usher it in

i am not going to do the typical 'looking back in 2007' or '2007-the year it was' kind of post. what is past, is past. let bygones be bygones. i've had my fair share of everything so i'm gonna look forward to the year 2008. God knows what 2008 has in store for me but i 'm prepared for it. well, i have to be prepared. be it good or bad. heck, i've survived 24 years of living so what's another year, right? *finger crossed* besides, i'll be hitting the number 25 in thirteen days *hint hint* so here's wishing you a very happy new year 2008. may the year 2008 bring all the good things to all of us.

pictures

surprisingly, today the internet connection was fast so i was able to create a slide show of my holiday, as attached herewith. enjoy!
a few things that i learned during the trip:

• the Indonesians are surprisingly not smelly
• the Indonesians are a friendly lot
• they would do anything and everything to sell their goods
• they sell foods everywhere
• the gap between the rich and the poor is so huge
• some of them can be really ganteng and manis (cute/handsome/pretty) while some looks like the typical maids
  
• it is a shopping haven
• you become instant millionaire when you go there
• you can bargain like hell when you buy stuffs
  
• the toilets, although not that fancy, clean and modern (no flush, just pour water when you're done) are surprisingly not stinky, unlike ours. even klcc toilets stink!
• i gained weight because i ate rice twice a day boohoo but i cannot help it that the lauks are so delicious
• i drank avocado juice for the first time in my life and it's rich, thick and yummy
• the baksos are delicious
  

hooray hooray it's a holi-holiday

Before I forgot, I hope it’s not too late for me to wish all Muslims Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha and Merry Christmas to all Christians. The day before Raya Haji, mum, lil bro and I went to Jakarta and Bandung for a 6D5N trip. The flight from KL to Jakarta took about 2 hours. We reached Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at approximately 1730hrs (1830hrs Malaysia time) where we were greeted by the tour guide, Pak Taufik. It was raining when we reached Jakarta and the traffic jam was terrible, horrible and much worst than in KL. After braving through Jakarta jam a.k.a macet, which is basically a complete standstill, I think, no I’m sure that I’ll be a lot more patient on the road after this. Heh~ imagine that it took us about 2hours just to get to the restaurant (hereinafter referred to rumah makan) for dinner, which is just 40-minutes away and another 2hours for us to reach our hotel from the rumah makan! Luckily the dinner was good. After dinner, we checked in at Millenium Hotel.

The next morning, which was Raya Haji, we had a little celebration of our own where one of the members in our tour group brought lemang, nasi himpit, ketupat, rendang ayam, rendang daging and kuah kacang. Yes, you read right. He (it was a he) brought it all the way to Jakarta! He even brought the papan landas, senduk, paper cups and plates and plastic spoons and forks. The rest of the group also brought a little something for the celebration and I baked a simple butter cake. Initially I wanted to bake carrot cake but I’m sure that by the time we reach Jakarta, the cream cheese topping would’ve smeared all over the bekas. After breakfast, we started our journey and proceeded to Bandung, which took about 2hours. Upon reaching Bandung, we were brought to the rumah makan where we had a nice lunch. Then the rain poured and the roads were flooded. We had to redah the water to get to our bus and we got our shoes wet boohoo. Silly me forgot to bring another pair of shoes so I had to buy one. There was hardly anything to do because of the rain so the itinerary was changed a bit to accommodate the time. We did some shopping and then later checked in at Mutiara Hotel.

The next day, we went to Tangkuban Parahu. Legend has it that once there was a very beautiful woman who lived in the jungle with her son. She has no husband. One day she scolded and hit her son’s head for being naughty and the son ran away. Since the woman lived in the jungle, she only ate ulam, roots leaves etc and became awet muda. One day her son, who had already grown into a handsome young man met her and fell in love with her, without knowing that the woman is his mother. The woman also did not know that it was her son until one day she saw the scar on the man’s head. By then, they had promised to marry each other. So she figured out a plan to cancel the wedding. Thinking that the man would not be able to complete the task, she challenged him to build a boat and a lake before dawn. If the man failed to complete it, she will not marry him. The man has some super powers whatever and almost completed the task. This worries the woman, who then consulted her fairy godmother or some spirit of some sort. You know how cerita dulu-dulu is. Anyway the fairy gave her a piece of cloth and told her to wave the cloth. By doing this, the cloth would look like the sun and the roosters will start crowing signifying that it was dawn. However the man found out about it and became very angry and kicked the perahu until it terbalik and the waters in the lake all splashed out. The hills look like a perahu yang terbalik, which is said that that was the perahu that the man kicked, thus the name Tangkuban Perahu and until today, the lake looks nothing more like a crater, with very little water. I stand corrected though because I was sleeping when the tour guide told the story so I had mum and lil bro narrating it to me over lunch. Hehe. After the visit to Tangkuban Parahu, we went to Sari Ater Hot Spring where there was a natural hot spring with healing properties and whatnot. We dipped our feet in the hot water for a few minutes before continuing our journey to a strawberry farm. We had lunch at the farm in its small huts and the foods are simply delicious. After lunch, we went shopping.

On the fourth day, we head back to Jakarta and went to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. We only stopped at one house, which is the Rumah Minangkabau. After that, we went to Ancol, a wonderland or Dunia Fantasi or DuFan as they call it, ala Sunway Lagoon or Disneyland. Unfortunately it was raining when we went there and the stupid tour agency did not exactly include the visit to the DuFan. We were only taken around the DuFan in the bus. Pfft. Then we went to the Art Market, which is a park with artists exhibiting their work of art etc. *yawn* There was nothing much to do there and it was such a waste. Later at night, lil bro and I took the Bajai (a three-wheeled vehicle, similar to Tuk-Tuk in Thailand) from our hotel to the nearest shopping mall and had a fun time shopping. Mum did not follow us as she was too tired and something came up (which I shall deal with in another entry, Insyaallah). We shopped until the mall closed and then walked for about 10 minutes to the Hard Rock Café. HRC is situated in a big shopping mall but by the time we reached there, the shops were closed except for the cafes, restaurants and bars. There was even an F Bar! We then sat at the lounge and watched Jakarta people, who are extremely beautiful, stylish and good-looking. It was a Saturday night so lots of young people hung out at the place and I totally adore the way they dress.

