amende?

Nak Share Jugak!

2012-01-21T10:45:00.000+08:00

You guys know I was in Penang, baru-baru ni, kan?

Dok terperuk dalam hotel jer lah... tak kuar ke mana-mana... except for the McD in front of our hotel.

I know. Such a waste. Padahal, aku sebenarnya baru kali kedua menjejaki tanah bumi Pulau Pinang.

Serious. Tak pernah melancong ke sana, tau.

Ada sesiapa nak bawak jalan-jalan tak? Hehehe.

Anyhow, stayed at Shangri-La Golden Sands... and I loved loved loved the rooms! It's so cute!!!

Seriously, I loved it. Rasa macam tak nak keluar dari bilik jer.

Oleh sebab itu... saya nak share jugak mende yang saya rasakan sangat comel berkenaan dengan bilik dia... hehehehehe...

Katil dia single bed yang besar okayyy... dan sangat best! Tapi bantal dia lembut sangat laaa...

bantal yang uber comel :p

obligatory key card shot :p

i love love love the toiletries. bawak balik mandi kat umah, hehehehehe...

Settling In

2012-01-19T06:43:00.000+08:00

Yea, kami pun dah di unpack :)

Pejam celik pejam celik, dah nak 5 bulan aku kat Kementerian baru ni.

Tak boleh kata 'baru' sangat, lah, kan?

Pastu bulan depan nak gi QA dah...

So I've pretty much settled in ke bilik baru ni. Dah ada routine untuk solat, tidur semasa lunch break, nak makan kat mana. Tapi part nak makan kat mana tu tak berapa syok lagi la... tak de choices sangat. Nak melilau ke kementerian yang berdekatan pun tak best sangat.

Duduk kat kementerian lama dulu jugak yang best. Kafe okay, kalau tak suka sangat boleh pi kementerian lain. Kalau tidak pun gi Anjung, ada jagunggggggg... dan kedai makan gak. Or, jalan kaki gi Alamanda.

Nak gi Warisan pun tak jauh. Or Presint Diplomatik.

Ah, well. Can't spend time asyik looking to the past, kan? Must look towards the future, too.

Forward, ho!

Sudah Sudah Lah Tu...

2012-01-17T08:49:00.000+08:00

Taken off today's theStar;

Singapore ex-judge: RCI into plagiarism claim a waste of time
By SHAILA KOSHY
koshy@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: A Royal Commission of Inquiry into the claim that a judge here had plagiarised from a Singapore judge would be a waste of time.

G.P. Selvam, whose judgment in a 2000 case is the centre of the controversy, said this in refuting DAP chairman Karpal Singh's accusation of lying on the matter to Chief Justice Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria.

On Jan 6, The Star published a statement from the Chief Justice's Office saying Selvam had written on Nov 2 to say he had no cause to complain about plagiarism.

The next day, the daily quoted Karpal accusing the retired Singaporean judge of lying, as it contradicted his statement published in the Singapore Straits Times in 2000.

In that article, Selvam was quoted as saying a Malaysian judge had obtained a copy of his judgment through a lawyer and had “copied chunks from me without acknowledging”, and that the judge had backdated his judgment so “people will think I copied from him”.

In his rebuttal statement, Selvam yesterday said a mutual friend had told him on Aug 28 last year that Karpal would be contacting him about the Malaysian judge and gave him his number.

He said he called Karpal who said, in effect, that he wanted to move for the removal of the judge on the ground of plagiarism.

“He wanted a copy of the complaint I had lodged. I thought he was going to move the court.

“I told him, in effect, that I had not made any complaint to anyone, so I could not help.”

Selvam said he told Karpal there was a minor error in the 2000 report in that the Malaysian judge had “got my judgment before it was reported and not released.”

He said he told Karpal there was no cause for complaint for plagiarism but the lawyer did not agree.

Selvam said the original report was in relation to certain offhand reflections he had made while hearing a copyright infringement case, on the limits of copyright in relation to judgments.

Apalah masalah ni? Dah the person yang terkena tu kata dia tak nak ambik apa-apa tindakan, yang dia dah kata it's a waste of time, sudah ler! Dia tak nak, toksah la paksa!

Ke... ada orang ada rasa tak puas hati dengan orang lain pastu gunakan sebagai alasan?

Hmm... dunia, dunia... hanya mereka saja yang tahu apa sebenarnya yang terjadi...

Perghhhh Jalan..,

2012-01-15T00:07:00.000+08:00

These past 2 months, I've been going from KL-Sabah-KL-Singapore-Putrajaya-Kuantan-KL-Putrajaya -Kajang- Cyberjaya-KL-Kelantan-KL-Putrajaya-Kajang-Ipoh-Tambun-KL-Putrajaya-Kajang-Penang-KL-Putrajaya-Kajang.

Gilalah. I've done more travelling in 2 months than I have in a year at my old ministry..

What a change!

It's A Small World After All...

2012-01-10T12:12:00.001+08:00

Talk about small world!

Met up with a cousin of mine On Sunday. Got talking about something or rather, and one thing led to another and…

… it turns out that Mr.A used to date a certain lady I’ve been acquainted with since elementary school, who is currently married to a guy I once got on very famously with.

I was all “Him?? Really?? Dated her?”

“Well, that’s how I remember him. I remember he used to date her.” Cousin shrugged.

And a part of life’s little puzzle pieces clicked together.

I remember that friends were regaling us about how the lady whom I’ve been acquainted with since elementary school and the guy I once got on very famously with actually came to be.

“… she was seeing someone else at the time when he started to pursue her…”

Heh. Could it be? Was it he?

Ah, well. He’s heading towards a happy ending of his own soon, as well. So that’s all good :)

And Then There Were None

2012-01-08T23:52:00.000+08:00

So I went to MdmSilent's son's wedding. Jumpa ramai member KKM kat sana - Alwi, Tan, Bibi, Reza... It was a mini reunion of sorts. Not to mention us exKKM - PnAzie, PnSafida... It was kecohhhh!

It was also good to see MdmSilent again. I've missed her :(

Semasa bersalaman, this conversation took place...

"Settle dah semua anak puan..."

"Itulah. Rin, terima kasih datang, tau. Nanti awak kahwin jangan lupa jemput kita, saya confirm datang..."

"Eheh. Insya Allah. Ikky pun dah kawen..."

"Ah, Ikhlas tu. Jauh sangat kawennyer! Menyampah!"

Dan I terkekek gelak meninggalkan majlis. Rupanya MdmSilent teringin nak tengok Ikky bersanding ek...

Pre-Christmas Trip: Singapore Ep.3

2012-01-06T13:27:00.000+08:00

Read Ep.1 and Ep.2

So I've been to Sentosa. Went to USS in 2010. Didn't manage to explore the whole island coz was too exhausted in 2010.

Did I manage to explore the whole island this time around? No. But at least this time I managed to ride the train until the last station, jalan-jalan, pastu station hop kat Sentosa la.

This time, I decided that we had to at least pay a visit to that giant merlion on Sentosa.

2012, I'm planning to leave my footprints at Marina Bay. No, I've not sampai sana lagi. Ye, wajib pergi.

Shir with a chibi merlion and the giant one up above...

So we entered the merlion exhibit. They had like some pameran about legends of water creatures involving mermaids, Nessie, dragons, dugongs, blablabla...

Oooohhh... scary dragon...

They had an small theater where we sat in and watched this cartoon re-telling of how the merlion came about. Trust the Singaporeans to create a water creature of their own :p

Well, no one can say they're not creative...

Then we took the elevator up up up to the merlion's mouth and crown and this is what we saw...

Ships galore. Whattt??? Singapore's a port??? Really??? Heh.

That's USS you're seeing there.

The city, the city.

The really big Xmas tree in the middle of the square outside USS

The castle at Far, Far Away :p

The cable cars! I wanted so badly to get on them, but Shir is even more afraid of heights compared to me. Anybody want to go together?

At the mouth of the merlion, they had staff take our pictures to be made into those photos they try to sell you at the gift shop. We ooh-ed and aah-ed over the photos at the gift shop... and decided not to buy them. The salesgirl looked so disbelieving, and crestfallen. Heh. Sorry, dik, we never said we'd actually buy them. You kinda just forced us to take the pictures. We only wanted to look at the scenery. Whoops!

Outside the merlion they had a water feature that looked like some crazy, psychedelic water snake. I loved the iron tree below, though. It had a very LotR feel to it :)

The tree in question

psychedelic water snake

Chibi merlion!

We stopped over at Vivo to say hello to Page One. Y'all know our main aim is to buy books, right? Hehe. Right.

So ends my trip to Singapore. Agenda 2012: USS 2nd trip, and Marina Bay! Woohooo!

Pre-Christmas Trip: Singapore Ep.2

2012-01-04T13:09:00.000+08:00

Read Pre-Christmas Trip: Singapore here.

So... this time around Shireen and I decided to visit the famed Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari. Shireen lah beria-ia. Me, I've not been to the zoo in ages, and have very little memory of them. But I remember cages. And being bored out of my mind. Oh yes.

But boy did the Singapore Zoo prove me wrong! I totally fell in love with it. I'd love to go back, honestly.

Their concept was more like 'animals in their habitat'. I don't remember seeing cages... maybe glass casings, can't have those creepy-crawlies suddenly appearing under your shirt... but it was lovely. We caught almost all the shows, except for the Pets Show held at the Kids Zone. My favourite show would've been the one with the elephants - they were so playful and gentle and cute! They also had an Animal Strikes Back show or something, and I adored the spider monkey featured, as well as the family of ducks that closed the show.

Shireen totally fell in love with otters, hehe.

The main draw would be the 3 white tigers. They were beautiful - and awesome - to behold. Kinda fascinatingly scary, hehe. I'd totally recommend a trip to the Zoo for just those tigers. It was that enjoyable. But I wouldn't recommend the boat ride yet. Seriously nothing to see. It was the slowest boat ride I've ever taken, and also the shortest. Go figure.

This is Omar the white tiger. I knew it was Omar coz he's restless and the description said he liked to play in the water, and this tiger jumped into the little river/lake soon after.

Winnie is lying down, and Jippie is being anti-social at the back :p

All 3 tigers. It was a wee bit unnerving watching Omar going to and fro.

Sleepy kitties.

Adoption notices?

They were so cute!

Taking care of them eggs

Entrance to the monkey/ape exhibit, of which we didn't really go through. Sorry, primates aren't my thing :p

Intricate!

Okay, I couldn't resist. I loved the statues in this series, placed along the pavilion for the elephant show. So cute.

A sleeping one

One of my fave elephant statues!

So pwetty!

Shireen managed to convince me to give the Night Safari a try. Apparently, it's really good. After overcoming my initial nervousness

I mean, c'mon, who knows what else might be lurking amongst them critters that's not made of flesh and blood

I enjoyed the trip tremendously. The Night Safari is located right next to the Zoo, it doesn't share the same space. Even the animals are different. They had some sort of a fairy thing going on at the time, which wasn't all that. But the lights were pretty, though.

We took the tram ride. It was well worth it. Our tram guide, Priscilla, had one of the smoothest voices I've ever heard. She's really, really, really good. The route was dark, with minimal lighting to guide our way as we sat in the tram. At certain footpath crossings you'd see Night Safari staff waving red light sticks that oddly looked like lightsabers saying hello to you. Priscilla's commentary was very informative, and we ooh-ed and aah-ed over the animals. And boy, you could definitely see the animals! They weren't hiding, they were going on with their lives, out in the open. Most of their enclosures were lighted with this muted green light that didn't hurt their light sensitive eyes.

The Night Safari allows pictures and recordings, but you'd have to switch off the flash function, for fear of hurting the animals' eyes. The flash is so glaring that animals can go blind when exposed. But sadly, after repeated warnings by the management, a number of the visitors blithely snapped away with their camera flash on. It was frustrating, and so very selfish.

Idiots, the lot of them.

We sat through the night show soon after. The animals were so cute!!! And the show was very entertaining. I like the part where they were looking for the snake, and this Malaysian guy was left alone onstage holding this ultra-long boa constrictor. Yeap, the Night Safari staff totally disappeared and that guy had this "oh, shit" look on his face, LOL. Priceless.

The MC was this guy named Mark who was ultra charming and cute. As in, very the ;)

We also walked around the enclosures for a bit - in the dark - but there weren't many people walking the footpaths, and it was a wee bit eerie, so we abandoned that.

Next up: Merlion!

Pre-Christmas Trip: Singapore

2012-01-02T01:26:00.001+08:00

Hahaha... dah nak sebulan dah aktiviti ni dilaksanakan, la ni baru nak blog?

Tak kira! Nak gak citer!

It seems that going to Singapore will be a yearly event for me. In fact, Shir and I were wondering if we could make it a once-in-every-6-months thing, hehe. Honestly, sebab dah lama tak gi Singapore (konon!) dah tak mahir dah naik MRT.

Alasan.

Like always, we took the trusty ol' bus at Bangsar to Singapore. No trains this time!

Anyway, this would be our first time there to stare at the Christmas decorations. They were lovely, all those Xmas deco along Orchard. Also, they had these statues of elephants scattered along Orchard (and Vivo, and the Zoo) that were each painted differently.

There were snow globes outside ION Orchard. This was Shir's favourite - a town scene with a running toy train.

Now this one was my favourite. So gebu :p

The very big Christmas tree outside ION Orchard. Apparently, you're allowed to climb in and up to the top, but we didn't see anyone actually go in...

One of the elephants! Was taken at the Zoo, though. Pretty, ek?

Shir and I saw this elephant painted to look like a white tiger right outside the white tiger enclosure at the Zoo. It was freakyyyyy man. It looked like a demon of some sort - especially the eyes, since white tigers have blue eyes, and this statue had yellow eyes. No, it was too freaky for pictures, sorry!

See? Zoos are very educational. I *did* learn something, I did!

We stayed at the Royal Plaza on Scotts. Their kitchen is halal-certified, and there were loads of tourists there. The rooms were lovely - single beds were bigger than usual (to me), the minibar was free, we had a Nespresso machine in our room, and free wifi! I loved my hotel :)

I'm not sure if this carousel is a permanent fixture or just for the jolly season, but it was huge. I'd be afraid of it, if I was a small kid, though. Have nightmares. Yeessshhh.

The Carousel

Where we had our breakfast - Jollyland. Okay, the carousel, jollyland... am feeling a bit like Pinocchio...

Kinda pretty in a freakish way. It might be just me, I've been reading way too many twisted fairy tales...

Ni masak lemak sedapppp ni....

They have a stained glass skylight! Pretty, really!

Next episode: The Zoo & The Night Safari!

First Post Of The Year...

2012-01-01T14:38:00.000+08:00

... and it's a filler post. Hehe. Whoops.

I'm typing this on Blackie. I love Blackie, please don't misunderstand, but I'm so used to MsRed that typing long long time on Blackie seems odd. Takes some getting used to.

Not to mention when I'm referencing something, and would like to attach pictures, then would I belatedly realize said pictures are unavailable, since they're allllll in MsRed. Blackie's memory is (almost) pristine, and I've not managed to transfer the pictures to Tera (yeap, my other HDD).

Haih. MsRed, get well soon! I promise to bring you to the doctors next week :(

Melayanglah RM aku...

Something totally unrelated: I am *so* Malaysian :)

KDa: Do you want some rendang?

Zyrin: Aaaaa... later. Let me finish one-one first.

Hehe. In hindsight, you'd have to be Malaysian/Singaporean/perhaps Indonesian or Bruneian for that to make sense ;)

Enjoy the new year, peeps!

MsRed

2011-12-31T22:30:00.002+08:00

My laptop, MsRed, sakit.

All my pictures are in there.

Gambar pi Singapore.

Gambar buku.

Boohooo.

Haihhh... what a start to 2012!

Apakah??? Tangguh???

2011-12-22T22:22:00.001+08:00

from theStar;

Cuepacs and PSD to meet Friday on new remuneration scheme
By RAHIMY RAHIM and LOSHANA K SHAGAR

SERDANG: Cuepacs and Public Service Department (PSD) will meet Friday to discuss the terms of the controversial new renumeration system for civil servants (SPBA) and decide if the implementation of the scheme needs to be delayed.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak told the two parties to meet and resolve the issue said Cuepacs president Datuk Omar Osman.

“We are not totally against the SBPA but some of the terms need to be reviewed. The union wants to know which groups will benefit from it and the paying system must be clearer,” he told reporters during a press conference at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), on Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, Cuepacs officials met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Putrajaya to express their concerns about the SBPA.

Cuepacs has strongly opposed the SBPA, saying that it was unclear and claimed that the union, comprising some 1.4 million civil servants, was not consulted.

Individuals who joined the civil service from Jan 1 next year would automatically be placed under the SBPA.

Omar also noted that the decision to change the Dec 30 deadline and postpone the return of the option forms would be decided at the Friday meeting.

“Those who have already signed the option forms need not worry.

“It will not affect their pay rise as the differences will be addressed through backdated pay.
“We are willing to talk up to six months with the PSD to discuss the matter to ensure that all parties are happy with the new scheme,” he said.

He added that the union would continue to oppose the exit policy which stated that non-performing staff would be asked to leave if they failed to achieve more than 70 points in their assessment for three consecutive years

“The exit policy will be raised in the meeting. We cannot be compared to the private sector. The new scheme is open to abuse.

“How can we ensure each dismissal is fair,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Petaling Jaya, Pakatan Rakyat said Thursday that it would oppose the implementation of the scheme citing an imbalance in the planning.

“We support efforts to postpone SPBA until further discussions,” said the party's information chief and Batu MP, Tian Chua at a press conference.

He said the scheme profited only the upper echelons of the public service, namely the Premier and Top Management groups.

“The lower groups get 7% to 13 % increment, but even that is based on their superior's decisions.

“It gives the heads of departments too much power to take their revenge and choose their cronies,” Chua added.

Director of PAS research centre Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad agreed, saying that there would be a yawning gap between incomes and the scheme also had not involved consultation with stakeholders.

“There is no more lifelong employment concept, but worse still is the increment, as we do not understand the rationale behind it,” he added.

Malaysia has 1.4 million civil servants, who form a major part of the workforce.

*facepalm*

Goodness.

Ntahlah. Aku malas nak cakap apa-apa dah. Malas nak cakap lebih-lebih. Cukup sudah perdebatan hebat seantero dunia berkenaan dengan SBPA ni. Aku malas nak kata apa.

Sebelum komen... saya nak tanya. Dah habis baca pekeliling dah?

Dah baca?

Bagus, anak-anak.

Haihhh. Jenuhlah orang semua dok berhempas-pulas kerja statistik sana sini, taklimat sana sini, mentensionkan diri dengan data ngan sistem, siap beku cuti, siapa cuti panggil balik, siap semua tak menyempat nak bernafas...

... in the end macam ni jadinya???

Siapa yang jaga HRD confirm mesti nak menyembelih punya laaaa.

Bak kata Ja,

ditangguhkan tidak sama dengan dibatalkan

Ahhhh. Malas nak layan or kata apa-apa lagi. Hanya mampu tersenyum tawar.

Baik aku tido.

Return of the Wayward Blogger

2011-12-15T01:35:00.000+08:00

Ha.

Ohmygosh... I've been a busy bee.

What with the packing sebab office nak pindah, to the system problems and statistics, to being a speaker at induction courses, to having to be a speaker regarding the new remuneration system to going cuti-cuti in Singapore... I'm pretty much spent.

Honestly, I even kept a buyer for Zyrin's Bookshelf waiting for about a week for her books.

I'm such a scatter-brained busy seller. Good thing I'm not doing this professionally. Good thing too I have such understanding and patient buyers!

