The Circle of Life

Picture Shhhhh by David April (www.dpcprints.com)

Last night, my prayers were simple....Dear God, please let mum and dad sleep well.

I was watching the Amazing Race..we were all gathered around the TV. Dad, mom, me and my nephew, Jim. And mom and dad fell asleep. I turned down the tv, silent the cell phone and tip- toed around the house.

When my parents reach past 60, they turned into very light sleepers. Lack of sleep just make them tired, moody and irritable...and oh yes, less tolerant of each other....especially Dad.

I'm sure when we were babies, our parents would do anything just to get us to sleep, and tip toe around the house not to wake us up. Life is an interesting cycle, aint it.

Technical problem

On Tuesday, I wrote at length about the past 10 days. From my drive home to mom's surgery to sis's departure for her Haj and all the stresses and strains in between. I'm not sure if its the office server or Blogger was having problem, but the post just vanished.

And i'm too tired to repeat the same story......suffice to say that mom is doing great, sis is doing well in Mecca and i'm having a bad flu!

Its a slow week at the office, there aint many people around. Everyone's just taking it easy having long lunches and making the early exit.

All the antibiotics and pills are making me drowsy and irritable. I'm gonna go for an early lunch now.

Vroom, vroom

I'm taking the day off tomorrow - Balik kampung. The whole family will be back, both my brothers and family will be departing this evening. I've decided to drive back early tomorrow morning. Macam nak raya pulak.

Mum is going for surgery tomorrow. We want to be there for her and dad.

At the same time, i am going to take this opportunity to horse train my car. My brother told me a new car is like a horse - you need to train in to run fast or it will forever be lazy.....He asked me to speed the car after the mileage reached 400km...nothing less than 140km/hr. (is this true?)
I only managed short stretches so far.

So i'm kind of looking forward to the long drive.....

Have a good weekend everyone....

I should be worried..........

There are a few things i should be worried about this week, but i'm not. I guess its a good thing - not worrying. I've been told i worry too much.

There's an almost guilty feeling for not worrying.

Maybe i'm just not worried yet........

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Good

Jill & I are already in talks with possible strategic alliances for our "project" next year. In fact, we are doing some paperwork already to propose possible projects. We were only going to start next year, but windows of opportunities are already presenting itself.

The Bad

Jill is busy and all stressed - the hair pulling kind as she puts it. I still have my commitments at work - 72 days to go to be exact. By evening when we want to sit down and think about our "project", we would be dead tired.

The Ugly

Physically, here i am at work, but mentally i'm so not here. Its hard because i am in the middle of a tough project, and everything is sort of thrown in my lap. Jill and I owe our strategic alliance some paper work by tomorrow, and here i am staring at my laptop...i have all the ideas figured out in my head, but having trouble downloading it. I'm waiting for Jill to get off work@7. My working hours is over. Hopefully Jill can do 'brain surgery'. We'll be working as late as Starbucks can have us.....and shift to the Mamak next door if need be.

Movie Marathon

One Saturday - Two movies, both local production by the way. I hardly watch local movies at the cinema unless they're supposedly worth the watch. This time i wanted to watch Cinta because i read great reviews about it, and its apparently the talk of the town. Its been a while since i've seen Rahim Razali in a movie - Abang 92??

The Red Kebaya, i had doubts, but Jill wanted to watch it. It was supposedly different - plot wise, cast and crew, some clever effect. I thot i might as well go along with Jill rather than go home and brood over my problems.

I'm giving thumbs-up for Cinta (bring tissues) and thumbs-down for Red Kebaya (it started off well, and yawn, yawn - when is it going to end???)

Dead Tired

This morning, i woke up on the sofa, dressed in what i wore to work yesterday. I must have been dead tired. Running errands mostly, not so much the work. I was running around settling some car loan matters in the morning, then after work i was shopping for my sis, and some stuff for the car.

I'm going home to rest now.

It's my Birthday

Its my birthday today. A reminder of my age....the part i dont like most. Yet i find many reasons to celebrate as well.........

New friends, a small group of people i have become very fond with at the office over the last few months. Nothing like suffering together for that extra-special bonding! A nice lunch treat today, to be followed by another weekend get-together.

Calls and sms from people you havent heard from for ages - i'm ashamed to admit i dont even remember their birthdays.

I registered my new car today, its kind of cool i thot to coincide it with my birthday. I wanted to get the number 2311 but its taken. Settled for 252. Nice? The only 3 digit reg. no left for sale. Even the good people at JPJ got excited that it's my birthday when they were entering my IC no. ;-).

I am meeting a friend for dinner in a bit.

I have put in my resignation letter 3 days ago, and all set for a new beginning.

We talked...

We talked for what seems like forever....just me and him. It was like we have been friends for ages.

This morning, i got up to answer the phone, it was mum. She wanted to know if i was ok, after the stomach ache last night. I told her i was ok. Then i just sat there wondering why this happy feeling.

Its been a while since i had a good dream.

More Dad Update

Dad went for his check up yesterday, exactly 14 days after the "collaspe" incident. The not so good news is he has a heart condition, the good news is even though there are irregularities, the heart doctor said its not serious, so no need for surgery. He just need to be on daily medication, and we have to rush him to a hospital if he has chest pains. His BP which was too low before has stabilised somewhat.

Not the best of news, yet i am grateful that it is not worst than it already is.

No TV!!!!!

Only a tv junkie like me would have a full appreciation of my predicament. There has been no Astro signal feed to my tv for the past 12 hours...(at least). Maybe more. I returned home at 10.30pm after a horrible day at work, some issues with the family and a supposedly stress-relieving workout at the gym - to a blank screen.

"Services currently not available"

Its a normal problem if it rains (yes, despite the fact its PAY_TV!!). But this one lasted forever. The agony of trying, and retrying and retrying.....Because i live in an apartment building, the feed comes from a central receiver...not that "wok"-like dish. So when there's a problem, you need building management to help. Not good at midnight, not good when the office is closed over the weekend.

I have no idea if the neighbours are facing the same problem, as tempting as it is to knock on their door and ask that late at night. I fell asleep, woke up, still no TV. I cant even get free tv coz the arial point is directly connected to astro, and i dont have an indoor antenna.

I had this problem before, and the building management had me call the Astro Service man...Mr. Ibrahim. I found the number. Just called the guy....he's on his way to Balakong, and will drop by in the afternoon. Apparently i'm not the only one with the problem.

Aaargh, so restless...Save me Mr. Ibrahim, save me...

6 November....Someone's birthday.

In my bigger plan some years back, we should be celebrating this birthday together. Yours today and mine a few weeks from now.

It just aint happening. Happy Birthday.

Decisions...decisions...

Recently, i parted with almost RM400 for a gym membership....it wasnt even planned. You know they have these promos, and the irritating sales people try to convince you take up this great offer only valid for the day...i'm usually the last person to fall into such traps. My friends were amused. I thought it was a good deal. The RM400 is for 2 months membership, i.e. month 1 & month 12 (compulsory tie-up for 12 months). The other 100 admin fee. The outlet i signed up for is opening next year at location B. Until location B opens, dunno when maybe March, April or May.....i workout for free at outlet A. It sounded good at the time.

The morning after......what the hell, i wasnt even planning to join a gym in the first place. But hey, my friend Shal and her sis joined as well, so i can tag along with them ....I'm still upset with myself, but hey...i might as well make full use of it and get fit.

Dad Update- my dad is still weak, tired and coughing. His BP is still on the low side, and the doctor sd it takes a bit of time to go up to normal. He's loss his apetite;-(. Mum said today he's slightly better than yesterday, and I pray that tomorrow he'll feel better than today.

Salam Aidilfitri

I'm back to work after the long raya break last week. Didnt get a chance to post a raya message before i left town, so Selamat Hari Raya & Maaf Zahir Batin to friends and fellow bloggers...u know who you are.

I have loads to tell, but now is not a good time. When i left my hometown for Shah Alam yesterday morning, mum and dad was ok. Dad even look refreshed than the previous few days. He was due for his doctor's appointment today. Just the usual to get his supply of medication.

I got a call from mum about noon. While waiting for Mak Ngah to fetch them from hospital, dad just fainted on the pavement. Lucky my aunt arrived and some good samaritans helped to get dad in the car.

Now dad is at the Medical Center seeing his physician. His blood pressure has dropped too low. At the time of writing, Dad is with the heart doctor for some tests. His heart has always been good so far, so i am worried. I hope he's just tired. I am praying for good news, insyaallah.

