Wednesday, November 24, 2010

I Need House.

Whats wrong with our house now? Rather than paying RM800 for rent, add a little more and we could get our own house. With MSU just across the river, our neighbours are now very rowdy, very noisy, very annoying therefore very I-want-to-kill-all-of-you which speeds up our want-our-own-abode. Like, NOW.

We are looking to buy a house. A simple 2 storey terrace/link house. Anywhere in or near Shah Alam. Price 300k max. Safe. Bonus points for low traffic flow, no toll, many access points and lots of trees (and Fast food joints - husband).

Homework beforehand, iproperty.com, hartanah.net, starproperty.my and mudah.com. are my new BFFs. What I have found out so far;

PROPERTY PRICES ARE RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!

Both Izham and I are earning a pretty stable income so we consider ourselves Middle Income. So I thought that we could afford an average, normal, 2 storey link house. WRONG. We cannot afford a house in Shah Alam where we work. Shah Alam only caters for the bourgeois apparently. Or 23 students renting in one house.

So we looked around the surrounding areas, Putra Heights, Setia Alam, Bukit Raja etc, etc ...... but none are below 300k which allows us to pay monthly installments of RM1500 which is what we can afford collectively. Idealistic sangatkah aku???

I just think that paying 400k - 800k for a 20 x 70 intermediate 2 storey terrace/link house is utterly incredulously preposterous. Paying for the address?? I call that oppression. In other words, that is just a load of crap.

Beggars can't be choosers. We're beggars in our own city when it comes property. Here I am, begging, God, please, help us find a house that is good for us, please.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Mirror, mirror, on the wall.

Ever since I got married, I have never faced any major problem or issues other than the usual ups and down of relationships. So forgive me when I choose to write about an issue of mine that has no affect whatsoever on the political climate of the world or environmental concerns or anything to do with hunger, poverty or war.

A very petty issue it is, self-centered and selfish, yes, but an issue. still it is, to me.

I feel fat and ugly.

There, I said it. I am so ashamed to admit it, but yeah, I have vanity issues. In fact, it was probably one of the reasons I disappeared from facebook for a while. As the name says "FACE book", and I do not have a FACE in which I could FACE the world, even in a virtual one.

I gained a lot of weight drastically after marriage, 20 kilos to be exact in the span of 1 year and a half. The Wii-Fit game on my sister's Nintendo Wii told me I was obese and that my health is that of a 45 year old woman. I was advised by 3 doctors to lose the weight if I want to conceive a child.

I can hardly fit into my clothes and dressing to go to work is a psychological struggle I go through every day. Accompany that with the frequent questions of whether I am expecting a baby when I'm just fat and the fact that every where I go I am approached by these slimming companies to subscribe to their RM10 600 for 30 days programme, it really makes my day - excruciatingly painful .

In between my mum telling me the ugly truth that I can't wear heels because I keep falling down and spraining my ankle because my small feet cannot bear the brunt of my weight and being surrounded by young beautiful people everywhere around me, I try to keep it cool with self deprecating jokes when inside, I actually want to take a knife and slice all my fat away.

I know they say that beauty comes from within and is not just skin deep and my husband tells me I am the most beautiful woman all the time. I know I am so blessed and lucky in life. But every time I see a picture of me being tagged and I remember how I look like just 2 years ago, it is hard to keep telling myself – yes, I AM beautiful.

There are some people, normal people that I see and I would like to be like them. There are 3 of them to be exact, I would like to name them but I can’t. They seem to have this ethereal quality, which makes them very likable, approachable. I talked about this with my best friend and my husband. The discussion with my best friend yielded a result that our problem was being too blunt and expressive with our feelings towards others, more so when the feeling is that of dislike or loathsome even. That trait that we both have causes us to be, well, disliked, unapproachable and sometimes even feared. So we thought that maybe we have to be slightly ‘hypocritical’ or in nicer words ‘cordial’ to people or situations that make us go “blagh- tughh!”

