy!!!

what touristy stuff that we do?

we went to Bukit Bendera to ride the cable car up the Penang Hill. yet another disappointment. The earliest ride is at 8pm and at the time, it was only 4.30pm!!! What the heck r we supposed to do for that 3 hours? Dah la tempat tu tak de apa. Traffic jam pulak on our way there!!! Buat perabis boreh ajo!

so, we looked in the map that we have for another interesting place to go. Since PRamlee's house is around that area, we headed there straight. but. we got lost!!! Yep! Even with the map in hand! We went around and around looking for the place. Not sure if the map's fault or maybe it's because Penang's road are 90% one-way streets. My sense of directions are perfect. So, not a problem there! By the time we arrived, it was already 5.30pm and the place is closed!!! arggh!!!!

So, if you're planning to drive in Penang, be sure to have a map with you. not just any map! make sure the map indicates which roads are one-way and which are not! that should make your life much-much-much easier!!!

cameron
cameron was definitely a spur of the moment's plan. even Cik Lee's family (moins father) decided to join us in the eleventh hour.

we drove up from Simpang Pulai, which Cik Lee said the road is less curvy then of those from Tapah. But we encountered several traffic jams on our way up. This due to people stopping to go to the markets or farms found on road side.

as for ourselves, we stopped at Brinchang's Market to do our shopping.

love the fresh fruits! love the fresh veggies! if only i had more money to spend, i'd buy a whole lot of them!!! but i only budgeted RM50 for my Cameron trip, and even that I bursts!!!

on our way down, we stopped at Cameron Bharat Tea Shop for tea (obviously!). it was just me and Cik Lee. Her family had already gone down in the other car.

anyway, we had the strawberry flavored tea, one scones each (one set of twos = RM12), and a pack of shortbreads. Yummy!!! Let's do that again!!!

the scones reminded me of Cik Tinn. She one told me of her love for scones. wished she was there with us.

maybe next time!

later, we had our photo-ops in the tea plantation area behind the shop. i wanted to do that pose that most korean's like to do, just for the FUN of it!!! i looked stupid too doing it!!! kahkahkahkah!!!

we took several photos but kept deleting them. why? because we looked fat in each of them!!! ;P

in the end we just left some be and opted to photoshopped them instead! heheheh...

all in all
it was tiring (i'm referring to the journey home - traffic! traffic! traffic!) and fun!!!

and of course, one of many ways to empty your pockets...

in a dilemma

2007-12-19T15:02:00.000+08:00

should i be paying off my debts or pay some and spend the balance on something from my wishlist?

i've asked several people and they've adviced me to pay off the debts.

however, i'm still not too sure...

Option 1 : Pay off all debts
Pros
Those pesky chetties will no longer be bugging me
I've less debts to worry about

Cons
Most of my income this month gone
I don't get to buy the DSLR

Option 2 : Pay some, spend some
Pros
I MIGHT get to buy the DSLR
Reduced debt amount

Cons
Debts still not cleared, increased with interest
Pesky chetties at my back

I know it should be a clear cut decision based on the list above, but, I'm still not too sure...

By Debts, i'm referring to my Credit Card. I want to get it cleared off.

Apart from that, there are still house loan, car loan, insurance payments, outstanding maintenance fees blablabla blablabla blablabla

aaaarrrggghhh!!!! PUSING GUE!!!

I guess, might as well pay off the credit cards!

$$$

2007-12-18T19:24:00.000+08:00

alhamdulillah! i don't have to pay back the advance bonus the Co gave to us before Raya hari tu... yeay!

Ka-ching!
Shania Twain

We live in a greedy little world
that teaches every little boy and girl
To earn as much as they can possibly
then turn around and
Spend it foolishly

We've created us a credit card mess
We spend the money we don't possess
Our religion is to go and blow it all
So it's shoppin' every Sunday at the mall

All we ever want is more
A lot more than we had before
So take me to the nearest store

Can you hear it ring
It makes you wanna sing
It's such a beautiful thing
Ka-ching!

Lots of diamond rings
The happiness it brings
You'll live like a king
With lots of money and things

When you're broke go and get a loan
Take out another mortgage on your home
Consolidate so you can afford
To go and spend some more when
you get bored

All we ever want is more
A lot more than we had before
So take me to the nearest store

Let's swing
Dig deeper in your pocket
Oh, yeah, ha
Come on I know you've got it
Dig deeper in your wallet

amin!

now, have to think of the things i'd like to use the money for ...
but before that, of course have to figure out my budget!

Looking forward to it!

2007-12-17T12:47:00.000+08:00

Bleach's 2nd movie The DiamondDust Rebellion is coming out on the 22nd Dec 2007.

However, am not quite sure whether that's the release date for Japan or worldwide. Some are guessing that the subbed edition will only be somewhere 2008.

I hope that the very latest it'll be is January cuz I can't wait to watch it. Esp the impending fight between Ichigo and Hitsugaya.

But with this movie, I'm wondering whether it would somehow be a spolier of the current TV series' storyline where Ichigo n gang's went on a mission to save Orihime from Aizen-sama and destruction of the Hōgyoku.

Then again, maybe not.

Nevertheless, I'll be waiting for its release.

ps: Why do I feel like I've blogged about this previously?

MCR KL Concert (Sun 09/12/2007)

2007-12-14T10:43:00.000+08:00

went to watch My Chemical Romance's concert with Joe last Sunday at Stadium Merdeka (I think the Stdm was renovated cuz it looked more open or cleaner somehow).

it started to drizzle as soon as we entered the venue. the crowd was still small as most are still lining up outside. one buck short was performing as one of the opening act, followed by pop shuvit around 7ish pm.

we bought the rm115 valued tix for rm103 because of the XPAX 30% discount. from where we stand, i couldn't see a thing bcuz i am a bit on the short side. or perhaps bcuz the people standing in front of me mostly are taller. Joe had no problem as she's tall too. i didn't mind though as long as i can here MCR sings!

after the opeining acts, MCR came on stage about 45 minutes later which i think was very late and most of the crowd were already restlessly waiting in the rain.

clad in all blacks clothing and gothic (or rather panda-like) make up, their performance to me was so-so. their songs were a bit hard to follow along even if you have spent a month memorising their songs.

don't get me wrong. i love MCR's songs. i listen to it on my way to work and i kept it on repeat mode everyday.

perhaps having watched Linkin Park and Gwen's performance in their Msia's concerts, MCR failed to meet my expectations.

or it might also be the crowd. they weren't just that LOUD enough for me. after MCR finished singing each song, there'll be this stretch of silence. to the extent that i shouted "people, make some noise lah!!!". but, the silent still remains.

oklah the crowd around me (plus moi), did jump and sang along when Gerard sang. getting your foot stepped on, or being pushed around or head hit on by someone's hand that's normal in a concert. i don't mind that much (just as long as you don't grind you body to mine).

but some people don't share my sentiment.

joe got into a quarrel with this one guy who scolded her for apparently pushing him. man, that guy's stupid or what! that's bound to happen la... what do you expect? you're in a concert for god sake! if you don't like it, get out and go to a library or something@! kesian kak joe... tak semena-mena...

back to the concert...

well, sound system's a bit bad also.

so, all in all.... OK LAH...

i came home with achy feet, neck and shoulder. but i didn't lose my voice!

my idea of a GREAT concert is when i lose my voice from screaming, not just singing along with the songs... hehehhee

only today

2007-12-11T18:35:00.000+08:00

it seems that i can't stop posting entries in my blog.

i don't know what else to do.

i wanna go home but the traffic on the road is very heavy due to road closures around the city. bcoz of the Bersih's perhimpunan. not gonna go into that in details though. not particularly keen on politics (so sue me!)...

i wanna surf but i've ran out of sites to go to.

that's why i blogged.