Fifth day, we went to visit the Tugu Monumen Nasional a.k.a Tugu Monas, which is like our Dataran Merdeka. Took some pics and even took pics in front of the president’s palace. After that we went shopping like crazy at a huge shopping haven called Mangga Dua. Later in the evening we went to Plaza Senayan, a high-class shopping mall, just like our Pavilion and The Gardens.

On the last day, we walked to Pasar Tanah Abang, another shopping haven, which is just a 10 minute walk from our hotel. Some of the shops were not opened yet but we managed to buy some stuffs there. After lunch we went to Mangga Dua again and shopped somemore before heading to the airport. Our flight home was at 2200hrs but considering the horrible macet, we pushed off to the airport at 6pm and reached there at about 7pm. Thank God traffic was ok. We landed at KLIA at approximately 0130hrs, on Christmas Eve. On the way out of the airport, something happened to Mum, which I shall also deal with in another entry.

Since my internet connection is very very damn bloody f***ing slow at the moment, I will only insert pics later on as it will take forever to upload the pics and by the time it finished uploading, I would have boiled over. rasa macam nak baling je modem ni kat muka orang streamyx, boleh tak??

a weekend in PD

Attending conferences is not really my cup of tea but if the conference is held at a hotel by the beach, I thought, why not? Besides, I have no plans for the weekend. Might as well fill my holidays by doing something useful and beneficial, right? When I was invited to join the National Legal Aid Conference at Selesa Beach Resort, Port Dickson for a three day two night conference, I did think twice about it since none of my friends from the Fraser's Hill trip are going. But then I thought if I didn't join this one, when else can I join? When I start work next month, I'm gonna have to take a day off if I were to attend such program. Since it's on national level, it's a great networking opportunity because I get to meet lawyers and people from various state bar and legal aid centers from all across peninsular Malaysia. I need the contacts so that when and if I decide to open my own firm in the future *fingers crossed* I know who to contact etc. I also get to broaden my perspective on what legal aid is all about. So off I went on Friday morning. Took a lift with two other lawyers cum Legal Aiders from KL, Puspa and Nik. We reached PD at about 2pm and immediately check in. the conference started at about 3pm and ended at 630ish. after which, we changed and hit the beach. We didn't get to do much on the beach because it was already late. After dinner, there was the night session which ended at about 11pm.

On the second day, the conference was held throughout the day. The conference was, well, a conference. hehe. Our minds were already thinking on what to do at the beach so the moment they called it a day, me and my two friends Kamie and Farah quickly changed and hit the beach. First we went on the free horse ride which was totally awesome! I remembered asking mum where can I go for a horse ride in Penang and I never thought that I would actually get the chance to go on one so soon. The hotel gave the free service so we grabbed the opportunity. At first the horse was a bit reluctant to let us ride him but after much persuasion by the trainer, it eventually gave in. it even peed when Kamie went onto him. hehehe. After the horse ride, the three of us went on the jet ski for 15 minutes. Then we built sandcastle while waiting for the rest of the gang to come down so that we can go on the banana boat together. The banana boat ride was awesome except for the part when the boat men purposely 'drowned' us. We all fell into the water and I accidentally bit my lips and it bled. Boohoo. We then played in the sea until about 730ish before we went back to our rooms and get ready for the bbq dinner, which was held by the beach. The spread was yummy; we chatted and had a really good time. There was even a free flow of drinks. We wanted to dance by the beach but the hotel did not have a good sound system. How boring. Later on after eating desserts, Kamie, Farah and I together with Hidayat and Kiang from Melaka went to search for a place to karaoke. We eventually went to Corus Hotel which is a few minutes away from our hotel and we got a room for two hours. We sang like we have never sang before, danced like we have never danced before and basically we had a blast (which leaves us with sore throat). The karaoke session ended at 1am and we went for a drink at a nearby mamak.

We planned to have another go on the banana boat the next morning and had promised each other to wake up and give morning calls and what not but come Sunday morning, everybody was too lazy to wake up. Instead of waking up at 730, we woke up at 845am. the conference was supposed to start at 9 but we took our own sweet time to get ready because we found out the other senior lawyers were drinking until the wee hours and we figured that there's no way that they could wake up either hahaha. The session eventually started at 10am. So we were not late after all. As for the two guys, they came in at almost 11. The whole event ended at 1pm. we checked out, had lunch, said our goodbyes, took pictures and head home. This time, I took a lift from Kamie who sent me home.

It was definitely another great and memorable experience and not too mention informative. I am glad that I went to the conference and that I met some really cool people. Ok picture time!

things so far

two weeks into December already? sheesh. what have i accomplished lately? lemme see...

• i'm still the same ol' me-meaning not a pound lighter nor an inch smaller, eventhough i've been working out quite a lot with mum in Penang (but the makan was just as banyak thus explaining the non-effectiveness of the workout). we went to the youth park on Monday and Wednesday morning, did our poco-poco dance on Tuesday evening, worked my abs on the ab thingy which left me to an achy abs thanks to lil bro who forced me to do numerous sets of sit-ups at one go.
  
• i've been sleeping really late at night resulting to waking up really late in the day (no need to state the exact time lah)
• trimmed and dyed my hair to a reddish tone. new year=new hair colour. konon2 new spirits.
  
