The Memory Keeper's Daughter

While I was in Singapore around 2 weeks ago, I bought this book as soon as I could find the nearest Borders, just in case I have too much free time waiting for the train, cab, plane, etc. I've been meaning to read this book for quite some time already, so why not start during a vacation kan?

I was attracted to the basic storyline, at first. It's about a couple who got twins, one girl & one boy. The husband, a doctor, who helped deliver the babies realized that his baby girl has Down Syndrome. So he told his wife that the baby girl died and asked his nurse to send the baby to a "special" institution. But the nurse didn't have the heart to leave the baby there, so she went away and raised the baby as her own instead. So the lives of these people were forever changed, yada yada yada lah.

So I finished reading it 2 days ago and I DO NOT recommend you to read this book unless you're into Shakespeare kinda shit (which I am not). Too many descriptions of how the sky's so blue, the snow so soft & white (like there's any other color for snow hello?), the leaves are falling, the flowers blooming, the sun shines brightly and all those konon2 romantic crap, it's sooo annoying! I mean, sikit2 bolehlaa tahan lagi. But if all actions nak kena kaitkan with all the earthly elements - the wind, the flowers, the ocean, the rainbow - mannn...it can be dreading. And that is what you'll get when you read this book.

Sorry Kim Edwards, your writing is just not my cup of tea. And Jodi Picoult, you still rock!

Detoxing

I started my personal detox program yesterday (finally!) by drinking the TruDtox tea to 'cleanse' my internal organs and the whole digestive system. Hopefully it will help to reduce the stomachache I've been having every time lepas makan.

But let me tell you, the tea tastes and smells like %$#%^&*$#!!!! Aaaaa...how do I get through another 3 days consuming this awful drink??? Iskk...

Panggilan Pulau

Our trip to Penang was somewhat fun but kinda tiring. Seriously laa, I cannot stand the traffic jam at Jelapang tol tu. Huru-hara siot! Anyway, let's talk about the fun stuff.

We started our journey from KL around 9.30am, after having breakfast at Kg. Baru. Kononlaa nak bertolak "early morning" kan hahaha! Somehow, we always fail lah when it comes to early morning activities ni hehe. Slept around 2 hours of the journey (hehe sorry dear) and arrived at Jambatan Pulau Pinang around 3pm (campur restroom stop and stretching stop hihi).


Checked in straight away into Bayview Beach Resort in Batu Ferringhi and lepaks sambil makan sandwich we brought from home. We had a seaview room yeay so it was kinda calming to just sit on the balcony, taking in the ocean breeze while reading a book.


In the evening, took a walk by the beach and around the resort to explore the place. The beach was okaylaa, no powdery white sand whatsoever, but clean enough for us to walk around barefoot. Along the beach, they have services such as horse rides, jet ski, banana boat, tour around the island in a speedboat, etc for RM50-RM100 per session. Since the school holiday has already started, there were quite a number of kids with their families happily enjoying the mild waves.


And guess who we bumped into while we're walking by the pool? We saw the ever-so-funny Phat Phabes, the Fly Fm's DJ! He was enjoying the 'pool waterfall' with just his shorts on, looking all boolat and black haha! Since he was half-naked at that time, segan pulak aku nak tegor. Maybe next time, when he's fully dressed, I'll come by to say I'm his biggest fan chewahhh (second to Will Quah of course hehe).

Since they have basketball court available, we took the chance to exercise sikit petang2 by shooting some hoops. Mr. Wakil-Alam-Shah-in-Basbetball was teaching me how to do lay-up (baik coach!) which aku memang sgt fail hehe. It was funny! Macam2 personal style and gaya captured in pics.

Ini gaya budak Alam Shah yg konon2 pro hohoho!

Ini pula ialah gaya "hebat" ala2 iklan Nike wakaka!

Gaya jek lebih, tak semestinya masok pon hahaha! Good times babe, good times =)

Had dinner by the beach with Mrs. Pregnant + spouse and Mrs. Bukit Beruntung + spouse that night while having some doses of the annoying AF Final Concert hehe. Yeah yeah...Stacy deserved to win, she's got good talent, etc but the 'Wah, terlebih sudah!" tu has GOT TO GO mannn!

Also went to the famous markets in Batu Ferringhi which sell very, very cheap DVD ciplak. I managed to get my Brothers & Sisters huyeahhh! Tak sabar nak tgk the whole complicated yet normal Walker family drama, all over again and bertangis2an sendiri depan TV hehe.

