An Island Adventure...

This blog is officially closed.

2009-03-30T12:32:00.002+08:00

But, if you care to follow me in my so-called adventure - leave your link here (in comment box) OR email me @yahoo.com - using my (full) alter ego's name.

Thank you for being with me this far.

P/s: I really need to remain anonymous in order to bare all juicy details haha..
Still figuring out how best to balance those two!

..(back) with a vengeance!!!

2009-03-20T15:20:00.002+08:00

Ever heard of the catch phrase, "hell has no fury like a woman scorned??
(or vice versa)" Muahahahahaha!!!!! *insertmoreevillaughhere*

I'm ready, anytime now, with An 'Expose'!!

Define: Exposé (French - Online Dict).

An exposing of something which should have been kept out of sight. Thus we say a man made a dreadful exposé — i.e. told or did something which should have been kept concealed.

(2nd written) Warning: One single mis-step boyo - you're IT!! All my 'networkings' turn out to be useful after all...

10 dalils why I prefer to drive at night...

2009-03-10T08:23:00.000+08:00

(To be discussed..hehe!)

Balik Kpg Mission I: To deliver jeruk..

2009-03-05T13:43:00.009+08:00

Assalamualaikum & Greetings to my dear family (of course, they don't know I blog) & friends (you & YOU lah),

First part of the mission - to secure the 'halallan toyyibban' jeruk menurut spesifikasi yang ditetapkan ie Islam*c Manufacturing Practice (IMP)- was accomplished yesterday with the help of my newest partner-in-crimes (like to jogwalk around campus, shopping mall, nite market etc.)

So, here are the proves:

Caveat: Any salivating due to the evidences at hand was not intended at all.

p/s: 12 packets @half-kilo each for family members (surely not enough..)& neighbours (friends in May trip)- as part of my thanksgiving, alhamdulillah.

FYI: The jeruk was processes locally - with buah pala from Balik Pulau, mempelam, kedondong, kelubi etc. from Perlis mostly, few like buah salak was sourced from Indo, and grapes from Thai. There're all kinds of asam (& other snacks, sweets) available too but imported from China. Marukku made locally. I even tried jeruk bawang putih (Euwwww!!) but surprisingly it didn't smell at all & quite tasty!

Observation on Life at the (new-for-me) Tasik

2009-02-25T15:23:00.012+08:00

Other than jogging or walking around the lake (or reading, practice drama-scenes, photo shoots, cycling, row-training etc.) the next most favourite activity for many 'visitors' is to feed the fishes and turtles! And not to be left hungry, the monitor lizard too (iguana is the mini version while komodo dragon (biawak raksasa??) is the largest of the same species)!

I no longer wonder what happen to any pieces of stale bread here on campus, they even feed them the whole loaf plus an assortment of other things (like a packet of marukku???)! Talk about business opportunity…

And, I’ve observed a foreign guy for a couple of time already, who came in the evening – maybe he works in a restaurant or something like that coz instead of throwing at leisure, small pieces of bread (girls did this alongside their macho boyfriends too) – and out from his plastic bag into the lake: the pink and white but not-so-little fluffy apam!!! Wooohooo!!! Going by the enthusiastic reaction which means ‘grabbing as much as you can’ amongst the fishes, turtles & biawaks – it’s a welcome treat!

The adventure begins..

2009-02-17T11:44:00.014+08:00

Assalamualaikum & Greetings to my Dear Family & Friends (punya lah malas nak tulis satu2),

This is a report about my 'hot dates' over the Valentine (its significance much later!) weekend.

1. Penang Hill or Bukit Bendera was fun! The temperature was (very) slightly lower than below - an occasional cool breeze. The working of the funicular train (operated by cable) is the main attraction & reasonably price @ RM4 per adult for a return-trip & RM2 for kids below 12yo. Luckily, somebody find a souvenir shop which sells XXXL sized t-shirt printed with - what else? - Penang Hill! However, we only bought 1 or 2 each since some local ppl we met on the way up suggested that we go to Bt Feringgi night market for better bargains & it has everything too! (bearinmindgreedybargainhunters..hehe)
P/s: Abang - not advisable for you to go up there - there's a LARGE ular sawa & plenty of others sewaktu dgnnya waiting...hehehe

2. Second stop was supposed to be Toy Museum esp for the kids & followed by a round tour of the island. Alas, everybody was hungry so that necessitated an emergency pit stop @ Nasi Kandar Khaleel, Jln. Gurney.

3. Left mak & k.Teh to rest my place, we continued to Bayan Lepas, in search of the best Char Kue Teow. Finally, after searching high & low, we found the place @ 'bawah pokok tepi jalan', Bayan Baru, only to be told it operates only at night time. Argh...somebody was now hungry...it was past tea time.

4. Further search up the road to whereever, looking for a place to eat ended us up at Limbungan Kapal Batu Maung - end of the road, but we saw fishermen coming in after day out@sea & an expensive looking eatery (closed)! We followed the direction to Penang War Museum, found it but didnt look interesting enough at that time (I was told today, it worth visiting afterall! there's an aquarium@govt agency nearby too). A turn of the road led us to Teluk Tempoyak - real fishing village with a jetty. The village people were busy preparing for a burial & so ignored us as the kedai makan will operate after that. No other choice for us except the chalet (dont bother asking abt the rates as I know nothing abt it) & restaurant 'next door' which open from 12pm to 2am (if Im not mistaken) - not bad at all. The seafood was freshly cooked & service was so&so lah.
Moral: never ordered lala to be cooked as masak lemak cili api la oi!

5. After a refreshing rest back @my place, we esp mak & k.Teh were eager for a bit of shopping @ bt feringgi. The neighbour who took care of mak's chicken (@hometown) didnt want to accept payment of money but she wants 'jeruk' - pickled or preserved fruits Penang are famous for. So, we set out before 9pm, got caught in bumper to bumper traffic all the way to bt feringgi & eventually saw the night market - plenty of stalls lining up the long roadside & but there's no place to park, even difficult to turn around!! It was valentine night - couples were out in force so the restaurants on the opposite site of the road were doing brisk business. We decided to try our luck in Georgetown, esp. Padang Kota Lama only to face the same scenario again & being restless, temper started to arise!

6. So, we decided to head home after a detour to Bayan Baru for the best char kue teow @rm5 per big plate -tapowed. Alhamdulillah, it was divine (sodap giler beb!) & worth the effort. We reached home just before 12am - betul2 jalan2 makan angin kosong!

7. Next morning, still in search of the jeruk, I told them to stop @Chowrasta Market, somewhere near Komtar, on Penang Road - on their way back - this time by ferry. Alas, they failed to find it & I'm no help either since I havent been there or anywhere!

So, maybe next outing perhaps? And who ever is coming over next, please arm yourself with details of places to go (direction & landmarks), where & what foods to eat etc.

Regards,
-rad-

Acceptance

2009-02-12T10:44:00.002+08:00

"On behalf of the Editorial Board, I am very pleased to accept your paper for
publication in the next issue of..."

*grinningfromeartoear&feelinggiddy*

Finally, to be accepted for the first time ever (mind you, it was after 3 rejections -both @local & international level & countless revisions + cucuran airmata)- I deserved a pat on the back! Hehehe....

Alhamdulillah & Thank you Allah.

P/s: While I'm on a roll here, lets get jiggy with the just-accepted-local abstract & the other two corrections.

"Cant get you out of my head.."

2009-02-11T12:32:00.000+08:00

".. boy its more than I dare to think about."

It’s Kylie’s signature song which I can totally relate to now like..

1. for the 1st couple of days after submission, I woke up & felt – what a surprise!!!- I don’t have to think about Dddy anymore (at least for the time being!) but: Oh!! The emptiness that lies ahead….like ah-kak said: I feel you!!!
2. somebody said ‘it’ to me & I find it hard to belief. Whatever I do to deserve that? Once bitten, twice shy kan.
3. when you stay alone for the 1st time ever (it’s a long weekend, by the way) & have all the time in the world to sit back (enuf of qadha tido) & reflect, reminiscing over the year that gone by…

Didya know that…

2009-02-11T12:20:00.001+08:00

..you cannot go to space once you’d your skin sewn up, say due to an operation or after being slashed in an attack? (insider’s info) Which bring to mind a certain would-be local (loosely defined) astronaut (already in-training). Assuming the authority gives the go ahead, what with the budgeted billions (shot into space) of course. Make us wonder at the strength of God-given body features like a simple skin!

..January (& early February) is the driest month in Penang? I’ve been told that there has been no rainfall for the past one month or so. No wonder everything looks pale, yellow and brown – the plants, I mean. As for a sample of the homo sapiens, I’ve developed rashes all over my body - arms, legs, neck etc. My scaly skin is real scary! But so syiok to scratch..hehe. I say no to moisturizer based on past experience – repeated showering & moisturizing tend to worsen the sensitive skin condition.

The Journey begins..

2009-02-02T09:57:00.002+08:00

..PLUSELITENKVEPLUSJambatan.

You drive alone? For the 1st time ever? Nobody to accompany you?

Who? You tell me - Im alone – anak yatim kan. No boipren. Suami lagilah tak wujud.

My bros?

One said, “Sebolum pukul 8, ekau tokan pueh2! Lopeh tu, baru kau ikut limit…” Hehe..

Another offered, “Kau nak bawak keto ah ngah? Baru best..” FYI, his imported whatever-car versus locally mine – no doubt la which car win hands down. I like!

Next, ah beng said, “Kak Y kau pun bawak dari PP ke SA dah 4 ½ jam. Itu termasuk hantar kawan ke rumah dulu. Dio bawak kelisa, kau punyo enjin 1.5!!”

I take that as a challenge!!

S'wang 652am - Jambatan 1052am (my 1st try)

(And I think, my bros are all rock!!)

P/s: He visited me y'day with just a 3hour drive from SA - another challenge I take it??

Many thanks to all those drivers who gives the 'wink' which eventually saved me from being pull over @ a road block somewhere before Trolak exit. Alhamdulillah.

I'm ready for...

2009-01-24T06:23:00.007+08:00

..love
Oh dddy, I'm ready for love
Ready for love
Oh dddy, I'm ready for love (spoof version)

"Now I'm on my feet again
Better things are bound to happen
All my dues surely must be paid
Many miles and many tears
Times were hard but now they're changing
You should know that I'm not afraid
..."

(version Bad Company)
Source: From online lyric.com & Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"I'm Ready for Love" is a 1966 single by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas.
____

: eh, dpt online?
: Oh ya lah kan,
: balas dendam dpt balik rumah hahahahahaha
: how are you?
A: ok ...
A: sory..
A: td lyn bende len...
A: maksu wat pa? ?
A: aloo..? ?

...

: maksu buat kerja la, tadi ada kawan dtg bincang lak
A: trrr
: so, amacam pengalaman makan nasi kawah?
: best ke tak dok hostel?
: maksu dah nak pergi XXX pada xx, xxhb insyaAllah - nak ikut? hehe
: ahad ni maksu balik kpg - ibu balik tak?
: cis, boleh disconnect pulak....sure nak layan gelpren je nih...
: sedih maksu tau...

...

A: teghok gler kene buli...
: buli tang mana? boleh buli balik tak?
A: ner de...
A: awek x on laa...
A: senior...
: depa suruh along buat apa? tiup lampu? gi kantin selalu? basuh baju? iron?
A: pumping seghatuih kali..
: Wow! Hebat tu...sure surrender lepas 10x kot?
: lagi? ada suruh nyanyi tak?
: basuh toilet?
: pernah kena denda apa?
A: ade sughoh nyanyi
: along nyanyi lagu apa? Wow- wow! mcm tak percaya lah..
A: lagu tradisi..
A: scoltt ...
: So lagu apa? Ayam den lopeh?
A: ngna abng f 5..
: scoltt tu apa? lagu Scotland? ke kena scold/tengking dek abg2?
A: scott..
A: scott..sory..
A: kt smap sane ..
: aung lang syg ke?
A: skang ngh berlaku kes..
: ha, kes apa?
: panas nih!
A: kes tumbuk..
: siapa tumbuk siapa? , kes polis tak?
A: mate berdarah...
: along tolong sorak? hehee
A: lobam sano sini..
: form1 ke?
A: pdn muke die..
: baper ramai yg kerjakan?
A: 23 oghnag...
: apa silap budak tu? kurang ajar? curik?
A: abng f5..
A: lenk alilaa cter..
A: susah nk ckp asrr..
A: saye pon de tesis gak nie..
: apa ni, potong stim je - mana bole citer half2..
: Ek eleh.....
: eksyen la kau jang...montang2 dah dok labu!
A: untok seni
A: susah arr..
A: cam oghng bodoh je..
A: nk caghi sal gaghisan..
A: xpebondoehh ..
: oklah, silalah buat kerja - jgn main game lak yo
: jgn lupa bagi extra attention/perhatian pada adik2 along tu
: kesian depa kena tinggal, takde geng
: ibu risau akmal taklalu makan minggu ni
: hehehe...tp maksu suspek dia asyik main game kot
: ok, caucincau!!!

...

A: yer maksu..
A: tau..
A: sedih dongar ..
A: maksu..
: sure rasa disayangi- ahaks!!
A: abang g ense daghi seghawaj 2 kighim slm..
A: ok..
: uwahhhh!!!! biar betoi? wakakaka
: tido tak lenalah maksu malam ni...

Hehehe..did you get my POINTs there? ...
Yes, exactly!! Oh, to be young & free again...tho' he's abt half of my age!

The other day, I was sitting down with one of my editors (tak bertauliah) when the person suddenly asked: How old are you? Blabla...you look like only 28! Muahahahaha....*kembangmontotahkaktau!*

P/s: Sorry abt my nephew's language - that's the juvenile lingo nowadays esp if you're from n9. Not that I'm tryin' to 'corrupt' him or anything...

Im leavin...

2009-01-22T09:01:00.003+08:00

...on a mav-plane
definitely I’ll be back again
Oh ddd, I can’t wait to let you go...(my spoof version)

...
Now the time has come to leave you
One more time
Let me kiss you
And close your eyes
I'll be on my way
Dream about the days to come
When I won't have to leave you alone
About the times, I won't have to say

Oh, kiss me and smile for me (Everybody!C'mon..)
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
Cause Im leavin on a jet plane

(Jewel/Aerosmith's version is the best-est!)

Leaving on a Jet Plane
Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a song written by John Denver in 1967 during a layover at an airport in Washington and recorded by the Mitchell Trio that year. The original title of the song was "Oh Babe I Hate To Go" but Denver's then producer, Milt Okun, convinced him to change the title. Denver wrote the song after his flight was delayed.

Thanks to ah-kakku for a nice write-up on this so-called love & hate relationship...

Re: a certain species of mountain goat - Hahaha! I'm keeping him (still)...

It's hard to say...

2009-01-20T13:33:00.002+08:00

..GOODBYE. *sob2x*

But yes I did - for a start, to my sifu & comrades in poc*-poco, last Sunday.

Surely I'm gonna miss the early sunday morning adrenaline rush (pergh! kelentong je lebihnya...) but be (not) still my heart coz I've with me the ori CD of Kump Poc*-poco U*M along with the name of contact person up north - sekali membawa pesanan penaja. Haha...

I would do anything for lve....(meat laf)

2009-01-16T17:31:00.002+08:00

..(But I Won't Do That)

I'm so happy today. I know, it's not appropriate at all to talk about anything else - other than raising awareness & doing all we can to help our brothers & sisters in Palestine (whether directly or in-). Some more, I've been promising myself not to blog until DDD is submitted (insyaAllah soon). But then I've been blogging nonstop in my head (wow! really!) & elsewhere (di manakah?) & promising (one or two ppl) to write updates to the previous entries (Manila Affair: he smsed quite recently- boleh saya telefon?; chance meeting with a ghost - scary!; Wedding Tales I, II and III; well, lots more! So, just bear with me...

BTW, before we get back on track: Apakah 'meat loaf' dlm bahasa ya? I've seen it some where but couldn't recall now.

Ok, catatan selepas ini sengaja ditulis dalam bahasa Melayu memandangkan 'The Power of Googling' yang memungkinkan The Intended Person (with the titled issue as above) menjumpai catatan saya di sini.

Disclaimer: The previous entry on 'In Love Again' has got Nothing To Do With Me. Obviously, I wrote it in First Person to make it more interesting. I've learn the hard way - never share your lov*(less) life online. Tu pasal, kejap2 ada entry lirik2 lagu jiwang karatlah, pastu bila break up ada pulak lagu2 syahdu merayu...boleh blah la kan! *siapa makan cili dialah yang terasa pedasnya, tak gitu bapak2 & ibuk2 sa-kalian?*

Ok, ok...back to the matter at hand.

Bayangkan sepasang 'kekasih' yang merancang untuk berkahwin. Memanglah jodoh pertemuan di tangan Tuhan tapi manusiakan perlu berusaha terlebih dahulu? Bukan ku pinta begini tetapi mereka berlainan agama. Gimana sih? Walau si lelaki 'willing to do anything for love' including uprooting himself by relocating across the continents to be nearer to her, selain daripada memeluk Islam? Ini bukannya perkara kecil yang boleh dibuat main-main. Islam itu rahmat Allah. si perempuan mungkin rasa merendah diri(?) kerna menarik seorang lagi hamba untuk dekat padaNya. Tapi mampukah dia yang sebenar2nya? Bukankah si perempuan itu sendiri perlukan bimbingan seorang lelaki yang dipanggil suami? (er, hello - ini bukan pasal jadi bos di pejabat ye!) Sia2lah Islamnya nanti kalau dianya sendiri tak terbela, di lelaki pulak...

Makanya, mohon pendapatan rakan sa-kalian yang ada membaca, mendengar, mengalami etc. permasalahan seperti di atas. Apakah patut diteruskan? Kiranya i-ya, apakah perkara2 yang perlu dititikberatkan? Gimana pula prosedurnya nanti? Apa mungkin ada isu2 berbangkit? Pls advise.

Bagi pihak yang berkenaan,
rad

In Love Again (eh, so quick one?)

2009-01-05T17:08:00.004+08:00

Remember JAmie (RIP), JAjan, Captain JAck (RIP) & RaJAhram? Well, she did it again - for the second time in 2008, on the night of December 27th to be exact.

In concordance with my 'tradition' (coincidently B was the one who suggested all of these names): TOmmy, TOmey and TOmok. TOmot passed away after breathing outside air for less than 24 hours - suffocation perhaps? Note:I could only prepared a small box for the birthing - immediately whatever was available in the house. Mak Tom was (still is) HUGE.
---
....
A: am looking for true love
A: and i think i have found true love
: how do u define love? how do u know that u've found love? It aint easy..elusive & almost like a mirage i think!
A: when you have found love there is something in you that tells you this true love
A: and that keep telling me that you are my true love
: I dont knw A, I dont you - all of who you are yet, and I dont knw what love is
: sometimes i think you're like a poet!
A: really?
: yes, i think you're a romantic at heart- poems & poet!
A: cos am in love
A: thnks
A: and am ready to show it
: maybe you are in love with the idea of being in love?
: Love is sacrifice & lotsa compromise - you're willing?...
: what do knw abt me so far? is it enough?
A: yea
A: for now
A: till i meet you in person
....
(So what will be, will be...)
---
That is another story in-the-making. Intrigue? Tell me, what would you prefer for the ending? Happy? Or sad? None at all?

Wedding Tales (coming up next after the break..An important tagged-advertorial 2row!)

2008-12-17T19:13:00.004+08:00

This is just a teaser (to further whet your appetite!):

LOVE IS IN THE AIR (John Paul Young)

Love is in the air
Everywhere I look around
Love is in the air
Every sight and every sound

And I don't know if I'm being foolish
Don't know if I'm being wise
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when I look in your eyes

Love is in the air
In the whisper of the trees
Love is in the air
In the thunder of the sea

And I don't know if I'm just dreaming
Don't know if I feel sane
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when you call out my name

(Chorus)
Love is in the air
Love is in the air
Oh oh oh
Oh oh oh

Public Announcement: O - Hear ye! Hear ye!
1. (To ah-kak)
rad has not YET submitted her thesis, much more had her viva. so, the previous 'request minor revisions' refers to an article (out of the three essays she works on) meant for publication in a journal which had earlier been rejected *sigh* more than once but somehow she and the co-author had persevered and worked laboriously to revise and improvise so finally what a relief it is to be able to say, "there's hope still!" and thus the journey to The End continues....

2. (To UL)
Thank you for your gentle reminder regarding the dating site(S). But, (in Britney's breathless voice or was it Gwen Stefani?) "I'm having so much fun!!!!"
The key operative word is FUN (& never, ever taking other people for a ride - honest!). I'm forever reminded & indebted to my Utmost Responsibility! If only writing an article is as easy as writing a blog entry....*sighagain*

3. (To dlt)
Tu la pasal, kalau dah ngadap pc 24/7 - sure tersasul/terlajak langkah jugak la kan? Aritu bz dgn fb la, geni la, my yearbook la, even friendster (my nephews dah catch up on me! Erkk!!), dll yg sewaktu dgnnya. Lani...kasi chan lah ok? Citer hantu tergantung? Hehehe...ada jugak yg baca ye? Ok, since you asked for it - I'll post the ending JUST FOR YOU! (Awww!) but much later ok? Coz suspen gile babas sampai i termimpi2 mlm tu...jeng3x!!

4. Coming up next: Wedding Tales (part I) - Debaran 26th December)....Duda anak dua *gulp!*

If you know what I mean..

2008-12-13T09:49:00.003+08:00

Lotsa things are happening but I prefer not to share everything this time.

I've been dutifully enlisted myself (invited by concerned friends) in a few local dating sites with surprising outcomes. HahaHAHAHA!!!!

I know, I know - Im supposed to concentrate on DDD but any kind of diversion is pretty much welcome now. Just for the fun of it! (And making new (scary) friends)

Re: "If you know what I mean..." - I find it confusing really when somebody said that...like implying a priori info which I might (or not) have!

Good news, and there're bad news

2008-12-03T08:40:00.003+08:00

"Request minor revisions" is a good one! Great in fact!! *happy2 morning! Though I'm still trailing behind schedule & wouldn't be able to meet the latest deadline!

But, one of my colleagues - the one who was caught on plagiarism ages ago (not yet viva stage) was given the final 'NO'. By the newly minted Datok Pr*f as int*rnal examiner, according to my sources.

Another (missing) couple was given the status of 'progress with warning'. Straight from the mouth of the Advisor. Great (financial & motivational) implications eventually, sort of.

Sentiasa berdoa, insyaAllah.

Updated!

2008-12-02T15:41:00.002+08:00

Do check out below for the Manila Affair (Part I only).

P/s: Bz ya amat nih tapi perasaan membara utk update!

Inter-frame: Meeting A Ghost (Part I)

2008-11-28T17:25:00.006+08:00

Reached home considerably late that Tuesday night. (After attending a day-long roundtable discussion, I felt guilty of neglecting my DDD so I was very much obliged to stay back and did some work.)

I rushed home, parked & locked everything and ran upstairs breathlessly only to say this to B:

me: B, you wanna know why I'm late just now? *sweating, panting & trying to take deep breaths*
B: Ha, why?
me: I met a ghost!!!!!!
B: HA??! Ko jgn nak nakutkan aku, dah la malam2 ni...

It was like this:

You know right that the (postgrad) office is situated at one end-corner of the U-shaped building? In level 5. So, at around 840pm when I, the so-called Last Man Standing (uh-uh! perasan lebeyy..), decided to close shop for the day - a peek at the window revealed no one else around (after all, it's already semester break lor). However, the lights were on at the corridors.

Since I need to reach home by 9pm (coz KuMil*kmu was on that weeknight), I wasn't paying much attention to my surrounding - need to lock the office quickly & drive fast! And I walked fast too. During the quietness of the night, even my foot steps sound loud. Normal.

Just when I was getting to the end of the corridor (before turning to another corridor where the elevator are situated), suddenly I heard this sound of somebody's crying...

Mind you, it was loud & clear. My mak used to say, 'nangis merugu'....(Huhuhuhu..) You know, the female adult-type when you cried & at the same time trying to say things?

My only thought at that time was: I really needed to get home.

If I were to turn around & barricade myself inside the office, I will never get home that night. At the same time, I wasn't too surprise since one of my colleagues (she and hubby used to stay back till 1pm last time) had told me of 'lintasan', 'things passing by', 'feeling of a certain presence' ...esp after the clock stroke midnite!!! But then, takkan la hantu kot? It's not yet 9pm!!

Jeng3x!!!!

(Wanna guess what happen next?)

A Hero & A Klutz

2008-11-26T14:36:00.002+08:00

A hero, he is. And yes, I’m such a klutz!! Confirmed.

Fast forward to the return journey last week. B picked us up and dropped me & him right in front of the gate at V’s place, where I parked my Mav. I was on the front passenger seat, ready with the house key in my hand to save precious time. The key was loosely attached to my pen-drive; so those constituted my second (next to the wallet) most precious belongings during the travel (as in if anything happen, like it was lost or stolen, there goes my slides for presentation & keys for mav & to the other house, office room etc.)

So, I got out confidently (read: quick & fast) with the key still in my hand only to catch a glimpse of the so-called pen-drive (with the lanyard trailing behind) arching up in slow motion (detached itself away from the house key) and: Lo & behold!! …choose to drop itself ‘strategically’ of all other places on the vast acres by the road side on that small (only 3x2 feet?) piece of permanently fixed metal contraption which covered the drain on the tarmac area in front of the gate & slipped between the metal bars to go down way, way below. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
Him being a gentleman, without further ado or prodding by me, knelt by the metal contraption & tried to fish it out.

Lucky it wasn’t a big monsoon drain, but still it was dark & watery inside (let’s just assumed the water ain’t dirty at all to save you the gory details!).

After quite an effort by him, with the help of a re-constructed hanger, broom’s handle etc. – he plucked it out for moi!