• surprisingly, chocs ada lagi. but so sikit! stock running dangerously low. need...more...chocs...asap...
  

things to do:

• go to PD this weekend for the National Legal Aid Conference (tentatively)
  
• pack sis's stuffs
• go to the money changer to exchange RM to Rupiah
  
• shopping and gallivanting in Jakarta & Bandung
• buy Rinie & Najmie's wedding present
• was thinking of donating some old clothes to the flood victims. anyone knows where i can send them to?

thing i should do:

• kemas my ever so untidy and messy room
• kemas my wardrobe-eliminate the unnecessary
• file my fair order
• pack my bag for the PD trip. what to wear oh what to wear...there will be lawyers from all over the country so i need to look the part also, no? heh~
  
• pack my bag for the Jakarta & Bandung trip. was thinking of buying some tops and skirts and a cute comfy shoes to be worn there but since i'm going there, it's gonna be way cheaper, right? should i or should i not?
  

it's a start

i can't believe myself either but today i actually went for a walk around the neighborhood! yes people you read right. and nope sis, you're not dreaming. *rolls eyes* the weather was perfect for a walk. it rained earlier and i almost abandon my plan but luckily the rain stopped at about 530ish. so i put on my dusty sports shoes and off i went. i was hoping that i could catch a glimpse of Yusry KRU in his new house and secretly wishing that he might pass by me in his car while i was walking. hehehe. but no luck i guess. it feels good to have a brisk walk around the neighborhood but there is only one problem. there are houses with dogs and it's either the dogs really hate me that they bark at me like mad dogs whenever i pass by them or they really adore me that they greeted me with their ever so loud barks, which scared me to death. just when you thought you wanted to relax your mind, suddenly you get the shock of your life! damn those dogs. actually i was mentally prepared because my neighborhood consist of people from all races and some of them have dogs. there was one time, i was cycling and a dog came running towards me because the gate was open. knowing me, instead of continue cycling, i stopped. simply because i was terpaku, terkujat and terkejut. since then, everytime i wanted to take a walk or cycle, i would think twice. see, it's not that i don't want to workout. circumstances doesn't allow me to. tomorrow i'm going to take a walk in the morning, provided that i wake up early, which is most unlikely. oh well, it's the thought that counts, right? oh but who knows, maybe, just maybe i will bump into Yusry tomorrow. *fingers crossed*

glitter-graphics.com

they are super cute when they are puppies and when they don't bark.

holiday plan(s)

now that i'm on holiday (yes people, i'm rubbing it in) *evil laugh* i am wondering, what to do oh what to do (besides eat and sleep of course). actually, i plan, repeat i plan to do some workout because i made a bet with a friend but at the rate i'm going, i will surely, definitely, lose the bet. damn. we didn't bet money though. just that the losing party (which is very likely to be me thankyouverymuch) will have to belanja the winning other party makan. and by makan, i'm not talking about mamak food or fast food. this is like real makan! come to think of it, it kinda defeats the purpose, don't you think? the thing is, we can only plan. or dream rather. i was thinking that maybe i could wake up early and go for a walk around the neighbourhood. but then what's a holiday like if i were to wake up early, right? hahaha. then i thought, maybe i could follow lil bro to the gym which he just enrolled a few days ago (it was a 1 month trial period btw). but then he said since it's a trial thingy, he is not allowed to bring any guest. then there's another option. the friend whom i made the bet with invited me to join him at his gym. unfortunately it's so far away from my house (OU je sebenarnya) and it's such a hassle to drive all the way there just to go to the gym. besides, i heard that Big Apple Donut has already opened in OU. and then there's Carl's Jr., tako tao at jj, sushi king you name it they have it oh the list is endless. my last other option is to go to our club in Melawati, K Club (previously known as Club Century Paradise). but there is a problem. i don't have the membership card to access the club. actually, we do have some exercise equipments here at our house but the temptation to slouch and slump on the sofa, in front of the tv while sipping a cup of iced coffee and munching on kuih and what not is too hard to resist.

so how the hell am i supposed to lose weight like this? to make matters worst, the only workout that i really enjoy doing is swimming. does anyone here have a pool behind their house or at their apartment/condo that i can tumpang swim? or does anyone wanna invite me to go for a swim at their club? *batting eyelashes*
btw look at what my officemates got for me. chocolates! the parker pens are from boyfy. so now i have a stockful of chocolates to last me this holiday weeehoooo~ but at the rate i'm gobbling eating them, i bet you it won't last long. two weeks tops. hehe.

it is official

yesterday, 29 November 2007, i was officially admitted to the Malaysian Bar. i am proud to say that i am now officially an advocate & solicitor of the High Court of Malaya. yesterday was one of the happiest and proudest moment in my life. i believe i have made my parents and my family proud. i am so happy beyond words. i have achieved my ambition to become a lawyer. i am very happy that my dearest, beloved father robed me, thus marking my admission to the Bar. i can see mum and dad's face beaming with pride and especially so when each of the representative from the AG's Chambers, Bar Council and KL Bar personally congratulated them. the admission judge also said that it is a very rare occasion to have a father, who is a judge himself, robing his daughter. as for me, i can't stop grinning smiling all the way. so now, i am officially a lawyer. dreams do come true after all. yesterday, i stood tall. i wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude and utmost appreciation to each and everyone of you who have been a part of my life, molding me into the person i am today. you know who you are.

counting the days

before you get the wrong idea, allow me to clarify. i am not counting the days to get engaged, let alone to get married. in fact, i am counting the days to two events. firstly, tomorrow, 29 November 2007 at 9.00am i will be admitted as an advocate&solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in the Mahkamah Rayuan & Kuasa-Kuasa Khas, Kompleks Mahkamah Jalan Duta, KL. you are welcome to celebrate this joyous occasion with me. please feel free to come with a box of chocolates thankyouverymuch. tomorrow will officially mark the beginning of my career as a lawyer. after all these years, after years and years of struggling studying, this is the moment.

secondly, this week will be my last week of working weeehooooo! i will be taking a well-deserved one month break in the whole month of December and i will only start work officially in January 2008. talk about a fresh start, huh? new year, new job, new life, new challenges. what could be better?

goosebumps

a few days ago, while i was washing my face in the bathroom, i felt something moving on my foot. then i looked down and to my horror and utter disgust, it was an ulat gonggok! OMG i literally jumped and screamed and wriggled my foot to remove it. so if you felt a tremor or the earth shake a few days back, that was probably me jumping up and down. it was scary as hell. you know how creepy crawlies and bugs give me the creeps. i don't want to kill it coz somehow rather i pitied the lil thing. benda tak berdosa tu buat apa nak dibunuh. but if it's a lipas or lipan, i have to give an exception lah. that, i must kill immediately using anything and everything within reach, including, but not limited to the gayung because lipan and lipas move so quickly and their direction is unpredictable. one minute they are on the floor, the next minute they might climb onto me. in the case of an ulat gonggok, it moves ever so slowly so i can see where it's going. i have no idea how it got into my bathroom but it's there. and it's still there until today. *sigh* everytime i enter the bathroom, i would scan the bathroom floor to see where it's hiding. there's no way i'm gonna pick it up and throw it outside coz i'd get all the goosebumps. one time i thought i wanted to ask the maid to pick it up for me but i couldn't find the lil fella. i guess he sensed that i wanted to do something to him so he went into hiding. and this morning, i saw him near the jamban.

