thinking out loud...

Feet Up!

2012-02-11T04:56:00.003+08:00

It's 2 days into my maternity leave today - you know what they say - time to put your feet up! Indeed I am, for I have been on the move like for almost a year ever since I started work.

Workload never ease up like we hoped to when we first started the team. Right up to my 36th week of pregnancy I've been doing late nights, definitely worse than when I was in practice back home. It is worse during the wintry days - snow, sleet, heavy fog, frost, subzero temperatures... you left the house in the morning and came home when it was pitch black outside.

Oh, winter is the worst if you have to go out and about. Last winter 2010 I was a housewife, the cold days made me dug deeper into the duvet, I even embraced the biting cold weather.

This year I repeatedly wish that I could stay longer in the duvet when the alarm ticked off in the morning, groaning at the thought of entering the cold bathroom, kitchen, and brace the rush of cold air to your face when you step out the door...

Worse, if your car is frozen in frost! To scrape the ice off the windscreen... only to find out you have to do it again in the evening in the dark at the office carpark. Painful times...

But yay - no more of those now! I declare everyday is duvet day from now on...

At least for the next 3 weeks or so - before the little one arrives!

Despite all that, I thank God that my pregnancy is an easy one, it did not hinder me to go through all the wintry challenges...

Throughout my pregnancy I did not throw up once, able to go for a road trip where most of the time I was on foot when I was 7 months, feet were never swollen, cramps are a rarity, never experienced heartburn, one of the lucky lots who has got no 'mommy marks' on the tummy, each midwife visit was very quick and satisfactory - midwife even asked if I am a sportswoman (you sure?!).

I just pray hard that labour will be as easy as my pregnancy insha Allah.

Reading up on hypnobirthing and gentle birth... one can always wish for a manageable and self-controlled labour.

I wish I have the courage to try for home birth... maybe next time round!

Too Big but Too Small

2011-10-01T19:16:00.005+08:00

At 18 weeks precise

Too big for normal pants, too small for maternity pants...

Buh getah ja la dulu.... Huhu

Found an interesting website which shows womens with different sizes of bumps at different weeks... Those who are worried too much about their bump size, rest assured...there is no one size fits all... http://www.maternitygallery.com/

(Great for people like me who look like they just carry a fat blob rather than sporting a cute bump!)

Red-Blooded

2011-09-27T04:02:00.002+08:00

Pic googled

I hate having my blood sample taken. I am such a wuss and such a scaredy-cat. I had my blood sample taken for the first time few years ago and half of my arm went blue. I have nasty veins and I never donated any blood because I don't like the sight of it.

And now I have to have my blood samples taken many times by the midwife. The first time the midwife took my blood sample there were 4 bottles she had to fill in, she was swaying my arm up and down to increase the flow into the ugly bottles! At first I showed her my almost non-existent vein and she said 'my that was a tough one, we will make a few tries on the vein if not we will refer you to the Blood Department they are the experts'. You can imagine my horrific face.

But she was quite an elderly midwife and must have thousands of blood samples taken throughout her career, she got it the first try *phew*.

She was also very comforting and consoling too. I looked away the minute I rolled up my sleeve, my husband was laughing away the whole time joking about my situation with another male intern present at that time. The midwife was the only one with the kind heart *killer stare at husband*. Throughout the whole time she was saying 'Darling you are doing great' and 'Here is our supergirl' and 'Well done supergirl we are proud of you'. I feel like a 6-year old *shy* but it did help, those words :D

Even so, not looking forward for more blood tests...

*How la want to beranak later?* :-S

Nub Theory or Skull Theory?

2011-09-26T04:25:00.006+08:00

My 12 + 6 week scan pic

In the UK, the frequency of ultrasound scan does not come too often. Majority of the pregnant moms in the UK get only 2 scans in the whole of their pregnancy period, one is at 12 to 13 weeks (dating scan - to estimate your EDD by the size of your foetus) and another is at 20th week (anomaly scan - to see if the baby is developing normally).

Unlike in Malaysia, the private clinics and hospitals charge you a bomb if you want to have a private scan, ranging from GBP99 to GBP299 (you can get a good travel system for your baby for that price!)

I know some people at my stage back home who already had 3 or more scans...at the price of RM50 per session, I would have a scan every 2 weeks myself just to put my mind at ease, that the baby is well. Cos right now you just don't feel the baby moving yet... Some people might feel 'flutters' but if this is your first pregnancy you normally would not realize these 'flutters'.

Anyway, when the scans come rare you try all the different ways to know that your baby inside is safe. And whether it is a boy or a girl? Some hospitals just don't offer to tell you the sex of your baby during the 20th week scan while on the other hand some hospitals do tell you.

Well who can wait until 20th week scan to find out?! And to find out that the hospital refused to reveal the gender...

By the way there is this new ruling (still in draft resolution) from the Council of Europe Committee suggesting doctors should not reveal the sex of unborn babies, in a bid to stop gender selective abortions. What the....I think it is a right for all parents to know the gender of their babies don't you think!

That is when I found out of the 2 theories to predict the gender of your baby from the dating scan pic.

Nub Theory

At around the 11/12 week scan at the end of the baby's body you can see a little bump (nub). The girl nub angle is less than 30deg and for a boy the angle is 30deg and over. Not 100% as some scan pics are hard to see a nub on (but is more accurate than those Chinese predictions). Click here if you want to understand the difference between a girl and a boy's nub.

My scan pic that I got the nub is not clear, at that time I wasn't aware of this theory so I did not ask the sonographer to get a clear view of the nub... but from the pic you can make a real wild guess I suppose...

Skull Theory

A male skull is longer and the forehead slants much more. Also, the chin of a female is pointier than that of a male. You can read on here for better understanding on skull theory.

Now...back to the scan pic...any guesses anyone?! :D

I Love Freebies!

2011-09-24T04:13:00.000+08:00

Money off and free product vouchers, many free samples, books, magazines, etc. And more to come in the mail!

Ramadhan Foodie Pics

2011-09-16T21:38:00.000+08:00

Hello... Been quite some time since I last put some food pics. These food were prepared throughout the fasting month, that time I was not so well due to morning sickness... I mostly crave for Malaysian food, which is susah la kan cos you can't just buy them kat UK ni kan unlike M'sia boleh pi ja ke pasar Ramadhan. And I was too lazy to cook plus I can't go into the kitchen and cook or I'll get nauseous...

Nasik kerabu, murtabak, kuih2 including buah melaka, masalodeh and cara berlauk etc... Ni bukan masak sendiri, ni beli kat Pasar Ramadhan kat UK ni ya... (dia buat 3 kali ja sepanjang Ramadhan ). Food was not that cheap, spent more than GBP20 for the above...

Baked mushrooms, the mushrooms are as big as your palm

Nothing new, roast chicken with stuffed rice

Murtabak maggi... LOL

Karipap (ignore the kelim yang besar duit syiling tu)

Seri muka (this one my husband yang buat dia yg teringin sgt but the green color is too artificially bright)

Nasik daging utara...with daging rebus and air asam...

Tu ja. Masa bulan puasa tinggal puasa banyak hari jugak, because I got hungry all the time! If I don't eat I feel nauseous, I got to munch something every 2 hours. Plus it was summertime, we fasted from 4am to 9pm almost. But good thing I never vomited not even once, alhamdulillah. Nevertheless it was a difficult time for me :( banyak nak kena ganti ni nanti...

13 + 5

2011-09-10T03:20:00.004+08:00

Me on Hari Raya 30th August.

Mind you, perut tu...sebab makan banyak sangat ye...

But, I suppose can always blame on the baby bump =)

Dry Season

2011-05-15T21:57:00.003+08:00

Bismillahirrahmaanirraheem....

Pic googled.

Hope my dry skin condition will significantly improve after consuming this! Heard too many good reviews from my close friends. Mmg mempengaruhi betul! Too bad they are only sold in South-East Asia. Takpa try dulu, tah2 no effect on me pun. But these things aren't cheap!

Hate the dry skin, regardless how many glasses of water I've consumed. I've just changed skin care range as well.

Any other tips?

Madness

2011-04-10T03:18:00.006+08:00

March went by without any entries!

Thanks to those who enquired and requested for an update hu hu tak sangka ada orang rindu >.<

Yes! I have been very busy... I started my new job early March and things get on full swing from then on. From the day I start I got to move, move, move I haven't even got the time to understand the Company's background and yet I have to manage a team doing things I'm not quite familiar myself... Nightmare? Yes. So I have to learn like really quickly. Just that I have one tiny little problem. My brain has stopped functioning since last August. I haven't done any heavy-duty thinking and problem-solving since then. That's a good 6 months of brain inactivity! My daily conversation that took place in my head over the past 6 months are "harini nak makan apa?" or "apa nak masak harini?" or "cerita apa syok kat TV tah, nak check TV program sat la" or things similar to that.

It took me a while to get my brain to function like a normal working adult (not yet 100% functioning though). There are times when I stare blackly at the laptop screen...or find myself doodling during daily meetings...or yawning more than 10 times in the span of 20minutes of a teleconference...Despite all that, I seriously enjoy what I am doing. The whole exercise is very interesting, really...

Not to mention the long daily commute to work! Where I work it's 42miles (approx. 65km) from where I live. Bought a used car at the last minute and the first few weeks was a gamble really, as we do not know the service history of the car. Anything could happen on the road (they drive like mad people here), and I would not know who to call if anything should happen, for we are in a foreign country. I'm sure my husband too would not know what to do if I call him. Takkan dia nak naik bus mai kat I kat motorway pulak kan... So far it's been a month alhamdulillah nothing bad had happened. We got to get the car serviced soon, I noticed there is a problem with the fuel injector...sometimes tekan fuel pedal minyak tak masuk...scary!

Nevertheless it's a nice drive to work, the view is sooo pretty especially now that it's spring. That 1-hour drive is the time of the day when I'm lost in my thoughts or singing off-key to my favorite songs or listen to some motivational ceramah or update myself with current news or simply treat my eyes to the swanky flashy cars UK people drive... Unlike M'sia where you mostly see Protons and Peroduas... Here more like convertible Audis and BMWs and Porsches *heart melts*. Mesti syok kan drive convertible car pi balik kerja...*alamat 2 jam baru sampai ofis, mesti kena bawak slow 30mph takkan nak bawak laju2 habih melayang telekung semua LOL*

Oh yeah...I wake up early too these days...to make allowance for the 1-hour drive, and another hour to get ready *yawns* So balik rumah in the evening tu you can imagine la...mmg tumbang awal la. Nowadays I only cook express or simple meals. So, please don't be disappointed if I don't tempt you with my foodie pics ha ha ha (mcm la byk sgt masak pun). And hubby has been really sweet to cook as often as he could.

Enough updates! Here is a pic of us both enjoying spring!

Walaupun isteri dah jarang masak makanan menggemukkan, suami tetap bulat comel he he he.

Spring Awakening

2011-02-23T04:00:00.011+08:00

Hi guys,

So what does it feel like being in the last year of your twenties? Hmm...quite stressed, really, as I have not achieved several things that I have envisioned. Such as? Well, I'd rather keep it to myself. And best to believe that things happened for a reason. Good things come to people who wait...

2000 seemed not that very long ago...still remembered what I did the whole year. While waiting for SPM result me and & my good friend applied to work as waitresses at Pizza Hut Komtar (back then Komtar was still hip). So much fun we had back then working for the first time and earning own money. And spend the money of course. Not to mention the free pizzas we got, including those yang customers tak habis makan...errr OK I better not dwell into that. Wahahahahah.

Then got an offer into UIA, spent 6 months there, not happy, quitted and got into UiTM...thinking that I would be much happier, but no. Not in some remote campus off in the middle of rubber estate of Semeling. Errr...where? Yeah, you got me.

That was 2000 in a nutshell.

Oh, enough reminiscing of the past. Let's live up the future, and work hard for the benefit of it.

A serene office area...reminds me of Putrajaya, no? Putrajaya lagi cantik lah of course!

Snowdrops! A sign that spring is here :) Yehuuu, ku mau kepanasan!

More snowdrops yet to bloom

Moon in the daylight. It was a sunny weekend, but come Monday, mendung suda...

Suddenly find myself craving for lemang jepun, but they are expensive here, cheaper and more economical if you make them yourself. Sini takdak Jaya Jusco nak juai murah :( Anyway these are the raw mats for lemang jepun.

2 pot nasik of Japanese rice can make about 40pcs lemang if you cut into sizes above.

Zoom dekat sikit hehe. Only put egg, crabstick and salmon je, can't afford other fillings :S

Last one for the road...bread pudding. I now find a way to use up expired or almost-expiring bread - make them into bread pudding! (daripada tengok sebuku roti yang berkulat kehijauan dengan perasaan geli sambil menguti bahagian yang dijangkiti kulat lantas toast pehtu makan dengan butter dan jem). It's nice if you add in cinnamon powder and eat with custard (the custard was bought off the shelves but I found out its just as easy if you make if yourself)

My entries of late are more to foody entries...what to do...not much to update. Nothing interesting happens to me. We don't really travel or watch movies. Is this how it's going to be for the rest of the year? Wuarghttt what a way to end my twenties :S

Young Old Me

2011-02-18T05:47:00.005+08:00

Happy Birthday to myself! Here's to a great year ahead...before the big three-oh! -.-"

A dear friend aptly put it, "As we less worry about pimples, we start worrying about wrinkles".

So sad to celebrate this day alone (other than hub, that is), away from my family :(

Hope to achieve many milestones this year, and make more people happy! Ding ding!

Comforting Winter Food

2011-01-31T02:22:00.012+08:00

It's been a while...

Actually I am still around...pretty busy stuffing myself with food! Blame it on the weather!! Grrr...I always think of something to eat even when I'm asleep...not good...not good...

And I hardly do any exercises due to the weather - imagine running with layers of clothes on and bulky sweater, gloves, earmuff, etc!! Hope spring will be better, 2 months to go!

Here are some of the food that I had to whip up to kill my never-ending craves...

Sausage rolls - ate this at a birthday party but did not get enough, had to make them!

Agar-agar santan, huh kalau kat M'sia mmg cheq tak pandang langsung, mai sini teringin!

Chicken fritters

Chicken salad

Banana cake (dulu selalu beli dekat Giant, sedap!)

Capati, dalca, sambal ikan bilis. Lenguh tangan gelek tepung capati :(

Asam pedas - not even a fan when I'm in M'sia, yeah weather changes you

Sekaya...will never buy one again! So easy to make and you can control the ingredients e.g. sugar and most importantly, free of additives!

Don't waste any of the sekaya! Lol.

Tomorrow I thought of making vanilla cupcakes a la Hummingbird Bakery, kalau jadi I post the pics here. Hehe. Trying to find out how they apply the frosting on the cuppies by using knife...

Attempts on Baking

2011-01-13T07:10:00.008+08:00

Check out my new baking set! :D

Jangan la gelak wei. I know la macam Barbie main masak-masak ja rupa dia, but trust me it's not one of those dumb blonde moments when I bought this!!! OK la OK la I bought this set cos it's cute, and er....in pink colour. But hey it's part of the Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign tau, kan ada tulih kat kotak tu! Hihihi.

Plus they are made of silicone! OMG, silicone & breasts, so not right!!! Eh silicone bakeware ada ka kat M'sia? Tak pernah nampak la, but kalau nampak pun I must have put on my "I look but I did not see" self. Haha. Almaklumla, kat M'sia tak pernah, eh, jarang masak! :P Dah kat UK ni la baru terhegeh2 nak belajaq dan try itu ini.

With silicone it's non-sticky, so easy to remove your bread loaf, muffins, cupcakes, etc cos you can bend2 dia kan. It can also withstand high temperature. Initially I was a bit hesitant to buy cos I bought a set of plastic senduk, sudip semua tu tapi bila masak the edges melted into the food sometimes. Racun kan kalau termakan plastik? Silicone on the other hand isn't toxic. You can actually eat a few pieces and it will pass through you undigested, it won't break down in your gut.

I bought these during the winter sale, about GBP21 (abt RM110). Kalau beli satu2 yang metal ka tin tu lagi mahal kot. Also bought silicone spatula and honey-dipper yang merah tu. Cute kan!

OK la tak mau la cerita panjang macam Discovery Channel, let's look at some baking output! Hehe.

Tadaaa...

Super yummy vanilla cupcakes with strawberry-jam filling....

...yang kubeli kat Marks & Spencers. Wahahahaha.

Sorry la kami belum try baking lagi la....mixer pon belum ada lagi :P Nanti kami pi beli na...Jgn maraaaa :D

Next Trip Shopping Lalaland

2011-01-12T02:44:00.050+08:00

*Warning, this entry is loaded with pics! Best viewed with Streamyx Unifi heh*

Since hubby's aunt & uncle who lives 2 mins away from our house are going back to M'sia for good tomorrow, they invited us to join them to go to Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet in Chester (abt 45mins drive away, tak jauh) untuk beli barang-barang yg org2 M'sia kirim dan sebagai buah tangan untuk sedara mara, etc. So off we go last Saturday.

Yay, felt like doing somersault when they suggested the trip. Huhu. What's the best way to enjoy the winter sale in the UK if not at these designer outlets (actually, the sale in the shops in the city are quite good as well).

But don't worry...I did not shop that much, more to look see-look see and survey-survey. And to exercise (walking is exercise also kan! Hehe) cos the outlet is sooo huge memang tak larat at the end of the day mmg super lembik, my bahu lenguh sampai harini sebab galas/pegang beg. Kat Bicester Village haritu sat ja dah habis tawaf 1round tapi yang ni lamaaa sgt, 3 or 4 kali lagi besar kot? Agak2 ja.

Anyway I only bought those which I think are reallyyyy cheap and which I'm really gonna use. Cos I'm here for only 1+ year insha Allah, the winter clothes are really lovely but I'd rather spend on those which you can bring back to M'sia and wear. Nanti bila dah nak balik M'sia boleh singgah sini beli2 lagi, sesapa nak pesan jgn malu2 habaq mai tau!! Don't worry kita ship2 semua barang2 hehe.

OK la let's look at the pics dan ulasan sikit-sikit sebagai panduan.

Samsonite, Moltol Brown, Timberland - Samsonite bags the sale quite OK but not really looking for any trolley bags in particular maybe before balik M'sia boleh beli luggage bag kat sini. Timberland - got lots of clearance stuffs, men's pants for GBP9.90 (darab 5 abt RM50) each, kasut-kasut lelaki pun very cheap, daripada kat M'sia yg beratus2 RM.

Samsonite store.

GAP - I saw this skinny jeans for GBP 9.90 (abt RM50) nak beli tapi ermm nanti dulu la, in fact in GAP store in the city can get the same price as well so OK la kan takyah nak travel jauh2 pun kalau asyik teringat hehe. But other jeans the most expensive are GBP33.90 (abt RM165), again I think is way cheaper than M'sia, is it? In M'sia at least RM300 ka? Sorry kat M'sia mmg tak masuk kedai2 camni sebab I know is so overpriced.

Superdry Japan - suka these shirts! Esp yg tengah kaler kunin tu! :(

Sapa ingat time kecik2 orang dok sibuk kasut penguin? Ha ni la dia, tak lawa sgt pun (tak ingat lak dulu camna rupa kasut penguin tapi ingat2 lupa la orang dok sibuk2 mention kasut penguin ni)

Kedai Penguin.

Suka cari barang rumah! Comei kan these frying pans! Lupa pulak nak tengok harga.

Cool kan polka dot teapots tu, tak silap dalam GBP9.90 (abt RM50).

EasiVase - plastic vases kalau beli dia leper (mcm kat bawah shelf tu, kembungkan dia dan isi air). Murah ja ni, dlm GBP2.99 (RM15) nak beli tapi pikiaq tunggu sat balik mai beli sekali lupa laa... :S

La Senza - all on the rails are GBP 5 (RM25). Dari sebesar2 saiz (LOL cuba teka yang mana) to sekecik2 saiz hehehe. Even the white corset on the table pun GBP5. Nak beli tapi malaih nak pi try sebab nak kena buka coat dan baju pakai berlayer2. Tunggu summer pakai baju selapis kita mai singgah balik kedai ni OK!

Huhu I tried on a pair of maryjanes/walking shoes at Nike. Very comfy dalam dia cushiony and tapak dia yang mcm boing-boing mcm Nike Boing trainers tu...(kat UK me size 6! Rasa mcm kuwwus! Kat M'sia tanya amoi kedai kasut kalau size paling besar ialah saiz 7 mmg terus keluaq kedai dan pangkah kedai tu tak masuk dah!

Teka kasut tadi tu berapa? GBP8 jer! (abt RM40). From GBP60 tau. Yang ni cheq beli hehe. Bleh pakai pi keja (kalo kerja laa)! Jalan-jalan pun bulih. Boing boing!

Ni semua mmg on clearance. Nike, for your so-called child labor and low manufacturing cost, you should sell these at cheap price! Murah2 mcm ni boleh la nak beli tapi kalau premium prices like in M'sia I never buy esp for running or other sports, for jalan2 dalam shopping mall boleh la kot huhu.