Oh, how I thank him again & again & again……

My Saviour & A Whirlwind Affair of Manila

2008-11-22T14:24:00.003+08:00

(Sorry..hehehe..only got time for the title - for now!)

Updated:

The guy came to sit beside me while waiting for boarding call, after a group of ladies went off. I wasn’t too keen on talking to him, after all he’s stranger. “Mau ke conference di Manila? Kok kita sama-lah gitu…”
Maybe he noticed the paper (academic not newspaper ok) that I was holding & pretending to read.

I can’t remember what exactly happen after that (no further talk) due to the confusion (gate changes) during boarding call for another flight, to Menado (I’ve checked the info: it’s far off to the east side of Borneo Island – best for diving). Somehow he was in front of the line and thus when I came on board, he’s already waving for me to join him. Since there’s no other better choice, not that I knew anyone else, I let him put away my bag & sat down only to discover the horror that awaited me. (refer previous entry)

----
What makes me decide the way I did?

Well, even though I’m travelling alone, I’m supposed to meet The Other Person (TOP) later in the evening at the conference hotel. TOP and others in The Unplanned Contingent were taking the More Reasonable Hour of Noon flight by M*S, with the fare paid from People’s Coffer. (I was worried too about the fact that I was to bunk with this Other Person. What if I snore? Talk in my sleep (both B and V can attest to these facts)? Will I get less in terms of …? Alas, the so-called problem resolved itself. He he..lagi mau explain ka? Well, I am early to bed, early to rise kind of person. The Other Person lagilah early, so…*keepingmum&lipssealedtight*
___
However, here was the logistics:

The Diamond Hotel is in Manila Bay area. The airport for Low Cost Carrier-Budget Traveller-Poor Students like moi is situated a ‘short’ distance away (M*S land in Ninoy Aquino airport which is only a real short distance to the hotel), unlike the 2 ½ hour bus ride (Philtranco specifically caters for AirAsia’s passengers) from Pampanga aka former US airbase aka Clark aka Diosdidos Macapagal airport (official name), taking into account the traffic conditions (getting a free city bus tour in the bargain – lotsa sexy billboards – melopong den!) since we’re like: going wide across the city! The bus fare cost 350 pesos to the last bus station – actually there is only a middle one: SM Megamall short stop (to drop off passengers) for 300 pesos. From the Pasay bus station to the hotel was another matter altogether – a chat with a local nice guy revealed an estimated figure of 500-600 pesos.

So, I was thinking that at most I needed to borrow around 1000 pesos from him. If the wallet was totally gone (redha), I can always borrow from TOP in order to pay him back & put aside the same amount for the return journey. And pay TOP only once I’m back, safe & sound in homeland. I’d no worry over food & accommodation – after all it’s a 5 stars hotel konon! And I wasn’t required to pay a single cent! Oh, forget about buying souvenirs then….

----
And there came my hero!! He was So Kind, offering to buy me food or drinks in-flight (eventually I sat behind him, beside two balik bayan Pinoy who must have thought that I was calmly-weird since I asked the whereabouts of the hotel (that I’d be staying) what with lost wallet, no money or credits and all…). But then, I was so worried inside such that (like I said earlier) nak telan air liur pun tak lalu!! He (the Indon, not the Pinoys who worked in Kulim Park in a backbreaking cement factory – no Rags to Riches story there) reassured me time and again….I’m forever indebted to him!

----
Towards the end of the bus ride, after Pasay & I already shared my delicious-canned chilli-tuna sandwich with a Chinese guy from Malaysia (he, Pak C, had to decline my offer due to an upset tummy), talked to another Pinoy guy – who work as a carpenter in Brunei (hohoho…rad the shyster/pemalu is no more!) I discovered that there were other Malaysians on-board. There was an Indian lady – she commuted quite often (to and fro), especially to attend to the church service over there – like bayar nazar or something, so she said! There was a group of Indian businessmen (quite old, some with wifey) on a pleasure trip, one of whom asked whether I’m from Kedah: Uh? Do I look like one? Is it like printed on my forehead? The Chinese guy was merely accompanying his girlfriend – also to the same conference! There were quite a couple of others who already dropped off at the SM Megamall stop since they’re staying at a relatively cheaper hotel – Bayview hehehe…There’s also another balik bayan Pinoy, a lady who speak an obviously Malaysian English from Penang who has the kindest bos ever who makes money from only selling water! So her job is to put on the labelling…(Note to self: Must get into water-bottling business soon)

The best part is yet to come!

The Unthinkable Drama Unveiled

2008-11-20T13:02:00.004+08:00

What followed immediately after I reported (more like asking for help!) my loss to one of the flight attendant on hand was a 200+m dash to the terminal building since I told him that I might have dropped it during the bag-scan process (Mistake #1: Never like to zip in my handbag. So there’s the possibility that the handbag turned sideway during the short trip on the conveyor belt & thus it was dropped behind). It took too long to wait for the buggy ride. I had to carry my backpack with me, and wore sandals with heels too. Use your imagination. BTW, he already asked me to check inside my backpack.

Once we reached the terminal building (a quick scan of the boarding area showed nothing) & rushed off to the scan area & quickly asked around, there’s nothing over there. The officers in-charge told us that if anything was left behind, they must have noticed it immediately, using the x-ray machine. By that time, I wasn’t so sure of anything anymore. Was it possible that it was stolen/pickpocketed? But the handbag was always in front of my body, within my eyesight.

The flight attendant was really worried too & asked me lots of question, “Are you travelling alone Ma’am? All of your money are inside the wallet? Credit cards too?!!” (Mistake #2: Never put all your money in one place. But really, I did think of putting some money inside my jeans but…)

All these while, please remember that the flight was ready to take off (after boarding & refuelling) so I do not have much time to think. If I were to make a police report (plus to cancel the cards etc., assuming it was lost), then I have to go out & miss the flight (unthinkable as I’ve committed myself to be present!). “Yes, you have to make the police report outside. Do you have your passport with you?” That was the deciding factor for me. Another mad dash to the waiting plane & I finally secured a seat. But not before I asked the Indo guy (who just talked to me earlier while waiting for boarding), “Pak, could you please lend me some money? Do you have enough pesos?”

Once he reassured me that yes, he had the money, I settled down for the 4-hours flight by tracing my steps back to the last time I saw the wallet.

Since it wasn’t dropped during the the scanning, not stolen or pickpocketed, when was the last time did I hold my wallet?

(The wallet is actually brand new, a couple of weeks ago. B gave it to me since she saw my money just laying around everywhere inside my handbag/pockets – too enticing to be seen. I do owned a (black market) Chanel (in case you think Im too stingy or tangkai jering! hehehe..) purse but never feel comfortable using it since I’m lefthanded & it feels kinda awkward taking or putting money inside. I’ve been forever using a simple coin purse for my shillings & card holders for credit cards & such. The night before the journey, I got organized, rearranged everything (took the above pix) & planning to take only the wallet with me; containing only the credit cards, USD, pesos & ringgits. I thought of putting some money inside my jeans once I’m already dressed up. Awg (who had been there before) already advised me on this & I did think of wearing a chemise with an inside pocket (like the one for hajj/umrah & I did use it for the Beijing trip last time. Alas, with my nomad lifestyle (bajus lost here & there) – it’s nowhere to be found.)

A-ha! That must be it – when I paid for the toll charge!
It must have slipped away from getting into the handbag on my lap & I didn’t check or see anything @5am. We still didn’t take off so I surreptitiously send a sms to my driver: If wallet inside car, pls pas to Dr. (more on this later)

But I remember that somewhere after the toll, she (my chauffeur for the day) slowed down a bit & asked me to re-open & close the passenger door on my side due to some noise – door not closed properly. OMG!! What if the wallet was on my lap during that time? It should have easily dropped on the road with the momentum of the moving car.

Oh!!

That was when (up in the sky) I decided to let go, pasrah, redha with whatever happened so long as I reached my final destination. Hilang duit pun hilanglah….

Maybe I’m not a bad person after all coz Allah sent down His help in the form of that Indo guy (My Saviour - next installment). Alhamdulillah & MasyaAllah.

Intermission

2008-11-19T08:02:00.002+08:00

Imagine this happening to you:

You got on the plane, put the bag up in the above compartment, sat down & ready to settle down for the 4 hours journey only to realize, "My wallet!!!! WHERE IS MY WALLET?" OMG!!!!

*The one & only wallet with all my credit cards, US$ cum pesos & RMs!!!*

Yes, I couldn't even believe it myself at that point of time, "This can't be happening to me!!!"

TragediOktoberNovemberRainDecemberSongsJanuariFebruarySong

2008-11-12T12:05:00.004+08:00

Disclaimer: Entri ini tiada kena mengena sama ada mereka yang hidup atau mati, terutamanya kehidupan peribadi sesiapapun.
(I sure hear V asking, “Perlu ke statement ni?” Ahaks!)
Didedikasikan khas untuk Jiwa-jiwa Yang Mengerti.
(fuh! Kelas tak?)

Ever wonder: Are we all living in a sad, sad world?

Just look at all these thematic song (based on ‘Intensive Factual Research’ on the Net for ‘month-song’) (“raddddd! Have you got nothing to do?!” Trust me - I can hear YOU screeching!!)

Anyhow..

Let’s start with October, shall we?

Tak sanggup lagi aku
Mengenang kisah lalu
Keganasan menghantui diriku

Biarkan ia pergi
Menjadi suatu misteri
Bagaikan tiada hati yang peduli

Tak mahu ku ingat lagi
Apa yang telah terjadi
Tragedi Oktober (Aw*e Wings)
...

Then continue with a cold, wet November,
...
'Cause nothin' lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it's hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain (G*ns n Roses)
...

Move on into dreary December,
....
December promise you have unto me
December whispers of treachery
December clouds are now covering me
December songs no longer I sing (Coll*ctive Soul)

And start the year with,
...
Dengarkan...
Dengarkan lagu... lagu ini
Melodi rintihan hati ini
Kisah kita
Berakhir di Januari (Gl*n)

On the month of lovers awaited for:

Where has that old friend gone
Lost in a February song
Tell him it won't be long
Til he opens his eyes
Opens his eyes (Josh Gr*ban)
...

March til Sept – Now, it’s your job!

Take home lesson for today: Be merry, be happy.

P/s: Im bored to death. Looking forward to 'balik kampong' this weekend, really hope to see one of my ex(es) (his name is Chr*stian or in real fact, J*richo Rosales). You see, last time I was His Ara (in Sanay wala...hehe)! I still remember rushing home daily for Our Dates.
Awang advised me (re: blk kpg trip), "...there are Beautiful Ppl everywhere.."

Jatuh Hati

2008-11-11T16:39:00.006+08:00

Hehehe...apsal terlebih2 rajin pulak hari ni.

Jangan risau Tuan2 & Puan2 se-kalian, saya cuma nak promosi buku-buku ni:

Travelog Haji - Mengubah Sempadan Iman
dan

Travelog Dakwah - Meniti Hari Esok

oleh Prof Muhd Kamil Ibrahim (MKI)

yang menulis blog: Kehidupan Ringkas Tapi Signifikan

Yang membuat saya jadi tertarik pada asalnya pastilah perkataan 'Signifikan' - sungguh signifikan maknanya untuk mereka yang P(enderita)hD! Tak kisahlah pada aras keertian 5% ke, 1% ke...Ha ha

Yang menjadi 'siulan' harian saya apabila Prof MKI menulis dalam buku Travelog Haji -pun ada menyentuh pasal PhD: "Ada juga yang tidak tamat walaupun 'kelihatan' berusaha dengan bersungguh-sungguh. Ia perlukan rahmat Allah."

Hati saya tersentap dulunya (pertama kali bersua Ogos 2008); ampunkan saya Ya Allah (ikut style Prof MKI).

Yang terbaru dalam Travelog Dakwah - Prof MKI mencatat berdasarkan pengalaman: "Belajar di peringkat PhD memberi peluang untuk kita mengenal Allah (sic)."
Sebelum itu, " ..peratusan mereka yang tidak menamatkan pengajian bagi tempoh 1984-2000 berada di antara 30-35%..."
(Apa-kah?)
"Mereka adalah golongan bijak pandai yang tidak sepatutnya gagal."

Walau bagaimanapun buku Travelog Dakwah yang terkini di pasaran (Terbitan Pertama 2009, signed by the author (the power of blogging huh!), Pos-Expressed) bukanlah tentang PhD sahaja. Nak tau lanjut? Kenalah baca.

Ini merupakan sebahagian daripada maklumbalas saya (selaku antara ramai pembaca yang 'manja') kepada Prof:
Buku selamat diterima semalam (4 Nov). Rasa sedikit terkilan kerana bukunya nipis maka tak puas baca (sekali duduk dah habis)! Walau bagaimanapun, mesej Prof jelas dapat disampaikan. Menitik juga air mata - saya antara golongan yang sedikit berilmu (tentang baca Quran, puasa Isnin-Khamis, solat malam, al-Mathurat, etc.) tapi gagal istiqamah dalam pelaksanaan. InsyaAllah saya akan cuba lakukan demi mendekatkan diri padaNya. Terima kasih kepada Prof kerana 'usaha yang sedikit tapi signifikan' (pinjam kata2 Prof)!

P/s: Prof ada tulis buku: PhD kecil tapi Signifikan.... patut baca! (masih mencari)

Bukan suratan. Bukan kebetulan.

2008-11-11T13:33:00.002+08:00

Ianya rahmat daripada Tuhan.
...
Selalukan kita berkata-kata sedemikian apabila menempuh sesuatu perkara yang agak luar dari jangkaan biasa, "Ah, nasib baik betul!" Atau, "Kebetulan pulak..." Boleh juga, "Benda dah nak jadi.."

Contoh:
Selasa lepas, dalam perjalanan pulang ke rumah, singgah di kedai untuk membeli sebotol kicap (luar biasa ni sebab (dulu) jarang-jarang sekali masak). Kedai pertama yang disinggahi, tak sempat keluar kereta pun sebab double-park (jangan buat selalu ya!) dan ada kereta lain dah menanti.

Singgah kedai runcit yang kedua (park sesuka hati tapi tidak menghalang laluan orang), segera capai botol kicap - dalam kepala dah pikir nak masak apa. Masuk kereta, nak hidupkan enjin, "Alamak!!" Penggera berbunyi. Central lock on by itself. "Apa sudah jadi?? Eh-eh, enjin pun tak boleh nak start?" Bayangkan tahap gubra-ness ketika itu. Ha, nasib baik 'ilmu' untuk matikan alarm masih dalam kepala dan teringat untuk manually unlock!

A quick call(s) to my 'lifeline-regarding-MAV' (& other standby helps) confirmed that my battery died on me! *sigh* A simple checked on the indicator lights would do.

"Ah, nasib baik betul! Bayangkan kalau terjadi di fakulti (lewat senja) atau di rumah (waktu nak masuk pejabat)?"

Dan, "Kebetulan pulak...kedai aksesori kereta pun dekat depan tu ha...(a short walk away)"

Fikir kelemahan sendiri, "Benda dah nak jadi.."

Moral of the story:
1. Dry-cell VS 'wet' battery
Dry-cell battery is maintenance free but then if you're like me who tend to forget things - it's quite risky! Bateri biasa kena check level air selalu (ditto!) & you can test/check the 'power level' too!!
2. Never asked the mechanics, "(used) battery ni ada nilai ke?" I was thinking of how to dispose it. Automatic answer, of course, "Ta-ra value la ah-moi.." So, "..you amik je lah.."
Much later, my Saturday nap was rudely waken by this 'sing-song', "Surat khabar lama, bateri lama..." My standby source said (only after the exchange), I should've trade-in the old battery (worth at least RM10!). Girls, now you know ok!
3. Allah tidak akan uji dengan beban yang tidak mampu kita tanggung. I've enough cash. I wasn't stranded by the roadside. MasyaAllah dan Alhamdulillah.

ntah apa2..

2008-11-10T14:48:00.002+08:00

I
Mabuhay!!
Kumusta ka?
Ako ay maganda. Hindi!!!

Er...itu tak penting. Ini dia yang utama: Magkano ito? Mahal! Mura!! Oo...
(ada paham?)

II
Entry2 basi yang bertimbun2? Lupakan saja...

III
Project rad: The Matchmaker
The couple had met over the weekend. Im 'graciously' waiting for progress report..(though the 'silence' is killing me! But never a busybody I'll be..)

The other couple (am only a one-sided consultant)- may need some time to digest the Proposal. My prayers..after all, there's only so much that I can prod upon.

So far, I've got very few other male prospects to be matched with unlimited supply of Swinging Single Females. Like this one guy: parents want only Kelantan*se candidate. But then, I've got one gal who is seriously interested in only *ndian Musl*m guy. Previously I thought of the self-imposing 40yo limit but now that I know somebody who falls head over heels in fatuation over a 59yo man (remember what happen to the AA-NH-M*mey scandal? Flitting thought: Dan takde jant*n lain ke?) - 46 is like the new 30! One partner-in-crimes specifically asked for: aku nak yang jadi imam!

Diwali greetings & everything in-between

2008-10-28T13:57:00.013+08:00

Background music (for the catwalk):
I'm too sexy for my love too sexy for my love
Love's going to leave me
..
I'm too sexy for my shirt too sexy for my shirt
So sexy it hurts
..
I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk

Taboo (and 'Letting go')

2008-10-25T07:11:00.003+08:00

Somebody had been wanting to 'introduce' me to someone for quite some time already.

Yesterday, due to An Embarassing Incident, we accidently (& very briefly) met.

And to say that I'm shocked is actually very kind indeed. Stumped for words really. I never had to directly deal with any disable or physically-deformed person before. It's unfair to judge a person by his/her appearance -not that they asked for it. Aren't we all equal in the eyes of Allah? Am I that vain? (Berdosanya saya Ya Allah -Ampunkan saya Ya Allah)

But it's difficult for me to simply ignore the matter when I barely restraint myself from talking about it. And Staring is Rude too.

P/s: Now that I've time to think about it, given earlier notice - I would have been ok with it or even Anything Else That Matter. Maybe i need to undertake some sort of social interactions class so as to be better prepared next time.

The Customary Code of Polite Behaviour in an Office for a Married-Man (Bosses especially)

2008-10-22T10:07:00.003+08:00

1. It’s ok to innocently flirt around with your co-workers (of the opposite sex - within acceptable limits so as not to be confused with sexual harassment) but come the Department’s annual family day or dinner, do proudly introduce your family (wife especially) to every Single Co-workers. This very act raised you to the level of: Man of Honour. Full of Integrity.

2. It’s ok to lavish praises & whatnots (eg. Wah! Berseri-seri muka you hari ini!) to your co-workers provided it is done in front of everyone. You have Nothing To Hide, haven’t you? Not waited till you’re both alone in the elevator or corridor or pantry...

3. It’s ok to forward religious, non-work related emails etc. to your co-workers provided you did the same for everyone in the same network: with the intention of encouraging them to remember Allah & work harder. Red alert! If the email received has anything to do with Polygamy…even A Minuscule Mention of it!

4. It’s ok to learn & practice some body language & its meanings – used properly, it helps to send across the right message. Respect your co-workers by not intruding into their self-territory. Unnecessary shaking of hands, body leaning, staring..

5. Lain2. (Help yourself here...)

Datings Confusion!
1. The List said he should 'calls you within 24 to 48 hours to set up a first date.' But now someone has said: Rakus? Gopoh? Too early to meet?
2. No need to tell her during your very first call that you owned a N*ssan Lat*o – helloooooo!!! Only a N*ssan? Lainlah mata belalang ke, haper ke…. (now that we’re talking…hehe)Who's being materialistic here?
3. Never, ever call at Normal Time People Are In Bed like 2am, 3am or 4am. Unless permission is granted otherwise. You know, maybe reminder for tahajjud ke..The part of 'wanting to talk to you every day and wants to spend all his free time with you' should come out much, much later...once the relationship has developed!

Note: The Plan backfired. Both parties amicably (he mostly) decided that they’re better off with someone else (mentioned of Who? here – but, but The Third Party has nothing to do with him anymore other than to introduce this girl!). But lets stay friends..(konon). They happily exchange pictures now...(there's hope yet!)

-rad-The Relationship Consultant-

..Simple Relationship Advices

2008-10-19T20:47:00.003+08:00

Dear SINGLE Ladies,
Go read Corbett, M. & Corbett-Kihne, S.
The LIST! 7 ways to tell if he’s going to marry you – in 30 days or less!
"You will never wonder if the phone is going to ring ( it was exhausting and humiliating) because it will ring."
"If a man won’t give you his time, he isn’t going to give you a ring."

"If he finally decided that you're NOT The One for him, Don’t Take It Personally because it doesn’t matter anymore. End Of Story." (it works both ways ok!)

Why do i need to highlight this particular book? Seems like everyone (define as my circle of friends) takes it too seriously the fact that I'm 'capable of guiding them throughout the whole messy business of relationship between male & female' - what a joke really!
But honestly, my Friday evening was spent- hours on the phone, long distance too (not that I'm paying haha!) to console an adik...
Wednesday on how to deal with A Sudden Marriage Proposal..just say: yeay!
Thursday on The Grand-Matchmaking....(different adik - more story on this too)
Saturday on The Confusion Over fb's Status..you know - why would you list out It's Complicated! etc, the different between looking for a relationship or friendship (does it matter anyway?) etc...

All these ran parallel with My Translation Business & OTher IMportant THings (am making money out of it! But lil' bit only ok!) like important economic issues etc. (stopping short of political - I've had enough!)

Kalau la ma*sarah itu bernama rad....

2008-10-17T07:24:00.003+08:00

...
adik: Kak,mana nombor budak tu?
akak: Hehe..camni la adik kak - macho n gentleman! Sat no..kak p carik sat!
akak: Fwdd: ..hehe cpt kasi member dah xsabar dah
akak: Nama dia ma*sarah 012xx.. Tc ya jangan wat malu kak. Ekceli dia kwn kepada kwn kak. Klu l*thfi dah ada special, toksah nak main2 ye
adik: Sekarang perempuan yang rasa dirinya dipermainkan, boleh saman lelaki tu tau. adik: Betul kak. Sekarang kes macam tu dah berlaku. Kalau la ma*sarah itu bernama rad....
akak: Fwdd:..am speechless! Apa nak jawab?
kawan: Haha, kan i dah cakap. Hati dia milik you. So, macammana u respon? Menarik ni. You bagi la chan dengan dia
....
akak: Haha, kak pun kena pasang loyar gak ni! All the best!

It happened in between a flurry of activities yesterday: the AGM and raya-do, this & that & finally culminated during dinner with another friend. It all started when a friend asked my permission to introduce him to her friend. After comparing notes, we concurred that we really need to save this girl from A Greater Evil (lurking behind every corner - Married Man tapi dasar tua ^%#^&%$&!# tak sedar diri)...thus the introduction & smses that kept going back & forth!

-Another Khidmat Masyarakat oleh rad-

P/s: He's persistent - that one character I like!

Introducing...

2008-10-16T08:17:00.003+08:00

The New Marilyn Monroe....(r'ber that classic pose?)

Habis manis sepah dibuang..

2008-10-16T07:59:00.002+08:00

I
Remember the story on Manis? Well, she finally did it – resigned with 24hour notice or something to that effect. We, The Fully Supporting Friends, gladly embraced her decision.

The Beginning of the Ending started when the Stupid & Horny Old Man hired a new staff, a young divorcee. He then restructured the office organisation, making the newcomer in-charge of his personal affairs (PA) supposedly so that she (Manis) could then concentrate on other matters. Manis, at the same time, is already tinkering with the idea of opening a grocery shop which after all is promised by him (during one of his finer moments or was it A Mere Janji Manis/Palsu?) to this day….

The situation worsen such that she could no longer get to meet the Stupid & Horny Old Man personally. Previously, when she was in-charged of everything (after all it was just a small business) she reported directly to him, which eventually lead to their affairs.

Tired of playing the Stupid & Horny Old Man’s games, she resigned and he accepted it without any consideration much more meeting her face-to-face (exit interview). So, that is the part of habis manis sepah dibuang…

When she lamented over losing 9 years of her life, slaving under him, we silently thought: “Thank God it takes only 9 years for you to open your eyes instead of 19 years…..”

As for him & her (the Materialistic Queen Control), they mostly deserve each other!

II
Another Male-Bashing (not)… Oppss! He did it again..*sigh*

Here is the story of an Overachiever-Polygamous Man. He isn’t that young anymore but his much younger second wife is now pregnant with their second child. That is all the excuse he needs in order to start roving his eyes again…

Only that this time around he is taken by a very young, Young & Foolish girl who is a daughter of his own friend. Of course la it takes two to tango (mula2 tumpang kereta to work..then exchange smses..next..) but, but she’s Young & Gullible! She even stayed in his house sometime long before, played with his own daughter, called him Pok Chik …Suddenly now, dah jadi Abang!!
(Let’s say together now: Eeeuuuwwwwwwwww……)

My point exactly is – a man never learn, only wants to have fun but no string attach, no responsibility. Hiding behind religious principles konon– are you man enough?? Not to me…Have you no decency left?

Ko jawab la kat akhirat sok labuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!! (Kenapa sibuk2 nak tolong anak orang? Sedangkan anak2 sendiri terbiar…like people always said: Kera dihutan disusukan, anak dirumah mati kelaparan)

Accept me as I am (another kembang semangkuk moment)

2008-10-10T07:53:00.002+08:00

Note: This entry (as always) is totally about me (& for myself ego), nothing to do anyone else whether dead or alive.

Raya postings will resume next...

Persiapan Raya V (finale) – Ceritera: Daging Itu, Daging Ini..

2008-10-08T08:11:00.003+08:00

1. Sunday b4 raya – Sup Tulang Kerbau
Alkisahnya tulang kerbau tersebut telah dibeli di tepi jalan kek K*ta, R*mbau oleh kak L dlm perjalanan pulang ke kampong. Bukannya nak cerita pasal daging kerbau mati kena langgar (pun biasa punya kes ni- oleh penjual2 jahanam!) tapi berita jualan daging kerbau oleh Geng Sekolah saya itu telah awal2 lagi tersebar di mukabuku – itulah canggihnya teknologi kini.

