Office Improvement!

21 December 2008

Over the past few weeks, I have been making minor physical improvements to my office to make it cozy. I have purchased a number of warm lights and 'fake' plants, cleaned up my office and most importantly, replaced my 17-inch monitor with a whopping 32-inch LG Scarlet. Wallaa.... everything seems much better now. :)

The Redang Excursion

End August 2008

One week before Puasa, a group of us went to Redang Island to just get away from office and break away from the hustle-bustle of city life. I just wanted to rest. This trip was partly sponsored by the Persatuan. So it was very cheap.

We left KL on Thursday night by bus to Kuala Terengganu (KT). There were 30 of us altogether. So, memang lerr kecoh. Ramai yang aku tak kenal, but tentu dapat berkenalan nanti. Selepas subuh dan breakfast di KT, kitaorang naik bot ke Redang.

(waktu kat jetty tunggu boat)

Waktu sampai kat jetty, memula aku dah excited sebab nampak boat yg grand...alih2, naik boat kecik je. Hampeh!

(I dah berangan nak naik boat ni)

Dah le tu, boat tu pulak cakap for '12 passengers' only...walaupun dalam boat tu dah sumbat all 30 of us. (all 12 of us :-p)

Aku punya life jacket plak, punyalah kecik....nak zip pun tak boleh. So tawakal je lah. Nasib le perjalanan dari KT jetty to Redang kejap je. Fuuh! legaa.

We stayed at RedangKalong Resort. Quite OK lah resort ni. Aku tak le kekwat sangat, as long as ada proper and working toilet and shower. Aku dapat bilik sea front. Memang best. Nice view lagi. I was sharing with Sharil.

(santai depan bilik.. cuak gak takut kelapa jatuh :)

(right in front of our room... nice view)

Sepanjang 3 hari di sini, there were 3 snorkeling trips scheduled, plus ada team building activity. Disebelah malam nya pulak mainly activity bebas. I had my own plan. Instead of going on the snorkeling trips, I was busy snore-keling on my bed. Bongkang memanjang. Whenever, we have free time together, asyik main charade je. Kelakar gilerr... some were x-rated. Ha ha. Teambuilding activity pun best, habis pasir satu badan.

(cute squirrel)

(next door resort yang lebih grand)

(with nicer beach... damn!)

But no regrets larr...dah lama tak buat benda2 cam ni. We left early on Sunday and lepak KT disebelah petang. Aku, Sue, Diba, Liza and kawannya si Diba (merangkap tour guide) sempat pergi ke Noor Arfah, Pasar Payang, Pantai Batu Burok and makan nasi dagang. Memang berbaloi.

(till next time)

I will definitely come back again!

I was just Happy to Help!

August 2008

I have a friend whose husband was suffering from hearing problem. He needed to undergo an operation soon enough before things get worse. Under our company policy, his operation would be covered by us. However, our human resource department had taken sometime to process his application for this procedure. So I had to intervene to expedite the process (while, of course, ensuring that we follow proper governance and procedure).

He is better now. And my friend sent me these lovely cupcakes to say thanks. How sweet and thoughtful. Thank you dear... you don't have to. The cupcakes were fabulous by the way :)

I'm Blogging Again

18 October 2008

Yes.. It's true! I'm blogging again after almost 3 month-break. I have been very much occupied for the past 3 months with work and other personal activities. My sister is getting married end of this year. That's a good news. At least one of us, hopefully, will start a family pretty soon. There are so many things to update. I promised myself that I will find time to do so. I also now have a facebook account. Must keep up with evolution in communication technology lah kan...

I'll be writing more soon.... till then... ta ta.

Lunch with 'Aunties'

30 July 2008

I had lunch with my aunties today. Five of them altogether. Oh! they are neither sisters to my father or mother, nor the wives of my uncles. They represent a select group of women in our lives. In Malay term, they are known as 'makcik-makcik'.

'Makcik-makcik' as popularly known, have special characteristics associated with them. They normally wear tudung and baju kurung to office and are known to be the best reporter in town - even though the accuracy of news reported can sometimes be challenged :-p. Their baju kurung glitters under the sunlight, and with additional and right accessories, this office attire can be magnificently transformed into baju kenduri. 'Makcik-makcik' are excellent at multi-tasking and at any given time, can perform at least 2 tasks or more.

This is the story of my 'aunties'. We used to work together in the same department a few years back. From time to time, we get together to share news and update each other on personal development. This time around, I decided to treat my aunties for lunch at Sari Ratu. As I don't drive, one of them had volunteer to drive. Unfortunately, she was on MC today. So, another auntie quickly stepped in as a replacement driver. And so, the rombongan to Sari Ratu masih berjalan as planned.

When the 'makcik-makcik' get together (the correct Malay term is bersidang), you must be quick on your toes to capture the relevant information, as information flows freely and rapidly from one makcik to another. Today, I learnt so much about work-life issues including pregnancy issues, customer service issues, preparation for umrah, managing household as well as taking care of the beloved ones. Of course, a discussion about other aunties who are not part of this 'persidangan' has always been in the agenda...ha ha.....


To me, 'makcik-makcik' provide me with free marriage counseling/therapy, without having to really be married. Such session has both entertainment and educational values.


Today, we ordered a lot of food. We had two 'hidang' of lauk and really enjoyed each other's company. Long live my 'aunties'. We shall do this again soon....

