And then Myrafication happens

Current Obsession

2012-01-31T16:54:00.002Z

I cm tgh obsessed pasal tutup aurat sbb it is personally one of my biggest barriers - specifically the neck-up bit.

I've been looking for options, something simple and practical. I was quite happy when tudung 3 saat was introduced (ala tudung sarung je tu). the openings of the kain are often restricting up to a point it hurt after wearing for a long time, followed by a headache sbb it keeps pressing on my ears, but if i buat it loose, rambutku yg rebellious pasti nampak after some movements.

So I was happy bila it made sense yg tudung tak wajib, but the cover aurat yg wajib. So i thought this might work ie slouchy beanie or tudung lilit (by far tudung lilit is a favourite but i need to figure out what to do with glasses because i dont think i can do contacts on a daily basis, inners are annoying). Winter agak cool sbb akan tercover out of weather secara tak langsung.

And for some reason I am attracted to the idea of niqab - more than the hijab (sila google images the difference). I rasa mcm mysterious and will have loads of fun intimidating ppl hahahahaha i tau niat lari super. But I do feel since muka tidak wajib, rasa mcm I am free to decide rather than that is what the rules say, tapi takkan la nak niqab tanpa the hijab kan, motif?

I told this to Pojan and he said "I know~"

"what do you mean you know! kan niqab tu cm optional so cm its up to me to decide, rs cm lagi cool dari hijab"

"i know syg. sy tahu awk camana"

dush!!! xD <---bunyi tusukan metafora di hati

ganbarimasu!!!

"ok ok but seriously, what do you think of me in niqab tho?"

"hmm. *pause*

i think mcm best jugak, tp for some reason sy bayang niqab utk siang je, malam cm tak payah"

"for some reason, sy juga rasa begitu. mengapakah?"

"saaa~" <---maksudnya who knows

ok so long story short, i'm looking at stiff fabrics to experiment with, styles etc kini ada sewing machine so cm skill baru juga.

all adjustment phase ok. constantly toying with the idea sikit2 daily. constantly googling images and what can i do to improve ear pressure and glasses related.

this is a HUGE task for me personally, it may seem to you a little thing yg easily avoidable, but this is -my- personal barrier, i need to work through it. either support me or get out of my way! it is already tough for me i need all the support i can get :D

pastu, i found this gorrrrgeous photo

i tak tahu siapa model nya but its soooo inspiring - aurat-wise and jahitan fashion-wise

and cun pulak tu

i jumpa while googling and tuan punya blog kata jumpa at ustaz azhar idrus' site somewhere. who knows?

my own personal opinion of him btw: its great he can reach out to many many people of all ages and status, but he is not perfect. given, he is one of the best Malaysia has as public figure, but he still can refine his style and attitude in my opinion - but serious dia kelakar. i just hope ppl dont use him or his name to justify their own agendas. one ustaz yg i rs he makes sense is Ustaz Zulkifli Ahmad - and he educates ppl on gold investment too, i find him highly relevant and Islamic (tp i baru tgk 2 video dia).

So anyway, inilah gambar yg amat cun itu. Oh inspired sungguh i. Lovely photography too.

Fashion-wise is makes so much sense! Tutup muka pun nak pandang lagi. Bestnya begini - melawa and tak provocative.

Best best

Megan Antics #1

2012-01-29T11:59:00.004Z

Kucingku yang tak makan ikan dan beef, makan mangga potong yg sikit i beli one day.

(tahu tak mangga is mahal? pls appreciate buah-buahan tempatan! ingat orang2 yang mahu buah2an tempatan tapi tak dapat!)

I thought I saw everything when kucing blakang rumah happily devoured durian flesh one day.

@.@

Apasal kucing? Apasal?

A powerful photo

2012-01-26T14:58:00.008Z

appropriately entitled:

Oppression vs Freedom

Which is which?

Where are your eyes drawn to look?

mula la ni

2012-01-23T01:57:00.005Z

bonnet ialah perkara yg sukar dicari characteristic yg bagus for me.

ada jugak org start pakai tudung cmni kt Msia kang.

sungguh vintage!

yang terpaling cool, ialah:

dgn beanie yg ada visor skit kt depan....ada jugak i testing2 ni kang!

My New Old Sewing Machine

2012-01-20T11:08:00.019Z

(post pjg btw~)

helllllooooooo~~~~

(notice cheery tone)

do you know what i love most? ok not love most, but something remotely close to it. i tau its a burst of short-term good feeling and it doesn't last: that is precisely my own definition of love, very appropriately used in this context ;)

it is....buying! even though it's not for me, even though i'm not the one having the deciding power to choose. just beli. or belikan. it makes me happy! makes sense i incorporated this feeling into our business lol, bukan my barang pun i gembira membeli dan menerima parcels~~~~ thank you so much! <3 <3

but when it comes to my -own- stuff, i amat bersyukur when i get stuff at a bargain :D im not talking at the stores bargain (those are great too) i'm talking about old, quality stuff at a bargain price because their previous owners decided they're not using it anymore. and barang2 lama tend to be more long lasting. lagipun the stuff i hunt for adalah benda yg tak berubah function n design for the past 50 years if not ratusan tahun dulu.

seperti: (think i showed this before)

the beloved keyboard (now complete with mobile-library-and-internet found music scores for beginners) was £10 at a carboot sale, we happened to be there when the previous owner decided to lower her price from £30 to £25 to £15 to £10 and we happened to be there and she practically JUMPED at us when we eyed the keyboard xD comes complete with the stand, original box (altho dah agak rabak at that point), cables and the sheet stand juga. the keyboard was quite old and grimy from use, so i gave it a good clean with antibacterial wipes through every corner possible (and reaaally took my time with it) and it was a gem by the time i was done. btw made in Malaysia, serious gelak when we saw the box. it was working perfectly after changing its adapter (terima kasih encik suami pakar electricalku sayang ^^) and it is now Pojan's solo concert every weekend dgn lagu Keane dia. i can only play Fur Elise with both hands and now tgh train diri utk sight read ^^

at a different carboot sale, the white stool was £10 too at first, but after bargaining it becomes £5. the moment i saw it i immediately liked it sbb the legs are beautiful and its white and the cushion was well made. so european looking. kini Megan claim as her day-bed so kena salvage the salmon-coloured cushion letak kain. tau2 je la kuku kucing suka je carik2 whatever's around it. i sayang the stool ok. if jumpa lagi matching furniture i nak beli *pls affordable and cantik*

and so recent events have prompted me to learn how to make use of a sewing machine. basic sewing skills i boleh je buat, like kain tetas, buat hem baru, butang tercabut, sulam applique boleh je. i have a feeling it is better for me to learn how to alter clothings sendiri for personal use since tailor kt sini serious boleh nangis cost. lagipun they're big on DIY stuff (we went to a floor laminating class last week, minggu ni buat wall tiling insyaAllah :D making use of dark hours tambah skills at minimal cost) and true enough kt youtube byk je video how-to, loads of info on whats what. and the best part is 2nd hand sewing machine :D

i looked through preloved.co.uk and tengok ada org jual Toyota Sewing Machine for £10. i was sceptical mula2 sbb org lain jual theirs for at least £50 and they put up pictures and she didnt. and the seller lives in our city, masih sceptical but cuba je la. (we got Megan the same way: same city, no pictures) so i msg la org tu tanya ada lagi ke mesin jahit tu n minta gambar if ada. dia kata 'ada, available. meh bagi i phone number u'. i dah risau altho fon i 'smart' phone tp its quite outdated especially when i've jammed the internet connection years ago sbb it couldnt keep up with my speed (or so i'd like to think - n pojan ada sebut jom tukar fon tp i still can receive n make calls n texts so im quite happy with it so im not as keen, unless dpt fon for free lucky draw or something that would be cool haha). so anyway risau the fancy functions (ye i consider MMS fancy sbb i have damaged fancy functions in previous phones before) not working, tp si seller dgn mudahnya sent me gmbr sewing machine dia:

(tp ni i ambik from internet)

inilah gambar i cilok from internet, the Toyota 2260.

gila ancient, the font on the manual pun i think 70s or 80s punya zaman. the paper was the glossy kind (love the acid, matte paper of buku dulu2 btw) but the fonts serious lama punya. it doesnt say which year it was made though, i wouldnt be surprised if it was as old or older than i am!

so kitorg ambik la sewing machine ancient ini kt rumah org tu, of course after google keselamatan area itu and insisting nak view dulu before buying - she said no problem to view so baru set masa to meet.

when we were there she demonstrated dari segi motor it was working and ada some leftover accessories from her use looooooong ago. luckily i ada la minimal background hasil research to look for before membeli. this machine is so lama tidak digunakan berhabuk super and grimy. and heavy. i think its about belasan kg juga sbb its definitely heavier than a 10kg beras sack tp lighter than a 30kg luggage. terima kasih sayang mengangkat hachi-roku (nama sewing machine sempena current Initial D craze) berat2 after working hours awk *hug!*

The rest of the adverts i saw were more recent models yg kalau beli baru is about £100 each. I faham her inclination to let go a machine rarely used yg functional yg kumpul habuk kt rumah lol. one woman's antique is another's treasure? ;)

so when Pojan was asleep from separa-nasi-lemak dinner (separa sbb we forgot to buy ayam so lauk ialah seafood and sambal n telur lol). i decided to explore hachi-roku on my own and clean him up betul2. dear God habuk seribu tahun in the slots! lol its not the dust habuk je, its more of fabric lints and remnants of previous work lol. and some adhesive thingies stuck to debris. but takpe, i played along, made sure it worked properly (which it did thanks to previous video watching and diagram studying) and figured out banyak benda missing from its original form: (again internet punya gambar in its glory)

firstly owner tu dah cakap lampu takde, lol. thats fine boleh je cari.

the three silver tombols at the top left? ada satu je lol but one of the tall ones is enough for me for now. and ada sewing machine cover and original boxing yg rabak bertape2 (lol)

there was some needles dlm tu, i dah adjust position before trying it out. function backstep working just fine. habuk tu kan, even dalam the detachable compartment pun berhabuk lol mmg habuk seribu tahun in it. i had to tighten a few screws on the machine n plug sbb dah loose.

and then i bersihkan betul2, now its gleaming and tak rasa mcm its worth £10 anymore ^^

sungguh satisfying restoring barang lama yg functional :D

and i love seeing Megan look like @.@ when mesin berbunyi hahaha (we still scare her dgn vakum head kadang2, tu belum blowdryer lg. tp takde blowdryer pun haha)

so the accesories that come with the machine hanyalah:

1. Satu Bobbin case yg functional

2. Satu Bobbin - kalau hilang ni abis lah i lol

So the Bobbin yg berisi thread, masuk dalam Bobbin case and load kt bawah sewing machine, mcm ni:

(semua gambar kt internet)

dan-dan when i was playing with the metal parts, Pojan terjaga and went @.@ mcm Megan. only he said "Cool nya parts dia, sy teringat Iron Man". baiklah sayang, go back to sleep. but i do think there is appeal for both men n women when it comes to the machine, its quite technical when it comes to the parts (more appealing to men in general) and the art you create with it is very personal (i rs itu appeal more to women hehe).

If you have no prior knowledge with regards to the sewing machine, the overall concept of the machine ialah stitching pieces of fabric from above and below. so the bobbin n casing thingy is for preparing for the 'below' part, ada preparation for thr 'above' juga but i tak tunjuk sini. it is easily googlable (? excuse the term) cari 'how to thread a sewing machine'. every machine model has its own variations but the basic concept is still the same :) it can get confusing mula2 but after watching a few dah tau what to expect. no need to be afraid anymore :D :D

So you see, while researching i pun tertahu Toyota sebenarnya started making sewing machines 13 years before making cars. Apparently the founder Toyoda-san was ultra-strict about making the machines and it was super-highly regarded sampai boleh guna nama Toyota buat kereta. i boleh bayang orang zaman dulu strict yg no compromise (so good kan values itu when it comes to merchandise?)

it also reminded me yg Rolls Royce started buat enjin kapal terbang dulu before buat kereta. cm ok........kapal terbang punya enjin maker dlm kereta la kan, sbb tu ke lambang dia lady berkepak kt depaaaan tu? hohoho

i've always had this severe inferiority complex when it came to menjahit for some reason, rasa mcm orang lain termasuk lelaki and perempuan lagi pandai work the sewing machine than i do - i think the people around me je yg mostly quite knowledgable so it becomes a generalisation. this thinking is very khusus to sewing n knitting for some reason. i'm grateful though this sewing machine is at least the electrical motorised kind, kalau jenis gerak2 pedal guna kaki satu hal nak angkat naik tangga ^^;

so sekarang its the closest machine yg mechanical yg low tech i have - i have a feeling im going to love it - i've always trusted benda2 mechanical than electronic (think keypad yg touchscreen yg gedik tak respon to my touch booo). nnt boleh cari denim needles untuk alter :D wish me luck!

what are you looking at

2012-01-19T13:17:00.006Z

In the UK

- the duration of daylight gradually changes unless clouds affect them

- time for (Muslim) housewives to start cooking varies: as solat time changes everyday

- have good broadband at home & good customer service as standard

- windows are usually closed to keep heat inside and lower heating costs

- different clothes for different seasons (more chance for experimentation)

- it's ok to leave food out for a while as pests are uncommon (flies come during summer, others come in the winter for shelter - we have a cat for this purpose)

- fast foods are cheaper, organic foods cost more

In Malaysia,

- you have the luxury of buying food for daily meals that are both halal and affordable.

- you have live azan reminding you what time of the day it is, roughly the same time daily

- you have broken languages spoken and people still understand each other

- windows are opened to let heat out and air circulate

- the clothes you buy are usually for life (this is why women love handbags and shoes - their sizes dont change to wear them)

- it is more common to have a car or own transportation as standard as walking is usually out of the question

- fast foods are more expensive, organic foods are cheaper

Bank Malaysia yang kurang diyakini

2012-01-11T23:35:00.011Z

Tersebut suatu Bank X (hati nak je letak nama tapi that wont do me any good). Merepek sungguh information dan followup service mereka. Merepek in how unoriented they are as a whole!

All because I'm trying to register my overseas number so I can receive TACs.

Some background on bank security in Malaysia: the TAC. The annoying TAC. Banyak je cara lain untuk verify information client. Why the fish (I'm trying really, really hard here) don't you centralise your intelligence updating together and -then- inform the customer? Registering overseas number is -such- a chore.

Agak husnuzon to think, its better for the banks to be paranoid than lose the clients' money, betul? I think there are better ways for enhanced bank security than a TAC. Due to my own impatience, I think Malaysian banks should step up big time. I'm sorry to say this but banks in other countries are more reliable in terms of information update, security verification and customer service. It's a shame.

This is the series of events: starting early December 2011:

1. Firstly your FAQ section yang kurang membantu in terms of setting expectation of the procedure. It would be extremely helpful to give a guideline on what to expect rather than give Step 1 sahaja. So I went ahead with your Step 1 and thought, God mesti this will take time. And memang betul, bukan sahaja took a lot of time, it took a lot of patience too.

2. Whyyyy lah you tak receive my first request via email? -EMAIL- tau, it is ridiculous for emails to get lost in a BANK punya email address! The first call center guy was ultra UNhelpful because he didn't even know my email was received or not. And please please please train your call staff to speak clearer English when the client chooses the English option. And repeating the client's name does not count for being courteous if the point being made takes ages to get out of him! I don't have all day to listen to him talk about nothing in every beginning of his sentence, I'm paying the phone costs here. Please, I beg you, train your staff.

3. So the 2nd time I called (after DAYS of no response!), the call center guy actually tells me my email was not received (he went and checked - twice) and so he requested I resend the email and this time cc it to their call center email add together. Bagus. At least something. Thank you helpful guy! (his English was good too, and he was professional)

4. I finally received an acknowledgement email. Then new year holiday happened. It took them 10 days from the New Year to call me to -verify- my overseas number because they were debating while they crosschecked with what I said versus my request form (or something, dah cukup annoyed at that point). The NERVE of the guy to call me and terus apologise sbb 'disturb my schedule' as 'he doesnt know what time it is over there'. OMG Google boleh tak? ok tu ok lagi, that is pure ignorance yang i tak suka but regardless i carried on. why are you apologizing? you're doing your job? you apologizing takes a whole minute when you could actually execute what you called to do. Dear God, please set their priorities right. A simple "Hi Ms Myra, I am calling from bank X regarding your overseas mobile registration, is this a good time to talk?" That would have taken less than 3 minutes to say. And sounded professional. siiiigggghhhhhh. ok so anyway, I went through the process many, many times with this call guy after verifying my number. I asked him many many times because I want him to know my expectation of what is going to happen in a few days after that phone call. He claims the request should go through and I should receive a XY and Z and will be able to use my mobile phone to accept TACs. Great. All i have to do is wait. Bear in mind I dah tanya banyak kali ni.

5. OH MY GOD. I terima this email from bank X (i dah tengok email address, mcm legit, kot2 its phishing). It says bank X wants another govt identification document to verify who I am depending on whether I'm using post or prepaid. mcm work permit or driving license. what the fish? You expect me to release my visa yg ada my passport details segala? Firstly in your website tak tulis apa2 pun pasal a supporting document. Secondly I specifically asked the staff what to expect. And now you want me to disclose -another- sensitive identification after making me go through this very lengthy, unnecessary process? Seriously man? Get yourselves together before talking to your client boleh tak? I'm losing confidence in your bank because this clearly shows this is not your standard procedure and you're new to this as I am. I'm not giving you anything! Faham tak sensitive information tu apa?

Till today all I received from the supporting document email is a 'We'll get back to you soon' auto-reply

Seriously Bank X, I have lost confidence you are able to handle teamwork-required work. Figure it out!

Dear Board of Directors of bank-bank Malaysia. please do something about this! This is ridiculous!

UPDATE: Today is January 16th, Bank X bgtau i 'sorry for the inconvenience caused, would like your passport number for next course of action' BAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Sekian. Bank Negara, akan ku utuskan warkah untukmu about Bank X ini.

For the non-girly girls in love~

2012-01-10T09:54:00.008Z

I know I shouldn't apologise but I'm sorry, apasal I mushy mode ni~

sigh~

it's like the Universe is conspiring serentak muncul benda2 not-possible-to-ignore sweet (jenis yg both dumb n tak dumb!) via Divine Intervention. So I'm in a position to share this feeling and share this song I first heard on School Rumble Second Season I think: yes itulah perasaan I! this was years ago.

video still is not from the anime, btw

Feel Like A Girl - Lia

(from the anime School Rumble 2nd Season)

Do you remember what you said to me?
It's been ringing in my heart...
You should know that
what your words can do to me
It rumbles so high...
It tumbles so light...

