Kurma oh Kurma

Semalam, tepat jer 5.15 Jade dah get ready nak balik. By 5.20 tuh Jade dah ader dalam kereta en route to Pasar Ramadhan di Telawi. Alahai, time puasa ni kan, semua orang pun nak balik awal, semua pun berebut-rebut. Cabaran on the road lebih besar lagi! Sakit hati, jangan cakap la kan, especially pada the queue jumpers. Macam la dia sorang jer yang bergegas balik nak berbuka. Kita yang dok wait in the line ni buat apa la agaknya ek? Saja suka-suka eh?

Anyway, by the time Jade dah park kereta kat Taman Bahagia, housemate Jade dah abis soping juadah berbuka. Colleague dia ikut sekali, so kene lah dia temankan dulu. Mmm.. Jade rasa kecik ati la sket mula-mula. Lepas tu ketuk kepala sendiri cakap, ntah aper-aper la Jade nih. Benda kecik pun nak terasa. Ishh.. perut dah lapar, kepala dah masuk angin sikit, nafsu amarah pun menjadi-jadi. Tak patut betul. So, untuk kawal perasaan, Jade pun put a smile on the face. Haaa... senyum lebar-lebar. Nampak orang senyum balik, sejuk hati jadi nyer. Don't belittle the power of smile, yer kawan-kawan.

Jade pun straight la cari dua benda yang Jade dah plan ealier nak makan. Pita kebab dan murtabak tiga segi. Lepas dah dapat dua benda tu, Jade terasa macam nak pusing cari makanan lain. Dalam tiga langkah gitu, tiba-tiba Jade terasa, ish tak mau lah. Tu nafsu makan jer, nanti tak habis. Membazir. So, Jade turned around, mengarah ke Bangsar Village nak cari kurma. Tak lengkap rasanya berbuka without kurma. Pusing kat dalam supermarket dia tu, tak jumpa pula yang menarik. So I made my way to TMC, kat situ pun kurma yang sama juga dijual.

So, Jade ambik jer la satu pek kurma Mariami, and pi la kat kaunter nak bayar. Tanya pada cashier tuh, ini saja ke selection kurma yang ada. Dia kata kalau nak yang fresh ada kat the other end. So, Jade pun tinggalakan kaunter tu sekejap and pegi tengok apa yang ada. Akhirnya terjumpa la kurma yang Jade dok cari-cari. Kurma Bam Iran. Kurma ni la yang Abah beli kat rumah. Jade pun cekup satu pek pegi balik kat kaunter and pegi bayar.

Sampai kat rumah, tak sabar la pulak nak berbuka. He he he.. Tak sabar nak makan kurma tu sebenarnya. Later that night, Jade buat nasi goreng. Apa yang ada dalam fridge tu la Jade campak masuk dalam kuali.

Remember not too long ago, I said something about wanting to read this. Last night HBO showed the movie. It was... stupid actually. Although the people involved are big names today. Jack Nicholson, Susan Sarandon (I love her and Julia Roberts in Stepmom), Cher and Michelle Pfeifer. They were still young those day. Mr Nicholson was half the size he is today, while Cher looked more human than today. Susan and Michelle, I guess, they age beautifully.

I guess my friend is right. I want things to move fast for me. I do not pace myself and lose the moment. I fail to enjoy the moment. So, I'm tring to slow down now. Because so far, nothing is going my way anyway. Therefore, slowing down might be the answer. I believe I can fly, but the moment will come when I'm ready for it. Not when I want to. :-)

Balik-balik pasal kawin... ish.. ish.. ish...

I prefer Michael Buble's version of Sway than the PCD's. But, Mike's was not complete, so had to settle for the Kittens'. Okay lah ek?

So, macam mana puasa dah urmm... tiga hari nih? Okay la kan? Macam tak biasa. Hari ni, Jade tak tau lagi nak pi berbuka kat mana. Petang ni ada ala-ala seminar gitu kene attend. Time dia start macam mengarut sikit, tapi tak per la kot. Jade bungkus ajer la roti from kedai Uncle kat bawah opis nih. Balik rumah nanti throw anything into the pan, makan la betul2, yer tak?

