Here to Wonderful 2008 and a Anticipated 2009

In the beginning of 2008, I have made a resolution that I will focus on myself this year..and I just did that. It turned out the decision has changed my life totally.

In the career department, I've moved to a level that I've worked hard for. I'm lucky that I have a great boss and working with a great company that recognize my contribution continuously. So despite the long nights and weekends/public holidays that I have to spent at work, I can rest assured that it will not go unnoticed. Alhamdulillah....

On the personal side, I've met a wonderful man who is now my husband. I always wonder how people can tell whether they have met their soulmate. You know what, if you meet the one, you'll know that he is the one. The path to our marriage was so smooth that at one point we were skeptical as it was too good to be true. Hence, when things are moving too fast, rather than you freak out and take a break, my recommendation is to just go with the flow. If you meet the right person, things will be easy. It should not be hard.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone, especially my friends, siblings and relatives a wonderful 2009 ahead. For those who had a great year like mine, let's give ourselves a toast. For those who feels that 2008 could be better, let's wish 2009 will promise greatness and happiness. My new resolution - balanced life and strive to be a better wife, mother, daughter and friend.

Cheers everyone..see you next year!!!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha

To all muslimin and muslimat out there, wishing you a Barakah Eidul-Adha. May we learn the lessons from the past and from the people before us especially the true meaning of sacrifice. Let's together pray that our friends and relatives who are currently in Makkah Al-Mukarramah performing their 5th obligation as a muslim will be rewarded a mabrur haj, Insya Allah. May their journey showered with His blessings and may they safely return home to the love ones.

For those who driving back to their hometown for a long weekend, do drive safe. Biar lambat asalkan selamat. You may see me on the North South Highway on Sunday :-)

I'll be on 2.5 weeks break. A very special break. Looking forward to it. This break will change everything.. wink wink.

Till then.. see you guys in 2.5 weeks time. Lots of love to all... Muahh..

A Sign Of A Good Man

Had a conversation with someone yesterday on a very known politician in Malaysia. He made a comment that he pitied this politician because he feels the politician is a nice guy but weak. My response was, I do not think he is a nice guy. My conversation partner then pointed out that whatever error that the politician committed due to the influence by someone else. Being a weak person, he fell for it.

I begged to differ. In my view, it boils down to the man's conscience. If the conscience is clear, the intent is honest, it'll be translated into good behaviour and hence an honourable act. When you have clear concience, you will know what is wrong and what is right. You will always do the right thing, even how difficult or painful it may be.

In this case, if the politician has clear conscience, he would not have fell into the trap of being influenced by someone else, including his close family members. But since he did, it shows that he does not have a good conscience, and thus, not a good man. Simple.

I think people must take ownership on the consequences of their act and not blame onto others for the damages and pain they have caused. Being weak may not be a sign of a bad individual, but letting others to take advantage of your weaknesses and refused to take responsibility of the consequences is definitely can't be categorized as a good man. When I grew up, you know what we called for people who did a boo-boo, did not want to own it and worse, blame others? Penipu..which is cheater! In grown-up words .. I think we can call them hypocrites or a*sh***s. No offence - just my view.

A Wonderful Week

This has been a wonderful week indeed. Work has been hectic but all to-dos were accomplished. What made this week so special was due to an unplanned visit from loved one. Itu namanya rezeki. This visit made the supposed to be 9 weeks separation very much bearable. I supposed this will be a good surprise for the loved ones in Temasik also :-)

This weekend is a pampering-myself weekend. Started with pedi, mandi lulur (Kak Nur, you're really awesome) and ended with a session with my hairdresser. In between did catch up with the original 8 dara pingitan gang..he he he. Dah 6 tahun ko menghilang anak rusa Nani.. Dari anak sorang sampai anak 3. Jgn dok tenggelam lagi la.. Kalau tak aku kensel order serai dari ladang ko!

Writing this blog while having my breakfast infront of TV. Kejap lagi nak gi market to shop for stuff untuk dinner tonight. Ada orang teringin nak makan masak lemak cili padi..kesian..

Well, the weeks ahead will be very busy. Tapi tak nak pikir2 sebab otak dah berserabut ya amat sampai dah nak naik semput. Anywhoo.. tomorrow, bowling sessions with all the staffs. Jangan asyik melongkang sudah..malu mak! Till then....CIIIAAAAOOO

Are We There Yet? Almost...

It was a busy weekend. Drove back to hometown with my Labi, A'an n Rizqi. Left KL around 2 am Saturday. Has to stop twice - tak tahan mata daaa. Reached Kulim around 8 am. Mama n abah already went to market.