Nike store.

From afar - I can see Ted Baker, Bench. Tell you this place is huge!

We're lucky cos it's a sunny weekend, lifted up ppl's mood to shop, kalau gloomy rasa mcm nak berkurung dalam rumah ja.

Some random poster kat traffic light masa nak lintas jalan.

Next destination is Next Clearance store. To be honest, not really a fan of this brand tapi kalau murah apa salahnya huhu.

Err memang murah! Mula2 masuk mmg nampak byk baju2 GBP2 (RM10) and GBP3 (RM15), etc tapi mcm malaih nak belek, masa nak balik saja masuk balik cos my aunt cakap byk baju murah2 ni yang OK2. I just cari the one yang GBP2 and below, and surprisingly mmg betul, byk yang cantik2 jugak la so amik la beberapa. Even got yang GBP1 (RM5)! Hubby nak beli this knitted tie for GBP5 (RM25), and I was like, eee mahainya...tapi bila bayar harga dia GBP1 ja. Huhu.

Childrens' clothes pun byk murah2.

Oasis punya baju-baju pun not bad jugak.

French Connection, Clarks. I don't remember entering French Connection, maybe sebab excited nak masuk Clarks kot hehe.

Erk, massive clearance! Kat Clarks ni byk sgt jenis kasut, unlike Clarks kat M'sia yg more to office shoes and walking shoes yg design ala2 untuk makcik2. Erm jarang masuk kat M'sia jugak sebab tau mahai :(

I thought yang from GBP10 (RM50) tu yang tak lawa tapi surprisingly banyak yang cantik2. And comfy too! Seperti biasa I looked for those which I can wear in M'sia. Banyak yang berkenan! But takkan nak beli sekarang, awal lagi...KIV dulu la, beli 1 ja dulu :D

Clarks store.

Cheshire Oaks.

Krispy Kreme, tak singgah pun cos I rasa KK kat sini mahal la compared to M'sia, glazed donut here is GBP1.20 each (RM6), rasanya kat M'sia RM2.20 ja kan.

Kat CK saw some cheap bras also, buy 2 free 1 tapi KIV la dulu.

Break for lunch at Harry Ramsden's fish & chips. Mmg sedap la, this is size XS pun quite big the fish kan.

Hubby in action.

Mulberry - OK la murah la dlm GBP100-GBP200 from high street prices but I still can't afford :'( berkenan yang warna brown kat tingkap tuuu

Cadbury! Chocs in the UK are generally murah so tak heran sgt la Cadbury ni plus byk lagi chocs sedap kat sini selain Cadbury heh heh.

Chocs 1

Chocs 2

Burberry - nasib baik the beg that I liked masa dtg in last November dah takda. Kalau tak mesti asyik pegang2 tak mau lepas walaupun tak mampu :P but quite cheap la the bags, tak amik gambar pulak. Nanti la next trip OK! But rata-rata the bags are from GBP99 (RM495) to GBP300 (RM1,500). Imagine you kerja data entry clerk kat sini pun gaji dah GBP1000 then hujung bulan dpt gaji dpt beli designer bag siap ckp elee GBP99 jerrr hahaha (saja bagi contoh)

M&S - OK la not bad. More to knitwear, tak berkenan sgt baju2 dia kat factory store ni more to aunty2 type.

Akhirnya setelah tak dpt masuk Polo Ralph Lauren store kat Bicester haritu, dapat jugak masuk kat Cheshire Oaks ni huhu. Takyah queue pun! Lengang ja. Tak la murah sgt, ada jugak casual berkenan casual shirts dia tapi KIV dulu laa.

Lacoste - OK la not so bad the sales.

Was at Lindt store, saw these weird choco flavours. I bought the dessert choco range, creme brulee. Sedap jugak. Murah la jugak abt GBP1.83 (RM9.70).

Random shot.

Folli Follie - masuk tapi I don't remember seeing any yg I berkenan, tak pay attention sgt sebab tak suka sgt brand ni (tapi kalau ada yg nak suruh survey next time I perati habis2 OK!)

Cornish pasty stall, tak try but love the van.

Tu ja. In the end masa balik I told hubby like eh ni ja ka beli. Huhu. Penat2 berjalan seharian sikit ja shopping beg bawak balik rumah. It's OK, ada rejeki lebih bulih visit lagi, after all it's just 45mins drive away.

So how's the Dec Year End Sale in M'sia? Must be pretty good also, I believe!

Boxing Day!

2010-12-31T03:57:00.009+08:00

Went to Bicester Village for the boxing day sale. Thanks to a very dear friend Lynn and her husband for planning the whole thing, you guys are the most hospitable people ever!

There were too many people there despite the fact that we went there on the 2nd day of boxing day. Pening!!! And lots of Malaysians too!! You just wonder where did they come from. Just flew in from Malaysia to shop? Whoaa...Syioknyiaa...

Did not shop much though. But the sales was very good, especially those designer brands. Really tempted to buy 1 or 2 of those designer bags (they were really cheap!!!) but since yours truly is still, *ahem* jobless, so duduk diam-diam jamu mata ja la naa. Tunggu tahun depan kalau ada rejeki lebih.

Nak beli jeans or tops, too lazy to queue for the fitting room! Let alone queue to pay. But me and Lynn queued inside this one designer shop for almost 1 hour plus untuk nak bayar ja cos the sale is too good for us to tutup mata and buat dono!! Dlm tgh dok queue2 tu tah makhluk Allah mana la yang pi kentut pulak dah!! Bau kuat pulak tu sampai tutup2 hidung semua. Me and Lynn suspect this Chinese minah kat depan kitorang yg kentut. Sebab Lynn cakap "bau tu familiar" LOL!! Tapi minah tu pun buat2 tutup hidung. Minah Salleh depan dia pun tutup hidung sambil memberi killer look. Lynn siap cakap cakap kat minah Chinese tu "Eh minah kau kentut eh?!!! Baik kau cakap cepat. Busuk tau tak!!". Something along that line laa. Tapi minah tu of course la tak paham BM (tah2 from Malaysia weh!) and dia membelakangi kitorang la kan. Mmg lawak kalau teringat balik (Lynn you mmg lah selamba OK!). Anyway Hubby had to wait outside in the cold for us sampai dia demam the next day. Sorry na bebe! Nanti I buat moi kat you na.

Nah tengok la pics. Tak amik banyak pun...malaih nak bawak keluar kamera dari beg sebab tangan sejuk.

Nampak tak dia tulis Bicester Village kat atas bangunan tu

Polo Ralph Lauren - nak masuk beli shirt tapi queue nak masuk kedai ja panjang gila berpusing2 malaih nak tunggu dalam sejuk! Lupa lak nak amik gambaq org queue

Tod's, D&G, Dior, Folli Follie

Tgh queue nak masuk Burberry

Insya Allah tahun depan kalau ada rezeki bulih mai lagi. But it's a good experience, cos people in Malaysia do not embrace boxing day as much as they do here in the UK! Kan?

Xmas in London

2010-12-30T04:53:00.001+08:00

Hi all!

This time we celebrated Xmas in tadaa...London! Hands down one of the best Xmas we have ever had...ye lah in negara mat salih, mmg the celebration of Xmas is totally felt. Macam la jugak if we celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri kat Malaysia.

Tapi sejukkk...nasib tak snowing, but still got the leftover snow from the one week before yet to melt. Spent Xmas day itself at Lynn's place in London, did not go out except at night cos there were no public transportation at all running unless jalan kaki or naik basikal or drive your own vehicle.

Xmas day itself memang best - Lynn sangat beria nak masak roasted chicken, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potato, steamed veges and siap bake red velvet cake! Dah la the night when we arrived siap beli dan masak salmon seekor besaq gila. Talk about supermom. Hehe. Me? Tolong ala-ala jer :P Belajar masak dari tuan guru. Hihi.

Oh well, let's look at the pics!

Xmas lights in the shape of snow flakes!

Some mamat mogok pleading to stop genocide in China - somewhere near China embassy I think. Kesian sejuk2 berdiri macam tu, dunno from when till when though. Esok Xmas la bang!

Passing by Topshop in Oxford Street, shop's getting ready for boxing day sale

Big Ben. Very nostalgic dulu-dulu pi kelas naik bus 148 lalu sini hari-hari

Another nostalgic landmarks - London Eye and Westminster

Budak ni memang comel, cheeky dan semua-semua la. Geram ohh!!

Our room at De Vere Milton House in Bournemouth. Cos the hotel's having promo of only GBP25 per night, so we cepat2 book! As a short getaway, and to enjoy the facilities there. And it is also near the Bicester Village, where we are going to shop at the next day!

De Vere Milton House

If only it is hot and sunny! It would be nice to laze in the sun here T.T

Budak tecik comei. One of the facilities is heated swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. Sejuk2 memang syiok berendam dalam jacuzzi panas pastu terjun swimming pool sambil berpura2 pandai berenang

The library/ recreation room. Ada Nintendo Wii with projection screen inside this room tapi tak main pulak. Baik duk dalam jacuzzi lagi best

Outside the library

The vast vast field. Again, I wish it was sunny and hot!! :(

Above the reception

Lynn & family, nice area kan?

Ini olang tatak sujuk mia. The next day - after checkout

The driveway. Bye2 De Vere - for the rate we paid, totally worth it! I want jacuzzi :(

After this we were on our way to Bicester Village for the ultimate shopping experience. Tiba-tiba ayat jadi bunyi ala2 marketing slogan.

Toodles!

Airport Tansfer London (Heathrow, Stansted, Luton, Gatwick, London City Airport)

2010-12-12T22:52:00.004+08:00

Hi guys,

With the cheaper and cheaper Air Asia tickets nowadays, why not save up (a bit!) and plan your holiday to the UK and Europe?

In case you are planning for your holiday to this part of the world, why not consider an airport transfer service from the above airports to Central London. Run by a Malaysian (yup, easier to communicate!), with the Malaysian hospitality to make you guys feel right at home, even miles away!

Also, you can find an unbeatable price for homestay in Central London, also run by Malaysians. Cheap and affordable accommodation in Central London, what more could you ask for?!! Oh, did I mention easy access to London's famous public transport as well?

Click here for more details and reservation.

Leftover soup

2010-12-12T22:27:00.007+08:00

To be honest, I don't really like clear soup *eekk* It's a healthier food option, of course but well why should I choose soup when I can gobble up on say, prawn mayonnaise brown bread sandwich for instance? It's healthy as well...

The other day I cooked nasik ayam and we're left with the chicken & vege soup...lots of it. I wanted to drain everything in the sink, tapi sayang la pulak...but seriously I don't want to eat that soup!

Suddenly I remembered that I had a blender (ada org baru sedekah), so I thought...why not blend them all together and make cream soup! Definitely more tasty. Add some croutons, it should taste even better.

*Google google, my soup is ready to eat*

Senang ja...org malaih punya gheja...

(1) Stale bread, drizzle olive oil over the bread and cut into small cube pieces, put in a tray and into the oven, bake for abt 10 mins or when they turn golden brown

(2) Croutons ready! (mine a bit, well, a lot hangit!). It will be harden and crunchy mcm keropok

(3) My infamous leftover vege and chicken soup - tgk pun takdak selera

(4) You can just blend the whole soup, in my case I prefer to add more potatoes and celery, cooked them first before blend them together with the leftover soup. Add like, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk, salt and pepper to taste

(5) Ni dah siap! Sesuai makan time winter2 sejuk gedi ni

Khaled Hosseini

2010-12-10T19:46:00.003+08:00

I got the chance to sit down and read what I think 2 of the most beautiful books ever written...

I think I'm a bit lagging here - the hype about Mr KH is so 3 years ago...

Even so, I am glad I joined in on the KH bandwagon.

Read his books! Even though "The Kite Runner" was made into a movie and so much more talked about compared to "A Thousand Splendid Suns", I think the latter is a better book of the two...

Even got me cried...sob sob.

* pictures Googled

One Year, Seriously?

2010-12-06T07:03:00.007+08:00

PS: There are a couple more posts for today right before this entry - today so rajin updating my blog so came up with a few entries :P

Hai.

Sempena ulangtahun yg pertama perkahwinan saya ni, saya nak tulih la tentang beberapa perkara yang berkaitan dengan perkara2 yang terjadi sebelum, semasa dan selepas hari bersejarah tu.

Sebenaqnya dah lama saya nak tulih pasal benda2 ni (sejak bulan Disember tahun lepaih lagi) tapi asyik tertangguh saja, ni pun dah nak dekat anniversary jadi pikiaq2, baik la tunggu bulan Disember 2010 sempena ulangtahun yang pertama ni. Baik saya tulih cepat sebelum nanti lama2 terlupa dah :(

Semalam lepak rumah pakcik & makcik tgk X Factor (mcm Msia punya Akademi Fantasia, tapi versi org British), makcik pesan suruh bawak laptop sebab dia nak tgk wedding belah Penang, last yr dia dtg all the way dari Manchester sebab nak attend wedding belah KL. Sejak duduk Manchester ni semakin rapat dgn dia, so dia mintak nak tgk gambaq2 kawin time kat Png dulu.

Makin terasa dekatnya ulangtahun perkahwinan yg pertama bila tgk balik semua2 gambaq kawin dgn makcik, sambil explain2 pasal benda2 dan org2 kat dlm gambaq2 tu.

Semua orang nak perkahwinan yang sempurna, dan indah. Kalau ada duit berkepuk, mmg la semua bulih jadi kan. Kalau bulih nak putaq masa, byk benda yg rasa nak perbetui...tapi pikiaq2 balik, benda2 yg tak sempurna mcm ni la yang buat wedding kita ni menjadi satu sweet memory. Betui dak?

Sebelum tu, saya nak bg amaran, entry ni mungkin agak panjang sikit la...kalau boring tu takyah la baca sampai habih, ni sekadar catatan untuk saya baca nanti bila dah tua2...mcm saya kata tadi, lama2 nnt takut terlupa habih...Ni pun dah terlupa sikit2.

OK, saya cerita kisah dari lebih kurang 2 minggu dari wedding saya OK. Tulih dalam point form la senang. Mcm Tun Dr M. Hehe.

1. Baju sanding saya sebenarnya saya uruskan sendiri, maksudnya tak serah bulat2 kat butik untuk buatkan (konon nak independent dan jimat kos). Kain semua saya beli sendiri. Kain lace beli dekat Gulati's kat Wangsa Maju, chiffon dan satin lining beli kat Kamdar. Nak cari tailor kat Png ni susah jugak yg reti nak buat baju dress moden ni. Tailor Melayu tak kenai sgt, so cuma approach tailor2 Chinese ja. Pi kat Komtar, Datuk Keramat, semua pi. Harga pulak lain2, ada yg quote RM2k, ada yg quote RM200. Last2 hantaq kat sorang Chinese tailor ni kat Datuk Keramat. Tgk cara dia cakap dia mcm biasa buat baju2 mcm ni. Tp mostly dia buat baju2 kurung, kebaya la. Penuh baju2 yg duk gantung kat kedai dia. Sama ada dia popular sebab org byk hantaq upah kat dia, takpun dia jahit tak lawa sebab tu org tak mai amik baju2 yg depa hantaq kat dia dulu. Hahaha. Tp dia ckp mcm confident bulih buat, pastu saya pun mcm terdesak, takdak org dah bulih buat baju kawin ni, harga dia pun murah, so bagi ja la.

2. Dari masa ke masa saya call dan pi kedai dia tanya pasal progress baju tu. Tailor ni mcm bebai sikit bila saya pi kedai dia, mungkin dia pressure kot. Anyway lebih kurang sebulan sebelum wedding dia call suruh pi fitting. So pi la kedai dia untuk pi fitting...(fyi kedai dia takdak fitting room so paham2 la camna saya buat fitting na). Pakai baju semua OK, takdak apa nak alter dah, cuma nak suruh dia jahit manik ja. Sebab kain lace tu takda manik. Memandangkan saya org Penang dan kawin kat Penang, merelit merelap itu satu kemestian. So OK la, tailor tu kata dia akan hantaq jahit manik dalam masa sehari dua lagi, lagi 2 minggu mai amik baju. Fuh...lega dengaq...baju ni kan penting, sama penting dgn makeup. Sebab org kan nak tgk kita. Pedulikan pelamin semua tu.

3. Lagi 2 minggu saya pun pi la balik butik tu nak tanya dia pasal status dress saya tu...nampak la baju tu duk tergantung bersama2 baju2 kurung dan kebaya yang lain. Wah...dah siap!! Seronoknya....saya pikiaq dlm hati. Sekali bila tanya tailor tu...dia kata tak hantaq pi jahit manik lagi! $^)&)$#@ dia kata "Saya ingat you kawin hujung bulan 12". Lebih kurang mcm tu kot. Saya pun jawab la balik, 20hb la saya kawin. Habih mcm mana ni, sempat ka mau siap. Tailor tu pun cakap OK la dia hantar secepat mungkin kat tukang jahit manik. Sebab bukan dia yg jahit manik tu sendiri, dia outsource kat org lain.

4. Rasanya kerap jugak la call tailor ni nak peringat dia, dan duk tanya pasal status. Last2 dia kata hari Khamis, 3 hari sebelum wedding bulih mai amik. Lega rasanya, at least tak la last minute sgt2.

5. Hari Khamis call tailor tu - dia suruh mai keesokan hari pulak dah! Hari Jumaat. Takpa...masih sabaq lagi.

6. Hari Jumaat tu keluaq jalan2 dgn Mama dan adik2, ingat lagi pi makan nasik ayam Monrod kat Komtar (sedap ooo - iklan sat). Masa otw nak balik rumah singgah kat kedai tailor ni - kedai dia tutup!!! Tu dia habih gabra dah semua orang...dlm hati punya dok sumpah seranah maknya ni...mcm nak nangih pun ada. $%)(^)#* masa tu dah pukul 12 lebih kut nak pukul 1 dah kot. Selalu pukul 10 mmg dia dah bukak kedai. Gabra tak gabra?

7. Kami pun balik la rumah. Tak tau nak cakap macam mana dah perasaan ni. Sat2 call kedai tailor ni, kalau dia jawab phone maksudnya dia ada kat kedai la kan. Last2 dia ada angkat kut, dan dia suruh mai amik. Jadi cepat2 drive pi kedai amik dress tu. Excited tau!

8. Bila sampai kat kedai dia, tailor tu mcm dah siap bubuh dlm beg kot dress tu. Then dia bagitau...tukang manik tu tak boleh nak jahit semua manik kat kat baju tu (ha?) sebab dia nak pi KL (haa?) so dia just jahit kat belah atas dan dekat bunga sikit2 (haaaaa?). What the??!! Apa hg cakap ni...wedding aku lagi 1 hari ja lagi :(( Maknya tu mcm kurang ajaq sikit la, dia kata ala ni pun dah cantik lagipun tak nampak sgt. Ni pun nasib baik tukang manik tu dapat jahit kalau tak langsung tak dak manik. By de way I give you diskaun, bayar RM100 ja. #(%)$_@#!! Aku takkan jejak kaki kat kedai hang dah!!

9. Lagi sehari nak kawin, apa boleh buat? Terima ja la. Masa ni ada jugak rasa menyesal sebab pandai2 nak gamble baju kawin sendiri. Pujuk diri sendiri kata takpa la, simple is always the best. Berkilat2 sgt buat apa...cuba ambik contoh dress Mat Saleh kan simple2 ja.

Itu lah cerita baju dress saya :)

10. Byk org kata sebelum kahwin kena pi mandi bunga kat spa. Saya pun book la appointment kat satu spa kat Bayan Baru. Kakak kat situ kata baik mandi bunga selewat mungkin, misalnya sehari sebelum nak kahwin. Sebab kalau nanti mandi awal2 takut terlangkah apa2 (??) dan tak berkesan la jampi2 masa mandi bunga tu. OK la kak, apa2 ja la.

11. OK hari Sabtu. Sehari sebelum. Tak berapa ingat sgt apa saya buat kat spa tu. Mula2 massage kut. Tapi rasanya massage tu yg paling lousy. Tah budak sekolah mana dia suruh urut. Takat picit2 mcm tak makan seminggu ja. Lepas tu jacuzzi kut, duduk dalam bath tub dengan benda mcm waddle board yg keluar bubble2 tu. Dalam 30minit jugak la.

12. Selepas tu baru mandi bunga. Sorang kakak mai bawak baldi, dlm tu ada la kelopak2 bunga byk2, kakak tu kata ayaq tu dah siap jampi dah. So simbah la kat satu badan, sambil menggosok2 badan dengan bunga2 tu.

13. Lepas tu tak dak apa dah kot, siap pakai baju semua, turun bawah, kakak tuan punya kedai tu tanya nak makan sirih tak. Tak pasti la apa fungsi sirih tapi just for the kick of it, makan ja la. Pertama kali makan sirih ni. Pahit dan pedas dan kelat! Bulih ja nak luah lepas gigit, tapi saya telan. Punya la nak adventure kan.

