Arrival at Attaturk Airport
Making the rounds on our 1st day here :D
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Of turkish delight & baklava
Salam from all of us in Istanbul..
Arrival at Attaturk Airport
Making the rounds on our 1st day here :D
Arrival at Attaturk Airport
Making the rounds on our 1st day here :D
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Nearing year's end
The new year is coming, both lunar & georgian, and i'm going like.. say what?
The year's really coming to a close, though it feels like only yesterday i was ushering in 1430/2009. is it bcos i'm older that the days seem to flash by faster than a shikanzen? how is it that i'm already in december when i have such vague recollection of going through the rest of the year? how come 12 months have almost passed and i havent done anything truly & deeply meaningful? how can i be squandering such precious time when time is the very thing i'm running out of?
Sheessh i dunno.
But its still coming, regardless. and again, resolutions will abound and although many will wither & die, thats just the way it is.
For the muslims, the maal hijrah will be upon us very soon and usually in the mad rush of our daily lives, it fails to leave us with that much of an impact. thing is, we're actually pretty lucky to be celebrating 2 new years almost back to back.. both a part of what we are & equally important :)
As usual, as a reminder to myself & family, i'm putting up again the new year duas. although there are those who consider it bid'ah, personally i consider it as any other dua seeking the mercy & benevolence of the AlMighty.
Lets usher in the new year with renewed faith & hope and just try to be the best that we can be, at any level, at any age :)
Selamat Menyambut Maal Hijrah 1431, semoga dilimpahi nikmat & berkat.
The year's really coming to a close, though it feels like only yesterday i was ushering in 1430/2009. is it bcos i'm older that the days seem to flash by faster than a shikanzen? how is it that i'm already in december when i have such vague recollection of going through the rest of the year? how come 12 months have almost passed and i havent done anything truly & deeply meaningful? how can i be squandering such precious time when time is the very thing i'm running out of?
Sheessh i dunno.
But its still coming, regardless. and again, resolutions will abound and although many will wither & die, thats just the way it is.
For the muslims, the maal hijrah will be upon us very soon and usually in the mad rush of our daily lives, it fails to leave us with that much of an impact. thing is, we're actually pretty lucky to be celebrating 2 new years almost back to back.. both a part of what we are & equally important :)
As usual, as a reminder to myself & family, i'm putting up again the new year duas. although there are those who consider it bid'ah, personally i consider it as any other dua seeking the mercy & benevolence of the AlMighty.
Doa Akhir Tahun
Dibaca menjelang akhir tahun baru Islam, sesudah asar atau sebelum maghrib pada 29 atau 30 Dzulhijah.
Doa Awal Tahun
Bacalah doa ini saat kita memasuki 1 Muharam. lakukan selepas maghrib atau pun sesudahnya.
Lets usher in the new year with renewed faith & hope and just try to be the best that we can be, at any level, at any age :)
Selamat Menyambut Maal Hijrah 1431, semoga dilimpahi nikmat & berkat.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Another flat
What is it with me & tyres?!! i seem to have the knack for coming up with flats every now and then.
I was at the immigration office earlier this morning. being early, there was plenty of parking space at the otherwise congested pkns complex. and even though the line at the immigration counter was long (as expected since its the school hols) at least it was moving and i got myself a number by 8am. since i wasnt making a new application and was just renewing my passport, the officers told me that i could also use the kiosk provided. and after they reassured me i wont be floundering about like a stupid idiot bcos there would be an officer there to assist me, i happily made my way there (i usually avoid using auto-machines bcos i get flustered so easily.. what to do, i'm a technology impaired makcik lol).
True enough it took me less then 15 mins to settle my application (there were just 4 people before me) and my new passport would be ready for pick-up after 2 hours.
Wow, this was actually turning out to be not as bad as i'd expected..... or so i thought.
After that things started going downhill. to start with, i found out i didnt have any change whatsoever in my purse except for some coins. zilch, nada, nothing. the kids must've drained all the small change from me over the weekend. not wanting to get stuck at the auto-pay machine, i bought some nasi lemak & kueh so that i could break my fifty. luck would have it, i ended up with a lot of tens and only 1 ringgit.. and the friggin' machine wouldnt accept any of my RM10 bill no matter how many times i tried!! the manual kiosk wasnt open so i went over to McD to break my ten and finally managed to settle my parking fees.