As I told Shireen,

to which she rolled her eyes,

I barely have time to sleep, apatah lagi nak baca pekeliling, watch Korean dramas, listen to K-pop, watch variety shows, new movies, catch up on celeb gossip et al.

It's a wonder I found time to read George R. R. Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' saga books. Yes, somehow, dalam tak cukup tidur tu - surviving on 3 hours a night - boleh pulak baca buku, okehhhh.

And bukan calang-calang baca... dah masuk buku #4 - A Feast for Crows - daripada 5 buku!

Pengsan. Padanlah tak cukup masa for everything else.

Tambahan Nazar kata nak pinjam... since I bought the first 4 books in a boxset for RM80 at the last MPH Warehouse Sale.

Apa-apa pun... here I am! I'm back!

Will do a book review of sorts once I sort out my increasingly messy life... and finish #4.

Toodles!

Pindah Lagi!

2011-12-13T01:14:00.000+08:00

Yes, we have moved.

By the time y'all read this post, we'll be busy unpacking at the new office building in Putrajaya.

Oh my goodness, the berselerak-ness.

Goodbyw, Wisma Sime Darby. I thoroughly enjoyed those few months I could wake up late and still get to the office in time. Haihhhh... tak de dah office kat KL, jalan-jalan gi Sogo or Maju Junction! La ni office kat area Boulevard tu haaa... nak pi Alamanda pun punyalah jauh... haihhhh.

Halllooooo Putrajaya! We meet again ;)

Moving On

2011-12-12T01:07:00.000+08:00

Used to be that whenever I look at stuff he gave me, I fancied a part of him is still around.

I could hear his voice urging me on, telling me to do my best.

And because I wanted to be like him, mayhaps a bit better than him... I'd persevere.

I finally threw this out, in the course of packing for the move.

One less thing that he gave me. One less mark in my life.

Of Taxis

2011-11-30T08:22:00.000+08:00

Taken off theStar;

Can the women take the heat, ask male cabbies
By P . ARUNA
aruna@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Male taxi drivers have no issues with the fairer sex sharing the roads, but wonder if the women will be “man” enough to take the heat that comes with the job.

Some women tend to panic and get stressed faster than men, claimed a male taxi driver here.

“Being a taxi driver can be very stressful,” said Sunil Raj, 31.

“Some women drivers tend to lose their temper especially when faced with passengers who pressure them, and expect them to break traffic rules just to reach their destination on time,” he said.

Zainal Abidin Mohd Zain, 54, said most female taxi drivers he had encountered were daring ones.

“They seem to drive more aggressively than men, making sudden turns and scaring other drivers on the road,” he said.

However, Danny Ling, 50, who has been driving taxis for almost 22 years, said it was not a safe job for women.

“They will be exposed to a lot of risks, especially if they drive at night,” he said.

He was commenting on the launch of women-only taxis in conjunction with International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women last Sunday.

Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Senator Datuk Heng Seai Kie, who launched the service, said there were currently only 50 women taxi drivers and encouraged more women to take on the job.

Another taxi driver, Rozaidi Abd Rahim, 42, who has been driving taxis for the past 14 years said, “It is shocking even for us men to see how fast these girls drive.”

However, he said women taxi drivers were less likely to cheat their passengers.

“They usually keep to the meter and do not overcharge,” he said.

My most favourite quote is the last one.

Another taxi driver, Rozaidi Abd Rahim, 42, who has been driving taxis for the past 14 years said, “It is shocking even for us men to see how fast these girls drive.”

Haha. He’s obviously met my sister on the road :p

Sekian Lama

2011-11-29T00:21:00.002+08:00

Aku tahu... ramai yang merinduinya.

Jejak-jejak kehadirannya di HRD ministry lama aku rasa dah tak ada dah.

Aku kini pun dah tak ada urusan di sana.

Oleh yang demikian, sebab aku tahu korang rindukan dia... nah, tataplah puas-puas.

Ta-daaa! Cakkkk! Korang rindu tak mascot ni???

Jangan curi dah, ek. Hehe.

The Muppets

2011-11-28T00:55:00.002+08:00

So Nuffnang is having a contest for premiere tickets for The Muppets. Hehe... after obtaining 'Scream 4' tickets, perhaps I shall try my luck with this one. I do so love The Muppets. My favourite? Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, of course!

So here's my Nuffnang entry. Here's hopin' and wishin' I get lucky this time, eh?

organize a sing-and-dance show! right at the steps of the Muppet Theater. Approach A-list celebrities and remind them how they, too, loved the Muppets and how the Muppets shaped their lives. Get them to agree that the Muppet Theater must be preserved for the next generation of kids!

And find out how we can somehow gazette the Muppet Theater grounds as a place with cultural/historical significance or something... there must be something in all that law mumbo-jumbo that we can use to save the Muppet Theater...

Congratulations!

2011-11-28T00:54:00.000+08:00

Selamat Pengantin Baru buat Sarah & Allan Shahriman.

Their reception was yesterday (27 November 2011), tapi tengah malam buta baru I boleh menaip. 'Twas held at Taman Rimba TTDI. First time sampai ke sana. Who knew that place existed? Padahal bertahun-tahun jugakler aku lalu jalan belakang tu untuk balik ke Bukit Kiara from TTDI :p

Garden wedding theme. I remember Sarah always wanted a garden wedding, even when she was young.

Incidentally, garden weddings always reminds me of Juju's wedding. It was one of the most havoc and happening weddings I've attended, all smiles and cheerfulness and happiness. Plus, she was one of the earliest of us Hartamasians to get married. Memories of her wedding tends to be bathed in a warm glow.

Fino, Shir, Ibby and I actually got into a debate about how long Juju & Ikmal have been married :p

It rained for a bit. But the good part was that it stopped raining and the sun showed itself when the pengantin arrived. So it was all good.

The pengantin looked good. Although the first thing that struck us was... they look so young!!! Sigh. Am definitely feeling my age today. I thought I was the only one, but the others agreed, yeap, the bride & groom look really young to us. Sigh...

Definitely a sign, I tell you.

Again, congratulations Sarah & Allan. Moga berkekalan sehingga ke akhir hayat, Amin.

Weekend @ Cherating

2011-11-27T18:31:00.000+08:00

Legend Hotel, Cherating, to be exact.

So we had our HR Strategic Planning Meeting there over the recent weekend. Never been to Legend Hotel, hanya bertanya kepada Ja okay ke tak. Ja kata okay... so Insya Allah okaylah kan. And terbukti... hotel tu pun not bad.

It was kinda rushed. I'm beginning to get the hang of things at the new ministry. 'Rushed' is a way of life here. Plans can change without any warning, at the drop of the hat. You literally have no time to panic, you just jump right in. Kalau kat old ministry buat macam tu, ada harapan mengamuk warga yang sama skim dengan Abang tu. Hohhhh.

Do I like this 'living inconstant fluidity'?

Honestly, no. I like structure. I like same-ness. Rocking the boat isn't me. And although I don't exactly hate change, I'm bloody frikkin' hell resistant towards it. But if the change is for the better, I will... grudgingly, hesitantly change.

Apa-apa pun... I'm still adapting.

Eh, tersasar jauh pulak.

Anyway, we took the ministry bus there.

Haa... bas ni pun pelbagai cerita dan drama jugak. At first ada bas, pastu tak de bas, pastu melilau kitorang cari bas, sampai ke KSKB Sg Buloh la, Jerantut la, Seremban la, KTMP la... kacau Ho lah, Maisarah la... last-last ada pulak bas.

Told you... drop of a hat. Cerita bas je buat aku exhausted. Tu tak masuk cerita tarikh kitorang dha book awal-awal tetiba clash dengan major event yang ditunda dari tarikh lain bawak ke tarikh kitorang, so kitorang kena tolak ke belakang event kitorang, pastu event besar tu tak jadi.

Confused yet? Never mind. :)

Arrived at night, so tak nampak apa-apa scenery sampailah keesokan harinya. Rooms were so-so, dewan pun oookkkkaaayyyyllllaaahhhhh... food was delish, tho, I really liked it. Played games by the beach, it was fun! Lots of screaming, shouting, squealing, cheering, jeering and laughter going on, hahahahaha.

But the scenery... the scenery! Oh my, the pantai, the beach, the crashing waves. The pokok kelapa melambai-lambai ditiup angin laut yang sangat kuat. The pool yang gorgeous dan redup dan memang puas hati dok splish-splash.

Did I enjoy myself? YES.

Did we get any work done? DEFINITELY. Hello, habiskan kerja dulu baru boleh bermain, okay.

So here's some pictures from my work trip. Haihhhh... teringat-ingat kat pantai!

Hadiah untuk sesi tukar hadiah. Semua letak dalam my room. Macam-macam ada!

Hadiah sesi tukar hadiah, cabutan bertuah & teka-teki/kuiz.
Yang beg putih tu door gift.

Yang dalam kotak A4 tu hadiah cabutan bertuah. Jenuh Izma, Ida, Kak Lina & Sue dok balut...

Pantai! Crashing waves! Angin!

Tempat lepak-lepak sambil dibuai angin dan mengunyah jajan. Nasib baikkkkk tak tertidur...

Kolam!

Nampak sangat redup, kan? Weeee... best main splish-splash sini...

Hmm? Mana gambar manusia? Tak payahlahhhhh... :)

Peppermint Lagi!

2011-11-26T13:17:00.000+08:00

Hahahaha... referring to this, went to MidV today and singgah Coffee Bean and guess what???

Their Xmas drinks are out.

Oh, yeah.

And they have Double Chocolate Peppermint Ice Blended!!! WHEEEEEEEEE~

Excuse me while I embark on a mint lovers' high. Ehehehehe.

You Know It's Almost Xmas

2011-11-26T11:02:00.000+08:00

... when Bath and Body Works kembali tampil dengan produk Twisted Peppermint ngan Vanilla Bean Noel :)

I've been thinking about Twisted Peppermint especially lately, pastu dengan all the Xmas promos going around, tambah lagi laaaa aku teringat kat scent favourite aku ni kan?

Incidentally, saya dah minum dah my fave Xmas drink from Starbucks. Toffee Nut Latte. Toffee Nut Latte is my kryptonite. For sure.

Pastu Kak Lin ada jual a few bottles of shower gel from BBW. I pun merengek laaa... kan best kalau boleh ada order from BBW... tuptup, Kak Lin kata dia willing untuk belikan for me.

KYAAAAAA!!!

And then, bila tengok website, oh my gosh, Twisted Peppermint dah keluarrrrr!!! Dah ada balikkkk!!! Pastu dia ada buy 3 get 3 free promo!!!!

*pengsan*

Apalagi... my hoarding instincts came out in full force.

And thus, ladies and gents, I present to you my special package alllll the way from the US of A, consisting of...

... shower gels and body lotions.

3 Twisted Peppermint shower gel + 2 Vanilla Bean Noel shower gel
+ 1 Twisted Peppermint lotion :)

Ihik.

Melampauuuuuu... tapi i loike...

And NO, you CANNOT have some. Ha.

Akhirnya

2011-11-25T16:50:00.001+08:00

Tamatnya riwayat cawan biru

Setelah lebih 10 tahun dia berkhidmat dengan aku, akhirnya cawan besar yang aku beli kat IKEA sebab nak cawan besar ala-ala mangkuk dek terpengaruh tengok betapa coolnya minum air guna cawan besar macam dalam cerita FRIENDS, telah pecah.

Tamatnya riwayat sebiji cawan akibat dihempas ke sana dan ke mari semasa ada orang yang bukanya aku mengemas bilik aku sebab tengah buat renovation besar-besaran.

Haihhhh cawan. Cawan yang banyak kenangan. Dari 11th UPM di teingkat 4 dan 7, hingga ke Dental UM, hingga ke Cenderasari Blok A. Kemudian sama berjuang di INTAN selama 6 bulan - dan dikidnap oleh enche Firdaus515 - lepas tu ke E7 tingkat 9, kemudianya tingkat 10. Akhirnya, riwayat kamu ditamatkan di Damansara jua.

Babai cawan. You shall be missed.

MengAUMMMM!!!

2011-11-24T16:57:00.001+08:00

Taken off theStar;

AirAsia plane to sport Tigers’ colours
By YVONNE LIM
yvonnelim@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: To honour the national football squad's SEA Games victory, an AirAsia plane will incorporate Harimau Muda livery, starting next year.

AirAsia Berhad Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the decision was to make good a promise to his Twitter followers that he would paint a plane in Harimau Muda colours if the Malaysian team won.

“The Harimau Muda kept their pledge to win the coveted gold medal and I will keep my promise as the Harimau Muda team deserves it. They performed like true stars on the field and definitely deserve a hearty congratulations for making the country proud,” he said.

The football squad created history at the recent SEA Games when they successfully defended the football title after defeating Indonesia on Monday.

“This aircraft livery will remind us of how sports can unite a country,” Tony said.

He said he hoped the livery will inspire more youth to take up sports and put Malaysia on the international map.

I don’t know about you, but I think this is pretty cool. I like how Tan Sri Tony is very involved in sports, and youths as a whole.

Here’s hoping that the Harimau Muda and Harimau Malaya teams improve with time.

Here’s hoping that sports will capture the hearts and minds of our youngsters… and not just politics or K-pop semata-mata.

Here’s hoping that Malaysians will support our sportspersons through thick and thin – the good and the bad times.

Oh, Boo!

2011-11-23T16:49:00.001+08:00

Taken off theStar;

No travel for woman due to study ‘loan’

GEORGE TOWN: An engineer has claimed she was barred from leaving the country for a holiday to New Zealand over a National Education Fund (PTPTN) loan that she never took.

Loo Guay Hong, 33, a senior electronics and electrical engineer who works at a factory in Bayan Lepas, said she was stopped at the Immigration counter at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Oct 21.

“I was told my name was blacklisted by PTPTN over a RM4,320.97 loan and subsequently led to a room where the officer told me I have to call PTPTN to settle the matter,” she said.

In a press conference called by Penang MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau at the party headquarters in Pahang Road yesterday, Loo, who graduated from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in 2002, said she completed her course in 2002 with a Tun Tan Cheng Lock scholarship.

“I applied for the PTPTN loan during my first year in 1999 but obtained the scholarship at the same time. I rejected the loan after that,” she said.

Following the incident at the airport, Loo said she went to the PTPTN branch in KL Sentral where she was told that she had to pay RM1,000 to be temporarily removed from the blacklist and was also made to sign an agreement for a monthly RM100 instalment to settle the debt.

“I had to do so because I wanted to travel.

“I also filed a complaint on the spot about the matter. I later bought a new flight ticket for RM1,542 to make my trip to New Zealand,” she added.

Loo, who is from Parit Buntar, said she had never received any warning letter from PTPTN about the so-called debt.

“I also went back to UPM to check and found that no money had been deposited into my account,” she said, adding that after her graduation, she had travelled to many places like Spain, Japan and Germany without any problem.

“I contacted PTPTN upon returning from my trip to New Zealand and was told that my case was under investigation,” she said.

Bureau deputy chief Lim Thoon Deong said that upon checking with UPM, he found out that the university had missed returning the money to PTPTN after Loo rejected the loan.

“The university is now returning the sum to PTPTN to clear Loo’s name,” he said.

Waaaa... that’s a big error on UPM’s part! How could they miss returning the PTPTN money back to PTPTN? Tht’s like, 3 years wrth of loan money, that’s a lot!

Very highly suspicious.

But nonetheless, I’m glad things worked out for Ms. Loo.

What I'm Watching Now...

2011-11-12T20:07:00.000+08:00

Running Man Cast

... is lots and lots of Running Man.

Yes, it's a Korean variety show.
Yes, I'm playing catch-up, how'd you guess?

Honestly, even though it's pretty okay (not exactly easy, just okay) to watch subbed k-dramas online via streaming, it's actually pretty hard to find reliable English subbed episodes of variety shows.

I guess I'm pretty lucky that my favourite variety shows happen to be the ones on KBS - Happy Together, Let's Go Dream Team, Star Golden Bell, 1 Night 2 Days, Invincible Youth, Qualifications of Men, Immortal Song 2 - dapatlah jugak aku tengok kat KBSWorld, kan. In fact, some kind souls will tape these variety shows on KBSWorld and upload them online.

But for those that aren't on the KBSWorld roster - Hello Baby! Series, We Got Married, Strong Heart (oh! what I'd give to watch Teukigayo!), Star King - just to name a few - it can be more than just a wee bit tricky to find English subs.

Heck, for some it's down right impossible.

So I am forever indebted to this particular forum I've joined that has subbed allllllll the Running Man episodes. I love you guys!!!

I enjoy Running Man. A lot. I've never watched Family Outing (FO) - perhaps will pick it up soon - but I absolutely adore Running Man.

Yoo Jae Suk

Partly it's because of its main MC - Yoo Jae Suk. He's the main reason why I catch Happy Together, actually. I love the way he MCs - it really is very much different from Kang Ho Dong's style, but no less effective. He gives out such a warm, friendly vibe, you cannot not simply adore him.

And of course, the Korean toilet humour needs some getting used to, but is totally worth it.

Ji Suk Jin

Ji Suk Jin I recognized from Star Golden Bell (SGB). I liked him on SGB, him and Jun Hyun Moo were hilarious. So I was curious to see how he'd fared outside of the SGB concept, and in a rather athletic show - Running Man, as per its name, actually does involve a lot of running... and hiding... and pushing and pulling... it's very physical.

Kim Jong Kook

Kim Jong Kook I know of as a singer - he of the ballady songs and, er, not very manly voice. Hehe. In contrast to his exceptionally buff physique. Like I said, I've never watched FO, but I knew he was good for the laughs... and am pleasantly surprised by his comedic chops and competitive nature. Plus, it's always hilarious when such a buff man tries to be all aegyo-like and cute, and whenever the production team edits in the "Sparta!" tagline when he gets his game on.

Gary

I know of Gary as part of Leessang, but honestly, I've always known Leessang for Gil. In fact, before Running Man (RM), I never knew the name of Gil's partner in Leessang. And I know of Gil through Nocturnal, itu pun I started watching because it had SHINee's Onew in it. Hehe. Oh, and that Gil is a bad-ass scary hip-hopper.

Anyway, back to Gary. Even though he's part of the Monday Couple, and I know he's supposed to be cheesy in RM... it's way too much cheese. I just cannot accept it. Which is a shame, because Gary is actually plenty capable, and has at times saved his team in various challenges... but he doesn't appeal to me.

Haha

OhmygoshIloveHaha! I do, I do, I do! I absolutely adore Haha in RM! My favourite cast member is not the warm Yoo Jae Suk, or my forever-love Song Joong Ki, but it's actually Haroro/Harad Pitt Haha! His resemblance to Pororo is uncanny, and even though he acts so childish and immature and yells whenever things don't go his way, he's my favourite! He's witty, he's charming, he's childish, he's oh-so entertaining! Plus, I love the fact that he can suddenly snap in and out of his Haroro character - one moment he's all 'big brother-like' and the next he's yelling like a pre-schooler throwing a tantrum. It's hilarious. Plus it's all done very slyly, all sly winks and glances. He's such a schemer and double-crosser... but usually when he tries to play both sides, he fails spectacularly. Leave the double-crossing to the Song-Song siblings, Haha. They're wayyyy better at it.

Lee Kwang Soo

Lee Kwang Soo I'll always remember as being in City Hunter with Lee Min Ho. Hehe. I sometimes pity him for the role he's been given to play in RM - the hopeless/useless loser. I guess it's a testament of Kwang Soo's acting skills that he appears so pathetic. I mean, no one can really be THAT pathetic... right? Right?

Right?

Nah, I'm kidding. He's not that bad. He really does play his role well.