My husband’s observation on these 3 individuals show that they are incapable of having a ‘masam’, sulky face. The ‘face’ that people feel like they want to smack, haha, so says my sister. Those 3 people I like, they look like they are constantly smiling and even their normal face is – normal looking. I smile, but my normal, expressionless face is actually sulking to others who are looking at me. My husband calls it the “Go away, don’t you dare mess with me or I will kill you” look. My family actually attests that I have this ‘face’. I actually don’t even realize I do that, I thought I was just having a vacant expressionless look.

I am trying to eat less and move more. I remind myself to smile as often as I can remember. I am buying new clothes (maternity ones are so comfortable) and wearing flats. I am trying not to get depressed looking at my own photos and reflection. I am trying to deal with this as best I can; even writing about it helps me purge my system from the negativity. I am trying to overcome this problem, in my brain, in my heart and in my body, so help me God. If I want to be beautiful, I need to just BE beautiful. That’s a start, I hope.

Monday, November 01, 2010

Making Things Beautiful - Part 2

Another long due project I just completed last weekend (with Yayang's help of course). Refer to the pics numbering for this one.

This time around, the challenge was;

1 - We have a "doorless" room with not enough walls and more clothes than our cupboards could fit. (pic 1)

2 - I (not we, hehe) have no place for my shoes. (pic 2)

So... my proposed solution;

Get an ubiquitous storage shelf. This one I got from Jaya Jusco for the price of RM119 (pic 3). It originally has backing boards but we didn't put them in when we were assembling the shelf. I got 2 shelves actually, the other one cost RM99 because it didn't come with backing boards, but it has 12 compartments (pic 6). IKEA has a similiar design which costs RM499 if I'm not mistaken.

Be sure to check the parts of the shelf first, we had to wait 3 months to replace a wrong board of the shelf, but Jusco people were very nice to entertain us.

Next, I got some funky textiles from IKEA. I chose black and white to match the shelves and so it doesn't look "serabut" when I put hings in them. Then I measured the shelves and had a tailor to cut it to size and jahit the tepi so it doesn't 'berbulu'. Next, with some thumb tacks and a very helpful husband, he helped me to hammer the tacks to attach the fabric at the back of the shelves. (pic 6)

I used 2 different fabrics for the 2 shelves to add a bit of interest. To create a "wall", just stack up the 2 shelves one on top of the other, and push them in place. As u can see, it almost reaches the ceiling. (picture 4 and 6).

Then I just fill up the shelf with my stuffs (picture 5). Decorative boxes help keep things (like socks, bags, bla bla bla..) tidy.

For the shoes, look closer at picture 8, I used plastic dining place mats that I cut to size and place them underneath the shoes so that my heels don't scratch the shelf. Plus its pretty, hehe.

So now the room has a wall that also functions as storage space or display area. The shelves leave just enough space for the room to have a doorway AND I bought an iron curtain railing for RM32 and put it across 2 shelves for extra hanging space for the clothes (pic 9). So now the cozy room acts as a walk in wardrobe and also a prayer room.

Taraaaaaaa!!!!!

So there, its a pretty simple project that I'm happy to share with you guys. Till next time, don't forget, make things beautiful and make beautiful things!!!! xoxo Irin

p/s: Picture 7 is my Drocell Figma that Yayang gave me for my birthday, she wants to enter frame jugak. The small wooden trees are from KK home deco and the origami was made by my student Arina Ramli which she just chuck around our house when she came over.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Why I think my husband's hobby of building model kits is SEXY.


My husband is a toy collector. He collects Marvel and DC action figures, Transformers, Gundams, GI Joe and Star Wars vehicles and a whole lot of other things. He's not just a collector, he also builds, paints and kitbashes scale models/model kits of robots, tanks and a whole lot of other stuff that I'm not even sure what they're called.

A lot of people don't seem to understand this hobby. Some say its a waste of time and money. Most people even say he's immature. Well, I'm the wife. If anyone has anything to say about it, that would be me. And I think it's SEXY, and it was one of the factors that attracted me about him. And here's why...


1) It shows he has passion.