The Entrepreneur

This is my niece. She's 8. She has recently turned into a young entrepreneur, and the last i've heard her net profit is closing RM50...that's huge for a kid, right...

Her modus operandi is simple, her little friends can place an order for any song lyrics to her. Then she'll go home and get daddy to surf the net, download, reformat and print out for her. She keeps the original printout for "stock", and photocopy at 10sen per piece and sell it at 20sen.

I met her the other night an she showed me her best sellers. Check out what 8 year olds are listening to:

(Not in any particular order)
1. My Heart- the soundtrack from the lovy-dovy Indon movie Heart
2. Kenangan Terindah - Indon band Samson
3. some love song fr Indon band Peter Pan
4. all songs from Disney's High School Musical
5. some love song fr Indon band Radja

And to supplement her core business, she's also selling tissue packets at 50sen each. Of course she bulk buys...only the ones with cute cartoons on the packet. However, her parents thinks she's ripping her friends off so now tissues are on a discount at 30sen per packet...

I dont think i sold anything at that age....i think the whole thing she's doing is cute & i'm so proud of her;-)

One week to go

Its been one week since i last posted. Its been a hell of a week and i was not in the mood. One of those Murphy's Law week when just when you thought you hit rock bottom, you sink in deeper. Mostly its about work, and people at work. I so wanted to blog the day the apartment security didnt want to let me in because i have not changed the car sticker, and i did a stunt...reversed my car and accelerated through the exit gate....the most exciting event of the week. That's the night the dial up connection at home was on standstill.

I havent been able to get much sleep the past 2 days, with all the anger and frustration in my system. I am on puasa leave (ladies do get days off, ok!) but i only eat once in a span of 24 hours. Now i feel almost zombie like.

But on the upside, i'm looking forward to finish my Hari Raya shopping this weekend. Then there's only i working week before the long week off.

Depressing Haze

The haze is back, again from some forest burning going on at a neighbouring country. How many times have this happened? When is it going to stop? The last haze incident, i think the news reported both country's ministers met and talked. The "neighbour" was supposed to take steps to prevent open burning.

The view from my office window is depressing. Everything looks grey. This picture i took from my bedroom window yesterday evening, while waiting for buka puasa. On a clear day, i can see the Twin Towers all the way from Shah Alam.

My throat didnt feel so good. The air smell smoky. I rushed through the Ramadan Bazaar, choosing food less exposed. Not exposed would be almost impossible.
I called my parents. Both of them are asmathic, ...luckily the air is clear where they are.

The air is supposed to clear in three days, not the open burning, but some monsoon wind is forcasted to blow the smoke away from us...(at least that's what i heard on the news).

Stay indoors people!

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis: a striking change of circumstances.

Today, i'm more determined than ever, to do all that i can, for the "Metamorphosis" to happen sooner than later. There is the final push, and then there's the violent shove.

I have discovered that i can never wait for all lights to turn green, there will never be a perfect time.

So i made the call the Maria....a much welcomed one to my surprise. We are meeting next week.

Say No to Chickens?

There's a buzz around town, in the media that if the consumers gang up together and boycott chicken for a while, the price will go down. Yes, basic economics...supply exceeding demand will force sellers to drop the price.

But i can't not eat chicken. I already did that during the bird flu episode, but that was a life& death thing.

I need my chicken murtabak, chicken percik, and other chicken dishes for buka puasa. I want my chicken rendang with ketupat for pagi raya.

Can you guys go without chicken?

Snacthed!!

I left office early yesterday, and had to to stopover at the Ramadan Bazaar at Stadium Shah Alam. I went for the atmosphere more than the food. There are not many muslims at my office so you dont feel the ramadhan excitement as much. At my previous workplace, i still remember in the afternoons Pdose & I will start a discussion about food for berbuka, which stall has the best murtabak, those were the days....

Anyway, it was fun. I took this snapshot just for Javard, apparently a Ramadan Bazaar fan whose fasting in Australia. J, they still look the same since you left....;-)


on a less pleasant note........

i got a phone call from Mum after 10p.m.. Angah & Along, my retired aunties got robbed at the mosque during tarawih prayers. You know the curtain dividers between men& ladies...they were in the front row, and placed their bags against the curtains. While they pray, some guys/ boys snacthed the bags from under the curtains.

Along only had RM1 and her glasses in her bag, but Angah had her car keys, house keys and purse in hers. The mosque is like 5 minutes drive away, but a good 15 -20 mins by foot, maybe more at "auntie speed". So they walked to a neighbour's house to call my mum for SOS...the only number they can recall probably. Mum called a mechanic to help with the car and called me to ask what to do. I then called my brother, who called my sister in law who called her brother to go and held (you see.....we have a very bad emergency response plan in the family;-) )

Anyways, they were finally rescued by 2 good neighbours, who broke the current lock and replaced pedlocks for them. And the mechanic came to get the spare keys from Angah and drove the car home - how technical was that - i was expecting some hot-wiring action. I was scared that the "snatcher" will drive away the car, and drop by the house as Angah's address is on her IC. But all ended ok.

Of all places to get robbed......in the house of God in this holy month.

Ramadan Kareem!!

i'm back....it was a good trip! Plenty of running aroung doing errands for mum & dad, but i was more than happy to be of service. It was nice to start the Ramadan with the family....only at home will people fuss over me not eating rice for sahur and stuff like that;-)

The train ride aint all that bad people;-) It took me about 1/2 an hr to get used to the choo-choo motion, but otherwise plenty of legroom, it wasnt freezing cold like the night bus, there's a toilet to go to and i managed to sleep. (something mr. manager commented made me bring my light fleece blanket...so i was all snug & warm)

The cabin....









The train arrived later than schedule (By 2 hours!), but i wasnt in a rush, so i decided to enjoy the kampung view...









Selamat Berpuasa to my fellow muslim bloggers!

CONTRIVIUM

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Anne!

1. Anne can run sixty-five kilometres an hour - that's really fast.
2. Two thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in Anne!
3. Cats use their Anne to test whether a space is large enough for them to fit through!
4. Native Americans never actually ate Anne; killing such a timid prey was thought to indicate laziness.
5. Anne can not regurgitate!
6. Devoid of her cells and proteins, Anne has the same chemical makeup as sea water!
7. Anne became extinct in England in 1486.
8. Anne will give a higher yield if milked when listening to music!
9. The pharoahs of ancient Egypt wore garments made with thin threads of beaten Anne!
10. Peanuts and Anne are beans.

I am interested in - do tell me aboutherhimitthem

Go on...try this for fun!

The Choo-choo Train

I'm getting ready for another trip...not for work this time. Going home to see the folks..yes, me Mum & Dad. It will also be the beginning of Ramadhan this weekend, so i suppose it will cheer them up a bit to have an extra "body" around to make fuss over sahur and berbuka.

I was still in two minds whether to take the night bus from Puduraya/ Jalan Duta as i will leave the car at the office parking this time. I'll be flying back from hometown on Monday morning so it would be convenient to get the Skybus from LCCT to KL Sentral, and catch a cab to the office. Usually i'll catch a bus on Sunday nite but i want to buka puasa with my parents, which is worth the extra bucks for the flight i guess.

The idea of sleeping on a bus (again!) is so uninviting. So this time i'm getting a bunk on the train....the "Superior Night" sleeper as they call it. For RM40+ you get a bunk bed with a pillow and blanket. Sounds good ya. They have their version of "business"(sold out!!) and "first class" bunks but maybe next time i'll give that a try. It's been a while since i took the train, and i was pleasantly surprised when i visited the website (not expecting to find much info)...they have online ticketing. They even show you pictures of the various seats and sleepers coaches with the price range for you to choose. You can even choose your exact bunk..which I have - the upper bunk, no. 17, with neighbouring bunks unoccupied (for now). Cool eh! I didn't expect much from KTMB, and i was pleasantly surprised. (http://ktmb.com.my/) Of course the journey takes 3-4 hours longer than an express bus, but i'm in no hurry.

I've got my ticket printed out, courtesy of the efficient ktmb-web & the office color printer;-), and i'm ready for a long weekend back home. Now, i only have to get my leave approved for Friday.

Back from Bangkok

I've been back since Sunday...with sore legs and feet. Ironic isnt it after spending a few days in the land of spas and massage parlours. The conference was "light & easy. I didnt expect halal food to be a problem. I've been to southern parts of Thailand, like Haadyai, Padang Besar where halal thai food is everywhere. In Bangkok, most halal restaurants are arabic...or maybe we were not well informed. We did have some good food at the conference for the welcome dinner and lunches. Good tomyam! Otherwise, its kebabs and briyanis.