SIGH!

In my Playlist

2007-12-11T18:20:00.000+08:00

Poison - Takashi Sorimachi
Hana - Orange Range
Ikenai Taiyou - Orange Range
D-TechnoLife - UVERworld
Number One - Hazel Fernandes
Life Is Like A Boat - Rie Fu
Norul Saranghae - Han Dong Joon
Sad Song - Inger Marie Gundersen
White Love Story - As One

you can see the influence of JDorama/SoDorama just by looking at my Playlist. But, for sure, I totally dig music from Orange Range. gonna try to find their albums, if possible.

i'd like a barrel of excitement ,please

2007-12-11T16:59:00.000+08:00

honestly speaking, i'm in need of some excitement in my dull life.

nowadays, after coming back from BKK, it's been work and home, work and home.
i don't know what else to do.

going out with friends/cousins will just be lepaking at mamak's or window shopping. (no pun intended guys...). recent weekend has been weddings.

everything i do feels too "normal"...

i even find food too ordinary.

japanese, siamese, western, malays... all type of cuisine just doesn't entice me. when my cousin suggested Korean (going after salary), the anticipation only lasted about 5 minutes.

if i have money (and lots of them!) and no debts (car and house), i'd taken one year unpaid leave and travel to places i'd been dying to visit; New York, Paris, the entire Spain, and Tokyo/Japan.

i told my colleague, in front of my Deputy Director even!, if I have the chance to go to Tokyo, I'd be willing to spend my entire Annual Leave there! heheheh... So, that'll be about 1-2 months, I guess... The best part is, my DD, he even said he has no problem with that! ahahahha!!!

talk is cheap. wait til the time actually comes.

but, seriously, any suggestions what i can do for some excitement? something that is not dangerous though...

the only excitement i'm feeling recently is when i watched my favourite JDorama/SoDorama/Anime DVDs.

pathetic huh?

Bangkok : Day 2 & 3

2007-12-05T17:33:00.000+08:00

the 2 days that we went on that 2 tour packages...

on the 2nd day, by 6.30am the four of us were already waiting for the tourguide (Bin) to come and pick us up to head to the Floating Market located outskirt of Bangkok (approx. 2hrs). we went with another group in the van. but the thing we couldn't stand, is that they have BO and we had to endure it the entire ride. Luckily i brought my 'minyak kapak' along. it did the job pretty well i might say! d(^ v ^)

we were taken from the pier to the Floating Market by Boat. it was exciting. the last time i was on a boat like that was on my English Society's trip to National Park. there were time during the ride, the boat seems to more to one side and another. guess that's a sign for me to start losing weight huh? hehehehe....

when we arrived there (safely), there weren't many boats there yet. instead of walking, we hired a boat to take us along the river (200baht/per). it was a lady who paddled the boat. i felt a bit guilty about it and even Jal silently offered to take over! hehehe...

a few things you should know when at the floating market.

don't point to any stuff if you don't intend to buy bcoz 'gondoleer' will stop at the place you pointed thinking you want to buy it.
learn a few Thai phrases like 'i don't want', 'don't stop here','stop there','i want to buy' so that it'll be easy for you to communicate to the 'gondoleer'.

after stopping at several shops but didn't buy anything, the 'gondoleer' and some of the shopkeepers started to mumble something in Thais. This is what we're guessing they were saying to each other:

Shopkeeper : Come stop over here. Buy something.
Gondoleer lady : Don't bother. I stopped at the other shops but they're not buying anything.

But we didn't care. We paid her for the boat. It wasn't a must for us to buy things, right? Furthermore, we already planned to buy those things at Chatuchak Market which costs much much cheaper!

From the Floating Market (after waiting almost one hour for the other group to re-group at the van!!! Poor Bin had to go around the market several times to look for them), we stopped at the Snake Farm (they watched the Snake Show, we didn't have the mood to!). We were supposed to go to a factory outlet that sells all the handicraft but since we're already late (thanks to those people), we had to go straight to another place since we had to change to another tour guide (don't ask me why).

from there, we headed to Rose Garden for lunch and the Elephant and also Cultural Show. Things went smoothly from then onwards.

The new tourguide, whose name as we learned later is Mango, was in his own words 'talk too much' (hahaha!) and we had difficulty understanding what he says. We tried, hard! He was a nice guy and often asks us to 'hurry up' bcoz the 'show is starting'.

In the van, since us girls sat in the middle row, we had to 'layan' Mango. Penat ooo... At one point, Cik Tinn and I planned to switch row with the boys so that they'll be the one to 'layan' him, but alas! We still sat in the middle. sigh... tak pe la...

it was really tiring. the whole tour. one day. in and out of the van. from Rose Garden back to Bangkok, we slept the entire way. Except Cik Tinn, i think.

We ended the tour at a Gem Factory. What were they even thinking bringing us there? Apart from looking at how they polished the gem stones, we're definitely couldn't afford to buy any!

Arriving at Suk11, we were already hungry. Cik Tinn had headache and opted not to follow us for our hunt for dinner.

At 8pm, me and the boys went to Suk3 for dinner and then Patpong for window shopping. Although Patpong is famous for their 'Thai Girl Shows', the boys decided not to go and get the 'experience'. Mango already warned us that the girls there are aggresive and we're going to lose money (due to treating them drinks and also theft). From what we gather from the 'ulats' outside the bars, there are shows like those of Ping Pong Pussy, Smoking Pussy etc. Ewwwww!!! I got goosebumps even thinking how all that is possible! But walking along the market, we did get a glimpse of the 'girls' and girls pole dancing since the doors were opened. Wearing just a two piece swimsuits and high heels. I must say they do have great bodies. Not quite sure about their looks though.

