Lepas Geram

Hari ni skip lunch lagi, tapi the upside is by 3.30pm dah settle semua session kat Port Klang. Phew.....so terus drive balik. Ingat nak masak takes time lagi, so on the way back cari la apa-apa makanan nak tapau. Maybe sebab dah lapar sangat, ini lah jadinya....

Makan sorang...goreng pisang seringgit, keropok lekor seringgit, nasi lemak 1.30. In money terms bunyi sikit kan, tapi singgit singgit tu satu bag plastic makan sorang, jangan tertipu gambar tu nampak sikit setelah dah makan separuh jalan heheh. Alhamdullilah kenyang, tapi rasa lousy and lazy la lepas makan. Esok kena masak yg healthy healthy sikit;-)

Apam Balik anyone??

That was me at 7.00 a.m. ......early in the morning dah layu. imagine how i look like at 5. I'm very tired. All these interviews are draining me out. Lagi la if i have to sit down and talk to uninspired, demotivated people, lagi letih. Anyway, can't complain....tiring but i enjoy it.


Today i had 6 back to back sessions averaging an hour each at my client's office in Port Klang. Even missed lunch. Before i left this sweet lady brought me this and insisted i have some before leaving the office. I had 2 pieces (tak malu betul) ;-) Lama tak makan apam balik, best gila!

Well said....

"A couple of hundred years ago, Benjamin Franklin shared with the world the secret of his success. Never leave that till tomorrow, he said, which you can do today. This is the man who discovered electricity. You think more people would listen to what he had to say. I don't know why we put things off, but if I had to guess, I'd have to say it has a lot to do with fear. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, sometimes the fear is just of making a decision, because what if you're wrong? What if you're making a mistake you can't undo?

The early bird catches the worm. A stitch in time saves nine. He who hesitates is lost. We can't pretend we hadn't been told. We've all heard the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to seize the day. Still sometimes we have to see for ourselves. We have to make our own mistakes. We have to learn our own lessons. We have to sweep today's possibility under tomorrow's rug until we can't anymore. Until we finally understand for ourselves what Benjamin Franklin really meant. That knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beat the hell out of never trying."

(Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy)

Itu Kamu

Itu Kamu has just been crowned Juara Lagu. I love that song, but i would not have thought the judges would crown it as The Best Song. Selalu lagu lagu ballad yang dapat. Yet, its the right result. 2007 is the year where simple melody and not so jiwang lyrics reign.

I couldnt help remembering how Rich was called a 'munafik' by a 'pengkritik' at one of the AF concerts. He cried and I'm sure at that point of time, he wouldn't have dreamed of his success tonite.

Selalunya when something bad happens, we cant figure what good can possibly come out of the situation, tapi hikmah tu Tuhan saja yang tahu. I keep telling myself this for the past few days to cope with my own problems.

Sorry, distracted.

Back to AJL - another good win is for Izinku Pergi. Ok jugak Saari nyanyi, but it would have been extra special if Kaer was there. Besides Kaer, i'm sure Mr Eddy Purnama Sparrow is thrill to bits.

Ramai pulak budak2 AF on stage tonite kan, Bob nyanyi best lagu Kasih Tercipta (tho he had too much make up on...haha).

I thot the whole show was pretty boring, and only started to pick up at the end. Good results in the end.

Focus

Since last night, i've been trying to take my mind off things by drowning myself with things to do. Clean up kitchen, basuh baju, kemas rumah. This morning, i have planned on cooking an early lunch, and run an errand. Then i will get on with my project work, catching up on backlogs.

No sitting around pondering on 'what ifs' and 'if nots' today.

Scam update: today i've been promised news on my recovery claim. i am not that optimistic, but hoping for the best.

I also met an old friend last night, who offered a helping hand if the worst of the worst happens. i didnt ask for help, and as far as possible wouldnt want it, but it did give a slight relieve that if i ever reach that most desperate situation, there is a way out. Dia cakap dia ingat i pernah tolong dia a loooooong time back when he was in a rut, and what goes around comes around. I've always thot of that quip as a negative one, like jgn buat jahat nanti kena balik....but i was wrong.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Fighting

Have you ever felt like you are fighting a losing battle?