You're beautiful
Oh, I have to say, you're beautiful
It's hard to deny it
You smile, and I can easily cry...

You know, you make me feel like a girl
Since I met you, I feel like a girl
It's amazing, so different way to be
And now, it's seems like I'm falling
Into love, into love...

You can answer to what I said to you
I give you the sweet part of my heart
So don't hurt me, if you feel the same way
We can make today high...
We can make it so bright...

You're an angel
When I met you, it was miracle
Impossible not to
feel it, we share the moment...

You know how much I feel like a girl
Because of you, I feel like a girl
It's like new window opening to me
So now, it seems like I'm falling

You know, you make me feel like a girl
Since I met you, I feel like a girl
It's amazing, so different way to be
And now, it's seems like I'm falling
Into love, into love...

---

Here is a song for cynics of love (like moi!) lol

I love this song (the irony) sbb dia mock love and still like it

I find it sensible haha (sila ignore what doesn't make sense to you in this post)

And I'm pretty sure Richard Gere's scene in Shall We Dance had something to do with it too :p

Artist's name is Peter Gabriel, song is called Book of Love

with lyrics (load lambat skit but takpe)

enjoy!

~~~

Are you a negative person?

2012-01-06T10:08:00.009Z

If you're of those people who plans, who wants to know whats in store for the future, who cant help but be paranoid of things and expect bad things to happen, if you want, here is one step in changing the language you use daily. ni bahasa Melayu la ni. this will help you in making people feeling less hurt when they talk to you. it wont sound like a personal attack.

why bother? because different words redirects the meaning to a different atmosphere.

Change:

kecoh/bising ---> risau, concern

contoh ayat: tadi ada parent kecoh kt sekolah ---> tadi ada parent risau psl anak dia kt sekolah

uzur (untuk barang) ---> berjasa

dah uzur dah beg tu, tukarlah ---> berjasa beg tu, lama pakai

if tak suka taste baju org tu

macam baju selam je aku tgk ---> nak pakai pegi mana tu?

tak pernah i tengok dia tolong2 i cuci kereta ---> dia tak buat sebab dia buat kerja rumah lain

kenapa bodoh sangat ---> i tau kelebihan u bukan kt sini, tak salah bertanya

nampak murah ---> i nak cari something else sebenarnya

sapa la kita ni (ayat konon merendah diri tak bertempat tp sebenarnya self-pity or meraih simpati) ---> how can i improve?

kenapa dia pakai warna cmtu!!! ---> berani nya dia!!!

kau kaya bolehlah, aku ni tak ---> nanti ok? tunggu aku catch up dengan kau! :D

dia tu, tak tau ke tu dosa, blaja tinggi2 apa takde guna ---> dosa dia jenis nampak, dosa kita kt dalam?

kenapa jadi mcm ni, rasa putus asa je ---> ni waktu yg testing! mesti ada cara if i want it bad enough!

apasal laki/bini dia nak jugak kt dia? ---> ada la tu benda baik yg kita tak tau, tu yg laki/bini dia suka

eeeeeee buruknya! ---> kalau tukar baju, kasut, mekap skit cun ni

sorry kalau menyusahkan -----> thank you sbb tolong :)

(orang tu dah take the time to help, apasal nak apologize? gratitude lebih sesuai)

boleh kan? senang kan nak husnuzon? jaga hati orang itu penting. kalau dah biasa laser, kdg2 orang boleh terima. kalau org terasa, dia bawa hati, pastu expect orang jaga hati kita. sorry, karma - what goes around comes around. bahasa islamiknya: Allah boleh balas perbuatan kita bila2 masa Dia nak.

islamic saying says: kata-kata itu doa.

omputeh panggil this perbuatan: neurolinguistic programming.

same thing.

Goodness yg mempecah-belahkan

2012-01-04T01:27:00.003Z

Firstly, watch this video. This entry is about goodness. Pay particular attention to 4:37 onwards.

This explains many things in the Malaysian community. It explains the disunity, the disharmony as to why different golongan masyarakat tend to think badly of the other (why??)

Let's call the two groups the External group and the Internal group.

The External group tends to think: suka hati aku nak buat apa, janji tak kacau orang lain, tak menyusahkan orang lain, tak menipu, tak tindas orang. Sebab that is not right. kalau aku nak main electric ke apa, if tak kacau orang lain, dont interfere. I have to admit I identify more with this group in the past (and now less, but still teguh! will tell you later)

The Internal group tends to think: it doesn't matter as much what the world thinks of me because the One knows my intentions and where my actions come from. As long as I do the core of the faith, why bother about everyone else because this world is temporary. Why bother with people who dont share the same values I do, what do they know if they dont know the Truth? Why should I bring myself to try and understand? Dont they know His word is absolute? How dare they defy the One! Blasphemous!

Here are the downsides to each perspective:

External Group: sometimes your commitment to spirituality takes a toll because you forget the One makes all the decisions big and small, sometimes your relations with others may be good, you are more likely to be rationale and open to debate and celebrate differences. You dislike harm and torture to others but often don't see what clarity and peace from the One can do for you. and distancing away from the One does yourself (more than others harm). Seek the One.

Internal Group: sometimes your commitment to your beliefs take a toll on your relationship with others with a different value system. you forget that what you dislike is also from the One, did the One did not say He made people of tribes so you might get to know each other? (Quran 49:13) so why are you discrimanating against those who are different from you? Do you not have faith in your faith, their good side and His creations? Surely He doesn't create anything without a purpose? You may think others don't matter as much, which is a shame because they can teach you so many things. If they are different, take the time to know them and explain. It shows that you fear the unknown when you have the One on your side? Trust. Don't think you're better than they are because you don't know where you and that person end up Later. He might change for the better and you still look down on him.

Faham ke? This is where the disharmony happens. External groups make ethical goodness (to use Ustaz's term) more of a priority while the Internal group make religious goodness the higher priority. Sometimes they won't see eye to eye, when they could. Like the recent issue of a good girl gone bad overseas. I personally think it is normal and it is part of the learning curve to the vastness of His creation. I dont like the alleged sudden change because it just shows how susceptible our society is to the environment. I have many friends yg tak berubah as drastik despite living overseas for years, so its internal strength la kan? I think selagi anyone doesn't give up completely on depending on the One, there is still hope. I think this world and what He thinks matter. In fact, whatever He says should be translated into this worldly life. There shouldn't be any disrespect to both groups because they have their own merits. Each other's ignorance should be cancelled out by each other's strengths. The External for their embedded caring nature and the Internals for their dedication towards their Faith.

Say the issue of concerts, a part of me feels it is ridiculous to ban them because different people like different things and it is not wrong to get excited about the things they like. But a part of me also wishes people would find an alternative way to have fun because this way is just loud and annoyingly jam packed with people with no long term benefit, what is the point?

On the other hand, the issue of Hudud. I regretably do not know much about the rulings and think more explanation than the minutes of video on Youtube can be done more. But from what I do know about it and believe is that I think crime rate will go down down down if we implement it, so i'm all for it! Apart of me feels the system is great (like Faraid - did you know USM made a calculater for it? makes it much easier to see how the division is done) but the implementation and enforcement worries me a lot. I have seen alleged pious people make degeratory comments about women and the sickening part was he made jokes out of it. Suggestive-themed jokes is one thing but making women's role only made for sex and housework reduces your status from knowledgable to ignorant in my eyes. Unacceptable to me you are tainting the Faith's purity with your disgusting thoughts. Shame on you, I have lost respect for you and all who laughed with him. I am aware clerics are not perfect but respecting people, women in general is a core value I would like role models to have. It is no wonder some self-righteous 'religious' people think they can have their way with women. You dont know anything about the state of mind, the power of suggestion and how it shapes your speech and behaviour, and you wonder why people dont come and see the goodness in you. (this is my personal bias from experience)

The regretable thing about Externals is they think they can do anything with sheer willpower, the tendency to forget Divine intervention. To think humans have limitless abilities and will someday uncover all mysteries in the world. At a basic level, too much arrogance that everything will be created by humans. Too much arrogance that we control our world, the denial that we are in fact at the mercy of the One. We break at one important person leaving us, we get hurt by fire, hunger, thirst, we forget the big picture and live daily lives without truly wondering why we are here.

So think about this: if Externals can accept human abilities have their limits and so Divine Words take priority and Internals accept everyone is equal and believe in the practicalities of most human knowledge...we'd have much happier people.

This may be idealistic, I do believe what the One says to be the Truth although at times I do struggle with it as I have failed to experience the intended effect on His commands. I do believe we are meant to travel far and wide and experience new things within limits. I do believe in gratitude and husnuzon and relying on the One for things beyond my control. I do believe in putting effort and research and finding my path yet to be discovered when the time is right. I do believe in knowing boundaries and deciding that for yourself. I believe the world is not black and white it a verrrryyyyyyyy huggggeeeeeeee area of shaded grey when you have seen enough things. I do believe is bridging gaps because I can learn things from all walks of life.

One of hasil tangkapan Extreme Shopping

2012-01-04T00:48:00.003Z

It is one of hasil tangkapan because i couldnt find the navy-brown winter coat punya gambar i got for half price.

the other one was this:

granted, this is not a picture snapped by me. But it still looks great!

(just the top yg i beli)

ok pls imagine the softest, easily glidable fabric you've ever felt, and the outer fabric is bagus. not the kind yg lint suka hinggap and agak obvious itu. this is lint unhinggapable fabric. oh~

price was good too, i checked RRP was approx £150+ (tak igt) tp i dpt for £40. gembira dah.

so as u can see, ada 2 zip. both are detachable.

so lets call the zips A and B.

as you can see, you can have at least 5 looks with this top:

1. wear it like in the picture

2. wear it with either A or B unzipped depending kesesuaian

3. wear it gaya #2 with brooch at the lapelled side

4. wear it with both A and B 1/3 unzipped from below so that ada kembang a la A-line skirt fitting

5. wear it with both A and B unzipped habis - so tinggal cardigan

6. wear it with lipatan sleeve or not (notice sleeve ada zip juga)

ok i dah habis idea, but u get the picture ;)

i think i can dress this up or down ikut situasi, collared shirt skit kalau nk smart super, round neck if nak smart casual. i suka neck line dia agak tinggi so if i nak cover pun takpe

did i mention i have educated myself a little bit on handbags and got a really really nice one? i was a total noob memilih handbag sbb tak pernah pilih selain out of necessity. salesgirl was ultra helpful in giving rationales why this was best for me, siap debate why n why not suma. insyaAllah berjaya career dia kalau btul itu line dia passionate about (she's from Poland). i balik rasa sedikit unsure about the purchase but all doubts hilang after mengada2 depan cermin and digesting the existence of the bag with me.

macam alien dlm rumah.

pandangggg dia, usap2 skit. tenung lagi. buka zip, tgk2 poket2. pandang lagi. sikit2 cuba faham cana dia arrive to the conclusion beg ini sesuai for me. functionally mmg betul lah, brown leather sbb tahan dan tak senang kotor, all-seasons, everyday wear n travel sbb tu ada zip on top and byk poket2 dan if Pojan nak tumpang ipad inside mmg ngam2. aesthetically dia kata the length sesuai with my size, the handles dont slide off my shoulder like some bags do, tiada isu tangan tersekat kt handle. dan2 i pakai navy coat so contrast dgn lovelynya dgn warna beg. camana dia boleh put all that together sekejap je.

ini namanya experience Myra

teruskan usaha quest pandai pilih barang!

yeah!

Alhamdulillah - Alcohol Substitution List :D

2012-01-04T00:24:00.005Z

Thanks to rewatching the whole series of Yakitate Japan, once again I am amazed with depth of the cooking world. Amazed with people who are able to defy common sense and make it better at the same time. Amazed at the information this series gave is very concise -and- accurate. I know when buat movies/series mana2 I get annoyed when medical drama the actor pakai the stethoscope terbalik, fakta tak betul, it just shows no passion in the production. I was very impressed with this series information and still am after rewatching again.

So Japanese food and I memang serasi, it like my body readily accepts Japanese cuisine - more so if it is traditional Japanese dish. its like my body chooses the food rather than dealing with whatever I choose to makan, it lets me know 'Please have more of these'. Dan i suka pun hihi.

I bukan orang baca recipe sambil buat kinda cook, I jenis reka sendiri suka hati based on ada apa kt dapur. Sebab tu jarang i beli halia sebenar sbb ikut track record halia tu kecut kering kontang pun i tak gunakan dia, sian. so i end up beli serbuk halia. it's nothing like its natural state but I dont like wasting food.

So anyway, the most extreme I would do ialah baca ingredients and then i whip something up. I imagine the combination of ingredients and where to put what, if i tak rasa they go together baru i skip to the right instructions yg i tak agree itu dan decide nak modify ke tak. Sometimes yg frustrating ialah ingredients yg tak halal tp agak common: like alcohol masa marinate meat. Haiya. I did search online apa yg sesuai utk substitute but i guess tak kena the right keywords but alhamdulillah, rezeki i jumpa this article (author is orang Brunei! serious i salute Brunei tak bagi langsung alcohol enter the country, respect habis):

Enjoy!

(i've tasted non-alcoholic mirin.....love it! but tak ingat brand mana dah)

Taken from: http://cookiemonzters.blogspot.com/2007/03/alcohol-substitute-list.html

(2007? apasal i tak jumpa dari dulu?!) Thank you so much dear author, bless you! xoxo

Living in Brunei means that alcohol is difficult to get and you will also have many guests who cannot take alcohol in their food. Therefore, this list will be very useful for those who encountered recipes which need alcohol. The list below's from whatscookingamerica.net.  

Following is a general list of non-alcoholic substitutes that can be used in cooking. choose the option that best matches the flavor of the dish you are making:

Amaretto - Almond extract. (Substitute 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract for 2 tablespoons Amaretto.)

Anisette - Anise Italian soda syrup or fennel.

Beer - Chicken broth, beef broth, mushroom broth, white grape juice, ginger ale.

Bourbon - 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of non-alcoholic vanilla extract.

Brandy - Water, white grape juice, apple cider or apple juice, diluted peach or apricot syrups. (Substitute equal amounts of liquid.)

Champagne - Ginger ale, sparkling apple cider, sparkling cranberry juice, or sparkling white grape juice.

Cointreau - Orange juice or frozen orange juice concentrate.

Coffee Liqueur - To replace 2 tablespoons of liqueur, use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of chocolate extract mixed with 1 teaspoon of instant coffee, which has been mixed in 2 tablespoons of water. Can also substitute expresso, non-alcoholic coffee extract or coffee syrup.

Cognac - Juice from peaches, apricots, or pears.

Creme de menthe - Spearmint extract or oil of spearmint diluted with a little water or grapefruit juice.

Grand Marnier or Orange-Flavored Liqueur - Unsweetened orange juice concentrate or orange juice. (Substitute 2 tablespoons unsweetened orange juice concentrate or 2 tablespoons orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon orange extract for 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier.)

Kahlua - Coffee or chocolate-flavored liqueur. (Substitute 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chocolate extract or substitute 1/2 to 1 teaspoon instant coffee in 2 tablespoons water for 2 tablespoons Kahlua.)

Kirsch - Syrup or juices from cherries, raspberries, boysenberries, currants, or cider. (Substitute equal amounts of liquid.)

Peppermint Schnapps - Non-alcoholic mint or peppermint extract, mint Italian soda syrup, or mint leaves.

Port Wine, Sweet Sherry, or Fruit-Flavored Liqueur) - Orange juice or apple juice. (Substitute equal amount of liquid.)

Rum (light or dark) - Water, white grape juice, pineapple juice, apple juice or apple cider, or syrup flavored with almond extract. (Substitute equal amounts of liquid.)

Sake - Rice vinegar.

Sherry or Bourbon - Orange or pineapple juices, peach syrup, or non-alcoholic vanilla extract. (Substitute equal amount of liquid 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.)

Southern Comfort - Peach flavored nectar combined with a small amount of cider vinegar.

Tequila - Cactus juice or nectar.

Triple Sec - Orange juice concentrate, orange juice, orange zest or orange marmalade.

Vermouth, Dry - White grape juice, white wine vinegar, or non-alcoholic white wine.

Vermouth, Sweet - Apple juice, grape juice, balsamic vinegar, non-alcoholic sweet wine, or water with lemon juice.

Whiskey - If a small amount is called for, it can be eliminated.

Vodka - White grape juice or apple cider combined with lime juice or use plain water in place of the vodka.

Wines:

Gewurztraminer - White grape juice combined with lemon juice.

Grappa - Grape juice.

Port Wine - Concord grape juice with some lime zest added, cranberry juice with some lemon juice added, or grape juice concentrate. Substitute orange juice or apple juice for lighter ports

Red Wine - Red grape juice, cranberry juice, chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth, clam juice, fruit juices, flavored vinegar. (Substitute equal amount of liquid.)

White Wine - Water, chicken broth, vegetable broth, white grape juice, ginger ale, white grape juice.

Sweet White Wine - White grape juice plus 1 tablespoons Karo corn syrup. (Substitute equal amount of liquid.)

If you want a more comprehensive list, be sure to check out Gourmet Sleuth's Alcohol Substitutes. They cover most of the well known brands of alcohol. If ya like Japanese food and they ask for Mirin, here's a substitute

Mirin - White grape juice mixed with lemon juice or zest. More work but worth it - Mirin's one of my fav ingredients in cooking.

2011-12-29T15:02:00.002Z

sejak semalam,

i've been smelling this really really lovely inviting scent mcm guava fresh yg baru potong. u can smell the vitamin C yg baru escape as you cut the fruit. but its in the air. sometimes ada bau jambu batu tu with serbuk asam on top. its soooo fresh and menggiurkan. it has always been difficult for me refuse fruits in general tapi missing link ialah:

