2008 christmas wish list

dear santa,

2008 has been a wonderful yet thrilling year, a year full of its ups and downs. (details of which is within your knowledge). i must say i have been pretty nice. naughty is subjective so let's not go there, shall we? but really, i have been nice. ask the people around me, i'm sure they will agree with me. since i have been pretty nice, i won't ask for much. just one little thing...

glitter-graphics.com

all i need is lots and lots of this

because with that, i may get this,

if i get the above, i will become like this

if i have those above,

he will buy me this
(or at least pay for the down payment)
okay, i can buy myself...


glitter-graphics.com

and/or


glitter-graphics.com

see, i told you i don't want much. so santa, do you think you can fulfill this one little wish of mine? if you could, i would like to thank you in advance and i promise to be even more nicer next year.

thank you.

stalk me not

...unless you have a box of chocolates and/or a bouquet of roses with you.

i received a telephone call one evening in my office. i was probably in the ladies' room when the clerk picked up the phone. on the other end of the phone, a guy, supposedly Chinese, by the name of Yan (how ironic) asked if there is a lawyer driving a red CLK (ok obviously he said a red Kancil and not a red Cute Little Kancil) in that firm. the clerk asked who he was and he said he met the lawyer in Court (but he didn't say which Court) and he said that the lawyer gave him the number. he didn't know the lawyer's name but stressed on the fact that the lawyer drives a red CLK. luckily the clerk didn't immediately give away my name. instead she said that she's not sure if there's any lawyer driving a red CLK (acting as though the Firm is so big and there are many lawyers) and if there is, she will ask the lawyer to return his call (he left his number by the way).

when i returned from the ladies' room, the clerk told me about it and i couldn't help but wonder who is this 'Yan' fella. as far as i know, i didn't meet anyone in Court by that name and even if i do meet people, i would have probably given him/her my business card, which clearly stated my full name and my number. why on earth would he call me at my office number? why did i give the office number in the first place? for what reason is he calling me anyway? it couldn't be that black guy coz he wouldn't know what car i'm driving (i hope) and he hasn't called the office since i never entertained his call.

well it's either somebody's pulling a prank on me or somebody's stalking me, neither of which i'm fond of. it is more scary than flattered. it is more freaky than excited. you get what i mean? obviously i did not call this 'Yan' fella. and he hasn't called again. at least not for now. it kinda send some shivers down my spine though.

hmm...maybe i should change my car.

weekend project part 15

i'm in no mood to blog lately. i have nothing much to complaint talk about anyway. well, actually there is something bugging me but it is not something i want to talk about in my blog. anyway, raya haji this year was ok. spent the day at an aunt's house for makan-makan and kenduri doa selamat. takkan nak datang dengan tangan kosong, right? it was raining on raya morning and i was so lazy to bake anything extravagant so i decided to bake a simple butter cake.

the ingredients-butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla essence, fresh milk and flour.

whip whip whip

bake bake bake

turn it upside down

voila~ ohh the smell of freshly baked butter cake on a rainy day~

it's late but SELAMAT HARI RAYA HAJI ALL.

weekend project part 14

the Parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on 251108 so last weekend, apart from taking them out for dinner, i specially made them a cheesecake. since it was a no bake cheesecake, it had to be chilled overnight. i whipped up the ingredients on Saturday evening and only ate the cake on Sunday.

the ingredients. a lemon is also needed but it was not in this picture.


the base of the cake-digestive biscuit, cinnamon powder, brown sugar and melted butter


the mixture-cream cheese, whipping cream, gelatin powder, lemon juice and castor sugar.

pour the mixture in a spring form pan and chill in the fridge overnight. cover with cling wrap.

once completely chilled, slowly but carefully remove the cake.

i still had some green writing gel left from my previous baking project. i wanted to write "30th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY" on the cake but tak cukup so i wrote 30th and drew 2 hearts instead.

the base do get crumbly and the cake slightly wobbly after a while out of the fridge so it's best to be served chilled to get a smooth cut. i forgot to take the picture of the cake after it was cut though. maybe if i rajin, i'll post the pic of the sliced cake.


