'Shall we jump into the sampan, my dear?'
'Definitely, dearest!'

Salam semua... akhirnya balik semula ke realiti lepas menghabiskan tiga minggu di awang-awangan, jauh dari masalah keja, dan segala perkara yang memeningkan kepala!

Ni ler gambar aku yang tengah disolekkan oleh jeng..jeng.. jeng!! Juruandam profesional dari Miri - kakanda terchenta ku! Aku suka bangat sama solekannya yang au naturale itu... Yalah, sapa la nak macam pelakon opera Cina atau sebarang opera sekalipun dengan makeup tebal satu tan yang mampu membunuh sel2 kulit pada hari berbahagia ini. Aktiviti sukarela ni dilakukan secara free (nama la sukarela kan?) memandangkan akaun sudah defisit oo...

Kos membeli kain utk buat baju nikah (+ free kain utk buat baju Melayu) = RM240 (beli masa promotion)
Kos upah buat baju nikah = RM80 (dibuat oleh seorang tukang jahit berbangsa Cina kat Wangsa Maju)
Tudung = free (hadiah oleh kakanda terchenta)
Selendang = .... (tertinggal di KL, uwaaa!!! Kos selendang, RM70)
Kasut matching = free (hadiah dari ahem2x terchenta)
Kos keseluruhan = RM390 (aduss, terbakar poket!)

Adapun kisahnya, rupa2nya kami dinikahkan secara sukarela pada hari Jumaat. Sungguh berkat sekali hari yang dipilih utk kami tu, iaitu Penghulu segala hari. Vwah2x! Vogue de vast sekali!

Akibatnya, poket aku terbakar sekali lagi sewa baju utk majlis keesokan harinya. Takkan nak pakai baju yg dah berbau achemm kan? Apa? Lepas sejam berpeluh2 menghadap tok kadi korang kata baju tak berbau achemmm?? Hmm.. Rupa2nya bakal suamiku yang terchenta pakai Rexona deodorant. Kalau aku tau awal2, tak payah la nak cari baju spare.

Baju sewa (pakaian tradisional Melanau kerana aku ialah perempuan Melanau sejati) = RM150 (termasuk kasut, aksesori kepala & barang kemas dan selendang putih utk menggantikan selendang aku yang tertinggal di KL)
Nasib baik terbakar sket2 je <-- aku.="" kedekut="" sifat="" span="" terserlah="">

Apakah perasaan aku masa diijabkabulkan?
Soklan bonus. Hmm... Aku takde perasaan sangat sebenarnya. Tak de la rasa macam nak melonjak2 ke, nak melompat2 ke atau nak menangis penuh kegembiraan dan dengan anggunnya sekalipun. Cuma rasa sebak bila tengok mak ngan ayah aku menitiskan air mata. Lebih2 lagi mak aku. Baru je melabuhkan punggung atas karpet di belakang ahem2x yg dok atas bantal bersarung baldu tu, dia dah bergenangan air mata. Maka, aku tak sempat la nak melayan emosi sebab nak pujuk mak aku.

Selepas tu?
Lepas tu aku rasa bersyukur sebab dapat kawen dgn kekasih pertama dan terakhir lepas makan mee Cintan selama dua tahun. Dan alhamdulillah, jodoh aku ialah seorang yang memenuhi ciri2 yang aku cari - beriman, tinggi ilmu agama, sederhana, pandai buat lawak, sangat mengasihi aku dan sungguh encem di mata aku (awww...)
Semoga perkahwinan ini diberkati Allah, bahagia berkekalan di dunia dan akhirat.

Sangat memorable kerana...
Majlis kami ialah majlis perkahwinan pertama diadakan di rumah kampung dalam keluarga aku. Sebelum ni, semua anak atok aku (Pak Yeng) termasuk la mak bapak aku kawen di tempat lain. Kuching la, Sibu la, Bintulu la. Maka Pak Yeng dengan murah hatinya menanggung sebahagian dari perbelanjaan majlis manakala sebahagian lagi ditanggung oleh ahem2 yang terchenta. Lembu korban tok sah citer la. Dua ekor korban aqiqah dan seekor je yang dibayar sepenuhnya. Habis tak tinggal tulang, apa lagi ekornya (aku suka sup ekor, selingan semata2).

Paling best sebab dapat pakai baju Melanau, dari Latif Collection di Mukah. So Amy, kalau ko mok pakei baju Melanau hari ko kawen kelak, gi jak rah Mukah ya kat Latif Collection. Murah gik ya (iklan free).

Sangat best jadi orang Sarawak sebab...
Senang giler la isi borang nak kawen. Dah la sekeping je, tanpa interbiu, ujian darah dan air kencing mahupun yang sewaktu dengannya. Dan yang the ultimate la ialah lafaz akad nyer yg sempoi - 'Aku terima nikahnya dengan mahar yang tersebut.'

Maka dengan sahnya aku menjadi kekasihnya seumur hidup.
A few years ago, I once dreamed a weird dream.

I was chased by a few enemies without faces, and terrified, I ran and ran until I came to a wide crevice with never-ending bottom. I stood at the edge, unsure of what I had to do while the enemies were getting nearer.

I looked across the other side and there was a guy who stand there. A guy whose face I couldn't see properly. In desperation, I cried out to him, 'Help me.'

He extended his hand and told me, 'Jump across. I will catch you.'

I looked down at the bottomless pit in fear. I couldn't make it. I wouldn't be able to make it.

'I'll fall.'
'You won't. Trust me. I will catch you.'

I sensed the enemies were coming to kill me so I jumped and reached out for his hand. Just as he promised, he caught my hands and I landed safely to the other side. To safety.

Then I woke up.

A few more years later, I dreamed that I was strolling in an empty block of classroom. Upon reaching to one empty room, I heard somebody playing a beautiful haunting music. I went in and there was a guy who played the music on a grand piano. I stood beside him and he smiled.

'I am playing this song for you.'

And not too long after that dream, there was another dream of which this country was taken over by communists and they were hunting me down because I was a rebel. I tried to hide everywhere but they were always hot on my heels. To my frustration, everyone was reluctant to help me. Then a stranger came to my rescue and told me to hide in his car. When the communist checked his car, he protected me so convincingly that the communist let his car pass by. I was so relieved that I had managed to escape from the firing squad.

To my dearest husband-to-be, I hope the faceless guys in my dreams are you and you will be my saviour, my delight, my protector and my lover for as long as I live. I hope you will cherish me and care for me with tender, loving care. Em.. Jangan marah-marah bila orang selalu lambat ye, terimalah kelemahan orang ni seadanya sebab lepas ni awak akan sentiasa kena tunggu orang ;) Orang akan cuba untuk terima kelemahan awak juga.

P/S: I love you, husband-to-be.
It's a strange feeling knowing that by the time I post my next entry, I am no longer a single bachelorette and I am leaving behind the world I know so well to enter a new and most unfamiliar territory - Marriage World.

It's very, very strange to think about it.

A lot of friends ask me, 'So are you excited? You must be anticipating that moment.' I was left speechless.

Try as I might, I couldn't gauge any feelings at all about the fact that I will be someone's wife 7 days from now on and the next time I fill in a form, I'm no longer allowed to put my status as 'Single'.

Oo... we can call you Puan Carneyz is it?

My skin practically crawled at the thought. Puan Carneyz sounds like a 40-year old woman with 5 kids. Don't ever call me 'Puan' or 'Madam' or 'Mrs'. I won't entertain you. Let me make it clear upfront. Just call me 'Carneyz'.

Come on la. You can't be serious, Carneyz? What is wrong with you? You don't want to get hitched, is it? You don't love him ke?

Before you get any wrong ideas, let me clarify this clearly and precisely. I love this guy. I really, really do. He's the simplest, nicest and most loving man that a girl could ever wanted. I knew he's The One after being together for two years. I am very confident that he has the same feelings for me. And to me that's what love is all about - the sense of security of knowing somebody loves you. I pray to God that we will have an everlasting jodoh and stay happily together forever and ever (sorry Chairman, I have to borrow your terms).

In simpler words - of course I want to marry him, duh.

Perhaps I am experiencing the wedding jitter. Perhaps I'm nervous about the new responsibility that I have to shoulder a week from now on. I know every bride-to-be will get the wedding jitter, and every bridegroom too, but despite that hot and cold feeling, surely secretly they'd feel deliriously happy and anxious and excited and so many other heavenly feelings at the thought of having a wedding of their own.