The Dark Knight

27 July 2008

I'm so tired today. I don't feel like doing anything at all. Mainly sebab I had an action-packed day on Saturday. I think I broke my own record sebab aku ambik taxi sampai 6 kali in one day.

Pepagi lagi aku dah ke office sebab ada badminton at 10 a.m. Yang main geng2 biasalah, 5 of us kesemuanya. Habis badminton, kelam kabut aku mandi and bersiap sebab I have another appointment at 1:00 p.m. Nasib baik kat Gym masih ada air, sebab ada announcement cakap ada gangguan bekalan air on Saturday. Risau je aku, kot-kot lah tengah mandi buih segala....tetiba air takde... mampuih!

Pukul 12:45 pm aku dah terpacak kat Sogo. Ada appointment kat Clarins. Metrosexual kan...so aku ada appointment buat facial lah. 3 minggu sekali. Lagipun, my products pun dah nak habis, so kena beli baru. Belum sempat habis facial, one of my girl friends (girl friend yerr...bukan girlfriend!) called. Dia tanya aku kat mana... aku yang jujur ni bagitau lah yang aku tengah buat facial kat Sogo. She said, " Aiyo...pondan lah kau ni buat facial". Damn this woman. Nak tergelak pun ada, hangin pun ada.... Ke situ plak perginya. I told her that she is sooooo behind time lah....heh heh.

After Clarins, bergegas pulak aku ke City Square.


I had lunch at the Malayan Aromas. Punyalah TAK sedap nasi lemak dia. Kari ayam dia rasa macam air basuh tangan (not that aku pernah rasa air basuh tangan... andaian jek) Hampeh. Nasib baik karipap RM3 sebiji dengan White Coffee dia tu sedap. Kalau tak, memang lah menyesal. Lepas beli apa yang patut... aku ambik taxi ke KLCC plak. Aku nak cari jeans baru... tapi macam takde yang berkenan. I bought t-shirts from M&S, then gegas balik (naik taxi lagi).

Lepas Maghrib, gegas ke the Curve sebab dah janji dengan 3 orang kawan nak dinner and tengok movie. Sampai je kat the Curve, terserempak dengan my colleagues. Nasib baik tak pergi dating kat situ...kantoi nanti. I found this one jeans yang agak ranggi kat Nike Store... terus beli. Ala2 hip-hop lah sikit.... but I like. Sorang member aku sudah sangkut dalam jam. Hasrat nak gi dinner kat Bubba Gump terpaksa dibatalkan. We just had a quick dinner at one of the Kopitiams sebab nak cepat. Movie starts at 9:45 p.m. And for those who know me, they can vouch yang aku ni pantang kalau orang lambat bila pegi tengok movie. Nasib baik harini takde yang lambat.


Hari ni is the first time aku tengok movie kat Cine Leisure Damansara ni. I told my friend to get us the best tickets available there. So, dia dah beli tickets The Dark Knight for 4 of us untuk ditonton at the Platinum movie suites.

I like the ambience, macam business/first class MAS. Sah le, lepas ni aku akan datang sini jerr kalau nak tengok movies.

With nice velvety reclining chairs, I was in movie heaven. Nasib baik aku tak zzzz terus. The Dark Knight memang best. Better than most movies this year. I love the Joker the most...no joke okay! Tengoklah, kalau rajin I'll write about it. Sampai rumah dah pukul 1 a.m. lebih. Letih!

"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain"

Burning the Midnight Oil

25 July 2008

This week has been quite hectic... once again. We had been planning for a major press conference on Thursday. So, I spent many nights in the office prior to the event to ensure that everything will go as planned. On Wednesday night, a number of us stayed back until 2:00 a.m. Penat gilerr.... Anyhow, I believe in doing things whole-heartedly. So staying back this late is not really a problem other than I'll be too damn sleepy the next day.

The event went well. Or so it seems. Tapi ada lah jugak incidents2 yang berlaku yang tak dapat aku nak cerita kat sini.

Friday was not too bad. Business as usual. We had our own Star Search singing competition after Maghrib. I was pleasantly surprise to see new talented faces taking part in the competition this year. Dah 2 tahun aku tak masuk.... rasa macam veteran dah. Tengoklah kalau terbuka hati nak masuk in the future... ha ha. Aku balik awal coz I had another appointment, so tak sempat nak tengok the last contestant. To those who have won... Congrats!!
---------------------------------------
Burning the midnight oil
Meaning: To work late into the night. Originally this was by the light of an oil lamp or candle. More recently, the phrase is used figuratively, alluding back its use before electric lighting.

Food Indulgence

20 July 2008

A childhood friend ajak aku melepak malam ni. Dah lama aku tak buat kerja melepak kedai kopi ni, sekali sekala boleh lah terima undangan sebegini. Location -- Desa Pandan. Memang lah aku tak pernah lepak kat kawasan ni. Setakat lalu nearby Menara Polo tu adalah. My friend recommended char kuey teow kat situ. OK lah, quite nice and we stayed sampai midnight.

These recent few weeks ni, asyik makan jerrr.... Ye lah, aku memang tak masak langsung, so memang everyday makan kat luar.

Last week, 2 kali aku kat Marche. On Saturday, lepas badminton, aku had lunch dengan Aman there memandangkan rumah dia just nearby.

-Marche Movenpick-

Midweek aku pegi lagi dengan colleagues for lunch. Dah jadi macam ritual pulak, everytime I go to IKEA or the Curve aku akan lepak kat Marche.

