I love compact cars

If I have the money, I would buy this Ford Fiesta and Honda Jazz Concept M.

One of my colleagues just bought this car. I saw it today and I think it's super cool. It suits city driving as it's sporty and equipped with all the necessary safety features. And OTR price is less than 83K!

I think I should go for a test drive one of these days so that I could write a review on this sexy babe.

My Stream has become the official family car. So everyday it ferries 7 people here and there. 

Sometimes I just wish that I still have my Jazz, easier to cilok-cilok especially in KL area. Though a bit pricey but it's really reliable and easy to handle.

But then, if I really have the money, where am I going to park them? I live in an intermediate terrace house and the driveway can only fit our existing sedan cars. *sigh*

Nice things

This is what I like to do when I became too depressed or when it's too much to bear. I look at nice and pretty things. Googling for images can be very therapeutic. Browsing through resort websites is also calming. Everytime I did that I'd imagine I'm on holiday even if I was in the middle of a long and boring meeting. Another escapism, I guess.

Nice pasta - takde kaitan dengan blog entry

This pasta is sold at Restoran Makan-makan in Puchong. However, it has been improvised to suit the Malaysian tastebuds, I think sebab ada cili padi. 

Cute baby girl - my cucu sedara. She calls me Wan Dayang. Hahahaha.

I am so old, I already have a granddaughter. This is the daughter of one of my nieces. The mother is now 7 months preggers, so I'll have 2 cucu soon. 

Cute cupcakes - done by Shaz for my nephew's engagement. 

 I hardly have time to update my blog, let alone bake and decorate cupcakes. So, I ordered these cuties from Shaz, my ex-officemate who is now a full time businesswoman. I chose the cutest design I could find on Shaz's blog. Usually people prefers to have big, grand roses (or some other beautiful flower) as the cuppies' deco, but I like small, wild flowers. 

Okay, now let's focus on this long meeting. Done with my short escape. Hehehe.

The Slim Jeans Story

My friends call them slim jeans. I call them checkpoint jeans. Most of my lady friends own at least a pair. Some of them have slim jeans, kebaya, little black dress and tight fitting tops. When we were younger, none of us ever admitted that we've been shopping and decided to grab jeans/dress/tops that was one or two dress size smaller thinking that we might fit wearing it one day.

I've done this since I was in secondary school but only have the guts to share the story with my friends during one of our coffee sessions after I joined the big three-oh club.

I bought a pair of jeans (which was one size smaller) when I was in form 5. It was very difficult wear, I had to wiggle like worms put on a hot tin roof in order to get in and out of my slim jeans. When I finally managed to zip it up, I'd be having breathing difficulties. So, I hung it in my wardrobe and every now and them I'd stare at it and told myself that I must be able to wear that jeans comfortably one day.

Well, that day never came. By the time I got married I still have that jeans stashed somewhere in the store room. I found it one day, tried to wiggle into it but it didn't even pass my thigh. So, I guess I must have outgrown it by 4 dress sizes by then, hehehe..

In 2006, again I bought a pair of jeans which was one size smaller. It was not planned to become another pair of slim jeans. We went to have lunch at KFC restaurant in Shah Alam and Wazif knocked down a cup filled with Mirinda Strawberry on me. My pants was soaked and I had no choice but to run to the nearest clothing store to get another pants. The nearest shop there happened to be Giordano, and they only sold young people's cloth. There was no plus size shop there. I told the shop assistant to find me a man's loose cut jeans. I was lucky I managed to put it on (albeit with great difficulty).

They didn't have anything bigger, so I bought that pair of jeans and wore it right away and put my Mirinda strawberry soaked pants in the shopping bag.
That was the only time I wore it. After a few months I did try to put it on but I couldn't even pull up he zipper.

I was thinking of giving it away, but not sure to who. My brothers are all taller than me and have bigger waists. My hubby has smaller waist. So the Giordano jeans stayed in my wardrobe along with my other plus sized work pants.

After I gave birth last year I gave it another try. Managed to zip up but it was too tight, I couldn't even lift my knees.

Between January and June 2010 I have been going to gym quite regularly and became more conscious of what I ate. My total weight loss during that period was 6kg. My work shirts became loose and I had to box many skirts and pants because whenever I wore them they always fell below my waistline and it was rather uncomfortable.

