Ushering 2009

It has been a lovely, lovely year... 2008 that is. There were ups and downs, but everything was absolutely great. And to let the curtain down with a new start, a new chapter in life, it's absolutely enchanting as it is terrifying. Ha ha ha...

Before everything else, I hereby declare my protest against the violation of human rights by Israelis upon the Palestinians. I am not gullible enough to believe that this particular war will ever end, at least not so soon, but I'm protesting nevertheless. I am also against the US government occupation activities in other countries around the world. It's time for this particular government to concentrate on its own internal matters and resolve them soundly.

Okay, that is done.

Now, for 2009. I am not going to list down new resolutions OR renewed ones from the past years. I find it hypocritical to list down things just for the sake of listing it down. I am never one to diligently go item by item day by day. Besides, my wants and needs will change as the year goes by. Although there is one thing, which I believe is common amongst every single one of us, that is to pile up more moolah. :-)

Oh bugger. Seems like I'm going to list a few. I vow to swear lesser or none at all this year. Wardrobe change, hopefully. Nothing fancy just more presentable and suitable as a lady. Okay lah. That's enough.

Tomorrow, there will be another ceremony in the family. This time, it's my brother. I have reasons to believe that this fella will be off to marital bliss before I do. He he he... We're traveling to Temerloh tomorrow for the engagement action.

By the way, thank you so much for all the well wishes and prayers. Please continue to include us in your prayers for a blessed year ahead. Thank you God, for making things happen for me.

The weekend I was "booked"!

The weekend has ended. And the ceremony went well. Alhamdulillah. I was more concern about the food, but syukur it received good response from the family members. Although there was a little emergency about the baju, I am thankful I have loving parents that could bail me out in such situation. I love you Abah! I love you Mak! And I love the plan B dress a lot! Thanks to Margaret Tan, the designer who made it happened. :-)

I love the make up so much. Thanks to Zai. Feel free to browse her FaceBook to see her works. You won't regret it!

The fact that my best friends were around, helped to reduce the butterflies flying around in my tummy. We were busy chatting in the room until Sharky came up to tell us that they are coming up. I started to get breathless at that moment. Luckily Dakwanie reminded me to take deep breath and continue breathing. Ha ha ha... You would think I'm meeting the Prime Minister or the King!

My hands were cold and clammy when CapalPerak's mother put the ring on. Everyone laughed when she said my hands were icy cold! Haih! Can't help it!

To my bestest friends; Syieda, Ina, Aeez, DakWanie, Sharky; thank you so much for being there! Aeez and Sharky, you gals helped a lot by sleeping over that night, believe me. He he he...

DakWanie, tenkiu for the cute little cookies. Love it. Emma, tenkiu for the chocs. Delish! Syieda, tenkiu, tenkiu for Zen. It was really unexpected!

And to my darling CapalPerak, tenkiu for the ring! Ahahahaha... We still have a longgggggggg way to go... :-) Love you. It's an honour to be called your fiancée. :-p

A day to remember: 27th December 2008

From My Mobile

See?

From My Mobile

Look at all these stupid people causing bottle neck on the road. They are creating their own tidal flow. Where are the authorities? This people, they think only they need to arrive early. Everyone thinks they are more important than others.

Nerves

I am all nerves. Yes, the nervousness is back!

Alhamdulillah

I went to see Abah this morning. He looks better. He said, the first thing he wants to do when he's discharge would be to visit the barber; to get a haircut and shave. :-)

Just received SMS from Alang, he said Abah could be discharged this evening; provided the nurses can finish their tasks quickly. There are a lot of patients today. I hope the doctor is discharging abah because he is really doing better and not because they need beds for the patients...

Feeling blurgh again

I have this "thing" that is building up in me. I don't know how to describe it. The only way I can say is that I'm feeling overwhelmed.

Simple silly little things can annoy me a lot. And there are wicked voices that wants me to think negatively when everything that doesn't go my way happens.

It's frustrating. It's tiring. And it's taking a toll on me. I hate feeling this way. And this is not just a case of PMS.

On the brighter side, Abah is doing much better this morning. We're hopeful that he can be discharged tomorrow. The recovery however is ongoing. He is still quite weak. Not quite his jovial sarcastic self yet. And I say that fondly.

The Day After

Abah was transferred to CCU last night at around 10.30pm. The reason is because he had too many visitors during the day and the doctor wants to keep him under close observation. Mak and Alang stayed for the night. They had to sleep at the room designated for patients' family members because they dare not allowed to wait in Abah's room.

This morning as I started to drive away from the house, Alang drove in; with Mak beside him. I immediately stopped the car and went into the house with them.

Abah is doing much better. The pain is gone. And now he's resting because last night he could not sleep because of the pain. The nurse woke Mak up at 5am today telling her that Abah did not want the nurse to bathe him. He wanted Mak to do it. Mak said now Abah smells like a baby because of the sponge bath. :-) Abd ge's doing much, much better. Alhamdulillah.

I’m seriously not ready for this. It’s not because I have this delusion that my parents will live forever, it’s just that, I am really not ready for situation like this. All the while I was telling myself to calm down and think logically instead of emotionally. It worked through out the day except for when CapalPerak dropped by in the afternoon and when Abah was transferred to CCU. Listening to the machines beeping, seeing the wires and everything else… not to sound cliché but it just does something to you.

Thank you for all the well wishes. Please continue to make dua for him. Thank you, very, very much.

From My Mobile

Abah is admitted today. Heart attack. Please make dua for him for a speedy recovery. I cannot. Just cannot. Not yet.

After the Weekend

The wedding was done. Lots of talks. But then again, you cannot expect everything to go exactly like you've planned right? Although there is one thing that is not so nice to hear... Apparently the cousins, especially the male cousins, don't really like the groom. More because he is not the down to earth type and lack of respect to the elders. Well. So.

When we agree to tie the know with our partner, we should realise and understand that we are also "marrying" the family. That means, our partner's family members become our extended family. We should do our best to treat them the way we treat our own family members. It's not nice to start a new chapter of our life when family members are not really keen of us, right? We could say, it's our life, we don't care what other people think. But we have to remember that our spouse might feel unhappy because we don't get along with their family.

However high you go, whatever profession you're in, whichever level of your education is at, never ever forget the roots. And we should do our best to be humble at all times, especially with the elders.

Sometimes I do wonder how a person behaves a certain way when the person is considered to be a jewel to the community. But then again, our profession does not reflect directly on our attitude, right?

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

To you-know-who-you-are,
Babe, let me tell you, there will be one day when you look back to today, you wonder why you were so distraught by all that is happening. That one day will come certainly. But you have to make way for it to come sooner. How you want to do that is up to you, it's not my place to tell. What I can say is that, you're stronger than you think you are. The fact that you are so sad is because you let yourself to feel that way. Seriously babe, it's time to move on when you want to move on. The way I look at it, you do not want to move on just yet. Take that first step, and you will see the difference. My hugs for you. Take care.

ps: I make a bad Aunt Agony lah... But I hope it makes sense to you. :-)

Blurgh!

