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The Moon

2011-08-21T09:56:00.004+08:00

I just bought a 75-300mm telephoto lens for my camera last month. It's nice to take a close up picture from afar; easier to get candid shots. The other day, I just wanna try my luck with the lens. How far can it zoom to get a picture of the moon.

So on August 14, the moon was almost full and the sky was clear. I took out my Sony A200, I tried on a couple of settings, and snapped a few pictures. On the camera's LCD monitor, I was frustrated to see that the image is too small. You can't really see the details of the moon.

So I transferred the images onto my computer and cropped one of the pictures, here's what I got. No additional editing, though. I just cropped it, and used Picasa 3 to add the watermark.

Nice isn't it? I love that we can see a little bit of the craters on the surface. I wonder how breathtaking it would be to see this from the outerspace. Masya Allah.. :)

p/s: ♫♪ Fly me to the moon, let me sing among those stars..♫♪

The Social Network

2011-04-25T12:32:00.007+08:00

Since I started being active on Twitter, my blogging activities became much, much more passive. Maybe because I tweeted just about everything that happened as it happens, I don't feel like re-writing it in longer sentences. What’s more fascinating is, I got to tell everybody what I’m doing in just less than 140 characters (not words!). Well a blog entry might need at least a hundred words. Otherwise, I might as well put it on Facebook.

Oh, that’s another one. Facebook. I gradually left Friendster and Myspace for Facebook. But, after a while, Facebook bores me as much as Friendster and Myspace did. Now, Facebook is just a platform for me to play online games and share pictures with friends and family, which I can totally do on Twitter (via Twitpic, Yfrog, etc.). Besides, Twitter has a personal touch to it. The accounts of famous people are usually verified, unlike Facebook, Friendster, and Myspace. Any lowlife-attention-craving-loser could’ve created a Facebook account using a famous name, or any name for that matter, and adding the 'The Real' prefix to convince people that they are who they say they are. And using pictures other than your own as the profile picture is just sickening. #JustSaying

For now, I favor Twitter. And I hope that Twitter will always stay this way. Though I always wish for Twitter to have a ‘Like’ button, please don’t add that function. Please. It won’t be Twitter no more. For me right now, Twitter has never been better. I love it just the way it is. Thank you, Twitter.

But, I will definitely continue blogging. Writing is my passion. I won't let it die.

p/s: ♫♪ When I see your face. There's not a thing that I would change. 'Cause you're amazing, just the way you are. ♫♪

The Iron Monger

2011-03-30T07:57:00.000+08:00

Do you guys remember Jeff Bridges, the man who played 'Obadiah Stane' in Ironman? Yup, that bald old man. You know something? He has such an interesting website. Browsing through it, one thing that I can say about him is that he is a very very very talented artist. He's good at artsy drawing, he's working on an album, and he's obviously a great actor.

And from his website, I know now that he's good at photography too. Here are some of my favorites taken from the website.

I love all of the pictures, actually. Because they are all monochrome.

The way he arranges the stuff in the website is very interesting and somewhat refreshing. There is a personal touch to every single thing. And the captions for the pictures, I believe it was his own handwriting. *God, those lines rhymed* So were the menus and labels. No need to say more, take a look at the website yourself, here.

p/s: ♫♪ He was turned to steel. In the great magnetic field. When he traveled time. For the future of mankind. ♫♪

Commitment.Obligation.Responsibility

2011-03-29T18:51:00.006+08:00

When we were younger, we just couldn't wait to be an adult. Being 5, we couldn't wait to reach 10. When people asked how old we were 6 months before our birthday, our answer would be "5 and a half". We couldn't wait to experience school, having friends other than our siblings. Our biggest problem was probably wanting to watch Disney Channel when it was news time and Daddy had the remote.

Being 12, we couldn't wait to reach 18. During our time, at the age of 12 was when we finally got our National Registration Identity Card. God, that made us feel like an adult a little bit. During our time, at the age of 12 was when we finally got to follow our parents to Macro hypermarket. I got my own cellphone at 16. That was totally cool, then. And at 18, we didn't have to worry if the cinema attendant asks to see some ID when purchasing a PG18-rated movie tickets. That was super cool! And when people asked how old we were 11 months before our birthday, our answer would be "I'm 18 this year".

Then 21 arrived, it felt like the world was ours. The transition between being a teenager and an adult. The transition between a rebel and a rational. We went to college and finished our studies, we've obtained driving license, and some of us are lucky enough to have our own car at 21. The world seemed larger than ever.

But, when 25 comes, we are finally in the 'real' world. We landed a nice job with nice pay. We bought a new car, rented a house, and changed the phone plan from prepaid to postpaid. Without noticing, the problems we are having grew from wanting to watch Disney Channel to having to pay the bills every month. Now, we keep on hitting the 'brakes'. Slow down, Time. Let me catch my breath. At this stage, questions about age is highly sensitive that people don't ask about it directly anymore. Alternatively, they twisted it a little bit and asked "When was the year you sit for SPM?" or even more subtle, they ask for your NRIC number. Then, they'll just calculate it themselves.

This is actually my story. I was enjoying my time when it suddenly hits me in the head! My car is due for major service this month. Muahahaha..! I am now mentally ready to lose a nest egg of money for this. My crazy sister Shalia just had her car done and she's almost MYR500 poorer now. Honestly, I'm hyperventilating because I know there's no way I'm gonna get to go shopping next month. Arggghhh..! It's killing me!

My Precious ;)

p/s: ♫♪ I may not have a lot to give but what I got I'll give to you. I don't care too much for money, money can't buy me love. ♫♪

RAW in Lightroom

2011-03-28T19:38:00.010+08:00

Set your picture quality to RAW, then snap all you want. Then transfer them into your computer. Open up Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.6. Import the pictures into Lightroom. Do the magic. Then export. Voilaaa!

Before <------------------------------> After

I used a preset called "300 V3" downloaded from PresetsHeaven. It was inspired by the movie 300, mainly because the movie was dark and looked like it has vignette all over it. But this particular picture looks more like Twilight. So, the caption for this picture is: Edward 'Meway' Cullen, where Meway is the real name of the cat ;)

To me, besides the skill of finding great angles and subjects to shoot, photography is about the art of editing. I would love to share the installer of this great application, but unfortunately I've lost it somewhere. If you already have it, then go to PresetsHeaven, download a bunch of cool presets, and install it into your Lightroom. After that, editing pictures will be as easy as ABC to you!

Happy trying!

p/s: ♫♪ Like I before E except after C.. ♫♪

Looking for Vets!

2011-03-28T12:51:00.006+08:00

As of today, we have 19 freakin' cats at home! That's a whole lot of cats. Now things are almost kinda out of control and it's almost mating season again. So, we've planned to take one of the 'alpha females' to the vet and have her spayed. To date, she's delivered four times - 3 fours and 1 five! I've read somewhere that the 'quality' of kittens produced by one female cat is better by batches (it means, kittens born from the 4th batch is much prettier than of the 1st ones. *hope you get what I mean*). And so far, it is proven true. But, we can't make room anymore.

We do have two regular vets which we brought them to. But these vets are bloody expensive. We've sent two of our felines to these vets to stitch up injuries a few months back, and both of them cost almost MYR1000 each! *faint*

So, here, I would like to ask you if you know any vets, be it private or public vets, which are affordable for me to send these 'kittens factories' for spaying. Preferably somewhere in KL. Also, please RT this entry to your friends, too. Thanks a bunch! :)

p/s: ♫♪ I remember the time I knew what happiness was. Let the memory live again. ♫♪

Earth Hour 2011

2011-03-27T19:51:00.006+08:00

I love how Google always commemorate global events such as mother's day, father's day, teacher's day, birthdays of famous people, anniversary of various things and events, and even the Earth day. I have an entry on Google Doodles here.

So, when one of Google's subsidiaries, YouTube, added something to their website to commemorate the Earth Hour yesterday, I was psyched! They put on a "light switch" to the left of the video title. In case you didn't have the chance to visit YouTube yesterday, here is a screenshot:

To switch it on or off, just click on it. So, if the "switch" is on, the background is white. Like this:

And if the "switch" is off, the background is black. Like this:

There's also a bulb with the world map on it next to the YouTube logo. When the 'light' is on, the bulb lit up, otherwise it is just dark. So awesome! Just a note to YouTube people - personally, I think the site looks better with the black background. Just saying ;)

I have been following the Earth Hour since it was first introduced to the public in 2009. You can read my first encounter with this celebration here.

p/s: ♫♪ They say that girl ya know she act too tough, tough, tough. Well it's till' I turn off the light, turn off the light. ♫♪

My Crazy Sister, Shalia

2011-03-24T11:05:00.010+08:00

Ahhh another long pause between entries. Since started working, I spent most of my time at home with my family - dinner and TV time together. I get online at night for a couple of minutes just to ensure that my weekly downloads are on schedule ;) I am grateful that my phone's internet is enabled now. So at least I could get on Facebook and Twitter in between, especially during traffic jams.

If you have been reading my blog since the beginning, you would know that I love photography. I am not that good, though. Still learning. And my skill is limited to an 18-75mm kit lens. I know. I need to get new lenses to go wild. I will, soon. Promise.

What I want to share in this entry is a couple of pictures I took few months ago in Taman Tasik Perdana (Perdana Lake Garden). There is a man-made pond in the middle of the park with a man-made waterfall. There are also tens of Japanese Koi in it. I did not bring my DSLR along, so these pictures were taken using my camera phone, E72 (5.0MP).

I angled my phone lowest possible so that the pictures look like they were taken underwater. And the last picture is..........my crazy sister, Shalia.

p/s: ♫♪ I'm not crazy, I'm just a little unwell. ♫♪

Brother Maher Zain

2011-02-26T16:08:00.019+08:00

Dah lame tak update blog nih. Jom sambung! ;)

So, since I started working, 3 weeks flew by so quickly. Though learning new stuff are pretty scary, I'm kinda having fun at the office everyday. Sometimes, I just apply what I know and share with others. So far, with the help of a close friend, I think I'm doing fine.

But, enough about work. I'm feeling tired already by just mentioning the word. Not that I don't enjoy the working world, but the same routine every day is going to stress me out one day.

Now, really, enough about work. What I want to share with all of you is my experience last night ;)

After weeks of searching for the tickets, finally one day I got a call from Ms. BFF, Datin Noraishikin.

"Eh, Kak Jah, ko nak tiket Maher Zain tak? Dak ofis aku ade opening. Harga MYR53. Ko nak tak?"

What do you think my answer was? Of course lah "Naaaaaaakk!!". Hahaha so I arranged for 3 tickets - for me and my two sisters. Another sister couldn't come along, duty calls. Too bad.

That call was about two weeks ago. And since then, I listened to Maher Zain's CD in the car on the way to and from the office. And I have my own speakers and headphones, so more Maher Zain at the office. Just to brush up my lyrics so that I could sing along at the concert :P

25th February, the day finally come. I went to work as usual. But my heart beat wasn't usual. It was because of the excitement of what's happening later that day. I kept myself busy with work, so that I wouldn't notice the time. Without knowing it, it was already 5:30PM!

I left the office as soon as I can, went straight home. I have texted my sister earlier and told her to be ready by the time I got home. When I did, I freshened up a little bit, changed whatever I needed to change, and by 6:30PM we were already on our way to Stadium Malawati, Shah Alam.

Around 5:00PM, Kakak Datin was already at the scene to collect the tickets for us. She was with her cousin, Liya. The traffic was ridiculously jammed up that the three of us arrived at around 7:30PM. Met Kakak Datin at the main entrance, then the 5 of us took a tour from booth to booth around the carnival, and took a picture in front of DiGi's so called red carpet. *the picture will be uploaded by DiGi on their Facebook page, will let you know when it is already up there ;)*

Around 7:50PM, we went inside the stadium and took our seats. I wasn't that bad. We could still see the stage, though our view are being blocked by the gigantic screen and enormous speaker racks. The show finally started at almost 9:00PM. The curtain openers were our local nasyeed band, Inteam and one of Maher's friends, Irfan Makki.

During these performances, we noticed that the speakers in our section are not working. Or at least not working as we have expected. At first, we were disappointed but all was well when the organizer called the audience to fill up the empty seats up front. So, we skipped a couple of sections but still, the sound was bad. Then, Kakak Datin noticed a row of empty seats across the stage. She and her cousin went to check the seats out and as soon as they gave the "Okay", me and my sisters moved to the seats. Our new seats, the view and the sound were spectacular! Clear view, clear sound. We paid for MYR53 seats, we got MYR153 seats. Lucky us :)

Here is our previous view.

And this is the new one.

The show kicked off with Allahi Allahi Kiya Karo followed by Palestine Will Be Free, Always Be There, For The Rest of My Life, Hold My Hand, Insha Allah, Open Your Eyes, Thank You Allah, The Chosen One, Ya Nabi Salam 'Alayka, Subhanallah, and Barakallah, but not in the respective order. Maher also introduced his new song, which according to him was written a week and a half earlier, called Freedom. This song was inspired by the political crisis in the Arab countries. It's a great song!

During a short break, another friend of Maher's, Mesut Kurtis, took the stage. He serenaded us with Never Forget and two other songs which I am sorry that I have totally forgotten their titles.

Maher looked very comfortable on stage and knew how to handle huge audience. When the audience requested for encores, he generously granted our wishes. Hence, he sang Insha Allah 3 times, Barakallah 2 times, and Freedom 2 times.

All in all, we enjoyed the show very much! I recorded some videos of the songs and uploaded them to YouTube. Take a look - Barakallah, For the Rest of My Life, and the new song, Freedom.

Enjoy! :) **Thanks, Kakak Datin for the experience! Love ya!**

p/s: ♫♪ Tell me when will you be mine. Tell me quando, quando, quando. ♫♪

Let's Go Green!

2011-01-19T17:53:00.006+08:00

I am sure that most of us are familiar with this card or ticket. Yes, it's the Projek Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan Berhad (PLUS) highway ticket. I sent my sister to work this afternoon and we used the PLUS highway to Subang. Since we were out of SmartTAG credit, we went for cash.

*Side note: I think it is convenient for people who live in KL to own a SmartTAG. Especially people who need to go thru Sungai Besi and LDP every single day. Besides, tolls are everywhere in KL. And so is heavy traffic!*

Okay, let me just explain the process a little bit. When entering the highway, at the toll gate, we will be given this ticket and we will have to hand it over to the toll gate attendant when exiting. This ticket holds the information like where we entered the highway from as well as the time. So, at the exit, the attendant will scan the ticket and collect the charge. The charge is different according to the distant from where we entered to where we arrived. So, different exits, different charges.