Men with interest or hobbies are passionate about something. People who are passionate feel strongly about the things they love and care about. The love and care that my husband puts in the details when he builds and paints models are impressive. He shows attention to minute little details that make all the difference. And that also means, he is VERY GOOD with his hands.


2) He is home. With me.

He builds and paints in his studio, sometimes in the living room of our small apartment. He just needs a few tools and a small space. The tools aren't expensive either. Unlike some hobbies with expensive equipment that needs the person to be in a field or a lake or somewhere other than home. So while he does his work, I just do my own thing around the house but at ANY TIME I need him, he is there and he is able to stop his work and attend to me. Even better, he can still borak with me while putting together a Gundam at the same time.

Example, if he plays futsal, he has to be at the pitch, then he lepaks with his friends after the game and there will be days where he wants to watch the game on TV or at the mamak with friends, while the wife stays at home or the wife follows and she has to lepak with all the cigarette smoke around. Errr... sorry, but that's not my idea of fun.


3) It makes money, fame and glory. haha.

No, seriously, it does. A lot of people from around the country, no, world, yes, I said world, commissions him to paint or kitbash their toys. I can't tell you how much he makes, that's confidential, but know this, his "toys" provided him with the money to get married to me within 6 months. And you know weddings cost a lot kan?

And it gives me a sense of pride when I see his works and even more surprising when some random stranger comes up to him and says " You are Ryukaze? Man, I'm a fan of your works!". And as humble as he is, he just smiles and continues to have a conversation with that stranger about what else? Toys of course.


4) He really knows his stuff. He's not a poser.

Being a tv show host wannabe like me, I like asking questions and interviewing people. It totally pisses me when most times, the people who say they're into something can't answer simple questions about their interest. I however, equate people's ability to answer questions to their intelligence level. Articulate la basically. But believe me when I say, u can ask Ryukaze anything about the things that he likes and he can regale you with encyclopedic editions of it. I'm a nut for a good story, so I enjoy when he tells me the story behind Halo, Transformers and Gundams. And he doesn't pretend to know things he doesn't. Yes, his intelligence charms my pants off. Literally.


5) Immature? Man (or woman), you have no idea what maturity is.

Yes, he plays with TOYS. Some guys play with cars. Some guys play with fish rods. Some guys even play with women. I'd rather he play with little plastic things are not expensive yet has resale value in any given time, era even country.

All of us need something to amuse us, entertain us, to sustain our imagination and playfulness. Its what makes life interesting. I believe, to each his own.

He may not look his age, but when a situation needs him to man up, my husband does that without hesitation. It comes naturally that he protects my honor, my well being, my safety, my sanity and my happiness. And he fulfills his responsibilities.

Maturity is not about what one does as his hobby. Maturity is about taking responsibility and doing what is right. That is what being a man or "Da Man" is all about. Maturity is when you can show respect and love a wife unconditionally. Maturity is understanding the balance of both strength and weakness. Its not about being macho all the time. Control hensem is so passe.


6) The work he does is a work of art. So it gives a sense of achievement and fulfillment which feeds the soul which in return produces a very positive human being.


7) Its so easy to get him birthday or anniversary presents. Just look at his toy wishlist.


He is comfortable in his own skin being who he is and that confidence is what is charming about him. And that ultimately makes him sexy in my eyes.

His hobby makes him happy, and that makes me happy. He makes me happy.

So yeah, toy collecting and model kit building are awesome hobbies. So there.

P/s: If you want to know more about what my husband actually does, check out his blog www.rkdesigns.blogspot.com. If you want to know more about toy collecting or model kit building, join up www.zerogunz.com or www.sembangtoys.com or www.transmy.com.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Weekend Dilemma.

With the weekend looming near, I'm as happy as everyone else. However, the weekend poses a dilemma. How would I spend these 2 precious days?

Being married, now I have 3 families. My family with my Mak, Bapak, siblings, nephews and nieces. My husband's family and my own family with my husband. Most weekends are spent alternately with our families. Thank God they're not that far apart.