By then i was well on the way to feeling pissed with the world. i'd just escaped from one of the most suffocating places around (read: immigration office during the hols) and the running about & frustration with the parking ticket was making me all sweaty & tired. and when i neared my car and saw the flat tyre, heck, i just felt like dropping everything (my documents, nasi lemak, kueh, juice) and either scream my lungs out or bawl my head off or both!!
Maybe i should get me on of these run-flat tyres.... so can aah abe hehehe?
Of course i did neither (i wish i could've though, i probably would've drawn quite a crowd.. weh makcik giler weh lol). instead i just slowly drove the car to a nearby workshop and had it fixed.. it wasnt the 'totally-unsaveable-and-irrevocably-flat' kind, just 'flat' if you know what i mean.
Unlike the other times when there's always this unmistakeable screw or nail jutting out in all of its glory, this time they had to investigate.. ntah mane2 la tersodoknye paku tu.
And all that hassle & heartache for only RM 5!!
Haaish.
Thats me and my tyres. we have this love hate thing going on lol.
I was at the immigration office earlier this morning. being early, there was plenty of parking space at the otherwise congested pkns complex. and even though the line at the immigration counter was long (as expected since its the school hols) at least it was moving and i got myself a number by 8am. since i wasnt making a new application and was just renewing my passport, the officers told me that i could also use the kiosk provided. and after they reassured me i wont be floundering about like a stupid idiot bcos there would be an officer there to assist me, i happily made my way there (i usually avoid using auto-machines bcos i get flustered so easily.. what to do, i'm a technology impaired makcik lol).
True enough it took me less then 15 mins to settle my application (there were just 4 people before me) and my new passport would be ready for pick-up after 2 hours.
Wow, this was actually turning out to be not as bad as i'd expected..... or so i thought.
After that things started going downhill. to start with, i found out i didnt have any change whatsoever in my purse except for some coins. zilch, nada, nothing. the kids must've drained all the small change from me over the weekend. not wanting to get stuck at the auto-pay machine, i bought some nasi lemak & kueh so that i could break my fifty. luck would have it, i ended up with a lot of tens and only 1 ringgit.. and the friggin' machine wouldnt accept any of my RM10 bill no matter how many times i tried!! the manual kiosk wasnt open so i went over to McD to break my ten and finally managed to settle my parking fees.
By then i was well on the way to feeling pissed with the world. i'd just escaped from one of the most suffocating places around (read: immigration office during the hols) and the running about & frustration with the parking ticket was making me all sweaty & tired. and when i neared my car and saw the flat tyre, heck, i just felt like dropping everything (my documents, nasi lemak, kueh, juice) and either scream my lungs out or bawl my head off or both!!
Maybe i should get me on of these run-flat tyres.... so can aah abe hehehe?
Of course i did neither (i wish i could've though, i probably would've drawn quite a crowd.. weh makcik giler weh lol). instead i just slowly drove the car to a nearby workshop and had it fixed.. it wasnt the 'totally-unsaveable-and-irrevocably-flat' kind, just 'flat' if you know what i mean.
Unlike the other times when there's always this unmistakeable screw or nail jutting out in all of its glory, this time they had to investigate.. ntah mane2 la tersodoknye paku tu.
And all that hassle & heartache for only RM 5!!
Haaish.
Thats me and my tyres. we have this love hate thing going on lol.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Pics of the run
I was at RunWitMe's blog (again lol) and look at what i found...
Finally some pics of me actually running... yup thats me at the back hehehe ;)
And a few others..
The lady with no. D001. we 'bumped' into each other at the foot of the dreaded hill and sorta egged each other on. we met again later & she told me she came in 10th.. congrats :D
There was this friendly guy who was sweet enuf to throw me encouraging words as he passed.. not really sure if this is him but he was wearing a red tee n a cap. sure wish there were more people like him around :D
I passed this tall sweet girl along the stretch of warehouses and wondered why she was using the C no. tag.. her daddy's perhaps?
Thx a bunch RWM for letting me cilok these from ur vault :P
Finally some pics of me actually running... yup thats me at the back hehehe ;)
And a few others..