Which, to be totally honest, I am approaching this new world with an apprehensive feeling. Will I be able to a good wife? An obedient wife? A wife so good that my husband will never ever look at other women? On the other hand, will I find my happily ever after solution in this new world?

And in using Jen's phrase - will I find the path to heaven in this new world?

Cheers to 24 years of singlehood, I hope 24 years has given me enough time to prepare myself for this fortcoming transformation. Welcome marriagehood (if ever such a word), may it bring blessings and happiness in its true form until the day I die.

Oh my heart, be brave and gentle and loving and forgiving and patient and understanding and selfless. Then only happiness will preside.
Last week I was in JB on a working trip. Suffice to say, as the date loomed nearer, we were rushing at break-neck speed to prepare for everything that needs to be done before we leave. So far, we had managed to buy a few important household items, fit in carpet and tikar getah at home which took the whole day, bought wedding stuffs, and tried not to bite off each other's heads no matter how cranky we became due to exhaustion.

Alhamdulillah that we had the sensibility to start joint savings a few months ago that we could afford to buy household items by cash. Even little things like a shoe cabinet and some other stuffs also managed to drain us off a few hundred ringgits. (Note to myself: Have to find more Datuks n Datins to distribute cards to and in return get a few hundred ringgits angpow) A friend suggested that I apply for personal loan to settle buying for the house as well as to cover the wedding expenses but I don't ever foresee a need to do that.

Anyway, as I had feared and fretted about earlier on, everybody grinned in that annoying way when they spotted me.

'Wah, bakal pengantin... berseri2.'
(In my heart) Shut up! Shut up! *but instead smile embarrassedly* 'Mana ada. Biasa je la.'
To cut the teasing short, I hid behind my laptop screen, pretending to be so engrossed with my work that I didn't hear anything.

Lunch hour came and I rushed to meet my ex-roommate in first year, Eve. The moment she saw me, she grabbed me in a deadlock grasp,

'Why are you getting married??'
>> Why everybody ask me this question?

We ordered lunch, then sat at two sofa at the end of the cafe facing each other. A series of girly & private Q&A ensued and always punctuated with, 'I heard it hurts' later, and we finally sighed.

'I can't believe you're getting married before me,' she said reproachfully.
'I can't believe I'm getting married in three weeks' time.' I agreed with her. Then I grabbed my cheeks and pinched them hard. I'm getting married that soon?? Three weeks? Not three months? Not three years? But three weeks? Soon it'll be three days? I'm getting married in three days?? In three hours? Three minutes? Three seconds? How could it happen??

We both almost shrieked.
'I hope my mom doesn't find out,' she said, 'else she starts to wonder when I'm getting married!'

Sipped at straw.

'How do you know he's the one?'

This is the question we always throw at each other since we met. We were always fantasizing about The One and always tried to describe how The One would be and look like. For some reasons I couldn't really explain, my answers were always:

'Tall, fair, Chinesey look, hair parted in the middle, can make me laugh, can handle my tantrums. Sarawakian.'

And four years later, voila! Like he had been delivered by post order at my doorstep. Amazing huh.

Back to the question. If she had asked me months ago, I wouldn't know. Yeah, I know I love him but I wouldn't know whether he's the one. But I'm not going to tell it here how I knew. I think it's private and indescribable but the feeling just suddenly pop! appears there at the core of your heart. Does it sound sappy? Yes it does to me.

'Things happen. You know he loves you sincerely and wholeheartedly. You know la. Then you wake up and it's like a revelation. Yes, I've found The One in him.'

Eve looked intrigued but she asserts with me. When lunch time was over, we hugged each other goodbye and promised to meet up again during Christmas at her house. Something hit me, that almost made me retched violently.

'Eve, by that time, I'll be a Puan. How terrible!'
As you all can see from the above, yes, that's my wedding invitation card. Yes, I designed it. Yes, it's cheap (RM0.50 per piece). Yes, we printed on gold color paper to make it look less cheap. Yes, we ran out of time to mail to everybody. Yes, we started late because we were busy with our own work. Yes, our workloads are taking too much of our time and add to our stress and subsequently, to less time preparing all those work related to this wedding in an organized way. And the biggest yes is, I can design this cheap card for you for an attractive price, according to your specification and you bet that you'll be tempted because like us who went around town peering at card designs, the cheap looks cheap and the expensive ones are nice but too expensive. After all, you are talking about living in KL.

Well, our original plan is to develop a special blog dedicated to our upcoming wedding whereby you can fill in your name and print the invitation card yourselves, chat with us etc. In truth and reality, we just don't have the time. Or we're too busy settling other stuffs. Believe me, doing wedding preparations are soooo exhausting. At times, we just wish we could fast forward time like in the movie 'Click' just to get over these exhausting preps.

Let's see whether I could answer one or two questions posed to us:

1. Are we going to have a reception in KL? We are considering based on how much is left in our fast depleting savings. Anyone who wish to make donations is hugely welcomed.

2. How many hantarans? Both of us are extremely kedekut. So he'll be getting 5 gifts for me and I'll reciprocate with 7 gifts. I wish to give just 5 gifts because I'm a strong believer in an apple for an apple (yes, one of the gifts will be apple), but my aunts wouldn't hear of that.

3. Whereabout honeymoon? Since I got 50% discount coupons for selectable hotels, we may end up utilizing those coupons.

4. Bersanding ke tak? Nope. We both agree we'd rather nikah in a sampan in the middle of the river behind my grandfather's house than bersanding.

5. What color is my wedding baju and what style? Aiyo. So kepoh. I'm not Siti Nurhaliza ok?

6. Can we get free flight tickets to attend your wedding? Do we look like we are related to Mr Idris Jala or Datuk Tony Fernandes?

7. Last but not least, on the question, 'Why Carneyz, Why??' Well, dude, we want to set up a non-violent organization that spreads love and lotsa love. Is that good enough for you?
Dear Somebody Out There,
Today I woke up miserable. Then I perked up a bit bcoz I remembered yesterday I went to cheer myself up by going for hair wash at the salon. My hair smelt really nice and it's really soft and bouncy. Unlike some people, I don't have to spend hundreds of ringgits doing re-bonding as I've been blessed with this naturally straight hair.

Dear Somebody Out There,
Today I was speeding to the office again. I knew I shouldn't do that but I had a joyous and indescribable feeling when I was zooming at 100km/h. It has been quite some time I acted in truly Minah Rempit way. I felt that when I was riding that fast, all my burdens were left behind and couldn't catch up with me.

Dear Somebody Out There,
I came in and chatted with the girls and we talked about erm, girl stuffs. They teased me because I walk fast, and my footsteps could be heard miles away. Someone once told my friend, 'Itu orang jalan aa, bumi tarak terima!' It seriously made me laugh. Ever since I was in school, I always walk fast and with firm footsteps. And I don't look left and right, but focused straight on to my destination.

Dear Somebody Out There,
Everything at work is not going great. If I could describe my work as anak ayam, then early this year I was given an anak ayam to mind. As months passed, I got a few more chicks and more and more were thrust into my hands. All the anak ayams tried to escape from my hold, and I am desperately trying to prevent them from straying away but they are too much for me to handle. I'm losing my grasp in everything. Everything.

I don't know why, but I felt like I was a fallen angel. An angel who had disgraced and then dismissed from heavens. Was I too rebellious? Perhaps. Was I too harsh in my criticisms against The Powers? Probably. Whatever it is, I'm facing difficulties at work where every minute, I can expect that I would be call in to be admonished by none other than Trump.

Anyway, today when I presented the souvenir proposal, he approved but not without saying that the souvenirs have to be all sold in six months time. I am appalled. There's no way I could sell 400 t-shirts in 6 months. We're not exactly running a retail shop, are we? Sometimes, Trump expects too much from me. I'm beginning to regret graduating as best student. With the 'best' title, people tend to expect too much even though you're inexperienced.

Dear Somebody Out There,
The only pleasant occasions today were when I received two ang-pows from one Datin who cannot make it to my majlis next month, and the other from our chairman, Datuk J who also wouldn't be able to attend the function. Maybe I should distribute my invitation to more Datuks and Datins. That way, I could get more money. Muahaha! By the way, the Datin who gave the ang-pow is a very nice lady. I like working with her and her creative director. She's such a down-to-earth person. And I'm not saying this because she gave me ang-pow ok? Datuk J, even though he rarely associates himself with us, is also a nice person.