One Saturday morning, we were rushing to go out for breakfast. I just grab the first pants hanger I found in my wardrobe. My wardrobe desperately needed some lighting as I couldn't tell my dark coloured clothes one from another. So, I just put on the jeans I took out, zip it up and walked out of my room to find my tudung I left in the ironing room. Now this room is facing sunrise and it's always very bright in the morning. Then I realized the colour of my jeans. I thought I put on one of the Marks and Spencer's stretchable jeans, but I only had them in dark blue and black. The one I had on was indigo. So, I turned around and checked the label on my back. It was THAT Giordano jeans! Well, what I did next was soooooo predictable. I quickly ran into my room and took out my old measuring tape to get another confirmation that I was in fact SMALLER by one dress size. Hehe.. It was so funny as my topic of conversation for that whole week revolved around 'my slim jeans that finally fits'. I wore that same jeans for 3 weeks before I decided to wash it (and I prayed hard it wouldn't shrink the moment I took it out of the washing machine).

So, my dear lady friends.... keep those slim jeans/LBD/top/kebaya and try them on at least once a month. You'll be motivated to work out and eat healthily. I know how good it felt when they finally fit.

I miss Sushi (and kopi)...

Cabaran paling dahsyat di sepanjang bulan puasa ialah tak dapat makan sushi dengan geng gossip. Biasanya gossip sikit-sikit, tapi makan sushi yang banyak. Sambil borak-borak.. ngap... ngap ... ngap... Sedar-sedar piring sushi dah tinggi macam Mount Kilimanjaro atas meja. Pastu kecoh kira piring warna apa paling banyak, sambil cuba ingat berapa hinggit duit ada dalam wallet. 

Jadi entry saya kali ini ialah tentang sushi (mainly because Liverpool lost to City sampai 3-0 maka aku buat food blogging je minggu ni). Makhluk yang bertanggungjawab memperkenalkan aku kepada sushi tak lain dan tak bukan ialah Neneh Cherry sebab dia ada album bertajuk Raw Like Sushi (1992). Masa tu banyaklah aku baca kat gossip magazine pasal Neneh dan kegilaannya terhadap sushi. Tahun 1992 makanan paling canggih yang aku selalu makan cuma setakat padprik campur dengan satay Haji Samuri je. Maka bila aku ternampak gambar-gambar sushi kat majalah, memang la rasa teringin sangat nak try. Tapi, zaman tu mana ada banyak sushi bar lagi kat Kolumpo, apatah lagi kat daerah Seri Kembangan. Maka hajat tu terpaksa dipendamkan.

Neneh Cherry penggemar sushi

 Bila aku start kerja sekitar 1998, ada sorang dua kawan ofis ni yang hantu sushi. Maka aku selalulah ikut diorang ni keluar lunch kat One Utama. Kat situ ada Jusco supermarket yang ada jual macam-macam rupa sushi. Maka selalu jugaklah kitorang tapau bawak balik makan kat office. Tapi, experience tu kira intro to sushi taste ajelah. Experience paling best dan paling bagus punya feel ialah bila makan sushi mengadap sushi belt (macam gambar kat bawah ni). Rasa sushi tu mungkin biasa-biasa je, tapi bila tengok sushi yang kiut miut tu bergerak kat conveyor kat depan mata, sungguh mengecurkan air liur.

Sushi belt ala rail keretapi.

 Setelah bergiat aktif dalam kegiatan memakan sushi ni, saya dapati masalah gastrik saya kian berkurangan (cheh tadi bahasakan diri aku, sampai kat sini jadi 'saya' pulak.... isy, layan ajelah...) Kemungkinan besar ialah kerana bila kita makan sushi, kita secara tidak langsung memakan lebih banyak sayur-sayuran yang dibalut dalam nasi Jepun itu dan juga ikan atau udang/sotong yang disajikan sekali memang kurang berminyak. Jadi sedikit sebanyak ini telah membantu menyembuhkan penyakit perut second hand saya ini.

Sushi yang muat semulut je. Kalau nak dua mulut, belasah le dua bijik.

 Zaman dah canggih, sushi pun dah canggih. Ni lah contoh-contohnya:

Sushi panda tapi bukan kung-fu panda..

Sushi Obama. Kesian Obama kena kerat.

Sushi Hello Kitty. Jangan tampal kat bilik ye, nanti bersemut.

Ini ialah sushi USB. Diguna untuk menyimpan data dan berkongsi cracked software.