Good thing was all missions to be completed prior to Saturday were all done. Phew. Hardwork.. but all done! So so so so happy. Saturday was shopping day with mama. She waited me to come home to get ideas for the curtain. Bought stuff for her project. Walked so much that day. I'm flat tired by the time Isyak.

Sunday - fixed the curtain and finished the hantaran. Alhamdulillah. Cekap betul makcik. Cantik? Mestilah.. tengok kaki lah. Cik abang kata mak punya lift pegi tingkat amatlah tinggi - kalah Petronas Tower. He he he..jgn mareee..

Supposed to leave Kulim after zohor but as I'd like to have as much things closed as possible, I ended up left almost 6pm. Since I was driving alone, tried my best to reach Shah Alam before midnight. Smooth ride all the way. Sempat singgah rumah lama to pick up glue gun and was greeted by Joey at home at 9.40 pm. Alhamdulillah? Camno boleh cepat sangat. Biasolah... Eden ni kan ala2 KL drift sikit. Lepas gian lah.. Nanti dah hidup berdua dah tak blh ganas2 .. DI JALAN RAYA.. sebab cik abang ada darah gemuruh..Kuang kuang kuang!!!!


So projek kat Kulim dah selesai. Now focus projek KL la pulak. Dalam dok sibuk2 ni..just received a call from headhunter. Hmmmmmmm... Makcik nak test market tengok. Agak2 berapa agaknya harga makcik kat luar sana.... Tungggggguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Finally It's Over

Workwise, I've been in hell for the last 1 week. Not only a lot of issues to handle, the amount of effort to put prepare 2 presentation packages to a new executive has really drained me out. I spent the entire weekends and Deepavali doing my charts. After almost 8 iterations, the final package was ready and presented to Big Kahuna in two nights in a row. Finally all done. Reached home around midnite. I can't barely open eyes when my dearie called me before his golfing session. Funny thing was right after the brief call, terus pengsan kat sofa. Woken up around 4 am by Jimmy Kimmy's laughter. Adoi... kuatnya TV! Masya Allah, sempat pecat hijab je... I was still in my office clothes!

With Joey trailing me from behind, went up to clean up and change and performed my obligation to Allah SWT. Sebaik je bagi salam, received a call from cik abang. Accompanied him tengok TV, with my eyes closed. Yang kelakarnya masuk subuh, cik abang kata..gi solat dulu, nanti sambung. Niat hati nak tido 5 minit before wudhuk..sedar2 dah 1/2 jam passed. Lepas solat subuh, realised that cik abang dah disconnect. Kesian dia tunggu..ha ha ha.. Truly sorry, hon. Lepas subuh, terus tido balik..sedar2 dah kol 8.40 am. Nampaknya in the morning, kerja kat rumah je lah.

Hmmm.. did not realize that the preparation for the review is really taking the toll on me. Luckily lah, I have someone to keep my sanity. Alhamdulillah now it's over although few follow-up items have to be closed.

This week onwards, my mind and energy can focus back on the big day preparation... Till then ciao...

A Wonderful Syawal

This year Syawal was different. Firstly, I was not with my family during the eve of Syawal. Instead of busy cooking in the kitchen, I was stucked in the office on September 30th, busy with quarter end close. I was so tired that I dozed off at my workstation. My boss knocked my table few times to wake me up. Pathetic eeh? When I left office around 2 am in the morning on October 1, I have not even packed! Luckily I received a wake up call at 4 am, basically threw all my stuffs in the bag, quickly showered, packed some cookies for the guard and the cab driver, and dashed to the airport. BTW, met Hans Isaac at the airport. Handsome? Boleh la...

First destination - Kak Jah's house. Left to right: Huda, Samihah, Mir ; A'an & Man.

First destination - Kak Jah's house. Left to right: Abah, Kak Tam n her new bub, Mama; Man n Idi striking side pose...pegggh..

Still @ Kak Jah's house. Left to right: Kak Chik n Samihah looking lovely, Me, Mir & Samihah..

I reached Penang about 7.45 am. My brother, Amir was already waiting outside the airport. We drove back to Kulim but have to stop at the first mosque we passed in Kulim. Caught the Eidul Fitri prayers just by the nick of time. Alhamdulillah. My sister Lina celebrated her Eid with his hubby's family, only arrived 11 pm that evening. The first day of Eid, we went through the usual routine - tahlil at my maternal grandma's grave, tahlil at my paternal grand parents and uncles graves, visited my dad's niece , and closed the day with dinner at Mak Kiah's.
Left to right: Me n Kak Chik all smiles; Kak Tam's daughter - first time seeing her. So photogenic.