I think I'm feeling old. Getting old is one thing, you know. That's natural, nothing you can do about it. Feeling old is different. It's something within your control. Ala... bukan aper, last weekend Mak Jade again raise the same issue/question. She didn't put it into a question or made it an issue lah... rather she made a statement. She recalled years back when my late grandmother, her mother, asked her something about the condition of her (grandma's) skin. To which she replied it's aging process (or something like that). So, Mak said la the other day, when your grandma said this she already have menantus and cucus. Alahai... sebak pulak hati Jade nih. What I could do was only smile. Nak buat cemana, ek? Not within my control to produce a menantu just like that. I doubt anytime soon. Bukan sebab Jade tak nak, tapi sebab tak der calon. It's not like kita boleh main pilih kat shopping complex, yer tak?

Hehe... anyway, Jade cool jer. Tapi tu la, terpikir jugak, takkan la kita nak settle down just to make everyone else around us happy kan? Just settle for anyone so mums won't be worried anymore and dads will sigh their relieves. Tak aci la macam tu kan? Kita nak la kawin because kita suka sangat kat orang tu and orang tu memang boleh jaga kita, betul dak?

The other day Jade mention la kat Mak, Jade kata, kalau mak nak menantu Melayu it might be a long wait la kot sebab lelaki Melayu don't think your daughter is pretty enough for them. Mak tak percaya la kan. Jade cakap kat Mak, relek la Ma... nanti sampai time nanti ader la tuh. Bila dah sampai time nanti silap2 Ma plak sedih Jade nak kawin. He he he...

Iskk.. kenapa orang kita berpendapat kalau kawin baru la bahagia? Kalau kawin masalah boleh selesai ke? No... Jade bukan skeptikal. Just wondering aper la gedugahah nyer pasal kawin nih. Relek la kan. It's out of our control. Jodoh di tangan Tuhan, sampai time jadi la. Yang kita beria-ia nak buat aper, kan? Buat pening kepala. So, tak boleh ke kita just leave it to Him to decide when?

Macam ada sorang kawan Jade ni pernah cakap kat Jade, "Stop playing god, Jade. Let God do His job. You and I, we do our part..." Ni semua sebab dia rasa Jade macam nak control everything that's happening around me. Dia kata Jade ni perfectionist! Boleh ke macam tuh? Jade tak perfectionist laa... He he he...

Anyway, kekata dia tuh ada betul nya. Many a times in our lives we try to play god. Of course lah we faile miserably because we're just humans, kan? So, Jade rasa, we should wear the hats that are intended for us, and the shoes that fit us. That way, our life would be simple, straight forward and we will be happy and contented. Betul kan?

Hmm...

Walla! A new layout courtesy of Blogger Templates. It's a bit too... urmm.. girlie.. with flowers and pastel, but hey... it looks lovely, eh?

It's a cool 1st Ramadhan here in KL. I cannot see the sun, in fact it just rained briefly. I still don't know what Mak has in mind for the breakfasting tonight, but I'm craving sweet stuff. I'm thinking of kuih cara. I'm not sure if it has any other name, but its variant is cara berlauk. To those who do know this Malay delicacy, it's made of flour with melted sugar inside a.k.a syrup. The common colour is green. Bummer, I suddenly do not know how to explain how to make this kuih when I can do it with my eyes closed!

It's very simple, really. Just mix flour with water making sure the mixture turns to liquid; not too thick neither too thin. You'll need a metal mould put atop the stove to cook it. The standard one is a rounded shape metal with approximately ten flowered-shape moulds. The moulds are about one inch deep. In goes the flour mix and while it's hardening, a pinch of sugar is added. And walla! Kuih cara.

Cara Berlauk is a bit different. The colour is normally yellow and the filling varies from anchovies to dried prawns. And they are normally spicy. Hot. Hot. Hot. To me, it defeat the purpose as being deserts. This I take to make sure I burp when I finish. He he he...

