El-O-Vee-Ee

Watched it like weeks ago.. yet the line still stuck in my mind.

"sehari bersama dengan orang yang kita betul-betul sayang, walau macam mana perit pun, lagi baik dari seumur hidup dengan orang yang kita tak sayang.."

(a day with the one we truly love, despite all the pain, is much better than a lifetime with the one we do not love... )"

~Rubiah from CINTA the movie~

So true…


******

Questions..


What do you do when you love someone but you know that it is almost impossible for you both to have a happily-ever-after ending?

Would you wait just incase things turn out differently?

How long would you wait?

Or would you just run and never look back?

How do you end it without getting hurt and not hurting your loved one?

How do you stop love?

How?



Ubi: envies those with happily ever after tales….

wake me up when.... ever..

I'm gonna be away, hibernating till I turn 40.. opss I mean three-0. Some wishes & a reminder...


Happy Birthday to my youngest niece Farah Insyirah (DikYah) who turned 2 yesterday (she's the one on the right with her sis Didi trying to follow that little girl kissing tv screen on TV3 promo).

To friends & readers celebrating Christmas, enjoy your Christmas!

To those celebrating birthday on the 26th.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I know a few sharing the same date;

Roho (cikmilah, send my wishes to your sis!)

Amir's Mom (Amir, send my bday regards to her)

Shamoon in Maldives (hey pal, we never get the chance to share a birthday cake!)

It is going to be two years since the 2004 Tsunami, lets give our prayers to the victims and don't stop helping those they left behind.

Happy holiday people... take care.

*hibernate*

Countdown

The final Tuesday of my twenty-something...

Comes next Tuesday.. the first number is three.

Oh TIDAKKKKKKKK! *drama queen mode on*

the ring

Photo by smedegraphic on flickr

How important is a ring in a relationship?

How important is a ring in a Malay style engagement? (saya buta budaya gitu…)

I’m talking about the Malay engagement ceremony, where two families meet and discuss wedding dates & all, not the down-on-knees-will-you-marry-me-in-posh-restaurant type of engagement.

Is it a must?

Can you have ‘bertunang’ without it? Without the ‘sarung cincin’ part?

I’d love to hear men’s views on the ring… and ladies’ too…

Ubi: Before anyone come up with speculation after reading the post, this is NOT about me… I’m not getting engaged/married anytime soon :)

there.. and here

News from home: I was told that sis #3 is getting married and other siblings aren’t too happy with her choice. ‘The choice’ is a divorced man with 3 kids and two of them are in his custody. I don't think they have issues with the excess baggage. I'm away.. so I don't know what the real problem is. I don’t know 'the choice' well, met him once for like 10 mins, so I can’t decide for her, but I’ll be happy if she’s happy. I am the supportive lil sister, you see. You can’t please everyone in your battle for love, can you?

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

I really can’t stand the hot weather here in Alor Star. It is hotter than Penang, KL and of course a lot hotter than KT. I never need a blanket in this town. There’s a bed in the bedroom for me but I choose to sleep on the couch in the living room with the windows open coz its cooler there at night. What’s new, I’ve been sleeping on the couch everywhere I go.

My friend the host joked that perhaps I actually had hot flushes as a symptom of menopause! Chaitttt!! I’m turning 30 ma’am, not 60! My mind went wild thinking oh no, if that ‘pause’ is real, there goes my chance to have my own baby! Hehe.. hmmm.. anyway.. my biological clock is really ticking. Tick tock tick tock…

Another happy note I received some good news. Some girlfriends are pregnant again for their seconds and some thirds. Congrats to you pretty mommies! Oh I just love seeing happy mommies’ faces. I donno why I’m so obsessed with baby in the womb thingy. At the start of CINTA movie, they show some random shots of ‘loves’… couples, families.. and there was one of a pregnant lady putting her hand on her huge tummy and smiled. That one made me go ahhhhh... Ok.. there goes my i-want-a-baby-whine-syndrome again. I’m pathetic that way.


Ubi: don’t worry baby.. I can wait and I will wait...

Grrrr... rasa nak jadi incredible Hulk!

It just ruined my morning!

I parked my car on a different spot last night, right beside the apartment building. This morning I found the car 'beautifully' covered with bird poo, bits and pieces of bread (with chocolate cream on the bread sticks nicely to the car) and... guess what.. got beehoon too!

The swearing vocabs ran wild in my head.. grrrr..

I can understand the bird poos.. birds can't think, they just let go whenever they want to, but the bread & beehoon??? #!&^+*^$@# ..

Ok, maybe it was the work of a kid throwing his/her breakfast out of the balcony up there but where's the mommy? Can you please tell your kids not to throw things out of the balcony/window? (that reminds me of that scene with Pierre Andre walking down the backlane in Cinta).

Marah.. marah.... MARAHHHHHH!

*inhale... exhale*

Gosh, I'm still mad!!

*eyes red.. skin turning green...* opss.. ok..tahan. tahan .. control, I can't be tearing my clothes in public :D

Anti-Aging Mix rice

I was trying to find a place to eat on Saturday afternoon after sending my external hard disk for formatting. I can't even do simple formatting. My computer-half-blind-disability made me 20bucks poorer. That's expensive for a simple formatting job isn't it? Well if you can't do it, you should not complain lah kan.

Anyway, back to the story, I wanted to have lunch. Some of the restaurants around the place have closed biz/taken over by some other biz. So I decided to check out a little restaurant opposite the flat where I used to live . They used to serve western food there. About a hundred steps later I found that they too have changed ownership(to those who know what I'm talking about, that SG2 Cafe at Sg. Dua closed shop already). The western food cafe has been turned into a malay food outlet with the name

“Restoran Nasi Campur Awet Muda”

(Anti-aging Mix Rice Restaurant).

Wahhhh… awet muda!! woohooo!! Just what I need! lol They serve a wide variety of kampung dishes.. with gulai itik (duck curry), gulai kijang(deer curry), gulai ayam pencen (pensioned hen curry? lol), all sorts of ikan bakar (grilled fish), ikan sungai (freshwater fish) dishes,daging bakar (grilled beef), paru goreng (fried cow lung), all the sambals and ulam (and the list goes on). Sungguh rambang mata! I chose to have rice with pari bakar (grilled stingray) + paru goreng +ikan puyu goreng +kacang botor (winged bean) +pajeri terung (eggplant curry)+ sambal belacan. Yummmeeeeeeee!

I walked out of the restaurant with full tummy, at least a kg heavier!.. but I doubt the food could make me look any younger.. *sigh* Hmmm... I do think I'm having somekind of hitting-the-big-30-life-crisis. Soon I'll no longer be a twenty-something.. yikes!

*told you I'm ancient!

Wishes

Photo by Tamelyn on Flickr

Make your wish…

Blow the candles…

Confetti & prezzies

Happy Birthday, Putih!

Wishing you a wonderful life

filled with love and happiness

I'm saying a lil prayer for you...

May all you wishes come true

*hugs*

*I know you'll read this ;)

rest in peace.. hope to see you one day

(meant to send this a few days ago, but my post went missing on blogger)

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the kind words, prayers and reminders in the comment box for my last post.

They say that when you were born, you were crying and people around you were smiling. And when you die, hopefully you’ll be the one smiling and everyone else is crying.
Yes, she was smiling, and everyone was in tears.