Going back to the hotel we got lost. We took the wrong direction walking from Nana Station. It took us almost one hour to reach Suk11. By the time we reached Suk11, our legs were shaky and in the words of Jal 'rasa nak roboh' that we couldn't even climb the stairs to our rooms. We stayed at the Lobby for half hour or so, eating the already cold but still delicious grilled tiger prawn! 60Baht for 8. yummy and cheap!

Me as the designated map reader, i felt terribly guilty. Sorry guys! Should have done better job... m(_ _)m

But I didn't let you guys down after that, right? heheheh... or did i?

[to be continued]...

ps: the weather was surprisingly cool. from what i've read in the internet, i thought Bangkok was going to be hot and stuffy.

Bangkok : Day 1

2007-12-04T12:17:00.000+08:00

Cik Tinn, Roy, Jal and I arrived at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 12 noon and took the Airport Bus (No AE3, 150 Baht, about 1-2hours ride) to the SUK11 Guests House at Soi 11 Sukhumvit.

Suk 11 definitely exceeded my expectation. I thought it's gonna be some cheap, dodgy, unmaintained, a bit dirty and rundown inn like those at Jln Chow Kit etc. But, instead, I found myself in a unique (like Roy aptly put it "a hotel with Central Market look to it"), clean and beautiful guests house. We booked the ensuite rooms. It's airconditioned, the beds, room and toilet (with water heater) is clean. Quite near to the BTS Nana Station and the Arab Street at Soi 3 (although I must say that the halal food is a bit on the expensive side). Really backpackers and budget tourists friendly. Thanks to Azita for recommending it to us!

We rested for a while and around 5ish, headed to MBK (changed at Siam and stopped at National Stadium) to find some halal food. Found the food court on the 5th floor. There were a few to choose from. I settled for the Rice roll starter set, Roy had the Chicken Rice (or something), while Cik Tinn and Jal ordered the Kebab. Didn't satisfy our hunger though...

Went around the Mall for a few hours. It had the Sg Wang feel to it. Many shops selling imitation goods. Decided to come again some other day.

Oh, we also dropped by tour agency to book us some tour package. Decided to go on the Floating Market+Rose Garden+Crocodile Farm tour (1000Bht/per) for the next day and Temple and City Tour (500Bht/per) for the day after.

Later in the evening, we headed towards the Suan Lum Night Bazaar (changed at Siam and stopped at Sala Daeng OR you could take the MRT). Got ourselves lost going around the Bazaar. But stuff there were definitely 'should buy'. Esp for interior decor and accessories. Made a mental note to myself to come again next time with lots of money and 'borong' me lots of stuff for the house, that is when I've really settled down.

Cik Tinn was the first among us to shop. As for myself, I bought several inexpensive cute looking scrunchies with small flowers made out of yarn/wool thread (i think?). That reminds me. I need to give them out to my cousins etc.

Then, we sat down for some drinks at the food court, which reminded me a lot of Hartamas Sq, and ordered Sticky Rice with Mango. Absolutely DELISH!!! We first had it when there was this Thai Fair in Ipoh. You guys must give it a try when in Thailand. It's just 60Baht.

Went back around 11ish for a night rest. Need to get up by 6am the next morning for the Floating Market tour...

ps: the Thais sure do look and talk fierce to me eventhough their language is soft. whenever we asked something, they surely to reply in a harsh tone. perhaps it's just their nature.... huh?

City of Gods

2007-12-03T19:00:00.000+08:00

came back yesterday night from Bangkok.
were at the airport at 4pm BKK (5pm KL).
arrived at LCCT at 9.50pm KL.
arrived at Sentral at 10.50pm KL.
arrived at WMaju and took cab to Aunt's at 11.50pm KL.
finally arrived home at 1.30am KL.
about 8hrs journey!!! really tiring...

decided to take the morning off of work.

but the trip!
minus one bad experience with a tourist guide, our 4 days trip was great!
as usual, wished i had more money and more time to spend

will fill you in with the details later.

am downloading the pix taken during the whole trip.

here's a teaser!

definitely going there again... esp for more shopping!

OST Coffee Prince

2007-11-30T20:26:00.000+08:00

yeah, that's right... another one of the OST... but I prefer the one sang by Gong Yoo's character instead.

OST Coffee Prince

2007-11-30T20:17:00.000+08:00

I'm bored... still in the office. That's why I'm browsing for whatever things come to mind.

Like this one here, one of songs from the Coffee Prince drama.

yeup, still about Coffee Prince

2007-11-30T12:22:00.000+08:00

WARNING : Not suitable for the hard-hearted. Potential vomit induced.

i'm very much in love with this scene where Han-Kyul wakes Eun-Chan in the morning by serenading her with a song through the phone....

they're soooo cute!!!

such wonderful lyrics too...

this scene takes place before they have to part bcoz Eun-Chan have to go off to Italy for 2 years to study Baristaship.

in case you can't view the video, here's the music clip.

English Translation
Title: I Love You (Norul Saranghae)
Original Singer: Dong Joon Han
Lyrics Translation : Sang
Also credit: http://kreah-craze.com

I wake, the approach of morning rouses me
And to you, asleep in my arms
(Oh)
I love you

We will never have a forlorn farewell
While we may cry because of the sorrow
We will always share our dreams
Until the sky keeps us apart
(Oh)
I love you

Coffee Prince : Updates

2007-11-29T16:20:00.000+08:00

definitely 100% giler babeng best!!!!

unlike the other Korean Drama sets that i recently bought (*cough*YuheeWitch*cough*), i managed to finish the entire 17-episodes of Coffee Prince within 24 hours! (yeah... i didn't sleep)

as expected, Yun Eun-Hye is acting is cute and different.

YEH convincing as a tomboy in her clothing and the way she carries herself in Coffee Prince.

Totally the opposite of how she looks in reality...
and Gong Yoo, playing the main male character, damn! is this guy handsome or what!!! that body! that structure! ihiks! but i don't think he's photogenic though...

With his charming looks and boyish/playful attitude, Gong Yoo definitely makes me swoon...

definitely my type of guy... V(^ v ^)

storyline might be a bit typical/cliche (rich snobbish guy falls in love with headstrong hardworking lower-class girl). but, watch it and tell me what u think.

the show's rating in Korea almost reach 30% viewers.
this should give you some indication, shouldn't it?

but certain scenes looks similar to those of Goong's.

hehehehe...

i'm contemplating whether i should watch it again this weekend... hmmmm....

*wink!**wink!*

Coffee Prince

2007-11-28T15:21:00.000+08:00

just got an sms from DVD seller on this Korean Drama Boxset i've been waiting to buy.
gonna go this evening to pick it up! yeay!

looking forward to watching Yoon Eun Hye's cute acting like she did in Goong!

ps: i hope it's gonna be as good or better than what i've heard/read from the reviews...

Dude, where's my car?