yang pasti sini takde jambu batu.

its also making my mouth water xD

help!

i hope ini bukan precursor of a huge huge migraine T-T

selama ni every sound will be amplified in my head, sikit photophobia but nothing olfactory.

what is this peculiar event.

i cant shake it off.

Allah, You know whats going on, guide me!

Extreme Shopping by Myra & Pojan & Co looooool

2011-12-27T08:35:00.008Z

that's it lah. <----tgh recovering

tak pernah2 i or Pojan bangun gila awal untuk Boxing Day, or for any shopping for that matter. Our good friends telah menghasut dan sangat excited untuk shopping maximum for Boxing Day, I cm oh ok jom cmtu mula2 (ece). Pastu Pojan made a really good point yg since kitorg tak pernah pun gigih masa boxing day, we should take advantage of this oppurtunity: after all dulu masa student kurang means, tiada kenderaan yg sendiri punya dan geng seangkatan yg in similar situasi (especially Pojan masa shopping, i ada je geng utk shopping sentiasa wakakaka)

So cm okeh, bila dah faham situasi mcm tu. Maka Pojan pun semangat tidur awal. I say semangat because mmg confirm dia mimpi berjalan mlm tu. Ada rupa berjalan dan sight seeing and the next morning when i asked mmg confirm dia mimpi shopping looool

On Christmas day, our good frens yg hebat masakan (they are from mainland India dan peka status halal) kata diorg masak main meal so come over lah we chill. We had this gorrrgeoous chicken briyani diorg punya style. i tengok how she made it and made mental notes bila tiba masa i nak buat food fusion. so di kala tgh makan2 bincang esok punya plan camana. Initial plan was pegi York pagi pkl 7 cmtu although kedai buka pkl 7 (abis semang(at) dah ni) but diorg lg hebat! dah buat research mmg salute lol diorg ada sebut a nearby Next shop punya sale buka pkl 6! haaa ambik kau, i had second thoughts omg awal nya. tapi fikir2 balik, bila lagi nak buat cmni. alang2 tu might as well go all out haha.

nasib baik pesan kt diorg if pkl 6 kitorg tak jaga lagi (tak masuk Subuh lagi pun! lol) pls kol. and true enough pkl 6 the husband called Pojan "Let's go! We are ready!" tu dia! nasib baik kitorg dah mandi the night before (hey, no judgements! stay here dulu baru rasakan adjustment u will adapt untuk hidup! haha) so terus bangun, feed the animals, bersiap2. We decided to drop them off dulu and balik utk Subuh (i gila sensible time ni, mmg sungguh tahu priority, mental clarity mmg terbs) and then we join them. Diorg rasa bersalah sbb we had to ulang alik but since we went with the plan fully knowing timing Subuh tak masuk lagi so no issue pun. and rumah dekat kot? ada kereta kot?

so while kitorg balik, Subuh, kemas rumah,sikat rambut (hahaha) i sempat tukar jacket nak bagi bergaya skit biarlah sejuk skit (dah start hilang sensible side lol). turns out Next sale kurang best, queue nak bayar je seribu tahun so cooperation itu afdal. sorang beratur queue, lain pegi cari barang. then saling mengupdate. then sorg lagi risau tariff parking kereta so kena someone tunggu in the car, dan masing2 saling mengupdate. all this with 2 couples and a 2 year old. agak coordinated and calm if u ask me in the midst of chaos ramai org membeli belah (why? sale biasa je, not worthy of Boxing day status...rasanya diorg refund mana tak best nnt, yg penting ambik dulu haha).

so we made our way to York. this is where the fun begins. sale pkl 10, we arrived 920 cmtu after a rushed egg-y breakfast kt McD dan everyone forgot about the sugar for hot drinks lol. Cun la pulak parking spot kitorg (dari awal dah aim family car parking spot sbb ada budak dan car seat hahahaaha). so after dah tenang dalam kereta, masing2 aim kedai lain2 untuk serbu. kedai pun tak buka lagi, org dah start bertenggek kt benches luar kedai. and subconsciously bagi death stare on onlookers yg tunjuk2 display window kedai yg kita tgh tunggu n aim nak masuk dulu.

Long story short, i dapat satu jacket pendek (sale2 kurang menarik kt Next tu pun, i terjumpa satu winter coat £60 half price £30 - bila pakai cun, dah i tiada coat panjang yg boleh cover untuk winter....sila faham kesudahan cerita Next lol). So the other jacket pendek ni. Oh my. oh my. oh my. I excited sbb its my first item from this store. Selama ni memandanggggggg, recently terlalu curious dgn cutting mereka kot2 la kena (YA SANGAT KENA PLS) so dah pandai masuk kedai dan cuba2 baju mereka untuk tahu size dan cutting mereka (BEST), tapi rs mcm too much to pay for it so sabar dulu. Mana tahu rezeki smlm, after cuba a few coats and light jackets lain2 size dan timing tgk cermin tak payah rebut dgn orang was really nice, i angkat itu jacket. holds me at the right places, loving the cut and especially loving the fabric. oh my... i tak pernah amazed how fabric feels until this jacket, the feeling of something gliding on our arm as you masukkan tangan dalam sleeve. that took me by surprise and that alone gripped me enough!

so angkat. tu dah exciiiiiiiiited sbb first time beli something functional and sungguh good quality.

price? £129 jadi £40.

tp bila i tgk online originally £179 (itu gunanya bawa ipad ms shopping!)

means ni betul2 old-ish stock. do i mind? no! do i like? yes! so it doesnt matter hahahaha

long story short, after berjaya jumpa 2 good collared shirts utk Pojan yg dia dah lama nak, and jumpa pulak yg cun after trying. Alhamdulillah our timing agak cantik in terms of nak bayar and nak cuba (most pun tak perlu fitting room to try) so save time kt situ. And I dah coordinate dgn the couple-the wife tu, must wear baju yg senang nak try2, must wear comfortable shoes, kitorg cm ok ok apa lagi kena ingat. haha. but still sungguhlah ramai orang!

We had some bagels for lunch and tiba2 rasa nak pegi Leeds. ok lah so we told the couple, diorg ok je. Lagipun jamak-qasar boleh ( I LOVE jamak qasar u have no idea - i sanggup berjalan untuk nak jamak qasar tp cm apahal lol - this has a lot to do with wuduk in winter). So pegi Leeds, tak jumpa sgt sales (tak best). Ingat dah abis dah, pastu tah cana ilham angin lalu datang n i said "kalau pegi Manchester Trafford Center?" aha~

that's right, i ajak pegi Manchester sbb i geram tak jumpa handbag. i bukan orang handbag and therefore nak roughly estimate apa yg menarik pun tak reti. in other words, takde bag yg -really- talked to me kt york or leeds. maybe i was hungry, maybe i was cranky and hungry so cm determined utk cari juga (sensible judgement byebye lol).

dgn fully utilising kemudahan yg ada, check2 Manchester tutup pkl brapa sbb it was about 6pm, dah gelap, dah lama masuk Isya' (gotta love jamak qasar! lol) so kalau make the journey an hour away (and 2 hours back home) kena berbaloi la masa kt situ. if dia tutup pkl 8 di kala Boxing Day apa guna berpenat lelah make the journey.

They close at 10 minggu ni.

Terkejut kawan2 kitorg mula2 hahahahaa igt kan nak balik dah! For this I sangat kagum dgn husbandku yg gagah perkasa drive dari pagi to 3 cities on kereta manual. *huggggggggggggg*

so if dia ok with the driving, jalan. he said "esok cuti, takpe. jom"

oh sweet words. sweet words. i can testify i was a perempuan auditory creature yg terpaut dgn kata2 manis time tu, tak kisah dah at that point. lol.

again, long story short. tak jumpa beg kt Manchester (down tak?? tapi dah tahu range apa, height apa, material apa etc so it was quite educational) hambik kau sampai rumah pkl 12 malam. nasib baik si kecil mereka mmg jenis behave :D

tak pernah shopping start pkl 6, sampai rumah midnight. oh sungguh pancit. nasib baik i dah ready dgn burnt (burned? hard to tell with gadgets) CD penuh dgn lagu2 ada beat dan catchy nescaya ak ngantuk insyaAllah in case semua org dlm keta tidur except Pojan - tak tidur pun. kitorg banyak borak about damage done looool

total approximate damage: £70 for me, £65 for Pojan, two items per person. ok la kan?

pagi tadi....if not for Megan, tak bangun kot. Agak hebat skill dia, tak bising pun but its annoying enough to wake me........minta food haha dan nak main sbb smlm satu hari takde nak rumah so compensating for being left alone dgn Willow ngahaha

ok, hopefully i get to show the jackets next post!

Megan yg lawak

2011-12-25T00:53:00.000Z

Kadang2 i rasa dia bukan kucing,

she doesn't like to be carried for long tapi nak orang usap when she greets them

she doesn't like certain canned wet food

she doesnt like actual fish flesh (outrageous ok, of all the cats in the world i have a cat yg tak go crazy over ikan?)

most times, dia patuh bila panggil. especially when jalan2 outside, even when she is occupied with something she likes. kan jarang kucing datang bila dia excited nak keluar rumah. sometimes i rasa mcm ada anjing instead lol. tapi dalam rumah, 50/50 chance dia datang bila panggil lol. mmg ganjil kucing ni.

Kadang2 i rasa dia kucing,

She has perfected attention-seeking behaviour:

there are times i ubah position masa berlaptop. sometimes its on the table, sometimes on a chair/couch, sometimes on the floor. If i tgh baring, like in the picture. Guess which path she takes?

Of course it has to be between the human and the machine. and make sure the tail hits the human's face. Ya Allah~ macam going round the machine not an option la kan?

She has perfected the @.@ look untuk both ajak makan, or ajak main. Or ajak any human buka pintu because she cant do it herself (she tried elongating to capai the doorknob, i peeked dari jauh)

Megan sprints around the house bila we pretend to kejar. She also thinks of me as a human bed -especially- when fabric of telekung mcm entice her to sit near, in front of, next to, behind or ON me. excited i start pakai telekung ^^; boleh tak bermanja time lain Megan. i had to resort tu tutup pintu now. Bila i letak on my lap ms i free, tak mau. even refused! degil affection has to be on her terms. haiya xD

Of course -any- fabric laying around is hers. regardless its a sejadah yang baru nak bentang, baju yg baru attempt nak lipat, throw or duvet. There is no escape...until she discovered our padded stool untuk keyboard one day and decided it was hers for good:

dah berkurun kerusi tu kt situ baru discover lol

so we covered the stool with a kain (satu hal nak get her bulu off the fabric otherwise!)

she naps there mostly during the day, malam nap kt windowsill

Megan juga ada skill tersendiri. It is called 'Displacing the humans from where they previously sat' in Malay namanya 'Teknik Sesaran Manusia". Mmg Master of Displacement.

Yang paling Pojan and I always make fun of Megan is her anxiety separation agak critical (complains everytime lama skit tinggalkan rumah, and makes sure one of us is within visual range masa explore new areas, reminds me so much of Along yg will follow me if i leave the house on foot) and her inability to stay away from group hugs hahahahahaha

I kid you not.

If we hug, she is sure to get up and sibuk2 di celah2 our feet. If we were sitting on the floor and ada OMG! moment and hug, she would come over and dgn muka 'kenapa2?' loooool

If one of us is in our room, and the other kt living room, then later joins the other into the room, confirm adaaaa je ekor hitam join in. We changed our location one day with the laptop to configure our printer and bincang2 at a secluded part of the house. Tiba2 i dengar purring. Tau2 dia kt sebelah Pojan dgn muka @.@

lawak gila ok

and then proceed mengada2, panjat btul2 depan laptop and collapses herself dgn muka comel and bermanja mengharapkan attention, so i -had- to tgkp gmbr at that moment:

i dah geram sgt *gigit!*, Pojan proceeds with rationalising with Megan of her effective actions

if you are curious as to why Willow takde as much post as Megan, it is because Willow is such a sweetheart yg asks for food everytime buka fridge. kdg2 remind me i forgot to give some snacks sbb i was occupied. ada skali tu je protest sbb i lambat sgt bagi dinner lol. everytime i exercise Willow, i have to keep Megan somewhere else so that hunter instincts dont kick in (dia agak efficient despite her antics, i completely trust her kalau ada pests).

Everytime i change Willow's cage, i have to keep Megan captive and biar Willow roam around. or the other way round so they cant meet up without my supervision. Nnt ada rezeki plan nak get Willow a friend or two :) now tidak practical to have more pets. from our friends input yg tolong house Willow while we're away, she is a super efficient lawn-mower, diorg pun happy tak payah potong rumput dah lol. amat menarik prospect for future house, dont u think? wahaha

The best part about having Willow is how peaceful she is. tengok Willow makan rumput kering mmg therapeutic. dan ketidakbaziran sayur parts. she gets carrot peelings, baby tomatos yg lebih, brocolli, extra herbs dipetik.

The best part about Megan is i get to annoy her all day longgggggggggggg and see her tendencies change becoming a more relaxed cat :) i think dulu dia from rough neighbourhood, byk abnormal psychological trauma i tgk, like she doesnt let people letak tangan around her neck and how she really really tak suka being 'trapped' under blankets. but now hari2 kena angkat n twirled around, sometimes jadi dance partner she doesnt mind me doing it as much as she used to :) still apprehensive when others do it tapi ultra friendly when greeting people. i tak faham lol. one time Pojan kata Megan explored our JIRAN's house sebab they were gushing at her? suka hati tau pompuan ni

eeeeeeee!!!! *picit3 geram*

I paling gembira Pojan dah start faham kegembiraan kacau kucing daily xD xD

Quantum Physics, sometimes

2011-12-24T13:54:00.006Z

We just saw a lecture by Prof Brian Cox on his field: Quantum Physics.

was that a heartsink in your chest when u read that?? hahahaha jgn risau i am no physicist and i berhempas pulas studied for physics at school (nasib baik dapat A towards the end haha) because it certainly did not come naturally to me. and it still doesnt most times. a little grey matter wiring is making my brain work in a more logical and abstract way at the same time.

i still wince at the thought of the symbols and formulas, and the all famous mantra practice practice practice. haha.

Today punya lecture was filled with isi yang padat with language yg simple enough. sometimes kena rewind untuk see the kaitan but still cool nonetheless.

He talks about how everything in the world is made of atoms, and with some basic physics you would know there are the protons, neutrons with electrons surrounding the first two mengikut their own petala elektron (hahahahah lama gila tak guna petala).

He explains some core principles in physics and how it helps us understand the world around us.

He talked about different theories come together, making sense of Pauli's Exclusion Principle and Heisenburg's Principle.

Pauli's principle says "All electrons in the world cannot have the same energy levels". Nature or Sunatullah as far as i'm concerned lol, they like being in the lowest energy state rather than being excitable. Essentially, everything in this world seeks energy stability. But not everything can be as stable because of space limitations and so some electrons will have to deal with being more excitable than others. But when some energy (like heat) is supplied to some electrons, all other electrons in the universe will rearrange themselves as to accomodate that shift in energy. Agak cool when you think you can heat up water and all the electrons shift to accomodate your action. Gila butterfly effect lol. So if that true, the reason why two things dont go through each other is because the energy levels are stable enough, the electrons are happy being there and will repel each other so that's why your fingers dont fall apart when you type on your keyboard lol.

Heisenburg pula cerita: where an object's position will be is very much related to its size. Prof Cox cerita how a diamond placed in a 5cm cube box and cuba predict where it will be. You plug in values in the Heisenburg equation (yang include the hebat Plank's constant), and apparently the diamond will be there for more than 3 x 10^29 seconds (berapa tahun tu?). so the smaller the object is, the harder will it be for you to pinpoint its location/momentum. Personally I think this is true on an everyday basis: the smaller the earring/key/coin, lagi susah predict where it is lol.

Pastu datang seorang makhluk who says White Dwarfs yg muncul when a star dies out of habis fuel (oxygen and hydrogen habis guna, so tinggal carbon) and so tiada energy to burn anymore, it collapses because of the electrons trying to find a stable energy level dengan ketiadaan fuel while repelling each other (sebab electron n electron akan repel) and so yang tinggal ialah a big lump of carbon atoms under tremendous pressure ie a diamond in the sky. I think this lump of carbon wont emit cahaya sbb fuel dah habis but Pojan thinks there might be some form of light reflection from other stars yg still burning and lagipun diorg besar. Tapi the stars we see on Earth is billions of light years away so cm I rasa tak nampak anyway.

so that was today's lecture.

few months ago i saw this brilliant documentary, title dia: Everything and Nothing by Prof Jim Al-Khalili

again,
we all know everything kt bumi is made of matter and every matter ada mass, yes? and vaccuum kt luar atmosphere bumi itu takde apa2. Empty space, vaccuum - nothing. but apparently there is something in that nothing ness.

It explores the existence of anti matter. think of it of the exact opposite of matter. so its like ok, you have space yg 'kosong'. and out of this nothingness, it splits into matter and anti-matter sekejap. and then they bergabung again and disappear. and billions of these things happening at the same time.

Kan the law of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but rather changed from one form to another? so its saying by temporarily pinjam energy, it splits up into matter and anti matter and then dia pulangkan balik just as quick.

haha......cool kan? i mmg suka la kan benda2 tak nampak ni sebab i kinda think anything is possible in this world. so when ada evidence of something out of nothing it reaffrims what i feel is already there. hahaha logic ka? or maybe because i always see this tiny dots yg sgt banyak yg impossible to keep track of and i think of it as available energy kt bumi ni. syok sendiri! looool and say if betul la those are really materialisation of energy pun, i cant harvest them for myself.

..or maybe i just dont know how yet! *dum dum dummmmm*
hahahaha

so the theory of Big Bang came about, this series is talking precisely about this. muncul out of no where and became matter as we see it now.

u know the deal with Einstein's E=mc2 theory? its an equation about energy tau (explained by encik suami) where by E itu represent energy, m itu mass and c itu speed of light. so by right, if we know the mass of something by multiplying it with speed of light squared that is how much energy that mass possess.

of course i terfikir myself as soon as dia cerita cmtu. and the term 'so if i burst' came out and agak kelakar when we spoke of me bursting and how much energy that would come out of me lol.

gabungkan nothing and infinity in the same breath

there. i dah tulis whatever it is i know about Quantum Physics. i suka :D

ohh btw, i googled Prof Brian Cox. agak cool ok. kalau nak bukti professor physics and rock star, itulah beliau lol. apparently dia part of a band masa dia (lebih) muda, main keyboard buat tour suma looool. and dia pernah dapat D untuk maths loooool skarang PhD Quantum Physics la kan. habis cool la mamat ni.

Dia, Prof Jim Al-Khalili and Ustaz Nouman Ali Khan i ultra-respect coz they berjaya explain to the lay people about their field in simple language yg relatable. (Quantum Physics for the first two, and Tafsir Quran on Ustaz - especially love his Quran Weekly segments on youtube!)

Best £9.99 ever spent

2011-12-23T19:49:00.017Z

Oh the excitement!