The arabic food reminded me of Bahrain

I love Mango & sticky rice...........

A group of us girls, 5 of us went shopping together whenever we have spare time. All the nite bazaars, weekend market, bargain shops...we were there, which explains the aching legs. One of the nites in the town, back from a late supper in an area resembling Chow Kit, the girls decided to stop by for a midnight manicure and pedicure. I took a raincheck and decided to snap a photo for the blog.

The last few days i've spent in a meeting room, and finally today i can catch up on blogging.

Baby Steps

I came across this "quote" at a blog.....

“Do things you are good at and things that will make you happy instead of carrying out tasks and chores that you can tolerate just because you have to pay the bills...” http://suhaimisulaiman.blogspot.com/

This current job, it started out as a major step forward. It was what i wanted....i had career targets, and this opportunity presented itself ahead of its time. When reality checks in, i figured i was in the right job, but surrounded by the wrong environment, support system and above all people. I was determined to put that aside, i'm on to something, focus on the goal...

But i cant fight the realities, i am tolerating....and i dont know if i can or want to tolerate this anymore. Off peak periods was fun initially, but perpetual "off-peaks"...its killing me. And i hate the politics...it just aint my game. Some environment/ people bring out the best in me...and this is not one of them.

Now i have 2 choices.....jump ship or jump into the sea.

Sometimes, it takes some desperation to push you to take some steps. Today and yesterday i took some baby steps, i dont know where it will lead me, but it feels good to do something.

=====================================================

That aside, i'm off the Bangkok tomorrow for work, and hopefully find time for pleasure;-). Be back next week!

Delayed Merdeka Entry

49 years ago.............the nation celebrated its independence. Whatever my complaints, i am proud to be a Malaysian. Saya Anak Malaysia!.

49 years ago.............My Dad & Mom got married....yup, on 31.8.1957.
Happy Anniversary Mum & Dad. Semoga panjang umur, murah rezeki dan sihat selalu.

(i'll try to remember to scan their wedding photo and post it next wk)

The One

Picture from utusan.com.my


If you catched the live telecast of the Wedding of the Year on Monday night, you would probably heard this song sang by Siti to her hubby Datuk K. Its called Cahaya Cinta....song & lyrics by Siti Nurhaliza.

...Dia telah menentukannya
kita bertemu dan bercinta
inilah oh takdirnya
bukan kerana harta
inilah citra cahaya cinta

pintu hatiku telah kau buka
tak mampu ku menafikannya
kejujuran diberi
kasih takkan terhenti
ini bahagia yang ku cari...
(extract from http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/content.asp?y=2006&dt=0830&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Hiburan&pg=hi_02.htm)

Suddenly i remembered some years back a good friend decided she was getting married, and i asked her how do you know that he's is THE ONE. She said when he is the one, you'll know.

Hmmmm, i'm still waiting....

The Reunion

I went for the Reunion.....last minute change of venue-thank god!. Upon my tip-off, they decided to send Hafiz to One Bangsar to sell all 15 coupons, which he did in record time. So we met up for a late lunch at Marche Movenpick@ The Curve....i like!!



I was the first to arrive, followed by the ex-Boss (who deserve a special mention coz he paid for everything...thanks Roy!). Apart from Mag & Lini who have not changed (physically), i almost did not recognise Sue & Nora when they walked in.....Sue just delivered her 2nd baby and Nora is married now, so i guess its expected. I cant help noticing that they have aged somewhat...and i start to think that i must have as well. I see Jill, Shal quite often, but to those people we havent seen in years, ....Anyways, i am happy to hear them commenting i still look "small" since we last bid farewell. That's not what the bathroom scale is telling me, but i wouldnt argue:-P

The food was great, the environment was nice to nibble and chat, and the company.....i didnt feel out of place eventhough there were a few people i've never met. One of the new girls, Mas, when introduced said i hear your name mentioned almost everyday. Good legacy i hope.....(not the mess i left behind!). I can still feel the sense of belonging despite 2 years has passed, and that's a nice feeling.

The getting ready part started early morning with a trip to the salon. My hair is due for trimming anyways. I didnt like the way they styled it tho, so i did it again at home...the hair straightening gel helped heaps!. Then i had to decide what to wear. Check out the selection process...



All in all, i had a good time..

Anne's Rojak Post

anne loves cats!

Anne Ain't Simple
I was having lunch with an office friend at the IKEA restaurant today. She had Bread n Chicken Curry (yup, they do serve that in this Sweedish establishment), and i had Poached Salmon in Cream Sauce. She asked if she can have a bite, after which she said you are such a simple person!. Because i ate poached salmon???

MOTS: Dont judge a person by what she ordered from the menu!
(MOTS=morale of the story)

Anne is not fond of Reunions
I got a call from my ex-colleagues. They are having some get together to bid farewell to some people who are resigning, transfering. They are also inviting a few ex-staff (me included). I should be flattered that i am fondly remembered to merit this invite. But these are people i have not seen since 2004. Reunions makes me anxious .What do i wear......of course they will check you out! People form impressions. What do i say.......its been a while, only 1 or 2 of them i've kept in touch with. Yes, i get very self conscious with unfamiliar crowd.

TFS= It would be fun to check them out as well!
(TFS=the flip side)

Anne Hates Crowded Places
And i have problem with the venue. One Bangsar - The One Feast"all you can eat promo". If you havent heard about it, One Bangsar houses many restaurants (7 or 8 i think - Italian, Mediterranean, Thai, Indian, Japanese & many more) I was there with Jill last weekend, supposedly for Shal's birthday lunch....only that Shal didnt turn up. It was so packed and crowded! You have to queue for food (for ages!!!!) and there's hardly places to sit. Me and Jill managed to squeeze through sitting on bar stools, garden pavements and some odd chairs.

But for a crowd of 15 who want to catch up on old times....a No-No.
I tried to warn the organiser, but too late - they have purchased the coupons.

LL= based on last week's experience, stick to one good restaurant and stay there. My personal favourite, the Italian. Despite the crowd, it was well managed and the food was good.
(LL=Lesson's learnt)

Anne is Alone
So what else is new?

I have many friends, but those i hang out with i can count with one hand. Jill is off to Kelantan for a weekend with the folks. Shal is off to Mersing for a kenduri. My big brother & family is driving back to Alor Setar today for the school holidays.

Maybe i should go for the reunion, for old times sake....Besides i have nothing better to do, and it will make a good blog post. And Jill thinks it would be good for our "future biz". Should i drop by One Utama to get a new top or something:-)

Its all GOOD!

I survived the hospital appointment. The procedure was slightly painful. But it's all good! Alhamdullilah.

48 hours.

I'm at the office staring at some report....i'd rather be home watching live telecast of Siti & DK's akad. That would make a good distraction.

After much prodding from mum and kakak, i made the dreaded appointment. The last appointment i missed for a good reason. I was in Bahrain. That was 7 months ago. I hate going to hospitals. The idea of it make me miserable already.

Suddenly i dont feel so good anymore. I'm gonna be out of sorts till Wednesday morning. This will be my third visit. So far its been all good, but until the good doctor says so, i'm all nerves.

48 hours to go.

Demam lagi!

I am sipping hot water from my thermal mug, waiting for the day to be over...that is 2 hrs from now.

Had a very late night last nite, working on the power point slides till 2a.m. It was only a half day training session to about 10 people, but its just me.... When i have to take the floor, i have to prepare well. When to get in a narrative, when to sneak in a joke.......hehe, so orchestrated.

Today's purpose was to intimidate. Some "clever person" told one of the team members that the next project is a no-brainer. Which is so NOT TRUE.

Anyways, i hope i'll feel better soon. Me and Jill have big plans for the weekend.

Anne is under the weather...

Come to think of it, how did that expression come about? Anyone....?

After two 7-hour bus rides, i'm not feeling too good today. I am feverish and weak. I turned up at an all-important client meeting this morning looking like hell.

But it was all worth it. Mum and Dad did not say how elated they are to have me and Chik back home running errands and fussing over them, but they dont have to....i know they were happy. And it made it all worth the journey, and the after effect....

Me and 2 bros have agreed to take turns going home to be with mum and dad, so there'll be more of such weekend trips.....insyallah!

There are Ants inside Anne

There are ants inside me……..yup, 20-30 easily. Those black sugar-loving ones.

The other night I made myself a mug of hot milo, and I dozed off before drinking it. Before I went to bed, I put the mug in the fridge.