Shit Happens

A supposedly off day, which i should spend catching up on backlog in filling up the assessment forms that is steadily piling up, but "manusia hanya mampu merancang...."....

The above places were where i ended up.

I wouldnt want to elaborate, but suffice to say Tipah Tertipu.

A lot of emotions i am feeling right now, but i'm trying to put everything behind me because i have to focus on my work. The current project needs my full focus.

Thanks Jill for the company just now, it made a whole world of difference not to have to go through today alone. Thanks untuk Cik Man yg forever willing to help whenever needed. Kawan2 masa susah yang susah nak cari.

Note to Self:

-Benda dah jadi, cant turn back time.
-Do what needs to be done to mitigate, beyond that have to accept consequence.
-Life lessons can be painful but think positive.
-Dont panic.
-Dont cry...(sambil nangis ni:-()
-Dont be too hard on yourself.
-It could be worse.
-Ingat Tuhan, this always gives you strength.

Good news on a Monday Morning

Putrajaya, KL cuti Thaipusam

KUALA LUMPUR: Thaipusam diisytiharkan sebagai cuti umum di Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur dan Putrajaya bermula pada perayaan tahun ini, yang disambut lusa.

Mengumumkannya pada Majlis Sepetang Bersama Perdana Menteri anjuran MIC Wilayah Persekutuan, di sini, semalam, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi berkata, kerajaan membuat keputusan itu sebagai menghormati permintaan masyarakat India dan penganut Hindu.

"Lagipun, setiap kali sambutan Thaipusam, jalan raya di Kuala Lumpur sesak sehingga menyukarkan orang ramai hendak pergi kerja. Namun kita bersabar atas dasar saling menghormati upacara sambutan kaum lain," katanya.

Ketika ini, Selangor, Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Perak dan Pulau Pinang mengisytiharkan Thaipusam sebagai cuti umum.

Source: Berita Harian

It was nice to be greeted by this piece of good news on a Monday morning. Siapa kerja kat KL, happy?

10 Muharram

Dah lama i tak rasa nikmat weekend, nikmat tak payah nak rush to get ready in the morning, and join the a.m. traffic. Since i kerja sendiri, weekend i tend to stay at home unless ada janji dengan sesiapa. I started to hate the weekend crowd at the gym, the malls, the movies. I plan those things for the weekdays. Kadang-kadang tak rasa any difference between weekdays and weekends, except for some shows on TV i will look forward to.

Tapi, today i have to work even though lepak kat rumah - complete all my interview assessments so that next week i can start fresh, no backlogs.

Hari ni Hari Asyura, 10 Muharram. To yang berpuasa sunat hari ni, Selamat Berpuasa.

UPDATE


Time: 5.00p.m.
Location: My home office
State of Being: Drowned in all the paperwork
State of Mind: Bukan senang mencari rezeki
State of Body: My back aches, food would be good right now!

Highlight of the Day

Lunch

I found a stall that i like. I discovered the perfect time to go to lunch. I ate this lauk that i found interesting and refreshing.



Ayam goreng panas2 - dipotong2 - letak kicap, bawang, cili padi - perah limau. Best sangat. I can live on this everyday.

Tears

This "kakak" suddenly broke into tears during one of the interviews. I passed her a tissue and gave her a few minutes. She was ok after that, very chatty. Then she asked to be excused, she need to run to the loo....haha, that's another career first for me. Belum pernah lagi orang mintak nak pi bilik air tengah tengah interview. Haha.

Kenapa....

saya jumpa ramai orang hari ni,
tapi kenapa saya rasa sangat sunyi

saya duduk, cakap dan tulis saja hari ni,
tapi kenapa saya rasa sangat penat

saya cukup sihat, cukup makan dan minum hari ni,
tapi kenapa saya hampir lupa bersyukur

saya dah mulakan projek pertama saya untuk tahun ini,
tapi kenapa saya tiba2 hampir hilang semangat

saya tak ada banyak sebab untuk bersedih
tapi kenapa saya rasa nak nangis

saya tak tahu.....

