~Quantum of Solace~

Step-by-step Guide untuk Renew Passport Pembantu Rumah Indonesia

2012-02-04T08:48:00.000+08:00

Anda ada Pembantu Rumah Indonesia (PRI)? Hendak tahu cara-cara untuk renew passport PRI anda? Anda tidak perlu mencari lagi! Ya, di sinilah tempatnya!!

Cewah, ada macam iklan MLM tak? Hehehe...post ini bertujuan untuk share prosedur untuk renew passport PRI step-by-step based on pengalaman terkini saya pada 2 Februari lepas. So selain nak share info ni, post ini juga boleh jadi reminder should I have to undergo the same process later. Hopefully not in the near future lah!!

Passport PRI expire 18 Februari ini. Dah dekat sangat kan tempoh tamat dia? Itulah akibat saya yang suka bertangguh kerja, ditambah dengan kesibukan kerja di suasana baru, maka tindakan renew pada saat-saat akhir memang gamble betul.

So here it goes:

1. Datang seawal mungkin ke Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia (KBRI) di Jalan Ampang. Saya sampai agak lewat, hampir pukul 8. Ada yang sampai seawal jam 6.00 pagi! Pastikan PRI dah siap bersarapan, lebih baik kalau dia bawa air mineral, roti atau biskut untuk alas perut. Elakkan PRI dari pakai baju/tudung putih atau warna terlalu cerah sebab gambar passport background putih.

2. Don't expect to see proper signage or to get proper instruction. There are too many people there. Pergi ke bahagian kanan (your left hand side) Kedutaan dan anda akan nampak signage 'Antrian Pria' dan 'Antrian Wanita'. Anda akan nampak sebuah meja kayu kecil dan ada petugas di situ yang akan agihkan borang.

3. Tunjuk passport lama PRI dan petugas akan beri borang yang sepatutnya. Untuk renew passport PRI akan dapat borang ini - borang biru (permohonan) dan kontrak kerja (diisi dalam 3 salinan).

4. Minta PRI anda terus beratur sementara anda isikan borang tu kalau nak cepat. Jangan risau kalau kurang faham Bahasa Indonesia, ada English translation.

5. Lepas isi borang tu, serah borang & passport pada PRI anda yang sedang berasak-asak dan bertolak-tolak beratur. Ini baru queue pertama: untuk ambil nombor giliran. Kalau nak ke toilet masa ini, dipersilakan. Queue memang panjang macam orang nak masuk stadium perlawanan akhir bola kelayakan ke Sukan Olimpik!

6. Lepas dapat nombor, terus tarik PRI beratur di satu lagi barisan. Tak ada signage untuk barisan ini. Ada elemen of surprise di situ. Mula-mula tak tau beratur untuk apa, tapi sebab semua orang beratur, suruh saja PRI beratur kat situ. Queue yang ini diasingkan wanita dan lelaki. Kalau anda follow line yang sangat panjang hingga ke hujung tu, anda akan tahu bahawa ini queue untuk ambil gambar passport. Pihak Kedutaan sediakan perkhidmatan ambil gambar ini secara gratis a.k.a. percuma.

7. Masa ini kalau kaki anda dah lenguh, sila masuk ke bangunan yang bercantum dengan tempat ambil gambar tu. Di situlah tempat pemprosesan passport - ada kaunter dan kerusi menunggu seperti biasa.

8. Make sure PRI bawa nombor giliran semasa ambil gambar kerana akan dicop dan gambar terus di link dalam sistem pemprosesan passport.

9. Lepas bergambar, duduk di ruangan yang disediakan dan tunggu sehingga nombor dipanggil. Kaunter akan mula beroperasi jam 9.00 pagi.

10. Jam 9.00 pagi. Ada kaunter dibuka. Sabar, belum sampai turn lagi. Tunggu.

11. Tunggu lagi. Boleh layan FB, Twitter atau apa yang patut semasa tunggu ni. Pastikan bateri handphone mencukupi.

12. Akhirnya nombor dipanggil. Pastikan anda bawa perkara-perkara ini bersama:

a) 1 Salinan passport lama PRI

b) 1 salinan permit kerja (yang masih laku)

c) 2 salinan IC majikan

d) 2 salinan insurans PRI (yang masih laku)

e) 3 salinan kontrak kerja (yang diberi di Kedutaan)

f) Duit pemprosesan RM18.00

13. Selesai pembayaran, dapatkan resit dan nombor giliran tadi dan tunggu dipanggil di kaunter kedua.

14. Penantian kaunter ini laaaagi lama. Semasa kunjungan saya, cuma ada 1 orang petugas kaunter yang perlu meneliti kesemua dokumen, kontrak kerja dan buat temuduga ringkas PRI dan majikan. Pada masa yang sama, orang lain akan datang ke kaunter tu untuk pertanyaan, minta dia semak dokumen dan macam-macam lagi.

15. Tunggu lagi. Tunggu dan tunggu.

16. Jam pukul 1 petang - ada announcement. Semua kaunter ditutup untuk rehat/makan tengah hari. Urusan disambung jam 2.00 petang. Semua mengeluh. Kalau bawa bekal boleh makan time ini. Saya tak bawa hatta biskut sekali pun. Laparrr!!

17. Jam 2 lebih - kaunter dibuka. Tunggu lagi. Pukul 3 lebih, berkat menunggu dengan sabar, giliran kami tiba. Dokumen lengkap alhamdulillah. Ada temuduga ringkas.

18. Settle di kaunter kedua. Tunggu ambil passport di kaunter 3.

19. Kaunter 3 di luar bangunan, ada atap. Di sini anda boleh main permainan hit the jackpot di sini sebab nombor yang dipanggil tak ikut giliran. Boleh patah balik nombor yang awal. Then jump ke nombor yang di hadapan anda. Unpredictable. Adakala 1 nombor pun tak dipanggil langsung dalam 10 minit. Reminder: kaunter ditutup jam 5 petang. Mana yang tak sempat ambil kena datang keesokan hari.

20. Semua mata pandang ke skrin nombor. Kalau nombor anda naik, sila jerit "Yes!!" seperti orang menang loteri..(ini optional untuk menghilangkan keboringan menunggu!)

21. Jam 4 lebih - nombor dipanggil. Make sure PRI dah menyelit ke hadapan sebab orang ramai sangat nak ke hadapan agak susah. PRI ambil passport, kontrak kerja.

22. Boleh balik. Yey!!

Kalau anda rasa remeh untuk buat urusan ini, khabarnya ada agen pembantu rumah yang boleh uruskan, tapi dengan bayaran yang lumayan dan PRI perlu tinggal 1 malam di hostel agen kerana mereka akan dihantar awal pagi. Tetapi ikutkan syarat untuk renew, majikan kena hadir sekali. Jadi terserah anda.

Maklumat yang saya share ini sehingga 2 Februari 2012, untuk info lebih detail dan terkini boleh rujuk website KBRI.

How do I live (without my check list!)?

2011-12-28T12:37:00.001+08:00

I’m not exactly a spontaneous type of person. I like to be prepared for almost anything – thus, I’m a firm believer of ‘to-do-list’. For any occasion, be it work or outside work related, I will definitely grab a pen and a piece of paper and start scribbling what I need for that particular occasion dutifully.

If I have the luxury of time, I will even make small headings and compartmentalized all the details. And yes, that include listing all the stuff that I need to bring whenever I’m going for a trip, be it for business or for leisure. The list is a must. I remember my lists for the outdoor modules during my DPA days could be as long as 2-page-full, with subheadings like – clothes (plus the matching pants and hijab to go with it!), stationery, emergency, food etc.

So how would I react if I was caught off hand without my list? Well, this recent event showed that a little spontaneity can be a pleasant surprise, even with a check list-freak like me!

We had to cancel our initial year-end holiday as MH needs to go outstation during that time. So, last Friday he asked me to pack our bags for one-night-stay at my PIL’s in Kajang. This has been quite a fortnightly routine for me, so I do not need my list for this. I just throw in a couple of casual shirts, nightshirts and some other necessities for both of us that fit in one small backpack. Adeelia needs separate bag on her own as her stuff are more elaborate..hihihi. So they we were with 2-small bags for an overnight stay at my PIL.

Little did I know that MH had his own little plan. After having durian and manggis feast for lunch, he told me to pack up as we were heading for Port Dickson for our short gateway. I was like “What?!” It was Christmas-eve and on school holiday too, so the hotels must be fully booked. And what about our clothes and other stuff? I did not bring anything extra and so not prepare for the day in the beach! And how about the traffic report? I did not have any of those! Contrary to some popular belief, I did not shriek out. In fact, I was surprisingly calmed. We made a very quick stop at a supermarket in Kajang where the only few things that I manage to grab were Adeelia’s diapers and a pair of clothes for her. Then at the petrol station, I bought some snacks for us to munch on while we were on-the go. That was all!

We headed straight for the highway and as expected the traffic was so bad that we resorted to use the alternative road to get there that includes jalan kampung, pekan etc. It was quite adventurous because we never used most of the routes – takut juga kalau sesat in the middle of no where. The weather was gloomy/rain and from the numbers of cars that we had seen along the way, we knew that it would going to be the ‘survival of the fittest’ or should I say the ‘luckiest’? *grin*

After about 3-hours journey, we safely arrived at PD where the traffic was like in KL during the peak hours! So we managed to get there, but what about the hotels? We went through a few hotels and looking from the numbers of vehicles parked outside and some even at the road side, we did not even dare to stop and ask if there will be rooms still available. Owh, I'm the type of person who will do hotel booking in advance, with the exception of this one! So we went on until we came across this particular hotel that has its own private beach. MH went in to enquire while I waited in the car with Adeelia. It was the longest 10-minutes ever and a few moments later I saw MH walked out from the hotel. He showed no expression at all. Did we manage to get a room or not? I became impatient, “At least show me some signs lah dear”, I said to myself. He popped his head through the window and said, “Jom angkat beg masuk hotel”. Alhamdulillah!

We didn’t get the room with the sea view though, but the room was comfy, clean and equipped with everything that we need. It was good enough and as usual, as soon as we reached our room, Adeelia went straight to the phone and ntah call siapa ntah. So kenalah cabut wayar telefon tu cepat-cepat! We got a cute bikini and pelampung for Adeelia at the night market there. As for MH and myself, we bought a couple of simple T-shirts and beach slippers at the supermarket there. We had planned to spend only one night there, and guess what? We extended our stay for one more night and had fun at the beach for hours! It was Adeelia's first time at the sea and she loved it!

Well, I guess I could live without the 'list' once in a while. The adrenaline rush, not knowing exactly what to expect and where we will ended was super fun! The trick was to be very supportive of your partner, make decisions together and don't expect too much out of everything and experience true joy over the simple things you find along the way! And nothing would go wrong when you spend the time with your love ones! Oh did I mention that without my list, I totally forgot about the need to get ourselves sun block? Well, I guess the sun burnt is our keepsake for this vacation as we did not bring our camera too!

10 Unforgivable Things about Ombak Rindu

2011-12-15T13:41:00.000+08:00

Dah beberapa minggu Malaysia dilanda ombak - ‘Ombak Rindu’ (OR). Sana-sini orang memperkatakan tentang cerita terbaru arahan Osman Alini. Kutipan tiket pun dengarnya dah cecah RM9 juta dan filemini masih rancak ditayangkan lagi. Memang untung besarlah produser filem tu sebab rasanyacerita tu tak makan budget tinggi sebab tak ada stunt, tak ada CGI dan tak ada sceneoverseas, jadi LHDN silalah kejar pihak-pihak yang berkaitan ni...hehehe.

Image from: http://photoimagepics.blogspot.com/

Saya & MH pun lambat pergi menonton filem OR ni. Bila curi-curi masa nak pergi tengok, tiket dah sold out, kali ketiga cuba nasib baru dapat. Kata penjual tiket tu, ada orang sampai 2-3 kali repeat tengok cerita ni...oohh patutlah. *high expectation*

Sedikit sinopsis cerita untuk yang belum menonton dan tak pernah baca novelnya - cerita berkisar tentang cinta 3 segi (ke segi tiga?) antara Izzah (Maya Karin), Encik Haris (Aaron Aziz) dan Mila (Lisa Surihani). Macam mana relationship Izzah-Haris yang asalnya benci bertukar menjadi rindu dan si Mila artis terkenal yang tergila-gilakan Haris dari remaja. Tambah pula dengan plot Ibu Mertuaku campur filem Bollywood sikit, memang meletuplah filem ni!

Sebenarnya, saya tak terkejut pun bila OR meletup di panggung. Kalau Hantu Kak Limah tu, memang terkejut sebab cerita dia unconventional dan lari dari norma-norma cerita Melayu biasa. OR ni ada semua gabungan ‘secret recipe’ untuk menghasilkan filem Melayu yang box-office. So, dengan rajinnya saya senaraikan di sini secret ingredients tu. Mana tau ada antara kita yang teringin nak buat filem nanti =)

OR ada:

Ramuan utama

Pelakon lelaki kacak (Aaron Aziz lah, Bront Palare pun macho gak bergantung pada taste masing-masing);
Pelakon wanita jelita (Maya Karin & Lisa Surihani, tak payah argue, memang cantik lawa dua-dua ni);

Bahan perencah

Scene dalam hujan – in fact banyak sangat scene hujan dalam cerita tu sampai saya rasa patut tukar tajuk filem kepada ‘Hujan Rindu’ =p;
Scene dalam disko – ada orang (Melayu!) terkinja-kinja menari, lampu pening-pening;
Scene di hospital – ini lokasi wajib rasanya dalam drama dan filem tempatan;

Ramuan istimewa

Scene dari filem Bollywood – ada scene di stesen keretapi dan scene berlatarbelakangkan gunung-ganang ladang teh. Izzah pergi KL dengan keretapi walaupun bus ekspres dah banyak dan Pudu Station dah diupgrade. Bront Palare dikecewakan dengan dramatik sekali di sini.

Image from: http://photoimagepics.blogspot.com/

Memandangkan ini blog saya, jadi kalau orang tak tanyapun saya akan bagi pandangan saya tentang filem ini. Seriously saya rasa tak ada yang istimewa sangat tentang filem OR ini selain daripada inilah gabungan kali pertama Aaron Aziz, Maya Karin dan LisaSurihani (very urban kan nama-nama diaorang?) dalam 1 cerita. Kemungkinan besarcerita ni meletup sebab dah terlalu lama pasaran filem tempatan asyik tayangcerita hantu/sihir/alam ghaib dan cerita tentang dunia gangster/matrempit/kongsi gelap. Jadi bila keluar cerita 100% tentang cinta, air mata ni,penonton excited nak tengok. Oh, satu lagi, saya tak pernah baca novel tu, so my view is based purely on the movie only. Macam Nannoor, dia dah pernah baca novel tu, jadi penghayatan lebihlah.

Okeylah, ini 10 perkara yang saya rasa unforgivable tentang filem ORini.

Tudung yang dipakai Izzah masa bernikah di Thailand dengan tudung yang Mila pakai masa nikah SAMA! Cuma masa Mila pakai ditambah dengan aksesori.
Intonasi suara pengacara rancangan hiburan yang interview Mila tu sangat annoying!
Mekap mak Haris – Azizah Mahzan dengan mak Mila sangat comot dan over, macam mekap zaman dulu-dulu.
Masa adegan kejar-mengejar di kaki ladang teh, Izzah tak save nombor Haris dalam HP dia. Sebab semasa Haris telefon, yang keluar kat skrin telefon Izzah nombor, bukan Abang Haris/hubby/darling dan panggilan yang sewaktu dengannya. Tapi masa Haris call Izzah dari telefon rumah mak mentua (landline), keluar pulak nama Abang Haris kat skrin telefon tu.
Masa Izzah main2 dengan kucing dia keadaan senyap sunyi, entah macam mana keluar suara pengacara yang annoying tu interview Mila tentang berita perkahwinan dengan Haris dari TV.
Lagi pelik sebab expression wajah Izzah awal-awal lagi dah mendung, berkerut-kerut macam nak nangis sedangkan pengacara tu belum habis tanya Mila dan belum keluar lagi statement yang Mila akan kahwin dengan Haris.
Lagi hairan lepas je sebut Mila akan kahwin dengan Haris, TV yang tiba-tiba berbunyi tu, terus senyap sedangkan Izzah tak ada tekan remote ke, bangun tutup TV ke. Hairan bin ajaib!
Masa scene jumpa balik di kampung Izzah, Haris bagitau dia dah lama cari Izzah tapi tak jumpa-jumpa (sedangkan dia pernah baca IC Izzah dan Izzah pernah kerja kat company dia). Tapi beberapa minit lepas tu, Mila sampai kat kampung tu juga untuk cari Izzah. Macam mana Mila boleh senang je cari Izzah daripada Haris?
Dialog Julia Ziegler sebagai Wafi sangat skema dan geli. Confuse dengan watak Wafi actually. Dressing punyalah sophisticated, tapi bila cakap bab cinta, terus lembik, siap keluar ayat 'Aku tak sanggup jadi abdi cinta". Banyak lagi dialog2 Wafi yang rasanya orang dah tak sebut dalam realiti cuma dalam novel cinta je kot.
Watak Azizah Mahzan sebagai mak mentua dan orang kaya yang sombong dan kejam tak berkesan sebab terlalu over. Patutnya orang benci dengan watak tu, tapi saya rasa menyampah sebab terlalu dibuat-buat. Dalam hal ini watak Nyonya Mansor (Mak Dara) dalam filem 'Ibu Mertuaku' beribu kali ganda berkesan. Patutnya dia banyak pakai body language dan facial expression untuk tunjukkan kebencian dia pada Izzah dan kelicikan dia untuk pisahkan Izzah dan Haris.