2. Monday b4 raya – Rendang Daging Itik
Kembali atas permintaan ramai (er, one of my in-laws). Alkisahnya, pada pagi Syawal khabar diterima bahawa penternak itik tersebut telah kembali ke rahmatullah. Al-Fatihah untuk beliau. Adapun mak yang pada kebiasaannya duduk di rumah sahaja menerima kunjungan tetamu di 1 Syawal telah meluangkan masa menziarahi jenazah. Masih terbayang2, kata kak T, arwah mengejar itik tersebut untuk ditangkap pada hari Sabtu yg baru berlalu. Apakah itu sebabnya rendang itik kurang laku tahun ini? Apa mungkin…?

Antara lauk istimewa mak ialah rendang itik letak bihun (sebelum kering kuahnya)! Macam pelik kan? Kau ado?

3. Monday b4 raya – Rendang Daging Lembu
Ada Pesta M*ntai Perdana di Stadium P*roi keesokan harinya. Menurut khabar yang diterima melalui udara, khususnya orang2 n9 sahaja yang wajib beli daging untuk persiapan raya. Biar ada berkilo2 ayam (atau itik), daging lembu mau tetap ada, sanggup berebut @ beratur lama untuk dapatkan bahagian daging masing2. Kata dj bertugas lagi, kalau awak jadi menantu tu, pandai2 lah belikan mak@pak mertua daging untuk ambil hati & beli jiwa…

Oh, selama ini saya ingatkan semua persiapan orang serupa walau di mana jua!

FYI, daging lembu sgt mahal semenjak dua menjak tiga menjak ( I *heart* N*bil) inflasi/kenaikan rega minyak, antara rm18-20 per kg. Mak beli daging 7 kilo & masak rendang guna rempah buatan mak sendiri – Pergh!! Sodap eh lak ai!!

Tapi saya makan sikit ajo..

4. Tuesday b4 raya – Rendang Ayam Kampong & Maman
Hari mantai, sambil lemang dibakar (bro3), bilik dicat (me&SIL#2), langsir ditukar (sis), semua kipas dicuci (nephews), rendang di dapur (mak&SIL#1), rumput dimesin (bro1) etc..Alhamdulillah, kerahan tenaga semua berjaya!

Kring! Kring!!
rad: E-lo..
Kak T: Ha, ko bagitau mak..@#$%^!!!!
rad: APO!!!?
Kak T: Kak T kek kodai ni ha…(pusat sembelihan & pemprosesan ayam), abih duo ekor ayam omak mati lomeh dalam plastik! (out of three!)
rad: La, camano boleh mati lak tu? Tak ponah2 jadi nih…tak sompek somolih lah yo?
…..

Mak! Oh mak!! Mano pulak den nak cari ayam buek pengganti nih…

P/s: Maman (sejenis daun sayur) pulak antara rm6-8 sekilo – mahalnya! Kalau org Pilah, maman dibuat jeruk aje. Kalau tak kena gaya memasak, pahit rasanya. Ada jugak maman padang tapi rasa tetap tak sama.

5. Wednesday, 1 Syawal – Soto/Bihun Sup Tulang Rusa
Scene masa menziarahi sanak-saudara:

Rad: Mano kak dapek daging ruso nih? (sambil: “Slurp! Slurp!” Yummeh!)
Kak N: Hish…ekau jangan cakap kuek2…kang donga eh kek anak bujang akak tu kang. Dio tak makan daging ruso ni!
Rad: Abih tu dio dah makan ko bolum nih?
Kak N: Hmmm…dah semangkuk di-lantak eh! Dio tak tau tu…kalau dio tau…

Hehehe!

P/s:
6. Kisah Daging Unta – Er, awak semua tunggulah raya korban lak.
7. Kisah Daging Pelanduk/Ayam Hutan – ada rezeki, sesekali dapek gak la meraso time2 ghayo!

Kepulangan yang ditunggu...

2008-10-07T07:47:00.002+08:00

Salam Eid Mubarak day 7th to all!
Back at work! *sigh*
Will reply to comments later. Mucha gracias.Syukran for the wishes/smses.
Although, Pak Payne punya tak boleh baca daa....

Persiapan Raya IV - MAAF ZAHIR BATIN

2008-09-26T13:39:00.004+08:00

rad is gonna closed shop for 10 days. Wanna wish you all happy holidays - drive safe! & esp those celebrating Eid Fitr: don't overdo it! re: makan rendang, lemang, ketupat, masak lodeh, kuah kacang (yummy!!) etc. Puasa sunat Syawal nanti ya!

To my bloggerfriends, sorry tak sempat nak hop in sana-sini. And I really have a lot to say - maybe later? So to YOU: Maaf Zahir & Batin: mohon halalkan makan & minum, maafkan segala yang terumpat terkeji, sama ada dengan niat, perkataan atau perbuatan, sengaja atau tidak sengaja.

P/s: Terasa betul sibuknya Ramadhan (& Syawal) kali ni. Maybe I lost 1, 2 friends (the feeling is mutual -I could say that and no more hard feelings)- but Allah is great, I'm blessed with so many others!! Dan tak lupa keluarga yang sentiasa disisi...May Allah bless us all! Amin.

P/s 2: Pencarian Layla oh Layla re: Ku Keng ye!

Persiapan Raya III

2008-09-26T13:34:00.003+08:00

A. Balang kuih raya dah hias? Guna lace & ribbons utk letak cantik2 dlm bakul (NOT me!)…Pergh!!! Buek hamper/hadiah pun mengancam gak nih! Another busines idea…

B. Rambut dah set/straighten? On a matter of re-bonding..and hair!Ada apa dengan rambut you might ask?

Hehehe…I’ve a (single) friend with real ‘fizzy’ hair. If you know me, pls jgn teka siapa dia. She makes it a point to reward herself a hair re-bonding session once a year only before Eid. It wasn’t cheap. My sister and I (not that I need or want to) had been talking about it for ages – she wants to do it, for her hubby (whatever for?)! It (the process) wasn’t quick or easy either. She, my friend tu, had to take leave from work and that was after arranging for pre-booking with the stylist/hair-dresser. The whole process take hours (like 4 hours?) from start to finish depending upon the strength of your curls. Then, you’re not allowed to wash your hair for the next three days. Imagine the horror! And smell too! But it lasts quite long, almost a good half year in her case– again depending upon many contributing factors.

At the same time, my other friend, who has straight hairs, wants to have curls, as in real curls and lots of it! But her husband wants HER hair to be straight like the shampoo ad –was it like pre-programmed in a guy’s head? (I already give up at this point!)! She insists anyway…and I said, go for it!

Next, I know another person with similar affliction– young & gullible. Why did I say that? Because she caused a furor among the Family, not that long after her father passed away, by spending hard-earned money on re-bonding (according to the circulating rumours lah but actually she just used some DIY products at home) and at times now, shucked her headscarf as she is a hypocrite no more (wore headscarf previously coz her father asked her to!!! I don’t blame her, she’s young but..

Talking about hair, one of my young nephews like to argue daily with the mother on the state of his hair – he (The Head Prefect) wants it straights-up (rambut tegak2 gitu – using lotsa hair gel, even inside the songkok- gee!!) while The HMistress (the mother) wants it down-flat! And the Family has been wondering why would girls come running after him?

And all this while I thought only mak2 datin je yg pi set rambut before pi functions!

Persiapan Raya II (Updated) - (selingan je nih!)

2008-09-19T10:41:00.010+08:00

Psst!!! Ramadhan baru nak masuk fasa ke-3 - we all know that right!!

I

I came to know this through a colleague of mine (kak Z) whose SAHM-sister is a volunteer in Hospital Kajang. Her sister mentioned about the not-so-well-off patients & caregivers at the hospital who seem to be 'looking for raya clothes' (aka geledah bekas baju) at the Pejabat Kebajikan of the Hospital (the mini-office that functions like a welfare dept). So, we're talking here about second-hand/used clothes which was donated by the general public. And I'm thinking that maybe you & me - aside from spending some time during the next 10 days observing Ramadhan faithfully & preparing to celebrate the coming Eid Fitr - buying new clothes, shoes whatevers, maybe we all could spend some time to gather aside our 'still looking goods but not fit me anymore but it may perfectly suited another person' clothing items (from the overflowing closets) & send it the hospitals, or the orphanages or old folks homes (or even rumah kongsi) nearer & convenient to us. If you've the dosh to spend for them (alhamdulillah), the better! It's the least that we can do for them...and it's totally in the spirit of Ramadhan too(feel the 'taste of being needy')! May Allah bless us all...

What is needed:
Male or female clothing items (pants, kurungs, shirt, etc) for adult or kid. Various sizes. Household items too like draperies. Don't throw things aways. Always recycle, it's good for our Mother Nature.

email: Salam 22nd Ramadhan,
Thx 4 ur prompt reply. Ini maklumat ttg tpt yg dimaksudkan in prev email. Klu boleh bagi before raya ni, lagi cantik - mudah2 raya mereka yg memerlukan lebih berseri lagi! Kalau tak pun, bila2lah -open all year round.

Pejabat Kebajikan Sosial Perubatan (orange colored), Hospital Kajang:
From main entrance, go straight towards T-junction, take left. After about 20m, on your right-hand side. Behind the canteen. However, public parking space is a bit far away.

Open during office hours (close for lunch 12-2pm).

Officer in charge: Pn Aida, En Ibrahim, En. Hafizal

Information from: Pn Norzu, Volunteer@Hosp Kajang

BTW, hari Sabtu baru ni temankan satu family beli baju raya utk anak2 yg 3 akhir tu. Cuma sepasang-dua jeans & blaus/t-shirt je. Beli pun yg murah2 (teringat zaman kecik2 & susah dulu pun beli baju raya kat kedai apek cina bukannya kat dept store or shopping centre, KLCC jauh sekali!).
Taktaulah kalau budak2 sekarang nak ke tak pakai secondhand items (eh, saiz ke?)
Yg pasti ramai yg cuma tau nak yg baru je. Hmmmm.....

II

Scene: Another session of lepak bersama2 in the living room aka tergolek-gelantang!

Before that, the other day, knowing that I wrote "12 dalil kenapa perlu beraya jauh di rantau..." before Eid last year which include among others: "dinding dicat baru..", a good friend of mine from far, far away in Durham, send me a reminder: Rumah dah cat ke?

Which brings to mind this moment recently:
mak: (while laying down on the marble floor & looking up to the 'tiang seri')
Dah kopam bona tiang ni nampak eh....berchop2 dgn kosan jari anak buah kau.. (translated: The pillar looks ugly lah..plastered with markings by your nephews' & nieces' hands!)

Which is another way of saying:
mak (dlm hati ok): Bilo ekau nak cat rumah ni? (When will you repaint the house my dear daughter?)

Hehehe...saba yolah dulu mak.....(I can 'read' mak clearly..)

That ‘funny’ feeling…now it’s gone. Oh-hohoho…

2008-09-17T10:25:00.003+08:00

Don’t know about you guys but I seriously had this ‘problem’.

Did you know my daily ritual of wajib minum kopi? During the first half of the Holy Month of Ramadhan, my preparations for sahur & iftar wont be complete unless there was a hot steaming mug of coffee (among other things) served on the table. I’ve been adding portion of 3-in-1 oat drinks (for sahur) too for that extra ‘Ummppp!’ (not eating much veges & fruits – so sue me)

Then I started ‘breaking wind’(fart, flatulence - whatever you call it) – here, there & everywhere…Hehehe…

Er, not that funny at all.

Not when you burped/belched all day long (like every 10min - not that Im checking the time), aside from farting (nasib baik not as frequent and NO SMELL at all, this I’m sure off 'k), feeling nauseated & queasy (to the extent of throwing up sometimes – tak sengaja) which consequently causes me a lot of embarrassment as my colleagues (outside) might think I’m eating alone in the office (makan kenyang kah sampai sendawa? Coz dah ada kes ni hahaha), rushing through prayers, inconvenience of trying to hold ‘it’, etc.

Until one bright sunshiny day, a light-bulb moment happened to click in my mind, “It must be all the coffees (on empty stomach)!!!” (Nope, not such thing lah…a concerned friend merely asked about my current diet!)

Will drinking Eno helps? No.

Did I eat such & such foods which together produced the most powerful, gaseous combinations inside the tummy? Mostly not I guess. Nasi Goreng? Kue Teow? Roti? Nah.

Later today I found out that oats – the fibre on a ‘dried’, empty stomach, not enough water….Not good!"Buat mereka yang mengambil oat... kekurangan air akan menyebabkan angin memandangkan ia terdiri daripada serabut yang tinggi." Puasa Pakar Diet, K*smo

So, it’s been 5 whole days (& nights) of UNCOFFEEnated myself. Lessen the turmoil. Though I might start to hallucinate. Withdrawal symptom.

But tea also not good enough. (both caffeine in coffee & theine in tea, acting as stimulant, are diuretic)

Been treating myself with halia + madu drinks. Urghhh!

Added some horlicks to trick my mind of ‘the delicious taste & smell’. Almost better. A lil’ bit.

Any other plausible suggestions?

Psst! The title came from an old 70’s song that is playing on my mind – lyric tweaked accordingly to my finicky taste. Double entendre? If only you know ‘the story’..

Meriahnya Ramadhan V (balik kampong daa..)

2008-09-16T13:16:00.002+08:00

Siapakah orang-orang yang zalim itu?
On the federal trunk road with speed limit of 90kmph taking his/her own sweet time enjoying the fresh air from the countryside @50-60kmph even the tanker/lorry was faster very much ignorant of the long long line of motorists trailing behind pushing others to the very limit of patience (aiyoh!) by trying very hard not to %#$%@! not forgetting it’s the Holy month of Ramadhan I swear I was pushed (don’t want to) really - had to overtake at the double-lines again (& again)!!

Psst! Did you read M*ngguan Msia – Kesihatan. Page 11? Another example. Thot maybe you'd like to know huh?

Fadilat Solat Tarawih di bulan Ramadhan (berjemaah di masjid @ surau)
Scene: Acara lepak beramai2 in the living room.

rad: Along nak ikut tarawih malam ni tak?
along (12yo): Budak2 takpe kan kalau tak tarawih?
rad: Ha, iyolah – banyak cantik muko tu! Klu tak diajar ikut solat tarawih daripado sekarang – along ingat, esok2 bilo along dah bosa, dah kojo, dah jadi bapak budak….ghoti ko nak bawak2kan diri tu ko surau, masjid ko?

*Dusyum!!!*
Satu das tembakan/libasan ala2 pukul anak sindir menantu (not my intention really).

Somebody nudged me, with her mouth pointing to the other adult-person, who, to the best of my recent knowledge, never got close to the mosque for any kind of occasions, offering all sort of excuses – anak kecik lagi, tak wajib solat di masjid, lauk siapa nak masak, rumah siapa nak kemas etc.

My point is, anak2 kita perlu diajar untuk hidup bermasyarakat , bercampur gaul – ini bila raya pun bukan main payah lagi nak menziarahi saudara-mara (finger pointing to: myself)! Jangan nak ikut keselesaan peribadi sahaja – leceh berjalan, panas, etc.

Meriahnya Ramadhan IV (Phase II)

2008-09-11T14:06:00.004+08:00

On the way out to meet my Numero Uno recently this week, I came face to face with M, a Pak Arab. As usual, we compete on who will say the first salam (like advisor like advisee hehehe..him lah not me!).
His next greetings confounded me: “No coffee or tea today?!”

Er, hello! It’s 11-ish ok. AM.

I walked away looking confused. After all, isn’t now Ramadhan?

A-ha!!! That must be it!

Sometime earlier during the month, it so happened that all 3,4 of us female candidates were ‘excused from fasting’. The eldest-motherly one among us said, “Since we aint fasting today, why not enjoy some hot drinks (dipped with biscuits)?” Again, often times our office temperature is liken to Antarctica. Brrrrrr!!!

Not that we ate or do anything to that effect in the public space or common room pun. We kept to our individual rooms – shared according to gender. Must be that he noticed the sound when we switched on the kettle at the open pantry! *blushing*
____
Conversation
Rad: Adakah B tetap mau singgah ke bazar ramadhan 2day?
….
Rad: makanya, jika B turun ke pasar - belikan gue…
….
Rad: I repeat ok - 1. roti john spesel (sardin or ayam), 2. kebab ayam or campur daging Melawati 3. burger ayam 4. murtabak 5. roti canai/capati/bom/paratha/thosei heheheheh
B: ya Allah
B: ko ni mengalahkan org puasa
Rad: hehehe tu ode masa perut kenyang – u belum tau lagi bila perut lapo camana pulak
B: *mulutmelopong*

No, I didn’t eat all of that in one go. My instruction to B was actually to buy one item according to 'order of availability'.
Turns out the number of times I cooked for iftar in just one week more than covered the current half-yearly quota – which is like once a month?

So far, I’ve cooked kue teow goreng (twice oredi, with cili api paste ok - pedas bangat!), fried egg noodle, nasi goreng kampung, french toast for sahur, sayur cendawan goreng, cendawan & udang tempura, & cekodok pisang for dessert. I even need to say this to myself, “Wow!” (am good at this or what?)

B encouraged me, often between mouthful of cookings, “Hm…sedap! Sedap!!”
Gimik je lebihnya tu…B cooked too. Pass.

Ramadhan Social Calendar
Iftar M@Semenyih – 1st weekend done! The p.mlm & bazar was awesome!
Invite N for iftar (Hmm, cook or buy je ni?) & balik kpg (with mak) – 2nd weekend
Iftar Jamaie with The Adam Family on the 19th - Menu & venue already agreed, need to arrange for plates & the likes for 40plus ppl. Aturcara majlis. Imam for tarawih. Tazkirah. Hm, ada besday sesape ke nanti?
Khatam Quran with The 3 Stooges – date yet to be decided, masing2 terkial2 lagi nih
____
Emailed:(Reply in brackets)

Hek eleh...dik oi! Dah nak masuk setengah bulan posa baru nak wish ka? Hahahahaha...dah basi daa.

Borang cuti raya dah isi?
(DAH ISI DAH,DAN DAH LULUS PUN)

Bapak dah sihat?
(BERANSUR SIHAT)

Buka posa beli ke masak nih? Sahur asyik terlajak ke?
(BUKA BELI JE X PANDAI MASAK, SETIAP ARI BANGUN SAHUR)

Quran dah berapa juzuk baca?
(-X DE JUZUK-)

Tarawih penuh?
(SEHARI JE )
**Didya know that jadi imam(ah) pun macam bawak basikal gak? Not like I know how to ride a bike. What am I saying is that, there’re things you still remember how to do it even after some time passes by. BTW, afdhalnya solat di masjid atau surau. Pun done.

Further reply:

Awat tarawih sehari je? Bz sgt ke jaga lab buka sampai malam? Isy2, rugi2.....

Ramadhan kan ke bulan mempertingkatkan amal ibadah - selain amalan yg fardhu. So kenalah bykkan baca Quran - tak dapat khatam satu Quran dlm sebulan pun takpe, janji baca sikit2...Sila rujuk: www.quranexplorer.com - best!! No need to download tp kena online la, ada macam2 audio pilihan, ada translation BM-BI, ada panduan hukum tajwid bercolor lagi! Ah-kak ckp ni pun mengingatkan diri sendiri jugak....
____
Dedicated to d (as well as My DDD)
rad,
tima kasih utk this motivational article. I pun macam u. Really pulling myself. So, you are not alone. Let's work and pray hard during this holy month that we will be able to complete this big job.

cheers
S

My reply:
S, at last, bersuara jugak you ye...

Baru je citer dgn Ibu A betapa yday masa I nak balik terserempak dgn Prof AG - dia kat hujung sana, i kat hujung sini level 5- mmg nampak each other. I pikir tak boleh jadi ni - apa nak jawab klu dia tanya, "Eh tak abis lagi??" So dgn pantasnya I turn around turun ikut tangga instead of guna lift.

Moral of the story, bilalah nak submit ni - tatau dah nak letak muka ni kat mana. Prof T pun klu t'serempak sure tanya menda yg sama - Arghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

Blm lagi citer jumpa lecturers lain kat p.mlm -nampak jauh lagi I dah lari nyorok!! Sedey kan?

Well, ini ujian Allah utk kita & i/Allah kita pasti mampu melaluinya.

One day in the not-so-distant future, we're going to look back at our struggle & say ALHAMDULILLAH!!
____
Pesanan drp M (Ha, topik apa ye? Cuba teka!):
memanglah...kita kena sabar...sabar dalam berniat, sabar dalam berikhtiar, sabar dalam mendapat keputusan..so tak yah nak marah-marah or sedih-sedih...

Tak baca paper ker?

2008-09-04T14:55:00.003+08:00

Dear DDD,
Masuk-masuk je opis pagi ni, dah ada yang congratulate me. Then another one terjah masuk. Email pun ada jugak. Eh-eh, apakehal? Rasanya bukan aku yg viva semalam? FYI, it's Pak W, with a minor 6-month correction. BTW, didya know that Pak Nz (the one who failed to complete any of his comprehensive exams in Fe*on who later continued in F*I and submitted a full thesis in January this year (after ONLY 2 semester!?? Wasn't it a miracle?) and I'm obviously stating the facts here to emphasize the undercurrent feeling of being discriminate at; no intention to undermine his core competency at all (which turns out to be in syariah lah)) passed his viva last week? Makes you wonder alrite, WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!!!!!?????

*Goheadbangingonthenearestwall*

OH, BTW - the clue is AP*X.

Persiapan Hari Raya I - dulang dah beli?

2008-09-02T10:00:00.010+08:00

Assalamualaikum & Salam 2nd Ramadhan 1429H & Greetings to all,
Dengan perkenan Duli Yang Maha Mulia Raja-raja Melayu, saya dengan ini mengisytiharkan bahawa semua orang dikehendaki untuk mempromosikan di tempat kerja atau sekolah masing-masing (melalui mailing list ke) akan produk keluaran istimewa: DULANG RAYA!!!!!!

Faedah daripada dulang ini:
1. Boleh digunakan sebagai dulang air
2. Boleh dihias dengan riben untuk meletakkan balang kuih raya
3. Boleh juga sebagai hiasan dinding
4. Boleh dihadiahkan pada rakan taulan, sanak saudara
5. Boleh dijadikan dulang hantaran
6. Boleh dibuat apa2 aje lah...

Harga tawaran istimewa: cuma RM28 untuk bersegi & RM30 untuk bulat

Available sepanjang tahun!!! Penghantaran boleh dirunding (Shah Alam/ Kajang/Putrajaya/BBB/Seremban/Rembau/Tampin/Gemencheh/Air Keroh).

Produk dijamin halal, bersih & suci.

Regards,

-rad-

P/s: Aksesori tambahan seperti 'special appearance oleh model' untuk promosi ini adalah bukan untuk dijual! Hehehe...
Sila rujuk plastik mug dlm pix untuk anggaran saiz dulang tersebut.

Khidmat masyarakat: Ini je lah yg mampu buat untuk tolong anak2 yatim kan - even model kecik tu pun tak berbayar tau! Hehehe...

Meriahnya Ramadhan III (source ex-student)

2008-08-29T14:43:00.001+08:00

Seribu senyuman
belum tentu menawan hati

satu jelingan sudah cukup
menimbulkan rasa benci
membina mengambil masa
meruntuh sekelip masa

Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan.

Mohon Ampun dan Maaf

Semoga sinar Ramadhan membawa keberkatan kepada semua dan mengukuhkan ukhuwah yang terbina.

Saya menyusun sepuluh jari memohon maaf atas keterlanjuran kata dan perbuatan, yang menyinggung perasaan saudara saudari dan atas segala kesilapan yang telah berlaku disepanjang perkenalan kita selama ini.

Sekian, Wassalam

-Kopipes oleh rad-

Meriahnya Ramadhan II (source Pak Yani)

2008-08-29T14:39:00.002+08:00

Assalamualaikum wr wb

Tidak terasa sebentar lagi bulan suci Ramadhan tiba tepatnya 1 September 2008.

Mari kita senantiasa Setting NIAT, Upgrade IMAN, Download SABAR, Delete DOSA, Approve MAAF & Hunting PAHALA. Agar Kita bisa Getting GUEST LIST Masuk SURGA-Nya. Pulang ke kampung SURGA, Pakai Mobil JIHAD yang Berbahan Bakar ISTIQOMAH, dengan Sopir KEIKHLASAN, Lewat Jalan IMAN, jangan lupa bawa peta QUR'AN & SUNNAH, juga Bekal TAQWA. Semoga kita ketemu disana, amin...

Ramadhan akan tiba dalam hitungan jam, dengan kerendahan hati mohon maaf lahir dan batin segala kesalahan saya dan keluarga besar kami. MARHABAN YA RAMADHAN, Allahumma Bariklana Fi Sya'ban Wa Ballighna Ramadhan, 1429 H

Wassalam wr wb

-Kopipes oleh rad-

Meriahnya Ramadhan I (source SIL)

2008-08-29T14:33:00.003+08:00

Salam,
Do'a malaikat Jibril menjelang Ramadhan,
"Ya Allah tolong abaikan puasa ummat Muhammad SAW, apabila sebelum memasuki bulan Ramadhan dia tidak melakukan hal-hal yang berikut:

* Tidak memohon maaf terlebih dahulu kepada kedua orang tuanya (jika masih ada);
* Tidak berma'afan terlebih dahulu antara suami isteri;
* Tidak bermaafan terlebih dahulu dengan orang-orang sekitarnya.

Maka Rasulullah pun mengatakan Amiin sebanyak 3 kali. Dapatkah kita bayangkan, yang berdo'a adalah Malaikat dan yang meng-amiinkan adalah Rasullullah SAW dan para sahabat, dan dilakukan pada hari Jumaat.

