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.