Pada saya yang paling menyelamatkan filem OR ini adalah lakonan mantap pelakon utama - Aaron Aziz, Maya Karin dan Lisa Surihani. Aaron berjaya bawa watak hero yang balance - ada sisi gelap: playboy dan pemarah dan ada sisi soft: prihatin dan aksi-aksi comel. Bila scene menangis tu, memang real sebab dia nampak untuk tahan air mata, tapi mengalir juga. Watak Maya tak berapa susah actually sebab dia lebih kepada pasrah. Tapi dia memang pandai bermain dengan facial expression - dari naive-confuse-kecewa. Watak Lisa mula-mula nampak canggung. She tried too hard to get away from her girl-next-door image. But, along the way, she seemed to have found her rhythm. At times, I thought her character suffered from split personality because one minute she acted so lovey-dovey towards Haris, one second later, dia mengamuk sakan. Sebenarnya, Mila bukan jahat, tapi sangat kecewa bila Haris yang dia cinta dari remaja, nak batalkan perkahwinan pada saat-saat akhir sebab dah jumpa cinta lain. Siapa tak hangin kan...

Kesimpulannya, OR ni dalam kategori - boleh tengoklah, but not a must-watch. It could be better, only if the director gave more attention to the details especially the continuity, wardrobe and the acting of the supporting characters. Nak feel nangis pun tak jadi sebab banyak sangat benda yang overlook dan tak logik dek akal.

Saving on Your Grocery Bill

2011-11-08T18:30:00.000+08:00

I love grocery shopping. I can spend hours in the hypermarkets, browsing through the racks of food stuff, home appliances, colourful fresh produce, with so many brands to choose from, we are spoilt with choice, doesn't we?

But I dread check-out counters, hahaha. First, because of the long queue that always be associated with it (once, I had to queue up to 1 hour!) and secondly because of the figures at the small screen. For my fortnightly grocery shopping, I could easily spend about RM500 for a trolley full of grocery stuff. That about RM1,000 per month and could be more if there is special occassions like Eid, feast for guests etc. I consider that amount as ridiculous as there are only 4 adults in our household, plus one toddler. Si kenit Adeelia. More over, MH and I only eat dinners at home on weekdays and we are usually eating out during weekends and public holidays. So where does the money go, really?

Picture courtesy of Yahoo Image

I have to admit used to be quite ignorance on that. I never pay much attention on the bill eventhough I am the one who fork out my purse to pay for it. I used to fill up my trolley almost subconciously. But with a kid now and higher cost of living, I do feel that grocery stuff could create a heavy dent on my purse, so I have to be more prudent on my spending. Now I keep on track of prices of stuff and compare prices between stores.

Do you know that according to a survey done in the US, the average family of four spends upwards of $1,200 a month on food, or roughly $40 a day. I read up this article where Cooking Light contributing editor and host of Yahoo's Blue Ribbon Hunter Allison Fishman reveals that with smart planning and key ingredients, you can learn to bring that expense down to less than $15 a day! Of course I want to save up that few Ringgit as well, so I have more money for err..other stuff..heh heh..

These are some of my tips on streching my Ringgit that I would like to share:

1. Prioritize

Even if I really want to be a 'pengguna bijak', there are some stuff that my family couldn’t compromise on even there’s a cheaper product of a different brand. That includes: Adeelia’s formula (S26) and diapers (Mamy Poko Easy Pants), Kimball squeeze On Chilli Sauce, Florida Orange Juice (occasional indulgence!), Gardenia Whole Meal bread, my life-saver 3 in 1 Nescafe Rich, Whisper Sanitary Pad, Sensodyne tooth paste, Milo, brown sugar, Buttercup and Faiza Herba Ponni’s Rice. With that in mind, I don't mind substituting other stuff for a cheaper price from different brands.

2. Minimize
I try my best to minimize buying certain stuff that I can made on my own for instance I do not buy pasta sauce (it’s easy to make your own, plus it is a fresher and healthier choice too because no preservative is being used), I make my own bread crumbs using near-expiring breads at home, I avoid buying things that is so perishable (except for veggies, poultry and fish) because most of the time, I will not consume all of it, so there is a higher tendency for it to be ruined, i.e. fresh coconut milk (I used it sparingly in my cooking, so the whole packet is too much for our consumption and also it’s more convenient to use the powder type).

3. Making a Shopping List
I never go grocery shopping without a list in my hand. The reason is solely because I feel lost without it and I hate it when I want to prepare something, only to find that I am running out of the ingredients. However, according to Fishman, “The trick is you've got to plan for it. It's called 'intentional shopping,' which means make a menu, make a shopping list and stick to it. Mapping out your meals can actually save you about 20 percent." Wow!

4. 3 Cs - Compare, Calculate and Complaint
I am amazed how some consumers can remember the price of let say, a kilo of chicken, onions etc. It still doesn’t make any sense to me on how to make comparions based on that. But I do keep track of how much does it cost for a specific item like S26, flour etc.

I do price comparison based on stores. For instance, most of the grocery stuff are cheaper in Tesco and they have great variety too. But there are specific stuff that are cheaper in other stores, for instance Mamy Poko Easy Pants that is even RM4 cheaper in Sogo Supermarket as compared to other places even Tesco and Carrefour.

Another type of comparison is the price shown on the rack and the one on the packet. A few nights ago I found that this particular hypermarket proudly pasted a special Promotion tag for Faiza Herba Ponni's rice at about RM36. However, the suggested retail price of the rice is RM35.80 and it is printed on the packet as well. So who were they trying to kidding?

Basically the rule of thumb is the price of an item is cheaper if you buy it in a bigger packet. For instance, a 250g Milo will cost higer per gram rather than the 1 kg packet. But beware, before you reach out for the bigger pack, please do some quick calculation. To the extreme, at times, I even take out my handphone to use the calculator in order to know the actual price per 1g of an product, than times it with the weight of the bigger pack and get the real price. I do this because in many occassions, I find that some shops fail to address this. For example when I do calculation on the price of Adeelia's 700g pack formula x 2, it is still cheaper than the 1.4kg pack. So rather than taking the bigger package, I rather take two of the smaller ones if it is cheaper.

And if you ever find such discrepancy, please exercise your consumer rights and complaint. Even if it is not done in an official manner, you can at least inform the cashier or supervisor about it so that they can take corrective measures to avoid unsuspecting consumers to be 'tricked' as well.

Jadilah pengguna bijak! =)

TechNOlogic

2011-10-14T13:52:00.001+08:00

Have you ever experience a moment when you feel so overwhelmed with the communication technology that all you want to do is to switch off the device and break free?

Yes, we are blessed with smart phones, android, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Tablet, you name it, that come with so many useful applications that are supposed to help to make our lives much more easier. Almost everything that we need is now literally under the finger tips. Eerr or is it thumb? I guess that is depending whether you are an Apple of a Berry person =). But somehow, it is the people (some) who are using it that is not so SMART.

Hands up who get work-related calls/SMS/e-mails after office hours, on weekend, during holidays and even to the extreme when we are actually on medical leave? I am not talking about once-in-a-blue-moon situation. I am talking about having to be on our toes 24/7 even if we are not under the very critical service like doctors, police or when there is no life-threatening situation involved and the national security is not at stake.

Of late, I feel that the advancement of the communication technology somehow 'suffocating' me. I tend to look at it now one way or another as an 'invisible inprisonment' to do user. What I mean was whether we realize it or not, now we are 'available' for everything 24/7. People can just bug you anytime, anywhere that is convenient for them and I seriously think that it is very annoying to be 'unnecessarily' disturbed, unless, again I repeat myself, it is about a life-threatening situation or involve national security.

Recent instances that I experience was during the third Aidilfitri. I got this text message from this particular person (who was not my boss anyway) saying that I need to prepare a report which is not due until 2 more weeks! My question is, would it make any difference if he texted me on that particular-public-Raya lagi!-day or if he decided to be more considerate and inform me about it perhaps on Sunday? So I could took the necessary action on Monday. Who on earth would drop everything off upon getting the text message and head straight away to the office / computer to do the report?

And to make things worse, the same person texted me again, this time at 2.55 A.M. on Sunday! And again, it was not about something really urgent and it wouldn't hurt if the person waited for a few more hours and text me perhaps around 7 on Sunday morning. I still can take that. What was this person trying to prove? That he was so efficient? Workaholic? Or just plain inconsiderate and rude?

Another thing is about some people's tendency to 'stalk / harass' other people's phone. Situation one: it is a working day and you are answering a call from your desk. Then your handphone rings. You couldn't take it as you are still on the conversation with the person on line. Perhaps the explaination might take a while. But the person who has been calling your handphone kept on calling you frantically. You got until 8 missed calls from the SAME person within the duration of perhaps less than a minute apart. Annoyed already? Wait until you hear this. Once you were off the phone with the 1st person, you called the 2nd person and this person told you "I dah try call you kat pejabat, tapi engage. Sebab tu I call kat handphone". The question was: if my directline at the office was engaged, most probably that I, myself was on the phone. So what was the purpose of bombarding my handphone with your calls if you possibly know that I was on the other line? Perhaps if the call was so urgent, why don't you leave a message at my colleague etc.? Simple rule: no person in their right mind will purposely let their handphone rings mindlessly, unless of course they are avoiding you hahaha.

These are only a few examples that I experienced. I think while the technology is advancing so fast, some of us are still not. Tech-NO-logic. We can get the latest-super-smart gadget, but if we still don't have this two basic applications install in our mind - being respectful and considerate, people will still perceive as 'Bodoh'. Yes, that is the exact word that I utter when I came across such unfavourable situation.

Adeelia 1st Birthday Bash!

2011-10-09T16:33:00.000+08:00

I still couldn't believe that my lil' precious is already 1 year old! It feels like it was only yesterday that I held her in my arms for the first time, and now she's grown up from this....to this

Day 1

365 days later

Adeelia's real birthday was on August 7 = Ramadhan 7. But MH and I thought that it would be quite a hassle to organize iftar + her birthday as the guests would be rushing for prayers Maghrib-Isya'-Tarawikh and also because our house was not big enough to accomodate for both eating and solat jemaah for all the guests. So we postponed the plan until Aidilfitri, September 17. Now it became a 3+1 event - Adeelia's birthday, our Aidilfitri Open House and MH's birthday as well! His birthday was on September 13.

Even if I had been involved in organizing many events in my line of work, I was a little bit nervous when it came to my lil' precious birthday party. Initially I thought that a kid's birthday party would go with just a cake and of course the birthday girl/boy. But that was before I came across this entry by Mrs. Kown. The party she held for her son was amazing and her attention to details was so impressive! Then I thought, well, perhaps if the time (and of course budget!) permit, we should try to make Adeelia's first birthday bash a little extra special than we had planned it to be.

MH did not really got the idea in the first place. Like most men, he was very pragmatic. He was like "Adeelia's only 1 and she will not remember what we've done for her first birthday anyway,". But silently and strategically I kept on pushing the idea to him, and walla! he finally bought it! Yey! So here it goes, my first experience in organizing my daughter's birthday party....

1. Date, time and theme

First thing first. Time and venue for the party. Checked. Theme? Some of Adeelia's aunts said that she resembles the cartoon character Dora The Explorer. Perhaps it was because both of them have big round eyes, chubby face and of course their inqusitive nature. I thought that the theme was unique, so why not?

2. Party stuff and decorations

However, due to limited Dora The Explorer party stuff available on the local market, we could not really emphasized on the theme except for a few stuff. The first party shop that we went in Subang USJ sells Dora button badges at a very reasonable price. But that was all Dora's stuff that they got. We also bought a banner, party hats and a few of party stuff there as well. Then we found this small party shop in Setiawangsa. The nice lady who was also the owner of the shop told us that they need to get certain license from the States should they want to sell merchandise bearing the cartoon characters. So far the most popular in Malaysia are from Disney characters. So no more Dora's stuff for the party uhuk..However, to my consolation, as we was nearing to the event, MH was all ready hype about the idea of organizing the birthday party. He even insisted that we should get some helium ballons as well for the party. I personally thought that helium ballons were too pricey, but he insisted. So we ended up with some 100 helium ballons in pretty colours and shapes. It really brightened up our living hall and I was glad that we took it =)

3. Party Pack

For the party bags, I got it from a common shop at a very good price. I prepared 50 party packs containing a pack of bear-shape biscuits, a small size Nips, low sugar jelly, pudding, party stuff yang tiup-tiup tu and a Dora The Explorer button badge. As we could not find any Dora's party hat, hence we bought three types of party hats - Disney Princess, Toy Story and Bob the Builder. Campur-i-zation sikit temanya hehehe.

4. Birthday cake

Due to limited number of Dora's party accessory, the one thing that can really emphasize the Dora's theme would be the birthday cake. I thought that a birthday cake in the shape of Dora The Explorer would be very great. But to my disappointment, such cake requires special mould that only available in the States. So when I placed the order for MH's birthday cake at Secret Recipe, I had ordered a chocolate indulgence cake for Adeelia. We could never go wrong with chocolate indulgence, kan?

However, deep in my heart, I refused to proceed with just that. I kept telling myself that I could find a more special cake for my lil' princess. Perhaps a little Dora's decoration on top of the cake would be nice. As fate had it, one evening as I mindlessly googling for the Dora's cake top, I found this blog. Aaah she did Dora- shape cake and the best part was she lives only a few minutes away drive from my house! But the most important question was, with only a few days left before the event, would she take my order? I summed up my gut and texted her a few times. And being a nice person she was Ezuin (the owner + baker + cake decorator) took my order even her schedule was very tight that weekend. I am forever thankful to you Ezuin! And this is the much anticipated cake....

5. The event

It was supposed to be one simple affair, but at the end it was so meriah with the presence of our beloved family and friends. Thank you all for coming! The happiest person that day was of course the birthday girl. She was so thrilled being surrounded with so many people, and of course she loved the attention given to her! Here are some snapshots from the event...

One happy family!

Achik time ni pun nak bagi ceramah =)

Adeelia menangis terkejut dengan birthday song kuat sangat!

Suasana dari luar

Suasana dalam rumah

Raya oh Raya!

2011-09-08T23:35:00.001+08:00

Dah lama tak update blog, time nak update pula dalam suasana raya..Jadi relevan lah kalau saya cerita-ceriti tentang raya dalam entry kali ini. Bukan tak puas beraya, tapi kan raya sebulan? Itu menurut kata Azlina Aziz lah dalam lagu raya dia. (Sorry tajuk tak ingat, Suasana Hari Raya kot).

Raya kali ini agak istimewa sebab buat pertama kalinya saya dapat beraya dalam erti kata sebagai isteri dan ibu yang sebenar (ye ke?). Aidilfitri tahun lepas sepatutnya raya pertama saya dan MH sebagai suami-isteri. Tapi rezeki dari Allah, terus dapat beraya dengan baby. Kena pula masa raya tu saya baru habis pantang, kelam-kabut dengan baby semua, preparation raya pun gitu-gitu je.

Raya tahun ni pun taklah beria mana. Ala kadar je, cuma dapatlah buat kunjung hormat ke jalan TAR. Padahal belakang office je, hari-hari boleh pergi. Tapi time nak Raya lagi meriahlah kan. Kuih raya pun dapatlah buat 3 jenis - conrnflakes madu, chocolate chip dan my specialty biskut sarang semut. Yang lain biskut import! Adeelia pun sama sibuk nak buat kuih raya, padahal tahun lepas dia tak tau apa-apa heee.

Raya pertama dan kedua kami beraya di rumah mertua. Balik kampung lah sangat, kat Kajang je. Tiap-tiap minggu pun balik sana. Tapi tetap pasang lagu Balik Kampung dalam kereta. Jauh ke dekat, feel kena ada. Lagu raya favourite Adeelia tu!

Rumah mertua memang sentiasa meriah kalau family berkumpul. Apa taknya, cucu je dah 21 orang. Masuk adik-beradik MH 7 orang + suami/isteri masing-masing, tak ke ramai tu? Pagi raya memang tradisi selepas solat sunat raya untuk bersalam minta ampun dari Abah & Mak kemudian dengan abang2 & kakak2 ipar. MH anak nombor 5, ramai juga tu nak kena report! Kemudian dengan yang adik2 pun bersalam-salaman dan anak-anak saudara pun dapatlah duit raya. Alhamdulillah, dapat juga saya merasa pengalaman beraya yang meriah macam ni. Maklumlah family sendiri comel je, lepas Abah saya meninggal dan Adik pula duduk di US, tinggallah saya raya berdua je dengan Mama sebelum berkahwin dulu...sob..sob..sob. Tapi itu cerita lama, now dianugerahkan dengan ahli keluarga yang sangat ramai, terasa seronoknya.