14. Terus terang saya cakap - buang duit aku ja pi spa2 ni. Mungkin kalau spa lain yg lagi bagus, lain cerita la.

15. Lepas balik spa, singgah rumah florist pi amik sirih junjung. Saya suruh sorang Chinese guy ni buat sirih junjung, dia mmg pandai buat gubah2 bunga ni. Tambah dia baik dan tak mahai, dia kata you bagi budget, I buat setakat mengikut budget you.

16. Sementara tu dok sibuk dengan telefon - call dan SMS dari kawan2 yg dah sampai ke Penang. Masing2 call tanya khabaq, tak kurang jugak call tanya direction nak pi tempat2 makan yg sedap kat Png ni.

17. Balik rumah terus sibuk dgn hantaran. Saya juga buat hantaran sendiri. Ala, setakat bubuh2 ja atas tray tu. Tapi, sebenarnya bubuh2 ja tak menjadi. Tu pengajaran yg saya dpt. Tambah2 last minute ni, byk benda lain nak kena buat, nak susun2 brg atas tray tu amik masa jugak. Dan nak pastikan benda2 tu tak jatuh, amik masa nak secure benda2 tu atas tray. Nasib baik ada kawan baik yg telefon nak mai rumah walaupun saya cakap tak payah.

18. Malam tu jugak sibuk nak hantar brg2 e.g. doorgift, poster dan stand, bunting, bunga pahar ke dewan. Sebab esok pagi2 dah nak nikah kat Masjid Negeri, mmg tak sempat. Tengah hari dah jamuan majlis. Hantaran dah lebih kurang siap, kami sekeluarga pun pi dewan tu, tinjau2 keadaan. Meja2 dan kerusi2 semua dah siap susun, barang2 kami bubuh kat VIP Room kat sebelah dewan. Lega at least tak payah risau pasal dewan.

19. Teringat yg petunjuk jalan tak pasang lagi. Total ada 4 kut. Kat traffic light turun flyover Batu Uban satu, kat traffic light atas sikit dari Pak Husin Tomyam satu, traffic light nak masuk Setia Pearl satu dan last dekat otw nak naik Setia Pearl. Suruh adik2 pi pasang malam tu jugak.

20. Balik rumah, plan nak pakai inai. Inai pun saya nak pakai sendiri, sebab takmau corak2. Dah beli sekotak inai serbuk kat Little India, testing kat jari kelingking dgn ibu jari beberapa minggu lepas, warna dia OK tak gelap sgt. So pakai la, dibantu oleh kawan baik tu. Masa tu dah nak dekat pukul 11 kut. Abang dia pun dah mai nak amik dia, tinggai la saya pakai inai sorang2. Masa tu la bakal suami dok call2, tanya alamat masjid, dewan etc sebab nak masuk dalam GPS, sat call nak confirm pasal rukun2 dalam Islam takut Tok Kadi nak test esok. Adik balik rumah, dia tlg pakaikan inai sat, pastu dia pun masuk tidoq.

21. Sambil2 tu adik dan tunang dia berlatih skrip untuk berucap esok. Adik lagi sorang jadi Miss DJ. So far OK. Formal sangat pun tak best sgt.

22. Dah pakai inai takkan nak basuh terus kan. Tunggu jugak la dalam sejam lebih. Masa tu rasanya dah 1 pagi kut. Basuh2 inai tu, rupa2nya dia tak merah. Dia oren2 ja :( Takkan nak pakai lg sekali, dah lewat dah. Jadi redha ja la. Peringatan buat sapa2 yg nak kahwin tu, buat ja la inai dekat yg profesional. At least tak yah nak panik tgh2 malam sehari sebelum nak kawin.

23. Pastu teringat pulak nak kena buat To-Do List untuk adik2. Keluarga saya tak ramai saudara mara, yg ada pun tak rapat sgt dan ramai yg kat KL, dan akan attend kenduri belah KL. Memandangkan majlis belah Png ni agak kecil, jadi kami sekeluarga dan beberapa org saudara mara ja la yg in-charge. Pulaknya ni kali pertama nak handle majlis yg berskala agak besar mcm ni, sebelum ni setakat buat kenduri doa selamat dan kenduri arwah ja. Oh ya, dan kenduri hari pertunangan saya.

24. Lama jugak buat To-Do List ni, dan sort lagu2 untuk dimainkan sepanjang hari esok. Sampai pukul 3 pagi kut baru siap semua list2 dan reminder untuk adik2 esok.

25. Pastu teringat pulak baju nikah tak iron lagi! Bergegas pi iron baju nikah. Kain dia jenis susah nak iron, dia tetap keronyot jugak. Dah la takda ironing-water tu. Renjis jugak air, OK sikit tapi tak licin habis la. Ah lantak la, mintak2 org tak nampak.

26. OK dah habis. Keluarkan baju2 luaq dan dalam yg nak pakai esok. Tidoq. Masa tu dah 4 pagi :( Konon nak tidoq awai la kan.

27. Pagi2 bangun dalam pukul 6 lebih sebab nak kena pi butik nak makeup, janji pukul 7 pagi. Bergegas bawak baju2, tudung, etc pi butik. Tunggu2 pak andam tak sampai pun, pukul 7.20am baru dia sampai. Cepat2 makeup. Sebenarnya saya sepatutnya makeup kat org lain. Tp oleh kerana pengaruh pengantin2 utara yg lain yg kata makeup oleh mamat ni lagi OK, saya pun tukaq ke mamat ni. Lagi satu yg saya berat hati mak andam yg asal tu dia kata saya kena makeup 2 kali. First untuk nikah (pagi) dan lepas akad nikah kena cuci semua makeup dan start fresh untuk majlis sanding waktu tengahari. Saya takut tak sempat sebab akad nikah pukul 9 pagi, majlis sanding mula pukul 12.30 tgh, tak mau la gamble.

28. Berbalik kepada sesi makeup kat butik tadi, dah siap makeup semua, tgk cermin. I. Effin. Hate. My. Makeup. Saya rasa muka mcm buruk sgt. Mcm nampak lg tua, tak natural. Silap sebab patutnya bawak gambaq sample. Tunjuk kat dia, "Saya nak mcm ni jugak2. Jgn buat mcm lain". Tapi, nak buat mcm mana? Masa tu dah nak dekat 8.30am. Nak nikah lagi 30minit. Nak kena sampai masjid awal sikit.

29. Apa2 la. Org kata dlm gambar nnt nampak OK. Tgk real mmg la makeup nampak sgt heavy. Fine.

30. Call adik suruh mai amik. Depa lambat la pulak, dah tu tersesat2 pulak. Bakal suami dah call, depa semua dah sampai kat masjid. Oh no.

31. Sampai kat masjid lagi 5 minit pukul 9 pagi kot. Atur2 org nak pegang hantaran, then masuk masjid. Amik posisi. Duduk tunggu Tok Kadi. So nervous tgk ramai nya org. Bakal suami, keluarga dan saudara-mara dia yg ramai, kawan2 saya yg ramai, saudara-mara saya.

32. Tok Kadi bagi ceramah, lama betui. Cepat la, panas tau dlm masjid tu. Berpeluh2 habis. Then nak akad nikah. Abah injak amik tempat Tok Kadi. Eh tak tau pulak Abah nak tlg nikahkan. Baguih la. Alhamdulillah, sekali lafaz, saya dah kawin. Hehe.

33. Tak ingat turutan - terima mas kawin, sarung cincin, salam cium tgn. Salam2 dgn saudara mara belah suami. Mak dan Abah sibuk suruh tetamu pi ke luaq ada makan2 sikit. Saya, suami, kawan2 sibuk amik gambaq. Teringat yg tak salam pun Mak dgn Abah :( Tapi kita mana nak ingat semua benda. Everything is a blur to me. Tang ni la makcik2 yg lebih senior memainkan peranan penting untuk ingatkan pengantin, suruh depa salam mak bapak.

34. Teringat, tak dan pun nak amik gambaq dgn ahli keluarga sendiri mahupun ahli keluarga belah suami. Semua sibuk makan, dan kami sendiri kena rush balik rumah tukar baju nak pi butik. Kat sini rasanya photographer mainkan peranan penting untuk panggil ahli keluarga dan saudara-mara untuk amik gambaq.

35. Kat rumah tukar baju sat, makan sikit (sebab lapaq tak makan lagi dari tadi), terus pi butik. Sampai kat butik org ramai betui. Bakal2 pengantin yg lain pun dok bersiap tang tu jugak. Tu la kawin time cuti sekolah. Bukan kita sorang ja yg kawin time tu.

36. Suruh adik pi amik hand bouquet kat butik yg buatkan pelamin dan sepatutnya jadi mak andam saya tadi. Saya ingat, mmg order bunga ros warna champagne. Tapi kakak tu call pagi2 kata dia dah tersalah bagi bunga saya kat org lain, dan yg tinggai bunga org tu iaitu bunga ros warna BIRU (!!!!) dan daisy warna PURPLE (!!!!!!). Tapi, dia jugak ada sediakan bunga PALSU warna pink lembut. Tapi Kak, warna tema saya putih, gold dan peach! Mungkin dia tak sengaja tapi saya rasa dia diam2 sabotaj saya sebab saya tak pi makeup kat dia :(

37. Kat butik, pak andam pun of cos la busy jugak dgn org lain. Lain la kalau kita bayaq dia lebih dan book dia untuk satu hari tu. Suruh dia mai dewan dan bersiap kat dewan. Menyesal jugak, tapi tak guna nyesal time tu.

38. Suruh pak andam tu tone down makeup saya. Bagi nampak lagi natural. Rambt pun, sekadar bagi contoh nak mcm rambut sekian2 artis. Tak bawak gambar pun. Silap lagi...repair2 sikit, nampak macam OK. Off I go. Sementara tunggu adik ipar saya, posing2 amik gambaq kat depan butik. Kawan baik, pengapit2 pun ada kat situ. So nervous!

39. Gamble jugak suruh adik ipar mai, pasai dia pun tak berapa pasti area butik tu. Butik ni masalah dia, mmg nampak dari jalan besaq tapi nak masuk butik tu susah. Jalan sibuk tapi kecik dan takda traffic light. Kat Png mmg payah la, org2 kat sini semua pemandu "kreatif". Kena pandai2 sendiri. Dah la kat blkg ada berderet2 lagi kereta saudara-mara belah suami nak berkonvoi pi dewan. Mmg susah nak keep up dgn keadaan traffic mcm tu.

40. Otw nak pi dewan, adik yg tlg jadi "event manager" dah siap call2, suruh bg cue bila dah nak sampai sebab nak announce, get ready lagu, etc. Kawan2 pun dah msg tanya hang pi mana awat tak sampai2 semua org dah ada tunggu hg ni manager2, director, partner semua ada kami dah nak balik dah ni bye.

41. Sampai dewan, turun kereta. Nampak kawan2 yg baru sampai dan yg dh nak balik. Nervous! Rambut OK tak? Makeup? Baju?

42. Buat entrance melalui tangga, sebab lift yg ada guests guna untuk turun naik ke dewan (dewan kat lower ground).

43. The rest is history - berarak, bersanding, makan beradab (time ni lawak sebab takda sapa nak tlg potong ayam golek tu so self-service kuti ayam, pastu baru caterer tu offer nak pi potong2 ayam tu) - potong kek - amik gambaq dgn tetamu - terima byk angpow - sembang2 dgn tetamu.

44. Dah nak dekat2 habis majlis baru adik2 kata depa tak bubuh VIP doorgifts kat meja pengantin, just bubuh kat meja2 VIP ja! Grr!!! Kesian kat in laws, saudara2 belah lelaki yg duduk dgn pengantin tak dapat hadiah.

45. Lepas habis 4 jam (sewa dewan 4 jam ja) amik gambaq kat area2 dewan, lepas tu pi area Teluk Kumbaq tepi pantai amik gambaq outdoor. Masa ni dah penat sgt. Makeup dah rasa comot sgt (tak touch up lepas keluaq butik), bulu mata palsu mcm nak tercabut (dah cabut masa dalam kereta). Mmg nmpak takda mood dalam gambaq2. Haha.

46. Kesimpulannya, mcm2 drama jugak sebelum hari perkahwinan saya ni. Byk benda yg rasa kalau bulih nak perbaiki lagi, tapi benda dah jadi. At least nnt boleh jadi peringatan kat org lain, esp adik2 saya yg miang nak kawin tahun depan ni. Haha. Cuma pendapat saya, yg mana bulih mintak org buat, pi la outsource kat org. Dlm kes saya ni - baju, hantaran, inai.

47. Yg sedapkan hati, kawan2 yg mai semua ckp majlis sgt relax, laid-back. Ppl can chit chat & hang out, have a piece (or more) of the wedding cake, several helpigs of the food, nice choice of music (ehem). Ada ramai jugak yg suka baju kawin aku yg tak siap tu hehehe.

48. Sapa yg tak dapat mai tu - too bad you miss it, saya tau hampa semua mmg nak mai tapi ada perkara lain yg lebih memerlukan komitmen anda. Yg mai tu, terutama yg dari jauh - Ipoh, KL, Kuantan, Johor, etc - terima kasih byk2. Terharu sgt. Love you ols!

49. Hadiah2 sgt best dan thoughtful, yg bagi angpow pun bulih tahan hehe. Lepaih la belanja sikit2.

50. Sat ja dah setahun...rasa mcm baru beberapa bulan lepaih :(

Robbed!

2010-12-06T00:04:00.005+08:00

Last weekend, my parents and brother-in-law got robbed, back in Malaysia. We are talking about a parang-wielding robbers here. It happened when they were outside a relatives house, waiting to go in. It was during the waiting that the incident happened.

There were 4 of them on 2 motorcycles, only 2 of them got off and threatened the poor victims. Realizing their lives are at stake - they surrendered everything that they had on them. Things could have gone worse if they had retaliated. There were similar cases at a nearby area where 2 people got hurt, as the robbers attacked them with the parang.

It happened in Taman Permata in Keramat. Later they found out (while doing a police report) that they were the 3rd victim on that day itself (blardy robbers!!). The rest of the incidents happened in the adjacent area; AU2, AU3, all Keramat areas. By the way, the robbers are all Malays (makes me sick all over).

Thank God no one got hurt. If it had happened to me...I am sure to hand in all my belongings as well. But I would be pissed off afterwards - having to go thru the pains to recover all the lost identifications, bank cards, etc.

What can we do to avoid such incidents from happening?

1. If you're visiting someone, advisable to give the person a call that you are outside the house, to minimise the time from your car to inside the house compound.

2. Always be alert to your surroundings.

3. If there are not many people in your house, lock up the doors and windows. Because if you got robbed, there are chances of these people aiming at your house since they could trace your address from your lost identifications.

4. Don't panic, of course. Try to remember as much details as you can about them.

5. Better if you don't fight. This may sound cliche but, harta benda boleh dicari, nyawa melayang kalu??

6. Try to carry as little cash as possible to cushion for your loss. Ever heard of debit cards? It really is a wise thing to sign up for. And maybe, we can store our identifications (e.g. IC, driving license, kad nikah, etc) separately? Then put the identifications away in the car, rather than in your bag. In that case, you can leave the house because you have your identifications by your side. But you don't have it in your bag when the robbers got hold of it. Get it? Only take the IDs out if you need them somewhere, e.g. post office. I don't know, do you think it's a wise thing to do? It's such a hassle having to re-apply for those IDs seriously.

Anyway guys, take care OK? The world is really not a safe place for us to live in anymore...

Autumn Roadtrip

2010-12-05T20:58:00.025+08:00

Hi guys...I thought of sharing the pictures that I took while me and a visiting friend from Malaysia went on a short UK roadtrip across the UK exactly 1 month ago...not sure of the geographical location of the places though...but we started from the North-West, Manchester, of course, down to Cotswolds-Oxford-London-Amesbury (Wiltshire)-Bath-London.

It was fun, and challenging of course. None of us had the experience of driving in the UK. But ya ya ya we all heard the old tales of UK drivers being gracious and polite, a far cry from Malaysian's finger-shaking, rude and oh, everything bad, really.

Well honestly...those who said that maybe had the experience driving in the UK decades ago. I think UK drivers are more or less hot-blooded and impatient as do M'sian drivers, well maybe short of the sign languages. They honk and hi-beam at you if they think you are slow (like hello, we are in the slow lane, pls!) and they drive like, really fast (drivers - all same only *pfft*). But I observe one good thing about them is that they really obey the traffic-lights. Yellow means stop. No it doesn't mean speeding 100km/p from 150m far when you see the light turns yellow ahead.
Anyway, back to the roadtrip. It was quite easy for us because of the SatNav (fyi this is my first experience driving listening to the SatNav). True, the SatNav may take us down the ridiculous routes ever - furthest, through the crazy jams, village roads, etc. But in our case, we were like, whatever, especially when the SatNav woman directed us to dunno la some jalan kampung lalu tepi2 rumah orang and kandang2 khinzir semua, to us it was an adventure!

Reminds me of scenes out of Enid Blyton's books...enjoy the pics!

A narrow jalan kampung...one lane only...ya people took over our car all the time!

Vast vast fields...with lots of sheeps but somehow the sheeps disappear from the pic

This is the car that we drove in! Haha :P

Our 1st stop- Cotswolds' Motor Museum

Beautiful Cotswolds - its known for small pretty little cottages like these

Cute shops in Cotswolds...cute kan nama kedai "Bits and Bobs" and "Small Talk Tea Room"

Mini or "Model" Village, the whole town was captured in this mini village, even the kedai Bits and Bobs and Small Talk Tea Room tadi (see below)

Ni ha - nampak tak?

After that we went to Oxford but by the time we arrived - thanks to SatNav yang bawak masuk jalan kampung dan tak masuk highway, it was already dark in Oxford. Wanted to go to the church where they filmed the Harry Potter movie, but of course, it was closed. That's what you get if you travel during autumn or winter...it gets dark by 3pm! You really had to maximise your daylight, so proper planning is advised. Hmm our case? Go with the flow ja laaa...huhu.

Then we head towards London - we are staying few nights at Lynn's house. Gosh, a sudden rush of adrenaline went through me when we are nearing London...can't believe I'm back, after 4 years...have always adore London...sungguh tak percaya, macam nak nangis pun ada...huhu...eh hello drama queen, pi main jauh2!!!

Anyway so good to see Lynn and the family yet again! Their house is nice and spacious...lama tak naik rumah yang bertangga2 ni...huhu...dan best jugak sebab makan mmg sedap :P

OK more pics! Next day's destination is Stonehenge and Bath! Sempat ke tak...mari kita lihat!

The magical Stonehenge. It was first built prolly 3100 BC. Is it like, arnd 5000 years ago? FYI the area surrounding this is vast vast field of land...sejauh mata memandang...so isn't it amazing how ppl 5000 yrs ago can actually transport stones of these sizes? And it was a hilly area - all the more make it more astonishing. Transporting these stones was an enormously impressive achievement, as most of the stones weighed more than 4 tonnes each.

There are debates of what is the purpose of the building of the Stonehenge. Some says it is for the astronomical observation, as there are solar and lunar alignments to be found in the final arrangement of the stones. Like if you visit the Stonehenge at a certain time of the year, you can the kedudukan of the sun or moon or something like that la. Terrer betul orang purbakala ni no.

Anyway most concluded that it is more of a multipurpose ceremonial centre, relating to fertility, death and rebirth. There are remains of quite a few cremations and other burials nearby and inside the circle. Believe it or not, I only know of these facts while Googling to help me with this blog entry...masa kat sana sibuk amik gambar tak heran pun pasal the history behind! :P

What do you feel about a short lesson on History? OK...enough babbling!

It was cold! And shortly after - it rained and we were drenched :( (inside pic is Shammy - the friend who visited from Msia)

Next destination - Bath:

We only managed to cover 1 local attraction - The Roman Baths. Well basically it is a public bathing area, the water comes from a hot spring with a temperatre of 46 degree Celcius. The hot spring was discovered in the 836 BC and gradually the complex was built surrounding the area in the later years.

To me the place was quite eerie, like somehow you can feel the presence of the people in those centuries who used to walk on the steps...well you know la those times where witches and wizards exist...in the museum you can even read some letters written by these people to God, complaining about stolen items etc together with curses for the thieves, complaints about a certain witch and many more. You have to be there to feel the eerie-ness.

"The Great Bath" - the bigger bathing area - pic Googled

More pics of The Great Bath - pic Googled

Macam ni agaknya orang dulu2 yg mai mandi kat sini - pic Googled

The town of Bath. I think the town itself is quaint and somewhat creepy...

Then we headed back to London. Had dinner at Tayyab's located in Farringdon, London. It was Thursday night but omg the crowd!! The was a long2 queue, mostly the people inside were Mat Salih...British ppl nowadays are more acceptive towards Asian food, e.g. curries. Read somewhere this Restaurant served the second best curry - the first, of course Mr Gordon Ramsay himself. Haha.

