Old is gold.

Watched the animated movie Up with my hubby tonight when we were at my dad's. I've heard that it was sad, but I didn't expect to cry buckets within the first 5 minutes of the movie.

For a few seconds I thought that it was my hormones overreacting, but even my babe said over and over again: 'This movie is sad!'

For the remainder of the movie and afterwards, I keep on thinking about the relationship between Carl and Ellie. Circumstances are different, but I pray and I hope that my Sayang and I will grow old together as loving and caring in our golden years, as we are right now. Even more so, Insya Allah.

Just like Carl and Ellie.

Amin.

almost like a miracle.

Today, Friday 27th November 2009, on Aidiladha, I finally felt my baby's first kicks.

Not the fluttering kind that friends and baby books said I would feel initially (at my stage, its a bit too late for flutters), but these are real, solid bumps on my tummy. Three times, at least.

I was wondering when I would feel it. I wondered the most, I think, yesterday. It has already been 25 weeks, and by this time usually moms-to-be would already feel some kind of routine activities from the baby. Me? Not much. Close to nothing, in fact. Frankly speaking I was not too worried about the inactivities; I was anxious for it to begin.

But today was... wonderful. The first that I realized was in the morning when I just woke up, then at my Sayang's grandparents' place while I was lying down, and the last was when we were in the car on the way back from my dad's.

Hoping - and praying - for many more. :)

Alhamdullilah. It makes me even more thankful and in awe of Allah and His gift. :)

the tale of the three kittehs

Alia has become some sort of an adoptive parent to three little kittens we found in a box outside our house on Saturday morning.

Now, the box was not left by some inconsiderate stranger who did not want to care for little kittens outside our gate. Instead, the box was actually moved from our house in Shah Alam from the old house in Cheras two days before. Initially we didn't know how that could've happen. One of our most popular assumption was that the mommy kitty has moved the kittens from its original birthing place due to a threat, and found our little box outside the kitchen door the best place to hide her babies.

But upon investigations (chewah!), we found out that the mommy kitty gave birth to the kittens at our old house in Cheras, and we've brought the kittens to our place in Shah Alam by accident. How did we come to that conclusion? Because we went to the old neighborhood today for a wedding, and found that one of the windows on the house's first floor was open, and there were cat's pawprints all over that area.

It is still an assumption, but its the only one that makes the most sense.

I can't imagine the stress the mommy is going through. She's probably frantic right now, searching for her little ones :(

But at the moment, we've decided to focus on the problem at hand: how to take care of these kittens. They're newborn, and their eyes are not yet opened, and feeding them started out as a bit of a challenge.

For my babe and I, there's a sense of dejavu in the whole situation. We were here before. About 2 years before our princess Zoey came into the picture, we took in three little kittens left abandoned at my college in Langat to our place, and we tried so hard to take care of them. But then one by one... they didn't survive :( So when the both of us found out about these new kittens, we were wary. But worried. We are still hoping. And in my case, I try very hard not to get attached to them. But at the same time... its so hard to keep a distance!

Anyway Alia persisted, and the maids are helping out a lot, and Alhamdullilah it seems like the kitties are responding well to Alia's brand of TLC. Well... at least two of them are. The third one is looking a little bit sicker and frailer than the other two. But no bad thoughts! Must stay positive :)

Hopefully, Insya Allah, we will get to nurse them to health. And keep them, love them, play with them.

Amin!

celebrate good times, come on!

Hello all~

I had quite an eventful weekend. The family celebrated Kak Hani's belated birthday with dinner on Saturday at Madam Kwan's. It was a great night because of my awesome family... but the food was a letdown. It wasn't that bad, it's just... average.

On Sunday afternoon we went to Dina's kindergarten's year-end party/concert. She was absolutely adorable! She is also the top of her class among five-year olds, so we we're beaming! Like seriously beaming! Its amazing how the kindergarten teachers get the kids to behave during the concert... But of course, all hell broke loose when the concert ended and the buffet began.

And later that night a birthday dinner for my babe's brother, Fen (who shares Hani's birthdate!). Dinner was held at The Ship... Awesome sirloin steak! I was too full for dessert, but still managed to finish up Alia's vanilla ice-cream haha.

I thought it was a great weekend of celebration. The celebration of life, its progresses, and how we grow older (but not necessarily wiser!).

Talking about birthdays; Insya Allah if all goes well, today will mark the arrival of a very adorable and loved baby boy into the world! Congratulations in advance to Bad and Ikin! I pray for a safe labor and delivery for both mama and baby, Amin! Can't wait to see the three of you soon :)

And a moment of reflection:
Kak Hani said something to me and Kak Azfa in the car on our way back home from Dina's concert; that birthdays should be celebrated by celebrating the mothers that gave birth to us. I was struck by how obvious and simple that notion is, but somehow most of us -including me - fail to notice that. We shouldn't be asking our moms for birthday presents; we should be giving them flowers, chocolates, that bottle of perfume she's been eyeing, etc. Or visit her grave if she has passed on.

I'm not saying that we should do without partying for our birthdays from this moment onwards, but that we should include our mothers, one way or another, in it.

:)

time for change.

GAAAHH! My blog layout is all crazy!

Will get it fixed by the end of day, insya Allah. In the meantime, sorry for the tomatoes!

------------

Oh yeay! Blog layout is fixed! Thank you Ikinnnnnnnn~ *muahsandhuggles*

updated 7:11pm

what would Freud say?

I've been having weird dreams lately.

Two nights ago i dreamed that i was pregnant, which is not unusual since I am expecting (duh), but weird because I was 16 and in high school. The night before that a friend got angry at me after I gave the person's significant other an earful due to a disagreement, whereas a few weeks ago I dreamed that I was shot and killed. And that particular dream scared me living shit out of me. I've never had dreams like that before. I remember waking up immediately after I... uhmm... died.

I've had weird, creepy dreams before. Weirder than being pregnant and discussing my pregnancy during school assembly with my girlfriends. But I hate it now that the dreams come quite frequently, and though I don't give my dreams much thought, I really hope these dreams will be gone soon.

hello.

Yeah I know. Its been ages! As to why, well... the same old reason lah. Nothing much to write about, so I didn't.

But today, something popped up. One of my bestie Lyana wrote a letter for my child, and I just have to share it.

Click here, and you'll see.