Sempena akan tibanya bulan Ramadhan yang tidak lama lagi saya terlebih dahulu memohon maaf jika saya ada berbuat kesalahan, baik yang tidak di sengaja mahupun yang di sengaja, semoga kita dapat menjalani ibadah puasa dengan khusyuk, diberkati dan dirahmati Allah S.W.T, insyaallah. Saya juga memohon dihalalkan semuanya.

Saya juga telah memaafkan saudara saudari dan telah menghalalkan segalanya.

“Ukhuwah & kasih sayang mukmin kepada saudaranya tidak diukur dengan kerapnya bersua, bukan dengan hangatnya rindu, tidak dengan manisnya cinta sahaja, bukan kerana selalu bersama…Tetapi lebih bermakna apabila ia disertai dengan doa yg sentiasa meniti di bibir mendoakan kesejahteraan saudaranya….”

“Semoga sentiasa dalam rahmat Allah S.W.T”

Ikhlas,

-Kopipes oleh rad-

Salam Ramadhan al-Kareem (non-ori)

2008-08-27T15:27:00.006+08:00

ANDAI INI YANG TERAKHIR

andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir
tentu siangnya engkau sibuk berzikir
tentu engkau tak akan jemu melagukan syair rindu
mendayu..merayu...kepada-NYA Tuhan yang satu

andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir
tentu solatmu kau kerjakan di awal waktu
solat yang dikerjakan...sungguh khusyuk lagi tawadhu'
tubuh dan qalbu...bersatu memperhamba diri
menghadap Rabbul Jalil... menangisi kecurangan janji

"innasolati wanusuki wamahyaya wamamati lillahirabbil 'alamin"
[sesungguhnya solatku, ibadahku, hidupku, dan matiku...kuserahkan hanya kepada Allah Tuhan seru sekalian alam]

andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir
tidak akan kau sia-siakan walau sesaat yang berlalu
setiap masa tak akan dibiarkan begitu saja
di setiap kesempatan juga masa yang terluang
alunan Al-Quran bakal kau dendang...bakal kau syairkan

andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir
tentu malammu engkau sibukkan dengan
bertarawih...berqiamullail...bertahajjud...
mengadu...merintih...meminta belas kasih

"sesungguhnya aku tidak layak untuk ke syurga-MU,
tapi...aku juga tidak sanggup untuk ke neraka-MU"

andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir
tentu dirimu tak akan melupakan mereka yang tersayang
mari kita meriahkan Ramadhan
kita buru...kita cari...suatu malam idaman
yang lebih baik dari seribu bulan

andai kau tahu ini Ramadhan terakhir
tentu engkau bakal menyediakan batin dan zahir
mempersiap diri...rohani dan jasmani
menanti-nanti jemputan Izrail
di kiri dan kanan ...lorong-lorong redha Ar-Rahman

Ya Ilahi....
andai ini Ramadhan terakhir buat kami
jadikanlah ia Ramadhan paling bererti...paling berseri...
menerangi kegelapan hati kami
menyeru ke jalan menuju redha serta kasih sayangMu Ya Ilahi
semoga bakal mewarnai kehidupan kami di sana nanti

Namun teman...
tak akan ada manusia yang bakal mengetahui
apakah Ramadhan ini merupakan yang terakhir kali bagi dirinya
yang mampu bagi seorang hamba itu hanyalah
berusaha...bersedia...meminta belas-NYA

Seandainya RAMADHAN ini yang terakhir buat ku…

…..KU MOHON MAAFKAN SEMUA KESALAHAN YANG PERNAH KULAKUKAN DULU…..

Source: Thx to unknown writer (from e-mail)

Saya mengambil kesempatan ini untuk menyusun sepuluh jari, memohon kemaafan utk segala salah & silap, apa2 yang terumpat (banyakkkkkkkk) & terkeji, panggilan telefon tak diangkat, email/message tak berbalas (well, it wasn't you, but it's me), jemputan/undangan tak dipenuhi, halalkan makan & minum & apa2 sahaja yg terlebih @ terkurang sepanjang setahun yg berlalu. -rad-

Psst!! Sape2 yg baca ni, automatic je 0-0 ok!

EX 6101 Female Mood Swing

2008-08-22T16:49:00.011+08:00

Kata-kata Tanpa Suara:
Maaf pada bapak2 serta ibuk2 & teman sa-kalian. Sebarang komentar (termasuklah lama dulu-an) bakal gue jawap-in kamudian aja ya!

Congrats to all & my condolences...

2008-08-10T14:17:00.005+08:00

MY HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS GO TO:
A for Ain (exhosmate)-her wedding last weekend (was it 2nd or 3rd?)
-Semoga berbahagia & berkekalan dunia & akhirat, amin.
Lisa (exhosmate)-her engagement last weekend (2nd)!
-Selamat meniti debaran & membuat persiapan. Hehehe...bila la dpt tngok pix nih?
Naz (exhosmate) - Master convocation yesterday
k.Zu - Phd convocation yesterday
k.Mziah - Phd convocation yesterday
Adik u*m, Luth* - Phd convocation yesterday

My condolences for the recent demise of:
Che' Ali (my bestfren's ayah) 5th July
Wak Sani (mak's bestfren's hubby) 1st August

Now, the whole stretch of the road in my neighbourhood @kampong- cuma tinggal balu2 & duda. Malah ada kedua2 pun dah tiada, meninggalkan generasi ke-2 je...

P/s: And condolences to myself for failure to submit (as scheduled)! So, jgn mengada2 nak tanya bila lagi ok! *fadingawaysob3*

Adegan yang tak sanggup dilihat (Part II)

2008-08-10T14:12:00.005+08:00

Kalau aku jual lelong semua ni, ada ke orang yang nak beli?

Hmm, agak2 cukup tak buat tambang balik rumah ni?

P/s: Lawak ini dibawakan khas oleh My Twisted Mind! Tq.

Adegan yang tak sanggup dilihat..(Part I)

2008-08-10T14:08:00.004+08:00

Bang, abang kat mana? (Nada suara kelam-kabut!)
Ni ha, ayah dah hilang bang!! Tadi ada...

P/s: Selalunya anak kecil yang hilang..

Letting off steam...

2008-08-04T14:37:00.005+08:00

Caveat: Ngomelan panjang ahead. Be warned. You’re not supposed /obliged to say or think anything in reply. But I do appreciate your comments! Muah2!

It’s that time of the year again!!! *Sigh*

This Saturday is the start of Convo week. The 1st day (& morning session only) of convocation is extra special coz those graduates get to receive their scrolls from the Yamt*an Besar himself who is the Chanc*llor of U*M. The rest of the sessions – bukan Yamt*an lah – maybe the Lax*mana (apsal ntah guna ejaan ni pdhal Laksa-dari-mana lagi best!), pro-chanc*llors & lain2 org besar berjawatan. So, utk phd FEP –ikut nasib gak lah like this year turn depa dpt 1st morning session ni.

Citer psl convo ni – it’s quite tiring really + penat & boring giler nak tunggu either luar or dalam dewan tu (unless it’s your turn on stage lah kan) – crowded & either too hot (outside) or too cold (inside) ok! Previous years, I did celebrate kawan2 senior (but younger) yg konvo – posing2 amik gambar & kasi hadiah (pening weh nak pikir!) etc.

So this year, ada quite a few lah my geng yg konvo – depa dah kasitau awal2 ni nak booking (marked my calendar as I’m the VIP of the celebration) hehehehe…

But I feel like ‘kureng amat2 nak celebrate’ coz..
A. Myself belum pun submit thesis – perasan byk keje ok!
B. Supposedly konvo sekali (very sedeyyy!) dgn depa ni coz we ols took same papers mah! *Sob2*
C. Sure terserempak dgn para prof: Owh, you’re still here!!! *sakitjiwodennanti& mananaklari*
D. Simply not in the mood. Stress. Whatever.

(Tahun depan pun belum tentu lagi naik stage. Nah, that’s not important at all – a none issue. I’m already thinking of doing thing alone – all by myself & quietly!)

Even ‘adik’ u*m pun msg recently: Saya konvo 9 ogos. Tak nak dtg ke?

Alahai kesian la pulak….yelah..other than family members sape lagi yg nak dtg meraikan (phd is a lonely business bukan macam undergrad yg beramai2 itu)? Esp klu family jauh nun kat p*nang! And then, the day itself kira macam ada popularity contest gak according to how many friends & family that surround you with flowers & presents galore..

Another thing, if my adik’s mak & kak are around – how am I going to be introduced? Kawan? Kakak? Rakan sekerja? Takutnya disalah anggap!!

Thank God, my sis already booked my time since the last 2 weeks – am supposed to babysit her kids during the next weekend. I guess, my dilemma solved! Tapi, agak2nya kecik ati tak?

So smses send out:
"Salam tahniah. Hajat hati (ikhlas really!?) mmg nak raikan kwn2 yg konvo tp 8-10hb tu dah ada date lain lak kat S’ban (quite a distance considering petrol & toll charges, some more with kids in tow) nun. Sori.."

Nobody bothers to reply. Hmmm….apakah?

Pastu nak citer pasal ‘having 2 house is like having 2 wifes’- an analogy ye!

Antara bangi & kajang ‘homes’ & my 2 friends – B & V

The other day, me & B had a dinner date. The arrangement was such that I picked her up direct from the house after maghrib. Considering that I had my prayer in the faculty (quite a distance) before driving off to pick her up, I sorta expected that by 8pm she’ll be ready! So, I drove in a couple of minutes late (almost-punctual is my forte! Not like some ppl e.g. ada org tu yg berjanji nak jumpa kul 9 di klia tp kul 8 masih di ampang & baru bangun - Gulp! As if I’m going to forget?) & honked! Once…and then twice!
Then only I noticed her msg – she gonna be late. Thus, I waited inside the car with the engine running- no problem, i thought.

How wrong! She was so mad – she got into the car after some time – I was making small talk & she’s like - replying to the window screen??! Ok lah lagi…Then we got to the mamak’s restaurant, ordered as usual & started to talk. Then only I noticed her tone of voice – strained & she kept looking to the side! Now I know she’s mad at me!!! Merajuk lah tu…

Note: If you’re my friend, don’t you ever, ever show your muka-44 in front of me! If you’re not happy with anything, tell me straight to my face! I can take almost anything! Er, except harsh criticism, scolding, etc.

When I met my bro for handing over his portion of buah2an dr kampong recently – I told him the above story since I need to explain anyway why some days I’m in bangi & the other in kajang (note to family & friends – if you want to meet me nowadays, ONLY by appointment ya). I said, “Leceh rupanya ada dua rumah ni!” You know what he said, “Ha, mcm tu lah abang rasa!” FYI, he’s married with 2 wifes! LOL

Interframe: No lesb*anism involved at all in any aspect of this story. If that’s on your mind, shoooh2!!

Leading single (or not-so-single) lifes, I understand that we, staying-alone females, tend to crave attention – to be listened at. When I go home every day, I get to listen to this:

Eh, ngko dengar la citer aku dulu! OR You ni, dengar la citer i!

Maybe not so much of them but more like problem of me – I like to barge in the middle of the story telling – anything goes from office gossips to family squabbles. In defence, all I could say is that, if I were to wait until the end of the session, I’ll lost whatever that I’ve in mind whether it’s comparison-stories, suggestions, or comments! Anyway, don’t expect me to listen to you silently….you can label me whatever you want – like to talk ke, byk mulut ke…I can’t simply keep quiet, much more to shut my mouth!

Advert: BTW, just because you gave me money doesn’t mean that you own me or my time or my profusely-sweating hardwork! (nothings to do with the above story yo!). I deserve so much more! *satuluahanperasaan*

Huh! Ok, let’s continue.

I think I’m being rather good now at switching roles between The Houses. On the one hand, I’m the M’am Besar (Me as Ibuk) with a bibik (who cook wonderful dishes according to my taste) at my disposal…hehehe. And on the other hand, there’re two makciks (old ladies) – well, that’s our endearings name-calling if you wanna know! – who burn the midnight oils together! (Well, a half truth if not too much of an exaggeration…)

Now that they’re getting to know me better – we’re starting to make advance planning so that I know which weekend & which house that my presence is being valued the most- at least for the whole August!

In terms of household chores, I try to do my parts - at least looking after myself. After all, as mentioned by V – even in Islam – after 3 days, I’m no longer a mere guess in the respective house! Say, I use my own personal bathroom different from theirs so I clean it up from time to time. Now, B even asked my permission to use my bathroom which is in HER house!

As ‘man of the house’ (providing security & peace of mind – hic!), I offer advices/reminder such as: don’t forget to defrost! Your fridge is no longer cooling efficiently! And do remember to bring up the same matter in both homes. And the jokes now is how many economists and/or accountant it takes to defrost a fridge? And after how long? Er, maybe just buy a new one? Hahah!

Nobody is the ever the same. Thus, one is a lover of the furry animals while another is totally abhorrent of the idea that the neighbour’s pets dare to pass by & pissed in her porch!

Now, isn’t the right time!

Well, this is regarding another match-making attempt. Please, I’m not interested in the young ones. 30yo!!! A minor improvement from 29yo I guess but I’m old enough to mother them (if not smother) ok! With the current ongoing race-towards-the-finishing-line (that sounds SOOO much better!) I couldn’t afford to get distracted- sorry! And the process of getting to know guys who don’t know what they want yet – what a waste of my time! Well, maybe next year…. (gotta keep my ‘doors’ open you see!)

Water of Life: Series II

2008-07-26T15:12:00.013+08:00

Psychiatric's Report

Observations of life through the Patient's lens are showing her as having symptoms of chronic-myopic DDD disorder as can be 'translated' below:

1. Elixir of Life @ Elixir de Vie - either she's dehydrated (strong recurring high
fever) & gasping for air to breath OR 'tak cukup kasih-sayang' as mentioned by
someone by the name-J
Prescription: TLC by immediate family & friends

2. Les Trois de Vin Rouge - she's truly, madly & deeply intoxicated with matters in
hand.
Prescription: Say a lil' prayer for mademoiselle, sil vous plait!

3. It's a bug life - She's feeling rather inadequate & small - even minuscule! Like
being squashed between the two fingers..
Prescription: Pls poke, cubit, belasah, balun, ganyang her cukup2!

Dr Alter-Ego rad

P/s: To Simah, Syana, Ahkak-ku, Moneirah, Mama Syafiq, Vic & you, you & YOU - I'm not running (er, hiding can la?) anywhere...chin up & let's face the music!! (huhuhu!!!)

Water of Life Series I

2008-07-12T18:33:00.015+08:00

This is dedicated to you, YOU & YOU!!
Thank you for dropping in.

Advert: CONGRATULATIONS TO AZ FOR HAVING DULY SUBMITTED HER MASTER'S THESIS. Am so proud & happy for you!!

___
To whoever-is-concerned,

Intelligence report (post-July5th) on the the subject matter of 'rad' is really, really showing some serious & considerable damage to the area of #$*#&%!@#@*. Seems like she's more than likely taken to one's heels from all the commotion surrounding her state of head over heels in love with Dear Darling D aka The T (Please, don't ask any further! It's an overextended & excruciatingly painful time & process).

Your kind thoughts & prayers will be more than appreciated.
Help her God.

rad's Alter Ego

Practical advices for those thinking of or already submerging themselves to the same self-inflicting mental torture

2008-07-05T14:12:00.002+08:00

(This is dedicated to my fellow-sufferers (you know who you're). I'm gonna put this entry on top of other entries til my day of submission (and subsequently Day of Reckoning) - See below for current entry)... Any other advices/suggestions/comments on related issues are pretty much welcomed.)

Caveat: R’ber, you’re in control of your destiny.

I. To do or not to do? Tepuk dada tanya selera beb..(dedicated to Laila)

Type A - Most people invest their time for higher degrees due to their job requirement. Getting a license to teach in varsity. Freshly minted phd has no value ie. make no differnece, in corporate world.
Type B - There’re also those who simply do it for the sake of self-actualization – Gosh! It gives them great satisfaction to toil hard & sweat it out for years (and years) only for getting that piece of paper at the end. Of course, education is priceless! So does life & work experience..

If you’re Type A, chances are you’re sponsored for 3+1 years. If you come across those people who had completed everything within the stipulated time – Please whack him or her on my behalf…If you’re not Type A – apply to be one..
If you’re Type B, do plan for the financial side of it. In order to make money out of that piece of paper, you’ve to pour in tonnes of money first…and lotsa time & efforts.

II. How to choose your advisor(s) – Konsep keserasian roh (Dedicated to Liya & Hanim) – I might sound a lil’ bit bitter here…but I’m happy lah (with my choice - have to sleep with it)

Type A – If you come to me (for my expertise), then you’ve to follow lah my research idea
Type B – Awak suka nak research apa? I’ll just guide you along the way…

Choose A if you’ve no idea yet of what to do, the person has a proven track record (graduating students not GIGO), you’ve done your homework by reading his/her research papers…
Choose B if you’re contracted to do research in a specific area, you’ve experienced in doing research, know exactly what you’re doing & where you’re going, have an independent mind…

If you’re female, better work with male advisors. Not that I’m sexist ok. Guys have less toleration towards domestic issues such as anak sakit, maid lari, kena balik kampung etc – all they know is that work has to be done. At the same time, please do not cross the barrier that pre-define the relationship (having affairs with your advisor is unethical but then you’ll be working closely together night & day so it does happen). Yup, females are a fussy lot! Perfectionist! Fickle minded. Both male & female advisors actually.

Not only that you have to find a suitable main advisor, you need also other members to form your committee. Listen to your main advisor’s suggestions. Pray istikharah. Am not kiddin’ – he/she who looks ok now may be the one who stab you toward the end! Scary huh!!

Find out about campus politic but do not– I repeat – do not get involve. Weight-in carefully, you put them in or not, they might be your internal examiner later. Is that good or bad?

III. How to prepare research proposal (To be updated: Rosza to defend soon)

IV. How to prepare literature review (To be updated: Aisyah@d*rham) Synthesize.

V. Practical Advices in Final Stage of Write-Ups (of you know what-lah…)

Coming from ahkak:
Tell your advisors: Hellooooo….dah masuk semester akhir ok! Not high impact journal. Carta Gantt (betoi ka ejaan ni?).
Have a special file folder – target how many pages of A4 papers (say 200 pages for a mere dissertation). As you go along, substitute the blank pages with your real writings, cut & paste literally any relevant sections if required – Forget about perfect complete draft! Purpose is to get a physical feel of your T!
Set dateline for next meeting by today’s. Having a dateline is good.

Fath’s – Since we can’t really push them to read line by line (advisors don’t have much time) – prepare some sort of a simple form where you’ve like 2 columns:
(a) Summary of para #1 VS (b) Comments/Suggestions for Para. 1 & so forth – leave it purposely blank for them to fill in.

Get organized when in come to handling ur data & analysis – always make copies/back up files & update frequently. File naming convention - Date is very important.

English (To be updated)

Zu’s:
type in bold on the cover page: ‘Draft March 18th, 2008’ for every piece of report/work submitted; Change the date accordingly. So that they know which draft that we’re talking about, the most recent. Filename too.

Awg’s:
On the start of your programme, prepare a roomy file folder with your name, thesis title, detailed study plan & ask them (each & every one of your committee members) to put whatever is related to you inside that file & updated – chances are often times they will tell you, “Oh I couldn’t find your paper (selit kat mana ntah)!” & they do have other students to supervise you see, aside from research-in-progress etc.

Make use of Endnote

Make use of the Spelling& Grammar Checks, Track Changes (always print the final version only), Find & Replace, Insert/Object/Equation Editor – for Word.doc

Know how to Excel: Data filter, Sort, macros; MS Access for larger database & making specific queries.

Learn to make use of ppl surrounding you: if you wife is an English teacher, ask her to edit your English, if you fren’s is Mesian & you’re Indon, ask your fren to edit your Bahasa, if a fren work in a consulting co – get a consultant FOC!

At every opportunity, do talk with anyone around about ur T (in general)– the problem statement, research objectives, scope – fine tune it till you’re comfortable with it.

If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail. Enuf said.

Have buddies, will survive!

Less emailing/blogging please.

P/s: Pray that I’ll submit soon enough so that I can help you next insyaAllah.

PanazzZZzz Pix Revisited!

2008-07-03T07:31:00.015+08:00

The last pix is specially dedicated to manal & A.Z. dengan ucapan: Tu lah dah ajak, rugi you tak pergi....bukan selalu dpt rub shoulders (literally yo!) dgn selebriti ni (wlu tak kenal, lagi pulak nak minat- hehehe...)
To simah: Sori la ter'mengkonfiuskan you....LOL!

Salam & greetings. Dear frens&family,

After all the brouhaha over the concert featuring ratu rock *lla & gelek mas *dayu (front page news- siap depa nak demo bantah nih!), it’s only appropriate for me to come out & show some support for ‘hiburan alternative’ organized/presented by the people in Pakatan Rakyat states.

So, during the recent night of Konsert *mal Malam K*senian *slam, we had dikir barat by Kump M*rpati Putih (tok jogho best2 belaka - bgegar stage!), H*jjaz & anak didik- el Hikmah and most touted, Us. Akh*l Hayy.

I’m not a hypocrite ok, I listen to not only nasyids @IK*M.fm by the likes of r*bbani, r*ihan & etc (never heard of akh*l hayy as femes -USTIS (UStaz + arTIS)according to AZ- before this) and also latest ‘jingles’ by one republic, jason mraz (hehehe!)…alongside Klasik.fm’s offerings.

I’m not even a groupie with backstage passes but I’m a pushover really – ‘Somebody’ made me do it, not that I had want to…(but then, nobody could push me to do something which I don’t really, really want to). Alang-alang it’s my camera pun kan & thus…

Anyhow, thank you, YOU & YOU, for responding to my provocation. Hehehe...
P/s: Ada yang (siapakah itu?) siap called me, "Rad, is that YOUR BOYFREN????!!! Hensemnyer......" Wakakaka!!

1. Cheh...ingat gosip apa td???*%#??...Panassss.....hahah...

2. hah, takheran... super imposed tuh....
anyway, betoi ke dia kawin ngan wah**da? (rad: kalau takde angin masakan pokok bergoyang…jeng3x! tara tau beb..)

3. Domi cinta kao sanggup redah bala yo….
Den doakan jo la dari jauh ni…..

4. Wei Rad, u pegi mana ni, dpt bergambar ngn ustaz tu???
mmg hot!!!!

5. awak saja potong2 nie.....
Tapi mata ustaz tu dah naik merah kat tengah2.
Entah-entah itu hantu. siap awak. dia ikut sampai dalam bilik....jen...je..jeng....

6. Woi, woi, apa nie bergambar dengan lelaki nie, bahaya betul...
Kak mae, doa kan la kak rad nie supaya kembali ke pangkal jalan...huhuhuhu

Regards,
-rad-

Note: Ekceli, mende biasa je nih klu org lain yg buat tp bila rad (if you really know me) yg buat mcm pelik ah....
____

Thesis??? *Sob!Sob!* Ah-kak insaf & sedar diri makcik oi.....tapi kasi chan lah release tension sikit kan? Udah asyik makan, minum, mandi & tidor pun mimpi/ingat thesis - stress tahap gaban wooo...

PanazZzZZZZZZZ pix!!!! (send out email)

2008-06-30T17:02:00.002+08:00

Dear all,

Hot gossip item nihh!!!

What they(YOU) might be thinking:

Geng seangkatan (single&available): Aiseyman, rugi den tak join rad malam tadi..... (Ehem! Quota masih ada dua kosong tuuuu! Wakakaka!!!!)

Those who know me: Buang tebiat ko orang tuo ni...tak pun ado wayar kepalo dah putus! Tak ponah dibuek... (maklum lah stress dah tahap gaban kan!)

Simah: Siapa itu? Tara kenal beb! Kat turkey mana nak fofular....

Family: Oh-ho...ini kojo kau ghopenya ye....tesis udah siap?

Young-Hosmates: Jeles nyeeerrrrrr...... (Ni lah akibatnya bila bergaul dengan budak2 muda ye!)

Regards,
Rad

Bakal Ibu Mertuaku

2008-06-21T10:14:00.009+08:00

This is dedicated to Ibu & Hatice. Seriously.

(BTW enuf of my previous morbid thots.)

It's a jest! But we never know la kan kot2 masin mulut pulak...

Pre-bbq meet, Ibu wrote:
p/s Peringatan kepada yg ada anak2 lelaki - itu Hatice, anak Simah, ibu dah booked! hehehehhh..

During the meet as observed by simah:
hatice spent the day at ibu chasing her cats...trying to hold them unsuccessfully except for one time which left her frustrated but occupied...

Later in Penang: "Hatice for example has the chance to play with the cats n the kittens for her every waking moments...."

Conclusion: Auntie rad think, "How appropriate!!" hehehe...

To my regret, only now I realized how few pix were actually taken that day. Ala, rad malu2 kucing kononnya...I didn't have proper pix of hatice & baddin, the cats, the ibu&ayah's new spanky abode & kids (wawawa..I dare not asked the details..less I got envious), mama rizq's whole family, the actual bbq-ed items, etc.

The few pix that were taken are really worth it esp when it involved moments like these (dengan izin ye):

Once again, thanks to Ibu&Ayah & family, Simah, Halil (for his 'perseverance')& kids, mama rizq & family & my fren-wani (for accompanying me): What a great time it was last Saturday!

Only Death and Taxes are Certain (Part III)

2008-06-20T14:28:00.004+08:00

Mak selalu bising (sambil tangan menepis2 cubaan ambil gamba curi) pasal, “Ekau ni tak sudah2 amik gamba…buek membazir yo.” But the thing is we never know right when the time comes for us to look back at that pix to remind us of a special someone (who is always in our heart such that a pix-memory isn’t enough- sometimes our poor mind can play tricks too), that special moment of full-loving feeling, …and so much more. So, excusez moi - I’m always snapping merrily everywhere I go – like even during the hospital visits in early last month. It never crossed my mind at that time I was gonna capture him in two-dimensional for the final time.