***picture filled post alert***

Ok tak tau dari mana nak cerita, let's start from one evening when I was updating customer's details and pricing and Pojan pun tgh chill baru balik kerja, he told me to open an envelope. So I pun buka, and inside ada a cardboard so tulis Vouchers worth £200. Huh, this is great! At first we thought of ganti jadi cash and boleh guna masuk savings orrrr shopping masa Boxing day lol. Long story short after 15 minit brainstorming, something "long-term investment yg kita akan sentiasa guna yg dah lamaaaaa nak" sounded good. that 15 minit talk felt lamaaaaa to bounce ideas off and then the answer came:

a Dyson Vacuum Cleaner

sikit punya !!!!!!!!!!! moment time tu! lol

lantas the next 24 hours was crucial

(hahaha)

after much comparing and studying Dyson models and reading plenty of reviews, we decided to go with the DC32 Animal which was £319.99 RRP. dah sedikit risau cost time tu. hmmm.

Mana tahu rezeki Amazon tgh sale to £209.99 :D

So after banyak lompat2 excited time nak beli, Amazon cakap our product will come after Christmas.

not an issue for us obviously, so away we bought it.

and! tgh ada offer dapat Dyson Clean & Tidy Kit for free

that RRP was £60, sale for £38 and with the vacuum came for free

oooohohohohoho

So today, I was waiting for customer's parcels to arrive. Tak sangka the vacuum arrived today!!!!!

Sikit punya excited, and Pojan did say he could come back after solat Jumaat yeay!

so sampai.....

Here are the pictures! (with commentary as needed)

the box it came in......

before and after unboxing

upper pic is kotak vakum, lower pic is vakum dalam plastik berlatarbelakangkan free Dyson Clean kit dalam kotak Amazon

sexy gila ok vacuum ni

aesthetic value mmg -ada-

yes, it is kecil begitu. lower pic are the accessories within kotak vacuum. kotak says its 12.5kg but i could carry it up 2 flights of stairs fairly easy. so its either the adrenaline pumped me up or i mmg kuat lol

excited tgkp gambar Pojan guna loool

in action

ok we found suction kuat gila nak mampus, bila cabut kepala dia - i yakin if pakai plaster kt tangan ada harapan boleh cabut, if 280 AW (airwatts) meant nothing much on websites, it does now! but when you put your hand at the vakum head rasa mcm tak kuat. i think dia mmg sengaja design it that way, sedut gila kuat at a certain angle je. i gelak gila when ada review tulis Dyson Vacuums REALLY Suck. omg they so do, i iktiraf that claim to be true.

and maneuvering on the carpet is relatively easy than normal vacuums. i would recommend this for mobile parents yg tak larat nak use much energy for daily chores with this. waaaay reduced vakum head mengada melekat kt carpet when you want it to move forward. and because of its size yg kecil but berat-juga-for-its-size, i think its ideal untuk vakum seorang sebab the weight of the vacuum sits down on the carpet while u clean it tanpa ganggu area nak dibersihkan tu. tak perlu minta org pijakkan sangat ;)

You've seen Megan, tgk bulu pun tahu they will shed everywhere. maka kena rajin vakum, lagi2 dia jenis suka carik2 toys dia (dia indoor cat in winter tak boleh keluar, sila give credit ;p)

And bulu binatang and carpet are BFFs, as any pet owner will testify.

but OH MY GOD.

serious skali pakai ni SOOOOO much muck keluar!

made me think oh daymn, i hidup dgn habuk selama ni.

and daymn rasa bersihnya rumah

man, hidung rasa clear hirup udara

gila psychology but

*sukanyaaaaaa*

i serious tak percaya banyak ni dapat at first use:

we vakum rumah, paling teruk pun kena once in 10 days sbb bulu Megan merata lol. and before we got this Dyson, it was about 4 days ago je we vacuumed. terasa i hidup dalam kehabukan.

so we found out ada 2 cara to empty the case. btw, vakum ni bagless ye, tak perlu beli begggggg bwehehehe.

cara emptying #1 and cara emptying #2

this is the main head. penting the bulu2 merah to trap bulu2 binatang

this is the handle, some pressure is released when we lift that toggle up, so that suction power is lessened as needed. particularly useful for vacuuming curtains

Left: red circle is closed, for wooden floor use

Right: red circle is slightly ajar from its socket, for carpet use (hence the inner roll spinning)

after unboxing the free kit (siap beg ha), i susun-ed everything together.

so the top part (and the long batang on the left) is from the vakum set. and everything else on the bag is in the free kit.

byk attachments dia, i rasa boleh guna untuk soft furnishings, gadgets, blinds, tough stains, curtains, celah2 furniture, on tangga etc. this particular model sits on tangga mcm ni:

but our current place takde tangga so tak boleh nak excited with this usage yet haha

one of the attachments in the free kit even bends! (apparently this is meant for tricky places like behind furniture):

so ni dah simpan dalam beg, masuk our store-cum-packaging room, where DyDy will live~

if there was a downside to this machine, ialah the maximum limit of habuk it can collect could be bigger so that tak perlu emptykan as often, but! for something this small and powerful, this is a minor point. some habuk does stick to the vakum stick but that is easily removed by vakuming it back.

note max limit on the lower left side of the case

but back to the excitement!

seriously, the best £9.99 ever spent

worth every penny.

i understand fully why Dyson is highly regarded.

I -so- faham and approve and tabik

The best part of all this ialah we are humbled by the oppurtunity to get something we've always wanted and dreamed of to get *someday*

who knew the day came sooner than we thought :)

Alhamdulillah for the oppurtunity

i have a new reason to love year-ends now, no? lol

btw, Dyson parts are:

can you see it? Made in Malaysia!

(jauh gila, pastu datang balik kt org Malaysia la kan lol, our 2nd hand keyboard pun sama made in Msia tau tak! nak jugak lah kan bertuankan orang Malaysia lol)

My mom told me Malaysia has one of the best air conditioning systems in the world and agak sought after. After seeing Dyson punya parts pun buat kt Malaysia, hopefully the assembling of the parts of local brands back home pun bagus juga ya? ^^

Song Anomaly

2011-12-13T13:19:00.004Z

This is probably a rare event where I don't like the lyrics of a song, but I love the arrangement, rhythm and how the singer's voice matches the atmosphere of the song.

Selalu i suka lyrics and everything else is secondary. This is rare! haha

You've probably heard it a lot dah, oh how i hope someone can rewrite the lyrics but capture the feel of the song just as well!

the first time i was hooked to her songs ialah with her Jar of Hearts. She changes the tone of her songs with her voice, cm this song kan very breezy, light and surrounding feeling to it. Jar of hearts cm otai skit, ko sapa apahal plak ni blah aa wei tapi the polite, poetic version of it haha

*love*

ada ajak Pojan mainkan guitar n i duet dgn dia lagu ni wakakaka

*tari menari moment in my head*

Kenapa children in the West tak boleh dirotan

2011-12-07T08:38:00.005Z

This will be biased and not a complete arguement - just an attempt to understand others

This article is meant to understand situations in different countries - as to why certain laws are passed and why some are not. Specifically why it is against the law to cane children even when they have done some thing wrong.

Caning children has been the norm in the Eastern society - as a means for children to obey because misbehaved children is unacceptable. It's considered normal to use a cane, belt, clothes hanger lol. I went through it and all is well. I learnt to be afraid of consequence of my (wrong-but-seemed-tempting) actions pretty quick lol.

But apparently the situation was different in the 60s and 70s in the UK. I was recommended to watch the movie Kes (1969) about a boy from a poor family with no friends and came to love a falcon he found.

I was quite shocked to see how abusive teachers/parents/kids in school can get to one kid. That was unacceptable to me to watch and he was singled out and being stepped on by almost every person he knew.

I was told that it was typical of those times, and it wasn't pleasant at all. Apparently there were many teachers who abused their power and this is probably where we get teachers getting sued cases in current times. Personally I think alcohol made some contribution to the abuse too.

I completely disagree and am against abuse of any kind, but I think teaching kids the importance of consequence of their action makes at least top 3 of the list. I understand how Supernanny's firm & fair approach appeals to the Brits and she is very much against caning. Watching that movie sheds some light as to why this is prefered now.

I think people in the East (in Malay society at least) use the cane as a last resort - most likely thing to happen is the parent gathers alllllll information about the wrong doing from teachers, friends etc and matches it to the kid's behaviour and then sits them down with a cane in their hand and begin the interrogation. The mere hint of a lie, that is it lol. But the blow doesnt come one after another, it is proportionate to the lie(s). Usually when the kid promise not to do it again is sufficient. Apprently parents can soooo tell when the tears are crocodile tears lol.

like this video (its in Malay tho - and you can see a big brother laughing away at seeing his brother get caught with his own lies against the all-knowing mom loool)

Its sickening that some minors know their parents cant hit them and uses it to get away with evil things, knowing they are 'protected'. I think this is dangerous as it breeds adults who think they own the world and doesnt care about stepping on others. No one to step in and give a reality check on what is right and wrong. Personally I think people in the East take religion more seriously and therefore adhere to its guidelines more - as religion becomes the guide. Caning as a last resort rather than the to-go method. It teaches how painful it is to be evil to yourself - you're better off being good.

Btw, the video is talking about how the boy has been lying about going to school.

Cantik gila concept oceanlife dia!

2011-12-05T09:40:00.004Z

Sea nymphs yang cun gila!

Ok i love everything about this fashion show. Ok i jarang tengok tapi entah kenapa i end up tengok yg ni and WOW otak designer melampau mcm anime but soooooooooo cantik!

I love the idea runway ada live music played while model catwalked on the runway. And i suka Maroon 5 dari dulu n Move Like Jagger cm unpredictable tune dia so i suka hehe.

I love how spontaneous every move is. the models are -fierce-! I suka the fact they just went with it, live band pun join sama on catwalk. Hebat lah concept.

And the clothes! cm wowww i've never seen a more cantik giant oyster on someone's back before!

the rumput2 dangling off really embodies the tema. just tastefully cantik. letak starfish jadi cekak, corals jadi crown-like thing. Berjaya lah jadi sea-nymphs, it is soooo cantik!

*inspired*

normally i would have to consciously take away looking at a lot of skin and focus on the expression of art. but this one the concept is quite in your face and you dont notice it as much. at least to me.

amazing lah what you can derive from small concepts.

*inspired lagi!*

More Amanda!

2011-11-28T09:32:00.009Z

ok i tgh obses dgn Amanda sampai considering tukar nama Megan jadi Amanda xD

that didnt work obviously sbb lidah dah biasa sebut Megan.

in my defence she does look like a Amanda <--- xD

so ni antara kekelakaran Amanda dlm show yg i jumpa!

no inhibition to hot guys lol

another example lol

multiple classic Amanda scenes!

something for you over there *hand* lol

how a wink solves everything

heeeeeeeeeeey (so addictive)

Pojan dah affected by my Amanda mode lol. I know body language mmg speak volumes but man i just terlalu amazed at how she really works it. distract ppl from the real issue. it's like you have to consciously ignore her kalau tak you ikut rentak dia tiba2 n bila masa tah mula.

ok ok last eh, this clip is when a utility bill company called her and ask for money sbb tak bayar. this was what she said: (first 10 seconds je relevant)

sila lah lol

genius pompuan ni

fascinating how her brain works

Christina vs Amanda

2011-11-25T10:49:00.004Z

this is hilarious man. compare and contrast:

Amanda (Ugly Betty)

Mark: *GASPPPP!!!* Mandy! You're BRILLIANT!

Amanda: TAKE THAT BACK! I'M BEAUTIFUL!

Christina (Grey's Anatomy)

Owen: You're beautiful

Christina: TAKE THAT BACK! I'M BRILLIANT

LOL

i have a thing for Amanda, i think she is a genius in evading things she doesnt want highlighted. that is art man. mmg queen of distractions. must. learn. more.

Oh orang atas..!

2011-11-24T22:17:00.002Z

Remember when I was in final year, I think i did mention the guy living one floor up, right above my studio apt. How in the evenings approaching summer tu he would play with his guitar this Spanish tune. Silalah cair sebentar, of course I smiled to myself everytime I hear him play. (definitely a him, kadang2 selisih) dont think he's Spanish though. ah well, tak penting.

Apart from having a musically inclined husband (:D!) when he's not home, the recently-moved-in neighbours above us too kaki main gitar. I tak sure the girl or the guy yang main tapi so far i dengar the guy yang menyanyi. Ada masa lagu pop, ada masa ballad. Beliau juga suka main petang2 tp awal skit, like pukul 3-ish. on random days. biarlah.

Obviously I like the Spanish tune guy better, sebab somehow timing dia kena je when he plays it. Or maybe the fact his playing is very sayup2 only bila i tak pasang apa2 bunyi-bunyian baru boleh dengar. The current orang atas memang melalak tak heng, sedap la tapi!

Dari semalam, about pkl 9-10pm ish oh.my.God. subwoofer plus dentuman kaki yang melampau! hari ni hari Khamis kot? berdenyut kepala ku yg memang tgh sensitif dgn bunyi2an di kala selsema season ni. do you know about resonant sounds? the kind yang if two item punya frequency is identical, they will move together? MACAM TU LA SUBWOOFER dia resonate dgn cranial blood flowku.

Meh~ by 11pm they stop so takde lah nak sound ke apa. Pls lah Myra, u sendiri pun pernah kena tegur dengan pakcik bawah sbb main Band Hero drum beriya di kala tiada carpet dulu. Sian pakcik tu kena naik tangga menegur. Of course I felt bad sampai segan2 nak selit i'm sorry notice kt mailbox pakcik bawah siap bunga2 n heart shape berbutterfly n fon number in case kitorg bising lagi. selit je lariiiiiiiii masuk kereta pegi Tesco lol. denial denial.

oh my God are you kidding me diorg pasang stereo stock 7.1 yang resonate dengan sofa yg aku duduk ni!!!! okkkkkkkkkkkk lagu2 clubbing la kan. at least resonate dgn couch, bukan dgn kepala. its fine.

tetiba dia pasang lagu beat best plak dah

lol

sekian perihal orang atas :D

Iklan boyband tak tahannnnnnn

2011-11-15T23:09:00.004Z

Ada satu advert yg serious tak budget dia sebenarnya iklan, sebab macam lagu boyband maximum. Bila tengok skrin tv baru tahu siap lyric. Gila cheesy, they make fun of concept boyband tapi it WORKS loooooool message sampai!

Nama brand dia Yeo Valley and diorg cm the leader in organic farming and proud of it.

sungguh lah sampai.

btw, A386 tu nama jalan celah2 town2 kecik. and nama owl tu Ted.

ada rap version of iklan Yeo ni juga lol

Dua cerita: satu geli satu kelakar

2011-11-15T14:27:00.008Z

Oh daymn terlalu lawak.

I was on my laptop on the couch buat Saudagar stuff, Megan as usual curl up to the seat next to me like all kucing buat tgh2ari ni, tidur.

tetiba she jolted her head and hissss!! marah ni!

apahal plak ni

pastu dia curl up tidur balik xD xD

i thought Along merungut2 in her sleep dah cukup extreme, ini siap marah2 dalam mimpi sampai physically hiss xD xD adoiii

(hiss tu maksudnya yg kucing heeeeh masa dia marah2)

it kinda reminded me of our two night stay kt Edinburgh, tengah2 tidur tak sedar apa. tiba2 PEK!!!!! bertepek tangan kt muka. apahal ni weiiiii

it was Pojan's hand yg landed on my face while we were both asleep. ada ke xD xD pastu sama2 terjaga panic apasal apasal.

apparently that was what happened as i remembered it. tapi Pojan said the hand landed on my face and i made a HUGE protest in my sleep, glared and wriggled away from him. lol

ah the truth has to be somewhere in the middle :p

ok, ni cerita yg geli plak:

the three of us (pojan, my mom n myself) went to this kedai jual cd music original yg murah rasa nk beli semua skali one day. my realisation yg maroon 5punya music resonates with me prompted me utk beli cd diorg at 2pounds yeay. tp ada offer ygif beli 3 cd its 5 pounds so harapanku ialah nk combine dgn either mama or pojan's pilihan juga la konon2. and i have a thing for aerosmith juga. cari punya cari ada cd aerosmith on offer, cd yg ni:

so ok la nk beli dah, so i pun buka tengok dalam dia ok ke tak.

pastu:

so i cm ok 5 benda, band members punya thumbprint kot.

but it didn't look right.

then when i THINK confirm what it was i geli sorang pastu tak jadi beli second cd hahahhahahahaha (ada berkait dengan cover album dia)

pastu i tunjuk pojan, dia gelakkan reaction geli i hahahahaha

new discovery

2011-11-10T21:32:00.006Z

discovery yg sedih.

ada la one time ni my mom n i took the ferry pegi brugge, belgium. kira cm overnight 2 mlm dalam ferry. so board the ferry tidur satu malam, sampai belgium pusing2 then petang reboard ferry tidur satu malam lagi and we're back in the UK the next morning.

kenapa pegi belgium?

sebab jarak port and the bandar is 20 minits away by coach xD

tiada reason lain

and so, apa specialty belgium?

pastinya belgian chocolate (saya akui mmg quality chocolate, yg diorg jual hari2 mcm biasa atas waffle kt train station pun noticably different, even milk chocolate dia sedap. sadly i tak boleh mkn byk chocolate sbb cocoa content mcm tinggi xD)

and ada juga belgian lace although banyak dijual tu made in china but if u could find the belgian kind it is agak different corak2 dia and is pricier. oleh kerana dia pricier i bought a very small one , nak jadi coaster pun tak pass xD

apparently they are also known for their seafood particularly mussels

mussels satu pot per person, berserta nasi goreng seafood

you can so tell bukan orang asia yg buat nasi goreng sbb dia letak black pepper xD

there's something else yang missing juga in asian fried rice but i still cant put my finger on it!

pastu mana tahu....kepala start pusing, angin2 keluar at both ends, the swaying of the ferry langsung tak membantu and suddenly everything i ate came back out. air kosong was limited, tak bawak rehydration sachet so i had to pandai2 makan tomato sos and packet sugar untuk replenish what i lost sbb sumpah food lain either ada something dairy or tak lalu anyway.

and then boleh tak after i felt better, my head throbbed a mini migraine hit me. cm fikir apahalll la yg trigger, lamaaaa i fikir. and the answer was: chocolate.

sigh

and so, i have discovered belgian food dari mussels ke nasi goreng ke chocolate doesnt agree with me.

sigh~

buat org2 yg boleh makan chocolate, belgian milk choc is SO the pms comfort food yg ultimate. puas makan anything bersalut chocolate sauce dia. perasaan puas dgn chocolate itu lain.

tapi takpe!

as long as japanese food perutku boleh terima, i redha~ :D :D :D

japanese food cm my perut's bestest friend la kan ^^

SEDAAAAPPP~~!!!

Soft Launch Saudagar UK

2011-11-10T08:51:00.003Z

i'm pretty sure some people have noticed the banner at the side linking to our online business site :D

In a sentence: We send goods sold in the UK to your address in Malaysia.

If you pernah dengar barang ABC and XYZ lagi murah dapat kt UK, well this is your chance! :D dengarnya barang2 kids/baby is one of them, but of course not limited to it. Mestilah jadi avid online shopper baru tahu what's out there wahaha godaan godaan.

We might come up with an Inspiration page on where to start shopping for specific goods, for now we're working on simple links ;)

Spread the word!

:D :D

Megan