It made me cry. Not one of those boohoo tears everywhere kinda cry, but one where you were smiling one minute and suddenly OMG there's water in my eyes!

It made me so grateful that our baby - who might be a boy ;) - is so loved even when he is still in my womb by Lyana. And by other friends and family as well, and the realization made me want to cry even more.

I'm feeling like gold at the moment :)

But not so golden is the fact that my hubby's right ankle is hurting pretty bad since Sunday. Totally unrelated, I know... but it worries me. And do you know how frustrating it is to see someone you love moan in pain, and there's nothing you can do to make it better?

And oh, its kinda belated I know, but Syawal is a month-long celebration, so Salam Aidilfitri to all!

haha.

i like 'em simple and sweet.

Ramadhan is here, everyone!

Selamat berpuasa!

I was hoping to be able to fast without missing any days, but judging from how I've been for the past few weeks, it may not be likely at least until the first trimester is over.

By the way, sorry that this blog has been lacking in new, relevant content as of late. I've only begun to feel more like myself in the past few days, but I still don't have much to blog about.

Later, ya'all.

oh my.

There is not much happening in my life for me to blog about.

I'm not doing nothing. Just not much, I guess.

Being nauseous almost all the time makes me lazy. Which I usually fight off by trying to do things.

Which sometimes doesn't work.

Oh well. I'm off to my dad's for the weekend, while my husband will battle it out in a paintball tournament in Melaka.

Now lets finish packing.

better late than never.

My last day at the office was eventful.

Kicked it off with lunch at Chinois KLCC with Ayu Aziz (who left the company on the same day as I did) and Ayu Musa (who left the company about a month before we both did). It was a good lunch - great food, awesome company. We mainly bitched and gossiped and talked and laughed... the usual ingredient for a girly lunch. :P

Ayu and I were fashionably late when arriving at the office at 3pm... haha. We then went out for tea with Shashi and Mr. Siva, which was kind of sad as it would be the last tea-break we would have together.

Went back to the office, finish up on clearing my stuff on the table as well as my PC, and then a lil get together with everyone for a proper farewell. Mr. Siva talked, then AM talked, got our going-away gift, and then for some reason they forgot that Ayu and I were supposed to be saying something as well. Which kinda worked to my advantage. I was feeling emotional.

Took loads of photos with almost everyone, before heading down to Stadium Negara for a farewell party. Which was actually just another reason to get drunk, smoke and laugh at the silliest thing.

They're sweet to smoke from a distance of me, so even when the wind blew towards me I didn't smell much of the cigarettes... except when most of them smoked at once. But still, its not something I'd like to go through again for the next 8 months or so.

A little mishap happened before the party animals moved their asses to Marketplace, which made everyone worry for about 15 minutes. Once the situation was under control, almost everyone was back to their jovial self, and then my Sayang picked me up from outside the club (and no, I did not step into Marketplace, just in case someone wonders why I would when I'm pregnant).

So thanks Mel for organizing the party, and much love to everyone who came. Admittedly, there's one person or two that I could do without, but hey, I'm not complaining.

I'm sorry that this blog post sounded so much like a narrative. I guess I want to remind myself of what happened... so that I don't forget :)

I'm honestly going to miss most of these people. And this may be hard to believe, but to an extent I am going to miss Thursday nights as well. Yeah the stress drove me away, but there's also the bond that we share.

OK emo mode is on.

jengjengjeng!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABY! woohoo!

ok tak sempat nak buat post panjang-panjang. bai!

never have a tiny dot-like being made me feel so happy.

Nak blog pasal apa eh?

Well, obviously I should be sharing my good news. That I am pregnant. Kusa and I are, insya Allah if things goes well, having a child. After so much angst on my on my 25th June post, I will be able to say to the naysayers to shut up.

Or maybe I shouldn't say anything to them. It is my pregnancy. I like to share, but I'm afraid it'll lead to more other angst-ridden post because someone said something that angers me.

Needless to say, I am ecstatic. Especially after the first check-up with my gynaecologist earlier today. Its not just a urine test thingy with a little positive sign. This is an actual, little dot that I can see.

I am scared of course; the first trimester is the most trying of the entire 9 months, they say. And the fact that our little dot is so very new... I'm taking extra precautions, even though the doctor said that 'life goes on as usual'.

And through it all, I'm glad I have my Babe with me. Alhamdullilah... for both the little dot and the man Ezham Hafiez ;)

Happy happy happy!

OK lets move on.

I am currently - or should I say hopefully - on my second last week at work. I say 'hopefully', since that the powers that be (my bosses I mean) have yet to find my replacement.

I really really want to leave by the 17th July. Mainly because that was the deadline I gave myself, after one of the bosses' assurance that they are 'looking at mid-July' as my final day. I'm afraid that if I am to stay longer, my already-lacklustre job performance would just go out of the window and commit suicide, rendering the company unhappy in the end that they might just kick me out anyways.

There are other reasons of course, but it wouldn't be nice of me to say anything.

Shower. That's what I'll do now.

why, facebook, why? why won't you load?!

Thanks Jeeb for the meme I shall call...

Tag Bahasa Melayu yang mencabar minda~
haha.

TAG 1

1. Bekas kekasih saya adalah : seseorang yang tidak tahu erti persahabatan.
2. Saya sedang mendengar : Alia membebel kerana saya tidak larat untuk menonton DVD dengan dia.
   
3. Mungkin saya patut: tidur. Akan tetapi, saya perlu menunggu Azzura datang kerana saya perlu memulangkan buku-bukunya, dan mengambil DVD Grey's Anatomy.
   
4. Saya suka : makan, tidur, membeli belah, membaca (tidak semestinya di turutan yang diberikan)
   
5. Sahabat-sahabat baik saya : adalah mereka yang tahu keburukan saya, tetapi masih setia bersama saya. whee~
   
6. Saya tak paham : kenapa saya ketagihan Pet Society.
   
7. Saya kehilangan : masa yang boleh saya gunakan untuk bermain Pet Society.
8. Ramai yang berkata : yang muka saya tidak menyerupai arwah mama saya. Memang betul pun.
   