She was loved, so much loved by everyone around her. She was blessed with a loving husband. He dropped everything, jobs and all just to be with her since the last few months. He was by her side when she breathed her last.

Her 8 yr old son sat by her remains, reciting Al Fatihah and the 3 Quls and ayat lazim he could memorize. I joined him, reciting Yaasin silently, I could not read it out loud, every time I tried, it only came out as sobbing sound.

I can’t imagine the pain for a mother to lose a child. Cik Ngah, my aunt, tried to act strong. She hid her feelings, fought back her tears, but it was too much that she could not take it. Cik Ngah collapsed.

Ayah Ngah, my uncle has been paralyzed since the last 21 years. Tears trickled down his cheek when they carried him to see his eldest child for one last time. He said he never thought that her daughter would leave before him.

I have flashes of her image in my mind. It was of her in that white kebaya on her wedding day. Beautiful as always. I want to remember her that way.

I miss her.

But life goes on…

Mati adalah pasti... hidup, Insya-Allah.



Ubi: If I’m no longer in this world (as in this real world, not the blogosphere!), would you miss me? *wondering*

Farewell dear cousin

She was just 33

She was the eldest child of 8

Her dad had a stroke and was paralyzed when she was in school. She chose not to continue her studies after her schooling and started working to ease her mom’s burdens.

She fell very ill a couple of months ago

She always had nice things to say..

She could still crack jokes whenever she had enough energy to speak

But life is short, indeed.

She passed away this morning..

Please sedekah AlFatihah for my cousin, Allahyarhamah Hashimah Ismail.

(writing this in tears while waiting for my turn to use the shower)

Ramblings

*yawn*
- Cat in Kg. Ketek, Melaka- 11112006-

I always have a theme song but something must have been very wrong in my life when I can name 101 sad/anger/heartache/confused songs with the complete oh-i'm-so-sad-i-wanna-die-type-lyrics but I can hardly think of one single happy song to be the theme song for a little happiness I found lately. A friend suggested 'happy birthday' as a happy song but lets keep that song to next month when the first number of my age will change.

Ah yes if you have not figured, I am old. My niece was collecting the birthdates of all her aunties/uncles the other day and asked for mine. She freaked out when I mentioned my birthyear "haaaa? TUA nya?!! dah tu tak kawin lagi". Oh dear, if you singles out there have bugger aunties/parents/neighbours, I get lots of marriage related nags from my nieces & nephews instead! And you should hear them having critiques of the guys they've seen in photos with me (and these guys only happen to be beside me in group photos!), they make comments from top to toe! Too old, too young, too fat, too thin, too dark, he's getting bald, he's too tall, he's short... so hard to please them. Anyway, at least one of them think that sepet is cute! *grins*

Now I hate school holidays coz I have to battle to get some quiet space to do my work at home. I don't even have a room in this house anymore. I sleep on the sofa. I do my work in the living room, and no more raya visits, please, raya dah habis! I hate having to move my books & laptop everytime people coming.

I'll be away for a few weeks, I'll pop in one or two updates in betweens. Enjoy the school holidays, kids & Selamat Pengantin Baru to those getting married.

School Hols

School hols is here.. again;

singles get married.. (or married man add new wife?)

parents send their kids to kampung to teach them that kambing is a goat, not a dog! :D

little boys take part in that little ceremony to prepare them for adulthood (Ouch!! -refer photo below, NO I did not sneak into their 'cutting' room, so no photos to show :D)

mandiiiii.. muka diorang dah pucat, either they're cold or they're scared!
There, abang bomba tolong semburkan.

I had a photo of NZ fire truck on this blog few months back, so now I put up M'sia fire truck pulak la. Could not get a full photo of the truck.. akak segan nak pegi dekat :)

*so what's your plan for the school hols?

Sun Moon

To my uni friends in NZ, this post has nothing to do with our dear friend in Maldives altho the title actually spell out his nickname :)

-Moon @ Kuant@n-06112006-

-Sun @ Pulau Bes@r-05112006-
The haze spoilt the views from Pulau Bes@r

I promised to put up a photo of full moon in Malaya. I did took a few but it was rather hard to get good shots here. The ones I took a night earlier on the jetty @ Pulau Bes@r, Mersing were blur and shaky. I almost got hit by a car in my attempt to snap the full moon in Kuantan (I was standing on the supposedly safe side of the road, bukan tengah jalan). Well, Malaysians really can speed on narrow roads that they shared with pedestrians. Macam lah kalau speeding kat side road tu boleh sampai jauh.. last2 kena brek jugak, b*d* mung!

Anyway, I wonder if drivers from our neighbouring country down south are really 'bersopan santun di jalan raya' type. I do think I am a 'pemandu berhemah' yet these people I brought in my tour group were so amazed by my driving (or to be exact my overtaking) skill. Obviously they haven't seen much on our roads.

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

On another note, I'd like to congratulate my niece, Afifah Rawaidah @ Apah for getting 5As in UPSR. To Nur Fathi Athirah @ Kak Yong, all the best for your SPM, Makcu will pray for you!

Sepet

I love his company and will always will

He made my heart fluttered

He made me smile... a lot!

He made me laugh, endlessly...

I loved that smile and winks that greeted me at breakfast table

I miss his cheeky winks

I loved his sensitivity

I loved those innocent sepet eyes

I’d never forget that walk in the pouring rain.

Oh my.. it was like having a teenage crush again!

I must have forgotten my age.

It wasn’t physical attraction, I was sure of that.

He found his way to my heart

He was indeed special

I wished he’s mine

I wished I could go on feeling that way.

But I can’t

We are different

I don’t grow up in Y@smin Ahm@d world where love rules

We live in real world, not a fantasy, and boundaries are real.

I slapped myself, and now I could see the reality.

It was just a crush. Nothing would work between us.

**********

Postscript:

Or can it work?
Perhaps it is love that comes knocking on my desolate door.
I’m gonna open that door. It has been closed for too long (the hinge squeaks!) .
I know this will not be easy.

Help Needed - attention Kuantan ppl

Salam Raya to everyone!

Sorry.. been bz, except for 1&2nd raya, I spent the days in KT Hospital, Mak was warded on the 3rd raya for high fever. 7 days in the ward, no hemsem doctors were in sight, sigh.. :)

Ok, later I cerita pasal raya if I have the time. I bet you all have enough of raya stories already lah.

Now I need help,
anyone out there from Kuantan & know of any budget van rental company? I need vans to carry 21 pax (three 7-seaters 0r two 12-seaters, no need drivers) around Kuantan for a day on 7th Nov 2006 (24hr rental).

I've called a few companies listed on Yellow Pages & the ones I found on the net but they don't have vans and their car rentals are ridiculously expensive.

So please please if you know of any local van leasing company in Kuantan please give me the contact number in the comment box today. Thank you!

I'll be in Singapore tomorrow, anyone can be my tour guide in Spore for a day?

Salam Raya

I checked on local news on Utusan, one of the headlines "Sltl-you-know-who beraya di rumah mertua". Ok, I tak nak marah Datin tu coz I'm sure she did not call the reporter to tell "akak, tahun ni saya beraya kat rumah mertua saya". But please lah.. sudah2 la cerita pasal dia!

Let me have my own headline-lah;
Cik Ubi bakal beraya di rumah ibubapanya setelah dua tahun tidak pulang beraya di kampung.