While driving back home from Subang, I wondered to myself. Is it possible for them to use re-usable plastic cards to replace this paper-made tickets? Maybe plastic tickets like the LRT tickets. I mean, after all, we're campaigning to save the world, right? Maybe using plastic cards will reduce the usage of paper a little bit, if not much.

STAR LRT ticket

Touch 'n Go card

SmartTAG

This is just my two cents and I'm just being optimistic to hope that they do recycle all those used cards. Just imagine how many cars are using the highway everyday. Though we have Touch N' Go and SmartTAG, there are still a lot of highway users who prefer cash.

p/s: ♫♪ Life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long. ♫♪

The Signs Have Changed!

2011-01-16T16:32:00.010+08:00

I saw/heard about it on Twitter; fabulous Ms. Katy Perry tweeted about an astrological sign shift & hoax thingy earlier today.

Then, I found a link on Yahoo! News which is related to the buzz. Here it is. And according to the article, here are the new signs with their respective months. And to my surprise, there is a new star sign being introduced - Ophiuchus!

Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16

Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11

Pisces: March 11-April 18

Aries: April 18-May 13

Taurus: May 13-June 21

Gemini: June 21-July 20

Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10

Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16

Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30

Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23

Scorpio: Nov. 23-Nov. 29

Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17

Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20

Well, I guess I'm a Libra now. No longer a Scorpio. But I know am still soooooo Scorpio. Especially the 'favorable colors' part.

p/s: ♫♪ I'm not sure what I see. Cupid don't mess with me! Are you telling me this is a sign? ♫♪

Beckham: "No thumbs. Just fingers!"

2011-01-11T13:18:00.006+08:00

Ellen DeGeneres is simply awesome! I love watching her show - funny and light. Especially this one in particular, featuring the ever so handsome athlete - David Beckham. If you watch the show, you'd know that Ellen just loves to prank people. Dennis Quaid, Sofia Vergara, Taylor Swift and many other celebrities who have been pranked or played along with Ellen to prank other people. This time, it's David's turn.

Here's the situation. David was just finished with his interview with Ellen on the show. At the same time, in a dressing room backstage, there was a masseuse who had no idea who was her customer. David had an earpiece which he could hear Ellen giving him direction of what to do or say. Here comes David! Enjoy!

Funny stuff, right? ;)

p/s: Congratulations to the Beckhams! They are expecting a new member of the family summer this year! *hope it's a girl*

Fire Hydrants | Take 1

2011-01-10T17:47:00.014+08:00

Coincidentally, after reading an entry about a fire-hydrant-themed photo contest, I found one interesting fire hydrant in KL. This afternoon (January 10, around 3:00PM), I had to go out and pick up my mom's baju kurung from her tailor ~~Lautner~~ in Medan MARA. Since parking is a little bit of a challenge there, I went with my sister. I just dropped her off at a zebra crossing in front of the building and waited for her in the car across the street.

From Jalan Raja Laut, I took left into Jalan Merpati just before the Quality Hotel. I made a U-turn and parked on the left side of the road. Just right after I pulled the hand brake, on my left, I noticed a unique fire hydrant surrounded by a 'mini jungle'. To be honest, I think this kind of fire hydrant is very rare. The usual ones are the 'T-shaped' fire hydrants. But this one is a little round-ish and, for the lack of a better word, 'chubby'.

However, if anything happens, I'm pretty sure the fire fighter will take some time to find this hydrant and it will take some more time to work around all those trees. I can't help but wonder whether the hydrant or the trees were planted there first.

In my humble opinion, we should've made a little space for the hydrant. Not that the hydrant needs to breathe or anything, but just look at it. Maybe I just think that a fire hydrant should have it's own space so that fire fighters can work around it easily which will make rescue processes run smoothly (without 'hurting' the trees).

In a glance, anybody could overlook this fire hydrant - it is short but I guess that's the standard size, no designated signboard to point out the location, and the faded yellow color kinda blends in with it's surroundings. Maybe that's why some fire hydrants are red in color. *wonders*

p/s: ♫♪ Don't play with me 'cause you're playing with fire.. ♫♪

Fire Hydrant

2011-01-10T12:58:00.005+08:00

Have a look at this blog. The author is hosting a 'fire-hydrant-themed' photos contest!

How to participate: snap a few pictures of a fire hydrant (FH). It could be pictures of illegally parked vehicles by ignorant drivers towards FH areas, a unique FH, an abused or vandalized FH, any picture with an FH in it! But, make sure the FH is yellow in color and the pictures are taken in Malaysia. Meaning, local FH's only.

Proceed with writing an entry about the snapped FH in your blog and include 3 or more pictures in the same post. Then email the organizer with 2 selected pictures with your details. The contest starts January 6th and ends February 28. For more info, please click the given link ;)

I remember taking a picture of a fire hydrant FH in KLCC during our Aquaria visit last year. My memory rushed to this particular picture and started digging my folders and found it! But, too bad I only have one photo of the FH. Seems like I have to visit KLCC once again and have more pictures of the hydrant taken! ;)

p/s: ♫♪ Just gonna stand there and watch me burn. But that's alright because I like the way it hurts. ♫♪

It's A 'NO'

2011-01-07T17:15:00.007+08:00

Finally, the results are out. It was my sister who found out about the notice on the website. So, I went on and checked my status. I felt neither excited nor nervous. It was a fifty-fity chance, and somehow, half of me was confident that I got it, and another half not. I keyed in my IC number and here it is..

Unfortunately, it's a NO.

Throughout the process, I've got two YES's and a NO. This means, if it was American Idol, I'd be half away across the world to Hollywood by now. Heehee. But, don't worry about me, 'cause I'm not frustrated (my mom may be, though). I'll try it again some other time.

Thank you all for the support! Cheers!

p/s: Teaching is not a job, it's a passion! ;)

I'm Not Into Chemical, But I Love My Chemical Romance!

2011-01-03T13:50:00.007+08:00

Finally, after four years, their latest album is out! Danger Days : The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoy simply exhibits the extension of the band's capability in producing quality tunes. Though the lyrics are as rebellious as ever, and the harder we try to deny the meaning of the songs the closer we come to realize that they reflect the real world. Deep, eh? Plus, I like the fact that they are experimenting with different kind of sounds and instruments to create fresh and current feel to the songs.

After listening through the album, I've fell in love with Bulletproof Heart, NaNaNa, Planetary (Go!), Scarecrow, Summertime, and The Kids From Yesterday. And I know I'll just love the others as much after listening to them over and over again. Also to the Sims' fans, the song NaNaNa is also available in Simlish! Just like Lady Antebellum did with Need You Now.

One of my favorite line is from the song The Kids From Yesterday - 'you only hear the music when your heart begins to break'. We might have different understanding or interpretation of the words, but we know it means something and that something is eerily true!

In a nutshell, this album rocks! MCR is indeed a band of a generation. Congrats!

p/s: Give me a shot to remember!

Fever Attack

2011-01-02T15:03:00.006+08:00

Not Bieber Fever. At least, not yet. :P

2011 is here. So, here we go.

I've been attacked by a very high fever a couple of days ago. I think it started on the 28th. It wasn't that bad, at first, that I thought I could get over it over night. Unfortunately, the next day, it got worst. So, my parents took me to the clinic nearby. It wasn't our regular clinic. I mean, if any of us fall sick, we would visit another clinic in Taman Ehsan, Kepong. However, every Thursday night there is a pasar malam (night market) along the street in front of the clinic. And usually the clinic will call it a day early and the street will be cramped with people as early as 5:00PM.

The first clinic, Klinik Reddy in Jalan Ipoh. I've been to the clinic a couple of times within a few years. Amazingly, they are still using the manual record-keeping system; with the cards and slips and everything. Maybe it's too complicated to put in a database or something. So, the receptionist took some time to look for my card. They found my sisters' cards, but not mine. Then another lady came out, I think she's an assistant or something, helped the receptionist to find my card. They asked when was the last time I came to the clinic. I said, recently; maybe a few months back. Then the kept asking the same question over and over again. It was a good thing that both ladies were friendly enough to keep us cool. After 5 minutes, tadaaaaa! They found my card. And then there was a discussion about whether or not I'm still covered under panel. You know what, it doesn't matter. I can't stand the heat anymore and if you want us to pay for the bill, we will. Okay.

I was the only patient there; it was a relief to know that I didn't have to wait long. A few moments later, I went inside to meet the doctor with my mom. The doctor lose my faith in her the second I laid my eyes on her. I think she's in her late 50's. But, I thought to myself, maybe she still got it. Looks can be deceiving, right? (Though I know that that expression is usually used in opposite situations) I sat on the chair next to her desk and she asked me what's wrong and I described what I was having. She took her stethoscope and pressed it on my back, listened to my heartbeat for a few seconds. And then she asked a couple more questions, I answered while she dribbled on my card and I'm done! Less than 2 minutes, I tell you!

We waited outside. In my head, I thought that the doctor herself looked like she needed a trip to the hospital. I can barely understand what she was saying. Now, I'm afraid if I have heard her wrong and could that be the cause of the meds not working? Gasp. But, naaah. I went to the counter when my name was called. There were pills for fever, sore-throat, vitamin C, and a bottle of cough syrup. Well, that should do it.

We left, got in the car, and my father drove off. I was taking a look at the meds when I noticed the doctor prescribed me paracetamol! Don't you think I could've bought a whole bunch of the same stuff from 7-Eleven? So, I started looking through the plastic bag - Vitamin C; tasted like the 21st. Century vitamin series, the sore-throat pills; tasted like Cortal. And the cough syrup, you guys still remember, when we were kids years ago, what clinics used to gave us for coughing, right? The black syrup in a plastic bottle which looks like this:

Yeah. That clinic still has it.

Though I know the pills won't make any difference, I swallowed them down after dinner, finger crossed. Just like I've expected, the fever got worse when I woke up the next morning. So, I insisted on going to the second clinic; our regular clinic - Klinik Medical Hilmi or maybe Klinik Medic Al-Hilmi, based on the way they wrote it on the label. As advised, I took the medication after dinner and went to sleep half-an-hour later. Then slowly, my temperature started to decrease from the initial reading of 38.7 degrees Celcius! Now, I'm feeling so much better compared to the last two days which I spent most of the hours laying in bed.

On the other hand, I think I know what has induced the fever. Yesterday, I noticed that the gum around my third molar (the one they called the 'wisdom tooth') is swollen, revealing the tooth underneath. They said, sometimes, you may catch a fever when this particular tooth finally decided to grow in. Phew!

Well, I'm feeling better today. Just a little bit dizzy every now and then; which made me incapable of standing up for too long. So, I'll just continue taking the antibiotic and hope to fully recovered from the fever soon. And thank you, friends, for the kind wishes on my Facebook wall. You guys are the best!

p/s: ♫♪ Never know how much I love you, never know how much I care. When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that's so hard to bear. You give me fever! ♫♪

Bonjour, 2011!

2011-01-01T00:00:00.005+08:00

Me, today:

Age: 25 years 2 months old
Height: 162 cm
Weight: 45 kg
Status: Single (still)
Working/Unemployed: Unemployed (still)
Pets: 10 cats - Russell, Wallie, Awokk, Abg Cik, Poyen, Butang, Meway, Milo, Mika (aka Kaka), & Mia (aka Princess)
Assets: A Black Proton Saga BLM, a DSLR - Sony Alpha 200 and HP Compaq Presario CQ40 (no new addition)

Another new year, eh? Though I know it's too cliche to say that the days went by in a blink of an eye, but it's kinda true. 2010 offered me so many high hopes and heartbreaks, but sometimes I was blinded by my judgment, I turned a 'high hope' into a 'heartbreak'. *sigh* Frankly, 2010 was really not my year because the number of 'heartbreaks' are higher that 'high hopes'. They all revolved around death and my jobless situation.

First, I've lost three dear friends between the month of April and June - Zarina Abdul Ghafir, Ihsan Shuib, and Aidil Othman. That gave me moments of dumbstruck.

And here we go about my employment situation. I started the new year with no job. I left the previous company in early December. I started working again in March. Went jobless again in June. Worked again in September. Jobless again in November, until now. Phew! But, I'd never regret all these. I had fun! I cherished every moment of it and gained everything I could from the experiences. I'm better now and nobody can break me. Haiyyyyaahhh! And one more thing, I applied for a teaching position with MARA. So far, I've been through 2 stages of interviews and waiting to be called for the final one. Fingers crossed!

Okay. Enough with the heavy. Though my 2010 was almost filled with tears, I had great times with my friends and family too! We had a couple of family trips - to Alor Setar, Port Dickson, Kuantan, I drove to Kluang (I've finally found a town that I could live in besides KL!), I drove everywhere! I had two vacations with my BFFs - to Tioman Island and Cameron Highlands. The trips were absolutely fun! Besides these big trips here and there, I spent good, no..GREAT times with people I love. Went out shopping and had wonderful dinner (Wong Solo!) at wonderful places (IKEA is the best place to hangout these days. And the meatball - who could say no to that?). Had a reunion potluck with college friends. Spent time with my parents at nurseries in Sungai Buloh (our house is 'greener' now). And thanks, daddy for the new bed frame (LEIRVIK)! I'm also in the process of 'remodeling' my bedroom. Daddy, bila nak beli cat ni? ;)

And the cherry on top - Adam Lambert Glam Nation tour!! Seriously, I still can't believe I went to that concert. It was absolutely fun! Looking forward to Michael Buble and Justin Bieber's concert next year. This year. I mean 2011. ;)

These are among the many things that I am grateful for each day - to have family and friends. Happy new year one and all! Cheers!

p/s: Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?

You better watch out..

2010-12-19T12:45:00.002+08:00

You better not cry. You better not pout, I'm telling you why.
MICHAEL BUBLE is coming to townnn..!!!

When most people of my age love indie rock or maybe RNB, I love Jazz! I can't remember when I was first introduced to his music, but I remember falling in love with his art instantly. He's great at what he's doing and with his voice, he simply puts Jazz back on the map of entertainment again. Well, at least on my map of entertainment. Can't wait for the tour to arrive in KL! Enjoy!

p/s: I'm saving up for this! Definitely! But, I think we'll be off to Perhentian Island for family day! I just hope that they'll somehow reschedule the tour dates..*fingers crossed*

I Think Bruno Is From Mars, But Bruno Mars Isn't

2010-10-28T13:40:00.010+08:00

I first heard of him in Nothing On You by B.O.B. Then Billionaire featuring Travie McCoy. And now, this flattering cute song - Just The Way You Are.

Bruno Mars performing Just The Way You Are live on Saturday Night Live S36E03. Lovely song, ain't it? (And yes, Gleeks. It's Sue Sylvester.)