Sekali sekala bila dah rasa macam sushi overdose, bagus juga kalau order tempura. Jeng jeng jeng. Nama dia macam Jeneral Jepun, tapi crunchy di luar, lembut di dalam. Biasanya banyak minyak sebab penyediaannya ialah seperti goreng pisang juga. Tempura kegemaran saya ialah mixed tempura macam kat bawah ni yang ada keledek, kacang, cendawan, udang dan sotong. Yum yum yum....

Tempura hait!!!

Kebiasaannya acara penutup selepas sesi gossip over sushi adalah kami akan berduyun-duyun pergi ke kedai kopi berhampiran untuk mendapatkan segelas tinggi (tall - bak kata orang America) iced coffee. Kopi paling ngetop dalam list kami ialah Iced latte, Iced caramel macchiato dan Mocha frappe. Bila dah beli kopi, selalunya beli jugak muffin atau donut sebijik dua. Konon nak buat alas perut masa tea break pukul tiga petang.

Tapiiii..... biasanya, dalam perjalanan dari kedai kopi (tak kiralah Setabak ke, Kopi Bing ke, Gloria Jings ke ataupun Kopiesatu punya van ke) ke tempat parking kereta, kopi dengan muffin/donut tu memang dah selamat dah. Sampai ofis bawah plastik/paper bag berisi tissue dengan straw extra je selalunya. Hehe....

Macam tu lah life makcik-makcik penggemar sushi dan kopi. Bila bulan puasa je sushi/coffe deprived. Lepas tu meroyan tak tentu.

Note: Pics were Googled. Please notify me if the image should be removed due to Copyright.

Bulan puasa tahun ni: Yang tak best dan yang best...

Yang tak best

1. Baru seminggu lebih puasa, shopping complex semua dah sakan pasang lagu raya. Bosan betul, kan? Tiap-tiap tahun macam tu. Naik jelak nak pegi shopping complex, tapi terpaksa pegi juga sebab kena cari barang.
2. Kebanyakan kuih muih kat bazaar Ramadhan rasanya standard KL je (kalau kuih keledek tapi tak de rasa keledek, kuih keladi takde rasa keladi itu standard KL la tu namanya). Tau lah nak untung lebih, kan... tapi, cubalah stick to the original recipe. Tapi, mungkin jugak diorang ni belajar buat kuih ikut resepi kat majalah. Yang keluar kat majalah tu kebanyakannya resepi kelentong, jangan tak tau. Aku dah pernah try tiga empat resepi dulu, semuanya rasa tak kesampaian. Iyelah kan, kalau orang meniaga, ada rahsia masa memasak, takkanlah dia nak publish resepi dia satu Malaysia. Nanti takdelah orang nak datang kedai diorang.
3. Deadline aku berlambak-lambak la pulak bulan puasa ni. Nak layan Tweeter pun tak sempat. Meeting bertindih-tindih, tak hingat dunia punya. Heran jugak ni. Apa yang diorang ni nak kejar? Kalau bulan January, February lengang je aku punya calendar. Tapi bila bulan puasa, tak menyempat-nyempat. Macamlah lepas Raya nanti aku dah nak menghilangkan diri, kan?
4. Semua kengkawan kata Ramadhan Buffet kat hotel-hotel tahun ni lebih kurang sama je. Tapi kengkawan aku pegi yang harganya reasonable ajelah. Takde nya diorang nak pegi yang sampai RM99++ per pax tu. Agaknya yang sampai beratus-ratus satu kepala tu ada kerbau golek kot, instead of kambing golek.
5. Sinki aku kat dapur tu memang dah jahanam abih (one of my ex-bibik hampeh punya angkara jugak). Dah try cari contractor nak mintak quotation tapi ramai yang rekemen tukar semua cabinet sekali, mana mampu weh. Aku nak tukar sinki punya module tu je. Kena robohkan dan pasang yang baru kat tempat asal tu. Susahnya lah nak cari contractor yang meet requirement. Nak kena tender out ke project sinki rumah aku nih?