When I came in to thank him for the early wedding gift, he was surprised to see me. 'Oh, you're the one getting married, is it?' as if I was the least expected person to give him the card. Hmm. Even Trump called me in to register his surprise. 'You're getting married??' in that I-don't-believe-this! tone. But those hardly beat the wackiest question I got from one colleague in JB who got the invitation and immediately called me:

'Why, Carneyz, why?? You broke everybody's hearts!' as if I was Siti Nurhaliza. So after this, I can expect people to criticize my wedding dress ('ugly!') / invitation card ('cheap!') / why I didn't hold a press conference announcing my wedding ('nak rahsia la tu!').

Dear Somebody Out There,
I think that's just about the only things I could confide here. If you ask me how I feel, I don't know what it is. Excited? Hmm. Nervous? Hmm. Sad? Hmm. Happy? Hmm. All I could think of right now are:

1. We're done with the filming and tomorrow, we need to drop by the production house and sit down to discuss the offline edit.
2. The calendar requires new photos and wordings for each of the pages. I will need to go to JB to discuss that with the designer.
3. How am I going to clear off 400 t-shirts in 6 months???
4. Christmas deco. How is the proposal coming along?
5. No news for the newsletter! How??
6. Sell idea to advertisers. How??
7. Can I clear those tasks before 10th? Oh, bloody hell. I'm turning into a swearing monster now.
I'm not happy today. I'm seriously, seriously upset. I'm terribly devastated. Deep breathe. Exhale. Deeper breathe. Longer exhale.

A voice told me 'Sabar2x. try to accept that there's nothing more can be done about it.'
Another part said, 'NO! Everything is about compromise! But I didn't get my part of the deal. Of course I've every damn right to be angry!'

Then the first voice told me, 'So what? It's not even YOURS. It's HIS what?' Hmmphhh... Betul juga. Like I wanted that in the first place. If he's fine with that, peduli haper. Dia punya, kan? He's paying for that.

Then the other voice argued, 'My dear, you still got a part in that even though it's HIS. Anyway, will you ever be able to have YOURS later ke? Hmm... Macam tak je...'

The first voice said, 'Tak kira la. You know what you want kan? You want that, you go for it. Make sure you'll get what you want because all this compromise thing? It doesn't work, girl. You know bloody well you can't sleep well if you can't get whatever you want in the first place.'

True, true. First voice won. Blood pressure goes down to normal. The panas meletup feeling became bara api only. I can't be bothered now. It's his property, why am I so worked up like this. I will save up to get MINE later.

I don't care. I want my own and I will get it rain, shine, earthquake or no earthquake. The End.
Me: How does your budget mechanism go by?
Him: Well, it's like fixing a deadline. If I could finish the project in two weeks, I'll inform my superiors that I need three weeks so in case there are more to what I estimate, I'll have the extra week.
Me: In other words, if you put a budget of RM350, you actually mean you want to spend only RM300.
Him: Well. If the amount is slightly higher, we still have extra money to cover this price difference. Say, maybe the price is RM320. But if the price is less than RM300, we can put that extra RM50 in our savings account, or use it for other necessities.
Me: What kind of budget is that?
Him: There are certain situations whereby we might over-estimate.
Me: Mine works differently.
Him: How do you go by then?
Me: You see, there are two kinds of budget.
Him: Which is?
Me: The first kind, is the proposal budget. You ask for more than what you actually need, in case the amount exceeds your estimation.
Him: That's mine right?
Me: Yes. The second one, is when you put the exact or maximum amount you could allow.
Him: Hmm. That is yours?
Me: Yes, because my concern is to spend the money that does not exceed the budget, so you have to make the limit clear to me. In this case, RM350 must means RM350, not RM300.
Him: Where does my mechanism apply?
Me: When I ask for money from you, I'll have to ask for slightly more in case the amount might be higher than what I estimate. So, there might be surplus, there might not be.
Him: A-ha. So I give you the maximum amount that I could allow you to spend?
Me: Something like that.
Once upon a time, in the southernmost state, there were five best mates who called themselves the Fab Five. Their friendship was struck when they were unknowingly snared into a dungeon and bound into enslavement by the most powerful curse that could only be broken when September ends.

They were made up of four gallant girls and one quiet and wise guy. The fairest girl was known as Jen the Criticiser who’d silence Paul Moss anytime she opens her mouth. The nicest girl was known as Ainie si Cantik Manis who was the most diplomatic among them all (let’s pretend we’ve never heard the word ‘pretty’). The third member of this secret clan is known as Survivor The Crazy – who has a warped and sudden sense of humor and quite boyish in appearance. The fourth girl was Scary Carneyz, who, when she narrowed her eyes, all hell break loose. Finally, the only guy who got stuck with the girls was hailed as The Chairman, whose main role was to ferry the girls around in his BMW.

They were insaparable lots, forever emailing each other in between doing their menial chores, going for lunch (voted the most favourite time of the day) and lunch was always raucous. Because they were the youngest lots, they were always bullied into staying back in the dungeon until late at night of which the only reason they stayed sane and intact is because they had each other (apart from the soothing voice of Jen criticising the keepers of the dungeon). Of course, you couldn’t really count in The Chairman’s offer to push Jen The Criticiser on her chair around the dungeon 20 times as a sign of sanity. The Fab Five were a crazy bunch of people anyway.

During the Untouchable Days, the Fab Five hang out at bowling alleys and after tiring themselves out, they hunted for the best eating place to fill their stomachs. Scary Carneyz thinks that is the main reason why she gained so much weight that she had to starve herself during latter days, but she doesn’t deny that they had so much fun.

Then one day, everything changed.

The curse was broken.

New people came to the dungeon and The Chairman switched clans.

Jen The Criticiser finally got her wish to break free and earn more elsewhere.

Scary Carneyz transferred to a quieter, more uptown and chic dungeon, still enslaved.

Thus, the Fab Five were forced to disband to follow their own destinies.

But in their deepest hearts, they wish that maybe someday, they can get back together. Maybe open a café like they used to talk about over dinner.

The End.
Ever since I came back from my Raya hols, I had a feeling like my head is being dunked under-water so my thoughts are all murky and soggy. You know, you got a feeling when you try to think hard, everything turns out fuzzy like a photo captured under water.

I tried to be more organized to help me think more clearly but even the effort is hard to achieve. It makes me exasperated.

Luckily, that didn't affect me from accomplishing my tasks. I managed to clear off a lot more things than before the raya break - I guess I really needed that break because at that point, I had gone stagnant. I was tired and fed up with everybody at work and everything that needed to be done. Now that I had unwind, things start to roll smoother and faster. Let's just hope to God that everything turns out ok.

Perhaps my under-the-water experience has got to do with my well-being. As soon as I got back to KL, I was down with flu. It's very easy for me to catch that bug. When I studied my horoscope, Geminis or those born in June are susceptible to lung-related diseases. Apparently, our lungs are quite sensitive. So we are most prone to flu, cough, etc.

I'm also worried about something that keeps tugging at the back of my head. I wish I can tell it here, but it's kinda private. The problem with me is I'm such a worrier. I think I need to straighten out my desk again and do my laundry tonight so I'll stop worrying and start focusing on more important things. Like my next 5 years plan. Yeah, right.
My aunt is a secondary school teacher and on top of that, she frequently chairs most activities at her school. She teaches kids in the morning and gets involved in activities in the afternoon. Who says being a teacher is an easy job? I wouldn't want to be one unless they pay RM5K a month. Hehe.

Anyway, that leaves her no time to decorate her home for Hari Raya and no puns intended, to even tidy up. But whenever she has the time, she dedicates full energy into tidying up. I think the tidying up & organizing things habit run in the family. While I am more into physically arranging stuffs in orderly manner, my sister has the ability to organize people and events.
So in the two days that I was at her house, I took the time to help in whatever ways I could. I did laundry, hang the clothes dry while watching hens sunbathing with spread wings (I didn't know chickens like sunbathing before or maybe they are just showing off in front of me), swept and vacuumed the house, and forced my obliging brother to help me. There is no way a guy who has superior strength than mine gets to lounge about in front of tv while I sweat off doing house chores. Nuh-uh. Orang lelaki pun mesti buat kerja rumah. Ingat kiteorang ni orang gaji atau pembantu rumah ke?

At first I wanted to do the 'before & after effect' but if my aunt ever stumbled here, I think she'll be mortified so I'll just post the after effect. My aunt's house is divided into three areas - the living room area which stretches long instead of wide, the tv area and the kitchen. She likes furniture made of wood / mahogany. Lastly, her floor is made of white, big tiles. The kind that I like. This is how her living room looks like after my brother and I finished rearranging the furniture:

Luxurious look

In warm effect

When I'm in the mood, even the carpets have to be perfectly aligned together. Mental.