Bleugh! part 9

• I strive and try to be a good and berhemah driver on the road. But there are certain things that just piss the hell out of me, among others, people who just don’t appreciate when you let them cross the road. For example, I slowed down my car in order to let them cross. Sometimes I even stopped my car and give them ‘signal’ to cross. Bila orang dah bagi lintas tu, by all means, lintas la cepat! Ini tak, terhegeh-hegeh, terkedek-kedek lintas jalan OMG sometimes I feel like stepping on my accelerator and run over them! Seriously. If people stopped their car and let me cross, I would cross as fast as I could to the extent that I sometimes berlari-lari anak, with or without high-heels. I don’t need you to put up your hand to show your appreciation. All I am asking for is for you to cross quickly! For the ladies, tak payah nak control cun, control ayu in front of me for haven’s sake I’m not a guy! And for the guys, don’t act all macho and cool and try to walk at your own pace!
• I went for a wedding in Dewan Perdana Felda yesterday and among the guests were families with kids, big and small. While the upacara merenjis was taking place, there were screams and wails of kids. Can you imagine how annoying it is? And then there were kids running around inside the hall playing with the bunga maggar etc. merosakkan majlis ok! Can’t really blame the kids can we? It all comes down to the parents. So maybe, just maybe when and if I have my wedding reception in the grand hall, or any other hall for that matter, I shall state on the invitation card NO KIDS ALLOWED. What do you think? Harsh, I know but unless and until the parents make their kids behave, they will not be allowed in. Note to self: make sure in the future own kids behave.

yum yum

it is surprising to know that i don't have much to crap about this week so i'm gonna post some pics, especially for you sis. i bet the breads, biscuits, cookies, desserts and cakes probably tasted and smelt a whole lot yummier especially in winter but nothing beats a home-baked carrot cake, no?

huff and puff

I had a lunch meeting with a client yesterday afternoon, just the two of us since The Cat was not able to make it. So he sent me instead. We initially wanted to have lunch at The Marketplace in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng but unfortunately it was closed so we had to settle at a nearby Minang restaurant, Puteri Bungsu. The food was okay but Minang food in Kampung Baru tasted a lot better. The meeting went well. We discussed what was supposed to be discussed. That’s beside the point, actually. The thing is, my client smoked. So what, you may ask. Wait till you hear my story. He asked me, “You smoke tak?” to which I politely replied, “Tak, I tak smoke.” Then he said, “Oh tak smoke ke? I ingat you smoke. Biasanya lawyer perempuan smoke.” Uh huh, yeah. Then I replied, “Tak semua.” To which he said, “Oh, tak semua ye?” and laughed. I almost, almost said, “I tak smoke but at the rate I’m exposed to cigarette smoke, I might as well take a puff!” But of course I didn’t say that. Gila hape? Hahaha. Dah la he is one of our valuable clients, and a good friend of the The Cat. Hmm, I can actually control myself and refrain from saying the darndest thing. So is there a stereotype about female lawyers or what? Why does he assume that most female lawyers smoke? On the bright side, I think he is being polite by asking me whether I smoke or not, and perhaps if I said I do, he would offer me a stick. Or two.

See, I analyze both sides. Ye, saya seorang yang adil. Hahahaha.

tight situation

have you ever been in a situation where you met someone new, a guy/man to be exact, and then when you extend your hand to shake, they would go malu-malu and did not take your hand because they don't want to touch one who is not a muhrim? what about when you meet someone new and you hesitate whether to shake or not to shake hands because of the experience mentioned above? how about the time when you don't extend your hand to shake because you assumed that they as a man should do it first and then when they didn't, you feel like you've been rude, especially if they happen to be old or someone of your dad's age? how do you feel when you face such situations? weird, isn't it? tell me about it. i've been there, done that. numerous times. i've been meeting a lot of people, mainly clients, some cute, some not so cute and yes, it feels so weird that i can literally feel my face turn red. but then there was one time that takes the cake when i met a male client and he extended his hand to me and introduced himself and said "takpe kan salam? lawyer mesti tak kisah kan salam?" i was like, huh and gave him a fake sweet smile. i asked myself, what the hell was that supposed to mean? so unprofessional, huh? nasib baik tak cute!

greetings

dear all,

i just want to wish my dear Hindu friends (and readers, if any) a very HAPPY DEEPAVALI. have a joyous and colourful DEEPAVALI. may you all be blessed.
to others, enjoy the holiday, even if it's just a day, unless of course if you choose to extend the holiday.
aren't we lucky to live in Malaysia?