9. Makna nama saya : ialah Puteri dalam bahasa Arab.
10. Cinta itu adalah : suami saya, si bengot yang bernama Hafiez.
11. Di suatu tempat, seseorang sedang : membuat keputusan sama ada mahu berjumpa sahabatnya atau tidak untuk mengambil buku dan memberi DVD Grey's Anatomy musim yang keempat.
12. Saya akan cuba : untuk menjadi isteri yang lebih baik (huuu jiwang!)
13. Ayat SELAMANYA membawa maksud : forever di dalam bahasa Inggeris. Ia juga merupakan tajuk lagu dari kumpulan Innuendo. Saya suka lagu tu!
    
14. Telefon bimbit saya : berjenama Sony Ericsson.
    
15. Bila saya terjaga dari tidur : saya akan bangun dengan berat hati (dan badan) untuk mandi.
16. Saya paling meluat apabila : orang yang saya tidak suka bercakap tanpa henti dan menyangka saya ambil kisah dengan apa yang dikatakan olehnya.
17. Pesta/Parti adalah : sesuatu yang mahu saya adakan untuk harijadi suami saya Julai nanti.
18. Haiwan yang paling comel yang saya pernah temui ialah : kucing saya, Zoey.
19. Peringkat umur yang paling menyeronokkan bagi saya ialah : di sekolah menengah, di mana saya berjumpa dengan ramai sahabat baik saya.
20. Hari ini : sudah berakhir.
21. Malam ini saya akan : tidur, selepas berjumpa Azzura (dia sudah menghubungi saya dan akan tiba sebentar lagi!)
22. Esok pula saya akan : bekerja :(
    
23. Saya betul-betul inginkan : komputer riba milik saya sendiri.
24. Ketika anda lihat wajah anda di hadapan cermin pagi ini : saya dapati bahawa muka saya masih seperti biasa, Alhamdullilah.
25. Pusat membeli-belah atau arked permainan : Pusat membeli-belah. Arked permainan tidak ada menjual baju jenama Dorothy Perkins.
26. Makanan Barat atau Jepun : kedua-duanya sekali.
27. Bilik yang terang atau gelap: terpulang pada keadaan.
    
28. Makanan segera adalah : makanan yang cepat untuk disiapkan. Khasiatnya masih dipertikai.
29. Ayat terakhir yang anda katakan pada seseorang? Pandu kereta dengan hati-hati (tetapi di dalam bahasa Inggeris)

TAG2

1. Apakah perasaan anda sekarang? Bercampur-aduk di antara gembira, sedih, menyampah dan sebagainya.
   
2. Saya nak makan? Ketam, tapi tak tahu bila.
   
3. Saya tak suka? Orang yang suka mempersendakan orang lain, tapi tak dapat menerima apabila dirinya menjadi bahan lawak. Sengal kan?
   
4. Impian saya? Untuk mempunyai perniagaan sendiri, dan pada yang sama menjadi penulis cereka fiksyen yang sukses. haha.
5. Haiwan yang saya tak suka? Tikus!
6. Saya harapkan? Yang terbaik untuk saya dan suami, serta keluarga.
7. Jika boleh putarkan masa? Saya tidak mahu fikirkan kemungkinan itu, kerana saya tidak mahu merosakkan peluang saya untuk berjumpa suami saya.
8. Saya pada 10 tahun akan datang? Akan tetap dengan pendirian saya, insya Allah.
9. Handphone saya adalah sebuah? Sony Ericsson Z610i berwarna biru.
10. Saya pernah bercinta sebanyak? beberapa kali; dengan keluarga, teman-teman, lelaki yang tidak layak pun pernah juga.
11. Kawan-kawan saya? kebanyakannya sengal belaka.
12. Pernah dikhianati? Ya.
13. Apa yang hendak anda lakukan terhadap orang yang mengkhianati anda? hmm. Entah. Yang pasti, saya gembira kerana tiada pengkhianat di dalam hidup saya sekarang ini (Agaknya lah)
    
14. Siapa yang anda nak Tag? Kusa, Azzura (kalau dia masih ber'blog'), Lyana, Nik, Charles (haha!), Deepa, Arnie, Alia, Ikin, Saddiq dan sebagainya.
    

I can do better than this. But so malas to fix!

cranky.

I feel lousy. Tired. Pissy.

Its Thursday, so in a way this is not out of the ordinary. But instead of the usual 'I'm-so-effed-off-I-want-to-strangle-someone' kinda pissy, it's more of a 'I-don't-wanna-be-here-I-want-to-just-lie-down-and-not-think' kinda pissy. It's weird. I don't usually have this.

Maybe is the lack of sleep - we came back from Cineleisure at 3am, and went to bed 15 minutes later.

It was a good outing though. Good movie too; I enjoyed it tremendously. But I don't know if I'll enjoy it as much if I was to watch it a second time. I did that for the first movie, and that 'whoa' feeling just wasn't there anymore. But I have a soft spot for Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. That always pull me back in.

Anyways.

You know what I hate? I know Soul covered this in her blog a while back, but its worth to be said again: people asking me if I am pregnant. Well okay, that I can actually handle. But for some messed up reason, when I tell them that I am not (in the calmest voice that my burning-with-hate throat would allow), most would just assume that I don't want to be pregnant. That I am 'planning' as to when I want to have a child.

How FUCKING insensitive is that? What if a woman is having difficulties conceiving because of hormonal or health problems? Don't you think that your sudden need to lecture her about how a child is God's gift would only make her sad?

I hate having to explain to people that I am not pregnant because rezeki belum ada. Every time I do it, it makes me feel like I owe them the explanation. And it adds to the stress. Which is ironic, because I'm supposed to be stress-free in order to have a better chance of getting pregnant, but all this accusations about the reason as to why I am not pregnant is stressing the hell out of me.

Well this is not helping my whole pissy, lousy feeling.

late nights, the blisskat way

Went home around 1.30am last night to catch False Opus' reunion performance at urbanattic.

It was good. Their songs are great, and I especially love the two Malay songs.

Thanks baby for the great date ;)

And another late night tonight. We're catching Transformers' 11.45pm show at Cineleisure along with my Sayang's friends. Bad move to agree to the movie actually; tomorrow is Thursday, after all.

I'm so going to have a hard time waking up tomorrow morning. Wish me luck.

apologies.

Sorry guys. I did something stupid that caused the blog to be placed on private for a few days.

Its back on now... So jangan marah okay?

A lot of things are happening nowadays; with family, work, my hubby. Things are hectic. I welcome some of the chaos, some... not as much. Oh well, such is life.