My First Day

Today is my first day for this project. I was out of the house by 7.30a.m. to join the morning traffic-Its been a while, never missed that part. Reached the parking, and the access parking card the client gave me was not active. Bummer, i had to take the chip coin because cars were queing behind me. Lucky they got that sorted out, and i didnt have to pay anything when i left. I'm just hoping the card will work tomorrow.

They scheduled 5 people to talk to me today, an hour each with half an hour break in between. I was thinking i wanted to bring my laptop and get online in between interviews, but good thing i didnt. The half an hour break is not even enough for me to complete the forms. At least the small doses of music from my MP3 player keeps me sane.

I had a late lonely lunch after i sorted out the security card. Lousy one...(Cik LilyLulu...kat mana yg you makan sedap dan murah tu? I ate at the stalls kat belakang tu. takde canteen pun?)

Because they pack the schedule so tight, i now have to complete the forms at home. Macam budak sekolah, ada homework...I have to find a way to speed things up. They are not paying me enough fees to work day and night....

A good start.

I closed a deal yesterday. A first for the year 2008/1429. A small project but still its a good start. So small than i can do it alone without Jill's help, which is just as well because Jill is on vacation until end of next week.

The catch is for the next 4 weeks, i will have to be at the client's place 9-5 almost every day.

The job involves me interviewing about 100 of the clients staff, mostly IT people.....it will help if the guys are cute...haha, kidding.

I'm ok with waking up early - which i do even though i work at home...but i hate getting ready in the morning. Anyway, i suppose i can endure it for a month. I have to earn a living!

So anyone within the vicinity of HP Tower, lunch?

Not Another One....

After the horror of Nurin's case last year, i cant even imagine what this girl's parents are going through. Lets pray for her safe return...unharmed.

Maal Hijrah

Salam Maal Hijrah. Semoga diampunkan dosa kita di tahun yang lepas, dan diberkati perjalanan hidup kita di tahun yang baru ini. Jangan lupa baca doa akhir and awal tahun hari ini. Nak ingatkan diri saya sendiri sebenarnya, tapi saya share jugak kat sini fadhilatnya yang sangat besar, insyaallah.

Sesiapa yang membaca Doa Akhir Tahun, syaitan berkata
"Kesusahan bagiku dan sia-sia lah pekerjaanku menggoda anak Adam pada setahun ini dan Allah binasakan aku satu saat jua. Dengan sebab membaca doa ini, Allah ampunkan dosanya setahun"

Sesiapa yang membaca Doa Awal Tahun, syaitan berkata
"Telah amanlah anak Adam ini daripada godaan pada tahun ini kerana Allah telah mewakilkan dua Malaikat memeliharanya daripada fitnah Syaitan".

p/s - kalau nak cari doanya, google je. there are many links for the doa and terjemahan sekali.

My MSG Laden Lunch

There's no more "binatang-binatang" in my freezer, so i had to get creative for lunch.

First i pan fried some 'tauhu telur' in very little oil and remove.

Then saute some cut greens into the remaining oil. (this takes out some of the guilt of eating instant noodles)

Then add water, noodles and that packet of msg laden curry seasoning - none spared. To take a bit of that powdery curry taste off, i put in a little ketchup. (nestle should compensate me for this product placement, no?;-))

When its ready, plate it nicely...and place the tauhu telur on top like a pro chef.

There you go, another happy meal recipe by anne's prelude.

Ramli MS Pengetua AF6

Breaking news announced a few minutes ago on Astro Awani's GALA TV.

Semua kaki2 AF macam I mesti gembira dengan the return of Ramli MS, and hopefully the return of zaman kegemilangan AF2.

Smitten

Anne: ....bla bla bla bla....

Him: ......bla bla bla bla.....

Anne: u jaga diri ok

Him:.....I love u too! bye.

Anne: I love u! bye

I'm all smitten, walaupun takde maknenyaaaa.

Action Flick?

Picture from Utusan Malaysia

Looks like a flick from an action movie right? Nope, this is Pakistan today in its political turmoil which i am not sure will ever see the light of day.