If I do make this today, I'll post the picture later if I can. That is if I remember to take the picture before everything ends up in the stomachs. :-p

To everyone, Happy Ramadhan again. Take care all!

UPDATE 26/9/2006: Did not make kuih cara on Sunday. Instead we had cekodok pisang, the all time favourite. By the way, you need pandan leaves for the colour and scent. Iskk... sedap nyer...

The reality of singing reality shows

It's not about talent. It's about popularity. Sad, but true.

Let's observe the most anticipated finale of one of these shows. It's tonight. Airing live for all Malaysian viewers. Voting or not. Let's just say if there were talents in this show, they have been successfully voted out. The most recent was a popular singer. Frankly, I honestly feel that talent shows that require the contestants to alter their lives dramatically should be limited to adults. No students should be allowed. It does not give out the right or desirable message to the masses. Take two of the finalists for tonight. One is sitting for a major exam come end of the year. Instead of diligently working towards it, all the energy is spent on singing.

No, there is nothing wrong with pursuing your dreams, but one has to observe the necessities of the action at the given moment. Yes, the prize offered is too tempting to be ignored, especially when you feel that you have the talent. I do understand that one does not have to be well educated to be able to sing well. One could end up being a millionaire even when one was a 2nd grader in SPM. No big, eh?

Let's talk about the organisers and sponsors for these reality shows. They are only concerned about moolah. They are collecting a lot from the SMSes that being sent in. Therefore, there is no concern at all about real talent being wasted for as long as the green papers keep on pouring in. How much can you really rely on voters support for talent? Five percent? Ten? The majority of the audience vote based on popularity. Based on cute antics. Based on appearances. I apologise for being so sceptic on Malaysians' voting but hey, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, right?

Ponder on this. The singer was criticised for not attending to some of the events and road shows. To the singer defences, it was because the singer had paying shows and events to attend and because it is the singer's periuk nasi. Which means, if the singer didn't go, the singer will fail to provide for the family. Fair enough. We understand that, do we? But look at the critics? As if that is not a matter of importance. Attending road shows to please the public is more vital than feeding the family. Come on! And this, are presumably the voting audience. No wonder the singer was "Outed". Because the singer failed to impress the public, make them happy.

These same presumably voters, voted for the two secondary school student who were absent from school for months just so they can join a singing competition in hope to win the big money. Not only that, their so called singing talent is anything to be desired of. At least not for me. Nothing special. Do you not see the ironic of this situation? Is this the state of Malaysians' mind at this juncture of new century? If this is a prove on how Malaysians think, then I shudder to think about Vision 2020 where we should be upholding "masyarakat berilmiah".

Malaysians are dreamers. They spend hundreds, probably thousands of ringgit to vote for their favourite contestants. They spend their hard-earned money, probably their parents' hard-earned money to vote in or out contestants of singing competitions. Please make a calculation. Just imagine, we have a handful of singing competitions every year, each with at least 10 contestants in the beginning and viewers can vote as many times as they want.

It's time for us to wake up. Reality shows are not exactly reality anymore. The initial objectives are not met. It's not about talent anymore. It's about popularity. So, if you think that a high quality entertainer can be borne through out a singing reality show, you would be mistaken. If you want high quality, let the learnt people decide, and do the judging. Because they will judge on the talent and ability. If they are not corrupt of course! Ha ha ha... I am sceptic yes. But the hypocrisy in today's reality is too much for me to swallow.

So, voting audience, go all out in spending tonight. Vote your hearts out.

Jade signing off for the weekend...

Question Answered

In addition to the links that Galing (thank you!) has kindly provided in the comment box for my previous post:

1. themuslimwomen.com
2. islamqa.com

I have an issue or problem or disagreement with our attitudes. Didn't the Almighty God bestowed upon us 'akal? And wasn't there a part of the holy ayat where He said that the truth shall be revealed to those who think? And to think, aren't we supposed to have the knowledge? And to have the knowledge, aren't we supposed to ask?