She said she bought this because she can't resist herself. Love at first sight punyer hal...

I'm not very good at taking photo yet but this is one of my favourite pix

A close-up

A view from top

There are a few more photos but I think these few already give you a good impression of how her living room looks like. Hehe.

We are going back to my kampung today and I will only update my blog after Hari Raya. So adios.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya and minta maaf zahir & batin! See you all after Hari Raya break.

Memandangkan aku akan balik kampung hujung minggu ni, aku amik peluang ni untuk mengambil gambar pemandangan di Mukah. Mukah ialah sebuah bandar yang majoriti penduduknya berbangsa Melanau. Malah Ketua Menteri Sarawak berasal dari Mukah. Hampir setiap bangunan di sini i.e. bangunan pentadbiran (Menara Pehin), masjid baru, stesen bas, pasar tamu, etc. mempunyai rekabentuk seperti 'terandak' iaitu topi yang dipakai oleh orang Melanau suatu masa dulu. Topi ni berbentuk kon dan mempunyai corak yang menarik:

Source: sarawakhandicraft.com
Bangunan pentadbiran bahagian Mukah dipanggil Menara Pehin Setia Raja (Kalau tak silap aku sbb orang kat sini panggil Menara Pehin je). Semua jabatan kerajaan ditempatkan di sini.
Petang hari kedua, aku mengikut mak saudara ke pasar Ramadhan di pasar tamu Mukah. Bermacam-macam jenis kuih yang menarik terdapat di sini .Tapi aku tak amik semua la sebab dieorang hairan tengok aku asyik snap gambar je, bukan beli pun! :
Pemandangan di pasar tamu
ABC yang menarik

Kuih senyum Aku pun tak tau naper dipanggil kuih senyum!
Kuih celorot, kuih tradisional di Sarawak. My faveret
Kek lapis yang menarik dijual RM30 untuk ukuran ni. Tak tau apa nama kek ni tapi tak silap aku ada nama 'Aiskrim..'

Kek lapis lagi - RM15. Kek lapis Sarawak berlainan sket sbb ianya dikukus dan ada corak yang menarik
Pasar tamu Mukah ni terletak bersebelahan dengan stesen bas Mukah. Aku tak sempat amik gambar stesen bas ni tapi aku amik gambar bas je. Korang kat sana asyik merungut pasal perkhidmatan bas tak de aircond la, buruk la dsb tapi orang kat sini rilek je naik bas apa saja pun asalkan selamat sampai. Kadar kemalangan di Sarawak melibatkan kenderaan awam pun amat sedikit. Yalah, nak pandu lelaju camane, bukan ada highway pun:
Pengangkutan antarabandar menggunakan bas ekspres, salah satunya ialah Trans Borneo (bukan Transnasional ye). Bas dalam bandar pulak ialah bas jalur biru yang takde aircond tu. Tapi kat Sarawak tak kisah la sebab udara kat luar bukan macam kat KL yg berbau asap
Next entry aku citer pulak pasal aktiviti aku mengemas & decorate rumah mak saudara aku sebab aku boring & tak tau nak buat apa. Hehe. Aku nak amik gambar sebelum dan selepas tapi terlupa nak amik gambar sebelum tu. So, tengok je la hasilnya lepas 2 hari menyapu, mengemop & mengalihkan perabot sesuka hati aku!
Semalam, aku dah start cuti dan terbang ke Sarawak. Pukul 4.30 pagi, dia dah tunggu depan rumah sementara aku kelam-kabut buat sandwic ayam untuk kiteorang bersahur dalam kereta. Tak payah la dia mengada2 nak mintak suap. Muehehe..! Nasib baik hosmet dia pinjamkan kereta untuk dia hantarkan aku ke LCCT. Flight aku pukul 7.10 pagi. Kiteorang sampai pukul 6 pagi.
Keadaan di LCCT sesak dan penuh ngan bermacam2 ragam orang. Barisan di baggage screening memang panjang! Baru hari Rabu dah sesak macam ni. Lepas aku check in, kiteorang gi solat Subuh then dia pun balik. Aku sempat amik gambar kat LCCT:

Barisan yang panjang

Dalam kapal terbang (seperti biasa, delay lagi)

Pemandangan di luar
Sampai di LTA Kuching dalam pukul 10.30 pagi. Memandangkan flight seterusnya ke Mukah pada pukul 2.50 petang, aku pun merayau2 sambil amik gambar di airport Kuching yang baru diubahsuai ala-ala KLIA. Lawa giler airport yang baru ni:

Kedai bebas duti

Wajah moden LTA Kuching
Pukul 1.20 petang, baru la kaunter FAX (subsidiari AirAsia yang mengendalikan sebahagian penerbangan domestik dalam Sarawak) dibuka. Aku terperanjat bila dengan aku sekali kena naik atas penimbang bagasi tu! Hmm... Adakah aku akan dimasukkan di bahagian kargo?? Seingat aku naik Fokker tak penah pulak penumpang pun ditimbang.

Pukul 2.50 petang, terjawab la pertanyaan tu. Rupa2nya bukan naik Fokker, tapi twin otter iaitu kapal terbang yang lebih kecik dari Fokker. Inilah pertama kali aku naik twin otter. Macam nak rak amik gambar sampai penumpang lain pun pelik tengok aku:

Ni ler flight twin otter. Gambar ni masa dah sampai Mukah. Pecaya tak lelaki berseluar pendek tu ler staf ground handling kat airport ni. Hehe. Sempoi giler airport Mukah.
Aku sengaja duduk paling depan supaya boleh rakam gambar pilot in action.

Flight ni boleh bawak tak sampai 50 orang. Dier nyer take-off weight pun terhad. Patut ler penumpang pun kena timbang sekali!

Welcome to Mukah Airport.

Departure Hall
Aku panik jap tengok kaunter check in dier macam kaunter bas - tak de PC dan mesin cetak boarding pass. Aku dah ler tak print tiket. Camane ni? Bila aku tanya staf kat situ (ground handling staff yang pakai shorts tadi tu rupa2nya merangkap check-in staff jugak) dia cakap kena datang awal. Erk. Nampaknya kena usahakan gak print tiket tu :p
Begitulah pengalaman aku balik kampung tahun ni yang agak berbeza dengan tahun2 sebelumnya. Next entry aku akan citer pulak tentang bandar Mukah ;)
There are things you can stomach but there are also things that you just couldn't stand, no matter how you convince yourself that you can sit through this.

I guess I'm already at that point.

I've marked my last project and after that I will start to think of which direction I should go to.

After all, I've found the person I've looked for.

Someone to catch my fall, someone who's happy when I'm happy, & someone who'll wipe away my tears. Love me, someone.

Yup. I've met that someone.
I have many things I want to say, things that I am dying to type it down here, for ages in fact but I never got around to do that. Exhaustion is one thing. Utter disgust is another.

Somebody tell me, why do I still hang around in this African jungle. It's madness. A totally deflating experience, I need not point out more. Why are our energy, time & resources wasted on stupid things? Why??

Take for example when I proposed the e-card service. It's about time we cut down cost of printing / buying stamps / cutting down trees to print cards only to be thrown away after the festive season ends. What do I get?

'E-cards are not professional & personalized! People will think we are stingy!'

Oh really? Then why do some big companies resort to e-cards and nobody thinks they are stingy? In fact they are called tech-savvy, duh. They are smart companies who know how to trim costs, and make use of technology.

Why 'Selamat Hari Raya' is not enough, but it has to be 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri'? Why do we need to reprint the cards again just because the word 'Aidilfitri' is missing?

'Because we have two hari rayas, just Selamat Hari Raya can mean either Aidilfitri or Aidiladha.'
'Err... And therefore?'
'Nobody sends card during Aidiladha.'
'Uhuh... so why the bother again?'
'Because we have two hari rayas!'

I give up. The whole contradictions are both hilarious and annoying. If nobody send a card during Aidiladha, isn't it clear that it therefore could be understood as 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri?' And if we had sent e-card instead of printed card, wouldn't it be easier to change it without wasting more money & time fixing things that are clearly meant for 'Hari Raya Aidilfitri'?