Last nite, I couldn’t sleep…..i went to the fridge (note: kitchen light was off), saw the milo…yummm..cold milo. I took a gulp, you know..just to check that it hasn’t gone bad or anything..Still good. So i grabbed a bag of chips and parked my self in front of the TV. Then i saw, in the mug, filled with ants, many-many surfaced when i stirred the drink...

Yikes, i drank water the whole night.......why i dont know, drown the ants? I had to pee often but no ants......My throat and ears are itchy since...Could it be that the ants were frozen in the fridge but never died....and now they are awaken by the warmth of my blood. They are probably strategising their way out..like an Ants' version of LOST.

OMG, now how to i get those ants out of my body. Maybe they will come out if if ...you know...the biggie....(Note to self: Eat extra fibre today).

My mom told me to throw out any drinks with ants in it....it'll make you forgetful it seems. But that's 1 or 2 miserable ants.........

Now, what was i blogging about......??###.......

Shopping, AF Final and Sally......

Anne goes shopping!!

Saturday morning I was supposed to have a breakfast meeting with Dory, just to catch up after my long 3 weeks’ commitment to exams….and also talk business. But Dory had to cancel…she has more important stuff to do before flying off overseas.

So, I decided to go shopping…yelah tengah Mega Sale kan. Can’t even recall when was the last time I join the Mega sale crowd. I hate going to crowded shopping complexes……but what to do, I work weekdays (unlike some lucky people…..;-) )

I got a list done up and all……this is serious! Usually, if I go out with friends, it’s just for window shopping, or if I stumble upon something I like, I’ll get it. But today, I was on mission – so this I do best alone. After a Mekdi breakfast, I hit the stores.

I got myself a pair of shoes for work, underwear for me and mum, a shirt for dad, moisturizer for me…Tak banyak pun, but the browsing, selection, trying, deciding process….after 4.5 hours I couldn’t take it anymore. My feet was hurting, my pinggang was aching bigtime. I was telling myself I used to be able to do this for 8 hours…yelah, tu zaman muda-muda …ahaks. Banyak lagi item belum dapat; but I went home and lie down.

The AF Final Concert

If you have been watching, this is probably the worst out of the 4 seasons Akademi Fantasia has been on air. Being the loyal fan that I am, of course la tengok jugak kan. I called my mom a few minutes before the concert just to remind her to tune in.

Big mistake, huge,……some commotion was going on at home. Sally was on some kind of strike. (Yup, Sally the indon maid). She insists that she wants to stop work and leave. The reason being in Indonesia she only sweep and mop floors twice a week, and she cant stand the fact that mum wants her to do it everyday. (I’ve seen her clean, ok….my nephew can do a better job). It was ridiculous trying to make sense and rationalize with someone with an IQ of 3! I was shouting at her and slammed down the phone. And the concert has started…..

Just when I thot things have calmed down, and my life is back to normal.

The Lesser Evil........

I was asked to choose the lesser of two evils..........so i did! Ooops, wrong pick. I am in for a miserable time. I should seriously consider Plan B & C!

In case you are wondering.......

i've been away for study leave, and i am in the middle of my exams. (ade ke orang wonder mana i pegi...hehehe, probably not). Next week ada lagi 2 paper, then i'm free. Yahoo!

My name is Anne; and I am a Procrastinator....

Help....help......Its like some kind of disease.

Is there some support groupie?

I so need to get out of this. I know i wasnt born with it.

If you have any good ideas/ cure, leave a comment.

An "Eventful" Weekend...literally.....

I guess it's last weekend was an eventful weekend for most people.....

Mine kicked off Friday evening with a karoeke sesssion with frens from work. It was a blast. I cant believed i sang a duet with Yus...lagu ape tau..seiring dan sejalan...la la la la la la la laaaaaaaa...hehehe. Then, i went home to the German-Argentina match...

Saturday, i had breakfast alone at the usual mamak, and hang out at Starbucks catching up on blogs and trying to get in a few hours of study. (Exam is in 2 weeks, shooootttt!!) Jill joined me and we had a good laugh about Shal's photoshoot (should i say photoshop? :-)); Mawi's break up; and other gosss...

Saturday night i watched to most unentertaining AF concert ever (except for the host...hehe!!, everything else sucked). That was followed by an emotional ride watching the England-Portugal match....ooohh, i so couldnt watch the penalty shoot out; and the result :-(- lets not even go there. Results apart it was fun tho, sharing the suspense with Jill, Vince and Vince's German supporting other half.....Vince has not turned up for work since (such devastation)

Sunday was an emo day. I stayed at home just feeling sorry for myself mostly...i hate it when that happens. (it had nothing to do with football)

Monday - well, i had an extended weekend. The stomach cramps and headaches from Sunday spilled over to Monday and i called in sick.

At least it wasnt just another boring weekend ..

The Evolution of Chin

Chin is my next door neighbour. We moved to the place over 4 years ago...we mere among the first to move in as soon as CF was given. We exchanged polite coversations initially. Both happy to have another single girl next door rather than a family full of noisy children, or a group of bujang guys, or some freak. One day, i came home to find Chin sitting helplessly at her front door; vomitting. She has called for an ambulance to come and get her. Being the emphatic neighbour, i went down the corridor to check on the ambulance, and ushered them to Chin's door. I followed them down the lift as they trolleyed her to the ambulance. I asked i she wants me to come with her. She said she will call her relative, and she'll be ok.

After that incident, we exchanged numbers and promised we can call each other if there's any emergency. We talked occasionally, mostly about "house matters" like did you get this letter, have you paid for this, have you signed that....One day, Chin rang my door bell, asking if i want to join her for golfing lessons at the nearby club. It would be fun and cheaper if we do it together she says. I said ok. Soon after, Chin rang my door bell again. She cant do golf yet, he father had passed away and she just dont feel like it yet.

We exchaged CNY & Raya cookies......sometimes we hardly bump into each other for a week or two. A year or two passed. (or was it 3...) started to notice the presence of a guy at Chin's place. There's always there muddy boots outside the door. One day, Chin introduced me to Mr. Boots as her friend. The friend never left. Mr. Boots moved in with Chin.

Months passed, i see Mr. Boots more than I see Chin. He's always shirtless, sitting in Buddha like position facing the front door, reading newspapers when i come home from work. Then Chin got a new car. Then, is that a tummy....Chin is so thin and frail looking, so its easy to notice. Now what has Mr Boots done to my good neighbour.

Aha.....definitely not weight gain! Chin has married Mr Boots, and he got her pregnant. (I was not invited to the wedding, of course). Now, Chin has a baby girl...i think she's almost six months.....

It has been close to 5 years....and Chin has evolved naturally from single, to girlfriend, to wife, to motherhood.

Imagine if Chin is blogging about me....My stagnant neigbour Anne......

Small talk at the lift lobby

Nicky:Hi Anne!

Me: Hi Nicky!

Nicky: How are you?

Me: Ok, still a bit tired tho from the trip....

Nicky: Ya, i know.....still have not recovered...bla..bla...blaa....felt sick during the journey down...bla bla bla

Me: bla...bla...(agreed profusely) (boy the lifts are slow)

Nicky: Can i ask you a personal question? (ding dong lift arrived, we got in)..how old are you?

Me: (i didnt even say yes you can)...i'm XX!

Nicky: OK, we were having a conversation the other days about people who look younger than their age, and your name came up...but they said you are (XX+3)...i didnt believe them...

Me: that old?

Nicky: i am (XX-2), but sometimes people say i am younger..well not if i look like today....

Me: smiled politely.....

Lift door opened. Byes and See yous......

Now who was the culprit telling stories that i'm XX+3.......:-O

Binge!!!!!!!!!

I'm on a food binge. Not good at all. I just crave for stuff that i dont normally take. The other night i gobbled a pack of doritos. Last night i had noodles for dinner, followed by hot milo and biscuits and kacang ngan yin while watching TV. Today i had teppanyaki for lunch, and just a few minutes ago i was already munching on biscuits and hot coffee. I am not my normal self. I blame it on hormones..........!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, what's for dinner?

It felt like ages....

It's been ages since the last post...i've been away for a training course up in Cameron Highlands. I've been back since Saturday, dead tired. It was a looooong programme, a bit hectic, we didnt get to go out of the hotel since the day we arrived until check out time. The journey up was tough on the bus, but the winding journey down was worse for my stomach. It was one of the worst motion sickness i ever experienced. The consolation is there's fresh roses in my apartment, and i've been indulging in strawberries for dessert. Strawberries dipped in melted chocolate, strawberries with vanilla ice cream.........hmmmm...heavenly.

I got my best buddies some strawberries too, Shal & Jill. Jill promised to bake a strawberry getaue (mcm wrong spelling je, but you know what i mean, the cake with cream)...i'm still waiting.