Song Ji Hyo

If Jong Kook is the RM Commander, Song Ji Hyo is the show's Ace. I like the fact that she's a gutsy, manipulative girl - one of the Song-Song siblings who are very good at being manipulative and betrayals, hahahahaha - but I've never warmed up to her. The Monday Couple thing that she has with Gary is such a tired concept, I think, and I'm not too keen on her using her feminine wiles (especially in the earlier episodes) to escape from sticky situations. But she's a strong character, not pre-occupied with looking pretty on camera, and she's smart, wily, sneaky and gutsy. She holds her own against the boys, definitely.

Song Joong Ki - I was actually searching for a picture where he doesn't look so damn young, but I guess those do not exist :p

Ahhhh... Song Joong Ki! Clever, brainy Joong Ki! Who knew such an angelic face would be so adept at betrayal and manipulation? But Joong Ki's brain processes are really something. His general knowledge is whoaaaa... and I love the fact that through his logic reasoning, his team is usually able to solve problems much faster. He's also very perceptive, which is great when trying to catch hiding guests! Alas, Joong Ki usually has the most rotten of luck, and no one can say it's not entertaining watching a handsome, confident guy attempt a task and fail soooo spectacularly. Hehe. Kinda sad he's left the show, though.

Watching RM, you're liable to feel tired. After all, they do a lot of physical activities. So far, up to Episode 35, you notice some stuff about the guests. Some mentions - Lizzy of After School (AS) is very easy-going and active! I like watching her, she's cute and very game. I like that she seems her age - a teenager running around. Hara of KARA is very physical and friendly - but if you've watched Invincible Youth you would've known that. Lee Hyori is competitive and scary! But again, FO viewers knew that, too.

Yonghwa of CNBlue has appeared at least 3 times, and I think he was made for RM! He's so good during the challenges, he's especially good at the Hide n Seek. Honestly, they should make him a cast member already... he's like a recurring guest or something. Ditto for Tony Ahn and Kim Kwang Kyu - they've been on twice and they're hilarious! Joon from MBLAQ's episode was hilarious because he was running and hiding so well... he kept losing his VJ, hehe. Siwon of Super Junior's episode was cute because it was held in a toy store around Christmas, and because they kept mimicking his dramatic hand gestures... it was too cute.

Park Bo Young was adorable! I love the fact that she's an RM fan, and she managed to win the 9 vs. 1 challenge! I was seriously rooting for her. I wanted her to beat the cast, honest, and I was so happy that she did! Lee Moon Sik is one of the coolest guests ever. I'd love to see more of him if only so that someone would keep Jong Kook in his place. Heh. I was amazed by Seungri and Daesung of Big Bang's speed... they can really run! And Seungri's like Houdini, he's an escape artist! I tell you if they put Seungri, Daesung, Nickhun of 2PM and Yonghwa in a team, no one would be able to catch them.

And I'll admit to loving Oh Ji Ho more after watching him on RM. He's such a cool cat, ain't he?

RM is so entertaining - from the cast, the challenges, the guests, the locations. I remember they filmed an episode in a museum - no one was allowed to run, so it was funny watching everyone speed walking playing hide n seek. Hehe.

I'd totally recommend watching RM. Believe me... there ain't any other variety show quite like it. You'd be hooked on it in no time!

Satu Hari di Kuala Lumpur...

2011-11-11T17:06:00.006+08:00

Satu hari di Kuala Lumpur...

Wooo. Tetamu kehormat dah sampai. Semua senyum-senyum, pastu mengiringi tetamu kehormat masuk dewan.

Eh, aku nak dok mana ni? Haaa? Row depan sekali? Aigooo... skematik matematiknya!

Tanpa berfikiran panjang, aku pun terus duduk di seat pertama yang kosong di barisan hadapan.

Alamak... betul-betul sebelah Mr.A belah kanan aku. Seat kiri aku ni kosong pulak. Aaaaa... tak de orang nak mai dok depan ni ke? Macam pelik tak kalau aku tiba-tiba mengesot masuk seat sebelah? Segan lah pulak dok sebelah lelaki, tapi dengan pihak perempuannya selang satu kerusi aisyyy... Ada kemungkinan tak Mr.A terasa kalau aku tukar seat tak nak dok sebelah dia?

Ala... sure dia tak terasa, kan? Lelaki tak fikir panjang memende macam ni. Perempuan je.

Menyesal dok sebelah mamat ni. Aku ni dahlah bukan kecik, nak kena control ayu depan tetamu kehormat dan dok sebelah Mr.A... aisehhhh... dahlah aku rasa sejak aku masuk, tak sampai 10 patah perkataan telah dituturkan di antara kami... chewahhh...

Haritue aku dapat figure out dia ni batch LMT. Padanlah. Aku dengan LMT pun x cakap banyak. Memang sifat batch tu kot. Ha.

Fuhhh nasib baik ada orang dok seat kosong sebelah. Hehe.

Apabila tetamu kehormat duduk, kami perempuan-perempuan yang dok row depan semua terpandang sesuatu. Wowwww... tinggi! Rugged! Cantik! Stilettos!

Idly I was wondering... I wonder if the heel is as sharp as the dagger it was named after...

Zyrin: Aliah! Awak nampak tu?

Aliah: Nampak apa?

Zyrin: Kasut tu...

Aliah: -mata makin besar- Wowww! Kasut kita semua kalah!

Zyrin: -tetiba lupa diri dan pusing ke belah kanan- Mr.A!

Mr.A: Saya.

Zyrin: Tengok tu!

Mr.A: Apa dia?

Zyrin: Kasut!

Zyrin & Mr.A: Wooooo...

Mr.A: Berapa inci tu?

Tiba-tiba aku terkedu.

Eh? Biar benar aku bercakap dengan Mr.A? Hahahahahaha...

Birthday Present

2011-11-07T13:37:00.003+08:00

It's not the most expensive.

Nor the most unique.

But it's probably one of my most favourite, just because I love the cartoon characters so so so much.

Thanks, Emski! Muah, muah.

My niece gave me a Smurfs t-shirt as a bday pressie. Aiyooo... so cute!

Saya Sibuk

2011-11-06T12:15:00.001+08:00

Sibuk sangatkah?

Sangat sibuk. Sampai memang terkejar-kejar membuat tugasan pejabat, apatah lagi nak apdet blog.

(alasan)

So... ni kiranya kita main catch-up la ye.

As many of you know, we had the Big Bad Wolf sale a few weeks back. And boyyyy... it was one terrific and amazing sale!

OMG manusia ramai gila

Bookmark Serigala yang Besar & Jahat

Held at MAEPS, Serdang, I went there twice. And spent almost RM1k on books.

Bila nak baca? Ntah.

Dahlah the month before went to the MPH sale... makan buku jer lah for the next few months.

Anyway, feast your eyes on my book purchases!

Yes, this is what almost RM1k worth of books look like XD

Haul Day 1

Haul Day 2

P/S: Ada aftermath sale 24 - 28 November 2011 ni okay! Kat South City Plaza! -pengsan-

Oyyyy... Promises, Promises!

2011-10-29T13:29:00.000+08:00

Of updating regularly? Yeap, guilty :)

Will try to do so lahhh... a thousand apologies.

Anyway, life's been pretty hectic. The workload is different

not less, merely different

from the workload at the olde ministryyyy... but pretty enjoyable.

Thus far, work has forced me to drive all by my lonesome self to Bagan Lalang

adventure! adventure!

... and get tortured by a non work related but a service related event taking place right outside my room window complete with people attempting to sing karaoke and do poco-poco.

Oy.

I almost had to drive up to Genting due to work as well, but KDa very kindly drove me to and fro instead. Hehe. Apparently, the family does not trust my skill at maneuvering Cookie Monster yet.

But the time shall come to pass, I kid you not.

Later, gators.

Igauan

2011-10-28T13:35:00.000+08:00

Damn. Igauan!

Mulberry Bayswater in Chocolate Natural Leather.

Ada sesapa nak belikan untuk I tak? Belated birthday present ke?

Dear Oscar

2011-10-03T00:08:00.000+08:00

Dear Oscar,

I remember that day, almost 6 years ago, when you came into my life.

I was bouncing off walls. I was so excited. Everyone knew you'd be arriving that day. I was so proud of being your owner. I thought you were the most beautiful, adorable, perfect-for-me car ever!

I doted on you, shamelessly.

I was so afraid of hurting you that I barely drove over 60km/h.

I learned how to navigate my way in and out of Putrajaya with you. I got lost in KL yang sebesar sekangkang kera tu with you. We went up and down Cameron together, down to PD, and even further down south to JB.

It was with you that I developed my driving motto - all roads lead to KL, and all KL roads lead to PJ. Of which... we'll somehow end up at home.

Also, it's fine if we get lost, as long as minyak penuh and TnG banyak.

You taught me to be strong - when we were involved in that minor accident and we were separated for about 2 weeks. I was exposed to some of the seedier parts of KL life then, something I've been sheltered from all this while.

Also, when you got sick and I didn't know what's wrong with you. You kept 'coughing' and meragam and pulling a tantrum... and I didn't have anyone I could turn to to consult about you. You taught me that I must rely on myself, and I did... and you got better :)

Oscar, Oscar... you were where I went to if I needed a place to cry. When I was happy, we'd be cruising together, singing at the top of our lungs (although you didn't have lungs).

We shared a lot of memories, you and I. We've been through a lot together.

But now it's time for you to go. I'm so sorry, I tried waiting until December, but time and tide waits for no man.

Or car, for that matter.

I could've been a better owner. But I loved you, honest. You were one of my most prized posessions.

Farewell, Oscar. I'll never forget you.

I hope your new owner loves you as much as I did, and treats you kindly.


Oscar (2005 - 2011)

Story So Far

2011-10-02T00:10:00.000+08:00

Well... the Tuesday theLady stepped foot at the Ministry, I was off to Melaka, on a naziran. Interesting, really. I've never been on a naziran perjawatan, it was my first time, so my officer did most of the talking.

Pretty sure people thought she was the Principal, and myself the officer, but that never bothered me before. I promised myself a long time ago I'd never turn into one of thoses bosses who turns into a green-eyed monster when their officers are more famous or are more highly regarded than themselves.

Dude, you put their fame and mad skills to good use, lah. In the end, we're all working towards the same goal, right?

And I'd like to think I'm keeping my promise.

On Wednesday, I was on leave. Had to bid goodbye to Oscar, and welcome CookieMonster to the family.

Plus, I had the flu. Like, real bad. It's all my new division-mates punya fault :p My officer was apologizing profusely, for infecting me with the virus. Hahahaha... as if she could've told the virus to "Not infect my boss!"

On Thursday I was in INTAN, attending a taklimat and picking up my HLP letters :)

I finally managed to 'tunjuk muka' at theLady on Friday, when my officer surprised me with an email that required my presence at our Ministry's soon-to-be-completed new building at Putrajaya. Was told that we had to wear trousers and flats, so rushed home to change and then rushed to Putrajaya.

theLady arrived... wearing a jubah, high heels and carrying one of those LV bags, damier pattern. yes, honestly. My officer and I were exchanging glances. Chehhh! Susah-susah jer kitorang tukar baju camtu! Siap bawak beg LV sangkut kat lengan 'Mak Datin style' okehhhh!!!

Only theLady would think of going into a site wearing that get-up.

Insya Allah, this will be the view from my room when we move to the new building. Please don't die of jealousy :p

So that, my friends, was my first encounter with theLady at our new Ministry. Subsequently, this past Tuesday (I think), I somehow got cornered into makan semeja dengan theLady at one of the division punya open house - ntah camna ntah aku end up kat meja tu. My officer dok gelak kat I from jauh. Chehhhh.

I guess it was revenge for her. See, I was chuckling over her apparent uneasiness during our site visit to the new building. More than 5 years have passed, but once a KPP student, always a KPP student. Construction sites? No hal, lah, beb!

So macam... hahahahaha... padan muka KPSU aku kena makan ngan TKSU baru... itulah... haritue dok gelak kat aku macam takut-takut masauk construction site...

Yeah, yeah, yeah... *grumble, grumble*

theLady, it seems, will be performing her Haj this year,

in fact, as I'm typing this, she's gone on leave

so sekejap je lah dia kat opis. Tu pun, sempat gak leave her mark.

MdmBoss: Ah, theLady has returned some of our documents already.

Zyrin: Oh?

MdmBoss: Yes. Banyaknya dan panjangnya catatan dia...

Zyrin: (dalam hati) ... and that's just the beginning...

Hehehehehe.

Juliette... Hoooo

2011-10-01T22:47:00.001+08:00

I like Juliette. In both its Korean and Japanese forms.

It's just that I wasn't too fond of the tie-dyes SHINee had to wear during the Korean promotions. I'm a firm believer that tie-dyes belong in the very distant past.

That said, I love everything else that constitutes 'SHINee Fashion'. Yes, even Key's weird spikes and bits of metal and sparkly bits on his clothes that most men

barring Hyun Bin, who had tracksuits made of sequins and lace and heaven knows what else in Secret Garden

would be mortified to be caught dead wearing.

Incidentally, I find myself wanting his clothes. Boy has taste.

Watching the Japanese Juliette makes me feel nostalgic. The boys have grown! They're men now! Except for Taemin, because internationally he's still jailbait :p But he's the only minor left... Minho, Key, Jonghyun and Onew are allllll fair gameeeee...

So I've been replaying the Japanese Julitte MV. How cute is Onew beginning 2:42? Moments like these makes me forget Jonghyun (and Key) momentarily. But just for a split second or two. I adore all of SHINee, but I'd be lying if I won't admit the puppysaurus raptor captures my attention the most.

Oh, and OnTokki looks really good in that melon colour. Should wear it more :)

Plus, Taemin makes an oddly hot stalker. Heeeee...

Even though Tae's the lead dancer, I think I will forever prefer the way Key moves. Something about the way he executes his moves appeals to me, more than Taemin's incredible freestyle.

Heck, I even prefer the way Jjong dances to Tae, but, like I said, when it comes to Jjong I'm pretty much kinda blind.

Minho was just so fierce. The thing I like about Juliette is that Minho has a significant rapping part, and it's right smack in the middle of the song, instead of at the tail-end.

So here's the Japan version of Juliette. My boys!

Mak Aih! Tu Memang Bag Crazy...

2011-09-27T08:42:00.000+08:00

Taken off theStar;

Never mind my life, save the handbags!
Other News & Views by LEE YEN MUN, NG SI HOOI and A.RAMAN

A WOMAN risked her life merely to save three branded handbags when fire gutted her home in Hong Kong, Nanyang Siang Pau reported.

The woman was asleep in her apartment in Sham Shui Po when she was awakened by thick smoke in her bedroom.

She managed to overcome her shock and look for a way to escape, but not before dashing into another room and “rescuing” three Louis Vuitton and Gucci handbags that belonged to her and her daughter.

She then climbed out a window and climbed down the building with a fire- man's ladder, carrying the handbags with her.

The paper said the woman decided to save the handbags because she and her daughter cherished them so much.

Psychology experts said that it is human nature to save valuable goods. “But this instinct is usually more common in women as they treasure valuable goods more than men.”

Perghh. Baru LV & Gucci, beb... bukan lagi Chanel or Hermes. Yes, they do cost a lot, but how can you risk your life to save handbags?

Harapannya aku tak jadi macam tu lah...

Sarah Addison Allen - Garden Spells

2011-09-25T13:13:00.000+08:00

I read this after I read 'Sugar Queen'. Didn't enjoy 'Sugar Queen' much, so I was a bit apprehensive when a friend gave me this book as a gift.

Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed 'Garden Spells'. Yes, there's no way you'd not be reminded of 'Practical Magic' while reading this, it's so similar. 2 sisters as different as night and day, magic running in their veins, trouble in the form of an abusive man... I could go on and on.

But this book has its own charm. I liked the community it was set in - it's not just the story of Claire & Sydney, but also of the other inhabitants of Bascom, where it seems like each family has their own 'thing'. The Waverlys have their magical food & an apple tree that throws apples at you. Another family has its men prone to marrying older women. Then there's another family whose women uses their feminine wiles very effectively to achieve their goals.

It's not just a tale of the Waverlys, but also its community, touched a little bit by magic :)

Midnight Circus... Riddle Me

2011-09-20T15:13:00.000+08:00

Okay. I admit. I don't listen to Sunny Hill. Much.

I know who they are, but they're not really my taste.

Until I caught their 'Midnight Circus' MV on MTV a few weeks ago and got so totally blown away. It was quirky, creepy, weird... and oh-so-cool.

And I guess it kinda helped that it had B2ST's Kikwang in it. Kiki!!!

Ahem. Forgive my fangirling.

Who are Sunny Hill, you ask? Well, according to our trusted friend, Mr. Wikipedia:

Sunny Hill (Korean: 써니힐) is a band from South Korea. It originally had three members — Janghyun, Seungah, and Jubee, then added a fourth member, named Kota, and later in 2011 a fifth, named Misung.

Errr. Very short. But sufficient :)

Plus, how cool is it that allkpop named it the #2 MV released in 2011 so far? Although, that list is kinda suspect. I mean, Hyuna's Bubble Pop at #1? Really? I love MBLAQ's Joon, but couldn't get myself to watch that MV in its entirety. And I'm an ELF, no doubt about it, but Super Junior's Mr. Simple at #8, higher than Bang Yong Gook's I Remember at #10 is a big mistake, IMHO. I mean, honestly, there's no 'wow factor' in that music video. It's just so... simple.

Maybe that's the point.

Nahhhhh...

Anyway, here's Midnight Circus. Enjoy!