2007-11-27T13:31:00.000+08:00

it finally happened to me. yeup, i had that 'dude-where's-my-car' syndrome.

i went out with my cousin yesterday to SW to buy MCR's concert tickets and to find the long-overdued presents for Baby Khayra who is already 6-7 months old now. after that, we headed off to Pavillion.

that's the first time i ever parked in Pavillion, so the parking lot was still unfamiliar to me. going out from the car, i made a mental note of where we parked, how many times we took the escalator and the first outlet we see coming out of the parking area.

it was already 10.30pm when we made our way back to the car after having dinner at Tony Roma's (thanx kak tique for the treat!) and buying 1/2 dozen JCo Donuts. i paid the parking ticket and headed towards the escalator. when we reached the level where we presumedly parked the car, guess what? it's not there! so, we thot, maybe the next level.

nope.
next?
nope.
next?
still no.

shit!

by this time, my cousin's already wearing the worried look on her face.

me? i'm not sure how i looked.

but for sure, both of us were thinking the worst!

"Wey, where's your car lah? I remembered us parking next to that BMW. Takkan kereta ko kena curik kot?"

i could only laugh at the thought of my Satria Neo being stolen and the thought that it was chosen over the BMW parked near it. if true, then the thief must be really stupid!

for about 15 minutes or so, we went to all the parkings on the basements in search of my 'missing' car.

i might be laughing on the outside but i was really nervous and my knees were already getting wobbly. although the thought of buying a new car was already going through my head (heheheh).

i didn't know how but it suddenly hit us.

is there any parking lot upstairs?

so, off we went and there it was. my dusty looking car. with totally no enticing features for someone to steal it.

hehehehehe.... stupid!

i remembered parking at level M1 but i didn't realise it wasn't in the basement.

Little of your time

2007-11-21T19:13:00.000+08:00

Spare me some of your time. read my rantings on my current state...

...listening to
recently, i find myself listening almost-24-7 to Maroon 5's latest album. Not few songs, I LOVE THEM ALL!!!

there's that feel to it... retro.

unlike, their previous album, i sensed their music somewhat matured.

so what if RollingStone reviewed it only 3 and a half stars!

...fretting about
mainly, $$$.

i'm dead-broke. luckily, pay-day is approaching very soon. and i'm already thinking of buying this and that i.e. SLR, external hard disc, new office attire, those So/jDorama boxsets etc.

but then again, those thoughts are always overridden by the reality that i have some more debts to clear off. the usuals; credit cards (must make those 'cheti' stop pestering me), maintenance fees. as Destiny's Child aptly put it, "bills, bills, bills!"

in addition, i'm going for that trip with Cik Tinn, Roy n Jal soon. and i need spending money for that too!

also, there's that My Chemical Romance's concert this Dec 9th at Stadium Merdeka...

i need to do something about this money problem of mine.
something to enable me to stretch me pockets a bit more every month.
if not, i must try to constrain my "wants" for things i could not afford, right?

so many things to buy/pay, so little money.

what else i've been thinking lately...?

oh... my annual overseas trip for 2008.

huh! yeah, even with my current financial situation, i can still think about this. i must. this is my getaway-from-work-time that is really necessary in order to release work-related tensions.

for the past 2-3 years, Indonesia has been my frequent destination. Yogya-Jakarta-Bandung-Lampung-Solo.

although the memories of those trips are DEFINITELY PRICELESS, i need to broaden my horizon, open my eyes/mind to new places/cultures, spread my wings to places i've never stepped foot before.

a trip for personal/pleasure. not for business. although, i don't mind being sent overseas once in a while.

2008, i'm thinking Dubai or Australia or China.

Why?

Dubai; my cousin's husband has recently been sent for work there for 3-years. and per normal practice each year they'll be given a paid for return ticket to Malaysia. my cousin said, that ticket, if her hubby decides not go use it, he's giving to her to come to Dubai instead. i'm thinking, and already told her my intention, if this is so, i want to join her as well.

Australia; guess it's the right time to go, since AirAsia has just extended their service there (is this true?). actually this year, i was trying to get the Bank to send me for a 5-days training there. it didn't quite work out my way. anyway... in Australia, i'm thinking of visiting their popular Australia Zoo, see their Zoo staff in action. even before the demise of Irwin, i very much wanted to go there and see him in action. too late now, right? i still wanna go.

China;Simple. Cheap stuff!

Whatever it is, wherever it may be, i need to start saving for the trip now.

...trying to do to loose these fats
i've enrolled myself in an FOC Personal Training Program here in the Bank. it's been a month or so now but i've only attended not more than 5 sessions.

and the pounds are starting to pile up.

i must start disciplining myself. i must get back into the momentum.
recall what was it that motivated me to lose those 5 kilos, which i have now re-gain (urggh!!!), the first half of 2007.

Chaiyo! Kanbare! Aja-aja fighting!

...finding time to revamp the blog's layout
i'm getting bored of this current (standard) layout. one of these days have to find time to revamp it.

so.... that is it from me... for now...

I Won't Go Home Without You
by Maroon 5

asked her to stay but she wouldn't listen
She left before I had the chance to say (Oh)
The words that would mend the things that were broken
But now it's far too late, she's gone away

Every night you cry yourself to sleep
Thinking: "Why does this happen to me?
Why does every moment have to be so hard?"
Hard to believe that

It's not over tonight
Just give me one more chance to make it right
I may not make it through the night
I won't go home without you

The taste of your breath, I'll never get over
The noises that you made kept me awake (Oh)
The weight of things that remaind unspoken
Built up so much it crushed us everyday

Of all the things I felt but never really shown
Perhaps the worst is that I ever let you go
I should not ever let you go

And I won't go home without you

So, be it.

2007-11-11T00:31:00.000+08:00

i just can't stand it. i need to vent somewhere. although this is not the right channel to do so, i'm afraid i'll burst if i don't. don't care who's gonna read it.

"X,

i'm not making as much money as you think i am.
so u can't simply as me for $ there and then, whenever.
shouldn't there be lots of other people sharing this responsibility.
so, y only me?

sometimes i feel that you only value the money. not me.
it seems more so especially when my opinion's are pushed aside over the others.
the incident that day proves it.

perhaps u think u understand me, but in fact u don't.
u say u agree with me, but in fact u don't.
u said u understand my "predicament", but in fact u don't.

i tried to be the best i can but whenever i think of it i thot to myself "what's the use?"

those 3 words u try so hard to say to me, i'm already immune to it.
it doesn't trigger anything in me.
action speaks louder than word but, again, "what's the use?".

i'm not gonna try to do things just to live up to ur expectations.
i'm sick and tired trying to win, at the very least, your attention.
i'm throwing in the towel...
no.
i've already thrown in the towel.

the opponent wins.

but don't get me wrong.
i'm 'letting' them win.

until 'then', u can expect to see less of me."

laugh and cry session... it was worth it!