Selepas menikmati juadah raya, satu lagi sesi wajib ialah sesi bergambar. Tahun ni konsepnya outdoor, maklumlah merdeka-raya katanya.

Petang raya pertama kami ziarah keluarga sebelah suami/mertua. Pergi Damansara-Shah Alam-Sentul. Raya kedua - Senawang-Bukit Antarabangsa. Pergi Senawang, selain nasi himpit, rendang, kuah kacang, Kak Ros siap jamu kami dengan nasi lemak sambal tumis udang dan karipap panas yang super marvellous! Di rumah Mak Mon Bukit Antarabangsa pula rezeki nasi putih dengan lauk 3 jenis sambal tumis - ikan bilis, udang dan kosong. Bukanlah niat nak jamu selera sebenarnya, tapi rezeki tuan rumah dah sediakan, makan ajelah. Semoga murah rezeki tuan-tuan rumah yang baik hati! Amin

Raya ketiga MH, Adeelia dan saya balik Johor. Menyusul Mama yang dah balik lebih awal. My parents-in-law dan brother-in-law pun menghala ke JB. Kami konvoi 2 kereta separuh jalan sebab diaorang straight away ke Johor. Yang kami akan ke Muar dulu. Suspense juga nak travel, sebab Adeelia memang dah lama sangat tak duduk dalam car seat. Selalunya dia lebih suka duduk atas pangku sambil aktif gerak sana-sini sampai naik sakit pinggang Mama dia. Last travel luar Klang Valley dengan Adeelia ialah masa holiday kat Cameron Highlands dulu. Itu pun dia tidur masa naik/turun bukit, tapi kat highway sangaaat ligat. Alhamdulillah, kali ni, dia alim je duduk dalam car seat tu sampai ke Muar. Kemudian baru dia merengek nak keluar. Dah boring dah tu gamaknya...

Di Muar kita orang lepak-lepak dulu di Tanjung Emas dan Giant Muar sebab family dari JB belum sampai lagi. Cadang nak konvoi ramai-ramai. Bila diaorang dah sampai Muar, mak oii sampai 5 kereta including ours! Memang meriah. Mula-mula kitaorang cari makan dulu sebab semua belum sempat breakfast. So kitaorang pun lunch ramai-ramai di food court Muara, Muar. Mee bandung, rojak buah, asam pedas, ABC aiskrim..tak ke food heaven tu!

Lepas beraya dua rumah di Muar kami ke Batu Pahat pula. On the way keluar dari rumah kedua baru perasan nama lorong tu 'Lorong Khair'...sempena family name Mama saya rasanya sebab memang dari keturunan Al-Khair. Dari Muar ke Batu Pahat kereta banyak dan jam tak hengat! Sampai dah Maghrib, orang tengah solat. Alhamdulillah, rezeki kami, tuan rumah jamu nasi briyani ayam Arab style. Rasa? Tak payah cakaplah, nanti korang jealous! Saya tambah dua kali, rasanya nasi mandhi Rawsha pun tak boleh lawan!

Dari Batu Pahat terus ke JB. Jam lagi! Sangat penat dan mengantuk sebab seharian di luar. Adeelia boleh pula maintain. She was in a very good mood, bersosial dengan bebudak lain, langsung tak cranky dan tak tau letih! The three of us stayed at M-Suites Hotel. Early in the morning, MH travelled to Singapore with my brother in law to fetch Pakcik Mat, a long-time family friend. Kemudian we + Pakcik Mat beraya pula di Kampung Melayu Majidiee, rumah bapa mertua abang ipar saya. (Panjangkan connection dia?). Tapi itulah kelebihan orang Melayu rasanya, terutama time-time raya ni, tetamu memang diraikan tak kira siapa. Mesra muhibbah gitu. Masuk-masuk je rumah dah terbau ikan masing favourite - ikan tenggiri masin. Automatik rasa lapar =). Menu memang special hari tu, masakan ala kampung - siput sedut berlada, lemak perut lembu + nangka, ikan pari masak asam tumis dan tentunya ikan masin. Sangaaaat pedas okay, the siput sedut. Hingga menyebabkan air mata dan air hidung keluar (eiii!!). Tapi memang menyelerakan, tanpa malu dan segan saya pun menambah nasi 2 pinggan!

Dari Kg Melayu shoot ke Taman U, auntie side Mama. Dihidangkan soto pula! Lepak-lepak, sempat tidur petang lagi, kemudian ke Pulai pula, rumah sepupu. Isterinya jamu dengan mee goreng dan meehoon tomyam. Sedap!! Dari Pulai ke Mutiara Rini, singgah sekejap sebelum ke Kampung Melayu Majidee (lagi sekali!) - kali ni beraya di rumah parents kepada suami kepada sepupu saya (panjang lagi hubungan dia!). Borak-borak, makan biskut raya. Ingat nak minta diri dah, rupanya dijamu pula dengan murtabak Johor special dan sate! Murtabak Tomok ni katanya memang terkenal, queue nak beli pun panjang especially musim raya. Rasa memang sedap, garing dan berempah. Kulit nipis je..walau pun dah kenyang amat, makan lagi!! Kata orang rezeki jangan ditolak..hehehe.

Keesokan hari raikan Pakcik Mat yang akan balik Singapura di salah satu tempat favourite saya di JB - Plaza Larkin. Paling best kat situ kacang pool, rojak sotong dan ABC durian. Sayang sekali gerai rojak sotong masih belum dibuka. So kurang sikit lah ummpph dia. Ternampak pula orang jual bahulu montel perisa durian kat sini. Sebenarnya bahulu dia kecik comel, spesis sekali ngap dah hilang! Tak tau kenapa nama dia montel. Anyway, belikan bahulu sikit untuk buah tangan ahli keluarga dan kemudian shoot kembali ke Mutiara Rini. Rupa-rupanya my Auntie Umi dah siap masak briyani daging untuk jamu kami. Makan lagi! Seeedaap sekali! Complete dengan papadom! Kemudian balik ke Taman U, rehat-rehat sekejap dan malam tu kami beraya ke Taman Laguna, rumah cousin. Wife dia memang terkenal pandai masak. Dijamunya nasi palikat dengan ayam masak merah dan mee kari. Serious time ni rasa macam nak explode sebab kekenyangan. Lagi pun badan penat sangat. So saya makan sikit je walau pun sedap sebab dah teramat kenyang!

Kami bertolak balik KL pagi-pagi Ahad sebab takut jam. Alhamdulillah selamat sampai tengah hari. Kesimpulannya, raya yang best, tapi bukan kerana makan sedap-sedap, itu bonus. Tapi dapat ziarah ramai ahli keluarga dari both sides. Ada yang bertahun-tahun tak pernah jumpa, ada yang kami generasi baru ni baru pertama kali dapat berjumpa. Paling penting saya belajar pengalaman paling berguna - toleransi dan saling memahami amat penting dalam keluarga. Tak kiralah keluarga nukleus ke, sekunder ke apa-apa ke. Sebab keluarga ni ibarat air - walau dicincang tak akan putus. Terima ahli keluarga kita seadaanya. Jangan fokus atau bercakap tentang perkara negatif, tumpukan kepada perkara-perkara baik saja especially di hari baik bulan baik ni.

Cuma satu cadangan saya kepada stesen TV - masa raya janganlah siar cerita best-best, sebab diperhatikan ramai juga remaja/budak muda yang sekadar bersalaman dengan tetamu, kemudian mengadap TV, best sangat kot cerita yang ditayangkan atau tak ada ulangan (?). Kita berkumpul berjumpa tak setahun sekali. Apa salahnya ambil peluang berkenal-kenal dengan saudara-mara, tak ler nanti berselisih jalan pun tak kenal. Lagi pun banyak yang kenal-kenal saudara mara ni generasi mak-mak kita. Akan datang lagilah tak ada siapa yang kenal satu sama lain. Ingat-ingatlah ya!

P/S: Hasil 'pemakanan' yang tak terkawal semasa raya, balik KL timbang, berat saya naik 2kg!

Apakah???

2011-06-11T23:11:00.017+08:00

I find it disheartening following the news lately. One was about a local celebrity who manage to complete his 'quota' and the other one was about a certain club who want to teach the wives on how to 'keep' their husbands. Both news came at about the same time. Coincidence?

To tell the truth, I am disgusted of both 'breaking' stories. I don't understand how could such trashy stories made into the headlines. Not only that, it also got the 'follow-up' news for days and unmistakably had became the hot conversation topics for many days.

And please tell me what good do we get from it? Nothing. Really. Except that the celebrity had officially reigned 'HERO' status (at least from most of his male counterpart) and now we know that pre-marriage course should be held at brothels rather that lecture halls! So now we don't need marriage councellors anymore and perhaps we should engage sex workers (not the one from Lorong Haji Taib, but first class okay!) to teach the wives and soon-to-be-wives on how to 'provide service' to their husbands. Because according to the 'genius' club leaders' theory, that is the way to keep your man happy and at the same time to curb social ills. That is what we call efficiency people! Killing two birds with a stone. No?

Now it occured to me that if such club was launched earlier, perhaps that celebrity does not have to have his forth, right? No? I put the blame on the media for sensationalizing the issue. Yes, I know such stories sell. It is always like that, but doesn't the media too have some sort of social reponsibility? Other that Publication Act, doesn't they have to do some self-regulating as well? Mind you that school children DO read the newspapers too and I could only imagine how awkward must it be for parents who have to answer curious questions from their children.

Most importantly, do we really want to feed the innocent-young minds with such thing? What will their perception about marriage then? The more the merrier? And wives are not more than just sex slaves? Are we Malaysians living in the Dark Age?

Media should be more selective and responsible on what to be reported. I can understand if such news made into the headlines of tabloids, but mainstream media? Yes, there are some media house who has this unwritten guideline for being politically correct, but I believe that ALL media has to be socially and culturally correct too.There will always be people who are publicity-crazy or in orang kita term, gila glamer. So should the media let themselves being manipulated by this publicity-crazy people?

I have a lot to say about this matter. But right now, as I'm typing this, I'm SO VERY furious! I should stop here. Of course I am no expert. I am only talking from the point of view as a concern MALAYsian.

Bila Tin Kosong Berbunyi...

2011-05-31T19:47:00.007+08:00

Bila tin kosong berbunyi,
Suaranya yang lantang, nyaring sekali,
Orang sekeliling pasti memerhati,
Tin kosong megah, bangga sekali...

Maka berterusanlah ia berbunyi,
Cakapnya berdegar, tidak terperi,
Berkata apa, tiada yang peduli,
Berbunyilah ia tiada berhenti...

Tapi tin kosong lupa...
Bila tin kosong berbunyi,
Mungkin ada yang rasa benci,
Sembangnya panjang tidak bererti,
Bunyinya keras, menyakitkan hati,

Tin kosong juga lupa...
Bila tin kosong berdiri,
Dia terhoyong-hayang ke kanan dan ke kiri,
Ditolak angin, jatuhlah ia ke tepi..

Tin kosong tidak sedar..
Nilai dirinya hanya pada pengumpul besi buruk,
Itu pun jika keadaannya tidak karat, masih berbentuk..

Lain pula halnya dengan tin yang ada isi,
Bunyinya kurang, tapi sentiasa dicari,
Kerana badannya sarat mengandungi isi,
Dipukul angin, tetap tegap berdiri..

Nadym, Hotel Rennaissance KL, 31 Mei 2011

Dress to Impress

2011-04-15T08:06:00.000+08:00

I'm always interested in what other people is wearing to the fact that I could easily tell if the outfit is new. New clothes look more crisp and there is a certain glow on the person who wears it that made me just know that the outfit is new.

A gift perhaps? I don't know =) But that is definitely a winning ice-breaker. A simple and sincere acknowledgement on what the person is wearing, such as "That dress looks good on you, where do you get it?" or, "Is it new? The color really suits you," will always make that person blushed a little, and more often or not you will get the standard reply, "Tak adalah, murah je baju/kasut/handbag ni'". But their expressions could't lie. Just look at the brimming face, half smile - a sign that they are pleased that their good taste is being acknowledged and appreciated. You can be sure that you are definitely in their good books now.

Spending half of the day at work, I could not help but to analyze what people around me wear to work. I'm no fashion expert, but I just want to share here some of my observations on the dos and don'ts on office attire:

#1-No slippers – Flip-flop. Whatever you called it, I strongly believe that it should be banned at the workplace. It constitutes lack of seriousness and really sloppy – to be wear in the office. Can’t stand the high heels or need to be on your feet for a long time? Opt for full-covered flats or ballerina instead. It gives the casual / laid-back look and really comfy without compromising on your professionalism.

Flats in pretty hues =)

#2-To cover or not to cover – If one is wearing hijab, please make sure that all of the hair is neatly covered. Nothing is more irritating that to see strands of hair coming from the hijab - sangat selekeh okay. Feels like taking the person on the neck, while frantically pushing the hair back. (Scary thoughts, huh?). There is a reason why brooches exist, people! Another thing, please don’t wear the half-covered hijab style ala certain celebrity to the office. Instead of trendy, it shows that you are indecisive - nak tutup ke tak? Make up your mind!

#3-Do wear some colour – Just like dressing up for work, I do believe that you should have a distinct look for the office, going on casual outing etc. And it all can be done by applying some make-up. I respect the fact that some women wish to keep it simple when it come to this, but somehow we need to distinguish ourselves as career women from undergrads. A dash of colour, perhaps on the lips, would make you more mature and presentable at work. You don’t have to go all out. You can keep the rest au natural. It will take about 2-seconds to put on a fuss-free lip colour and to powder your nose. Believe me, it will make a difference. P/S: I once got to know a lady judge from Chile that even tattooed her eye line and lips because she is super busy and doesn’t have the luxury of time to reapply it every day!

#4-Keep it neat – Hijab ala Yuna seems to be the in-thing right now. Don't get me wrong, I love her music and style, but please keep it for movie-outings, dates what-so-ever. Not to the office. It is nice and trendy, but it has so many layers and too eloborate to be worn to the office. I find it is quite hard to focus on the person while communicating with them as the face seems to be 'drowned' in the layers of fabrics.

Love the look, but it is not for the office

#5-Bling-bling – From my opinion, baju bermanik-manik is okay for work. But then again you have to be careful not to over-do it. A heavily beaded kurung should be paired with a simple hijab or hair accessory. Not with those of equal shine. You'll ended up looking like a disco-ball!.

#6- Don't wear a blazer over a traditional outfit - let the beautiful kebaya or kurung or other traditional outfits to stand alone. Don't attempt to sport a 'professional' look by putting a coat or a blazer over it unless you are experiencing a super-chilly weather in a four-seasons country. Traditional outfit IS a formal outfit on its own. Don't mess up with its authenticity. And yes, you don't need to wear the blazer over your kurung to the Parliament. I know a lot of people think that it is required to do so.

#7- Mind your length! - Major fashion faux pas - to wear ankle-high stockings with a knee length skirt. I don't need to eloborate on this!

A quick search on the net, and I found this useful advice from Cynthia Nellis:

Your goal to getting dressed for work is to project a professional, competent image, regardless of your employment level or career path.The styles, colors, lengths and fit of your fashion choices will speak volumes about your ability to do your job.

Dress Like Your (Female) Boss - One of the best clues to company dress codes is what your boss wears. Just think about the styles that the highest-level woman in your organization wears and use them in your wardrobe.

I have my share of bad fashion choices for work as well, and still have it occassionally =p. But I think we need to be more serious in dressing up to work because it does not only reflects our own individual image, but also the image of the organisation that we are representing. The Swiss Bank was once being ridiculed for having a very detail dress code (44 pages to be excact!) for the employees in order to preserve their reputation. I believe that no matter how good you are in your job, you have to look like it too on the outside, especially if you are been giving the responsibility to represent your organisation for meetings, seminars etc. So ladies, let's dress for success!

Balada Kami Pekerja Marhaen

2011-03-19T11:47:00.014+08:00

Kami bangun pagi seawal dinihari. Usai membersihkan diri dan menyucikan rohani, kami menuju ke lubuk rezeki. Meninggalkan anak-anak yang masih lena diulit mimpi. Rasa tak sampai hati, tapi ayah dan emak perlu mencari rezeki.

Kami mula menuju ke destinasi. Yang berkereta menempuh kesesakkan lalu-lintas pagi. Yang bermotorsikal menyelit di celah-celah kenderaan gergasi. Yang menaiki pengangkutan awam berasak-asak di dalam bas dan LRT. Tergesa-gesa, rasa tak selesa hanya di simpan dalam hati.

Kami menarik nafas lega jika sempat sampai pejabat sebelum waktu. Mungkin masih sempat mengalas perut bersama rakan-rakan sekutu. Itu pun masih tak tentu. Selambak tugasan telah menunggu. Tak perlu pun buat list-to-do!

Kadang-kala kami tersalah mengatur waktu. Atau ada perkara lain yang perlu dibantu. Menyebabkan kami lewat sampai ke muka pintu. Bersiap-sedia untuk merayu. Dalam hati menyumpah dan menggerutu, "Mengapa saya tidak keluar 10 minit lebih awal pada pagi itu?!"