I'm looking forward to the day I join Subway. As of this moment, I'm unsure yet when my final day at the office will be, but we're planning for a trip in mid July so Insya Allah before then. So by August, I should be able to complain a lot less about the little time I have to do anything. haha.

In the midst of it all, a way of keeping my sanity intact, I've been reading. I re-read To Kill A Mockingbird, which is one of the most awesome book ever. There's not a lot of books out there that tells a story from a nine-year old's point of view, that reveals so much about life and humanity. The book is a classic, and rightfully so.

And I'm reading the Twilight saga back-to-back. I'm only starting in my third book today, and by the looks of it I should be able to finish the final and fourth book by the weekend. The story is pretty good, considering the fact that it is targeted at a mostly young adult audience (ie 18 year olds). I'm a sucker for love stories with a twist, and for brooding vampires.

Okay, admittedly I began reading the books after watching the movie. But not because the movie was good... it's because the movie lacks something, and I need to know what it was. I was right; for instance, there's so much more to the main character Bella in the first book than there was in the movie. And it depicts the vampires with much more depth.

And of course, there was Robert Pattinson. I feel silly right now, crushing on him like I did with Leonardo DiCaprio when I was a teenager (before Titanic, mind you). But not as bad lah. And its not just Robert Pattinson... Its Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen. Gila drool sial. If there are vampires in the world, I bet Robert Pattinson is the head of the Volturi.

And so, this post ends.

Job opening!

The company I am working for is looking for a writer for our weekly publication, Islamic Finance news.

If you're interested or know someone who might be, please email mirafreaka at yahoo dot com for more information.

And people, please, NO SPAM. Only genuine interest will be entertained.

By the way, that person will be taking over my job.

:)

Pictures are uploaded on Facebook, but here's a preview:

Broadway, baby :)

Saying hello to Lincoln

Feeding my seafood addiction

Photos from the US trip will be up soon! I promise!

But in the mean time...

It's time for Friday Fill-ins! (yes, I know the idea is to do it every Friday, but excuse me for not having the time! :P)

1. It's cold and that's no big surprise, considering the fact that the office is actually a freezer in disguise.

2. I have a thing for sun-dried tomatoes.

3. My favorite health and beauty product is a daily dose of Vitamin C.

4. Oh how I wish the tiring flight to the States, and the trip back to Malaysia, was a nice long ride.

5. Well, first of all my inability to be mean may make me seem timid, but mind you, hell has no fury like a woman scorned.

6. The Lincoln Memorial, Broadway and Atlantic City; those were the cast of characters in a recent dream and it was actually not a dream, but seemed like it coz I never thought I'd be going to those places in a million years.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dinner with my Sayang and Lyana, tomorrow my plans include watching my Hubby get shot with balls of paint and Sunday, I want to hug Ikin till she can't breathe (but I will try and spare her little dango)!

to the end.

Hello all~

Just so you know, 5 hours is not enough time to spend in New York.

Yup, went to the Big Apple on the fourth day of our trip. Managed to only walk around in Times Square, Broadway and the Rockafeller Center, before heading back to Penn Station. I wanted to go to Central Park and the Empire State Building as well (along with countless others landmark places in NY), but 5 hours was all we had.

If I had the money and time to spare, I would love to spend at least four days there. But its okay. I still had the time of my life.

Later that day, we went to pick up Mommy's sis, Ucu, who lives in California from the airport. She came with us (and kindly drove!) to Washington DC for a night's stay. It was a long drive... about 5 hours and 30 minutes, me thinks.

And what do you know... the same thing happened. There was just not enough time. We did go to the White House and the Washington, Lincoln, World War II and Korean War monuments, but only got to see Jefferson's from afar, as well as Capitol Hill. Walked around the Smithsonians for a bit as well, and we only managed to get inside the American History Museum to get some souvenirs.

Anyways, we were supposed to go to Niagara Falls on Wednesday, but I think everyone was still tired from the DC trip that we decided against it. So we went to a little town called Shamong in New Jersey instead to get my Baby's paintball gears, which was about an hour's drive away. And on a (almost) whim, we went to Atlantic City.

The place was okay, I guess. I might sing a different tune if I had money to burn. And there's a lot of elderly people there... I wonder why?

I like the seaside and the beach though. It was beautiful. And cold.

And today, we went and did some last minute shopping at Costco and Target. The little money I had left from previous shopping trips and souvenirs hunting prevented me from spending too much, thus keeping my sanity intact.

2 more days. Ucu will be leaving tomorrow evening, and our flight is not until Saturday night. I'm dreading the 22-hour journey, but I do miss my family, my cat, the weather (when its sunny and warm), the feeling of being at home.

By the way, sorry for the lack of pictures. Will try to do something about that when I get back.

the graduate.

Alhamdullilah, Fen's graduation went well.

It was a very intimate dinner. Everyone knew each other, and the faculty members were very nice. There were several highlights, but the fact that bro-in-law graduated is the best of all. Mommy was beaming with absolute pride... you can see it from a thousand miles away.

And to watch my hubby went on fanboy mode at the sight of Adam and Andy Kubert is another memorable moment as well~

Now I sleep.

The beginning

Hello everyone!

If you think that I am extra cheery today, that's because I am. No... not because I am in the US, but because I finally got off a 21 hour flight and I got to sleep on a proper, comfy bed!

Anyways, I arrived safely (with a little turbulence on the way to Newark) at 1oam. Got to the hotel about 2 hours later, and slept to wake up at 7pm! hahahahah~

The weather is gloomy when we arrived.

Ok nak gi makan. Lapar.

Thank God It's Friday

1. Apples are to oranges as cheesecakes are to petai.

2. Assume makes an ass out of u and me and that's all I have to say about that.

3. I think I hear voices.

4. I don't need a flag.

5. Do what you want to do, but hell, leave me out of it.

6. Across the road, there stood a mime and behind him was a Radio Flyer wagon; in the wagon was a bucket filled with fish.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watch a movie with my Babe, tomorrow my plans include wishing Najeeb a happy birthday and a doa selamat for my hubby's cousin, and Sunday, I want to start packing for my US trip!

Too random for you? Check out Friday Fill-Ins.

The Three

Note to Najeeb: I'll do the memes you tagged me once I have more time k?