The lady with no. D001. we 'bumped' into each other at the foot of the dreaded hill and sorta egged each other on. we met again later & she told me she came in 10th.. congrats :D
There was this friendly guy who was sweet enuf to throw me encouraging words as he passed.. not really sure if this is him but he was wearing a red tee n a cap. sure wish there were more people like him around :D
I passed this tall sweet girl along the stretch of warehouses and wondered why she was using the C no. tag.. her daddy's perhaps?
Thx a bunch RWM for letting me cilok these from ur vault :P
Friday, December 11, 2009
Larian Rakyat
I'm thinking this might actually be the first larian held in conjunction with the sultan selangor's birthday. i might be wrong though. i just cant seem to recall it ever happening but then i'm just too lazy to confirm it (read: google lol).
I was anticipating some sort of congestion going into I-City, it was after all on top of a hill with single access/exit (almost like a fortress).. but the way was clear. although we were not actually what you would call early, we found a good parking space anyway.
There was already a sea of people in the courtyard and as usual i just squeezed my way thru whatever opening i could find and made my way to the start area. this time i was alone, my running buddy AZ had, in all likelihood, overslept lol.
When the MB gunned us off, the sun was already way up high promising, among other things, a really 'hot' run. thru enough before long i was feeling like a sizzling pancake lol. i always thought a flat route would be best for running but i soon found out that an undulating surface actually helps in taking away some of the monotony.
With AH my lil santa helper & AI, my chariot operator lol.
Heat has always been my greatest enemy but surprise, surprise this makcik didnt do too badly. even with the killer hill towards the end, i made 8th place in the veteran women's category!! of course the absence of the usual kl crowd must have greatly contributed to it but heck, i'll take it any which way hehehe ;p
Cert, medal & overnite bag, courtesy of tourism selangor.
Btw, check out this cool video of the run by a fellow blogger, RunWitMe (thx RMW & hope its ok).
Workout Log
AM - 7km/LRakyat
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
I-City
I never really gave it much thought and its only recently that i realised it's actually in shah alam (shame on me) lol but if the write up is to be believed, I-City's going to be quite a big thing :)
Its a beautiful place.. well at least its a great improvement from the previous FRC furniture complex, but the skeptic in me is still alive & kicking so we'll see what happens. theres just so many of the white elephants around la... but just for the record, i really dont mind being proven wrong ;)
Picked up my 'goodie' bag (just tee & number tag) around 11.15am and there was just this other guy (who also looks like he's in the veteran category) and a family of 4. the organizers were as laid back as they sounded on the phone, the tshirts were in bundles still and no effort had been made to at least hang them up to help with determining the sizes. initially there was a slight hiccup with my pick-up.. seems that my receipt alone wasnt good enough. bcos i registered at tourism selangor, my borang was not with them, yet, and if i could please wait till their staff arrived from the office, they'll try to settle the matter (wtf?). well it was almost 11.30 by that time and they were supposed to be open from 11am - 7pm so the usually 'tak pe' me wasnt really in the mood to be accomodating.
After insisting they do something about it, the more senior of the two finally took my receipt & gave me what i was there for.
Haa.. kan senang tu.
With the borang screw up, I probably wont be eligible for the lucky draw or something but its ok bcos i can live with that :)
Do take care if you're making your way there. if you're a 1st timer there isnt really much in the way of road signs to help you out. and the main entrance into I-city is temporarily closed for , i dunno, some kind of surface maintenance or something (mcm xde time lain) so you'll just have to deal with the make-do access. and look for a shop lot with 'event' over it.. its just across another shop lot called 'orange', kalau makcik ni tak silap la ;)
Oh and btw.. as of 3.30pm today my echa hanis will be a 'free' girl heheheheh. it's her last spm paper today and for now the girl & her mama can relax ;D
Its a beautiful place.. well at least its a great improvement from the previous FRC furniture complex, but the skeptic in me is still alive & kicking so we'll see what happens. theres just so many of the white elephants around la... but just for the record, i really dont mind being proven wrong ;)
Picked up my 'goodie' bag (just tee & number tag) around 11.15am and there was just this other guy (who also looks like he's in the veteran category) and a family of 4. the organizers were as laid back as they sounded on the phone, the tshirts were in bundles still and no effort had been made to at least hang them up to help with determining the sizes. initially there was a slight hiccup with my pick-up.. seems that my receipt alone wasnt good enough. bcos i registered at tourism selangor, my borang was not with them, yet, and if i could please wait till their staff arrived from the office, they'll try to settle the matter (wtf?). well it was almost 11.30 by that time and they were supposed to be open from 11am - 7pm so the usually 'tak pe' me wasnt really in the mood to be accomodating.