On Sunday noon, went to Mr. & Mrs. Wanzaw's wedding in Nibong Tebal amidst the heavy rain. Banjir tuu Batu Ferringhi time hujan lebat.


Shared some laughs with the RPIans, then headed back to KL and safely arrived home around 7pm. Aaaahhh...there's nothing like sleeping on your own comfy bed.



Thanks Penang, for the mini vacation memories =p

XOXO...you know you love

OH MY GOD!!! This cannot wait till tomorrow!!!

Dan and Serena broke up?! OMG What? SHIT GILA! NOOOO...they have to be together! Blair and Chuck got together? Freaking AWESOME people!!! I would totally root for them! Mr. and Mrs. Writers, please please please don't let Chuck Bass screws it all up. Now, Dan + Vanessa and Nate + Serena possibly hooking up again in the summer?! NO WAYYYY!! That's gross!! I'm gonna kill someone if they actually get together. Dah basi weyyyy dah basi okay?! Takkan nak recycle boyfriend/girlfriend plak. Oh puhleaaaseeee! Aaaaaa...can't wait for the next one!!!

So yeah, I am totally obsessed with Gossip Girl right now. Just watched the latest episode before the series break for the summer. One minute you feel like "Aaawww..so sweet" that you wanna cry, one minute you feel "What? Noooo...this can't be happening!", then you feel "Yessss...padan muka kau bitch!". Aku memang dah terjerit2 dlm rumah ni with all the twists and plot surprises. I LOVE IT! *Sigh* this is how it feels like masa tgk The O.C zaman dolu2 hahaha...

No one does summer like New Yorkers. So grab your shades and your sunblock. This one looks like a scorcher. Until then...You know you love me. XOXO, Gossip Girl.

Makan bola, tido bola

Played futsal yesterday, as usual, with my geologist friends. Had a friendly match with a team from KFC, as a practice for Berita Harian's Futsal Tournament this Sunday. Too bad I'm not gonna be playing in the tournament coz I'll be in Penang this weekend. (Oh, did I tell you? Our next mini vacation is gonna be at Batu Ferringhi this weekend ooo yeahhh!). I would very much love to play sebenarnye coz I like playing with my team.

We lost 3-6 with KFC yesterday. What to do...we are all just a bunch of amateurs anyway. I have no problem with losing coz I know we tried our best, but I have a problem with budak2 pengkid yg suke nak perasan like they are konon2 soo macho and masculine padahal emo nak mampos macam pompuan gak! I thought you wanna be tough like a guy so much, abistu takkan kena langgar sikit pon dah nak bising?! It's not like we intentionally did it. *Sigh* bloodey waste of time ckp psl diorang ni. If you go to any futsal tournament for girls, there'll be a lot of them anyway. I don't understand why some girls can't just play futsal AND stay girlish.

We've got our own coach now. We call him Ajass and he plays in the National Futsal Team as a keeper, don't play-play hehe. I didn't even know that Malaysia has a futsal team until I met him hahaha! But he's cool laa. Very helpful, teaching us a lot of tips but tegas at the same time. He looks like he genuinely wants us to be good. Awww...so sweet~

The team is planning for another practice session tomorrow as the final preparation before tournament. But don't think I'm gonna join. Have to wake up very early to start our journey to Penang on Saturday. I dah dgr panggilan pulau dah ni hehe.

Good luck team and Batu Ferringhi, here I come!!!

Singapore Trip 2

Soo..my little tour of Singapore continued on Saturday. Was planning to start the day early but what to do, I am NOT a morning person. Woke up at 10am and started my journey (chewaahh...mcm Globe Trekker aa plak wakaka!) at around 11.30am. Took the MRT from Orchard Road and off I went to:

Vivo City
It's a big, big shopping mall (similar to our One Utama, but bigger) overlooking the sea. What I like about this place is the wide platform where you can enjoy a panaromic view of the harbour front and Sentosa Island. During the day, it's kinda empty and quiet. But at night, the place was filled with couples and families enjoying the warm, fresh breeze of the ocean. Nice place to relax and chill out with friends and families, definitely.


Chinatown
Chinatown here is more or else the same as other Chinatowns I've been to but I love the long stretched market stalls, which reminded me very much like the one in The Curve. Most items were sold in "3 items for $10" deals so tangan ni jadik mcm ringan jek nak amek semua hehe. Here, you can find silk cushion covers, tissue box covers, bags, crafts and home decor stuff from Vietnam, China, Indonesia, etc.


Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
This place is also dubbed as 'The Durian' due to the "berduri" dome-shaped roof. We have our 'Jagung' (aka PETRONAS Twin Towers) and they have 'Durian'. Menarik huh? Hehehe. Also nearby were the famous Merlion Statue, Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay where you can see the skyline of the city.


By this time, seriously rasa dah nak pitam coz it was freaking hot. So balik to the hotel, bought Subway sandwich for my late lunch then back to the comfort of the king-sized bed and HBO hehe. That night, took SRB to have a quick dinner at one of the Vivo City's restaurants facing the sea. Nice!

So that's about it. I think it was time well-spent, with a lil bit of touring and lil bit of relaxing and self-pampering. Just the kind of break that I needed.

Till the next vacation~

Singapore Trip 1

Though short, it was pretty interesting. I made a list of places to go from a free guidebook I grabbed from the airport. But boy, was I very ambitious! I only managed to go to 3 places (out of the 6 I listed) coz it was freaking HOT in Singapore and I seriously thought I would passed out from the heat if I kept on going. Imagine walking around in Dataran Merdeka in the middle of the day. Memang panas giler!

Anyway, here are some highlights on places I managed to explore (with SRB's Nikon D70s hanging on my neck. Officially hate that camera now coz berat giler! Sorry babe, I want my little Canon IXUS back).

Clark Quay
A very nice place alongside Singapore River. The view from one side of the river was quite colorful. On the other side pulak ada a lot of clubs and restaurants of many kinds - Mexican, Italian, Japanese, Thai, you name it; semua ada.

But the highlight of Clark Quay for us was this. Check THIS out:



There's this club called Clinic and somehow to honor the name, they actually did set up the place to look like a real clinic/hospital. The waiter/waitress were dressed like nurses, some of the sitting area were in the form of wheelchairs and some were in the form of hospital beds complete with operating table's lights and even IV lines!!! Now, is it just me or this whole idea is just plain SICK?!! Seriously...at first we thought there was a group of literally disabled people having a good time at the club. They were moving around in wheelchairs, no kidding! But when we walked further baru we realized the whole concept. I mean, it's unique and all but I still think it's freaking sick and disturbing! I would barf at the idea of having a drink here yucksss~

Uh oh, gotta sambung on the highlights of the Singapore trip later. SRB's already snoring "like music to my ears" on the sofa hehe. Time to sleep. Esok keja shaiittsss!

To be continued...

My Happy 26

So I am now officially a 26-year old. It doesn't feel that much different actually, except it made me realized even more how truly blessed my life is right now. Thanks friends and families for all the well wishes =). Am very flattered and terharu that many of you still remember it. Very sorry also for those who tried to call but kept on getting the annoying message "Sorry...please try later". Was out of the country and apparently my roaming service wasn't activated, bloodeh! But I thank you so very much for the loving thoughts.

How did I celebrate? As usual, we had The Dinner but this time we're having it at somewhere different - specifically at Clark Quay, Singapore. Just in case you haven't been there, Clark Quay is a place by the Singapore River which is famous for its variety of restaurants and clubs.


At one side of the river it was all serene and romantic. You can just sit on the foot steps by the river and whisper sweet nothings to your loved ones. But once you get to the other side of the river, suddenly it was all heart-thumpingly loud and very happening yo! Nak whisper2 mmg tak dapeklaa hehe. Clubs and expatriates were all over the place. Cuci mata memang best =p

There were many restaurants to choose from (they even have Hooters there and waitress/costume dia memang mantap siot hohoho!) but being the Thai-food junkie that we are, we picked to dine at RENNthai.


Had a table by the river, ordered food, then we just sat back, relax, enjoying the food and each other =D. Their pandan chicken was yummy but the tomyam was so-so. We've had better ones. But all in all, RENNthai offers good food, good service and good ambiance. I loike!

Thanks dear for the dinner and everything. I really had fun. Here's to another birthday together and hopefully to many, many more =)

Hello neighbor!

Had a small emotional drama yesterday involving my lil brother who's sick in Aussie and the STUPID MSD there who's not proactive enough (makan gaji buta WTF?!) and the STUPID Monash Admin who missed out my brother's name for student health insurance (again, WTF?!). I dare not explain the whole thing here coz it'll be ugly and there'll be profanities involved. But now that everything is okay, I guess I deserve a lil bit of a vacation hehe.

Luckily, we're going away for the weekend yeay! Thanks to SRB's Enrich points, me got meself a free ticket to our next-door neighbor. Welcome to Uniquely Singapore babyyy!


Actually SRB and his colleagues are doing some inspections on a kapal there this Saturday for his 'project carik minyak'. So of course I grab the chance to tag along. That's what wives are for right? To provide companionship, no matter where and when theeheehee.