worth the while

Last weekend was totally awesome. I was invited to join the Legal Awareness & Leadership for Lawyers by the Bar Council Legal Aid Center KL, which was held in Fraser's Pine Resort, Fraser's Hill. It was a 3d2n program and it was a really good one. Went by bus from the KL Bar on Friday morning. The journey took about 2 ½ hours and when we reached the resort, we were introduced to the facilitators, had an ice-breaking session, were divided into groups of four and were given the keys to our rooms. After which, we had lunch and settled in. The seminar started at 2pm. We had talks and a debate session, of which I was one of the debaters. I must say my partner and I did quite well as we won the debate. There was supposed to be a Nature Walk but lo and behold, it rained cats and dogs so we almost canceled the walk and did some indoor activities. But thankfully, the rain stopped soon enough so we persuaded the facilitators to have the Nature Walk. We were glad that we did. It was a 1km trail but that 1km trail is enough for me to get a bloodsucker i.e. pacat to stick on me! argghh!! Note to self: dah tau nak masuk hutan, jangan la gatal pakai 3/4 pants. padan muka sendiri. Boohoo. As soon as we got out of the trail, I noticed a lil’ something on my left sock. The guys then asked me to see if it's a pacat or some dirt. I touched it with a stick and it stuck so they said, "it's it" to which I screamed jumped and wriggled my legs until they told me to calm down. I didn't know I could be such a drama queen but when it comes to creepy crawlies, bugs and insects, I’ll be the biggest drama queen ever. Anyway the guys were so kind and lovely that they held my hand and one of them removed my shoe and sock. They tried to burn the pacat but it's stuck on the sock. Thankfully the pacat hasn't penetrated through the sock yet. I don't know what they did or how they do it but soon the pacat was removed. Phew. Then they told me to check my other foot, just to be safe. One guy was so sweet and kind enough that he actually took off my other shoe and sock and even checked between my toes! Isn’t that sweet or what? *awww* that almost melt my heart instantly. *blush* After all the drama, we head back to our hotel. The walk back was longer than the trail itself but since the air was cool and fresh, it was indeed a nice walk. At night, we had another session of talks. I kinda had trouble sleeping on the first night. The moment I closed my eyes, I start to imagine things, and by things I mean scary and nonsensical things. I was afraid to open my eyes for fear that I might see something. And that’s when some part of your body started to itch terribly. I didn’t even dare move a muscle so I just wished that the itch would go away. You see, the place itself is a quiet, sort of a tempat jin bertendang which adds to the creepiness. Or perhaps I’m just being a drama queen yet again? Anyway I finally managed to get some sleep.

On the second day, my roommates and I came down at 8.55 am. The seminar was supposed to start at 9 so we had to skip the nasi lemak breakfast. Instead we had a quick cuppa and a slice of bread. Again, padan muka sendiri. The second day was just as interesting. Surprisingly, I hardly feel sleepy during the talks. My team was in charge of the Cultural Night to be held later at night so we were busy brain-storming to come up with ideas etc. And since we were put in charge, we made the rules. *evil laugh* We assigned each team a task, namely singing, drama and dancing (what else?). We even compelled the facilitators to perform but we gave them a freedom to choose their performance so they came up with a Boria. We decorated and arranged the seminar room in such a way that it resembles a mini auditorium. We even decorated the ‘stage’ with colorful papers and the facilitators and participants gave us two thumbs up. Apparently they were so proud and impressed with us for organizing the Cultural Night. *grin* I was the emcee for the night together with my teammate, Darwina, thus no pic of us emceeing. = ( The night ended successfully, everyone was happy, we were ecstatic. Later at night, the guys had a ‘party’ in their room so we joined in. We talked, played cards and basically we just chilled and get to know each other better. (^_^)

On the third day, after breakfast we had another round of talk, evaluation session and soon it was time to leave. Funny how time flies so fast when you’re having fun. So we packed our bags, had lunch and left Fraser’s Hill at 2pm.

Overall, it was a really good and memorable weekend. I was glad that I joined the trip. The facilitators were a sporting bunch; the participants were the coolest and fun people ever thus making it all the more enjoyable. The talks were an eye opener and very informative. Among the topics covered were Globalization, Democracy, Feminism, Leadership and Interpersonal Skills, Listening and Communication Skills and not to mention the fun and innovative games and activities.

So there. It’s picture time! I’m still waiting for my friends to send me some more pictures and once I get it from them. I shall upload it here (when and if I have the time). In the meantime, enjoy~

it happened again

i'm bored. i can't update my blog as often as before. the reason being my smart-ass supposedly IT guy lil brother forgot, or rather did not pull out the modem plug and on one not so fine day, the lightning struck and sambar the modem and it went kaput. and padan muka him he also did not pull out the plug of his laptop so his laptop is also now kaput. luckily they are still under warranty. but then it'll take about 2-3 bloody weeks to get it back. so now i can only go online when i'm in the office, in the morning or during lunchtime and when the cats are not in, which is very seldom nowadays. bummer. told lil bro to always cabut the plug but of course he never listened. he said "dah tutup suis pe!" right. this is not the first time this is happening. some people just never learn, do they? so now we would all menyangap at night. but lil bro still has his pc and ps to play games. so he's happy. lucky we have astro. and i have to make sure the maid to cabut the plug whenever it's not in use.

retail therapy

i love this song from Mika.

ok, i know i am not that big but why do i always have trouble buying pants? sometimes i can get into this particular size (which i shall not reveal here) for a particular brand but when i try that particular size for a different brand, it does not fit. everytime i want to buy a pair of trousers, be it a bermuda, a cropped pants, jeans, slack and every other type of pants u name it, i will face the biggest challenge ever. it is so depressing that i consider myself lucky if i am able to find one that fits me perfectly. buying shirts is not so much of a problem (at least not yet), thank God for that. this is definitely a cause for concern. i should start thinking about exercising. but then again, it never happened. this is what i call hot hot chicken shit. hahaha. one minute i'm so worried about my body, my weight and my figure, the next minute i find myself slumped on the sofa with a bowl of ice-cream complete with chocolate topping, nuts, sprinkles and what not. and i have no one to blame but me. lalalalala~ hey, but that does not give you the right to comment and say hurtful things, okay?

one more thing, is it just me or are pants getting super duper low-waisted nowadays? i hate low-waist cuts not because i don't have the perfect figure to flaunt 'em (yet) but simply because they are super duper low that my butt will be showing whenever i sit down, let alone when i bend down, to try on shoes for example. gosh. even if i have a trim waistline, i don't think i would want my butt to show, would i? unless if i decide not to sit at all the whole time, which is utterly ridiculous. whoever invented low-waisted jeans is an a**hole. and i mean it wholeheartedly. and i am not being a sour grape.

where the hell can i find pants/jeans etc that will fit me perfectly? any ideas/suggestions? maybe i should go to uk and shop, what say you sis? i'm sure i can find my size there. in fact, i feel 'small' there. or perhaps you can buy me a nice pair of jeans, say one from victoria beckham's clothing line or kate moss's (right, like they have my size) or any other funky, cool uk brand and courier it home? *batting eyelashes*

so, whoever says shopping is a therapy? to me, it is more stressful than anything else.