Ada one afternoon tu, aku and colleagues had lunch kat the Coliseum. Dia punya T-Bone Steak memanglah excellent. Aku 110% sure fattening gilerr... haha

-Coliseum-

Another eating place yang aku frequent quite often these days is Sari Ratu kat Ampang Waterfront. Sari Ratu serves excellent Indon food, nasi padang style to be exact.

-Sari Ratu-

This is where aku and KKY selalu lepak for dinner. Selalunya lebih dari sekali seminggu. Kengkadang aku and KKY ke Kg Baru for Nasi Lemak. Other than that, I can be found at either Bora Ombak or Kopitiam. Kalau dah malas sangat nak keluar, then aku just have dinner kat LRT Corner.

Lunch pulak, takde tempat yang tentu kecuali Tuesday. Tuesday di Ayam Kampung Veledrome Cheras. Other than that, I'm quite flexible... makan kat office, ikan bakar, hartamas, ataupun somewhere near Sogo. Ikut angin selalunya...

Effective August 1st ni, I'll start my Herbalife regime. I month supply costs me RM600++. So tengokle ada perubahan ke tak, and whether there will be significant change in my dietary habit. Takut takde perubahan jek. Sekian.

Hanya Kau Yang Mampu

12 July 2008

I can relate to this song...

Hanya Kau Yang Mampu

-Aizat -

Ku cuba redakan relung hati,
Bayangmu yang berlalu pergi,
Terlukis di dalam kenangan,
Bebas bermain di hatiku….

Cerita tentang masa lalu,
Cerita tentang kau dan aku,
Kini tinggal hanya kenangan,
Kau abadi di dalam hatiku….

Harusnya takkan ku biarkan kau pergi,
Membuat ku terpuruk rasa ingin mati,
Derita yang mendera kapan akan berakhir,
Hanya engkau yang mampu taklukkan hatiku

Cerita tentang masa lalu,
Cerita tentang kau dan aku,
Kini tinggal hanya kenangan,
Kau abadi di dalam hatiku….

Harusnya takkan ku biarkan kau pergi,
Membuat ku terpuruk rasa ingin mati,
Derita yang mendera kapan akan berakhir,
Hanya engkau yang mampu taklukkan hatiku

Aku cinta ooohhhhhh…
Aku cinta oooooooo…

Mystery of Shakila's Dream

6 July 2008

A bunch of us decided to showcase our vocal 'prowess' last Wednesday. So we gathered kat Red Box Sogo after Maghrib for that very reason. Memandangkan, masing-masing datang dari era dan 'genre' kegemaran yang berbeza, maka we coloured the night dengan a variety of songs. As for me, ada beberapa songs yang aku tengah belajar (Oh btw, aku ni memang kaki menyanyi). And ada a few new age Indon songs yang I quite like these days.

But, the highlight of the night came from En Sharil with his rendition of "Misteri Mimpi Shakila". Put it this way larr.... If you are a pregnant woman, most likely you dah bersalin by the time sampai chorus. The heartfelt performance by Sharil earned him the best performance of the night... but the mystery of Shakila's dream remains unsolved... ;-)

Another Eventful Week

5 July 2008

I'm having a slow morning today. After having browsed the latest online news regarding political scenes in this country, I come to a conclusion that I do not know who to believe at this point in time. So depressing...and so I blog!

This week has been quite eventful. I had a meeting with one of the head of states and had a chat with chief of a conglomerates operating here in Kl. I also took sometime off this week to run some errands, shopped twice in KLCC and sang my heart out at a karaoke joint with a few friends on Wednesday.

All in all, it has been a fun and expensive week (because of the shopping larr!!) for me. I always believe in 2 things..... 1) I must always wear good shoes - mainly for health reasons, and 2) I must always wear comfortable clothes (with matching colours, of course!)..haha... and so, I went to KLCC with one mission in mind. I wanted to get a good pyjama (to be exact "seluar tidur"). Shoes dah berlambak, so no need to buy a new one. I have a few 'seluar tidur' that I bought from British India, but they don't sell those anymore. I finally found exactly what I needed at the Marks and Spencer. They have the best quality loungewear under the brandname 'Autograph'. Boys, if you are looking for high quality 'seluar tidur', I recommend M&S. I bought a couple of shirts as well as almost the entire store is on sale.

My subsequent visit to KLCC pun buat aku terjebak shopping kat M&S, Zara and Timberland. I bought a leather bag from Zara Man which is big enuf for my laptop and documents, a casual shirt from each Timberland and M&S.

The retail therapy worked! Mission accomplished!

p/s will talk about Wednesday night out later.

Who's Your City?

1 July 2008

I love books. Unfortunately, I love buying more than reading. Over the past 1 week, I bought 11 books. Hajat tinggi menggunung nak spend time reading... tapi selalunya tak kesampaian. I am currently reading the first book from this batch, "Who's Your City? by Richard Florida". Other books include:

1. The Holy Grail of Macroeconomics
2. The Appeal
3. Gone to Ground
4. 6 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders
5. Love in the Time of Cholera
6. Unaccustomed Earth
7. The Front
8. Shadow of Power
9. Brida
10. The Undercover Economist

I'm dying to read "The Appeal" by Grisham. Maybe I'll start this weekend. Others will have to wait larr... Dah berlambak buku kat rumah yang belum bersentuh. Entah le bila nak baca...