Since SRB has to work during the day, I'll have to find a way to enjoy Singapore all by myself. Too bad Mr. M is not gonna be in town to show me around. No worries, I've got Google to lay out a plan for me. I'm in the mood of just walking around, doing some sight-seeing and taking pictures. Not really in the mood of shopping even though the hotel we're staying will be smack in the middle of Orchard Road. But we'll see. Never say never when it comes to shopping hehe.

I guess we're gonna celebrate THE 17th of MAY in Singapore this year *hint hint* =p

So hello neighbor and goodbye tanahair! We'll be leaving you tomorrow but we'll see you again on Sunday okay? Taaaa~

Melancholy of Life

A photo says, you were happy, and I wanted to catch that. A photo says, you were so important to me, that I put down everything else to come watch.














Love is not a because, it's a no matter what.

Whether or not you believe in Fate comes down to one thing: who do you blame when something goes wrong?

If you gave someone your heart and they died, did they take it with them? Did you spend the rest of forever with a hole inside you that couldn't be filled?













When people we love make choices, we don't always understand them. But we can go on loving them, just the same. It isn't a matter of comprehension. It's forgiveness.











How could he describe how it felt when she finished his sentences, turned the mug they were sharing so that her mouth landed where his had been? How did he explain the way they could be in a locker room, or underwater, or in the piney woods of Maine, but as long as Em was with him, he was at home?










Raw love, like raw heartache, could blindside you. It could make you forget what you did not know to focus exclusively on those few pieces you could commit to heart.














What if love wasn't the act of finding what you're missing, but the give-and-take that made you both match?

Of dreams, designs and moolah

So, my weekend was pretty eventful. Went back to in-laws' place in Seremban on Friday after work, sent off in-laws to KLIA on Saturday night (had a bit of drama coz MAS stupidly overbooked the flight) and back to my kampung USJ on Sunday.

Had a small 'suburban adventure' driving around Subang Jaya on Sunday, but this time, we went with a mission. A mission to find inspiration for exterior/interior design concept for future new home (Insya Allah) chewaaah! I know we can easily get them from magazines and internet, but somehow we love going 'ooohhh...aaahhh' and 'wooowww...waaahh' seeing the real thing in front of our eyes. This time was lucky coz I brought a camera along. So, we selamba stop in front of other people's houses and took pictures of their gate, window-pane, balcony, etc hohoho! Sesuka hati jek kan? It was kinda funny actually. I kept on saying "Dear, stop...stop kejap" everywhere we went. And SRB kept on saying "Astaghfirullah...cepat! Nampak cam pencuri jek kite ni!" muahaha! If the home owners did indeed think we're a couple of pencuri and halau us with penyapu, I don't even blame them mannn...hahaha!

Nevertheless, we managed to capture a bunch of nice design idea which will be put into consideration. In other words, it all depends on the moolah bebeh! Hehe. So here's the result of our mini adventure:

Potential gate

Potential main-gate

Potential balcony
(if we buy a corner lot in the not-so-near future)

And last but not least,
here's a nice corner lot unit in Seremban 2.

I really love the design of this house, the environment and all. Plus, it's also cheap (RM300++K) for a corner lot! Unfortunately, and that's a BIG unfortunately, it's in Seremban. Say whatever you want, but I think it's just too far away. I just can't stand the traveling.

Why can't developers in KL build houses with decent design and decent price? Usually they're either too expensive or too ugly. It's even worse when they're both expensive and ugly!

Oh well...things don't come cheap nowadays huh? Even l.o.v.e doesn't come cheap nowadays oolala~

The WPF Home 2

Too many ideas
Too many wants vs. needs
We are gonna be broke by the end of the year yo!

Innalillah...

Took an EL yesterday to head back to Seremban for Makcu's (SRB's aunt) funeral. She passed away in the early morning due to kidney and liver complications. We managed to get there before majlis pengkebumian. Have to say, that was the closest I've been to a mayat. Rasa seram sejuk pon ade. My mom advised me not to go too near since I was not 'clean' (a.k.a the time of the month). As I watched the family members carried her after dimandikan and later into the van, keinsafan crept its way into me as it reminded me again that harta benda duniawi mean nothing when we leave this world.

Takziah to Acu and family. Semoga roh Makcu dicucuri rahmat, Al-Fatihah...

What's the fuss?