2011-10-26T08:54:00.010+01:00

This is Megan.

Gemuk kan? Kembang kan? Benci kan?

Untuk lebih benci lagi:

Megan tak makan Whiskas perisa Beef.

Megan tak makan ayam yang people food.

Megan tak makan ikan people food.

Megan punya suara kecik tak padan size badan.

Megan tak suka diangkat dan dipeluk.

Our thoughts: Dia ni kucing ke?

Yang buat kitorg convinced dia memang kucing betul adalah:

-Megan makes sure food bowl dia kena dibasuh before every mealtime regardless ada leftovers ke tak.

-The first few days we got her, dia cakar2 our pintu pukul 4 pagi nak makan. After constant ignorance she settled for 730-ish, every morning without fail waiting by our door ready to be fed. Bayangkan muka eager. Such a mood booster. lol.

-Megan weighs 5 kilo.

How do i know this?

Sebab i had to weigh myself, and then pick her up and reweigh the both of us and subtract the difference to get her weight sebab Megan takkan duduk mana dipaksa.

-Megan is 28 inches long. We know this sebab time dia stretch kepenatan bermain with the tape measurer alang2 ukur from nose to tail at its maximum. looool.

-Megan juga displaces my spot on the couch the moment i bangun. Ye Megan suka displace spot orang.

-Dia amat sabar. LOL. After much annoyance by yours truly time dia tidurasyik dikacau, stage 1 dia marah is the avoiding of eye contact followed by an increase in frequency and amplitude of the tail swish while -still- avoiding eye contact. stage 2 is when she does a HUUUUUUGE inhalation of air (LOOOOL) mcm gaya 'sabar, sabar' and gives us THE STARE. stage 3 is when she goes for the offending object, usually my hand, but she lightly nips it je. pastu bila dah jadi Angry Cat dia tangkap n lepas geram. This is always followed by a OK OK and hands up gesture or she abadons the spot. until i come over and start again lol.

-When she reaches Angry Cat stage at any point, she is also very forgiving. almost instantaneous she accepts a pet on the head as a peace treaty.

-Oho but when -she- does something tegur-able and kantoi busuk caught in the act, she moves the opposite direction of the criminal act and buat mukatak bersalah and gesel2 buat2 comel. e.v.e.r.y. t.i.m.e.

-Masa mula-mula Pojan dah banyak kali hampir terduduk on her. He has now learnt the basics of living with a cat particularly looking where you're about to sit first lol. Tapi bulu Megan is a mix

of blotchy colours pun, against dark background kalau tak bergerak tak tahu dia kt situ. nasib baik dia ada white ankle socks on all 4 feet haha. Dalam gambar you cant tell mana muka mana badan skali pandang sbb blotchy look hahaha.

how can i not be tempted nak kacau this being in slumber

Biodata Megan:

-Umur Megan is about 4 tahun.

-Lagu tema Megan ialah Mat Kilau's Ahai~ Cik Meg molek~ lol

-Beliau considered to be a long-haired tortoiseshell domestic cat.

-Kuat tidur tapi tangkas menangkap apa2 bergerak (yeay!)

-Asal usul nama Megan mcm ni, nama original dia Teagan (sebut ti-gen, bukan segan baku Melayu) pastu we thought nk panggil dia Purut. tak jadi sebab everytime sebut asyik gelak. yes as in limau purut, purut. bayangkan. purut. *meow*. looool. so as a compromise, jadi Megan sbb ada bunyi2 mcm Teagan and ekor mcm fox so cm Megan Fox. haha.

- We got her from a previous owner yang tak dapat nak jaga dia anymore and so advertise online, we went to the place and met her there and cinta~ (ok I yg cinta, Pojan kept telling me as long as i can work with the cat he's all good lol)

Paling respect:

-Megan takkan buka food covers even though its on the floor. Means kalau canned cat food yg covered, dia tak usik langsung. She gets our attention to feed her instead.

-Penggunaan litter sand dia mmg bagus, the first day we poured the sand dia terus guna. The only time so far ada accident is the first time guna toilet dia because design toilet dia tertutup dia sceptical at first nak masuk alllll the way sebab baru, badan dia dalam toilet tp buntut kt luar and dia lepas! super kelakar. motif masuk?! but after that i adjusted supaya dia selesa and all is well ever since, sangat bagus.

gambar toilet Megan

(flap pintu masuk dicabut supaya semua org lebih gembira)

-Despite her eccentricity she is quick learner. Contoh, i dah ban dia naik our bed and she gets yg i don't like it so she doesn't do it anymore. Same goes naik kitchen counter on her first day, dia tak buat anymore. Same goes for mengendeng at us when makan on the carpet sambil tgk TV, no mengendeng at us for fear her bulu gets to our food anymore.

-One day i buka sliding door because it was a nice day, and she looked at me for approval to step her paws outside and take in the atmosphere. Check with me dulu tu, respect respect.

Paling tak tahan:

-Ekor bentuk tanda soal and dia greet EVERYONE kt pintu. No malu one. First time jumpa pun dia datang menghias pintu dengan lambaian ekor dia.

-Terkejut at every sound. Even if its a fake cough.

-She paces back and forth untuk ajak main and tergolek kt carpet sbb kt situ dia main string yg dicintai.

-We -always- know when she uses her toilet, sbb for some reason she scratches the walls of the toilet rather than the actual sand. We do not know why.

annoyed Megan

Pojan dah kebal dgn kucing circling his feet, knowing where to gosok2 tanpa objection and paling penting lebih hebat dari i ignoring the cat's whims and fancy yg mengada. :D well done sayang!

it's true that every cat is different. i do find myself used to past habits with Along but now its easier to tailor it to Megan's personality.

the fact yg kucing is very kacau-able doesnt chaaaaannggge!!!!

*bulat2kan eeeee geram*

Gara-gara gambar

2011-10-20T14:06:00.003+01:00

Semalam semua orang susah hati.

I susah hati, Pojan susah hati, my mom susah hati.

My mom nak tengok gambar she snapped dlm camera dia, Pojan said eh jom la tengok kt TV, besar skit. Semua orang teruja. yeay.

...

Pojan susah hati.

only that cable yg diperlukan untuk sambung camera-tv tak jumpa. and Pojan cari high n low for it around the house. lama ok. Susah hati tak jumpa. Very annoyed tak jumpa sesuatu masa we need it la kan. So from the laci sana sini and boxes and closet near the shoe rack...

we terdiscover Mama needs new shoes sbb lining kasut tu daripada najis mughallazah.

Pojan tak sampai hati bgtau. so i bgtau.

Mama susah hati.

By this time i dah notice semua orang susah hati. I tau -i- susah hati sbb i nak guna bilik air. and Pojan kt closet yg dekat dengan bilik air yg confirm dia pasti dengar bunyi plup! if ever bunyi tu keluar! Please stop mencari! Or cari tmpt lain xD xD pls pls pls i reaallllly need this zone to be vacant!

I susah hati.

Menahan itu siksa!!!

Sekian.

Semua orang susah hati sbb nak tengok gambar smlm.

Lol!

Some things need to change Stat

2011-10-14T08:14:00.002+01:00

Pagi ini saya emo kerana reminded of the insanely unvirtuous attitude of -some- people and their life mission is to put others down sebab apparently only "their way is the right way".

OH MY GOD

Say for instance, a tragedy happens. and sampai kat news. why. in the world. would you say. padan muka to the victim? just why? it was -justified- that it happened to that person sebab it's balasan dunia? really? could it have been an ujian to the victim and if they pull through, they just might be better off than you yg gila busuk hati yg doakan binasa orang lain. apa tu?

it's not your place to put a sentence on somebody like you are God ok, coz you're not. you may think you are on His path but you forget that being righteous and being self-righteous do not move together. You may dislike the sin, fair enough, but know your line. know when it's corrupting you inside because at that point, you condemn others.

Possible tau untuk say what you don't like without being disrespectful. I can teach you. Say:

"I disagree with..."

"I don't think this is right.."

if you want it to carry more weight because you really, really dislike it, say:

"I am really, strongly against this because.."

"I can't agree with this because..."

and guna kata2 kesat and say things like "tunggulah balasan" and "tu la, tak nak dengar lagi" and "kan dah awal2 cakap". apa tu? how is that helpful? i hope it doesn't come back to you but if it does will you say "its ok, i'll bounce back" or will you say "ini ketentuan" and tak berusaha pun to make it better for yourself.

If you sendiri don't have the faith and courage to try, don't tear down others yg willing. You takde courage for yourself yet ada hati nak musnahkan courage orang lain. That's just bad man. Just rotten.

Support lah! Apasal susah sangat ke nak support? When someone is in trouble, they are ever so grateful. Tak seronok ke tolong orang? Tak gembira ke tengok orang tu lega skit sebab you can help?

Encourage each other to go for it, benda baik apa salahnya. Tau tak lagi banyak elemen tak membantu out there, tak nak get stronger ke? Tak nak jadi kuat ke?

I seriously think we are the most creative people on Earth when we want to be. Kita je ada culture bergambar yang melampau (which is great!), kita punya masakan je yang ada layers and layers of flavour, kita punya culture je somehow pandai buat lagu feeling tusuk kalbu yg let us wallow in sadness and self pity, i think we can change all that into a positive spin. i'm not kidding man. berapa ramai orang yg pandai modify segala vehicle and hias2 rumah dgn hebatnya. berapa ramai orang yg free-spirited and lawless yang we could harness their energy into money generating machines. teach yourselves finance people, if itu tak possible start with learning communication in English then you can read all the internet articles ever written about it. Kita yang paling guna Facebook and i'm sure internet is a huge huge part of most our lives. Orang kita punya colour and tudung coordination distinctive ok, how u pakai tudung in the global sense tells you where you're from. Boleh tak be proud of what we have and make ourselves known for it?

Circulatelah this article if you nak, this has to change. Please. Start with thinking the next person you see punya kebaikan.

Semua sekali serentak!

2011-10-11T08:01:00.003+01:00

I want to write berterusan tapi ideas keep on coming psl ABC pastu ada NOP then GHI so i letak semua skali lol

Tempat yang paling nak pergi sekarang: Japan, specifically untuk makan ketam besar. dan makan okonomiyaki and Osaka's takoyaki. and Mr Donuts. lol

Makanan yang paling nak makan sekarang: Tacos kt restaurant Ricos kt Dublin. *drool*

Cerita yang paling best sekarang: Being Erica. hands down sangat relatable to all.

Anime paling cliffhanger gila i-must-see-more!: One Piece, pleaselah. tak sabar for this new saga!!!!!

Perkara yang bangga: i dah puasa shopping online for travel plans later, i sanggup!

Perkara paling malas nak buat sejak azali: Lipat laundry, tunggu laundry kering, sorting laundry (in order)

Apasal i senang down sekarang: gloomy weather, gila SAD (seasonal affective disorder). sila lower expectation of the weather sekarang lol

App i cinta: tukar video jadi lagu. serious nak burn n pasang kt keta!

Perkara yg bugging me berapa bulan dah: this book i tak habis2 baca sbb busy with other things *sigh* asyik2 renew kt library pastu tak baca..motif? nasib baik free

Perkara yang masih terfikir2: nak kettle baru ke tak. <---loool

Perkara yg melegakan: always boleh refer to my planner to see if there are To Do items yg belum tick

Perkara yang menggembirakan hati: ekor kucing mcm feather duster lemah gemalai bounce as the cat walks lol

Makanan yang sentiasa sedap: scooping a ripe avocado masuk mulut, chew and swallow :D

Perkara yang happy to help: people tahu i'm within reach on fb, skype, ym. i guess kadang2 its nice to be referred for something people think i'm good at :)

banyaknya benda i could talk about, berjela nanti. then when nak write betul2 writer's block. booo. in the end jadi mcm biodata haha.

From "I Love You" to "I Want A Divorce" by Daniel Zain

2011-10-09T12:15:00.005+01:00

Got this note on Facebook by Mr Daniel Zain, i think it is a very good guideline. i mean if you're open enough to have a serious relationship with someone then you should be open enough to ask the big questions to see if it'll really go anywhere. kalau tak, its a pitstop je before The One. i guess it can be difficult asking the questions tapi its definitely better than unpleasant surprises!

it's a bit long tapi his language is easy to understand, serious! :D

Assalamu'alaikum,

How has everyone's Ramadhan been? Alhamdulillah with the arrival of Isa into our lives, Mariam & I couldn't be more thankful to Allah swt for the blessings he has given us.

An important step in the life of any adult Muslim is the day he/she gets married. Subhanallah I know some of you are already in the process of looking for a spouse, and some of you may already be a few steps closer to tying the knot than I may be aware of ;)

As a wedding photographer, my job is to document that special moment when two people become husband & wife. Alas, in almost 4 years of doing this full time, several of my clients are no longer husband & wife. Several of my university friends have also gone down the road of divorce. Sometimes the reasons for divorce are complicated while some have parted ways over seemingly trivial issues. I've had the opportunity to speak to some of them during their trying moments & after their divorce. Could some of these divorces have been avoided if the couples had done something simple prior to getting married?

That simple thing is: Ask important questions before you get married

Here are some questions I believe one should ask his/her potential spouse. If you are already seeing someone and intend to marry that person, then please do not waste the opportunity to ask. It goes without saying that proper islamic ettiquette should be observed when asking your potential spouse about the issues below.

The following are in no particular order of importance, they are just listed in the order as they pop into my mind while typing this. All the points listed here were among the causes of divorce for my clients & friends.

{Edit on 28/8/10: Not all points will be relevant to you, hence know yourself & what issues may potentially crop up based on your personality & lifestyle expectations} :

1. Living Arrangements

Be absolutely clear about where both of you will live once you are married. If its at one of the inlaw's, then discuss how long you'll stay there before you move to your own rented/purchased home. If your spouse is unhappy after a certain period of your living arrangements, do not treat this lightly. Make an effort to have a pleasing & peaceful home experience, especially if you will be living with parents & extended family.

2. Health

If you have any health issues, please let your potential spouse know about it. Do not give them a nasty surprise once you are married. For example, a couple i know are no longer together because the husband did not tell her that he has Erectile Dysfunction. She only found out once they were married. There are many conditions that can cause stress to build up such recurring migraines, asthma, diabetes, heart problems etc. Do not hide the existence of your medical condition(s).

3. Sex

Don't laugh. Sex & finances are among the main reasons for divorce (add Facebook in the list these days).
Brothers, please read up & learn about the right way to approach your wife. DO NOT rush her if she isn't ready to be intimate. A friend of mine took 9 months before she was ready to consumate the marriage. Alhamdulillah they now have 2 kids. Yes, that's an extreme example, but it happened. It could happen to you. Do not start pressuring her with fiqh, hadeeth & quran about the need to consumate the marriage as quickly as possible. Its very likely she knows all those points already. The issue is a psychological & emotional one, not a lack of knowledge for the most part. Maybe a friend told her intercourse is very painful, maybe she doesn't feel confident about her body, maybe she is just very shy. Be gentle, be romantic by going on short holidays together & just be patient. Oh yes, don't forget the dua's :)
Sisters, especially if you are the very shy type, start reading up about intimacy. Don't shy away from straightforward descriptions of body parts & functions. Get comfortable & confident with your body. I don't mean exercise like crazy to get a specific body type, but know that if the guy loves you & wants to marry you, he's fine with the way you look. Sex is something you should look forward to without fear. Please know that you are entitled to & have a right to get your share of pleasure.
If its confirmed that you are getting married, then ask your fiance/soon to be spouse if its okay with him if it takes a while for you to be comfortable to have sex. If he gets upset, that's a red flag there! A good brother would never get upset, but he'll assure you that he'll be gentle & wont pressure you. After all, he wants the experience to be pleasurable for both of you & not just for him. If you are shy to ask, then get a trusted third party to ask. I'm not kidding.
Oh and one more thing brothers, don't get all paranoid & start imagining all sorts of "has she done it before?" scenarios if your wife ends up being very good in bed. Instead, be thankful.

4. Sex leads to.....Kids.

Ask each other how soon after marriage do you plan to have kids? Don't assume your spouse has the same ideals as you do. You may wish to wait at least 1 year, whereas he thinks a baby 9 months after the nikah is obligatory. 4 kids is your perfect number, yet she wants 10, or none at all!
What are each of your thoughts on adoption? What if one or both of you end up being impotent?
Do not wait till you're married to ask about children.
Pregnancy is a big deal for the lady. Some women are terrified of getting pregnant. Again, be patient and have her speak to other ladies who are pregnant/have kid to reassure her that she'll be fine. Oh wait, some men are even more terrified of having kids. Same process, get him to talk to fathers of his age.

5. Finance

Sisters, please inquire & know how much your potential spouse earns for a living. If his salary is lower than your expections for your lifestyle, ask yourself if you are willing to compromise. If you are used to LV, Gucci & Coach bags yet he can only afford Vincci, will that be a source of frustration for you? If the answer is yes, find out what are his plans to increase his income. On the flipside, if you are not the shopping type of girl, and handbags, shoes etc mean little to you, please don't settle for too little. At the very least know your rights on what your husband needs to spend on you.
A girl i know is fine with her husband giving her only rm50 - rm150 a month for her toiletries, personal care & what not. She says she isn't materialistic, which alhamdulillah is good, but the result is that her husband doesn't spend a ringgit more on her. No dinner dates, no short weekend holidays. Nada. He has become complacent and forgotten his duty to support her living since she does not work.

6. Work

Can I continue to work after we get married? Can I start working after we get married? Can I stop working? Can I switch to a lower paying job that I love? "I'll be posted in Timbuktu 3 months after our nikah, and oh yes, I'll be there for 2 years & you gotta move there with me, no ifs or buts okay."
Clarify all the above before you get married.

7. Food

You hate cooking yet the very day of your nikah your dear hubby asks you "What are you cooking for dinner sayang?". Big problem! Yes, believe or not, a couple got divorced because of this very issue.
Sister, especially if you work, ask him if he expects you to cook all the time. If he does, ask him if he can compromise.
Brother, if you know she hates to cook, ask her if she's willing to learn at classes (which you pay for of course).
She loves western food but you must have rice for every meal. Plus you hate pasta which she's obsessed with!!!

8. Housework