But I miss my friends. I envy their facebook status when they have plans to hang out and I'm not included. But that's part of the deal when you get married, I get it, I know things will never be the same as before. Sure my husband doesn't mind me hanging out with my friends. But rarely is the time free for both parties to hang out. Its either I'm occupied or they have plans.

My friend Irah just gave birth, I want to visit her. Same as some other friends too who have birthdays, bbq, cukur jambul, kenduri, open houses, whatever.....

I don't drive. That's a problem. I have to be driven or picked up. How long can anyone put up with that? I don't blame them. I can't expect my husband to be my driver. Especially if it concerns a place that has many people or anywhere outside of the Shah Alam & Kota Damansara radius. And if its my friends, then he'll be bored to hell.

Then of course, I also want time for myself, to do my things. Just restful things like read or maybe a facial or swimming. I have never been to a hair salon for hair treatments EVER. I am so teringin to know what a manicure and pedicure feels like. Or lepak with my husband. Yeah, we work at the same place, bt that's it, we WORK. Sometime we just want to rest and do nothing.

I also want to go to art events, exhibitions, conventions, waterfalls, forests, picnics....

And sometimes, weekend is all the time I have to do the laundry and clean the house....

And I don't even have kids yet.

I feel like I'm losing touch with everything else besides myself and I'm not sure how to handle this.

Monday, September 27, 2010

A letter to my child.

My dearest child,

I'm writing this because I want to share with you about relationships. Why now? Well because Hari Raya was a matchmaking frenzy for your Aunty Nani and your father had just gone through an online battle with one of his exes who said some pretty nasty things in a very nasty way about him. Also, you may be feeling sad after a heartbreak so this is how I plan to pujuk you, I'd like to tell you this.

In our lives, we will come across many people. Some of them will enter your life and leave a profound effect on you, some may be fleeting but still deserves a space in your memory, some might be there for as long as you remember yet you can't remember why they're there. And of these people, there will be a few, or one, that you fall in love with and give your heart and almost your entire soul to. And if you're like me, you wouldn't know it any other way than to love unconditionally and wholeheartedly.

I only had one prior relationship before I met your father, so I am not an expert when it comes to heartbreaks. But I'll tell you what I know. It feels very painful and hurts like hell. The pain comes from from way inside your body and pierces the depths of your heart. It racks your brain and literally feels like someone stabbed you over and over again. You would think that this is the worst ever pain that you can feel, you feel like dying. You would probably say, " Yeah Mom, I know, I'm feeling it right now, but you don't understand!!"

I want you to know that its fine, you have to feel that way because you are only human. Grieve. Anger. Remorse. Numbness. Sad. Hysterical. I want you to let yourself feel all that. Wallow in it for a while because you deserve to. A relationship is a bond of unnormal proportions so it deaerves to be grieved upon. You might want to act fine like its all okay because you want to be strong, yes I commend that, but only after you let yourself wallow, even if you do it by yourself in private, and your best friends never know how miserable you feel. But your real friends will know, because they can tell, no matter how expertly you conceal it. And in that time, I want you to always remember to love yourself more than you love another person, and to love God more than you love yourself. Talk to God in any way, remember He listens and He sees, and He knows. He knows EVERYTHING.

This is another part there I will tell you but I know you won't listen to me. You might be really angry and blame everything on the other person (Hell yeah Mom). But in every relationship, it is a 2 way thing. Both have their faults and flaws, remember that, yes, I mean you too my child. (What? Your my Mom, you're supposed to be on my side!). But if you believe in God, truly and deeply, you would know that being Almighty and Powerful as He is, He knows what he is doing, what has happened and what will be. As your Creator and Designer, He has your blueprint from the cradle to the grave.

We humans, have the wonderful ability of learning. And as it is, we learn best, through making mistakes. Lots and lots of mistakes. Experiencing many different emotions, both good and bad, makes us better people. Why else are we here if not to serve God, to be His servant. And trying to be the best version of ourselves is is our mission, vision and objective in this world.

Every deed, every mistake, in every single moment that passes, makes us into what we are today. Our decisions, actions determines what kind of person we are.

Jodoh is a complicated business, yet, none of it is ours.