Yang best

1. Aku dah merealisasikan impian nak tukar tilam ngan sofa minggu lepas. Dah bertahun plan nak tukar baru tahun ni berjaya. Duit yang aku kumpul dari tahun lepas tu pun entah mana dah peginya, terpaksa kumpul semula duit tahun ni. Apa-apa pun, tilam tu bestttt.... baru baring seminit dah lelap. Very deep sleep I tell you. Bila bangun je terus fresh. Takde la nak cranky kat office macam selalu.
2. Baju raya budak-budak tiga orang ni semua dah settle sebelum puasa. Baju Melayu, baju kemeja, seluar jean semua dah tak payah nak pegi cari kat Jalan TAR. Terasa aman dunia.
3. Shawqi berjaya puasa tahun ni. Tahun lepas dia dapat 1 hari je. Tahun ni dia baru tinggal satu hari. Tapi balik sekolah memang lembik gila lah. Bila berbuka je, dia balun bubur lambuk satu mangkuk, nasik satu pinggan, kuih lagi, air lagi... Macam orang dah 5 hari tak makan. Wazif steady je sebab tahun lepas pun dah puasa penuh.
4. Zarif sporting, tak pernah kacau kitorang sahur. Dia pun jenis tidur pengsan (macam ayah dia... hahaha). Pagi dekat pukul 8 dia baru bangun. So, sempatla aku nak tidur lepas solat subuh... hooray!
5. Customer aku semua baik-baik lah bulan puasa ni. Memandangkan diorang kebanyakannya nak balik rumah pukul 4, maka banyak appointment dibuat pada sebelah pagi. Seronok...seronok...

Mari mengupas isu semasa

Isu Jersey Bola Man U

Kesian kan dengan peminat-peminat Red Devils sebab dah tak digalakkan untuk pakai jersey Man U semata-mata sebab ada gambar (kononnya) devil tu. Padahal, kita semua tak pernah tengok camana rupa devil. Mungkin kalau kita kata gambar kat jersey tu sebenarnya adalah kartun sepupu Spongebob, mungkin surat khabar akan keluarkan penarikan balik larangan memakai jersey ni.

Tapi, kaedah yang lebih selamat lagi (untuk mengelakkan dari fitnah dan sebagainya) kepada para penyokong Man U sekalian ialah dengan menjadi peminat dan terus membeli serta memakai Jersey Liverpool. Musim ni kat jersey langsung takde iklan todi, sumpah..... Ada iklan bank je. Hehehe...

Man U VS Liverpool. (Untuk kanak-kanak riang sahaja)

Liverpool and Liverpool and Liverpool and Liverpool....

Seandainya anda sudah berubah arah, maka bolehlah anda melipat gandakan usaha menambah koleksi jersey Liverpool seperti kami anak beranak... hahaha.

Isu UPSR dan PMR

Nak hapus ke, nak perbaiki atau status quo? Susah nak buat keputusan ni. Dah buat persidangan meja bulat dan keputusannya bercampur-campur. Tak dapat sebulat suara. Maka mungkin banyak lagi meja-meja bulat yang akan dijadikan tempat persidangan membincangkan isu-isu ini. Bagus jugak kalau dapat dengar pengunjung kedai-kedai kopi mendebatkan isu UPSR dan PMR ni sekali-sekala. Jadi-jadilah, jangan asyik cerita pasal Maya Karin dah janda dan Annahita dah jadi Datin tu. Itu dunia artis, tak menolong anak korang dapat masuk universiti pun. 

Saya mendapat jemputan dari egroup Srikandi untuk turut serta membincangkan isu ini, tapi oleh kerana saya tiada modal, maka berkemungkinan besar saya cuma akan pergi menjadi tukang dengar. Saya ketandusan idea kerana saya tak berapa faham apakah isu sebenarnya. Saya sangkakan selepas berkali-kali pembaharuan dilakukan kepada sistem pendidikan negara ini (berubah setiap kali menteri nya berubah) sepatutnya ia kini menuju ke arah kebaikan. Tapi ramai yang mengatakan sebaliknya. Banyak blog yang telah saya baca (langkau-langkau baris sebab Bahasa teknikal sangat...) mencadangkan sistem pendidikan Malaysia ni perlu di overhaul. Ramai juga yang menyuarakan kritikan di akhbar, email berantai dan tak kurang di dalam nota Facebook. Dah letih dah saya membaca kritikan. Ada yang membina, ada yang buat saya rasa merana. 