On the second day after the funeral, my sis who is busy with things around the house while I was busy ‘tinkering’ with a digicam & kids, suddenly dropped by my side & said, “Adik amik gamba aritu kan? Cuci boleh tak?”

So, there I went on the third day to the print shop (Er, the first time ever – for the digital print lah not the shop).

Due to the logistics (now that I am back at workplace), the pix ready & framed but still with me. She called last Sunday (stupid & how insensitive of me – I HAD to ask if she’s ok – initially she sound chirpy but the call end abruptly after she started to cry..). I thot maybe the children esp the youngest misses him so much…

After some coordination, here goes..

Sis#4: Kak4 dah bagi gambar kat Kak3. Dia amik, peluk gambar (close-up 5R) + nangis…
Rad: Alahai……
Sis#3: Walau mcm mana pun suami tu, bila dia dah tak ada, terasa rindu sangat..wlupun ada anak2, tp kerinduan dgn suami yg dah pergi selamanya, dahsyat dan kosong betul rasanya…
Rad: Huhuhu.. Mako eh lopeh ni konolah isteri2 hargai suami2 lobeh2 laie- layanan mau 1st cls! Kasi chan la nak bmanja selg hayat masih ado eh!

Things for me wajib to learn: How to uruskan (mandi&kapan) jenazah
Mak kecik hati coz during ayah’s time, he was ‘managed’ by others (bukan sebarang orang ye, ada jugak badi mayat kalau tak kena gayanya esp if lemah semangat) instead of his own flesh & blood. Esp part cuci kemaluan. Afdhalnya anak sendiri. I managed to convey it to my nephew. Alhamdulillah he (an only son, 17yo) did handle the responsibility so beautifully. From tahlil, mandi jenazah (under supervision of the elders), succintly asking for his forgiveness from the people present, even to the receiving end inside the liang lahad. InsyaAllah, anak yang soleh sebagai bekalan ke akhirat..

A reminder for you & me..

Death Comes in Three (Part II)

2008-06-18T17:23:00.004+08:00

Money is everything but not everything can be monetarized

I dunno about non-Muslim pre-funeral rites, but for Muslims’ esp. at kampongs, it’s a common practice to have the classic glass-jug (plastic is a NO-NO) conveniently & strategically placed as the receptors of any cash given by the visitors (it’s sunnah Nabi to visit the grieving family of the deceased & esp. the jenazah/corpse). I guess the idea of giving cash donations here is more or less similar to the ‘salam berkaup’ (the art of shaking hands & at the same time pass along the money & shy2 cat gitu) during any wedding receptions – You know, you come & eat the nasi minyak, after which you find the bride’s or groom’s parents or it’s equivalent to salam & congratulate them before you excuse yourself from the majlis (apa lagi beb, perut sudah kenyang!). Nowadays, people tend to put the cash inside a small envelop, which chances are the leftover from last raya!

So, the main idea I guess is to share in the happiness (or sadness as appropriate) of the occasion. Of course, it goes without mentioning that the cash collected help the parties partially paid (if not making little tidy profit) the wedding costs of everything from catering to bunga telur, etc.

When it comes to the pre-funeral, there’re people who disagreed with the idea of putting the jug in place. Like my mak said out loud during my ayah’s time, “Den tak mintak duit orang do….”(insert long argument here & ‘makan hati kerna teguran’ by some) Yes, we don’t need the money (after we are all adults, no longer anak yatim) but people were at loss of what to do. After reciting the doa, tahlil & everything, meet the widow & kids to say condolences, it doesn’t feel right to leave just like that eh (coz takde makan2)? If they’re to salam & give the money into hand – it looks awkward at least, worst it can cause some discomfort to both parties! So, the jug does play a significant roles. (BTW, it’s a culture thing, not related to Islam at all) Even my coursemates/grad club at that time holds a collection on my behalf – I gave it to mak eventually.

During my BIL’s recent funeral, this small matter comes to the fore! There was a real drama taking places which last for days afterward.

A little bit of the background. My sis's side of the family is BIG, so does my BIL’s side of the family. We’re talking here about siblings, uncles & aunties, nephews & nieces etc. Of course la, everybody is concern about the family. After all my BIL wasn’t in salaried employment (ada kerja ada lah gaji), my sis is a fulltime housewife & they have 5 kids of which 4 are in schools & varsity. So while waiting for the relatives from as far as Kedah & Penang to arrive, subsequently the mandi jenazah and solat jenazah, people came visiting in droves, non-stops – from the neighbourhood, previous work places, relatives, schoolfriends, etc. From time to time, I helped to carry the jug inside to deposit the money in cash box & return outside with empty ones.

Important statement: Of course, we all know HARAM makan duit anak yatim.

Immediately after the burial, all close relatives gathered back at home. So there’s this one person, from my side of the family (but not mak ye), who made a BIG BLUNDER (but I’m sure her intention is GOOD) in front of the whole people present by saying:
“Ha, copek kiro duit tadi…berapo dapek eh? Haram kito makan duit anak2 yatim yo…..”
Gasp!!!

I wasn’t around when this thing happened but according to various first-hand reports that statement easily makes everyone’s hackle rise! Esp. the eldest daughter (1st year varsity). She’s so fire up & ready to run amok, only to be saved from doing so by the relatives from both sides of the family. According to her (post-interview later) it’s almost BLASPHEMOUS: she just got back from burying her father’s body (orang dulu2 kata tanah kubur masih merah) & now to think of money???!!!! And few people from BIL’s side of the family more than ‘terasa hati’ too coz it’s like accusing them of THIEVERY (kalau takde angin masakan pokok bergoyang konon?)!!!

The timing didn’t help that it was after 2pm on a hot, hot day & most people already forgot what they have had for their last meals (hungry since breakfast was that long ago). Which explained my whereabouts- helping my other sister organized lunch for the whole big family. She already bought the required cooking stuffs in the early morning & asked the neighbours to cook at a nearby volunteer’s kitchen since it’s not proper to cook in the house while the jenazah was still around (adat or agama?). I wasn’t paying attention to everything that happened such that after everybody settled & the first lunch bite taken & then only I remember that I was fasting. Kira halal ye…

BTW, if you don’t have RM1500 at least (no jokes), forget about dying…that amount only covers the basic of lubang kubur, kain kapan & segala upah yang berkaitan.

P/s: Cuba kita fikirkan take-home lesson for today ok.

Total tally:-Death of my K.long’s mak aka Wan Pilah, Vic’s Uncle & BIL.

____
Dear Darling D,
I need to release 'everything' that boggle my mind here. Blogging is cheap therapy really. You should start worrying if I stop writing coz that basically means I'm not making progress on YOU!

Regards,
-rad-

Pillow Talk: Death (Part I)

2008-06-17T14:16:00.003+08:00

Like I said somewhere earlier, from time to time (or more often than not) I’ll be sleeping at night (siang lain citer ah..) at either of Vic’s or B’s respective places. These are aside from the once-a-month-now weekend jaunts to my hometown and the occasional duty calls at any of my siblings’ places. I try to wake up very early in the morning everyday to concentrate upon the T *add your sniggers here*.

One fine morning (Tues, 4th) at Vic’s place, at the early hour of not yet 6am, she (supposedly asleep) went downstairs to get me – only to tell me that her uncle’s passed away. Some time previously, she had already told me that the uncle was involved in a motorcycle accident and broke an arm (or was it a leg?). Other than that, he seemed to be fine, thus the family at hometown tried to hide the whole incident from his youngest son who at that time was staying (& supposedly studying at college – another secret to keep!) with Vic. So Vic was in the know but her mouth was sealed. Lucky that a couple of days later when the situation changed for worst, the boy was somehow informed & he went back straight away to look after the father. Vic was kinda nervous, as she might be scolded by him due to the keeping secret business. Well, the boy kept his head on his shoulder; he understands after all & was there with the father towards the very end.

After she went back for the funeral, I was back at her place again (upon request). While getting ready to settle down for the night (lights off & in our respective beds you see), we discussed our recent ongoings. As I had just received a call from my sister about my BIL#3 who was discharged on Monday but needed to go to clinic again that very evening due to difficulty in breathing, I voiced out my concerns over his deteriorating condition. The doctor, who is also my sis’s friend, wouldn’t even want to accept payment for service rendered. According to her, she has had other patients in more or less the same condition who didn’t even make it back home alive since there’s nothing much can be done by the clinic (died on the way back home). Since BIL wasn’t willing to be admitted to the hospital again, all that she can advised the family was to call for an ambulance if the situation get worsen at night.

I remember, I told Vic that I had just visited him last Friday at the hospital. I watched for a while, how he tried to sleep comfortably while sitting down on a chair with his head on the bed. It seems that he had already some difficulty in breathing whenever he lay down on bed (& batuk2) but I was more concerned about his bandaged right feet. Our conversation then was kinda awkward since my sis wasn’t around & I was kinda scared of him (bit on the garang side normally). I asked him about when he will be discharged (he said right after another visit to the OT for major cleanups of the gaping wound which was healing nicely) & he asked me about ‘bila nak abis exam’ (which annoyed me of course, berapa kali nak terang daaa..). I left him with these parting words: “Ada nak apa2 lain tak?" The savoury bun was for him while the sweet ones for others.

I do remember asking my sis (the one who called): “Sis tengok Bang Z tu tadi camano? Raso eh lamo laie tak?” Ye lah, signs of death are always there staring at our face only that sometimes we’re too blind to see…(The early evening immediately before my ayah passed away, there’re three female neighbours aka The Angels who came visiting & insisted to my Ah Long who was getting ready to leave for work at that time, “Kau jangan biarkan ayah kau dah ni …” Their combined experience told them that the time has come…drooping nose, almost straighten (& cold) feets, unlooking eyes, skin color,….)

And Vic’s shared her experience (I asked lotsa question) regarding her Uncle’s ceremony. Burial or cremation (depend on local customs, not all Hindus were cremated). How important it was for the anak-cucus to be around for the final rites. Cannot be done by pregnant woman etc. Naturally our pillow talks moved on to topics like what happen to life after death according to Islam, for Hindus, whether I believe in reincarnation. (in fb application: I was previously Mar*lyn Monroe *gasp!* Thus that’s how we went to sleep that Wed (4th) night.

Early morning the next day (Thurs, 5th), history repeated itself. I woke up early, tried to do some work. Around 3am, incoming message from my nephew: ayah was warded again. I msged him asking for further updates. Less than an hour later, another message came in stating that he had already passed away. Thus, my turn to go upstairs & wake her up upon the news. It’s almost surreal. Masin mulut kata orang dulu2.

All the brouhaha over Father's Day..

2008-06-15T17:36:00.002+08:00

...being over-commercialize on tv & print media.

How does it makes us -those without a father, whether he is 'away', resting under Allah's care or simply not known or separated since birth- feel?

I'm old so it doesn't matter much anyway to me but for my nephew & nieces? My sis called me again just now asking about photos of my BIL - dah print?

She said, the youngest one (4yo) is not letting her out of sight even inside the house while saying things like, "Mama jangan tinggalkan Izzati..."

When my sis cried during Yasin, she wiped away the tears while saying, "Mama jangan nangis. Ayah rehat dalam kubur. Nanti bila ayah balik lah..."

If only she understands...

The Obligatory Bragging Post

2008-06-15T13:36:00.003+08:00

Dear Ibu&Ayah,

Thank you very much for 'having us around' yesterday. Thank you esp for the 'secret-recipe' crabs (I remember mostly the food- cooked just like masak lemak cili api except with some secret ingredient) hehehe...& Ibu's Ayah for the 'buat susah-susah je' bbq- my stomach was already fulled of 'starters' like fresh salad, nasi impit & rendang (Johorean I presume?), mix vege with big prawns, corncobs (tak sempat makan ni) so muat masukkan bbqed chicken wing & lamb cut (with another secret gravy) je.

To Abang Idin, who did well enough by getting into the final of the Spelling Bee. Er, Auntie rad needs to check out the spelling of 'exhortation' too.
To Hafiz, thank you for teaching me how to play bingo. (Yup! I feel so ancient)
To Ameer, hope you enjoy the books (minus the pensel tekan - refer Ibu's).

P/s: Pix of 'Bakal Ibu-Mertuaku', All smiley faces & Ibu's 'Special Task' is pending some 'approval/adjustment'.

To Simah & Halil, Hatice & Baddin,
I'm more than happy to finally meet u guys.

Simah said: You were telling me u r shy? (My earlier email: Really looking forward to see everyone nanti but let me warn you that I'm a very shy, reserved person. Hehehe...really!)

Rad said: Wakaka! I hope halil n kids weren't too scared after meeting your loud (been told recently to be talkative too) blogfren(s). Lucky u didn't join me in getting back to kl -

Masa pergi ok je ikut KL. Time balik, follow je signboards to Seremban/JB said my many frens. Tau-tau je dah lalu USJ pastu tu baru Cyber & Putrajaya!!! Scary coz the hi-way got few traffic. At one time, I glanced at the side mirror - it's totally dark, no traffic on both sides as far as my eyes can see & no streetlights. Thank God, I'm not alone & not bad eh for a first-timer in driving to kl.

To mama rizq & family,
Nice eh to finally expand our circle of blogfrens. Kinda scary actually to meet strangers whom we known only through online so that explain the blurry pix - shaky hands! Hopefully my friend & I didn't give any reasons for rizq to have nightmare last nite! hehehe...

Short Sketch & 'Munga'

2008-06-14T13:21:00.003+08:00

Ubat Stress

2008-06-11T13:51:00.005+08:00

Note: From online resources.
....
Dude: u tak rasa teringin nak baby ke
Dude: :-)
Anda2: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Anda2: Apa punya soklan daaa.....
Dude: kenapa gelak besar
Dude: ok2
Dude: ....
Anda2: I bukan gelakkan u - I gelakkan diri sendiri ok
Dude: I nak baby
Anda2: I pun nak jugak lah
Dude: oklah
Dude: :-)
Anda2: So sape yg nak kena pregnant nanti ni?
Dude: I
Dude: HAHAAHAHAAAA
Dude: I DAH GILE NI
Dude: HEHEH
Anda2: Hahahahahaha....jaga2 u, mlm ni tido pagi esok bgn sure dah boncit!
Dude: HAHAHAHA
Dude: I GELAK PECAH PERUT NI
....

Oh, by the way - Dude is an XY while Anda2 is an XX.

On behalf of An Alter Ego

2008-06-07T12:49:00.002+08:00

It happened before and it happens again.

What I need (me being me) is just A Consistent, Daily Routine like the working of a clock. Someone who had Said The Three Words (like ‘I x you’) Easily and Its Variants needs to be aware of The Consequences of Bombarding Me with Messages Overnight (& Days too like 60max messages while I’m sleeping (which I don’t need & totally abhor) causing my hp to start acting up) and alternates with Days of Deadly Silence. No explanations. Nada. Zilch.

If it happened once or twice- I’d still give the person another chance. When it’s the third occurrence– what I did (Yes I did IT once, and am thinking of it again!) was to Severe All Forms of Communications: no pick up calls (short of barring the specific number since that’s what my hp not capable of doing), smses, chat or even email. After all, there’s nothing in it, isn’t it? Better Cut My Losses and Save My Pride. After all, you’re only A Number out of many (in my lil’ black book), merely a temporary distraction.

What is so difficult to understand that the Building-Up of Expectations cause nerve-wrecking havoc on my daily schedule? I know you’re busy and ..Hey! What A Surprise - I’m busy too – a simple msg saying ‘Im busy thus won’t be in touch with you for at least YEAR’ will do. Note that the previous sentence was Drippings With Sarcasm.

And be careful of what you’re saying too. If you Don’t Mean to Call Ever Again, PLEASE do not say, ‘I’ll call you tomorrow (or tonite)’. Don’t Make Promises That You Won’t Keep. Maybe for you, it’s Just A Lip Service. But I’m NOT like you. That is one of the characteristics of a hypocrite. Which goes right there on top of my List of Why I Should Never Consider You As My Friend.

Having said that, I’m surrounded by lotsa other ‘friends’ – meaning that losing one won’t harm me all. I CHOOSE who are my friends. Friends supposedly Understand The Meaning of Commitment, Being Right There For Each Other.

A week that was...

2008-06-07T09:30:00.002+08:00

Two Weddings and A Funeral

Al-Fatihah to BIL (Zulkifli bin Bedah- for Muslim, after death & the Hereafter, we're taking after the mother's name instead of father's) who passed away on early morning, 5th June, leaving behind his wife & 5 kids.

(long story to follow if I've got the time to sit down & write, much later perhaps)

Caca-merba Weekend

2008-06-02T17:33:00.005+08:00

Hai, x kan mlm pun duduk dlm keta dgr radio. Kwang2.
Cet! Idak ler sampai gitew sekali asyiknya.. Tp smbil drive td, sat2 pandang! Sat2 tukar channel! Mcm x pernah ada radio lak hehe
Tgk tu ada jgk spesis 'jakun'.. Kwang2.. Anyway enjoy ur trip.. Hayati..
___
Q. Akak marah tak kalau boyfriend akak masih bhubung dgn ex girlnya atas alasan kawan?
A. Lelaki n pmpuan x kekal bkawan after breakup mlainkan rakan sekerja ka, jiran sebelah rumah ka, mmg dah sedara ka, ada 'harta spencarian' ka, etc. Kes mana lak ni?
___
Hey fren. How is your thesis? Done?
Aiyoyo still struggling lor. Dont tell me dat you've submitted oredi? I'll die lor coz dat'll put me under more pressure!!
___
Send msg:
Bahawasanya saya memohon ampun maaf kerna menyusahkan tman2 (hosmates, dan semua adik-beradik, mak, anak buah dari S'gor ke Melaka yg terima pesanan spy mencari buku kaler hijau nipis je). Adapun buku yg hilang telah ditemui di belakang backseat keta saya. Wakakaka!

(But seriously, I've look inside the car, again & again, even under the seats...)

Syukur alhamdulillah. I don't mind (really) paying for the cost of the library book but it goes against my principle (not to mention the troublesome procedures - huh!) - I've never lost a library book ever before!! Not for the past 7 years...Not even from memberships of Perpustakaan Negeri (dan Daerah), Perpustakaan Bergerak (during primary), Barking Library - all of my schools' library & uni throughout my life of reading.

Funny, I found it the moment I stop searching for it & really pasrah!! (Thanks to mak & 'everyone' for the advices on 'how to find your misplace book'. I need to stop 'reading' at least for now.

Lonely No More

2008-05-30T11:23:00.002+08:00

Finally, after weeks of 'real-silent driving' (insyaAllah banyak pahala)- I invested some cash in a new radio/CD player. Oh-la-la.....what a clear surrounding sound! Boom-boom bang!!! (rasa jiwa muda rumaja kembali hehehe..)

I am so proud of myself as I did 'it' all by myself (after consulting my Ah Long, Ah Ngah, Ah Beng, BIL#3, few friends...even to the last few moments of indecisiveness at the shop - between K*nwood or JVC, with or without MP3, remote control (whaddaheck, nak berebut dgn sape?), other plug-ins etc.

The best part is the detachable faceplate . The original Wira's pun got something detachable gak but this time around I'm goin' to religiously detach it every night coz it's brand new mah!! So sayang....

P/s: Lonely No More is another fav by R*b Thomas, lead vocal of M*tchBox-20 - gay kah?
___

Makan tak kenyang,
Mandi tak basah,
Tidur tak lena...

Nooooooooooooooooo...........
It's not what you're thinking!! (Yes, I know you, you and YOU!)

This is Dear Darling D aka 'T' that I'm referring too...time is running out real fast, I'm under lotsa pressure, my immediate boss even contacted my Numero Uno asking about my real status but at the same time warning her not to mention it to me so as to not to put me under unnecessary pressure blahblah....she said, "I takut you kenot finish...(mintak dijauhkan Allah perkara ni)", friends and family keep on asking, "when will you be going there..", adik is waiting (not), promises to keep, colleagues here & there too, blahblah....

So, am taking this weekend off (again, *SIGH* - to unwind!! (hehehe...itu semua alasan..)

Terasa macam nak makan nasi minyak lah.

My June Dates

2008-05-21T16:30:00.002+08:00

Note: Earlier booking is recommended.

1st weekend – Coincide with cuti sekolah so apa lagi – wedding @Down South lah…Accomodations are booked, invitations are out & RSVPed – though mak feels shy coz so many of anak-cucu-menantu will be going together – I just need to rilex & drive…
Er, kena tolong buat tapai ke dulu? Cakes tak sesuai lah… Maybe get my radio/Cd player fixed in time too?

2nd weekend – Girls’ night out: dinner @ Bagan Lalang – sleepover – Invitation received.

3rd weekend - BBQ party in honour of Simah’s homecoming, will be hosted by none other than Ibu @Rawang:
Sms received (one-month advanced notice tu): Clear your schedule... Pls say you will come?

Follow-up by email:
i dh sms u on the same matter... tapi tk dak jwpan...

as u know..i akan balik malaysia this june... june 14th...saturday...blogger *ibu* will be having a BBQ gathering in our honour... so i am wondering if u can join the gathering as well...i think it will be at 7.30pm or something n her plc is in rawang... senang ja nk pi klu dari highway.....(her hubby will draw a map later)..

so what say u? will u come?? please come ...

rad said:
Hehehe...I dah balas lah ur msg tp tak sampai eh?
Oklah, kerna u & anak2 (chewahhh!!!!)- akan diusahakan jugak ke sana insyaAllah. Boleh tak bawak kawan sorang? Yelah, utk tunjuk jalan coz tak biasa jalan2 malam pastu area KL lak tu. Klu x nyusahkan la...So, sape2 je yg akan dijemput bersama? Wah...segan sehhhh....style pot-luck ka? Nak sumbangan apa2 tak? (BTW rumah bujang I takde dapur so kenot masak2 lah - beli ok!)

P/s: Bila tukar ke petang lani, lagi lah senang nak pi!

Open Invites:
RR: Free esp. on Friday. U naik komuter ke BB nanti I amik & lepak n chatting kt rmh i.

Vic: Bookin’ u now. Klu cousin I tak ade kat sini u kene teman I doesn’t matter u panas ke sejuk. (Ed. - gotta do with the current hot swell)

B: Any time. If possible, every night.

Walamak….after June is July *asifIdontknowthis*…busy-dying lor!!

Take note: Social calendars are set free for the weekends only. Weekdays jangan kacau aa…

Last Thursday/Friday -Did you get the smses/emails variation of:

Never pick up calls from Indo written in red no. …
Bahasa Jawa kuno, 9 di Indo & 2 di Puchong dah mati mlm tadi

My niece (I picked her up for personal tuition back at my hometown during the weekend) told me that the other nephew told her that his mother who is my eldest sister had received that said-call. Thank God she always had this standing rule of never pick up calls from unknown numbers. Esp. anonymous.

That night, her mother called me to report whatever reported in Kosmo that day which I don’t read lah (MSM papers lagi2lah except for the entertainment news –so sue me!). She also mentioned ‘this thing’ about switching off our hp at 11pm sharp since some sorta extra-power radiation will get to us through the phones.
I said, “Wah-wah…hebat lagi ghopenya org melayu nusantara kita ye – kalah rocket scientist drp US of A!” They only know of atomic bomb which is really ‘expensive’ but if ‘this thing’ was to work as predicted – no need S*ddam’s nuclear weapon of mass destruction of whatsoever – we can easily wipe out half of the people on earth in one easy strike!! Kabooommm!!!!

But then, rber - who’s making money out of these smses that go round & round? Mereka & keluarga mereka juga la……

But that’s not the story that I wanna tell you here…hehehe..
I set my hp’s ringtones (inc. msg) & associated pix IDs according to certain coloured-groupings like family, ex-students, ex-es yg lain, and Code Red people are like my Numero Uno lah.
After I talked to my sister, she demanded to talk to her daughter – using my hp. I went to the kitchen for a drink. Suddenly she came shrieking, “Maksu!!! Telpon Ja-wa tuuuu!!!!!” (red screen pix)
I almost panicked (mati la kalau ter’angkat ni!). Then only I saw what was on the screen - Lor…Ja-*ae-something else lah…incoming msg!! Podacit!! Kus semangat….

I told you so..
adik: Salam. Buat apa? Tension la, teruk juga keja kat u*m ni
rad: Struggling wid f/draft la..Dr lain la, ada byk keje ada byk gaji hehe. So amcm plan nk kwin aritu? Bila jd nya?
adik: Nanti2 la dulu. Byk perk nak fikir. Bukan senang nak kumpul duit.
rad: Hahaha..senang lg jd pmpuan ghopenya – xde duit pun t’gu je org pinang! U r stil young- kmpul duit dulu tp jgn smpai tlepas apa dikejar dik oi!
adik: Kita kawin berdua je la. Keja setempat.
rad: Wakaka..u r 15min too late! Hati kak dah bbunga2...kak doakan yg baik2 4u, amin.
adik: Ye la. Siapa la saya ni. Hehe. Cepat2 balik akak. P*nang best!

P/s: During recent hectic weeks of being here & there & everywhere, he msgd me: dah pindah ke?
Somebody must have been around & checking my whereabouts huh?

Ini bukan MLM.

2008-05-19T13:01:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum...,
Bahawasanya saya, pemegang mohor besar Keluarga Adam, hehehe...anak Induk L**** @Bukit R***n yo (nak sobut namo pun bukan eh kona yo tak?) lah, dengan berbesar hatinya menjemput kakak2 dan abang2 sekalian untuk turut sama menjalinkan kembali hubungan silaturrahim, memperdekatkan persaudaraan yang jauh, dan membina salsilah keturunan demi kesinambungan generasi masa depan - fuh!! Panjang ayat tu...