If we are so concerned about the fact that some poor sod will send the card during Aidiladha, what is exactly wrong about that, if you ask me? This practice of sending cards during Hari Raya Puasa is not a religious tradition and nobody would incur God's wrath for going against the tradition. Is the below conversation going to take place should it happen?

'Poor soul...'
'Kena panah petir.'
'Innalillah... apalah dosa dia...'
'Tulah aku cakap jangan hantar kad raya masa Raya Qurban, dia degil. Orang lain hantar kad raya masa Aidilfitri. Kan dah arwah.'

I know it's very important to uphold the corporate identity, but rational & logical thinking ought to be considered as well. If something does not pose great risks of tarnishing the company's image, it's ok to just let it go by instead of creating all these hassles and stirring ill feelings among teams. And since they want so much for us to cut down our costs and department spendings, why do they shoot down ideas that fit this bill just because they are worried about what other people think? Do they think it's a piece of cake trying to do something of high quality at just a fraction of the normal cost?

If this is the way things are done around here, it gives me absolutely good idea why moving forward is a tedious process because even small, harmless things get to be scrutinized, argued, and fussed over while more important issues are waiting and either growing larger every day or dwindling away into nothingness.

Welcome to hell.
Alhamdulillah, dah seminggu lebih kita meraikan kedatangan bulan Ramadhan. Alhamdulillah jugak, belum ada satu malam pun yang aku tak berpeluang mengerjakan solat Terawih. Apa lagi solat terawih tahun ni tak buat sorang2 macam tahun lepas. Tahun ni lepas berbuka puasa, berehat sekejap, solat Maghrib, kiteorang serumah akan bersiap2 ke masjid Assyakirin yang dekat ngan rumah. Pergi ramai2 la seronok.

Time solat terawih ni la amik kesempatan mintak ampun atas dosa2 yang lampau. Dosa banyak oo... ber kati2 timbangan dosa aku. 10 Ramadhan pun tak cukup kot nak mintak ampun. Tapi, tak pelah. Cuba je, Insya Allah kalau ikhlas akan diampunkan. Amin.

Tapi kan, kekadang konsentrasi aku terganggu masa solat bukan sebab handphone bunyik atau bom jatuh ke aper. Aku agak kesal sedikit perkara ni berlaku. Nak tegur segan. Tak tegur ngan aku sendiri berdosa. Dah la pikul dosa sendiri, nak pikul dosa orang lain. Camane tu?

Yang aku maksudkan ialah bila imam kekadang baca tahiyat awal / akhir lama sket jadi mata aku yang nakal ni akan melilau ke barisan saf depan aku. Time tu la aku nampak tapak kaki terdedah, duduk tak betul, jari terjulur...

Apalah salahnya sebelum solat / duduk tu, labuhkan kain atau tarik belakang kain telekung tu untuk cover anggota yang terdedah tu. Bukan menyalahi rukun pun. Sudahnya, aku serba-salah. Seingat aku, kalau kita nampak aurat seseorang tu terdedah time solat, kenalah bagitau dia lepas solat. Jadi dia kena ulang balik solat tu. Lainlah kalau solat sesorang & dia tak sedar. Barulah dimaafkan.

Tapi kalau aku bagitau, sapalah suruh mata aku melilau ke depan. Bukan ke solat kena khusyuk tak nampak benda2 macam ni? Tapi kalau aku tak bagitau & dia memang tak sedar, maka aku kena bersiap-sedia menanggung dosa dia. Sudahnya, aku amik jalan penyelesaian paling senang tapi tak logik.

Bila nak duduk tahiyat je, aku pejam mata.
Dia : Kamera tu boleh set masa tak?
Aku : Set masa camne?
Dia : Maksudnya dia automatik amik gambar so kita kena lari ke depan lepas kita set masa tu...
Aku (buat muka aneh) : Ooo...
Dia : Itu macam lor...

(diam sekejap)

Aku : Tapi kenapa kita kena lari? Berjalan je tak boleh ke?
Dia (muka kompius) : ??
Aku : Apa kata naik motor je? Lagi cepat.
Dia : (tak terkata apa2 dah!)

- Dah tak dengar lagi sebab dah separuh mati gelak, dengan dia pun tergelak sama -
I've been lagging behind on updating my blog because it is hectic nowadays. My family came a couple of weeks ago and they had a jolly good fun here but I was not well (unfortunately) so I couldn't really accompany them on their trips. Then my sister came to KL on business trips and I got to stay in Renaissance Hotel & the other hotel in Bukit Bintang (I forgot the name of the hotel). I like sampling hotel rooms. It has become a hobby to me :p

Work-wise, a lot of things are moving and I am pretty happy with that. We just got the decorations approved (it took my assistant a couple of weeks to get the supplier to cut down the cost, and a couple of hours for me to further slash down the figure by removing some materials that I feel is either excessive, or we can do without, sort of like 'nice to haves' items). The festive cards are into print now, and the diary is proceeding smoothly.

Last week, coming back from Putrajaya after a presentation to one of the ministers, I voiced out to Trump my frustration on how I put great efforts & energy on one of the projects but it was delayed until we found a profit-generating strategy out of it. As a young executive driven by achievements, it has affected my motivation badly. Somehow, Trump saw it's more important to keep staff morale high at the cost of a measly couple of thousand ringgits. He did reprimand me however for not coming up to him and stating the case myself. The next day my boss brought the project to be approved again and came out with the good news. It has been approved.

Having an assistant is a blessing. She's been really enthusiastic ever since she was transferred into the department. Most of the mundane tasks are now handled by her and that allows me to work on new things and give me more time to think. At first I was kinda worried that we may not get along well coz she's a little bit outspoken and I'm quite reserved. However, over the past weeks, I change my perception on her. She's really serious about her works, and she's willing to learn new stuffs.

During our last business trip to Northearn state, I was quite surprised that she bonds well with the orphans. Nobody could've guess that she's the type that would stop and chatter with small kids but she did ask how old are they. Despite the fact that she may be quite different that most people, she's a very frank, see-through character, hardly a snob, quite a chatterbox (which balances my quiet, sometimes cool manner), and easy to get along with once you really know her.

Talking about Northearn trip, I managed to meet up with my ex-housemate / colleague, Jen! She's one of the FAB5 who had resigned to work in Penang (bigger paycheque, upgraded her Honda bike to a black Myvi!). When she came to pick me up, she was wondering where to bring me around in her hometown so finally she just brought me to Pekan Rabu, where Dr M once sold banana fritters by the roadside. It was really fun to meet her and before I checked in, we gave each other a hug and reminded her to update me on her 'love life' sequel.

September has been a very busy month this year but I hope I can write more often in October :) Not that I can promise that since the beginning of October will also be a hectic time with the presentation in Putrajaya due next week (sigh).

I've always been interested in creative & professional photography. It's one of the arts that I would like to master. Recently, Beloved bought a new semi-SLR camera and since he hasn't the time to play with it, he lent it to me so I can take these photos:

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
'Nichi Comot'

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

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'All That Glitters'

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'Mission Accomplished'

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
'Some perspective'
Besok aku kena keluar rumah pagi2 buta, check in kat KL Sentral pukul 6.15am, pastu amik ERL gi KLIA sebab flight aku kul 7.25 am.

... HAH! Besok mood aku dijangka tidak baik sebab ada banyak benda kena setelkan sebelum flight balik ke KL pukul 3.50pm. Awas ya kalau mengganggu aku! Aku bagitau awal2 nih! Aku spesies yang menggigit!
I hate end of year. I seriously do. End of year means there's double the work of the whole year. There's diary & calendar to stock, greeting cards, this & that. But the one I hate the most is trying to find visual merchandiser. We always leave this until the last minute because we don't know how's the budget like, and scouting around for a good visual merchandiser can take the whole year. Heavens.

For Hari Raya decoration this year, nobody has proposed anything that fulfills the almost impossible expectations of Trump. Trump expects classy decorations at maybe a quarter of the normal cost. Cost here, cost there. Why we bother to spend at all is a puzzle to me. But then, come to think of it, this year's proposals don't even come up to my usually very relaxed standard. It's horrible. Why are people always proposing styrofoam thing-y? I hate styrofoam. It's so fake and we don't have space to keep it.