Tetapi saya belum lagi terbaca tulisan yang menghuraikan dengan panjang lebar cadangan-cadangan yang wajar ketengahkan kepada pihak kementerian dan jawatankuasa panel pemikir bagi melaksanakan 'System Overhaul' tersebut. Kesimpulannya, ramai yang tahu kritik tetapi tidak menyumbang ke arah penyelesaian masalah ini. Cadangan tak memerlukan kertas kerja. Buah fikiran para blogger yang bernas wajar dikongsi di laman blog masing-masing (saya pun bosan baca blog yang sarat dengan agenda politik pihak tertentu. Rakyat Malaysia memang suka baca blog yang memaparkan kontroversi politik, artis dan kisah syahdu janda-janda tetapi kurang bersedia untuk melibatkan diri dalam perbincangan ilmiah). Nak salahkan siapa? Sistem pendidikan juga ke?

Hormati Mufti

Saya sedih membaca tentang Mufti (dan insan-insan yang memiliki ilmu agama Islam yang tinggi) yang diperlekehkan. Digelar dengan nama-nama yang kurang menyenangkan. Dituduh itu ini. 

Perkara paling penting yang kita belajar ketika kecil ialah menghormati orang yang lebih tua dari kita dan orang-orang yang lebih berilmu dari kita. Kalau dikaji-kaji, kita mesti menghormati semua orang kerana kita tidak boleh membezakan sebanyak mana ilmu yang kita ada dengan seorang manusia lain yang berdiri di sebelah kita. Mungkin penampilan manusia itu hodoh, pegi pasar naik bas, bawak beg kanvas compang-camping. Tapi kita tak tahu bahawasanya dia itu mungkin seorang Tahfiz yang ada PHD. Kita ada apa? Khatam Al Quran 3 kali pun belum tentu. Setakat ada blog sendiri dan pandai maki-maki orang cakap Orang Putih?? Isy, tak bagus langsung...

Kalau cerita kat orang-orang tua di kampung, mesti mereka berkata, 'Dunia dah akhir zaman.....'

Kita sedar dunia dah semakin tua, tetapi mahukah kita menjadi umat yang paling sesat dan jauh melencong? Hormatilah Mufti dah tokoh-tokoh agama yang lain sementara kita masih ada tokoh yang boleh dijadikan sumber rujukan dan tempat mendapatkan bimbingan. 

Salam Nisfu Syaaban. Wassalam.

Just some random updates

She's no longer with us, but her wisdom remains

Firstly, I'd like to express my sincere condolence to Allahyarhamah Dalilah Tamrin's husband and family. I read about Kak Dalilah's passing on Monday afternoon after so many people has left comments in her blog. I was glad that comment moderation was not turned on, otherwise the blog readers wouldn't be able to drop a line or two there. I've only known Allahyarham from her blog. I think I started following her blog since the first week I started blogging. So many blogs link to hers, it's impossible to miss it. I must say that her blog has been one of my source of reference for cancer. She took all the trouble despite her illness, house chores and office work to compile and put up all the cancer related info into her blog. Her own entries are the main attraction of the blog. It's not easy to find first hand cancer patient experience documented elsewhere. The blog has helped me understand cancer patients better, what they have to go through, the state of their families, the emotional turmoil, how they handled mixed reactions from close family members and how/what is the best ways to show and provide our support to the cancer patient and everybody around them.

It was about a month after following her blog that I started my monthly contribution to MAKNA. Her blog has that kind of impact on readers.

Allah love Kak Dalilah, she was tested and now she has gone to meet The Creator. Let's pray that she's in a better place dan ditempatkan di kalangan orang-orang yang beriman dan beramal soleh. Amin.

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Pap-Smear 

I'm due for my annual Pap-Smear next week. Actually it should be done sometime in August, but since it'll be Ramadhan I'm making the appointment sooner. After having my first baby, my gynae gave me a good, long lecture on getting a regular Pap-Smear test done. It doesn't hurt and will only cost between RM200 -300 at private hospitals. So, I blocked my calendar for the Pap-Smear dates and have done at least 6, so far. I think I missed two years but couldn't remember why. Since I also have IUCD inserted, which also requires annual check-up I have no choice but go and see the gynae at least once a year.

When I changed job and started working at this organisation, I met a few ladies of my age and we exchanged a lot of stories. One of them gave me a lot of advice on weight management and hints on winning your husband's heart. Another gave me tips on handling subordinates in the office and financial management with my spouse. So, one day I told them that I was about to go for my Pap-Smear appointment. Both of them shrieked and made twisted faces. It turned out none of them had done it, even after childbirth. I couldn't understand it because we have to see the gynae again 4 weeks after delivery. In my case, since I had C-sect each time, I had to see my gynae so that she could inspect the incision scar and scan my womb.