Lyrics taken off Princess.of.Tea

Sunny Hill - Midnight Circus

Midnight Circus Riddle me 어머
Midnight Circus riddle me eo-meo

Midnight Circus Riddle me 어머
Midnight circus riddle me eo-meo

칠흑 같은 미래 마치 끈에 묶인 광대같이
Chil-heuk gat-eun mi-rae ma-chi ggeun-e mukk-in gwang-dae-gat-i

나를 가둔 여긴 마치 드라큘라큘 드라큘라큘
Na-reul ga-dun yeo-gin ma-chi deu-ra-kyul-ra-kyul deu-ra-kyul-ra-kyul

삐걱대고 달려가는 Midnight Circus
Bbi-geok-dae-go dal-ryeo-ga-neun Midnight Circus

위태로운 롤러코스터 Midnight Circus
Wi-tae-ro-un rol-leo-ko-seu-teo Midnight Circus

아래 보면 정말 끝인 거 (Creepy night)
A-rae bo-myeon jeong-mal ggeut-in geo (creepy night)

끝을 보는 순간 지는 거 (Troubled night)
Ggeut-eul bo-neun sun-gan ji-neun geo (troubled night)

지는 순간 넌 Out 되는 거
Ji-neun sun-gan neon Out doe-neun geo

Show must go on, never stop

내가 울 때 네가 웃는다 Ironic 하게도
Nae-ga ul ddae ne-ga ut-neun-da Ironic ha-ga-do

사랑받고 싶은 거짓말 난 행복하다
Sa-rang-bad-go ship-eun geo-jit-mal nan haeng-bok-ha-do

(Replay Replay)

날 보고 네가 웃는다 난 다시 홀린다
Nal bo-go ne-ga ut-neun-da nan da-shi hol-lin-da

화려한 불빛 춤추는 곳 Welcome to Midnight
Hwa-ryeo-han bul-bit chum-chu-neun got Welcome to Midnight

Circus Circus Show

Midnight Circus Riddle me 어머
Midnight Circus riddle me eo-meo

Midnight Circus Riddle me 어머
Midnight circus riddle me eo-meo

창살 없는 감옥 마치 매를 맞는 재롱잔치
Chang-sal eobs-neun gam-ok ma-chi mae-reul mat-neun jae-roh-jan-chi

비극적인 희극 마치 무대 없는 노름 마치
Bi-geuk-jeok-in heui-geuk ma-chi mu-dae eobs-neun no-reum ma-chi

빛을 보고 달려드는 Midnight Circus
Bich-eul bo-go dal-ryeo-deu-neun Midnight Circus

나비떼들 같은 People Midnight Circus
Na-bi-dde-deul gat-eun People Midnight Circus

위로하면 난 맘 약해져 (Don’t rely)
Wi-ro-ha-myeon nan mam yak-hae-jyeo (don’t rely)

약해지면 네가 책임져 (Don’t deny)
Yak-hae-ji-myeon ne-ga chaek-im-jyeo (don’t deny)

책임 못 질 거면 즐겨줘
Chaek-im mot jil geo-myeon jeul-gyeo-jweo

Show must go on, never dream

내가 울 때 네가 웃는다 Ironic 하게도
Nae-ga ul ddae ne-ga ut-neun da Ironic ha-ge-do

사랑받고 싶은 거짓말 난 행복하다
Sa-rang-bad-go-ship-eun geo-jit-mal nan haeng-bok-ha-do

(Replay Replay)

날 보고 네가 웃는다 난 다시 홀린다
Nal bo-go ne-ga ut-neun-da nan da-shi hol-lin-da

화려한 불빛 춤추는 곳 Welcome to Midnight
Hwa-ryeo-han bul-bit chum-chu-neun got Welcome to Midnight

Circus Circus Show

Welcome to the circus-tronic crazy sunny land

Welcome to the circus-tronic crazy sunny land

Hey 나에겐 NG도 장치도 없어
Hey na-e-gen NG do-jang-chi-do eobs-eo

속임수 같은 건 없어 Attention, Mr.A, Mr.B
Sok-im-su gat-eun geon eobs-eo Attention, Mr.A, Mr.B

(One) 절대 뒤를 돌아보지 마
(One) jeol-dae dwi-reul dol-a-bo-ji-ma

(Two) 절대 다른 말은 듣지 마
(Two) jeol-dae da-reun mal-eun deul-ji ma

(Three fall) Here comes the highlight of the show

그리고 아무도 없었다 불 켜진 이곳엔
Geu-ri-go a-mu-do eobs-eott-da bulk yeo-jin i-gos-en

비어 있던 무대 위에서 난 여태 혼자 울고 웃고
Bi-eo itt-deon mu-dae wi-e-seo nan yeo-tae hon-ja ul-go ut-go

난 갈 곳 따윈 없었다 쇼 끝난 이곳엔
Nan gal got dda-win eobs-eott-da syon ggeut-nan i-gos-en

화려한 불빛에 속는 곳 We’re in the midnight
Hwa-ryeo-han bul-bit chum-chu-neun got we’re in the Midnight

Midnight circus show

Midnight Circus Riddle me 어머
Midnight Circus riddle me eo-meo

Midnight Circus Riddle me 어머
Midnight circus riddle me eo-meo

TRANSLATION
Midnight circus (riddle me)
Oh my midnight circus (riddle me)
Oh my

I want to step out to the future
But I’m like a clown tied with a string
I’m locked in here like Dracula-Dracula
This is a creepy place I want to run away
(Midnight circus)
A dangerous roller coaster
(Midnight Circus)

I look down and it really seems like the end
(creepy night)
I don’t know… I can’t see the end of this moment
(Troubled night)
When the moment you’re out comes
You’ll know it
Show must go on and never stop

You even make that ironic laugh when I cry
I want to be loved, it’s a lie
I’m happy replay-replay
You’re laughing while you look at me
I’m possessed again
I’m dancing under these bright lights
Welcome to midnight circus show

Midnight circus (riddle me)
Oh my midnight circus (riddle me)
Oh my

This is like a prison without bars
This is an entertaining party that fits everyone
This is like a tragic comedy
It’s like a gamble with no stage

Looking up to see the lights
(Midnight Circus)
Bowing to the same people
(Midnight circus)

When I go back to the top
My heart is weakening (don’t rely)
You’re responsible for that weakness
(don’t deny)
If you’re not responsible for it then let me enjoy
Show must go on never dream

You even make that ironic laugh when I cry
I want to be loved, it’s a lie
I’m happy replay-replay
You’re laughing while you look at me
I’m possessed again
I’m dancing under these bright lights
Welcome to midnight circus show

(Welcome to the circus-tronic crazy sunny land)
Hey to me NG too with no devices
There’s no such thing as tricking
Attention Mr. A, Mr. B
One, never look back
Two, never listen to anyone else
Three, fall
Here comes the highlight of the show

And anyone was there but this place is lighted
The stage was empty
NO one was on top of it
I’ve never cried and laughed alone
I have no where else to go
On this place the show is over
I was fooled by the bright lights of this place
We’re in the midnight, midnight circus show

Midnight circus (riddle me)
Oh my midnight circus (riddle me)
Oh my

Hangeul: Keito @ jpopasia.com

Translation: LoveKpopSubs4 @ YouTube + Keito @ jpopasia.com

Poppy Red

2011-09-19T17:05:00.000+08:00

Sebenarnya... dah berbulan jugaklah memiliki dia.

Tapi, baru guna 2 kali. Pastu simpan untuk Raya.

Dapat masa sale haritue... harga turun banyak jugaklah... jadi lagi murah dari apa yang dijual oleh resellers, so rasa macam sangat berbaloi!

And the red colour is just delish...

Hola, Poppy Red!

Miss Poppy Red melepak atas kerusi di office lama

Nama saya Red. Poppy Red.

Eeeeekk.... comelnya bunga....

Soon...

2011-09-18T21:54:00.000+08:00

Sepatutnya semalam, tapi tak jadi.

Sepatutnya semalam, saya berpisah dengan dia yang saya kasihi.

Sedar tak sedar, dah hampir 6 tahun bersama.

Sepatutnya semalam... tapi ditangguh ke hari Rabu ini.

Sedih?

Tak dinafikan.

But life goes on. Time and tide waits for no man, as they say.

So I guess you guys'll have to wait until Wednesday to find out, eh?

Settled In

2011-09-17T20:54:00.000+08:00

... into my new division?

Ehhh... kinda :)

Officially, it's been more than a month since I left Ministry #1 to serve at Ministry #2. Work wise, I have a bigger job scope than at my previous Ministry. It's interesting. It's not something entirely new - if you participate and actually listen during the sometimes-yawn-inducing

heh. who am i kidding here?

HRD meetings, all this stuff should be somewhat familiar. Not Greek nor some obscure branch of science.

I'm learning, I'm learning. I'm getting there.

Spent the whole of last week at Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside. Attended a course there. Ahhh... that place brings back memories. Bukan kursus yang menginap, jadi ulang-alik tiap-tiap hari. I have to admit, I got a little weng at the kursus. Duduk semeja dengan my new boss and division-mates. Habis hancur plan aku untuk appear macam budak baik dan tak gila... sangat. Haihhhh. Punya control macho... hapus sudah daya usaha.

Dropped in to BPL KKM on Monday, wanted to use their fax machine... and sangat langkah kanan! Ada Jamuan Raya rupanya. Jumpalah dengan Ho, Alwi, Pn. Has & Maisarah.

Last year pun hampir sama. Had a meeting at BPL... keluar bilik mesyuarat jer Jamuan Raya. Heeee...

So tomorrow it's back to the office. Macam excited... there's a change happening on Tuesday.

Tapi agak nervous jugak, because it's been 3 years, and a lot can happen in 3 years. People change in 3 years, too.

Ah, well. Let's see what happens, hey?

Truth Is...

2011-09-06T22:58:00.001+08:00

... I keep myself busy because I don't want to think.

I delve into the world of make-believe because I don't want to think.

Contrary to popular belief, thinking isn't good for ME. No, I've discovered that thinking isn't for everyone.

Sometimes, thinking causes more harm than good.

So it's better to just let me be, eh?

Things I Learned This Raya

2011-09-05T22:49:00.001+08:00

We have (kinda) pinpointed the' carrier' of the diabetic genes from Mak's side of the family. All his female kids have them. The men don't. But the male offspring of his female children do. And the kids from his male children, do, too. Err... maybe we've not pinpointed it out, after all.
Them cookies I bought from SyaSya were delish. Am definitely buying them again next Raya, if she's selling them.
Purple baju kurungs dominate my wardrobe. I now lack blue baju kurungs. Must rectify that. And it seems like the cloth I buy for my baju kurungs are all 'sepesen'. So sue me. Variety isn't the spice of MY life.
My cousins on Mak's side tends to be 'sepesen'. As in, Auntie T's kids are all muka Jepun and bulat. Auntie Z's kids are all muka Cina and bulat. And Auntie W's kids are all gelap and... yeap, you guessed it. Bulat.
Mak has given up referring to her closest cousins by their names or titles within the family (Mak Long, Mak Ngah, Mak Da... etc...). Instead, she refers to them geographically, by location. Apparently, this has been going on for some time, much to Ayah's amusement. It used to be 'Auntie Along Cermin Mata Gombak' since she lives in Gombak. It was shortened to 'Auntie Along Gombak'. Now it's just 'Gombak'. Ditto for 'Mak Da Nik Johor Pantai Hillpark' which became 'Mak Da Pantai Hillpark' and now is just 'Pantai Hillpark'. So forgive me when I get a teensy bit alarmed when Mak says that 'Gombak' and 'Pantai Hillpark' are coming for Raya. I keep imagining the whole of Gombak and Pantai Hillpark are coming to beraya at my house.
Mak isn't the only one addicted to Channel 391. In fact, those 2 closest cousins of hers are also addicted. They could spend the whole afternoon, the 3 of them, tercantuk mengadap tv. And debating about the plot in the dramas. Amazing, this Hallyu wave.
Shireen & I punya sense of direction aren't too shabby. We made it to Rina's in one piece, despite my ignorance of KL roads and total disregard of Rina's map.
Raya traffic in KL has gotten busier. Lots of people beraya in KL now. And shopping complexes aren't as empty as way back when, when the only customer on the 2nd and 3rd day of Raya would've been ME.
I didn't go to IKEA for Raya this year. Sangatlah harinie dalam sejarah. I've been spending Raya at IKEA at least since 10 years ago.
I'm not the only one confused about the Mak's family tree. Most of us have given up keeping the records straight. Someone needs to draw up a family tree... but I foresee a lot of interconnecting lines. Everyone seems to marry everyone else's cousins.

Dah Raya... Dah Merdeka Pun...

2011-09-01T01:02:00.000+08:00

So how's your Raya been so far?

Surprisingly, tahun ni Raya agak relax. Either that... atau aku dalam state of zen, tak kisah langsung pasal semua drama yang berlaku.

Yeap, am inclined towards the 'state of zen' theory.

As expected, tahun ni aku banyak habiskan masa di dapur. Tiba-tiba jer our maid jatuh sakit. Tak pe lah... nak buat macam mana, aku memang expect akan dok dapur punya...

Tapi sempat Raya pertama tu pi beraya rumah my ex-boss, buat julung kalinya. Tak pernah aku beraya rumah MdmSilent. Dan, seperti yang dijanjikan... ada nasi dagang. Hehehehehe. I took Shireen along with me, and Ikky and Alwi were also in attendance.

Unfortunately, lupa nak ambik gambar :(

Second Raya, Mak & KDa balik Kuala Tembeling. A cousin of mine's sick. I was supposed to join them, but Ayah was feeling poorly, so I had to stay home. That didn't stop me from joining Jules and Ikmal lalalalala~ ke rumah Kert. Hehehehehe. What can I say? Lokasi wajib. Tiap-tiap tahun kena cuba jugak pergi.

Unfortunately, tahun ni aku buat 2 jenis biskut dia. Nah... gambar.

Apakah? Nak gambar baju raya? Tak payah lahhhh...

Here's hoping y'all had a good Raya :)

Hadiah Hari Terakhir

2011-08-28T01:40:00.001+08:00

Balik rumah haritue... pada hari tersebut... aku belek-belek hadiah hari terakhir.

Lama jugaklah aku tenung mende-mende tu, walaupun bahu aku masih berdenyut, dan otak aku dah weng akibat makan ubat.

For sure tiap kali aku pandang mende-mende ni aku akan teringat E7, kan?

Tempat jatuh lagi dikenang...

Hadiah hari terakhir

Kad dari siapakah itu?

Tudung fesyen 'twist' yang walaupun orang kata fesyen lama, tapi kegemaran aku


Pensel penuh makna...

... sebab ada kata-kata 'hikmat'. Kepada Si Pemberi, Terima Kasih!

Pemeberian yang sangat tepat! Sememangnya aku tengah nak beli telekung baru... dah ada orang hadiahkan <3 Syukur, Alhamdulillah!

Ni yang paling unik... tak boleh beli oooo wrapper ni...

Gila comel bunga pada telekung ni. Warna ribena berry.

Amused

2011-08-20T06:23:00.000+08:00

I find it amusing that some people think everything revolves around them.

There are other beings in this world too, you know.

And So It Ends...

2011-08-19T17:27:00.000+08:00

Setelah lebih 7 tahun aku dok bertapa di Aras 9 & 10 ni, akhirnya aku bertukar keluar jua.

Not just bertukar keluar Bahagian, but bertukar keluar Kementerian.

Yeszaaa... will no longer be associated with this Ministry.

Bittersweet. I used to think that I'd spend my whole service here. Not entirely impossible, there's lots of places to go. But lately... I find myself contemplating being away from here.

We should leave when we're still on top, right? Still in the limelight?

Ah. To leave a place that has taught me so much. Where I've endured things I never knew I could go through.

Farewell, Ministry of Health.

Forever remembered.

Harimau vs. Singa

2011-07-23T23:12:00.000+08:00

So tonight was the 1st Harimau vs. Singa game kat Singapore for the Asian Zone World Cup Qualifying Round.

Really? You really thought Harimau Malaya were going to win?

Well... no one said we can't have hope, kan?

But honestly, we knew we were going in as underdogs. Singapore's not a team to be trifled with. And, hey, despite the current resurgence of Malaysian footbell, we still have a long way to go.

Can you imagine? We're in a time when Malaysia's considered as underdogs against Singapore in football. Mannn... I can actually remember a time when going against the Singapore team wasn't something too taxing. The world has totally changed.

Anyway, being realistic, I was hoping for a draw, and us later capitalizing on our homeground advantage and keeping the Lions at bay, thus winning on away goals.

But dude, I was so not prepared for the 4-1 score at halftime in favour of Singapore.

I mean, are you kidding me? 4-1 in the first half? What the heck? What's stopping it from becoming 8-2 at the end of 90 minutes?

So losing 5-3 wasn't TOO bad. For now.

Honestly, I didn't expect it to be that bad. At one point, when we failed to convert that one chance we had, that hesitation in front of the SG keeper on what SHOULD'VE been our 2nd goal, I had screamed and threw my pillow down on the ground in frustration.

Yes, it was that frustrating.

I am saying this because I love the Harimaus.

Our defence line needs to buck up. Like, seriously. It's been bugging me since I started watching football again during the AFF Cup. Our defence sangatlaaaaa rapuh. I'm not saying they're not doing anything, I'm just saying that unfortunately, they can't keep up with the attacking players from the opposing team.

Seriously. What's the use of having brilliant strikers and midfielders if you're leaving your goal wideeeeee open to attack? You're negating all the effort spent on attacking, on scoring goals, by having such a shaky defence. At least 2 out of the 5 goals the Lions scored tonight SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED.

It was sloppy, m'dear. I don't think I can put it in a gentler way.

Sloppy.

And don't get me started on tonight's Keeper. I'm pretty sure this isn't his first match as part of Harimau Malaya, right? So I'm thinking, maybe he got cowed by the Singaporean crowd. Or he got a bad case of the jitters.

Because he's a National Keeper. I do so hope normally, he has 'mad' skills in the gawang, yo. Because if he doesn't...

I'm not asking him to turn into Peter Schmeichel, but dudeeee... seriously! Like I said, at least 2 goals could've been saved.

Haih.

Aku membebel panjang-panjang pun, bukan aku yang jadi coach bolasepak negara. Setakat penonton yang dulunya memang suka tengok bola, tapi akhirnya berhenti bila team diminati mula berubah secara drastik, dan pemain diminati bersara.

Ha'ah. Man Utd ngan Schmeichel. Camner tau? No, it wasn't Beckham. Although, he, Giggs, Scholes and the Nevilles usually made my day, too.

And before I'm labeled such a Red Devil, I used to watch Liverpool's matches, too, for McManaman and Jamie Redknapp and, ahem, David James.

Okay, I profess a fascination with goalkeepers. Happy?

Anyway, I thought the Harimaus did a good job tonight. Not their best, but... okaylah. Could definitely be better. I've seen them play better. It's such a shame that Safiq Rahim got a red card tonight - the man must be so, so, so down in the dumps right now.

Best of luck for the home game next week, Harimau Malaya. C'mon boys, give it your best!

HPotter 7.2

2011-07-14T23:33:00.002+08:00

... also known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, the movie.

Yeap, watched it today at MidValley.

The end of an epic saga.

Not Proton Saga, epic saga.

Thoughts?

Tell you that tomorrow :)

Oh, Malaysians!

2011-07-13T09:12:00.000+08:00

Taken off today's theStar;

Commission: At least one Malaysian is denied entry into Britain every day
By T. SELVA
tselvas@thestar.com.my

LONDON: At least one Malaysian is denied entry into Britain daily to prevent overstaying.

The Malaysian High Commission in London revealed that most travelled on budget airlines and arrived at London’s Stansted Airport.

It is believed that every month, about 70 Malaysians are put on the next flight back on suspicion they plan to work or overstay without valid documents.

The British Home Office has resorted to the harsh stand because it believes over 20,000 Malaysians are currently overstaying in Britain, some even up to 15 years, and working illegally as dish washers, cooks and doing other odd jobs.

The issue is among matters expected to arise during Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron today at No. 10 Downing Street.

Malaysian High Commissioner to Britain Datuk Zakaria Sulong urged Malaysians travelling to Britain to respect and observe the British immigration laws.

During a briefing to Malaysian journalists covering Najib’s four-day official visit to Britain yesterday, he said travellers who were denied entry were found to have given unsatisfatory reasons for their visit, having inadequate funds, incomplete addresses, and lacked information on the contact person in Britain.

To warn Malaysians on this, the commission placed a notice on the front page of its official website (www.jimlondon.net) advising visitors to observe the six-month free visa period and not to abuse the facility.

Those who wish to work, study or remain in Britain are advised to obtain relevant entry clearance from the respective British High Commission or refer to its official website.

“Although we are not slapped with the visa regime now, we are constantly being reviewed as among the top 12 countries known for such woes,” he said, adding that 300 Malaysians who had overstayed had come forward and the commission issued them emergency certificates for their return home.

“It would be better for them to seek our assistance rather than being detained by the British authorities where they would be slapped with a penalty and banned from entering Britain for a period,” he said, adding that such offenders would also not be issued with a passport for a few years.

By not surrendering, he said they were pressing Britain to impose visa regulation on Malaysians, and if this happened, each traveller would have to pay RM1,200 for the tourist visa.

Zakaria said Britain also placed a cap on post study visas, only allowing 1,000 students to work for two years after completing their studies.

Previously, he said, all students were entitled to the facility.

The commission had also found Malaysian passports being abused by those from China, Sri Lanka and India to gain illegal entry into Britain.

Haihhhh. Tengok? Dah menyusahkan orang, kan? Tak pasal-pasal ada yang kena turn back at entry points because they seem likely to overstay, even though we're not too sure if that's what they'll do.