Kami menuju ke meja masing-masing. Menghidupkan semula PC, printer dan segala mesin. Menghadap in/out tray dan kami mula mengasing. Kerja yang perlu segera, sekarang dan terpenting. Fikiran tentang keluarga dan hal-hal lain diletakkan di tempat terasing.

Kami menumpukan kepada pekerjaan. Minit mesyuarat, maklum balas dan laporan. Sesekali melayan emel dan panggilan pelanggan. Ada yang berhemah, ada juga yang menguji kesabaran. Dalam hati kami rasa menyampah, malas nak layan. Teringat pula pada slogan - "Rakyat didahulukan, pencapaian diutamakan". Terpaksalah teruskan, walaupun dalam hati tertekan!

Kami ini pekerja marhaen. Ada kakitangan sokongan ada pula pihak atasan. Kedua-dua pun mahukan prihatin dan perhatian. Silap percakapan atau perbuatan, kerjaya sendiri jadi percaturan. Sebab itulah kami selalu tertekan, yang dibawah lambat buat tindakan, yang di atas kadang-kala sukar nak buat keputusan. Kami tersangkut di pertengahan. Nak go ahead atau 'gostan'? Kalau biarkan dormant, kami juga yang kena ligan!

Kami pekerja marhaen juga ada maruah dan jati diri. Pedih telinga apalagi hati. Bila acapkali dijerit dan dimarah sesuka hati. Pedihnya ibarat ditusuk dengan pisau belati. Lebih-lebih lagi bila ada insan lain yang memerhati. Di mana nak letak muka kami? Apa jadi pada harga diri? Terasa kerdil diri ini. Lebih lagi jika kesalahan bukan di pihak kami. Mungkin angkara mereka yang ada rasa iri. Ataupun ada perasaan tak puas hati. Lagipun di level kami ini, bukankah kami masih perlukan bimbingan dan tunjuk ajar mereka yang lebih tinggi?

Kami bekerja dengan kuat. Tapi kami juga perlukan rehat. Waktu makan atau pun selepas waktu pejabat. Banyak lagi perkara yang kami perlu buat. Kadang-kala kami berdosa terlepas waktu solat. Terlalu sibuk dengan perbincangan dan juga mesyuarat. Semua nak cepat tak menyempat-nyempat. Seolah-olah esok dunia nak kiamat! Kami juga yang tak sempat bertaubat!

Kami pekerja marhaen sentiasa berkorban. Masa, tenaga dan juga keselamatan. Pulang lewat seolah-olah satu kemestian. Keluarga di rumah lama ditinggal-tinggalkan. Kesihatan diri selalu diabaikan. Jemputan kenduri, majlis mahupun jika ada kematian. Semuanya bukan lagi keutamaan. Hanya dapat saksikan dari Facebook teman-teman.

Bukan mengungkit atau pun membangkit. Cuma memujuk hati yang sakit. Dah lama simpan duka dan perit. Tiada yang nampak, sebab kami tidak menjerit.

~Kuala Lumpur, 19 Mac 2011~

A Note to the 30-Years Me

2011-02-22T23:26:00.000+08:00

I hit the big '3' on January, or as some nicely put it, I'm now belong to the three-series club. Entering a new decade, of course I aspire to be a better person, in every possible way - a better wife for my husband, a better daughter to my Mom, a better Mom for my darling Adeelia, a better daughter-in-law to my parents-in-law, a better friend to my buddies, a better contributor to my organization and towards our target group, and undeniably a better Muslim.

But of course I'm not a super woman, and far from being a perfect person. Depending on the time and situation, I can be quite unpredictable at times. But I guess, as a 30-year old, I have to be more consistent in my undertaking, more mature and I would like to see myself projecting a calm and collected demeanour =).

So as a reminder to myself, here are some of the things that I would like to tell my 30-years self:

1. Fat is good ~ if only you're referring to your bank account! So save up MORE consistently. And lose up those UNNECESSARY fat around your waistline!

2. Just do it! ~ don't over-analyze everything, all the time. There are times when you should let your heart rules your head. Once in a while, put down of your guard and go dancing in the rain!

3. Pick-up the dail and make that call! ~ You are such a loving person, but you find it hard to express it. If you want to say something to someone, want to know the happenings in their lives, don't hesitate to make the call and talk to them. There will never be a perfect time to do so. Tell the person that you care for them, you think about them, because obviously they can't read your mind.

4. It's okay not to be in control, all the time ~ You can't be doing everything, everytime. You'll be taken for granted and eventually you will lose your appeal over time. So, learn to let go of something, even only for a while, then sit back and relax. Cherish the moment.

5. Don't procrastinate ~ enough said. Get things done NOW!

6. Go green ~ Reduce your ecological footprint. Make reduce, reuse and recycle as your mantra.

7. Work for change ~ Your compassion is your best attribute. So, no matter what, don't ever give-up or let others to dampen your spirit. Channel those negativity to a positive one. You can make a difference in this world, or at least to someone else's life.

8. Strive for balance ~ Set reasonable goals for yourself and most importantly, learn to say No. You matters. Pursue your interest, do what you want to do and more me time. Life is too short to be living someone else's.

9. Look your best ~ When you look good, you feel good. So take better care of your health, skin and body. Choose a healthier lifestyle for you and your family.

10. Be passionate about life ~ Don't let the time passes you by just like that. Make every moment count. Choose the issues that most concern and compel you, get involved, and relish the joy that such generosity brings to yourself and others.

11. Don't fret over little-petty things or people ~ they certainly not worth it.

I strive to lead a balance, healthy and happy life that lets me to live joyfully, enthusiastically, and compassionately.

Hari MERDEKA saya!

2010-09-24T20:57:00.008+08:00

Sedar tak sedar dah 47 hari saya menjadi ibu = habis tempoh berpantang = MERDEKA!! I marked my long awaited 'independence' by going grocery shopping at AEON AU2. Memang tak grand pun aktiviti tu, but at least I got to breathe the outside air =).

But the preparation for our first outing with Adeelia was quite a long and tedious process. There were a lot of firsts for a first time parents like us. From packing the baby stuff (I brought everything even if the store was just 5-minutes away from home!), fixing the car seat, assembling the stroller, preparing the expressed breast milk (EBM) (should we went out pass her feeding time) and of course choosing the right outfit for mommy! Seriously I really need to shop for new outfits to suit with my current lifestyle and ehem weight. Hahaha! Right now I'm in the not-here-nor-there body shape. I still couldn't fit into most of my pre-pregnancy clothes, but my maternity clothes are tad too big for my current size. Plus I don't have that much of button-front blouses..huhuhu.

Back to our outing experience, Adeelia slept most of the time inside the stroller. So sempatlah saya survey apa yang patut walapun niat asal nak beli barang dapur. At last I ended up with a new gown for Adeelia, a pair of new shoes for her Mama and a few baby stuff. Then we went for dinner at Johnny's. Elok je selesai kami habiskan steamboat tu, Adeelia pun bangun. Bangun je tak apa, tapi dia start nangis nak menyusu! Alamak! The EBM was already being used up while I was busy trying on the shoes, now what to do? I tried to discreetly breastfeed (BF) her at the restaurant, but I felt uncomfortable plus the top that I wore was definitely not BF-friendly. She cried even louder and people started to look at our direction. As last resort, I BF her inside the car while MH and my Mom did the grocery shopping...Lesson learn-need proper planning next time. Must locate the nursing room first (if there's any) berfore bersuka ria shopping!

My Birth Story

2010-08-20T18:02:00.008+08:00

August 7, 2010,

5-something a.m.~ Sangat sakit, dah tak boleh stay still. Pusing ke kanan kiri semua serba tak kena. The nurse came to check. Alhamdulillah dah 4 cm dilated. Yang kelakar kakak nurse yang check tu pun sama excited. Dari muka mengantuk, terus dia segar! Dalam pada gembira with the dilatation, I found the pain was unbearable. I had been 'in the process' for so long and hadn't eaten anything for almost a day, thus I was too weak. (Or so I guess). Once again I broke my birth plan by requesting for epidural.

The nurse prepared me for labour. I was given enema (again) and she took off the drip as I wanted to get up on and use the bathroom. I had enough of catheter and I need to refresh myself before labour.

6 a.m.~ I was brought to the labour room. Finally! The anaesthetic was already in there to give me epidural. It was like a magic. Within a few minutes the pain was gone. MH entered the room after the procedure was completed. He looked haggard due to lack of sleep and anxiety- I guess. Asked him to grab something to eat before my labour. As soon as he left the room I dozed off to sleep.

8 something a.m.~ I woke up to find MH already by my bedside. A nurse from the morning shift came to check. She was all chatty as she had been taking care of me since yesterday. "Baby nie nak tunggu saya juga! Tapi Doktor memang dah pesan kami stand-by untuk operate pukul 7.30 pagi ni kalau tak ada progress". By now, I guess almost everybody in the floor knows me. Even the aneasthetic told me that she noticed my name had been on the board since yesterday. It was kinda embarassing though. Back on the labour progress, not so good. I was stuck at 4 cm. This couldn't be good.

9.10 a.m.~ They put on the CTG machine again. I also monitored the result anxiously. The nurse came to check again. Still no progress. She looked at the monitor and told me that the baby's condition was not good. There were signs of distress."Akak kena operate juga ni," Katanya selamba sambil menyusun peralatan bedah yang memang dah stand-by di tepi katil. Masa ni memang dah tak terkata apa dah. I looked at MH. He squeezed my hand tightly as if he was assuring me that it was okay if I had to undergo the operation. Ya Allah, aku bertawakal kepadaMu.

A few minutes later ~ The Doctor came in. She asked a few questions to the nurse but I was too anxious to follow their conversation. It looked like everybody was ready for an operation. Then it was the Doctor's turn to check. Muka dia berkerut-kerut. Dah pasrah sungguh hati ni. "Eh dah 9 cm ni. Ok sekarang you kena push bila ada contraction. Biar buka lagi 1 cm". ALHAMDULILLAH, tak sampai setengah jam, sampai 4 cm progress!

The rest was history. Setelah semua orang berhempas-pulas (no wonder they call childbirth as 'labour'. It was really hard work!) Doctor dengan kerja dia, nurses pun dengan tekan-tekan perut sambil cheer words of encouragement, most importantly MH who was very brave to endure the whole thing with me with patience and love, lots of it. After 21 hours of labour, near-Cesarean experience, presenting our lil' precious..

Adeelia binti Azamuddin
D.O.B: August 7, 2010
Time of Birth: 10.36 a.m.
Weight: 3.3 kg
Length: 51 cm

The Journey Begins..Final Part

2010-08-19T16:04:00.006+08:00

August 6, 2010, 9.00 p.m ~ By this time everybody were REALLY anxious. I was still stuck at 2 cm dilatation. And by everybody I meant the doctor and nurses, MH, my Mom, my parents-in-law, my in-laws, myself - practically everybody who knows about the situation whether they were physically present at the hospital or just following the progress on the phone.

During this time, all I want was contraction, never mind the pain!! A new 'friend' on my right bed was admitted and oh my God wasn't she a loud one! Moaning and groaning about the pain even as the nurse put in the Enema and broke the water bag! Through the curtain I could hear that a bunch of family members were trying to calm her down. About half an hour later, the moaning and groaning stopped. I asked MH about it and he told me that she was already being sent to the Labour Room. Cepatnya! Just now she was just like me at 2 cm and now? Felt like trading place with her....

I started to ignore my hand phone. I could not bring myself to answer the calls nor to reply the SMSes from well-meaning family and friends who want to know the progress. It was really stressful. Bila kesabaran dah mula berkurangan Syaitan mulalah mengganggu keimanan..I started to ask myself "What's wrong with me?" Masya Allah, inikan ujian dari Tuhan?

That night my mother-in-law accompanied me in the ward, as MH dah sibuk ke sana sini menguruskan apa-apa ikhtiar yang ada, answering calls etc. Morever, my MIL used to be a bidan Kerajaan before, so bukan setakat tunggu, she also adjust my bump ke sana sini, gosok-gosok.Sakit woo!!Mungkin untuk betulkan kedudukan. I didn't ask much, buatlah apa yang patut Mak asalkan saya dapat bersalin cepat! My Mom at home pula tak putus-putus call atau SMS saya bagi do'a-do'a yang boleh diamalkan dalam keadaan macam ni. Syukur kerana saya masih ada orang tua yang boleh menjaga dan menenangkan hati ini..

Came midnight still no progress. My third brother in-law, Abayer dengarnya kalut tengah dapatkan air selusuh lagi as I had drank up mine. Konon nak bagi cepat buka 'jalan', tapi masih belum diizinkan Tuhan. The Doctor came in again. Still no progress. Then she blurted the dreadful news "Kita tunggu sampai esok pagi. If there's still no progress, kita operate". Ya Allah, janganlah sampai kena operate.

1.00 something a.m.~ My parents-in-law and in-laws had gone back. They all needed some rest after a long day at the hospital. MH sat next to my bed. Even as he said nothing at alI, I noticed how worried he was as compared to the calm-collected manner he posed during the day. The Doctor gave me sedative so that I could get some sleep that night. I asked MH to go back and have some sleep. I bet he was more exhausted than I did. Then, I drifted to sleep...

A few moments later, dalam keadaan mamai (I was sedated), I saw MH. He stood next to my bed and asked me to drink this air. Tak ada banyak cerita, terus je minum. Selepas minum, saya mohon kemaafan MH sekali lagi. Sebenarnya, when we were together kami jarang seserius ini - asyik melawak aje. Tapi kali ni feel lain sikit, syahdu aje situasinya..emosi!

Sebenarnya dah bermacam air saya minum since admitted. Air Zam Zam, air selawat, air Yaasin, air selusuh etc. Betapa kerdilnya saya rasa di saat itu. Despite all the medical advances dan usaha-usaha lain, sebagai manusia kita hanya boleh berikhtiar. Pada akhirnya , terserah pada kuasa dan rahmat Allah jua. Kun fa ya kun.

Then I was left in the darkness again. Tertidur lagi. Tapi tak lama, the nurse came in to put in the CTG machine - to monitor the contraction and baby's heart beat. Masa tu saya rasa sakit yang amat sangat. No more period-pain-like sakit, tapi betul-betul sakit! About an hour later I decided to call up the nurse asking for more sedative-tak tahan sangat dah. Then she uttered the most beautiful thing that I had heard all day "Kalau sakit sangat ni, tandanya dah buka 'jalan' lagi kot". She checked and more good news "Dah 4 cm bukak!" Alhamdulillah!!

~Finish~A new journey begins...

The Journey Begins...Part III

2010-08-17T12:13:00.007+08:00

August 6, 2010, 1.00 pm ~ I was in the Recovery Room. There were two other patients inside, so I got the middle bed. Not my preferred location though. As soon as I started to make myself comfortable in there, a nurse came in to gave Enema. A few moment later another nurse came to put in the drip to ensure the continuity of the contraction. Then, the previous nurse came in to check on the dilation and subsequently she broke the water bag. Ya Tuhan!! How embarassing to be poked here and there, especially down there! Sakit memang sakit, tapi malu lebih-lebih lagi!! Syukur juga semua staff di sini wanita, sekurang-kurangnya kurang sikit rasa malu tu..

A few hours had passed. Member katil sebelah yang dok mengerang sakit dari tadi dah masuk labour room. Tinggal lagi seorang on my left. Myself? Tak rasa apa-apa sangat lagi, cuma sakit macam period pain, still bearable. Macam tu ke sakit contraction? When the nurse came in to check on me, she was surprised because the contraction was strong according to the CTG and the hardness of my bump, tapi saya masih selamba dan boleh buat macam-macam aktiviti untuk isi masa. Mengaji sikit-sikit, borak dengan MH atau my Mom yang bergilir-gilir menemankan di wad. Penat bersembang, baca novel pula. MH pun sibuk ke sana sini layan keluarga dan kawan-kawan yang datang menziarah. Dah tak tau nak buat apa sangat, MH pasang lagu dari BB dia..layan...

Later in the evening the Doctor came in to check on the progress. It was almost 5 p.m. and yet only 2 cm dilated! Lambatnya!! Tambah risau bila terdengar member katil sebelah kena Cesarean because she was only 4 cm dilated and yet the baby was already distess. So she had to undergo the C-sec for the sake of the baby. I started to feel restless, lebih-lebih lagi when I saw some brownish/yellowish stuff on my pad. Baby dah buang air ke? That was a sign of distress! Ya Allah, mohon dipermudahkan urusanku...

~to be continued~

The Journey Begins...Part II

2010-08-15T12:58:00.008+08:00

August 4, 2010 ~ We arrived at the hospital at 8.45 p.m. Nampaknya tak sempat nak dinner dahulu. I was being sent to the Recovery Room, a 3-bedded 'transit' room for expecting patients before heading to the labour room. Luckily the room was empty when I checked-in. Kalau tak suspense juga dengar bermacam-macam suara orang sakit contraction!
An hour after the procedure, I was sent to the ward. Would be spending the night there, until the induce came into effect, then only I would be brought back to the Recovery Room. All my life, this was the first time that I was being admitted to a hospital. The Doctor told me not to move around, so terlantarlah di atas katil sambil makan nasi goreng daging bersama MH yang ditapau. Sambil tu layan cerita Mami Jarum di Astro. Mode masih relaks, tapi berdebar-debar juga nak tunggu sakit. Macam pelik juga, tunggu nak sakit hehehe...August 5, 2010 ~ Around 3 a.m. - Tidur tak lena. Asyik terjaga almost every hour. Maybe because of the different ambience, atau pun debaran nak labour yang melampau. Alhamdulillah, MH ada temankan. Kesian kat dia. He had to sleep on the couch -it looked very uncomfortable.