There's fresh vegetables in the fridge - i havent been in much of a cooking mood since i came back. There's asparagus, baby kailan, some kind of sprouts, capsicum, brocolli......may be i should cook tonite.

Here's some pics i took from my training room and hotel room window.

I'm back

I've been back since Wednesday. Took the midnite bus. Sejuk giler so could harly sleep. Got down at the bus station at 6a.m., balik rumah, siap-siap, go to work. Things have been crazy at work as well...

Mom's ops went ok. She was discharged the same day. Mom wanted to be on full bius (betul ke spelling ni), in medical terms general anesthetic i think. anyway, that stuff made her really drowsy, tired and her body ached all over. Well, at least she didnt feel anything during the ops. When she had the same operations on her other eye last year, masa tu kat GH. Bius kat mata je, and tengah operate, bius habis, and she was in excruciating pain, and the doctor just carried on. After that we went to complain, of course too late and nobody bothered much. This time mom had hers at a private hospital.

Since before the ops until today there's been a constant flow of people around the house to fuss over mom. But today kak long dah balik coz abg long got stung by a bee, my sis will start work tomorrow...so it will just be mum, dad and sally.

I hope my plans with dory, nekbat and jill will materialise quickly. Then i can have more time for mum and dad. Hopefully, more $$ as well:-)

Aaargh, hardly more than a month before the dreaded exam. I promised myself this would be a study weekend. bummer....

I'm Going Home

Frantic day at the office, rushing for deadlines, meetings, clearing this and that, replying mails, running here and there, set the Out of Office Reply and shut down!. I'm going on leave Monday and Tuesday, and as much as i dont care what the bosses think of me, i dont want other people to get in trouble while i'm away....

Anyways, i thot i got everything covered...i was already driving towards the hiway, then OMG...i didnt give THE FILE to Faez!!!! "Shooot!. Everyone has left. I said hi to Harry before i left....i called Harry. thank god, Harry is always the first to leave, of all days today Harry was working late (Phew!!!) Saved me a trip back.

I'm all packed now, for another express bus trip home.Mum's going for an eye operation on Monday. I pray all will go well. Auvoir!!

Daisies

To borrow wise words of a friend;

My heart is filled with daisies..since yesterday evening.

Hari ni dah start layu2 sikit...that's the problem with fresh flowers.

The Escape

my stress level has reduced somewhat, that big fuzzy ball in my brain. now compartmentalised nicely, in small "bite-size" pieces.

i escaped the dreaded company trip. i'll be sitting for an exam around that time, coinciding with the trip. What a wonderful excuse, who can argue with that? Now did i sign up for the exam to escape the company trip, well, i almost...but no, i'm sitting for the exam for a better reason. My mom talked me into it.

....what i'll be missing- dressing up in some tribal costume, the uncomfortable feeling of being surrounded by very, very drunk people, the inter-dept talent show - "theme from a movie"...somebody else will have to be Rose and jump off Titanic, some stupid telematch games. Sorry gang, y'all will have to survive without me...

Brain wash

Its like one big ball in my head, there's so much to do, to think about, to sort out to decide.......everything's fuzzy. There's no room to delegate..even at work! I need to take a step back, prioritise, sort things out. I need to cut this fuzzy ball into small pieces-> work, family, personal stuff...

That will be my weekend. I hope i'll embrace next week with a clear head.

Glad the week's over, the week that had:

1. Chris and Elliot out of American Idol (i know chris was last week, but he's my fav)

2. the Hippies win the Amazing race (yeah!!!! i love them)

3. RM500 dissapeared from my account - ATM machine error

4. my water heater went kapputttt

5. me signing up for "THE EXAM" again

5. ..........that's enough

have a good weekend my blog buds.

Signs

Its not a good sign when you wake up in the morning wishing you have fever, or a cold or a headache...or hoping last nite's mamak dinner was mildly contaminated just enough for a tummy ache.

Of course i feel fine. Of course I made it to the office despite the pouring rain, my skirt is damp and my legs are cold. Another day at the office.

Crazy Week

Its been a crazy week since Monday, a bad week at the office battling with report writing and reviews by the bosses. Why do they take ages to take a look at something, and come back with the most bizarre and unimportant of comments...like..i want this para to be left aligned, and that to be justified, and a space after bullet, and some not so clever things i dont even want to repeat here. I have a client half way round the world eagerly waiting for the report...whose the least of concern is if the report is left aligned or justified. Talk about priorities...Anyway, i...the small fish, have to practically go beg to the big fishes to release a draft to the needy client because they need to read it in time for decision making. But , no, no...another 24 hours because formatting is really important you know. AArghhh...i could go on forever, but i wont.

Tuesday evening my Dad was in a car accident. He and the other party was not hurt (syukur alhamdullilah). But there's the whole hassle of the police report, insurance, car repairs, summonses and stuff, and i feel so bad that i couldnt be there for mum and dad. sis was there, but she's not at her best in crisis. I'm sorry mum and dad that i live so far away.

Live from Starbucks!!

Its 11.00 a.m. and i'm back at my fav Starbucks joint. My car is parked right up front...which is a privelege, even on an offday like this in this part of town. Its just me today...dory, my partner-in-crime is entertaining her Mum and family. I had my brunch at the Mamak next door...some white rice, chicken curry, egg and veg. Didnt enjoy it, maybe curry's no good today, or its just eating alone. Anyways, alhamdullilah i'm full and ready for work.

My favourite purple velvet armchair is occupied by Mr. Spiky-hair. He looks like he'll be here a while. I've chosen a strategic position right at this corner. I can see the outside view, the counter and most importantly...Mr. Spiky. I hate it that he has this comfy, contented look on his face while i'm sitting on this hard wooden chair, and i need 2 extra chairs to put my stuff on. You see, the velvet armchairs are positioned facing each other...and in the middle is this long oval table where me and dory will share to put our laptops, books, papers, drinks....I'm determined to take over..as soon as Mr Spiky leaves.

I wish Dory was here...then i dont have to worry about my laptop if i need my pee-pee break. Another reason I love this joint. It has a clean "ladies" inside the joint.

I better get to work, report is due Monday.
*******************************************
11.50a.m.

I could no longer tolerate the wooden chair. My backside feels numb. So i walked up to Mr.Spiky and grabbed him by the collar.....no,no.. it wasnt anything that dramatic. He just packed his laptop and left.

I am back on the velvet chair...contented I am.



...that's my fav velvet chair

after my numerous visits, i think i have figured out coffeenomics. To get more mileage on your coffee, and avoid that almost guilty feeling of sucking in the ambience without refilling your coffee...order a Venti size (extra large for the uninitiated). Today, i'm having Coffe Frap with Cream venti size.....

*******************************************
1.24p.m.

My coffenomics gaining credibility....it's mid-day and i'm just halfway thru the coffee. Its still nice and cold. Hot coffee I have to finish while its hot, i hate it when it gets cold. Unless its meant to be cold coffee...

Dory, you should try my coffeenomics, then you wont be spending 30-40 bucks every trip with 3 tall drinks.

Ahhh,bonus....the nice miss barista just dropped by with a Banana Cream Frapp sampler...
*********************************************

2.35 p.m.

A policeman just put a parking ticket on my car. What can i do but watch helplessly. I would run out and beg, but by the time i notice, the ticket was already on my windscreen, he's on to the next car.

What are the odds...my coffeenomics has gone into deficit, i guess. Just one of those days.
**********************************************

5.00 p.m.

sightings: The good son and his mom. He just made his mum coffee and some sandwiches, how sweet.

6.27 p.m.

i'm tired. Only halfway through editing the report. I might be back tomorrow.

This is Anne reporting for anne's prelude...ahaks.

End of live telecast.

The Art of Forgiving

Some wise person once said..."those who angers you, conqours you"

I am angry!

Should I forgive people to be at peace with myself, OR should i forgive because the other party deserve forgiveness?

I dont like the angry feeling, both physically and mentally, its not a good feeling.

Blogger's Block

Is blogging an obligation...but to who? To yourself, to those people who might drop by your blog only to be dissapointed that there is no post...i dont know. I guess its a little bit of both.

i've been procrastinating my blog updates since the long weekend. I could have updated it over the 2 days dory and i spent at starbucks, but then dory pointed out that it would be almost pointless because hardly anyone log on during weekends......

Sometimes i blog in my head but the thought never got to the keyboard, like the past few days...i wanted to do a posting on Dad's Birthday, on me and Dory's secret little project, on Sally stressing out mum...