There is a major problem whenever what you plan to do can only be done when other people has finished their part of the task. It is frustrating when you're all geared up to go and get it done, by the other people apparently has not completed what needs to be done. As such, your timeline is dragged, and you have to re-adjust your planning.

I am supposed to be on leave today. Full day. But because the people who are supposed to deliver the PC yesterday "forgot"; as they conveniently put it; I was not able to do what I had earlier planned. The documentation that I requested is still not completed, as such, eventhough I'm at the site today, I couldn't get things started. The PC is still not delivered. And there are only a couple of hours left before I'm calling it a day. Bugger.

I know these things happen everywhere, anytime. I'm sure even the Prime Minister or the President have these issues with their own people. But hey! I'm not talking about them, am I? Everyone has their own set of problems to settle, I understand that. But this is just too much. I'm grumbling I know. I'm b*tch*ng, I know. But can you blame me?

I'm supposed to be helping my aunt and cousin with the preparation for the akad nikah ceremony this evening. But here I am, waiting. I have a feeling that I will not get anything done before noon. I already promised Mak that I'll come by to pick her up somewher around lunch time. SO, when the buzzer sounds, I'm outta here!

Wednesday with Boss D

These are the things that I discussed with my bigger boss (Boss D) this morning. Well.. he asked for it!

• Better documentation to assist the team in supporting the system
• Weekly or monthly meet up with the team members for status update and knowledge sharing (yes, we never had this before...)
• Dental and optical benefits (no, we don't have this currently...)
• Language course! - to at least sponsor half of the tuition fee
  
• And during lunch, when I was asked what did we discuss, I just mentioned casually that Boss D said we're going for company vacation; which was seconded by the Boss L who proceed to explain how our partner had company trip to Paris a while back; to which I said, "...because vacation in Malaysia is so expensive..." (ha ha ha...)

Boss D (from HQ) came down a couple of days back to see the operations here. And also to find out more on the issues and problems that we have. Bottom line, he's spying. :-p Each one of us have a one-on-one meet-up with the man to be briefed about the plans for 2009 and for us to share our ideas for improvements and aspirations. So, each member of the team spent 20 minutes with him, and let me tell you everyone took the opportunity to speak up! Padan muka ini orang Franchis. Dia ingat kita senyum and angguk kita tak de opinion, eh?

The past few days have been busy for us. The system starts to be used by the customer. And starting next Monday, the remote sites will follow suit. But the problem is, the version that they have currently is not updated. And we were not able to do the update because of some network security policy that the customer has. SO, yours truly decided to use a valid loophole that is readily available. We'll see if it works out tomorrow...

On a more personal note, well, life is awesomely fabulous. With hiccups that I could live with. :-)

From My Mobile

TWILIGHT. It's a story better off being read rather than watched. The story is so flat on the silver screen. Maybe because they want to stay true to the novel. The movie has some witty dialogues and funny moments though. The visual effect was awesome; the way Edward's skin glittered, the speed, agility. Nice. Brilliant idea to make the book cover come to live in the cafeteria scene. It's a lovey dovey young adults movie. Not a manly man's glass of beer. Ahaks!

UPDATED
I hate the fact that they made Jake Black look so... soft. The long black mane is not working for me. No siree. Even if we should not be comparing the movie to the book, a man who's supposed to be a werewolf, should look more, well... wolfish. Not looking like a bloke from a Ck ad. Come on. Edward's "paleness" was also over the top. I expected more character development between the Cullen family members and Bella but there was very little. Esme Cullen looked very familiar because she's Ava in Grey's Anatomy, but she plays the character very well.

Anyway, I should give credit to the actors for doing a splendid job on facial expression. The dialogues were weak for a movie, because it only suited to the book. Meyer wrote the story from Bella's point of view, it's Bella's story. And given the fact that they only took six weeks to come out with the script, no wonder it's not so grasping. I hope they do better in the sequel.

Although, I have to say that as I read the subsequent books, I got bored too fast. Meyer tried so hard to portray Bella as a i-couldn't-care-less girl; sometimes it gets on my nerve. And the emotional entanglement between Jacob and Bella since the beginning, it's just draining. She tried to convince the readers there's a reason to it in the fourth book.

I'm digressing. My intention is just to talk about the movie, but I just had to talk about the book too since I did not do it months back when I finished reading the books. :-) So, if you don't mind a cheeky teenage movie, you won't mind so much watching Twilight. If you're a Twilight the novel fan, you might get a little flustered, eventhough they try very hard to stay true to the book. If you're a man, the only reason why you would want to go and watch the movie, is because the action sequence they show in the movie trailer; I have to warn you, you'd be disappointed. So.

Twilight at IMDB
Stephanie Meyer
Twilight the Novel

Blush is Me!

I actually planned to get the blusher from one of the pharmacy racks. Cheaper kan? But, I couldn't find the best shade. Not too pinkish, not too brownish, you know the drill...

And because of that, I settled for the safest option; I turned to M.A.C. (Please note that I am not getting paid by writing this. :-p ). My first purchase with this brand was several years back when I was looking for two-way cake (foundation-powder) with suitable colour for my skin tone. The ones I used before has always been too dark or to light. I've tried Maybeline, L'oreal, even Revlon. They are more suitable for one who is fair, medium or dark skin. And since I'm in between medium and dark, it kinda limit my options. And once I purchased the StudioFix, I never changed it until today.

So yesterday, I went to the outlet in KLCC, since I was supposed to meet up with a friend. The salesgirl introduced me to the Mineralize Blush range. I like the texture very much. And it has shimmer to add the glow a bit lah. She put this colour on my cheek and I was sold!

The shade is called Warm Soul. And it really does! Ha ha ha... so, I was a happy shopper; another mission accomplished!

Owh... actually, I also love the shades that Bobbi Brown has. Last week, I went to the outlet in MidValley just to see the options that I have. The friendly lady showed me the combination of liquid foundation with loose powder and a nice blush to go with it. I loved it. CapalPerak liked it. But alas, since I already have the two-way cake, I don't see why I need to splurge on the whole shebang.

I just read the skin tone guide from M.A.C. Apparently my skin has a cool-golden-beige undertone, thus my powder comes with the colour code NC. I feel beautiful already. Ha ha ha... However, the reality is that I don't wear make-up everyday. I just put on moisturiser and dab a little baby powder. And sometime, I blush myself up. But I like to have these things handy for you know... occasions. Hehehe...

So, there you go. A girlie post for today. Never imagined I'd be talking about make-up! Wouldn't have done so if it was five, six years ago!