Last night had dinner at Rasta which now has a new location - near the junction of Taman Tun and Penchala Link. Have to tell ya, since my first experience eating there (at the old location), I have not been a fan of this place. The food tak sedap okay? Tasteless, tasteless, tasteless. I don't understand why people keep on coming here. Honestly, I think this is one of those places where people like to lepak beramai-ramai all night long, ordering one food/drink after another, and later feel like they're among the 'cool people' who hang out at the most happening stall in town. Like, "Oh aku lepak Rasta aritu sampai pukol 2 pagi. Nampak Nora Danish, Erra Fazira gak kat situ aritu." Say it with me people...duuhhhhh! *banging head on the wall*

Some other examples of places like this are stalls in Hartamas and Bangsar area. Same concept: supposedly "happening" place, providing food with zero taste. Serious weyyy, maggie goreng die takde rase iskk! Kg. Baru on the other hand brings a different concept: a place with a view of KLCC, providing tasty, yummy food. (Okay, I admit...we've been to Hartamas for quite a number of times, but that was only because we're getting sick of Kg. Baru hehe).

Anyway, back to Rasta. The new place is bigger, cleaner, less stuffy with ample space for parking. But I think the gerai2 there are same old, same old.


We noticed that the order-pay system here is quite high-tech for gerai tapi. The waiter/waitress takes our order then key-in the order in a computer. To pay, we just go to the cashier counter and tell him/her our table number and *treeettt* goes our order (printed out) and total amount we have to pay. Canggih huh?


However, the biggest turn-off of this place was the 'burger ayam', which was very dry (they didn't put any sauce or mayo or anything on the konon2 homemade chicken patty) and cost freaking RM7. RM7 for satu burger biasa? I don't think sooo! Even in McD you'll get a burger, fries and a drink for RM7 okay? Maybe it's our fault for thinking that 'gourmet chicken burger' (as written in the menu) is the same as 'burger ayam', as in macam Ramly burger tu. Yeah wutever dude! Never again, really.


SRB got to experience all of this first-hand, then baru finally agrees with me when I say this place sucks. I hate to say I told you so dear, but I TOLD YOU SO muahahaha! Victory tastes oh-so-sweeet babyyy =p

Danggg...I'm such a bitter, vindictive bitch in this entry huh? Maybe it's the PMS talking hehe.

Normal is Good

The prince is back, bearing gifts.
Normalcy is now officially preserved.
I'm a happy, oh-so-happy woman =D

I'm...

Living in a trance.
Neither here nor there.
*SIGH*

Yellow Man in Timbuktu

Am still tired from yesterday's activities. Apa yg penat sgt pon aku tak tau. Maybe the driving around here and there.

So the 'party' went well. Just us girls eating and talking and laughing, while watching the origin of 'absofuckinglutely' - Sex and the City (the series can really make you feel depressed either coz you're single or married. It's like, you can never get anything right in relationships! *sigh*).


For dinner, cooked my konon2 specialty Ayam Paprik and some other minor dishes. Thanks girls for bringing dessert and snacks - let's get fat & boolat together haha!

On cuti Hari Buruh, started the day with brunch at Kg. Baru's Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa then straight to Kelana Jaya for the MPH Stock Clearance Sale.


If you don't know about it yet, the sale will last till 5th May 2008 at Dewan D'Kelana, Kompleks Sukan MBPJ - near the stadium and MAS complex. Please only go when you really, really want to rummage for cheap books from mountains of them, while struggling to breathe and get through the crowd. Also, bring a lot of cash coz the line for cash payment is way faster than credit card payment. What did I buy? Nothing. Tak larat beb. I just hung around the magazine section, reading old issues of People =p

Highlight of the day was the Karaoke session at Redbox, Sogo of course. Singing (or was it screaming?) our hearts out to songs by Anuar Zain (wajib), M. Nasir, band2 rock kapak Melayu and all Indon bands who managed to get themselves known in Malaysia. I tell ya...if you want to see the inner 'kamrah'ness in people, go to karaoke session and look at their song choices wakakaka! But the most awesome singing collaboration of that day was for 'Spice Up Your Life' - Spice Girls ooo yeahhh bebeh! Over gile semua org till we had stomach cramps. Syabasss kawan2!

At the end of the evening, came back to my place and express-cooked ourselves some dinner and indulged in more of Sex and the City. Everybody went back to destinasi masing-masing at 8-ish pm. I headed to USJ kejap coz my mom needed my 'autograph' hehe then came back to my place with some homemade lasagna nyum nyum. It'll be tonight's dinner I guess.

It was all great and fun but in the end...SRB CEPATLAH BALIKKKKKKK!!!

Hello the month of May =)