My two friends never went back to see the gynae 4 weeks after delivery. They delivered normally, thus they're not really concerned on their womb condition after confinement period, I think. Although I knew their mothers were very strict with them during confinement period, and that they were getting all the good treatment and medicines, I think it's a bad choice not to do Pap-Smear tests.

Both of them shared the same reason why they hated the test. Their friends told them it hurts. I don't know their friends went to which gynae but I didn't feel any pain at all during every test. I could feel a metal thingy being inserted but it lasted only for a few seconds. The procedure was over before I could realize what was actually happening.

I tried to reason with my two friends but until today both of them still refuse to do it. Well, it's a matter of an individual's choice. I can advice and share my experience, but in the end tuan punya badan yang empunya keputusan.

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Flats

It's been 9 years, I think since I last wore flats. Even during my pregnancies I would wear shoes with at least 1.5cm heels. My bone structure caused problems to my feet when I wore flats. Walking barefoot in the house is different than wearing flats and walk in the shopping mall. I don't know the name of the problem but I decided not to buy and wear flats because my feet became painful after long walks.

However, two weeks ago I saw a pair of flats at Charles and Keith and decided that I've just got to have it. I've been wearing heels to work for so long, perhaps it's about time I give flats another chance. Not that I'm becoming another fashion victim (yup, flats are so IN right now...!) A few months back I had to wear my trainer to a meeting because the only parking spot available was about 700 metres from the office building and I had to climb 6 flights of stairs. A manager who happened to be in the same meeting told me to keep a pair of flats in the car. (She gave the advise after laughing her head off watching me in office attire but wearing trainer!) It was not a pretty sight, I know... hehe.

The first time I wore the new flats was on a Saturday and it was grocery day. We drove to Giant with our shopping bags and I confidently put on my new flats and walked out of the car. After walking up to the first floor, I felt that the flats were biting my feet. I knew it's a bad sign and was suddenly thinking, oh no I forgot to bite these shoes after I bought it. Mr Hubby decided to have lunch and I was relieved for I got the chance to sit down. The flats were killing me by then. (And all these while I thought only heels could do that to women!)

After lunch it was already time to fetch my kids from their TaeKwonDo class. So, we drove to the school and came back to Giant to do our shopping. This time I took off the flats and put on my heels that I kept in the car. Yes, it was funny to buy groceries on a Saturday afternoon in a pair of 3 inch heels.

It took a few more blisters for me to feel comfortable in the new flats. Only today I decided to wear it to office. The good thing was, people noticed!! Yeay! The better thing was, people said I looked cute wearing it!! Double yeay!

I have about 1.5 hours more to go before I can decide that this pair of flats are not causing problems to my feet. I think I've walked more than 700 metres since morning, so far so good.
Way to go flats!