Three Names I go by
1. Elmira
2. El
3. Mira

Three Jobs I have had in my life
1. Body Shop's product advisor
2. Admin Asst at UPM's graduate school
3. Writer

Three Places I have lived
1. Serdang
2. Bandar Tun Razak
3. Shah Alam

Three TV Shows that I watch [well, let's make it Three TV Shows that I would watch if time permits!]
1. Project Runway
2. Greys Anatomy
3. Pushing Daisies

Three Favorite Places I have been
1. Bali, Indonesia
2. Langkawi, Malaysia la duh
3. Kedai buku

People that e-mail me regularly
1. My bosses
2. Colleagues
3. Facebook haha.

Three of my favorite foods
1. Fish
2. Chocolate
3. Crab and Prawn

Three things I would like to do
1. Cook more
2. Watch TV
3. Bring peace to the world with a flick of my fingers


Things I am looking forward to
1. US trip. Wednesday, come soon!
2. July.
3. Make babies haha

Three people that would respond to this and do it
1. Nana
2. My babes
3. Najeeb + Soul
(Okay more than three but what the hell.)

----

A lot of these answers reminds me of what little time I have to do the little things, like spending time in a bookstore, or watch TV. Simple pleasures in life that we take for granted.

I'm sleepy. And yet I'm blogging, and I'm on Facebook. Hubby is probably snoring away in the room. hmm. Time to join him, I guess.

oh my.

I wish the one of the embassy interviewer would read my loathe post.

So what if a guy has never stepped outside of Malaysia? Not everyone has the privilege, the money to spend, the time to spare. I should know.

And how is he 'went straight hitting for the gold' just because his first time on an airplane is to go to the States? He was going to visit his girlfriend, for heaven's sake. Its not like he just woke up one day, decided to go to the US, because the country is so irresistible that he just have to 'hit for the gold'!

I know for sure that not all Americans working in the embassy are like that. My interviewer, for one thing, was one of the nicest man in a government office I've ever met. He didn't feel the necessity to drag my interview down and ask unnecessary questions, request to see trivial documents. He just went straight to the point.

But this other guy... such arrogance! I could not help but roll my eyes when he said what he said.

But maybe he was just having a bad day. Maybe he did not do that intentionally... you know, presenting himself as someone who is too proud of being American and thinks that everyone else in this whole wide world dreams and sighs dreamily of the US. Plus, the interviewee did not really help the situation either. Taking up a loan to visit his girlfriend? Are you kidding me?!

*deep breaths*

Anyways, my interview went extremely well. The waiting part took most of time; otherwise the interview itself took roughly five minutes. It helped that Mommy and Hubby got their visas three years ago, and that I am already working, and we've made firm plans for our May trip. So Alhamdullilah, it was easy breezy.

And I'm really looking forward to the trip. 12 days off work, 12 days with my Sayang. And his mom, his brother and Insya Allah his aunt, but it all adds up to the fun. And it has been a long while since I traveled anywhere, the last one being Bali in 2006, so I'm definitely making the most of my holiday.

Three more weeks. whee~!

61

That's how old my late mother would be today if she is still alive.

Happy Birthday, Mama.

loathe.

With all my might, I hate those who are:

Ignorant: These kind of people, I meet, either in real life or virtually, every day. Mostly online, though. For instance: You guys know that I work in an Islamic finance publication, right? So sometimes, the news that I get through my Google Alerts are on Islam but not necessarily on finance. More often than I would've liked, I receive alerts on blog posts that people all over the world put up, dissing Islam up to the brim, like they know so much about the religion to be talking about it in the first place.

What the hell is up with that?! I mean, regardless of the subject matter, you should only speak up when you know what you are talking about. You don't have to be an expert on it, but at least make educated opinions statements. I know I'm no expert in Islam although I am Muslim, that's why I usually steer away from making religiously-driven postings. But you, the only Muslim you know is Osama bin Laden, and suddenly you know everything? bleurgh!

Arrogant: Why do you talk and type like you are the best human being in the world? As if the rest of humanity is beneath you, and none of our opinions matter? You refuse to accept when someone refutes your brick-hard stand on an issue, even when you probably know the other party is right.

It irks me when people use sarcasm to belittle others. Its funny when it is, but when its not... God help me. Don't your parents ever tell you not to look down on other people? Its rude!


Judgmental: Different people have different ways at living their life, at looking at their life. People have different goals and expectations, dreams and fears, wants and needs. So why do you, pray tell, scoff at those who feel and think differently than you?

So what if the newly-married couple is staying at their in-laws? Does it hurt you in any way? And what is it to you if they don't want to have any children yet due to financial reasons? Are you willing to offer them your savings to help them? Just because your family taught you that the females does not belong in the office, and that the men are not suppose to be in the kitchen EVER, that doesn't mean that the complete opposite won't work for other people!

Unless you know these people personally that you may be in a better position to comment on their life (to them in person, not via blogs, twitter, facebook, surat layang), reserve your opinion to yourself. Drop that holier-than-thou attitude la please. It annoys others, and it won't do you much good in the long run.

---

Excuse me. I'm ranting. I just don't get these people sometimes.

And mind you, these are only some of the types of personality I hate.

red flats is <3

It's very very hard to concentrate when you're hungry. *pats tummy*

... See? I don't even remember the next line I wanted to type out after the first one above, and I was just thinking about it like a minute ago!

Anyways, got a new pair of flats that a colleague ordered for me from Indonesia. Yup, I occasionally shop online. Well, I only buy from the Indonesian shoe shop and a local plus-size online boutique. Tried both shops just for the heck of it, and I'm glad the good turned out great.

But no, that does not mean that I'll start shopping online religiously. There's something about going to a store, trying things out for myself, imagining what occasions you can wear the top/dress/pants/shoes to, and then only taking out my wallet to pay for the item.

Wah and suddenly my concentration level risen up.

Hidayah... aku laparrrr!

trippin' on smoothie

Still no Internet at home.

Been a while since I was able to log on to Facebook, to find that the look has changed. And MSN Messenger too!

Have yet to really explore it to decide whether I love it or loathe it. I will soon, I hope.

till later~

The first one live from Shah Alam

I am now getting online from a mamak in Seksyen 11, Shah Alam, which I think is kind of like a formal officiation of our residency in the city.