From My Mobile

This was dinner last night. Prawns with lots of garlic and red chilies. Served with sauteed zucchini and tomato. It was supposed to be my BodyBalance night at the gym, but I got side-tracked because of the mission for the week; to find a nice comforter set. Ha ha ha... boleh ke camtu?

Anyway, since mission was accomplished and I kinda like what I bought, it doesn't matter that I did not sweat myself right? Besides, I ate a very light, very healthy dinner right? Well... not counting the chips that I munched a little after that... :-p

Yesterday also was the last day of training for the users. Let me tell you this, spending a week, teaching a group of people who has the idea that they are above other people (well, most of them feel this way if not all), actually taught you a LOT. If you do not have control of the situation you might just, well, blow up. So, you have to be even sterner than them. And that's how you get their cooperation and maybe, respect.

As with other organisations, this particular one also has cliques. And during training sessions like this, is apparently the time for them to vent out. I'm not saying it's wrong, in fact, maybe this is the only time they can get someone to actually listen. Whether or not the someone do anything about it, is another matter. As long as the voices are heard, right?

The only consolation that I could give to them, is that it happens everywhere. And the characters that they describe, are everywhere. Well, life's like that, kan?

It's a Friday!

Okay. So. Yes, I am happy. Nervous. But otherwise happy. And content. However, that is not what I want to babble about today.

At certain points in our lives, we come to see who are our real friends are. Sometimes, the ones that you stick with year after year, are not exactly the people that will jump to help you when you're in need. They are not the first to shout aloud, "hey! that's my best friend you're talking about!"

I am a very lucky person indeed. I am surrounded by more true friends than false ones. I am touched in a way that humbles me by certain individuals, some of which I have not met for years. But these are the ones that immediately offered their hands to assist in matters that potentially make my hands full. I am truly, deeply blessed. And although I might not have all the money that I wish I have, I am given the opportunity to be with a bunch of people that I could turn to even when I least expect to do so. I am truly blessed. And it makes my eyes teary. He he he...

To all these individuals, you now who you are, and I can only thank you deeply from the bottom of my unbroken heart. You guys rock! And I love you. Truly. You know it's mutual, and any time you guys need my tulang empat kerat I will do my best to help you!

Okay, that would be my mushy mushy post for today. December 2008 will be interesting indeed...

From My Mobile

The heart is merry. The face wants to smile all the time. The noisy disturbing voices are replaced with cheers. The soul is thankful. "Kau seperti nyanyian dalam hatiku yang memanggil dirimu padaku.. Seperti udara yang kuhela kau selalu ada.." muahahaha.. Bengong.

Changes

So much things in life are changing. Even the petrol price has gone back down to almost it's previous price. I heard this morning, it might be reduced some more by next month. Hmm... So, when will the price for everything else is going to change? Or is that just a wishful thinking?

So much things in life are changing. Sometimes it makes you wonder if you're moving too fast? Or are you moving because you really want to or just because you think it's time to change or simply because others expect you to move on? Let's not get side tracked and jump onto the bandwagon eh? Changes might also start to creep you up even though initially you welcomed it with open arms. Because only when they start to happen will you realise other things will start to change because the initial changes will impact other people as well. Hah! Wasn't that a mouthful?

Some things tend to change for the better while some will smoothly slide down into the drain. Relationships will be affected good or bad. Communications flows swiftly or get confused in the middle. Friends stay or go. People you think you have special connection with might just be another stranger in the midst. Funny thing, change is.

Whilst we might not care how the change we start impacts other people, it will relatively come back to us. And if we were to scrutinise every detail, every little reaction the change might or will cause, we will not take that next step to make the change happen. So, what do we do? After all calculations are completed, after all semantics are considered, after all effort and will, after all that and more, what's left is just to pray for the best and may the Lord guide us swiftly through.

For Allah won't change our destiny if we do nothing to change it. But since He is the most merciful and most compassionate, we should not fear the direction that we choose, or the change that we make will make us suffer. Ergo, faith and believe will manifest good vibes, if the change we chose to make is intended for the better. God willing, everything will go smoothly, maybe with little hiccups here and there so that we can learn from one another and from the experience, but everything will go smoothly. And everything will be alright.

So say the optimist. And Jade, by all accounts was and hopefully still IS an optimist.

From My Mobile

I never once think that Jamie Oliver is sexy. But there's just something about watching a man cooks that make me feel gooey inside. Mm.. Feels like nibbling.. Haha.. What say you?

Happy Birthday Luv!

Today is CapalPerak's birthday. We actually had the celebration dinner on Friday. And I just realised that I did not take any picture of him devouring the Mi Kolok! Dem!

I brought him to Borneo Baruk Cafe near my office. I checked few weeks back that they have Sarawak's famous dishes on menu. And, they also play very nice songs during dinner hour. The live band only starts playing at 9 p.m. We did not wait for them since we did not have enough time. And mainly because the group next to our table was making a lot of noise, and I found it very annoying. I understand it's Happy Hour and all that, but could they not pick a different table to sit and make noise? Ahahaha... Yeah, I can be bitchy like that.

We then walked to KLCC and had ice cream; before making our way slowly with full bellies to the car.

Happy Birthday B! Here's to another wonderful year ahead!

Today is Thursday

The wicked voices were shouting in my head this morning. I made myself busy with work and planning for the users' training to make my mind concentrate on something else.

And just now, suddenly this song started to play in my head. Toonie and I used to sing this song, anytime, anywhere. Once even in the toilet while having shower! Ha ha ha...

We Could be in Love
Duet: Lea Solonga & Brad Kane

Be still my heart
Lately its mind is on it's own
It would go far and wide
Just to be near you

Even the stars
Shine a bit bright I've noticed
When you're close to me

Still it remains a mystery

Chorus (Both):
Anyone who seen us
Knows what's going on between us
It doesn't take a genius
To read between the lines Brad: ohh
And it's not just wishful thinking
Or only me who's dreaming
I know what these are symptoms of
We could be in love

I ask myself why
I sleep like a baby through the night
Maybe it helps to know
you'll be there tomorrow

Don't open my eyes Ohhh
I'll wake from the spell I'm under
Makes me wonder how Tell me how
I could live without you now

And what about the laughter
The happy ever after
Like voices of sweet angels
Calling out our names
And it's not just wishful thinking
Or only me who's dreaming
I know what these are symptoms of
We could be in love

All my life
I have dreamed of this
But I could not see your face

Don't ask why two such distant stars
Can fall right into place

(Repeat Chorus)

Both:
Oh, it doesn't take a genius
To know what these are symptoms of
We could be
We could be, we could be in love

From My Mobile

This is one of DBKL's condominiums in the area I'm staying in. It has been around for a long, long time. And as you can see, it's in need of a makeover. I'm sure the residents are paying the monthly fee to DBKL for maintenance purposes; I'm wondering whether repainting the building is NOT one of them... It's fast becoming an eyesore!