While I was in London managed to eat 3 kinds of food that I have been wanting to eat...crepe from that popular crepe stall in Hamsptead, the red velvet cake at the Hummingbird Bakery, Notting Hill and of course, Taza kebab in Bayswater!!

-The crepe sedap gila! Too bad no pics from my camera :( (ada tp dlm camera Shammy)

-Taza kebab, toksah cakap la memang sedap habis...

-And the cake too! You'll go to heaven on the first bite!

* Slurp*

Sorry la to bore you guys with a long and boring entry...huhu bye!

Wake Me Up When It's December

2010-12-03T02:00:00.004+08:00

What's in the month of December??

Our 1st wedding anniversary! Time flies!

Above pic is the parcel the MIL sent over, inside were cili kering, udang kering, ikan bilis, daun pandan, daun kunyit, serbuk kunyit, belacan (!!!) and of course, MILO!!! Some of the things here can't find in the UK - belacan and Milo (ada Milo dari Nigeria tapi rasa lain macam sikit). The rest of the stuffs we can get from the Chinatown, but blardy expensive!! Actually, considering the postage cost here (RM108) better off to buy here in the UK...Those stuffs only cost MIL RM30 je...

Comel ja note dalam kotak tu...one-of-a-kind anniversary gift~!

Snowy Mowy

2010-12-02T02:51:00.005+08:00

Finally it snowed in Manchester!! People say that it is a rare event for snow to fall in this North-West part of the UK...cos Manchester is actually is a valley and sebelum snow sempat sampai here dia dah turun kat the mountains dulu...betul ka...wallahu'alam...

Apa pun I am very excited by the snow...one night I was sleeping and hubby happily woke me up and said snow is falling...uhh...groggy2 pun sempat bangun ke tingkap and yelped yay...

This is my first encounter with real snow...that's why I sounded jakun and peghak...pardon me la OK...cheq mai dari Penang...Penang takdak snow...when I was in London it never snowed when I was there! Always snowed when I was back home in Malaysia...

Anyway here are some pics...

Can you see the snow falling? It's this morning abt 10am...view from the living room window

This is taken about 2 weeks ago, nice view of the lake and the ducks

Exact spot..now lake all froze up and covered with snow...kesian ducks...can't swim

I wanted to built a snowman earlier at the park...siap bawak carrot to put as a nose...but hubby mcm malu2 kat org2 sekeliling...apa la...bukan depa kenai kita pun...so penat la buat snowman sorang2...nak angkut2 snow...maybe we will wait in a couple of days if the snow thickens...then it is easier *praying that more snow will fall soon*

Little home project

2010-11-23T02:46:00.009+08:00

Thought I might share some of the things I did ever since I moved into our new house in Manchester.

We are not blessed with a furnished house, that's right, the house was bare when we moved in. We had to scout for furniture ourselves, and we can't afford expensive furniture, really. I mean, even if we could, why would we, spend on something of a temporary basis? Too huge to lug them back in the bag with us later on!

First thing I bought was a small 4-seater dining table. Got it off a charity shop for GBP30. In the picture on the website it looked good but when I went to check out the item, gosh! Can see the pure creamy off-white colour that it used to be, under those years of stains me myself hate to figure out what. Geli! Anyway, considering the place and the price, it's a sinful of me to complain. Plus the guy at the shop suggested of a way to make it look almost brand new.

So I took his suggestion.

*Eee sapa laa tak reti nak minum/makan betui2 nih*

Almost new!

I used a super glue and a cheap fabric bought off Ikea for only GBP2.07 for 1.5m

Raya Haji 2010

2010-11-18T02:08:00.010+08:00

Salam Aidiladha people!

We in the UK celebrate Raya a day earlier, i.e. on 16th November. Barely 2 months here, and comes the challenge of celebrating Raya without beloved families and friends!! And hubby has classes on the Raya day as well - can it be much worse?!!

Initially me and hubby planned to solat raya at this school in Cheetham Hill. The solat raya there will be conducted by the Malay community, for there are a lot of Malaysians in that area. But in the end we scrapped the idea as we are not familiar with the area, and it's a bit far from our place. Hubby went for solat raya with his uncle at a nearby mosque in Whalley Range where were live, but he said it was a whole new experience as the khutbah was in Urdu (the only words he understood were insaan & doonya). There was no takbir raya as well! Ohhh tak sah Raya without takbir raya ok!! Cara solat pun lain, and due to the health and safety issues/ regulations, korban activities were not done out in the open...don't know where. Maybe some pusat penyembelihan...

Since I am now a housewife(!!), I planned to cook some food and invite people over. Not that we know a lot of people here in Manchester though. Haha. So we invited a friend, Shaheeda with her husband and 2 adorable kids, and hubby's uncle and aunt.

And I cooked:

Nasi tomato

Ayam masak cabai hidup

Homemade popiah

Considering this is my first time whipping up these dishes, and the lack of the ingredients in my house - no bunga cengkih, bunga lawang, jintan manis etc, the taste is not too bad (quoting the visitors! Not me trying to be perasan! Haha)

A wise friend once told me, if you are in a foreign country, you can't depend on others to make you happy or create life experiences for you. You yourself have to create the mood for any occasions. In Malaysia you have the TV to air the takbir raya for you and your mom to cook ketupat and rendang. Kita just goyang kaki je tunggu tetamu mai rumah.

Here, I can choose to snuggle in my duvet and sleep well into the afternoon. No takbir, no Raya dishes. But then, what will I learn by doing that?

Even though this Raya is not as joyous and happening as back in Malaysia, I have never been this tired by preparing dishes, never.

Tired, but satisfied. Now where's the takbir raya mp3?

After 4 years...

2010-11-17T01:42:00.000+08:00

Me & Hubby at The Beatles Museum, Albert Dock, Liverpool

I am back in this land of GB. That explains my long absence from blogworld. Those final few weeks before the departure were depressing, stressful and melancholic. First my resignation from the firm (finally! Bye bye EY!), then came Raya, packing up, meeting and saying farewells to friends and families...

I used to want to give my all to return here after I came back in July 2006.

Now? I wish I was more thankful and grateful for everything that I had back in my homeland.

Dasar manusia, memang tak pernah bersyukur dengan apa yang ada!!!

Anyway, hope I can learn and experience new things, to bring back sweet memories when our time is up. Not everyone dare to take this risk and be given this opportunity.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha to everyone!

Selamat Hari Raya!

2010-09-08T19:03:00.002+08:00

Day 29th.
Last day of tarawikh, insha Allah.
So excited, first time raya as husband and wife :D
But husband is still not here...waiting on our visa which is not ready yet.
And probably will not be ready by next week as well.
Which only means one thing.

Flight to the UK has to be delayed (which already is, by the way, to Oct 1st).

Me - Happy lah, can raya longer in Malaysia...weehuu!!
Hubby - Not happy, if he happens to be missing any classes...Kesian la pulak kat pakcik tu...Excited nor nak masuk kelas balik...

Maybe there is a blessing in disguise - insha Allah we will able to meet both of extended families during this Raya, ever since our marriage we did not really properly visit all the relatives and thank them for attending our wedding and of course, get to know each other better...Also, a proper farewell before both of us are off to the UK...

Whoever wants to visit us this raya - you're most welcomed!

Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir dan batin...

Rock on 3

2010-09-03T17:25:00.002+08:00

Today, 3rd Sept 2007 commemorates the 3-year anniversary of me being a mere employee of a reputable big 4 accounting firm.

What initially planned to be a 2-year stint extended to an additional year.

Despite all everything - hellish workload, even more hellish managers and practically everyone in the firm, it's not that bad, really. You may break down and give up but I think it is all worth it in the end.

If I am not going to the UK I might still be around in the firm for another year, I think. Or two. Maybe three?

I guess time's up for me.

Oh! 3 years also means I have fulfilled the criteria to apply my way in to this secret-strictly-by-invitation-only elite club which is more like a super funky bar designed to look like an adult entertainment set, where sun-kissed goddesses wait on cashed-up men. Erm, not :P

Hmm now to think of something "special" to treat myself after all these years...

When you're just an employee

2010-08-22T08:00:00.003+08:00

Recently tendered my resignation at a reputable accounting firm. Needless to say I am pretty disappointed with how they deal with the staff welfare.

Not to mention that my hard-earned OT hours thrown down the drain (I am aware of this matter but when it actually happened to me, oh well, I know I shouldn't have given 110% for the past 3 yrs :P )

Definitely not the ridiculous policy of not allowing a resignee to utilise their annual leaves (AL).

Or when they ask back for an expense reimbursement recently cleared in yours truly paycheck.

But when they told that their policy is to purposely withhold your 1-page general testimonial which is probably printed from a template and signed, for 6 effin months at least -

...that is just a stroke that broke the camel's back.

So Long...

2010-08-21T07:20:00.003+08:00

Been ages since I last wrote! Haha. OK to recap (and insha Allah will elaborate in future entries):-

1. Bought myself a spiffy new camera! Yay!
2. Going to say the final bye bye to my firm in 6 days' time (after exactly 3 yrs)
3. Will fly off to the UK on 2nd day of Raya

Too many things happening...no time to think or feel about the events going on around me...

Musim kahwin

2010-06-06T00:47:00.002+08:00

Oh it's the wedding season again.

There were so many invitation cards on the coffee table at home.

Reminds me of my own wedding(s).

Which again, reminds me that I haven't really wrote much about my weddings, have I?

Will make it a point to write about things that happen just before, during and after the weddings, lest I forgot as time goes by.

Miss my weddings :(

Mok

2010-06-06T00:23:00.004+08:00

Saya sudah gemuk.

Sangat terasa di bahagian paha, seluar ketat!

Now I am running out of pants to wear. I just feel like locking myself up in the room and not see the world. Then I can hide from everyone, and huddled on a corner of my bed in my comfy baggy pyjama bottom.

I wish that wearing baggy pyjama bottom as an office-wear is considered cool and hip (pun intended).

Solutions for a slimmer pair of legs:

1. More gym visits - treadmill, cycling and elliptical for cardio, leg press for weight resistance.

2. Puasa!! - lagi 3 hari to replace before the next Ramadhan. Attempt to wake up for sahur every single day of last week failed! And now am on red flag pula, sigh!

3. Bootcamp!!! A friend's friend lost 15kg on this one-month programme. Very intense training,
satisfaction guaranteed!

Not So Bad After All

2010-05-16T23:06:00.006+08:00

Wow it's May, halfway into 2010 already. I am, still, at this point of time, referring 2010 as "two-oh-ten" rather than "twenty-ten", which apparently, as per Hub, is not the right way to say it. And I still am not used to write dates as 16.05.10, and 16.05.2010 takes up too much calories.

Anyway, May means we're inching into 6 months of our marriage. Which means...hmmm hey nothing happened, not yet :p Sure, people are asking. What to do, tak ada rezeki. Kalau ada, alhamdulillah. As of now, I'm happy the way things are. Am still adjusting to the married way of life (yea yea still, after 6 months). Things are slowly falling into place.

Work-wise, things are getting better. It's all just a matter of time, apparently I was a bit mereng during my period of adjustment. Reading back my old entries, I was like gosh, overnya aku ni. When did I turn into such an emotional wreck! Pls ignore my terlebih-over previous blog entries, they are not me! I was possessed!! Now dah slowly accepting things as they are, dealing with things calmly and clearer state of mind (perasan diri cool, calm and collected la ni). Blek.

Ohh the 2-week outstation job in Penang really help me in finding my old self back (eh orang hantar suruh pi buat kerja bukan pergi meditasi). Driving through the familiar roads, the sound of the Hokkien accent (walaupun sampai sekarang masih tak faham 100%), bahasa Utara, home sweet home, the sight of the beach, gave me all the comfort that I need to make me realize that I am doing what I'm doing cuz I have a mission.

How can you not keep your sane, when you start your morning being in this sort of surrounding:

It was both great and challenging at the same time. Great cuz well, I so need this sort of getaway, it just came at the right moment. Challenging in a way that I need to gather up strength to realize I'm here to do what I am supposed to do, and leading a team let alone managing people is not that easy I tell you...but alhamdulillah things went allright.

Wanna show you something, realized of this existence in the hotel room in the 2nd week of our stay:

A pair of shoe-prints! They are permanent, God knows how long they've been there. But looks like kasut orang dulu-dulu kan. The floor was solid good quality wood, really have no idea how can these be imprinted on the hardwood floor. But during our stay there, we did not have any weird experiences, syukur sangat.

Don't Know If I Want It...

2010-05-15T18:35:00.000+08:00

Just found out something that might require me to overhaul my plan for the next 1 year at least. Plans for career, lifestyle, well basically everything.

Thought it would not happen (or maybe I was being too ignorant).

And it's going to happen very soon, the realization of it being too soon scares me.

I really2 want it, initially. I vow to myself that I will return. I always know that I will. But after some time maybe I got too comfortable being where I am, doing what I am doing. I am just being too complacent.

But of course, I am happy. But the responsibility that comes with it makes me chicken out. It was not like how it was 5-6 years ago.

Aaa...can I just delay it???

What's A Fortnight?

2010-04-19T00:32:00.003+08:00

Tomorrow I'm leaving for an outstation assignment for at least 2 weeks.

Means I'm going to be away from Mr. B for at least a fortnight.

Well, not that we haven't been separated for a very long time before. Our relationship was initially based on 7,000 miles long-distance.

But still, my heart is very heavy to leave T.T

(For all I know, he's jumping for joy inside - can play hours of uninterrupted FF13 and watch his downloaded shows without me nagging for him to stop)

At a hotel compound during our vacation last time, we once overheard a father said to his young sons after sending the mother off - "Mama dah takde, malam ni kita enjoy!!!"

Rest and Responsibility

2010-04-07T21:40:00.004+08:00

Why don't some people just take charge of their own job? Where is their sense of responsibility?

We know lah you're on a vacation. We totally understand the situation you're going through, we stretch all the way out to stand-in on behalf of you when you're away.

But hey, it doesn't mean once you board on the next plane out you can wave your responsibility goodbye. Remember that someone else had to endure an extra work baggage just to let yourself have a bit of fun in the sun.

Ultimately, if we're facing a bit of a difficulty about your job, we expect to be able to turn to you for advise (though it doesn't help what you left us is a big pile of *censored*). My dear, not that we are too dense to have your number on speed dial and bug you every 2 hours with phone calls. We know how it feels to be distracted on your vacation. All we ask is one text reply. Which is crucial for the benefit of the team, and future for some. Give us an indication pls! One indication, that's all we need. So we can all move on.

Calls went unanswered, texts unreplied.

And when your job interferes with my job and my future, I think that's too much. I got to take care of the eggs in my own basket too, if you know what I mean.

What I Need Now...

2010-04-06T19:36:00.003+08:00

are these sinful sweet colourful delights!!!

Sedap giler wa cakap lu...worth the trip all the way to PJ Seksyen 17 naik bukit turun bukit cari rumah Aunty ni... Last time I ordered was in 2007, just ordered these recently and this Aunty still ingat me... She also does cream puffs (yang ni pun mmg gila sedap), brownies, cakes, any sort of desserts just tell her she can do it...

Aunty ni mmg dah lama buat cupcakes, even way way before the cupcake mania hit the country several years back...

While other cupcakes nampak ja sedap tapi rasa mcm hampeh, yg ni mmg best! Very sweet, but you won't regret the extra calories! Hehe.

ps: Nak order kalu, ask me for the contact number ya.

A little bit unwell...

2010-04-05T22:55:00.004+08:00

Awat sejak dua menjak ni rajin dok tulis kat blog pulak? Entah la...mungkin sebab malas nak buat kerja kot :P

Anyway I changed the layout of the blog to make it way simpler, pening pulak dok tengok riben2 dan bunga2 ni. Semak mata tau! And changed the font to make it smaller, if anyone out there thinks it's way too small, let me know OK! (Eleh mcm ramai sgt org dok baca blog ni hehe).

Mama is a bit unwell. Her knee popped when she was hiking yesterday at Bukit Jambul. She was alone when it happened, bro and sis macam biasa lah...mengeroh tak ingat dunia...and Mak seperti biasa handphone bubuh bawah bantal kat atas katil, so terpaksa laa pinjam handphone Apek mana tah nak call bro suruh mai amik dia kat atas bukit.

Sampai2 atas bukit tengok dia dengan beberapa hikers yang agak concerned dgn keadaan Mak. So sis and bro papah la dia turun bukit pelan-pelan. 2 jam you....if not turun dalam 15 minit ja...first time my sis kata turun bukit 2 jam...hahaha...

Pi x-ray kat klinik, doktor kata its due to the liquid that cushions the joints dried up...cartilage kot nama dia kalau tak silap. And so the joints bergesel. Mak gets a 3-day MC and some dose of glucosamine and painkillers. And no hiking for 6 months. Ha, macam mana tu Mak? Kena aerobik dalam bilik la macam ni...tak pon join George of the Jungle kat Youth Park...hehehe. Jgn tak tau, Mak ni pendaki bukit tegar, seminggu kena naik at least 5 kali.

Bro and sis dok buat lawak pulak...kata cewah harini Mak berkobar2 pi naik bukit awal pagi, konon lepas tu nak pi market nak masak tomyam la, kari, roti surai (roti jala), etc etc...sekali terus tak bulih jalan daa...

Hubby told me Mak kena kuruskan badan la lepas ni...supaya berat badan tak membebankan lutut...Kalau Mak baca ni mesti dia kata..."Kureng asem betui...." :P

Irregularities

2010-04-05T15:15:00.003+08:00

It's that time of the month again...

Feels like it was just couple of weeks ago that I went through it...

I suppose the hormone inside me went haywire again.

Blame it on work-related stress! =.=

-------------------------

On another note, the past weekend was spent reading this 1 blog which I accidentally stumbled upon. She is the older sister of a friend whom I used (and still) to be fond of. Like, I really look up upon her. Very successful and wise woman, positive-minded, has such a good heart, not to mention a looker too. But haven't met up with her for quite some time, last time was during my wedding in Penang. So, it's interesting to read her sister's blog, it's like catching up with my this friend of mine. Cara melawak macam sama ja ;p

------------------------

Just registered myself to a swimming course today. Among my objectives to achieve this year is to learn how to swim! (Plus MIL has been asking me about it several times, she even volunteered to call up on behalf of me. OK OK I know I'm fat :P )

Keropok Lekor Di Atas Siling

2010-04-04T16:07:00.008+08:00

Peringatan: Walaupun keropok lekor nampak sedap tapi ia mampu berubah menjadi satu objek yang sangat mengerikan

This happened to me abt a month ago. It was one fine Sunday evening and everyone was at the living room watching TV (except for hubby, he was at work - kesian kena kerja hari Ahad). It was natural on any evening that you'd feel hungry and wanted something to munch on. So someone voiced out that keropok lekor would be a great tea time snack. MIL said that there were a few batangs of keropok lekor in the freezer, and me (trying to be a super-daughter-in-law) naturally volunteered to fry those slimey stuffs.

I took out the keropok out of the freezer - keraih kedekiang I tell you...malas nya nak tunggu dia lembut...MIL said I can rebus the keropok, but the lightbulb in my head goes ting! Mari kita rendam dia dalam air panas! Memang bernas sungguh, tak sampai 10 minit dah lembut2 keropok tu...hence I cut them into short pieces of about 2-3 inches each.

The wok was already hot with the oil in it, so I put in a few keropok to fry. The first batch went fine, but the keropok sort of stuck to each other and the wok (I wonder why?). It was very frustrating!

In went the second batch. When they were halfway fried, one of them went a bit menggelembung (apparently this type of keropok lekor sort of has a layer or skin surrounding it) and a loud POP! The skin burst and ripped open, and you can see the isi keropok inside. Which looked a bit uncooked.

From the living room MIL called over "Sha are you OKKK?", I went "Yea I'm fine, this keropok dunno why letup2 pulakkk" Sambil menyumpah2 dalam hati keropok bodoh ni, time ni jugak la kau nak letup. Expired ke apa keropok ni. Jgn malukan aku pls.

Then, as if they can hear me cursing, another keropok went POP! And another! And blardy anotherrr!! Really loud popping I tell you, so loud until the MIL came scurrying into the kitchen, with the look of utmost concern on her face. She asked me what did I do, I told her what I did. Which is basically soaking the keropok in air panas and into the wok (which I think was a smart thing to do-seriously).

In the midst of that, went another loud explosion (oh well, it felt like an explosion at that time).Not any mere explosion, siap dengan minyak panas merecik tau. And the keropok jumped out of the kuali! Both of us screamed again, quickly turn off the dapur. A series of explosion followed, we screamed again and ran outside through the door. Memang jerit ketakutan I tell you....

I found it funny that I could not stop laughing. MIL looked a bit scared, and concerned asking me whether I'm OK, examined my face and said "Eh, kena minyak ke ni". I said "No laa, ni jerawat la Mak....". Bongok kau jerawat! But I did get a couple of hot oil splashes on my hand.