Kenapa? Sebab ramai sungguh yang dah overstay.

Udah-udahlah tuh. Kalau tak de kelulusan/kebenaran untuk dok sana, bawak-bawaklah balik ke tanahair ni ha. Atau pi tempat lain, cuba nasib kat tempat lain plak. Toksah la dok buat kerja yang akhirnya akan menyusahkan orang lain.

Kita hidup kat dunia ni, takkan nak pikir diri sendiri jer. Kena pikir hal-ehwal orang lain gak.

A Thoroughly B2ST-ly Time

2011-07-13T06:50:00.002+08:00

So by now most of you’ve probably read the numerous gushing fan accounts regarding B2ST’s first fan meet in Malaysia on July 1st, 2011 at Sunway Lagoon.

At least, I think it was their first fan meet here. I know the boys have been here numerous times. In fact, they’re due here again for the MTV World Stage.

I tell you, Cube Entertainment should just open an office here in KL. Them B2ST fans – B2UTIES – would just be as happy as clams.

Incidentally, how much do I love that Cube brings their idols to Malaysia numerous times? B2ST, G.NA, 4Minute… hey, I’m not complaining. Maybe a fan meet for 4Minute, eh? I’d love it if Malayisa is, to Cube, what Thailand is to numerous entertainment agencies.

On that note, I wonder when J.Tune would let MBLAQ drop in. Their ‘best friends’ have been here so many times, they could probably be the MBLAQ boys’ tour guides.

Both Shir and I took a day off work that day. Sanggup, okay! Although, Shir wasn’t walking on clouds as much as she’d otherwise would’ve been, due to that earlier breaking news about Junhyung dating KARA’s Goo Hara.

Think of it this way. At least everyone loves Hara, or is quite fond of her. You can’t really hate her, since she’s so friendly and such a good sport. So even though it was a bit of a shock, it’s not too much of a shocker. And I totally ‘ship them now, much to Shir’s chagrin.

This is soooo different from when MY lovely SHINee boy was outed dating this actress… but let’s stop talking about that…

Anyway, we had Japanese for lunch, and watched Transformers 3. And then, we both snacked on some chips we bought at Ireland’s Potato, of which we’ve both been very curious about ever since walking past numerous times at MidValley/ The Gardens. Shir got the Honey Mustard Potato Chips, while I opted for something that had pickles in them.

THEY WERE GOOD. NOM NOM NOM NOM…

We explored Sunway Pyramid a bit, since we’ve not been there for some time.

I bought a new bag. More in the next post :)

We bought Starbucks while waiting for the gates to open. The line to enter was very very very long. Apparently, according to Yoseob

Hahahaha… aku quote member B2ST pasal orang queue nak masuk? Lawak.

people were already queuing when he arrived at Sunway Lagoon for rehearsals at 2pm.

Imagine that. Seobie noticed.

I’m so not surprised Seobie noticed. He’s the type to notice everything, isn’t he?

Being the malas people we were, we decided to duduk-duduk outside of Sunway Pyramid instead of killing ourselves standing in line. After all… we had numbered seats. Ha. We’ll get in eventually. The minus side to this strategy? No time to buy official merchandise. Thus, no light stick for me :(

So we sat down, prepared to enjoy ourselves. These kind ladies from MyB2UTY – the Malaysian fans of B2ST – were passing out balloons, so I did get something B2ST related. It was kinda funny, every time an advert for the boys appeared on-screen – and this happened quite a few times – the crowd went wild.

And I’m not sure if people could actually see the boys in the tram, but when the tram passed by, the crowd practically went nuts. So, yeah, maybe they were in the tram.

The MC made some announcements in English, Malay and Mandarin, I think. The MC was funny. A bit kelam-kabut, but funny. He was kinda naughty as well. But I was wishing it would’ve been Serena C MCing instead. You know she’d totally do all sorts of fanservice-y stuff, and those boys would totally not stand a chance with her. I could see her going after Kikwang a lot, since he’s so ridiculously good looking and so shy that night.

The boys were in top form, singing and dancing. Yoseob’s voice was everything I’d hoped it to be. Clear as a bell. Hyunseung was being his introverted self, I think, doing his own thing, dancing a little randomly here and there. He wore those large-frame glasses that Key loves to wear, and it made him look so so so young.

In fact, I was very much surprised how young Junhyung looked. He always appeared older to me. Seeing him in real life, and onscreen besar gedabak depan mata, he looked so so so young. I just couldn’t get over it.

We celebrated Doojoon’s birthday. Leader-sshi was pretty cute, especially when he was looking for the fan who was his partner in the games. Him and Dongwoon and Yoseob were all “Where are you baby?” “Come here, baby!” “Charlotte, Charlotte... Lotte...”

Dongwoon was the noisiest – due to his proficiency in English – and Yoseob was the most sporting. I’m pretty sure at the end of the night, those two gained the most fans, hehe. Yoseob’s partner in the games, this girl named Qaseh, was probably the luckiest MyB2UTY that night. The amount of skinship she shared with Seobie was ridiculous! He totally took care of her onstage – fanning her, encouraging her, making small talk, etc – the fans were squealing.

Kikwang and Junhyung were pretty quiet. All Kikwang had to do was flash his smile and everyone went crazy. Junhyung looked... awkward. Ntahlah. Poor boy. There was a part where the MC was talking and Junhyung was staring at him, looking all the world as if he understood what the MC was saying perfectly, when we all knew it wasn’t the case, because the MC was speaking half in English and Malay. That was pretty funny.

The game itself was pretty much ntahapapa – the best games I think would’ve been during Jay Park’s FM last year – and I thought there were moments when they could’ve done it a bit differently, and maximize the fanservice factor.

But hey, who am I to say? I’m not the FM organizer :p

Oh, I think one of the best bit would be when the MC asked them what other Malay words did they know, other than the standard ‘apa khabar, terima kasih’ and the intros they did, and the boys answered ‘durian and satay’, which was pretty standard. But then Yoseob (I think!) jumped in with ‘laksa’, and I was like “Whoa.... when did you eat laksa?” and he further shouted out “CUKUP!!!”

LOL. This boy. So hyper. Where the hell did he learn ‘cukup’?

It was also amusing to note that all the words they threw out were FOOD. Typical males.

I had a really good time. I think most of us had. For the sake of improvement, perhaps they can improve on the games played with fans. Make it a more interesting one. And play more games! I’m sure the fans would love to be able to interact more with their favourite idols.

Alaaa... Kenapa Sana....

2011-07-12T17:08:00.000+08:00

I'm sure you guys have heard.

RITS are bringing SHINee World

which is basically SHINee's concert, for all you non-Kpop people

to Singapore. This September.

*sniff, sniff*

Alaaaaa... kenapa tak buat kat Malaysia gakkkkkkk...

Katanya there is a company trying to bring them in to Malaysia very very soon... but of course Malaysian Shawols are just asking and asking and asking again sebab berita SHINee nak pi Singapore dah keluar, kan.

Shir tanya, nak pi ke?

Hmm. Walaupun hati ni nakkkkkk jer tengok Onew/Jonghyun/Key/Minho/Taemin onstage, tapi malaslah pulak nak berebut dengan Singaporean Shawols... so... NO.

So here's me hoping and wishing that the plan to bring SHINee to Malaysia goes through!

Apa Nama?

2011-07-10T10:19:00.000+08:00

Satu hari di BMU…

“Awak kira apa tu?”

Aku tersentak daripada khusyuk mendengar ahli mesyuarat berdebat.

“Huh? Oh, tak de apa-apa, puan.”

“Tak de apa-apa?” ahli mesyuarat disebelah kiri ku tersenyum. “Takkan tak de apa-apa, kot. Macam banyak je tanda tu.”

Eheh. Aku senyum. “Tak de mende lah puan… saja suka-suka…” ujarku, sambil menambah satu lagi tanda kepada perkiraanku.

Beberapa minit kemudian…

“Cik Rin.” Ahli mesyuarat belah kanan pulak menegur.

“Hmm?”

“Cik Rin kira berapa kali JO cakap ‘apa nama’, ek?” dia bertanya, tersengih-sengih.

Alamak. Kantoiiiiii!

“Ehehehehe. Pandai awak! Macam mana awak tahu?”

“Sebab saya pun perasan banyak kali gak la dia sebut ‘apa nama’.”

I stopped counting at 18 :)

Transformers 3

2011-07-03T23:25:00.000+08:00

... or T3 for short. But honestly, I don't like referring to it that way. I still associate that abbreviation with Terminator 3 :)

So I took Friday off and went to watch the latest installment of the Transformers franchise at Sunway Pyramid with Shir. Yes, I can hear you guys already. Gila jauh nak pi tengok wayang! Sanggup tu, ambik cuti!

And of course, the best one would be "Tak aciiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!" from Arif. Eheh.

And what can I say about the movie?

It was AMAZINGGGGG. It was bluidy frikkin' AMAZINGGGGGG. There were robots, robots and more robots! Robots transforming in the middle of the street! Robots flying! Robots destroying your office! Robots pretending to be a watch! Robots fighting robots! Robots being executed!

I. SO. LIKE.

This, my friend, is a REAL Transformers movie. This is what a Transformers movie is supposed to look like.

Humans? Oh, there were humans in the movie?

Like I told Naz, humans are secondary, lalalalala~

Robots! Explosions! Firearms! Weird tech thingies! Kyaaaaaa~

Totally ignored Shia, was never a big fan of his anyway. Rosie's first scene - I honestly thought it was a dream sequence, because no way can Sam Witwicky score a girl that hot. But he somehow did. It was actually (movie) real life, not a dream. I guess it felt surreal because it looked so much like a Victoria's Secret advert, haha.

Some people said they didn't like it. I don't know why. I was pretty much awestruck during the final 1/4 of the movie, and was a bit dazed by its sheer awesomeness when it ended. In fact, I texted most of my friends about how brilliant Transformers 3 was. I basically had the same reaction Eyeris did.

And yes, my robot-crush on Optimus Prime got renewed, and Bumble Bee is just pure love.

I'd definitely recommend y'all to watch it. Maybe more than once - which is what I'm planning to do. I'm trying to catch it in 3D!

Hilang?

2011-07-01T18:58:00.002+08:00

Ada yang komplen. Haritue ye-ye-o update hampir setiap hari, pastu tetiba hilang.

Eheh. Aku tak hilang la. Tapi SYMP ke negeri Sabah menghadiri kursus.

Kursus kemendenyer weih?

Kursus ni la - Kursus Urusan Pengambilan dan Teknik Temu Duga, anjuran Akademi Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam (ASPA) kat INTAN Sabah.

Apakah? Korang nak gambar INTAN Sabah sebab tak pernah sampai? Tak payah la wei. Nanti tak pasal-pasal kena jerkah ngan pegawai INTAN suka-suki ambik gambar kampus diorang. La ni dengan keadaan 'ntah apa-apa' dalam negara ni, orang nak pi demo sana-sini, baik dok elok-elok, diam-diam, tak payah buat hal.

Kesimpulannya, pi la jenguk sendiri INTAN Sabah tu. Kalau tak silap aku, kampus 'bongsu', kan? Surau dia putih bersih :)

Anyway, ni bukan kali pertama aku menghadiri kursus berkenaan teknik temu duga yang satu ini. In fact, aku dah didedahkan dengan teknik ni pada tahun 2006 lagi, siap pi berkampung kat hotel kat Kelantan. But it's always good to refresh ilmu di dada, kan? Plus, ada pendedahan mengenai urusan pengambilan, yang memang selama ni aku agak kabur mengenainya.

Banyak gak ilmu diperolehi, selain daripada dapat berkenalan dengan lain-lain officer dari lain skim perkhidmatan kat negara kita ni. Mungkin sebab aku dah terlalu lama duduk di theMinistry, aku dah boring asyik jumpa orang skim perubatan dan kesihatan jer. Bukan aku kata diorang membosankan, tapi aku nak gak cedok ilmu orang yang kerjanya dok keluar masuk hutan, dok ke hulu and ke hilir atas laut, yang dok jaga dan pelihara dokumen...

Owh, tapi ilmu yang paling amusing aku perolehi ialah ilmu yang ditunjukkan oleh gambar di bawah:

Hahahahahaha... sesi mari belajar buat burung origami bersama pegawai arkib. Kelassss!

So that's almost a full week spent in Sabah. Shopping? Adalah sikit-sikit. Tak banyak. Saya bukanlah wanita yang kaki shopping. Ha.

Geram

2011-06-30T23:38:00.000+08:00

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you will join us

And the world will be as one

- 'Imagine', John Lennon

Yes, I admit. I'm a dreamer. I sometimes walk around with my head up in the clouds.

Tak berpijak di dunia nyata, kata orang.

But you know what? I get the job done. Yes sirree... I get my stuff done real quick. Coz you know? Once I get all the unpleasant stuff out of the way, I'm free to dream to my heart's content.

Yea... dream my life away if I so choose.

So I'm a dreamer who gets the job done.

Can you say the same about yourself?

-mode geram ngan menyampah kat orang perasan bagus 'ON'-

Brekkie!

2011-06-29T07:29:00.002+08:00

This, my dear friends, is what I usually have for breakfast.

Cereal with choc bits from Marks & Spencer. Low-fat milk. Oats. Yummy.

I’ve only recently started incorporating oats in my cereal. The cereal that comes with oats tu lainlah, ni yang I lagi tambah oats.

Y’know, we’re not getting any younger. Every little bit helps. And thankfully, I actually like oats.

Yes. Hamster food. Like I’ve never heard of that one before.

See, oat bran – which is basically the ‘skin’ or the casing of the oat – helps in lowering your low-density lipoprotein, or ‘bad’ cholesterol, thus helping you to keep heart diseases at bay.

And you know, these days, people as young as 30-year-olds can get a heart attack… so it helps to start early.

If you can’t stomach the idea of eating ‘hamster’ food, do what I do. Mix it up with your favourite cereal or chocolate drink. Perhaps with low-fat yogurt and muesli – another fave combination.

And you don’t have to eat it every day for breakfast – start small. Maybe twice per week. Then three times. And perhaps, later, everyday.

Macam orang selalu kata, sikit-sikit, lama-lama jadi bukit. Starting something healthy, even the smallest steps can accumulate and have a positive impact.

Jom, makan!

Fated

2011-06-27T00:07:00.000+08:00

Sometimes you wonder... was it all just a dream? A nightmare?

A mistake?

But everything happens for a reason, even if we don't understand it.

Some things are just fated to be.

So have faith and hang in there.

*******

Lately I've been bombarded with things that remind me too much of a certain someone someone.

Enough to make me want to gouge my eyes out.

And then I take a deep breath... and sanity returns.

I can't say that what had happened was the best for everyone involved... but i's in the past. And I'd like to live for the here and now, for the future.

Let's not overthink things that's passed, shall we?

Presents

2011-06-17T18:00:00.002+08:00

I was recently invited to a friend's wedding reception.

Bought the happy couple wedding presents,and dropped by a gift shop to get a box and get the gifts wrapped.

Couldn't resist taking a picture of the box, it looked so sweet! Was tempted to keep the box for myself ;)

But I couldn't, so I kept some bits and pieces of the ribbon, though. Really couldn't resist it, it was so pretty.

Of File-Sharing Ep.3

2011-06-17T09:08:00.000+08:00

Referring to this and this, and this article taken off theStar;

50 government sites compromised but little damage done
By RONALD BYRNE, FLORENCE A. SAMY and DESIREE TRESA GASPER
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The attack by the hacker group Anonymous on the 91 Malaysian websites sounds fierce but actually did little to inconvenience the public. More than 50 government websites were among those affected.

The Government sites hit were information providers, rather than the more important e-transaction platforms such as Inland Revenue Board, Employees Provident Fund, Road Transport Department or MyEG.

There appeared to be no threat to these sites, which would contain confidential data, such as information concerning bank accounts, credit cards and MyKad details.
Also, these sites would typically have much more robust security systems making them tougher to crack.

Anonymous' choice of target sites appears to be more focused on embarrassing the Government rather than to steal confidential data.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the distributed denial-of-service attacks started at about 11.30pm on Wednesday night but petered out by 4am yesterday.

Costin G. Raiu, director of the global research and analysis team at Kaspersky Lab a Russian computer security company pointed out Anonymous' oversight.

“It's a mistake for the attacker to warn the potential victim about the attack,” he said.

“This gives the victim time to prepare by implementing additional security strategies and hardening servers.”

Anonymous had posted its intent to hack the www.malaysia.gov.my portal on Tuesday on a website.

The attacks were to protest against the Government's censorship of the Internet, movies and TV shows, and because Malaysia had blocked 10 filesharing sites.

The denial-of-service attacks managed to crash the websites at various levels but according to the MCMC, 76 sites were up and running by 6pm yesterday.

The MCMC and CyberSecurity Malaysia, the agency that is responsible for the nation's borders in cyberspace, were unable to confirm by press time whether security at the downed sites had been beefed up.

CyberSecurity said it was prepared for more attacks, which it was expecting to happen “over the next several days”.

What was that they always say? Pride comes before fall?

Basically, by revealing that they’re attacking, they’re telling the Government, “I dare you to stop me.”

The Government, looks at each other, shrugs, and replies. “Wokeih.”

That’s how I looked at things that were happening these past few days.

Since my work involves interactions with online systems, this ‘attack’ did inconvenience me. It took longer for pages to load, and there were sites that were totally inaccessible. Frustrating? You betcha. There were a lot of things I couldn’t complete because I couldn’t access the systems or sites that were important to me.

I wish all this would blow over, already.

Angrier Than A Bird

2011-06-16T07:44:00.001+08:00

Dah sebulan dah aku ada dia ni.

Tapi baru la ni nak tunjuk.

Ta-Daaaa!!!

Comel tak, comel tak? Aku ni, bukanlah peminat tegar permainan Angry Birds ni, tapi diorang sangatlah comel, kan?

I'm more of a Diner Dash and Bejeweled kinda girl, myself.

Speaking of Angry Birds, I had a funny conversation with KLong the other day, on one of our family outings.

KLong: We saw this Angry Birds iPhone cover, and you know what Adam said?

Me: What?

KLong: That Emma should get that iPhone cover.

Me: Huh? Why?

KLong: Because she's always angry... like an Angry Bird.

Me: *facepalm*

Of File-Sharing Ep.2

2011-06-15T08:16:00.000+08:00

In regards to this and this article off theStar;

RIM wants another file-sharing site blocked

PETALING JAYA: The Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM) has called on the Government to ban another file-sharing site - jiwang.org.

It claimed that the site specialises in providing pirated Malaysian music recordings for illegal downloads.

RIM said the site also reaps lucrative advertising revenue from commercial organisations.

Last week, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) banned 10 file-sharing sites and called on local Internet service providers to block access to the sites.

RIM chairman Norman Abdul Halim lauded the Government's efforts to uphold copyright laws in cyberspace by taking action against the file-sharing sites.

The websites were among the most visited by Malaysians to illegally download movies.

He added that RIM had filed a complaint with the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry about jiwang.org.

Norman said the ban was a good starting point against illegal downloads, although savvy Internet users could still circumvent any blocks.

Malaysia is the first country in South-East Asia to block file-sharing sites, he said.

Although Internet censorship was against the MSC Malaysia Bill of Guarantees, which states that the Government will not censor the Internet, it was illegal to download pirated songs and movies, he said.

Yeah, although I'm pretty sure a lot of people would disagree, and as I was once a member, I'm not surprised that they're asking for this particular site to be blocked. It has a bigger impact on our entertainment industry than the previous sites listed, because this one directly impacts the Malaysian recording industry. Dude, the amount of songs they have... whoa!

-still mourning over megaupload and megavideo-

Tremors!