It's a little disheartening to see such building in this state when around the area more development is being done. The vicinity has fast becoming over-developed. Imagine eleven 20-plus-stories blocks of commercial joint is being built as we speak! It used to be a serene residential area.

Anyway, here's to hoping that I'll be out from there within next year! Seriously cannot take the amount of traffic over there anymore...

So DBKL, buckle up and start making that condo more festive to the eyes!

Refugees United

What happens when your home is not your home anymore? Where do you go when the place you have lived all your life suddenly becomes dangerous to live in? Who would you ask for help when you have no way to go?

Even if you can answer these questions, you can never understand what it feels like to be a refugee... Think about the Palestinians. Being evicted from their homeland. Can we begin to comprehend the thoughts of a child who could only look around the chaos in fear?

What can we do?

In Malaysia, we have several organisations that help the plight of refugees. One worth mentioning is MERCY Malaysia. This is an organisation that is dedicated to provide medical relieve irrespective of religion, race, culture or boundary. MERCY has sent its team on relief mission to countries in need like Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Pakistan. Publics are encouraged to volunteer or contribute in terms of donation. It is the hope that everyone has that a little effort may go a long way to help unfortunate members of the world.

What else can we do? I guess, the least we can do is spread the awareness. Spread the message of humanity to the people in our viccinity. Start with our own family. Organise a small fund raising and channel it to valid receivers or alternatively to a centre that will help to distribute to the appropriate people.

It's not difficult to start to care. You just have to remember your own, and how it will affect them should the same thing happen to us. Do your part, however small. We might not be able to stop all those power hungry people to stop those insane wars, but at least, each small steps count.

Love and Peace, that's our hope.

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Mercy Malaysia

I see stupid people...

When I first woke up this morning, I have every nerve in my body ready to go to war. Ha ha ha... Long story short, some uncalled statement were made, and I spoke up against it. It resulted with chains of emotional responses from the other parties involved. And last night, it get to a stage where "enough is enough". Through it all, I only made myself heard, once.

However, out of God's love and merciful, someone close to me pour a bucket of ice to the fire and put a stop to it. And because of that I love her more than ever and I thank the Almighty for stopping me from doing something I might regret later.

Truth be told, the people who made the uncalled statement are not exactly the type of people that I hang out with. In fact, the reason why we're in contact is purely by chance. And since these people were the reminiscence of our lives a long time ago, I thought why the heck not to get in touch again.

We would expect as we grow older (ehem) we get more well, matured. Our words and our actions should be the epitome of who we are. Even so, no one person is perfect, therefore mistakes could happen. However, to actually be the same person you were twenty years ago, and a bad one at that... well.. I seriously don't have the words to describe my opinion.

I am doing my best not to be judgmental here. So pardon me if I slip.

The facts remain that even if you're earning six figures, speak French, travel the world, holidaying in Swiss and probably have one or two rumah agam (mansions), your standards will only rise based on your relationship with other people. Having all those luxury does not elevate your status and make you first class. At least not in my eyes.

Well... There you go, the slip.

Anyway, now that I think about it again, it's just hillarious. I mean, here we are, thirty year olds acting like kids in high school. So comical! After all that, I just want to say one thing. I don't need this kind of low class, narrow minded people in my life. They have never made any impact on me and neither will they be.

Ha ha ha...

Still a Happy Baby... Heart is Still Merry!

It's a brand new day today. Nothing extra-ordinary happens, but I woke up with a new kind of vigour this morning. Although I took my sweet time to get up and get ready for work, somehow, I felt lighter.

I put on a new top this morning, switching from my ordinary worn out shirt to a turquoise blouse. I don't normally wear so casual to work, but today, I felt like it. I let my hair down, although I stick to just powder, a little blusher and lip balm as usual. No, nothing special is going on today. Neither did anything special happened during the weekend.

Fun things and meaningful things did happen during the weekend. CapalPerak and I went to see Max Payne on Saturday. I hung out with Sarcy on Sunday. I shared something that happened several years ago with CapalPerak last night. And today CapalPerak starts his new job. Normal hours finally. And maybe, just maybe, the fact that our hours won't clash so much anymore makes me feel lighter. He he he...

Other than that, nothing special happened.

While watching Max Payne...

Jade: Owhh.. owhh... do you want to know what he's going to do next?
CapalPerak: No.
Jade: Isk...

Later...

Jade: I'm sorry if I spoiled the movie for you... I think my brain is too Hollywodised already... I seem to be able to know what's going to happen next... Hmmm... maybe I should become a script writer. Or write that book I've been wanting to write!
CapalPerak: Just do whatever you want to do darling. [smiling his exasperated smile]

Much later...

Jade: Ohhhh... Bordersssss.... Oooooweeeeeeiiiioooouuuuuuweeeeeiiioooouuuu... [moving fingers in a circular motion at each side of the head - as if being hypnotised]
CapalPerak: Oh my god. I'm dating a cartoon character...
ZuZu: [Laughing at the back seat]

I was a Happy Baby

Let me introduce you to one of my favourite Yoga poses. It is called the Happy Baby pose.


This pose helps to release the lower back and stretch your hamstring muscles. But I plain like it because it's fun. And you'll see why soon enough. This is how you come to be a Happy Baby:

1. Lie on the back.
2. Bend the knees into the chest.
3. Open the knees, bringing them towards the armpits.
4. Stack each ankle directly over the knee, so that the shins are perpendicular to the floor.
5. Flex the feet.
6. Hold the outer edges of the feet at you draw the knees towards the floor.

An extra move that you could do is while holding the pose, rock from side to side slowly. It's like being in a swing. And this is why it's fun!

As you can see, there is nothing mantra-ish about it.

NOTE: Picture and instructions taken from Yoga About.

The Heart Is Merry

Haven't done this in a long while... Blogging more than once in one day... :-)

CapalPerak: Blogging gives me no pleasure anymore...
Jade: Why?
CapalPerak: Because I am happy. I do not have anything to grumble about.
Jade: ... (tersenyum simpul) <-- perasan la tuh!

WARNING: The following might be distasteful for some. You have been forewarned.

Anyway, another topic that I wanted to talk about was about fashion. Who actually dictates which hair style is no longer in and what colour you should not wear or why you should not use scrunchies anymore?

Even in fashion world we practice double standards when it comes to men and women. For the past one week FLY FM DJs have been talking about armpit hair. Well, the fact that women should not have it because it's not hygienic and unsightly. The same does not apply to man because it makes man look manly. Hmm... I found myself unable to go on to discuss the radio discussion because I feel icky. Ha ha ha...

Watching MTV or E! on Astro actually needs strong will power and self acceptance. They will have a list of the things you should not be wearing because it is outdated or show the extra-vagant lives of celebrities and super rich people. While a lot of us take this as an entertainment, some younglings would accept it as the standards that are accepted.

