Is it karma?

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

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?

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

Hi, to those who have been asking for my engagement pictures, kindly leave me a comment.

Kaifa haluk?

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??

The Millionaire from the Slum

Today I am going out for an outing to watch Slumdog Millionaire with Mom and lil sis Jannah. OK I am watching an English-Hindi movie partly because it won 8 trophies at the Oscar. If not you wouldn't have caught me dead going to the cinema to watch a Hindustani movie.

But the main reason I am going to fork out RM10 from my pocket to watch this movie is not only for the fleet of awards it had acclaimed so far, but also that the slum kids of Mumbai featured in the movie are now been taken in by charitable organisations. Hopefully they will be given opportunities to achieve their dreams and don't end up wasting their lives.

So, a proportion of the box office takings are going towards setting up a Foundation to help these slum kids of Mumbai.

So please do not go download this movie or buy pirated DVDs because the money you spend in the cinema is actually going to a worthy cause. But the major plot of the story is about a boy who tried his luck in a reality TV show, an Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" - and is on the verge of winning 20million rupees.

Now tell me, who hasn't watch your country's local version of the same-titled TV show? And who hasn't had the slightest flicker of supposing, "suppose...suppose if I ever join that show, maybe I could walk away with millions of dollars too??". So I think this movie reflects the reality of what is really happening in the world nowadays - to make quick, big money by joining a reality show.

Anyway...

Can't wait to watch the movie!

Engaging Engagement

Maybe I wrote too briefly about my engagement day in my previous entry. So this time around I am going to elaborate more on that memorable event.

Things That Keep Me Contented

1. My pretty pink dress :) When I first bought the lace cloth I sulked over it cuz I thought it looked a bit "kels" or "kaf lam", but bila dah jadi baju many people commented that it looks nice so I am happy :) but I forked out quite a sum of money on it la :(

2. My makeup - At first when I had a glance at my face after being made up, I was a bit horrific - why la my eyes dikalerkan turquoise when my dress is pink? But then if my eyes warna pink of course they won't stand out rite? Plus I don't want to look like macam mata kena sengat nyamuk pulak. So to my "Dik Andam" i.e. Jumie - thanks for the great job! :) Anyone who want her for make-up can ask me, I can forward you her number :) Tapi yang paling penting - tunang cakap I look beautiful!! Perlu.....

3. The food - I was the one who suggested to serve the guests with nasik lauk kampung, rather than nasik beriani and those yang rather fattening. Layan je makan nasik lauk kampung with ulam, sambal, siap ada teh tarik lagi. Wah!

4. The crowd - To Anis who took leave just to come back to Penang to be with me, my aunts and uncles who made the effort to meramaikan majlis dan tolong2 siapkan hantaran, orang-orang masjid yang tolong datang baca doa untuk memberkati majlis pertunangan dan juga doa selamat to my mom yang officially turned 50 the day before - huhu! Also to my family yang berkejaran ke seluruh pelosok Penang cari daun sirih la, talam, mangkuk, serviette, buah-buahan, dan macam-macam la benda yang entah nak buat apa tah. Also to the guests i.e. fiance, his family and relatives - I am so happy to get to know each and everyone of you :)

5. Crystal bowl - Special thanks to Kak Eli yang berpenat lelah pi Pekan Kuah, Langkawi dan membungkus sebijik mangkuk kristal dan chocolate Ferrero Rocher kegemaranku. Sambil2 susun dalam hantaran sempat jugak 2-3 bijik masuk dalam mulut :D FYI, the crystal bowl is to put some sugar untuk disuapkan for me lepas sarung cincin. Only orang Penang yang amalkan benda ni, the reason being supaya stay sweet and maintain cute sampai hari kahwin nanti. Emm...boleh ke camtu?

6. My simple but nice engagement ring that I chose myself, approved by fiance and his parents (I suppose?) No thanks to my fiance yang sengaja sakatkan I cakap his parents bought me ring yang sesuai diletakkan di hidung lembu. *dush*

Things I Wish They Do Not Exist During The Event

1. Hantaranku yang sangat "kels"!!! Wish I can turn back time and re-do those horrific dangling pinkish...things laid out in front of me!! Please get them out of my sight! Don't want to comment further! But the cupcakes in the hantaran are quite cute. Though the cuteness ruined by the hantarans.

2. Pelamin yang also macam "kels"! Oh no...but I guess not that bad la...Though it is bad, actually. Get it out of my sight also!

3. The hot weather - thanks to the sunshine that I love (yes I would choose sunshine over rainy days anytime) that I sweated! Did not really ruin my makeup though but I was a bit uncomfortable.

4. Alif - My 3 year-old newphew yang sangat buas dan merosakkan banyak gambar2 ku! Especially the most important part where fiance's mom nak sarungkan cincin - si Alif baik punya parking berdiri tengah2 sambil menjenguk kepala - ruined! Big time! :(

OK la tak nak comment banyak2. Bersyukur yang majlis berjalan lancar, hope to improve things on the upcoming solemnisation and reception nanti :) Nak buat macam mana, wish I involve myself further on the preparation, just that it is a bad time for someone who is in the audit line like me. Tu pun nasib baik dapat get away for a day to bertunang. Next day on a beautiful Sunday I spent whole 9 hours in the office. Haih.