...but not now because I am so tired!! I'm even too tired to say why

What A Week.........

What a week this has been.........

There's the upset stomach which lasted over 4 days (re Assam Laksa & Chinese Tea below)

There's the final rush to file in the Tax Forms.
Community Service Reminder: Deadline is 30 April for hard copy forms, and extended for e-filing (i dont remember the due date, sorry!)

There's the frantic search for tickets - bus, train, plane...anything. Of course i left it to the last minute. Thought of driving but mum is so against it coz my car is getting old, and not in the best condition. I wanted to just surprise her and drive back anyway, but she was so insistent...to the point it scared me to defy her in case i regret if something happen. So i guess i'll be in town this long weekend.

There's the late nights at Starbucks, helping Dory with some of her work stuff.

There's the sudden piling up of work at the office. Hmmm...i might even have to take home some work over the weekend :-(

I'm tired and saturated, but i feel alive.

Have a terrific weekend everyone, and happy labour day to all!

Asam Laksa and Chinese Tea

You know how certain food go well together, like nasi lemak with sambal; Like sambal tumis with sayur lemak; like burger and fries; like goreng pisang with teh o panas; like cream crackers dipped in hot milo.

....while some combination are a no-no and even can make you sick. Mum says dont eat watermelon, and drink milk after. I dont get it how some people eat goreng pisang with sambal kicap...eat durian with plain white rice.

Over the weekend Sally cooked for mum both asam rebus and asam pedas tumis for lunch...wakakakaka how about that..

Anyway, lunchtime today, me and some office mates went to a restaurant. I ordered asam laksa and chinese tea (cold). I dont mind eating laksa, but the fishy aftertaste i wouldnt like, so i thot the bitterness of chinese tea will wash it down well. At the end of the meal, i was getting chills, then i was sweating, then my stomach was churning, then my face felt like it was swelling up (tho it wasnt)...i guess asam laksa and chinese tea is a no-no (at least for me!!).

A Picture's Worth

What do I see from the picture?

1. The cat on top...me! The big orange cat...the bosses!

2. The cat on top...me, pekerja makan gaji! The big orange cat...my freelancer friend Dory!

3. The cat on top...the current me, struggling to be the big orange cat...

4. Ridiculous looking cats....:-) but too adorable...

What do you see?..

Reflecting.......

Picture by Hazeem(11)

State of Mind : Lousy
State of Health: Mild temparature, weak

17.4

I politely rejected the offer. I would have killed for the opportunity if it had come a few years back....but times are different, maybe i want different things, i have different obligations. The bucks are good though, but big bucks does not necessarily make me happy - i've learnt that from June to December of 2004.

I didnt give an outright no (so chicken of me...), i kind of mumbled something along the line the timing is just not right to embark on something new. I am not ready to put in the long hours.

"They" said that is totally ok, whenever i am ready. How nice of them.....

18.4

A normal encounter with the power that be in the office turn into what could be a career changing moment. For the worse i mean. They are thinking of moving me to do something else which i totally am not keen on. TPTB (short for the power that be)did not like my blunt NO. I was accused of being negative. 3 months tops, give it a try said TPTB. I wanted assurance that this is something i can get out of. TPTB settled for 1 month, you start 1 May. I left the room. Start of a REALLY BAD day.....

Drove home with the speakers blaring BAD DAY by Daniel Powter.

19.4

No mood for anything. Relecting...reflecting....reflecting

20.4

Looking forward to the weekend already.

All the hype over GUBRA!!!

Maybe its my latest hobby without me realising it......checking out "Hypes". Like yesterday's morning breakfast at Kluang Station Kopitiam, like keeping up with who's in and out on American Idol, like watching both the opening & closing ceremony of Fiesta Media Idola (yes, i watched that!) and watching Gubra.

I watched Sepet and liked it. So it was only natural to go see Gubra as well. All the raving reviews in blogs and newspapers, how can i not go checkout the hype ;-)

SEPET gave a feel good feeling after watching it. Refreshing to see a movie that transforms racial boundaries, almost teasing. Of course i didnt want Jason to die, but there was more to Sepet than Orked and Jason.

I was ready for the feel good feeling again, but GUBRA cuts deeper than that., I felt uneasy watching the movie, not in a bad way....my eyes were watching, but my brain was trying to figure what to make out of what i was watching. The scene where the bilal pat the dog on the head on his way to recite the Azan Suboh..., how a Malay (muslim) couple was showing affection so openly on a movie screen (i know they are married in the movie, but i wasnt sure i was ready to watch so much kissing and fondling by "my own kind")My brain was still trying to form an opinion about a scene; then something else hit you brains.

This is not a movie review, so i'm not going too deep. You have to watch it for yourself. Suffice to say it was thought provoking, conjuring up all sorts of feelings and thoughts in your head, trying to form or question your opinion about issues, asking you to look at yourself and your perceptions of people, of issues, of yourself. If you havent watched Gubra, be prepared...it aint no popcorn movie.

Review: Wakenabeb Marsha

Last nite i was flipping channels on tv and watched "Wakenabeb" on ntv7. I'm not a regular but i've seen one or 2 episodes. A Malaysian version of Ashton Kutcher's MTV Punk'd - in my opinion.

Anyways, last nite's prank was on Marsha AF3. She appeared on the set of Seekers with "Uncle", and another of his paranormal show volunteer. It was supposed to be a recording for an episode. To summarise, suddenly this volunteer kind of "masuk hantu" in the form of Marsha's grandad (who is dead and she's never met). Started to speak in a Sabahan accent....getting upset with Marsha coz she's now a big star, forgotten her roots, being a bad girl and so on. Then there was something about her dead dog, and her dad.

This poor Marsha freaked out real bad. She was shivering and crying her eyes out. She was pleading for her Manager, she wanted to go home. Uncle was persuading her to answer her grandfather, which she did while crying. I think the prank should have stopped about here. So she's been had. But nope it went on and on....she was crying saying "saya tidak pernah lupa, saya jarang balik Sabah tapi saya di sini untuk kerja saja"...something along those lines...she was crying pleading what did she do wrong to make the grandfather so angry. She was forced to apologise to the grandfather for nothing....... She was pratically begging for the ghost to go away, and dont disturb her family.

To make it worse, the grandad was going on about her forgetting tradition and asked her to dance some sabah dance. Ridiculous....and Marsha should've suspected something, but she was too upset to think, i suppose. She didnt want to...all the time she was holding on the Uncle and had buried her face in his jacket sleeve. Uncle forced her to dance with the grandad some semazau dance, like that's the only way to get the ghost out of the volunteer's body. She did crying.....only after a few minutes, the host, Adlin Aman Ramlie came out to reveal she's been had.

I dont know if its me....or i had my sense of humor switched off last night....but i think they let it drag too long. It just went too far. Poor Marsha......

When Mummy Met Sally

On the passport, she is Ana. But her real name is Sally. Somebody screw up her passport application (on purpose, i think)...but let's not even go there.

THE ARRIVAL
She arrived in Port Klang looking like she's auditioning for Rockstar INXS. I whispered to Abang Az..."macam rocker lah..". Short scruffy hair, 5ft or slightly less, dark skin, sulky expression. She was wearing a flare bottom very faded grey jeans, black t-shirt and check this...a knee length denim trenchcoat..She definitely arrived "in style". Far from the harmless looking girl in pink outfit and matching tudung in her resume photo. Oh boy, lucky mum is not there.

THE TRIP HOME
We took the express bus the same night, just me & Sally. She bathed and changed into the pink "resume-suit". Good choice! We didnt speak. She slept mostly. I asked if she wanted to follow me to the bathroom during the stopover. She mumbled something and slept. End of polite conversation.

MUM, MEET SALLY
My sis fetched us at the station about 6a.m. Mum was waiting at the door, i salam and hugged my mum. Sally did the same. Mum got a shock and politely hugged her back. Then we see the true Sally; the Sally who is blur, the Sally who totally has little comprehension of electricity and plumbing; the Sally who either refuse or doesn have the capacity to learn; the Sally whose cleaning standards are suspect.

Day one...Sally, if you dont understand, ask. If you dont understand much bahasa, Ibu (Mum) can speak Aceh so ask her. She nodded.

We started training...getting her into routines. Sally's waking hours are mine too. I was with her all the way. So is mum. We teach her in Bahasa, and some reinforcements in Aceh. Boy is she slow. She doesnt react to your questions/ instructions. Either she's blur or she's testing my nerves.

Day three..or was it four. Mum speaking to her in Aceh. After so many days, she startled...Ibu can speak Aceh. Duuuuhhhhh!!!!!!!