While we were outside, a couple or so explosions came about. I did not think my MIL see it, but one keropok exploded, and jumped up, and melekat atas siling! Like, literally lompat dan melekat berjuntai atas siling! I saw it and laughed and laughed. MIL looked puzzled but I don't want to point it out to her - I'm sooo malu!!!! Total kitchen mishap!

After a while we went back in, MIL somehow found a penutup kuali and slowly approaching the dapur one step at a time, extending the cover in front of her, macam perisai. What a cute scene I tell you!!

I suppose the oil cooled down, and there were no more popping. MIL told me that maybe we should rebus the whole keropok again, upon post-mortem we discovered that the internal part of the keropok is still cool and hard, thus the imbalance in the pressure of the internal and external part of the keropok that made it explode in the kuali. And apparently the shortcut that I took by soaking the keropok in air panas does not make the heat distribute evenly to the inner part of keropok. OK since when do frying keropok lekor needs a good command of scientific knowledge?

And so we rebus the keropok through and through, and fried them. Miraculously, not a single explosion this time. Damn you keropok. You successfully embarrassed me. I'm sure MIL would think, "Takkan nak kena aku masuk kitchen jugak baru nak get things right?" :(

In the mean time, while MIL had her back to the dapur, the keropok yang dok terjuntai atas siling tu pun gugur masuk balik dalam kuali.

Nasib baik keropok lekor yang digoreng semua habis dimakan.

But I am so not going to fry any keropok lekor ever again!!!

Nasib baik hubby kat tempat kerja, if not he would never make me forget this incident! But I did tell him when he came back from work, he laughed and said "teruknya you ni...". Which did not help console me.

Lesson learnt: When in the kitchen, there is no such thing as short-cuts!

Pet Peeve #1

2010-04-04T14:29:00.004+08:00

I have this thing about Chinese with their perasan English names.

I can live peacefully with Jeremy Chan, Sharon Tan, Jason Lim, Alex Khoo, Sarah Cheng (surnames are randomly attached for illustration purposes).

But when it comes to Angel Lee, Barbie Chow, Rachel Angie Lim (this one takes the cake-apa kau ingat kau ni Hollywood star?), Apple Wong (if your mom's called Gwyneth Paltrow, silakan), Donovan, Tristan (omg are you like a Roman warrior in your past life?), Summer. There was this lady at my previous workplace, called Honey Tan or Teh or something. I won't complain if she is a sweet and pleasant lady. The thing is, her face is always sulky and she can be very mean! I got scolded by her once, without any good reason. And you call yourself Honey?

I bumped into a guy who called himself Bacfree Lim (bacteria-free; get it?) Cuz he sells those RO water filter thingy.

Oh, I noticed that there is this obsession amongst the girls with the name that sounds something like "Reen" or "Lynn" at the end. Like Cherlynn, Shareen, Charlene. Bestnya bulih pilih nama sedap2 kalau tak suka nama mak bapak bagi.

Macam ni I pun nak la....glamour sikitttt...

Eh, but I'm not a racist tau...far from it!!

Dah dah....pi sambung buat kerja tu....

That Thing You Do

2010-04-01T23:06:00.004+08:00

...when you're forced by your wife to. =P

Hubby tried so hard to make me feel at home, at my new home. FYI I moved down to KL from my hometown Penang shortly after our wedding. One of the most emotional episodes in my life, things in KL are not exactly a bed of roses for me (read: work). Thus hubby is willing to revamp his whole room (FYI I'm living with the in-laws) and trusted lil ol me to decorate his room (don't get me started to describe how the room was, before). Nak bagi aku happy la tu. Lagi stress ada la... :S There were soooo many things in his room I just don't know where to chuck them!

Anyway here are a few pics I snapped, within the span of 3 months ago when I started to move in...

Painting the room lilac. Not my choice of colour, but his. Though I like purple/pink but it never crossed my mind to have our bedroom wall painted with any purple/pink hues. That's soo 6 years old pls! I was thinking along the line of some natural, earthy tones but he insisted lilac. Said he wanted something different. Errr, who's the male one, again?

Him kissing the toilet bowl cuz I asked him to...not! Haha. This is him changing the toilet bowl seat and some how the screw tu at different ends so no choice gotta hug the toilet bowl in order to tighten up the screw. LOL. "Look honey, I'm even willing to hug the toilet bowl for you!".

The rat race lifestyle

2010-03-29T23:09:00.003+08:00

Hate my KL lifestyle.

Hate my KL lifestyle.

Hate my KL lifestyle.

It's making me oh-so-fat. And I got more zits than usual now, on my face.

No time to exercise.

And have I mentioned dinner at 10pm average, everyday?

Hey, I'm pretty much in shape. Round is a shape, is it not?

Weekend Images

2010-03-29T22:38:00.008+08:00

Harlo...thought wanna put up some pics from last weekend activities (macam la ada orang dok tunggu nak tengok). Hahaha. Well some images for me to flip back in the future and remember the fun (tiring, maybe) times I had last weekend!

Yours truly tgh try guna mesin rumput. First time mowing a lawn (ok I know, I'm peghak), instead of mowing in a straight line I went excited and pusing2, nasib baik garden tak jadi macam rupa dalam cerita Signs yang M. Night Shyamalan direct tu. Ekeke. Sorry gambar mcm berpinar2, Hubbs cakap ni one of the effects of capturing pictures. Can't see the rationale.

This is Hubbs, yang all the time throughout the mowing activity spoke with a Chinese accent (cuz I'm supposed to look like Cina Bukit, remember?) And suddenly changed accent to an Australian accent (perasan jadi Steve Irwin) bila nampak garden cockroaches (below pic) and pretending he is in Crocodile (or rather, Cockroach) Hunter.

Garden cockroaches underneath the stone steps. So many of these. Geliiiiii.

Weekend Mania

2010-03-28T23:35:00.002+08:00

What a totally work-free weekend.

On Saturday went running (or rather, walking) with Hubbs at the Lake Garden. It's a great place to go for a run...somehow it reminds me of the Hyde Park in London...and Lake Garden is huge...Takde la kena jog in circles...boring tau...And I found out you can do water activities there, e.g. rowing, canoeing, surf bikes and yang kayuh2 ada bumbung tu...and so cheap too! RM3/person for 30mins...Will probably try the rowing next weekend. After that we excitedly went to eat nasik lemak Tanglin (it's within the Lake Garden, opp. the Govt Clinic) - only to find out that the one we ate was kedai sebelah punya!!! Tu la makan thru order lagi. Lain kali beratur sendiri. Patut la rasa tak sedap semacam... :(

Balik rumah I did some household chores; sapu & mop lantai, basuh baju, masak sayur. Haha. Nak masak bombastik tak reti la kan. Tolong2 potong bawang bulih la... Kesiannya my FMIL dapat menantu macam ni *tsk*

Then went to MV for a little shopping with my child (teen?)hood friend. I wanted to get some work attires...but could not find nice ones...just bought one piece. And managed to grab a couple of running pants.

At night went out on a date with Hubbs at KLCC, had dinner at Sakae Sushi. Yums! But was still full from brekky and lunch. And oh, it was Earth Hour too. Was a bit surprised to hear ppl making announcement at Suria KLCC, when we saw the lights were dimmed only we remembered it was Earth Hour. Hubbs is so AGAINST the Earth Hour. Don't ask me why. Him and his anti-mainstream thinking. Part of the reason why we were at Sakae Sushi, cuz the restaurant was most brightly-lit than the other restaurants. LOL.

Then comes Sunday.

Ah... Woke up early for a run. Did not wake Hubbs up (thought he needed the rest and plus, if he comes along means I would have to walk, again - Sorry Bee, huhuhu). Had a pleasant run but today the Lake Garden was a bit noisy due to some marathon event so there were canopies with loud music. Grr.

Went back home, had brekky (can't eat nasik lemak again - ate sooo much yesterday so today I vowed to eat healthily) and MIL asked Hubbs to mow the lawn. He was a bit malas2 but I volunteered to help. Teringin nak guna mesin potong rumput... And so we mowed the lawn... Had fun! I donned a straw hat which I found in the store, Hubbs thinks I looked like Cina Bukit. Sigh. What else is new?

Lunch...oh this is awesome. Had the yummiest and tastiest lunch ever. We have been wanting to try out the Mendy rice (some Yemeni food) recommended by a friend at Hadramawt, a Yemeni restaurant. So today (since dapat gaji and all, why not belanja FMIL kan, plus yours truly tak reti masak haha) we went to Hadramawt to bungkus. One portion can feed 2-3 orang I tell you, banyak! Even it is pricey, you only buy half of the number of people.

And sangat sedap...bak kata FIL, sedap sampai nak menangis...Masa makan tu tak tau berapa kali perkataan sedap keluar. LOL. Sila lah try... (hope ada balance nasik tu untuk makan esok heheh).

Kesimpulannya, it's really a work-free weekend.

Which means, the whole week must work macam orang gila. OMG.

Nak lari dari kegilaan ini!!! Help!!

You Don't Like It?

2010-03-26T23:16:00.002+08:00

Wow, been ages since I last wrote. Blame it on my job, pls! However, things have started to get a wee bit better. Cuz I somehow managed to conclude an engagement (read: task, not pertunangan) and focus on the other one. Rather than having to juggle 2 at once. Really got no time I tell you, even to think!

But still. I wish I have more free time on my hand. To spend on myself, and family. Friends, too.

I wish I have more team members to assist me in my engagements. Or at least put in someone who is responsible, independent, self-initiative, understanding, among others. But alas, what have I got instead? Don't get me started.

Do you really need me to tell you one by one on what needs to be done? Can't you see I'm struggling? Drowning? Can't you go the extra mile to find out what could be done to help lessen my burden? And oh, that face... I know you're unhappy. You think I am? You think I like it, directing you to complete those tasks? If I have another pair of hands and brain, I'd gladly do everything on my own.

You can sit there and look pretty, thank you.

*Tak pasal-pasal ter-emo pulak malam2 Jumaat ni*

Anyway, don't know why the whole day I felt like as if I'm floating. Felt so dazed...and my eyes were so heavy throughout the day. Was it something that I ate? Well, had Subway for breakfast and normal black coffee. Nothing extraordinary.

So today was not a very productive day for me at work. Spent half the time surfing...but somehow managed to complete the Inventory section. Not bad. Anyway, it's not helping that today's Friday. TGIF! And the salary is in today! Yehuu...

Called Hubs to suggest that we go out tonight...but it rained and with the Friday traffic...urght... As usual, dinner was ready when I reached home. Makan kat rumah aja la. Maybe tomorrow can go out...Oh, need to run tomorrow morning!!! My fave black pants is already tight at the thighs! "-_-

That Moment In Time...

2010-02-23T17:24:00.002+08:00

Us during our pre-honeymoon in Cameron Highlands

I want to do more travelling with hubs. Any destination will do.

But too bad, I am stuck in the worst job ever.

Almost 2 Months...

2010-02-13T22:02:00.004+08:00

I'm unhappy.
No, it's not my married life.
But with my work. Situation is dire here, things are very bad.
Good thing hubby is near. He has been very supportive so far.
But how long can he withstand my crazy work schedule?
Hari-hari balik rumah so stressed up.

I want to escape!

Been A Month...

2010-01-20T22:33:00.002+08:00

...since we got married. The first 2 weeks it hasn't really dawned on me that I am a married woman now, as I was still in to Penang to work on an assignment, life was normal, living with my family like it was before I got hitched.

But I asked for a transfer to the firm's branch in KL, and I'll report to work tomorrow. So nervous... the feeling is like going for the first day at school. I did this before, I've worked in KL but somehow the 2 years-odd of working in Penang has made me more laidback and sort of take things pretty easier on life...and to move back to the hectic KL...

Right now am living with the in-laws...I have been here before, but before I was a guest. Now I am part of the household. It sure feels different... My Mom told me to help MIL out as much as I can especially in the kitchen department. Mom knows I am not that handy in the kitchen... Well I could only try to do my best... Basuh-basuh pinggan or potong-potong bawang OK la... Nak masak a complete dish... That is challenging I think... If cook for the hubby alone I can manage... But the whole household... :O

Too many things to cope with in the past one month and few months to come... Working in KL (in the possibly worst service line to work in, in terms of working hours - auditing), living with the in-laws, leaving my life and family back in Penang, being a married woman... I hope I am given the strength to go through these things and make me feel at home, at heart.

The Reception (KL): 27.12.09

2010-01-11T21:20:00.008+08:00

I love my KL reception...I felt really welcomed into the new extended family. Hubby's relatives, were so friendly and warm towards me. We spent quite a long time going round from one table to the other to meet with the guests. To me, the whole event was every bit special in its own way.

Sangat terharu that the MIL planned and turned the event into such a sweet one mostly all on her own. So terharu sampai by the time I was to go back to Penang few days after, I cried when salam2 and thanking them for the wonderful ceremony. Hubby was tersengih2 seeing my crying. The FMIL were like, ehh rilek2 jgn nangis2! *Shoot me pls for being so emotional!*

I had a great time meeting hubby's grandma, grandaunts, granduncles, uncles, aunties, 80++ cousins (that's a lot, rite!) and I was not that stressed up as during my side of the reception.

More of the stories later, here are some pics. Enjoy!

The pelamin provided by the dewan. Having planned the event on her own, MIL wanted everything to be hassle-free, hence choose je the pelamin provided in one of the dewan's packages. But in the end the pelamin is not bad, kan. Sesuai dengan majlis menyambut menantu. Simple and nice.

I love this picture :)

I also love my baju for the majlis bertandang. Cream-colored songket with beaded light gold lace on top of the songket. And I prefer my makeup for the KL reception much, much more, compared to my Penang one (will write about the makeup later on).

Date: 27 December 2009
Venue: Dewan Merak Kayangan, KL
Time: 12.30pm - 4.30pm

*Emotional balik*

The Reception (Penang): 20.12.09

2010-01-11T20:45:00.005+08:00

After the nikah, we had to rush to get ready for the reception which was held on the very same afternoon. While getting ready, I was totally regretting the decision to have both ceremonies in 1 day. I mean, what was I thinking?!!

But in the end, it all went pretty well. Of course, there were some shortcomings here and there (small ones, nothing major, Alhamdulillah) but I suppose those imperfections made the wedding a perfect one, at least to both of us.

Okay, some piccies from the reception at the Penang side:

Date: 20 December 2009

Venue: Setia Pearl Island, Penang

Time: 12.30 pm - 4.30 pm

Will write more about the ceremonies later...

The Nikah: 20.12.09

2010-01-11T20:25:00.005+08:00

It's been 22 days since we were married, now only have I got the time to update! Been very busy, with absolutely everything! Right after the nikah is the reception on that very same day which left us both knackered and all flat-out at the end of the day! The day after next we went on a pre-honeymoon to Cameron Highlands (have always loved the place! Going there again this CNY hihi) and then we were busy with the KL reception the following weekend.

After that, being the year-end and all, yours truly have to report to work, being the much-hated miss auditor.

Now only got the time *sigh*

Anyway, this is one of the pictures taken from the nikah ceremony.

Date: 20 December 2009

Venue: Masjid Negeri, Pulau Pinang

Time: 9.00 am - 10.00 am

Penang Wedding Venues

2010-01-10T22:41:00.002+08:00

A week after my wedding, my bridesmaid, Anis, who is my good friend since Form 1, announced that she is getting engaged. I was so shocked, how dare she kept it a secret from me until the very last minute!! But she being my good friend, of course I could not stay mad at her for so long. Her engagement took place on 10.01.10. Nice date!

Anyway we went scouting for venues for her reception, which is going to be either June or August. But as we went from one venue to the other, the date no longer matters. Book aja whenever dates yang ada kosong! *sedih kan*

So below are the popular venues for majlis kahwin yang sederhana kosnya. Minta maaf, kami tak pergi survey hotel-hotel sebab memang tidak termasuk di dalam budget.

DEWAN SRI PINANG

PLUS:

1. Sewa murah; RM800 untuk 4 jam, siang atau malam. Tapi yang slacknya harga tu hanya untuk sewa ruang legar saja (not the auditorium, tapaknya yang kat ruang legar di groundfloor yang memang takda air-cond. But I kind of like it sebab rasa lapang dan luas)

2. Parking untuk guests agak banyak

3. One of Penang's landmarks, hampir 100% orang Penang tahu dewan ni kat mana. Right smack in the town, tak yah nak sesat2

MINUS:

1. Kalau nak tambah kerusi atau meja kena tambah duit, per set table dan kerusi 10 biji harga bermula dari RM15 dan ke atas. RM15 tu untuk meja bulat dengan lapik meja plastik dan kerusi plastik. We asked for banquet chairs tapi officer tu cakap banquet chairs memang takda.

2. Anis ruled out the venue sebab dia open air (panas katanya) dan kerusi dan meja yang plastik.

3. Oh ya, setiap facility akan dicaj. Pemasangan lampu chandelier, PA system, red carpet, even orang nak datang pasang pelamin pun akan dicaj RM50 per hour. In the end, we calculated that we have to pay about RM2k kalau nak sewa situ. Na ah, not worth it, considering what we will get.

FORT CORNWALLIS (PADANG KOTA)

PLUS:

1. A great venue for a garden wedding. Very beautiful and scenic, with the remnants of the historic British colonialisation. They will provide a venue inside the walls of the Fort Cornwallis, and they will close the place from the visitors if you hold the wedding there.

MINUS:

1. Memang la garden wedding sangat menjadi idaman ramai orang, tapi bear in mind, holding such event in Malaysia and its weather, boleh berpeluh satu hari. Tambah pula Penang is way up North, lagi panas tau!

2. Kedudukan Fort Cornwallis yang tengah2 bandar, di Padang Kota yang menjadi kunjungan orang ramai tak kira cuti sekolah atau tidak. Parking hanya lah limited parking meter di tepi2 jalan, kena bayar dari 9am-12am setiap hari termasuk Sabtu dan Ahad.

3. Sewa agak mahal, dalam RM2k. Tapak saja.

RECSAM (TEA GARDEN)

PLUS:

1. Sewa murah; RM400 untuk 3 jam pertama. Subsequent hour, RM50. Termasuk meja, kerusi dengan lapik meja.

MINUS:

1. Not much of a garden, more like a canteen

SETIA PEARL ISLAND

PLUS:

1. Ample parking space, multi-level carpark.

2. Very nice grand ballroom! Fully-carpeted (masih nampak baru), beautiful chandeliers. Nice lobby, wonderful view as it is atop of a small hill overlooking Penang International Airport.

3. Professional people managing the place, which is owned by SP Setia Bhd.

4. Complimentary VIP room, spacious balcony annexed to the grand ballroom where you can have your buffett lines laid out (if you opt for buffett) and it feels like you have an indoor-outdoor wedding ceremony.

5. They also rent out "The View", an open-air restaurant which has the similar great view.

6. 2010 price: RM3,500 for the Grand Ballroom and RM2,500 for The View

MINUS:

1. A bit far, and the drive uphill could be a bit too much for Penangites who are so used to have everything and everywhere within reach

2. Can opt for their in-house caterer, but if you wish to bring outside caterer need to pay RM300

KOMPLEKS TABUNG HAJI BAYAN LEPAS, PENANG

PLUS:

1. Tetamu dari luar kawasan boleh menyewa bilik2 dekat Kompleks Tabung Haji ni, starts from RM110 if I'm not mistaken

2. Complimentary 1 room for a night's stay

3. Fully air-conditioned hall

4. Sewa dalam RM1,300 for 4 hours. But yesterday the officer told us that they are revising the rental charge, and to come up with packages which includes catering, pelamin, deco, etc.

MINUS:

1. The location is a bit far, way in Bayan Lepas (5-min drive from the previous Setia Pearl Island)

2. Kena choose daripada panel caterers (tak boleh bawa masuk caterer luar)

KOMPLEKS MASYARAKAT PENYAYANG

PLUS:

1. Cheap, around RM700 for 4 hours, inclusive PA system and other facilities and tables and chairs for 500pax.

2. Good location, in the town

3. Ample parking space for guests

4. Good news - the flooring yang bertampal2 dengan cellotape sudah ditukar! Now is a nice and clean wooden flooring.

MINUS:

1. Need to choose catering from their panel caterers

2. The management is a bit "kerek", we dealt with this very unhelpful and unfriendly lady, who suggested we go find other places when there are no suitable dates available

3. Sometimes when there are other functions at the other rooms, the parking lots can be insufficient

Tu je kot. Will write more if I come across other good venues.

My Baju... :(

2009-12-15T16:09:00.002+08:00

My reception dress is not yet ready, and it is 4 days towards the wedding... :(

The tailor promised to get it ready on the 12th (it's actually ready but waiting for the beads to be sewn on the dress) but when I called yesterday, she was like saying that she promised to hand it to me on the 20th. I said...cannot be la...20th is the day of my wedding...you promised me on the 12th la...I so regret for not calling her earlier, like last week or something...