5.30 a.m. - The nurse rang. Asking whether I already feel the contraction. Nope. Negative. A few minutes later she came in to check. Not yet. I was disappointed.

8.00 a.m. - The Doctor came. Another check. Still no progress. She told me that I had to be induced again. She told me that it was quite common for a patient to be induced twice even more than that. Felt a little relief. Underwent the procedure again.

12.00 noon - Was having lunch in the ward with MH and my Mom when the nurse rang. Asked me to go to the Recovery Room after I had finished eating. "This is it!" Waktu yang amat dinantikan. Debaran makin kuat, cuba juga habiskan makanan dan lauk udang sweet sour yang sangat sedap. Seafood terakhir sebelum berpantang!!!

After finished eating, went to the bathroom to refresh myself. Kemudian siap pakai bedak, lipstick semua. MH sangat confuse dengan keadaan ini - ni nak pergi berjalan-jalan atau bersalin? Suddenly it came to my mind that I did exactly the same thing during my Uni days. Sort of reflex reaction. Masa study dulu, pagi-pagi sebelum pergi exam mungkin orang lain akan gunakan masa yang ada to do last minute revision. But no matter what, prepared or not, saya akan bersiap-siap macam ini juga. It was sort therapy for me =) Lagipun taya tak lah siap beria-ia sangat, macam ada seorang artis tu sampai pakai fake eyelashes ke labour room! Dah selesai bersiap semua, I grabbed my Victoria Secret paper bag that contained a kitab do'a, Cecelia Ahern's Book of Tomorrow, stress ball, air zam-zam, air selusuh, face towel, toiletrris and off to the Recovery Room...and the REAL journey begins...

~ To be continued~

Preparation for the BIG Day

2010-08-13T00:33:00.010+08:00

~Ini adalah entry yang terkebelakang, due to my laziness to post it earlier... =D ~

Preparing to welcome the lil' one to the family seems to be endless! Since it is our first time experience, it was quite difficult to distinguish between the must-have items with the things that are 'not-so-needed, but convenient to have' especially as we were browsing through the appealing baby stores and various mommy-to-be blogs where they raved about so many stuff and what-not.Even I had prepare a list of things to get for the baby, there's always additional stuff to be added later on because some mommies said it is very useful, good for the baby, bla bla bla. Up to a point I had to refrain myself from reading the product reviews, forum discussion etc sebab takut terpengaruh! After a few 'updated lists' later and 'ziarah' ke MotherCare dan kedai-kedai yang sewaktu dengannya, I finally satisfied that my preparation for the baby was almost complete.

The final purchase was Medela Free Style Breast Pump which was also my most expensive purchase so far. This was also a result from sneaking at various blogs, where they gave great reviews about it. Moreover, I am very determined to breastfeed my baby exclusively,insya Allah. So I guess this is a good investment. My brother got it for me from the States, so I got it at half the price of what the offer in the stores in Malaysia. Having said that, we still has not got the bottle warmer/sterilizer and car seat yet. Rasanya tak begitu urgent, but we'll definitely need that for the later.

Inilah antara preparation kami untuk si kecik...dah tak sabar!!

MH a.k.a. Abah hard at work

Taada! Baby crib dah siap

Baby clothes that were purchased when I was in NY . Tapi Thomas Pink Abah punya, Coach Mama punya =DMittens,booties and hair accessories
Baby care and bathing set

Stuff to be brought to the hospital. Emergency bag and food basket. From left, isotonic drink, air selusuh, air zam-zam and air selawat

The Journey Begins.....Part I

2010-08-12T17:17:00.007+08:00

August 5, 2010 ~ MH and I were still undecided about the induction thing. The truth was, MH was 80 percent sure to go for it. It was only me. I was still contemplating about the whole thing. And time was running short.

My parents in-law came to our house today, so I was pretty busy at the kitchen and managed to take my mind off the whole thing for a while. But came 4 p.m., MH told me, "Kita pergi hospital malam ni ya". I was like "Betul ke ni? I'm not ready yet!!!".

I took a long nice hot shower yang entah ke berapa kali untuk hari tu, solat taubat, sunat istikharah, hajat dan tak putus-putus berdoa. Talked to my Mom, cuba-cuba untuk menenangkan diri...finally I made up my mind to go for it - that night.Terus siapkan barang-barang untuk ke hospital. Most of the stuff, especially for the baby dah siap masuk emergency bag. Just a few of my stuff - books, toilettris, lipstick (still vain!) that need to be put inside the bag.

After we finished packing, it was already Maghrib.Tambah berdebar since I need to be at the hospital at 9 p.m.! It so happen that it was malam Jumaat, I asked my Mom to recite surah Yassin together.Alhamdulilah, I feel much calmer after that. Then I asked for her forgiveness, mudah-mudahan dengan berkat dan restu Mama, dipermudahkan urusan bersalin. Masa itulah terasa selama 29 tahun menjadi anak Mama ni, betapa banyak agaknya perbuatan dan tingkah laku yang telah melukakan hati Mama. Sememangnya syurga di bawah tapak kaki ibu....

Selepas tu bersiap-siap untuk ke hospital. Felt kinda weird since I always thought that we'll go for delivery only when I start to show the signs-waterbag breaking etc. Tidaklah tenang macam ni, sampai sempat berbedak semua!

Then we headed for the hospital, and the journey begins.......

~ To be continued~

Decision...decision....

2010-08-04T22:51:00.000+08:00

Went for my 39-weeks antenatal check up today. Got not-so-good news. My O&G strongly advised me to go for an induction before my estimated date of delivery (EDD) which is on August 10. This was based on the overwhelming growth of my baby, whilst I still did not show any sign of delivery yet. We were being told that the baby might 'buang air' in the womb and this is a serious condition that might lead to Cesarean section.

This was really a shocking news for me. I never expect that the option of induction, let alone C-section would came into picture especially at this stage. I had mentally prepare myself for a natural birth, doing a lot of reading on childbirth and never came across this condition. More over, the previous check-ups results were very encouraging, my baby and I were in good condition.

This is a very important decision to make-to go for an induce or not. Deep in my heart I'm against it. But what if the doctor is right. I would jeopardize my baby then. This is the matter of life. Oh my, how I really hate to make decision!

Ya Allah, bantulah hambaMu ini membuat keputusan, demi kebaikan kandunganku...sesungguhnya hanya Kau yang Maha Mengetahui apa yang terbaik untuk hambaMu...

37 Weeks-Nervous Sickness

2010-08-02T21:38:00.005+08:00

This was my experience during my 37 weeks…

As THE day is approaching, I was really overwhelmed with the whole childbirth thing. Can I cope with the pain? Would it be a long process? How about complications?

The fact that I’ve been feed with various nerve wracking childbirth stories doesn’t really help either. I believe that one have to be mentally prepared to deal with the whole process. Therefore, I had always wanted to attend antenatal class since my early pregnancy. But the timing was always wrong-it was either MH or I were not available during the time (which is almost every weekend in MH’s case!) or there was no class being conducted at all on our preferred date. Before we knew it, I was already in my 37-weeks and I had given up hope.

Therefore, the only childbirth story that I kept rewinding in my mind right now is my Mom’s-especially her experience when she delivered me. You see, I was a breech baby. I was so huge at birth (weighed at 3.8 kg to be exact) as compared to my Mom’s petite frame. Therefore, there was not enough room for me to turn at all, and I was born legs first. My Mom used to tell me how the nurses shrieked as they caught a glimpse of a baby’s leg hanging out from her. At that time, almost everybody thought that my Mom would undergo an operation to go on with the process. Against all odds, my Mom managed to give a normal and quite speedy delivery- with God’s willing and blessing through the expertise of Dato’ Dr Menon of Assunta Hospital.

Since I was young, I always fascinated with the way she told me the story. She made it sounded so easy and never ever did she mention about the labour pain. Hahaha… But I had learned a valuable lesson this week. Worrying too much on labour would not do anything good to you. In fact, in my case it caused me to be cranky and more susceptible to stress related sickness-fatigue, gastritis, nausea and even diarrhea. I had to drag myself to work, was unable to concentrate on anything and was feeling down the whole week.

I didn’t realize that I was so tensed about the whole labour thing, until one night, MH asked me to solat Isya’ berjemaah. Kemudian dia ajak keluar. It was already midnight. I felt bad for ignoring him for the week, so I tagged along. We just cruising around KL while blasting retro songs on the stereo and ended up having supper at Bangsar. We had quite a similar routine the next night. We went to Mc D around 3 a.m. for supper and strolling at the Setiawangsa down town market. Agak romantik jugalah berjalan-jalan ambil angin malam dengan MH sambil berborak-borak. So kalau ada sesiapa yang ternampak mak buyong yang sangat sarat berjalan malam-malam di sekitar KL dalam minggu tu, it was probably me!

I had to admit that I feel much better after that. It kept my mind off the whole labour thing; in fact we did not talk about the baby at all. We talked about us. Little did I know that what MH did was sort of therapy. He told me that he got to know somewhere that the symptoms that I experienced earlier might be what they called as nervous sickness, due to overwhelming thought/feeling about childbirth. Or something like that. Whatever it is, I am glad he did what he did and I feel much better now!

PhotoGedik

2010-07-24T14:02:00.000+08:00

Owh, I haven't share in here yet that during my trip to New York I had a chance to meet a few famous people, and here there are........

I met with the President and the First Lady!

Tyra asked me to join the next season of America's Next Top Model!

I got the chance to catch up with my former group mates too!

I took the time to straightened things out with Angelina, I was not the third person in their Brangellina story....
Who want the ol' Brad Pitt anyway, because I have Hugh Grant with me!

Sempat juga bergossip-gossipan bersama Kak J.Lo!

But it was not all play, I had to get down to business anyway...

Like handing over to Bush surat berhenti kerja dia....

Teach Einstein a thing or two about grooming...

Playing host with the Clintons....

Discussing women issues with Oprah...

and meeting with Bill Gates...

From all the work, I was really exhausted, but don't worry...

I got my ER doctor with me....

And my yellow friend to cheer me!

Madame Tussaud, New York

Teori Konspirasi yang Basi

2010-07-12T20:29:00.003+08:00

Somebody said something that really hurt last week. My colleague and I were so upset that we could not say anything at all to rebut. I guess it was a good thing though that I did not say a word about it, because that person was so caught up with his/her own imagination of ‘there’s-a-conspiracy-to-nail-him/her-down’.

I just can’t believe it. I guess we were the most supportive people of him/her here, always try to make things right so that the person won’t get into trouble etc., and yet that person believes that we were actually planning to bring him/her down? That’s oblivious!

I don’t know about other people, but when I do my job, I will not just do it because the boss asked me to or what. I will put all my effort to ensure the quality of the job that I produce. And I do it strictly due to the personal satisfaction. A good, well researched paper with neat alignment, font, consistency and all can make me feel good. No other reason than that, definitely not to suck up the bosses atau pun nak jatuhkan or sabotaj sesiapa.

I don’t intent to blow my own trumpet; but most of the time the bosses appreciate and recognize my work. Even one time my former DG told me that she is very confident with the quality of work that I produced that she did not have to scrutinize much on the content.

I never expect for such appreciation, but it feels good that other people appreciate the effort that I have put into. However, being a sort of ‘trustable’ person, it means that you will get extra work and new assignments, which mainly not even within your job scope. Initially, I have no complaint on this, as I took it as a challenge and definitely it is far more interesting to take up such task rather than a routine job day in-day out.

Having said that, this also means you have to put up with unreasonable expectations and you will need to sacrifice a lot on your personal life – you can kiss goodbye to weddings, outings, family gatherings bla bla bla. And you’re expected to be on-call 24/7 walaupun kerja bukanlah dalam skim kritikal. MC doesn't mean anything as you are still expected to answer the calls. The best part is that you will also be the first yang akan kena marah direct from the bosses, marah yang kaw-kaw punya should things went wrong. Sangat stress bila keadaan ini berlaku.

But most people don’t see this other side. What they see is this person is the boss’ pet, namanya selalu disebut, selalu dapat travel opportunity (as some put it- makan angin), etc. Part kena marah, kena kerja lewat, weekend semua orang lain tak nampak.

Adat manusia, adalah yang kurang berpuas hati dengan kita kalau keadaan macam tu. I can still accept that, walaupun hati ni sakit juga dengan snide remarks yang diterima. But now I realized that I really can’t stand those who are intimidated and feel inferior about the whole thing and decided that people like us actually ada komplot untuk menjatuhkannya. Theory of conspiracy? I don’t think so, we are g********t SERVANTS for God’s sake. Conspiracy, sabotaging will not make us a master. We are still YANG MENURUT PERINTAH, as long as we are in the service. So what the hell with menjatuhkan/ sabotaj semua ni? Tolonglah berfikiran positif dan bersih for once! No more pHD-perasaan hasad dengki please!!

Tora Datang Lagi!!

2010-07-11T12:12:00.006+08:00

Sesaja je pinjam tagline iklan cikedis zaman dulu-dulu.The fact is I’m referring my condition right now with what I had experience during my first and second trimesters.

I’m now almost in my 36-week and Alhamdulillah, so far I’ve been through quite a smooth sailing pregnancy except for a moment during my 4^th week when I found a few blood spots while using the bathroom. That resulted me being prescribed with Duphaston, but luckily it was only for a while.

Having said that, like any expecting mothers I do experience some discomforts through-out my journey to motherhood. Kalau tak experience langsung, tak lah mengandung namanya, kan? And if I have to name ONE thing that causes me real uneasiness during my pregnancy, it is severe heartburn/gas. I had actually over the bloated/heartburn/gassy phase since my 6-month. With the disappearance of such nuisance, I had a very good appetite and resulted in me whopping about 10kg in a couple of months. Ha ha ha, I feel like a whale right now!

However, the gas-free period did not last very long, hence the title 'Tora Datang Lagi.' It came back and this time it is even worst that no amount of charcoal tablets, Gaviscon and ginger ale could help. I literally can’t do anything because it is really uncomfortable. I feel very miserable and down..huh uh huh. This is not good for my well being and the baby too!

Anyway, the good news is that I found the best way to beat the discomfort. And it is by working in the kitchen. Seriously! If some expecting mothers could not stand the smell or let alone do the cooking, I'm quite different, I cook the most during my pregnancy. But at this third trimester, cooking seems to be the only therapy that works for me!

A few weeks ago, I had a major heartburn/gastritis that I was down for 4-days. On the fourth day, I decided that I had enough and felt very bad for not doing anything at all for almost a week-I felt so helpless. So that evening, I wanted to whip up something in the kitchen for dinner. But since it was still quite early to start on the dinner, I decided to bake some chocolate cookies first.

I was like the Energizer Bunny in the kitchen, finding back the scale, mixer and loyang (dah lama sangat tak buat kuih!), whisking and all. I was so preoccupied with the task that I did not feel any discomfort at all! A few filled-up cookies jars later, I started preparing the dinner. Biasa-biasa aje, spaghetti bolognaise and mushroom soup. And hey, it made me feel really good afterward!

And it did not stop there. The next day, after lunch, while MH took his afternoon nap , I slipped to the kitchen and make this – macaroni bakar. I never made this before, so excited jugalah.

The only problem with this newly found therapy is I could not do it in the office hahaha. Unlike during my early trimesters, where all the office work would make me forgot about the discomfort, this time around it is only cooking that could make me feel better. I guess my baby prefers me to slave behind the stove rather than the computer!

Life's Little Joy

2010-06-23T16:43:00.014+08:00

I was at this workshop @ the Royale Chulan Hotel where we discussed about the poor, marginalized group and the hardships that they face. It is always disturbing to know that despite of all efforts that being made, there are still rakyat that live in extreme poverty. Yeah, yeah I know it was rather ironic that such discussion was being held at such a posh place.

Anyways, it was what I saw during lunch that really touched my heart that day. I was getting my dessert when I spotted this rather young guy with spiky hair and black T-shirt. Physically, he was just another guy. But what really caught my attention was that I saw him saying do'a makan with his hands held firmly on the air. And I was pretty sure that it was not just a short do'a makan that perhaps took us about 20 seconds to finish. On my third glance at him, he was still saying his prayer dengan sangat khusyu', oblivious of his surrounding.

I really respect his action. He was not ashamed to really practice his belief in public whilst some people are quite hesitant to express themselves in that way. Most people would just say "Bismillah" when they are in public place. Mengangkat tangan dan berdoa is something that you do when you are at home or in a function di mana ada upacara membaca doa makan beramai-ramai.