We can try our best and convince ourselves wholeheartedly that this is the person for me. This is my soulmate. We have so much history together. We were meant for each other. We are like SO compatible. Even the stars say so! It is destiny, it is fate.

My dear child, God is awesome. So awesome that only He knows what is right for you and what is not, when it comes to the person you marry. Can't argue with Him, y'know.

So if you you believe and have faith in God, you would know the He has arranged everything as he sees fit. If the relationship did not work out, then it is for the better, for both of you. Both of you will find someone else that fits you perfectly in every way. Your real soulmate, your real true love, as ordained by God. For your ex, wish him or her well, do not hate, do not harbour grudges, and most of all, do not REGRET. If they were good to you, be thankful, and remember them in memory as being an important part of your life.Wish them how you would wish upon yourself. Wish them happiness and forgiveness for you would want to be forgiven and happy too.

The relationships we forge, are there to help and guide us on our journey. Come away from each of those relationships with something learned. And when you do get married, cherish it, for it took both of you a long and treacherous journey to meet each other. But it will all be worth it.

To my soulmate, your father, whom words have no description of how grateful I am for you, it took me forever to get here but Alhamdulillah.

Love always,
Your Mommy.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

My Husband. My version. (kalau nk muntah, pls jangan baca)



Saya sayang suami saya. Kenapa?
Sebab dia sangat best dan dia sayang saya baaaaanyak sangat.

Suami saya suka music trance. Saya suka muzik tenang-tenang.
Tapi kami dua-dua suka muzik pop korea.

Suami saya suka duduk rumah main game. Saya suka jalan-jalan mandi laut dan sungai.
Tapi kami dua-dua suka hati bile tengok How I Met Your Mother dan Ouran High School.

Suami saya suka masak. Saya suka tidur.
Tapi kami dua-dua memang suka makan.

Suami saya suka baca komik. Saya suka majalah design.
Tapi kami dua-dua nangis teresak-esak lepas baca novel Cecilia Ahern.

Suami saya suka melukis. Saya suka menulis.
Tapi saya amat meminati hasil karya dia dan dia juga suka baca hasil tulisan saya.

Suami saya seorang yang sangat relax teapi suka maki hamun ketika memandu.
Saya pulak selalunya kelihatan stres tapi sebenarnya sangat manja dan ngada-ngada.
Tapi bila bersama, kami tak malu untuk menjadi diri kami sendiri dan berkelakuan seperti budak-budak kerana seronok.

Suami saya seorang pensyarah yang cool dan kelakar. Saya pula konon-konon garang.
Tapi kami dua-dua sayang anak-anak murid kami.

Suami saya besar orangnya, Saya pulak makin membesar bila bersama dengan dia.
Tapi bila jalan dengan dia, saya tetap nampak kecik dan comel (or so he says)..

Di mata dia, saya sangat istimewa.

Suami saya membuat saya rasa seperti seorang wanita yang hebat.
Dengan kata-kata dan perbuatannya, saya merasa seperti seorang yang paling cantik, paling pandai, paling baik dan paling disayangi. Saya merasa dia sangat bangga mempunyai isteri seperti saya.

Suami saya percaya pada diri saya dan membuat saya percaya pada diri bahawa saya mampu mencapai apa sahaja yang ingin saya kecapi.

Saya tak tau pasal orang lain, tapi pada saya, suami saya adalah nikmat dari Tuhan yang sangat besar dan hebat. Dan kasih sayang adalah satu bukti kekuasaanNya yang agung.

Saya berdoa agar kasih sayang kami diredhai, diberkati dan dirahmati. love you yayang.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Making Things Beautiful part 1




Since my yayang is now a staple peddler at Amcorp Mall Flea Market selling his toys and custom paint works, I am left alone every Sunday, from sunrise til sunset.

Having the house all to myself, I decided to make myself useful. So this is what I did last weekend to a particular wall in our apartment. Years of collecting frames from various places with no idea what to do with them, I finally put them to good use.