Sentap!

27 June 2008

Sometimes after office, I walk to Sogo to buy stuff or just window-shop. And selalunya, di atas jambatan that connects my office to LRT Bandaraya ada beberapa orang peminta sedekah. One of them is this elderly sad looking lady who looks like someone foreign - she is definitely not a local. On many occasions, I have given her sedikit wang sebab kesian even though some of my colleagues said she could be part of a syndicate.

Two days ago, I walked all the way to Masjid Jamek Station coz I needed some exercise. And there she was (this lady) happily laughing away on a mobile phone. She was quite well dressed as well.

Hmmm... Kalau lah betul aku dah kena tipu dengan syndicate peminta sedekah... memanglah aku SENTAP! Tetapi aku belum serikkk....

Azam Baru....Eh! Azam Lama Yang Dibarukan :-D

15 June 2008

I just realised how unfit I was this morning. After a lapse of 3 weeks due to various reasons, the group finally got together for badminton. Mak ai! Baru main 2 sets, aku dah semput. Normally, I can last 5-7 sets. Hmm...macam mana ni? There's no 2-way about it... I just have to EXERCISE more. Dah 3 bulan aku tak turun gym macam dulu..... and now I'm paying for it. So mulai esok, I'll start my new exercise regime. Regardless of how busy I am (which often used as an excuse), I intend to go down to the gym at least 3 times a week (excluding weekend badminton). Jom!

Lepas badminton tadi, I stayed back to do some work. Dalam pukul 2 ptg, aku pegi lunch kat Maju Junction and subsequently singgah Starbucks for Ice Caramel Macchiato. Sampai balik office dah pukul 3 p.m. Buat keje sampai pukul 4:00 p.m., otak pun dah jammed. Lepas tu aku ambik cab ke Low Yatt, cari skin for my laptop sebab skin sekarang dah buruk. Takde yang berkenan.... Pegi Sg Wang pulak. Finally I settled on 1 design as an interim measure. Most likely kena custom-made baru lah cun.

[it took 3 people to put on this skin...kesian]

Balik rumah, tido jap coz terlalu letih from badminton. Now I'm wide awake... nak sambung keje sikit, layan baca some of the magazines that I bought yesterday sambil boleh tengok Euro pukul 2:45 pagi nanti. Wassalam...

[world news, interior design, gadgets and men's issues]

SATC The Movie

14 June 2008

I had just watched SATC The Movie. It was as long as 5 series episodes, but I truly enjoyed the movie. The movie follows the same format of the series with more plots and layers built in. For me, it was just fun and and witty. Bring your special someone to this movie and you'll be rewarded ;-D

Kristin Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall in New Line Cinema's Sex and the City - 2008

A Little Pleasure Called 'Shopping'

14 June 2008

A few of us are planning a trip to Indonesia to do some shopping as they have quite a large number of factory outlets. I sent out the following email yesterday to my colleagues and friends for their consideration...

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

(excerpt of my email)

"Dear All,

HRH and a few the Court members are planning a trip to either Jakarta-Bogor or Bandung to indulge ourselves with a little pleasure called 'shopping'. This royal visit is scheduled to take place end July 2008. My initial thinking is for us to fly on Friday afternoon, 25 July (1/2 day off) and come back Sunday (27 July) evening or we can fly Saturday (26 July) morning and come back Monday evening 28 July (1 full day off). Should HRH feel an urge to meet her fellow highnesses (betul ke ni?), we may need to make some detour to places like Istana Bogor, Istana Merdeka and Istana Wakil Presiden. Otherwise, we'll devote our weekend to 'precision shopping'.

Following is a listing of various factory outlet shops in Jakarta , Bogor , and Bandung in Indonesia..."

I am all in favour of going to Jakarta-Bogor as it is closer to city centre. So far, I have received an overwhelming response. We shall see whether this trip will materialise... Fingers crossed!

Crazy Weeks

14 June 2008

The last 2 weeks had been crazy. On many occasions, I worked for more than 15 hours a day. Either bangun pagi at 4:00 a.m. or stay back kat office sampai pukul 10:00 p.m. or so. Penat gilerr! During this period, I attended a meeting chaired by PM, attended another meeting with a number of KSUs and at the same busy working on a project assigned to me on top of all my other daily work. Berserabut gila kepala bila fikir pasal kerja. Now, the project is more or less done. I can be normal again...hehe

Maybe I'll go out shopping or go to a movie today. Besok ada badminton yang dah 3 minggu sebab ada yang bercuti dan aku pulak busy memanjang. I really need some exercise. Memang rasa tak fit gilerr sekarang ni.

OK...i'm off to breakfast.

Wedding Invitations

31 May 2008

Banyak bebenor wedding invitations musim cuti sekolah ni. Aku ni bukan le rajin sangat nak ke wedding ni... not so much sebab aku ni "the most eligible bachelor" (perasan!!), tapi malas sebab wedding selalunya macam kelam kabut sikit. Lagipun I don't quite like tempat yang penuh sesak...agoraphobic kot.

So, what I normally do is just beli hadiah. Kalau dah tak tau nak beli apa, aku kasi gift voucher jerr... pandai2 lah korang beli apa yang perlu.


Hari ni aku quite free-mree. Kebetulan pula, ada satu wedding and ada gang yang nak pegi, so, aku gagahkan lah juga diri untuk pergi. Lagipun dah tuan punya badan sendiri datang jemput aku kat office. Tempat kenduri pun dekat je...