But not this guy. Even if he did not wear jubah or serban, he proved that iman letaknya di hati dan terserlah di perbuatan. Suddenly a scene from "My Name is Khan" flashed into my mind where a couple told Rizvan Khan (played by Shah Rukh Khan) when he told them that he wanted to pray at a diner in the U.S. "You should pray depending on the place and the people around," And here's Rizvan's, a person living with Asperger's Syndrome brilliant reply, "No, no. No. Prayer should never depend upon the place or the people. It should depend only on your belief".

I Have a Dream...

2010-06-22T18:20:00.003+08:00

Washington DC, April 17-22

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

Lincoln Memorial

Washington Monument

Eh, macam kenal je minah ni =D

White House

Actually, memang lah berpagar, tapi nak gambar cantik punya pasal, letak tangan kat dalam pagar tu and snap. Nasib baik bukan pagar elektrik, kalau tak dah terkezut hehehe.

US Capitol

Farmer's Market at Dupont Circle

There was nothing much to say about DC, except for its gorgeous scenery, famous historical sites and of course the White House. I was hoping to bump into the President or at least the elegant First Lady, but no luck. Our tourist guide told us that just the other week, the President went to his daughter's soccer match and nobody had expected that. Nice!

Dumb *ss

2010-06-18T14:10:00.004+08:00

I strongly believe that you are responsible for your own decision and action no matter what. That is the reason why God gives you akal dan fikiran plus conscience. So it’s entirely up to you whether to make a hasty or sound decision.

It’s okay to make wrong decision, that’s how you learn. But DO NOT blame others if you have made a mistake, especially if that particular person has personally given you her two cents worth. What’s even worst is that you use that person’s name just to save your ass. Kaki putar belit! And that’s just make you a dumb *ss! And I'm tired of the whole thing, especially o***c* politics!

This Ain’t No Disco, It Ain’t No Country Club Either, This is LA!

2010-06-13T14:18:00.003+08:00

As if travelling to U.S. is not long enough, my first trip took me longer. Here’s my itinerary: KL – Singapore (overnight) – Tokyo - LA - Washington. Basically it took us about 22 hours on flight and another 17 hours on the ground for transit. But then again, it took me almost a year to participate in this IVL Programme starting from the nomination, interview, and screenings at various levels up to completing the online visa application and finally be there.

Despite the claustrophobic experience in the U*ited Airlines flight, I look forward for the transit in LA as I got to meet my lil’ brother who’s staying there. Alhamdulillah the Immigration process went on smoothly, but I suspect that we spent a little bit more time at the counter than other people. No prize for guessing it’s because of the same issue. And because of the same thing, we'll be the same people who will get random body search at the security gate. Random sangatlah tu..

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is one of the famous airports in the world, and there is even a TV programme about it – but I forgot the title. LAX is ranked sixth in the world for number of passengers and 13th in tonnage of air cargo handled. I arrived at Terminal 7, and surprisingly there’s nothing to shout about.

Sesaja nak proof dah sampai sini =)

With 5 hours transit time, my brother managed to get me out of the airport and gave a little tour around the city with his Mitsubishi Eclipse. Haruslah bergambar dengan kereta itu!

Seriously it was a sexy car

After a briyani lunch, he brought me to his alma mater – University of Southern California. Pardon me for my muka tak siap, seriously I did not have the chance to refresh at the airport plus jet lag too!

Mungkin signage tu can hide my buncit-ness =)

While we were strolling down the campus, we came across this baby hatch for people (?) to secretly leave their unwanted newborn to be put up for adoption. Safe House located at the LA Fire Department. This facility is equivalent to our own which was launch recently and manned by OrphanCARE. Is this another Malaysia Boleh spirit? I don’t think so...

It's sad to see people actually have the heart to do this

Oh yes, here's a pic of me and my lil' bro as I was passing him the Maggi Kari Letup. The pic and caption were from his fb. Hillarious!

1Malaysia 1Dunia: Prihatin - Pegawai Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (kiri) menyampaikan bantuan kemanusiaan kepada seorang musafir di perantauan (kanan), semasa lawatan rasmi beliau ke Amerika Syarikat.

Membesar bagai johan

2010-06-04T12:11:00.001+08:00

Good news first – I found out today that as a 29-weeks pregnant lady, I’m officially allowed to consume extra 200 calories a day to match my baby's growth spurt. (source: babycentre). Well, this is ONE good news that I can’t resist and has no qualms in obeying!

In fact, I realized since these couple of weeks, my appetite has grown REALLY big. I feel hungry almost all the time except at night. Last week was like major craving. The moment I woke up, I would feel a pang in my stomach - I need to be fed immediately! Yes, my little girl won’t wait! What did I do about it? I would took two slices of bread or fruits at home to alas perut. And through out my journey to work, I would imagine what to have for my real breakfast - Nasi Kerabu, Nasi Lemak Sambal Sotong, Fried Macaroni, Soto etc. In very extreme case of near starvation (yeah, this is exaggerating!), I would get my poor colleague to get my breakfast for me, so that the moment I reached my cubicle, I would be all set to eat!! Oh yes, I do snack to get through until lunch time.

Fortunately, I don’t have such a big appetite for lunch. Usually it would be beef soup or assam laksa. But I would still eat afterwards- be it cut fruits or crispy popiah, yummy!

As the result of this continuous food banging, I've grown really fast that now I dread to go near the scale! My bump is rapidly growing that I can’t see my toes anymore. Sometimes, I do need MH’s help to pull me out from the bed. Sebenarnya lebih kepada mengada-ngada tu.. I literally can’t see my toes anymore, clipping my own toenails is a tricky task now as well as putting on my socks every morning. Itu belum lagi dikira dengan komen masyarakat sekeliling yang meruntun jiwa contohnya ‘semangat ye badan’ dan lain-lain…huhuhu. Hey, I thought expecting ladies always get away with this putting-on-weight thing..

But for the last few days, I have vowed to eat more sensibly. I have to be in control especially when looking at all my baju kebaya that had been left untouched since my first trimester. I am very determined to fit back in those! And also here's the bottom line of the article from babycentre that I mentioned earlier – “But the 200 calories is less than you think - it's the equivalent of two slices of wholemeal toast and margarine or butter, a jacket potato with an ounce of cheese, or one slice of cheese on toast”. Lorr, I guess it left me with nothing to celebrate!

It's Time for Spring Cleaning

2010-05-20T17:33:00.004+08:00

Sweep..sweep..it’s a bit dusty around here, huh? There were a few reasons behind my ‘disappearance’ both in the cyber and social sphere. Not that there’s anybody who will miss me hehehe...

If there's any curious soul out there, here’s a super short explanations of my dormant status:
1. My roller coaster pregnancy – I had quite a testing first and second trimesters. While I'm fully aware that there are so many mommies-to-be out there who experience far more 'challenging' pregnancy, mine was quite a hurly-burly as well to the extent that I couldn’t eat and drink anything at all and breathing could be an intense task to my body.

2. Things were crazy at the office – with so many things going on oh-so-rapidly, unreasonable demands and deadlines to catch, last minute events and orders to be executed. In the midst of the clutters, my beloved Boss got transferred out (without prior notice), leaving us like a bunch of lost puppies. Oh yes, I had to menanggung kerja and all the responsibilities that comes with it.

3. I was away from home for three weeks - or in MH’s scrupulous calculation - 28 days. Look who’s counting! *Wink*. I was selected to participate in the U.S. Department of State special programme ‘International Visitors Leadership Program’ where we got the chance to visit Washington DC, New York, Texas and California (all at one go!) to learn more about the issue of Human Trafficking.

I shall share more about my little adventures of being 'first timers' – first time of being pregnant, running a division and a visitor to the US in my next entry. Till then have a nice day everybody!

The Day I Lost My Morning Smile

2010-04-02T20:27:00.004+08:00

Even if I’m always perceived as a serious or garang person, I do love good jokes. But I’m picky too- that is why it is hard for me to laugh at any comedy shows even movies. I loathe at most of American comedies and find that the Brit's are a better lots.

And for some unknown reasons, I will not fail to laugh at Mr. Bean’s antics. Every time. No matter how many times it is being aired in the telly. Oh yes, I also loovve ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway”, even if it is an ancient programme (90's era) and the talents are far from being hot. But they are the MOST talented and funny bunch of people I must say. They could create characters, scenes and song on the spot, and still funny like hell. (I just found out that the show was originally from Britain, see the Brits are funny!).

And speaking of local talent, I adore Din Beramboi. I still remember those days, back in the 90’s where my cousins-Yaya, Etty and I would sneak up in the room and listen to the ‘Pujaan Sirap’ cassette that we ‘borrowed’ from the former’s brother. I still remember us having a good time, laughing our heart out just listening to him.

But after the Ujang craze, he sort of disappeared and only making a comeback once in a while, featured in Afdlin’s film, until recently when he became the side-kick of Aznil in Riuh Pagi Era. And I started to listen to the radio back ever since. Just to hear at the silly jokes and snide remarks that he made to anyone anytime. He really had the guts to do so. And even he went overboard sometimes (who doesn’t?), I still finds him funny and witty and he really could make me smile every morning even as I was dealing with morning sickness, bad traffic, work stress etc.

And when it came to the days that he was not on air, I would listen for the re-run of his shows on air. I just had to listen to this crank. A daily dose of a good morning laugh to help me to get through the day. But this rare talent had left us today. There goes my morning dosage of a good laugh…Al Fatihah.

365 Days of Summer

2010-03-12T22:14:00.012+08:00

Last Monday marked exactly a year of our courtship. Yey! This is what I got for him for our anniversary. He always got me flowers sent to the office and this time it was his turn.

Sometimes I myself could not believe how far we'd been progressing within a period of a year. From the brief met during meetings at various places- KL, Putrajaya and even Sabah (where he finally approach me!), the not-so-frequent phone calls and text messages to touch base and a couple of dates later..we finally became steady on March 8 last year.

A couple of weeks after that, the talk about marriage came to surface and followed with meet-the-parents session which was a nerve wrecking one for me. The first time I was supposed to met his parents, I also ended up meeting the rest of the family which include 6 other siblings + spouses and 17 nieces and nephews!! For someone who came from a small family, I was over whelmed with the meet. Luckily, they held the gathering around a buffet dinner, so food was the centre of attention too, apart from me of course =)

Somehow I survived, and got a green light as well! With both our parents' approval we started making wedding arrangement immediately. It was actually his idea for us to get married last year. If it was entirely up to me, I would pick another time. To be frank I never thought that I would get married that soon, I had no planning at all. Even some of my friends didn't believe it too as the time was very short and they never got the chance to know that I was in a relationship. Tiba-tiba hantar kad jemputan!

Then it came to the part of picking the venue for our reception, finding the right date and all. At the end, my Mom and I didn't get the venue of our first choice- we were made to understand that we had to make at least a year booking to secure the place and yet we only got less than 4 months!! As fate had it, we found another venue, Dewan Tun Rahah @ Bukit Bintang and it turned out to be a great place which serve yummy food and excellent service. I highly recommended the place to everyone.

Alhamdulillah, almost 7 months after that we became hubby-wifey.....and................
Insya Allah in 5 months' time we will become daddy-mommy!

Konnichiwa!!

2009-12-03T17:58:00.008+08:00

Enough of words..let the pics do the talking...!

Tokyo was great - the people were nice and courteous (at least the one that I had encountered with), the city was clean and the transportation systems were superb, however, no matter how great the place is, I guess the best place to be is with your love one...there is where the heart is... sorry jiwang sikit =)

Tokyo Day 0-The Road Less Travelled

2009-12-01T10:40:00.002+08:00

I went there with another lady officer from KKLW. As all MAS’ and JAL’s direct flight to Tokyo were fully booked, we got there via Vietnam Airlines (VA) instead. I had no qualms upon using different airlines; in fact I look forward to observe their uniforms and the unique hospitality that they offer.

The only drawback was that we couldn’t get the direct flight, so we had to transit in Hanoi for 5 hours…uhh. Well, at least that was stated in my flight itinerary and boarding pass. The fact was we actually had to go to Ho Chin Minh City first, BEFORE went to Hanoi. Nobody told us that, even the girl at the counter, we just figured it out as we got onboard. I blamed my bad Geography for this, and also lack of information from the check-in counter!

My misfortune with the airline staff went on as we got to Ho Chin Minh, (I forgot the name of the airport). As our vessel number was the same as the one bound for Hanoi, so it was only natural for us to think that it was going to be a short stop, perhaps we didn’t have to go out at all, just like Kota Kinabalu-Labuan-Kuala Lumpur route. However, we HAD to go out of the airplane and as we entered the airport, there was this guy holding a little piece of paper saying “Transit to Hanoi”. I walked up to him and said that I’m going for Hanoi. But he just nodded and nothing. So we walked on till the dead end. Where were we supposed to go?

We walked at the transfer counter, to seek for assistance. There were a couple of passengers there and the staff just ignore our presence. I felt irritated already, until I saw this lady in uniform and approached her. It happened that the guy that we met earlier supposed to give us this ‘Transit’ sticker to be stick onto the chest. And we also had to go through the Immigration, got our luggage and were transferred to the Domestic Airport by a mini bus. It was a nuisance really since we were not being notified earlier about such arrangement.

I slept almost all the way to Hanoi. It was a long day, and by the time we got to Hanoi, I was already exhausted. After performing the jama’ for Maghrib-Isya’ prayer at a quiet space in front of an abandoned lift, I sat at the cold-hard seat and dozed off almost all the time despite trying very hard to work on the paper. I blame it on lethargy =)

But the drama didn’t end there. As it was nearly the time for boarding, we found that we literally trapped at the airport. We had check-in at KL, by then we didn’t know the gate number yet and by the time we got there it was still early and none of the information being displayed on the screen. Therefore, we headed to the waiting area and sat there. It was only half an hour to our boarding time that we found that the waiting area was not provided with the display screen. So how could they notify the passengers should there have changing of gate etc?

Anyway, we went round and around, luckily the international departure hall was quite small. It was almost 10 minutes to the boarding time but we still hadn’t found the gate yet. We asked around, but to no avail. The person at the gate either gave you the wrong information (we got: This is the gate. Same flight for Osaka and Tokyo) or did not response at all (we got: I’m busy at the moment. Go back to your seat). Thank God, the last person that we asked gave the correct info – the flight bound to Tokyo and Seoul shared the same gate, boarding time for Seoul at 11.30 pm, whilst ours was at 11.40 pm…fuh.. Finally, we were on our way to our final destination (of the day!)…….

Tokyo Day 0 - The Right Stuff

2009-11-30T00:20:00.005+08:00

Konnichiwa! =) I just came back from Tokyo last Thursday. Had been there for a week and came back the evening before Idul Adha.

Even if I do travel quite a lot, I still loathe packing. It is a long and tiring process, starting with doing a check list first. No matter where I go, near or far, for business or leisure, I will always start my packing by jotting down every stuff that I will bring along. My list will be as detail as what to wear on day one till the last. And by ‘what to wear’ it means the complete match of the shirt/work attire -pants/skirt-hijab-undergarment-set of brooches.

Owh yes, I’m never a light traveler. I will not taking any chance, thus I will bring every little thing that’s important for me- my own toiletries (complete with my own shower foam and loofah), stationery and of course my 3 in 1 – Rich Nescafe to get me going (this item is actually rank first in my check list!).

Even during DPA, I still rigidly adhere to my checklist that during the Army Training module as I was pulling my trolley bag to the camp, I heard one of the instructors said to us (or was it only to me?) “Kamu ni bawa peti ais sekali ke?”

Of course now that I’m married, I have tried to tone down a bit this habit of mine as I don’t want MH to see me as Cik Kepoh, but my ‘cover-up’ did not last for long =p. For this Tokyo trip I prepared my check list quite late; hence I only managed to start packing early in the morning whilst I was scheduled to head off to KLIA at 11 a.m. MH must be surprised to see how I ‘expertly’ lay all my clothes (BTW I had a must-bring and KIV clothes-just in case) and lots of other stuff that it occupied the whole living hall. And did I forget to mention that by packing it also include me trying some of the clothes on, especially if it was not the usual combo. I’m not sure with you guys, but I do feel better and lots more confident if I wear the ‘right’ attire. In fact, one of the first thing I notice upon meeting new people is what the wear - it says a lot about a person. It's not the matter of the price nor the brands that the person wears, but how he/she put it together, it shows that the person do care to look good for the meeting etc. Sloppy dress is a big no-no for me.

Okay, perhaps I should stop blabbing on my packing and focus in my trip instead =) I was so lucky that MH managed to took time off from work and sent me to the airport. Despite the limited time, we went to The Mall first to get a few things done (yes I procrastinate!). Then we dropped by at Rumah Kajang (my parents in law’s) since we had not meet them for about 2 weeks. Finally we arrived to KLIA just in time…sob sob sob..That was the hardest part. I used to think that I would not be that emotionally attached to anyone, I prefer my own company. But things are different with MH. Therefore, it was always difficult for me to say good-bye with MH-everytime. So, this was our first time being away from each other, sangat sedih…Anyway, we said our goodbyes-quick one to prevent me from crying and off I go!

Life after that...