I just realised that I usually buy 3 or 4 of the same frames, I don't know why. But in this case the four sides of the main frame in the middle gave me an idea on how to arrange them. I didn't want the arrangement to be static and boring. I want it to look random but with a system to it. Inspired by the Fibonacci sequence and the spiral motion of a sun dial, I arranged each of the 4 frames on each side, to avoid repetitive elements within adjacent spaces. Its a clockwise movement so the frames turn a 90 degree turn on each side to give an interesting visual variety even though they are the same design.

I love working with squares and rectangles, it poses a lot of structural possibilities. I'm quite obsessive with four sided shapes. It took awhile to align the sides so all the frames actually lie on a grid. I also have to consider the colour of the frames which I originally wanted to paint all in black, but against the creamish wall, the gold accents and the natural wood colour looked good. The gold also mirrors my other sun mirror on the grey lavender feature wall behind the TV and the curtains (nt shown here).The overly decorated frames are played down by its almost analogous simultaneous contrast with the background. And too much black would just add a sombre mood and I wouldn't want that in my home.

Using plastic hooks with adhesive tape I got from Tesco and Giant, I arranged the hooks beforehand. It was quite tricky and I screwed up some of the parts, especially the lower part, The white frame is too much to the right, both the black frames are too low.

I had to wait 12 hours for the hooks to set but I was impatient so I put it all up within 9 hours.

TADAAAAAAA!!!!!!! It was meant to be a modular system in which I could add in more frames in the future. Its actually like a BIG MINDMAP, I intend to fill the frames not just with photos but also illustrations, typo and pattern. My Yayang and I are gonna build our memories into the frames and replace the illustrations with our future adventures. So it will fill up slowly and grow more and more. It also acts as our Vision Poster of our hopes and dreams of how we wish our life to be. If we ever move house, the wall moves and grows with us.

Sigh... I enjoyed this project a lot, that's why I want to share it with you guys. I have an affinity to make beautiful things and making things beautiful. So the next time my husband goes off to Amcorp to sell his projects, I'll be working on my own projects... hehehe...

AMOK


I lost my temper in class the other day. I really lost it. Was so angry, my entire body felt so hot and I shook uncontrollably. I had to leave the class before a student gets injured.

I regretted it. Remembering what happened, I still feel my anger building up. My eyes feel hot and watery again, I could scream.

It wasn't just anger. It was a combination of anger, frustration and disappointment. Of the highest kind. I still don't know how to handle that feeling.

I love design and and even more, I love teaching design. Especially this semester, when I got to teach all my favourite subjects.

But it KILLS ME. Literally KILLS ME, when students don't show up, even more, when they don't even show the slightest interest in design. I share as much of what I've learned and experienced, preparing my own notes that have been simplified to the bare minimum in order to help my students understand or at least inspire them to learn and want to know more about design.

I don't get it. I seriously don't get it. How can they be so indifferent? So disinterested?

I'm sad to see such level of loathsome. I'm angry to see such profound laziness. I'm disappointed that i don't get to see even a slightest bit of PASSION, of ENTHUSIASM or even of INTEREST in the students. It saddens me and it kills me.

I wish I could teach students who really want to learn, who really want to be here. Students who genuinely believe that an education in design will somehow be of some value to them.

Its frustrating and downright depressing. And they ruin the industry. Just because they don't care. Maybe I'll just sell keropok lekor. On an island. In Terengganu.

Friday, February 12, 2010

At Wits End.

Been bored out of my wits lately. Yayang has been working on robots and models so I have to entertain myself in between the Glee episodes which we finished last night.

I pulled my boring face and Izham feels guilty. "Why don't you do something you like?," he asked me.

"like what?," I pouted.

" You can surf the net," he suggests.

"The internet is boring. It takes too long to go through the pile of shit before getting anything even half as interesting, which by then, I'm just too tired of looking at the screen. Nothing I can find on the internet thats fun."

"You can play games", he tries yet again

"I dont like games. Cant sustain me for long."

"Okayy... what do u like? whats ur hobby or interest?"

"I like books."

"Then go read a book," he says hopefully albeit a bit agitated.