Bleugh! raya version

3rd day of raya and i'm already bleugh-ing? hahaha...what to do, cannot help it. but not that many bleughs, i promise.

• this year's raya tv programs are dominated by apek, apek and more apek. you see, i kinda like watching apek and his stupid jokes antics but too much of a good thing spoils everything, no? not that i'm saying that he's good though.
  
• i am not against giving duit raya but i just can't help feeling annoyed at kids who come just for the sake of getting duit raya. and to have no manners pulak tu! you invite them in and offer cookies and drinks. then when you ask them where they come from, they'll act all kerang busuk and tersengih-sengih, tersedut-sedut and konon malu2 nak jawab. what the hell man? datang rumah orang mintak duit raya tak malu pulak? and to think that they are at least 9-12 years old, some didn't even say thank you. what's happening here?? note to self: when i have kids in the future, i am gonna make sure that they have good manners or else.
• i know this is a time to forgive and forget but how can one tahan when some people who we meet once a year simply say things like "eh, makin sihat sekarang" or "orang bulan puasa makin kurus, ni makin sihat tengok" whaaaaaatt???? i mean, you don't look like nasha aziz yourself, do you? or maya karin. let alone hans isaac. or sheikh muszaphar. so why don't you shut your trap and count your blessings that i don't say something that might hurt you. kalau ikutkan hati, i would have easily blurt out some serious s*** but since we are relatives, terpaksalah tahan. nanti kata kurang ajar pulak, kan? grrr...nevermind, what goes around comes around. wait till your daughters/sons grow up and then we'll see how they turn out, okay?

told ya not many bleughs, didn't i? but maybe, just maybe there will be a part 2 of bleugh! raya version. we'll have to wait and see. after all, it's only the 3rd day, right?

greetings

dear all,

SELAMAT HARI LEBARAN
SALAM AIDILFITRI
MAAF ZAHIR DAN BATIN

semoga kita semua diberkati dan dirahmati di bulan yang mulia ini. if i have offended you in one way or another, i am truly sorry. i am only human. God bless you all. have a happy raya, let this season of giving and forgiving be a happy and joyous occasion but let us not forget the needy ones and those who have left us. al-fatihah. to those who's gonna have a long journey, drive safely. don't be a statistic. people, eat healthily cautiously. be merry. dress prettily. let's sit in front of the tv and gain a few kgs. =) happy holidays y'all.

regards,
izyan darling

radio

this morning while i was on my way to work, i listened to red 104.9. there was a poll and the question was, "who would you like to go to space, Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, the cute one or Dr. Kapten Faiz Khaleed, the not so cute one? sms us at *****" even though it was a sms poll, i almost called in. the only thing stopping me was that my credit's very very low at the moment. the question was appalling, don't you think? it is no doubt that Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar has the advantage on the looks department but why must they come up with such question? both guys are equally qualified. both are equally good. both are set to make us proud, regardless of who goes out there. in fact, they already made us proud. so why compare the looks? stupid radio station. patut gam je. i'm sure everyone noticed that the spotlight was focused mostly on Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar. poor Dr. Faiz. who knows, you might be chosen at the last minute. i'm rooting for you dude!

anyway i did my raya shopping last weekend. surprisingly, i did not really lose my cool so there's nothing much to talk about. 0=)

shopping

before we know it, Ramadhan is almost coming to an end. but how come i hardly see any raya decorations in the shopping complexes and hotels? where are the hanging ketupats and bulan sabits and bintangs? where are the typical rumah kampung setting? sometimes it just don't feel like raya if not for the lagu raya yang berkumandang. hmm...so much for being a multi-racial country, melting pot society and what not.
anyway i got myself a nice baju kurung songket at sungai wang today. the thing about going shopping with your boyfriend i.e. a man, the typical hot-blooded, testosterone fueled male is that you can never get a decent and satisfying answer. when i showed him one baju and asked, 'cantik kan?' he answered, 'cantik.' i showed him another and said, 'cantik kan kaler ni, sweet/lembut sangat!' and he'll reply, 'a'ah.' when i was choosing the baju songket, there were four colours; blue, light orange, lavender and yellowish/grayish. i took the yellowish/grayish and showed it to him. i think it looked kinda dull. so i asked him, 'ok ke kaler ni? macam dull tak?' and he'd say, 'ok je.' then i showed him the lavender baju, 'yang ni cantik sangat, kan? tapi yang ni size S' duh, of course i won't fit into a size S! his reply was, 'ok jugak.' (with an obvious i'm bored - sleepy - tired - i - might - as - well - give - the - safest - answer - can - we - get - it - over - and - done - with - look plastered on his face) haih...apparently, everything looked ok to him. i can't get a decent answer, let alone an opinion. heck, i can't even get him to answer more than 5 words! too bad sis isn't here. i sure need some girl-opinion. *sigh* and mum won't be here this weekend too. i was thinking of getting another baju because this year we are not tempah-ing any baju since we won't be going to the palace anymore boohoo~ but by the looks of it, i'm gonna have to rely on my own conscience.
so, have you done your raya-shopping? a word of caution: if you plan to do your last minute shopping this weekend like i do, be prepared to get stuck in traffic; face the difficulties of finding a parking spot; long queues at the cashier, in fact, long queues everywhere; packed eateries; screaming, running, wailing monchichis and monchinis; lost kids; selfish Malaysians; dirty and smelly toilets bleugh etc etc. let us all try to keep our composure. right. who am i to tell you to keep cool when i myself sure that i cannot stand it. hey, at least i'm prepared! confirm habis pahala puasa! heheh~

Bleugh! part 8

• as of monday, 1st October, the tv channles on astro have changed from two digits to three digits. i don't see the point/reason/rational of doing such thing because it's not like they're improving the system or upgrading the services anyway. bila hujan, takde jugak siaran! anyway i find the new channel numbers ridiculous. the arrangements are a total mess, kelam kabut, huru hara. and being someone who suck at anything and everything that involve numbers, i know it's gonna take me some time to memorize the channel numbers. for the first time, i have the astro tv guide right in front of me because i had to refer to the channel numbers everytime i wanna change channel.
  