After insisting they do something about it, the more senior of the two finally took my receipt & gave me what i was there for.
Haa.. kan senang tu.
With the borang screw up, I probably wont be eligible for the lucky draw or something but its ok bcos i can live with that :)
Do take care if you're making your way there. if you're a 1st timer there isnt really much in the way of road signs to help you out. and the main entrance into I-city is temporarily closed for , i dunno, some kind of surface maintenance or something (mcm xde time lain) so you'll just have to deal with the make-do access. and look for a shop lot with 'event' over it.. its just across another shop lot called 'orange', kalau makcik ni tak silap la ;)
Oh and btw.. as of 3.30pm today my echa hanis will be a 'free' girl heheheheh. it's her last spm paper today and for now the girl & her mama can relax ;D
Sunday, December 6, 2009
A dedication
..to golfman who's stuck in his office finishing up on some report or other, ON A SUNDAY!!! and who also still cant figure out how to post a comment on my blog hehehe.. no worries yang, i bet its your security setting and the 'dinding berapi2' there ;)
This one's for you babe mwaaah3x
Take care you, just 2 more weeks ;D
This one's for you babe mwaaah3x
Take care you, just 2 more weeks ;D
It drizzled this morning but i still made my way to the dataran. my sunday's not complete w/out the butt shakin' session with my buddies lol. the mbsa team was already there setting up the sound system but there wasnt any sign of the instructor. now that didnt bode well for the bunch of us. w/out him, there wouldnt be any ass bustin' butt shakin' earth moving (as in mak2-gajah-trampling-about-god's-earth kind lol) fun time!!
We waited and waited and waited summore... until a group of poco-poco enthusiast decided to fill in the wait with, what else, but poco-poco!! it was sporting of the makciks to take over but i gave up after 10mins (though i usually 'thrive' on monotony & repetition, turns out poco-poco is clearly an exception lol).
So i started my usual run round the tasik but 3.5km into it, i heard the familiar rythmic sounds of aerobic music.. and when i made my way back to the dataran, true enough, the instructor was there and they were all in full swing!!
What else could a makcik do but to just jump right in lol
Well looks like it's gonna be a good day after all :D
Workout Log
AM - poco-poco/10mins/Dataran SA
AM - 3.5k/25mins/Tasik SA
AM - aerobics/30mins/Dataran SA
We waited and waited and waited summore... until a group of poco-poco enthusiast decided to fill in the wait with, what else, but poco-poco!! it was sporting of the makciks to take over but i gave up after 10mins (though i usually 'thrive' on monotony & repetition, turns out poco-poco is clearly an exception lol).
So i started my usual run round the tasik but 3.5km into it, i heard the familiar rythmic sounds of aerobic music.. and when i made my way back to the dataran, true enough, the instructor was there and they were all in full swing!!
What else could a makcik do but to just jump right in lol
Well looks like it's gonna be a good day after all :D
Workout Log
AM - poco-poco/10mins/Dataran SA
AM - 3.5k/25mins/Tasik SA
AM - aerobics/30mins/Dataran SA
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Sultan's 64th birthday
.. will be celebrated on the 11th of december 2009 (his actual birth date is the 24th) and what better way to enjoy the break then to work out a good sweat lol ;)
Pendaftaran Awal
Saudara/i boleh lah memuat turun borang yang dilampirkan dan di faxkan kembali kepada kami di 03 5513 6268 (Pembayaran ketika pengambilan nombor).