*EDITED

the cakes in all their glory

one year ago today

i was called to the Bar.
i was admitted as Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya.
i was finally a lawyer.
how fast time flies.

i still remember the day my Father robed me.
i still remember how proud my parents were.
one year has passed by.
it has been a great year.
but of course, i've had my fair share of ups and downs.

but here i am.
still standing.
still breathing.
still surviving.

i still have a long way to go.
and i know the road is not gonna be a smooth, golden-paved road.
definitely not like what some people might think.

where will i be in the next year to come?
what will i face in the next year to come?
where do i stand in the next year to come?
so many questions yet i have none of the answers.

whatever it is,
i am ready to face more challenges.
i am ready to take bigger responsibilities.
but nope, i am not ready to set up my own firm just yet.
nope, i'm not gonna quit practising just yet.
and nope, i ain't joining service either.
at least not for now.

double check

what i like about going out alone is that i can take my own bloody sweet time, i can spend as much time i want in a shop and i don't have to think about other people's time or worry that they might get bored waiting for me. today was no exception. since the sale is starting real soon, i thought that i might as well go survey for some stuffs. survey2 dulu. start sale baru la beli, kan?
then i went to Watson's to purchase some toiletries. i saw its catalogue earlier today and the sale is on and things are looking good. i spent a good 40 minutes or so in Watson's alone just looking at stuffs, contemplating whether to buy or not to buy, put it in my basket, and then put it back on the rack. walked on and then something caught my eye so i read the packaging and contemplate some more. and then there's the christmas goodies section which was so interesting that i just had to belek-belek the soft toys and ornaments. eventually i went to the cashier to pay up, that is after my feet was starting to kill me. i bought Watson's dental floss, which retailed at RM 9.90 for a pack of 3 and when you buy 1, you get 1 free *woot* (now i have 6 boxes of dental floss hahaha) and a Maybelline Clear Smooth Shine Free Face Powder, among other things. the funny thing is, when paying, i saw that the cashier charged me twice for the dental floss so i asked, "dental floss tu bukan buy 1 free 1 ke?" she answered, "a'ah takpe dah tolak balik." uh huh. why didn't they just charge it as one? or pack it together? confusing, right? she then gave me my receipt attached together with a contest form and directed me to submit my form in the box nearby. i left Watson's and somehow i had the gut feeling that the calculation was not right. i mean, i bought some simple stuffs like baby lotion, face wash, body wash etc and the total came to RM 77.05? i felt dissatisfied. it's not like i'm buying expensive stuffs anyway so i sat at the nearby bench (afterall the feet was screaming for help) and i calculated a few times with my handphone. so okay, the amount was correct afterall. then i noticed the price of the Maybelline Clear Smooth Shine Free Face Powder was RM 15.90. i thought i saw the label on the rack RM 12.80. i went back in and checked the price and true enough, the displayed price was RM 12.80. i went to the cashier and told the girl that there was some error. she went and checked and passed my receipt to the girl who attended to me earlier. they didn't have the courtesy to apologize so i said, "macam mana boleh silap ye? harga kat situ lain, bila bayar lain." dengan endah tak endah she answered, "diaorang tak update bar code kot kak." uh huh. lame excuse! of course i had to say something back "aaa tu lah, dah tau nak buat sale, make sure la price letak betul2. tak pasal2 customer kena tipu. ni pun naib baik saya check, kan?" she didn't say anything and returned my RM 3.10 (which i used to buy a chocolate sundae at Burger King later on and forgot about my aching feet for a while).
the moral of the story is, always check the displayed price and always double check your receipt, especially during sales. this might be a mistake on their part, something that they may have over looked (which they shouldn't anyway) but imagine if 10 customers went through the same thing, how much would they have made? how much loss would the customers have suffered? so ladies (and gentleman) it pays to belek-belek lama-lama, kan?

black & white

Wearing white shirt with black pants has almost become my ‘uniform’. So much so that when I go shopping, or when I look at work attire, I would end up looking at white shirts. As much as colored shirts and tops tempt and attract me, I would think twice to buy them. Simply because, I wear a white shirt almost everyday to the office. On days where the legs are clean-shaven, Occasionally, I would pair the white shirt with a black skirt. Therefore, I would buy more and more white shirts, be it long sleeve or short sleeve. I would only wear colored shirts with matching earrings on days when I don’t have to attend court. But then again, how fancy can a white shirt be, right? And then there’s the dilemma when buying white shirt where most shirts are almost see-through. So I had to find the correct undergarment to be worn so as not to attract unwanted attention. Since the office is very near to KLCC and Pavilion, I would sometimes kill time after office, to avoid from getting stuck in the jam. What better way to unwind after a long day than to have a walk at the mall, ogling and drooling over buns and cakes, chocolates and pretzels, pizzas and pies, smelling the sweet smell of freshly baked Rotiboy and Famous Amos and the heavenly smell of freshly brewed coffee? Not to mention the clothes, shoes and handbags, of course. However I cannot help but feel like a salesgirl/sales-assistant/promoter when going to shopping malls simply because of my black-white combo. *sigh*