The point I'm trying to make here is that, in this day and time, our children need to be taught differently on fending themselves to the cruel world. While our lives were so simple and full of fun in the 70s or 80s despite the peer pressure, children these days have bigger challenges to face. Some of which are more harmful than the carrot cut jeans.

Not only they have to face social challenges, they also have to be strong against spritual onslaughts. Too many deviations and selfish standards being set. Our offsprings need to understand the values and learn to appreciate them.

But one question remains, if our kids need to understand and appreciate them, have we ourselves begin to understand and appreciate the same?

I Do Yoga

This is a sore subject starting today. Suddenly the Fatwa Council decides that Yoga could deviate Muslims. Can I just point out that while I'm sweating myself in the gym doing Yoga, I can hear ocean waves and the sound of water flowing and the slow and mellow melody?

I'm starting to wonder what exactly the people in the council is doing. Do they perform any extensive research before they decide on something? Or are they just passing judgment based on hearsay?

But before I go ranting about this, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt. Probably what the Yoga practice that they are referring to is the one which is accompanied by certain chants or mantra. The Yoga that is being practiced in the gyms are not the target here. If that's the case, then, I support their view.

Prior to the Yoga issue, they came out with a Fatwa against women dressing and behaving like men. The reason behind this is to discourage homosexuality. While I agree to that, where is the Fatwa against men dressing and behaving like women? Is this not a social situation that we are facing too?

With that, I shall stop here. There was another topic that I wanted to blog about, but shall have to wait for later now. Today is Thursday, and I believe I have a Yoga class later this evening... Hmm...

From My Mobile

Very nice!

Datuk Jade, everyone!

"Owhh.. because he/she receives many international awards..."

"Making Malaysia well-known to the world..."

"Making Malaysia proud"

"The example of true Malaysia-Boleh spirit!"

"It's an accomplishment when you're being the leading lady/man in one of the most popular movie franchise in the world!"

"Because he/she advertise this so and so location... bringing more tourist in!"

So, we have heard a lot of reasons why certain so-and-so is awarded the "Datuk" title. This post might be a little out-dated with regards to the subject, but what the heck, eh? I wanted to post something when the news came out, but was too lazy to go on the net that day...

Anyway, what is the basis of this title actually?

I personally feel that people who are selfless are the ones who really deserves the title. Imagine the numbers of our soldiers who every now and then risking their lives to maintain peace. But we never hear a certain Ali or Muthu or Chong being given the title because he spent half a year in Bosnia or Timor Timor. Haih. I don't see any point why Shah Rukh Khan should get the title. He's done nothing for the country, for our people. He just strut himself around Malacca town singing and swaying. Malacca was just a background. No promotion whatsoever.

What about in the past? The title was given to Michelle Yeoh, Siti Nurhaliza, Sharifah Aini, and who else? I'm not saying that these people did nothing to contribute, but hey, I bet when Michelle Yeoh accepted the Bond girl part she never thought about how this will impact Malaysia. Besides, having all these artistes performing overseas have not exactly change the view of foreigners about Malaysia. A lot of them still do not know where Malaysia is. Some of them still think we're living in trees. So, where's the impact actually? What value have they given to people and country?

I have nothing against artistes and performers receiving award. Hey, if you deserve it, you should. I'm talking about these tradition giving out Datukship title as freely as these people can. Isn't there some kind of guidelines to be followed before someone is nominated to receive the award? If I'm not mistaken, these titles come with some kind of monetary gain as well, right? So, are these monies being spent wisely, considering? How do this help the people?

I'm sure this "tradition" will continue on. More people will get the title just because. Some will be the ones who actually deserve it. Some would just enjoy it for no reason at all.

Shah Rukh Khan was not thinking of helping Malacca when he decided to shoot the scene there. Just so happen the location suited his purposes at that time.

So, go figure lah.

ps: Oi! I am spending my time to ensure the country will be better equipped to help the nation. Don't I deserve a Datukship as well?

Being Hollywod

I don't really keep tabs on what's going on with famous actors and actresses. I would only know what's going on if I read the headlines or get some insider scoops from well... insiders. Ha ha ha... And everytime I listen to the stories, I always laugh it away. I mean, it's their life right? Does not effect me in any way.

But when I heard over the news that world's famous material girl and hubbs had finalise their divorce, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. Ha ha ha... I seriously don't know why. Maybe because they are amongst the famous and seem to be strong. But then again, when it comes to Hollywood, expect the unexpected eh? Honestly, I'm kinda waiting for the Becks to split up! Muahahaha...

Anyway, relationships. What more to say about them? There are ups and downs. No one couple is spared from the turbulance. Every couple will experience it. The difference will be the magnitude and how they react towards it.Sometimes a little thing can turn into a huge nothing and causes a lot more pain than a big thing that is handled wisely. It's a choice that we make that birth the difference.

So, let's not be all Hollywood in our relationships, eh? Every one wants to be rich. Or famous. or both. But, the fact is, rich famous people do not have everything. Because God is fair, He gives some, He holds back some. And all these are because the choices that we make.

A casual talk with a customer resulted with me pondering these words: Nak kaya atau nak berjasa? (get rich or do good deeds?) - Couldn't we be both? Well, that's another story... :-)

Erk! Tagged!

Very, very long.... courtesty of n|ns...

1. When is the last time you ran? One week before Eid.
2. Do your jeans have rips, tears and holes in them? Tear at the hems...
3. What are you dreading right now? Nothing. Everything's peachy!
4. Do you celebrate 4/20? Apa tu? Seriously.
5. When is the last time you saw your significant other? Lunch on Wednesday... :-(
6. Do you get the full eight hours of sleep every night? Almost every night.
7. What is your favourite current song? Lucky by Jason Mraz & Colby Callait. Can't get it off my head...
8. If anyone came to your house on your lazy days, what would you do? Ask them to join me with my teh tarik and lazying...
9. Who last grabbed your ass? Huh? Me, I suppose... :-p
10. Have you ever been in your school’s band? Nope. I danced though. To the horror of my then boyfriend. Budus.
11. Do you own a pair of Converse? No.
12. Did you copy and paste this survey? Definitely! Then overwrite everything n|ns wrote... Hehe...
13. Do you eat raw cookie dough? Yes. Bread pudding mixture too! Also Milo powder.
14. Have you ever kicked a vending machine? Hmm... I don't believe I ever did.
15. Do you hate it when a radio ruins a song by playing a slow one after it? Nope.
16. Do you watch Trading Places? Again, nope.
17. Have you ever stayed on line a long time waiting for someone? I hate to repeat myself. But, nope.
18. Are you ‘cocky’? At times.
19. Could you live without a computer? Sure! Like n|ns, I need books though.
20. Do you wear your shoes in the house? No.
21. At what age did you find out Santa was not real? Repeating myself again, like n|ns; sejak azali. I only find out about this Santa concept when I started to understanding what is being said in the TV.
22. How many phones, house phones and cell phones are there in your home? 4 cell phones.
23. What do you do when you are sad? Maybe n|ns and I have more things in common than we thought! Keep to myself and be thoughtful. Take a walk. Cry maybe. Talk.
24. Who would you call first if you won the lottery? Tak baik woooo main lottery...
25. Last time you saw your best friend? This morning, when we're leaving for work.
26. Who, or What sleeps with you? Mr. Hippo and lots of pillows.
27. Are you still in High School? I could pretend...
28. Is anyone on your bad side now? Hmm...
29. What jewelery are you wearing now? None.
30. What is the first thing that you do when you get on line? Gmail. Yahoo!Mail. Facebook.
31. Do you watch Grey’s Anatomy? Yes.
32. Would you ever wear a boy/girlfriends clothes? T-shirt, yes.
33. Where do you work? KL.
34. What are you doing on Friday? It's still a work-day, so.
35. Is Justin Timberlake becoming the next Michael Jackson? Nahhh…! Who could beat Michael Jackson? <-- agreeing with n|ns.
36. Favourite name for a girl? Mia.
37. Favourite name for a boy? Adam.
38. Will you keep your own name when you get married? How else will you remember your roots?
39. When is the last time you left your house? This morning to work. <--same la
40. Do you return your cart (I assume trolley)? Yes.
41. Do you have a dishwasher? No.
42. What noise do you hear? air-cond, server...