Ini bukannya multi-level marketing so memang tak dapek lah ganjaran wang atau faedah2 lain. Cara keahliannya mudah je dgn follow link drp email received from www.geni.com (bukan yg ni tp rujuk Inbox-email masing2) - saya dah mulakan family tree & masukkan email kerabat2 yang diketahui. Makanya, silalah perpanjangkan dgn meng'create' upline (masukkan details makayah, datuknenek, moyang dsb.), downline (masukkan anak-cucu, menantu, cicit, etc.) dan juga sideline (suami-isteri, adik-beradik, yg x seibu sebapak, tiri, ipar-duai, biras ke dll.) sama ada masih hidup ataupun telah lama pergi. Untuk lebih menarik lagi, masukkan email msg2 yg berkenaan & upload photos menarik esp. masa muda rumaja dulu.

InsyaAllah, maklumat adalah confidential - boleh diaccess oleh kaum-kerabat yang tersenarai dlm senarai keluarga (individual family tree) terdekat aje.
Mudah2an dengan adanya 'family tree' ni dapat menjadi sumber rujukan utk kenal sedagho dgn lobih dokek. Amin.

Er, mohon diperpanjangkan juga kepada yg lain. Terima kasih.

Hanya Allah jualah yang mampu membalas...

Regards,
-rad-

Weekly Life’s Update – for the record

2008-05-16T13:33:00.007+08:00

Refer previous Case #1- B’s Myth of bunga serai
Bukan senang nak cari,
Bukan sebarang orang boleh petik.

Chocolate
This is another perfect example of self-sabotage. Yes, I do love chocolates. But I take extra-conscious effort not to buy any…or even look in the shelves direction. Coz I’m already putting on extra weight as it is. Then, there’re these people who gave me chocolate..
From Belgium..

From Kazakhstan…
Together with the note: To be share with my nephews and nieces…
Problem is chocolate melt easily….and I’m salivating now!

P/s: When I was studying for my degree (thus with much younger metabolism rate), I constantly ate a sneakers or mars bar a day (in lieu of proper lunch)…at one time during Christmas and a cold, cold winter away from home –I bought the biggest comforting chocolate bar ever for moi – 1.5kg! Finished it within a week I did! And it went straight to my bulging tummy, arms, thighs etc and remains there forever!!!

Multitasking@work

Refer previous Case #3 – It’s all hearsay lah.
My friend ittew suspected that somebody from the car-wash @ related to it did ‘it’.
A couple of days before the incident (during the weekend), she sent the car to the usual car-wash in the neighbourhood. Her sis did recently spilled something on the car seat, so she was told that the process will take longer than usual as they needed to taken out the seat and everything. So she left the car (and keys too since they needed it to move the car around) & went for lunch, later for prayer at home. (Lotsa my friends do this esp. at the basement car-wash @W*arta, XXX – it’s called multitasking as they got to have shopping done at the same time altogether with lunch/dinner)

On Monday morning, she went down to her normal parking place. There’s no sign of broken glass or whatsoever. She might had mistakenly parked her car elsewhere so she walked around the neighbourhood to look for it. No where to be found. She used triple lock system for the car – alarm, steering-lock and gear-lock. No sound of alarm during the night.

Take home lesson for you and me: My Ah Long is always right (Insert: See, I told you so...) He always remind me not to ever leave my car with the keys whether it’s the workshop, service centre, car-wash & always waited there myself (sama2 menyibuk belek kete) for whatever had to be done. (As an aside, that’s why my driving-world is so sunyi nowadays – no melalak2 karaoke. The CD player went totally kaput – I do not have the time to go to sebarang bengkel alone (tak berani) or with him (need to make appointment la pulak-where got time?). Bro#3 said the radio can be saved still).

Another lesson is not to put together in one bunch – car keys & house keys. Vic told me of another case (source: email) where a guy was hold at knifepoint when he went to withdraw money from an atm machine. Got him to withdraw all the money but still not enough though. The may-he-get-the-punishment-soon-thief asked for the car keys & drove away with it. The guy walked home only to find his house was ransacked and his wife was rape. I hate to hear such devastating crimes…

Ala2 terhutang budi, tergadai body (it's for me to know...)
Dear Darling ‘T’,
Lama kan tak update about your significant progress? I guess people out there must be wondering whether you get the appropriate attention from moi.

Well, I do admit that I’ve been taken a lil bit off track this week. At least now that I’ve got the conference paper’s (readings for idea mostly) abstract out of the way (co-authors - though another one is over-due but then it’s internal so…), so I can spend more time & exclusively be with you. I’m hoping to be able to work on both concurrently since it’s all under ‘The Same Grand Idea’ but alas I need to prioritize….as work is piling up!

Now that the dateline is looming nearer, I’m starting to get cold sweat as whether I can wrap up things on time as promised to my Numero Uno and Immediate Bos. Pray for moi…

Sincerely,
-rad-

Livin’ out a suitcase/backpack/plastic bag/rattan bag
In between B and Vic (and then there is also 'demands' from my big family), I am experiencing something almost like a ‘poligamy’ hehehe….

Brings to mind the song by Ukay’s: Di Sana Menanti Di Sini Menunggu
(Note: Sila googled or youtubed for better feel of the story here)
….
Kalau ku pilih di sini
Apa kata di sana
Kalau ku pilih di sana
Di sini akan terluka
Perlukah aku pilih keduanya
Bahagi kasih adil-adilnya
….

Di sana hanyalah menanti
Sampai bila pun ku tak pasti
Bertanya khabar melalui tinta
…

Dan di sini tetap menunggu
Berada jelas di mataku
Kasih tak luak terhadap aku
Sanggup menunggu kata putusku

Both are my friends with the same need for moi – awwww….. They stay alone for different reasons.
When I was staying overnite with B, Vic messaged me – asking when I’m free…
Then I stayed with Vic – B messaged me when will I come over…
These happened for quite a number of rounds.
Both did say that it’s okey for me to stay with the other person who is in more dire need. But immediately texting me the next day for future arrangement/bookings…hahahaha!

That was why between the two of them (for the past couple of weeks plus my Sis#3’s situation), I need to squeeze in dinner-out together in order to catch up with my housemates (long updates here but better not go into this now).

Remember Rad’s Escorts & Services Sdn Bhd?
Well, maybe I should charged these people for my services. No lah, after all they’re friends and family right?
Though somebody did mention for me to ask for credit top-up! *apamotif?*
Vic promised me S*cret R*cipe (vegetarian meals perhaps?).
B willingly cooked for moi – awww…. And offer to help with my translation some more.
Vic’s Malay neighbour mentioned in passing too that perhaps I could make money by charging RM8 per night!
But then my last ‘professional rate’ was RM80 on hourly basis!
*Gasp!* Forget it lah..it all comes under community service! Really...

Honest Intention (Manis’s Story- nama adalah ditukar)
(Note: This one comes under Rad’s Marriage/Relationships & Consultations Bureau)

Dear Auntie Rad (ala2 Agony Aunt),
I’m writing to you since I’ve no one else to turn too. I have a cousin, Manis, who confided in me her secret other life. You see, she has been working in a small office under a much older boss since she was 22yo. The boss, a sole proprietor, is married with kids, few of whom are around the same age as her. She does almost all the works in the office from big to small administrative works (finance, personnel etc.) to arranging his personal life affairs. Working in proximity within a close environment, the inevitable eventually happen. They started an ‘affair of the heart’.

She comes from a good and decent family (like me- it’s genetic!). The father had passed away and she, an only child, live with the mother. For the past couples of years or so, few of the concerned relatives have been trying to match her with guys, one after another, in view of marriage. All of which didn’t work at all.

Our culture and religion is such that poligamy is not made possible. Even if it’s allowed, she doesn’t want him to divorce his wife of said-so many years. But he did say that he will divorce her, earlier on in the relationship. She’s now 30yrs old & still waiting for him to make an honest woman out of her. People is starting to notice and talk. After all, we’re all living in the same small town. However, the associated stigma of being The Other Woman may simply turns out to be too much for the mother.

Lately, the guy starts to belittle whatever that she does at work, using harsh words unnecessarily. Since she only confided in me, I’m worried that she’s putting herself under too much pressure at work and the bubble might burst one of these days. For her, either she becomes the illegal wife or life has no meaning at all. I don’t want her to take her own life merely for a guy undeserving of her love and affection. Please advice.

Love,
A Cousin

Dear A Cousin (& Manis too),
From my vantage point, the guy is merely taking you for a joyride & trust me, nothing much will come out of it. To put it crudely, he’s taking advantage of your kind-hearted soul & getting cheap labour in the bargain too!

So what if he promised to divorce his wife? It’s been 8 years, (EIGHT BLOODY MISERABLE YEARS!!) to long for the status quo to remain unchanged right?
Hint#1 He is so NOT into you.

I remember reading this book by Olivia Goldsmith, 2004 -Wish Upon a Star (she also wrote The First Wife Club which eventually made it to the silver screen).

Conversation between two characters of the book, when Claire asked Mrs Patel’s opinion regarding her previous ‘boyfren’ who dumped her for The Other Woman (kononnya he was just amusing himself) & now coming back with tail between his legs asking for redemption from Hell.
Here is what Mrs Patel said (her owned husband had left her and kids):

When a guy is seriously considering to have a long lasting relationship with you, he definitely needs to give some sort of ‘tangible’ assurances.

“Does he give you tokens of good faith in behavior and goods
(a ring, for a start. Or a place to live).
Does he mean to take care of you and protect you?
If he does, how will he show it?“

…whether it makes up for the whatever wrong he has done to you earlier is another matter altogether..

“With men and women it is always the same.
Love and honor or betrayal and disgrace.
What else is there to consider?”

Hint#2. The way I see it , you’re the one who manage the office/business beyond your call of duty. Instead of appreciating all that you’ve done out of love, I suspected that he is looking for ways to slowly getting himself out of the entanglement of having an affair with you. Perhaps a younger, pliable Sweet Young Thing (SYT – to borrow UL’s jargon) already waiting in the sideline if not already being in existence.

My sincere advice is first, do yourself a favour - get out now! Leave him (instead of waiting for vice versa). Second, career-wise, it would do you good to immediately start looking for a better job elsewhere. Given the wealth of experience that you've collected over the years, you would go higher up the corporate ladder. Third, remember, you're made of a stronger stuff - he's only an old-bad, bald-man. There are better man out there for especially you to find out. God bless you.

-Auntie Rad-

My PS - jejak kasih
We’ve been playing phone-tagged for the past two weeks. The timing is always not right when either of us call the other. It’s just an excuse really. The thing is I’m scared of meeting her again after all these years – she’s married with two kids now -people might changed right? She said her mama also wants to meet me.
Alahai…ni yang lomah makcik!!

Salam 7 may.
me: Eiiii….Takutnyaaa!!!
rossa: Memang menakutkan. I sgt2 berdebar ni..

Hek-Ee-Ley..nikah sudah,
Beranak pun sudah.
Takat dfen prop eh? (yeay! manage to keep spelling rhyme)
Lolap mato yo lah!

P/s: See, I told you – nothing to worry about. Sape berani kacau beb!?

Ada apa pd gambo??

2008-05-11T14:52:00.000+08:00

…nice look!
Persepsi pertama, muka penyabar..
Muka dia manja la, bongsu ke? Ntah2 sikap dia mcm...
So far, dia punya muka menyenangkan hati…I/Allah..

Nak jumpa berkenalan bole?

Goin’ Green #3 aka recycle/kopipes materials (due to superduperbusyness konon..)

2008-05-10T12:29:00.003+08:00

Rad’s Marriage/Relationships & Consultation Bureau (I wish I cud make money out of this ‘thang’!)

Tue, 5/6/08
me: Salam. b, nak kasi tau, yday my fren yg stay @H*ntian Kjg kete kena curik!!!!
me: Huhuhuhu...ksian dia. Patah kaki dibuek eh! Yelah dah kawin tp suami jauh...moral of the story kena beringat sentiasa
b: ye ker???.....kesian die
me: Vic pulak belum dpt psg alarm lagi coz it takes time -next week maybe
b: oo ye ker???....
me: She survey dah & decided on this one company yg cost RM1500 for initial installation to be followed by rm75 monthly fee for a 3yr contract - nanti bunyi alarm tu terus sound direct kat control centre
b: ooooo...
me: And now my bro inlaw maybe nak kena ptong jari kaki pulak coz k.manis so my service is needed in s'ban to tc of the kids huhuhuhu
b: oic...
me: Yg kes vic tu - rumah ada grill complete tp si mat indo tu guna screwdriver jer utk bukak grill tingkap -wat keje time semua org xde rumah so take his own sweet time...
b: jd makcik misali la ko yek
me: Hehehe...rasa layak dah dpt PJK nih!
b: hahahahhah
b: xper..practise2
me: And now the hot newsss jeng3x!
b: sooner or later...i'Allah ko jd ibu gak kan..
me: Mat r** aka Kir** mintak ur no - amacam??????
me: Hehehe...dia tu status letak dah kawin...nak jejak kasih kot dgn u? Kwang3x!
b: hhaaaa....wat is it??
b: wah2..
b: hehehehhehehehe
me: So???
b: minat ker???
b: klakar2
me: Manalah i tau niat dia kan....
me: Camana wak?
me: Wakakakakakakakakakaka
b: hahahahahahah
b: gelak jap
b: boleh la...
b: nak jejak kasih kuttt
me: Boleh lah kasi greenlight ye? Biarlah dia yg col u...I dah sound dah, klu ada abang2 yg bujang2 bole la...hahahahahaah
b: ha....goodddd
b: hahahhahahha
me: Ok, pasni I msg si mat r** tu utk kasi ur no!
b: segan la plak
me: Apa nak segan2 (takat u dgn i? heheheh) Dia cuma nak mengeratkan ukhuwah Islam kaaaaannnnnnnnnnnn
me: Lagipun dia kata you cun gak apa! Heheheheheeh
b: mane la tau...ade stock2 lelaki baik + hensem yg die nak rekemen kan kan??
me: So, since I'll be bz dis week - u kena lah make other arrangement siap2 ye...
me: Betul2!!!! Biar ramai berkawan kita ni.....Wakakakakakaka!
b: ok la...xper...
b: u r rite
me: Ni kisah berkaitan -jiran vic yg Melayu tu bertanyakan pasal I ni single lagi ke - nak diintroducekan dgn abgnya yg masih bujang & very sporty, 'kaya' gitu! Ahaks!
b: wwwaaahhhhhhh
b: ape lagi???
b: hehehehheheh
b: kenal jer dulu..xsalah....
b: unless ko dah serius..
me: Eh, oklah gotta back to work - satgi nak turun s'ban dah. Sori eh, xdapek den nak toman-an kau minggu ni - sibuk bobona nampak eh....
me: Tunggukan panggilan mat r** ye! Wakakakakakaka

(Bakal Suami) Soalnya Hati!!
Adik (see, I told ya –we’re frens now!): Askum (Ed.: I don’t agree with the use of this word, better use ‘salam’). Apa pandangan akak. Seorg pempuan yg bakal kawin tiba2 parentnya yg uzur tiba2 dtg tinggal dgnnya? Adil tak utk bakal suaminya?
kak: Hw abt if parents bkl suami yg uzur- adil x 4 bkl isteri? Klu dah kwin bknkah makayahmu makayahku jua? Ayah kwn-knser lg 3bln (jer.. ckp doc) pas 3wk je mn’gal. Sesal tau!
---
kak: Aik awat sonyap yo!? Dr *jeles @title nih* pilih calon yg ktan or perak ni? Dah bincang pjg? Dsbbkan small thgs tp bsar mknanya maka kena btolakansur dik oi!
dik: Takkan saya perlu jga parent dia kot. Ayah (arwah) saya pun tak sempat merasa gaji saya. ( Ed.: I personally think that he’s a bit immature here!)
kak: Ssah la klu bkira. Sdgkan pkawinan adalah perkongsian. U dah xde ayah dpt plk new set of parents – dpt tmpang k/syg, bbakti selagi ada hayat depa. Think again!!
dik: Saya tak berkira. Tapi rasa sedih sgt2. Entahlah. Mak dan kakak saya sendiri pun ckp tak nak tinggal dgn saya lepas kawin, tak mau ganggu anak menantu. Tapi knp pihak satu lagi x fikir cmtu?
kak: Kak pn xtau nk ckp apa. klu setkt nk tmpang senang or kikis mmg xptut. Tp klu depa susah mmg perlu dibantu. usahakan spy ada jln pnyelesaian. Soalnya hati!

We’re what we eat

2008-05-09T13:19:00.002+08:00

Cross-Continent Lawak
D: Wak bangun tgk bulan. I pun tgh tgk bulan. Mesti bulan yg sama kan.
A: I dah tgok luar, xde pn bulannya? Er, jerubu? Cis xpernah dbuat org bgn tido cari bulan!!!

Further deductive investigation revealed that the supposedly seen-shining moon was in fact the light of a crane from a nearby building under construction. Wakakakakaka!!!!!!

Baca Doa
I was in the most sombre mood yesterday for the most sombre occasion – the passing away of my SIL#1’s mother (Al-Fatihah). Our family are closely inter-link such that when mak overnighted in town recently I brought her to my Ah Long’s house to meet my SIL#1’s mak. There, in front of me, both mothers sat side by side & chat nicely (while I listen & ate mostly) – that’s my last memory of her.

But really, I couldn’t help myself from smiling inside for this is what happened yesterday:

Immediately upon arriving at the rumah pusaka (she passed away at her youngest’s place just nearby), me, SIL#3a (coz ada #3b hehehe!) and bro sat down near the jenazah & joined others in reciting the Yaasin & tahlil for her.

Other visitors come & go after reciting their doas but me & SIL#3a decided to stay around & joined a group of ladies from the neighbourhood (pakaian sedondon, must be the kumpulan marhaban or mengaji surau lah) for a second round of Yaasin & tahlil.

Everything went on smoothly til the last part – reciting the final main doa. The leader of the ladies gang looked around & saw that there’re TWO guys around. So in deference of male superiority, she conceded her power by willingly asked the elder guy to recite the doa. He pointed to his bare eyes & then the Yaasin booklet so we were made to understand that he was unable to read the writings without his spectacles. Ok, so then the baton was passed to the next best alternative – a younger guy of about 40ish. Seeing that all the ladies were already ‘menadah tangan untuk berdoa’ he (has no alternative but) graciously lead the way by reciting the doas. Oh, how he stumbled & grappled... How do we know? Coz everybody followed through the reading by looking at our respective copies so as to ‘tambah khusyuk’ (& at the same time belajar sama2). The group leader pitied him so much so she passed her own copy of Yaasin to him –kononnya bigger writing, lagi senang baca la kan!! I dare not catch the eyes of my SIL or others coz I was trying very hard not to smile broadly…hehehe..Ini kes jarang baca Yaasin/Quran lah ni…belum lagi kes kena suruh baca doa selamat or kesyukuran (hafal?) ke!!

Take home lesson for today: Guys, nak wat lagu mana lagi, dah uols lelaki confirmed lah kena jadi ketua/imam – so you know lah what to do….

Kurangkan gula dalam minuman
Tambahkan manis dalam senyuman
BIL#1 has had his two toes taken off on late Tuesday evening (diabetes). I helped his only boy (F5) with the ‘burial’ of that part of his body immediately after maghrib that night. It was scary…I mean for the thought of having parts of your body chopped off like that – and if he’s not being careful (as in berpantang makan segala, ubah lifestyle) after this, more will follow…Na’uzubillah! He’s still warded due to complication with his kidney. Pray that he’ll get better soon..

Lesson for you & me: We’re what we eat. Makan untuk hidup bukan hidup untuk makan. Kalau lah xinsaf jugak….(I’ve the gory pix to share!!!)

Extra note: (Aside from pengaruh keturunan for kencing manis) The guy whose bed right in front of BIL also had his toes (first only one, then two…) taken off. According to his sister, the family has no record of whomever with kencing manis. But he worked as lorry driver for long haul so he used to consume lotsa carbonated drinks to keep awake while driving.

Ladies Beware!

2008-05-05T19:12:00.007+08:00

P/s: This 'house-security' piece is especially dedicated to Manal and all other single or married females who own a house &/@ a car...keep alert!! And always take care of our health too.

Al-Fatihah & condolences.
Rossa’s FIL passed away.
Mar’s sister passed away.

Warded
Check-in: BIL – high blood pressure (17) & kencing manis. Most probably need to has 2,3 of his toes taken off too. Ouch! Pray for him.
Check out: A colleague – I really thot that he went for holidays (as mentioned recently) thus my msg to him sound as “I guess you must be having a whale of a time huh?” Since he already asked us in the office to routinely check for his letters, I msged him yday about the letters only to find out that he was just discharged – after having a kidney-related operation. Why la so secretive? Otherwise we cud have visit him at the hospital…dah la family jauh.

Rad Escorts & Services Sdn Bhd (another of my ‘crazy business idea’)
Nope, definitely not the kind that you have in mind. Or like we-know-who lah…recently featured in the news & all.

Am thinking along the line of house&babysitting services for those parents who want to get away for a short break or work related trips by leaving behind their poor children (must be stipulated as above nappy-wearing stage). Last stint, it took the two of us to ‘pakaikan’ the diaper as per instruction. At 5yo (refer the angelic pix below), I know it’s ‘beyond ordinary’ but then he has bit of jantung berlubang you see so he got the leeway & being extra pampered (more like spoil rotten) by all. I guess the whole neighbourhood heard his roaring cry since all effort to cajole him into peeing & brushing his teeth (sakit gigi & jantung berlubang don’t go hand in hand) before going to bed, failed miserably. Boleh buat lawak lagi tu; the sister asked him (I was too busy holding on to his upper body), “Angkat bontot tu!” Sambil menangis meraung, he sobbed, “Apa usik montot2 ni..” He’s shy too..hehehe. But I digress..

For single females staying alone in a big house at night. Mind you, they are not scared of being haunted by ghosts and the likes. Only by mere mortals.

Oh, I can provide company for dinner (doesn’t matter whether you cook or buy dinner, I can only offer to clean the dishes afterward), shopping (take care of the shopping cart (big deal!), advice on what’s good & not to eat), heart-to-heart/relationship talk (like should this young person continue breaking up with a guy from a 3yo relationship to immediately start another with a senior guy who’s more outspoken & lavish in giving out his attention?), and all sort of ‘household & practical advices’.

As a trained ex-pesilat (red-belt ada simpan dlm almari ye!) & having dabble in aikido, my mere presence is sufficient to drive/scare away intruders. Uh, aren’t you scared of me now? Hehehe..

Can take care of the pets too. Provide nurturing (and vice versa). Except matters related to their waste-disposal.

The only thing to consider now is how much should I charge per service? Hourly rates? By demand? Bidding?

Now, the big question is why & WHY? It seems that the world is no longer a safe place….

Case #1.
There’re countless other singles who stay alone. But not when both of your parents recently died, somehow suspected foul play. Yes, memang dah ajal @ sampai masanya kata orang tapi my fren has strong reasons to believe (& ralat di hati) that whatever that befallen her mother was originally intended for her. Ini bukan nak percaya benda karut tapi so typical of Malay mentality lah, orang tak suka boleh pulak nak paksa2 & main tanam benda di keliling rumah.
Helo guys, did you ever wonder – maybe sikap kepoyoan you yg menyebab perempuan lari?
Wanted: Bunga Serai for perubatan traditional (Help!), ikan puyu – elakkan pukau
Moral: Mohon bantuan Allah untuk melawan ilmu sihir mereka yang dah jatuh syirik. Amalan2 zikir tertentu sebagai tambahan.

Case #2.
Married but leading separate life, such is the demand of modern-day living. Non-Muslim.

First tried to break in on Tuesday last week, around 10am. Armed with simple tools like screwdriver. Lucky, the housewife next door noticed that something was amiss. Thus she immediately woke up another neighbour (working night shift). Both (Muslims) confront (utter stupidity or cleverness here?) the intruder who scowled back to them while brandishing the socalled ‘weapon’, “Jangan dekat….Pergi-pergi…Pedulikan…” before jumping out of the gate & ran away. Indo Muslim.
So, I was roped in for standing guard, on 2 consecutive nights. On the third day, “Ah, takkan dia berani datang lagi…”
He broke in on Friday morning. Took all of her jewellery. Enter at the same spot. Grilled-window.

Actions: After 1st trial, reported to the police (for what?) only to be told, “Oh, pihak kami akan mempertingkatkan rondaan.” Well, the neighbourhood already paid for their security guards at the entrances & doing rounds at night. Report again. *sigh*

Consider alarm system. It takes time to install one. A week at the earliest (the burglar is more in earnest than the business people). Consider short-run measures like… I dunno. Malays have this doa pelindung/pendinding/pagar rumah?
Moral: Gals’ stuffs aka precious jewellery are not safe at home. Forget about wearing them (peragut everywhere). Buy Zhulian instead of Habib (samples shown in previous entry).

Case #3.
Married like above but separated by a shorter domestical distance instead of a continent away. Her car was stolen last night. She's staying in H*ntian K*jang - shop apartments. People coming & going at all times. Similar to my place. *Gulp!*

Action: Another police report. I said, pray hard that the ‘kind-hearted soul’ will return the ‘borrowed’ car …Patah kaki la woii!
Moral: Taktau dah nak cakap apa….

Week in review - Short recap

2008-05-04T15:41:00.000+08:00

GETIK award...(I'm bored, my advisor's on leave, so..)

2008-04-29T20:51:00.001+08:00

Thank you for bearing with our antics..hehehe..My fren, bird @kjg, is looking for a better home for these cutie pies: Jamie, Raja, Captain Jack (teka yg mana saya!) & Jajan.

P/s: The names are all my 'private joke' - Jangan maraaa aaa...

The best things in life are...

2008-04-26T13:13:00.007+08:00

Going Green #2: Recycle materials from ‘my other online resources’

2008-04-25T16:57:00.002+08:00

1. Dear comrade-in-arms, don’t take my advice literally.

Dear rad,
Thanks for the enlightening email. Is F around or is he in Indonesia? Has R presented her proposal?

How are things for you and everyone?

As for me, I am not progressing! I am still contained by the feeling of the loss of my beloved father (Note: I wrote abt it here). I am trying hard through my prayers hoping to get my motivation restored. Surah Yassin is my closest friend now!