Picture this: A girl's hero is her dad who happens to help out alot around the house. Daddy helps with the dishes & laundry. He doesn't complain. She then marries a brother who will have nothing to with housework. In fact, he considers it a girls job not befiting a man! Guess how happy the marriage is going to be? If only she had asked him if he's okay with helping out with the dishes after she cooked that wonderful dinner.
Brothers, please help out around the house. Rasulullah s.a.w did, hence no excuses.

I hope this has been beneficial for you. The points i raised are far from comprehensive, there are many other seemingly trivial reasons people get divorced over. For more detailed knowledge on living as husband & wife from the Quran & Sunnah, pelase refer to the excellent 'Like A Garment' series by Sh. Yasir Qadhi. If anyone managed to save the entire email series of Like A Garment, please share it. Sh. Zaid Shakir & Sh. Suhaib Webb also have excellent audio lectures on the subject. Also ask good teachers on the detailed roles & responsibilities in a marriage. My points are just real world examples from real cases of couples who had to let go of their marriage.

{Edit on 28/8/10: There will many issues that crop in a marriage that one can't foresee. It's totally normal & what's required is sincere love, plenty of patience and a willingness to compromise where possible to achieve a win-win situation. We musn't view divorcees in a negative light as well because sometimes divorce is the only solution. For some, it's a good solution that helps both parties become better people.}

I feel we should have a YMP sharing session where these issues are discussed. Brothers & sisters, we need to be prepared for the worst case scenario as well. Sometimes in the desire to get married, we only see & imagine the beautiful & sweet life ahead, and as a result we get thrown overboard when a storm comes.

May Allah taala guide all of you who are seeking your life partner. May He also guide us who are already married to remain loving & faithful to each other. May He give us righteous children who will be His servants and help make the world around them a better place.

Wassalam.

Daniel Zain Ibrahim

feedback itu berbaloi

2011-10-05T16:26:00.005+01:00

just a quick note to say, before the airline mengada and transferred us to another flight things happened, there was this incident at a very known chain of hotel yg the SIL and GMIL were not happy with a particular incident involving a drunken man chasing/harassing them. so i hantar la complaint email baik punya (proofread by the husband, and of course guna his email ahaha). who knew they rang us back and apologised profusely about it and got our money fully refunded sebab tidur malam selesa punya gerenti tidak berlaku.

see. it does pay to let them know how they're doing. tak kisahlah diorg call balik after berapa bulan incident pun.

of course i was polite yet critical in that email (syabas myra!), nobody akan layan letter yang kurang ajar ;)

so now tunggu masa je airline tu melayan our email. aku tunggu! dengar?! aku tunggu bila kau kol!

We're really in this together

2011-09-20T13:44:00.004+01:00

i've always known my relationship with Pojan isn't novelty based but one day it made it official. Haggard from long haul journeys, confused with timezones and food and down with sad news, and another 5 hour drive coming our way in the next 24 hours, he sat next to me one subuh, this very heavy depressing atmosphere we tried to push away and accept at the same time, and i said (muka takde emosi):

You look like crap

he turned his face to me and said (muka takde emosi)

You look like crap too

nak gelak pun tak larat.

then tergelak sebab dua-dua tak larat, weary in every way possible

we're SO responsible!

2011-09-15T13:55:00.001+01:00

Did you know for couples living overseas, pulang ke tanah air is -such- a huge deal? of course it is, being MIA all the time the truth is this: every contact matters. i never once thought about this as a single person. but my God does it do a backflip when you're married lol. I am super glad we're both level-headed people and we like working things out together that satisfies both of us. it is now our hope our cerebral approach will make sense to both sides! lol/ On hindsight of this plan, i think we're getting borderline obssessive on evenly dividing our time. But we think this is best, lol. See how RESPONSIBLE we are being! (Ora's words when she heard how we divided our time post-wedding looooollll)

we're leaving out the details of every day, but here's the gist of it

Day 1 - on arrival, kami lakibini go home dengan biological family masing2. this is because we didn't like the idea of either family datang sambut us and balik kosong. but later Pojan comes over to my place
Day 2 - we stay on my place for another day
Day 3 - Pojan's side
Day 4 - Pojan's side
Day 5 - Pojan's side
Day 6 - Pojan's side
Day 7 - Pojan's side
Day 8 - Pojan's side
Day 9 - My side
Day 10 - My side
Day 11 - My side
Day 12 - My side
Day 13 - Masing2 with biological family starting asar time just to catch up as individuals because:

Day 14 - departure day around asar time (untuk cukupkan 24 hours with biological families), kami lakibini jumpa kt airport

Then we head back to UK via a middle eastern half day trip. wahaha. <----THIS DID NOT HAPPEN, BOOOOOOOOOOOO (tgh deal dgn airline about this disappointment!)

so you can see, in total each side has 6 days with us as a couple and about 26 hours+ as an individual. and each family gets 2 days of berbuka with us, and 4 days of raya each.

and so for next year's schedule, exact same setting only swapping places, some tweaks as applicable cuti days pending. and we're really really sorry for not being able to contact and visit and meet up with everyone because our schedules mmg packed. it was pure rezeki to slot in mamak nights to whoever was available the same time we were!

in the words of Zaza, korang jarang ada sini. skali balik terus jadi hot stuff, semua orang nak jumpa.

well put, Za ;)

i realise couples yg bermastautin in a nearby region tak perlu fikir all this as much sebab their geographical distance excludes minute planning macam ni. and they have Raya Haji to bargain with. this is how we did it, i mean its our first time being married and we're trying to make the best of our situation and avoid favoritism.

apparently though, once ada cucu(s) it becomes more intense lol.

in the words of Martin:

"Having kids and deciding to go to which house for Christmas is TEN time worse!"

habislah. i will torment myself and agitate my little gray cells with no mercy to make it work lol. that is what Hercule Poirot would say. Oh i love Poirot by David Suchet. kya~~~!

if you must know~ **mode bercerita**
(i have this strange feeling i've written about this before, ah well). Post-wedding, in an attempt to make time with both our parents fair, we -actually- gilir-gilir tidur rumah parents for what, 9 days? and with the extra ganjil day, we stayed on Pojan's side because i wont be flying with him just yet thanx to the visa issue at the time.

3 days is bearable pindah randah. 5 days, maybe. but more than a week? crazy i tell you. both my personal stuff and pojan's at two places and annoyed when you forgot to pack it and tertinggal on the other side. and we're still in one city! then there is the adjustment issues of being new alternating every single day. it was just too much. don't do it. seriously, do weekly swaps instead of daily, i beg you. the longer number of days for sliding into adjustments will save your sanity, beauty, money in that order lol. its like constantly quantum physics exam one day, art studies another, physics, art, physics, art for 2 whole weeks takde rest pening kepala looool. by the time Pojan left for the UK i was partially glad because i could get my brain to rest. i'm pretty sure he was too. lol. did i tell you we didnt have our own transport the whole time post-wedding? add all that to the dislike of relying on our families for transportation.

we know its not anyone's fault. it's just is. if anyone ever thought 'lepas kahwin, setel! tak yah fikir2 dah' that is -so- wrong lol. of course no issue of going out together, be seen together, living together, yeah. all that is settled. but -after- you get married, the rules change. externally, its not looking out for indecency anymore, it now becomes how good you are at managing two families.

yeah you heard me, the rules change after kahwin bebeh! let me spell it out again. if it helps, say it outloud like a mantra as a reminder:

before: STAY DECENT. after: ALL ABOUT MANAGEMENT SKILL

at the same time, the beauty of it is to find your own style as a unit. our style is to blend in with each family's culture but still having a say as a two-man team. i say man because it sounds more tactical because it is!! (family politics is something you want to excel at lol)

but i must say this is when we get to talk about each other's family and what we can learn from each other. it's been an eye opening experience for the both of us, tying why is s/he this and that way. seeing how they interact with their family gives incredible insight as to why they are the way they are now. its so much different being the first and second person, and now being the third person and observer. in a good way. i've learnt so much, i think i'm beginning to understand what i value most seeing how other people work things out. turns out some of the things what i thought was important isnt, and what wasnt is now. there are also things i have embraced wholeheartedly because it was important, and now it still is :D ah the rite of passage has dawned upon me~

in most cases, there isn't good or bad, just different :D

Beautiful Words

2011-08-22T22:17:00.013+01:00

personal favourites: (most turn out to be Swedish! lol)

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear

Buddhist Proverb

Shared joy is joy doubled, shared sorrow is sorrow halved

Swedish Proverb

One should go invited to a friend in good fortune, and uninvited in misfortune.
Swedish Proverb

Do not rejoice at my grief, for when mine is old, yours will be new.

Spanish Proverb

The afternoon knows what the morning never suspected

Swedish Proverb

When a blind man carries a lame man, both go forward

Swedish proverb

(and yang paling sweet)

No, I don't understand my husband's theory of relativity, but I know my husband and I know he can be trusted.

-Elsa Einstein

Perempuan memang ganjil

2011-08-21T18:23:00.009+01:00

lagi lagi aku. lol.

bulan puasa ni siang panjang (puasa 17 jam) day in day out. i think my body mistook the low food intake for being in crisis sbb tak pernah puasa beyond 15 hours.

and my period was late.

early in august i had to go for an CXR (thats Chest XRay in shorthand) to outrule TB (tuberculosis). i was attended by a student radiographer and has to be shot twice.

naturally before the Xray i was asked if there was a possibility of me being pregnant. and asked for my LMP (last menstrual period). and i had the date down.

and the cramps i had wasn't funny man. lower back n front pain with throbbing head with minimal blood loss wasn't funny di bulan puasa. nak puasa ke tak ni? boleh solat ke tak ni? and this went on for days.

pastu waaait a minute.

breathe.

waaaait

noooooooo

ohohoho not funny man

*panic sets in*

ooohohohohoho

what if?

period was late.

are u kidding me?

PERIOD WAS LATE.

count woman! count. those. days!!

! nononononono again!

count those days again!!!

almost approaching 30 days. my normal cycle range is 26-28

OMG

and there it was.

it came.

confirm.

first thing Pojan asked was: so....do we... grieve? be happy?

*grabbed painkiller for incoming agony* i'm not sure

*gulp gulp ubat*

but what if?

perempuan mmg ganjil. risau panic like entah apa. bila confirm, a what if thought comes. apa benda ni!

daku mmg ganjil. i don't think i'm ready yet. then again, who ever is ready lol. apakah, right?

lol

spitfire myra: i swear if one more person keeps asking me bila nak berisi (perut) i will (mentally, since i have to jaga nama suami) bash them up in the stomach, where it is one of the parts that hurt the most if u know how. suka hati i pls. not your concern. not your problem. not your business. boleh? i think i know enough of your skeletons to push your buttons if i wanted to. but no, i'm playing nice. i'm playing nice because husband is training me to be nice. doooonnnnn't tempt me~

with some skewed knowledge of pharmacology, i decided to prevent blood clotting since this deals with a highly vascularised organ. sbb an even more painful cramp isn't something i'm looking forward to. please be advised we're not supposed to self-medicate.

moral: kurang makan and (my) body will interpret as being in crisis and no menses will happen. when my minimal spotting happen, i ate. and then more pain came. more of it came. it became more like what i'm used to. more normal if you like. it's like if a female athlete asyik train too hard, she will not have her menses sbb the body will interpret as being stressed 24/7 and not have menses.

moral kepada moral: post-kahwin makes you understand your body a lot more if you pay enough attention to it. you learn something new everyday.

question: how is it possible pipi naik but body thinks its under crisis??

perhaps of the issue: my body likes food tapi what it needs more of is exercise. yes. more exercise. roll dgn dumbell makes muscles sore. that pain is good bebeh! bulanan pain isn't good T-T

i want to talk about the ducks today

2011-08-16T12:39:00.012+01:00

i want to talk about the ducks we have depan rumah. this area used to be a tempat tarik ferry closer to land and so there is this water lane in front of our place and DUCKS have made it their home.

its the ducks you see in English books, not the white kind. its the kepala hijau onthe male and the female all brown and sikit blue at their sides kind. like this:

the above is the lady (ladies first)

and this is the gentleman:

so today's news! i saw duckies!!!! little cute gila laju-nak-mamps berenang ducklings! kiut gila ting ting ting getting from one end to the other. and mak dia cm ikuuuuuuut layan je laaa budak budak ni lol.

(gambar hiasan)

sbb ada 6 je kt luar, tp cuteness maintain

geram!!!

you know the saying itik pulang petang? OMG. tak tipu when the elders -know- what they're talking about. i tengok dari jauh pun omg pls laju skit. waddle. waddle waddle. stop. waddle. up toa point terlalu menyampah sampai gelak i-dont-believe-this.

and what's interesting about the ducks we have instead of ducks in general, is they are -suicidal-.

that's right people we have suicidal ducks at our doorstep. the psychiatrist in me reflexively asks my mental-duck-patient what do you think you'll achieve when you do this?:

duduk tengah2 dunia macam tu? ha? ha?

penyek baru tahu!

they do this every day!

upclose untuk zoom in the suicidal tendencies, and a friend trying to talk them out of it:

it's always been that pair duduk tengah2 dunia

mungkin tgh bercinta and perhaps the idea of dying together is romantic at this point

and more friends trying to talk them out of it:

once again, how orchestratedly suicidal can you get?:

diorg measure ke distance of the road?

like seriously tengah2 ok

laying our lives down so people cant use this road

we rule!!

upon returning one day, we were shocked the female seorang!! gaduh ke?

next story, one morning we were shocked to find the boys belakang kereta.

luckily they moved away but pls tengok ada 2 yg tidur tak bangun lagi:

mereka still blur2:

still not leaving and refuse to lepak kt kereta lain..why!

ramai orang datang jalan2 petang2 bagi itik makan, exercise their dogs, a stroll with their kids lagi2 summer ni and people always use the duck place as a landmark. bagitau where we live gave people a confused look sebab orang delivery pun tak tahu what our place is called. but if we say 'we live across the ducks' and everyone says Ohhhhhh

hmph, dasar itik

nasib baik ducklings comel

(mak dia garang bila kita panggil anak dia lol)

This Week's Interesting Stuff

2011-08-14T06:58:00.015+01:00

1) webcam with family proves i betul2 gained weight. kata pipi i bulat. wuuu. kini saya akan giat buat sit-up pipi lol

2) we learn something new everyday, in particular now: learning how to sight read piano sheets. from asking people who play questions like "tak juling ke baca treble n bass notes serentak?" to marah2 "apasal bass punya note lain?? apasal!!!" lol

3) a flock of small-ish birds swarmed our place few days ago, cyclists yang lalu were very, very cautious lol so lets play a game called: How many birds can you count? complete with background music because i was watching a show on tv and too focused on the birds to mute kan lol

too easy? try this one! this time no background music

and its much longer with challenge melampau

lol

4) our hidupan flora outside sedang bercambah dgn pesat alhamdulillah. and we thought of how lavender and rose bushes are useful in keeping unwanted guests in the wrong way sebab lavender attract bees big time and rose bush obviously ada thorns. and both giveoff a lovely fragrance. ada one time i was in cardiff in a car, and before we drove depan a uni building ada this fresh rose scent tiba2 dalam kereta (windows tutup!) and then i saw the rose bush yg sgt dahsyat n kembang semacam bunga2 dia and they scent lingered as we went past the building. agak melampau but itu cita2 berkebun-wise skarang lol. once ada lawn sendiri insyaAllah.

L to R: carnation, si kuning, si oren dekat, si merah, si oren jauh

lengkuas (tiada dalam gambar) start keluar pucuk

tapi bekas tu kecik sgt kena tukar dgn tin milo

tumbuhan dapur!

kentang yg decided to hidup in the orange tub (nnt kena letak more tanah),

cik rosemary yg baru add (sejak dia kt situ summer lalats takde dah! yeay~),

the late encik basil at the back with the red wind wheel as a memorial lol,

and 2 jars of spring onion yg i thought kalau dia boleh hidup in a plastic cup semata maka pasti dia boleh hidup in glass jars with tanah lol

5) after sahur n subuh, i stayed up while Pojan slept (he stayed up waiting for sahur) so i got to see the sunrise and caught the rays going through clouds while air pasang.

and during sahur time, the moon was hidden in the clouds tapi ada this spot on the sea yg TERANG and we knew the moon mmg terang but hidden from our views. i heard kt msia pun terang melampau eh? boleh bayang kegorgeousan nya~

6) found this crazy article via Amir, its so dahsyat. make sure tgk videos je. omg i tak percaya, its called The 6 Deadliest Animals Too Adorable To Run Away From:

http://www.cracked.com/article_19351_the-6-deadliest-animals-too-adorable-to-run-away-from.html

some swearing in the article, but its trying to keep it light ignore je.

7) i have now developed a habit of writing down what i have for dinner everyday since end of July, and it turns out sangat best looking back and get inspired with variation sambil keep track food nutrition. then there is my masak book because i can never read a recipe properly. it is now my feel good book because its full of what-was-i-thinking??:

i - tofu + egg white + mini carrot pieces + stock --> so Chinese, so sedap! +/- pak choi

ii - a recipe entitled 'Theoretical Jemput2 Pisang' (sbb tak pernah buat lagi)

iii - there was a 'terlupa letak pelaga, sabar je la' in my 'Test Nasi Ayam'

iv - there was a fish dish called 'Cod Aflahal Mukminuun' lol

v - one ayat on chicken dish i wrote: 'at the end, buka the tutup and pusingkan skit' what? so i had to add *ayam sbb nanti aku fikir apa benda la nak kena pusing

vi - Pojan was outraged when i used 'spread ceplots of cheese chunks on the veg'. he just went, -itu- unit awak?? sungguh engineer ok

lol

sekian update :D

This is REALLY annoying - please tutup your FAQ guide

2011-08-11T15:56:00.004+01:00

dudes and dudettes,

if ever you are in a position to create a guide or a reference point, please please please do a proper job on it and refrain from using the words:

"fikirkanlah.."

i dont want to fikir! i want to freaking know the information that you claim to have and you're not spelling it out for me, please jangan buat Q&A column kalau macam tu. without you pun i can fikir on my own thank you very much. i dont need you to fikir! what i need is crucial information yg i possibly will pass on to others. make the informasi berkualiti boleh tak? if not jangan put up a website yg supposedly is there to guide others.

dont say "i said x,y, and z. apa lagi nak tau? fikirkanlah"

what kind of attitude is that? sila shut down the site. the whole point of a guide is to s.p.e.l.l. things out to noobs sebab they dont know what to look out for. and if malas nak be repetitive there are functions called copy paste and edit. please -mudahkan- orang yg cari information, its really frustrating dealing with unprofessional people. nak explain explain la betul2.

Malu ok FAQ section macam tu

Riots in Britain - why?

2011-08-11T06:19:00.007+01:00

there have been many, many sides to this story and here is what i got from them so far

pagi ni sejak sahur i've been watching tv talk about the riots and why. we all know it started in tottenham. and from then on we heard about there apparently was an unjustified shooting and people got angry.

the peak of keterukan was when 3 Muslims were mowed down on a street, one of them whose father tried resuscitating him. May they rest in peace, meninggal di bulan Ramadhan, protecting their community from the looters. Sound nothing but syahid insyaAllah.

So that father is pleading the public to please stay calm, and there was a clip of him during his speech and there were youngsters protesting to what he says. to which in his obvious grief replies, i am here because i lost my son. why are you here? you have nothing better to do, go home please. grow up guys, grow up. and the adults cm ooo sokong2. from his speeches, he is worried it will turn into a hate crime and said no one else must die from this. breaks my heart to see the guy's own father leading the dua for the candlelight vigil for his son's death.

and so the impression the public get are the people who are causing the problem are the ones who are getting state benefits, who are on the dole. the image of youths in hoodies smashing shops predominate the media.

as it turns out in some cities its not only the kids who are causing the chaos, but adults are there as well, participating. some other people claim this is about the shooting, others say its not about the shooting rather on the benefit cuts and how this part of British society suffers most: how an unemployed man will be able to care for his partner and their baby if their benefits are cut and not hold a job, is the example one person said. others think it is about being oppurtunistic of the chaos since everyone is living in fear anyway so why not grab what you can. some are saying the shooting is just a reason for people to behave badly, they are blaming the shooting to justify their behaviour. some are saying the youths are just bored so they think it is all fun and games, if they have nothing to look forward and to and look at violence like it is normal then breaking in will just seem like a thrill. and on top of all that, the law i think, is too protective of under 18s. nak pukul anak pun illegal, if it justifies the cause, sebat kot?? use it as a laaaaaaaaaast resort macam savings account yg selagi boleh tak nak guna, know why you're doing it and how much is just enough. jangan la guna rokok, batang besi, pisau yg tak patut. takde la at every oppurtunity, takde la sampai patah riuk, seriously takut traumatise the kid for life? isnt life out there tougher? not all kids will need it but really, have boundaries. if you cant control what is the right thing to do to teach your kid then what are you doing? its your kid! obviously i speak with no experience tapi i believe sebat should be considered after talking ie try to understand why they're doing it, explaining what and why, justifying, warning, taking away privileges, take them somewhere they can understand consequences and then baru sebat. thats a long list before sebat.

i personally think if the youths are old enough to have sex then i think they are old enough to go to prison and be legally bounded because its all action and consequence. i run no government and i appreciate how tough it is but from what i know, but giving benefits to people who do not want to work thinking the benefits they get are theirs and shamelessly use it for recreation with other people's tax money and then kacau orang lain is just ridiculous. i also think rather than money, just give food and jobs. am i being too unrealistic?

there are also ketidakpuashatian from some parts of society about how the police are treating citizens unfairly just because of their skin color. they retaliate back to keep the police away to say they are there and they're not leaving. they have lost faith in the police force and that is huge, kt Malaysia the public faith in police is by far not like what it was pre-riot in the UK. also some communities are upset with the police because they are protecting the big businesses and guarding there rather than being and protecting with the people in residential areas. in short, tak puas hati sbb screwed up priorities.

i also know there are some people rasa gembira with the violence happening in the UK, rasa cam nah rasakan apa kau buat kt negara middle east. i totally understand the padan muka part. i just rasa its really wrong to be gembira at chaos, and yg mati pun Muslim. its wrong to be happy about people dying, its wrong to be happy about abuse. its just wrong. we should be able to rise above violence.

but at the same time i echo what the Syrian ambassador to the UN says about how hypocritical of the UK calling the rioters 'gangs' but they are calling the Syrians 'terrorists'. just because diorg Muslim dipanggil terrorist ke? essentially they are the same. its either they are both terrorists or they are both gangs. not one or the other.

most adults in the UK rasa sangat malu dgn perbuatan segelintir masyarakat diorg ni. next year dah la nak host Olympic. its like teruknya org2 kt sini. curi barang masa pura2 tolong. globally orang mcm hilang confidence in Britain sebab jadi mcm ni. i think sebagus2 some laws the UK has (like officers tend to be friendly while interrogating initially, having licenses for almost everything although leceh but has some form of control at least, free health checkup and dentist visits for the public, like how they label everything to the T for food products for vegetarian use - i just wish their Halal status would be more visible mudah kerja ku. they reaallly take it seriously about vegetarian ke tak) as much as they are good its not perfect and this just highlights the flaws they have (i dont believe in elective abortion nor pre-marital sex, state benefits to those who dont deserve it, having the unrealistic image of children of being innocent when knowing very well they are growing up quickly) basically everything that champions tak payah be accountable for your actions, i anti. boo gila.

i guess what i have seen so far from this riot ialah it verifies what Islam teaches us. no getting away from responsibilities, you're here to manage the world. not to live once and then abis so why not do whatever you want tanpa fikir akibat sebab hidup sekali je. rugi oo tak buat. that depends rugi apa la kan. you live twice but this life dictates how you live later. so why not make the most of it and do good now. plant a tree, smile, recycle, eat right, switch off electricity, exercise, say hello, being nice, help someone out. do something good, say something good. why not?

i cant help but think potong tangan robber yg pura2 tolong is a justified punishment. like orang2 yang ragut barang naik motosikal tu harus kena potong tangan. being robbed terrifies people and the consequence of that doing should be known. how a family institution isn't easy and that is why ada guidance for us. that sleeping around is not glamorous but it has consequences if not directly on you, it impacts others. kids will think its ok to do it because they see the adults do it, only their fertility might work against them and not for you in your case. how it affects your body and how you feel about yourself. and the list goes on.

sigh

Joy..

2011-08-10T13:34:00.008+01:00

1) is when you decide to ponteng kelas and turns out that class was cancelled.

2) is when you usap2 your pet's head and dia lentokkan kepala untuk tidur

3) is when you think you're late for work sekali tengok you're an hour early (salah tengok jam)

4) is when you look up things on how to improve your life and at last got a text from someone you've fallen out with recently

5) is when you're looking for answers and you miraculously open a Book on the exact page that speaks directly to you

6) is when someone who everytime lays their eyes on you, they smile.

7) is when you strike off your to do list of the day

8) is when your hair wants to co-operate and falls perfectly

9) is when the paper ball you throw does end up in the bin

10) when you aim for a used macbook and end up getting a(n almost) brand new macbook pro at the same price ;)

alhamdulillah :)

p/s: actually, i think No. 6 is called happiness

There are better ways to sedekah

2011-08-08T10:18:00.003+01:00

http://www.mazidulakmal.com/2011/08/lebih-mengelirukan-berbanding-entiti.html

is a good read about why bersedekah to beggars kat bazaars can be a bad idea.

there are many other ways to bersedekah.

one of the commenters said (non-verbatim):

once a shabby-looking guy came up to him and his wife while they were eating (i think interrupting one's meal for almost any reason is just bad) and asked for money, saying he hasn't eaten today. so the commentor said ok, pick whatever you want to eat its on me. instead, the guy made a face and walked off.

i do agree sedekah food is much better than sedekah duit

another commentor advised if ada budak2 tahfiz minta sedekah, sometimes tak genuine pun. the guy cakap 'baca surah al-mulk skit'. and judge from there on. this is because he once caught the same kid who asked for money main warcraft kt cc dengan jubah2 n kopiah. who knows he used his own money rather than the one he got, but it does raise suspicion.

take care everyone

camana from dengar orang baca Quran i can get all of this?

2011-08-06T06:33:00.004+01:00

1) The voice is a blessing. When the people were trying to figure out how to call Muslims for prayer, Prophet Muhammad gave the A-OK to someone who suggested using a human voice rather than ring a bell or blow a horn. I just think it is agak sweet to invite others using a personal voice rather than intermediate, i think the sound is lebih raw and it reflects a lot on the muazzin. if 2 different people main piano pun lain-lain rhythm of the same piece, ini kan suara. its just...genius!

2) That however the inside is important, the outside has to carry weight as well. I have read some people disagree with the use of (heavy) makeup while wearing hijab sebab (ni diorg punya thinking eh) the whole point of pakai tudung tutup tutup is supaya tak attract attention especially lelaki so whats the point highlightkan muka and bagi lelaki pandang. Yang suka mekap plak cakap, if thats the case, most men are actually put off by a lot of makeup...so takkan attract punya lagipun i pakai sebab i suka so takpe lah. My personal opinion ialah banyak mekap = leceh sebab im not exactly rajin nak tepek2 muka all the time tapi i agree yang makeup is penting untuk nampak kemas. i think just because you bertudung doesnt mean you have to berhodoh (i love this point masa i borak dgn Pojan xD) and put people off. i think image bersih dan kemas itu penting and not everyone is blessed with this-is-memang-how-i-look-baru-bangun-tidur-anyway face but i also understand some people do wear a lot of make up to attract others but what is sikit for one person may be banyak for another so i guess it balls back to your niat. i also think investing in good skincare products is lebih important than makeup and it makes life so much easier tak payah risau ah jerawat ni sakit bila i sikat rambut moments (jerawat yg suka hidup kt hairline hairline tu omg) takde masalah kulit rasanya lebih mudah! (ye i tak rajin nak belek2 depan cermin lama2 hari2, i suka bersiap in a flash much to the husband's delight lol)

3) and so based on my point yang janganlah berhodoh tak jaga diri atas nama Islam (coz i think its wrong - janganlah pulak sengaja pakai perfume yg Parfum punya level -eau de toilette, eau de parfum kan ada- n letak 5 sprintz, confirm lah overdosed pls, rasanya rather than causing inconvenience distracting opposite sex lebih causing kemudaratan scent receptors orang awam kot). anyway my point being: say Islam doesnt care about appearances, then I think the rule yang "sebaik-baik person to lead prayers is someone yang baik bacaan" is invalid, i mean for someone to jadi imam please lah at least tahu baca surah kan? and im pretty sure baik bacaan kinda merangkumi kesedapan mendengar juga. im sure there has been some point dengar orang baca Quran and terasyik sekejap sebab sedap, ala bukan Quran je, lagu pun essentially a collection of sound pitches in a rhythm and there is a reason why you like what you like but that is another story. i know i have a soft spot for Surah Ar-Rahman, qari mana baca surah tu dengan feel skit i dah meleleh airmata involuntarily boleh tak, i sendiri baca pun sebak tapi dengan penuh egonya cover depan orang omg. so anyway, my point is being presentable i think memang ditekankan in Islam but for some reason people dont emphasis on it enough? likewise im pretty convinced that being Muslim bukan a reason to put self grooming last.

4) ok ini bukan point, just nak letak this video compilation yang i think agak cool:

the actual recitation starts at 0:34

i baru first time dengar some of the qaris' names and i can safely say:

1. confirm ternangis dengar Kamal Uddin's Ar-Rahman (typical!!!) first time pun nangis cana nih!! abis aa u Kamal.

2. Al-Ghamidi's voice memang sentiasa dengar di mana-mana, so his voice type memang dah stuck in my head

3. Ahmad Saud being a boy, haruslah his pitch menusuk maximum and his rhythm pun sangat nottttt bad at all, way to go kid!

4. Mishary has -such- an unassuming voice (first time dengar ni). its like, i can imagine him inviting people to get to know the religion with that voice. i imagine him as someone forgiving with that voice!

5. Gotta love number's 4's *dramatic super* A'uzubillah and Bismillah lol

6. Ahmed Ajmi - first time dengar juga- purely biased but i think the ayats he recites bagi macam its meant as a reminder for Muslims. i can imagine him saying 'jom ah wei gi masjid, jom aa' for some reason.

7. Ash-Shatri (first time dengar juga) - dia cm taking his own sweet time and fully feeling the moment as he recites, his voice macam reflect the guy yg doing his own thing kat sekolah menengah yang tak semua orang faham tapi get along well with him in a good light anyway.

8. Imam Fadel pun first time i dengar, he recites it like he's dedicating it to someone. a bit like Marc Anthony dedicating My Baby You to his daughter feel to it.

telinga i suka buat cerita tau. or more accurately, my brain suka associate sounds with feelings tau. lol aktif betul dia kini

myra pls tidur, jangan bangun tengahari lagi macam orang jet lag and water retention air travel. kasihan my kidneys. less sleep makes me want to write! my body clock is again broken lol *goes to happy place*

hey it aint easy ok. <--emo tetiba lol

subuh masuk pukul 345 ish, maghrib pukul 9. kadang2 stay up terus after isya' sebab terus sahur because isya' pun pukul 1025 masuk, lepas makan untuk buka confirm terbongkang and nak tidur. kadang2 memang tertidur terus kadang2 terjaga and kengkabut nak sahur. nak tidur terus kesian kt suami yang bekerja rasa bersalah tak tata dia pegi kerja tapi kadang2 terlepas juga sebab mimpi i dah bangun from katil and jalan2 dalam rumah suma lol. agak kronik. dia yg bekerja lagi kena adjust to this so i biar je dia tidur after working hours. meanwhile apa i buat? kadang2 struggle nak tidur time dia tidur sebab kejap lagi aku jugak yg kena masak, kang terlepas kang naya sama2 takde food buka hahahaha tidak bijak ya. kalau makanan tada siap takpe jugak lol. harus pukul 7ish start masak sebab kalau time hujung2 Asar memang paling ultimate lembik maka kena distract diri dengan aktiviti selain tv dan angry birds lol. of course time tu hidung tajam - hidu skit tau masin ke tak so memang the best time to deal with it. and then there's some magic yang happen to cooks yg masak - tak rasa selapar orang yang makan our food. so whats the point i lembik hujung Asar again? Willow pun dah dapat cage setting baru sebab i -had- to focus on something hands on and not read anymore and constantly dikacau oleh diri ini lol, dia juga dapat banyak sayuran. aku sahur dia makan, aku buka dia makan, aku puasa pun dia makan juga pastu ngendeng2 macam tak makan. cisss. exercise tak mau, tapi kena exercise. now at least dah pandai berlegar2 and lompat from couch to the ground (ada cushion) and make her way back masuk cage. at least dia lebih fit dari dulu omg sangat penuh macam alien. "kita bela alien wak" i called Pojan once and he was like -what- is she talking about lol. (Willow tu guinea pig btw)

pastu rezeki kitorg our friends ajak buka kt rumah diorg, considering diorg non-Muslim non-Malaysian and sanggup get us halal meat and masak for us agak sweet. so we stayed on and paid our social visit sebab dah lama tak hang dengan diorang, i'm glad we did :) lepas ni macam kena return the favour haha, haruslah perhati selera makan sorang2 and notice what's the best dish to cook :D cuma during or after bulan puasa is the question lol.

ok sekarang dah pukul 738 pagi, i must pergi tidur or kalau body refuse to tidur i ajak encik suami pegi carboot sale, segar skit (ye ke? typing pun dah tersalah2, sila sedar diri)

ah! kena call rumah! ok ok harini kena call

tataaa

*krooohhh*

Victoria Beckham Muslimah Fashion Sense

2011-08-05T13:14:00.006+01:00

I've always liked Posh Spice and have always seen her in a good light, she looks all cold and tak senyum but i think she has really kind eyes.

Ok camni, pada satu hari I menggatal lagi mengada nak tengok2 jenis handbag apa i like, because for some reason i dont know what type of bag i like sebab im just comfortable with what i have. but i bore in mind kot2 one day ada rezeki, at least i have to know taste diri sendiri. but bags are so tricky, lagi dahsyat from pilih kasut.

I know kasut is tricky for me sebab kulit kakiku senang sangat bertanda, my center of gravity isnt great sampai pakai flats pun boleh terpeleot and dua reasons tu je enough to deter me untuk try and beli kasut huhu. so amazingly in this house i have 5 pairs: the very lusuh black leather shoes for quick outings, the brown leather mary janes yg multipurposely smart casual, sport shoes for both walking on trails and squash, leather sandals yg cantik tapi baru pakai 2 kali and kasut kahwin yg bawa je just in case kena pakai hehehe. so as you can see banyak leather sebab itu yg my kaki can more or less tahan.

Bags are waaaay more difficult for me but so far my guideline ialah something busy looking or shiny sebab most of my baju are neutral colors (tak membantu sebab i tend to not like them at first glance). tapi so far tak pernah beli beg lagi sejak kahwin lol. beg luggage ada la, not beg tangan.

ok so while the mengada phase was on, i went thru designer websites sebab selalunya the inspired versions of those bags yg banyak ada pun. so i went thru Vic Beck's page and i found myself -loving- these designs: (these are from Autumn/Winter 2011 collection btw)

i just went omg cantiknyaaaa and i love the idea of high boots and dress monochrome macam ni