"I haven't found anything interesting to read for a long time. When I go to the bookshop, there are too many books, I don't know where to start. The few that I pick up didn't hold my interest for more than one page," I whine yet again.

"What kind of books you like?," he still layans me. Hehe, yes my husband has to put up with this kinda thing on a daily basis.

"I don't know. I don't have any particular preference," me sulking.

"What books have you enjoyed reading before this?"- by now i think he desperately needs me to figure out something to do.

"I liked Harry Potter. But other magical books are just poorly written. I didn't enjoy reading Lord of The Rings though. I like adventure and mystery. But if its like Dan Brown, I read like four already and they're all the same storyline. I like fantasy, I like Neil Gaiman but not all, just some of them. I rarely read love novels, I overdosed on Judith McNaught in High School and now I'll puke if I ever read anymore of her writings. I really liked Tuesdays with Morrie though, but I think if i read more of his books, it'll make me hate the first one. Sort of like the Chicken soup for the Soul syndrome. Too similiar styles of writing bore me. I especially liked The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night Time because it was such an unusual way of writing. Same reason why I liked Sophie's World. When I was young I used to like Enid Blyton. I think i finished reading all of her writings by the time I turned 10. Same with Nancy Drew. I guess I don't have a preference. I like encyclopedias. But they're too expensive. And HUGE to carry around."

To which he gave me Dean Koontz 'Velocity'. Just give it a try, my yayang said. Okay. I finished the book this afternoon. Which means I past the first page, yes. But I didn't like to read his writing style. Too descriptive of too many redundant things slows the pace of the book and totally kills the 'Velocity' of it. The twist in the story was predictable. The murderer is the guy in the early part of the book. And he's not the only one. Haha. surprisenyela saya.

Just bought 3 magazines. Finished reading them in 2 minutes. Boring.

Arrgh... boring boring boring......

I need to find something to amuse me.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

One of those.

Just one of those moments when you look back at things past and realized that so much has changed. There was a time when I felt that I was stuck in time and everything around me moved so fast. That all seems like a distant past now. I miss my friends.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Cake, Coke, Karaoke and a pair of shoes.

It has been a while since I’ve gone back to my parents’ house. But last weekend I did, and what a weekend it was.

It was Mak’s birthday last Friday, so that Saturday night we indulge ourselves with an indulgence unlike any other, an indulgence of the chocolate kind, brought to us by such an institution that keeps their Recipes a Secret, a secret known lovingly as… The Chocolate Indulgence.

Oh what a joy it was, when my dear husband and his new BFF, my brother Iwan, came home and alas, what was it in their hands? Three beautiful shiny plastic bottles filled with a dark liquid so good, it was meant to be ENJOYed, ALWAYS… The red label wrapping the deliciously curved bottle, marked with the famous insignia known the world over as, The White Ribbon. Such potent was the black concoction, my mother warned us to never take it together with the delightful treat that was to come next…

Ahhh… soft, delectable little sunshine drops. Brought to us all removed from its thorny thick skin, chilled, forming little gleaming droplets on the smooth, golden, juicy body of a fruit so renowned for the terror it brings to the human olfactory senses yet so exquisite a taste does it bear when it touches the tongue, to the KING of all fruits, I salute you, for being the great finale, before the curtains draw to mark the end of day called Saturday.

As the sun rises beyond the horizon, giving us a new day, a new hope of clear skies and adventures of the paperbag-toting-kind emerge. Leaving behind the reluctant soldiers that are our husbands, my mother, cousins and I braved the concrete jungle that is Kuala Lumpur, on Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman nonetheless. Driven by the courageous Abang Mus, hubby to Kak Yana, the only soldier who was brave enough to fight the war of traffic jams and limited thus expensive parking spaces. We stormed through 5 palaces of consumerism with our salivating tongues and gleaming eyes, wandering, one product to another, searching for the perfect item that deserves our purchasing power.