Time to go now....ciao!

Achieving Childhood Dreams

31 May 2008

I am currently reading "the Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. Randy is a computer science professor who had recently been diagnosed with a terminal cancer. The Last Lecture talks about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling dreams of others and seizing every moment that he has. Indeed, his lecture was aptly titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"

I can't help but to reflect on my own childhood dreams. One of those dreams for me is to be a banker. I was once a recipient of a state level award. I was 12. Immediately after the award ceremony, Utusan Malaysia interviewed me on my achievements and on my career ambition. I told them I want a be a bank officer.

(oh dear!...time has changed!)

I have been working with my employer, a bank of course, for 10 years now... :)

(i keep this as bahan bukti that dreams do come true... kah-kah)

Change Product

27 May 2008

I finished my meeting late at about 8 p.m. today. As a result, I was no longer in a mood to go down to the gym. I left office at about nine after clearing some work.

Bergegas aku ke Sogo coz I needed to get some personal products. Products yang aku selalu pakai from C&E have been discontinued. So, I decided this is the best time for me to try new products. In less than 15 minutes, selepas dibantu oleh one of the salesgirls, I made my purchases.



I've also made an appointment for a treatment next month. All in all, it cost me RM610 tonite just to change to a new brand. Oh well! life is full of changes anyway! :)

An Operation and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Saturday, 24 May 2008

I just got back from an operation. Oh! Not the kind that requires cutting open a part of a person's body...Geez.... minta simpang. It was my laptop larr...It needed certain upgrades to boost up performance. Unfortunately, I could only upgrade its RAM from .5Gb to 2Gb. Instantly, I noticed huge difference in terms of speed. The entire process only took 15 minutes and cost me only RM160. Oklah.... not expensive. Lagipun the 2 technicians yang buat keje tadi were nice enough to give me some computing tips and guidance.



Sebelum aku ke Low Yatt Plaza to upgrade my laptop, aku dah janji dengan Hamid, Maya and Anis untuk lunch and tengok Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Tickets aku dah beli online and paid via Maybank2U. So convenient. For a premiere show at the BTS, it's RM17 per person + RM2 booking fee. We had lunch prior to the movie at Kafe Rasa Utara. Aku and Hamid had beriani ayam, while Maya and Anis had laksa and passembor, respectively.

I must say that the movie is entertaining enuf to keep me awake after such heavy lunch. Banyak lah part yang tak logic, but entertaining. For example, (and this was rightly pointed out by Maya) monkeys in the movie only attack the bad guys even though they also come in close contact with the good guys. Macam mana tu? Merepek betul. But anyhow, overall I give this movie grade B purely for its entertainment value.

"In 1957, Indiana Jones is thrust back in action, venturing into the jungles of South America in a race against Soviet agents to find the mystical Crystal Skull."

My second all time favorite movie...

19 May 2008

The Kite Runner

Semenjak aku beli 40-inch tv ni, aku asyik melekat kat rumah layan movies.... For the past two weeks, aku dah tengok Vantage Point, Enchanted and the National Treasure - Book of Secrets. While all these movies were very much entertaining, nothing beats the the spellbinding story of inseparable friendships that really swept me away and left me really 'sebak'.

"The Kite Runner" is a movie that everyone should watch. It has all the elements of family and friendship, betrayal and salvation, all beautifully weaved in this moving and provocative movie. The story about Amir and Hassan in the movie with their intertwined lives and fates is really a must see. Indeed, this movie has become my second all time favorite now after the Shawshank Redemption.

Currently Listening to...

19 May 2008

Kepada yang pernah mencuba mendekati hati ini...

Tapi Bukan Aku

Jangan lagi kau sesali keputusanku
Ku tak ingin kau semakin kan terluka
Tak inginku paksakan cinta ini… ii…
Meski tiada sanggup untuk kau terima

Aku memang manusia paling berdosa
Khianati rasa demi keinginan semu
Lebih baik jangan mencintai aku dan semua hatiku
Karena takkan pernah kan kau temui cinta sejati…

Berakhirlah sudah semua kisah ini dan jangan kau tangisi lagi
Sekalipun aku takkan pernah mencoba kembali padamu
Sejuta kata maaf terasa kan percuma… aaa…
Serasa ku t\’lah mati untuk menyadarinya…

Tapi bukan aku… uo..u…

Semoga saja kan kau dapati hati yang tulus mencintaimu
Tapi bukan aaaakuuuu…

Berakhirlah sudah semua kisah ini dan jangan kau tangisi lagi
Sekalipun aku takkan pernah mencoba kembali padamu
Sejuta kata maaf terasa kan percuma…
Serasa ku t\’lah mati untuk menyadarinya…

Berakhirlah sudah semua kisah ini dan jangan kau tangisi lagi
Sekalipun aku takkan pernah mencoba kembali padamu
Sejuta kata maaf terasa kan percuma
Serasa ku t\’lah mati untuk menyadarinya…

Currently Listening to...