And so she said she will get the beadings done by Thursday (17th). Is it possible for beadings to be done in 2 days time? We're talking abt the whole baju here...I was at the shop today and I saw the baju still togel without the beads. Oh pls tell me is it possible? :( We all know what will happen if something is done is such a haste...

That is the only major thing which is bugging me right now...the rest of the items...alhamdulillah semuanya OK...

Down to 8

2009-12-11T23:00:00.003+08:00

OK, it's down to 8 days now. Slightly more than a week to go.

Hmm let's see what else pending?

1. Pick up the dress from the dressmaker.

2. Finish up the VIP doorgifts...also searching for a label printing shop here in Penang....

3. Finalising the number of guests to the caterer.

4. Decorate the hantaran. Sigh, hope I'll turn creative this coming 1 week.

5. Self-pampering --> other than excessive sleep, do I really have to go to the spa? I mean, does 1 visit really make a difference? Pls advise me...

Hmm...what else?

I am happy...but scared nevertheless...hope everything will be allright...

ps: I am really honoured to those who are making extra big effort to travel up north to be at my wedding... Love you guys! :)

Edible Fruits Basket

2009-11-27T09:37:00.007+08:00

Aren't the artificial fruit baskets pretty? The best thing, they are edible! Every single piece of it. And yes, that includes the baskets too. It's such an eye candy if to be put on a hantaran tray. And these fruits baskets are baked for hours in the oven, and they last for years...

Reminds me of a story told by my friend that the ppl in the western countries, they'll keep that small cake on the topmost tier of their fondant wedding cake until their 1st year anniversary...

Oh, these cute little things are available locally from here.

Inai

2009-11-26T23:48:00.012+08:00

Oh, the simplicity of it!

Probably I'm just gonna go with the simple henna on my fingers. So I went for an afternoon walk at the Little India; the long rows of Indian shops along the King Street and Queen Street of Penang for an instant henna.

Bought a box of powdered henna, made 100% of grounded henna leaves. I tried experimenting on my little pinky couple of days back. Below is the result:

Dark-orangey

I left the henna on for about one and half hour. I only prepared the henna mixture with air paip. The colour is not that bad right? Though I prefer it if it is a bit darker and more reddish. Jadi bagaimanakah caranya untuk bagi warna inai menjadi lebih terang? I googled some tips online, and below are a few petua:

i) Mix the concoction with air teh yg dibancuh pekat instead of air paip
ii) Put in some drops of pewarna (merah)
iii) Put a few butir of nasi in the concoction, so that the henna will stick easily to ur fingers
iv) When the henna on ur fingers is about to dry up, moisten it up with lemon juice droplets
v) Other than the lemon juice, can also consider minyak cap kapak
vi) After moisten the henna up a few times, and it's about the time to remove the henna, just peel the henna off and do not wash ur hands immediately. Lather ur hands with minyak masak first

Hm, that's all I think. Any other petua? But then again, I read somewhere that warna inai ni ikut darah seseorang tu...though I am not too sure on the relationship of the inai and the darah?

Mamak kedai told me that the inai will last for a week or so...let's see whether if it's true. I hope it can last longer than that...a month, maybe?!

To those who want a simple henna as per above, maybe can consider to put cellotape around the point of where ur henna is going to end on ur fingers. So that the henna tak comot2 or terpanjang or terpendek...

Oh by the way, here is the powdered henna that I bought for RM1.90:

But I saw at Mydin, they are selling 2 boxes of these for RM1.10 or something. Murah, kan?!

Oh So Cheap!

2009-11-10T11:32:00.002+08:00

Walked around this one shopping mall in Penang with a mission to find myself a pair of wedding shoes suitable to wear for both nikah and sanding ceremonies.

This one shopping mall memang banyak gila kedai kasut, and banyak juga menjual kasut-kasut merepek.

But as I jalan-jalan, I saw this one cute white peep toe, looks something like this: -

The price? RM30 saje! Too cheap for me not to buy! :)

If I could not find anything nicer towards the wedding, I might just wear this pair of shoes. The only thing is that its a 2 1/2 inch, and I'm looking for something lesser than that...since I am pretty tall, and Ide is well, about the same height as me...

I think I should try it on and see how I look next to him...

Zikir & Doa Untuk Kesejahteraan Rumahtangga

2009-11-09T21:48:00.005+08:00

Few days ago I happened to watch a talk show which generally focuses on marriage and relationship based on the Islamic values and principles. A very lively and interesting show, hosted by such a sweet & loving couple. Cute sangat!

At the end of the show, the hosts shared some of the Quranic verses which are advisable the husbands and wives to recite, especially to strengthen the bond between a husband and wife, and lead a marriage full of barakah, insha Allah.

Here are some of the verses of which we can maybe recite after each solat, and before sleep: -

1) Surah Toha ayat 39
2) Surah Yusuf ayat 4
3) Surah Ibrahim ayat 37
4) Surah Alimran ayat 173 and 174 (more afdhal if to recite 33x)
5) Surah An Naml ayat 31 and 32 (to recite and hembus kat leher suami/ isteri - errr make sure hubby or wifey dah tidur time tu)
6) Surah Alimran ayat 200 (this one can recite while preparing a meal for the hubby)

Rasanya ayat-ayat al Quran kat atas ni pendek-pendek saja. If we can allocate some of our time to memorize these verses, coupled with doa for us to lead a happy and blessed married life. Insha Allah.

Meja Pengantin

2009-11-02T17:00:00.007+08:00

Whenever ppl mentioned meja pengantin or meja beradab, I have always imagined the long table which would fit 8-10 ppl.

The long meja beradab is something like this: -

Source from here

The longer the table, the more decoration it would require, I think. And it means...it could get pricier. Having a budget of my own, I am considering other alternatives, i.e. to convert one of the round guest tables into a meja pengantin.

Let's look at these pictures below: -

Both are done by Romantis Bridal.

I don't think it requires a lot of decoration, maybe a nice centrepiece would do. As per my previous entry. And of course, kerusi for both the pengantin we can hire the big kerawang chairs tu kan.

All of which I think is much lesser than the deco needed for the long meja pengantin instead.

Oh, and easier to pass2 the food also! :D

I need to decide fast!

Oh no...

2009-11-01T13:53:00.003+08:00

...I am getting married NEXT MONTH!

There's still so many things pending to be done! (Now, where's the to-do list?!)

Please tell me, what am I supposed to feel?

There's so many mixed feelings blending inside me right now...

But don't take me wrong, of course I am happy to be getting married!

PDA!

2009-10-31T09:48:00.003+08:00

Anyone up for a bit of a PDA (Public Display of Affection)?

Beautiful wedding of a friend, Syafiq and his wife Rita

Hailed from Penang, the weddings that I can recall attending in most of my childhood + teenage life were the ones of the relatives, the more traditional type at the kampung-kampung where the food was cooked via gotong-royong by the villagers, then makan bawah khemah atap zink tengah-tengah panas. Main menu for the kenduri would be kari. Kari ikan, kari daging lembu, kari daging kambing, kari ayam.

Then bila dah besar sikit, baru dapat attend the ones held at a more proper hall, or hotels. Cuz by then the daughters/sons of my parents' friends in the city pun dah besar-besar and dah nak kahwin.

But the first time that I witnessed the actual preparation of a modern-type wedding was a few years ago in KL. Everything abt the wedding was so beautiful, but the one thing that caught my attention was this one big framed-portraiture that stood at the entrance of the hall.

I was so mesmerized at the beauty of the picture and thought to myself that I want the same thing for my own wedding.

So, here I am, only trying to fulfill my teenage dreams :)

Insha Allah we are going for a simple pre-wedding photo shoot in a few weeks' time. Can't wait! Hihi. My sister's friend in KL agreed to do it for us. So hopefully we are able to choose a nice pic out of the many.

And thanks to Bang Hus for agreeing to lend me that tripodlike-thingy so that I am able to prop up that big frame on it :)

All You Have To Do Is Wait...

2009-10-26T18:57:00.003+08:00

"All you have to do is wait for your nikah day". That was what being told to me by the helpful people at the Pejabat Agama Islam today after I submitted the borang nikah.

Submitted!

There was a brief interview or rather, a chit chat session with the Ustaz before he allowed me to hand in the form. On the way to the Pejabat Agama with my mom, we were quizzing each other on Rukun Islam, Rukun Iman, etc; the basic Pendidikan Islam stuffs. And then boleh pulak both of us terlupa 1 rukun for each the Rukun Islam and Rukun Iman! Punya la dok ingat... apa benda la yang termiss tu?? When you're panic-stricken, you simply forget! Errr...and why is my mom panicking again?

My dad told me that last week his friend's daughter ke son went to see the Ustaz, and he/she was asked to recite the Qunut. Maybe he/she was too nervous, and could not complete the recital. In the end the Ustaz asked him/her to come back once he/she is ready. Thanks Abah, does not help calm me down!

At the last moments before I went in to see the Ustaz, alhamdulillah I could recall each of the Rukun Islam and Iman. *phew*

But not that the Ustaz quizzed me on those anyway. Just a simple recital of the istighfar and syahadah, with the meaning. And he advised me on the do's and don'ts for a blissful marriage...tiba-tiba rasa sedih T.T

Domes and Table Centrepieces

2009-10-25T20:11:00.007+08:00

Went to discuss with the caterer yesterday... Amongst the things discussed is whether they are going to provide us with maybe 4, 5 "domes" for the VIP tables (untuk rombongan lelaki). Cuz we will be having buffet-style lunch and I think the rombongan shouldn't be queueing at the buffett line with the other guests for food? Well, so far tak pernah tengok lagi, kalau ada, do tell me ya. So the idea is that the food will be served in that dome.

Unfortunately, the caterer they don't have any domes to provide to us. Well, our caterer ni small-time caterer aja. Semalam pergi discuss pun dekat rumah dia kat kampung kat Penang ni :) Food dia, insha Allah belum ada orang complain tak sedap lagi. They did the food for my engagement party last February and everyone liked it.

OK, so, tak da dome. The caterer is not aware of anyone whom we can hire the domes from. He said if we want to hire pun maybe about RM50 per dome, or more.

Anyway, later after meeting the caterer I went to find this one florist recommended by the bridal boutique. She told me that this florist memang tak charge mahal, and will do his best to work around our budget. I am trying to get quotation for my hand bouquets... And true enough... this florist memang tak sombong langsung. He showed me so many pics and samples together with price quotation. Eg if my budget is RM60 this is what I will get... and he also advised me on the alternatives to cut down on the price.

And I found out that he can also do table centrepieces... Quite cheap too... And I don't think I will be needing the domes anymore... Lauk pauk tu, I think dihidangkan atas meja dalam pinggan ke apa... And I am thinking of simple table centrepieces, like these pictures:-

From here

...and I really2 want candles in the centrepieces too! Boleh tak? :D

Tomorrow (Monday) he invited me to his house cum showroom to see his flower arrangements... Can't wait!

Alhamdulillah...

2009-10-23T12:56:00.003+08:00

My request to transfer to the firm's branch in KL is accepted. Now am waiting for the clearance date, as in when can my current office effectively release me. Don't wanna owe the office anything, do we? Leave the office as a clean slate.

Hmm...do I really want to continue in the line I'm currently in? Those late hours, high stress levels...in KL it's gonna be even worse (the traffic jam's gonna make the whole thing worse)... Not good for married life, they say.

I tell myself to give myself a chance. Should things do not work the way they are supposed to, maybe Plan B will take into action (note to self: to formulate Plan B :P) There are so many things about the wedding to think of, rather than nak peningkan kepala nak cari kerja lain!

Before "I Do"

2009-10-20T22:17:00.004+08:00

Tiba-tiba timbul keinginan entah dari mana nak amik gambar pre-wedding. Mungkin berkat usaha kawan-kawan Chinese kat ofis asyik dok tanya aja bila nak amik gambar pre-wedding. To the Chinese, it's like a must to have pre-wedding pictures. Mula-mula memang tak pertimbangkan langsung nak amik gambar pre-wedding ni, banyak lagi benda nak difikirkan selain dari posing-posing depan kamera. Nanti masa kawin nanti, dah nak posing dah pun.

Tapi, bila duduk dan fikir-fikir...

Why not? Ngee...

Nothing too fancy and elaborate. Just me and Ide in our normal clothes looking pretty in front of the camera.

Something like this, perhaps: -

Pretty, isn't it? Thanks to Bang Hus

I talked to Ide abt it... He thinks it is a good idea too... But we haven't really decided on it. If it happens then the event will take place somewhere in KL, and I plan not to go to KL again what with the wedding is so near now... my Mom cakap nanti takda seri pulak... asyik menunjukkan muka kat KL ja :-S But there is still so many things for me to do! Pick up invi cards, groom's ring, fitting for KL reception, bla bla blaaaa....

Absence...

2009-10-19T21:04:00.004+08:00

...makes the heart grow fonder.

Miss my darling... It was only yesterday I sent him off on the bus back to KL, and I miss him already... (ngada, ya I know :P)

Did I tell you how much fun we had during his short 2-day trip to Penang? His last trip to Penang as an ineligible bachelor...

Day 1
Turun2 bas ja, he said his stomach was grumbling and needed to be fed Nasi Kandar Line Clear... off we went... hmm tapi tak sedap sgt la... I prefer Nasi Kandar Kg Melayu hands down... then we went home and talked and talked... listened to beautiful music, I am so in love with Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D Major (flute and piano version), but Ide likes the violin and harp version.

Day 2
Went to Transfer Road to try the Ceri Roti Canai... It is years since I've been wanting to try that infamous roti canai... But always tak pergi cuz my thought is roti canai is very fattening. But whenever I'm arnd Ide, my diet always seem nonexistent. The roti canai sedappp...but mcm kena tipu ja bila time bayar? :( Note to self: Next time tanya betul2 harga setiap benda yg diorder.

Then off we went for facial... It was his first experience, he seemed very excited but did not show it (tak macho lah, excited nak pi facial :P). He kept asking me to tell him what's gonna happen during the process... I told him just enjoy the process lah... Hehe. We were placed on adjacent rooms, and throughout the facial I can hear him making weird noises... Like when the lady put on a steamer he snorted few times. I guess he slept for some time cuz I heard him snoring!! Grr...

Then we went to place deposit to rent his tuxedo, after that to the mall in the quest to find him the bow tie and waist band as described in the previous entry. Watched the movie "Surrogate" (interesting movie! - pursuaded him to watch "Papadom" but he refused to) and had Thai dinner at a kedai makan tepi jalan.

Day 3
Rode on the motorbike to the local neighbourhood market to have breakfast (ya you read me right - motorbike!). It was his first time carrying a pillion rider hehe. Nasib baik tak tertunggang terbalik OK. It was our first time riding together on a motorbike.

Went to the shopping mall to find him his pair of shoes for the wedding... Then we went back home to eat Mama's homecooked lunch and get him packing for his bus back home to KL.

And today... here I am... missing him :(

The Groom

2009-10-18T20:13:00.009+08:00

Ide darling is in town this weekend, yay! He is here to hand-deliver his completed borang nikah forms and such - I am proud of him for actually completing the necessaries for his nikah application at such a short time. Me? I haven't even get the form from the local Pejabat Agama *embarrassed*

He is also here to get his size for the tuxedo rental. Erm...kami rent aja, don't have the budget to custom made a full tuxedo set. But we have to get the pants on our own, if we are to rent one from the bridal shop, the pants provided are all rubber-waisted (means kat pinggang tu semua getah, pakai sarung aja takda cakuk2). Eee...don't want! Macam lau pek lah...

Then we went on the hunt for his bow tie and waist band... Not that the bridal shop does not provide one, but the shop only provides a clip-on...and Ide wants a proper bow tie that he has to tie himself. Emm...mengada tak? :P

But then it is his wedding as much as mine, if he wants to be a gentleman, let him be. He grew up idolising James Bond. I suppose he has been dreaming of being as suave as the Bond on his own wedding since childhood...who knows? And that he is only realising his childhood dreams.

This is the look he hopes to achieve on our wedding day:

My fave Bond - Daniel Craig...handsome kan? :D

And we had fun learning how to tie the bow tie, it is quite tricky actually but the SA at the shop was really helpful, we practised until we managed to get it right...and again, YouTube does help too! :)

And all I can say is, the groom's attire is almost as expensive as the bride's! - Yea...my dress is just a simple affair...nothing too fancy :)

His tuxedo set is almost complete, only left with his tuxedo shirt aja...I am not sure where to get a tuxedo shirt...(is it what they call it?) We thought of getting a normal white shirt if still couldn't find the tuxedo shirt...

I told Ide that his next trip to Penang - he'll be a married man! Hihi.

Make Up Gone Wrong

2009-10-13T23:12:00.006+08:00

When I was in KL almost 2 weeks ago (hmm I realize that this month's entries are mostly about the happenings which took place during my recent trip to KL ;p ), MIL-to-be told me about this hair salon owned by a lady who happens to also do bridal makeups. So, since we are still deciding on who's gonna do the makeup for the KL reception, MIL-to-be suggested why not I check this lady out, since the price is rather reasonable.

I do not go for famous and professional make-up artists since I do not have the budget for that. And I believe, if look hard enough there are promising makeup artists who are on the rise, and charge reasonable charges too.

And I do not want to pandai-pandai suggest as I don't feel too good abt doing so, since it is the majlis bertandang and I do not want to interfere in their planning, unless required for.

As curiosity kills the cat (and it did kill me too!), I went to the lady's hair salon and booked for an appointment for a trial makeup, and so happened I was supposed to attend a wedding dinner. No better timing there, right? Lepas makeup boleh trus attend wedding!

Dah la mula2 I heard the lady said RM30, but when I was about to pay it actually cost me RM70. Not that I mind paying RM70, in fact I am glad to have forked RM70 out of my pocket, for I do not want to look like what I looked like right after the trial makeup - on my wedding day! (hmm, I think the sentence structure is a bit pusing2).

This is the lipcolor applied on me lips:

What's with the fluorescent color, dude?

And how my eyes were done:

Errr...I am not auditioning for Zainal Abidin's "Hijau" videoclip, thank u!

While I looked at my face in horror, Ide was dozing off on the comfy couch at the salon. When he woke up, he didn't look shocked (this guy can keep his cool, I admit it) but rather, looked at me in pity. Yes, pity. Can it be worse than that? But after a while, he seems to enjoy having walked beside a rodeo clown.

Driving on our way home, he held his palm out to me. Being in a foul mood I was like, "What you want?". Him - "Can I have a cotton candy, please?". Grrrr!!!!!

At his house, he called his Mom to see the outcome. His Mom pun macam kesian ja tengok keadaan my face :(

In the end, I was late at the wedding dinner, cuz it took me a long time to tenyeh2 my face to get rid of the makeup. The morning after, I found a pimple on my face :(

To cut the story short, I think I have found the one. Based on my friends' opinions, I couldn't go wrong with this makeup artist. The work is good and the rate is slightly lower than the top ranking prof. makeup artists.

Haih...can I just not wear any makeup at all?

2 in 1

2009-10-10T18:47:00.002+08:00

It is decided that we are going to have both nikah and sanding ceremony in 1 day. And mind you, my sanding ceremony is not dinnertime, but rather, lunchtime.

This is because we plan to have the akad nikah at the masjid in the morning, and prefer to keep it as simple as possible. So it is totally not worth the money to have 40+ rombongan on the guy's side from Taiping (the grandma's house) and to spend on accommodation (we are looking at service apartments, and the rental rate in Penang is not that cheap...and need to book 10 rooms at least). Not to mention the nitty gritty things that the rombongan has to think about, e.g. lunch, dinner and breakfast for that day...these small2 things if add up can be rather costly on them, and on us as well.

And plus, the guy's side prefer to have everything settled all in 1 day.

The question is, will I be able to pull it off? This means we have to kick off the akad nikah ceremony as early as 9am, or the earlier, the better. 8.30am maybe? My dad said tak pernah orang buat awal-awal macam tu. On the other hand, my friends said buat aja even though tak pernah dibuat orang. If not how to make it in time for the lunch reception?

Hope everything will go on smoothly...even the slightest delay is going to affect the sanding ceremony...I'm praying hard so everything will go on as planned...insha Allah.

Cards, etc.

2009-10-09T07:30:00.006+08:00

Ordered the invitation cards last Saturday. Another major item striked off the To-Do list. Oh, I am not that creative to design my own wedding card. But then again, I suppose given the time I could if I try hard enough. Hehe. I just want a hassle-free process of producing wedding invitations, that's all. And so I went to a shop in Pertama Complex (PC) with FIL and MIL-to be and Ide, inspired by this:

I lost the link of this pic, but a huge credit to the shop/photographer. The design screams simple and sweet, don't you think so? Am learning to tie a neat and pretty ribbon as per above, with YouTube it's not that difficult, really.

I am not sure how many shops there are in PC that cater for wedding invi cards but I bumped into 2 shops. The first one is a well-known shop but the SA was very sombong and wasn't very entertaining and was busy folding her paper bags while answering my questions in single syllables. No free stuffs offered either (hey I'm all about finding good bargain there is!).