Talking about cost, I am exasperated at the way we are told that we do not contribute much to cost-saving measures. That is why, when we receive diary's / calendar's / greeting cards' quotations, we try to slash at wherever we could slash:

- Could we slash the expenditure for corporate diary this year by giving everybody diary refills i/o a brand new diary? (Get ready to be hated by everybody in the company except Trump)
- Could we limit the number of calendars to order by limiting the number of calendars each person can give away to their counterparts?
- Could we reduce the production cost of greeting cards by not having inlays and as I threw this idea to my boss, by exploring the idea of giving e-cards instead? (cross my fingers)

For example, if we give diary refills, we save about RM5K from last year's expenditure. If we limit number of calendars to 3/4 last year's quantity, we save probably around RM3K. So that's almost RM10K that we manage to save. So the bottom line is, please give me increment this year. Thank you.

P/S: Tu tak termasuk benda2 lain yang kena setelkan termasuk projek Trump, souvenir items, newsletter, etc. Adakalanya rasa nak gila. Like calling it a day and just exit. This is not what I'm looking for. I want something more in life. Something that I'm not going to get bored of doing, ever. But what is that thing?? What am I destined to be in this life? I'm still looking.
Oleh sebab aku kena tagged dengan Noushy, so bila dah free dari penyakit, busy dan ke-takde-an mood, maka aku pun menukilkan jawapan2 aku di sini:

Do you like:-

Sunrises or sunsets?
Right now, I like it when the sun is hot in the sky and I'm comfortably in an air-conditioned room, knowing that my clothes are drying nicely without any odors stuck on them.

Suitcases or backpacks?
Backpacks because I hate carrying things in my hand.

Dogs or cats?
Both. I like all domestic animals except cockroach.

Roller-coasters or merry-go-rounds?
Roller-coasters because I can scream as loud as I can and not throw up after that.

Calls or texts?
Calls especially if somebody call me. Textings are sooo yesterday.

Gift vouchers or presents?
Presents because I like surprise.

Pens or pencils?
Pens are mightier than swords (and pencils). Besides, they are clearer to see.
... I'm sick & tired of work.
Raya is back again and around the corner. Suddenly AirAsia's website is more important than any other website in the world! Making arrangement to go back requires high mathematical skills and a pre-set (template) Excel file, like this one:

Anybody who wants to own that kind of template can email me and it'll be RM65 please, to cover AirAsia's admin & fuel surcharge cost.
All I need to do is to fill in the cells with latest air flight fares which have increased dramatically over the past 1 year. I'm rather spoilt for choice, sometimes. Because I always balik kampung to my grandparents' house in Sibu, I could travel:
a. KL-SIBU (direct) - return fares are cheaper BUT the connecting travel via road / river (it's very adventurous being a Sarawakian) is rather difficult to arrange due to inconvenient hour of the flight due to different fares for different flight times... Susah, kan?
b. KL-KUCHING-SIBU (transit Kuching) - another option to match the time BUT the fare is a stopping factor.
c. KL-KUCHING-MUKAH (transit Kuching) - well, Mukah is a more convenient stop to my kampung. It'd be easier for my aunt / uncle / cousin to pick me up at Mukah Airport than at Sibu Airport.
These sort of arrangements are called 'Mix N Match', which I have perfected over the years of studying here. I could pick choice 'a' for balik kampung and option 'c' for coming back here. So far, that is my best solutions that would reduce the impact of the whole travel issues on my financial situation (sob!).
All in all, let's just say Raya travel would cost me RM550 - to RM600 / person. Which is a HUGE amount compared to a few years back when it only costs max RM450 (and that's traveling MAS, I tell you).
So sesapa yang rasa dia kaya & terasa nak ber'gerek'kan (gerek=awek) gadis Sarawak, bersedialah mengorbankan ongkos yg byk untuk support kos balik kampung tetiap tahun ni. Korang akan terasa bahang yang sampai berpeluh start dari nak buat kenduri kawen kat sana (muahaha!).
So far, aku sangat bertimbangrasa kepada lelaki2 Malaya sebab tak penah nak usha dieorg kerana aku amat memahami masalah $$ yg akan timbul ;) Case closed!
Let's face it - a visit to a dentist is a scary prospect that left you in pain for several days onwards. So I wasn't really happy when I suddenly woke up to a severe pain under my right jaw and thus led me to conclude that the dreaded journey somehow is inescapable.

Last Friday, I went to a dental clinic in Gombak. The clinic that I went to is 'Klinik Pergigian Noorhuda'. My first question was - 'Do you accept credit cards?' (What snob!) coz a trip to a dentist does not only left you in pain physically, but financially as well. Never mind the fact that I can claim afterwards from my company but you know, it takes ages to get the claim processed. My last medical claim cheque actually grew mildew on it. Imagine!

I seriously recommend this clinic to everybody because of the great service, the friendly staff and the doctor's very soothing manner.

I went into the room and after a friendly greeting, was asked to sit on the patient reclining chair. The nurse tied a bib and the doctor started asking me what kind of pain I experienced, how old I was and the reason he asked was probably because I might grow that last tooth, whatchacallit, gigi bongsu.

After examining my teeth, he sat and explained in detail, that my back teeth are a bit lower than the rest of my teeth. So that meant even though I brush my teeth regularly, there're areas I can't reach. Over time, this caused buildup of cavities and now there're holes in these two tooth. My gigi bongsu also doesn't have space to grow and it's best if I had this extracted.

You should see the way he explain the part about extracting this gigi bongsu. He made it sound so fun like wow, I can't wait to have this tooth out! That surgery is like getting foot massage. It was no wonder I readily agreed at once to this suggestion.

First, he X-rayed my denture. He explained the X-ray film like telling a five-year-old a bedtime story. Then he gave me a couple of antibiotics and painkillers to swallow. After that he asked me to open my mouth wide and I tried not to look at the deadly syringe that contained anaesthetic. He hummed and told me in a soothing voice to recite Al-Fatihah, selawat, etc. while he injected my gum. Perhaps because I was relaxed, it didn't hurt badly. It felt like ant's bite. After a minute, half of my mouth felt numb.

I was relaxed throughout the whole entire operation except there's this one incident that his equipment which was in my mouth skidded and I heard a cracking sound that I panicked and my eyes nearly popped out. He quickly told, 'Takde apa2. Everything's ok. Relax...'

Half an hour later, I had safely delivered my gigi bongsu (hahaha!), which I asked to keep but later, forgot to take it back. I picked up my meds, arranged a follow-up appointment and then went back home for some rest.

Saturday. Nothing happened. No pain, no fever (the doctor warned I might feel feverish after that surgery). On Sunday & Monday however, I was attacked by a surge of extreme pain and uncomfortable feeling around the wound so I went back to the clinic earlier than my pre-arranged appointment. He cleaned the wound (macam kena electrocute!), picked out some food that managed to get into the wound, and gave more painkiller, antibiotics and a day mc. So yesterday, I was on mc again (nasib baik my tasks are mostly cleared off last week).

So that was my experience at the dental clinic. So, if anybody want to go and see a dentist, I do recommend this clinic because they have post-check up service for free and experienced dentist. Thumbs up for the doctor!

P/S: I would like to take the opportunity to wish all Malaysians 'Selamat Menyambut Hari Kemerdekaan' :) Please take a moment to appreciate our freedom from oppression, and to remember those who are oppressed or robbed off their country's liberty i.e. Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq. I am Malaysian and I am proud of it.
Foto diambil dari: http://rushdi.fotopages.com

Tghr tadi aku dapat call dari Didi (Rushdi). Dia ni kawan satu UTM dulu - kreatif dan pandai buat bisnes orangnya. Kiteorg kenal masa dia tolong aku buat assignment website. Dari situ aku belajar ilmu design-mendesign ni a.k.a Photoshop sampai aku gelar dia 'Sifoo'. Rushdi pandai amik gambar profesional gak, so kalau sesapa yang perlu khidmat photographer & videographer untuk apa2 event, boleh la kontek Didi (design#lasso.com.my - gantikan # dengan '@'). Harga berpatutan, percayalah ;)

Sebenarnya Didi call utk 2 sebab - pertama, nak jemput aku ke majlis kawen dia kat Perak. Kedua, nak mintak payment. Hehe. Sori la Di, kalau aku yg in-charge payment aku issue sekarang jugak pun boleh. Tapi masalahnya bukan aku yg berkuasa :p

Wife Didi pulak ialah ex-roommate aku masa stay kat Skudai dulu. Lawa giler orangnya. Masa dia mula2 masuk bilik aku, aku outstation ke KL. Bila aku balik, aku tgk ada awek yg lawa tgh tido kat bilik aku. Mak ai! Aku rasa nak nangis time tu gak sebab aku tak sama langsung ngan dia (tak lawa)! Baik pulak orang nya. Bertuah ko, Didi! Hehe. Jaga baik2 anak orang Di.