• i know i am not alone on this one because everyone i know loathe and hate big time the new KFC ad. it is simply ugly, annoying, menggelikan and everything else but good. what's with, everything? everytime i see that ad, i almost throw up and it really turn me off of kfc. seriously.
• i know we are living in a melting pot society yadayadayada but why, just why do people who don't fast have to eat at the time we are about to break fast? you won't die if you don't have your dinner at 7 sharp, would you? when we are busy looking for a place to eat, finding good seats and all, that's when you have to sit there and eat and taking your own sweet time to finish your meal. or that's when you want to join in the queue. sanggup tu!! so much for being sensitive, huh?
  
• i know there are no signs in an elevator saying "shh" or "quiet please" but i don't get how some people can be so ignorant and talk ever so loudly be it among themselves or on the phone. most of the time we will all be cramped in that tiny space and the last thing i want to do is listen to your conversation and damage my eardrums when you break into laughter or shout into your phone probably because the person on the other line can't even hear you because there's hardly any reception in the first place. and don't get me started with the smell of their breaths. i know it's fasting month but what about those who don't fast?
  

bleugh!

what were they thinking?

when i read this story i couldn't help but wonder, how can anyone be so stupid and dumb and trusty? if the girl alone, i can probably understand what with her being naive and all but the mother??? seriously. how can a mother allow her daughter to follow a man, a foreign man no less, to a foreign country? how can she trust that the man is going to give her 22 year-old daughter a job, in japan, for crying out loud? and to let him pay for the trip there? the trip was supposed to be for only three days. what kind of a job is that? and he packed her clothes for her? he didn't even give her the keys to her luggage. gosh. can't the mother sense that something fishy is going on? now the girl is in hot soup. a really really hot soup. and who is to blame? i'd say the mother! what say you?

and then there were three...

my ever dearest one and only sis has finally realized her dreams to pursue her PhD. (weehooo a doctor in the making) in one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Cambridge University, UK. congratulations sis. am so proud and happy beyond words for you. am so gonna miss you. now that you're thousands of miles away,

• who's gonna go taiwan-noodling with me?
  
• who's gonna buy me the occasional choccies?
  
• who's gonna sms me asking whether i'll be breaking fast at home or not?
  
• who's gonna rebut2 work shirts with me?
  
• who's gonna share handbags with me?
  
• who's gonna rebut the internet modem with me?
  
• who;s gonna watch ANTM and My Super Sweet 16 with me?
  
• who's gonna 'accidentally' open the bathroom door when i'm inside?
  
• with whom am i gonna bitch gossip about that girl, that guy, you-know-who, him, her, the girl who's you-know-what, that chick, that blog, that woman, that makcik, the s0-called-whatever etc etc?
• who's gonna go raya-shopping with me this year?
• who's gonna buy me and mummy matching kaftans for raya this year?
• who's gonna slave in the kitchen with me and mummy the day before raya?
  

boohoo~ on the bright side other hand, i get free, easy and unlimited access to your room now *evil laugh* i get to use your necklaces, earrings, handbags, shirts, tops (since you didn't bring most of 'em there) and what not. i also get to watch your wonderful collection of dvds and i don't have to bother to return 'em to your room lalalala... what else eh? hmm...oh consider yourself lucky that we don't have the same shoe size. if not, habisla your shoes...by the time you come back, it will all be haus, if not kopak already. heheh...
anyway sis, i wish you all the best. take good care of yourself. we'll definitely see you soon, real soon okay? *hugs*

relieved

alhamdulillah. apparently, i am ethical. phew~ i am one step closer towards becoming an advocate & solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, InsyaAllah. (this sure sounds like the words of Tyra from America's Next Top Model, isn't it?) hehe.

dilemma

I’m in a dilemma. You see, if I wake up for sahur, dapat pahala. If I don't, tak dapat pahala. Simple as that. Besides, it's only once a year where we get to wake up for sahur, isn't it? But the problem is, getting up for sahur is one thing while getting up after sleeping after sahur is another. Get what I mean? I don’t know about you but when I sleep after sahur,which is everytime, I will have such a hard time getting up later on. Nak kata setan, they are all locked up, right? So it’s me then. After sahur I get to sleep for about 1-1 ¾ hrs and that 1-1 ¾ hrs means a whole lot to me. It pre-determines how my day’s gonna be like. But then again, why do I find myself feeling groggy, drowsy and super duper sleepy when I wake up? Why oh why is this happening? Of all days, on Tuesday, I kinda overslept when I have an important meeting with a client at Saujana Golf & Country Club, Subang at 10am. I woke up for sahur, got back to sleep and set my alarm at 820am. I set my mind that I have to be out by 9. But lo and behold, I woke up at 9!!! I literally jumped off my bed and had a really quick bath. The cold water woke me up instantly. My heart was thumping and my head was banging. You know how it feels like when you wake up in shock. I thought, s***! What if I don’t make it on time? What will my Boss say and think of me? Of course the file is with me and I’m responsible for it. What will the client think? So many questions played in my mind and luckily I managed to get ready in 15 minutes. I don’t know if I looked like Bozo the clown though because I did my make-up in a rush. Surprisingly traffic in Federal Highway was smooth I almost did not believe it myself either. So I sped like a maniac. If you see a cute red Kancil (with an equally cute driver =P) speeding, honking, flashing and cursing on Federal Highway on Tuesday, that was probably me. Pfft. Anyway, I managed to reach Saujana in one piece on time but of course the Boss arrived first and was already waiting for me at the parking lot. Boohoo~ As for the meeting, it went well, but for a mere 30 minutes or so. *sigh* All the trouble, rushing, cursing and what not for a 30-minute session.

So my point here is, should I or should I not wake up for sahur? If I do, surely I will go back to sleep after that, which will result in me being overslept. If I don’t go back to sleep, what was I supposed to do? Study? It’s not like I have exams anymore or has revisions to do. Hahaha. Read books? Puhhleezzzz… Watch tv? Don’t think so. Beribadat? Ehehehehe… On the other hand, if I don’t sahur, tak dapat pahala sahur. And I will end up feeling extra hungry. So how laaa…???

attn: Mr. Sandman

Dear Mr. Sandman,

i'm sure you very well know that it is the holy month of Ramadhan now. today is only the second day of Ramadhan. and i am truly blessed to be able to fast this Ramadhan. fyi, my working hours have changed from 9am-6pn to 845am-445pm. i have some questions for you though. why does the time tick ever so slowly now? during normal days, the lunch hour break, which is 1-2pm pass by ever so quickly. i don't even sempat to check my emails, read online newspapers read blogs, update friendster, check other people's friendster etc. no, i do not have a lunch break this month (all the more reason for you to consider) but why does it take forever from one hour to the next?