So, what is it with our learnt people that always, always have the standard reply, "jangan tanya banyak sangat, ikut saja... adalah hikmahnya yang Allah dah tetapkan..." or "jangan cuba nak cari logik pada apa yang Tuhan suruh" Now, there is nothing wrong to admit that you do not know certain things, right? It doesn't make you a lesser person. We are all only human. Equal in God's eyes. The only difference is our amalan. Besides, there is always a reason why God asks us to do certain things and not to do other things. There is always hikmah behind the instructions. So, is it wrong to want to understand them and know them?

We have to be able to differentiate between the people who ask because they really want to learn and understand with people who ask only because they want to indulge in debates, just purposely being antagonistic. If we discourage people from asking, how are we supposed to educate the non-Muslims? How can we attract them to our beautiful Ad-Deen?

I apologise if I sounded harsh or impolite. I'm just exasperated. But I'm okay now. We just have to understand that even if we're born Muslims we still have to learn. Continue to learn, non-stop. If you know the answer to a question, answer it truthfully. If you don't refer the ones's asking to someone else, or try to find out together if can. Nothing wrong with it, isn't it?

Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan Al-Mubaraq!

Ramadhan Preparation

This is a public service again...

I was surfing the net looking for an online Quran recital. I know it's easier just to put in the CD and start listening. But, well, remember we give reasons not to be able to complete Tadarus during the month because not enough time, tired, etc. Maybe, this can help...

So, I found few sites... but I got hooked up to Online Quran Reciter - this one is also good for people who wants to hafaz. It also has translation in different languages including Bahasa Melayu. Lovely, isn't it? You need Flash to run this. The only thing is that I had to increase the screen resolution to 1280 by 1024 pixels so I can view the page fully...

Oh... I actually have a question that has been bugging me for years. If anyone can explain to me, I will appreciate it so much. Women are not allowed to recite the Quran during their menses. Why?

There was this talk over the radio that I heard that said women are easier to be influenced by evil stuff, especially during menses because they cannot recite the Quran.

I know we must respect the Book, but what's the reason behind stopping women from reciting the words? Isn't the words protection against evil, so why are women being depraved of this aegis when they are going through a very natural process? I know people say that we can recite silently, dalam hati, but isn't that the same like reciting them out loud?

This question is posted not to encourage debate. More for knowledge and understanding. So, anyone care to enlighten me? Please?

Today is Wednesday

More than 10 years back, I told myself that at this age I would already have a high flying stable career, buckets of moolah in what seems to be a premier savings account, driving a Honda Civic and probably a successful hubby by my side, if not a kid in tow.

Fast forward to 13th Sept 2006. I have neither of those. Okay, just so you know, this is my depressed mode. I'm feeling sorry for myself. Never had I dreamt that I'd be so careless with my heart and with my money. Never had I thought I could be a fool.

Anyway, they say good things come to those who wait. And I ask you, how much longer a girl must wait for good things to happen to her? But, since there's nothing at this point of time, can be done to expedite the arrival of Lady Luck, I should just keep quiet and brave through. Of course, my life is not so bad I'm dying of terminal disease, or cannot go to work because a fighter plane might just decide to bomb the area for the day. When I look at it that way, I'm thankful. For every breath that I take and for every laughter that I enjoy.

Sometimes we miss a lot when we think too much of the things that are out of our grasp. We should actually look at things within our reach and appreciate them more. Find pleasure in them. It might not be much, but at this moment it's the high. And I keep on telling my self that life is a journey. I recall an email not too long ago that said we should not postpone our happiness. Be happy with what we already have, not putting a target to be happy.

You know, something like, if I have that car I'll be happy or I will be contented if I can conceive just once more or if I can get that job I don't want anything more, etc.

Sometimes I do this all the time (he he he... yes, I meant to say it this way). I fail to see that those are in the future, which is uncertain, and we can hope and pray to achieve them but the finality is up to Him. So I retrace my thoughts and be sane again. And remind myself I'm only human. I can plan, I can wish, I can hope and I can try. But God knows best.

The Deyt: What happened was...

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice. hehehe... most appreciated.