2007-10-31T17:49:00.000+08:00

recently watched 2 JDoramas; Hanazakari no Kimitachi e and Karei-naru Ichizoku.
these 2 box sets were really good purchase! and worth my time watching them! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO ALL YOU JDORAMAS FANS! a definite 5 out 5 ratings for both!

Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (HanaKimi)
Mizuki, a Japanese girl from America, who has secretly enrolled herself in an all 'only-hotties' boy's school.

why?

to persuade her idol, who is the school's and also national's all-star high jump athlete (Sano), to get back into the sport after suddenly quitting a year ago reportedly due to an injury, which she's convinced was somehow her fault.

along the way, we'll meet with the colorful characters of the students and the many funny events that took place during her time there disguised as a boy.

other characters to look out for (not bcoz of their looks! their role!) : Nakatsu, the 3 Dorms' Leaders, Umeda sensei, Shibari Four

the drama is based on the popular manga of the same name by Nakajo Hisaya. It was also dramatized in Taiwan, but I like this better!

Mizuki [Horikita Maki]
Sano [Oguri Shun]
Nakatsu [Ikuta Toma]
Nanba senpai [Mizushima Hiro]

ps: while watching this, I even managed to make a mental note on which actor might just be suitable for the characters in Bleach people-movie, if any! hehehe...

Karei-naru Ichizoku
For the first few episodes, you'll get a feel of your typical "Dallas" and "Knots Landing" soap opera. It's quite slow for those of you who are not so into these kind of genre.

But, it's definitely worth your time and patience.

The story, set in the 1960's background, tells the rivalry between a son, Manpyo Teppei and his father, Manpyo Daisuke. Teppei, following his late grandfather's advice, decided to be a "steel-man" against his father's will of becoming a banker, like himself. His dream was to bring his steel-firm's iron bearing to the world's market and thus, making Japan one of the developed countries in the world.

However, he faces many challenges in making his and his late grandfather's dream comes true.
Everyone, from his competitors, the banks, and even his own father wanted to see him fail.
Not wanting to give up, Teppei, with his determination and the encouragement and support of his friends and co-workers, it looks like he might just succeed. Until something happened...

The Manpyo Clans

A really heart wrenching, nerve gripping story played by great actors. Some of the 'bad' characters can really get to your nerves and you wish that they would just go die and leave Teppei alone!

Takuya Kimura, as Teppei, is (I might be a bit overboard) phenomenal! Not his typical role, but the best yet. He won The Best Actor Category in the Seoul Drama Awards for his role in this drama.

This is originally a novel by Yamazaki Toyoko, and later a 1974 movie.

ps: There's one scene that really got the best out of me. Not gonna tell you which. I tried my best to hold back my tears but couldn't. Later when I looked in the mirror, my eyes were all puffy. I cried... and sobbed! Well, maybe a bit... no, really... yeah, whatever...

boar-ed like crazee

2007-10-18T19:55:00.000+08:00

masa office hour tadi, macam anxious and restless giler to go balik rumah
tapi, bila skang nih, dah after office hour? STILL IN THE OFFICE - doing nothing!!!

balik la wey!!!!!

ps: still in my holiday mood... keje satu haper pun tak buat kat ofis these past 2 days.... sigh!

Life Is Like A Boat ~ by Rie Fu

2007-10-11T12:42:00.001+08:00

Nobody knows who I really am
I never felt this empty before
And if I ever need someone to come along
Who's gonna comfort me and keep me strong?

We are all rowing the boat of fate
The waves keep on comin' and we can't escape
But if we ever get lost on our way
The waves would guide you thru another day

Tookude iki wo shiteru toumei ni nattamitai
遠くで息をしてる　透明になったみたい
[Far away, I'm breathing, as if I were transparent]

Kurayami ni omoe takedo mekaku shisarete tadake
暗闇に思えたけど　目隠しされてただけ
[It would seem I was in the dark, but I was only blindfolded]

Inori wo sasagete atarashii hi wo matsu
祈りをささげて　新しい日を待つ
[I give a prayer as I wait for the new day]

Azayaka ni hikaru umi sono hate made
鮮やかに　光る海　その果てまで
[Shining vividly up to the edge of that sea]

Nobody knows who I really am
Maybe they just don't give a damn
But if I ever need someone to come along
I know you would follow me, and keep me strong

Hito no kokoro wa utsuri yuku nukedashita kunaru
人の心はうつりゆく　抜け出したくなる
[People's hearts change and sneak away from them]

Tsuki wa mata atarashii shuuki de fune wo tsureteku
つきはまた新しい周期で　舟を連れてく
[The moon in its new cycle leads the boats again]

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

Oh, I can see the shore
When will I.... see the shore?

I want you to know who I really am
I never thought I'd feel this way towards you
And if you ever need someone to come along
I will follow you, and keep you strong

Tabi wa mada tsudzuiteku odayakana hi mo
旅はまだ続いてく　穏やかな日も
[And still the journey continues on quiet days as well]

Tsuki wa mata atarashii shuuki de fune wo terashidasu
つきはまた新しい周期で　舟を照らし出す
[The moon in its new cycle shines on the boats again]

Inori wo sasagete atarashii hi wo matsu
祈りをささげて　新しい日を待つ
[I give a prayer as I wait for the new day]

Azayaka ni hikaru umi sono hate made
鮮やかに　光る海　その果てまで
[Shining vividly up to the edge of that sea]

And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore

Unmei no fune wo kogi nami wa tsugi kara tsugi e to
運命の船を漕ぎ波は次から次へと
[We are rowing the boat of fate,]

Watashitachi wo osou kedo
私たちを襲うけど
[but the waves keep attacking us]

Sore mo suteki na tabi ne
それも素敵な旅ね
[But isn't that still a wonderful journey?]

Dore mo suteki na tabi ne
どれも素敵な旅ね
[Aren't any of them a wonderful journey?]

i've been tagged!

2007-10-03T18:12:00.000+08:00

NAME 5 FAVORITE FOOD YOU FEEL LIKE HAVING NOW.
1. actually, right now? anything edible... bcause i missed my Sahur this morning. so, in this condition, i can eat a horse
2. those steaks or ribs from Roma! anyone care to accompany me? we go dutch yeah?
3. Mama's lontong with that oh so yummy sambal sotong
4. crabs!!! fried or cooked in sweet and spicy sauce! either will do!
5. that yummy ice cream snow dessert from... what's that shop's name again? i kept forgetting... but how delish!!!