Last Friday I was busy choosing some silver pieces at Isetan for my Bestie when an auntie almost called me because she thought I was the salesgirl. I guess my handbag must have saved me because when I turned around, she tak jadi call me. Obviously a salesgirl won’t be walking around with a handbag on tow, right? STRIKE ONE! After making my purchase, I returned to the counter to collect my piece and then I walked off. On the way out, there was this booth selling some cosmetics from God-knows-where so I stopped and belek-belek the mascara. One of the salesgirls approached me and started to promote the mascara. And then she asked me, “awak kerja sini ah?” STRIKE TWO! Ughhhh! So I said, “no laaaaa! I x kerja sini ok!”

So the question is why do salesgirls/sales-assistants/promoters wear a white shirt and black pants? In some restaurants, waiters and waitresses also wear the same combo. Luckily so far I have never been mistaken as a waitress. Can we make them wear colours instead? Can we?

Note to self: always have a jacket/cardigan on standby to be worn over the white shirt.

glitter-graphics.com

bold i am

this happened about two weeks ago while i was in the Duta Court Complex.

i was outside magistrate court 6 and was busy scrutinizing the case list with sweat trickling down my back when a black guy approached me and asked, "excuse me, you a lawyer?" i answered yes. then he said that he wanted to talk to me. i asked him what the matter is about because i'm in a hurry and my case was not listed so i need to check with the interpreter and i had to get this done before the magistrate comes in. he said that he needs a lawyer. i asked him, "why do you need a lawyer?" to which he answered, "i just need a lawyer. you a lawyer, right?" obviously i cannot lie to him so i asked, "were you charged in court?" he said no. i asked again if he needs a lawyer for his friend. he said he needed a 'personal lawyer'. i said, "what for? why do you need a personal lawyer?" he replied, "it's not something that i can tell you now. we need to sit down and discuss. perhaps over a drink." i told him to brief me a bit so that i can tell whether i'd be able to assist him. again, he insisted that we should sit down and talk. i said "i can't talk now. i need to go inside. i have a matter inside." he then asked for my number and business card. he even said, "you're a lawyer, surely you have a card." then i remembered that i shall not simply give out my card so i said that my cards are finished. i asked him to give his card instead. he gave to me and the address stated on the card is a gift shop all the way up in Changloon, Kedah. i was like, "oh your business is in Kedah??" he said that it was his old card. he still hasn't made a new one yet. i was like, uh huh. he asked for my number and since i was holding the file (the office number was clearly written on the file) i gave him the office number and told him to call me the next day. he said, "what about your personal number?" i said, "since this is work-related, you take my office number." i almost, almost rolled my eyes in annoyance in front of him. but i didn't. that would be rude and i'd may be marked 'racist'. he took the number and asked my name. unfortunately i gave my real name. damn i should've given a fake name instead. he asked when he can call me so i said to call me the next morning. he asked, "what time? you're a lawyer, always busy right? what time can i call you?" i mean, come on...i took a deep breath and said to call me at 10am.

the next day he didn't call at 10am but he called around lunch hour and i had my clerk telling him that i was out to court.

until today, i still haven't talked to him, although he called a few times. should i take his call? is he for real?

he's from Trinidad & Tobago by the way. Not that i have anything against them but i just don't feel that i should layan.

what do you propose?

contest for camera lovers

to those who just loves the camera, taking own pictures like me, in other words, to camwhores out there (though i hate the word camwhore-to me it sounds bad, if not bitchy but whatever), why not make full use of it and enter the contest below. the prizes are superb, the contest is super-easy. go give it a try!