But I bersyukur kerana my study leave and scholarship have been extended for another semester. I know Allah gives me this opportunity to move ahead in life....................

Okay la, nanti cerita lagi. Good luck to you and everyone. Salam too.

Dear a-- (a colleague – I wrote abt him here),
F di Indonesia lani. Pak Y yg kasitau. R belum bentang -sedang mencari2 date yg sesuai, commtt dah setuju. Bz gak dgn FIL (stage 4 cancer - dr suruh bawa blk rmh utk TLC) & MIL both sakit terlantar.

Things are not so good for me - byk distraction -hahaha! Penatlah asyik2 belek data. A tengah semangat wat paper -nak antar India. You ingat tak pak arab (A. H. ke hape namanya) yg bentang pasal privatisation di Jordan, main dia Prof NG - if I'm not mistaken masa present tahun lepas tu u ada, En.I & kak R pun ada? Mengikut kata si M (pak arab libya bawah NG gak) dah submit pun 8months after that i.e. recently lah kot. Wah, I dengar pun sakit jiwa daaa... Tpkan sedar diri jugak lah - ini dugaan/bahagian msg2...semuanya dtg dr Allah. Yg penting kita teruskan usaha & jgn putus asa: No te rajes! (Don't give up!)

Ikut kata R (stil in Medan, bz wid baby) pulak - dia lagilah progress macam semut hehehe...dia sibuk tanya pasal pendaftaran n yuran sem depan. Pastu dia kata lagi, badai pastikan berlalu...cewah!!!

Pak Anton sedang berkira2 nak antar notis - dah ada final draft. Ibu Siti pun. Id@ upm pun. I ni dok mengira orang je lah...

Now - you. Ingat, kita kena progress bukan regress. Yg pergi tu sudah pastilah tempat mereka di sana - tjawab kita utk mendoakan kesejahteraan mereka di alam barzakh. Utk kita, hidup mesti diteruskan. Akhirat nak dikejar, dunia pun nak diconquer - hutang @commitment dgn varsity/kpt bagai -mmg la klu mati kita tak bawak tesis masuk kubur tp hutang settle ka? Hahaha... Sekurang2nya kita masih ada ahli keluarga lain - mak terutamanya yg perlu u berikan perhatian esp. dialah yg lagi rasa kehilangan teman hidup sekian lama. Alhamdulillah, u dpt extention - no need to worry abt money like me *sigh*...tp ingat masa berlalu begitu pantas!

Ok - pergilah cari motivasi diri ye...do something, anything, whatever to get started again back on track!

Note: Last I heard, he’s planning for a weekend getaway (again!) this coming Labour holiday! Duh! That is not what I meant…

2. How to Find Your Exschoolmates
Answer: Letak gamba muka zaman dolu2 yg xsenonoh tu hehehe... (mcm2 responses dat i got...)

Note: I know, I know- I'm supposed to work on my thesis - but then the opportunity to trace back some of my exschoolmates thru fri*ndster simply can't be resisted! Ramai yg dah xkenal muka (like some said; aduss, puas dok recall rad- ni yg mana eh..dulu form 5 kelas bohr ke? umah helang?; another said: Not really sure but ur pix totally diff.) so this called for desperate measure - such as the need to go thru my archives (tu yg jumpa pelbagai pix the other day) & Voila! This is how I look like 20 (Erratum: Confirmed it’s a F5 pix so that only goes 15 years ago) years back! Hahahaha....jgn xgelak! (insert ugly mug pix here)

Pae: Azie (Ya-ya…dis ws my nick when I was way too much young to know better) ... lain nyer...kalau bertembung sure den tak konal.... hehehe
me: Pae, Dah lotak gamba lamo tu - kot2 ado laie yg kona den kan...hehehe

Han: Kak Rad...nerd gile gambar akak...hahahaha!!! Sorry, i can't help myself....jgn marah Kak Rad. But it's cute...
me: Han, B4 uols pakat gelak beramai2, ahkak dah gelak guling2 dulu dah...LOL. Tekonang maso dulu2...Isy, masa tu umur 13 tahun okeyyy! (Ke 17 ntah?) Chop! xperasan ka? Itu spek ala2 yg Par*s Hilton pakai lani tu-glamer beb....cuma x tinted jer! Ahaks!

me: Hehehe...dah letak dah muka toye dolu2 tu...hopefully it will trigger your memory!
Kir: astaga...rad- ni ke..rasanya this rad- masa kat stj dulu paling low profile, pendiam, tudung labuh kalau x silap (*Teett!!* Wrong statement!), tapi pandai...umah helang kan?org lain masa skolah slim, lepas skolah or dah kahwin nampak berisi...rad- ni the other way round..masa skolah nerd, skema, nampak plum. lepas skolah, kawin and beranak..lagi berseri and x nampak plum daripada kat skolah dulu...no wonder la i could't recognise u.. cayalah! (Dis is da best!! kembang montot ahkak you…)

Ria: ish ish ish....ingatkan sape tadi.hampir tak kenal u....huhuhu
me: Ala ria, perli ek? Hehehe...Itulah, dulu lain, sekarang lain. Dulu bujang, sekarang...

Lin: Sekali pandang macam kenal, cheh..rupenye dia... "skema" giler akak nih! hahahah...

Mun: salam... amboi tu gambar lama tu. gambar tu masa sama2 kat STJ. masih terbayang lagi gambar tu kat mata aku. ko tetap comei...

Eventually leading to…Jejak Kasih (can’t wait for her no!)
….
Me: Ntah..xpasti le pulak tang PS/PB tu - my own PS pun (Sy.xxy - Yong namanya -kenal?) dah lost contact a few yrs after spm (dia wat a-level di uk). Sape ur PS dulu?
Kir: la..u ke PS si Yong? she was my PS la..till now we still keep in touch..dia rapat dgn my sister and my cousin's too..fakh-- is my cousin..once in a while mmg jumpa la si yong ni..dia kawin dgn za*ni, batch dia masa kat stj dulu..za*ni was my sister's PB..hahahaha..kelakar, my PS kawin dgn my sis' PB..
Me: La, ye ke Yong ur PS? kasi dia punya email & hp no boleh? Dah berapa anak dia? Your sister exstj batch bila?
Kir: nanti i ask my sister whether she's still keep yong's number..yong tu best, sempoi nak mampus!

Note: Boarding school lingo
PB -pet bro
PS -pet sis
SA -secret admirer

Short Note

2008-04-24T20:00:00.001+08:00

No expectations.
Worry about the consequences later.

But, I'm scared - if one day it stops, I'll be in a big mess.

Apakah ciri-ciri lelaki sebagai suami (bagi saya lah)?

2008-04-22T05:57:00.001+08:00

Notis: Permohonan adalah di buka sekarang sehingga ke suatu tarikh yang akan ditentukan kelak (God knows). But only those who fulfilled ALL characteristics need to apply. To all those wannabe match-makers, kindly take notes too. Your cooperation is kindly appreciated.

1.
2.
3.
…
100. (To be revised/linked/continued)

Opps! I’m not that ‘crazy’ yet (regarding the above matter)…LOL
Juz the other day during our supposedly power-breakfast meeting, the most junior of us (I’m the oldest in term of age & seniority *sigh*, the other isn’t even supposed to be around locally since she’s on study leave obersi (with the hubby left behind which explained lotsa things), while another one was juz granted full-time study leave starting next month) said,
“Akak tau tak makna Ph*D tu apa?”
Ha, apanya?
“Permanent head damage tau!”

Hell-oooooooo….ahkak lagi dulu hidup wokey…takat mende tu lama dah tau! (So what if I’m a lil’ bit jobo here - I’ve got even a long list of what P-h-D stands for – trust me, it ain’t funny at all!)

Which remind me of my bro#2 who kindly check on me every month esp. lately since he once said, “Ado kawan ah-ngah yg jadi gilo tau lopeh buek ph*d!” (mintak dijauhkan oleh Allah)

Then, there’s another story of a guy who sat down nicely at home after submitting his hard-earned thesis at the graduate office only to never wake up again - *lookingaghast* That’s a myth, isn’t it?

But I’ve digress…what I’m saying is that I’m posting this as a tongue-in-cheek entry – InsyaAllah, I know what’s my foremost priority…but since you asked for it!

Do you miss me?

2008-04-21T17:50:00.004+08:00

(Sunday morning @the park)

"Yeaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Coming out loud from the male participants mostly (BTW, the first instructor was a 45yo single lady wearing tight-fitting t-shirt & pants, covered with short aerobic-skirt for modesty).

For the first time ever, we’d two instructors sharing the stage yesterday. Personally, I like #2 better simply because she makes the routines/steps looked so effortlessly easy & fun (she wears headscarf & nor flirting or looking sexy at all). No pressure. Good workout.

The Maturity Continuum & Academic Relationship
Coincidently, reading what ah-kak ku writes about ‘love, passion and compassion’ and my current rereading of ‘The 7 Habits of Highly… - esp. on The Maturity Continuum’ triggered me to write about ‘dependent, independent & interdependent’. Rasanya konsep macam serupa tapi tak sama lah. Though it can actually be applied in terms of any ‘relationship’, I’m going to elaborate at length here (Pergh! kopipes more like it!) on the relationship between advisor & advisee (is there such word?).

A candidate begins his/her academic journey as a ‘dependent’ of the advisor’s guidance & expertise (expect lotsa nurturing here). This is the part ‘where a person need others to get what they want’.

Over the years (short ones if you’re so lucky, lucky), the candidate is supposed to become ‘independent, self-reliant, can take care of themselves, capable of surviving on his/her own’. The attitude is - I can get what I want through my own effort!
P/s: I want so much to be independent (insert lagu Independent Wom*n, by Dest*ny's Child here) since ‘it’s a major achievement in and of itself’.

‘But eventually there comes a time where you and I need to combine our efforts to achieve the greatest success, far more than, even at my best, I could accomplish alone. The together-we-can-do-it attitude.’

Synergy. Symbiosis.

‘This is a more mature, more advanced concept – interdependence.’

‘The opportunity to share myself deeply, meaningfully, with others, have access to the vast resources and potential of other human beings. A choice only independent people can make.’

P/s: Er, what actually happened was that (last Friday) me & Numero Uno got to talk about two incoming conferences later this year (Man*la – dare I to hope once again?). After throwing around ideas of what to write for the abstracts, I finally thrown down the gauntlet, “So Dr, are we going to co-write the papers or…?” Hehehe…there goes my independent! But then, I can look at it as being interdependent now right?

I’m an imposter, a fake – Please, please don’t quote my words
A friend who works for an NGO- World F*** , O**li, called me last Friday. Not that I’m surprised that she called but the thing was she called with the intention to ask me about two questions which was asked by others to her like… Why & what's the impact of the current increase in world prices of oil & food in particular? How to explain inflation in layman terms & the inter-relation between…blahblah?

I did stumbled & hee-hawed this and that…demand and supply factors, oil prices, bio-diesel, impact of global warming on crops production, wars on terror, easy availability of credits which encourage unnecessary consumption (mortgage market in US, recession, depression), macro management, open greater China market dan ntah apa2 ntah lagi…

Lastly, “You’re not going to quote whatever that I said jz now, are you?” It does feel like she’s really picking my brains!
Nama je blaja tinggi2 konon tp habuk pun tarak…my only excuse is that I’m so focus on the T (and Malaysian politic, and…) right now which leave me with little room for anything else like applications and current economic issues. No spontaneity too. Bleh.

Rad HR & Consulting Sdn Bhd. (another business idea @ ‘masuk bakul’ moment?)
Another friend, Al*ce called with some office politic problems to the extent of wanting to resign & look for another job.
“Do you have time to listen to me?”
“Sure dear…”
Blahblah.
“Ok, this is what you can do…” “Why don’t you try…”

When ones’ ship comes in (reconsider)
The first contact person called & asked me again (today), under instruction of the big boss (last week was the smaller boss). “So? Bila nak apply? Kata januari dah submit?” Panas punggung aka tak senang duduk dibuatnya!

Consolidation (of my other blogs) - no time to write new 'essays'

2008-04-19T15:51:00.005+08:00

Pasangan Sama Jantina

Disclaimer: Kisah berikut tidak ada kena mengena sama ada dengan mereka yang hidup atau mati. Sebarang persamaan adalah bersumberkan bacaan & daya imaginasi pengarang & interwoven with some personal anecdotes aka tipuan belaka.

P/s: Dedicated to you-know-who-you-are (my prayers are with you & family in time of need- hope FIL will get better insyaAllah)
"...I hope you don't mind
I hope don't you mind
That I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world..." Your Song - Elt*n John
___

I read sumwhere that everyone sorta have their respective male & female ‘feelings/sides’ (teori barat belaka ni) inside their body. Like when I drive (except parallel parking hohoho), buka gelanggang & not pulling in my punch – long ago, kid being home alone etc. basically gimme all the male preferred stuffs except cookings (I know, I know – guys make a better cook like Chef W*n, Chef Ism*il - you know what I mean), I almost feel like a manly male, can tackle anything in this world.

Few times I did wonder, am I really a female? Or perhaps a male entrapped in a female body? I kept on asking mak whether she did remember my time of (female) circumcision. Reason being - if anything isn’t normal, definitely she’d have noticed by then, funny right?

When I was in a respectable but less known boarding school (unlike those well-known @ infamous for -- ones), there was some 'extra special' pet sisters relationship going on at the girls’ hostel but that’s pretty much what I knew about it. Maybe I wasn’t into noticing things then…(Liza oh lizawati..rber?)

And there was my first real crush. (background music: It must have been love but it’s over now…1990)

And more crushes..truly deeply madly one-sided thus crash boom bang (until the new millenium)!!!

And eventually broken hearts...

Definitely it was 'guys' that I’m talking about here.

So, life goes on & I got to know this one lady recently, just a lil' bit older than me & she doesn’t really look like it. We become close, me being loner-me, relatively closer than with other people. Maybe we just hit it off right away. She’s married by the way, with loving husband & kids. I would say she understand me really well, always saying all the right things & we never run out of topics to talk about. And we will follow it with sporadic messages after office hour – nothing much really except to encourage each other, letting know plan for the next day etc. (she is careful too so as not to freak me out like the younger guy did - this is a compliment ok!). I tell you, all my married colleagues or even so-called best friends, after office hour, their life sorta revolve around their family but this one lady – she make an effort to make time for moi! Not asking me for any help or whatsoever. Hmm...

In one of the msgs – she said, I’m her idol! I was struck shysospeechless. Whatever the context she’s thinking of, I’m definitely not worthy of such hero-worshipped.

Ok, I noticed that she got other friends too – both males & females.

One fine day, we talked as usual & she told me of this story.

While working in a department, she got closer to a young problematic person (rape victims are usually traumatized for life, how I wish the male person who rape any female got raped by all the males in prison himself so that he knows how the encroachment into a person physical body break her into pieces & that she will never be the same ever again – play havoc with her mind & things like that) as it’s her line of work anyway. Over the years, she helped the miserable girl (with constant urges to commit suicide) to get on with life. Eventually the girl also settled down with her own happy, happy family unit. And they keep in touch with each other by going out for lunches with kids in tow every now & then.

Out of the blue, the girl confessed – that she always has deep feelings for her. Yes, she loves her hubby and kids, no problem with her marriage at all. But she realised that her true feelings are always for my friend since they’re always together throughout the ups & downs in her life. You wanna know what’s my new friend’s reply to that resounding declaration of love?

Oh, I love you too dear, very much as you love me. (Pause)

But, you know what (upbeat tempo)– as much as I want to be together with you for the rest of my life, it will break too many hearts. We both love our husbands too right? I tell you what, let’s just stay the way we‘re now. Just know that I love you too & will always be there for you. (Ed.- And respectively, they live happily ever after.)

So, what do you think? ! (Sometimes, I’ve a feeling that she’s testing me out like - is that the reason why I’m not married? Surely not!! Hehehe..)

Being an open-minded (konon) person, I have nothing against certain guys e.g. singers of ‘Don’t let the sun go down (clue?) on me yeah….or Wake me up before you go-go’ (am so into ‘80s right now). Nothing wrong if he wanted to wear wedding tuxedo with long skirt. After all, the Highlanders look very manly & sexy in their kilts. Or that boy bands group members. They didn’t break any law & it’s all legalised anyway in the West. BTW, the vernacular word for it, people, is gay, not faggot (quoted from Now I pronounce you Chuck & Larry). There’re differences between mere crossdressers@transvestites and XY or YY or XX …whatever.

But for Muslims same sex couples (our esteemed politicians some more?) – it ain’t right at all. Yes, you might have that feelings. All I’m saying is that, you don’t have to act on that feeling. For me, things are always either black or white. No compromise. No grey area. And my feelings are confirmed perempuan lah…
___
Balik kampong

Asked one of my nephews at kampong just now (short stay during the school holidays) –

Tengok tv sampai kul baper mlm tadi? Bangun subuh tak?
…Ha, pukul berapa?
..Apa?!! Pukul 7?
Ala, maksu pun sama.
Er, er – maksu lain….(hung head in shame).

I tell you, I can easily wake up at 4am or even 1 or 2am when I’m at my own place but when it comes to kampong – I become this budak balik dari asrama (a habit since I was 13 that is why I can never study/work at kampong- almost 20 years already –no wonder la) who is always sleeping day in, day out. Tidur cepat, bgn lambat –dah la tu, kena kejut/jerit lagi. Belum lagi part tido siang…

The worst part is when I (usually) cilok from doing any work in the kitchen during the family lunch preparation. Since I’ve to hide my presence, what else to do other than to retire to my room and ..sleep lah!

By the time everybody had their lunch & late for Zuhur, I’ll tersipu-sipu kuar…or kalau ada tetamu lagilah teruk kena kutuk depan2. Heheheh…
___
To call or not to call?

And when is the right time to call?

This is the part of being singles that I'm honestly fed-up with. I'm done being the aggressor. Been there & done that. Call immediately after I got the number but then...*tet!* Wrong timing! By the time he called back, I'm no longer in the mood.

Now, the ball is in his (another he) court. He got my no. so yes, I'm waiting.

Hey, come on la - we're not getting younger any minutes now or later.

And my mind was thinking like, what am I gonna talk about (if he call)!??

(Lecehnya jadi pompuan)

Next round, who should call first? Euwwwwww!!!

P/s: Honestly, I can't even remember who or which one was he now...

Knock-knock!

2008-04-18T14:04:00.004+08:00

An ex-student of mine had sent me an SMS riddle, back in 2006. I did try to find the answer (by asking around my friends & colleagues) but to no avail.

Here is the Riddle:

“I am a thing.
The fisherman love me.
The doctors hate me.
Kids want to eat me.
I am 13 letter word.
What Am I?”

_ H _ T _ _ _ I _ _ ME _ !

Yesterday, someone SO clever (it wasn't me!) had managed to think & google the answer! (see below)
___
On related issue (this very morning @8am):

Numero Uno: “Have you ever googled your own name?”

*Gulp!* It took me quite awhile to answer that question. Using delaying and evasive tactics learnt from life-survival class, I asked her instead, “Er, why Dr?”

“Oh, I googled your name just now. Don’t you want to know what I found?”

Uh-uh…this doesn’t sound good…without wanting to admit of being a narcissistic ( I did googled my name for a couple of times, for some reasons – No, don’t you dare to go googling now coz trust me - there’s nothing interesting to be found at all) & scared silly of her finding out about my ‘online activities’ (that sounds so sinister! But really, why do you think I hide behind a nick-name, make a conscious effort not to disclose my affiliation, splattered all the stars (like U*M) here and there in my writings? Not that I’m pretending to be someone else but do remember that I did grumbled a lot! Matilah kalau kantoi ni….)
___

Tentang Dia

Makcik, h**m kat sini. Dtg jumpa g*i. U nak ckp tak
Nak ckp watpe u? Kapla manyiak serabut- I’l pass, tenkiu. Er, kirim salam ok.
Ok, but u tau tak. Pakcik ni dah kahwin dah. U la. Terlepas peluang
It’s ok- I thnk I am *tuuutt!* Hehe..
Yekah. Siapa tu
Dunno lah how, he..Eh, long tm no see u lah. Hws life?
My life is great. Wa wa wa. Al the very best rad

P/s: This is another part of closure I guess. Remember that young chap? He stops msgg – talk about persistence! Usually he’ll msg me for significant ‘academic things’ which should have include submitting his corrections. Well, it was obvious from our last meeting that he wants to be friends…and now he’s gone. C'est la vie eh?
____
Answer to the riddle: CHATHURINGMES

Apparently it is a technical word for worm- Yes, W-O-R-M.

"Worms are bait used by fishermen, so they love them. Doctors hate worms that need to be removed from patients’ stools. Kids love worms, which is the customary shape of the gummy bears candies." (Answers googled from answers.yahoo.com; vinodvv.wordpress.com; etc.)

To think that I was the only one stupid enough to go through the entire COD (nope! it isn't listed at all in any dictionary), look at what I found:

"This is a doozy. I checked all the 13-letter words in the English language, including those borrowed from other languages. About 7,825 of them.
The only word that would match the above pattern, if the size of the blanks between the letters were more flexible, is “chastisement”."

This:
"Platyhelminthes or Chaetognathas or worms. There is a mistake with the letter clues."

And this:
"These kinds of nonsensical ‘riddles’ are more likely SMS chain spam, reminiscent of email chain letters about destitute girls and such." Ouch!!
___
Advices for Ph*D candidates:
1.Please don't forget to buy your advisor a cake on his birthday! (one of the prof yesterday)

Score lotsa points maa...

P/s: I don't even know my Numero Uno's birthday! Strictly academic konon..

2. Quid pro quos

Pak Anton: Eh rad, kamu mau anti-virus ini nngak? Saya boleh install kan...
rad(dlm hati la): Amboih...baiknya hati...

Later,
"Kamu boleh tolong nngak? Translatekan ini abstrak..."

Headhunter or headhunted?

2008-04-16T13:09:00.002+08:00

I’ve been busy yesterday (subnormal day weh..). Started the day very early & been meeting many people (lebih drp 2 org ok) especially in the evening. First, there were these two sisters who came to look for room for rent. The elder sister is sitting for her final year exam while the younger one (only 21! They’re getting younger each day now…) is sitting for the second year exam – she’s the one who’ll be renting the room since her industrial placement is just nearby (a stone throw away, as in, right in front of the house). Me being over-friendly me – we got to talk like for almost an hour. From everything about the place to my jodoh (trust me – I don’t know how we ended up with that topic! Maybe it started with, “Kak x kawin lagi?” *lookingverysurprise*) and what is she (the cheeky elder one) going to do after the exam. She’s looking forward to work in any auditing firm – I said, “Eh, kak ada kawan kerja Acc Exec di …” I know this since I did asked around for a suitable position for my neighbour’s daughter – an accounting graduate but alas..(don’t go there- long story)

At the same time, a msg came in asking me about any data entry job available – this particular friend is looking for a part-time job to supplement her income. No surprise there lah, even my prof also contacted me when he’s looking for candidates on behalf of his friend in epf, my ex-boss in previous college when she’s looking for lecturers and friends wanting to employ to tuition teachers as well as college lecturers in N*lai. It may looks like I know everyone. *sigh*

By then, my second visitor arrived, with my pre-ordered dinner. She’s working in a research company & currently looking to recruit many interviewers & such for survey projects (am supposed to pass the words around too). We got to talk about her work, as in her job descriptions & specifications (me being the unofficial consultant who honestly has no idea what her job actually entails) relating to (maybe) promotion. It aint easy…

Next, another friend dropped by (eventually she joined us for dinner) with the whole intention of passing me a business card with the message: Call the no, really want to talk. Wah-wah….

So, now I’m thinking back to that ship-jumping thing. Should I or should I not? Remember, I don’t go around looking for jobs since I’m bonded- lock, stock & barrel. And I don’t ask friends to promote me either (but I’m flattered really, thank you very much). But to be approached for the second time by the same institution through different middleperson & contact person, is this a sign? Hmmm…..
It’s good to know though that I’m wanted/needed, again, at times when all I feel is like throwing away (physical) things. *lowmorale&sakitjiwadgndataanalisis*
However, I do realise that no T no talk lor…And maybe it’s about time also for me to hang out my shingle – Agensi Cari Pekerjaan rad.

Another sign of P*D Evolution (like Darw*n theory of Evolution)
Am talking about from Evi*ws 3 to Evi*ws 4, then 5.1 and now Evi*ws 6 (latest installation). Previously Limd*p 6 to now Limd*p 9. From S*S’s had-to-manually-write-the-commands/programming to SAS E-Guid*’s current simply-click menus. St*ta…M*crofit…to name but a few.
Don’t you think that I’m tired already?

Three Stooges’ project update
Two of them had been receiving msgs & calls (at 2am in the morning??) from unknown numbers respectively. I’ve known this since both of them check each other’s number with me (just to be sure). Hmm…something to ponder..

Exschoolfriend tracer
I really, really need to find & put up my old school-pix in fri*nster. Tak kenal lagi kah? Rupa sudah berubah amat? With spec and all?
And a friend gave me my ex-SA’s phone no –whatever for ya?

Pesanan daripada penaja:

Berilah sepenuh perhatian kepada kesihatan ibubapa anda
My other friend’s FIL is currently in ICU – pancreas cancer, critical stage- haemorrhaging. The point that she’s making is that it could have been prevented. You see, that ‘plate’ thingie inside was supposed to be replaced after 3-months as of last year….When the FIL was on & off having fever, x lalu makan etc –all the adult kids just asked in passing je, “Bapak pergilah check hospital…”

To make things complicated, the FIL is taking care of the bed-ridden MIL. He knew that if he goes for checkup, he’ll be hospitalised thus he avoided it (x nak menyusahkan anak2). Now, the MIL…

Let’s pray that the FIL will get better insyaAllah & the MIL too. Amen.