I tag dakwanie, skyangel, sandalsilver.

Short one

To my friends who hinted many many (many many many many) times for an open house, I apologise for not being able to arrange one. There are some constraints at this point of time. Having said that, the door is always open for visitors. ;-)

Good things are happening to moi, and even if there are some hiccups now and then, I am positive that it can be smoothen out. Now I sound like a politician. Ha ha ha...

Tiny Ones

I am told to update my blog.

But I have no story to blab about. For now.

Have to rush to implement the system to remote sites.

Although I'm still at the central site.

Decentralised centralised system. If you get my meaning.

And the helping hands who need to be at the remote sites, are as helpful as they can be. Asyik buat citer sedih nak balik awal. Tensen makcik!

Other than that, I am already late for my session today.

So.

Later.

Kerana Itu Aku Sayang Kamu

Kamu tidak pernah berjanji
Kata manis jauh sekali
Tiada ungkapan
menanam tebu di pinggir bibir

Kerana itu aku sayang kamu

Kamu tidak pernah menebar mimpi
Tiada awan atau pelangi
Yang lagak menghiasi
setiap kata-kata atau aksi

Kerana itu aku sayang kamu

Setiap langkah kita bersama
Kau ingatkan aku agar tidak leka
Tidak terbuai oleh minda
Masih berpijak di bumi nyata

Kerana itu aku sayang kamu

Setiap bicara dikongsi berdua
Kita titipkan angan dan cita
Namun mereka semua adalah
Apa yang kita ingin bina

Kerana itu akan aku tunggu
Kerana itu aku sayang kamu

jade - oct08

Today is a busy day for the family. Well, at least for Mak and I. Until I started writing this, only Kuah Sambal Kacang and Chef Wan's Ayam Masak Hitam are completed. Later, we will start with Rendang Daging and at the same time I will start baking tonnes of cakes. Well.. maybe not tonnes. Mak wants the chocalate moist and banana cake.

Several years ago I started making chocolate moist cake every Eid. Few years back, I started to get lazy. Reason being, when I bake, I cannot bake just one. I need to bake at least three. One to bring back to Malacca. One will be almost finished on the first day of Raya; consumed by my brothers. So the last one serves as snack for the visitors. So, I got lazy. Penat wooo... tiga bijik kek!

This year however, I feel a little festive, so I told Mak I'll bake the chocolate cake. She added two banana cakes into the offer. :-p

While cooking just now, I received a great news from CapalPerak. Congratulations Boochi Boo! I am so deliriously happy for you. Mind you, I have never had such offer in my working life before! He he he...

So, I'm going to stop now. Rest a while. And then continue with cooking. Haih. The bane of being a woman...

30 Ramadhan

On this last night of Ramadhan, I am pondering. What has the month done to me or more apt, what have I made the month to be for me? Have I done enough? Have I truly did my best? I would very much like to answer yes, but I know I should be truthful. The answer is no. And like so many years before, I feel sad.

On this last night of Ramadhan, I admit I have not done as much as I could have. I have wasted the blessed month. And it's ending. If I live long enough to see it again next year, then I'll get another chance.

I truly hope and pray whatever little things that I did is accepted and blessed. I truly hope so. I am not perfect, neither am I the best servant to Him. I aspire to be better everyday, but lame as it may sound, I am only human. I should have fought harder, sacrificed more. But nafs is still stronger than Iman. What a shame. Did I win the war? Because it feels like I lost... :-(

This is a lament of a person who is humbled by the greater power. This is a lament of a person who wants to be better. And this is prayer and hope that it will be answered, one day. InsyaAllah.

Here's to a blessed Eid for everyone.

Best Wishes!

SELAMAT HARI RAYA
MAAF ZAHIR BATIN


Semoga Aidil Fitri kali ini lebih bermakna dan lebih diberkati olehNya.
May this Eid be more meaningful and more blessed by Him.

Do drive safe and be aware of your surroundings. Take care and have a good holiday!

From My Mobile - Baked Begedil

This was my dinner yesterday. Baked Begedil. It's chicken begedil actually. And instead of frying it, I baked it inside the oven toaster. Made a mistake of not coating the paste with egg; I thought of having a low fat dish. Ha ha ha.. So they turned out very soft and delicate.

Then I made the sauce. Hot chili sauce mixed with tomato sauce. Crush two garlic and throw it in. Add water. A dash of salt and sugar. Stir on the stove until it bubbles. Serve hot. Yummy!

Yes, I ate 'em all!

Quote for the Day

I received this in the email this morning:

Whatever you give a woman, she will multiply it. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her respect and kindness, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So - IF YOU GIVE HER ANY CRAP, SHE WILL GIVE YOU TONS OF SHIT.

Some of the recipients of my forwarded email has given their take on it. The girls replies are "Brilliant!" and "I totally agree". While the guys replies are "totally agree - am getting plenty of it!" and "must be quoted from someone who's full of sh*t.. Kidding! LARIIIII" (takut la tuh!).

I am still waiting a witty reply from CapalPerak. He still hasn't said anything. Which means, he has something to say. Something really, really smack-on the-face kind of reply. Or he's simply busy. :-p

Anyway, what say you?

UPDATE: CapalPerak has replied. It's a bit creepy because what he said somewhat mirrors my thoughts when I first read the quote... His reply is, "I am going to give the woman money after this. And let's see what happens..."