I would say that the deyt, was a disaster. And I was it. *sigh*. I've got good reason for it though. To begin with, I had a job interview at 4pm. In KLCC area. By the time we said our farewells it was already 6pm. And a peek through the glass wall, it was raining. And, it was a Friday. By 6:30 I was still a walking distance away from Suria. To my defense, I did call him to tell him that I'm not going to be able to make the time we planned, but alas he did not pick up the phone. (I found out later that he was sleeping.)

I agreed to meet up with another friend for coffee since I thought it was a good idea to pass the time while waiting for the traffic to ease. And when the phone rang, he called, I told him I'm going to be late. Suffice to say, he picked me up at half past 10. Lucky for me he still had smile on his face and was just happy to see me. He he he...

DNAS, it never crossed my mind to go and buy new outfit just for this outing. I did that once before, and only because I had nothing proper to wear to attend a sort of a posh event. And I ended up spending so much I became a VIP member of the outlet I bought the clothes from. Not going to let banana fruit twice, okay. I just dig out stuff from the closet and got ready within 30 minutes. Showered, dressed and make-up.

We ended up in The Ship in Bukit Bintang. The company was excellent. We had good conversation, laughed and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. We capped off the night with us sharing ice cream from Lecka Lecka. The one outside StarHill. While devouring the creme brulee and tiramisu flavoured dessert, we overheard a girl wanting to pay her ice cream with credit card, we saw a he-she who walked funnily in wedges who by my date's definition, "beautiful from afar, far from beautiful". We also saw a group of, most probably school children who had group meeting for about 15 minutes before deciding to sit down at the joint.

Oh... during dinner I found out that he-who-asked-me-out was three years younger than me. I failed miserably to mask my surprise that I think he was a bit offended. And I can't help the feeling as if I was going out with my brother for I have one who's the same age as him. Heh! Anyway, we passed the stage of akwardness and enjoyed ourselves truly. I even forgot about the age difference. Ha ha ha... Not that it matters, for the mind is the attraction. In fact, I think I was acting more like a kid than he was.

He asked me while we were walking back to the car whether I will go out with him again. I said, of course I will. As he was sending me back, I apologised to him again for sort of ruining the night by being late, and being defensive as I was, I reminded him that I DID got ready within 30 minutes as I promised. :-p He laughed and told me that it was okay.

Mannnnn! What a night. I think I talked too much. But then again, I always am. Ha ha ha...

p/s: I did a post-mortem. I could've just gone back, brave the traffic, instead of meeting up with the friend for coffee. I feel guilty. I was just being practical. Right? What would've you done?

Deyt

I have never gone on dates.

Sure, I went out with the opposite sex every now and then. I got one friend took me to the Petronas Philharmonic for a night of merry music. I got friends taking me out to dinner. On them. I got others taking me to movies. But none of it ever felt as I was on a date. Mainly because, there was never a question such as, "Can I take you out?" It was more like a foregone conclusion that we would have the outings, for dinner, for coffee, for movies.

So, when someone asked me the other day, "If I ask you to go out with me, is it okay?" I was like, "Yeah.. sure, why not.." Half an hour after the we went our separate ways it suddenly occured to me, hey.. did that fella just ask me out? Like on a date? And my cheek suddenly felt a little warmer, especially when I thought about my response. And how distant I may sounded when I asked him to call me to confirm. Oh. My. God.

When I got home, I asked F, my everlong best friend, if someone pop the question, does that mean it's like a date kind of thing? And she went, "Halo! Apasal lembab sangat nih?" I could only give her a cheeky smile. And from there she started to ask who asked, was the guy 'interesting' (interesting here refers to physical look, mind you), where did I meet the guy, and so on.

Anyway, when I think back I guess the outings that I took as merely outings, were actually, in fact, dates. We might not made gooey eyes or having invisible bubbles around us, but essentially they were dates. The fact that they were shared without any expectation or hopes actually made them more enjoyable. And because of that too (no expectations neither hope) parties involved behaved normally and be themselves. At least, I know I did.

No, the person who asked me out the other day is not someone special. Just another friend. The fact that he actually asked me properly just made me realised how ignorant I have been all these while. It's just another outing and I intend to enjoy it.