His debut album, 'Doo-Wops & Hooligans', is just out and I managed to get a copy of it. I had a chance to listen through the whole album, and so far the nominees for songs-that-will-be-put-on-repeat are - Grenade, Runaway Baby, The Lazy Song, Talking To The Moon, Count On Me, and Liquor Store Blues, a reggae song featuring the youngest son of the Great Bob Marley, Damian Marley. With different genres and great voice performance, I think it is a good debut album. Congratulations, Bruno Mars!

p/s: Waiting for Lady Gaga's & Taylor Swift's new albums.

My GlamNation Experience

2010-10-27T12:29:00.016+08:00

I have been a fan since he was one of the contenders in American Idol season 8 (AI8). Every performance is always better than the previous one. Need I say more about his vocal ability? He never fails giving me goosebumps with his outrageous performances. Yes, he's dramatic. Yes, he wears eyeliner or what they call it - guyliners. And yes, he's gay. But, though I've never met him in person, I know that he is a good human being.

So, when I heard that he is coming to Malaysia, I tried my hardest, my best to get a hold of the tickets. I want to be there no matter what. But, after two weeks trying to no avail, on the morning of October 14th, I've already gave up hope. I told myself, "Don't be sad. He'll come again someday. Next time, I'll make sure that I'll be there." That morning, I did not listen to the radio while driving to work. I know that they were gonna talk about the concert and how they were excited about it. Some radio stations even aired interviews with him. I didn't wanna listen to it.

Instead, I put on the CD. But, it took me some times to choose which one to listen to. I couldn't listen to Lady Gaga or Katy Perry or Ke$ha; they'd remind me of him. I couldn't listen to MCR; they'd remind me of him, too (though I'm not really sure how both of them are linked - the guyliner, maybe). I couldn't listen to Kris Allen; that would remind me of him even more. Finally, Taylor Swift's Fearless. That soothed me a little bit.

I got myself busy with work and I almost have forgotten about it when around 5:00PM, my dearest friend Skyped me. Yup, I always have my Skype on at the office; it's easier to, you know, gossip. So this friend (Shikin), has a friend, whose husband was working as a bouncer at the stadium where the tour was happening and happened to had two complimentary tickets! Shikin gave me her friend's number and we texted a few bits and I'm hooked!! The two tickets are MINE!

So, at 5:30 sharp, I left the office and reached home at around 6:15. Thank you, traffic, for being 'nice'. Freshened up a little bit, then left again at around 6:40. I had two tickets so I asked my sister Shasha to tag along. To avoid getting trapped in a hideous traffic jam after the show, I refused to drive there. So, we took the train from Sentul to Bukit Jalil. A long the way, I spotted a few people with black leather, nails polished in black, and of course, eyeliners. I know where were those guys going just by looking at how they dressed up.

When we almost reach the final stop, I felt my heart racing with excitement. I mean, this is real. This is huge. For me, at least. Because it was my first time watching an international-artiste performance ever. I'm gonna be in the same room, under one roof with Adam Lambert! So, we got our the tickets from our friend and were ushered to our seats. The seats were awesome. Though, they were a little bit far from the stage, I could say that the view was great. We could see what was happening on the stage as well as the rest of the stadium. What I liked the most about it was, we were the only ones in the section. It was kinda like the VIP section for us. That's the thing about me. I wanna go to concerts but I hate being in a crowd. So those seats were perfect for me.

The show started with 2 opening acts by 2 local artists who sang Jay Sean's & Bon Jovi's songs (haha!). Then here comes His Hotness the King, Adam Lambert! I tell you, I almost cried! Now I know why people cried watching Michael Jackson. The feeling to watch your idol performing on stage, live, is incredible.

Some of the songs - Down The Rabbit Hole, For Your Entertainment, Fever, Broken Open, Aftermath, Surefire, Strut, Music Again, Mad World, 20th Century Boy, and more. My favorites were - Ring Of Fire, If I Had You, Whataya Want From Me, Sleepwalker, and Soaken. I was hoping that he'd sing Time For Miracles. But I got my Ring Of Fire, so I'm fine *smiles*. Now, I believe with all my heart that he can truly sing live and sounds just as good as he sounds in CDs. His voice is unbelievably, indescribably breath-taking! You have to experience it yourself. It's outta-this-worldly amazing!

*****

On Thursday 14th October 2010, @adamlambert tweeted:

Excited to perform for my Malaysian fans tonight!!! My priority is giving you a great show, and I don't mind making a slight compromise to do so. You all are more than worth it!!! Bust out the glitter!!!

*****

So here, I'm gonna share two of the videos that I recorded at the scene - If I Had You and Whataya Want From Me. Enjoy!

The videos got distorted after uploading them here, but the audio are still good.

The same week, Maher Zain also had a concert here in KL. Unfortunately, no one inform us about it earlier. Otherwise, we would've been be rocking up that show, too. Please come again, Maher Zain! And Paramore, too!

p/s: Thanks, Adam for the great show and for honoring 'the rules'. Which means, if you wanna come to KL again, you are most welcomed with open arms. Cheers :)

I Skipped A Month

2010-10-21T22:17:00.011+08:00

Wow. Not a single entry in September. I guess my new job is keeping me busy and I have literally no time at all to post new entries nor share my out-and-abouts.

So, what happened in September? Yea..Eid is what happened in September. We celebrated this holy day on the 10th. day of the month. This year, it was kinda weird. My sister is working as a flight attendant now, with Firefly (Malaysia's domestic airline). Coincidentally, she had to work on the eve of Eid and spent the night in Penang, and was back in KL the next day (technically on the 1st. of Eid itself). So what we did was, we went back to Pahang on the 9th. and were back in KL on the 10th. (already??) To me, the celebration was a little bit less fun. Usually, we would be in our hometown a week before Eid; tidy up the house, help with the cookings and what not; and will only be leaving about a week later. This year, one day only. One. Uno. But, despite that, we did have fun together! The laughter never fades! Alhamdulillah :)

What else in September? Oh yes! I got a new job. Though it's temporary, it's better than doing or earning nothing at all, right? It's a totally new, different "world" to me. I've learned so much and I'm glad that I said YES to the offer. The people are very friendly and the pace of business is F1 kinda speed. You blink, you miss! Nope. Not exaggerating :P

Also in September, Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (Malaysian Army) football/soccer team was included in the Piala Malaysia league for the first time. We had the chance to watch 2 games live at the stadium. I never knew that it would be soooooooo much fun! The energy and vibe are different than watching the game on TV. You feel so present in the game and became the unofficial commentator who no one pays any attention to. Even though the team did not make it to the final, I cherish the experience and look forward to any football/soccer league in the future. And now I know why they brought the Vuvuzela to the World Cup - because it is so FUN! But I still hate to listen to it on TV, though.

And another thing that is keeping me busy in September is the return of all TV series! Yup! The new season begins. I have been following Glee, Chuck, 30 Rock, Cougar Town, and Saturday Night Live. I watched Mercy, too. Unfortunately, no mercy for Mercy. Due to low ratings, Mercy has been discontinued which means no Season 2. Too bad. But for others, the season premieres started to air from September 22nd. Glee - 2nd season, Chuck - 4th Season, Cougar Town - 2nd Season, 30 Rock - 5th Season, and SNL - glorious 36th season. To date, all series have reached episode 5, except for Glee (ep.4) and SNL (ep.3). Not sure why they skipped this week. Anyone knows? Care to share?

And Keeping Up with the Kardashians, too!

p/s: Can't wait for 2011 to come and see what it has to offer. Because 2010 was such a shitty year for me, I just can't wait for it to end.

Chuck Can Sing!!

2010-08-31T16:59:00.003+08:00

Yup, Chuck (Zachary Levi) can sing! Now my life is perfect! Haha

p/s: Love this song so much. Be it Kara, Katherine, or Didi Benami's version. Or maybe even my version. Haha just love it ;)

Indon oh Indon

2010-08-28T05:48:00.005+08:00

While we are proud and excited to celebrate the 53rd. Merdeka, the Indonesians find it fun to burn our flag - Jalur Gemilang. This is their so-called protest on three of their men being taken into Malaysia's custody for some marine-borders issue. Since then, they have been bugging our ambassador in Jakarta with demonstrations, poopy-throwing, and abusing the embassy's office.

Let me remind you, Indonesia. It is fine to protest. We get it. Have it your way. But, when you go and burn the flag, that just crosses the line. Flag is sacred, man! We don't even let it fall to the ground, let alone burn it. Flag is a respectful symbol of a country, dummy. Would you be okay if we burn yours? You see, we have all the reasons in the world to be mad at you and do the same as what you did to us. But why didn't we? Of course we are afraid. Afraid that things will get worse and ruin the diplomatic relation between us, though I'm pretty sure that this relation brings more benefit to you than to us.

Maybe many of you question this diplomatic relation that we have. Maybe most of you think it is better if we don't have any relationship at all, like Israel with most countries of the world. Maybe many of you hate us so much that you want nothing to do with us anymore. But, it is a big wonder in my little humble mind - why do we have hundreds of thousands of you here in Malaysia, looking for jobs?? Why do we have thousands of your students here?? And why do we have thousands of pendatang haram (illegal immigrants) from your good land here in Malaysia?? Why thousands of you got married to us just to get the Permanent Resident status?? WHY? If we are as inconsiderate and cruel as you claimed we are, then please have your people back! We have enough trouble already.

Thank goodness that most of us understand your behavior pretty well that we're just going to let you guys have your 'protest', throw all the poopy you want, abuse the office and what not. Because we know that there is a rational way to settle everything. It's 2010. We've been through civilization already. But, I guess some people must've missed that.

Last but not least, things happen for reasons. If you think that the marine authorities woke up that day feeling like restraining people for fun, think again.

p/s: Tun Mahathir said that we can protest too. But there are a lot of intelligent ways to do so.

Rubik's Cube

2010-08-26T21:25:00.005+08:00

I can solve a Rubik's cube on my own (after a lot of practice, of course). But, not as fast as this guy can and also I did it with my eyes wide open! This guy, can solve the cube while being blindfolded!! That's insanely amazing.

p/s: One thing that I can do while being blindfolded - SLEEP.

Ramadhan 2010

2010-08-12T21:59:00.005+08:00

As usual, I have printed out the fasting table of 5 of us and put it on the fridge. We came up with this table when I was about 10 years old. Our grandma loved to reward us according to how many days we've completed our puasa. As we get older, this table has become a must to keep track of how many days to ganti before the next Ramadhan.

Alhamdulillah we've completed two days of puasa. Insya Allah, 28 days more to go :)

p/s: I don't really eat during sahur. I'd just have some milk or milo, some tea, and plain water. Then, I'm good for the rest of the day ;)

Meow!

2010-07-31T07:39:00.014+08:00

I just can't get enough of this creature! I could spend hours playing with them, taking pictures of them, though it is not an easy thing to do! They run and bounce and jump and then run again. Spending some time with them could be an exercise, too! 'Cause at the end of the session, you'll sweat like you've been working out at the gym. Phew!

Here they are..

p/s: "When your cat climbs into your lap, tucks in his paws under himself, and begins to purr, all is right in his world" - www.petplace.com

It's 'Thank You' and 'You're Welcome' in Malay

2010-07-27T18:25:00.006+08:00

I've just finished watching Mercy - one of the latest TV series in Malaysia. It's a cross between the serious ER and hilarious Scrubs. Because I hate waiting a week for a new episode, I downloaded the whole Season 1 from the Internet. No, not gonna tell ya the site here ;)

So, anyways. A short scene in this one episode, Episode 12 - Wake Up Bill, caught my attention. I was prouder to be Malaysian and a Melayu (Malay) for a moment there. MORE proud, okay? Don't get me wrong. It's not that I wasn't proud to be who I am before this. Just MORE proud. Prouder. *You gotta be more careful in what you write and say nowadays. If people get you wrong, you're gonna be in huge trouble.*

I've extracted the video and post it here. To my international readers, Melayu is a race mainly lives in Malaysia. And Bahasa Melayu (Malay Language) is our first language.

I have also seen and heard Bahasa Melayu being used in several other movies such as Anaconda 2 and Zoolander. Hope to hear it in more international movies to come. Congratulations.

p/s: I've always wanted to learn other languages such as French and Spanish.

His Majesty's Birthday

2010-07-13T03:15:00.012+08:00

On June 5th, me, my father, and two of my siblings spent our morning at Dataran Merdeka to witness the parade for our King's Birthday. My father is an army officer and he has been exposing us to military stuff since we were kids. I've got to say, we really do enjoy them; especially parades.

On this particular parade, I took a lot of pictures but from our spot, the angle wasn't that good. Most of the time, I only got the view of people's behinds. So, as usual, I gotta go through all the pictures and pick the better ones to share with you. And gosh, this process sometimes takes hours!

Ok, about the parade. HRH arrived at exactly 8:00am, because the big clock on Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad was striking eight. Then, after the doa recital, the parade started which involved men of the army, the air force, and the navy. The main subject was the Royal Banner Parade or what we call it - Perarakan Panji-panji Diraja. As a sign of respect, we have to stand up while the banner was being marched.

My father always remind us how we should treat the banner with respect and protect it with our lives. He said, if we were at war, don't ever let this banner fall to the ground. 'Cause this will only mean that we've lost the battle. If the bearer is dead, another person should grab the banner before it falls to the ground. Just keep it held high. Brave and proud." I think the national flag, the state flags, or any flag should be treated with respect too. It breaks my heart every time I see a flag get burnt, stepped on or left laying around like it means nothing.

Fuh! Talking about this could go endless. So anyway, here are some of the pictures that I took that day. Enjoy.

May Allah bless our King and his family to govern our beloved Malaysia in peace and harmony. Amin~

p/s: At 48, HRH is the youngest King ever! He was officially crowned as the King of Malaysia at the age of 44.

32 Days & 32 Countries

2010-07-12T20:56:00.005+08:00

As predicted by the infamous octopus, Paul, Spain was crowned the FIFA World Cup champion last night. Yes, they won with 1 goal to nil, and some Netherlands' supporters might say that winning with that score was not as great as Germany vs. Argentina, or Portugal vs. S.Korea. Well guys, it was great because they won the title. And besides, history doesn't really care about the score, either. Until the next world cup, people are going to ask "who was the winner of the last world cup?" and the next question would be "which team did they play against?", and the question about the scores may come after that or not at all.

However, for a few weeks, people are definitely going to talk about the dirty deed of Nigel De Jong towards Xabi Alonso. What the hell was that, man? You think Zizou did it, so you can do it, too? You were damn lucky the ref didn't flash you the red card.