I came back and caught flu

Oh no... I came back to Malaysia and caught flu on the same night. They came in one package of mild fever, headache, blocked nose and terrible coughs. Couldn't drag myself out of bed the next morning, so decided to just continue sleeping after texting my boss that I'd be taking a medical leave that day. My boss didn't reply.... hehehe. He must be mad, hehehe. After 10days of holiday, suddenly MC pulak.
I woke up again at 12.30pm. Zarif was still fast asleep. I thought he's having a terrible jetlag. I shook him to wake up at around 2pm.
After feeding Zarif, I went out to find an ATM to withdraw money and see the doctor to get medicine and MC. I didn't have lunch as there's nothing to cook in the kitchen and I have no Ringgit Malaysia to order pizza. Arrived at the clinic but there was a 'Doktor Tiada' signed plastered on the glass door. Frustrated, I drove to the nearest sundry shop to buy Zarif's formula milk and diapers.
That night, at around 8.15 the whole family went out for dinner. We stopped at the same clinic and thank god there's a doctor on duty, and it happened to be my hubby's friend. He gave a long lecture on why women who still have their menses shouldn't really worry when their cholesterol level is a bit high. That was the first time I heard about it and was wondering why in the world a doctor (from this same clinic) prescribed me cholesterol medicine when I had high BP back in mid 2008. If my body could still take care of my heart, why was the medicine necessary? Hmmmm....
The flu medicine prescribed to me was really strong. When I finally fell asleep that night it was as if I just passed out. When I woke up the next morning, my head felt like it was beaten with a club (I was imagining Captain Caveman came and hit me when I was asleep...)
I drove really fast that morning heading to work and didn't realize it until I shot a look at the speedometer. The medicine was too strong that even at 9a.m I felt my body was floating. I took the medicine about 10 hours earlier. It must be the combination of flu, medicine and jetlag because 7 hours later I was having the same feeling. When I walked, I couldn't feel my feet touching the floor. When I stared at my computer screen I was only seeing thick black lines, couldn't make out any word clearly.
That morning I gave up reading emails after squinting my eyes for 20 minutes. Just when I was about to 'rest my eyes' for a few minutes, the boss called me to join him in a meeting. I told myself it's okay, I'll get a quick nap afterwards. It turned out the meeting lasted 2 hours, followed by another 1 hour meeting.
When I walked to the lunch place, I was a Zombie. Decided to just have cheesy ham croissant with iced coffee, followed by cheese cupcake. Only realized how stupid my choice of lunch only later. Iced coffee and cheese? For someone with mean flu? Tak sesuai. The flu became worse that night.
I overslept the next morning. Took a quick shower, dressed in my new white work shirt (bought from the factory outlet, of course) and guess what.... It's Wednesday, and it's my weigh in day!!! I quickly step on the scale and surprise... surprise....!! I lost 1kg!!! Yeay!
So, going for vacation won't necessarily make you fatter. I learned my lessons well. This time we walked a lot more and eat less greasy food. We only had Fish and Chips once, and that was when Shawqi was starving at Blackpool. Most of the times, we prepared food at my SIL's place, so it's easier to control the ingredients used and portion taken. We didn't cook a lot, so everybody has to share and be more considerate.... hehehehe. Tactic!
There are still a few days left of the school holidays, what are you waiting for? Go and bring the children somewhere and do some family activity together. Bonding time, my darlings..... bonding time. Just don't catch flu like me.

Makcik Calon - April update

This has got to be one my slowest progressing mission. February and March passed by without any positive signs. Then a few weeks ago I finally managed to get Calon Cewek and Calon Cowok to have lunch together (plus 3 more people on the same table....) Somehow I could sense that Calon Cowok noticed that I've been trying to pair them. When he came to join us for lunch he tried to flirt a bit with Calon Cewek. And I just couldn't understand why in the world Calon Cewek was not playing along.

Well let me just get some facts straight, Calon Cowok's humour is not something that all cewek could take. Sometimes it's rather rude or most of the times just plain stupid. I believe Calon Cewek didn't really like his jokes or his flirt that day. She sat eating very quietly and didn't really participate in the conversation. Anyway, due to the awkwardness, we didn't engage in interesting conversation at all. Everybody tried to be polite (after some stupid jokes that Calon Cowok made) and in the end it was one of the most boring lunch I ever had.

I got to know from a very reliable source that Calon Cewek was interested in Calon Cowok. But that was a month before that lunch we had. Now I am now very sure anymore. It will be a great waste if Calon Cowok ruins this effort. The truth is many guys are after Calon Cewek but none of them dares to make the first move.

Lately I've been spending quite a lot of time with Calon Cewek and I realized that she has a virtual wall built around her that is very difficult to penetrate. Just when I thought I was getting to know her better, she'll just block many more things from me. At times I wonder whether she's hiding some dark history of her life.

Perhaps what I should do next is warn Calon Cowok to appear as a gentleman in front of her. Although that's definitely not Calon Cowok's personality but I hope he'll manage to change Calon Cewek's perception. Actually Calon Cowok is not too bad looking. He might not appear as handsome as some Hollywood movie stars but he's quite easy on the eyes. Just easy, not handsome but not bad either. I know he can get Calon Cewek if he really put some effort.

Ok, now for my challenge this coming May: how do I get both of them to spend some quality time together (again?). Just the two of them.... minus the usual hang out friends. How ar? Howwww?????