Tentang Kita

2008-04-13T16:15:00.001+08:00

Complaint!
Se-menjak dua menjak, tiga menjak BN kalah di S'gor ni, jangankan nak nampak banner senamrobik tajaan Belia Kaw. U*NO tu, aerobik @the park tu pun cuma ada sekali je...

Apakah itu pun nak dipolitikkan?

Imagine pocho-pocho tanpa music?

Argh...maka ramailah yang frust & terpaksa berlari-larian i.e. jogging!

Modelling & Regression

Just a reminder. We all know that Y is dependent upon the explanatory variables (X's). In this particular case, Y is GDP which is explained by 6 X's. Then you have another model where Green_GDP as the regressand, with the same 6 X's as the independent variables. Fine, that's is your major contribution.

Simple question by Numero Uno (for her other candidate)- Now, can we simply compare both models?

And the answer is (as validated by moi! macam pandai je..but I learn from the best!) NO!

Point to remember econometrically, figures like R-squares are valid tools for model comparisons when the dependent variables are the same while the X's can be anything under the sky. While GDP & Green_GDP are two measures of the same thing, they're still different!

P/s: Bukannya tak tau, tapi mungkin xperasan bila dah kaji terlalu mendalam...

How (not) to cook Bubur Kacang

Step One: Rendam kacang hijau dalam bekas yang diletakkan dalam fridge (ok- takde hal ni).

Step Two: Tunggu sehingga kembang (tahun depan ok tak??? hehe..).

Eh awak - rendam kacang tu bukannya sampai lembut la...
kena rebus jugak utk lembut - rendam tu membantu mp'cepatkan proses je
sampai bila pun xkan kembang klu x direbus! apa lah u ni...ROTFL!

Three Stooges' update

Sumber risikan mengatakan bahawa the person that we met on that night wasn't what & who he's normally be - so whom did we met then?

Now I'm scared...

Durian runtuh (counting my recent blessings)

2008-04-12T16:19:00.020+08:00

Pameran Seni Tampak, UxM '08

I’m blessed..
O thank you Allah..
For surrounding me with kind people..
Understanding family, friends (incl. ex-students, ex-housemates, frens’ kids dari 1yo to 12yo) & colleagues..

Those
..who without failed offer me money every time I went back home – sometimes am too proud to accept!
..who offer me interest-free loan – any amount, every month – just a click away!
..who would find any sort of excuses to give me money indirectly through babysitting, personal tuitions
..who used excuses like employing my services as a GRA/proctor to give me money – not GRO ok..
..who always wanting to treat me for breakfast/lunch/tea/dinner/supper – Oit, I don’t eat that much@often lah..
..who always sms & call me & not expecting me to return call - sms is very cheap lor..
..who urges me to submit soon so that I can start earning income..& pay back my loans
..who took a few minute of her precious family time from a far, far away land, to send me a reminder of T – makcik!
..who finally remember about my holler regarding damaged windscreen only after 2 weeks- it has been repaired!
..who always forward ‘naughty but useful’ emails – knowing how bored I’m in front of the pc
..who replied to my forwarded emails..with comments –alas, it’s communication!
..who reminds me not to waste any more time..
..who has part-time vacancy position hold on standby for me – in her capacity to do so
..who tried to match-make..
..who brought back lil’ souvenirs from Frazer Hills, Vietnam, etc. – they think of moi!?
..who visit my lil’ office for words of encouragement, playing peek-a-boo
..who know that I always stay invisible online but...
..who volunteer to read & make sense of my papers – You ask for it!

..who read this rambling of mine..

Hehehe…often times it’s all about money coz I’m almost like pokai already. Suddenly I realized, “Hey, where did all these money (lotsa) come from?” Sure- I’m not working, didn’t spend much but it seems like I’ve more than what I need..

Thank you3x! Alhamdulillah.

Pardon my French, Sir!

2008-04-10T07:31:00.006+08:00

T-update – data wobbling (and I'm trembling..)

Ev*iews 5.0 – licence expired, need to apply new licence (form filling, stamped & signed) & bring down the laptop to the lab & at the same time pick up the desktop's cpu! Segan seh…

Limd*p 9.0 - Errors in abundance! Kenot upload data again...

S*S E-Guide – Kenot connect to local server! Help!

N*bil Raja L*wak II, (N9-Woohoo! dah basi but whaddaheck la kan...)

I usually hate some tv programme esp. comedies – the likes of s*nario, salam pantai t*mur, raja l*wak dgn segala lawak bodoh, slapstick, yg x membina minda kononnya…(repeat the same lecture to all nephews & nieces everytime I came across them watching such shows)

Tapi, “semenjak dua menjak tiga menjak i-ni…”

I stumbled upon the finale twice– while sleepover at my friend’s place (she watches all those malay dramas while I personally prefer to watch koreans, AI, Betty, DH & such), but 1st live-telecast lagi dah she felt asleep halfway through, and 2nd rerun while waiting for our ‘date’ to pick us up on the next day (for gossip@mamak-ing), plus recent weekend season’s recap for the best of N*bil’s antics. My fave is surely an Ah Long turnaround to Count Darah-keluar (Dracula, “dermalah daa-rah bukan daa-ree tau!”)

Worth buying the dvds? “Lu pi-kir la sendiri….”(trademark N*bil nih)

Pardon my French, Sir!
(pun intended- really, it’s more than a lil’bit rusty after 10 long years of silence)

Out of the blue…
Comment va tu? Ca va? Je..

-Tres bien, merci monsieur! Quel(le)!?

rad, am learning francais.

-Vous parlez francais? Oui? Je ne ce(suis) par… Bon nuit monsieur!

Erk..alamak cikgu I dah balik la. I tak faham la rad. Esk kita sambung belaja lg ye.

-Hahaha! Tngok org la beb! Apa plak lps ni- ni hou ma? Kabhi2?

Psst! mon ami,
I do hope that you’ll understand that I wouldn’t ever dream of letting such a bloggable occasion/material goes unnoticed? Hehehe…1-0! (Beau geste non?)

-Mademoiselle rad-

Covert Operation #1: Three Stooges

2008-04-08T13:59:00.002+08:00

Oh God, I really try to quit blogging..
But then I realised there’s no other place that allow me to rant & rave to my heart desire.

Let’s back track to the moment when the stupid idea came to my head. Sometime last week, novice-me decided to tamper with blogger’s current setting & layout to the extent of downloading a new & totally awesome (really!) nature-scene theme. By the time I learnt from try&error method & read the Help section- with theme's instructions such as ‘if you delete this the sky will fall on your head’, ‘don't touch that line either’ etc., I’ve managed to accidently delete all my links, saved the wrong template & whatnots. Arghhh!! (need to relink again - will take some time though..)

Then, there’s a fren’s disturbing reply to my email: Ngko ni ada masa lagi nak main2 (regarding fri*ndster, fac*book, mult*ply, h*5, n*tlog & seantero dengannya)? Tsis udah siap? Dusyum!! That goes straight to the heart of the matter…bisa sekali beb!

There’s also the fact that few of the people that I know (like in real life vs alternate life- if such thing exist) are now reading this nonsense that I wrote. Segan maa…

Caveat: It’s my prerogative to exaggerate things so don’t believe in everything you read here so as to represent the real me. The econometric’s principles of unbiasedness (tidak pincang), consistency (ketekalan) & invariability (not sure this one lah) can all be thrown out of the window!!

In the interest of being fair & with great respect to my blogfriends (d-Friendship wrote a detailed entry on blogfriends, indirectly pointing out the many benefits of blogging) & my inner piece of mind – so here I am- back after not even a week!

But fret not. T always comes first...

Three Stooges (a real spy-thriller-haunting-ghosts story)

On a dark moonless night recently, the three stooges (including agent rad) met at the prearranged rendezvous place with a common aim in mind. One was assigned as the spokeperson to represent the common interest of the party, another was the one who gathered the sensitive background information while I was the unlucky designated driver. Everyone came well prepared with the requisite ‘weaponry’.

After waiting for the exact time when the earth, jupiter, venus, & not-seen-moon were aligned, off we went on our short journey…Somehow, as it never happen lately, the engine died when I started to reverse the car – was is an omen? Jeng3x!

When we arrived at the place – a change of location at the very last minute….agent rad switched off the car engine & all lights & thus we waited in the dark…for our turn.

Suddenly we heard...

(next part is too sensitive to be devolved here – sorry!)

P/s: I dare not said that our missions are accomplished yet – just wait & see lah how…

Balik kampung weekend
Dr.X Tee (Chinese revert kah? Tapi namo bapak takdo pulak Abdullah?) told me that I look at least 45kg! Hehehe….when actually I’m 55kg (ahkak kembang you! *see below for related issue*)! He told mak (who is 87.5kg, she’s still in denial), “Makcik, kena turun sampai 60kg ni!” Mak said, “Camano nak tahan makan doktor…”

Oh said he who is so young & doctorish – at 40yo, “Saya ni ha, dah xselera makan – muak dah pandang ayam, ikan semuo tu. Makcik dah lobih 70 tahun idup, takkan tak pueh2 laie (Ouch! Pedih sungguh!)?”

While waiting outside, mak slyly told (warning ka?) me, “Doktor tu dah kawin duo, ado sorang yg jago kaunter tu ha…” Yes mak, point taken.

BTW, alhamdulillah mak's sakit lutut wasn’t as serious as needing another TKR. Looks like instead of sakit sendi, she’s having a radang urat aje. Aside from reducing her weight (yeah, dream on), she needs to berpantang segala makanan yang berangin like segala jenis kekacang dari sayur ke buahnya, segala ubi2 like labu, fruits like durian – even jering & petai pun. Mak said, “Durian baru berbungo kek kampong tu ha…camano tak makan?”

When we went for makan2 @ a relative’s stall – we’re informed of cases where the persons in-charge of the clinic’s counter had been milking us (the community lah) dry for years….like RM50 charges was inflated to rm70, rm70 to rm100 etc. This malpractice was widely done not only in one clinic, but also to the extent yang jaga kaunter pun sudah kaya dgn beli rumah & kereta dengannya sebelum dikantoikan. Cis!! Lebih sudu daripada kuah…So for your next visit to the clinic, pay attention to the charges – if you’re not happy, ask to see the doc!

Why am I having obsession with weight?
See, am not the only one. Manal-What do I really, really, really want? , whom I met recently – Woohooo! We had fun talking like 2 ½ hours straight – is also working on this BMI thingie. Everyday while driving, the djs are also talking about this…exercise & keep healthy! And if you see me & mak or the rest of the family, you would understand why...

Quietus

2008-04-03T10:24:00.001+08:00

“…There, unlike in the rest of her life, she allowed in only those whom she wanted, she could decide how long they should stay, and where in her home they could be. Not like a heart, which let people in without permission, held them in a special place she never had any say in, and then yearned for them to remain there longer than they planned….And she chose for them to stay away.”

“Life is made up of meetings and partings. People come into your life every day, you say good morning, you say good evening, some stay for a few minute, some stay for a few months, some a year, others a whole lifetime. No matter who it is, you meet and then you part. I’m so glad I met you (all)….But now it’s time for us to part..”

Cecelia Ahern, If You Could See Me Now

Robocop Weekend

2008-04-01T12:06:00.020+08:00

Er, it’s robocon actually. Pencarian govinda (What & why govinda? Maybe bcoz world final gonna be in India?) berakhir pada game #83!

Yeah!! Penyokong2 yg ala2 liga bolasepak! Gegak gumpita dewan...

Govinda dicapai apabila the only one bata kuning (12 points - right in the middle of the pic below) serta 2 bata putih (6 points each) utk kedua2 pihak (league system) berjaya diangkat/ditawan oleh robot automatic sesebuah pasukan. Sure look easy…but it’s not!
Even the manual robot had difficulty to pick & rearrange the cheese-balls (3 points each- nak je rasanya pick up dgn tangan). Our technology is lagging way behind… BTW, my fren's dean-hubby's anak didik's team -didn't make it for the final!

Special performance- ‘houdini’ side-show during the break.

Dr. Chermin
R'ber the crack on mav's face? Based on my fren's recommendation, I went for repair @Dr. Chermin - she literally googled & found out about Windscreen Doctor@ nearest branch, Seri Serdang.

This is the post-repair pic, notice the very fine line starting on top of the left corner (ignored the amateurish-looking photog).

To be compared with pre-repair stage:

1. I was told that it's a good idea to cellotape the crack from the outside in order to prevent foreign particles to get inside the crack & thus lead to further damage. So cellotape tu bukan utk tahan cermin drp pecah ye!
2. Initial crack was a reverse J-shape. I dilly-dallied for almost a week till it turns to S-shape. The longer the crack line, the higher is your repair cost - mine is RM100 (after discount, with 1yr warranty, rm50 voucher) for a 7-inches crack-line!
3. At the end of the day, you still need to replace the screen. The warranty just covers the possibility that the crack line extents further.
4. Windscreen insurance - Yeah, I've taken it before for a couple of years but then some kind-hearted soul told me that it serves no purpose since if you use it then your NCD will be affected as well (part of cost-cutting measures) - wrong advice dude!

Changes at the library.
Nowadays, checking out books using bulky scanning machine very much unlike those of supermarket checkout counter. Coming up in future (next sem), returning books by book-drops only. Wow-wow! Man-obsolete versus machine (Finnish technology)…
The library is really an interesting & happening place…like I came across Dato’ Rah*m Razali (on the eve of the recent Anugerah Skr*n – what to do? Pandang je lah..) – he’s having a shooting of legal drama at the moot court downstairs.

Go on a low-activity weekend, you’ll find the (bored pokcik2) librarians will be so eager to chat you up…

HE-story that becomes (almost) history

2008-03-28T11:35:00.005+08:00

He’s good for my ego. Among other (unimportant) things that he ampu-ed me was that I look younger (Pergh!!) & slimmer (kembang ke langit moment – I said, “Stress la!”). Naper suara lain ye? (Stresss lagik!!! I purposely changed my intonation (pitching lari hehehe) over the phone & ckp2, xde niat nak manja2 doh) He did sindir me at the end of our meeting, “Ni dah lepas 4 tahun baru boleh jumpa. Lepas ni nak tunggu 2012 pulak ke?” He was surprised anyway when I say yes – how could I say no to “... nak belanja sudi tak (oh, ever so polite)?” My msg: Ok tp klu ramai2 la. “Sorang (x ke kau kesian?). Mana ada sape kat sini.” And Lisa already had a date too. Too late to arrange for my other friends.
___
It was to be a late supper as first I had to deal with my landlord – I felt like I was circus material – being gawked at, at least the house with my things in it - and those young girls who came to look around. They’re students from a nearby college, with the intention to lease the house for 2 complete years. It’s a good deal for the landlord & he managed to mark-up the rental by including the maintenance fee separately. I told him, at least gimme a discount or something since I already help him in promoting the house & jaga the house nicely –yes, katanya nak belanja makan! (tunggu kakak & anak2 mai sekali la)
___
I kinda annoyed him too (dia tegur ni) by addressing myself as ‘kak’ – come on, he’s only 29 (and completed his phd)! *sob3x* - interlaced within our conversation.
Aside from work & academic matters (that’s why I agreed to meet him in the first place – mana boleh nak sombong2, kelak memakan diri tau), we talked about:

Thesis (vivaed LULUS CEMERLANG OK): Eleh, takat buku cerita tebal 2 inci camni, ah-kak pun boleh buat…(hehehe…xnak ngalah tuuuu…) blahblah…

Dah ada gelpren? Kak kenalkan dengan kawan kak nak tak? (seriously, one of my exschoolmates that I’ve met a couple of weeks ago has agreed to this – she’s a high-flyer (literally), Asia Pac is nothing dah)…
Kak? …(I laid out my cards on the table) Ahkak sedang berkenalan dgn seseorang lani…(ntah betul ntah idak ni – thus the entry title)
Maybe he sensed that I’m bluffing so he asked the whereabout of him…(tipu ajela!) & told me how to test a guy (coz dia dah kena beb!)
I pestered him about his girls – there’re two (OMG!) but he’s really not interested in any one of them. One is a teacher, exuni-classmate. Two is working with P*rak state govt. Both kinda annoyed him since the family members like sister ke, uncle ke (only the girls’ family know about him but not vice versa) keep on asking, “Bila lagi?” (padahal baru sekali-dua kuar makan)

He mentioned his brother who got married quite late but presented his wife with a car & a house immediately after the solemnisation of marriage – orang Melayu kata, basuh kaki je nak masuk rumah.
Then, he regaled me with rough calculation of the cost of marriage nowadays (tak cukup RM20K toksah pikir le nak pinang anak dara orang katanya – that figure covers everything from mahar/dowry, kenduri & such), lamenting the fact that with what he’s earning (single income, if the wife has to quit to be with him) – it’s not gonna be enough (tak cukup2 lagi ke?).

I wonder what was the point of the conversation….(remind me again of one of the frog princes who told my bro’s neighbour that since he already bought a house, me- (kalau kawin dgn dia) just need to buy a car je lagi! @$#&^%#!!!)

My advice to him was, “Jgn biarkan orang bergantung harap.” Kalau suka, masuklah meminang –jgn tunggu lama2. Kalau tak, lepaskan aje…daripada biarkan depa menunggu. Memanglah sakit bila ditinggalkan tapi sakitnya sekejap – lepas tu – Ha, petik jari je, ramai la yg mai!! (why do I have a feeling like tercubit peha sendiri?)

So, this is what I can conclude after meeting him:
1. I’m not scared of him anymore – nothing happen (we did talked about cinta pertama, spark & such – Nada!) And forget about hiding mav from him – he’s been around since Sunday.
2. I can be myself with him now that I’m no longer afraid of what might happen between us..since I already told him off. Same goes with others I guess…so be it.
3. I know what I want in terms of marriage & the whole enchilada (bila sampai masanya bukan gatal sgt lani pun). I want what Abe Id has with K.LiL (with all the trials & tribulations which only make their relationship closer & stronger than ever), Simah & Halil (remind me of Ah Damn & our closer to one-year online relationship – I quit point-blank when he told me he loves me –he’s much younger –main2kah?), D and arwah suami, ahkak & …., dlt & suami, UL (Oh ever so gentleman!) & wife, Jacqui & hubby, AZ & suami-Pak Imam, Umi & suami …(no example from my family-side since I know their true colors hehehe…)
4. I’m a lil’ bit of a health freak – keboroian adalah a big no-no. (But he said he’d panjat Gunung J*rai lagi…whaddaheck?) At the same time, apa ada pada rupa kan? Makcik konpius sungguh…
5. I went weak on my knees when a guy offers to take care of mav – you know, maintenance & stuff, where & how, tunjuk jalan etc.
6. Need to socialize (go out) more often – boleh kira sebelah tangan daa… berapa kali kuar dating…last was with him (that was in late 2004 katanya – I have to gave him credits for being persistence), there’s one in early 2004 (maximum of 2 dates after which he cabut-ed on me – padan muka I!), another time when I was staying in SA – I brought along a fren (2000? Totally not suited..), then back in 1999 – with my (supposedly) boss for the first time ever ( I ran away for good for the second time). God, I feel so ancient…tapikan berdua2an tu berdosa kan? Walaupun di khalayak ramai..so won’t do lah.
7. Sebagai anak bongsu yg (not really) manja, I want all of his attention on me not the other way around. Imagine klu partner with anak bongsu jugak or anak mak lagi? Cows will fly!
8. Bickering among family members is to be expected. My family is normal after all.

Psst! Simah, does that answer your question?

Ready for love (dj rad's remix)

2008-03-27T07:10:00.002+08:00

alpha-inflation
It's weighing a lot on my mind. It's statistics, not economics.
___

Lulus CEMERLANG!! *gulp!*

...(to be continued)

Concluding remarks: He's not The One, insyaAllah.

___

Wrap-up
-household decision

mav in hiding

2008-03-26T06:59:00.003+08:00

..as he's (my adik?) here for his viva (jeles ya amat sih!) today. I've a feeling that he'll make it so...
It ain't a big deal actually, jz that I don't want to go out with him again. And I kenot say no (if he asks me out again) since we'll be colleague some more in the near future. Pembohong la kan kalau nak kata tak pernah kuar makan dgn opismate ke, dating ke..but I don't like what happened after.
__
Talking abour mav, I noticed that there's a crack on her face on monday evening. When did it happen? It was still ok on sunday evening. Not too sure on monday morning coz it was still dark as i was driving her. How could I not notice it? It's down on the corner @driver's side. *redha*

Rasanya jz last week I was talking to rosza about her car's same problem (orang tua2 kata geroh?)- perhaps it still can be save? Before it gets longer?
__

rad: Lookin fward 2 finally (email since late last year nih) meet u dis friday. Suspen pn ada..hehe
M: ..Don't worry, i tak gigit! (Awwww...)

I've been busy..

2008-03-23T16:32:00.031+08:00

Updated: Ahkak which one is you? Adakah sesuai berarak dgn memakai kasut tumit runcing dari USofA? Tidak kelihatan pulak handbag yg color sedondon itu....hehehe.

Day trip..tersesat almost hingga ke sempadan N9-Pahang. Aparahh...tara guna punya signboards! (takkan nak salahkan copilot lak ye tak?)

This is where I used to teach..about 15 years ago. I guess same old pintu gerbang..

Unofficial photographer: As a bookworm, I wholeheartedly agree with the idea of gift-giving books.

Photo secret learnt: Sapukan sedikit minyak masak spy berkilat2.

Unofficial photographer: My fave pix & hers too (Oh, I felt like I'm a semi-pro oredi..with permission of coz). See the difference? Letak minyak & tak letak minyak?

Perarakan Maulidur Rasul - annual event but ibarat melepaskan batuk ditangga aje..

Catch the fashion show!

Most Deserving Award of Best Perbarisan!

Look closer for our profs!

I've to deal with: Sila berikan 100 sebab kenapa saya tak boleh bela kucing...

Most Deserving Award: Abang Mithali (in case u're wondering, maksu already volunteer to suapkan but he don't want..Hm, naper ye?)

If u look closer...eeuwwwww!!! (Rules are made to be broken. We're caught in traffic jam - the ice-cream was melting...otherwise eating&drinking in mav is a big No-No - long story...)

___

Voice message:
“…Rad-, M*nsor here.” (For a split second, I was like, “Boipren mano pulak ni?”)
Hehehe…bukan perasan lah. Usually when any of my sifus called me (nowadays everybody sms each other – convenient & safe cost mah..) they’ll introduced themselves along the line of ‘Dr NG/ Dr NAK /Dr A di sini/here’ (even if they’ve full right of a professorship). What I really wanna say is that this prof is a very humble & down to earth person wlu memegang jawatan tinggi. Sungguhpun dia mempunyai gelak sedikit ala orang kaya ‘Heh-heh’, we all love him very much. A particular fren of mine (UA – peminat setia, innocent ok) sure jeles punya klu dia tau ni! Sorry la Prof, I accidently left behind my pen-drive in your room.

Family Protocol
A senior person was ‘hurting’ when a much younger person only smsed her to inform the whereabout of the family members “Dah xboleh cakap lagi dah?” Seems like normal procedure has to be followed at all times, i.e. angkat sembah dulu before making a proper phone call. Can no longer pass along the info through the kids je.

On the same day, the Convention of the Younger Siblings concurred that somebody was trying to be a hero –regarding the previous widely circulated sms on mak. The thing is, you can never work alone. Cooperation of everyone is needed to ensure that mak is happy. And knowing mak, sometimes a listening ear is all that she ever needs. However, we did seriously discussed the matter of sakit lutut mak. The way I see it, she’ll need to have the other knee operated too which is not what she’s willing to face ever again…Yes, I’m no doctor – that’s why you kenot expect me to read & understand your jantung report/graph!

Advices were given freely regarding the matter of life after SPM (x semestinya masuk varsity – stiff competition for places, what if kenot carry through the subjects – given the earlier relatively poor performance, no job guarantee etc.), how to become a professional footballer (stamina musti ada – you missed this selection tp ada byk chance lagi), coming Sepang weekend (all eyes on Hamilton again), why you must score 5As in UPSR , criteria for buying a house when you’ve many siblings (never kawasan berbukit –susah nak pasang khemah kenduri, not face-to-face with other houses – berebut parking, what kind of tiles for kitchen & everywhere, availability of plot of land for bercucuk-tanam, etc.)

Rakanku jadi Timb. Menteri (fuyooh!)

2008-03-19T12:28:00.002+08:00

Rad, u kenal x Mr. Koh*lan?.. dulu lecturer kat Regent, ajar Business course, i rasa masa tu u masih ngajar kat Regent lagi..dia jadi timbalan menteri ???

Lecturer saya dulu tu... hehehehe... mmg dulu dia bercita2 nak jd menteri pun...

Eh, apa pulak tak kenal - we all sama2 ngajor business environment for PSC students -betul ke dia? Padanlah nama mcm kenal je...

yes confirm... smlm i nmpk nama dia dlm emel , ari ni confirm i check dlm paper berita h*rian, sah.. ade gambo dia lagi.. jd timbalan menteri logistic....
wa caya laa...lps ni ganti s*mmy vellu punye tmpat la plak... ehheheheehe

Wah, i tumpang bangga u - xsangka ada kawan jadi timb menteri - hebat tuuuuu!!!!! Tp dia ingatkah pada kita? Hehehehe....I r'ber he's very gentlemanly...Student pompuan myk suka coz dia xstrict compared to we all hehehe...Ah, terkenang pulak pd M*lathi, Al*gu, S*ndy, H*ema, M*ses, Th*agu, Th*laga, S*nthiran, & ramai lagi!

haaa... dah mula la tu... but u r right.. he is so gentleman, i suka masa dia ngajar kitorg dulu... best..he is understanding... x de nak marah2 sgt...
sure dia x ingat dh kat kite ni...but actually before s.ampang tutup aritu, dia ade gak ngjar kat ampang.. i think last 2 years...

u r right... actually i pun tumpang bangga gak, sbb my lecturer jd timb. menteri...fuyooh tak sangka...