Itu pun Insya Allah, kalau selamat di perjalanan. Ubi tak beraya di rumah mertua. Rumah mertua pun dia belum tau kat mana, kalau dapat anak yatim piatu lagi Ubi suka, tak payah rebut2 balik kampung!

Insya Allah I'll start my journey home on Sunday and reach home by Monday evening. To friends and any bloggers in Kuala Terengganu (or anyone from outside but want to come to KT), jemput lah datang beraya to my teratak buruk (just email me at ubisetela@gmail.com to get the direction if you wanna come). Do not expect to see a rumah batu or juta-juta worth mansion, ours is just a simple rumah kampung. Don't worry, my jalan kampung is wide enough for big cars. We will not have one special day for 'open house', our door is always open for raya visits, but sometimes we have to close the door to prevent ayam & stray cats from entering.

This will be my last post before I go home, I have tons to do before I go. Anyway, lets not forget to make full use of the last few days of Ramadhan to improve our ibadah. Lastly, I'd like to wish all muslims out there Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir & Batin.

Final Ramadhan get together

Went for a postgrad get together during iftar on Saturday and it was a scrumptious food fiesta. I could say that we had at least half a row out of any pasar ramadhan type food covered. No pic for show and tell from the iftar, I was too engrossed either with the eating part or hugging little kids.

The list (this is what I remember lah.. I think there were more than this)
Laicikang
Coffee
Cendol
Lontong
Rojak
Nasi Minyak
Ayam masak merah
Rendang Ayam
Acar
Roast chicken
Laksa Penang
Keropok (this one did not make to the main table, the ladies kat dapur, including me, dah perabis dulu!)
Rojak buah
Creme caramel
Honey dew pudding (mine)
Boysenberry jelly (mine)
Cookies & cream Ice cream
Kasturi
Pau
Muffins
Pengat Ubi Setela a.k.a keledek (although it bears my name, I did not make that one)

My small tummy could not savour each one of them eventhough we streched the eating session up until after terawih. I tapau-ed some rojak and lontong, which I did not try during iftar, saved me time to prepare sahur :) The lontong was out of this world! Thanks to our good host and thanks to other cooks too! (I know some of you my, postgrad gang have started to read my blog despite my attempt to keep it unknown to you people :P)

I could not tell which version of rojak this is. belasah aje..sedap!

On my palate, I've been craving for some meatballs but I could not find any readymade halal meatballs around here. You see, when I teringin for something, I can't put things off my mind (just like the crab yang I belum dapat). Dah tak leh beli meatballs, kena buat la sendiri. I sinsing lengan baju.. gaul-gaul and gentel some meatballs. I was drooling when fry them (no saliva got into the pan, ok). Yesssss...at last I can eat meatballs. I just had them fried plain in olive oil & bell peppers this time and keep them for the whole bz week, probably to go with some quick pasta sauce, soup or instant noodles later on.

mushroom & parmesan meatball with bell peppers.

I still have a lot of those meatballs, want some?

Sleeping like a log..

I didn’t know why but I was very tired the whole day yesterday. Other fasting days were not like yesterday. Before noon I was feeling lethargic and weak. By noon I decided to go home for an hour, took a quick shower to rejuvenate. It worked for like a few minutes. By the time I drove back to my office, I was yawning again. The afternoon was not kind to me either, it was hot inside. I needed some afternoon breeze but I had to keep all windows closed because some ppl were spraying fertilizer on a farm close to campus. The air smelt like shit, it made me nauseous. I struggled to keep my eyes open the moment I was back in front of pc. Even clicking here and there with non-work related things could not keep me awake. Washed face. It only helped for like 5 seconds. No I didn’t do that minum air while basuh muka thingy.

By 4 pm my eyes were red and nothing could keep me physically & mentally awake, not even some entertainment. Close to 5 I packed everything and went home. Got to bed and set my phone alarm to 6.45pm, that would give me enough time to go my friend’s place to cook, iftar would be at 7.50pm. I cook at theirs during Ramadhan so that I can share my food with those who fast.

So I went into deep slumber. Too deep that I did not even realized when the alarm went off. I woke up only when my housemate knocked on my door. The room was in total darkness! Fumbled in the dark to find my phone. Dang... it was already past 10 pm. I missed iftar and I even missed Maghrib! Dok jurruh sungguh! Macam tu nak cari Lailatul Qadar?

Self Ramadhan evaluation so far, D-

For a little reminder to me and you muslims out there, click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9CxtZpDrXQ


On another note, this is my request, can someone in Ganu please please please go tell your MB that the state and the people don't need Shah Rukh Khan or any Hindi moviestar for Monsoon Cup. Toloooooonglah....

Kisah puasa

~Ahni~ tagged her readers, I blog when I can't sleep, so let me do the tag.

First time, aku berpuasa.
Standard one.. mostly sekerat hari. Weekends je puasa penuh satu hari tapi tu pun satu hari melepek macam sayur terlebih celur. Satu hari pernah pitam kat tengah laman after chasing my cousin.

First time, aku berpuasa penuh.
Darjah 4 kot, tak pun darjah 5. Yang pastinya darjah 6 penuh.

First time, aku berpuasa jauh dari family.
Kat hostel, starting form 1. Nasib baik semua sekolah semua pompuan, so asal tak ade air liur basi meleleh dah kira boleh pegi sahur, tak payah nak tengok-tengok cermin. Tudung pun main selempang aje (pasal ada Pakcik dining hall), tak pun pakai hoodies. Pastu kalau 'cuti' boleh pegi ambik nasi lunchtime kat dining hall. tapi nasib le, lauk yang lebih2 dari sahur je. Silap hari bulan lauk tu dah start nak basi. Itulah nasib kalau bercuti di bulan puasa. Makanan lain tak ade, maggi aje le.

Masa form 1 we had this cerita hantu during Ramadhan. Camna pulak bulan puasa berhantu.. well, not actually hantu, he was a prowler. The rumour was this fellow menuntut some ilmu and had to put it into practise. That Isabella (yes, we gave him a glamourous name) made strange noises and ppl said he was a "manimal". Donno la betul ke tak, all I know, I was 12, penakut gile and semua cerita hantu I percaya. Oh yes, we had some macho looking policewomen guarding the school at nights during that Isabella attack.

We had tadarus in the afternoons, on those hot humid afternoon memang mengantuk. Asyik tersengguk time baca Quran. Those who cannot puasa will have prep in classrooms. I cheated a few times, tak pegi tadarus, tapi lepak kat kelas. There was one year when our school decided to use our 'tak puasa labour' to raise fund for something. Sapa yang tak puasa kena kerja- buat rubber glove quality checking, tuang air dalam gloves, picit-picit make sure gloves tak bocor. That was kinda forced labour!

During my final year in school I sometimes had special meal for sahur, masak Brahims or one of those prepacked 'army ration' with my partner in crime, Fidie. You see, we had a rice cooker but we were not allowed to use it and we had two very-strict-school-rules-abiding-prefects, Tim & Nan in the same room (they were just doing their duty la, very good prefects you see, tak pilih kasih punye). So Fidie & I buat konon2 tak nak pegi sahur, the minute the 2 prefects stepped out for sahur we'd quickly cook whatever we had in store, makan & cuci everything siap before the prefects balik, destroy all evidence la konon, but the curry smell of course la tak hilang in an instant! Fidie in Atlanta, Tim in Germany & Nan in Stockholm (global siot!), I really miss u all!