and of course i suka tengok skirt with pleats/godet yg flowy:

then i cant help but notice maybe VB is trying to cater Muslimah fashion yg sleek.

i can just say i like!

and then, tak lama kemudian i saw a lot of these on facebook:

gotta say i love it, it's multipurpose:

it can be smart, it can be casual, it has room for movement

perhaps Victoria was indeed trying to cater for Muslims :)

perhaps bukan dia yang start pun but it caught on

who knows~

yang penting i like! hahaha

ada eh tajwid ni

2011-08-05T11:10:00.007+01:00

Ijah, i owe this post to u hihi

Ok there is a whole realm of tajwid ilmus that reaaally nitpick your skill on using your mouth. serious it is tough (for me at least). for instance:

Hukum Ra

The letter Ra, nampak je chill satu curve 2/8th of a circle mcm tu, but my God tahu tak ada beza nak baca huruf Ra? serious ada sangat banyak hukum Ra but i'll just type out what i know akibat ditegur sejuta kali oleh ibu lol. especially when disabdukan with the previous huruf. it all depends on which huruf and what baris, but essentially the two ways are: tebal n nipis.

Nipis Ra sounds like the sound you make when you say biri-biri in a high pitch voice (think chipmunk voice).

Tebal Ra sounds like the r when you say a very long, sarcastic rrrrriiiiiggghhhhttttttt. or the normal Ro we say when Ra baris atas lol.

may i remind you there are many rules concerning Ra and i dont know all of them, i just bgtau what i know ok?

ok!

observe:

the familiar Al-Fatihah

Tebal Ra is used when Ra baris atas or depan like the 7 places in Al-Fatihah

(basically the first 7 Ra from the top)

Nipis Ra is used when the Ra baris bawah like in Ghairil maghdhuu, nipis Ra takes a lot of practice to get it right without going high pitch tiba2 lol. so its nipis but normal pitch. i have to consciously not pout like Tebal Ra and put on smiley lips and sebut the Ra.

sometimes i just try not to pout when i have to recite Nipis Ra to differentiate because nanti i annoyed sorang2 for not getting it right after so many tries, and not say birrrrrrrii sambil pout on the R. just a humble birri. mmg uji kesabaran. i'm letting you know now Nipis Ra is quite hard for me.

sometimes i dont notice the difference maybe because i know they are huruf Ra and tak tukar meaning <---ayat sedapkan hati yang tak patut diikut. obviously i need to pay more attention to fine tune my inner visual Quran (sila tengok teori syok sendiriku below)

Nak lantun ke tak nak:

this isnt so much of susah nak praktikkan but more of remembering to do it.

when any of these huruf dimatikan: Qaf, Tho, Ba, Jim, Dal (ini semua huruf qalqalah ye) you lantun the sound.

like in Falaq: Falaq-uh.

like in Ajma'in: Ajuh-maiin

like in Balad: Balad-uh

right?

so its good to remind ourselves the rest of the hurufs jangan lantun okay~ like in Ayat Kursi's Lahuu maa fissamaa waa tiwamaafil ardh. pls jangan lantun the ardh. finish and absorb the sound and dont reflect it sebab sifat huruf Dhot isnt meant to be lantun-ed like Dal. because if you do, it doesnt mean Earth (Ardh) anymore sebab the dhot is substituted with dal, yes?

also, there are differences when huruf qalqalah wakaf with a mati or with a sabdu, like in the familiar Surah Al-Masadd

right, there is a difference of how you bunyikan huruf Ba at the end of ayat 1 and ayat 2.

and the reason for that is because of the sabdu and mati sign on the Ba.

in ayat 2 its: wa maa kasab(-buh) right? standard matikan huruf qalqalah

but in ayat 1, make sure you do it correctly: laha biwwa tab*pause*(buh). the timing is important. and when you pause dont inhale or exhale, just hold and make it obvious. tapi jangan over plak (i love the tendency lol)

i have this theory as to when someone recites the Quran to me, a good bacaan would be when i can easily understand and somewhat write the ayat in my head what huruf and what dictation on each huruf, sabdu ke mati etc very clearly from what i listen.

so by pausing, you're telling me there is a sabdu on the Ba and you celebrate the essence of the sabdu on the Ba. coz if not, i would think it a Ba yg dimatikan semata. this is also why it is good to double check what Surahs you hafal by reading the baris dictations :) like in the ending part of Ayat Kursi's Walaa ya uu duhuu hif zhuHuma (big H for H simpul to differentiate on typing since they're close together), i dulu slalu ingat the small Ha was a Kha. padahal its a Ha. things like that yg i think elok we keep referring to an authentic text.

again in the last ayat in Surah Al-Masadd small ha and Ha simpul are next to each other, so be sure to make the distinction :D

ok cukup 2 topic :)

Linguistic side of Makhraj

2011-08-05T08:26:00.012+01:00

**this is a technical post, practical but requires much much effort**

*skip to red line for the actual point*

I took linguistics modules when I was in med schoolbecause I didn't want to deal with more sciences and think more about heavy subjects. And the fact i'm pretty good with makhraj in most languages didn't hurt too hihihi. Easy A di situ to boost my GPA wahaha

Since it was a natural part of my hearing, i pick up syntaxes and personal pitches and tones of everyone i meet and lovingly ajuk them if needs be hihihi. of course tak semua menjadi but if i hear it often enough i definitely can fake their phone voice (kalau perempuan). i can bunyi mcm my guinea pig for crying out loud. this is also why i can probably sing out loud every iklan i have listened a lot to especially if they're catchy lol. tiba2 iteringat Liza's eternal love for Yusof Tayyub's iklan lol. serious marketing that one lol. peace Liza!

And so especially for refining bacaan Quran, added to my inability to switch off trying not to notice how to produce sound in accuracies, you could say i have had a hard time resisting to correct others fully aware sometimes people are not ready to learn. so i had to learn how to shut my trap unless it makes a huge huge difference to themeaning.

Alors (French!), behold the anatomy of speech. seriously, this will help you configure where the sound comes from:

Arabic is a unique language because it uses the whole of the oral cavity as well as the throat. this means throat at the back, lips at the very front and everything in between. you could say it is agak perfect except for its inability to naturally produce the P sound (banyak lagi sounds yg other languages ada but for us yg cakap Melayu itu yg paling prominent, like they have no /ʒ/ sound in the English word vision and in the French bonjour). Have you heard a native Arab speaker say Pepsi? Always substituting P for B. they call it Bebsi. i kid you not. so you could always tell this person is either from UAE or Egypt or Sudan ygendemic bahasa Arab without asking them hihihihi.

Melayu sesungguhnya bahasa yang paling mudah di dunia. Pronounce exactly how you see it printed, save the un-baku sound natives usually have. Like kiter sound instead of kita with a bold a, maybe the younger generation of Singapore speak baku Malay but it sounds janggal when practiced in Malaysia lol. Having said that spoken Malay is almost a totally different language written but I have met people who write beautiful Malay(Xora and Lady Noe notably) and totally captivating but very hard (for me) to produce.

English is very much borrowed from other languages and suka hati dia adapt the whole word's spelling and how to pronounce lol. And it differs greatly from region to region. Menangis kawan Irish ku dengar Malaysian cakap Manglish. "I know you're speaking English but I dont understand any of it, why does it sound so different?" looool. And compare je American English and British English: the Brits prefer describing with as many adjectives and wit as possible while Americans prefer saying it as it is but their tone makes them sound with extra conviction.

Japanese (and Hungarian) unique skit sebab their verb (kata kerja) is at the end of a sentence rather than in the middle. Also native Japanese usually have a 'higher' voice meaning the source of the push of air when they speak are not from the abdomen or even chest voice (British especially have the air coming from chest/abdomen and they sound 'lower' in terms of speech). so if you catch a native Japanese speaking English, notice the shift in terms of where the air is primarily from.

sorry i memang cinta technicalities in languages, skit punya panjang intro lol.

back to bahasa Arab, this chart shows where the sounds of the huruf come from, with the obvious exception of LamAlif yg macam Lam:

ok so from this chart we can deduce:

1) why Japanese and Chinese have difficulty differentiating L and R because essentially they originate from the same spot (alveolar), R rolls the tongue, L works at the side of the tongue.

2) the small Ha /ħ/ (ha yg closer to kha) is higher in position than Ha simpul. this means by right that the sound that should be produced, find lower source of air when you have to recite Ha simpul. if all else fails, lower the pitch to differentiate the two Has. I always thought small Ha is the default Ha and Ha simpul is deeper, but rupa-rupanya the defaultHa is Ha simpul /h/and this verified by the linguistics chart yeay lol. and small Ha is higher: kinda like the tiny tiny ahhh~ when you buat bunyi puasnya minum air sejuk. small Ha is softer and closer to Kha. and Ha simpul is the average sound when you say hahaha.

3) The letter Zal /ð/is the sound you produce with the word The. so: Thaa, Thee, Thuu. Where as Tha /θ/is the sound at the end of teeth. so a different Thaa, Thee, Thuu

4) my mom told me most people have difficulty with huruf2 yang tebal, like Dhot, Sodh especially when Ghin is thrown in together. i have no problems with them and of course i had fun making my smug face in front of my mom yg cuba cover kagum. hahaha. tapi of course i have other kelemahans yang pasti kena gelak max for instance i sukkaaaaa panjangkan mad asli sebab tak sempat intai what the next kalimah is and so compensate la konon2. and its REALLY hard to break habit itu omg so i have to pay special attention to mad aslis, and let me tell you although you already know, betapa banyaknya mad asli dalam Quran. dush dush. ok so anyway, if ada masalah with the huruf2 tebal it just means the gliding from one region of the mouth isnt as smooth and the great news is: the tongue is made of muscle so the more you use it the easier it gets :) this is also why mengaji makes you tired and rather not say anything after that because it uses the whole oral cavity and its tires muscles out. and the physical kelapangan in the chest you feel is from correct usage of the mouth and air dynamics flow from the correctness. it is safe to say the more correct it is, the better you feel (tapi initially akan penat super). so keep correcting!

5) When ada Hamzah dimatikan like in Surah Yaasiin:

In ayat 7, there is Fahum laa yu' minuun. the u' /ʔ/ sound is similar to some British accents saying Sa'urday rather than Saturday.

6) my singing teacher (yes i took singing lessons to improve my confidence and understand more about sound production, bukan untuk masuk pertandingan OR sing depan sapa2 in case you have ideas lol) says my biggest difficulty is opening my mouth sebab i dont bring my jaw down enough out of habit and so the sound is trapped rather than dilontarkan out. and that is why some people have difficulty hearing me speak on top of being reserved on initial meet-up. and incidentally i wake up every day with a sore jaw sebab i push my teeth together for some reason, sakit tau. so now im trying to redirect the muscle tension lower so i have better posture and make my jaws hurt less itu sebenarnya motif sebenar.

maybe these points might make you notice how you use your mouth :)

Tajwid yang asyik lupa

2011-08-03T17:40:00.015+01:00

Ok, ada this hukum tajwid yang for some reason in my whole life sangat susah nak ingat apa jumpa apa yg require the Nun sound in between although there is no apparent Nun.

so this post is an attempt untuk brand this tajwid in my brain supaya ingat forever.

Ok, here's the deal. Apabila (yes! sooo kelas agama when you say apabila kan? lol). Apabila tanwin jumpa hamzah wasal or alif lam, you add in a nun baris bawah sound in between. It is called Nun Iwadh (or Iwad) or Nun Pengganti or Nun Wiqaayah. I suka hati refer to it as the add-on Nun few seconds ago sebab i keep forgetting is it tanwin jumpa any sabdu in front of it regardless of the huruf. i've been over this over and over throughout years and i always have to look it up sebab i keep forgetting this particular one.

ok so its like this, the blue shaded area. excuse the inability to speak on a blog, spelling is only way it works. it is not mathalal-qaumullazi. it is mathalaNIL-qaumullazi. you could see the pencilled in Nun. so in this case it is tanwin with hamzah wasal (the squiggle macam kepala Sidh on the Alif). This is from Surah Al-Araf:177.

likewise, focus on the blue area, the correct way to read it is maNIL-lahu instead of mollohu (ok standard spelling is mallahu tapi the thickness has to be there). This is from Al-Araaf:164. Also, because ada a little Lam-alif superscript kat situ, you cant main tipu and stop at maa, and sambung Allah. so that is how you read it: manillaahu.

and the term nun add-on yg i sukahati came up with is misleading. sebab the reason why nun is used as a replacement is because in tanwins dah memang ada bunyi nun (an, in, un) not because grammar apparently, its just easier to say and the nun is there.

once again:

ini hamzah wasal, the one in the red circle.

ok ka? ok ka? pls jangan asyik lupa apa jumpa apa mcm i.

oh also, (indulge me since im in the mood to write) say there it is the starting of an ayat. or you stop somewhere permissable to stop and figured its ok untuk tidak ulang previous kalimahs (kalimah itu is like a visual cluster of arabic hurufs grouped together) and go straight ahead, tiba the first huruf takde baris. just a hamzah wasal instead. how to start? begini ya (lol so kelas agama man):

Al-Ahqaaf 46:4

For this ayat, you start with alif baris depan. so its Uu' tuu nii. why? because the third huruf from the beginning is Ta and the Ta baris depan. it depends on the third huruf.

so its like this rulingnya:

if the Ta was baris atas or baris bawah, you read it as Ii' taa nii or Ii' tii nii depending.

if the Ta has baris depan like this, it is Uu' tuu nii

however, if the beginning of the kalimah is alif lam, automatic you read as Al, like so:

Al-Kahfi 18:1

so its Alhamdulillahillazi sebab its alif lam.

like Al-Fatihah 1:2's Alhamdulillahirabbil'alamin

(did you notice Al-fatihah's the only surah yg include Bismillahirahmannirahim as one ayat?)

so what about this one?:

Surah At-Taubah 9:80

jawapannya..

Istaghfirlahum

not astaghfirlahum or ustaghfirlahum

because the third huruf, which is again a Ta, baris atas so you read the alif as baris bawah.

ok tamat berblogging, sekian terima kasih :D

pls jangan asyik lupa like moi

i had to resort to my tactile learning tendencies to make it stick

let it stick!

forevaaahhh

wishlist

2011-08-01T09:54:00.002+01:00

1. sesapa untuk cipta mesin melipat baju sebab laundry is the one thing yang never ending dan banyak stage, PLEASE!!

2. audio CD Adele, both! we went to kedai music secondhand and found the latest cds waaaay more expensive than the older ones! (Ace of Base 99p, Avril 99p, compilation cds pun ada 99p harus cari lagu driving tak mengantuk!)

3. for a certain Stuart to make his decisions quick!! balik from your cuti cepat and TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO HEAR!!!!! (awak jgn gelak pls!)

4. for the incredible potted plantlife growth to stay! we have 2 of the bluebell yg tak blue (tapi red and yellow instead) sprouting new flowers after the last one, 2 pots orange flowers yg macam a cross between chrysanthemum and daisy, the shrinking basil (lol) yang macam willow sorang makan, spring onion yg gembira dalam botol, beige carnation yg ada 4 chunky new buds anddddddddddddddd our very own kentang farm in a pot yg berkembang pesat its scary tak tipu. oh and lengkuas who isnt very happy with british weather tapi still ada pucuk. daun kari didnt survive our crazy feat lol.

5. for everyone to have a blessed Ramadhan :) Ramadhan always makes me happy, and somehow lighter and the airy feel :)

Conflict - continued

2011-07-29T13:17:00.003+01:00

Being flexible - as in campak mana-mana boleh hidup, it used to sound like something good. As in duduk mana-mana pun boleh survive. Boleh dibawa ke tengah ke tepi, tada hal punya. Survival is a good step to have.

Now i just think as long as you have your own standards and not easily swayed by others, be lah flexible all you want. It means you can adapt well... rather than merely surviving.

That being diplomatic is also the same as being flexible. You can easily adopt different views on the same topic, and often the worst case scenario is: you can't decide whose view is most sensible. and it leaves you confused on how the unlikeliest things come together and they both made sense. and that's when you have to start being critical and argue what principle is of utmost importance and how to discredit the other side. and you go crazy sorang2. sigh. so tiring.
and you carry the confusion around and walking around lost. haiya.

kesimpulannya, self-esteem yang paling penting in taking charge of your own life. sila enrich kehidupan dengan self-esteem ya.

dush dush

on a different note, i found a nice way to bersyukur in taking the right path but you want more: think back when you were at the crossroads in life..and really envision yourself taking the other way and what would it be like now. really think about every day life would be like versus now.

i found i wouldn't let go of this one :)

and more will come for me insyaAllah, all i need is patience and faith.

happy place

2011-07-28T08:07:00.007+01:00

from a family friends' current status : 2 days to go

lol
hang in there Jannah!

too hilarious
courtesy of her siblings, apparently lol

gives me a new meaning to being stressed

*goes to happy place*
loooooool

Conflict

2011-07-27T09:37:00.006+01:00

lately everything around me is screaming how desperately i need standards of my own. everything is a reminder of how i abide by the mould that has already been set and that mould and i do not agree with each other.

i read on someone's status today how happiness is a decision rather than a condition. how i try to remind myself of that and insist i live by my own definition of happiness. i set the rules with my life.

clearly i'm not succeeding. lol. boleh tak i kick myself mentally for feeling guilty i cant accelerate anything i cant control because i feel like waiting is sucking out all the patience i have left.

how is it possible to feel helpless when you have all the support in the world.

everytime i start to wallow inside, i have to remind myself that despair is a sin.

i must continue to hope.

i must take charge of my own life.

patience, hope.

how can you not try after this??

2011-07-22T21:15:00.004+01:00

i saw this ad on tv hari tu, serious guling2 gelak sorang2. and today Pojan and i searched for it on youtube sebab lawak sangat i HAD to make him watch. turns out sangat BANYAK iklan2 dia.

the guy reminds of a masculine, smooth version of Lorelai Gilmore. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

WATCH IT and then read below!

and then

and then

had enough yet?? menyampah tak?? tapi attractive at the same time! hahahaha

for some reason his aku-tahu-aku-hot isnt a turn off! it works for him.
lol oh lawaknya mamat ni

ok ok last2 and then go search lagi hahahaha

Menyampah but somehow nak try kan??? SERIOUS nak try! HAHAHAHAHAHA its a mixture of No, i dont want him to smell like you! tapi there's lets see if he really does smell good with what you have there. BONGOK!!!! marketing daku terpedaya!!! ciisss!!!!! hahahahahaha

absolute genius to whoever came up with the concept!!! hahahahaha