Life is a flower of which love is the honey

Yes... Flowers are lovely...beautiful... and irresistable! Haha... (I sound so jiwang, I know)...

I am definitely not romantic type of person... or maybe I am?? Erk! Yaa.. maybe I am romantic deep down, just waiting for it to be explored? :O omg, dat's scary!

You seee.... people usually relate flowers, especially roses to romanticas. So if I have this habit of catching flying roses, does that mean I am R.O.M.A.N.T.I.C or looking forward to marriage a.s.a.p?? Ok... I'll vote for the the first one over the latter.

The myth about wedding toss-away bouquet .

The one who catches it get will be next to get married. And.. Ladies and Gentlebachelors... I have caught, grabbed and provided a landing zone for 3, i repeat THREE wedding rose bouquets - from Salina, Jane and Joey (keatJoo).

At Salina's wedding, Jane was the one excited to catch the flower, but it just landed on my hands. Kezoomm.. just like that! 2 years after that, Jane got married... yes Ladies and Gentlebachelors... I don't mean to disappoint you but I have proven the myth wrong.

At Jane's wedding, I said "I'm gonna catch this bouquet coz Jane cut my line, so she owes me this bouquet". Urs truly did manage to catch it... *applause* ouh thank you, thank u. I am a good catcher. Why didn't I try out for the school's sofball team, eh?? Dirugikan sungguh bakat I ni... ahakss :P:P~

At KeatJoo's, I said "No... I'm not going to catch bouquets again". Jeng jeng jeng... the flower bomb flew towards me... and again, by default, my hands just grabbed it while it was on its way to meet the other jumping bachelorattes. Ooopss wait wait.. I may have exaggerated a lil :P~ No one jumped ok... hoho... There it was, on my hands. Shocked, I quickly shoved it to Ai Nam, and she ran, I chased her and she fell on the stage's stairs. We were making a lil drama of our own there... some of them actually thought we were fighting for the flowers... Ayayay...!

Pheww.... after a while, I came to my senses and finally realized that the bouquet belonged to me. I get laughed at... But now, I am proud to say... I caught it! Haha... for the third time... Yeahh, you go Gurl!

It's about time to accept the fact that I have a 'thing' for roses... romantica de amour.. wohooo.... and that I'm a good catcher :D

 Last but not least, Selamat Pengantin Baru to my dear friend, Keat Joo @ Joey and her lovely hubby, Steve.

"Life is a flower of which Love is the honey" ~ Victor Hugo

Mother Nature memanggil-manggil

Detoxification after "Keracunan Ubat Gegat"

Destination: Taman Negara Pulau Pinang @ Penang National Park

This is our second group trip to Kerachut, the first in January 2008. This time around, there were 10 of us, 6 from previous trip. We started hiking at 9am from this entry point, with some kuih-muih and roti as our breakfast.

 all happy and bersemangat wajah... can we trust their stamina? jeng jeng jeng...

Some snapshots

There are few different trails, to Monkey Beach, MUKA-head Light House, Pantai Kerachut and some other beaches. We took the furthest trail - Pantai Kerachut... more secluded and has an unique lake... For more info, you may want to read this

Our motivation for this hike was: AYAM (yes, Chicken)...

In each of our bags, we were carrying a box of either Snack Plate or Dinner Plate from KFC, for our lunch. So.... you want chicken, you gotta reach destination first. Ha!
hike and hike, we continued hiking and trekking despite all the obstacles.... chewahh... obstacle konon...

uits but... dun play-play ok... we were stopped by Mr. bonzer monkey, with an intimidating look, provoking to snatch our food. But thanks to our teamwork spirit... we managed to overcome the threat... no worries... we didnt slaugther nor hurt that monkey in any way... haha...

And the challenging trek! the slopes and all... Proud to say, we reached our destination, the Kerachut beach after 1 hour and 45 minutes hike. (compared to last year - 3 hours) Well, this time around, we took less photos and most of us were in good shape and stamina... ehem ehem.... ahakss... (after one year building back stamina :P)

Ladies n gentlemen, what greeted us in Kerachut Beach?