I remember when in my previous job, i had colleagues who has to brave themselves to be posted to Pakistan - and they come back with scary stories of continuos unrest and sounds of gunshots and blasts as they go about their work at the client's. Lucky i never got sent there.

I hope, whatever our complaints about this nation, we will never have to be scared for our lives when we step out the door.

Out of Sorts

Nope...i dont do Yoga!

Out of sorts - pretty much explains me the past few days. Not good considering its new year and all. Didnt sleep well the past 2 nights, last night i keep waking up every hour and ended up on the couch in front of the TV. Now i feel like a zombie.

Just realised that its already Friday!!! Is it just me or this has been a super short week for everyone? Tak accomplish apa-apa pun, and dah 4 hari of 2008.

On Wednesday, i met Eddy Sparrow, a fellow blogger together with Jill for lunch. A rare occassion and definitely a bloggable event, and i didnt even take any pictures. Ada yang tak kena la dengan i this week...maybe a viral infection kut affecting mind and body. (anyway, Eddy - nice to meet you in person!)

Yesterday morning as early as 9.00a.m. i was already taking a number at the car Service Center in Glenmarie. By the time kereta siap and i got home, i was super tired macam i yang servis kereta sendiri.

I should stop my rambling, my head is starting to hurt.

Willpower

Since i came back from balik kampung, i dont what i've been up to. Not productive at all. Of course i have all sorts of plans in my head...from work to chores to new resolutions, but that is as good as it gets, they stay in my head.

For example, Friday night i was determined to wake up Saturday morning and wash my car (as in literally do it myself)....but look where i ended up.

Yesterday afternoon i was supposed to be burning off the 'raya haji makan tak ingat' effects at the gym. But after lunch,.....

Someone come and save me, or give me a good spanking!!!!!

Food Food Food

I just came back from another long trip home. Plan nak balik one week only, but Mum asked to stay longer...almost 2 weeks jugak la. Makan, makan, makan...i think i put on a couple of kilos kat sana.

Here are some foodie pictures i took from my raya haji baking activities, and a laksa party we had for my Mak Ngah for her birthday.

1. Ini my first attempt buat kuih makmur. My favourite ni. Mak Long dah perturunkan recipe kat I. Raya tahun depan boleh order tau!;-) (iye la tu). Gambar ni belum powder dengan icing sugar lagi..lepas dah siap lupa pulak nak ambik gambar.

2. I also baked these little chocolate cupcakes. My nieces loved them so much that i had to bake 2 batches raya puasa baru ni. Cupcakes dah siap, they all tak jadi balik pulak. Makan sendiri la...

3. The ultimate chicken rendang. Mak and the maid yang masak.

4. This is another first try. Wahdi's mum punya Pretzel recipe. Kalau nak recipe pergi cari kat blog Wahdi. I couldnt find the caraway seeds in the recipe, so i pandai-pandai tukar to sesame seeds. If you are tired of sweet cookies, give this a try.

5. We threw a small laksa party for Mak Ngah's birthday. Orang Kedah panggil 'laksa kilo' because its sold by the kilo. Sekilo RM6 je, and the kuah is really nice. And for dessert my mom made that pengat ubi merah with red beans, suka sangat sebab instead of letak santan she put in evaporated milk and custard powder. Syrup lychee tu i made it myself, biasa je tapi i jarang buat air-air manis ni, sebab tu nak post jugak pic tu..haha.

The Board Meeting

Board member #1

Board member #2

With the new year just around the corner, Jill and I convened our 'Board Meeting' yesterday to discuss our business plans for 2008. Its been 10 months since i quite full time employment, and our company is about 8 months old. Its had its fair share of ups and downs...more 'downs' to be honest, but its expected. We are just starting out.

We chose The Apartment because we love the ambience. We have thrased out issues, have BIG plans and now work begins.

The big bucks are not rolling in yet, but i have to say i am happy to be on my own, to be living my dream. I am not giving up on this anytime soon although i am sure many people are putting their bets against me (us).

I pray that 2008 will be a good year.

Enchanting Enchanted

If u havent catched this movie, i am recommending that you do. But a word of warning, leave all your reality checks at home, and just enjoy.