Last stop for the day - Mak Kiah's: Samihah patiently waiting for her cousins to arrive. Where is Mak Ngah??

Second day, started with photo session at the photo studio. This is the tradition of our family since I was 16, taking family pictures on Eid. Previously, when all of us are still single, we just took the pictures at home. Since the family members now grew from 8 to 15, we need a studio..he he. My family is a family of routine. And same as last year, day 2 was dedicated to my mom's family. Visited all her brother, sisters, and cousins. We closed the day with a big feast in Sungai Petani. Ditaja oleh.. Cik Norliza..ha ha ha. Apa nak buat banker, dah nasib badan.

Some personal shots at the studio. The family shots did not turn out right as the lighting was too bright. Missing in the pic - mama n abah..

Left to right first row: Lina's family, Man's family
Left to right second row: The singles, Mir's family

First destination on 2nd raya - Ngah's. The kids enjoyed themselves mandi air gunung... Grrrr sejuk...



Second destination - Lang's. Full of makan2, drama, and people dozing off..he he he.


Third destination - Ndak's. Reunited with Mak Njang's family....


Second last destination - Pak Long's. Dah lama betul tak jumpak Pak Long. Dah ada cucu pun..

Last destination - Laksa Shack.

Third day is something out of norm as bakal menantu Pak Ya came to visit us. Lepas penat berhempas-pulas kat dapur, si Labu meninggalkan teratak buruk Taman Bersatu, menghala ke Pulau Mutiara, menjemput tetamu kehormat..ha ha ha. Arrived in Kulim for lunch and sessi beramah mesra pun bermula. Left home around 5pm. Niat di hati nak ke Padang Kota. But the traffic was so bad that we reached Penang only at 8pm. We have no choice but to head straight to the airport. Had enough time to just have coffee at Coffee Bean at the airport. Nak buat camne, Nyah. Saboo je lah.

Fourth day is the last day for most of anak2 Pak Ya. So, mom decided to bring us to her favourite nasi beriani restaurant in Penang. So with 3 cars we headed to Campbell Street. I would say the rice is OK, but the fried chicken is delicious. So does the murtabak. Check out the hungry wolves!! After having lunch, all of us went separate ways. Lina headed back to Alor Setar. Mir and Man dropped me at the airport to catch flight back to KL. While mom and dad went to Bukit Kayu Hitam to drop Idi.

Overall, Eid Fitri 2008 was very colourful and fun.

Link to Blogspot

Too lazy to blog in few locations. As I have been writing in blogspot, I'll continue to use it. I'm linking this page to only my general blog. Did a huge mistake of accidentally linking my personal and private blog. Luckily Kak Faz has put comment on my recent postings on Tinta Along, making me realize that it was accidentally linked..Phew..!

As you guys know, I'm a private person and some information are only privileged to close buddies and families only. So other than the one on "Apa-apa Saja" which I classified as general information, the rest is out of boundary for those outside of the circle. SSsssoowwwwy....

P/S: Tks Kak Faz for leaving the comment. Kalau tak, nahas..

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Wishing all muslims, Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir dan batin. This has been a wonderful and memorable Ramadhan for me and I hope this is the same case for all of you. As I'll be working on the eve of Syawal, a lot of preparation work like cooking rendang and baking cakes and cookies need to be done here in Shah Alam. So, assisted by my Labi, we did a lot of stuff. Cooked 2 kg daging of rendang tok, 4 bijik fruit cake, 3 types of cookies - kuih samprit, kuih makmur and choc chip cookies.

For this Hari Raya, I'm leaving all of you with something that I posted in my friendster last year - a quote that I found as very true. Eidul Fitri is about forgiveness. Hence, let's offer our forgiveness to those who has wronged us. May we find the strength to do this even how hard it is to forgive someone who really hurt us. Semoga sinar Syawal memberikan keberkatan kepada kita semua, Amin.

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Every Hari Raya, our Muslim friends will use a greeting so simple in its execution, many forget its significance. The greeting ‘maaf zahir batin’ which translates loosely to ‘I seek forgiveness (from you) physically and spiritually’ for Hari Raya means a time to reconcile and renew relationships with others.

Forgiveness is something we should all practise. Not just for Hari Raya but every day. We should celebrate it and embrace it as an essential part of our lives. There is nothing so bad that cannot be forgiven. Hurt will never heal until you forgive.