Mum is not happy with Sally (not yet, i hope she gets better)...

Finally.......

Taking time out..........


Finally, in a few hours i will be picking up Nory's replacement. Her name is Ana. A girl of achenese descent. I dont know is she's a tsunami victim or not. Maybe she is...then the experience would have humbled her to be a good person, good worker and she'll treat my parents well. I'll be off to Port Klang with Abang Az to get her.

If she arrives (fingers crossed), i will take her home to mum and dad. It's been so long since i've been in an express bus. But my car is not in a condition to travel long distance.

So i wont be blogging for the next few days. I'll be on leave and will back to work on Tuesday.

The IKEA tour, Karipap Ayam & RM7 babytee

I was at the curve yesterday after work, to pay the ikea credit card balance, and buy the plastic bag dispenser mum wanted. I actually forgot that they only have it in the kitchen cabinet section. I was convinced they have it in market hall, so I took the shortcut straight down to market hall – then I realized that the ikeafriends counter I wanted to deposit my cheque is around the “office section”. So I had to walk against “traffic” through the children, shoeracks, bath, bed and office section to get to the counter. Then I went back to market hall convinced to get the dispenser thing, I thot sure among the pinggan mangkuk….none, then I was convinced kat depan-depan counter tu ada, none. So I walked through the check out, re-enter ikea, walk through the entire living room, sofa, shelves & cabinets, dining table area to get to the dispenser…then walked all the way to check out.

Man was I tired….i sat down to have water and the ikea curry puff…, my favourite karipap in the whole world – I love that element of surprise when you find the half boiled egg in the inti…

Then I went to the Brands outlet to get a baby tee for RM7. What a bargain – pink pinstripes with brownish collar. I was told by a semi fashion conscious friend that that’s the "in" color combination for the year.

Community Service Message: Good news for Coffee Drinkers

I am posting 2 emails here which are self explanatory. I am just sharing information, not making any guarantees here, ok. This is not an advert people, i dont receive any inducement to post this, not even a free cuppa :-)

The mail from ME of 21 February 2006:

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I really enjoy starbucks coffee and am a regular customer. However, I am dissapointed to note that there has been an email circulating that Starbucks coffee and other beverages contain animal fats that are not halal. I have searched the JAKIM website which confirmed that only Coffee Bean has been certified halal while Starbucks has not applied for certification.


I wish to seek clarification on the matter. I also hope that Starbucks will obtain the halal certification as it is important to all your muslim customers. I am unable to consume your products confidently until then.


I look forward to your kind reply.

The reply from THEM of 9 March 2006:

Greetings from Starbucks Coffee!

Thank you for highlighting your concerns to us.

We apologize to have taken so long to reply your inquiry.

At Starbucks, we have taken many steps to provide our customers anywhere and everywhere the satisfaction of every single cup.

As highlighted in your email, please be rest assured that all beverages and food offered at Starbucks Coffee stores in Malaysia are safe and appropriate for Muslim consumption.

All Starbucks Coffee outlets in Malaysia are also now ‘Halal’ certified.

Our halal certification is from the South East Asian representative of IFANCA (Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America) based in Malaysia, and we have been certified since December 2004. IFANCA is a recognised certification body by JAKIM. There is also a halal certificate and window decal logo which is displayed at each of our respective stores. However, our latest stores have to go though a routine inspection process during the initial days of operation before certification.

Once again, thank you for writing to us and we welcome any comments for us to further enhance your Starbucks Experience at our stores.

We look forward to serving you your favorite cup of coffee for many years to come.

Have a “Grande” Day!

Thank You,

Marketing and Communications Department
BERJAYA STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY

Dinner or Breakfast?

Looks like yummy breakfast? nope - that was my last night's dinner, in fact the second time i had the same this week. The night before that was an apple and some potato chips. Its a seosanal thing for me, there's the cook every night season, eat out season and eat any grub season.

What does it say about me?

a- Lazy bum
b- Pathetic lonely soul
c- Diet freak

Paying respects to Lollies

My deepest condolences to my blog-buddy Lollies & family. Ibu Lollies passed away early this morning.

I remember knowing Lollies from my other blog buddy Nekbat a.k.a Dora's blog, then Lollies started dropping comments in mine. Its just a coincidence that soon after my trip to Qatar, Lollies and family was moving there due to her "lover"'s posting there. We exchanged some experience on life in Qatar.

I also remembered how much i felt for Lollies when she had red-tapes problem to return here when her Ibu was hospitalised. When I was on assignment in Bahrain, I had to write some policies on middle east expatriate immigration procedures, so i kind of understood the issues. I was also estatic to hear Lollies finally got on the Qatar Air flight...i sms nekbat saying "lollies should arrive KLIA by now".

It was nice to see how lollies blog buddies was lending support to her. Some of her postings made us cry with her, and some made us laugh out loud. Isnt it strange this connection among a bunch of strangers......

Be strong lollies. Al Fatihah.

I prayed for help.......and help came. I was grateful, but then i got worried. If i accept too much help, than am i expected to give back in return. Would being grateful deprive me of honesty and sincerity? Should we always question other people's motives?

May be i think to much.........may be a thank you will do.

The waiting game......& the back pain

Nory's replacement never came........now the search continues. I worry about mom & dad. whether they are ok, whether they have food, if they are taking their medicines and vitamins. I worry when dad have to cross the road to get roti canai for breakfast, worry when he drives to buy some lunch. At his age & condition, he shouldnt be driving. I worry about mom overdoing the house chores and hurting herself.

Isnt it ironic that our parents used to do all the worrying and for the most part of it you really dont get it. Now the tables have turned....

In the wee hours of monday morning ,like 3 a.m. i woke up and found myself in front of the tv. I fall asleep in front of the tv very often...but this time with this chronic back pain, and i still feel it. I have had hot baths, put on minyak angin...any other tips you guys may have, please leave a comment.

Now, i have to go spend the next three days in a training room (conducted by Dr. Jeez - if you read my Bahrain post, you'll be sorry for me).

Thank God It's Friday

Thank God tomorrow is the weekend.

Thank God we found a replacement for Nory. New maid will report for duty on Monday (got 30 day free trial some more!!!!)

Thank God Mr. A & B has paid me for my damages. (Has received RM50 from Mr. B, and Mr. A promised to bank in RM100 tomorrow morning)

Thank God Mum and Dad arrived home safely at noon today.

Thank God the car i hit last night did not suffer any scratch.

Thank God my new car thingy is almost sorted out.


There are many other things to worry about, but i thot i would feel better if i count my blessings.

Bumper to Bumper Fender Bender

Car A had trouble with brakes, hit car B, car B hit car C. Car C got hit at the back, but hit no one.

I am car C.

There I was leaving the office early to meet up my Sis who just arrived KL for her medical. I promised Mum to visit her at Abang Az's house in Subang, while Mum & Dad is visiting Abang An in Melawati.

Technically, Car A is responsible for Car B, and car B is liable for my damages. But car B had bigger plans. Car A started all this mess, so car A should pay for B & C's damages. A is a bit of a blur, so B and me had to stand there in the drizzling rain explaining the disadvantages of filing an insurance claim - RM300 fine, loss NCB. Car A & B had it pretty bad, but my boot was slightly dented, and the bumper closed in slightly more than it should. Nothing was decided, so we exchanged cards and numbers.

This morning I learned that the police report need to be logdged within 24 hours of the accident. So lunchtime i rushed to get a quote - RM150 to fix the fender bender. B called to say A figured he cant afford the RM500 each to pay for A & B's damages and wants to file an insurance claim. B wants me to talk to A on whose going to pay my RM150. What the hey, i told B if I go lodge a police report he will be fined for my case, not A.

I finally had to call A and A was still a blur asking what do I recommend he does to settle this. I said that should be sorted with B. A was telling his sad story that B wants him to be responsible for my losses. A then agreed to pay for RM100, and ask me to get the RM50 from B.

B was on standby for my call. B is the "smart-one" who figure it all out. He will lodge police report on A, but not mention he hit C. That way he wont be fined, and he got A to pay the bulk of damages to C as well.

I am about to let go of my car (C) soon - trade in with another, so i dont really have to fix this. I told B to get the money from A, add on his share and send it to me. B had the chic to ask what if he runs away with the money (he didnt have his card on him yesterday, so i only had his phone number). But before i could conjure up some snazzy reply, he gave me his office address, which is almost next to mine. We'll see what happens...if the money comes, i'll fix it. If it doesnt, i'll let it be.

I have already so many things in my head as it is.....