I took my nieces and nephew, and we had a good time. If u have kids, they sure will love it...especially the girls. My nephew was in denial (tho, during the movie i saw him laughing all the way). And if you are into Dr. Mcdreamy (Grey's Anatomy), you will be pleasantly enchanted to see him out of his scrubs.

A clever movie with real life characters inter-twined with animation, and some of the CGI effects are quite amusing. I especially like the "apartment cleaning" scene by the rodents and birds and watch out for Pip the chipmunk, he is hillarious.

Menunggumu

Di dalam sebuah cinta
Terdapat bahasa
Yang mengalun indah
Mengisi jiwa
Merindukan kisah
Kita berdua
Yang tak pernah bisa
Akan terlupa

Bila rindu ini masih milikmu
Kuhadirkan sebuah tanya untukmu
Harus berapa lama aku menunggumu
Aku menunggumu

Di dalam masa indah
Saat bersamamu
Yang tak pernah bisa
Akan terlupa
Pandangan matanya
Menghancurkan jiwa

Dengan segenap cinta
Aku bertanya
Aku menunggumu

Dalam hati ku menunggu
Aku...
Dalam lelah ku menunggu
Dalam letih ku menunggu
Aku...Masih menunggu

Bila rindu ini masih milikmu
Kuhadirkan sebuah...
Harus berapa lama, harus berapa lama
Aku menunggumu, aku menunggumu
Aku menunggu...aku menunggumu

Lyrics: Peterpan

Terima Kasih

Terima kasih!

Thank you so much for all your well wishes for my dad. He's recovering well from surgery. Sekarang ni have to learn to walk again using a walker. We have a physio guy coming over to the house twice a week to help him get back his strength.


And thanks for the birthday wishes. I have recovered from that too...the birthday "OMG, i am a year older" syndrome." i have forgotten my age (haha) and feel young again a.k.a tua tak sedar diri...heheh.

Past few days i had no mood to blog. I was busy rearranging my back room into a little home office - my studio as i would like to call it. I'll share pictures later, cant seem to get the right angle with my humble camera phone. Now i am no longer working or blogging or surfing from the dining table. My back, if it can speak, would be thanking me profusely.

Its My Birthday!

Another year older today....memangla bersyukur Tuhan panjangkan umur, but cant help the pre-bday blues. So Jill and Lizzie decided i shouldn't be alone feeling sorry for myself, and we had an early celebration last nite...more of celebrating the last few hours before i jump into an entirely new age bracket! (please dont ask;-))

Anne's Offline Message

dear blogger friends

Dad fell down
and broke his hip bone
anne went running home

:-(

Breakfast @ Mamak

Lama betul tak weekend breakfast kat Mamak. This is Ali Maju@ Pusat Bandar Damansara. Dulu (as in a year ago), kat sini la Jill and I lepak sambil discuss2 nak buka bisness sendiri. In fact kat Mamak ni la we decided on our company name, and worked on our first job together. Yesterday, on a spur of the moment, ajak Jill breakfast....walaupun terpaksa drive all the way from Shah Alam...nak buat camna, i hardly have friends in the neighbourhood.

Shut Eye

I managed 9 hours of sleep last nite, waking up only once in between to off the tv and drink some water. This in an achievement after over a week of insomnia. I hope the sleep did me some good.

Melankolik

Di sebalik ceria, tiada siapa yang tahu dukanya.......

Resort Holiday

After working really hard the past 2 weeks, Jill and I checked in to a chalet resort to chill out a bit.....

Kenapa...tak percaya ke?????

hahaha...memang tipu pun...we just had makan at Naili's Place - a rooftop restaurant in Damansara Uptown.

Quick Iftar

The plan was to cook chicken curry for 'berbuka', but finished work after 6.

Had a quick nasi lemak and teh-si before heading home.

The Closure

Finally, there's closure...not the break-up kind! I've been in this very sticky project....a simple job that dragged forever. After some persistent "gentle" pushing, the client relented. We had our final meeting yesterday. CLOSED

And now i can issue my bill. Relieved. (Bukan banyak sangat pun, but at least i can get by until dapat project baru)