Two Weeks of Silence

It has been a while since my last update. Let’s see… It’s week two into June 2010 which means I have been absent for two weeks! Yikes! Well, I’m here now, so let’s just recap two weeks of activities into this one post.

I have been practicing with Kak Anoi quite a lot, whenever I could. And I must say I like my amateurish products so far. I have not gone into post production yet. I would very much like to get the most from the camera and have little to do with Photoshop and such. :-p The Hubby has taught me some tricks to get quirky images as well. He he he… And he has just bought a set of lighting and stuff for a mini studio at home. And who else to become the model but yours truly. Har har har…

My goal now is to get the correct configurations for specific settings as well as good composition. So far I think I’m on the right track. Errr… Has to be verified by my sifoo lah kan?

The contractor and electrician will come by the house tomorrow morning to fix the wiring at the kitchen. Hopefully by end of the week I can start my devious plans. He he he… From there, we will see how far we can go.

Mak and Abah is leaving for Umrah in less than two weeks. There are few things that I need to prepare for them before they go. Alhamdulilah, my uncle and aunt is going with them, so at least they will look after each other. I am a little worried truth be told. I pray that their Ibadah will go smoothly and blessed by Allah Almighty. :-) Owh, they will also visit a couple of places in Jordan for a short while after the Umrah. I’m happy knowing that they will be able to see a little of the world.

Other than that, there’s nothing new. My blog has become boring“er” by each post, I think. I have some repressed feelings that need to be let out honestly. Ha ha ha… however, I have to take time not to just blurt everything out without reconstructing my words. Haih… how I miss the old days. But change is a necessary part of our lives, so I’ll adjust.

Owh, I think I was a tad rude to our neighbour. Well, it’s hard to smile when their house renovation is affecting my day-to-day living. Not only pieces of cement are all over the porch, not to mention the three times flooding, and the noise pollution over the weekend. Haiyaaa… I know I was rude while I was being rude, but I couldn’t help it! :-( It’s very frustrating. I don’t have maids to do daily cleaning like they do. I’m constantly trying to make the house to look nice and inviting, but I constantly feel that I’m failing. I didn’t know being a homemaker could be this emotionally taxing! Ha ha ha…

Anyway, the renovation is almost done. And hopefully things will get back to normal soon. And I hope she keeps her word when she told me that her contractor will clean the cement off the porch area when they are done. Otherwise, there’s a lot of billing to be done; to her AND/OR her contractor! :-p Boleh ke macam tuh? Ha ha ha…

New Body Extension

I am now an owner of another piece of worldly luxuries. Although the purchase did not trigger the euphoric mode like my previous purchases (lesser in monetary values), I am excited to make full use of it. I have plans. But I just do not know how they are going to be materialised. But slowly and surely, one by one will happen, InsyaAllah. I just have to believe in the power of believing.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I present you Kak Anoi, the Canon EOS 550D.

You can read the review on this camera in dpreview HERE. Suffice to say, for a somewhat beginner to photography, this is a kick@$$ unit. I know I wrote not too long ago (Are You A Photographer?) about my intention of owning one and how I felt that it will be a waste of money. However, I decided that it is in a good sense to purchase one because not only I can pursue my “devious” plans (please, Allah!) at least The Hubby can make use of it in his jobs too.

As a bonus, since The Hubby is also using Canon, we can share the lenses and other common accessories. Isn’t that awesome? He he he… I will in time put in the shots that I successfully capture with Kak Anoi.

I am also hoping with this shared interest, The Hubby and I can have more quality time together. I sincerely hope I will not be cramping his style or make him feel chained just because we are on photo outing together. ;-)

Truthfully, I am a little anxious going back home to do some shots around the house. Ha ha ha…

Maybe…

Maybe I need to be more thankful
             with what I already have

Maybe I need to be more sincere
             with every sweat I shed

Maybe I need to be more selfless
             with each expectation

Maybe I need to be more positive
             with every temptation to be negative

Maybe then I could become truly happy

A Very Tiring Weekend

Friday morning saw the two of us driving to Gombak to let Abah drove us to the airport. We were leaving for Bintulu with the 11 o’clock flight. The drive took us a little more than an hour, and then another hour to the KLIA. After a leisurely breakfast, we said byebye to Abah and off to East Malaysia.

We made the trip to Mukah on the same day and arrived at about 10pm. And 10pm over there, is almost midnight, so you can imagine the exhaustion. Having said that, I was ecstatic, like I always am whenever we go back there. Something about the country air that makes me feel calm and happy.

The trip was made to attend the kenduri arwah for The Hubby’s uncle. Though sombre mood were around, the family is nevertheless happy to see each other. And between the tears, there were always laughter. And, it was certainly no excuse not to visit Balingian, where our traditional Melanau ceremony was held. I will, one of these days, reconnect with that memory and blog about it. I am yet to blog about our KL fusion ceremony. ;-)

On Sunday, we drove for 10 hours heading to Kuching. Transportation was comfortable, but the fatigue, there’s no word for it. All of us breathe sighs of relief when we reach the house. After washing up, we had a quick supper; hot white rice with pais udang (no picture, since I totally forgot about taking the picture for I was slightly famished) and beef curry (leftover from the kenduri). Pais looks almost similar to Johor’s otak-otak.

We arrived back in KL last night. After a short stop in Gombak, we drove back home. Tres fatiguee. For the rest, I shall let the photos do the talking. If you know me, head to my FB page and browse more photos there.

The blues and greens in Balingian

Tumpik – a mixture of dried sago flour and grated coconut

The blues and cottons in Kuching
     Umai – a very traditional Melanau meal 

Mee Sapi – also known as mee kolok or mee kampua 

 Buah Keranji

When it rained heavily

I came back home last night to our very own water-bed. No kidding. The water was spread to almost half of the bedroom. We don’t know where the water came from because the ceiling looks clean and dry. The wall looks clean and dry, albeit for some watermarks.

So yesterday, we created a makeshift bed on the floor. And since all our pillows are also wet, we had to make do with spare pillows which are not as comfortable as ours. But, it’s okay, it’s an experience.

The Hubby said the handyman is coming this afternoon to take a look at the roof. I suspect some of the roof tiles are moved from its original location by the strong wind yesterday. And with the rain like yesterday, there is no way the room could be spared from being flooded. But it’s weird that the room seems to be dry…

This is another thing about living in a landed property. You have to take care of mishaps like this yourself. Condo living, it’s the responsibility of the building management. Well, pros and cons of everything, right?

According to The Hubby, this is the first time it happens. He never had this problem before. It makes me suspicious about the renovation next door. Ha ha ha…