There's this hanging bridge built across the lake+beach (as depicted in this pixxie below) Where the sea connects with the lake.

As written at the signboard:
The Lake that you observe is known as the meromictic lake. In Malaysia, this kind of lake can only be found at Penang National Park. As a matter of fact, the lake is only available at 19 places around the world.

Meromictic refers to the 2 layers of sea and river water which does not mix with each other. Fresh water is relatively lower in density as compared to the hypersaline sea water.

From the website:

Others attractions include visiting the seasonal meromictic lake, visible for only six months of the year. The lake has two layers of water of different temperatures. The bottom layer of sea water is normally warmer than the surface fresh water.

How different can it be after 6 months? Look at the picture above, where I highlighted the rock in red arrow and circle. That was the photo taken last week (May), whereas this photo below was taken last year in January, where i circled the exact same rock. (roughly around 11 am t0 12pm)...

The water levels and flows are different. In January, the water flows out from the river/lake to the sea, it was fresh water.

So dat explains the clarity of the water and how we swam and 'slept' in the water for hours forgetting the sunburn.

This time around, the salt water from the sea flows in (resulting into meromictic lake), water levels very high, and couldn't see how deep it was. As a result, we didnt jumped in the water at that same spot.

After feasting over the kfc chicks... We walked further down the beach, rested on rocks, only to be smashed by waves. Haha.. but that was fun indeed... The guys on the other hand chose to trail back few metres in the park to dip in the fresh water. Zuraini and I went there later to de-salt-ify and de-sand-ify ourselves :P:P~

Mandi-mandi... Lepak-lepak... 4 hours passed by in a flick of a lense...

To get back, we rented a boat. We have ealier placed a booking for a boat at the entry point (jetty), before we hiked.

Bumpy ride di lautan bertingkat tingkat :D

These 2 rocks are famously known for they are in form of some animals. Can u guess what they are?

We ended this trip with teabreak along Feringgi beach (Laksa, Rojak and Ais Kacang)... This trip also served as a farewell gathering for abang azrul who will be back to Lembah Klang. Good Luck and Best Wishes. Do join us, Parlimail bila-bila free wokeh ;-)

I end this post... with bak kata pepatah...

Berakit-rakit ke hulu... naik speedboat je bila balik...

Yeeehaaa..... Sekian, Terima Kasih

My Rainy Days

Rainy days are often related to gloom and murkiness. I think it must be the picture of oneself crying or the myth saying that the god is crying (goddess tears according to Pagan myth) that bring to this presumption. A broken-heart with gushing tears, running in the middle of the rain followed by lightning strikes every now and then; would be better off in a movie scene (will sell like hot cakes, man…) compared to just running and crying.

I think the idea of getting stuck somewhere because of rain, or having neither transport nor an umbrella are the major factors why some people just freak out when it starts to rain… unless you are a sixteen year old holding your puppy love’s hand, wading through the rain trying to find shelter… but deep down inside hoping that you wouldn’t… and that, that moment will last forever. hikhikhik. (another scene that sells in cinemas…) satay panas! satay panas satu!

The thing I love about rain is the freshness that it brings. I have this memory of sitting on the bed, clinging onto the window pane, and admiring the pouring rain. I was very young then, it’s one of the video-graphic memories that I have from my younger years. I could feel the drizzle on my face, and I just loved that feeling. The breeze… they were like whispering to me that life is indeed a beautiful thing to live in. It sent smileys to me. The air so fresh that you could feel that regrets and miseries would not even come any close to haunt you, as if the air was opening a new horizon for you to pierce through. The sound of raindrops hammering the land, thrashing the floor, it was easy on the ear. It was almost melodic and harmonious.