First time, aku bayar zakat fitrah sendiri.
2001, tak pun 2002. Tak ingat. Nak bayar pun tak payah pegi jauh-jauh pasal Ayah yang kutip zakat fitrah.

First time, jatuh sakit semasa berpuasa.
Pernah ke? Entah, tak pernah kot.. takat demam-demam biasa tu ada lah. Tapi ikut pengalaman, dah 3 kali jugak pitam time puasa (masa tak puasa pun ada jugak pitam). Tapi yang nasib baik, I have early symptoms bila nak pitam, I'd start to get blur vision before everything goes black, so bila dah nampak blur satu macam tu, I sit and bersandar somewhere, tak kiralah kat mana, janji I don't go tergolek dork and injure myself or terhantuk kepala kat mana2.

First time puasa sebagai seorang suami/isteri.
Haha... itu tungguuuuuuu... ntah bila la tu!

First time puasa sebagai ibu.
oh bila la la la la...

First time puasa di oversea.
2004, sampai my current Uni bulan puasa. Malays tak ramai, yang undergrad dah balik cuti masa tu. Menumpang kasih for a week kat satu family ni. Lepas tu masuk flat sendiri, but flatmates semua tak ada, duduk sorang2, bukak puasa sendiri, masa tu tak kenal lagi kedai halal kat mana, I only know one supermarket. Asian shops pun belum jumpa. Asyik lauk telur or canned tuna. Memang tak lalu nak makan, and makan sekali time buka puasa tu je, lepas tu dah malas nak makan apa-apa. The family I mentioned memang jemput bukak puasa kat rumah diorang everyday, but then, segan la beb hari-hari nak gi makan free kat rumah orang.

First time bukak puasa kat ofis.
Masa belajar dulu2 biasa bukak puasa kat studio, we took turns masak nasi & beli lauk. Masa belajar sekarang pun, kekadang bukak kat ofis jugak, kalau balik rumah pun tak ada housemates puasa.

First time berpuasa terlupa sahur (tahun ni).
Tahun ni.. tak de lak lupa, malas sahur tu ade la pasal tak rasa nak makan.

I'm not gonna tag anyone, feel free to do it if you want to.

killer beriani

Praises, praises and praises... and everyone looks so berselera having the Saturday buka puasa with the menu beriani +ayam madu+ kari dalca+ acar+cocktail jelly +muffin+sirap bandung. Everyone tersandar kenyang, including me.. and one mat salleh who joined us for iftar siap tergolek while trying to clean his plate. Dah makan bersila... agaknya dia kata, alang2 dah duduk, golek2 la terus.

I'm so glad that all 3 rice cookers of beriani + all lauk habis. Alhamdulillah, so glad everyone's satisfied with the iftar. I went home happy coz I loved it when people makan habis & enjoyed what I cooked with my friends.

An hour later I received a testimonial on Friendster for the briyani... walla!

but that was not the end....

The next morning I received text, and went on balas2 sms. (vodafone free texting on weekends!)
"kakUbi sakit perut tak?"
"tak, naper"
"saya kena crt brt, W, X, Y, Z pun sakit perut"
"ha? teruk ke?"
"berlari-lari jugak la pegi toilet"

So I went YMing others.. checking who's ok and who's not..
Half of us had diarrhea the next morning.
Thank God nobody needs to be rushed to clinic/ hospital.
My tummy was a little bloated that night, I thought it was normal because I had a little more than my normal portion.
I guess my tummy is little bit tougher.

Ya Ampuuuuunnnnn!!!
I apologize to all victims, I had no idea what actually caused the diarrhea.
Could be the frozen chicken nibble.

Ppl, get your health insurance ready the next time I cook, ok.

See, I really am a bad cook!

Moon fetish

Moon, moon, moon.. my full moon obsession again!

9.46p.m. I thought I was going to miss this full moon. It hid behind dark clouds but the reflected lights gave a magical display in the sky. My novice camera failed to capture the cloud formation, it came out dark. Night view setting or slow shutter mode could produce a better pic but I didn't have a tripod, my shaky hands just could not handle it.

9.58pm. The cloud finally dispersed for a few minutes before it went daaaaaarrrkkk again.

I hope I'll get the chance to see the full moon from Malaya next month.

Previous moon posts: here, here & here.

Geli girly

You Are 16% Girly

Um... you're a guy, right? If not, you're the most boyish girl in the world. And for you, that's probably the ultimate compliment.

How Girly Are You?

I can't sleep so I did this.
Not surprised with the results.

Girly girlie? GELI ok!

The instruction: "Check all that apply to you or that you agree with"

My answers/comments are in red

• You get manicures regularly. (No, I potong kuku sendiri, tak de masa nak file/buffing bagi kilat2, no I don't go to those nail salons... worse, my nails kuning kena kunyit!)
  
• There's no way you would ever go camping. (The opposite! I loooooooove camping! I tak geli pacat, ulat, cacing and I don't make big fuss if I get bitten by mosquitoes, so tropical rainforest is IN)
  
• You own at least five pairs of heels. (Heels? How high? I left all in Msia. I have pumps, but I donno how to walk in 3 inch stiletto. )
  
• You dye your hair. (Never!)
  
• You at least wear a little mascara or lip gloss to the gym. (Lip balm only! Never mascara)
  

• You own at least five skirts and five dresses. (I forgot how many of them.. all in Malaysia, so technically I don't wear them anymore)
  
• You have something pink in your room, car, and cube at work. (Only one pink scarf, and a pink duvet cover, I have no idea why I bought that pink duvet cover. Who said girls have to wear pink?)
  
• You love the Gilmore Girls.(This one, I agree!)
  
• You go shopping at least once a week (groceries don't count!) (I only do groceries-lah!)
  
• You have so many beauty products in your bathroom you can hardly find the sink.(Well, I have a lot on my dressing table but I don't use them, yes, jenis suka beli malas pakai!)
  

• You aren't athletic, unless you count yoga and pilates. (Agree, but I don't do pilates or yoga)
  
• You aren't ashamed of singing along to Britney Spears and Hilary Duff. (Duh!)
  
• You get very scared when watching horror movies. (Terkejut on some scenes, yes, but scared, NO. I have no problem watching horror movies alone.)
  
• You are a sucker for puppies, babies, and kittens.(OK, I'm a sucker for babies)
  
• You did gymnastics, ballet, or cheerleading as a little girl. (What??)
  

• You would never ever shop at Hot Topic.(I donno what's HotTopic, but I wear men's jeans!)
  
• You don't have many guy friends. (I have many, but now all are married, have to hang out with their wives la pulak)
  
• You love to read gossip magazines.(If there's one lying around, I pick em and read. I wont buy)
  
• You sometimes cry for no reason. (On my pre-MC days, yes, only when no one's looking)
  
• No matter what you weigh, you have the occasional day when you feel fat. (Not even once!)
  

• You like to be tan - whether it's fake or real. (Tan? muahahahaa... I just don't care, and I don't use whitening thingy either)
  
• You take care of your feet and toes all year round. (Take care means..? I use lotion if I remember to.. which is not so often)
  
• You own a ton of jewelry - bracelets, necklaces, and rings. (I buy them once in a while, most of the time they end up as gifts to others.)
  