There, amidst the rows of temptation, I saw, the perfect item. Four inches of heel standing tall and proud, shiny-leather-mimicking-su
rface, the texture of woven straps…. it called out to me, whispering softly, in size 6. As I gingerly sunk my unpedicured feet into them, I felt the soul of my sole slowly awash with the glowing warmth of blissful happiness. In utter joy and obliviousness towards the amount of fortune I was about to part with, I bought myself, not just any shoe, but the one, the only, PERFECT pair of SHOES.

Our adventure continued on to the heights of Ampang Park where unheavenly voices fill the air space, in an attempt to achieve the feat they call singing. As a surprise for my beloved mother, my sister Irma decided that she would treat us for a session of, a favourite pastime the world over, the phenomenon called Karaoke. Singing to very bad and grammatically twisted words of what they think is English, accompanied by visuals of the soft porn kind (boobs, bikinis, architectural monuments and natural landscapes), we showed our singing prowess (or so we think) belting out numbers from the bygone era, including a soulful rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by my niece and nephews. My mom sang her heart out as I’ve never seen before, making all of us believe, sincerely, that we are all genetically great singers. We left, sated, our secret wishes of stardom, fulfilled, momentarily.

We came home that evening, soldiers and superstars, weary and hungry. Alas, a sumptuous feast awaits us in our humble abode of Bukit Beruntung. Prepared lovingly by the Master Chef Bapak, our gastronomous cravings were answered with pasta, roast beef, jacket potatoes, mushroom soup and soft baked buns. As we devoured our dinner amidst the drowning cries and screams of 8 children, I looked around the table, and thanked God Almighty for the blessings that He has given us. The blessings of family, of food, and of Love. Alhamdulillah.

My heartful gratitude also goes out to my family- my parents, siblings and cousins and their families, for all being in one location last weekend and for the splendid time. Uncle Skawi n Aunty Timah for the durians. To products of nature and man-made marvels like Secret Recipe cakes, Coca Cola, Durian, Shopping complexes and ABBA, I am forever thankful. And last but not least, to a little shoe shop in Ampang Park, keep on making those goods that make the world a better place. I am one happy woman who had a happy weekend. Thank you Yayang, for bringing me home.


P/s: I’m teaching copywriting this semester, hence my attempt at improving my language and also this is the result of too much exposure to too many episodes of How I Met Your Mother.

Monday, January 18, 2010

two zero one zero

Stupid thing to do. Read your yearly horoscope. Mine's scary.

Apparently this year my over-aggressiveness will cause me trouble in my marriage and workplace. I will also overspend my money, get injured in my car, lose my temper and get into fights with my spouse and colleagues. But it also says that 2010 will be a good year for me. Go figure.

The past 2 years has truly been a blessing for me. I got a job, I got married, found what was lost, made new friends, traveled and gained new exciting experiences that are life changing. Falling in love was the best part of it all of course. I highly recommend marriage, hehe, it makes EVERYTHING worthwhile.

For this year, I'm hopeful. I'm damn scared now because everything that was familiar before has changed. I don't know what to expect anymore, anything goes now.

Like everyone else, I hope things will be better. I hope I, myself, will be better. Make better choices and judgment. But I also hope there will be more new exciting adventures. Maybe I have ADD, mild ADD I suppose haha.. I get easily bored with everything so I want to experience the extraordinary. For real this time, not just in my head.

So here I toast, to a year of hope, excitement and adventure!! Insya Allah. Ameen.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Hot Showers and the World Wide Web

In my opinion, hot showers are the best contribution of technology.

Even more than the web.

I hate the web.

Hence me being offline for so long.

I am superbored with all of it... fb, chats, emails, blogs... everything.

I'm so tired of the internet, i don't even want to talk about how tired i am of the internet.

Include TV, radio, movies, shopping malls in the list of things I'm bored with.

Before the invention of the world wide web, I always had my own virtual reality, in my head. Inspired by early reading, it became my realm, my reign. My imagination, for me was an endless space with ultra fast download speed. Not to mention virus free, spam free and hi definition images, vivid colours and surreal sound.

I enjoy the times when I am able to just zone off to my alternate reality. Anytime, anywhere.

Works best during hot showers.

That's why hot showers are the best contribution contribution of technology, in my opinion.