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

Alhamdulillah, MH (previously known as ML) and I are now married! It has been 12 days since we first entered the new phase of our life and I’m still trying to get used to be referred to as Puan =)

I don’t intend to spill on the details of the wedding in this entry as I haven’t got my wedding pics yet. Tak surprise lah kan =) But some of the pics taken by family and friends who attended the wedding (thanks guys for coming!) are already in the Facebook. I seriously hope the pics will turn out well as I’m not the photogenic type, unlike MH who can effortlessly strikes a pose even with the phone camera! As for me even if I gave my brightest smile, somehow it in the pics it will turn out either muka sedih or mata kuyu huhuhuu. That’s why I prefer candid photos, it’s more natural.

Undeniably other than the addressing-thing there are a lot of other things that we need to get used to. There are still lot about him that I need to learn and understand especially since we decided to get married not too long after our relationship became serious. You see, even if ML and I had known each other for almost a year, it was only in last March that we became serious, followed with the ‘meet-the-parents’ session, then merisik in which our parents straight away fixed the date for the wedding. And it all happened so fast and sometimes I myself did not believe that I'm now married with him =)

Anyways, it’s only been 3 days that MH and I are actually living the real live as husband and wife. We had a back-to-back wedding receptions for both sides on the 3rd and 4th October and had gone straight for the honeymoon after the wedding. And I guess we’d been to Bali a little too long. We just came back last weekend and so now we are back to reality. Wish us well!

Countdown to Commitment...

2009-09-16T17:51:00.011+08:00

How time flies!! There are still another 14 days before our wedding and God, I still have plenty of things to do! I got so many things in my hands other than the wedding itself thus making me having serious panic attack right now.

We have moved....

ML and I are going to live with my Mom after the wedding but the house that we were living then was not very suitable for the three of us, thus we had to move out. After much wandering di taman-taman perumahan, we finally found our so-called perfect home. But the chore did not stop there. By the time we found the house, I was really busy with this annual event that I could not spare the time to do the packing. Thus immediately after the event, I took a 3-days leave and started packing for the whole house!! Finally, we managed to move on August 30th. Yes, in the fasting month! Sangatlah penat even as we had a few extra helping hands from the neighbours.But it was worth it. We really like the house and it's surrounding. And I guess because of the 'new' environment, it gives us the semangat berkobar-kobar untuk menguruskan rumah sendiri. I found that ML loves to plan and discuss about the furniture arrangement and stuff like that. Cute lah..I guess that it really made us feel like a responsible adult =)

But when I came to think that I'm going to live under the same roof with him, as his wife some more - I got very nervous. There are lots of "what if's" and "am I?" - like, "Am I going to handle the adjustment well?" "Will I be a good wife?" "How will my Mom adapting?" Well, no doubt that my Mom likes him and vice versa, but now that we are going to live together, it might take us quite some times to adapt ourselves with the new living arrangement. And I constantly reminding myself that I have to be very careful when it comes to my words and action especially around the house because I'm no longer being just a daughter but a wife at the same time. I have to menjaga hati banyak pihak. I pray that everything's going to be just fine... Insya Allah.

............

2009-08-21T13:16:00.002+08:00

They can forget what they have told you,

But you can never forget how they make you feel....

A Grey Cat @ Jalan Raja Laut

2009-07-29T20:29:00.004+08:00

As I was waiting for my ride yesterday evening, a grey Persian cat walked pass me. I have a soft spot for cats- whenever I see one, I will get this mushy gushy feeling all over me. And being in close contact with the feline friends for almost a decade, I can tell whether a cat is a he or a she by just looking at the face, and not at the back..huhuhu.

Here's an example, can you tell which one of this cats are female and male?

Both answer are wrong as both are female! I think the former pic is more obvious as May had a rather feminine look despite of her rugged fur. The latter is Dedek, in her not so-cute pose.

Anyway the grey that I saw in front of my office building cat did not bring that sort of warm feeling inside me. No..it is not that the cat is ugly. I think that cat is such an elegant creature, thus there is no ugly cat in this world. It was because the way that she walked-limpy, terjengkit-jengkit.It looked like she had just been hit either by a car or motorcycle.

A few weak steps later she collapsed at the walkway, and then I saw it - blood running out from her mouth. Internal bleeding. No doubt that she had been knocked down by a vehicle in the busy Jalan Raja Laut. I wonder how on earth could a house cat be there? Who brought her there? Who abandoned her?

The next couple of minutes were really a torture. I was there as she struggled between life and death. Looking at her condition, there was no hope that she could survive. While I believe that miracle do happen, and quite a number of my cats did survived from severe sickness, accidents etc., I guess this was just not her time. I tried not to look on, I hate it as I could not do anything for her. However, every now and then I would take a glimpse at her. She alternately stood up and down again . It was like she was crushing herself towards the pavement. I silently prayed that Allah made it easier for her. Let her go from the pain and suffering. Looking at her skinny, unmanageable fur, I guess her pain was beyond the accident. I could not help to think that she used to be someone's pet and was abandoned. She looked vulnerable, a seasoned stray cat would look tougher.

That night as I laying in front of the TV, Dodi, my youngest and hyper active cat, crawled up on me and almost immediately fell asleep on my chest. I could not help but to think of the grey cat....

This is Dodi, sleeping on my pillow

More Than Words

2009-07-20T13:36:00.004+08:00

I have a few confessions to make. First, I would always look forward for my Sunday newspaper. I got cheap thrills by browsing from page to page of my favorite Star Mag; drowning myself into the well written articles about people, culture and places.

Whilst I don't usually agree with most of the columnists namely Dzof Azmi and Dzireena, I really look forward for the weekly features which usually about interesting story of the ordinary people.

But last Sunday my favorite pick had to be this article “Praise, Don’t Disgrace” by Nithya Sidhhu. At first I was just reading it for the sake of reading as she had never been my favorite writer. She is an educationist, so her piece would always evolve around school-teacher-student-school administration and stuff like that.

However, this time as I got down to the very last word in her piece, I found that I could relate to the thing that she wrote. It was about name calling. She brilliantly describes the situation as this, "Name calling is humiliating and brings with it a needless erosion of self esteem."

I bet you’ll appreciate it if you’re in the same situation as me (and a friend of mine). Yes, we are no longer students, but still got it - the name calling. Let's not talk about the exact word that been thrown to us, but it's definitely more than words..It’s strong enough to knock down our spirit, motivation and made us feel and think that all the efforts and sacrifices that we had put earlier on were worthless and useless. So I pledge here not to do the same to to others and I hope my dear readers would not too especially if you are a parent/teacher/superior. Even if the harsh word is something common / meaningless for you, please remember that it's more than that. Your words could bring others down..once again I quoted Sidhhu's "If you don't have anything nice to say to a person, don't say anything at all.."

HappY SundaY

2009-07-13T17:41:00.015+08:00

I have had a few really mandom days last week, but little did I know that my weekend would end up well...

What I Did Over the Weekend

1.50 p.m, D’Seri Endon, Putrajaya – Chai and Dini's Wedding Reception - Being based in KL, I missed out a great deal of things a.k.a. I was practically ‘out of the loop’ when it comes to the latest news and development (?) about my batchmates. But last Sunday I did managed to catch up with a few friends at the wedding. However, things were never the same without the presence of Adzlin, Dalina dan Raject- my closest female friends..

Kenangan di Audi- tapi kami bukanlah Siamese Twin

Yes, we had done with the *PA thing for more than 2 years now, and yet deep down inside I still have this sense of belonging to the clique. We were practically inseparable during the 6-months period. We endured soo many things together -there were tears (di tepi kolam ikan di Audi bila kena pecah Sidang), laughter, lot of silly stuff, episod kecil hati/merajuk (only invloving the guys in the group!). All this stuff makes Akmal a.k.a. Chip, Amir, Akhtar, Adzlin and Dalina really close to my heart, even if we are miles apart now.

Luckily I did not went there alone. ML did not have to work that day, so I dragged him along to the wedding and managed to make the all-important introduction to the big bro' -Chip. Don't tell him this, but Raject and Amir had already met ML before. And if any of you guys wonder, Chip even gave his endorsement-in his words “Lulus tanpa syarat” =)

2.45 p.m, ML's parents' house, Bangi- After the wedding we went to visit ML's parents. His Dad was not well for quite sometimes, but Alhamdulillah now he's getting better. Dan dengan bersemangatnya he invited us to have laksa Penang and rojak Terengganu. Dan kami makan lagi walaupun baru lepas makan kenduri.

5.00 p.m, Sunway Pyramid - Initially we wanted to take the cruise at The Mines, but when we got there, macam tak best lak, so we headed to Sunway. I had wanted to get a shoulder and back massage, but it was fully booked. So we just wander around the mall, ate (again) and tried out archery. Beginilah rupanya first timer hehehe..

Robin Hood wanna be..hehehe Mungkin lebih baik jadi Red Riding Hood aje

Ini baru Robin Hood!

After that we went to watch Ice Age 3, the 3-D version. I had never watched any of the sequel before, but the movie was very very entertaining and hillarious that I couldn't help myself but to laugh out loud with the other kids who were watching it as well.

Plan Aborted

2009-07-08T19:44:00.001+08:00

Initially I really look forward for today. I woke up feeling cheery, put on my best baju kurung, and I was soo glad that I had a good-skin day today. You see, I was supposed to attend this programme in Serdang later in the afternoon, thus, I had it all planned out-
3.00 – 6.00 pm - Programme in Serdang
6.00 pm onwards - Meet Hidayah a.k.a. HA (as I referred her to in my previous posts)
Afterwards - ML to join us.

Hidayah is my very good friend back to the days when both of us were freshies in UPM. Now she is pursuing her Ph.D in Japan and I haven’t seen her for quite sometimes, I guess since last February. So now, she is back in Malaysia for a short-one-week break and we hope to meet up at least once before I tie the knot. However, our schedules were incredibly crazy, and the fact that I live in Setapak and she resides in Dengkil made it more difficult for us to meet up more often.

So when I got this memo that I had to attend this programme in Serdang, I was so excited as I could arrange my work and personal schedule at the same time. And I would definitely feel bad if I could not make it since all this while Hidayah has always made it a point to keep in touch with me even if we are thousands miles apart.

Her persistence to always be in touch is the main thing help us to keep up our friendship till today. I guess I could say that we never grew apart despite of the distance and time factor. We constantly speak with each other over the phone (thanks to Skype!) to update about the going-ons in our lives, what we been through, current issues..practically everything under the sun! Hidayah is the friend that I could really confide about my feelings, fears, insecurites etc.. and she's a very good listener as well.

I don't have that many close friends, but I'm glad that I have her as my friend. Upon graduation, we lead our own lives. Whilst I jump into the working life, Hidayah completed her Master's Degree and we hardly see each other anymore after that, most of our communication is either through phone call or e-mail. But we made it a point to meet every now and then for a girls’ day-out.

Then she continues her studies in Japan and I joined this *TD scheme, which took up most of my time. However, being a dear friend, Hidayah never failed to keep in touch. We either spend hours on the phone, or writing long email to each other. Even when I was in a working trip to Taiwan and I was terribly home-sick by the second week, Hidayah kept me company by making the effort to call me at the hotel. So I guess she never missed anything that happens in my life.

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

Back to my plan to meet up with her, around noon ML called to inform me that he won't be able to join us. Hmm..so I won't be able to introduce him to Hidayah then. So I had to cross out one thing from my 'mega' plan.

Then later in the afternoon, as I was about to leave to the office for Serdang, I got a last minute call to join a discussion in the office. I put my bag back on my desk and reluctantly, I told my other colleagues who were heading to the same event as well, to leave without me. So there goes my plan. My whole plan. To Hidayah, I'm really really sorry that I could not make it, I know you'll understand. "Rakyat didahulukan".

Shrewd

2009-06-24T07:42:00.000+08:00

I’m easily irritated and annoyed. Period.

So I (we) had quite a tiring day yesterday. Got up at 4.30 a.m. in order to be at the Kuantan airport in time to catch the 6.50 a.m. flight. Then straight from KLIA we went for a dialogue session at the UN Building which lasted for about 3 hours.

So I went to the office haggard and decided to forgo lunch for a siesta. I woke up half and hour later, feeling a bit refresh and ready to kick back. But my high-spirit did not last for long as a few hours later this particular person came to my desk and asked me to pass this message to a colleague of mine - “Ask *** to make reservation at KLCC for ***, tapi bukan yang twin tower tu ya, the one near the taman,”

I was like OMG- a total annoyance! I’m not quite sure whether I should feel this way, as the message was meant for another person, but the way she said those words in bold – even though not directly meant to me – very annnoying and snobbish. It insulted my (our) intelligence. And I hate it when people do that.

Usually I don't like to blow our own trumpet =), but we had been organizing this particular event for years, at various places, once for almost 20,000 people. Yes there were flaws here and there, but for this person to think that we could not differentiate between KL Twin Tower, Suria KLCC and KL Convention Centre (KLCC)..oh please….

Getting There...

2009-06-19T13:27:00.008+08:00

I went for a wedding last night in Merak Kayangan – yes they held the wedding reception on a working day. I didn’t know the reason they had it on Thursday night though, perhaps the place was fully booked during the weekend (I heard that you have to book at least a year ahead!) or it was because some other reason-significant date for the couple or stuff like that.

Anyway, I don’t intend to elaborate on the wedding, it was just that on our way there, ML said something to my great astonishment..

He said, “Tinggal 100 hari lagi before our wedding..’”
I said “ Is it true? OH MY GOD!”

~ silent-fumbling with the buttons on my kebaya batik. I always do that whenever I was nervous, angry, anxiety~

I asked him “ Are you sure, really..really sure?”
~Dumb question, as if I didn’t have a calendar, or just recover from short term memory lost. ~

But instead of questionning my absent-minded respond, ML being ML, so patiently he began calculating the days and the months for me oh-so-patiently and guess what, he was almost right.We got exactly 104 days before our wedding!

I'm getting wedding-jitters already..For the record, I do want to marry him =) I was just nervous because there are too many things to do, but too little time and resources..This is not like organizing for any other work-related-event, this is a personal and intimate function I must say for me, him and everyone who loves us.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T

2009-06-10T13:42:00.005+08:00

My Dad did not leave us with abundance of wealth, big house or anything like that- but he left us with this great lesson on life – we should always RESPECT others. This is not necessarily confined to human being, but other living creatures as well.

My Dad argument on this was simple- every living thing should be respected- because they were all created by God, and was given the opportunity live. Then I learnt in school that every human being is the same before Allah - regardless of their status, skin color, place origin etc – the only thing that distinguish between a man with another is “ketaqwaan mereka kepada Allah”.

Talking about respect, I still remember when my Dad was hospitalized for the second time; there was this Bangladeshi patient next to his bed. My Dad was allowed to eat literally everything, so we brought him food, fruits and juice. Instead of enjoying the stuff all by himself, my Dad take a look at the goodies that we brought to them and said this, “Bagi sikit kat dia (the Bangladeshi man). "Kesian, dah lah take visitors/relatives, so the least that we could do is to share.”

I still remember how this guy face lightened as we pass him air kotak and the cut fruits. It’s not about the food that we gave, but it was the thought that counts…

However, even if everybody should be respected, I believe that the level of respect is of course different from one individual towards another. The degree of respect that we have for our parents for instance, should never be the same as our respect for our leaders, superior etc. While we respect the elderly, we should not forget to respect the younger ones too..that is how you will earn their respect back.

And oh yes, we should respect the animals and plants as well-they are after all living things too..again back to the thing I learnt in matapelajaran Pendidikan Islam in school- the concept of “ihsan” include our relationship with other human being and creatures as well. If I'm not mistaken, "tidak sempurna iman seseorang itu sekiranya dia tidak menjaga hubungannya dengan insan lain".

So we were brought up that way, but I’m not implying here that I’m the politest person on earth-what-so-ever, it’s just that I could not stand people who don’t respect others – read: RUDE. When I encounter this kind of people, more often than not, when ever I got the chance I would react the same way as they did- I would be RUDE as well. My compassion for others will go down straight to the drain and I will definitely pay back. So if this RUDE people push others in to get into the LRT, I will push them back – HARD-whenever I got the opportunity. Or I would just purposely step on their toes…hahaha serve them right! And yes, I will also pay the revenge on behalf of others too that get bullied- Aquarians will always fight for the underdog!!

Recently I encounter an interesting event where the issue of respect arose. I did not intend to spill the details here, but my conclusion is NEVER UNDERESTIMATE the fact that we as human being, should RESPECT others-even if the person don’t hold any title, don’t have that much of money, look, bla bla bla, but they are still human being. Being disrespectful towards others will make other people lose their respect for you. And it is extremely true in my case…

Jejak Kasih

2009-05-18T18:29:00.004+08:00

It's been a while since I last update my blog. I got soo many great things to share here, and a few of not-so-great stuff too..(I'm a drama queen what you expect?) But I just don't have enough time to do all that...~sigh~

In the mean time, just to share our family photo during a get together a few weeks back.

W.H.E.R.E. I.S. T.H.E. L.O.V.E.

2009-04-27T13:49:00.008+08:00

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing"- Albert Einstein

A couple of months ago, my colleague, PJ was found unconscious on the roadside near Masjid Negara with only his helmet and IC with him. Hence, the police tracked down his family in Johor according to the address in his IC. But the fact is, his family had moved to KL. Finally the police managed to get hold of the family in the afternoon, whilst the incident (or accident) took place in the morning.