• You often will wear more than one outfit in a day, if the mood strikes. (No, unless in Msia.. dah peluh-peluh kena la tukar baju)
  
• You practically have your cell phone attached to your ear. (No)
  

Ok, now I'm sleepy. Nite!

kempunan

I woke up on Sunday, the first day of NZ daylight saving with two things in mind- crabs and mussels. I am on monthly MC so tak boleh marah kalau pagi pagi I dah ingat pasal makan, ok. Slept a friend's place, got up early and made some risotto for her sahur, I pun konon-konon sahur jugak.

Green-lipped mussels

Mussel & mushroom tomyam (both pics taken last month)

I bought a huge bag of fresh green lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus), cousin of our local kupang (Perna viridis) for $5 at Sunday Market 2 weeks ago. It was damn cheap, I would have to pay more than $15 for the same amount in supermarts. The only difference is that they have cleaned the shells of the ones in supermarket, for the one from Sunday markert, I had to spend almost an hour brushing off barnacles and dirt. Anyway, yesterday at Sunday market, the truck and the guy who sold me the mussel a fortnight ago were nowhere in sight. There was an empty space on the spot where he laid a table with bags of mussels on it. Tak pegi kutip kupang ke hari ni bang? Kecewa saya. Oh for your info, ppl claim that these mussels contain high levels of glycosaminoglycan (saya bukan doktor, tak reti nak explain benda tu ape), useful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. They are selling the extract in the form of capsuls for food supplement. I would say, dont take the capsuls lah, have the real thing, sedap weh!

After touring the whole site of sunday market and frustrated over the musselman no show, my friends and I headed to a fishshop. I toured and looked at the display.. Arghhhhhh! crap! NO CRAB!

Double kempunan in a day.

5th Ramadhan..

Gulai daging kemarin :)

Sangat tak sempat nak masak.. so cannot torture my readers with food pics everyday :) Tons of things to be done before I can go home for raya (puasa tak sampai seminggu dah cakap pasal raya! bad.. bad..). Now it is only instant time of telur goreng mata kobau or just heat whatever is left in the fridge. My supper/ sahur only has cereal& milk, instant macaroni & cheese, instant pasta, and bread (minus the hair) on the menu, not everything at one go lah.

I've just tried this Hubbards' bran & berries. They claim it contains these real berries...

Bought 'em a few weeks ago just because they reduced it to almost half price. Yes, I am a cheapskate that way and I am attracted to things with the red 'temporary price reduction' tag like magnets. I shouldn't miss the bargain kan. Anyway, I do enjoy this cereal.. sedap, and it is 97% fat free, kurus lah macam nih. Wait, I had it with regular milk, so I still can get the fat, right? FAT is IN, I don't take low fat milk, tak sedaps.. ape low fat low fat nih? Imaginasi semua tu.. apsal ramai orang obsessed nak kurus? I am a weight watcher too, but I watch the opposite - I am afraid of losing weight!

mild peri quarter chicken

I joined some friends for buka puasa/dinner in Christchurch today. We don't get to eat out often and there's not many restaurant to choose from for a halal meal. Nando's serves halal chicken so we decided to give it a try. I had mild quarter chicken combo. The verdict - I like Nando's in Malaysia better, you get 2 side dish in a combo instead of just 1 here. The coleslaw (my side dish) could be better if they had more dressing. I have no complaint with my 'mild' chicken but those ordering 'very hot peri' said theirs were too salty. Service was good and prompt. I wonder if I could buy their black uniform tee - it says "chicks rule".

It is the fifth day of the holy month, and I've just got myself used to 'good' routines when God says, here's your break...

rinduuu...

Mak: Ubi tau.. si kecik tu datang tadi duk mengadap gambar Ubi dalam frem atas meja tu, tak berenti panggil makcu.. lepas tu cakap jerman dengan gambar tu. Selama ni gambar tu duk kat situ tak de pulak dia ambik kisah.

Ya, saya juga rindu sama awak, budak rambut senget...

Pre-Ramadhan

Warning: If you're fasting and do not wish to see food pics, DO NOT scroll down.

Ramadhan is an ideal month to renew our acquaintance with the Quran. Teringat Tadarrus zaman sekolah. Dah tua ni lagi liat nak tadarrus. For a person yang memang liat nak mengaji like me, a good Quran reading software is a good company like this one by Homesoft, Aloq Staq. Yet, setan atas kepala ni banyak lagi.. I dozed off a few times while reading, leaving Syeikh Saad baca sorang-sorang! Hopefully this thing will help me stick to some reading routine this Ramadhan.

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

My friends and I decided to have dinner/breaking fast together every Saturday and we started it last night. Thought of ending the dinner with a mass Terawih, so we waited for news from 'Penyimpan Mohor Besar Raja-raja' zon NZ. News came- 1st Ramadhan in NZ falls on Monday the 25th.

Me & a few friends had to cook for last night's dinner, here's a peek of what we had. My headgirl asked for food pics so I follow orders :) I know this is going to hurt already puasa people, but let me tell you that ikan bakar pic still makes me drool. Don't ask me for recipe, I only had it grilled with some 'Sos Ikan Bakar cap ANI' that I bought at Fama stall in Pasar Tani Hiliran early this year. It was worth buying! Sedap hingga menjilat foil. Ya, saya suka promote local products. I tak rajin nak buat the garnishing, my friend did it.

To the girls & the only jejaka in the group, I had fun cooking with you all. Thank you for taking the parts I don't like- cleaning the fish & cleaning the mess afterwards. Thanks so much.

Tarakihi Bakar Bersos

Ikan Goreng with Sambal Tumis Bawang

Happy Ramadhan Everyone!

foodies..

Winning a $100 food & drinks voucher a few days before bulan puasa at a cafe that opens only at daytime is not fun. Lesser fun when there is not much choice in there that you can have.

So I did many trips to the cafe with different groups of friends each time, my non-muslim friends have more selections to choose from.

The last trip I had today was a pre-puasa "just order what you want" session with the 'sisters' in my attempt to use up the voucher. Look at what we had, tak menarik pun kan? Dah itu je yang boleh makan.

On another note I had a yucky encounter with food last night. I made some tuna sandwic at midnight to fill my growling tummy. Yum yum yum.. but it suddenly stopped at the last few last bites when I saw this (see pic). I found a strand of hair in it. No. Definitely not mine because the hair is in the bread! Euwwww!! Then I started to think that it might get in that loaf of bread packaged with dandruf & other scalp scales. Double yucky! That brand is now banned from my shopping list.

Next time, watch every bite you take!

Ah-choooo!

I'm not feeling well. Having sore shroat, runny nose, watery eyes, my body aches and I've been sneezing all day... can't stay outside too long, the sun gives me headache (ni symptom mengada-mengada ke? time kat Msia tak pernah pakai payung tak der plak sakit kepala). I'm not sure if I'm allergic to the pollens, I don't think I am.

Now don't tell me to eat more fruits & veggies. I had loads already. If I eat more than my current huge fruit & veggie portion, you can start calling me Capra hircus, not Homo sapiens anymore. Don't tell me to drink more water either, I've drank gallons & been visiting the ladies every 10minutes . Lucky the toilet is just nextdoor. Leceh tau nak pegi toilet banyak-banyak kali ni.

I am yet to see a doctor, tak suka jumpa doctor! But I don't mind seeing my doctor friends outside.. just not in a clinic or hospital, ok. We'll see, if I have enough courage tomorrow, I'll go and see one.

Anyway, since Ramadhan is coming, have a blessed Ramadhan to all.

Have a good weekend people.

dream..dream..dream.....

How many dreams one usually get in a night?