Ehem... I shall receive the money with open arms darling... open arms... If the arms are not wide enough, I'll bring my backpack. Can, ah? He he he...

This morning...

on the messenger...

Jade: You tak call I pun.... :-(
CapalPerak: Darling, I baru je abis buat keje kat dapur
Jade: Bukan this morning, semalam la...
CapalPerak: Owh.. I call. You jawab dengan begitu mamai sekali
Jade: Huh? Really?
CapalPerak: Cuba you check your call history...
Jade: (checking... checking.. uiks! mmg ada!)
Jade: I have no memory of that call... (as in aku tak ingat ler...)
CapalPerak: Ha ha ha ha

I was not annoyed or angry that he didn't call (as what I wrongly remembered). It's just a standard conversation that we have sometimes whenever either one of us seemed too caught up to pick up the phone and call. :-p

On the other hand, it is a fact that CapalPerak has to face my occasional emotion roller coaster every now and then. And how does he handle it everytime? With grace. I have to admit he's the patient one in this relationship. Me? Ha ha ha... I'm the Miss I-want-it-now-and-I-mean-yesterday. Lucky for me, he knows to let me rant my absurdity off and leave me be to stew. Coz he knows I will drag my feet and crawl back. :-p

So, I'm thankful. And to you mi amor, I can't promise to change, but I'll do better, okeh?

Iftar with the Itik Jawa Clan

...without the mascot.

Last night was a blast. Cik Far and I went for grocery shoppin in the afternoon to prepare for the night's event. I managed to get the right size of a baking pan to bake the bread pudding and we decided to go for chicken pasta instead of seafood.

The bread pudding turned out to be a little dry and a little less sweet than I wanted it to be. But lesson learned, next, I'll add extra milk and sugar. :-) When the two family came, we had enough food to feed more than the six adults present. Five kids running around gave a different aura to the crib since before this we never had little humans in the house. He he he. Seriously, it was fun.

The moms and the two aunties finally gathered around the dining table for talks and laugh and more laugh. We remenisced on NKOTB (hahaha), the names we created for people (that don't even know we exist!), the friends we had and urrmmm.. lost; those were the days. We later found out that the two fathers we watching a Malay drama on RTM1, which we were informed is the first. Ahahaha... I guess they were so bored with the women that a drama on RTM was more fun! Either way, that doesn't sound quite right. He he he...

We also had pizza, courtesy of Teh and Abg Sham. Ina and Am brought drinks and more kuih-muih. We ended the night around 10:30pm. But the kids were still active!

Actually this is the first time we have guests over the apartment; not counting our parents visiting. The first time we had such number in the house. It's fun feeding people. And my humble bread pudding was a hit as was the chicken pasta and teh tarik (yes, I prepare quite good teh tarik).


After last night, I have a feeling I will entertain more people after this. I found it fulfilling having close friends around. And feeding them. Ha ha ha...

Anyway Wanie, we really missed having you around. Otherwise, the clan would have been complete. No worries about that, as we will definitely gather again.

You My Pren...

Sometimes, when I listen to the problems that my friends have when it comes to friendship I could only smile. The fact is, at this age, we should already have few selected people which we consider our sisters or brothers in every way except blood related. That is, if your close friends are not your own cousins lah.

To me, friends should be the people that bring joy to your life and the shoulders that are there for you to cry on when you need to. They are the voices of reason and the unpaid councellors. These are friends to keep close.

As for acquaintances... there can be lots of them. But that's just who they are. Acquaintances. You hardly talk to them or contact them or send flowers to their Facebook walls. These are not the people you share your secrets with nor are the people you spend time to get to know better (harsh, I know); if you don't want to. These are the laugh-laugh-together-gether friends.

At our age, my friends, we should not be troubled emotionally by the people we call friends. That means, they do not make our lives a misery, they do not declare feud with us, they do not spread rumours about us. And should you ever have friends like this, my advice is, get to the bottom of the truth, and if it's true they are being negative, ditch them. You don't need all the bad aura flow. With friends, you can talk face-to-face of what you are unhappy about.

So, with that, I end my social service for today. This is Ramadhan anyway. Don't talk nasty lah... 

For those who I call friends, you know who you are, and you know you have made marks in my life; I thank you for your friendship all these years. Love you. Let's continue this journey we call LIVING, together, eh? Ahaks! Tersyahdu plaks. He he he...

Happy Malaysia Day!

I am suggesting everyone to heed the call by Raja Nazrin. We have wasted too much time on propagandas. We have wasted too much time in being greedy and impatient. We are a democratic nation. The least, we are civilised people. If we need a different government, we'll elect new one in the general election.

Whatever happens, and whatever our needs are, something else is always bigger than who or what we are or want to be. At the moment, the world is going into the down cycle again. It happened in the 80s. It happened in the 90s. It's happening again now. We should shift our focus to ensure economic stability in the coming months, to help the people, to help each other.

Stop quarreling already!

7 Facts About Me

I have been tagged. By dakwanie. Hmmm... dah lama tak buat keje2 nih... but here goes...

The rules:Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Fact 1: I am a romantic cynic. I look for romance in relationship but find it hard to believe that a man would ever be sincere. I always thing men has something that they want from the woman they are wooing in return of those nice stuff they are doing. Hmmm... He he he...

Fact 2: I used to think myself ugly. While growing up, peer pressure, and beauty means fair skinned, straight hair. I carried this.. urmm.. trait.. until I was in the university AND several years after. I only realised that I'm indeed a beauty (cheewaaahhh) after a self-demoting relationship. Ha ha ha.. Good riddance, wouldn't you say?

Fact 3: I forgive. But rarely forget. I stay away from people or situation which brought me into conflict or despair (alangkah melodramatik aku ini!) once upon a time.

Fact 4: I am, a drama queen. I can be one when need arises.

Fact 5: I am my worst critic. Seriously. I have been told I should give myself a break and be more... loose? Ha ha ha...

Fact 6: I am not as complicated as some people would think I am. In fact, it takes so little to please the little girl in me. Take the new laptop bag that I purchased last Saturday. I was jumping with glee CapalPerak had to ask me to behave myself. Hah!

Fact 7: I am a perfectionist. When it comes to work. So, some people would think I'm garang. Others might say I am THAT lady boss. But end of the day, I expect knowledge sharing amongst my team members. If you do not know something, ask; do NOT pretend you know and screw up everything. Facile enough?

I am tagging the following peeps:
1. CapalPerak
2. DNAS
3. 6ky8ngel
4. Sarcy
5. nIns
6. Edi
7. AloNestrez

Al-Fatihah

My Pak Long; Hj Mohd Yat bin Hj Tompang; passed on this morning. He was bedridden for the past several months because of cancer. Please help to sedekah Al-Fatihah for him.

Please also raise awareness on this disease amongst your family and friends.