De Jong, just get mentally ready before you go back to Man City

Anyways, congratulations Espana! To Netherlands, Germany, and Uruguay (and England), may you guys have better luck next time. I guess we're all gonna see a lot more new faces in the next world cup. Brazil, here we come!

p/s: Selangor vs. Kelantan, how's it gonna be? Haha

Heartbroken

2010-07-11T22:07:00.003+08:00

by Shima Ibrahim

There are so many things that I want to tell you

There are so many stories that I want to share with you

There are so many letters that I want to write to you

And there are so many songs that I want to sing to you

But my heart is broken into a thousand pieces

I wonder,

is there anything, anyhow or anyone at all,

that could mend the broken pieces,

and heal the wound someday?

But for now,

I'd rather have them broken

and scattered everywhere

For the wound is too deep

it left hideous scars that I loathe

in every breath that I take

There are so many pictures that I want to show you

But I'd rather keep them to myself

Because we just don't see eye to eye anymore

Paul Octopus

2010-07-08T18:29:00.008+08:00

What's buzzing in the news? What are people talking about? Why octopus or sotong became the hot subject today? It's because of Paul the Octopus and videos of his:

Videos credit to Associated Press on YouTube

His prediction for Germany vs. England

His prediction for Germany vs. Argentina

He's prediction for Germany vs. Spain

I guess nature just has a mind of its own and it was just a creepy coincident. I just hope that the octopus will be fine if one day his prediction comes out wrong.

p/s: Let's see if he can predict Netherlands vs. Spain, then. Or, does he can only predict when it is Germany playing? Then let him predict Germany vs. Uruguay ;)

On Hold

2010-07-08T12:00:00.005+08:00

I have been putting my entries about my last vacation to Cameron Highlands on hold for awhile. This is because I have hundreds of pictures to go through and pick the good ones and have them ~~edited~~ corrected in Picasa or LightRoom before uploading them here.

So, today I think I'll continue with the picture-selecting process and resume with the entries. Here we go!

Episode 1 - The Pilot
Episode 2 - Road Trip
Episode 3 - Winding Up the Hills
Episode 4 - The Farewell

p/s: Want another vacation! ;)

It Ain't Over Till It's Over

2010-07-06T14:44:00.002+08:00

Yup, the World Cup fever is still in the air, though we are drawing near to the end.

Okay, my sister was just talking about this Pepsi World Cup advert. There were Drogba, Messi, Lampard, Henry, Kaka and Arshavin, playing against the local people for some Pepsi. And also, featuring Akon. Kakok, you're gonna love this!

p/s: Pepsi or Coke? Brrrrrrr...!!

Jolly Joyful July

2010-07-05T16:41:00.008+08:00

WOW! It's the month of July. I was waiting for the 4th July, just to see what's Google Doodle would be on that particular day. However, I believe the internet has automatically detected your location, so we cant's see it in Malaysia. Darn it. I guess I'll have to Google it later.

Well, it's already past mid-year! Time flies, huh? Ramadhan is just around the corner; close to a month away. And I just realized that I haven't finished ganti my puasa yet! Oh no. Hence, I'll continue fasting (including today) and I think I have around 5 days more. Phew! Thank God, we still have time. With Ramadhan just a month away, Syawal is two months away! Fun time! But, my baju raya is not ready yet. I haven't even bought the kain, and ready-mades usually don't have my size (the down side of being skinny). But, never mind. I think I'll figure something out eventually.

Birthdays in July, we have four. My aunt's (2nd), my sis' (15th), my BFF's (17th), and my cuzzy's (22nd). It's been long since we had birthday parties. I think this year we should do something to celebrate. Besides, we still have yet to celebrate father's & mother's days, so maybe we can have a double celebration! That'd be absolutely fun! Kakok, can ar double celebration? ;)

I have also been waiting for July to come. Because, Eclipse is here! Yeah! Can't wait to watch it, though I know that Bella's totally gonna say yes. Go team Edward!

And also, the 2010 FIFA World Cup will come to its end this 11th. I find this year's World Cup very interesting. Most of the 'giants' went home earlier than we expected this year. My personal opinion is maybe most teams gambled with their new players, 'cause the senior ones are incompetent to perform any more. *sigh* So, now we are left with Uruguay, Netherlands, Germany, and Spain. I have a strong feeling that Germany is gonna go home with the trophy this year. Just saying.

July will also be a mark of one month I'm being unemployed. Well, shit happens, right? I don't wanna find another job, but I have to. I have a car loan to pay. I'm grateful that despite everything that tries to bring me down, I still have everything that keeps me going. I'm enjoying my time at home - sending my sisters to work, sending my brother to school, get some chores done. You see, there's a huge different between the things that you WANT to do and the things that you HAVE to do. I feel like involving in some big-time charity work with the things I want to do, but I'll feel like a slave doing things that I have to do. Yeah, I'm screwed up.

On a positive note, I hope everybody will enjoy the month of July as much as I will. I'll keep you posted!

p/s: All work and no play, makes Jack a dumb boy! Haha

The Top 8

2010-07-02T19:56:00.005+08:00

Now, we've come to the final 8.

1. Argentina
2. Brazil
3. Germany
4. Ghana
5. Netherlands
6. Paraguay
7. Spain
8. Uruguay

I think the most anticipating match for quarter finals is Argentina vs. Germany. Both teams are claimed to be two of the most powerful teams in football history. Since England lost to Germany, and I declared my support for Argentina, I just hope that Argentina will make it through. Sorry, Germany.

So, goodbye to South Korea, Mexico, USA, England, Slovakia, Japan, Chile, and Portugal. See you guys in 4 years. And Japan, well played versus Paraguay. Congratulations. During that match, my mom said that both teams forgot to bring their strikers! :P

p/s: Maybe it's too early, but my bet for the finals is: Argentina vs. Brazil ;)

Write The Future

2010-07-02T17:38:00.008+08:00

For those of you in Malaysia who haven't been to the cinema since the world cup fever started, you might have missed this cool advert by Nike - Write The Future. This ad is also aired on TV but not the full-length version. Have a look. It's interesting!

I hope that's not what Rooney is going to do after this :P

p/s: The ping-pong (table tennis) scene was Rooney vs. Federer ;)

Farewell, Lions..

2010-06-28T00:08:00.006+08:00

Though it's hard, I bid farewell to my beloved team as they lost to Germany 4-1 (2 actually, the other one should be counted!)

But, the World Cup fever must go on! I now announce my support for Argentina! Yeah!

p/s: In sports, when you are reaching 30 years old, you are already too old.

2010 FWC Sweet 16

2010-06-27T01:00:00.008+08:00

So, with tears and laughter, the group match is finally over. We've witnessed the 2006 FWC champion and runners up being sent home - addio, Italy & au revoir, France~! And I'm glad that England made it through, though I'm kinda nervous about them meeting the Germans tomorrow. Put your back into it, England!

Anyways, congratulations to:

1. Uruguay
2. Argentina
3. USA
4. Germany
5. Netherlands
6. Paraguay
7. Brazil
8. Spain
9. Mexico
10. South Korea
11. England
12. Ghana
13. Japan
14. Slovakia
15. Portugal
16. Chile

And congratulations again to Uruguay for their 2-1 victory over South Korea, which secured their tickets to the quarter finals. Kudos!

Good luck, England! *fingers crossed*

p/s: I noticed that kopitiams all around are quite busy this couple of weeks ;)

Never Say Never

2010-06-22T21:39:00.012+08:00

Date: June 22, 2010
Time: 17:00
Venue: KLCC
Accompanied by: Shasha & Shida
Duration: 140 minutes (2 hrs 20 mins)
Movie rate: 5 stars

Like father, like son. That's all I can say about Jaden. His acting is as good as his father's. And this movie, a remake of the 1984 film of the same name, is simply fantastic. The balanced combination between drama and comedy made this film interesting and fun to watch. I also feel that this movie premiered during the world cup campaign is just perfect. 'Cause basically, the story is about the rise of the underdog.

And Jackie Chan was as good as always. Though he's quite old now, we know that the man still got it from a scene where he fights off a bunch of bullies. He didn't hit them with his own hands, but the bullies ended up beating themselves up. Confused? Go watch it :P

Jaden is good at dancing too. He showed off a couple of skills in the movie, and yes he's pretty good. With acting, martial arts and dancing under his belt, Jaden exhibits another talent in the movie's soundtrack music video - Never Say Never, alongside the ever adorable Justin Bieber.

Credit to: JustinBieberVEVO channel on YoutTube

Highly recommended! :)

p/s: Fun, interesting movies are always out in the Summer! Love it!

If The Walls Could Talk

2010-06-21T22:20:00.005+08:00

It was one of the oldest buildings in Malaysia. It was our heritage. It held thousands of memories and tragedies. It was a reminder as well as a terrifying admonition to the criminals. Some ,who have walked through the gate, came out as much better people. But some, never learned any lesson. And for some, they went inside and never left.

It witnessed the rise of Kuala Lumpur. A century later, Kuala Lumpur witnessed it's ruin. What a shame. While others thought it should be kept as one of the nation's heritage, the others thought that it should be demolished to make room for city development. Oh please. That area is so congested that I can't imagine any more buildings to be squeezed in. It should have been a national museum and a tourist attraction. I guess money made people blind.

In memory of Pudu Jail
1895 - 2010

p/s: How does the new generation gonna learn about preserving our heritage from all this?

A.Y.A.H.A.N.D.A

2010-06-20T09:00:00.004+08:00

A father is the tough one. A father is a shelter. A father is a shield. The one who lift you up, keep you safe and warm, and protect you from danger. Ask anybody in the world, the answer is always "My father is the best in the world." Yes, my father is the best in the world.

He has a great sense of direction. He's a great driver. He's very good at time management. He's very generous. He loves his job and very good at it. He's strict. He's protective. He's very modest. And he has a pretty good sense of humor, too. He always think of the future before making decision on anything. He always make sure that his children will never feel a little hard in living our lives. Not even a little bit. Even if we do, he'll try with all his might to make it go away. We are not insanely rich, but we have everything we need to live a happy home. Indeed we are happy.

Though he's not good at showing his feelings and emotion, we know that he loves us very much. Like they say, "Actions speak louder than words." We love him with all our hearts, too.

Thank you for your love, for your attention, for your wisdom, for your trust. Thank you for everything. Happy Father's Day, Dear Papa! Love you always.

Aidilfitri 2009

p/s: We're gonna have the celebration of both Mother's day & Father's day later, when all 7 of us is home :)

To Infinity and Beyond!!

2010-06-20T02:00:00.008+08:00

Date: June 19, 2010
Time: 19:30
Venue: Mid Valley
Accompanied by: Shasha, Danish, Alin & Kamal Fahmi
Duration: 103 minutes (1 hr 43 mins)
Movie rate: 5 stars

As expected, Toy Story 3 was hysterical! Though it started off a bit slow, the pace picked up pretty nice and hell yes, it was funny! With new actions and interesting Buzz Lightyear's best kept sexy feature *wink*, everything was fresh from the oven. And towards the end, it gets a little bit emotional, as Andy had to leave them for college. *tsk..tsk..*

Highly recommended! ;)

Oh and, I love the Pixar short film before the movie begins - Day & Night. Congrats, Pixar!

p/s: Somebody please take me to watch Eclipse!

The Rise of the Underdogs

2010-06-19T12:35:00.013+08:00

I'm a little bit frustrated with this year's FIFA World Cup. The title says it all. All the big teams are not performing how we expected them to perform. We have witnessed they are not scoring A or A+ in their report cards (except for one or two teams). But, the underdogs, they keep surprising us match by match. I guess the word is not "surprising", "shocking" suits the situation best.

Okay, in my dictionary, these are the big guns, which we may have our bet on them to play in the finals. These are the teams which usually have the biggest number of supporters in the stadium, no matter where the World Cup is being hosted. BUT, let us all take a look at this:

Note: Besides the first four, the rest is not in particular order

1. Italy (last FWC champion!)

A tie 1-1 in the first round of group match, versus Paraguay! Come on! Oh and, by the way, you guys broke the World Cup trophy when it was in your hands, didn't you?

2. France (last FWC runners-up)

A tie 0-0 in the first round of group match, versus Uruguay! Then, another humiliation, they lost to Mexico during the second round, 2-0!

3. Germany (last FWC third place)

A little bit of sun after the rain, they beat the Aussies 4-0 in the first round of group match. Should I say "Well done", or is it too early? Oh yes it is. They lost to Serbia (0-1) during their second round of group match. *sigh*

4. Portugal (last FWC fourth place)

Well, Cristiano Ronaldo, seems like the curse that the English supporters have put on you since the 2006 FWC is not over yet. Portugal versus Ivory Coast was a 0-0 tie.

5. Spain

One of the biggest team of all. But, the Swiss didn't think so when they win over Spain 1-0 during the first round of group match. Pretty frustrating for the Spaniards supporters.

6. Brazil

North Korea made a statement before the 2010 FWC kicked off - "We're gonna beat Brazil". Well, they almost did when their first group match finished with Brazil win over North Korea 2-1. Just one goal away. ONE.

7. Argentina

A living legend as their coach, who never sits down on the bench, who always has, what appears to me, a good luck charm in his left palm. A supportive coach, I would say. But still, a 1-0 win over Nigeria is definitely shocking. Thank God they woke up during the match versus South Korea and win 4-1. Thank you, Gonzalo Hugain for the 3 consecutive goals. Thank you, South Korea for 1 own goal. Yup, not all four goals scored by the blue-white striped jerseys, though. Congratulations, South Korea for managing 1 goal through the Argentinian fort, and several almost-goals.

8. England

I'm an England supporter. So, these past 2 matches are very disappointing. Both matches ended with ties. 1-1 with USA, and 0-0 with Algeria! So, now, their number of goals = 1, and points = 2! Arghhh..!! If they never wake up, there's a pretty good chance for USA and Slovenia to represent Group C in the Round of 16! We miss you, Becks.

I believe that I can speak for all team supporters, we pray that you guys will "wake up" very soon and catch up with the scores. I think the organizers have banned the vuvuzelas, so stop making that thing as a reason for your poor performance. WAKE UP!

p/s: Local TV sucks! Don't promise live broadcasting if you can't afford to do so!

The Vuvuzela

2010-06-18T16:10:00.012+08:00

It is believed that Vuvuzela is a traditional South African musical instrument which has become the most controversial musical instrument of the year. Why? Because the World Cup spectators (at the stadiums) blow the Vuvuzelas during the matches, for the whole 2-hour stretch, non-stop. And according to some players, besides the sound distracting them from playing better games, the sound also keep them from having nice rest since the supporters even started blowing this instrument as early as 6:00AM!