Lastly, selamat menempuh alam perkahwinan kepada Sa & Didi :) Semoga korang bahagia dunia & akhirat. Huhu...! Macam best je kawen ni :p
Sabtu lepas, dengan niat sivik dan rasa tanggungjawab, aku mengajak orang tu pegi bayar saman yang telah lama tertangguh. Jadi dia pun mengesyorkan pegi ke Balai Polis Trafik kat area Petaling Street tu (aku tak ingat la pulak nama balai polis tu. Al-maklum la, hard disk dah rosak teruk beb!).

Sebelum pegi bayar saman, kami pegi makan tengahari kat sebuah restoren masakan Thai (Restoran Lala). Dari dulu lagi sebenarnya nak perkenalkan restoren ni kat dia tapi aku yang mempunyai masalah kompas rosak ni tak ingat pulak camne nak gi situ. Cuma lepas majlis farewell lunch sorang executive dibuat kat area tu jugak, barulah aku bersungguh2 menghafal jalan. Yang kelakarnya:
Sebenarnya, boleh je amik kiri terus masuk ke simpang kiri tu dari trafik light depan Maju Junction tapi kan, sebab memori aku jenis photographic yg ikut turutan (kalau tak, bercelaru) jadi kenalah buat satu pusingan tu baru la masuk ke simpang yang sama nak menuju ke Restoren Lala tu! Adei la. Dia jeling semacam je kat aku masa tu sementara aku dah gelak terguling2.
Makanan kat situ memang sedap so apa lagi. Map dah kasi, sapa2 nak belanja kami boleh hubungi kami dengan kadar segera!

Lepas makan, kamipun nak gi bayar saman dan cari hadiah untuk kawan dia yang nak berkahwin hari berikutnya. Dengan keyakinan tinggi, dia ajak gi bayar saman kat area Petaling Street tu.

Dengan matahari terpacak di kepala, jalan yang jem giler, berdebu, sesak dengan orang di samping keazaman untuk melangsaikan saman, kami berputar2 di area tu sebanyak 2-3 kali! Setiap detik yang sepatutnya dihabiskan bersantai di rumah di hadapan kipas angin kelajuan maksima sebaliknya dimanfaatkan bersungguh2 untuk cari balai polis trafik tu.

Mungkin korang tertanya2 apsal kiteorg tak gi je balai polis trafik yang lain? Tapi jangan hairan ya, kami memang begitu. Degil dan keras kepala. Kalau nak bayar saman kat situ, kat situ jugak la sasaran kami *sambil menghentak2 kaki dan membunyikan gelang tangan berloceng*. Jangan cuba mengalihkan sasaran kami. Awas ya!

Akhirnya, lepas 3 jam berputar di situ, dia berhasrat bertanyakan jalan di Balai Polis Ampang (Ampang?) . Lepas mendapat maklumat terperinci, bergegas la kami ke lokasi dimaksudkan ala2 Explorace. Maka, pencarianku usai sudah...

Tapi malang tak berbau... arituh balai polis trafik bahagian pembayaran saman cuma bekerja half-day! Tidaaakkkk!!! Alamatnya, tunggu bulan depan la baru ader hati dan semangat nak bayar saman lagik. Sekian :p
'Awak, kenapa kita jadi macam nih?'
'Macam orang kaya.'

Waktu tu kami sedang melangkah kaki masuk ke Istana Budaya. Cuak, excited, dan kekok perasaan kami ketika tu. Masing2 menggenggam tiket eksklusif yang mahal mengalahkan tiket kapal terbang pergi balik ke Kuching. Padahal tiket tu free! Waktu tu barulah perasaan best sebab keja ngan kompeni aku sekarang merangkak2 ke dalam hati aku yang masih cuak.

Balik je dari JB arituh, dieorang call aku tanya kalau aku nak gi tengok PGL malam Rabu. Aku pun terus je setuju sebab last time aku tak boleh pegi atas alasan2 yang terlalu perit diciter kan di sini (podah!). So kali ni aku mengendeng la kat yang tukang agih tiket tu spy bagi aku tiket free satu lagi, yalah ganti masa first time dulu yang aku tak dapat pegi. Tak sangka pulak last minit boleh dapat ;) Cayalah!

Berbalik pada malam Rabu tu bila kami dah sampai ke Istana Budaya. Tiba2...

'Tuan2 dan Puan2, kami menjemput tetamu2 dari ABC Corp. untuk menikmati jamuan di tingkat 2. Ladies & gentlemen, we would like to invite our guest from ABC Corp. to 2nd floor for refreshment.'

>Gulp< Cuak lagi tapi kami memang tetamu yang dimaksudkan. Dia bersungguh2 cuba menafikannya. 'Orang rasa bukan kita la...' 'Yalah, kan tiket kita ni ABC sponsor. Jom la.'

Dia masih cuak. Aku cuba maintain cool macam la hari2 aku gi tengok teater nih. Akhirnya kami pergi. Dan memang sah! Kami dengan nafsu buas mendekati meja makan. Inikah jamuan ringan? Kalau ni jamuan ringan, apakah jamuan berat??

Nasi, kari, ayam goreng, ayam sweet & sour, rojak buah, buah2an, puding, ais kacang. Sumer nya sedap. Aku melantak macam tak ingat badan aku yang bersaiz bluehyppo nih. Dah la minggu nih langsung tak pegi jogging!

Dong! Gong berbunyi menandakan kami kena berenti melantak dan masuk ke dewan. Sebelum tu, sempat tengok ketibaan Sultan Perak sebagai salah seorang tetamu kehormat. Aku dan dia berpisah bila masuk ke dewan sebab duduk kat tempat asing2. Sadis la! Tapi tak pe. Sekejap je, aku memujuk hati sendiri.

Agak lama menunggu barulah persembahan dimulakan. Apa yang boleh aku katakan? Semuanya grand! Hebat! Fantastic! Bombastic! Aku suka sangat PGL! Efek muzik menggegar jiwa dan membangkitkan rasa teruja di hati penonton2. Walaupun rasanya suara Datin Tiara as Puteri Gunung Ledang tu mula2 macam tak best tapi lama2 ok la... Tapi suara hero (Hang Tuah) tu memang power la. Cuma adegan2 bercanda antara Hang Tuah dengan PGL tu agak bosan sket.

Beberapa skrip dalam pementasan teater tu diambil dari citer PGL The Movie. Aku lebih suka soundtrack PGL The Movie tapi ader gak lagu dalam PGL The Musical tu yang best. Keseluruhannya, aku memang bagi thumbs up untuk persembahan teater kali nih :) Tak macam M! The Opera yang aku pegi last time (pun dpt tiket free gak), yang ni best dan sket2 je buat aku ngantuk.

Pukul 12am, baru abis. Masa turun tangga, nampak sorang mamat yang tinggi lampai. Hans Isaac! Alamak! Excited2x, walah~! Encem nyer dier! Ada gak beberapa artis lain i.e. Harith Iskandar dan Ako Mustapha tapi yang buatkan aku rasa excited ialah Hans Isaac! Beberapa kali aku tanya kat dia macamane kalau aku bergambar ngan artis yang hensem giler tu, oraits tak? Tapi bila tengok muka dia, aku terus tak jadi plak. Lagipun segan la sebab mamat tu tinggi cam galah, aku pulak kecik kemetot. Tak saswai! Jadi aku pun batalkan hasrat tu. Tapi...

'Hahahahaha! Kita dapat seat lagi best dari artis2 tu, awak!'
'Hahaha! Awak ni...'

Kesimpulannya, peluang yang best dan jarang2 diperolehi :) Time kasih kat ABC Corp* sbb sponsor tiket teater ;)

*Nama kompeni dirahsiakan :p
Aku suka sekali kawan-kawan di JB. Mereka semua gila. Gila dan fun. Kerana kami gila, orang selalu anggap kami budak baru belajar yang innocent sedangkan kami tak begitu. Awas ya, Chairman boleh buat financial report macam seorang menteri kewangan, Survivor terer buat planning department, dan Ainie ialah pekerja paling sibuk dan produktif di syarikat kiteorang ('dan paling cute' dier suka menokok-tambah fakta!) Dulu ada Jen, si workaholic merangkap Miss Universe tapi dier dah berhenti kerja dan balik kampung. Berkuranglah sorang kanak-kanak Ribena.
Kalau aku tak hang out dengan Kak Za dan Yana, aku akan hang out dengan Ainie, si budak cute yang perasan cute. Ainie si budak cute ni bukan sahaja cute, tapi dia juga baik hati. Sebab tu lah aku suka berkawan dengan Ainie si budak cute ni, di samping suka kereta Kenari nya yang banyak berjasa dan menyumbang kepada kenaikan harga petrol di JB.
Sepanjang 4 hari di JB, Ainie si budak cute selalu tolong hantar aku balik ke hotel. Dalam kereta, kami suka ketawa mengilai2 macam 10 tahun tak penah gelak dan Ainie si budak cute suka bawak kereta ala2 Schumacher dan potong Q. Sungguh, dia penah bisikkan impiannya menjadi pemandu taxi yang paling anggun di JB.