NAME 5 FOOD YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE FOR BREAKFAST IF YOU COULD.
1. pancake from any shop will do... i love pancakes!
2. pasar minggu's kuih lopes
3. nasi lomak
4. ... entah la... to tell u the truth, i normally don't eat breakfast. i'll get stomachache sometimes

NAME 5 FOOD YOU WOULD MOST LIKELY BUY FOR BERBUKA TODAY.
don't think i'll buy anything today... gonna rummage my fridge and have either one of these...
1. last monday's bubur lambuk
2. last monday's bread and butter puding
3. jambu batu cicah with kuah rojak
4. jambu air cicah with kuah rojak
5. or mamee-in-cup...

bcoz I'm gonna buka puasa at my own house today... in my desperate attempt to eat less and lose some weight by Raya...

i've been eating like cow for the past 3 days...

hahaha!!!

so, now, tag! u're it!

syok nyer mimpi....

2007-09-26T15:19:00.000+08:00

am just wondering...

org kata mimpi tu permainan syaitan
org kata syaitan tu kena ikat masa bulan Ramadhan

maksudnya... kita tak mimpi lah ek masa bulan Ramadhan nih?

kalau kita mimpi, pasal apa ek?

pening aku...

sapa nak jawab...?

ps: just curious. pasal malam tadi aku mimpi something yg tersangat best. not gonna tell sebab org kata kalau kita bagitau mimpi tu won't come true.... heheheh!

Congrats Uya!

2007-09-19T18:00:00.000+08:00

Congrats on your "new release"!!!

Welcome, Puteri Qalila!

ps: am waiting for Tini to post Puteri's pix on her blog.

SHOCK! SURPRISED! SPEECHLESS!

2007-09-19T14:02:00.000+08:00

betul aku speechless bila tau!!!

who'd ever thought???
i've heard news of it before, and thought "tak kan la nobody noticed...?"
now that benda dah jadi indirectly in my life baru aku tau...

rupanya, bukan tak noticed...
people either:-
1) tak terlintas
2) tak nak tanya
3) tak buruk sangka

m( ~ __ * )m

Dear Jason

2007-09-17T16:18:00.000+08:00

i understand your predicaments. trust me. i feel bad too!

having to spend hours on the phone (or headset, rather) everyday calling people up. having to listen to them caci maki-ing u and all that.
only god knows how you felt and curses them back silently.
but, no matter how much it eats you inside, it's your job.

that is why, every time you call, i try to be as polite as possible.
when u asked me that question, i can only say "I'll try today".
i didn't want to waste your time or my time.
there's no point for me telling you the whole bulls*** excuses when the truth is only one. the one truth i kept from you.

but now you've found out. sending your friend here to face me is no use you see. cuz...

I DON'T HAVE THE @#$%@#$@# MONEY TO PAY THAT DAMN @#$%@#$(@#$ MOSTLY-INTEREST-ACCRUED-CREDIT-CARD-PAYMENT!!!

so, stop being such a PEST!!!

"I'm feeling yummy head to toe..."

2007-08-22T15:32:00.000+08:00

damn! it's such a wonderful, wonderful life!

haven't had this much fun since... i can't remember when
haven't shouted and screamed to the top of my lungs since... forever

ada masa aku menjerit tu, rasa macam nak patah backbone and meletup kepala aku nih!
hahaha....

tapi seronok giler!
it was a great night!

even better when i got photo ops with THE man of me dream. he's thiner than last time saw him at AIM (was it? one of those award shows lah!). guessed it's bcoz of that "issue". but my advice to him, "good riddence, Hans"!

ps: last weekend dreamed of him, actually. came to my house untuk kenduri doa selamat, wearing songkok and all, bersila-ing near the door. hehehehe! patut la...

mati kutu

2007-08-19T14:55:00.000+08:00

aku dah tak tau dah nak tulis apa dalam blog nih...
rasa macam malas nak mem'blog' pun ada gak kadang-kadang

in the first place, why aku create this blog?
apa purpose aku? nak bgtau org pasal aktiviti harian aku? buat apa? honestly, sapa pedulik!

aku rasa memula dulu aku buat blog pasal it's the 'trend' at the time, maybe...

skarang nih, dengan kerja yg menimbun and long working hours, not to mention working weekends, aku tak de masa lagi nak memblog...

tapi, sayang pulak rasanya nak stop just like that.

skali skala aku jenguk, rasa macam nak ubah lagi layout blog. but again, no time lah...

itulah... kita kalau nak buat satu benda nih, must have purpose, one goal. so that, takkan melilau lilau along the way.

hidup kita pun macam tu. kena ada sense of purpose.

unfortunately, dari kecik sampai besar, aku tak pernah ada...

aku nih org yg go through life one step at a time and not forgetting to have fun while at it.

ada hari tu masa aku tumpangkan member balik, tak tau kenapa or maybe saja nak small talk, dia tanya aku "apa makna kebahagiaan pada awak?"

"kenapa tanya? tgh stress ngan boss ke?"

bila dia kata tak and saja tanya, aku gelak besar.

bukan apa. aku laughed pasal soalan tu, (1) cara dia tanya skema giler, (2) aku bukan org yg jenis "deep thinker" mcm tu...

bila nampak aku gelak besar, member aku tu terus kata "Kenapa awak gelak? OK lah.. ok lah... kita tukar topik".... kahkahkah...

tolong lah jgn tanya aku soalan-soalan macam nih...

i'm more of a "When Harry Met Sally" than "English Patient" kind of gal.

It can really make me cry ...

2007-07-30T19:21:00.000+08:00

i guess nih je lah satu-satunya lagu melayu Msia yg can make me teared up tiap kali tgk vdo clip dia... buat masa nih la...

Izin Ku Pergi
by: Kaer

Sinaran mata
Cerita segalanya
Duka lara terpendam
Memori semalam

Tinggal segala cinta
Tiada kembalinya
Lama dikasih kita
Kau bawa bersama

Mimpi indah mekar
Saat cinta bersemi
Sedetik asmara syurga
Selamanya

(Korus)
Pergilah rinduku
Hilangkan dirimu
Tak sanggup menanggung
Derita dikalbuku

Pergilah sayangku
Bermula semula
Semangat cintaku
Membara kerana dia
Tiada niatku

Tersemat dijiwa
Setia bersamanya
Cinta murni berdua
Beribu teguhnya

Maafkan aku duhai kasih
Izinkan ku pergi

"kalau nama ini, dia orang apa?"

2007-07-19T12:52:00.000+08:00

baru je pergi Indo several times, orang ingat aku dah expert pasal negara tu... hahahha.. lawaks....

takat nih, dah berapa kali ntah org datang kat aku tanya pasal "apa best kat situ ye?", "kat mana lagi murah?", "kalau nak gi sana, kena naik teksi ke?".... like this morning, my boss asked me "Kalau nama dia nih, dia Muslim ke bukan?"... err.... *scratch my head*

ada lah a few yg aku boleh jawab, tapi, for them to come to me with these questions, nampak sgt aku dah kena stamp as orang "sana".. hahahhah... kalau dulu, I might terasa pasal you know lah orang kita punya perception on these people kan... but now, aku dah tak kisah sangat...

amazing kan how people can come to think you're an expert of some things eventhough you've only been there or done that for only a few times... by "few" i mean, you can even count them with your fingers!

hahhaha!