For us who watch the game at home, the sound made us feel like watching TV in a bee farm with swarms of bees flying around the living room! So, to know how long you can take it, try this link: The Vuvuzela Game. Honestly, I can only stand it for barely 10 seconds! Let alone for 2 hours. @_@

I hope the organizer or FIFA or whoever incharge will do something about this. Not that we hate the culture, but for the love of the game, please do something to stop the Vuvuzela from distracting the players and other spectators. I can't even hear the commentators on TV. I think I can speak for other supporters, we prefer the classic cheers, chants, sings, the oohs, and the aahs. Please!

But, I have a feeling that Vuvuzelas are gonna be at other football tournaments, matches and leagues after this. God no!

p/s: Thanks Amirul Amilin from Facebook for sharing the link! :) And happy birthday, Ijaicool!

The Virtual Haircut

2010-06-18T15:22:00.007+08:00

I'm sorting out the files in my external hard drive. Soooooo many things to delete and make room for my newly downloaded TV series, movies, and music. Surprisingly, there are still folders and files from my Logitech time. Going down memory lane, I found this sound clip from our audio product training - The Virtual Haircut with Starkey Cetera Barbershop. Some of you might have listened to this clip. So, to the some others, I wanna share with you here.

Note: You're gonna need a headphone to experience this. And while listening to it, close your eyes!

You can read explanation regarding this Cetera Algorithm HERE.

p/s: Optical illusion is soooooo yesterday! ;)

The Sound Effects Choir

2010-06-15T16:35:00.009+08:00

I am a big fan of Ellen DeGeneres and I just found out that she hosted the 79th Annual Academy Awards. I finally got the chance to watch it last night. As usual, she was intelligently hilarious! She made a lot of jokes, made fun of people, but what's interesting is, she did it with respect.

However, it is not Ellen that I wanna talk about here. It's about one choir ensemble which performed at the show - the Sound Effects Choir. They make sound effects of a video clip , Elements & Motion, using only their own voices and body gestures! The sound of a man tap-dancing in the rain, the sound of a rocket taking off, the sound of cars racing, the sound of horses running, the sound of the wind, and many others! Just watch the video below and get ready to be impressed. :)

This choir group is also known as the 'Honda Choir' as they were featured in Honda Civic's 2006 TV ad. According to WikiPedia, this advertisement, which mainly shown in the Europe, "won the Gold Lion award in the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, generally regarded as the most prestigious international advertising festival. The advertisement was a contender for the Grand Prix during this event."

Simply amazing!

p/s: I was in my school's Choral Speaking ensemble when I was 11. We represented the District of Kerian, Perak once.

South Africa

2010-06-13T19:10:00.013+08:00

The season is here! The fever is here! The most anticipating sport event of the year is here.

THE 2010 FIFA WORLD CUP IS HERE!

First and foremost, to make it clear, I'm not the biggest fan of football/soccer. But I know the rules good enough to understand the beautiful game. Plus, it's here for one whole month, every four years! I might as well enjoy the fun, right? And enjoy the "view". If you know what I mean. (Becks, thank you for gracing our TV screen with your ever handsome face last night! *wink*)

So, back to the game. To know which game to watch, I got myself ready with the schedule of the fiesta..

Prepared by Yours Truly using MS Excel ;)

Up till this moment:

The first goal: Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa)
The fastest goal: Steven Gerrard (England) at 4 minutes
The first yellow card: Efrain Juarez (Mexico)
The first red card: Nicolas Lodeiro (Uruguay)
The first win: South Korea (2-0) to Greece

..and other 'firsts' and '-ests' that are less significant to my recognition. On air now is a battle of two underdog teams - Serbia vs. Ghana. And I'll stay up to watch ~~Miroslav Klose~~ Germany vs. Australia in the wee hours tonight, maybe with my baby brother Danish, with whom I watched ~~Steven Gerrard~~ England vs. USA last night. (Green, don't worry. Many more matches to come. Just don't repeat the same mistake. OK? @_@)

Though there are many other powerful teams on the green such as ~~Malaysia~~, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, and Netherlands, my support goes to England! Always have, always will. ;)

GO ENGLAND, GO!

p/s: Too bad that Sukan Malaysia (SUKMA) is also being held, of all dates around the year of 2010, now - from 10th to 19th of June.

Vacay S02E04 - The Farewell

2010-06-08T15:03:00.000+08:00

It's the last day. We checked out at around 10:30AM and continue with our exploration until about 3:00PM.

If you guys are wondering what is this place full of old stuff from God knows when, it is called The Time Tunnel located 1.5km from Brinchang. It was so fun reminiscing the good 'ol childhood-days. You'd go 'Awwww..', 'Yeah, I remember that!', 'We were like 8 or 10 when this came out'. They keep almost everything from every era. The soft drink bottles, the telephones, the classroom desks, the school shoes, the school bags, the erasers, the sharpeners, the telephones, the vinyls of every album, the candy jars, the posters, the signboards, the billboards, the commercial logos, the bus tickets, the calenders, the sewing machine, the hair steamer, the..the..EVRYTHING!

If you happen to visit Cameron Highlands, don't forget to visit this memory lane. The entrance fee is RM5:00. I don't know about you, but it was worth it for me.

After having such a great time at the Time Tunnel, we made another stop at Kak Ima's shoplot to buy some souvenirs and strawberries and veggies to bring home. Arrived in KL at almost 11:00PM.

p/s: More..

Episode 1 - The Pilot
Episode 2 - Road Trip
Episode 3 - Winding Up the Hills

Vacay S02E03 - Winding Up The Hills

2010-06-08T15:02:00.000+08:00

The day started early. We woke up at 6:30AM to watch the sunrise. Unfortunately, the view was blocked by a couple of high lands and we couldn't see the sun rising. But still, the view was breathtaking!

Our apartment - Puncak Arabella, Tanah Rata.

Then the exploration began at 8:30AM. First stop, Sungei Palas Boh Tea Centre.

Then after spending almost 2 hours at the plantation, we moved on to the next check point - Rose Valley.

Then we went to the Bee Farm, which is next to the Rose Valley. However, we didn't spend much time there, but we did buy some cacti. Moving on, we went to the Butterfly Farm.

Looking at the clock, it was already close to 3:00PM. So, we called it a day and went for lunch in Tanah Rata. We spend a couple of hours at the shops across the street and went back to the apartment. At 8:00PM, we went to the Brinchang Night Market. We almost go crazy with all the stuff they put on sale. If you are a fridge-magnet-freak and happen to be in Cameron Highlands, don't miss this night market! And don't forget to taste their sweet 'Jagung Cameron Highlands'. It's tasty! You don't have to cook it, EAT THEM RAW!

We had 'ayam golek' for dinner, and not for long, we were all 'tergolek' ourselves. Because of the spooky incident the previous night, we all slept in the living room that night. LOL! :P

p/s: More..

Episode 1 - The Pilot
Episode 2 - Road Trip
Episode 4 - The Farewell

Vacay S02E02 - Road Trip

2010-06-08T15:01:00.000+08:00

Though we slept at pretty late hours the night before, we managed to wake up at around 6.30 'cause we planned to make a move at 8:30AM. Surprisingly, we left home at 8:25AM! First mission - accomplished. We had breakfast at a mamak restaurant and headed for Cameron Highlands at almost 10:00AM.

Besides a minor traffic jam, I gotta say that the journey went smooth and safe. We reached Simpang Pulai at around 12:30PM and the peak at almost 3:00PM. First we went to the Strawberry Moment cafe for some refreshments and we met Kak Ima there for the apartment registration matters. After we get the keys, we went straight to the apartment - Puncak Arabella in Tanah Rata. It was a perfect apartment with amazing view.

After we've freshened up, we went out for a stroll around Tanah Rata. We stopped by at the KHM Strawberry Farm, but we we're a little bit late as the farm has already closed. However, the ice-cream counter was still open so we decided to have some home-made strawberry ice-cream while taking pictures. Delicious!

We went back to the apartment just before Maghrib, for some rest and shower. Then, Kak Ima and family came by for steamboat-in-your-living-room type of dinner!

And something happened that night that scared the hell out of everybody! Juwin, you owe us one! Hahaha

p/s: More..

Episode 1 - The Pilot
Episode 3 - Winding Up the Hills
Episode 4 - The Farewell

Vacay S02E01 - The Pilot

2010-06-08T15:00:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone! Yup, another vacation! This time, we drove all the way to Cameron Highlands (right on the border between Perak and Pahang). Initially, there were 8 of us, then two bailed out. Then another one (Teefa) as she is busy with her assignments and presentations (she's pursuing her masters). Don't worry too much, dear. You'll get through it smoothly, ok? And hope you can join us on the next vacay :) So, it came down to only the 5 of us - Shikin, Din, Kak Ija, Juwin, and Me.

On May 27th, after work, I went to my previous office in Bandar Utama to meet Shikin and Kano (to borrow his lens). Then, Shikin and I went back to her house in Bukit Jalil. At around 9:30PM, we went to Jaya Jusco Taman Equin to buy:

1. Cake to celebrate Teefa's (and Juwin's) birthday.
2. Junk food and soft drinks
3. Prawns - for steamboat in CH
4. Undergarments :P

We were very impressed with ourselves as we managed to get all those things in 20 minutes! After that, we went straight to LCCT in Sepang to pick Juwin up from the airport. Her flight, from Kuching, touched down at 10:30PM.

Teefa was from Putrajaya, where she met Kak Ija and they came together. We arrived home at exactly midnight. Shikin's sisters have helped us with the balloons and everything, and had the candle lit just before Teefa arrive.

And..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

The party was also meant for Juwin whose birthday was on Aprill 11th. We didn't get the chance to celebrate her birthday last month as she was not in KL during her birthday.

Happy birthday, Teefa! Wishing you all the best in your studies and future, and may all your dreams come true! To Juwin, may the best be yours! Wishing you guys all happiness that ever happened and hoped for the world. Love you always.

I'll continue writing about our trip in the next entry. This is just the introduction. ;)

p/s: More..

Episode 2 - Road Trip
Episode 3 - Winding Up the Hills
Episode 4 - The Farewell

Karaoke Party

2010-06-01T13:34:00.008+08:00

My sister, Alin, gave me this link since she knows how much I love singing and karaoke. To those who share the same interest, wait no more. Go to http://www.karaokeparty.com, register yourself and enjoy an array of songs to sing online. The interesting part is that this site provides a performance meter and you'll get rated at the end of the songs.

I've tried a couple of songs including Kelly Clarkson's 'My Life Would Suck Without You'. So..

Those Rachel Berry's gold stars will appear if you hit and hold the note long enough. I think the concept is similar to the famous game - Guitar Hero. Your score bar is at the top of the page.

This is your rate for the song.

Though it was not as good as singing with a real karaoke set, but this is absolutely fun. I'm gonna try and find the American Idol game and see what Simon has to say :P

p/s: Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day.

WTF? WTH? WTW??

2010-06-01T09:06:00.005+08:00

Yep. What the fuck? What the hell? What the what? I'm still in a good mood from our vacation, then this fucking thing happened. Thanks a lot for spoiling it. I know I get mad easily and this reaction may be premature, but I just can't stand it anymore.

I admit that I may have done a couple of mistakes here and there. I admit that I don't make the cut or live up to the expectations. I admit that I may have followed my own rules. I admit that I've been in my bubble all this time. I admit that I was still in the learning process.

However, come to think of it, at the back of my mind, I always knew that this is going to happen eventually. It's just a matter of time. But I've been pushing myself to believe that this is different and it will be alright. If any negative thoughts came across my mind, I would just let that kind of thoughts go away. Now I know. It's a sign from the universe. *My Vacay Team -> gelombang! Hahaha*

Having said that, I am or should I say we are not the only contributors to this fucked up situation. And some of our rights or Hak have been denied. It wasn't a demand, but it was a Hak of ours. Fine. I know they did not get what they have expected out of me, but you know what, vice versa.

My father has always been right. I don't know why I didn't listen to him this time. But I know exactly why all this while he's been staying out of the loop. This loop. Sorry, Papa. Should've listened to you earlier. But it's OK. I think lessons learned now.

*Sigh* Things aren't going to be the same again. And I'm gonna stick with my stand before that I will never gonna forgive this particular person till the day I die for various things that this person have done. I need to let this out. I have to. But writing anonymously like this doesn't help much. I need to find another channel to express how I feel and what I think.

So today, I'm gonna hang out with my mom, accompany her to get some things done or maybe a little shopping. In need of serious therapy right now! PRONTO. I'll get to this whole thing, well, maybe tomorrow. Adios.

p/s: It's open season, baby!

Google

2010-05-23T21:04:00.007+08:00

This is one of the reasons why I prefer Google to Yahoo or Bing or other search engines. Google has this thing called 'Google Doodle'. It's the modification done to the corporate logo on the main page to celebrate or recognize certain events. Last night, I discovered that Google is celebrating Pacman's 30th Anniversary and it is the first interactive Google Doodle since introduced in 1997. Yup. You can play on the doodle itself! Try it.

And here are some of my other favorites:

Sesame Street's 40th Anniversary

Teacher's Day

Paddington Bear's 50th Anniversary

New Year 2010

Michael Jackson's Birthday

Malaysia's Independence Day

Earth Day

Chinese New Year

They have also used this color-less logo in recognition of a major tragedy.

From Wikipedia: The design was apparently first used on the Google Poland homepage following the air disaster that killed President Lech Kaczyński in April 2010. A few days later, the logo was used in China and Hong Kong to pay respects to the victims of the Qinghai earthquake.

Well, keep the art coming, Google! We love it. At least, I do.

p/s: Though the word 'google' is a verb now, Google is not jumping up and down about it.

Lean On Me

2010-05-18T18:28:00.005+08:00

"Just call on me brother when you need a hand. We all need somebody to lean on. I just might have a problem that you'd understand. We all need somebody to lean on."

'Lean On Me' performed by the Glee cast (originally by Bill Withers)

p/s: Video credit to YourAMarsmallow from YouTube.

Happy Teacher's Day

2010-05-16T22:37:00.007+08:00

Maybe it's a little bit late to post an entry regarding this celebration, but I still wanna put it up.