Seperti biasa hari Jumaat tu dia hantar aku balik ke hotel. Dengan selamba badak je dia potong Q kat trafik light. Tiba2... Oops! Ada Pak Polisi melambai2 kami mcm pokok kelapak. Alamak. Kantoi pulak...

Oleh sebab Pak Polisi dah melambai, maka kami dengan terkedek2 berenti di bahu jalan. Ainie si budak cute dengan gabranya menurunkan tingkap kereta manakala mata aku pulak dah membulat macam piring cawan di samping muka dah pucat-lesi macam nampak hantu polong.

Belum sempat Pak Polisi mintak IC dan lesen kereta, Ainie si budak cute terus menghamburkan kata-kata rayuan dengan kelajuan 35 km/j - tanpa noktah, koma, tanda seruan dan sebagainya yang akan menghalang ayat2 berunsur rayuan itu dari menyapa lembut cuping telinga Pak Polisi:

'Encik2 mintak maaf sesangat saya dah lambat ni nak hantar kawan saya balik pastu nak amik mak saya kat rumah sbb dier nak gi Singapore malam ni dah banyak kali call tolong la encik saya terpaksa buat macam tu kawan saya nak balik cepat ada hal mak saya nak gi singapore saya nak kena hantar mak saya pulak ke sana tolong la encik lain kali saya tak buat lagi saya mintak maaf sangat tolong la encik...'

'Bak IC dengan lesen.' Pak Polisi pada mulanya kebal dan berhati waja walaupun berhadapan dengan Ainie si budak cute dan kawannya yang lebih cute (muahaha! Speak2 grendem betul). Tapi Ainie si budak cute tetap tak mengalah. Dengan nada 'uhuk2' nya, dia terus memujuk dan menaburkan kata2 dusta yang manis di telinga Pak Polisi tu.

Akhirnya, sedikit demi sedikit hati seorang lelaki seperti Pak Polisi tu cair dan retak dek termakan kata2 rayuan yang penuh kepalsuan. Aku terus menjadi supporting actress - membuat muka kesian di sebelah Ainie si budak cute. Usaha dan lakonan mantap kami akhirnya membuahkan hasil - Pak Polisi itu pun melepaskan kami pergi tanpa sebarang tiket saman yang berpotensi melayangkan beratus2 ringgit dari poket lusuh kami.

Buat beberapa minit, aku dan Ainie si budak cute terdiam dan menikus tak percaya yang kami berjaya melepaskan diri dari tindakan undang-undang kerajaan Malaysia. Lepas tu, aku tengok dia, dia tengok aku dan kami terus ketawa berguling2 di dalam Kenari itu!

Pak Polisi seluruh Malaysia, mintak maaf bebanyak ya! Kami sangat sengkek sekarang tapi kalau ada duit pun kami tak rela membayar saman. Huhu...!
When I first heard that I was going to spend 4 days in JB to help organize an event last Monday, I was alarmed. I had a lingering suspicion that I would lose my precious sleep over the weekend. The only comforting thought was I'd have access to hot water tubs for 4 days in a row, something that I always look forward to during every trips.

My worst fear and suspicions were confirmed by the way my phone kept ringing angrily followed by a flurry of instructions to do this, to do that, and oh, that also needed to be attended to. If anything, we'd be at the theatre / shopping complex / in bed in case you need to reach us, they promised me. It's awesome to be part of the management, like, I can't wait to have my own slaves someday.

We had a hectic time preparing the event. There were many rounds of emails that popped into my inbox to inform on the changes, and more changes and mooooooreeeee changes. By the time they firmed up on the tentative, another year had passed (as shown in the invitation card whereby invitees were supposed to confirm their attendance last year).

So anyway, my responsibilities were:

1. Invite the media and made them swear, tsunami or no tsunami, they'll come
2. Prepare press kit & souvenir for those who come

4. Procure a booth structure - (not done)

The booth structure was the main culprit as to why I had to sacrifice my rest days and neglect my hot bath tub. This was an emergency, for cry-out sake! The supplier had disappeared (didn't want to pick up the phone, didn't call us either) 36 hours prior to the event and somebody ought to load a gun and shoot that liar find the old structure and re-use them. Which is fine, except that the structure is spoiled. In the end, I suggested to use a plywood structure and staple the roll-up visuals to it. The way they fretted and panicked over this matter, I tell you, made me wonder whether they were doing that purely for the excitement.

On Sunday, we had a rehearsal of which the emcee pompously told everyone how to behave and made them re-rehearse a couple of times. Lepas tu, dia sendiri pulak yang buat silap during the event itself! Then we had another round of briefing and were told to come at 7 am! 7 freaking am! I had to restrain myself from bellowing - 'What the fisshhh head curry??'

So much for 7 am on Monday. The ones who told us to come at 7am came at 7.30am instead. Then I was all over the place greeting and welcoming the media (some of them were really pompous as the result of having to sacrifice their sleep to come here. Hello, some of us didn't sleep for 4 days in a row, tau?). Of course I didn't tell them that. Merely ushering them to their seats and politely shoving press kits in their hands. I had to run to greet the newcomers / entertain questions from those who had arrived and ensembled the press kits all at once and all by myself. I'm sooo looking forward to be part of the management.

So it happened finally. After 72 hours of rushing to get approvals, screaming at the fax machine, plotting, complaining, and jumping up and down in agitation, the 3-hour event went uneventfully (except during the time somebody gatecrashed our party) . My sweaty shirt stuck to my back. My stomach rumbled. My feet hurt. All for this 3-hour event. That afternoon, I vented my stress by throwing out half of the store room contents and rearranging the stuffs. It helped tremendously, I believe.
I'm waiting to depart. I love wireless services. I love my laptop more when there's wireless. I love MAS. Four days in JB has been a blast. I love it! I'm gonna blog about it in the next few days - featuring my lovely buddy, Ainie and Trump and lotsa. But ta. I'm going to board the flight now :P
I know I'm not supposed to tell the world about this but I can't resist it. Hehe. Sorry, you... ;)

After landing at KLIA from my outstation trip, I sms-ed Beloved to pick me up at KL Sentral. When I reached KL Sentral, I sa w a message from him, telling me he was on his way. So I switched on my laptop and was about to start playing Solitaire when suddenly a bouquet of yellow marigolds just fell on my lap.

My first thought was - this gotta be a mixed-up case. I was about to turn around and told whoever dropped these flowers that he had got the wrong person.

I saw him. I gave a yelp. I scooped up the bouquet and gave another yelp. I could turn into a yelping species next.

'Sorry, they don't have sunflowers,' he said apologetically. Forget about sunflowers. Any flowers, even free by-the-roadside flowers from him is priceless! I think I continued cradling the precious flowers and crooning to them like they were a new-born baby. I was so shocked + surprised + on the verge of tears to receive a bouquet of flowers from Beloved.

'Do you like it?' he asked me anxiously. Haha! Was he being adorably nonplussed on purpose? Of course I do! I nodded my head, still speechless, unable to utter any word unless he wanted to hear me yelp again. I think if he popped the question 'Will you marry me NOW?' I could probably agree to it in my state of delirious happiness. Thank goodness he didn't.

That was the first time I received flowers for no reasons from anybody. I know, I know! I'm being pathetically mushy, but who wouldn't appreciate a bouquet of flowers from their loved ones?

Then when I had found my voice, I slipped my hand in my pocket and got out something.

'I bought you this. I thought I wanted to surprise you first, but...' beamed happily at him. He beamed appreciatively at the pure white small teddy bear.

It just so happened that we both had been thinking to give surprise gifts to each other that day. Sigh. Now I sleep with the flowers beside me so before I sleep I would cuddle the bouquet lovingly and kissed each flowers goodnight. Pathetic, Carneyz, pathetic. I know, I know...