Didn't really get the chance to tell everyone, but we've moved in my in-laws' new house since Tuesday. The house is very much ready, but there are boxes still left unpacked in our bedrooms. No real rush to unpack everything as yet I suppose, as my Sayang and I haven't bought our bookshelf yet, and we still need a coffee table.

But Alhamdullilah, our bedroom is bigger now, and no more single bed yeay!

We still don't have a telephone line or Astro though, which is why I'm here at the mamak. Kusa wants to watch the Man U - Fulham game, and I need my Facebook fix. And YM. And I want to blog.

Moving on.

My hubby and I went to see Jason Mraz on Wednesday with Zura and her friend Akmar, Hadi and Lyana, and we HAD A BLAST! Seriously, I regretted not getting the standing tickets... I want the Polaroid pic he took of himself!

And Mraz sounds so much better live, and he looked so damn awesome, to the extent that I think Hadi has a crush on him! haha~ But I'm glad that I went with some of my greatest friends... you guys are the bomb! <3

Hmm so what else?

ooooh. I've been making more effort to read lately, and I'm reading my second book in a week now. Its chick-lit, Falling Out of Fashin by Karen Yampolsky, not something that I usually read. But Zura is right; it does make a good read after a long day of work, when you want something easy to read. I Googled the book online, and apparently it was inspired by real life events. Go look it up, if you are interested :)

I have 4 more book in my collection that I've yet to read, but already I am planning to buy more hahahaha.

On the downside, I got a scare earlier today when my sister told me that my dad is having difficulty to move around because of a sudden pain at the waist area. Got really worried, so Kusa and I rushed to Serdang. He's not feeling any much better even after a reflexology treatment, but at least he can joke around. So we're glad. If things doesn't get any better tomorrow, we're planning to take him to the hospital. Do pray for him yea?

Anyways, The Matta Travel Fair is on next weekend, and I'm planning to go scout for cheap deals for our anniversary in July. We're aiming for something local, and probably somewhere by the beach. Any suggestions?

So how's this as a first post from our new neighborhood?

I was tagged part deux

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
I don't think so.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Yesterday. Seven Pounds made me cry like a little girl.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
haha no!

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAL?
Good food. haha. It depends, really.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Yes. Her name is Zoe. She's fat, and she's gray. And yes, she's a cat.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yup! I'd probably tell me to get serious about losing weight tho.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
No lah I use soap.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
haha not really, no.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Honey gold and Quakers' wheat squares thingy.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
I don't wear shoes with strings in the first place.

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
At the moment, its chocolate and mint.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their eyes.

15. RED OR PINK?
Red ftw!

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORlTE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My lack of will to get on the treadmill.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Mama.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
Its up to them really.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
No shoes, pink and white stripey pants. Yes I'm in my pajamas.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The Brilliant Green - Angel Song

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE
Red la duh.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Estee Lauder's Pleasures and Pure White Linen Breeze, Annick Goutal's Petite Cherie, fresh lilies. And any rose scents, either fresh or perfume; reminds me of my mother and The Body Shop's Tea Rose perfume she used to wear.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Kak Fara, last night.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Several people tagged me, and I like them all very much! <3

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Football when with hubby, and paintball when hubby is playing.

27. HAIR COLOR?
Dark brown.

28. EYE COLOR?
Dark brown.

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No. I don't have to :D

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Malay, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mexican. I love food la basically. But am currently craving for Las Carretas' jalapeno poppers.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings! I'm a sucker like that.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Seven Pounds with Azzura :)

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Salmon haha.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Both!

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Hugs AND kisses.

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND to this note?
The people of Sup Cendawan Anjung.

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND to this note?
uhm. My husband.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Mouse la duh.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Bourne Ultimatum.

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
Kusa's snore (when its gentle and not too loud that I can't sleep)

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Both?

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Europe baby!

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I can move my ears :)

46 WHERE WERE U BORN?
KL.

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Everyone's!

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
IRC. Yup it started out as an internet relationship. Yanti introduced us. Thanks Yanti! (Or is it "Dang it, Yanti, look what you got me into!" ;) hahaha. Just kidding!)

I was tagged

Rules: It's harder than it looks! Copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag twenty people.

Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real, nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1. What is your name : Mira

2. A four Letter Word : More

3. A boy's Name : Michael

4. A girl's Name : Marissa

5. An occupation : Marskman

6. A colour : Maroon

7. Something you'll wear : Maxi skirt

9. A food : Mee Maggi

10. Something found in the bathroom: Mirror

11. A place : Museum

12. A reason for being late: Makan! haha.

13. Something you'd shout : Mangkuk ayun! (a tribute to Najeeb :P)

14. A movie title : Memoirs of a Geisha

15. Something you drink : Milkshake

16. A musical group : My Chemical Romance

17. An animal : Mink

18. A street name : Maharajalela, Jalan

19. A type of car : Mitsubishi

20. The title of a song : Mary had a Little Lamb haha.

V Day shortie.

I want to write, but am too tired.

Noran's nikah was on Friday, and she had her reception yesterday. was beautiful, and as weddings usually are, extremely chaotic.

But I love her. And we had a blast.

Dina's birthday was on Friday as well. After Noran's wedding, the Syed Nor Azlan clan had a birthday celebration for her.

Adorable cupcakes and little cream puffs are yum~

Feet is killing me.

Will write more on both events when I have the chance.

Toodles~

I'm supposed to be resting.

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I am from the Jamalullail clan of the Syed lineage. My second name, Elmira, when combined with the clan name, means 'princess of the beautiful night'.

2. Also on my name, I used to carry two ICs around before MyKad was introduced. One is the regular one with only my name, the other one with my full name [inclusive of my dad's name]. In case you're wondering, its Syarifah Elmira Afzan binti Syed Nor Azlan. A mouthful, eh? haha. I love my name!

3. I love love love spicy food. Although I have to take em with jugs full of water.

4. I had this weird thing that kinda stopped, where whatever cookies, candies of chocolate pieces I eat must be in even numbers. It only applied to countable food items like the ones I mention... not rice or noodles.

5. I studied Performing Arts in a UiTM for a year. Was the pioneering batch. Something screwed up, and then I didn't pursue it. Oh well.

6. Chocolate and lemon tastes weird together. But separately, they're heaven-sent.

7. My babe and I couldn't pinpoint an exact date when we got together. We didn't exactly do the whole "Will you be my girl/boy?" routine. We just decided one day - over the net, nonetheless - to go with the flow. The flow is still going.