2nd shop is a floor above the 1st one. The lady was very kind and sweet and most of all, patient. I was rather fussy, asking this and that, and pin-pointed so many cards that we have a lot of cards spread on the table. And me being rather fickle-minded, could not make a firm decision until the very last minute. The SA sabar aja layan my kerenah, smiling all the way.

And she threw in a free bunting and printed envelopes too! All at a very, very good price which is way below my budget.

Now am waiting for the first draft to come in...

1st Dress Fitting...

2009-10-08T09:22:00.006+08:00

Not sure of this pic's link, but isn't the lace pretty? *swoons*

I was in KL last weekend with the mission to get the wedding invitation cards out of my To-Do list. Also to attend a friend's wedding (now that I am getting married, I would want to attend all the weddings there is).

Oh, I also went for the first fitting on the dress to be worn during the majlis bertandang in KL. I like it very much!! I went to visit the butik for the first time couple of months ago and I showed her the design that I would like her to make for me, and promised to come back some time after raya for her to take my measurement.

Then mana tau when I went to the butik, the lady took out the dress - a cream colored songket with gold lace (the theme is go traditional for majlis bertandang) which is 90% ready only to sew the beads on the lace. I raked my mind and thought hard whether I had my measurement taken on my first visit? Then the lady said during the first visit she agak-agak my size, and came up with that dress according to the design that I presented upon her. Wah. Not sure, is it a good thing or a bad thing? That she agak-agak my size? But weirdly enough, the dress sort-of fit me perfectly like a glove. Just a few alterations to be made on the wrists and waist.

OK la tu kak, next month I come again to see the final outcome. Anyway I really respect this lady, she is so professional and patient, a pleasant person to deal with. On my first visit I thought she would be a bit arrogant cuz I always see her advert in the monthly Pengantin mag... but I thought wrong! And she charges reasonable price too, I mean, really reasonable.

My dress on my side of the reception? Errr...bought the lace at Euro Moda in KL, now am about to buy the lining and my target is to send it to the tailor here in Penang by this weekend! Can't stand the panic whenever I think about my dress! Just want to get it out of the way and get it over and done with.

It's a negative

2009-10-07T21:37:00.005+08:00

Went for my HIV screening test today. Lucky I dropped in today as they accept people for the tests on Mondays and Wednesdays only, from 2pm onwards (pls bear in mind different government clinics/ hospitals has different rulings on the timing, best to call up and check beforehand). I went to the Klinik Kesihatan Sg Dua, Penang.

Being the kiasu Penangite that I am, I arrived at the clinic at 1.50pm. Waited 10 minutes until the clinic reopens for the afternoon session.

Thanks for my kiasuness - I am the first one in line for the test! Hahaha.

I hate being in hospitals, clinics, etc. I hate the sight of blood, needles, sick patients, those health-related posters on the wall. But have to drag myself for that prick on my finger so that I can get married. Adoi. Sakit gak la. Yea I know, I am mengada-ngada :P

Now waiting for Ide to settle the checklist for his application e.g. surat akuan bujang and whatnots...then only I can proceed with mine...then baru boleh kahwin!

Ribbons

2009-09-29T11:26:00.003+08:00

Source taken from here

I want to make pretty ribbons like the picture above as a simple decoration for my doorgift boxes. I bought ribbons made from organza material. Tapi...kenapa lah tangan ni keras betul nak dilentuk-lentukkan, habis senget benget my ribbons dan terkeluar habis benang dia :( gotta try again I suppose...

So much for wanting to put a "personal touch" on my wedding doorgifts....haha~!

Ticked!

2009-09-27T18:50:00.006+08:00

Clue

The doorgift for the guests is off the To-Do list! What a huge relief. I was in Ipoh yesterday with Mom to attend a friend's wedding whom I shared most of our wedding preparation process together over the past few months...lega now dah lepas dah pun, congrats Puan Ida! :D

There were suggestions for me to go down to Ipoh, along the Jalan Kuala Kangsar to look for cheap doorgifts...so sambil menyelam minum air. So apart from attending Ida's beautiful wedding, sambil2 mencari doorgift for my reception.

There were several shops which sell doorgifts at competitive prices...the prices do vary from one shop to the other. So my advice is to browse through several shops before buying. Even if beza 10sen-20 sen but then if you multiply it by 600 or 1,000 pcs? A huge difference we're talking about here.

Jalan punya jalan, at the last shop that we made a stop at had what we thought was suitable to give away to the guests as a gift. Well, at least my mom thought so. I was initially a bit against the idea - it was almost similar to what my future MIL is giving away to her guests for the guy's reception. But the price was too good to ignore! And it suits my theme perfectly. And mom was saying that it's OK, it's 2 sets of different guests altogether, as far as Penang and KL. Emm...*Aunty, jangan marah tau!*

Map for wedding invitation - done! But it looks a bit complicated :-S

Dress for my reception - next item on the list! (Yes you read this right - I have no idea how my reception dress is going to look like, and my wedding is in 2-odd months)

When the cat is out of the bag...

2009-08-30T18:00:00.003+08:00

Finally, I told the management at the firm I'm currently working that I am walking down the isle. Before this I am so worried that people would know, maybe because then it was still too early to spill the beans. But now is about the right time to tell, mostly because I plan to transfer to the firm's branch in KL, and the process might need the role of the management in it, at a certain level. And the process takes time too. Plus, a few people advised me to alert the management soon.

And it's only fair for them to know, as they are the one doing the human resource planning.

And so I have voiced out my intention to leave in January (hopefully my request to transfer to KL is successful *praying hard*). The Director whom I spoke to, kindly asked me to consider extending for a couple of weeks in January due to a certain client that I will be working on. Oh well, I have considered that prior to walking into her room. So I said OK.

So, betui ka ni nak keja audit kat KL? Dulu mati2 tak mau continue audit dah. So, apa dah jadi ni? Hmm actually, honestly, I like audit. The process, documentation, the pressure, everything. I like being occupied with things to do on my hands. Rather than membuat kerja2 yg tiada adrenaline rush. Trust me, being unassigned for a few weeks now, I realise that LLB (Look Like Busy) is a tough thing to do. More like Look Like Bored.

Not to mention, it is so hard to get a job anywhere else at this moment. Furthermore, I might be promoted to Senior Associate, insha Allah if God forbids. Working at an audit firm is quite a challenge (people say so), let alone staying in one. I might as well reap the benefits, having come this far.

Anyway, the Director asked if it is OK for her to tell the rest of the management of my piece of good news. I smiled and nodded. Do I have a choice? :) At least she sort of looked genuinely happy for me.

I'm Rockin'

2009-08-15T16:32:00.007+08:00

I got my rock and I absolutely love it to bits! And I have my Dear to thank for! *hugs* I love it because it fulfills the criterias I'm looking for as per the 4Cs- Carat, Colour, Cut and Clarity. Thanks to the nationwide Mega Sale, we managed to grab it at a really affordable price :) I chose a 4-prong to house the diamond, though I read somewhere that 6 prongs will bring out the round brilliant cut, but since my diamond is not that big (but I love it anyway), 6 prongs will only make it smaller :( maybe my next diamond la kot, kan Dear? Hehe.

Oh ya, we both also had the ring engraved dengan kata-kata cinta... Sangat poyo but I love it! Hehe.

This is me tgh melihat nombor surat beranak diamond saya :P

And my Dear bought it on his birthday, too! **Happy Birthday Dear** Rasa guilty sangat2, it was his birthday and I have yet to buy him a present cuz sangat2 tak sempat and could not find the opportunity, and plus he splashed on my ring, and he also treated himself on his birthday dinner! Hahaha. Why did it happen? Looong story. But the most important thing is, I am so going to make it all up to him the next time I'm in KL :D Dah la dia demam pulak time tu...actually still demam sampai ke hari ni...tapi nasib baik la bukan H1N1 *doa banyak-banyak*.

My next mission is, to find him his ring. Aaaa... Masih dok fikir2 nak beli ring jenis apa kat dia... Suasa? Platinum? Any other options? Rasa macam dua ni saja yang orang selalu beli...

Working, Running...and A Death

2009-07-26T17:33:00.006+08:00

This week is one of those rare weekends where I have to dedicate my time for work.

With a bottle of water to keep me hydrated and a good scenery out the window, get set, go! * I threw in a Chelsea bear as a prop ;) *

Normally my weekends are filled by reading good books, watch TV, read the Sunday newspapers, surfing, going out with mom/bro/sis, eat out, shopping, etc. I want my normal weekend back!

Also, earlier today I ran a 6.5km PSDC Charity Marathon. And I finished it in 55mins! Not bad hor....for someone who doesn't train that consistently? Hehe. And that includes about 10mins walking here and there...pancit lah wei...Though I respect those people who can run all the way till the finishing line. Mula2 memang malas nak bangun pagi, I woke up at 5.55am and heard slight thunder far away, I fervently wish it would rain so I would have a valid reason not to go :P But then my friend, Bing sent me a text: -

"Arise my champion! The time is nigh to show thy powess strength and be known in the running field of PSDC. When thou art near, give thine call unto me"

Tu dia. Amik hang. Macam Shakespeare pulak ajak aku bermarathon. Tak sampai hati nak PPK, he and some members of the team have always been motivating and supporting me to run, and to improve my running. Which reminds me, I have yet to register to be a member of the team M!racle M!ler. Ho ho.

Anyway, to keep myself motivated, I targeted a few people ahead of me. I aimed to take over that particular person, and once you took over him/her, set another target of a person ahead of you. That what keeps me going. And there are people whom you can't seem to take over, make him/her as your inspiration to keep moving. And remember, you could also be an inspiration to the people behind you.

My next marathon? Penang Bridge half marathon 26km. Boleh ka ni? Insha-Allah. Bila lagi nak berlari2 di atas jambatan tanpa gangguan kenderaan? The bridge will be closed especially for you tau!

And today I learnt the news of the death of the multi award-winning film director, Yasmin Ahmad. On Thursday she was admitted due to a stroke and haemorrhage, and was in a coma until the last moments of her life. Mari kita sama-sama sedekahkan Al-Fatihah untuk Allahyarhamah. I adore her movies, and her Petronas commercial adverts have always been very touching. She is a great storyteller. I couldn't think of any other people in the entertainment industry who could promote racial unity such as she. Semoga roh-mu dicucuri rahmat, Amin.

PS: Happy Birthday to two of my good girlfriends; Erlina and Shuhada! Semoga dipanjangkan umur dan dimurahkan rezeki selalu, insha-Allah. **HuGs & KiSsEs**

What To Look Forward To?

2009-07-25T21:48:00.002+08:00

Since my wedding preparation is going nowhere, I don't have much to update here. And there is nothing really interesting going on in my life at the moment...that I decided to cheer myself up to look forward to the anticipated events in the near future: -

- Brother's engagement - 31st July '09
Ni tak tau la boleh pi ka tak ni...cuz this week I am in a super duper rush (not to mention big) job under managers yang suka meng"stress" and mem"press" orang. I would love to go, but then I don't think I am able to get away on Friday...huwa...nak pi Kelantan...then can survey2 barang kat Rantau Panjang tu orang cakap wedding favours are dirt cheap there...betul ke?

- Ina's wedding - 2 August '09
Insha-Allah I will be attending Ina's wedding, since I RSVP-ed a Yes. I have a feeling this will be a beautiful wedding, since all her wedding vendors gempak2 gila okay! Congrats dear!

- Zamirah's wedding - 8th August '09
Another gorgeous wedding to attend...plus I am so looking forward to meet up with the gurls! Pinky, Aimy, etc; Insha-Allah if they are attending. Gossips lagi! :D And Pinky, you promised to show me the invi card designs. FYI, Pinky is volunteering to design my wedding invi cards since she is too free (Shell mmg mcm tu ke babe?). I am excited since it'll be cool to have some personal touch in your wedding invi, tu pun Insha-Allah kalau plan menjadi la kan :) Err babe, wedding cake pun haritu you cakap nak buatkan, kan? Apa cerita eh? Last2 I buat pulut kuning je la kot hahaha.

- Bang Ide's birthday - 8th August '09
I know you will hate the idea of a surprise birthday celebration, so awal2 I bgtau kat sini no surprise OK! So as usual we'll go out for a nice dinner *tiap-tiap tahun macam tu, boring kan* Tapi takpa, it's the company that matters, kan!

- Ida's wedding - tak ingat tarikh
Sorry Ida I tak ingat tarikh wedding you!! Tu la u kena bagi I kad cepat2 ;p but I know it's a few days after raya hehe. Sudah sekian lama asyik ber"Sametime" dan ber"YM" about our wedding preparations (since both of us are getting married this year), now is the time to reap the fruits (erm...apakah?!). I know your wedding pasti gojes babe!

Wah, my calendar is so full of events, kalah calendar of a photographer nih hehe. Well there are a few more events but these are the highlights kot, at least in the next 1 mth.

And of course, the herald of the holy month of Ramadhan! Tak sabar rasanya nak tunggu ketibaan bulan yg mulia ni. Harap2 time tu my job not so hectic, so that dapat pergi solat Tarawikh *doa banyak-banyak* Insha-Allah. Talking abt Ramadhan, ada lagi 1 hari nak ganti!! Caiyok caiyok!

And Erlina, you coming over to Penang anytime soon? I am lonely here please cheer my days up with nasik kandar and jalan2 at the malls!

Anyone else who wants to fill up my boring, lonely, sad days over here up North?

Mari Beryoga

2009-07-18T15:50:00.003+08:00

With Denise Austin, the exercise guru who has probably tried all sorts of exercises ever existed and excels at them

Thanks to my crazy and demanding job, I don't have so much time to go for my outdoor run lately. So I decided to really get serious on exercising indoors by doing yoga. You can really sweat from doing yoga you know~!

Quote: "Yoga amalan kesihatan yang diperkenalkan sekitar sejak 3,300 sebelum masihi dikatakan dapat membantu melambatkan proses penuaan, mengurangkan risiko kencing manis, darah tinggi, lelah dan penyakit berkaitan jantung".

Normally I do my yoga routines with the help of Youtube videos but the duration of the videos are rather short e.g. 8-9 mins only. There are longer duration videos but not the type of routines that I am looking for. This DVD is what I have been looking for: -

- Total Body Toning
- Lean Legs
- Flat Abs

Tapi yoga bukankah difatwakan sebagai haram? To me, if you simply do the exercises without chanting the mantras, it is perfectly fine. Come on, every morning you wake up from your sleep, you do stretch don't you? It is a form of yoga as well. Stretching your muscles when warming up for your exercises have a bit of yoga elements in them. Just hold on tight to your intention which is to improve your health and general well-being, insha Allah you will be fine.

4++ months saje lagi untuk menjadi kurus! Mari sama-sama kita melipatkan badan menjadi pretzel!

I Heart Mega Sale!

2009-07-12T16:21:00.007+08:00

Saw a poster like this somewhere arnd the Jetty area on my way to my training last week:

Sempat fikir..."Penang ada Metrojaya ke"?

I was so excited! The whole week I could not really concentrate on my training. Even planned to skip a day to check out the sale on its first day...but so not worth losing my annual CPD (Continuing Professional Development) hours (I guess I am a pretty sensible gal ;p ). Definitely not gonna jeopardise me accountancy membership for a sale.

I do not really put on hopes too much on the clothings, perfumes or cosmetics at this sale. Maybe a wallet and belt set (for his hantaran, thus I can check the box) or a bed sheet/ comforter set for the wedding. So I went yesterday (Saturday) and excited to see that the items that I wanted are really on a good bargain! *Yay* (Not the wallet and belt set though).

So I made up my mind on the bedsheet set that I like, and made a mental note to return the day after. I saw the cashier queue, mak aih...tak sanggup aku nak tunggu turn, queue punya lah panjang OK.

So today, before 11am I sudah terpacak depan pintu. Dan membeli comforter set itu. Dan juga mendapatkan sebijik bantal percuma. *Yay again*

Sneak peek of the comforter set:

*I Heart This*

Pardon me for the low-quality pic, my lousy phone cam definitely doesn't do justice to the light brown-goldish hue.

It is made of silk but with cotton inner lining so that you will feel comfortable, I guess? The black decoration is velvet kut. Initially I wanted to go for cream-colored cotton comforter set (something English-ish) but then I do not want to spend so much on room deco. Therefore in my case now, most of the detailings and attention would come from the comforter set, I suppose? Less is always more (sigh, everyone swears by this statement nowadays). Apa pun dah beli *takmau fikir apa-apa dah*

Oh, I also managed to get the wallet and belt set (check!), but at a different location. Thanks to the nationwide Mega Sale Carnival, I do not have to burn a hole in my pocket!

KL Here I Come

2009-07-03T21:21:00.008+08:00

...actually I was back from KL already. And this entry comes in late :D

I went to KL in order to fulfil a wedding invitation by a friend, Nora. The thought of meeting up good friends plus gossipping session, the 4-hour bus trip to and fro seems trivial. Oh, in KL also boleh saya berdating dengan tunang saya, Bang Ide :D

Too bad I did not take any pictures at the wedding (FYI, I don't own a camera other than a lousy 1.3megapixel phone cam). But it was a nice and lovely wedding, I especially like the soothing gamelan performance. Macam mana nak pi sewa gamelan nye orang ni ye? Bear in mind my reception will be in Penang...so far I have never seen any wedding reception with a gamelan performance kat Penang ni...boria ada lah :P Macam menarik saje kalau ada persembahan gamelan ni kan? Back at home I straight away downloaded some gamelan mp3. Hm maybe I can just play these mp3 rather than hire these people? *Hajah Bakhil mode*

Oh and I am so happy to go dating with Bang Ide :B

Makan banyak = happy!

We tried to do something fruitful of my visit, like went to survey for my wedding ring...but I was like in no mood for ring hunting now. But there was this really sweet ring at D&P, the design is so similar to Tiffany's dengan harga yg bukan mcm Tiffany's. Sangat cantik! Lebih kurang macam ni lah design dia...

Tapi nak survey lagi lah...

Anyway, below are some pictures from our foodie session :D Pardon me for the low qual pics ;)

Spaghetti meatballs dengan meatball yg lebih besar dari mulut Bang Ide

A very fulfilling fist-sized meatball, with a pasta portion to match

I so heart Italiannies >:D<

Bad news is, on my way back from KL my manager called with work queries enough to spoil not only my short 3-day KL trip, but at least for another month :(

You got that laugh lines?

2009-06-20T08:55:00.012+08:00

The only consistent thing I have been doing in the span of 5 months with regards to the preparation of my wedding is to go for facial treatments.

Heavenly!

Even though I love the pampering I get at the beauty spa, I sometimes dread having to go there - the extraction process is always a painful experience for me (katanya my blackheads and whiteheads ni sgt degil picit2 pun x mau keluar) and I would come out of the spa with my spotty face looking like I'm ready to spread chicken pox to the people around me. But it's for my own good, rite?

OK I'm out for a facial! Toodles!

For Him

2009-06-15T21:15:00.006+08:00

Rasa-rasanya, OK tak kalau groom pakai baju macam kat atas ni? Nak pakai tuxedo macam tak sesuai saja di tengah2 hari buta? Tuxedo kalau tak kena tailor yang OK ada nampak macam baju choir sekolah je kan...FYI we don't plan to go for traditional attire for my side of the reception, as the groom's side will. Pics are taken from here and here.

Apakah pendapat kalian?

Can I Say Checked?

2009-06-14T21:46:00.004+08:00

I am almost to get these items out of my worrying mind: -

1) Pelamin, red carpet, pillars, arch
2) Baju akad & accessories
3) Baju sanding & accessories
4) Meja beradab

Once I finalize terms and conditions with the planner.

Lega hati cheq. Next!

Of Jaya Shopping Centre

2009-05-31T19:55:00.005+08:00

A wedding-unrelated entry. I'm sure most of you have known about the collapse of the Jaya Shopping Centre in PJ few days back, of which to date has killed 7 people.

Jaya was opened to the public more than 3 decades ago. It definitely plays a significant role in the lives of the people in PJ, and non-PJ too.

And like them, Jaya has a very special place in my heart, at that short period of time in my life, June - December 2000.

It was the first time me ever being so far away from home in Penang, to pursue my tertiary education; Jaya was the place I seek refuge. I would go alone to the shopping centre, look at the things me and my family would always shop back home, just to comfort my silent cry of homesickness.

Facing the harsh reality of the world tanpa keluarga di sisi. Makan, basuh baju, kemas bilik, semua kena buat sendiri. Time tu jugak la nak kena buat kawan, trying to bond with people, study benda2 baru and in English pulak. Nak call parents guna handphone pulak sangat mahal. Public phone, panjang aja queue nya.

Jaya was also the place that me and my first few uni friends would hang out after class and on weekends, friends whom I hold dear right until today.

It was the place which witnessed my first "blind date" with a guy which was also my first date ever. It was sweet and memorable, and the guy was damn cute! (Nota buat Encik Ide: Sila tutup mata anda apabila membaca ayat terakhir itu heee)

So many other memories associated with Jaya but the above are the momentous ones. It is sad that I could not go back to the place and reminisce them...