So, 16 May was Teacher's Day here in Malaysia. I remember, when I was still in primary and secondary schools, this was one of the most fun days at school. Sometimes, the celebration took the whole day (full of activities involving teachers) which means no class at all. And I love preparing gifts for my teachers. Since my mother's a teacher, she was the one who always had several gifts suggestion. I think, it was like her wish list of what she would like to get from her students on Teacher's Day. Hahaha No..she said, it's the thought that counts. ;)

Between the age of 7 up until 22 (15 years!), I attended these schools:

Primary Schools
1. SK Kepong (FRIM), Selangor - 1992 to 1995
2. SK Methodist Parit Buntar, Perak - 1995 to 1997
3. SK Convent Father Barre, Sungai Petani, Kedah - 1997

Secondary Schools
1. SMK Convent Father Barre, Sungai Petani, Kedah - 1998
2. MRSM Gerik, Perak - 1998 to 2000
3. MRSM Balik Pulau, Penang - 2001 to 2002

Colleges
1. Kolej Poly-tech MARA Kuala Lumpur - 2003 to 2005
2. Multimedia University of Cyberjaya, Selangor - 2005 to 2007

Yea..I know. Quite a mouthful. If you are wondering why, well my father is in the royal army (since 1988 or so) and we moved around a lot. That's why my sisters and I attended a whole list of schools. And a side note - this is one of the reasons why I can speak fluent Northern slang.

So anyway, back to the teachers and schools' story.

I can't really remember my teachers from the primary school years. But, I do remember my Maths Teacher (who was also our classroom adviser) in SK Kepong FRIM (Standard 2 or Standard 3) named Aminah. She was very strict and fierce. But, because of her, I learned multiplication quicker that I thought I would. Hahaha. At the end of every class, she would have us stand on our chairs, and she would ask questions. Like quizzes. You'll get to sit down if you get the answers right. Otherwise, you'll get the infamous rotan! Despite that, I did enjoy her class, though. Unfortunately, she was transferred to another school before our mid-term break. We were pretty sad. So, I guess she's the only one from my primary years who I remember vividly until today.

Then move on to the secondary years. Form 1 - I spent a couple months in SMK Convent Father Barre before I went to MRSM Gerik. Personally, I think this was when my life started. I gained so much during my three years here. I can still remember my ID number: 98012! (it was 1998 and I was the twelfth person to register). We were the 'black sheep' of the school. While other forms had almost 200 students, we've only got 95 students, and we knew each other by full names! Sadly, we've lost one of our friends recently. RIP, Ihsan Shuib.

Ok, the teachers. I have a couple of favorites from Gerik - Cikgu Shah, Ustaz Rahim, Cikgu Makky, Sir Amin, Ustazah Rohayah, Cikgu Asri, Cikgu Rosli, Miss Jurifah, and a few others whom I can seem to remember the faces but not the names. If people ask who 'shaped' me, apart from my loving family, I would say these teachers. They left a very deep impact or mark in my life. I'm grateful to have teachers like them in my life. I'm pretty sure that there aren't many teachers like them nowadays. Because to them, teaching is a passion, not a job.

Moving on to MRSM Balik Pulau. Hmm..I only got a couple of favorites here. The strongest woman, other than my mother, I've ever known - Puan Norhayati Abdul Rahman aka Mama Yati. She went through a couple of tests from the Almighty, but still going strong. She is one tough lady. Go, Mama! I love her. I think we all love her. She treated us like her own children. And another one would be my English teacher, Miss Wan Azlina. She's fun! I think most English teachers are fun. I remember one time in 2002, she pulled me out of prep-class to help her out with something, and we ended up watching the World Cup! Hahaha. And one more, our dorm adviser, Miss Shue (damn I can't remember her full name! I think it's Shuhailawati or something. But, no. Definitely not Schuester). She was my Biology teacher and yeah..she made Biology fun to learn!

Then, college years. Sigh. There seems to be a huge distance between the students and the teachers, or lecturers. We were not as close as we were to school teachers. Maybe because the number of students in one class is larger, or maybe they just want it to be that way. Anyhow, I do have some favorites - Puan Maziah (or Mazurah). I can't remember which one is the right one. I think it's Maziah. But, one of them is very sweet and supportive, and the other couldn't stop encouraging us to drop out and continue our studies somewhere else. I don't really understand what is her motive, though. Then, Puan Hasnon, Puan Amnah, and another two lecturers whom I can't remember the names.

In MMU. Another sigh. The distance is much bigger. Some of the lecturers, I don't even know where their rooms were. Yes. I hate seeing lecturers, and some of them prefer virtual meetings and communicate through the campus' portal and emails. But, still, I do have a couple of favorites. Prof. Chikkanan Eswaran - networking subjects. He has a great way of teaching and he made sure everybody in the room understands the topic of the day. He's a professor, anyway. Mr. Helmi Husin - entrepreneur. He's Malaysian, but you gotta love his accent! Miss Chang Siow Wee - programming and FYP adviser. She's fun and cute, too. And another two or three lecturers that I don't remember their names.

With all that being said, I'm still grateful for every teacher that I've ever known. Because there is a saying by the great Saiyidina Ali: "Dia tetap guruku walaupun mengajar sebatang huruf alif."(Even a person taught you one alphabet and one alphabet only, that person is still your teacher.) So, HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY to all teachers in the world, and of course to my mother, my aunt, and my friends. May all of you be, or continue being, a great teacher. :)

p/s: I always wanted to be a teacher, but I think I have neither the teaching skills, nor the patience.

The Envisions

2010-05-15T19:43:00.008+08:00

by Shima Ibrahim

As I stood there
On the tip of the mountain
Overwhelmed by the chilly mist
It was still pitch dark
since the sun is still needed
on the other side of the world
The stars are still lingering
Majestically in the sky

As I stood on the mountain
I closed my eyes
Opened up my senses
Inhaled the fresh air
Nothing compared to the smell of dew
on the trees and the grasses

As I stood there
Listening to the birds and crickets
Creating a symphony of nature
The wind came and gone
Like a scarf made out of silk
Caressing your pale skin

As I opened my eyes up there
I saw nothing before my eyes
No mist. No stars. No air.
No trees. No grasses. No dew.
No birds. No crickets. No wind.
They were not there

I understand now
It was just a vivid envisions of life
Of how we wanted it to be
and what we are awakened to every morning

p/s: It won't hurt to dream. Just try your best to make it happen!

Saturday Night Live

2010-05-13T17:41:00.015+08:00

This TV show is so sarcastically straight forward, and yet sooooo freakin' funny! Every week, there will be an artist who acts as the host, a singer or band as the musical guest, and each show is filled with funny sketches of current issues, parody of other TV shows, news, movies, commercials, songs, or even people - mostly celebrities and political figures (Yes. Including Barack Obama).

And here is my favorite host monologue so far!

SNL S32E10

I can't imagine if we have the freedom of speech here in Malaysia. I can't imagine if we are allowed to produce this kind of shows here in Malaysia, for that matter. Hoho! There would be chaos everywhere with people killing each other! Oops.

p/s: Prince of Persia opens May 27th. To the cinema we will go! ;)

The 2nd Anniversary

2010-05-10T19:49:00.002+08:00

Recently, I had a chance to hang out with a couple of my ex-colleagues from Datacom (my former employer). It has been a while, I guess, since there were so many things, so many stories, so many gossips to catch up on. But, among all the new updates, we still went down the memory lane of Logitech. Seems like we're all still missing the good 'ol Logitech days. Although, it's almost been a year since we started with the new account, Logitech memories seem to linger on.

I'm glad that we, the Logitech people, are still close and tight to each other, although most of us have left the team. Thanks to Facebook that acts like a glue to this bond, keeping us posted with each other's activities. Until now, there are a couple of my friends (including me) who are still uploading pictures from the Logitech days. Reminiscing, they said.

One of my team leaders offered me to come back into the team. Tempting. Very tempting. I would've accepted the offer if the lady boss is no longer there. It will be a happy place all over again, where everybody enjoy doing what they are doing.

I know many of us wish to have that car from Back To the Future or maybe Doraemon's time machine to revisit the era. But, what's past is past. Nothing can turn back the time. Plus, we sure have learned a couple of lessons from the whole drama.

Datacom was my first 'love'. I'm glad that my dear friend, Sufian, called me up to attend the interview two years ago. I'm grateful that my then team manager, Joshua, saw something in me and believed in my capabilities. And I'm glad that I accepted the offer. I'm thankful that thru this experience, I've learned so many things ranging from work, friendships, and self-confidence. Thanks, friends. Miss you guys a lot.

Dear, Logitech. If you wish to come back, do let us know. I'd be thrilled and honored to serve again.

p/s: I think we need to organize a reunion party or something! :)

B.O.N.D.A

2010-05-09T12:51:00.015+08:00

Everyone has a mother. Though you have never met your mother, believe me, you have a mother. Though you are an orphan, you still have a mother. Though you are adopted, your foster mom is your mother. Because, a mother is not only a woman who is pregnant with or gives birth to a child, but also a woman who adopts and raises a child.

A mother is always the one who sees the best in you and what's best for you. I remember when I was 12 going on 13. My UPSR results were out and I got straight A's. Back then, my mom was a teacher in MRSM PDRM Kulim, Kedah. As you can guess, she wanted me to attend boarding school for my secondary level. I think she had already applied for a place even before my results were announced. Weeks later, I received an offer letter from MARA for a place in MRSM Gerik, Perak. Knowing that Gerik is in the middle of an outskirt area in Perak, I refused to go. But, I said, I would agree if I can get transferred to MRSM PDRM, because my best friend was accepted there.

My mom tried to convince me to go to Gerik, then maybe after that we can arrange for a transfer. I still refused to go. What made it worst was a part of my family said yes to boarding school and another part said I was too young to be apart from the nest. But still, whatever it was, I refused to go. Then, my mom and dad, almost stopped encouraging me because they didn't want to push me into doing something that I didn't want to do.

However, exactly one week before the registration date, I agreed to go! I can't remember what happened, but I was like: "Okay. I'll go." I knew that they must be angry because "Why only now that you said 'yes'?". So, the whole week we were all very busy gathering all the stuff. Plenty of things to buy, including creating a bank account. Fortunately, we managed to have everything ready just in time.

And so it began - my first journey away from my family. I had a blast enjoying my life with friends. I was surprised that I didn't get homesick during my first few weeks over there. Time went by like the wind, I spent three years there in a blink of an eye. Then after PMR, I continued my upper secondary in MRSM Balik Pulau, Penang. Another two years away, which made it 5 years altogether. After that, continued my studies in KPTM-KL and Multimedia University for another 4 years. Though I came back home every weekend, still, most days of the week I stayed in the campus hostel. So, now 9 years away. And on the first trimester of my final year, my parents and baby brother moved to Kuching, Sarawak. My sisters and I were left in KL (Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Lipis). This added another 2 years, made it 11 years. This was the toughest challenge that we've gone through. But we were lucky as they moved back to KL at the end of 2008.

Though I spent most of my years away from my mother, the bond is stronger than ever. Maybe because of the distance, we argued less than we could have with living under one roof. When I went to Gerik, I was rebellious. I thought that they must have not love me to 'throw' me away. But a few years back, I overheard my mom having a conversation with a friend whose child was also attending a boarding school. The friend asked my mom how does it feels to have your child away from home. Because I thought she didn't want me at home, I expected her to say: "It was ok." But, instead, she said: "It was hard to see her bed empty every night. If it was up to me, I wouldn't let her go." WHAT? You should've said that earlier! I would've stayed!

But as years go by, now I understand why she didn't say that when I was 50-50 whether to go or not. I know I would stay, and I also know that all these great things wouldn't have happened to me if I stayed. Until today, I can't be thankful enough that I decided to go. And I'm grateful each day to have her as my mother. Because for every weakness that people see in her, I see another great thing.

To mama, I may not realize it yet, but I know every decision you made for me, is for the best. Thank you for your guidance, for your trust, for your friendship, and for your unconditional love. Despite every single thing that I've done which made you sad or mad, I love you more each day.

Happy mother's day, Dearest Mama.

Ayahanda.Saya.Bonda.
Aidilfitri 2009

p/s: Movie to watch on mother's day: Stepmom (Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon). Song to dedicate to mothers on mother's day: Goodbye's The Saddest Word (Celine Dion).

Pagoh R&R Area

2010-05-06T22:34:00.007+08:00

I once lived in Johor Bharu, Johor, for a couple of years way back in the late 80's. Then, we moved around throughout the country. And I have never set my foot in Johor since then, which is around 20 years ago. Today, I had a chance to re-visit Johor thru a business trip. But, I went to Kluang, not Johor Bharu.

About Kluang - one of the cleanest towns that I've ever been to! The people - very welcoming and the ladies are very soft-spoken, which made me sounds like a drunk Texan when I talk to them. Haha. The guys - no comment. Seems like they are the same everywhere you go. No offense. ;) And I'm in love with Kluang Mall!

But, that's not what I want to share with you. On the way back to KL, we stopped by at the Pagoh R&R area to buy the famous Kerepek Pisang Tanduk. For those who live in the North part of Malaysia, Tapah R&R area is your pride, right? Or maybe Sungai Perak. Believe me, they are nothing compared to Pagoh. I'm not sure if other R&Rs along the South-ward or any of along the North-ward (PLUS) highway are equipped with such facilities or not, but we stopped by at this one, and I'll share about this one alone. See for yourself. ;)

Awesome, right? And the toilets, one of the cleanest I've ever seen. Well, I'm just hoping that these facilities will not be vandalized by the itchy hands.

p/s: I think I've found one town that I can live in other than the one that I'm living in right now. ;)

No Wonder

2010-05-06T19:58:00.009+08:00

This almost explains it all, especially why we couldn't stand teenagers' behavior nowadays.

(Translation: I don't like school. I like the street.)
I don't know if the word 'street' carries a different meaning than what I understand. But, for school kids, I think they'll take the word literally. The shirt's creator must have run out of better designs, I guess. Or better wordings for that matter.

p/s: If 'Street' as in 'Wall Street', we wouldn't mind as much.

Itchy Hands

2010-05-05T19:07:00.004+08:00

No. It's not about the disease. It's more to can't-look-at-something-nice kinda hands. A 'vandalist' (is that even a word?) I would say. Why don't you take a look at the picture below.

It was like living in the rewind mode and absolutely no visits for children. Go figure! ;P

p/s: I just realized how paranoid I am walking in hospitals. I can't breathe! Maybe because of the fear that I might catch a disease! Haha.

Please Be An Obedient Customer

2010-05-05T18:34:00.006+08:00

The warning was:

And if you look closer, you'll see this:

!!JANGAN DEGIL!!

LOL! I bet the salesperson understands human nature good enough to put up this warning. Wondering what's the nature? If you realize, we are naturally prone to do something that we are told not to do. Agree?

p/s: At a glance, it looks like my mom's handwriting. Haha.