2011-06-14T16:29:00.001+08:00

It started off as a normal Tuesday morning. Well, not so normal. Today, we had the ministry’s monthly assembly.

Groans. I’ve never been a big fan of assemblies, ever since kindergarten. I either

a) Forgot when it’s to be held; and/or
b) Get so bored I end up fighting the urge to sleep.

Admittedly, it’s been quite awhile since I’ve attended the monthly assembly. I’ve always managed to find something to keep me away from it.

Rushing down to the Hall, since I was almost late, I entered without jotting down my name in the attendance book and managed to grab a seat. Wow, we get seats, now? Usually, one has to stand throughout the assembly.

So we were about to sit down after the oath taking when MrDetail gave an instruction to the secretariat, and the MC made an announcement for us all to evacuate the building, since there were tremors.

Tremors? What?

We hurried to Level 3. I called up Ikky, telling her to evacuate, since she wasn’t at the assembly due to the fact that she was finishing up the Cabinet paper. It was there, while loitering about the field that was unofficially converted into a parking lot between E7 & E8 did we hear the full story. An earthquake in Indonesia was what we felt. The blinds were moving, and those who were on their feet felt the ground sway. But some of us – myself included – felt nothing. Usually, after these tremors, I’d experience dizziness and nausea, but since I was half-dizzy due to sleepiness anyway, I couldn’t tell if I was dizziER.

We met up with most of our floor mates. Nazar tried his utmost best to keep us under control, but we couldn’t help but bully him a bit. Hey, at least he didn’t get bullied as much as Arif did. As he tried to do a headcount, we kept asking him questions like, “Ni guna perjawatan mana ni? Waran mana? Aktiviti? Butiran?”

He had to shush us a few times. Poor Arif. TSUB pun bully dia :p

Almost an hour later our building was cleared for re-entry. But about an hour and a half later we came running back down.

There had been another tremor. And this one was even stronger than the last. In fact, I was pretty much shocked. I was sitting at my table, typing at my computer, when the table rocked. My eyes widened, my hands automatically shot off the table in a gesture of surrender.

This time, there was no mistaking it. Immediately, I experienced a wave of nausea and dizziness that, until now, I’m still trying to shake off – with the help of breath mints and minyak cap kapak.

Apparently, our KSU was chairing a meeting when we felt the second tremor, and he immediately rushed out of the building.

But honestly, it wasn’t as strong as the ones we experienced in 2007, but it still was scary.

We didn’t evacuate, but the ones who got spooked and got out of the building only returned to their desks once our KSU re-entered the building.

2 tremors in a day is enough. I can’t imagine how worried the mothers who had kids in the taska downstairs were feeling. Even now, we’re all a bit on edge, ready to rush out if there’s another tremor.

Times are a-changing. We used to not have to worry about earthquakes, but these days, with tremors being felt so far away… we can’t take anything for granted anymore.

Taken off theStar;

Two quakes hit Sumatra, tremors felt in S'gor, Malacca, Perak, NS, Putrajaya, KL

If you felt any tremors from the Sumatra earthquake, tell us about it. Send your e-mail to staronlinefeedback@gmail.com

KUALA LUMPUR: Two earthquakes hit northern Sumatra Tuesday morning sending tremors that were felt in Selangor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Perak, Putrajaya and here.

The first 5.5-magnitude earthquake hit Sumatra at 8.08am and the second 5.6-magnitude quake hit the same place at 11.01am Tuesday.
Firemen carrying out checks at several government buildings in Putrajaya after the tremors Tuesday

Calls came pouring in from Selayang Hospital, KLCC building and other highrises in the Klang Valley as many residents ran out of their buildings

However, there was no tsunami threat, said the Malaysian Meteorological Department.

Information about damage or casualties has yet to come in.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported that Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of the fire division Azizan Ismail said people in several high-rise buildings in the city called in to report the tremors.

Among the buildings in Kuala Lumpur where the tremors were felt at about 11am were Wisma Bernama, Menara Kenanga, the Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) headquarters and Megan Avenue.

Azizan said the tremors were more intense from the eighth floor upwards, but added that there were no reports of damage.

M. Govind Nair, 60, Bernama's assistant editor at the English Sub-Editing Desk at Wisma Bernama, said he felt the tremors at about 11 am.

"The tremors lasted for five to six seconds. My chair shook a bit, and then I felt a little dizzy," he said.

Bernama's Infolib administrative assistant Mohd Wahid Md Som, 53, said he felt the tremors for about 10 seconds.

"I did not think of rushing out of the building because the tremors only lasted for a short while. I was a little afraid but remained calm," said Mohd Wahid who works on the eighth floor.

In PUTRAJAYA, the tremors were felt at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI).

MOSTI Public Relations Officer Noriza Nazri said all employees were instructed to leave the building, and they were seen waiting outside until they were allowed to return.

Of File-Sharing

2011-06-14T11:56:00.000+08:00

Taken off theStar on June 10th, 2011:

MCMC wants block of 10 websites that allow illegal movie downloads

By WONG PEK MEI

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) wants 10 websites, that allow illegal download of movies and videos, blocked and has told the releavant Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to do so.

MCMC said it received a request from the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism's Enforcement Division which had found that the websites contravened the Copyright Act 1987.

“The Commission has informed the relevant licensees under the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 about this request and action is currently being undertaken in phases,” said MCMC in a statement on Friday.

The CAM 1998 places obligations on a licensee to comply with a written request by MCMC to assist the Commission or any other authority, as far as reasonably necessary, in preventing the commission or attempted commission of an offence under any written law of Malaysia.

“Accordingly, compliance with the law is not to be construed as censorship,” it said.

A letter, from the MCMC, believed to be addressed to all ISPs, on the request has been leaked online on blogs in the past few days.

The web addresses listed in the letter included www.warez-bb.org/ and www.megavideo.com/.

Well, I’m sure everyone knows about the order from MCMC to block certain file-sharing sites. Their excuse? Because a lot of people download movies illegally from these sites.

Among those sites MCMC had named were my favourites: megaupload and megavideo.

Sigh. Sighhhh. Sighhhhhhh!

Okay. Okay. So there’s some truth in that. People do download movies illegally through these sites. Honestly, I’ve never done that. Dude, do you know how big those files could be? It’ll take ages to do so!

Might as well watch through streaming ;)

What these sites provide that I do utilize are the music show cuts. Yeap, my k-pop obsession! Fans usually record the shows and upload them to be shared with other fans. For non-Koreans such as myself whose only access to music shows are KBS World, and if you’re lucky, OneHD on Astro, these are heaven sent. Honestly. You can watch clips or your favourite artistes

and I do mean artistes. What, I don’t focus on just k-pop. I listen to Boohwal and 4Men and Brown Eyes, too!

on music shows, or concerts. You can share snippets of shows with your favourite groups.

But we won’t be able to do that if we can’t access file-sharing sites.

-tries to come to terms of not being able to watch her little brothers SHINee in action ohmygoodness-

The other thing is k-dramas. Fansubs of k-dramas are the best. Case in point: Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I watched it twice – once online with fansibs, the other through KBS World and I must say, I prefer fansubs more than the ‘official’ subs.

Why? Probably because fansubs translates certain phrases more accurately, and since it’s not ‘official’, subbers tend to write (in parentheses) explanation for non-Koreans. Which greatly enhances one’s understanding of the dialogue, or the situation the characters find themselves in.

Honestly, I fell in love with SKKS because of fansubs. Which is why I watched it again on KBS World, and am considering buying the dvd set.

But if I can’t access them sites, that means I won’t be able to watch these dramas, and won’t be able to decide if I should stick with it, or drop the drama altogether. Watching (and sticking) with a drama is kind alike picking up a book – you read the blurb, you read the online reviews, you read a couple of pages to see if the language suits you

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read glowing reviews of books online, only to go through a few pages and realize the book is soooo not my style.

and then you decide. Like by watching a few episodes of ‘Lie to Me’, I could tell I won’t be into it, so I’m dropping it. A few episodes of ’49 Days’ convinced me that this is a keeper, and am waiting eagerly to own the dvd – my love for Jung Il Woo might have something to do with it.

Bottom line is… blocking these sites is a huge blow to us. Definitely going to suffer from serious SHINee withdrawals. Haih.

Sloppiness and Priorities

2011-05-26T12:30:00.001+08:00

I can’t abide sloppiness.

Off days, I totally understand. Those days exist – when nothing you do works. When things just don’t go as planned.

But, c’mon. If everyday things don’t go as planned? Not all the time should you miss out details or stuff, right?

I admit to not being too particular. I used to be a perfectionist – now I’m a bit more relaxed. But I can’t abide by those who don’t take the time to really sit down and concentrate. Who do not sit down, read through stuff they’ve worked on as an outsider. See if it flows right. If I have no knowledge about this work, would I understand this paper of mine? Am I jumping all over the place, with nary a coherent thought? Spelling mistakes? Formatting?

Those aren’t little stuff, small stuff, you know. Sure, the content is the most important, but if your presentation is sloppy, no one’s gonna give two hoots if your content is Pulitzer prize worthy. They wouldn’t even read it.

I understand that family comes first. Honestly, I do. But that doesn’t mean you can neglect us, drop everything when we need you most.

People, please plan. You have to find that balance between home and the office.

Because, at the end of the day… we’re all being paid to do a job. We need to be able to depend on you.

Life isn’t fair. It’s constant juggling.

You’d think one would be adept at juggling by now.

An.Noy.Ying.

2011-05-20T23:58:00.002+08:00

annoying [əˈnɔɪɪŋ]
adj
causing irritation or displeasure
annoyingly adv

- The Free Dictionary

Ah. So many good qualities... but none of them could hide the fact that this person is annoying.

Overly so.

Some things... aren't worth your time acknowledging.

So True

2011-05-18T10:28:00.000+08:00

Taken off today's theStar, in the 'Opinions' section;

Books on Malaysian legal luminaries lacking

I AM among thousands of young lawyers in Malaysia who are keen to learn the law from senior lawyers and judges.

Practising law requires one to master the law and procedure, as well as learn from experienced lawyers. After all, that is what pupillage is all about.

I have managed to obtain a few autobiographies written by Indian lawyers such as M.C. Chagla and Motilal Setalvad, and also Indian judges such as PJ Reddy. Not to mention autobiographies from England by Sir Patrick Hastings, Geoffrey Robertson and Michael Mansfield. I found these autobiographies very inspiring and motivating.

However, I could not find any autobiographies written by our lawyers and judges. Is it because our lawyers and judges are not interested in educating the younger generation on their years of experience in the bar and on the bench?

I believe that the life and experience of prominent lawyers such as Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Karpal Singh, P.S. Ranjan, Salehuddin Saidin and many others are worthy of being documented in the form of autobiographies.

The life and times of prominent judges with years of experience such as Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram and Tun Salleh Abas ought not to be excluded either.

It is of great importance that the stories of our prominent lawyers and judges are well documented in book form for the benefit of future generations and the legal profession.

BARRISTER-AT-LAW,
Kuala Lumpur.

Actually, I'd be interested to read an autobiography of Karpal Singh. That would be an interesting read, don't you think? He's such a colourful public figure in Malaysia.

I mean, everyone has their opinions. You don't necessarily have to agree with him, but you'd have to admit, he's never boring.

Terasa Lain

2011-05-16T16:01:00.000+08:00

Harinie masuk kerja rasa lain sikit.

Kenapa ye?

Bukan sebab housemate tak de.

Bukan sebab jalan clear dek orang ambik cuti sempena Wesak dan weekend.

Bukan juga sebab esok Mak ngan Ayah dapat tv baru Kak Long belanja.

40 inches, okay. Selama ni kitorang guna 29 inci jer. So, yes, mata ku terbeliak sikit.

Tetapi sebab aku tahu… harinie Effa dah tak ada kat HRD dah.

Macam satu tradisi, kalau kontrak / sambilan kat HRD, mereka akan dapat tetap kat LPK.

Kroni? Sangatlah bukan. Tak ada big bosses kat LPK tu yang pro-HRD. Dulu ada la sorang, tapi dia pun kat sana sekejap yang amat. Aku rasa, diorang cenderung ambik yang dah pernah kerja sementara dengan gomen ni sebab mudah – dah tahu serba sedikit selok-belok jentera kerajaan, tak payah dah nak training-training lelebih dah. Kiranya masuk kerja tu dah Gear 5 la, orang kata.

Haih. Tak de dah orang nak layan aku bercerita tentang adik aku, Minho dari SHINee.

Choi Minho - SHINee

Erk? Korang tak tahu ke? Minho tu adik I laaaa… ehehehehehe… kena taraf adik je, sebab muda yang amat. Plus, he reminds me a bit too much of Ibby, so that’s… -shudders-

Yeah.

Adik saya sangatlah best, kan? Ehehehehehe. Dulu-dulu, sewaktu dia masih lagi regular cast member ‘Let’s Go! Dream Team Season 2’, sanggup tiap-tiap hari Rabu balik tepat pada waktunya sebab nak tengok Minho compete.

Kakak, kan. Kenalah bagi moral support kat adik :p

Pastu hari Ahad tengok lagi re-run ‘Dream Team’. Eheh.

Kalau tak dulu, rajinlah jugak Effa melayan aku cerita pasal Minho and the rest of SHINee. Dahlah masa pregnant second child ni, selalu gak Effa tenung gambar Minho

Effa ngaku Minho memang handsome, tq, tq

pastu gambar Song Joong Ki.

Effa kata dia cute

So aku tak terkejut la kalau anak Effa nombor 2 ni keluar muka Korea, hahahahahaha~

Aku cuba gak recommend Onew kat Effa, sebab Onew kan iras Song Joong Ki, ramai kata bak adik-beradik. Tapi Song Joong Ki jugak Effa berkenan. Sorry, Dubu.

Dan satu lagi… tak de dah si Lisya nak naik kat atas menghiburkan Aras 10! Kalau tak, ada gak orang yang akan menghabiskan biskut Oat Krunch ngan Milo, yang akan jalan terkedek-kedek ke hulu ngan ke hilir sambil dikerumuni dan diikuti oleh para dayang dan hulubalang :p

Tak de lagi Lisya nak tengok ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ kat YT pastu nyanyi pelbagai nursery rhymes yang lain… haihhh.

Tak nampak dah lah Mak Buyung Tiga Sekawan (Yatie, Effa, Kemar) dok berjalan ke hulu ngan ke hilir bersama-sama, especially time rehat Jumaat.

Kurang lagi satu rakan melepak.

All the best kat tempat baru, Effa!

Frustration

2011-05-16T07:07:00.008+08:00

By now I think most of you know that DiGi is bringing in 2AM.

2AM

2AM is a South Korean four-member ballad boy band under JYP Entertainment. The members are Jinwoon, Jo Kwon, Seulong, and Changmin. 2AM is one of the two subgroups branched out from the eleven-member (before Jaebeom's departure) boy band One Day, the other being 2PM. They officially debuted on July 11, 2008 on KBS's Music Bank, performing their debut song "This Song". They won their first Mutizen at Inkigayo on February 7, 2010 with "Can't Let You Go Even If I Die".
- Wikipedia

How frustrated am I? I'm beyond frustrated. I've been wanting to watch 2AM in the flesh, singing live, for ages. They have one of the best vocals in K-pop, and Changmin is such an amazing singer. With 2AM, it really is about the song and the voices - no slick choreography to dazzle and distract you.

2AM doesn't need all the bells and whistles. Their strength lies in their singing.

But of course, I'm not going. For one, I'm not a client of DiGi's and I'm not suddenly jumping over to the 'yellow man side' just because I'd like a chance to see 2AM.

Honestly, DiGi's pretty good with the K-pop thing, aren't they? They brought in the CUBE artists - BEAST, G.Na and 4Minute - earlier this year. And believe me... I was really thinking of going then because of BEAST. But I didn't, and it was kinda justified because Gi Kwang wasn't around due to filming 'My Princess'. And y'all know that in BEAST, I'm all about Gi Kwang and Yoseob. I heard it was very enjoyable, though. The bonus would be G.Na, who interacted a lot with the audience due to her fluency in English.

On another note, a little bird told me that BEAST is due to be back in Malaysia soon, for a fanmeet. Oh dear... maybe I should go this time? Hmm...

BEAST

Observation

2011-05-15T23:01:00.000+08:00

There's an advert on radio. About how, as Malaysians, we should get to know our own country. Things that make Malaysia... Malaysia. One person asks a seemingly random question about Malaysia, and another answers.

The last question was simple; "What is behind the Malaysian 10 sen coin?". And the other person didn't know the answer. He went "Uhhh... Justin Bieber?"

It cracked me up.

But then it got me thinking... how many people actually do remember what is depicted behind the Malaysian 10 sen coin? Does anyone actually pay any attention? Notice the details?

If I was a betting kinda person, I bet you not many people notice.

But that's the problem with people nowadays. We don't take time to notice things. To observe.

We're too busy hurrying. From one activity to another.

I sometimes think... we're too busy hurrying - hurtling - towards the end of our lives.

Taking time to smell them roses has no place in our world these days.

As for the 10 sen coin... it's the congkak, that's what's depicted at the back.

So did you get it right?

Do You Remember?

2011-05-15T18:04:00.000+08:00

Do you remember a time when books - yes, adult books, not kiddie only-80-pages books - costs only this much?

Ya Allah, it feels like a lifetime ago.

It probably is.

These days, these same books cost more than RM30.

And if you're lucky, you might get some new books at RM15 at least - gotta love places like BookXcess!

Sigh.

Things like these make you long for the 'old days'...

Satu Hari Di Aras 9

2011-05-10T17:03:00.000+08:00

Pergh. Akhirnya! Habis gak mesyuarat ni!

Aku mula mengemas barang-barang kat atas meja mesyuarat. Sampul kecil, buku nota, botol air... okay, settt. Boleh bergerak balik ke bilik dah.

"You tulis apa tadi?"

"Huh?" aku memandang muka MdmNPS dengan penuh kehairanan. Dia tersenyum kepadaku.

"You tulis cerita pendek ke apa tadi?"

"Err... kenapa puan cakap macam tu?"

"Yelah, tadi I tengok you khusyuk sungguh menulis. Tak henti-henti. Orang bercakap pun tak pandang dah, dok tengok buku tu je, sambil menulis."

Aku tergelak. Phew! Selamat! Tekaan semata-mata!

Sebab sebenarnya memang pun aku ada mengarang cerita pendek semasa mesyuarat tadi. Tapi bukannya aku mengarang sepanjang masa tanpa mempedulikan perjalanan mesyuarat. Hanya apabila mesyuarat terlalu meleret dan 'perdebatan' yang melebih berlaku saja aku mula menulis cerita pendek dalam buku nota.

Ingat ke memang MdmNPS nampak apa yang aku tulis.

"Tak de lah puan. Saya catit nota, tulis cerita pendek pun ye, lukis gambar kartun pun ye..."

Tergelak MdmNPS mendengar pengakuan aku.

Nak buat macam mana?

Once a Kanak-kanak Ribena... always a Kanak-kanak Ribena...

Of Pretentiousness

2011-05-09T11:56:00.002+08:00

You know what really gets on my nerves? When your bosses introduce you as ‘so-and-so’s’ daughter.

Apakah? Orang yang awak introducekan saya tu likely has never even heard of the person in question, or even worked with said person.

Tapi disebabkan jawatan, you jaja ke hulu & ke hilir?

I honestly feel like slapping someone.

Right. Now.

That Man Opposed

2011-05-08T21:44:00.001+08:00

I've got this song stuck in my head for weeks already.

And it hasn't gotten old yet.

Young Won's blue hair is so eye-catching, haha.

But I must say it was DayDay's impressive resume piqued my interest when they first debuted.