My younger sis ran and jumped on the bed to join me, ending “Me pampering my emotions” session. I was not affected, I was still on my rainy mood, my lovely rainy mood, so I asked her to join me admire the rain. Not sure whether she knew what she was doing, but she gripped the window pane and watched the pouring rain with me. Later, I could hear my elder sis calling upon us, screaming out of joy. She was going zealous on the terrace, jumping and slapping the stretch of rainfall surging down from the rooftop. She had earlier placed a short, round, wide pail on the floor, parallel to the edge of the rooftop. She told us the bucket was going to overflow and we got excited alongside her, shouting in joy cheering for the rain. Yeah, by now, you can imagine how young we were. We were very very young indeed!

We were getting more and more wet by then, from the drizzle and the splashed rainfall. I could see the hill halfway disappeared beneath the fog. From the terrace, it seemed like the hill was right behind the house opposite of ours. It was a serene view. At times, we could see faintly coloured rainbow, and I remember my sis used to tell me not to point fingers towards the rainbow as the fingers might forever be crooked.

When we were going out of control, mom knew it was time to drag us in. Hehe, she had an irresistible way of doing so. Freshly fried keropok ikan and steamy cups of teh. Unable to fight the temptation, we raced to the kitchen and fought to eat more keropok than others could. Haha… or was it just me? I was very greedy back then. The kitchen was an extension space from the original design of the house; the roof was of zinc material. You can imagine the sound that would be produced from rain hitting the zinc, it was thunderously loud and we just loved it. We would be shouting around in order to communicate.

Every time it rained, this series of events became routine.



Growing up, I tend to neglect to cherish “moments”. But at times, when the right time with the right emotions sets in, I still have that space in my heart to appreciate this feeling, going deep into this rainy, lovely rainy mood… Well, thanks to my childhood memory of rainy days :-)

Getting cosy in the house while it is raining outside is a wonderful feeling…to have a cup of hot drinks, or simply getting a comfy mood from the atmosphere. Watching the rainfall from the edge…. Even when you are not in a cosy place, (like stuck somewhere in the middle of the rain), you cuddle yourself trying to warm up, but at the same time loving the chill.

Rain is like washing away sorrows. It’s a great feeling inside if you look at it that way. When the rain finally stops… feel the air, the breeze and the freshness… it’s like breathing a new life…

The small terrace that used to be our 'luxurious' place for stageplay..
nope, its not my dad... and nope, its not me nor one of my sisters...
But I am in this picture... Can u find me???

Keracunan ubat gegat

UWaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :)) + :((

Tak sabar-sabar untuk menyahtoksik diri saya


p/s: peristiwa no.1 adalah kesilapan teknikal...
note: jangan menangis kekaguman ya melihat bakat melukis saya yg lama terpendam... ahaks

Akhir kata....

Air yang tenang jgn disangka tiada toksik

Makan Ubat Cap Ibu Bapa dan Guru-Guru

I attended a workshop involving 3 schools. The participants were mostly lecturers with a small number of postgrads from each school. So it was a 'no jeans and no roundneck tshirt' day for me. Well dressed in Baju Kurung, BBFazz and I got down from the hostel and I stopped by my car to change my shoes, as I was wearing a pair of flipflop. To my horror, the highheels was not there! and I dont have any sandals in my room, just a selipar jepun. BikFaz or Aca's shoesize are way too small.

I ran up anyway, with what eva last hopes I had... (the flipflop is ok but it wont give such good impression for a formal occasion like dat)... Climbing the stairs, I bumped into one of my floormate... and her sister, also my floormate, is tall! (adik-adik ipar Pidot adalah floormate saya) Yeah! I went straight to her room, dgn tersipu-sipu asked whether I can borrow her sandals. Aminah offered 2 choice of shoes, they were 1 size smaller but can fit, so I grabbed one with the ribbon (wah wah ini makcik, in a hurry pun sempat memilih gaya kah).