How to Park A Vehicle

2010-05-05T18:08:00.008+08:00

Make sure it blocks an empty parking space so that other vehicles will have no chance at all to take the spot. And also, please remember to be out of sight so that when people try to call you to remove your vehicle, you are no where to be seen. The picture depicts a perfect example. Cheers! :)

p/s: Don't get mad if you park like this, and you find your vehicle is beaten up, or maybe you'll get to play 'hide-n-seek', because you asked for it!!

Vacay S01E03 - Underwater

2010-04-29T19:14:00.008+08:00

It was a Sunday, April 4. We started our day quite early - 7:00AM for breakfast. Then, went for snorkeling at around 9:00AM. Again, here are the pictures (and a couple of videos). Enjoy. ;)

Snorkeling at Renggis Island, or as what we referred to - 'Avatar Island' - because it kinda floats by itself and looks like the 'floating islands' in Pandora. WHAT?? Haven't watch it? Where have you been?

Although you can swim, or have been swimming your whole life, I am telling you - the very first time you lay your eyes on the majestic corals, you'll shiver and will get soooo freakin' nervous, and you'll paddle your legs to get out of the water! My advice to you, first-timers, is: DON'T FREAK OUT.

This is our Underwater "Tour Guide". He's awesome!

That's me, holding a piece of bread to attract the fishes. We were lucky as they were not that big. Otherwise, some of us might lose a couple of fingers! They were pretty aggressive. Yeah. Pretty and aggressive. ;P

Then, we went snorkeling at the Marine Park. These fishes love to follow you when you swim! Cool, right? Not sure of the name, though.

But, we were pretty sure that we were in heaven. IRONICALLY, this boat ride was a ride from hell! It was scary as the waves are getting bigger and fierce. Yet, it was a fun, heart-stopping, enjoyable experience. When we disembarked at the jetty, we were all SOAKING WET! Haha.

p/s: This was definitely an ultimate getaway. We've planned another vacay at the end of next month. Stay tuned for Vacay Season 2. ;)

Vacay S01E02 - The Arrival

2010-04-29T18:36:00.007+08:00

This is the sequel of episode 1. But this time, I'll just let the pictures (and a video) speak for me. Enjoy. ;)

YES. We did enjoy ourselves and had a great time!

p/s: More pictures in episode 3. ;)

There's Nothing Out the Window

2010-04-28T20:40:00.001+08:00

by Shima Ibrahim

There's nothing out the window
But I've been staring all day
Since breakfast this morning
My eyes are transfixed on the swings
It's gonna rain soon

There's nothing out the window
But I don't feel like leaving the chair
Searching for an answer
And the rain come pouring down
Flowing like my tears

I know you're there
I can feel your presence
So vivid, So warm
I know you hear me
'Cause when I whisper your name
It creates a gust of wind
But I hate that I can't see you

There's nothing on my mind now
And my senses are all numb
The hope that you will come back
Smiling, running through the door
Just breaks my dear heart

I know you're there
I know you hear me
Though the rain is falling
There's still nothing out the window

p/s: When we lose the people that we loved, they took a piece of our hearts along.

Hey, Doctor! or should I say: Hey, Dentist!

2010-04-28T20:00:00.001+08:00

A lot of things happened these couple of weeks hence the many entries. This one is about a dentist that I had an appointment with recently. And behold, it's a SHE (a Melayu, of course!).

There was a misunderstanding about my appointment. It was set to a different day, and I came on a different day, something like that. I admit that it is technically my fault; I was not aware of the appointment date.

When I arrived at the receptionist counter, I handed out my appointment card and waited in my seat. Then the receptionist called me and informed me about the misunderstanding. She asked me to walk into the doctor's office and discuss with her.

She had a patient on the chair when I walked in. Knowing that she's older than me, and that I might be one of her patients, I greeted her as politely as I should. Nobody wants their dentist to be mad, right? So, the dialogue went as below:

Me: Salam, doctor. I believe we have an appointment today.
Dentist: No! (with an arrogant look on her face)
Me: Err..I thought we have set another date, which I believe is today (April 8), after you've canceled the initial one.
Dentist: You see, (walking to her planner which is right next to me) your appointment is here, (pointing to the dates on the planner) not today. Yes you have an appointment on March 10 and it was canceled because I was not around. So, I've set the date here (pointing to March 25), but you didn't came.
Me: I see. But I was not informed about the new date, that's why I was not here on the 25th.
Dentist: That's not my problem! I can't proceed with you today simply because you've missed your appointment. I have a lot of patients today, and it's already 3:30PM.
Me: (Because I was so mad at her by now and my blood is boiling..) Ok, then. Sorry to bother you. (Left her office, back to the receptionist)

That dentist was so arrogant that she didn't even have the courtesy to look at you when she talks to you. She acted like she is the only dentist there. And since it is a government center and the service is free of charge, that's what we get out of them. *Sigh* The funny thing is, they know that my father is of the higher rank. And they were afraid if we would tell our father, and our father will file a complaint. DUH! Of course we will tell our father. Just wait and see.

Dear Dr. Sue, how I wish you could be more like Dr. Mumtaj, who is also a government servant, a lady, and a Melayu.

p/s: This is what happen when your job is not your passion.

WWFM?

2010-04-19T19:30:00.004+08:00

p/s: Credit to AdamBackup on YouTube.

L.O.V.E

2010-04-19T19:27:00.000+08:00

I love Celine Dion a lot! She's one of my music influences and her songs would be on top of my karaoke list. Every time! Though I know that I can never reach the high notes, I still want to sing the songs and nobody knows how satisfying it would feel.

Ok, I wrote this entry because I wanna share something with you. The other day, I was browsing through a long list of Celine's songs, the karaoke version of course, and found these six songs listed under the folder 'L'. When I read them through, they rhymed and sound poetic. You know how much I love poetry, right? So, here it goes:

Let's talk about love
Love can move mountains
Love doesn't ask why
Love is on the way
Love is all we need
And I,
I live for the one I love

I may have added a few words for the last part (the ones in Green). Other than that, they are all song titles. Sweet, right? Tell me if you love it. ;)

p/s: You can read a different entry about Love here. ♥

I Wonder

2010-04-16T20:23:00.001+08:00

Recently, our Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (along with you-know-who), flew to Washington to attend the Nuclear Security Summit. Though, I don’t give a shit about today’s political chaos, one thing caught my attention and got me thinking.

I read the online newspaper this morning. There, it said that Najib had a chance to talk to Obama, one-on-one, for about 40 minutes. And this meeting is an honorable one, because only the selected leaders get the chance. Some, like the Japanese leader, requested to have that meeting, but declined.

Not that I’m looking down on Najib’s ability as the Prime Minister, but that meeting made me wonder. What if the one who had the meeting with Obama was Tun Mahathir? I know, we all know, that great things were discussed during the 40 minutes and great things will happen within the next 40 years! (kinda exaggerating right there, but it’s possible)

Some of us may hate Tun simply because of his political view and the party that he belongs to. But, don’t deny that you are living peacefully under the rules and acts suggested by him, don’t deny that you are living in a whole lot modernized Malaysia is one of his contributions from way back 1981 or even earlier than that, and don’t deny that he’s one of a kind.

At the age of 84, he is still going strong and never looked better. His ideas and views, most of the time, never ever crossed our minds. He has the ability to look and plan for the future, which got us to where we are now. Thank you, Tun. But, how can we thank him enough?

To anyone who misses him, you may continue absorbing his words of wisdom from his own blog: Che Det.

p/s: We tend to take everything for granted and start appreciating them after they are gone.

It's Rebellious

2010-04-13T09:44:00.004+08:00

Something just don't feel right. I know this feeling. It’s rebellious. I’ve felt it several times before. And of course I know what the outcomes are. But, this time, it’s a little bit hard and complicated. I don’t know how to get away with this one. Maybe, I shouldn’t get into it in the first place. ‘Cause now, I can’t seem to find the way out. Dear Lord, please help me find the best way for me to be free from this feeling. Amin.

p/s: Now I know why people say "Look before you leap." *sigh*

It's Not Rocket Science! (and ...)

2010-04-12T17:07:00.003+08:00

This little yellow book – It’s Not Rocket Science and Other Irritating Modern Clichés – is fun to read. However, I guess not many people understand it as I found the book at the Carrefour (Kepong) book clearance section which sells books at only RM5.00. I love going to that section as I can find many interesting books at such a low price.

This book lists all clichés that we use everyday which have become the most irritating expressions of all time. Like the title itself, “it’s not rocket science.” I bet you’d feel like smacking the person who says that to you, right? Like he/she knows everything about every single thing in the world.

The authors, Clive Whichelow & Hugh Murray, also put these clichés into sub-categories. Such as General Clichés, Media Clichés, Business Clichés, Political Clichés, etc. With the clichés, they provide interesting explanations why they are sick and tired of hearing them.

Some of my favorites are:

QUOTATION-MARK FINGERS

Making quotation marks fingers in the air by wiggling your fingers at either side of your head. A big favorite with trendy young businessmen in the 1980s but now, thankfully, seems to be out of fashion. Just as well – it always made the perpetrator look as though they were doing rabbit impressions.

YOUR CALL MAY BE RECORDED FOR TRAINING PURPOSES

Yes, you often feel as though your experience at the hands of their operators would be a perfect illustration of how NOT to do it.

WE VALUE YOUR CALL
Yet another cliché from call-centre hell. Your call is valued so much that it will not be answered for at least ten minutes.

TALK TO THE HAND

An expression and gesture combined: “Talk to the hand, because the ears aren’t listening” or “Talk to the hand, the face ain’t listening.” In fact, the face is still listening, so it is possible to carry on making your point. The phrase is generally believed to be African American in origin, though some claim that ‘talk to the hand’ derives from kids’ TV shows featuring glove puppets such as Kermit the Frog.

IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
Well, what is - apart from, er, rocket science? And what do rocket scientists say to their colleagues when they can't understand something?

And hundreds of others which are very interesting. Get yours and happy reading! ;)

p/s: This book is also available on Amazon!

Vacay S01E01 - The Pilot

2010-04-09T23:14:00.009+08:00

Finally, it’s weekend again. It has been a week – our trip to Tioman Island. I didn’t get the chance to write about it ‘cause I work on weekdays. After office hours, I just wanna spend my time with my family.

Regarding Tioman, it was my first visit to any island. Well, second time since my first – Langkawi Island, 15 years ago. The Underwater World was still under construction! And there was no snorkeling experience during that visit.

It started after our mini reunion at The Curve last February. We were just talking about going someplace where we could have ultimate fun together. Someone suggested, Singapore. Nope. Too crowded. Someone suggested Sabah. Nope. Quite costly. Maybe next time. Then someone, whom I can’t remember, came up with Perhentian Island. Yup. At that time, Perhentian. The idea sounds nice. Beach. But, I’m not a fan of the west-coast beaches.

From that small talk, Shikin, Teefa, and Juwin started Googling around about the East-coast islands – Perhentian, Redang, and of course, Tioman. After researching here and there, they decided to pick Tioman. One of the reason – Tioman is nearer to reach from KL. Perhentian is a bit far, and we felt like it is not worth the trouble to spend just a weekend.

At first, we decided to drive to the jetty in Mersing, Johor. But Shikin found out that, travelling by bus would only cost us RM60, to and fro. So, bus it is. Plus, everybody will get the same share of exhaustion. Shikin & Din bought the ticket for us – Transnasional, Friday, April 2, 11:30pm from Puduraya.

Most of the chalets and resorts are fully booked. But we were lucky when Sun Beach Resort reverted back with good news. So, we proceeded with Sun Beach Resort. We went for the Budget Package, which is suitable for backpackers. Plus, we only stayed for one night. Fancy chalet was not necessary.

Most of the details – room booking, ferry booking, money handler, etc. – managed by Teefa. You’d make a good manager one day, Teefa ;). All in all, we spent around RM350 (per person) for the whole trip, including dinner, souvenir, snorkeling, & shopping.

p/s: To be continued..

End of Life

2010-04-07T11:46:00.016+08:00

"Death is peaceful, easy. Life is harder."

- Bella Swan

Of course. Because death happens in a split second. One second you are alive, and another, you're not. Life started from the moment we left the womb until our last breath. Many things happen while we are alive. Many things that we have to deal with. Many ups and downs that only ourselves and the Lord know the feeling to go thru all of them. That's why life is harder than death. But, of course, the afterlife is another story. None of us know what to expect on the Final day. But, we always hope for the best for us and everybody whom we love.

The past week, I was hit by a 'tsunami' of three deaths of people I know dearly. In a row, within two days! I would say I was pretty close with the first two. The third one is one of my favorite local comedians. All three losses happened with no warning at all. They were very much alive, healthy, and bouncing around a couple of days before the day they passed. Two of them, due to high fever and infected by a fatal virus. The other one, went on in his sleep. May three of you rest in peace.

Zarina Abdul Ghafir

Her father used to be an army officer. Our families, used to live in the same camp (Kem Lapangan Terbang, Sungai Petani) and we were neighbours. That was between 1998 - 2000. We were so close that we had so much fun together. I remember watching the '98 Commonwealth Games with them at their house.

Zarina (or we all call her Kak Zarin), was a very joyful person. If she enters a room, everybody can feel her presence. Her beauty, her manners, her laugh, her personality. And she was very down to earth. Not just her, but the whole family. Everything about her was awesome. She studied in the International Islamic University of Malaysia and became a pharmacist in Selayang Hospital. From her friends' Facebook commments, I know that she was loved by everyone who had the chance to get close to her. I bet if you guys know her too, you will know why. She was undescribeably amazing.

She was the eldest of two. Her sister, Rifhan, though she looks different from Zarina, they are pretty much the same. Happy go lucky and very humble. They laugh a lot. But still, they never forget their responsibilities as daughters, sisters, friends, and muslims.

In the early morning of 1st April, I was still asleep when my sister, Shasha, dashed into the room and said, "Kak Ima, dengar ni. Kak Zarin meninggal!" ("Sis, listen. Kak Zarin passed away!"). The words went through my ears like thunders. My heart was beating hard. My mind still can't digest the information. "Kak Zarin?" That question kept circling my head since that morning until now. Our regret was, we were talking about her the day before and we thought of contacting her and say hello, catching up with her latest updates. But, something got in the way and we didn't get the chance to talk to her.

That morning, we went to her family home in Bangi to pay our last respect. We were all good until the final sight of her. Her parents and sister were terribly devastated. Though they remained calm throughout the process, the look on their faces showed everything. To Rifhan, be strong, sis. Kak Zarin loved you so much that she wouldn't want to see you sad. She will always be remembered, missed, and loved by all of us. May she be placed among the Lord's loved ones and rest peacefully. Now, our prayers are the ones that she hope for.