Ironically, our office situated about 15 minutes from the scene. And we only got to know about the news late in the evening. While we were visiting him that evening, I could not help but to ask, "Siapalah manusia yang sanggup do such thing to another human being?" We were so full of questions, was he being robbed? or was it a hit-and-run and then he was robbed? or did he got into a fight and was beaten severely? But it was only him that could answer that, and there he was, laying unconsiously while thick blood kept dripping from his head and ears.

That time I realized that how small and vulnerable we are when we stand alone as a person in this world. I mean of course we are so-and-so, came from this place, working as bla bla bla, but I realized that day that we are what we are because we identify ourselves as one. What if we aren't capable of doing that, just like PJ, unconscious? Will people still treat us as they used to? Because I know that sometimes people regard us not because who we really are, but because of our position, the brands that we wear, the car that we drive and other superficial things like that..sad but true. In this world we live today, sincerity and purity is scarce. Just like M.Nasir's song "Hati Emas".

Back to PJ's story, alhamdulillah he was okay, and back to work after 2-months of MC. But his memory was a bit blur, is it short term memory loss? Even if what happened to him was really bad, at least he got the IC with him..other wise it would become more difficult to identify and notify the family then. Based on his experience, therefore now I carry a small card with me other than the IC with my latest residential address and the contact numbers of my closest ones, who knows right? Moreover, Malaysian IC is very alluring...

Bergumbira di Malam Hari..

2009-04-20T13:53:00.008+08:00

It’s been awhile since I last attended a dinner party. Oh, I’m so vain that I don’t really bother about socializing/mingling/networking with new people during the function, I just love to prim and preen – in other word, getting ready for the event.

These are the reasons why I love it:

(1) Usually I'm on the organizing part, so whenever we hold a dinner, hi-tea what-so-ever we couldn't really enjoy the food, performance etc because we had to be on-standy, making sure that everything is okay- kena kerja-lah!

(2) I love the process of deciding on what to wear for the event. Even if I don’t have a wardrobe full of fabulous clothes, hence there is not so not much of an option then, I just love the process.

(3) After finding the clothes to wear now comes the more exciting part - choosing (or sometimes even buy new) accessories to go with the attire and matching the shoes and purse.

(4) But that couldn't beat this best part -experimenting with the make-up. And because a dinner party is always about a celebration or special event, thus it gives me great excuse to go a little bit more with the intensity of the eye shadow and mascara!

**For me, the effort that we put in the whole process of getting ready for the event is our (the guests) way to show our respect to the organizer. It doesn’t mean that we had to get new attire every time and burn the hole in our pockets, all it needs is for us to put a little bit of thought and effort to look our best for the event.**

Last Tuesday a couple of people from The Office got the invitation to attend the Her World Women 2008 - Gala Dinner. This time around I was not really enjoy the getting-ready part because we came straight from the office - so no shower and we were still in the working mode. I also didn’t have enough time as I preferred to get ready for the dinner. The thing was I went to meet ML for a quick bite before that and it was so hard to say good-bye =). So I was left with only 15-minutes to get ready and perform the Maghrib prayer. It was my fastest-getting-ready record ever!

Anyway we managed to get to the Nikko Hotel on time. It was a small gathering for about 200 invitees - mainly the who’s who in the fashion/entertainment industry (and of course that didn’t include me-lah!). The décor was simple and sweet and they used the oblong table instead of the round ones. It was a neat arrangement but it was quite painful to turn our heads every time to look at the stage. I was not in the mood of mingling or networking so I just exchange pleasantries with the lady who sat next to me and sat there quietly, eating my dinner and enjoying the performances.

The highlight of the night was when Ivy Josiah was announced as the Women of the Year and Yvonne Foong claimed the Young Achievers award. I guess I should get the latter’s book – “I’m not sick, just a bit unwell”. The function ended early, at about 10 p.m. after the (faboulus) prize giving away to the winners. And yes, we got nice door gifts too - 50mL Estee Lauder Pure White Linen EDT in Pink Corals and Patchi chocolates.

But I regretted that I didn’t take any picture on that night, yelah pergi dengan boss and MFA walaupun ada Iphone duduknya di main table, tak sesuai nak ambil gambar kawan-kawan =). Rumbling to old photos of mine, this is what I wore that night- with different purse and shoes and style of tudung

What Happened over the Weekend

2009-04-15T12:43:00.018+08:00

After so much of deliberation, at last The Organiser (T.O) had chosen to conduct the workshop at Fraser's Hill last weekend. I had never been there before, but were told that the road there is so narrow and winding that they have to use the tidal flow system for going up and down the hill.

So on the fateful Friday evening, I packed my bag and boarded on the bus with 17 other colleagues of mine. It was so much drama since the beginning. First, we waited for almost half an hour for a colleague because the bus that she took from JB broke down in Seremban.

Then as we got to Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB), it was raining cats and dogs. That was when we found out that the wiper was not functioning. So every 10 minutes or so, we had to stop to wipe out the windscreen. That was when the real drama begins..

After episodes of confrontation, salah-menyalahkan one another, smirking and all that - we realized that it was getting late and we had not perform the Asar prayer just yet. So we drove to the nearest mosque, solat and they continued discussing(?) outside the bus. Me and a few others just hopelessly loafing in the stationary bus - playing dumb games and asking questions such as "What is the main economic activity in KKB?" and "Why isn't there any penjual pisang goreng?" etc. Once in a while we contacted TO to ask about the next plan and whether if we could just withdraw from the workshop and get back etc.

Then we got to know that group that were discussing outside had managed to get the help from the army camp nearby to bring us all to the Hill. Hooray! The army was kind enough to send us up there with a very comfortable coaster (instead of the green truck kot!). And with their tactical army skill, they even help with the arrangement so that all of us and the stuff that we brought with managed to be squeezed into the coaster. Thanks guys especially Puan Norbani!

Puan Norbani even kind enough to escort us there, begitu selamat sekali. After about 5 hours of journey (it was supposed to take about 2-hours to get there from KL!), we arrived there safe and sound and drowsy! Because it was already late and we were all exhausted the workshop only started the following day. According to our facilitator, he saw us when we got off the coaster we looked like those women that got arrested by the authority in raid at the night clubs. All in all, I love the workshop - the substance part of it of course, very mind stimulating an we Aquarians love that. Here is me having a good time =)

Me conquering the laptop

Discussion with the Man in Black When things got heavy - don't mess with me!
Here are some of the things about people/human that I learned through out our stay there -

i. Even if it is irrelevant, I found that some people like to blame others should things don't happen as they way that they have planned or wanted. For instance, my poor colleague was being blamed by some supposedly older and wiser people. The thing is, the wiper was broken and that fella got nothing to do about that. It was not her fault either that the bus that she took earlier broke down and thus she was late. I think it was blessing in disguise that she came late and we took of late because then it was raining and only then we realized that the wiper was not functioning. What if we didn't got to know that and only found out about it as we moved to the Hill and it got misty and all...it would be more dangerous right? Allah Maha Besar and Maha Mengetahui, things happen for a reason..Other than that group of people I guess the girl was lucky as the rest of us took a more laid back approach, we only laughed about the whole thing, it was some experience.

ii. However that coined the phrase "respect should be earned" is very brilliant. I TOTALLY agree with that. There are some people there that I already pangkah in my book, and for now, two things that restrains me from shouting back at them is (1) because I still respect them for being OLDER (read: not wiser, more mature etc!) than me (2) now I got ML who will patiently hear me whining about these people =)

iii. It is very important for us to stay abreast with the going-ons in this world. We should open up for new ideas / initiatives and don't just confined in our little world and then spreading out the negativity. Otherwise we'll be just like parasite, slowly killing others!

Great Expectation = Great Disappointment

2009-04-01T13:43:00.008+08:00

I had a very turbulent time for the last couple of weeks. Spilling the details here would be unnecessary, but if there is one thing that I learn from all these, it would be simplified as this - GREAT EXPECTATIONS= GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT.

It takes no Einstein to come out wit that equation, but I guess almost everybody could relate to that. Imagine that you asked for tomyam, but you get beriyani instead. Sure both are yummy, but as you placed the order in the first place, imaginatively you already expect to have the sour-lemon grass-y taste of the tomyam in your mouth. Of course you'll be disappointed right?

The same goes with human being. Yes, we should accept people the way they are, but as a normal human being, we couldn't help but to have at least a tiny winy expectation on what the person should be, especially those who are close to us. For instance, as students we expect our teachers to have the answers to all the questions in the world, because we regard them with people with the knowledge - Mr./Mrs/-Know-It-All. As a voter, we expect that the person that we had voted for (and actually wins!) to strive for the betterment of our community, constituency and NOT wasting the time and resources by arguing and bickering over petty issues.

So when THIS particular person failed me a couple of weeks ago, I got very upset = disappointed. That was because after knowing him for quite sometime, I expect him to be a reliable person. But what had happened made me realized that he was not the person that I know (or I thought I know). This fact saddened and confused me, because I regard him as a friend, not just an acquaintance or colleague.

Ironically, it was during this time that I embarked into a relationship. I guess this lesson on people and expectation could not come out in a better time =) Of course I hope and pray for the best, but yet I have to be mindful not to put too high expectation on another human kind. I had been crushed very badly before, I should have known better..

To A Special Friend...

2009-03-31T18:06:00.001+08:00

H.A.P.P.Y. B.I.R.T.H.D.A.Y.

Ode To Our Father

2009-03-27T08:18:00.002+08:00

In response to my previous entry - Ode to My Father-The Unspoken Love, my brother FK had posted his comment which I thought was too precious to be left just in the comment box. So I decided to share it here..

He was a good man. I am where I am today because of him.

I was five or six maybe when we went to Yaohan together. For some reasons I can't remember, I asked him to buy me some tools. So he bought me a red toolbox, a couple of big screwdrivers with yellow handles, pliers and a set of interchangeable saws. Real tools, not toys. And the fun began.

Not too long after that I came out with my own invention. "Pembakar belacan" I called it, intended to replace the tudung periuk my mom used to grill belacan. Nothing fancy. But looking back at it I thought it's pretty amazing that I came out with it at such young age. See there was a problem, there was the thought process on the possible solutions, there was the fabrication of the most cost effective solution, and there was testing performed (and a little bit of marketing after that). That's engineering alright, crude as it may have been.

Maybe it's just talent, but it was thankfully nurtured. Back in college, I decided to work on my senior design project alone unlike most other students. Needless to say, the workload was overwhelming. With 5 other classes to take, for the project I had to learn advanced digital electronics and assembly programming language all by myself in a course of one semester. By the time the learning was done, time was running out. The real device had not been created yet. The existing mechanical system had not been fixed yet. Boy was this part of the work easy. Everything that required the use of tools and machines was a breeze. Ideas to fix stuff came naturally. Why not, I had been doing that for as long as I could remember.

And then came this award. http://viterbi.usc.edu/news/news/2006/news_20060504.htm. School was very time consuming, I didn't even have much time to think about other stuff (I even missed the email inviting me to the ceremony). But when I learned that I was awarded, what it's about and later had that announced during graduation ceremony, it really got me looking back and thinking, "I was raised correctly".

p/s: Credit to my mom too for buying me a soldering iron when I was 10. Having been using it for a long time made soldering so many small components to create a compact circuit board so much faster and easier.

Of The Battle, The Wait and Victory

2009-03-25T22:20:00.003+08:00

In a battle for land, gold, wealth and dignity,

We fight with our own hands,

With sweat, strength and blood,

But in a battle for majority, power and influence,

Our battle and fate is actually in other people's hands.

I'm not quite sure which one is the hardest,

But "Everybody wants to win THE battle," he said,

"And that's what a battle is all about- WINNING," I said.

So we waited,

For me it was an 8-hours of waiting,

For him it seemed like a life-time of waiting,

But for her it was something worth a life to wait for,

What ever it is- waiting is torturous.

But in whatever battle that we are in,

The long and painful waiting time,

There will be no dearth of people saying "It's worth it"

Especially when we win,

And the taste of victory is always sweet,

"Success is a two-bladed golden sword;

it knights one and stabs one at the same time" - Mae West

P/S : To everybody involved, Congratulations!

When Love and Hate Collides

2009-03-04T13:02:00.008+08:00

I always in a working trip. And I usually have no complaint about it, even if it means that I have to sacrifice my weekends for it. I just loathe routine, so I regard traveling even for work purposes as a great escapade from the mundane desk work.

I usually come back to the office inspired - knowing the project that I’d been harboring for days (even months) is bringing impact to some people’s lives. It’s a satisfaction.

However, my recent trip to Kuching had been nothing but a great despair. No doubt that all the programmes were a success and our counterpart in Sarawak had been very great and helpful.

But something had happened. I should spare the details for later but Mr Famous Amos had told me that I was over reacting – in his exact word- I was being a drama queen. He could be right, or not. I admit for being over sensitive, for taking everything personally. But I do take great pride of my job. I’m not implying here that I’m a pekerja cemerlang or what- it’s just that I love what I’m doing and I’m thankful for being able to work on the issues that are really close to my heart. Thus, I seriously don’t mind going for the extra mile to get the job done.

But when my (our) reputation was being in question- I really could not take it. Perhaps my colleagues- Mr Famous Amos and Ms HM had the patience to actually sit still and swallowed the accusations. But not me-the rebellious Aquarian.

I got to bed early that night with the hope to end the misery- I had enough for one day. But the moment I woke up the next morning, the unpleasant thought just spurred back to my mind. Oh yes, I can forgive easily, but never forget.

I guess our spirit and enthusiasm were just gone. Nevertheless, we managed to put ourselves together and got the job done- and even been congratulated later!

The next day, I took the first flight home. My colleagues had persuaded me to take the evening flight- to unwind ourselves before we get back to KL, but I just couldn’t. What I needed at time like that was some time alone, for me to reflect. And what a better way to do that rather than in the sky.

So I got the tune “Hands in My Pocket” blasted from my I-pod over and over again and this phrase never failed to put a smile on my otherwise grim face.

I'm young and I'm underpaid
I'm tired but I'm working, yeah
I care but I'm worthless
I'm here but I'm really gone
I'm wrong and I'm sorry baby

Ode To My Father-The Unspoken Love

2009-02-19T17:48:00.012+08:00

February 13- It has been exactly 9 years since my Dad left us. And yet there was no single day passed without me missing him…It was rather ironic because when my Dad was around, we were not that close in the sense that we talk or share a lot of things with each other. My brother and I were very close to my Mom, and our communication with my Dad was very minimal.

It was not that my Dad was sangat garang what so ever, in fact he never scold us, walaupun dengan rotan kecik, cubit dsb. Perhaps it was due to his quiet nature, but no doubt that he loved us very much, just in his own ways.

I couldn’t really explain how he did it, but despite the silence, somehow both of my brother and I know that my Dad loved us to bits. Until now I can feel that I was loved no matter where I go. The indescribable feeling is what I call the unspoken love.

I couldn’t really recall if my Dad had ever wished me Happy Birthday, but when I was in primary school, every year without failed he would came to my class, interrupted the lesson with a big birthday cake and snacks that he brought with him. Of course that made me and him very popular amongst my school friends!

There was also one time where my brother got a little trouble at school. He was studying in this prestigious boarding school, so even the smallest matter was given great attention. Anyway, most parents might be furious if that happens to their children. But my Dad, upon hearing that he immediately told my Mom that he would bought her the antique chest that she always wanted – with one condition, my mom had to promise not to scold my brother when he got home.

For some people it might sounds that he spoiled us, but I’m, quite happy to tell you here that we turned out to be decent citizens..hehehe

As for me, I regard his action an action of trust. My Dad trusted our judgment and decision every since we were young. From there we learned about the consequences that we had to bear on our own due the every decision that we have made in life.

And he also made me believe that action speaks louder than words. Sincerity, love and care are to be shown, not necessarily spoken. Because sometimes things that come out from the mouth are totally different from what we feel in the heart.

Yucks!!

2009-02-10T18:55:00.012+08:00

Being an avid user of the LRT, I find that being confined in a small, stuffy place like the Putra LRT is really torturous. Especially if you are the ungrateful one yang dihimpit-himpit macam sardin ditambah pula dengan bau-bauan yang menghimpit perasaan.So what I do to kill the time and boredom of commuting alone is people watching.

And today I watched something that was really 'interesting'. There was this guy standing near the LRT door. He got spiky hair-do, wore dangling earing on both ears but suprisingly he was clad in the office attire. Perhaps he was in the creative industry what so ever. Then there was this petite guy came into the LRT. He was smartly dress in office attire that were figure hugging, (I suspected it was from G2000). He got stylish hair do too, but I couldn't help but to notice that he was quite err..how do I put it..lembut sikit lah.

Tapi yang tak tahan tu when I noticed that the spiky hair guy asyik jeling-jeling kat mamat petite tu. Jeling-jeling jer okay lagi, but when he went to the extend to make this really sexual remark using the tongue, aku pulak yang rasa uwew..yucks... kelakar pun ada gak. Seriously the petite guy noticed that too, and just like any other person that was sexually harrassed, he looked blushed and very uneasy. He even tried to step aside. Pity him..Begitulah dunia di akhir zaman...