Al Fatihah Abang Din Beramboi

When I heard about the sad news suddenly a scene from Raja Lawak Finale flashed in my mind. After one of the contestants' performance, Allahyarham told him, 'Kalau abang dah takde lagi kat Radio ERA, kau lah pengganti abang...'
I was rather confused at the time, suspecting he was getting better offer elsewhere. Little did I know he was leaving us all forever.
I cannot call myself a fan for I only listened to him and Aznil when there were long commercials at Sinar FM. Or when Salih  Yaacob and Kak Engku were not at Sinar in the morning, I'd switch to ERA.
But for me Allahyarham was one of Malaysian entertainers who was a brand by himself. With his own identity (although many claimed he copied the character of legendary Din Beramboi of UiTM Shah Alam - some of you might have heard of this legend...;)) and his multi talent he became a household name in Malaysia. Most kids knew him from the TV series 'Afi dan Abah'. I will remember him from Ning's video klip. Never thought he could become a serious character as portrayed in that MV. Hehe.
We came from HIM and we'll return to HIM. As according to Herman Tino, 'Mati adalah pasti, Hidup insyaallah.....'
Let's recite Al Fatihah to Din Beramboi, everybody will remember him with a smile (or probably a hearty laugh).

My Favourite Surfing Spot

I live in a double storey link house and I think you can visualize the internal layout as it’s very common in KL. Upon entering the house from the front door there’s the living area, dining area, kitchen and laundry area on the ground floor.

My dining area is my favorite surfing spot as it’s located at the center of everything. From where I’m sitting I can watch TV in the living area clearly. Since the dining table is placed right next to the serving buffet, I can reach my snacks rather easily. I can also make coffee in a flash as the kitchen is just 3 meters away from where I’m sitting.

Surfing doesn’t mean that the rest of the house chores are neglected. I usually surf when I was waiting for the washing machine to complete. When the machine beeps, I would run from the dining table to the laundry area and move the wet clothes from the machine and hang them under the sun.

The view from my dining table is quite awesome. I could see the whole of my green garden sometimes with a few butterflies flying around if I open the sliding door wide enough and pull the curtains.

While surfing, I can still keep an eye on my baby who usually crawls around the living area and plays with his toys.

My dining area is such a convenient place to surf and since WiFi is available in the house, I can just carry my netbook around if I need to.

Project Alpha Season 2 is presented by Adidas Action 3 and supported by P1 and MAS

Itu ini

I am not going to follow DSAI's case because I'm trying to de-clutter my thoughts. Need to save some memory and optimize processing power. It's not the graphic details of Saiful's experience, I just give up following court cases that are covered by the mainstream media. If I read those, I'll also need to read what the alternative media reports too. My time now is suddenly so precious I've even stopped buying newspapers.

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My new job function is so stressful that I started reading gossip magazines and buying more CDs. Next, I plan to read Mills and Boon. Checked out a few of them at Borders a couple of weeks ago. MB books are no chic flick, they're just light romance for teenage girls which helped me forget my troubles. 

Besides that I'm now also going to the gym more often. Although my exercise program recommended by Biggest Loser Club is only 3 sessions per-week, I found myself doing more than that. I need at least a 30 minute vigorous activity everyday that can help me flush all the issues and pressure from office before I head home. High impact aerobic exercise followed by hot shower while listening to Susan Boyle did the trick so far. At least when I reached home I managed to forget everything that's related to work.

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My weight scale has been lying to me. 

When I did the weekly weigh-in, I've gone down 3.5kg. But when I weighed myself at the office during one of the Health Week activities, I found myself back to my pre Biggest Loser Club weight. I was mad. 

But the scale used at the office was Tanita Body Composition Analyzer which was like 2000 times more advanced than my bathroom scale. So, that reading must be more accurate, right? But I'm glad I did the Body Composition Analysis. I found out that my body fat % has gone down by 5.1% which is quite an achievement. The sad thing was that my Basal Metabolic Rate is equivalent to a 61 years old grandma's. It seemed like my resting metabolic rate is almost the same as my own mom's and yet I'm consuming food like a 20 year old. Well, there you go... that's the answer to why am I still obese... hehe.

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I went to Parkson Subang Parade to check out (coz I planned to buy) Estee Lauder moisturizer and essence but the salesgirl told me to come on another date, 16th Feb 2010 - when they'll have huge promotions. Since I'm a regular customer there, she gave me 10 packets of moisturizer and essence sample that should last until then. I was so happy for two reasons:

1. I didn't really plan to buy the essence, I was only asking her about it. But since she's given me the samples, I might as well try them out.... hehehehe... 

2. I didn't have budget for the two items (which total up to almost RM600!). So, getting that many samples really saved my $$$$ this week. Yeay!

Moral of the story is.... being loyal to a particular brand sometimes really pays off. 

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Talking about brand, I went to SACC mall last month but couldn't find Big Brown Bag boutique. Has it been closed or relocated? They sell some nice skirts. Too bad if they moved elsewhere.... *sigh*