Rifhan wrote on her wall the day after:

"My sister, Zarina Abdul Ghafir passed away on Tuesday 1st April 2010 at 12.05am, due to high fever and got infected by viruses that collapsed her heart. Let's pray for her. To all my dear family relatives and friends thank you for all the prayers n thank you for coming to the funeral, thank you for the supports. I MISS YOU & I LOVE YOU ZARINA..Al-Fatihah."

Picture credit to Rifhan Abdul Ghafir

Sleep tight and sweet dreams, Dear Kak Zarin. We miss you and love you so much.

*******

Ihsan Shuib

He was my schoolmate in MRSM Gerik from 1998-2000. We were never classmates, but there were around 95 students in our batch. We pretty much know each and every one of us closely. We had a mini reunion somewhere 2007 and 2008. I believe that that was the last time we met him. From time to time, we update ourselves through Facebook.

On the 1st April, just before I went to bed (still mourning for Kak Zarin), I received a text message from another schoolmate, Azilah. "Kwn kt Ihsan Shuib dh meninggal dunia :( sdkh al.fatihah.." ("Our friend Ihsan Shuib passed away :( recite al.fatihah.."). Another thunder went through my ears. When I asked Azilah what happened, she asked me to have a look at his Facebook page. When I did, hundreds of condolences notes from his friends were on his wall. Astaghfirullah. We are not very sure of the cause of death just yet. It is still under investigation.

We are still in shock of his death. I hate to say this, but he's the first one to leave us in the bunch. We were excited to see who's the first to get married, to have a kid, to land a job, to have a car, to have any other thing. It has never crossed our mind to see who's the first to leave us.

Picture credit to MARESMAG V6 FB Group

Dear Ihsan, our prayers will always be yours. You are a great person and I'm sure a great place is promised for you there. Rest in peace, friend.

*******

Din Beramboi

This man is not related to me at all. He was just a brave and loud (literally) local comedian. He was also a radio presenter at one of our local radio stations - Era.fm. His morning show with the great Aznil Nawawi is so refreshing. Though most people frequently don't get his jokes, he didn't give a thing of what people said. He had his own style. Who loved it, they'll love it. Who didn't, it's their loss. Which apparently, now, has become our loss. I received the news the next morning after Kak Zarin and Ihsan's deaths - in the early morning of 2nd April.

Around a month before his death, he was one of the judges fo the reality tv show - Raja Lawak season 4. Every week, our lives are filled with his crazy jokes. He was also nominated as Penyampai Radio Lelaki Popular (Favorite Male Radio Presenter). The award show was two days away from the day he went on.

As his fans, we all feel the loss. Especially while driving in the early morning when his slot was on the radio - Riuh Pagi Era. Now, some new radio presenters are replacing him and Aznil for the slot until further notice. If you have some time, read this blog entry by Aznil Nawawi, one of the closest person to him.

Picture credit to the owner

Dear, Din Beramboi. We loved your jokes. We loved your actings. We loved your boldness. We loved your originality. But all we know now that Allah loves you more. Wishing you a happy life over there and rest in peace. We miss you, Din.

~Al-Fatihah~

p/s: Like a rainbow, fading in the twinkling of an eye. Gone too soon. - MJ

Almost At The End

2010-03-28T23:47:00.002+08:00

by Shima Ibrahim

Close your eyes
And forget about that horrible image
that you saw on the news

Open up your mind
So that it would be a clean, border-less canvas
For the saints to paint

Listen to the silence
And kill all the noises
So you can listen to the voice of an angel

Take a deep breath
So that you can find your soul
Tranquility is the key to commonsensical

Reach out your hands
Open up yourself to a better world
And embrace it close to your heart and don't let it go

Put a smile on your face
And welcome the warmth and peace
that the world has to offer

For we are reaching the finish line
No time to regret, and no turning back
'Cause in the end,
it's not the years in your life that count
It's the life in your years

Flight Cancelled

2010-03-28T17:46:00.007+08:00

We were supposed to fly to Bangkok on March 15. But things aren't looking very good over there. So, we decided to postpone our flight to March 31. Things kinda look better since last two weeks. The news have also mentioned that the number of protesters has decreased from around 100K to around 10K. Hoho. Though that sounds like a lot less, but 10K is still a lot! Even two people can cause death, imagine what 10K people can do. Woooo. Scary!

Plus, last night, we heard in the news that things are not slowing down in Bangkok. There were blasts here and there. Even the army are backing off from their stations. That doesn't sound really good, right? So, another postpone. We chose to fly to Bangkok in June and we really hope that everything will be fine by then.

Unfortunately, there's nothing much that we can do about the already-booked flight tickets, except to let it burn. Plus, we can't change the destination. And if we choose another date, and things are getting worse in Bangkok, we can't keep changing the dates and the fare would cost us more than it should. So, we're gonna let it be and when the time is right, we will book another set of tickets. Haish..Bangkok oh Bangkok..~

p/s: We're now 'bengkok' just to get to Bangkok!

Terrorism

2010-03-26T19:22:00.004+08:00

By definition (from answers.com), it means:

The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.

And 'coercing' or the root word, 'coerce', means:

To dominate, restrain, or control forcibly.

Well, I don't see any Arab country forcibly dominated other countries. What I've seen and heard was other countries forcibly dominated Arab countries. So, who's the terrorist now?

p/s: It has been 7 years since March 20, 2003 (20.03.2003).

The Results Show

2010-03-26T00:01:00.000+08:00

It's kinda late to write about this, I guess. But, I want to write about it no matter what.

Few weeks ago, on March 11 to be exact, the SPM results came out. Of course we were all nervous 'cause one of our family members - Alin - was an SPM 2009 candidate. But deep down, we've always known that she'll do well.

And we were right. Alhamdulillah..

Impressive! Thanks for making us all proud. ;) Oh and yeah, Happy 18th birthday, sis! 18 huh? hehehehe

p/s: Mine?? Hehehehehe

The Lightning Thief

2010-03-25T21:38:00.007+08:00

My first try. From a bunch of 306 snaps (in 5 minutes!), I managed to capture only one lightning! Now I know why this kind of pictures are ironically priceless yet valuable.

(doctored with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for the dramatic effect)

I was at the office, sitting at my table which is located next to the window. It was around 5 o'clock when the lightnings and thunders started chasing each other. Although thunders are usually quite loud and scary and making statements, the lightnings are always the stunning ones. It is extremely fast, that only lucky eyes could catch the beautiful moments.

Though you only have to sit there and wait for the lightning to strike, it was a lot of fun. And every now and then you'll get startled by the grumpy thunders. Then, a few minutes later, down came the rain. And it poured like it never rained before!

p/s: No. I'm not Percy Jackson.

Favorites

2010-03-22T21:59:00.006+08:00

Snapped in Putrajaya on Saturday, on the way to the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Just can't take my eyes off of these two pictures. So serene. One of them is my desktop background.

There's a whole bunch of pictures I've uploaded in my Facebook page. Have a look and tell me what you think. Appreciate your comments or any idea that could improve my "snapping" skills.

p/s: I didn't get many pictures of the balloons, though - 'cause there were a lot of people and I hate crowd. They suffocate me.

Provocative Speculations

2010-03-21T08:21:00.010+08:00

I was reading one of the blogs on my blog list - Ondscene. It was about a fatal accident in MRR2 that happened yesterday which caused a massive traffic jam - the whole 15 km stretch! A car (Iswara) with 5 passengers, lost control, went thru the divider of tea-tree-like bushes, stumbled into the opposite lane, head-on with a Waja, 4 of the Iswara's passengers - thrown out of the car, 1 of the 4 died on the spot. The 5 passengers were 4 men (army) and a lady and she was the one who took the last breath. She was 19.

I'm not making a review of the post. It's just that one of the comments caught my eyes and got me writing. It sounds like this:

Satu soalan yang mungkin tiada kena mengena atau mungkin juga berkaitan...

Pernahkah anda lihat bagaimana kenderaan yang no pletnya bermula dari huruf Z dipandu terutamanya bila pegawainya tiada didalam kenderaan tersebut..?

Dari Proton Iswara sehingga trak 3 tan..... kalau tak perasan silalah perhatikan terutama di lebuhraya2...

I'm not making a big deal out of this, but I'm a little bit offended by this speculation. No, of course I'm not one of the drivers, but I live close enough to know these drivers. My father has one. Don't get me wrong here. I'm not defending them or saying that they are angels on the road.

In the blog post, there was no mentioning of the men's ranks - so there are possibilities that they are the Z-drivers, and there are possibilities that they are not. For the outsiders (not related to army in any way), only specific or selected men have the license to drive the Z-vehicles. Even my father are not allowed to drive the Z-vehicles around. This means no random drivers, which means the 4 army men in the car could be just army men, not Z-drivers. Plus, the Iswara, was civilian, not a Z-vehicle.

My whole point is, why do some people love making provocative speculations out of a situation which they don't have any idea about? Putting a disclaimer at the beginning of your statements or questions does not mean that you can speculate on anything. This kind of speculations are the ones provoking us each day in every aspect - work, relationships, trust, politics - you name it.

There will always be some people who will try their very best to provoke other people. And when the situation is getting out of control, they are no where to be seen. While we are out and loud defending our stands, they are probably sitting at home, watching the news with a smirk on their faces, enjoying a cup of hot lavender tea. *sigh*

Here's one of my favorite performances by the stand-up funnyman - Russell Peters. Yeah, we rarely take comedian seriously, but what he said about this matter, is true.

Russell Peters - Red, White, and Brown

p/s: When we say or write about something without knowing the facts or take any possibility into account, it's provocative and made you sound like an idiot who desperately needs attention.

Mini Reunion

2010-02-17T22:17:00.008+08:00

We had joy, we had fun! Since Juwin is here for the school holiday, we decided to have a small get-together, a mini reunion last Tuesday (16.02.2010) at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara. Dinner at An-Nurs Cafe, followed by a super fun photography session!

For supper, we went to the Old Uptown and had the delicious Grilled Chicken Chop. To Kak Ija, Cikinto, Teefa, and Juwin, thank you for the great time~! ^_* Let's make 'Perhentian' happen! Yeay!

p/s: In case if you're wondering; Yes, the theme was red for CNY and V-day! ;)

An Evening At The Museum

2010-02-10T23:59:00.009+08:00

Last weekend, after a fun 'makan-makan' at our house, we went for a stroll at the Muzium Tentera Udara Di-raja Malaysia (TUDM) in Sungai Besi. To the commuters who use the Sg. Besi Highway frequently, did you notice some old airplanes being laid out on the field right next to the highway? Yup, that's the museum!

Once you enter the main gate, one song that will keep playing in your head is There You'll Be by Faith Hill. Haha Seriously, you'll feel like you are acting in the Pearl Harbor movie when you walk around the compound. And this one above, is the exact model used during the particular war between Japan and The States.

Yes, of course you are allowed to climb up the plane and strike a pose or two~!

To most people, this could be one of the most boring activities ever. But, growing up as children of an army officer, this is one of our excitements. My father has a thing with airplanes. Especially fighter jets. I remember our first movie crush was Top Gun - 'cos ~~Tom Cruise is so damn hot~~ my father used to watch it over and over again. But, I need to watch again, I think. 'Cos I was too young to understand the story, so maybe I can get the real picture this time. ;P

Yeah, I know you'd agree with me~

p/s: More pictures in Facebook~!

Idiocracy

2010-02-10T10:22:00.016+08:00

I was invited by several friends to join a group in Facebook. Usually, I don't really care what kind of groups they were and just click 'Ignore'. However, this one particular group called: "Lynette Lincoln and Joanna Ann, should apologize to all MUSLIMS", caught a little bit of my attention. The group's name made me wonder, "Now what did those two have done that upset people enough to create a group in Facebook?" Since I've never heard of them, I viewed the group's profile. Now I know why.

*sigh*

Dear Lynette and Joanna, I have a few words for both of you. If you are not knowledgeable or know nothing about something, don't talk about it. You'll sound like a total idiot. And talking about it publicly as public as Facebook can be, made you a complete airhead. And Lynette, you're lovin' it, right? So, I hope that you love all the attentions you get after your idiotic comments and statements. By the way, God is a general term in English which carries the same meaning as Tuhan in Bahasa Melayu. Allah is a specific name, dummy! And it's Arabic.

p/s: Who's the 'tin kosong' now?

Knock knock! Who's there?

2010-02-08T15:08:00.006+08:00

Daddyyy..!! hakhakhak

Hehehe another news~~paper~~ appearance! :P Din, was browsing through the online news (Utusan Online) when he noticed this picture. He rang his wife a.k.a Cikinto, who was just a few feet away from me at that moment, and told us about it. Being regular people (I mean, not celebrities), newspaper appearance is something surreal to us! So, of course we will let everybody in our 'world' know about it! Haha I know it's lame, but jealous much? ;P

Last year, he was interviewed by Utusan in conjunction to the Hari Tentera Darat 2009. Have a look HERE.

*****

I took the liberty of contacting Utusan thru email and corrected the info. Now it looks like this:

Hehehe

*****

p/s: Another few minutes of fame ;)

Super Bowl XLIV

2010-02-08T14:51:00.011+08:00

The Super Bowl season is here! This means that my daddy will spend his free time on ESPN to watch the games. He developed the interest in this game while he was studying in the States. Sometimes, we (the whole family) do watch the game together and he'll explain a little bit of the game rules. Surprisingly, I find it interesting. Why surprising? Because I'm not into sports so much. In fact, I hate it. But, American Football is kinda fun. Plus, during the Super Bowl, look out for the half-time breaks. Who knows, the 'Janet Jackson incident' could happen again! Haha

Talking about sports, it's sad that we, Malaysians, do not have a sport that everybody loves. Malaysian football?? God, no! Please don't make me talk about that. It's simply embarrassing. An ultimate embarrassment. I know we've won a gold, but own goal? That's not something to be proud of. Really. Since I've known it, we have never been in the World Cup. Every four years, we'll celebrate other countries' victory. How pathetic is that?

What I'm trying to say is, imagine how fun it would be if we have a sport that we all enjoy and love. When the season comes, we will all go out to the stadium, sport the team's jersey, cheer the winning team, and just have a good time. Like the States, they have American Football, they have Baseball, they have Basketball. Like the UK, they have Football (which obviously we do love too). Rugby for New Zealand. Even India have Cricket!

We used to own the soccer league in this region. We were the true tiger of the region. I guess money and fame have snatched everything away. Pity us. We have nothing which belongs to us anymore. And too bad, we don't enjoy squash as much as Nicol does.

p/s: Majulah sukan untuk negara. Heh! No wonder we are at where we are now. ;P