I had 3 different dreams last night and I woke up in betweens. My dreams are different these days. I used to know that I'm dreaming in my dream, telling myself ‘it is okay, these aren't real, these aren't possible. Things are going to be ok when you get up’. These days, my dreams seem so real, I feel so trapped, helpless & hopeless in it.

The first one I had last night, was scary (for me!) and I really thought was real - somebody stole my laptop right in front of my eyes! I had everything in that laptop, all my work in there which mostly had no back up. I was crying and wailing for help but no one came to the rescue. Ok, at least that taught me a lesson- back up everything!

Second dream, I had a miscarriage after my first trimester! (Wohooo! So I got pregnant at last?!) In that dream, I was married to this guy and he was a very good loving husband. (In real life, I've met him only once, and we had nothing going beyond "YM friends" friendship. Tapi apsal aku mimpi kawin ngan dia nih? Tak der plak berchinta-chinta ngan dia). So there I was, crying my heart out for losing my unborn child. My wish to be a mother turned to dust. Everything seemed so real. The pain of losing was unbearable. I cried and cried and cried. The funny thing was some friends came to ‘comfort’ me but they did not talk about my loss, they were telling me how lucky I was for marrying such a good man, your hubby is this , your hubby is that. Hey, I was the one needing hug & comfort, it was supposed to be about me, not him!

The third dream was a happy one. Earlier yesterday my officemate told me that our postgrad administrator was going to come and measure the wall to put up some new cabinets. In my dream he came not just to measure, but he let everyone in my office building get whatever we need to have an Extreme Makeover Office Edition! It was a happy happy day choosing color templates, custom designing the office and later we had an office day decorating our office rooms! I can't remember the final color of my office but the office next door was blue with yellow stampings. At least the final dream was a colourful & happy one.

So what did you dream of last night?

Magnolia

Hati saya berbunga-bunga setiap kali musim bunga..

I fell in love with magnolias.. no, not the ice-cream-lah, not about that dorm on first floor block G- Yellow house either... I’m talking about these lovely spring flowers. Mature magnolia in full bloom is a breathtaking sight. I’m not well versed with these bunga-bunga omputeh, so I can’t give you the names of each hybrids & cultivars. If I’m not mistaken this flowers are connected to our very own cempaka (Michelia champaca), also known as tropical magnolia, but their mostly bare branches and prominent flowers remind me of kemboja (Plumeria sp.), my favourite tropical flower.. ye, saya memang suka bunga-bunga kubur, apa lagi kalau putih & wangi.

Mari kita tengok & kenal bunga magnolia...

white magnolia (M. Soulangiana)

pinkish-purple magnolia (M. Soulangiana)



purple magnolia (M. Soulangiana)


light pink magnolia (M. Soulangiana)

This white one is my #1 favourite,

White star magnolia (Magnolia stellata)

ok.. dahhh...

It's a lovely day outside, I shouldn't be sitting here in front of my pc.. gotta get my camera and enjoy the sun and the flowers out there. Have a good day!

Running

Bz bz, I can't think properly to write a post.. so I'll just let you ppl enjoy this song by Evermore, a NZ alternative rock group. Video clip ala hindustan, nyanyi satu lagu pusing satu dunia. They went to 12 countries around the world in 16 days to make the video.

Running- Evermore
too many words
too many lies
i cant quite see the truth
when i look into your eyes

i feel im cured
and i know i should
step away turn around
let my feet hit the ground...
running, running, running, running...

you dont need a broken heart
to know one can be broken
you just need to open your eyes.. yeah
we dont need to be deceived
to know a lie can be spoken
we dont have to learn everything twice

I dont know
I really dont know
If this castle in the sand
is strong enough to stand

i feel im cured
and i know i should
step away turn around
Let my feet hit the ground...
running, running, running, running...

you dont need a broken heart
to know one can be broken
you just need to open your eyes.. yeah
we dont need to be deceived
to know a lie can be spoken
we dont have to learn everything twice

Coz i know
how it feels
all the pain
is so real
coz u sink
and you drown
till your feet hit the ground...
running, running, running, running...

coz you dont need a broken heart
to know a heart can be broken
you just need to open your eyes.. yeah
we dont need a tv show
to tell us which way to go
we just need to do what we know

Have a good week everyone! Sapa belum ganti puasa cepat ganti beb!

moon again

Moon on Mid Syaaban
-07092006-1855-

Ubi-bik

Staying at home for one whole day on a weekend could make one change her goals in life. Now I think I want to be a housewife! Well, the first part - ‘house’ is probably achievable in a few years time, if I can’t own one, at least I can rent one, but the second word is beyond my control.
Found many things I love doing at home. Changing sheets, change the throws & rugs and have everything color coordinated, did the laundry, did an inventory of canned/dry food/spices I have (mak datuk, cukup nak makan lagi 4-5 bulan!) vaacuming, scrub bathroom walls & floor, checking out the spring flowers in the garden, hanging clothes outside (finally we have sunny windy spring!) and later fold them. On top of that I cooked four (simple) meals – Bread toasted with cheese& tomato + omellette + salad for brekkie, buttered fish + mushroom for lunch, baked potato for tea time and steak + hasselback potato + baby carrots for late dinner. It would be a waste if I cook only for myself, so I kept sending meals to my housemate’s room (lucky that she was unwell, otherwise she would not be home). The third time I sent her food, she asked, what’s wrong with you today? Why are you at home? Are you okay? This is so not you!

Seriously, I found it therapeutic doing all those. May be I should apply for part-time bibik job while waiting for Datuk L, M, N…..Z to come and pinang me to be his housewife :) Err.. wait, a Datuk’s wife doesn’t do housechores, right?

Salam Merdeka

Salam Merdeka buat semua rakyat Malaysia. Semoga negaraku aman makmur sentiasa. Ya, negara saya bukanlah sebuah negara yang sempurna... masih terlalu banyak yang perlu diperbaiki. Tapi saya tetap cintakan tanah air saya. (kalau tak ada Malaysia saya nak balik ke mana? kena campak ke laut la jawabnya!)

Saya tak letak bendera di kereta saya, pasal saya cuma ada satu bendera yang ada dalam gambar (itu pun kawan bagi) dan bendera ni cuma ada batang, tak ada tapak, tak boleh la nak lekat di mana-mana.

Kalau tahun lepas saya buat sambutan merdeka sendirian di bilik secara 'spiritual', tahun ni tak boleh, pasal saya dapat MC bulanan, jadi tak dapat la nak baca Yasin untuk arwah pejuang negara.

Maka tahun ini saya menghitung detik 12 malam (detik 8 malam di tanah air) bersama rakan di jalan ladang. Ada sesi menaikkan bendera (walaupun tiang bendera cuma sekaki lebih tingginya!) dan menyanyi lagu negaraku. Tidak ada bunga api, tidak ada bunyi motosikal mat rempit. Yang ada cuma kerdipan bintang di langit dan bulan sabit.

Sambutan merdeka yang aman

Sambutan merdeka tanpa berhabis duit.

Sejahteralah Malaysia ku.

-27082006-0736-

the kind of morning that made me go running for my camera

101 ways to use the treadmill

Here It Goes Again - OK Go

This may not be the coolest music video but these guys did all these in one single shot without any edits! Enjoy the video... but I don't recommend you do this at home or at your gym.

the weekend that was

Good journey, good company, good food! It was a great sunny weekend.. I love the weather up north in Kaikoura, Blenheim, Picton & Nelson, the sun didn't burn and it was not cold either. Just nice. I had loads of fun! and miraculously I did not poke a hole in my pocket.