Hopelessly Hoping

My instinct has kept me hopelessly hoping.....sometimes i feel embarassed by my own foolishness.

The Instinct of Hope

Is there another world for this frail dust
To warm with life and be itself again?
Something about me daily speaks there must,
And why should instinct nourish hopes in vain?
'Tis nature's prophesy that such will be,
And everything seems struggling to explain
The close sealed volume of its mystery.
Time wandering onward keeps its usual pace
As seeming anxious of eternity,
To meet that calm and find a resting place.
E'en the small violet feels a future power
And waits each year renewing blooms to bring,
And surely man is no inferior flower
To die unworthy of a second spring?

by
John Clare

Waiting for Nory

Mum said...."Mak dah doa kat tuhan, kalau niat dia nak buat yang tak elok, biarlah dia tak balik sini dah, tapi kalau niat dia nak kerja elok2, biarlah dia balik."

Yesterday, 5th of March was supposed to be Nory's return date. We waited for a phone call to fetch her, nothing. Well, no one was really expecting her to come back. On the last day, Sis caught Nory red handed when she found her skirt in Nory's luggage. Then mum thought she saw her kain batik folded in Nory's luggage. Mum also was wary that Nory had too much cash on her during her last minute shopping trips.

Mum was hurt and angry. She has been too nice to Nory. I even paid for her excess baggage.

Maybe mum's prayers were answered after all.

Now i have a new project in hand...seeking a new maid for mum.

Wishful thinking...........

i wish i'm at a coffee place, on a comfy chair surfing the net

i wish i'm having conversations with dory about making our first million over teh tarik

i wish i'm home alone watching re-runs of akademi fantasia concerts

i wish i'm watching a movie munching salted popcorn

i wish i'm sitting on a rock, with my feet in water, looking at the waterfall flowing down the stream

i wish i'm somewhere else today

Melancholic

".......apelah guna ke bendang,
padi seberang takkan menjadi;

........apelah diharap sayang,
kasihnya orang..
orang tak sudi."


(Sudirman, Gerimis Di Lautan)

Pleasing Mom & Dad

While Nory is away...Mom & Dad is in town.

Mom & Day are not the happiest people in the world nor are they the most miserable.On normal working days, its just mom, dad and nory the maid. During the weekend, my elder sister comes home and brighten up their life a little bit (well, if she's not overworked and tired)

I will call almost every other day, abang az will call ocassionally and abang an will call once in a blue moon.

Not so long ago, Dr. Riz said dad should not be driving anymore at his age. That affected mom and dad's lives as they are not that mobile anymore.

Mom no longer goes to her "persatuan wanita" meetings, events and other dos like she used to because she feels uncomfortable leaving dad alone. Tak elok lah kan Nory tu bukan muhrim.

Mom and Dad are lonely, they have 2 sons, 2 daughters, 1 adopted daughter, 2 daughter in laws, 2 grandsons, 5 grandaughters yet they lead lonely lives.

Tonight I will fetch them from Abang Az's house and they will be with me the whole weekend. I have cleaned up my humble place, prepared their room, put on clean comforters, laid out my best towels, put 2 sejadah in the study, stocked up the fridge. I am trying to figure out plans to entertain them this weekend.

I will take good care of them. I hope they will be happy.

Nory's Security Undies

Who's Nory?

Nory is my mum's indon maid. She's been with us for close to 2 years now. About this time last year, i sent Nory to the airport to go home after all the commotion she caused. She was adamant to go on a 2 week leave although her contract says she is not to take leave prior to completion of 2 years. After all her tantrums, being rude towards mum and dad, mum just could not tolerate it anymore. So, i made the arrangements to sent her home. Me and Abang Az sent her to KLIA on her first solo flight. I think my mum took her on a flight "balik kampung" from KLA once, and that was her first flight ever.

Despite our kind advise, you insist on taking all her cash with her. After converting her hard earned salary into rupiah, she carefully placed it in her sports shoes she was wearing and off she goes. Two weeks later, mum got a phone call asking to transmit some cash for her to buy a ticket to travel back to Malaysia. She said all her money was stolen by some muggers upon her arrival at the Jakarta airport. Her shoe gimmick apparently is too common for the experienced muggers.

We didnt send her any money because we could not be sure if the story is true...But it was, and by some miracle she did come back much to the whole family's surprise. Since then she's been doing well, no more tantrums, mum has less to complain about her and her cooking gets better every day.

Today, after work, i will be picking up Nory at the Shah Alam bus station. She's arriving from my hometown, and her flight back to Indon is tomorrow morning. It is supposed to be another 2 week break. Even though her contract is over, she promised she will be back, and we are keeping our fingers crossed. From friends and family experience, majority never come back.

And how is Nory carrying her cash this time???........In her undies, yup, you read it right. Mum has got her "security undies" for her going away present. I've never seen it but according to mum its a normal ladies undy, with a zipped pouch just like a "kangaroo's baby pouch". Nory plans to wear the security undies with her cash all zipped up (in notes of RM100 - quite thick i imagine), topped by her normal undies, topped by shorts, then jeans. Nory is a small thin figure....she's gonna look like an old lady wearing incontinence diapers tomorrow...wakaka.

I hope the security undies works for her, and for mum's sake i hope she returns to us on the 5th of March.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (The New Season)

All the hype!!!





I was all hyped up about CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - The New Season. After last season's dramatic finale, where Nick was buried alive, AXN has been showing all those repeat episodes. It started last night on AXN at 10p.m.

I left the office about 10 minutes to 6p.m., all eager and looking forward to watching it. (I am a self confessed TV addict) I already planned my dinner in my head - heat up the leftover rice and chicken curry from the night before, some fried ikan bilis, veg - bonapetit!!

20 minutes later the traffic was hardly moving all the way after the Damansara toll to Shah Alam exit. It was about 7 at the time. The Shah Alam exit is closed due to flooding and traffic was rerouted to the highway leading to KLIA. I took the Seafield exit to re-enter Shah Alam town road, only to be stuck at 2 (was it 3) roundabouts, and only reached home at 8.10p.m. My legs were so tired - I drive a manual car!!

I bathed, worked on dinner as planned, watched TV including the first 10 minutes of the much awaited CSI- and fell asleep....So much for all the hype. Oh well, I'll catch the repeat episode over the weekend.

Yee Sang Lunch FEAR FACTOR Style

I was on medical leave yesterday for gastric pains. My GP said there's too much acid in my system. My stomach has been feeling quesy since the department lunch last Wednesday. This is my second Yee Sang lunch since i joined this firm. It's like a tradition for them to have a Yee Sang lunch hosted by the Division's Director.......for luck i assume. Before the last 2 years, I was not exposed to a predominantly chinese environment......so some of these stuff are pretty new to me. But as usual i try to fit in and enjoy the experience.


Firstly i am never a big fan of chinese set meals........annual dinners or lunch or whatever versions. The long wait, the little portions, eating one thing at a time....i just dont have the patience. I was prepared for a not very enjoyable meal, but OMG, I was not prepared for a prequel to Fear Factor.

The ceremony began with a Yee Sang toss.........the higher the better!!!It was quite edible although i'm not crazy about the raw salmon.




Lunch started with some kind of soup called Monk Jump Over the Wall (seriously!). Its supposed to be some special delicacy. Inside the soup there are a cocktail of strange things like sharks fin, some kind of fish insang which look like tauhu, some seaweed looking things, and some part of a black chicken feet...with the skin in tact it look like a charred body part with goosebumps....disgusting. The whole bowl smell funny.


I slurped a spoonful and chew on some unknown stuff, and decided the monk can jump all he wants, but i'm gonna pass.

Next came roasted ducks sitting on a huge plate. Then the waitress put her hands in plastic gloves and start ripping the duck meat of the bones. There was nothing artistic about this culinary process, it was already putting me off. Then the "ripped-by-bare-hands" meat is rolled up in popia skin, served with cucmber and some unknown sauce. If I remember correctly, this is my first experience eating duck meat. It's tough. I had a small bite not to offend the rest of the table who seemed to enjoy it.

Then came something edible, finally - fried cod fillet with cream sauce. (I know....not chinese at all). I gobbled it down in a jiffy...thinking things can only get better from here.



Then came the chilli prawns......huge but not that fresh, ok lah.




Next came some vegetable dish that didnt look like veg at all. I recognise some mushroom , and a somekind of roll - the inside was oozing out with this whitise sauce with black and white polka dots. Ok, pass.

Then came fried "kiuh bakul", and ice cream with pomelo (durian belanda) i think.

I was so glad it was over.....note to self....i'm so not fear factor material!!!