I oppose that man,
He’s not the one.
Come to me and
Don’t believe in him.
Fall in love with me.
Let us fall in love.
Open your eyes
So won’t you come in to my
Come in to my heart

- 'That Man Opposed', Dalmatian.

Lyrics taken off Kpop Color Coded Lyrics.

Dua, Tiga, Kucing Berlari...

2011-05-06T18:39:00.000+08:00

Harinie last day Juli.

Ekceli, last day minggu lepas, sama dengan Yus. Tapi dia tangguh, so harinie memang last of the last day untuk Juli. Ahad ni, dia akan terbang tinggi kembali ke bumi kelahirannya, nun jauh di sana merentas air laut, negeri Sarawak.

Haihhh. Tadi dah nangis nangis dah. Aiyo Juli... janganlah nangis, nangis. Perkhidmatan Awam ni tak de la sebesar mana. Pusing-pusing, jumpa jugak. Tambahan lagi kalau ke Sarawak, confirm bila kami ke sana untuk apa-apa event, awaklah jadi 'mangsa' untuk menghiburkan kami, kan?

Moga Juli bergembira dan dapat mencurahkan khidmat bakti di tempat baru.

Dah, toksah sedih-sedih. Memetik kata-kata PSUK kat sini, "You yang mintak, kan?"

PSUK kat sini memang kijam :p

Of course, minggu lepas last day Yus. Memang on that day, dah siap Unit buat makan-makan, untuk Yus ngan Juli. Dapat hadiah gak - hadiah apa, I tak tahu. Lupa plak nak tanya. Yus bertugas kat area Putrajaya ni gak, so ada kemungkinan tinggi nak terserempak di Alamanda.

Namun demikian, tak de lah dah ornag nak layan I punya K-pop ngan K-drama obsession. Kalau tak, kitorang dua lah dok citer dan buat ulasan pasal drama Korea yang kita tengok kat tv/online/cd tu.

Masa last day, Yus pun nangis-nangis gak. Ialah, dah lama kat sini. First posting pulak tu, sama macam Juli. Nak tinggalkan, mesti rasa gundah gulana, sayu, takut, sedih... macam-macam lah.

Kata yus, masa dia pi round-round kata goodbye, I je yang macam gelak-gelak tak sedih-sedih nangis.

Emmm... emmm... how do I explain this?

I don't do tears. Seriously. Honestly. If I do, there's something very very very very very very wrong with me.

Very.

To me, you guys are embarking on a new journey. Adventure yang baru. Persekitaran yang baru. Challenges yang baru. Kawan-kawan yang baru. Bukan bermakna korang patut lupa & tinggalkan yang lama, tidak sama sekali. But this is an enriching experience. Tambahkan pengalaman.

And I'm happy that you guys dapat peluang ni.

Kesimpulannya, lagi elok kita bergembira, wish each other well, tersenyum... dari kita menangis-nangis.

Tapi tak de lah kata tak boleh nangis pun. Hanya... kita pikir positive.

I can tell why a particular lady hated saying goodbyes. It's okay, ma'am, I'm bad at goodbyes, too.

Best of luck in all your future endeavors. Panjang umur, kita berjumpa lagi :)

Almost Human

2011-05-04T18:17:00.000+08:00

For a few hours on Sunday, I was human again.

A few hours spent with those whom I've known the longest.

She, who has been with me through thick and thin.

She, who never fails to bring the sunshine wherever she goes.

She, who is so open-minded, so logical.

He, who understands me better than I could ever hoped.

For a few hours, I was surrounded by friends. I was in a safe circle. I could leave all my cares, my worries behind.

For a few hours, I could be me.

Life throws you curveballs. Hands you lemons.

But no one said you'd have to go at it alone.

Almost human.

Neither Here Nor There Part Deux

2011-04-28T15:47:00.000+08:00

Him: So bila nak datang bertugas?

Me: Ntahlah. Sejak MdmCool x de senyap terus senyap :(

Him: My boss dah cakap dengan MK, tapi MK tak nak bagi greenlight.

I've never felt like throwing my phone before. Like just throwing it on the hard, hard floor, smashing it.

But boy, was I seriously considering it today.

Buat baik berpada-pada, buat jahat jangan sekali.

Sad...

2011-04-24T10:09:00.000+08:00

As a bookworm, it's a sad day indeed when you discover you can't finish a book because you can't concentrate.

Or you're just going through the motions of reading a book, but the book itself doesn't register in your mind. Doesn't leave a mark.

Or you find yourself re-reading passages, and you can't remember if you've read it before.

Or you find that your imagination has deserted you. You try to summon it, to form a picture made up of the words you're reading, but you just can't.

Too far gone. I'm just too far gone.

I'm turning into a shell of the person I used to be.

Neither Here Nor There

2011-04-24T00:08:00.000+08:00

Being stuck in limbo is frustrating, to say the least.

Since March, I've been waiting for that one particular letter. For those magic words to be uttered.

"Congratulations. You've been transferred."

And yet... I'm still here. I've still not received my transfer order.

Oh, hope, you fickle, fickle thing. It would've been better for me if the Central Agency did not send that letter ordering me to be rotated out. Because that letter gave me hope. And yet, today, more than a month has passed and I'm still here.

Do you know how hard it is for me, to see other people getting their transfer orders?

Do you know how much my heart breaks knowing that I'm still stuck in this hell hole?

Yes. Hell hole. There, I've said it.

To me, everything here now has been tainted. So tainted that I can't even squeeze a single drop of positiveness from my surroundings.

You know what's scary? The fact that I am falling. That I am unravelling. And that some people are too selfish to admit the fact that keeping me here, well past my 'Best Before' date, is causing me such mental anguish that I really don't care anymore what happens to me.

So what if you're 30 years older and a PengAt? If you're being silly, I'm going to point it out not-so-subtly.

2 years ago, I'd let it slide. Now, it annoys the hell out of me, and I'll point it out to all and sundry.

I've never been big on patience, and now I just bloody frikkin' hell do not care.

Buat apa aku nak jaga air muka engkau, yang tak jaga langsung kebajikan orang kat bawah dia?

Everytime someone asks me, 'When are you transferring?", I see red. I can't control my anger. I feel like hurting someone. I feel like trashing the place out of anger. I'm afraid I might just bitch-slap someone. I'm that over the edge.

Everytime I hear the word 'transfer', I feel like crying. Like bursting into tears. This week alone, I've had to consciously tell myself to stop those damn tears.

Do you know how many times I cry, in a decade? I could probably count on one hand, I suppose.

That statement itself should give you an indication about how fast I'm unravelling. How far gone I am.

My concentration is shot. I've given up on thinking. I'm just going through the motions. I can't get myself out of bed - I arrive later and later to work. I find myself at times just staring into space, not really doing anything. I am demotivated, I begin to wonder if there's even a point to all this.

And when the weekend ends, and Monday comes by... my heart hurts. It aches. It physically hurts.

I'm too far gone. I'm just too far gone.

What would it take for you to see that?

Scream 4

2011-04-20T18:41:00.000+08:00

So last Wednesday (13 April) I was fortunate enough to have won a pair of tickets from Nuffnang to go watch Scream 4.

But first, a little synopsis, courtesy of the folks at Wikipedia;

On the fifteenth anniversary of the Woodsboro massacre by Billy Loomis and Stu Macher, high school students Jenny Randall (Aimee Teegarden) and Marnie Cooper (Brittany Robertson) are attacked and brutally killed by a new Ghostface.

The following day, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to Woodsboro to promote her new book and becomes a suspect in the murders, with evidence in her rental car, forced by Dewey Riley (David Arquette) to stay in Woodsboro until the crime is solved. While in town, she stays with her aunt Kate Roberts (Mary McDonnell) and cousin Jill (Emma Roberts), who is dealing with the betrayal of her ex-boyfriend Trevor Sheldon (Nico Tortorella)...

Anyway... I love the Scream franchise. I really do. I watched the original Scream because I was into the actors - Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Skeet Ulrich, Jamie Kennedy, Rose McGowan - hey, it read like a veritable who's who list of actors to teens then.

Well, hello, Sidney! Nice accessory.

So... Scream 4. I enjoyed it. A lot. The opening scene had 2 fake-outs. Seriously! Dari awal-awal aku dah gelak... sampaikan masa the 'real life' started, I was like, 'this isn't another fake-out, is it?'

I laughed, I got creeped out... and I enjoyed it. So yeah, it's a slasher film. And honestly, there's nothing groundbreaking since Scream has had many imitators. And is it trying too hard to be hip and cool? Perhaps. Perhaps tu attempt by the director to seem relevant - what with the iPhones running around, and the self-cams, the FB and twitter alerts, the iPhone apps.

Gale! Look behind you!

The new Scream kids

I thought the 'new Scream kids' did very well. I especially loved Hayden Panettiere's character. She was certainly different.

Lots of blood and gore. The fake-outs. The cliches. The 'oh no, don't do that you'll get killed' moments.

I actually loved every moment of it. Although maybe the movie was a wee bit too long. There were certainly parts I was thinking... oh, die already.

So go. Go watch Scream 4 if you're a fan of the original. If you want to have some mindless fun, and be scared silly. If you like watching films that pokes fun at themselves.

I had tonnes of fun.

And, oh, don't miss Kristen Bell & Anna Paquin's cameo!

Effeminate

2011-04-20T08:02:00.000+08:00

Taken off today's theStar;

Outrage over boot camp for effeminate schoolboys
By FARIK ZOLKEPLI
farik@thestar.com.my

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu Education Department's decision to send 66 schoolboys with effeminate tendencies to a boot camp has drawn flak.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said such boot camps should be abolished as these were harmful and not in the children's best interest.

“It is in clear violation of the Child Act,” she said, adding that under the Act, every child was entitled to protection and assistance in all circumstances, regardless of characteristics like race, language and physical, mental or emotional disabilities.

“The experience of being singled out on the basis of perceived characteristics is an extremely traumatising experience, particularly for adolescent teens,” she said.

The Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG), which includes the Women's Aid Organisation, Sisters in Islam (SIS), Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower) and Women's Centre for Change, described the action as disturbing and a violation of human rights.

JAG spokesperson and Empower executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said the group was appalled over the development.

“The department's policy to regulate behaviour of students is against the basic tenets of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

“The act of identifying and singling out boys who behave effeminately is highly discriminatory,” she said in a statement, adding that Article 2 of the CRC stated that all children should be accorded equal rights and treatment without exception.

Maria, commenting on a report that the schoolboys were sent to the four-day boot-camp in Besut in order to rehabilitate them, said the boys were being persecuted for the expression of their personalities and identities.

“Ideally, schools are supposed to provide a safe and neutral space for children to develop without fear of recrimination for being themselves.

“Such action insinuates that the department has developed a criterion for normal' behaviour, which is highly questionable.

“If it truly exists, then it should be made public,” she said, adding that the group has demanded that the Education Ministry abolish such camps.

The camp, which started on Monday, includes physical training, motivational activities and spiritual talks.

Terengganu Education Department director Razali Daud maintained that the department had acted correctly.

He stressed that the boot camp was designed to prevent the boys from developing feminine traits which could hamper their future.

“The boys involved were selected from most schools in the state.

“They were carefully vetted before a final selection was made,” he told The Star.

He added that if such tendencies were not curbed at a young age, it would lead to bigger problems for them in the future.

He added among factors that encouraged effeminacy were parents' action in dressing boys in girls clothing as they had really wanted a girl or if the boys were surrounded by female siblings.

Let's call a spade a spade, shall we? I've always referred to them as Jentayu, from my university days.

A boot camp for Jentayus. Oh, my. Honestly. Whose bright idea was this?

I can so totally imagine the rivalries and bitch-slapping that could happen if you put a large group of them together.

Eh... it actually sounds like fun, lah.

Tapi, honestly... kenapa nak kena buat boot camp, pulak? So what, men are supposed to be all macho, is it? They can't be effeminate, or metro, or peace-loving?

Just because someone is different from what you perceive as 'normal', doesn't give you the right to change them to fit your mold.

We don't live in a cookie-cutter world, my friends.

And just for the record... some of my most loyal, steadfast friends were Jentayus. I found them easier to get along with then some guys and girls.

Report Cards

2011-04-18T08:22:00.000+08:00

Taken off today's theStar;

Report cards to list BMI

SUBANG jaya: Effective immediately, the body mass index (BMI) of students will be listed on their report cards while unhealthy food and drinks are banned from school canteens.

The food or drinks in the “no-no” list include soft drinks and items with high sugar content.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, who announced this yesterday, said this was a new move that would help parents monitor their children's health.

“By listing the BMI on their report cards, parents have the means to know whether their child's weight is ideal, overweight or obese,” he said after closing the Fifth Health Clinic Advisory Panel Convention.

Liow said parents could obtain advice from clinics on how to maintain a healthy weight for their children.

He said Malaysia was currently ranked sixth amongst Asian countries and first in South-East Asia for a high percentage of obese citizens.

“Thirty per cent of Malaysians are overweight, while another 30% are obese. That's 60%,” he said, adding that ministry data estimated that around 1.7 million Malaysians aged 18 and above were obese.

Liow said the move to list BMI on report cards had been decided at the Cabinet Committee on Non-Communicable Diseases meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on April 4.

“We have identified unhealthy canteen food such as soft drinks and others with high sugar content. These types of food are now banned from being sold,” he said.

He also advised hawkers not to sell them outside school grounds, adding that diabetes was a serious problem in Malaysia.

“Younger people are getting diabetes. Our data recorded in 2006 shows that 15% of the population above 30 years old have diabetes,” he said.

In a bid to fight this trend, Liow said the ministry was holding activities to curb more cases of diabetes, including programmes on exercise and healthy eating habits.

He said the “Less Sugar Intake” 2010 campaign would continue this year, adding that around 1.5 million adult Malaysians suffered from diabetes while another 4.8 million had hypertension.

Teachers and parents lauded the move, saying it was beneficial for children.

SJKT Ladang Highlands headmaster S. Arumugam said students, who were still in the developmental stage of their physical growth, needed proper nutritious food.

SMK Taman Desa Jaya Parent-Teacher Association member and Bahasa Malaysia teacher Mariam Mohamad said this would help students have a nutritious meal as many did not have breakfast at home.

Eh? I thought report cards always had the weight/height of the student. I mean, masa I student dedulu lah. Pastu kalau nak kira BMI kira lah sendiri... takkan formula tu pun tak bleh Google.

Tak tahulah kalau zaman sekarang lain, report card tak de height & weight.

Has it gone the way of kategori 'bangsa' dalam borang-borang, kah? Oooopsss...

Tapi dulu memang ada. As for healthier food in the canteen, I've always thought that was necessary. The type of food I ate while I was in school... gives me nightmares nowadays.

Hey, even Jamie Oliver (and Ryan Seacrest) thinks kids in schools need to be fed more nutritious meals. Maybe we can get 'Food Revolution' to be filmed in KL, eh?

Kecoh Satu Negara

2011-04-17T18:23:00.000+08:00

... well, not quite.

So by now cerita pasal the high-ranking government officer who was caught 'in close proximity' with his previous personal assistant has died down.

A bit.

Most of us know who he is. Most of us are well acquainted with him.

Banyak benar spekulasinya. Teori pun banyak.

Apa-apa hal pun, semua geleng kepala. Innocent until proven guilty - yes, tapi kalau terbukti perkara ini tak betul pun, a once shining, sparkling career just got stopped in its tracks.

Or, at the very least, is not as shining and sparkling as before.

Ah, he was expected to go far, that one.

Apa-apa hal pun, peristiwa ni akan ikut dia ke mana-mana. There's no escaping it. People will remember this for a very long time.

Birthdays

2011-04-17T17:17:00.006+08:00

Goodness.

Aku seriously terlupa yang haritue was birthday Square. I kinda have always remembered, actually... I don't know why. Kalau Ibby tu logik, lah, kan, aku ingat... dah berapa tahun dah kenal? Eheh. But Square?

Ah well. I guess some people leave such a mark they're impossible to forget.

I was staring at my calendar and thinking... eh, tarikh ni macam aku patut ingat. Tapi... kenapa, ye?

And the wonder of social networking sites... reminding you of your friends' birthdays. And since Square is linked to me via said social networking site, of course la it reminded me of his birthday, kan?

It feels good to actually wish him a happy birthday, after all these years. And, after everything that's happened since I saw him last, it kinda slipped my mind that he's an April baby.

I seem to have really bad luck with April babies. Hmm...

This so does not bode well for my 'relationship' with Lee Hyuk Jae. Or Choi Siwon. Or...

Gasp! KIM JONGHYUN!!!

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Reality

2011-04-16T18:20:00.000+08:00

Truth is, I'm the type who takes things seriously.

Way too seriously, some people say.

But seriously, nonetheless.

I'm pretty easygoing on one end.

And very sensitive on the other.

To me, there are certain things you can't joke about. Certain things that make me hurt real easily.

Somethings I can totally joke about, and then there are things that I can't even speak of once I've reached my maximum point.

Apa? Chill? Relax? Don't take things too seriously? Don't stress out?

It's useless to tell me those things.

It's as useless as me telling you to grow up. It's unseemly for a grown adult to act like a child.

That didn't feel good, now, did it?

Adieu

2011-04-15T17:09:00.001+08:00

Today marks the last day of one of the stalwarts of HRD.

It's bittersweet, really. Sweet - because she's moving on to (hopefully) greener pastures. Plus, you get to experience something new, be in a totally new environment. That's always interesting.

Bitter - because she won't be there for us anymore.

I've always referred to her here as MdmCool, because that's how she is, really. Very, very cool.

Back in the day when HRD was THE place to work in, when we used to have meetings and courses away from the office, she'd be one of the first ones to suggest we spend our nights off watching movies, or eating out. It became a bit of a running joke, really.

"Oh, are we having this meeting out of the office? What movie is playing? MdmCool for sure would want to catch a late-night movie."

"Mannn... there's not even one free night. No movies for MdmCool."

"Well, MdmCool isn't going for this course, so I guess no one's going off to the movies..."

She is fun, unflappable, calm, cool. She doesn't sweat the small stuff. She listens to you - when you've got a problem to solve, when you have ideas, when you've got opinions. She values your input. She's easy to talk to, and so darn knowledgeable you aspire to be her.

She's happy, and sunny, and so darn optimistic.

She taught us to have desserts first, hahahaha.

So long and farewell, MdmCool. HRD will definitely miss you.

Aktiviti penyusunan lilin

satu cake choc mud, satu carrot slice/cake whatever, satu american brownie

orang kuat majlis, ditemani 'pemain import' dari cawangan psp

mdmcool bagi ucapan sempoi, kat belakang seperti biasa encikReza jadi MC :p

alamak! org kedai cake tu salah eja 'kebahagiaan' laaa...

upacara potong-memotong. meraikan juga pertukaran ribwan, syahir edd, osman, syafiq nazmi, nur mahathir...

It's a little less sunshiny-er now that she's off.

SS3 Malaysia

2011-04-11T00:48:00.001+08:00

Remember this post?

Yes, I'll admit to procrastinating and not jotting down immediately after the 19th March concert what happened.

Well, I'm sure all of you've read the many very excellent accounts from the other ELFs of Super Junior's Super Show 3 concert in Malaysia.

I, for one, did not expect myself to get so super hyper excited - due to the fact that I was probably much older than the average ELF - but get excited, I did. It was a good thing I didn't memorize any fanchants, or this borderline noona would be chanting them, too.

What I did was to record Leeteuk's, Yesung's and Henry's solos... of which I will never, ever upload anywhere due to the fact that you could hear me singing and squealing along.

But honestly? Mochi doing Justin Bieber's 'Baby'? Cutest. Thing. Ever. And the man knows well his effect on females. He was smirking and smiling all the way through. Henry is growing up to be very, very fiiiinnneeeee...