19 May 2008

Bleeding Love

Closed off from love
I didn't need the pain
Once or twice was enough
And it was all in vain
Time starts to pass
Before you know it you're frozen

But something happened
For the very first time with you
My heart melts into the ground
Found something true
And everyone's looking round
Thinking I'm going crazy

But I don't care what they say
I'm in love with you
They try to pull me away
But they don't know the truth
My heart's crippled by the vein
That I keep on closing
You cut me open and I

Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
I keep bleeding
I keep, keep bleeding love
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
You cut me open

Trying hard not to hear
But they talk so loud
Their piercing sounds fill my ears
Try to fill me with doubt
Yet I know that the goal
Is to keep me from falling

But nothing's greater
Than the rush that comes with your embrace
And in this world of loneliness
I see your face
Yet everyone around me
Thinks that I'm going crazy, maybe, maybe

But I don't care what they say
I'm in love with you
They try to pull me away
But they don't know the truth
My heart's crippled by the vein
That I keep on closing
You cut me open and I

Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
I keep bleeding
I keep, keep bleeding love
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
You cut me open

And it's draining all of me
Oh they find it hard to believe
I'll be wearing these scars
For everyone to see

I don't care what they say
I'm in love with you
They try to pull me away
But they don't know the truth
My heart's crippled by the vein
That I keep on closing
You cut me open and I

Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
I keep bleeding
I keep, keep bleeding love
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
You cut me open and I

Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
I keep bleeding
I keep, keep bleeding love
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
You cut me open and I
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love

Oh! How I Wish....

18 May 2008

Oh! How I wish....

There are more than 24 hours in a day so that I could do things that I like more often and frequent. But the reality is... hidup ni busy...busy...busy....

Dah bersawang blog ni aku tinggalkan for more than a month. I am now trying to revive my blogging practice. Tengoklah cemana...

Nothing much has happened since my last entry. Cuma in addition to daily work yang bertimbun-timbun, sekarang ni dah mula sibuk preparing for the big five-o anniversary next year. Occasionally , ada lah keluar dengan "gang lepak", the most recent pegi tgk "Iron Man". There's also a new lepak place (Ampang Waterfront) not too far from where I live... so selalu jugak le ke sana untuk dinner on weekdays or lunch di hujung minggu. Aku selalunya lepak kat Kopitiam or Sari Ratu. Di sini jugak ada banyak furniture store, lighting shops, interior design shops, etc. So menarik lah juga untuk cari ilham.

Semenjak dua menjak ni asyik berminat cari lampu... table and standing lamps. Bulan ni saja dah beli 3 biji lampu that cost me close to RM2k. Now tengah cari satu lagi lampu for my book rack. Maybe I shud pay a visit to Ikea...dah lama tak pegi.

I figured, minggu ni aku just nak relax. Time like this is so precious... inilah masanya nak baca buku, magazines and watch dvds.

Recently I just bought a new Samsung 40-inch LCD TV.... tak mahal sangat. Just RM4,500. must say that this purchase was not really planned. Tetiba je rasa macam nak tukar tv, and aku harrassed salesman tu suruh hantar ke rumah immediately... Poyo gilerr. But anyhow, memang berbaloi :-p

Selama ni tak buat kerja ke?

13 April 2008

Terperanjat aku bila ternampak banner kat tiang2 di Mahkamah sebelah Masjid Wilayah di Jalan Duta ni 2 minggu lepas. Apa motif disebalik banner sedemikian. Selama ni diaorang tak buat kerja ke?? isshh...isshhh... the story of Malaysia :(

banner yang tertulis "Buat Kerja".

Meetings in Jakarta...

13 April 2008

Dah lama aku tak menulis. Bukan tak nak, tapi busy sesangat. Last month aku ke Jakarta for 4 days. Ada mesyuarat kat sana. And to my surprise, Jakarta has changed a lot. Tak macam 5 years ago, nampak banyak development and progress. Of course masih ramai orang yang susah and I bet income gap diaorang pun quite wide. Aku bertolak dari rumah pagi 20 March 2008. Orang semua tengah nyenyak tido waktu tu... ye lah public holiday. Tepat 6 pagi Mr Tan dah sampai menunggu aku kat bawah. Mr Tan is my dedicated taxi driver kalau nak ke airport. Sampai KLIA dalam pukul 7 pagi. Lepas checked in aku melepak kat MAS' newest lounge. Flight pukul 9:10 pagi, so banyak masa lagi.

Flight ke Jakarta took only 2 hours. Tak sempat aku nak tidur pun. Sampai sana dah ada orang tunggu... tak payah kalut-kalut beratur coz dapat VIP treatment.

Hotel tempat penginapan memang ok. I stayed at the Grand Hyatt.

view dari bilik di Grand Hyatt


bilik yang quite spacious

Hotel ni connected with Plaza Indonesia. So rambang mata lah jugak. The first thing that I did was pegi lunch kat Sari Ratu. Sedap makanan kat sini.... cuma aku rasa macam tak berapa hygienic sikit, mainly sebab diaorang hidangkan semua lauk atas meja, and kalau kita tak makan lauk2 tu, diaorang akan simpan and hidangkan to the next customers.. tak seswai ok! Sepanjang 2 hari meetings memanglah aku bertungkus lumus dengan tak cukup tidur segala.... nasib baik lah ada colleagues yang sporting2 belaka, tak le bosan. Anyhow, sepanjang aku kat sana tiap2 malam ada official dinner, so takleh lah nak keluar merayap to explore Jakarta. But the dinners semuanya canggih dengan cultural performance yang hebat-hebat. Susah nak cari performance yg hebat macam tu kat Malaysia. Sebelum balik, aku sempat ronda-ronda Jakarta sekejap...shopping batik, gi Hard Rock beli baju yg di pesan, etc.

di Museum Bank Indonesia

Balik pun senang, dapat VIP treatment kat Jakarta. semuanya diuruskan.... tak yah nak beratur kat airport, terus je ke business lounge. Malangnye, nothing much lah airport diorang ni...tapi all in all... ok lah trip kali ni.