8. Made some very close friends online, in IRC, in a little channel called #backroomkl. But most of them moved on to other things. One I married to. And one girl I'm still close to is in Japan.

9. Also on friends, some of my best friends are the ones from school. This either shows that I don't socialize much, or that I am very loyal that way.

10. I can't get angry for too long. Especially with friends and my sisters. So even when a friend screws up and then comes back, I'd accept her/him back without much questions.

11. I am currently swooning over a French toddler that goes by the name Capucine.

12. My late mother is my ultimate hero. She is wise, patient, calm, non-judgmental, and would even help those who dissed her in the past. I don't think I can be like her.

13. I'm not very funny. [Unlike Hadi, I am dead serious!]

14. I aspire to own a makeup artistry business by the time I'm 33.

15. I want to write a fiction novel. No deadline for that yet, though.

16. I wanted to be a radio DJ. I swear to God, I put that down in school whenever they ask students to write down our ambitions.

17. My husband is the only person who can get away with tickling me. He suffers in the process though. I am very ticklish, up to a point where I loathed being tickled at. I may laugh when I am tickled, but I cry inside. And sometimes, afterward. But Kusa is persistent. Its good though... its not like I want him to stop.

18. Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill and No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom are the best albums of all time, in my list.

19. I forgive, but forgetting is harder. I won't say that I don't, but can't say that I do either. It depends. So save the trouble and don't mess with me k?

20. I am surrounded with graphically creative people: my husband, his brother, his best friend, my best friend. But I am not.

21. I have sensitive teeth due to the stupidity of a dentist.

22. I fidget. Its a habit that's hard to break.

23. I hate the kind of cherries that people put on a cake. But give me real ones anytime, baby. yum!

24. I am the tallest among my siblings. And I'm the youngest.

25. I am amazed how my Sayang can make me get over my sulking mode with just a single look or one line to make me laugh again. I may still be angry, but I laugh anyways. And on how he finds different ways to annoy me on a daily basis. Every day. Even after 7 years and six months. He is so annoying, its endearing. :)

By the way, I'm tagging EVERYONE.

woohoo! i'm blogging for the second day in a row!

Two friends of mine and myself had a discussion during lunch about tudung-clad women and smoking.

It was brought up when one of them, Hidayah, saw a girl with tudung or headscarf smoke a cigarette at the mamak where we were having lunch, near the office. She was voicing out her disbelief to us, and said that she couldn't accept it. Juliana, the other girl, agreed.

I did not.

In a nutshell, their point of view was - putting religion and health reasons aside - that its not appropriate for women who are supposed to be the epitome of prim and proper [as most tudung-clad women are] to smoke in public.

While mine - of course, putting religion and health reasons aside - is that it should be okay for them to smoke, just as it is okay for men, or women not wearing tudung. Why should there be a double standard?

This no smoking rule for tudung-wearer, it seems to me, was imposed by society.

I'm not the smartest of person to be giving out expert opinions; my thoughts are mine, from what I observed and from what I have learned. I was not brought-up to believe that those wearing the headscarf should be held in a different pedestal than those who are not (except for the obvious fact that wearing the tudung is a must amongst Muslim women).

To me, I have a bigger problem with tudung-wearer who wears short-sleeved, tight fitting t-shirts. Kinda defeats the whole purpose, don't you think?

Being prim and proper or respectable to me its about how a woman, regardless of whether her hair shows or not, carries herself. The same how you would judge a man. Doesn't help that there already is an existing double standards between man and women, and now there's one between those donning the tudung or not pulak?

And hearing out their opinion, I do understand what they were trying to say. Juliana said that women and sometimes men in Korea smoked discreetly, because they were taught that it is not proper to do it in public.

But again my question: whose fault was that?

Talking to them about it did not change my mind. In the end, we just agreed to disagree.

What do you think?

28 at 4.10pm

And so another 29th January has passed us by.

More significantly to me lah, of course, with my 28th birthday and all that.

Yeah. I'm 28 now. I thought the number would scare me, but its kind of liberating instead. I believe I am wiser now. Still so much to learn, and so many things I have yet to accomplish, but Insya Allah I'll get there.

Random thought: I wonder how true the saying that a true lady doesn't tell her age?

Anyways. I hope I didn't annoy too much with my birthday countdowns and what-not. I love celebrating my birthday, and I'm not ashamed to admit that. I love the fact that its in January, and that I can tell people "My birthday is on the 29th day of the year". So to those who are annoyed, I am sorry. Not like I'm going to stop doing it, but sorry anyways.

I had a pretty decent day. OK that's a lie. I was stressed, especially in the evening. Didn't help that today is a effing Thursday.

I'm actually considering imposing a 'no work on a birthday' policy on myself. and hubby baby. boleh tak?

Thank you everyone for the kind wishes (and the occasional get-baby-soon messages that somehow got tangled up in the birthday messages). I truly, honestly feel very appreciated and loved. :)

And so the birthday weekend begins. I have 4 celebrations roughly planned out, so here's to another busy weekend!

I owe it to you people

OK lah, since a few people have been telling me that my previous blog title was misleading (not exactly in those words, though), here's a post on the band that I've been head-over-heels about.

Well, to be honest, there's not much to blog about. I didn't know Estrella existed until yesterday, when I was channel-surfing and suddenly decided to stop at hitz.tv. What caught me was this cute girl singing the lead (Liyana, I think her name is) and that the beginning of the song, titled 'Stay', sounds so much like 'Dan' by Sheila on 7, my ultimate Indonesian band.

The song is catchy, and fun. So I decided to look them up on YouTube. And I found this.



The title of this song is 'Ternyata'. I fell in love with it almost immediately. I love it so much, I even told Najeeb that he has to have the song during his reception!

So yeah. This is why I was swooning over them.

swooning over Estrella

Hello everyone. Yes, I am blogging without waiting for someone to tell me to! woohoo!

Met up with Noran and Along this morning for breakfast/wedding briefing session. Didn't get to lepak too long as noran had to rush to Penang at noon. But it was nice, and meeting with Along after so effing long is great.

Remember Long... Ko tu yang kurus sangat, bukan aku yang gemuk, ok? hahaha.