Btw, I stopped by my room to re-check the drawer where I usually keep my extra shoes, but there were none.. so I rushed back down... and started to walked poisedly, since its 1 size smaller and I wont want to risk tearing shoes belonging to a noble-heart *_*


Workshop ended... Phew.... The shoes still in great condition. Yeah... I am sopan dan ayu after all, I can wear a 1 size smaller shoes and still return em back just how I got em :-) Thanked her a zillion, sembang-sembang, and went back to my room.

Nite... I could feel my throat uncomfortable and body temperature rising... but when a friend asked me out for a ice-cream dinner... what did i do? I excitedly said yesss... forgettin about the approaching fever. (a bit blur blur) By the time I realised it, I felt bad to back out and so I just proceeded.

I was ready and leaving the room, I looked at my feet and thought "Which shoes should I wear, that flipflop or this highheels eh?"

Then....
I stopped... I gawked... ternganga dan terkembang-kembang idung....

high heels sandals....

WHATT??

There's a high heels sandals lying there in front of my eyes, beside the toiletries, right beside the door!

And I went into all the trouble of looking in my car's bumper, climbing back up, borrowing from someone, even looked in the drawer, when all the while, the highheels was jus there... in the most visible sight!

(P/S: Anda mungkin mahu merujuk Buku Sains PMR anda... bacalah tentang Bintik Buta... saya rasa saya adalah mangsa fenomena itu.... sekian, harap maklum)

Welll... the next day... I fell into fever and tirrribel cough.

So... now u know.... blurness is one of the early signs of sickness... so if you start to become blur-blur... do take precautions like eat lah antibiotics ka, vitamins ka or the Fisherman's Cod Liver Oil ;-)

Menyesal dahulu berpendapatan $$$, Menyesal kemudian pokai lor...

CAR 102...

STORY #1

Venue: a Proton showroom in mainland Penang.
Cast: Dad, niece( Ain, 4 yrs 6 mth), proton salesman, me.

Ain: Aunty why we come here?
Aunty: I want to buy a car
Ain: Car Car… Here car, there car (showing the cars around the showroom).
Why you want to buy car lah
Aunty: Because… I don’t have a car yet

Nodding, showing that she understood my situation. We were looking at the displays… Ain carrying her baby doll and a handbag full of the doll’s stuff, tagged along.

Ain: Tata got car, Aunty Meli got car, Mummy got car… U no car…
Why you have no car? ayyyaaa…

Aunty -tergamam-

Aunty: That’s why we are here… Aunty want to buy a car
Ain: new car… ooooo


Test-Drive (persona)

Aunty: Come… follow aunty drive the car.
Ain: U drive aaa? Tata where?
Aunty: There… coming…

Got into the car… Vrooom… Vrooom… Got down with muka bangga riak after the salesman puji my driving…

Aunty: Ok aar the car? (pretty excited)
Ain: Ok lah (acuh tak acuh)

Talked and discussed with the dealer. Saw Proton Exora outside the building, labeled as “TestDRive”. Hmmm I better not test it; cause then I will end up confusing myself even more. Btw, went to look around, check out the exterior and interior. Tried seating on the driver’s seat… comfortable. Sat on the passenger seat…

Aunty: Ain come come… sit in here.
Sat… looked at each other. Ain looked around the car.

Ain: Auntyyy….. see…. This car got sooooo many…. (referring to the seats)
There got, here got, there got… got 1, 2, 3…. THREEEE (referring to the rows)

Aunty - smile nampak gigi, tumpang excited-

Ain: Waaa… aunty… this car is Niceeeee
(tersenyum gumbira dengan mata bintang-bintang seperti sinchan)…
U want buy this car aa?

Aunty – tergamam lagi

Tata: u ask ur mommy buy this car laa (Ouh thanks atta)
Ain: Ahhahahahhaaha… u aaarrr… (gelak-gelak and continued babysitting her doll)



STORY #2

Me: Dr, since you have Wira and Satria, what’s your opinion on Proton’s cars?
Dr: I have no complaints about the engine… but biasa lah, the other parts sometimes are not that reliable.

yadda yadda ….. Rash, Dr and I had a constructive discussion about cars… And that was the first time I heard about a car known as Chana, a China made car. At the end of the discussion,

Dr: But I have to say, the best car yet is Wira….

Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…. I totally agreeeeeeee…….

Lesson Learned:
1. Kids are dowright honest

2. I know a car called Chana exists
2. Wira is the best car in Malaysia :P:P:P (for some of us)

Apa yang tak kena?

Can spot the not?

Fast and Fuyyyoh.... which one can fuyyoh me now?

I need a car! After months of considerations... I decided to go economical on my first car. Majority of people around me suggested MyVi (younger sis using Myvi, so dont want another MyVi) or SAGA BLM...


Urkkk...alamak! I was one of the arrogant old timer proton users who always have something to laugh about the newer models... I nicknamed it as "Honda City terbantut" or mutasi City... but a fren's remark for this car "Honda City kena sumpah" is my favourite of all. But in my serious efforts of car hunting... BLM sounds easy to the ear.... and of course.. to my budget... hehe.

I have this habit of not wanting to waste my money.... or splurge into things I can get cheaper, in considerable quality :P I would rather spend less on a car... and have some extra money on other things... travelling, health etc.

Ok... so the hunt began.... after some surveys and several other considerations... I switched my decision. I think I'm in love with Proton Persona now... ahahhaa...

1. Bigger Car
2. Within my budget
3. higher CC = 1.6
4. more spacious
5. Good reviews from users

BLM is ok for personal use but for family... i think persona should do better.

Downside will be - the never ending debates about Proton's Quality Control and Service Centres. And the car... heard that the FC (fuel consumption) is quite high, compared to.... jeng jeng jeng... Toyota Vios 1.5.


Ouh... Before this, I was going around asking friends, which one is better "Viva ke Vios" hahahhaa... and they always get annoyed for making that comparison... Why laaa? Cannot ka weh? at least, they kinda rhyme kan :P~ Vios was one of my considerations.... but... as mentioned... I hate to spend so much on a car...


!@#$%^^&^&#@@#%$#^$ (this is an impression of me hitting the cowculator)
tik tik tik
tok tik tok....

Vios 1,5 J (Basic, No Airbag etc)

Car Price: RM 73,565

Loan Period: Assume 9 years - (interest rate 2.68)

Persona 1.6 M-Line (Medium specs, Driver airbag, foglite etc)
Car Price: RM 53,300
Load Period: Assume 9 years - (interest rate 3.75)

dashboard + steering:


Issues:

1. Interest rate for international cars is lower... but still, Vios J compared to Persona M-Line, for 9 years monthly installment, difference will be +- RM 200.
2. Though Persona FC is higher... worse case scenario: it's gonna run up to roughly RM50 per month... that still leaves me with RM150 extra per month. (For 1+2, Persona scores more)
3. Maintenance? Its a risk to take... even with a good QC... any car can get a punctured tyre.... then when it happens... which car will cost me more??? ehehhehehhe (Open for debate)
4. I'm also looking for a car with a good 2nd hand value.... (For this... Vios scores)

So my question is.... will the extra 2ok (rm150-200 per month) be worth it... for a Vios-J?
Since it's my first car... am a bit confused... and also kinda PARTICULAR!


In conclusion....
I want a car for both personal and family use.... but at the same time am concerned and particular about budgets....

watermelon shield

a friend once told me... that i'm like a water melon

"hard outside… soft and sweet inside..."

Waa.... gambar ini sungguh la makes me wanna eat watermeleng now!

Ouh... about me and the watermelong thing... u peeps know me well enuf... ye dok? Luarannya nampak ganas but hatinya begitu sopan... kuikuikuikui... yeker? :))

Btw... generally... Usually, these so-called ganas/macho girls can be more sensitive, fragile... Vulnerabilty of the softer side being attacked, being ganas applies like a shield for em. ekehekeh... But as the watermelon ages... does the shield get softer? Hahahaha... soalan bak Discovey Channel ni... jawab jgn tak jwab... ahakss...