I don't have much time to put piccies together with this post, if you want to see some last weekend's snapshots, go here or just scroll down and click on my flickr link just below my football clock.

Back in Chch, I was greeted by rain, hail and snow! brrrrr.... what a contrast.

Grow faster please o dear daffodils, I can’t wait for spring. I’ve had enough of cold gloomy winter.

weekend is here..

I know that I need to get out of this place when…

that flock of sheep that I see on my way to uni no longer reminds me of pastoral painting image.. I used to say “wahhhh.. sheeeeeps” .. but now it turned to “urghhhh.. smelly sheeps!”

the green meadows seem a little too green.. irritatingly green

the nude branches and twigs no longer amaze me with their charming shapes and formations, the architectural wonders of nature.. now they remind me of skeletons and scary movies..

***

Now I really need to go somewhere I can breathe some salty sea breeze. I wanna see the blue sea and blue sky.

I'm gonna hit the road in a few hours.

You have a good weekend. Take care everyone.

Tata.

the prayer

Thanks for the comments in my previous post. I know you people care, but trust me, I don't feel bad being single. I don't really feel the stress of being single at my age. I love my life. Some people hate the cepumas question. Well, I don't. If you want to ask me that question, I wont mind. Just that I don't have the answer. I believe that God has His plans.

Do I pray for that? Yes, I do, sometimes. But my prayer is different when it comes to that matter. I do ask God to give me a clear mind to help me with my studies, I ask God to give health and bless the people I love. I ask for other things straight. But when it comes to THE MAN, my prayer goes like this;

"IF meeting the man (and getting married to him) will;

- drive me closer to you God,

- make me a better person

- make me happier

then lead my way to him. But IF things would turn the opposite way, I am happy to be just the way I am. It is okay if I don't get him at all."

That prayer always starts with IF. Now tell me, is it wrong to give conditions when you pray for something?

do you need a man?

You Don't Need a Man ... or Want One!

Generally, you're very happy being a single woman. And anyone who has a problem with that... well, that's there problem. Not that you wouldn't share your life with the almost perfect guy. You simply won't settle though. Your life is too good to share with some substandard man!

Do You Need a Man?

I came across this quiz in some blogs when I bloghopped and decided to give it a try. Aiyakk... why got result like this aa? Cannot la.. who said I don't want one. I want babies (yes, plural!), so one day I still need a man lah to help me make babies!

You can propagate the real ubisetela a.k.a kumara a.k.a sweet potato vegetatively with the sprouts that grow off the sweet potato, but not for this human version of Ubisetela. Saya manusia juga, bukan organisma unisel seperti amoeba atau paramecium yang boleh buat belahan dedua untuk menghasilkan sel anak. You see Mr.Tan Hock Ann, although I slept throughout most of your Bio classes, I can still remember some Biology facts, I'm so clever! Ok, I digress. My real point is.. I still want a man! Ok, may be not now.. later, k.

over there, here & somewhere

Over there,
Ayah is doing good and he's back at home with his hand in cast. Alhamdulillah. Thank you for all the well wishes & prayers. To tell you the truth I prefer to have him at the hospital rather than at home, knowing Ayah, even in the hospital he can go to almost all floors visiting friends & sedara mara in the wards (and left his handphone on his bed and all my calls unanswered), ape lagi kalau dia balik rumah. I'm not surprised if one of these days he'll be up on his bike again altho having one hand in cast. It is not easy to ask a 73 year old healthy man to sit still and do nothing. Mak will have to nag a lot these days.

My aunt still in the hospital, doc said she has 50-50 chance but everything is in the hands of God. The hospital becomes 2nd home for my little cousins. They refuse to stay home with the other aunties. They go to school and back to hospital again. If possible they don't even want to leave their mother for a single second.

Here,
Riuh juga berita menteri luar negara ini sakit setelah pulang dari persidangan di KL. Khabarnya digigit 'sesuatu' sampai beliau jatuh sakit yang agak berat, hingga digelar 'penyakit misteri' (misteri sangatkah?), sampai terpaksa dikuarantin. Bila ditemuramah setelah beliau sihat, beliau cuma berkata bahawa beliau digigit 'sesuatu' dikaki dan terkena virus, entah apa agaknya 'sesuatu' yang membawa 'virus' itu. Digigit nyamuk aedeskah?

Weekend was fun but a bit tiring. I was 'unconscious' (read: tak sedar diri) for pushing myself too hard trying to keep up with the young girls on the netball court during our netball tournament. My joints and muscles had a big shock, I’ve been inactive for too long. As the result, I had to jalan slowly like orang dalam pantang. Jadi ayu & sopan santun jalan pelan-pelan! I could not sit down or get up without the ‘adussss’ sound effect.

With the aching muscles and butts, I went to Hoyts later at night to watch the Lake House. Almost doze off half way through. I didn't blame the movie, I was very tired and sleepy- not really in a romantic mood. I did not click with the story and I have one comment to make: I think most main characters in love stories are selfish. What makes them think that just because they are so much in love it is okay for them to hurt others in their lives. One second you hold the hand of someone who cares for you, and the next minute you run away for ‘the love of your life’. Can you really find happiness that way?

Somewhere...
in dreamland I met you. I woke up wondering why you’re back in my dreams again. How did you find your way there? Did I call you in my sleep? Please, if you ever hear me calling, do not come. Just ignore me. I don’t want to see you ever again. Not in my dreams, not in reality, not in this lifetime.

keliru

I'm posting in my bahasa ibunda today.

Otakku tidak mahu berehat malam ini. Sudah puas mata ini kupejam tapi masih juga tak mahu tidur. Fikiran sudah melayang merentas 7 benua. Dalam kesunyian malam, dapat kudengar bunyi itu dengan jelas. Keroncong ada, hip hop pun ada. Bunyi apa? bunyi perut mintak diisi. Padanlah.. kali terakhir makan tepat jam 7 tadi dan kini sudahpun 7 jam berlalu.

Lantasku bangun ke dapur. Jerang air. Nak makan apa ya? Roti masih banyak, tapi dah bosan nak makan roti bakar dengan majerin dan madu. Mee segera Yoodle masih banyak lagi. Nasib baik masih ada cendawan dan telur di peti sejuk. Boleh jadi penambah perisa. Tekakku memang mengada-ngada. Kalau mee segera kosong tak ditambah apa-apa, susah benar nak menelan.

Berbekal semangkuk mee segera bercendawan & telur dan secawan teh lemon, kududuk menghadap peti tv di dapur. BBC News sedang ke udara. Selepas itu terus menonton BBC Hard Talk. Isunya Isr@el dan Lubn@n. Tetamu perbincangan adalah dua pelajar di UK, seorang dari Lubn@n dan seorang dari Isr@el. Menonton perbincangan itu, kuteringat dilema yang aku sendiri alami.