I went to see Leeteuk. Truth. He has been my #1 SuJu bias for quite sometime. It began with Siwon, then went off to Kyuhyun

Who, I think, is the most popular among Malaysian ELFs. The amount of cheers he got was amazing. Dude, if I was one of the SuJu boys I'd totally be jealous. Who can resist an Evil Maknae?

before finally settling on the (rather age-appropriate) Angel Leader Leeteuk. And when I saw him in the flesh, in real life... I was awestruck. Honestly. I could even see those damn dimples of his when he smiled. He was... oh my goodness. Way better looking in real life. Very, very tall. Long and lean.I justw anted to stare at him. All. Day. And. All Night.

I was pretty bummed that I couldn't get the side of the stadium Leeteuk usually prowled, but he spent quite sometime at my place - L16, terrace seats - that I was pretty happy. I couldn't take my eyes off of him whenever he came near. He was charismatic, naughty, charming, responsible... he was very leader-like. Even Shir and Lia were impressed by the leadership traits he displayed.

In fact, I've converted Shir and Lia into Teukie fans. Hehe.

Kyu is an Evil Maknae. He played that part to the hilt. But we love Evil Maknae's, apparently.

Eunhyuk was such a tease!!! I'd never thought Hyukkie would be a tease, but he is.

Donghae was sooooooooooooo sweet, I wanted to hug him. Honestly. His fanservice was the best. He was just going around being lovable and amiable. I honestly wanted to hug him a lot!!! Seeing him interact with the crowd just made me adore him more and more. He's so sweet... no other words could describe Hae.

I cheered a little bit louder for Yesung. Something about Yesung just makes me want to cheer for him more and more. I've always liked him - his self-deprecating sense of humour, his awkwardness, that ridiculously seductive voice of his. And when we sang his song from Cinderella's Sister back to him... oh, that was epic. The most defining moment of the whole concert, for me.

From the moment Hae appeared onstage, suspended on wires - the first SuJu member to appear for SS3 - until the moment all of them disappeared backstage - after the 'thumbs up' from the boys and Hae randomly singing Bruno Mars' 'Just the Way You Are' - I had a lot of fun. I enjoyed myself to bits. The concert ended way too early for me, I really didn't realize that so much time had passed by.

And after the concert, you could see satisfied, happy, giddy, energized ELFs milling about.

And I got to see Leeteuk. In the flesh.

Me and my sapphire blue Super Junior lighstick. Yes, that's where the stage is, 'Super Show 3'.

Power of Ever Lasting Friend (ELF)s - sapphire blue ocean

The sapphire blue ocean was beautiful.

And I'm so proud I got to be a part of it this time.

See you in SS4, boys! Noona's definitely attending!

Dreamhouse Kings

2011-04-10T00:57:00.001+08:00

When the Kings move to a small town in northern California, they have no idea of the adventures—and terrors—waiting for them. Fifteen-year old Xander and his twelve-year-old brother David make a game of exploring the old Victorian home they move into. One night, they discover an intruder and follow him to a hidden hallway of doors. Each door transports them to far off places in long-ago times.

But not only can they go from the house to the past, people from the past can come through into their house. Someone does—and kidnaps Mom, taking her into some unknown place in the past.

The family begins a quest for Mom, which takes them to the most dangerous and fascinating places throughout time. Then the Kings learn a terrible secret: Their being in the house is no accident, and they must do much more than “simply” find their mother.

I was first intrigued by the Dreamhouse Kings series during one of my browsing sessions at MPH MidValley.

Rin browsing in the childrens' section? What else is new? Honestly, adult fantasy books bore me these days. And young adult books these days are so much more well written than what was available to me when I was a teen. No offense, LJ Smith and RL Stine.

I'd always put off buying one of the Dreamhouse Kings books because:

a) The covers weren't very intriguing. I was afraid it would be very dry... that it would turn all British on me. I find that most UK authors' style don't suit me, somehow. Most, not all.

b) I couldn't find Book #1. You know me, I'd never start a series if I can't read Book #1 first. Which is why, dear friends, I only recently started reading Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. Because I couldn't find 'Northern Lights'. In a set that matched Books #2 and #3. It was also why I sold off the first copies of Books #1 and #2 of Percy Jackson... because they weren't the same cover set as the ones I bought later...

But eventually I bought Book #1: House of Dark Shadows, and I must say I'm pretty impressed. The pace of the book - everything haappened pretty quickly. Although, it wasn't explained why there's a portal leading to a locker at school. I had some trouble imagining certain stuff - the big man who took Mom, for instance - but everything else was pretty easy to understand and follow. Although, somehow, I couldn't connect Dad at first, because I thought he'd be too young to be whom they were referring too...

I did feel like smacking David, though. But hey, you could say he was just being a kid, being all inquisitive and the like. But really, after seeing Xander return in the condition that he was... must you go out and court danger?

I like the interaction between the 3 kids. It was well written, and I guess pretty much how real siblings would treat each other.

I'm still trying to decide if I should go on to Book #2. On one hand, I enjoyed the ride. I really want to know if they got Mom back, and what's the deal with that weird house anyway?

On the other, the book was wayyyy too short for me. I suspect, once I get my gruby hands on Book #2, I'd probably say that it would've been beter for them to combine Books #1 and #2.

But then, you know, I'm just way older than the target audience...

Read it if you're a fan of YA Fantasy, don't mind breakneck speeds in books, like breezing through books and like books to be short and sweet. Oh, and am not put off by the less than inspiring cover.

Preview: Scream 4

2011-04-09T23:40:00.000+08:00

Top 4 Ways To Stop a Serial Killer.

1. Since most serial killers are men (Jason, Freddy anyone?) and I did say 'most' not 'all', kicking them in the gonads is a really good idea. Ditto to annoying men who harass you in real life as well ;).

2. Eat durians. Or petai. Or jering. Things that give you bad breath or flatulence. If they can't stand to be near you, they can't kill you. No matter how superhuman these serial killers seem to be, betcha durian will be their kryptonite. Unless you're so stinky, they might view killing you as a favour to humanity. Hmm.

3. Have access to liquid nitrogen. Since stabbing, shooting, hitting them seems to have no effect, maybe we can freeze them instead... and wait for help to arrive. Er, provided you don't accidentally freeze yourself as well.

4. Watch a lot of horror movies and avoid being a victim! Don't stay in a dark house/room/building, don't answer the phone, don't say 'I'll be right back', don't... wait, all this didn't help the kids in Scream 1-3 much, now, did it?

This was my entry for the 'Scream 4' contest over at Nuffnang.

I've never won an online contest before. But just my luck, as I was browsing Nuffnang, they'd just put up a contest for 'Scream 4' premiere screening. Was the first person to comment... and lo and behold! Won myself a pair of tickets to watch it on Wednesday. Heyyyy... free stuff! Rezeki jangan ditolak, kan?

Whoa... tetiba bersemangat nak join contest lagi :p

Thanks, Nuffnang! See you this Wednesday!

Auld Lang Syne Lagi

2011-04-07T22:15:00.000+08:00

And more news of comings and goings…

Dila is going to a Central Agency. Wah… naik daripada cuti bersalin jer terus ke Central Agency!

MdmCool is transferring out, too. Tak jauh, ke Kementerian depan ini yang bukan Kementerian Syahir. Kuatkuasa? Hari yang sama dengan Syahir ngan Dila.

Orang ni bersedih-sedihan. Ikky & Bibi pun bersedih-sedihan. Ye lah, tinggal dua tiga kerat jer daripada geng-geng yang havoc dulu.

Tapi… apakan daya? Time and tide waits for no man. All good things must come to an end.

Apa Nak Jadi Zaman Sekarang

2011-04-04T08:15:00.001+08:00

Taken off today's theStar;

Boy, 7, dies after assault in hostel
By EMBUN MAJID

ALOR SETAR: A seven-year-old schoolboy died after he was allegedly tied up and repeatedly assaulted by a teacher at a religious school hostel in Arau, Perlis.

Saiful Syazani Saiful Sopfidee, died at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital at about 8am Sunday.

He was admitted to the hospital with multiple head injuries two days ago.

The beating occurred after the 26-year-old teacher accused the boy of stealing from the hostel on Thursday night.

His adopted mother Hazirah Chin, 38, said she received a call from the school informing her that the boy had been admitted to the Tuanku Fauziah Hospital in Kangar after being injured.

“The teacher, who is also the hostel warden, told me that he needed my consent to transfer Saiful Syazani to the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital as his condition was serious.

“When I arrived at the hospital, a doctor told me that he believed my son was tied up before being assaulted as there were rope burn marks on his wrists,” she said when met at the mortuary.

Hazirah said she had raised Saiful Syazani since he was a three-year-old after his mother Jahiyah Che Mat passed away in 2007.

“I decided to send him to the religious school as he was keen on Islamic studies. I last saw him on March 27, when I sent him to his hostel.

“His body will be buried near his mother's grave at the Tok Paduka Muslim Cemetery in Kangar,” she said.

Perlis CID chief Supt Mohd Nashir Ya, when contacted, said the teacher was detained at about 10pm on Saturday pending investigations. The case has since been classified as murder.

He said the police were waiting for the post-mortem report to determine the cause of Saiful Syazani's death.

Apalah nak jadi dengan manusia zaman sekarang.

He's just a little boy. A little, defenceless boy.

I understand the need for discipline - rotans & bulu ayam were a way of life, once - tapi sampai hilang pertimbangan sebegitu?

Do we not think anymore? Kita la ni hanya akur dengan nafsu, je ke?

What is happening to humans these days?

For Auld Lang Syne

2011-04-03T19:30:00.000+08:00

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

-'Auld Lang Syne', Robert Burns.

So last Friday we bid goodbye to a few familiar faces...

Phan, who after years and years of 'battling' it out in HRD, transferred to an agency with a Central Agency. Friday was her first day at her new post.

Ridha a.k.a. Pegawai Tingkat 12, who did his 'tawaf selamat tinggal' on Friday. He, too, is going to a Central Agency, but a completely different one from Phan.

Syahir @ Edd, who got his pemangkuan 48 letter on Friday, and has been posted to the Ministry next door. Boleh jumpa lagi kat kafe bawah ni :p

Dila? Tak tahu lagi. Belum sempat berborak dengan dia.

Best of luck to all of you! Don't be a stranger, ya hear? :)

The Sherlockian

2011-04-02T19:22:00.001+08:00

From Amazon;

The Sherlockian begins with Arthur Conan Doyle pondering the best way to kill off the character that brought him fame, fortune, and the angst of a writer desperate to be remembered for more than "a few morbid yarns." We then skip more than a hundred years into the future, to meet Harold White, a Sherlock Holmes devotee attending an annual celebration of hundreds of Sherlockian societies. When both Conan Doyle and White face grisly murders, Graham Moore's delightful debut novel really takes off, bouncing merrily between these two characters and time periods. Replete with winking cameos and Holmes-worthy twists, The Sherlockian is an inspired historical suspense novel that will captivate Holmes fans and anyone who loves a good twisty, clever mystery. --Daphne Durham

So this is one of the last books I read.

I admit to not knowing much about 'The Sherlockian' when I first picked it up. Bought it at MPH, it had a '20%' off sticker for MPH Readers' Club... so apa lagi. Also, prior to my purchase, I read favourable reviews of the book, so... yeah. Who said newspaper reviews about books don't influence buyers? Pbbbttthhh.

I honestly have not read any of the Holmes books, save, perhaps, The Hound of the Baskervilles. Yang tu pun I'm pretty sure I had to read it for English lessons while in school.

Entahlah. I was never interested in Sherlock Holmes. Or Dr. Watson. Unless they're being played by Robert Downey Jr. & Jude Law. Hehe.

So perhaps me being pretty Sherlock-Holmes-ignorant contributed to the fact that I didn't enjoy the book as much as I expected.

Ntahlah. Rasa macam biasa-biasa je. I get more excitement reading something from Steve Berry and Matthew Reilly, honestly.

For one, tempoh masa yang diambil dalam nak solve the mysterious death of Alex Cale sangatlah pendek. Pastu, memandangkan mamat yang jadi hero citer ni pun bukannya a career crime solver - just seriously obsessed with Holmes - macam semua clue nak solve mystery ni memang lah jatuh ke riba dia. Macam mudah sangat.

Oh, I don't dispute the fact that in order to solve this case, you'd need to be a Sherlockian, tapi di dalam sebuah buku yang punyalah ramai Sherlockian, takkan dia sorang je yang terpikir nak pursue this mystery this way? Dan takkan sebegitu mudah dia dapat retrace Alex Cale's steps? Lain lah kalau dia memang seasoned crime solver - ada resources yang menyebabkan dia mudah untuk bergerak ke sana dan ke mari, in addition to being a Sherlockian.

Like I said, perhaps my ignorance of the Sherlock Holmes novels, and of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works, has caused me to not see why this book received such rave reviews.

But something must be wrong somewhere for me to actually like Bram Stoker more in this book rather than Arthur Conan Doyle / Harold White.

And no, it has nothing to do with the fact that I went through a pseudo-goth period in my younger days. Nuh-uh.

Minggu Lepas

2011-03-28T20:00:00.001+08:00

Apa dah terjadi minggu lepas?

Macam-macam ada. Yang aku paling tak boleh nak lepaskan dari kotak minda... aku demam lagi! Uwaaa!!!

Apa yang aku fikir:

1. Hoihhh. Rokiahhhh!!! Ni semua virus diaaaaa!!! Ah-choooo...
2. Tak bestnyer. Demam = tak de deria rasa = tak de feel nak makan.
3. Oklah tu. Bleh kurang sikit berat badan. NOT!
4. Teruk benar imunisasi badan ni. Pantang ada yang demam sekeliling, aku pun turut demam juga.
5. Banyak benar dosa aku ekkk... asyik demam jer :p (hehehe!)

But on a more serious note, aku perasan sejak aku balik dari mengerjakan umrah tempohari (tetiba macam rasa skematik matematik plak ayat ni) aku susah sikit nak bernafas, besar kemungkinan kerana penghasilan mucus yang keterlaluan yang menyebabkan kesukaran untuk saya bernafas serta menelan dan makan. Jadi... sejakduamenjak ni saya kenyang makan mucus sahaja... ewww... too much information!!!

Minggu lepas juga kali pertama dalam hidup aku aku menderma darah. Bukannya sebelum-sebelum ni aku tak pernah mencuba untuk menderma darah, tapi selalunya aku terkandas! Awal-awal lagi dah kena disqualified!

Takut? Adalah rasa takut nak menderma. Takut rasa sakit. As for darah itself, Alhamdulillah aku bukan jenis yang ngeri atau takut tengok darah. Aku ngan darah okay je...

Tapi ada gak mende tak syok masa nak menderma tu. Asalnya aku dah turun dengan tuan empunya event nak gi derma darah. Alih2 MdmSilent panggil aku naik mengadap MrScrutiny. So... semua orang yang turun dengan aku tu derma lah dulu.

Masa aku dok kat atas, memang aku tak senang duduk. Aku heret sekali borang nak derma darah aku tuh... aku nak jugak menderma. Aku keluar saja dari bilik MrScrutiny, terus aku ke tempat derma darah. Nasib baiklah Reza & Afza sudi nak temankan aku derma darah...

Sempat lagi aku terserempak dengan Alwi. Amboiiii... free free jaja nama batch aku kat Kursus Induksi, ek! Bila aku pikir balik apa budak2 ni cakap... aku rasa apa yang dia kata tu tak berlaku. Kitorang siap boleh belek gambar kahwin Jez lagi. Ni mesti kes geram sesungguh, main tangkap muat jer batch sesiapa yang glamer, kan. Huh.

Sila beri perhatian. Pengajarannya ialah... batch aku glamour. Sampai dijadikan contoh walaupun mende yang dikhabarkan itu tidak terjadi kepada kami. Hehe.

Apa-apa pun, mungkinkah lepas ni akan jadi penderma tegar seumpama Encik Reza? Only time will tell. Anyway, berdasarkan entry ini... errr... apa kata Encik Reza belanja aiskrim Cornetto sempena promosi yang dijalankan? Please, please, please....

Minggu lepas juga aku dengan Pegawai Tingkat 12 terjebak stayback lewat gara-gara 'pengiraan kepala'.

Ye, aku demam. Tapi... what to do?

Apa-apa pun, Pegawai Tingkat 12 masih lagi tersenyum manis. Ahhhh... macam aku tak tahu, kan? Yang tak lama lagi dia akan membuat 'penggiliran tugas'. Senyum ada makna tuhhh...

That's all for last week. Dan minggu ni? Minggu ni... aku mulakan dengan MC satu hari. Dahnyer... dapat virus :p

Secrets

2011-03-27T15:08:00.000+08:00

I need another story

Something to get off my chest

My life gets kinda boring

Need something that I can confess

'Til all my sleeves are stained red

From all the truth that I've said

Come by it honestly I swear

Thought you saw me wink, no

I've been on the brink, so

Tell me what you want to hear

Something that'll light those years

Sick of all the insincere

I'm gonna give all my secrets away

- 'Secrets', OneRepublic

I used to check PostSecret every week, to see what new secrets were being confessed. A wee bit voyeuristic, but in some ways therapeutic. There are secrets that you can identify with, and then there are secrets that you can't identify with, but you so empathize or sympathize with.

It's human drama. Real human drama.

And it appears Malaysia, too, has its own PostSecret site.

So head on down there. Maybe someone shares your secret, too.

Of Listening

2011-03-26T14:51:00.000+08:00

Sometimes,
You just want them to listen. Shut up and listen. Be quiet and listen.
You don't need advice. Allah knows you're actually the reference point for advice.
You just want to vent. You just want them to listen.

Y'know, it isn't the time for you to say, "Well, during my time..."
It isn't time for you to say, "Well, you have to pray to God for His guidance..."
Dude. What do you think I've been doing all this years? I'm not so stupid, so ignorant. Of course I know full well that I've been able to endure all this by God's will.

All I needed for you to do is just to listen.

But you've never been able to do that. Everything is a debate to you. Everything has a point to be argued. And you always have to win.

It's tiring, it's exhausting, and I just don't want to talk to you anymore.

It's better to be alone, to be solitary, than to be with you and get angry and frustrated.

I really should've known better than to expect you to just listen.

Hmm...

2011-03-24T17:28:00.000+08:00

taken off today's theStar;

Lady Gaga criticises Malaysian radios' censorship of her lyrics

KUALA LUMPUR: Lady Gaga has urged young Malaysians to protest the censorship of lyrics in her hit song that encourage acceptance of gays.

The Associated Press reported last week that radio stations in Muslim-majority Malaysia were playing edited versions of "Born This Way" that use garble to replace the lyrics: "No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life, I'm on the right track, baby."

Lady Gaga criticised the censorship during a visit to Google company headquarters in Mountain View, California on Tuesday.

"What I would say is for all the young people in Malaysia that want those words to be played on the radio, it is your job and it is your duty as young people to have your voices heard," the pop star said in an interview that was posted on YouTube.

"You must do everything that you can if you want to be liberated by your society. You must call, you must not stop, you must protest peaceably," she added.

Broadcasters have said they are being cautious with Lady Gaga's song because Malaysia's government forbids offensive content.

They risk fines of up to RM50,000 ringgit and other penalties for breaking the rules. - AP

-raises an eyebrow-

You know... if she *truly* feels that strongly about it, perhaps she should just decide not to let Malaysian broadcasters air this particular song of hers, unless they decide to air it in its entirety?

... since we're all about rights of artistes and all... I mean, she can decide to do that, right? She owns the rights to her songs, kan?

Just saying.