However, it makes me pening thinking what to wear. Of course not to impress, but to be properly attired. Would a simple top and jeans suffice? Or should I go for more girlie look, a simple dress or skirt? Or should I wear my trusted seluar ikat-ikat that is oh-so-comfortable? Of course, I have to know where we're going first.

Damn.

Dateline vs Deadline

I encounter this confusion many times, in the emails, articles, blog post. A common mistake I supposed especially when English is not the native tounge. So, my public service for today...

date‧line  /ˈdeɪtˌlaɪn/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[deyt-lahyn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -lined, -lin‧ing.
–noun

1. a line giving the place of origin and usually the date of a news dispatch or the like.
–verb (used with object)
2. to furnish (a news story) with a dateline: He datelines his reports Damascus.

[Origin: 1885–90; date1 + line1]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Dateline

n 1: an imaginary line on the surface of the earth following (approximately) the 180th meridian [syn: date line, International Date Line] 2: a line at the beginning of a news article giving the date and place of origin of the news dispatch v : mark with a date and place; "dateline a newspaper article" [syn: datemark, date-mark]

WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University


WHILE

dead‧line  /ˈdɛdˌlaɪn/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ded-lahyn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. the time by which something must be finished or submitted; the latest time for finishing something: a five o'clock deadline.
2. a line or limit that must not be passed.
3. (formerly) a boundary around a military prison beyond which a prisoner could not venture without risk of being shot by the guards.

[Origin: 1855–60; dead + line1]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Deadline

n : the point in time at which something must be completed

WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University


Source: http://dictionary.reference.com

I want to read this.

Does anyone own this book? The Witches of Eastwicks by John Updike?

If you do, may I borrow it? Pretty please...

;-)

Lagu Hari Ini

Cinta
Melly Goeslow feat. Kris Dayanti

Menatap jalan yang menjauh
Tentukan arah yang ku mau
Tempatkan aku pada satu
Peristiwa yang membuat hati lara

Di dekat engkau aku tenang
Sendu matamu penuh tanya
Misteri hidup akan kah menghilang
Dan bahagia di akhir cerita

Cinta tegarkan hatiku
Tak mau sesuatu merenggut engkau
Naluriku berkata
Tak ingin terulang lagi
Kehilangan cinta hati
Bagai raga tak bernyawa

Aku junjung petuamu
Cintai dia yang mencintaiku
Hati yang dulu belayar
Kini telah menepi
Bukankah hidup kita
Akhirnya harus bahagia

Cinta
Biar saja ada
Yang terjadi biar saja terjadi
Bagaimana pun hidup
Memang hanya cerita
Cerita tentang meninggalkan dan yang ditinggalkan
Cinta…

--------------------------------------------

Ya, ya aku terasa sedikit jiwang these several days. No, not because there's new love in my life nor the absence of it. Not because of the over-publicised over-commercialised overrated wedding. Not because of all the lovey dovey couples that I see or the retak menanti belah situations around me. I just feel... melancholic. aaahhh.. that's the word. Thoughtful sadness.

It requires no explanation. It requires no reason.

Semua orang ingin bahagia. Kau. Aku. Dia. Tapi kalau kau dan aku, mesti tanpa dia. Dan kiranya kau dan dia, tanpa aku. Dan kalau aku dan dia, tanpa kau.

"Aku cintai dia yang mencintaiku..."

Take Time...

Take time to smell the roses
Take time to bathe the sun shine
Take time to say, "Thank you God
for everything that is mine..."

Take time to kiss
Take time to laugh
Take time to say, "I cherish
every single moment we had and have..."

Take time to run fast
Take time to do yoga
Take time to say,
"I want to live my life healthier every day..."

Take time to love strongly
Take time to care indefinitely
Take time to say, "I love you
more and more each given day..."

Take time for quiet solitude
Take time for restful weekend
Take time to say, "I value the silence
as much as I enjoy the merry..."

...jade sept '06

edited 08/09/2008: exchanged "gay" with "merry"