Para penonton, bapak-bapak ibu-ibu...

22 February 2008

Dah lama aku janji nak berkaraoke dengan Jono. Akhirnya jadilah jugak. Untuk memeriahkan lagi majlis, turut diundang artis dari seberang, Jocko, Rahmat dan Fid. Dah lama gak rasanya tak karaoke, so the timing was perfect. Maka, malam itu pun gamatlah dengan nyanyian yang pelbagai genre... ada yang rock kapak, rock leleh, pop, ballad, alternative dan paling tak dapat dilupakan persembahan khas dangdut 'Goyang Inul'... ha ha...

Movies I Recommend...

17 February 2008

Over the past seven days, I have seen 3 movies - Atonement, I Am Legend and Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

I must say, I like all 3 of them and would recommend them to friends and colleagues.

Note: Description below is from Yahoo! Movies

Atonement (My rating: B+)

In 1935, 13-year-old fledgling writer Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) and her family live a life of wealth and privilege in their enormous mansion. On the warmest day of the year, the country estate takes on an unsettling hothouse atmosphere, stoking Briony's vivid imagination. Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), the educated son of the family's housekeeper, carries a torch for Briony's headstrong older sister Cecilia (Kiera Knightley).

Cecilia, he hopes, has comparable feelings; all it will take is one spark for this relationship to combust. When it does, Briony - who has a crush on Robbie - is compelled to interfere, going so far as accusing Robbie of a crime he did not commit. Cecilia and Robbie declare their love for each other, but he is arrested - and with Briony bearing false witness, the course of three lives is changed forever. Briony continues to seek forgiveness for her childhood misdeed. Through a terrible and courageous act of imagination, she finds the path to her uncertain atonement, and to an understanding of the power of enduring love.


I Am Legend (My Rating: B-)

Robert Neville (Will Smith) is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable...and manmade. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City...and maybe the world. But he is not alone. He is surrounded by "the Infected"--victims of the plague who have mutated into carnivorous beings who can only exist in the dark and who will devour or infect anyone or anything in their path.

For three years, Neville has spent his days scavenging for food and supplies and faithfully sending out radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. All the while, the Infected lurk in the shadows, watching Neville's every move, waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But his blood is also what The Infected hunt, and Neville knows he is outnumbered and quickly running out of time.


Elizabeth: The Golden Age (My Rating: B)

Growing keenly aware of the changing religious and political tides of late 16th century Europe, Queen Elizabeth finds her rule openly challenged by the Spanish King Philip II -- with his powerful army and sea-dominating armada -- determined to restore England to Catholicism.

Preparing to go to war to defend her empire, Elizabeth struggles to balance ancient royal duties with an unexpected vulnerability in her love for Sir Walter Raleigh. But he remains forbidden for a queen who has sworn body and soul to her country. Unable and unwilling to pursue her love, Elizabeth encourages her favorite lady-in-waiting, Bess, to befriend Raleigh to keep him near. But this strategy forces Elizabeth to observe their growing intimacy.

As she charts her course abroad, her trusted advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham, continues his masterful puppetry of Elizabeth's court at home -- and her campaign to solidify absolute power. Through an intricate spy network, Walsingham uncovers an assassination plot that could topple the throne. But as he unmasks traitors that may include Elizabeth's own cousin Mary Stuart, he unknowingly sets England up for destruction.

Another Quick Recap...

15 February 2008

For the past 1 week, life has been hectic... more hectic than usual mainly attributed to the fact that I was away from office last week for quite a long break. Since then, banyaklah meetings attended, assignments yang kena diselesaikan, letters that had to be cleared, etc. I had also attended a majlis doa selamat and organised a luncheon at TGIF, the Pavilion for my badminton gang and met up with friends yang dah lama tak jumpa. I just cannot comprehend how next February (2009) gonna be like as it is going to be the busiest time of my career (I'll update on this later). As at now, I just hope I can remain afloat and continue to strive to be more effective in my day to day job.

Hmm...apa lagi? Oh ya... 3 days ago, I took a cab home. The cabbie yang merupakan a 62-year old Chinese guy tetiba handed over to me a pile of Malay lyrics and suruh aku explain maksud some of the paragraphs... Terkejut beruk aku!! Menurutnya, dia pernah bercinta dengan awek Melayu 20 years ago, tapi awek tu tinggalkan dia and dah kahwin dengan lelaki lain. Since then, he has been singing lagu2 putus cinta Melayu ni. Tanpa segan silu, dengan tangan digenggam macam microfon, dia menyanyi dalam taxi tu... Ya Allah... tak sedap langsung dan sangat pelat. Dah le tu, ada hati cakap dia pandai nyanyi... and ke mana saja dia pergi org akan suruh dia nyanyi. Siap cakap lagi yang dia tak suka nyanyi kat karaoke centre sebab tempat tu tertutup, he prefers open air sebab ramai boleh hargai bakat dia... nak pengsan aku dengar! Ha ha.. nasib baik lah perjalanan ke rumah tak lama sangat... kesian kat aku. :-p

Nota kaki: Some people are just biadap...