"Aja aja fightin'!" <- if you're an 'expert' on SoDrama, you'd know what this means!

;P

that's so ...

2007-06-29T19:05:00.000+08:00

weird = the whole paris out of jail commotion <-what's the big deal???

crazy = I have seen magic before, but Keith Barry IS trully 'extraordinary'!

wtf!?! = watching Shrek in a cinema that is filled with I-think-this-is-my-f*ing-living-room-that-don't-feel-guilty-loudly-narrating-the-whole-story-line-to-my-kids-who-some-are-running-and-skating-around-on-their-rollershoes-when-my-baby-is-crying-for-milk-while-my-'bestfriend'-is-talking-on-the-phone-loudly-with-I'm-Taiko-mah-attitude kind of people can make you feel like screaming near their ears "SHUT THE F* UP!"

tiring = coming to work at 8am and going back at 10pm (continuous) when your normal working hours is 9-5 (with 2 hours break in between for coffee breaks! heheheh...) because you need to resolve a problem quickly on your own while your vendor is happily away on his 10days-long vacation overseas. not to mention with your very minimal knowledge...sigh...

satisfactory = when some one saw what you've produced (with the great assistance of a friend) and wants to hire you for their event
refreshing = learning a new skill

frightening = learning a new skill

hot! = that lawyer involved with the Altantuya case is, isn't he? aiyoooo! that one la...

not-gonna-happen = i am so enjoying my bachelor-hood right now that that dream i had several nights back is gonna stay a dream. besides, hellicopter army pilot is so not my "dream guy"... i'm a jet-fighter kinda girl! hehehehe...

unbelieveably-shit-NO-WAY!!! - GWEN'S DEBUT CONCERT IN MALAYSIA!!!! i am sooo going!

The aftermath

2007-06-15T18:15:00.000+08:00

the system is up again. operating normally. managed to salvage up to 2605's data. but lost the past 2wks data. but still better than losing 5mths data rite?

one down, another to go... waiting for my BIG-BIG boss to come back from holiday.

from hell and back again... sigh!

SOS
by Rihanna

I'm obessive when just one thought of you comes up
I'm aggressive, 'cos just one thought ain't close enough
You got me stressing, incessantly pressing the issue
Cause every moment gone you know I miss you
I'm the question and you're of course the answer
Just hold me close boy cause I'm your tiny dancer
You make me shaken up, I'm never mistaken
But I can't control myself, got me calling out for help

S-O-S please someone help me.
It's not healthy for me to feel this
Y-O-U are making this hard
I can't take it see it don't feel right.
S-O-S please someone help me,
It's not healthy for me to feel this
Y-O-U are making this hard
You got me tossing and turning can't sleep at night

This time please someone come and rescue me
'Cause you on my mind has got me losing it
I'm lost, you got me lookin for the rest of me
Love is testing me but still I'm losing it
This time please someone come and rescue me
'cause you on my mind has got me losing it,
I'm lost you got me looking for the rest of me,
Got the best of me, so now I'm losing it.

Just your presence and I second guess my sanity,
yes it's a lesson, it's unfair, you stole my vanity
My tummy's up in knots, and when i see ya it gets so hot
My common sense is out the door, can't seem to find the lock
Take on me (uh huh) you know inside you feel it right
Take me on, I could just die up in your arms tonight!
I melt with you, ya got me head over heels, (over heels)
Boy you keep me hanging on the way you make me feel!

Boy you know you got me feeling open and
Boy your love's enough with words unspoken
I said BOY I'm telling you, you got me open,
I don't know what to do it's true, I'm going crazy over you,
I'm begging

i'm screwed

2007-06-12T13:43:00.000+08:00

damn!

the application's database i'm supporting CRRAASSHHED!!!!
the partition suddenly went missing.
and the best part, the database is not included in our daily backup activities.
5 months of data are M-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!

colleagues are helping me trying to recover the entire database.
managers are on the phone left and right informind our Big Bosses.
i'm running everywhere...!

tgh kelam kabut nih...

TOLONG!!! HELP!!!!

"Kena berhenti kerja lah kita nih" - My Managers, when informed about the non-existance database backup...

so.... that's why la....

2007-06-08T10:45:00.000+08:00

was informed by a colleague this morning about a new SonyEricsson handphone. went straightway to surf its website, and by accident came across a very interesting fact about Bluetooth.

this sort of fun facts always brighten up my day...

Why is it called Bluetooth™?
The Viking king Harald Bluetooth united Norway and Denmark. He was renowned as a great communicator, skilled at bringing people together to talk to each other – but he would never have guessed that a thousand years later a powerful technology would be named after him!

so, now u know....

cursed 13

2007-06-07T14:48:00.000+08:00

have u ever had one of those days where you get into the lift, press 13 but the lift is stationery?

u keep on pressing to the extent u started thinking 13 is a cursed number

a few minutes (yes, minutes, not seconds. that long!) after that only u realise that u r in fact on the 13th and you actually wanted to go to the Ground floor

i'm having THAT day...

no idea what i'm talking about?
yeah, me too...

go figure!

i digress....NOT!!!

2007-06-01T10:57:00.000+08:00

Stress pulak aku dgn boss2 aku nih….

Pasal benda2 kecik, I find that I have to keep explaining myself to them so many times for these past few days!!! Siap kena buat reports tu management lak tu!!! Memang hangin betul aku la…banyak lagi benda penting lain yg aku boleh buat

And benda2 nih bukannya aku pun yg in-charge in the first place! Aku baru je take over tahun nih…sabar je la….

These are the things that can make people demotivated, tau tak!?!

Masalah nye nak tau apa?
Pasal nak reset password system.
It so happens kat tmpt nih ramai benor (i.e. stakat nih about 100 ppl) yg absent minded.
Who can blame them what with the network id, email id, discussion room id, and not to forget the applicationssss id.

Yang system aku nih pulak mengong… tak de features for the user to reset password own their own. It’s not in-house punya, we (as in the previous team) bought it off the shelf. And kalau kitorg nak, kena ask the vendor tu customize… HELLO!!!! Benda basics pun tak leh nak incorporate dari awal ka? Nak kena tunggu clients complaints baru nak buat! Memang Belanda betul!

Arghhh!!!!

Hopefully, bila ID Mgmt system is in place, aku tak di’bugged’ dengan benda2 bodoh macam nih lagi…..AMIN!!!!

MACAM 'SI-YE'

2007-05-25T14:42:00.000+08:00

how come i've never known that if your credit card account is closed/cancelled you can't redeem your available points!?!
is it stated in their payment reminders?

or was i just too ignorant too know it???

and even so, why can't they just state

"0 points redeemable"

in my monthly statement, instead of saying

"4,966 Reward points will expire on May 2007"???

marah la nih....
buat rugi je spend guna credit cards all these while!!!