Semenjak dua menjak ini bila terbaca kisah Lubn@n, hati pilu, sedih, marah dengan kekejaman Isr@el. Aku juga mengutuk kekejaman Y@hudi. Tapi bila aku berjumpa dengan rakanku yang seorang itu, aku jadi keliru. Dia rakan yang baik dan kukenali seluruh keluarganya. Aku tau dia juga sebahagian dari 'tentera' Isr@el kerana dia juga pernah mengikuti khidmat negara di negara tanah tumpahnya itu. Dia sendiri menceritakannya padaku. Walaupun dia turut mengkritik dasar negaranya sendiri, dia tetap pulang berkhidmat untuk negaranya dari semasa ke semasa. Maka andainya dia dikehendaki pulang bila-bila masa kenegaranya untuk berperang dengan Lubn@n, dia juga akan menjadi sebahagian dari tenaga pemusnah itu.

Disaat aku bertemunya tempoh hari, tiba-tiba wajah-wajah penderitaan di Lubn@n terlintas kemataku. Terdetik perasaan marah padanya. Tapi masih kubendung. Adilkah aku turut menyalahkan dia atas apa yang berlaku di sana?

Keliru.

Sememangnya aku keliru.

Reports from KT H0spital

I received sad news from home last night.

Ayah had a bike accident and currently warded for his fractured arm.

My aunt, Ayah's youngest half sister is also in the hospital with lung failure. She's terminally ill & fighting for her life now. She's a single mother with 5 young daughters after her husband died of heart attack a few years ago. I can't stop thinking of her and the girls.

My cousin had a stroke.

Another Makcik, Mak's cousin is very ill at the same hospital.

Another Makcik, Ayah's cousin died of cancer last week.

*Al Fatihah*

Please pray with me.

(break continued)

,

I'm taking a break from blogging & blogreading.

I'll be back, I promise.

Please miss me.. hehe..

Once in a blue moon

- moon in Canterbury - 12072006 - 0116 -

Oh bulan mana bintang
Atas puncak kayu ara
Oh tuan mana hilang
Dalam dapur atas para

Apasal tuan tu duk dalam dapur atas para? I wonder.

I almost slept in my car last night. I wanted to.. so I could lie there enjoying the moonlight.. but I did not. I'm not that gila yet. I hate my bedroom! I can't see the moon from the bedroom window and the moonlight doesn't fall on my bed. I should take note of this. Next time if I go looking for a room to rent, I have to go take a look at the room at night and check on moon visibility. I'm not Puteri Lindungan Bulan (who is PLB anyway?) but moonlight is THAT important to me.

Don't you just love the moon?

surat untuk abang

Abang Z,

Andainya abang berduka, ceritakan pada adik. Andainya abang bermasalah, ceritalah juga pada adik. Adik sudi mendengarnya. Andai abang marah, abang bawak-bawaklah bersabar..

Yang abang saja2 pi tanduk dada Mater@zzi tu pasai apa???

dari adik yang keciwa,
Adik Z @ Ubi

*weeps*

Potluck!

Congrats to Germany for winning the losers match!

It was one fine sunny day! Loved it. A good day to get together with friends. Do you love potlucks? I attended one potluck session today. No, I did not go with an empty plate. It was planned for makan2, get to know the 'new arrivals' and let the 'city folks' visit us the 'kampung folks'. Ye lah kan, our place so ulu, no one wanna come here without a reason. A friend's dad passed away back at home a day earlier (May Allah bless his soul. Al-Fatihah), so we started it with a tahlil session.

After done with tahlil.. came the makan2 session. The ladies juggled between eating and handling the kids (and as always we ladies jump to get the desserts first!) ... some parents took turn to eat. Me, as usual would offer to hold any smiling babies and return them immediately when they started to merengek. Many of them were not well today. 'Tis the sick season I guessed.

Talk talk .. eat... eat.. talk talk.. eat eat eat.. *tapau* need more energy to cheer for the final tomorrow morning , rite?

(the pics are a bit dark)

The list goes....

Nasi putih
Ikan masak (donno)
Sambal sotong
Sayur Lemak
Sayur Campur
Kerabu Sotong
Roti canai + kari
Laksa Johor
Fried pasta (2 types, one of it was mine)
Apple pie (2 types)
Pizza (2.. or was it 3 types?)
Karipap
Kuih Lapis
Onde-onde
Tau fu fah
Chocolate fudge cake
Rainbow custard (sukahati bagi nama)

This plate was emptied first. Yummilicious home made choc fudge cake! Did I hear we're gonna have a cooking class soon, yes?

I had loads of pastas and pizzas but that would not make me lose faith in Les Bleus. Tata.. have to go to bed early. *Burp*

drive & dream

Traffic was heavy that day. I forgot, shouldn't have gone out to city when everyone's rushing home from work. But then, busy manala sangat traffic kat Chch compared to KL or Georgetown. I was trailing behind a RedBus. Slowly moving. Suddenly I felt as if someone was staring at me. You know when you get that feeling like someone's watching? I glanced up ahead... there he was, looking straight at me from the bus. I think I've seen him somewhere before. Is this deja vu? Nahhh... I think I've walk past him at the Riccarton Mall entrance, and again at the mall's rear exit, but I did not dare to say hi.

Traffic was still bumper to bumper. Traffic light turned red. I was stuck behind the bus. I looked up..he was still there, staring at me.. tak berkelip mata you!.. I was malu-malu rimau.. at the same time enjoying the attention... eyy.. don't la usha I camtu.. malu yeuw!

Kak Ubi.. jalan.. dah green light!

Ish.. kacau !

The bus went straight ahead. I had to turn right....

It was him.. Wentw0rth Miller in Prison Bre@k advert at the back of RedBus!

*I forgot my camera, couldn't snap his face on the bus.

This is what happen when you spent too many hours alone in the office.. I have to go meet real people instead of drooling over a poster!

awhhh....

YEAY!!

Allez les Bleus!

italian job

I was just about to pack things up and get ready to office, wished Abang Leman good luck coz I thought it would end up with penalties...

Then terduduk balik..
mannn..

Great Italian Job!

eh, i thought i was supporting Germany for this match. Ahhh.. don't care.

late to office again.

B.R.E.A.T.H.E.

I can't think to write my own post.. so here goes a song I like.

ANNA NALICK -"Breathe (2 AM)"

2 AM and she calls me 'cause I'm still awake,

"Can you help me unravel my latest mistake?,

I don't love him. Winter just wasn't my season"

Yeah we walk through the doors, so accusing their eyes

Like they have any right at all to criticize,

Hypocrites. You're all here for the very same reason

'Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable

And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table

No one can find the rewind button, girl.

So cradle your head in your hands

And breathe... just breathe,

Oh breathe, just breathe

May he turn 21 on the base at Fort Bliss

"Just today" he said down to the flask in his fist,

"Ain't been sober, since maybe October of last year."

Here in town you can tell he's been down for a while,

But, my God, it's so beautiful when the boy smiles,

Wanna hold him. Maybe I'll just sing about it.

Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,

And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table.

No one can find the rewind button, boys,

So cradle your head in your hands,

And breathe... just breathe,Oh breathe, just breathe

There's a light at each end of this tunnel,

You shout 'cause you're just as far in as you'll ever be out

And these mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again

If you only try turning around.

2 AM and I'm still awake, writing a song

If I get it all down on paper, it's no longer inside of me,

Threatening the life it belongs to

And I feel like I'm naked in front of the crowd

Cause these words are my diary, screaming out loud

And I know that you'll use them, however you want to

But you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,

And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table

No one can find the rewind button now

Sing it if you understand.and breathe, just breathe

woah breathe, just breathe,

Oh breathe, just breathe,

Oh breathe, just breathe.

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

Ubi- I'm a danger to myself...