If you are at war with others, you cannot be at peace with yourself. You can let go and forgive. It takes no physical strength to let go, only courage.

Forgiveness is the single most important process that can bring peace to our souls and harmony to our lives. Forgiveness is not something we have to strain ourselves to do. Forgiveness helps you move forward. No one benefits from the forgiveness more than one who forgives.

Give yourselves the gift of forgiveness today. Maaf zahir batin to all.

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong" - Mahatma Gandhi

** The above message is the courtesy of Crush Communications

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Cempedak, Timun, Durian dan Sotong

What a topic huh? I have 3 strories to share today.

First, about cempedak. According to Wikipedia (heheh), Cempedak or chempedak (pronounced "chem-pe-dak"; syn. Artocarpus integer (Thunb.) Merr., Artocarpus polyphema Pers.) is a species of tree and its fruit in the family Moraceae. The taste of the fruit is similar to the related Jackfruit and Breadfruit with a hint of Durian. A sweet, mild, and juicy pulp surrounds the peanut-like seeds in a thick layer between the husk and an inedible core.

What has the cempedak to do with my story? Nothing! This is my blog..ikut suka lah kan.. Anyways, there's a Malay poem "Buah cempedak di luar pagar , ambil galah tolong tunjukkan, saya budak baru belajar kalau salah tolong tunjukkan". Translation.."yada yada ..about a student who is learning new things which needs guidance from the expert". I have a student, let's call him Cempedak. A very adorable, fine looking cempedak..grr..nyum nyum. The expert in the story is me (tenkiu tenkiu). I just taught Cempedak a new skill ie blogging. But my my my! What a student! The day that Cempedak creates his blog, he posted 8 entries on the same day on different stories. Amboi amboi.. lawan tauke nampak.


Then come the second story. There's this kind hearted-loving-sweet-amazing timun (cucumber) who taught a eager-intelligent-yummy durian on a new skill , say blogging again. So the durian is so into the blogging arena until he sleeps at 4 am due to this new found skill. He is now a sleep deprived durian and guess what? He looked at timun and said, "This is all your fault... because of you.. I now have less sleep". Sigh. Being a timun - even if she rolled over the durian, she'll hurt herself. And still, she'll hurt if the durian rolled over her. Ajar susah..tak ajar susah.

So moral of the story from 2 stories above. If you want to be a fruit - choose to be a fruit with torn. Boleh buli orang. Tapi kalau dah born as human tu, just be human lah. Apasal nak jadi buah pulak? Mendee lah! Plus, puasa2 ni..banyakkan makan buah. Elok untuk kesihatan.. ha ha ha ha. Cakap pasal buah ni lapar la pulak. Bukak puasa dengan cempedak goreng, rojak buah dengan pengat durian pun alright jugak..! Why am I talking nonsense? It's because of the third story. Hampeh!

The last story I have is on sotong. Today, in two different occasions I have to deal with a lady, let's call her sotong lah. This sotong is very blur. In fact, tahap blur tu boleh dikategorikan tahap sotong kurita. She is so blur that she choked me with all those hands and made wonder why am I wasting almost 2 hours of my time today talking to her. Because in the end, I do not know what she want, I definitely know that she do not know what I'm talking about because when she repeat what she thought she hear me saying , she said totally different thing (she even thought I'm someone else..suara sedap macam ni pun tak kenal..susah betoi), and she has left 9 poor souls in the meeting so confused that they did not say a word.

I have a friend on the same meeting, let's call him Smarty Pants (SP), a Sabahan living in Sydney, who instant messaged me during this meeting saying repeatedly "just say yes.. do not answer her.. do not say another word.. you're making her dragged us into a deeper maze...say u have to leave for other meeting...end this misery, tolong la... ". And the meeting has became a joke because we are started instant messaging each other trying to understand what is going on. When I told SP that I think Ms Sotong is not on the same page with us, the response was "don't talk about the same page, she is in a different library".

Actually I ended the misery... MY MISERY. Told Ms Sotong, I'm late for another meeting and I have to leave (which is true btw). SP sent me instant message immediately, "Tell her to release me too", which I replied "save your own *ss". Sigh. I do not know how Ms Sotong has survived in her life. Then again, may be her blurness brought her to where she is right now. Oh Life.... ! I'm amazed...

OK lah..malam ni dah malam ke-20. That means the pursuit of lailatul qadar starts tonight. May all of us get the barakah... Insya Allah.