Love your job, but never fall in love with ur company

2007-05-25T12:01:00.000+08:00

there's rumours on possible bad news from the Bank, which gonna affect my financial situation more...
our staff benefits, which have been the main and only reason of me staying here for the past 5+ years, might be terminated. damn! i'm hoping very very very much that they won't...

but there's also news that they might increase our loan limits
not interesting enough for me though
becoz that means more debts, more interests and longer loan tenor

is this a sign for me to go out and look for a greener pasteur???

*SIGH *

ps: gotta find a way to get money to pay the balance for me teeth braces........... );

fresh new look

2007-05-22T14:18:00.000+08:00

Changed the look of my blog. This time, I decided to just pick from the available templates and tweak it a bit here and there.

Life? Been quite restricted lately.

How? Mainly, financial.
Need to clear up the small and scattered so I can concentrate on the BIG one.
One of the big ones rather.

Given up on my frequent movie-watching (…)
Given up on clothes shopping (sigh)
Given up on shoes shopping (SIGH)

Whenever there’s xtra money, I need to put it aside for the necessities i.e. cars, house, utilities…

Although, with the frequent whining about not having ENOUGH money, I do seem to have enough for traveling… (had my fingers dipping into the piggy bank)

Guess I need to relook and rearrange my priority, huh?

Get scissors
Get credit cards
*snip*snip*

Some of the moments captured during our family's Mother's Day makan-makan...

hello, hello....

2007-05-11T18:41:00.000+08:00

i know u feel neglected
i just don't have anything to say to u right now

i know u feel cheated
coz i only have time for others

i'm sorry
it is my fault

maybe next time
i'll pay u more attention

my dear,
dear blogspot,
dear photoblog,
dear flickr

;P

apa cerr???

2007-04-03T16:58:00.000+08:00

tgk showcase Nidji n konser 3Diva. Keren banget!
baru balik dari "countryside" and dpt kluar jln2 ngan celebs dari "countryside" tu. BEST GILER!!! Apart from that, dpt laks kenal with other celebs!!! ;P
pasang braises (betul ke eja?). to have your mouth opened for 1hr plus, penat beb!
dpt tahu yg mungkin company's benefits yg previously enabled me to claim blanja buku, travel and meds kena revised. hopefully for the best, sbb if not mcm mana nak bayar for this braises!?!
member MCC nak kawin

ps: lupa laks nak tulis. masuk balik opis, website friendster kena blok daaa..... makin kerap WiFi la gamaknye nanti....

what i learnt today

2007-03-14T09:55:00.000+08:00

trust what your gut feeling is telling you!

ps: these songs have been playing in my head for several days now... they're korean

Perhaps Love (Is this love?)
artist : HowL & J
translation by: Jungie (also credit: aheeyah.com)

I don't remember when it happened.
I'd get dizzy just thinking about you.
Because my thoughts kept stretching, my heart was surprised.
It's a little awkward that I keep saying to you that "it's nothing"
and that "my heart's just trifling"

Is this love?
And if you feel the same way, is this the beginning?
My heart keeps saying it loves you and the more the world listens
the louder it yells it.
Why is it just now that I hear it?
That the love has been found us so we might be together.

Even if I try to explain my feelings,
the only true way to understand
would be to become me and feel them.
I'm already inside of you, just how you're inside of me.
I don't know if we've gotten used to the meaning between us.

Is this love?
And if you feel the same way, is this the beginning?
My heart keeps saying it loves you and the more the world listens
the louder it yells it.
Why is it just now that I hear it?
That the love has been found us so we might be together.

Now that I think about it,
there were so many moments of fluttering.
I'll make up for all the time lost.

I'll be with you and give you only good memories,
so in return you can't leave me.
Even the slightest moments make me feel uneasy
Stay with me

I'm loving you (until then)
like this (only you) already

I'm a fool
artist : stay
translation by: Jungie (also credit: aheeyah.com)

I was a fool. I was a fool.
My regrets were too late too.
I know that it can't be turned back.
I know that I can't see you too.
I was so wrong, I'm so sorry.
I didn't get to say then, instead I was just being rotten.
So I'm here now pleading for forgiveness with worry

I'm a fool
Because of my pride I'm ruining myself with alcohol
and the bitter taste of cigarette smoke.
I cry my eyes out all day because I still love you
You and I, we both are like fools.

Don't be like that, think about it.
Think about what it took us to get here
Think about it again, you're going to regret it.
I was so wrong, I'm really sorry
I didn't get a chance to say then, instead I was just being rotten.
So I'm here now pleading for forgiveness with worry

I'm a fool
Because of my pride I'm ruining myeslf with alcohol
and the bitter taste of cigarette smoke.
I cry my eyes out all day because I still love you
You and I, we both are like fools.

I can't live a moment without you.
I still cry even no matter how I drink or if I cut my hair.

I'm a fool
Because of my pride I'm ruining myself with alcohol
and the bitter taste of cigarette smoke.
I cry my eyes out all day because I still love you
You and I, we both are like fools.

Don't ruin yourself anymore...

self-pity mode is on

2007-03-13T10:53:00.000+08:00

i want to ...

dance til my feet are sore
laugh til my stomach hurts
scream at the top of my lungs
cry my heart out

my life is so blergh!, i need to do all these to put spice to it!

WHAT IS MISSING?!?!?!?!

a note to myself

2007-03-08T14:35:00.000+08:00

a void

like lightning
it striked
can you evade it?

like fire
it burned
can you put it out?

like air
it's there
can you grasp it?

like ocean
it spread
can you contain it?

a vacuum

too large a space to fill

you thought
is it fill able?

you cried
but is it worth it?

too empty
too quite
too lonely

it's - just - too - [blank] ?

Not Too Late
By Norah Jones

Tell me how you've been
Tell what you've seen
Tell me that you'd like to see me too

Cause my heart is full of no blood
My cup is full of no love
Couldn't take another sip even if I wanted

But it's not too late
Not too late for love

My lungs are out of air
Yours are holding smoke
And it's been like that for so long

I've seen people try to change
And I know it isn't easy
But nothin' worth the time ever is

And it's not too late
It's not too late for love
For love

***and do you remember this song?***

Possibility
By Intoxicated

Everytime I look at you
I wish you look my way (wish you look my way)
And it flash me that dozen smile
that really makes my day
But of course it's just a dream
a dream that won't come true

And for a requited love
I wrote this song for you

I always think of how'd it be
if we were together
you and me holding hands
it's a dream
I can picture it right now
you and me
It's a dream
It's a possibility

When I look out of my window
I hope you look up at me (hope you look up at me)
if only you could read my heart
my love so true you'll see
how empty my life would be
if I don't have you