From My Mobile - Prawn & Mushroom Risotto

Aha... This was iftar and sahur yesterday. Most probably will be my iftar and sahur again today! Sebab ada banyak left over. Hmm.. unless... Anyway.

Here's what you need to make this Prawn & Mushroom Risotto ala Jade

Prawn (obviously - I used medium size and cut them to half)
Oyster mushroom (washed and drained)
Capsicum or bell pepper (red and yellow)
Rice (I just use Jasmine rice, some recipe will recommend specific risotto rice, but I couldn't care less)
Ground black pepper (very important for the zing)
Cheese (I used cheddar cheese sauce, you can also grate cheese kalau extra rajin)
Coriander leaves (sedap! and also healthy)
Dash of salt
Garlic and shallots
Lemon vinegar (I suddenly like throwing this in everytime I cook now) - optional
Water
A little Ghee (he he he) - actual recipe is butter

Firstly, I sauteed the prawn, mushroom and capsicums with crushed garlic in butter. And I put them aside.

Next, blend shallots and more garlic together, and throw them into the pan with already heated olive oil. Salt to taste. Dashes of black pepper. Let the scent fill the air.Then, dump the rice (note: beras, okay, bukan nasi). About two tablespoon of lemon vinegar. Slowly stir, because you want the flavour to be absorbed into the rice. Pour water in. In most risotto recipe, they will use chicken stock or beef stock or whatever other stock in place of water. But since I don't have that, water it is.

When the mix starts to dry, add more water until the rice is almost cooked. Then pour in the sauteed mixture that has been prepared earlier. Stir and stir. Put a lid on the pan and let it simmer. A dollop of ghee (replace with butter if you prefer) and two to three tablespoons of cheese sauce as well as sliced coriander leaves after that. Stir and stir. And you're done.

Serve hot. If you need more zing, remember tabasco sauce. Otherwise, hot chili sauce or more black pepper. Owh... if you can make garlic bread pun okay jugak.

Actually, kalu ada left over and you are the rajin sort, boleh la jadikan baked risotto puler. Just fill up a bowl with the rice. Shred some cheezy cheese on top to cover it. Then, pop it into the oven and bake.

p/s: excuse the poor quality of the food pictures. I was lazy to get the camera and just snapped with my humble V9.

More about food

Yesterday, I managed to prepare a quick pasta dish for iftar. I simply sauteed chicken breast, chopped into cubes, with garlic and green chili in olive oil. A dash of salt and a table spoon of lemon vinegar. Threw in some cherry tomato. And then in goes the angel hair spaghetti. It's actually ala olio, only the red chili flakes are swapped with green chili. It was very quick although, next time I'll put more green chili in, because it lacked the zing. Maybe I should crushed some cili api along with it! He he he...

Today, I decided to make seafood risotto. Will let you know how it turns out. I already went for the items during lunch hour. I could not find any Romano cheese, so I purchased a tube of cheddar cheese sauce.

Aha... it's already five minutes past five. I should be getting ready to go home. Yeay!

A couple of years after...

The sequel to Storm Riders, entitled Storm Warriors is coming soon. Can't wait. Haih...

2nd week of Ramadhan starts today. Hmm...

Today, two years ago, was our first date... ahem... And, I couldn't help but laugh when I read the things I wrote with regards to the the occasion. Read here and here. Ha ha ha ha... And look where we are now.

To you, I dedicate this song. :-)

The Way I Am
Ingrid Michaelson

If you were falling, then I would catch you
You need a light, I'd find a match.

Cuz I love the way you say "good morning"
And you take me the way I am.

If you are chilly, here take my sweater
Your head is aching, I'll make it better.

Cuz I love the way you call me "baby"
And you take me the way I am.

I'd buy you Rogaine when you start losing all you hair
Sew on patches to all your tear

Cuz I love you more than I could ever promise
And you take me the way I am.
You take me the way I am...
You take me the way I am...

I seriously never imagined that we will be where we are. :-) And honestly, it's the best first date ever!

From My Mobile - Kacang Pol

This was my menu for iftar last night. And sahur this morning. The name of this dish is Kacang Pol.

I learnt this from Mak who got the recipe from Mak Long. I had my first Kacang Pol dish when we went to Bedok to visit Pak Long and family. Oh ya, both Pak Long and Mak Long were going away for Hajj. The year was 1991.

The ingredients:

Kacang Parang (I used Kimball)
Minced Beef
Shallots and garlic
Ginger
Rempah briyani and rempah kari
Dash of black pepper
Minyak Sapi Ghee

Preparing it: Very easy as usual. Heat up the Ghee. Lagi banyak lagi la sedap. Dry blend shallots, ginger and garlic then campak masuk dalam ghee yang panas ittew. Agak-agak dah wangi, scoop in one table spoon of curry powder and one table spoon of briyani powder. If you want more zing add more curry powder and dashes of black pepper. Kasi garing. After, dump the minced beef and stir. Oh ya, blend the Kacang Parang, tak payah halus sangat pun tak per. After the beef has set, dump the Kacang Parang paste into the mix. Stir and stir. Add water a little to avoid kehangusan.

For grazing, slice green chili and some shallots (or red onion). Fry a chicken egg, bulls eye. Separa masak, kalu cair2 sket lagi sedap. Aha... limau kasturi, jangan lupa perah. Serve with French Baguette.

Actually, I planned to try with tortilla wrap. Pastu masuk dalam oven toast for a minute. Tapi tak jumpa plak the tortilla bread kat supermarket. Maybe next time. You can toast the French Baguette if you want. Put a little butter on it to taste. Sukahati ko la labuuuu...

NOTA KAKI: THIS IS HIGHLY FATTENING, SINFULICIOUS DISH. EAT SPARRINGLY

(tapi minggu lepas aku baru je belasah the same thing....)

I love Jason Mraz

I believe I am made for mornings. There's only one reason: I look absolutely GORGEOUS in the morning. Ahaks. Seriously.

This morning, while driving to work, I kinda Mrazing my life the past couple of years... It went something like this...

Those days...

I don't care what you might think about me
I'll get by without you if I want
Well,I could be the one to take you home
Baby we could rock the night alone
If we never get down it wouldn't be a let down
But sugar don't forgetin' what you already know
That I could be the one to turn you on
We could be the talk across the town
Don't judge it by the color, confuse it for another
You might regret what you let slip away

Like the geek in the pink (do do do...)


Then...

When I fall in love I take my time
There's no need to hurry when I'm making up my mind
You can turn off the sun but I'm still gonna shine and I'll tell you why

I won't worry my life away


Now...

So I won't hesitate no more, no more
It cannot wait, I'm sure
There's no need to complicate
Our time is short
This is our fate
I'm yours

So I changed the wording or sequence a bit. It's been.. ahem.. almost two years. And I still have that fluttery feeling. This is it, isn't it? Ahaks.