Where Nature Embraces Heritage

6 February 2008

Percutian ke Kuala Terengganu (KT) ni dah lama dirancang oleh aku, MZAG and HA. Ianya juga merupakan percutian 'farewell' untuk HA yang akan berangkat ke Sydney seminggu saja lagi. Setelah terpaksa ditangguh beberapa kali (as all of us on many occasions had conflicting commitments), this time around we managed to make the necessary arrangements i.e. ambik cuti and make reservation untuk menginap di resort pantai Batu Burok.

So, on 1 February 2008, aku dan HA bertolak ke KT. Initially, we wanted to leave as early as possible... tapi last minute, aku minta tukar plan sebab tak sanggup nak bangun too early. MZAG and family dah bertolak ke KT sehari awal sebab ada urusan keluarga. Finally, dalam pukul 12 tengah hari baru bertolak. Jalan jam teruk. Nak keluar dari Pandan Indah pun, took us more than 1/2 jam.

After that bad traffic, we were able to cruise away from KL. Tak sampai pun 1/2 jam, perut pun dah berbunyi-bunyi. Nasib baik aku dah breakfast kat LRT Corner pagi tadi....kalau tak sure masuk angin nyerr...

There was this one restaurant by the name of D'Paya Serai Restaurant (or something like that). Nampak macam best jerr... So, we made our first pit stop there for lunch. Banyak lauk pauk kat situ, tapi rasa ok-ok saje. Along the way, banyak kali gak le berhenti... mainly sebab nak pegi restroom..hehe. As we exited the highway somewhere not too far from Cherating, aku dapat rasakan suasana yang berbeza... yelah, dah lama aku tak datang to this part of the world. Dengan pokok nyiur yg bersusun-susun di sepanjang pantai.... kampung2 nelayan, semuanya nampak so tradititional and well kept. MZAG dah beberapa kali SMS tanya bila nak sampai.... sedangkan aku dan HA dah plan nak detour ke Dungun. Oh well! si HA yg nak sangat ke Dungun... maklumlah, tempat jatuh lagikan dikenang, inikan pula tempat 'bermain'.

Sampai di Dungun, terus kitaorang menuju ke UiTM. Nasib baik pakcik guard was kind enough to allow us to drive around the campus. HA showed me his old dormitory yg now dah jadi asrama siswi. After tawaf satu campus, we went to the beach side, pekena kopi and makan cucur. It was quite breezy that afternoon. Memang best.

Sampai KT dah dekat Maghrib. Salah masuk simpang plak... tergendala lagi 10 minit. Luckily MZAG dah ada kat resort, so tak payah lah nak check in and all.





Makan-Makan
This is what I like most about KT.... makan. Nasi Dagang is my favorite and of course, anything yang takde kat KL is worth trying.

We had a lovely dinner at Medan Ikan Bakar (near Cendering rasanya). It was nice, except tak banyak pilihan sangat...ketam and udang takde. We ordered 2 ikan, squid, tomyam, sayur and nasi. It was nice.... but I still prefer Bagan Lalang. Malam kedua, aku ponteng dinner sebab too stuffed from makan-makan earlier that day.

Breakfast has always been my favorite kalau kat KT. The main mission in the morning was to have 'nasi dagang for' breakfast. MZAG introduced us to this small restaurant by the roadside somewehere near Cendering... and my oh my! it was the best! Tiap-tiap hari pegi situ and mesti datang lagi!

Selain tu, MZAG bawa lunch kat somewhere tepi pantai. Not really lunch larr...more like afternoon snack. Makan seafood goreng tepung...ikan, prawn, squid. Quite nice... ada awek cun plak sebelah meja... On our last day there, aku and HA had lunch dengan friends kat a restaurant near China town. Salah sorang dari mereka is a famous pengacara whom I've known for a number of years now.

Other than that, we also had our afternoon tea kat pantai Batu Burok, at one of the famous restaurants there. Makanan pun sedap.


Shopping
Aku dgn HA ke Noor Arfa Batek (NAB). NAB now has a new complex and it seems more organised. Sempat lah aku membeli beberapa helai batek for myself and friends.

Lepas NAB, aku, HA and MZAG ke Pasar Payang pula. MZAG introduced us kat kedai kawan dia, so dapat special discounts. Naik juling biji mata dengan pilihan yang ada. Banyak gak membeli untuk my lady friends. Unfortunately, takde kain batik untuk aku buat baju..... sekian


Selain itu MZAG bawa pergi ke kedai kawan dia kat town. Jual batik gak. But I was more interested melihat barang-barang tembaga yang dijual. Mainly barang-barang traditional Melayu macam gobek pinang, gong,, tepak sirih, etc.





Other activities
Selain dari makan and shopping, banyak masa di habiskan dengan lepak. Kalau tak pergi pulau-pulau ni, nothing much to do lah kat sini. We drove passed by perkampungan Hadhari on the way to the airport. Mulanya, aku plan nak sambung cuti kat KT and therefore kena balik KL naik flight. Tapi, rasa boring plak, so I decided to follow HA balik ke KL.

One thing that I noticed kat KT ni, banyak betul infrastructure development. Masjid baru pun banyak...I just hope masjid-masjid ni memang digunakan lah and not just for show. Masjid Putih kat tengah town tu memang cantik...

I must say, I had fun in KT... maybe next time, aku nak pergi pulau-pulau pulak.

Next trip! To visit HA in Sydney