the Sister's wedding reception

Event: The wedding reception of ZN & MH
Venue: Nusantara Ballroom, Imperial Hotel, KL
Date: 16 August 2008
Time: 2000hrs-2300hrs
Theme: Winter Wonderland

The Bride getting dolled up for her Big Night

The Groom getting groomed up as well

the end product

before leaving the suite, The Bride & Groom took pictures with the inang-inang. And right before berarak masuk the grand ballroom, a photo session with the VVIPs took place.

the grand entrance

doa recital

merenjis & menepung tawar

makan beradab

speech by The Father and Ms. Bridesmaid

photo session

toss the bouquet!

phew~

at the same time, Ms. Bridesmaid also had fun taking pics with her friends.

they are my pengapits

THE END

me on a mini

how do you think you would look like on a car? on a mini cooper no less! since driving one is still beyond my dream, tepek muka pun jadilah huh?

*image courtesy of http://photofunia.com/

i'm not naive

So here’s the thing. Some time in August, while at the Shah Alam Court in Menara MRCB, I bumped into this Chinese couple. They asked me where to file the Notice of Appearance so I helped them. And then we got in the elevator and we had a small talk where I gave them my business card (might as well do some marketing, right?). A day before raya, I received a sms wishing me Selamat Hari Raya from an unknown number. And the message sort of sounded like this.

“…selamat hari raya…we met in Shah Alam Court. You helped us with enquiry blablabla…maybe after raya we can have coffee when you’re free.”

Honestly, I can’t remember exactly who did I help with enquiry? So I texted back and said something like this, “I’m sorry but I can’t remember…who blablabla” and then he/she replied, “…in the lift, you gave us your card, told us you’re already 8 months in practice…” and then it hit me. So, okay. So I replied the text with something like this, “oh I see…coffee? yeah…blablabla” Basically that was it because I thought it was just a friendly message and a friendly reply and I never thought that they would actually ask me to have coffee for real.

Until last week.

I received a text from him. Let’s call him D. I saved D’s number so I know it was him. It reads, “good afternoon! Any chance to meet up for tea/chit chat today at Pearl International Hotel Lobby (5^th Mile Old Klang Road)?” I replied, “hi. I’m sorry I don’t think I can make it today. Besides, I don’t know exactly where Pearl International Hotel is and it’s not a good idea to go to Old Klang Road after office hours” to which D replied, “My friend’s company just informed me there are 5 vacancies for Trainee Management Executives for the LANDBANK based in Tokyo. Applicants below 25 years, basic education acceptable, pleasant personality. Only female single without experience. Training provided. salary USD2500/month with accommodation provided. Insurance 300,000. Potential for New York HQ posting. [Any interest?]” I texted back, “Wow sounds interesting but I’m gonna have to pass. I’m not done practicing yet.” D replied, “Nothing to lose by giving it a good try! If interested you need to tell DR TSAI, Phd at 8.30pm tonight.” I didn’t reply.

I cannot help but smell something fishy going on. I mean, come on. First I see it as a ‘friendly gesture’ to invite me to have coffee (even though it was weird for D to invite me for coffee because I thought what the heck for? I mean, I only showed and helped him where to file the Notice of Appearance. It’s not like I helped him win his case or something) but when I was offered the ‘job’, I can’t help but wonder. Who are you kidding right? I think this is the type of scam luring young women with something that is too good to be true and then later on send them on an overseas trip together with your ‘package’ or something.

So the question here is, was I too friendly? It is normal for me to give away my business cards, right? After all, it is called a business card. But then this is what happens when you ‘help’ people. When people smile, the right thing to do is smile back. When people ask for help (in Court no less), the right thing to do is help, right? But then again, D may not have bad intentions but the job offer sure sounds too good to be true. Note the words 'female single only' and why the need to stress that DR. TSAI has a PhD? I’m sure a naïve, gullible person would fall for the offer. I don’t know. What do you think?

the Sister's akad nikah ceremony

these are the photos from the photogs, that was finally recently received. like, it's about time, huh?

The Bride getting ready

all dolled up

sebelum pergi masjid, ambik gambar dulu

moments before she was 'tied' for life

the solemnization was done by The Father

alhamdulillah. lega~

ok now salam2 time

night reception at The House

bersanding and upacara menepung tawar

makan time

meet & greet session

inside their room

she is officially his, he is officially hers. bound for life.