Anyways, talking about weddings and the preparations makes me think about mine six months ago. Noran has hers pretty much covered, and by the looks of it, definitely better prepared that I was. There are some little details here and there that she overlooked, but to me, that happens to the best of us. So no need to worry babe, you'll be fine :)

But it is hard work. And some may even seem tedious and petty to those not directly involved in the wedding, or have never worked on one ever. Some people have it lucky; they can have anything they want however they want it to be without people telling them what to do. Some, like me, fight to have what they want. And sadly there are those whose weddings are controlled by so-called concerned aunties and uncles and grandma and grandpa and grandmom's step sister from her father's third marriage. No offense.

For those who might be interested, there are two things that I consider most important in planning a wedding: communication, and compromise. And these two were essential in making my wedding perfect, for me, my husband and I think for my family as well.

Communication is pretty much self-explanatory; you gotta let your thoughts be known for people to know what you want. And, you gotta listen to other people as well when they are voicing out their opinion. Especially if they have been planning weddings before. Some ideas may be kolot to you, but you gotta hear them out before making judgments.

Compromise is something that my dad and I only came to after months of crying and shouting. Contrary to popular belief, a wedding is not just about you and your husband/wife. That's just bullshit. Okay maybe not completely, but its half bullshit.

Of course, the couple is where the spotlight should be on, but remember that a wedding reception, especially a Malay one, is a family celebration. A father celebrates his happiness that his daughter has found the perfect match, a mother cries as her son is starting a new family. Or a sister rejoicing over the fact that she doesn't have to share the room or fight over the remote anymore. The wedding is not just your day; the wedding is about family.

I think I strayed a little.

Getting back on track. It can't be helped that opinions between the bride/groom and the parents, for instance, may differ about how the wedding should be planned. Arguments can just rise up out of thin air, for no apparent reason. It could be about the dais or pelamin, the goodie bag, the attire, the decorations at the house, some may even fight over something as seemingly trivial as the theme color! So the ability to compromise is gold at times like these. Ideally, both sides should be willing to. Parents have to remember that it is the son or daughter that is getting married, while the other party needs to remember that parents are celebrating a joyous occasion and want things to be perfect.

And if all else fails, follow this rule: whoever pays for it, gets to decide. The other party, deal with it.

Okay so that's not really a good advice. So use it only under EXTREMELY EXTREME situations.

There were hell when I planned for my wedding. There were things that I wasn't too pleased about. But I can say this with conviction: in the end, it does not matter. You may be a little grumpy that you did not get that RM700 three-tier wedding cake that you wanted, but I bet you me that you're not gonna sulk on your wedding day about it. You wouldn't want to.

And no, I didn't want a RM700 three-tier wedding cake.

Compromise is also important with yourself. If you're under a budget, don't fret too much over the fact that you can't afford that celebrity make-up artist, or that divine french lace for your baju nikah. Make the most of what you can have.

On the wedding day, remember not to sweat the little things. Some things may be a little bigger than small, so ask someone to look on it for you. But if they can't, or its not really a big deal, then live with it and enjoy your day.

By the way, please please please bear in mind that weddings last for a mere few days, but marriage is, insya Allah, forever. So whatever it is, keep your priorities straight, yeah?

And that's how I got my perfect wedding.

the first in '09

It seems like not blogging for long periods of time has become a habit of mine. It's not because that I don't have any time at all to spend in front of the pc, typing away; I just don't have enough of it. I'm not the kind of person who would get online for the sake of blogging, hence I only update the blog only when I am truly free, and I don't have much to do, online or off.

Getting back on the time factor... its just insane. Like I said, not to the point that I don't have time for anything, but it takes a lot of in-advance planning just to have dinner or lunch with my babes, for instant. Its been a long while since my Sayang and I ever went on a proper date, and besides KLCC, I haven't been to malls for the longest time.

This is not acceptable when, Insya Allah, a baby comes our way.

Hopefully, things will improve once we move permanently to Shah Alam [and no, its not our own house but the in-laws']. And come April, once the finance class is over and done with, we'll have two extra evenings during the weekdays to play with. Maybe then I'll have time to do things I want to do, and to do things I know my Babe wants me to do more of...

It'll come through, I hope.

It will be the 18th day of January in a few moments. I've been meaning to do sort of like a lowdown of the significant happenings in 2008 to me and my Sayang. I haven't had the chance, and Ikin kind of did it a lil bit late into the month as well, so why the hell not?

A lot of things happened this year. On the very bright side, I am now a wife. I am surprised at how much being married does not shock me; I was prepared to go through some serious changes. But so far there has not been much difference in how I conduct my daily life. Except for the fact I see a lot more of my Boo. I guess it has a lot to do with how I am not able to do a lot of 'wifely' stuff. Insya Allah, when we get our own place, I will.

I also got a my first stable, real paying job this year. And roughly 9 months later, I got promoted. Its a big deal to me... I wasn't expecting any increament or promotion until at least a full one year. It means more work, of course, but at the same time more trust from my bosses. So yeay! And an achievement of mine that is work-related is.... that I made several reports on Islamic finance without any financial background whatsoever. haha. Not recommended, though.

Other highlights include our Langkawi and Penang trips, as well as the arrival of Fadlan Ilham.

The lows? I left a job in March 2008 which I kind of had high hopes for. On the outside, it sounded like the perfect job for me. I got to write, and I got to learn so much. But I was late to realize that some things did not feel right: there was no confirmation letter after my internship ended, my pay was in cash with no documentation, I had to do a job meant for two people, and the editor of the magazine has no experience in editorial. Publishing is NOT editorial! blergh.

Also, someone close to me was - and still is - suffering some complications due to an ailment the person had two years ago. It does not seem to get better, but am hoping for the best this year.

Can't seem to think of anything else to add to this list. But all-in-all, it has been a wonderful year for me, and was quite stressful for the first half mostly due to work and wedding preparations. The second half fared better, but the stress didn't exactly lessen. Such is life.

As for my resolutions, well, it has never really been my thing. But I tought, what the heck?, so this year, I resolve to:

• Be fitter, and lose some weight in the process. Yes I know I say this often.
• Find a sport that I enjoy doing.
• Do more - bake, cook, write, theatre, movies, etc.

I'd add more to the list, but I'd like to keep this realistic.

So now I am off to bed.

And oh, by the way, its my birthday in roughly 11 days. ;)