Mr. Sandman,

can you do me a favor and make the time pass by faster? i would really appreciate it if you could. ok, i know i may be too demanding but i cannot help it. most people's working hours have changed so by the time i go out of the office, the traffic will be just as bad, if not worst. if everybody goes out at the same time, what difference does it make, right? traffic will be congested. my boss told me during Ramadhan last year it took him 2 1/2 hours just to reach his home in Kelana Jaya. i told him, might as well go to Ipoh. hahaha. ok that's besides the point. so please consider. i do not want to lose my pahalas on the road. hey, it's only the second day! i have about 20 days (duh!) more to go. pleasee..... *batting eyelashes*

your cooperation is highly appreciated.

thank you.

it is here again

Ramadhan is here again, alhamdulillah. let us all take heed in the wonders of Ramadhan and be a better person as a whole. may all of us be blessed in this holy month and let us all pray that this Ramadhan would not be our last.
as of today, 1st Ramadhan, my official working hours is 845am-445pm. *yippee* with no lunch break, of course. so whoever wants to berbuka puasa with me invite me for a berbuka puasa, i would really appreciate it if you guys could do it in advance or else i'll go straight back home. =P selamat berpuasa y'all! i hope i won't lose most, if not all of my pahalas on the road. God bless us all. amin.

booked

my sister got engaged with her boyfy on 1st September 2007. it was a simple yet elegant and nice affair. the theme was green while the theme for the guy's side was blue. it was really nice to see people wearing green and blue. the event started the day before where we had a makan-makan among us relatives on 31st August 2007. i even took a day off on Thursday to accompany mummy to go groceries shopping. on 31st August, i slaved myself in the kitchen creating and baking my masterpieces, namely a moist chocolate cake, carrot cake and also butter cupcakes. since i don't have dainty hands, patience and creativity to design the tiny cupcakes individually, i used the leftover from the chocolate topping for the chocolate cake on the cupcakes. then i sprinkled some colourful sprinkles on it and voila~ as for the carrot cake, i added a little bit of green colouring to the cream cheese topping. i put 3 green flowers each on the cakes. i must say that my creations was quite a hit *ehem* on that day. i have aunties asking for the recipe for my carrot cake and one auntie asked if i had a boyfriend or not coz apparently she wants to hook me up with her son because i can bake cakes? *gasp+blush*
my dearest friends iza, cik mim, sara, diyana and ezrina (and her two cute little sisters) came and helped me carry the dulang hantaran (which sis & i made ourselves thankyouverymuch) and also helped me to give out the goodie bags to the guests. i owe them so much. thank you ladies. i would have been tak menang tangan if it weren't for you ladies. big bro's gf also helped out. thanks kak suria! i had my maid make my updo that day as it will be too hot to let my hair down. the rombongan arrived at about 11-ish and after the discussions, berbalas pantun and what not, i had to lead sis out of her room to the pelamin for the sarung-cincin ceremony. alhamdulillah it all went well. my sis is officially engaged to her boyfy. sorry guys, eat your hearts out. =D i've made a slideshow because there are just too many pretty pictures so i just had to put them all. sis had prettypeektures as the photographer. the 'professional' pics will be uploaded soon, i hope. it might take a while for the slide to completely download, depends on your internet connection. enjoy!

it's called etiquette, mind you

there is a thing called etiquette, isn't it? there's office etiquette for example. forgive me if I'm wrong but i believe even the most charok hand phones in the world have a silent mode or a profile which you can set. so when and if you're in the office, can't you have the courtesy to at least turn down your hand phone volume. i don't care if your ring tone is Akon's Smack That or Mawi's Kian. or even some classical song. i just don't get it why some people just couldn't be bothered. and then when the phone rings, it takes them ages, if not forever to pick the bloody phone up. don't you recognize your own bloody ring tone in the first place? gosh. there's also phone etiquette. if i were talking on the phone, i would never want other people to listen and to know what i am talking about. i hate when people talk ever so loudly on the telephone, they might as well use a hailer or a microphone and make a public announcement about it. be it in the lrt, shopping malls, restaurants, and especially in a small, cramped the office. you see, some people have work to do and some of which requires us to read cases which are bloody long and confusing, read agreements which words are repetitive when in fact they can make a simple sentence out of it and also statutes that require one to read over and over again in order to finally grasp the gist of it. some people just don't get it, do they?
since we are on the topic of 'etiquette', i will be sitting for my ethics exam this Thursday. there will be a lecture tomorrow. i have got my bundle of notes (by bundle, i mean a lot, thick like a telephone directory. okay, slightly smaller than a telephone directory) which i have not even read yet. not a single topic. not a single chapter. thank God it is an open book exam but what puzzles me the most is the fact that about 80% people failed the exam in the last two batches. yes, 80%. this is a scary figure. now i am feeling the heat. i hate exams. just when you think you're done with exams because you're no longer in uni, you're wrong. damn. i better start highlighting reading my notes pronto! so if i fail the exam, *touchwood* does that make me unethical?

a celebration of love

what would you do if you have been married for a decade and is still madly and deeply in love with each other, never had a proper wedding reception 10 years ago because you had to follow your husband to Germany, have tons and tons of money and lots and lots of love to share? you throw a huge, grand wedding anniversary!

cruelty in its highest degree

i don't know what to say. it is the most disturbing thing i've ever seen, involving cats. i am speechless, i am sad, i am angry. i want to kill those people. why do they want to eat cats? i guess nowadays people eat just about anything and everything that moves. i hope, no i want them to burn in the hottest of fire and rot in hell. look at the pictures and tell me if you don't feel what i'm feeling. especially if you're not a cat person.