It's so hot in here

2009-05-25T21:41:00.003+08:00

I temporarily stopped surveying things for my wedding cuz:

1) Penang has been so hot of late, it's like a heatwave...
2) Run out of promising bridal boutiques to visit...

So I only have been surveying online, in the comfort of the air-conditioning. Please God make it rain even for a day!

Kursus Kahwin - Check!

2009-05-17T12:56:00.008+08:00

Check ke checked ha? Pls correct my grammar kay, thanks! :D

Last weekend saya telah menghadirkan diri saya ke kursus kawin bersama Encik Ide, kat Pusat Bandar Damansara. A good friend of mine pernah pi kursus kahwin kat sini. Katanya very convenient, parking free, can just walk-in tak payah nak register2 bagai. Ustaz2 pun boleh tahan lawaknya, so saya menggagahkan jua diri ini mengheret Encik Ide. Tu la kan nak pergi berdua la konon-kononnya. Semedang tgh cuti 2 minggu ni, baik buat sesuatu perkembangan yg agak besar untuk persiapan perkahwinan bulan 12 nanti. Wah skema nya hihi.

To me, pusat kursus kahwin tu quite good lah. Parking je tepi jalan or basement tak payah nak jalan jauh2. Di tengah2 deretan kedai2 seperti 7 Eleven, KFC, Secret Recipe, Kenny Rogers, Giant dan sebagainya. Kalau ngantuk2 leh turun 7 Eleven beli Slurpee. Yum! So sesiapa berminat silalah klik kat link di perenggan di atas. Even though you all haven't planned on getting married just yet, baik pi je dulu. One Ustaz was telling that the Majlis Agama Islam or something like it is planning on extending the duration of the pre-marital course to 3D2N ke apa, siap dengan Qiyamullail semua. Which is even better, ye la siapa di antara you all ni pernah berqiyamullail (bangun malam, bukan bangun malam tengok bola OK!!).

Kosnya murah saja, RM80 p/person. :) Ajak la geng2 yg belum pernah hadir kursus kawin then you all pegi together2. Boleh gelak kat lawak2 Ustaz2 tu bersama-sama.

To me, the Ustaz2 kat sana semua OK2. They don't make it too formal, if not for sure we'd all be nodding off. Cuma ada this one Ustaz who was lecturing on the "Kesihatan" module, he was elaborating on the food pyramid for like, 40minutes! Semua jenis buah-buahan tempatan dia nak komen: manggis, durian, betik, pisang, etc. I think we were all exposed to that food pyramid since we were like, what? 12? Tak perlu la kot nak komen panjang2 kot Ustaz, pasal benda2 yg semua org dah tahu. Lebih bagus kalau dia ceramah pasal health for expecting mothers, babies, just to name a few.

Apa pun, dah selesai dah pun kursus. Which reminds me, sijil belum amik!! FYI, sijil siap 2 hari selepas kursus. Cepat kan!

Venue Confirmed!!

2009-05-16T15:29:00.007+08:00

I changed the venue of my wedding reception! I am so lucky to get the only available date in Dec! But it is a day later that what we planned, tapi tak kesah la, I sooo want the hall! Hatiku jatuh chinta buat kali ke-2...(ke?!)

Lihatlah dewanku ini: -

Setia Pearl Island Grand Ballroom (pic is courtesy of Husaini)

Mula2 I dah book this one dewan at K0mpleks Masyarakat Penyayang more than a year ago. But lama kelamaan I think the hall is a bit rundown and buruk, the flooring tu mcm nak menangis I tgk pun ada...to decorate such a hall I think it requires more $$$. This dewan yg I baru book is a bit more expensive (sikit je tak banyak ;p) but I don't think I will spend more on the deco and such.

My mind is so full of ideas!!!

Budget Newsflash!

2009-05-14T22:40:00.002+08:00

I am rather proud of my achievement today! Finally I have prepared my wedding budget today! Yay! To those out there, a wedding budget is important to ensure that you have sufficient savings or fund to support your white lace dreams. If you are from a well-to-do family whom parents are more than willing to use their extravagant funds, then you might not need a budget. If not, larat ke nak tanggung hutang bank sampai bertahun-tahun lamanya akibat amik personal loan sebab nak kawin punya pasal?

But I am just a normal girl from a normal family who is dreaming of a slightly abnormal wedding, so I have to put pen to paper how much my abnormal wedding will cost me.

A bit more than I expected!! So, harus berusaha mencari bargain!! Wish me luck! :))

What is it that I want?

2009-05-03T18:55:00.003+08:00

The problem with me is, I don't know what I want. My wedding is approx. 7 months away but I just don't know where to start. I have been visiting bridal boutiqes around Penang and Kedah, get their quotations and package prices, but that's it lah. I mean, the people at the bridal boutiques would be asking me what is my theme? I would be like, "Huh? You mean color theme or some other theme? Tah lah saya pun tak tau apa theme saya". It definitely helps if you visit those boutiques knowing what you want in your mind.

Modern style? Contemporary style? Classic and traditional style? English style? Boleh tak nak campur2? Rojak aja laa...nama pun dok Penang kan ho ho. But 1 thing I know I want is I don't want color yang striking2 bright2 segala. Biru, hijau, merah, kuning...I don't want...to me a perfect wedding dress should be white/off white/cream in colour. But then no offense, there are people out there who love the colourful dresses. Kadang2 masa pi bridal boutiqes tu pun macam nak pakai aje warna2 yg sweet mcm purple or pink etc. Cantik sangat!! Tapi...ish...jenuh nak ingatkan diri ini agar kembali ke landasan sebenar.

Sorang kakak kat bridal boutique yg agak terkenal kat SP telah mengingatkan aku "jangan nanti kawin tak dak theme...pening kepala". Ya la, baju ala2 English style, pelamin ala2 Minang style, then main lagu keroncong. Hancusss....

But then pikiaq pi, pikiaq mai, aku rasa I will go for modern and contemporary la kot (ke sama ja dua2 theme tu? Huhu). Cuz I know masa reception nanti nak main English love songs...pls takmau Hindustan or dangdut okeh (my Mak dok suggest lagu Hindustan plak dahhh and she is dead serious, harusku hentikan niat dia itu).

Next entry I will write about butik2 yg telah kuterjah so far. Not much of good news la I tell you...

Sekian, dari saya yang berselera besar tapi budget ciput.

Masuk gear!

2009-05-03T01:36:00.003+08:00

Aku rasa my blog ni akan bertukar menjadi my wedding preparation blog...lately I have been visiting blog2 bakal2 pengantin, and cara depa dok cerita pasal wedding preparation depa ni membuatkan aku rasa teruja nak sharing pasal wedding preparation aku jugak... (mostly dipengaruhi oleh Cik Sharina Khalid yang bakal melangsungkan perkahwinannya bulan 8 nanti...seronoknya!!! I am so excited for her OK!!)

Honestly speaking, aku ni boleh la dikatakan pengantin yang berangan2 tinggi nak majlis macam selebriti, tapi budget nya ciput aje...(sob sob tu la sapa suruh jadi auditor cabuk je) tapi I believe that if you prepare earlier, tak kelam kabut dan last minute, you are able to get what you want with a fraction of the cost. Betui tak?

Memang la orang perempuan ni angan2 mmg tinggi, nak kawin terbayang2 nak jadi macam princess, Cinderella la Snow White la bagai. Tapi as you grow older, you realize that with money, everything is possible. Tapi kalau budget tak mengizinkan, nak buat macam mana? (again, menyalahkan profesion diri ini sebagai seorang auditor cabuk). I think it is more meaningful if your wedding has your own "touch". Bagi yang terror bab2 seni ni maybe bulih la nak buat hantaran sendiri kan, or on the doorgifts tu at least tolong tampal2 bunga ke deco ke apa. Adakah saya ini seorang yang berseni?? As per Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston punya lyric "There can be miracle, when you believe...." Ecehhh...

So, from now on most probably most of my entries will be about my wedding preparation. Kalau rajin nak menulis la...(again, auditor cabuk is very busy ok). Lepas ni nak letak the countdown tu laa kat this blog. Right now dah nak tidur, maybe tomorrow I'll do it :D

When it's dark and sunny...

2009-04-23T23:32:00.003+08:00

Well if you ask me what is my favourite time of the day, I would say afternoon and night. I love to spend a good hot sunny afternoon at the house, when it's all quiet except for the chirping of the birds (tak sure pulak burung apa yg lepak time-time Zohor ni), rustling of the leaves, faint rumming sound of school buses doing their afternoon rounds of picking/dropping off school students, bunyi lesung sambal belacan jiran sebelah rumah all blend in together. And I'll be in my room with the windows open, reading a good book. Heavenly! The perfect time is 12-4. Wish I can spend more afternoons at home, instead of working in the office...

At night, I find it very peaceful to work/read/anything serenaded by the tunes from the 80s and 90s. Normally Mix FM would be the radio station that I would tune in to la. Ever since my schooling days, I would study late into the nights with the radio on low volume. And normally I would get sentimental and emotional, time ni la nak fikir fasal masa-masa lampau dan jugak masa depan. A good time to think and to plan.

What's your favourite time of the day?

The Woman Who Shut Up Simon Cowell - ABC News

2009-04-21T21:37:00.005+08:00

I don't know if anyone of you here has heard of Susan Boyle. She auditioned for this year's British Got Talent and was featured in the 1st round in one of Britain's most popular reality TV shows.

Well, before she sang, both the audience and the judges were very sarcastic towards her, I guess it is because her unpolished appearance which was off-putting, and her awkwardness. I think all of the audience were against her. Some even rolled their eyes when she said that she wanted to be a professional singer. But once she started to sing - I think she has the most beautiful voice ever...it just goes out and touches your heart when she sang "I Dreamed A Dream", featured in a hit musical Les Miserables. (ps: I've seen the musical Les Miserables but can't remember the song, hehe).

Click here to see Susan's audition. It's viewed by millions of people, the number is going up day by day.

Needless to say, she received standing ovation from the audience who were clearly in awe of her performance and she garnered yes-votes from all the 3 judges.

The thing about Susan Boyle is, you really would not expect that she possesses such talent, judging from her outlook itself. To me, she looks like those elderly village ladies whom you can see pushing trolleys at the weekend market. Someone whom you would never give a second look at. Well, she is a 40-something year old woman from some unknown village in Scotland...

The saying never judge a book by its cover, it is so true... To quote Susan when asked about the audience's reactions before she started singing, "Modern society is too quick to judge people on their appearances. There is not much you can do about it; it is the way they think; it is the way they are. But maybe this could teach them a lesson, or set an example." You taught me a lesson, Susan.

But today I read in the newspaper, some sick-minded j@ck@$$es are trying to get a bid to film her losing her virginity! It's outrageous! She portrays the image of innocence and pureness, I just don't understand how some people are so sick to come up with this, or even think of it!

What has the world has gotten to? Rasa nak demam bila baca kisah-kisah macam ni...

Is it karma?

2009-04-17T20:13:00.005+08:00

I just realised...there is only one blog entry for the month of April...padahal this month tak la busy mana sangat...since I am assigned under a super-efficient Manager...sampai terasa diri ini bagaikan lempeng dipress2 dan disqueeze2. But it's OK. Once you settle everything about an assignment, there is no need to worry about a thing. No need to dread that "EY Penang" caller ID on your phone screen if you are on a field work. Hehe :p

Anyway just want to share with you all an incident that happened to me yesterday. Not much of an "incident" la, more like a happening kot.

OK normally if I am in my office in EY (FYI as an auditor there are 2 possible places that an auditor could be on a working day; in the office or at the client's place). So trying my best to be a good Muslim normally I will perform my prayers at a surau situated at an adjacent hotel (mengada betul tak nak solat kat office, but then again, my office tak disediakan surau yea : ).

Back to my story, yesterday I performed my afternoon prayer during lunchtime (yes I do not go out for lunch to eat, no geng to eat lunch with so I bring home-packed lunch everyday. Some people may think it as pathetic but I like to think of myself trying to be healthy, at the same time, saving money :D ). Normally I would wait until approx. 15 minutes to the evening prayer time, and that's when I perform my afternoon and evening prayer at the same time. But yesterday I planned to go back sharp at 5.30pm, so still enough time to pray at home.

But it was almost 6.30pm that I could at last pack my bag and leave the office. On my way to my car, I was torn into two. Nak solat dulu ke baru balik? Another voice inside me (syaitan la tu) said balik je la dulu, sempat ni sejam baru masuk Maghrib. A drive back home took about 20mins. It was a 50-50 kind of feeling, which then turned into 70-30 as I got nearer to my car.

I got into my car. Slot the keys in the ignition. Tada. Cannot start! Inside me I know this would happen. It happened to me before. There were instances when I delayed my prayers, something would happen.

There was this one time when I was studying in UiTM in Shah Alam, a friend asked for a favor to drive her to a shop (she was carless, I was the one with the car). Azan baru berkumandang, I told myself, takpe la, balik dari kedai baru nak solat. Just as I drove out of the uni main entrance, a car came out of nowhere and bang into my front. Quite a bad damage, so to settle everything langsung tinggal Zohor, Asar, and if I'm not mistaken, Maghrib as well.

Despite what happen, I feel thankful to the God. He never fails to remind me the importance of menjaga waktu solat. It is me who always forget and taking things lightly. Astaghfirullahalazim. Lepas ni aku berazam nak cuba solat secepat mungkin sebaik masuk waktu.

Back to yesterday's incident, akhirnya my car dapat dihidupkan. Sempat balik rumah nak solat Asar. Even so, I am ashamed of myself... -.-

Have you guys ever experienced such thing?

Confessions of a chocoholic

2009-04-04T18:26:00.002+08:00

I watched the Confessions of a Shopaholic last night with my colleagues - Pam, Win See and Sze Yeng; we all had fun! Though we came in a bit late and the movie had started - all gara-gara hujan lebat in the evening and we were all stuck in the jam, then had dinner at Sakae Sushi first...enjoyed the food too much and so many gossips to talk about, and missed like, 5 mins of the movie.

Anyway the movie was really funny, there are parts which I really laughed - trust me, I am very hard to impress. And Luke Brandon is soo...heavenly...haih...matanya yang merenung ke dalam kalbuku ini...adui....I remembered him from a movie I watched last year the "Jane Austen Book Club" but then in that movie he did not look as yummy as in the Shopaholic...

But then I think the book is much better than the movie la...the movie tu macam jauh saja tersasar simpangnya...but then at least the casting is good...both Luke Brandon and Becky Bloomwood fit in the characters as described in the book...My only wish is that Becky is British as per the book, and that the filming is done in and around London. It will be so much more memorable for yours truly!

Well I am not a shopaholic like Becky in the movie...but how nice it is if I am born with a gold spoon in my mouth...but apa pun I am thankful with the life I am living right now...nak beli apa-apa then you have to earn, if not save your money...baru tahu macam mana susahnya nak dapat duit...

But last week I was so happy sebab dah lama tak shopping, I get to shop...sebabnya nak cari barang-barang hantaran...so I went down to KL to find my fiance. Dah kat KLCC tu habislah, fiance pulak berkeras nak belikan perfume set and clutch bag for me even though I resist...ye la I want to survey2 tunggu sale but being guys, he insisted to buy it right there and then. So ok la I picked the one I have been eyeing, the Vera Wang Princess. I like the bottle, sesuai sgt nak letak atas dulang hantaran. Then he bought Armani perfume set for himself, though I wish he bought Polo Black! Tak pa la, apa-apa pun janji suka. Dia yang nak pakai.

Apa pun, we were so happy with the vouchers we got that day, since Parkson ada members' day so double vouchers for all purchases! Yippee!

Marley & Me?

2009-03-23T00:34:00.005+08:00

Last week I was assigned for an audit which took place at this Ang Mor's (Hokkien word for Mat Saleh) bungalow in Tanjung Bungah. This Ang Mor is actually a Dutch, he's been around in the country for almost 15 years (info that I mixed and matched and thus came up this conclusion), and him and his wife could understand, and speak Malay, Hokkien and Mandarin. Not too sure about Tamil though.

Anyway before I went to their place I was warned by colleagues who were there in the prior year, that there will be a really friendly and hyperactive dog which would run around the house and play with you (habis la aku nak kena samak satu badan) and cats which are just too lazy and would sleep the whole day on the queen-size bed. The cats I'm OK but the dog?!!! I have always been so scared of dogs and have never been in a close proximity to one. To imagine letting myself in the house compound before the barking dog...nak mintak tukar engagement tak berani la pulak...belum jadi senior dah nak defy management's staff planning...they must have put me there for a reason...

So when I went there with a junior, I warned her that I might be hiding behind her la, after all she is a Chinese, she can't be afraid of dogs can she? Sekali dia lagi takut dari aku da...when we arrived I was horrific to see that there was not only one, but two dogs!! Kalau setakat chihuahua or poodle or type yang cute2 tu tak la takut sangat...tapi yang ni besar gila...I don't know the breed la tapi but definitely not Rottweiler...if Rottweiler then I will start enjin kereta and patah balik rumah dah la...

Anyway the dogs menyalak kat we all macam muka we all ni macam orang pecah rumah!!! Oh tidak...Takut betul...bukak je pintu pagar tu, I was frozen...the dogs ran towards us...dalam hati ni berdoa memang tak ingat la, jangan la bagi anjing2 ni gigit aku...ye la since kecik lagi my perception towards dogs is that they bite. Bite dengan ganasnya! Surprisingly the dogs tak gigit...they ran towards us then stopped to sniff at my legs, or rather, my long pants. Berlegar-legar kat sekeliling my legs and ikut sampai masuk rumah. When we were working, the dogs would occasionally come and visit us. Apa pun jangan lompat naik atas riba aku sudah...

Last week was the first time I ever let dogs to get so near to me. And I overcame my fear by walking into a house of barking dogs...selalunya bila lalu depan rumah orang yg bela anjing yang menyalak like crazy, selalu kesiankan kat visitors yang datang to that house...now that I experienced it...it isn't much of a nightmare...

But then at the end of the week...penat nya nak kena samak all my pants!!

Link

2009-03-15T21:43:00.003+08:00

Hi, to those who have been asking for my engagement pictures, kindly leave me a comment.

Kaifa haluk?

2009-03-09T20:59:00.003+08:00

Today I went to visit a long-forgotten (yes it's shameful of me) Ustaz Adnan, a teacher, or rather, ustaz when I was studying in high school.

It so happens my good friend from high school, Fiza, gave me a ring last night. This good friend of mine, she is a very thoughtful person that she will call me whenever she is back in her hometown. So we get to talk and she mentioned about bumping into one of our teachers kat market. They got into talking, and so Fiza get to know about Ustaz Adnan yang diserang stroke about a week ago.

Actually, I was not that close to Ustaz Adnan when I was in high school but somehow he used to menyakat me...maybe last time I was big size so maybe he thought naturally I was good-natured la. Hm I was good-natured back then, plus studious, tak nakal and rajin. Not a rebel, so boleh la kot nak buat melawak sikit-sikit :D

Ustaz Adnan taught us Pengajian Al-Quran dan Sunnah. Wow, that seemed like a lifetime ago. I felt so thankful dapat belajar ilmu-ilmu akhirat macam ni. Walaupun banyak yang dah lupa tapi my notebooks masih ada, hopefully I will find the time untuk mengulangkaji pelajaran2 masa sekolah dulu. Insya Allah.

Anyway it was good to see Ustaz Adnan. He changed a lot, physically, he is way thinner now. He used to look so young and robust, never failed to smile and joke around. Well he is still the smiley person he used to be, but looked a bit tired and in pain. Ye lah orang baru diserang stroke kan. Plus can anyone be happy with hospital food?? Apa pun semoga Ustaz Adnan cepat sembuh. Marilah kita sama-sama doakan dia OK!

By the way when I was at the hospital, Ustaz Salleh came to visit as well! Lama nya tak jumpa Ustaz Salleh! FYI, Ustaz Salleh taught us Bahasa Arab when we were in Form 1. His teaching method is so effective that I think I can remember the basic verbs and nouns until now :) But the sweet thing is that Ustaz Salleh and Ustaz Adnan talk they refer to each other as "Ana" means "Saya" and "Anta" means "Awak", in Arabic language. I almost forget how polite and gracious one would sound like if they refer to themselves as "Ana" and "Anta". What a beautiful language Arabic is, masya Allah.

Now I really miss my school time. Even though my school was not well-known for its co-curricular e.g. brass band, drama, choir, sports, etc (traits that normally make a school very popular, and the students admired). My school stressed more on the academic excellence and the Islamic way of life. I am proud to graduate from there, and I am proud with the teachings my school provided me.

So masa nak balik tadi, sempat la pesan kat Ustaz "Ustaz, kena pantang makan dah lepas ni, kena exercise lebih sikit"...sekali Ustaz reply..."Ha ah pantang...pantang tengok aja"... Hmm boleh ka??