Pengambilan Nombor & Pembayaran:
Tarikh: 7 Disember - 10 Disember 2009 (Isnin - Khamis)
Waktu: 11am - 7pm
Tempat: Pusat, i-City, Seksyen 7, Shah Alam
Kategori:
A - Lelaki Terbuka (10km) : 18-39 Tahun
B - Wanita Terbuka (10km) : 18-36 Tahun
C - Lelaki Veteran (7km) : 40 Tahun ke-atas
D - Wanita Veteran (7km) : 37 Tahun ke-atas
E - Lelaki Junior (7km) : 13-17 Tahun
F - Wanita Junior (7km) : 13-17 Tahun
G - Larian Ria (3km) : Ibu Bapa dan 2 Anak
H - Orang Kurang Upaya (5km) : Terbuka
*Setiap penyertaan individu akan dikenakan yuran sebanyak RM10.00
*Penyertaan keluarga akan dikenakan yuran berjumlah RM30.00 (Ibu Bapa dan 2 Orang Anak)
Sebarang pertanyaan bolehlah menghubungi kami di:
Pejabat : +603 5513 2000 (Isnin - Jumaat, 8:30pagi - 5:30petang)
Urusetia : +6016 207 6951 +6019 368 5275 +6016 207 6956
Fax : +603 5513 6268
Check it out @ Larian Rakyat 2009
I contacted the organisers and they seem pretty laid back about the whole thing... registration's open until the very last day before the run i.e. the 10th Dec 2009. i dunno if they're exceptionally efficient or they're clueless enough to actually be heading towards total chaos lol. apapun, come be part of the madness heheheh ;)
I've already roped in my previous 'partner in grime' aka AH's bf and AI (who consistently refuses to run despite my incessant pujuk rayu) has agreed to be our designated driver (which will thankfully take care of my parking woes). so that just leaves me the actual registration itself and since its in my 'backyard' so to speak, it shouldnt be a problem :)
So people... jom lari!!!
Workout Log
AM - 4km/30mins/TSA
Pendaftaran Awal
Saudara/i boleh lah memuat turun borang yang dilampirkan dan di faxkan kembali kepada kami di 03 5513 6268 (Pembayaran ketika pengambilan nombor).
Pengambilan Nombor & Pembayaran:
Tarikh: 7 Disember - 10 Disember 2009 (Isnin - Khamis)
Waktu: 11am - 7pm
Tempat: Pusat, i-City, Seksyen 7, Shah Alam
Kategori:
A - Lelaki Terbuka (10km) : 18-39 Tahun
B - Wanita Terbuka (10km) : 18-36 Tahun
C - Lelaki Veteran (7km) : 40 Tahun ke-atas
D - Wanita Veteran (7km) : 37 Tahun ke-atas
E - Lelaki Junior (7km) : 13-17 Tahun
F - Wanita Junior (7km) : 13-17 Tahun
G - Larian Ria (3km) : Ibu Bapa dan 2 Anak
H - Orang Kurang Upaya (5km) : Terbuka
*Setiap penyertaan individu akan dikenakan yuran sebanyak RM10.00
*Penyertaan keluarga akan dikenakan yuran berjumlah RM30.00 (Ibu Bapa dan 2 Orang Anak)
Sebarang pertanyaan bolehlah menghubungi kami di:
Pejabat : +603 5513 2000 (Isnin - Jumaat, 8:30pagi - 5:30petang)
Urusetia : +6016 207 6951 +6019 368 5275 +6016 207 6956
Fax : +603 5513 6268
Check it out @ Larian Rakyat 2009
I contacted the organisers and they seem pretty laid back about the whole thing... registration's open until the very last day before the run i.e. the 10th Dec 2009. i dunno if they're exceptionally efficient or they're clueless enough to actually be heading towards total chaos lol. apapun, come be part of the madness heheheh ;)
I've already roped in my previous 'partner in grime' aka AH's bf and AI (who consistently refuses to run despite my incessant pujuk rayu) has agreed to be our designated driver (which will thankfully take care of my parking woes). so that just leaves me the actual registration itself and since its in my 'backyard' so to speak, it shouldnt be a problem :)
So people... jom lari!!!
Workout Log
AM - 4km/30mins/TSA
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Kita boleh!!
.. and with that, so ended my 2 day seminar on kaizen & the 5Ses.
Call me old & jaded but i dont have that much faith in the effectiveness of such programmes anymore. for starters, its usually based on management's impulsive whim & fancy. moreover its usually just hangat2 tahi ayam. both of this factor makes the whole endeavour unsustainable. so theres always a whole lot of huh-hah initially but after a while all that remains is something that very much resembles a deflated souffle lol.
I'm not saying that the content of the seminar was completely worthless. nope, nothing is without value and everything is here for a certain purpose. incorporating the 's' series of sort, set in order, sweep clean, standardize & sustain would certainly make the workplace (or the home for that matter) a brighter, more organized place. and kaizen.. well, if we didnt already dedicate our life towards continuous improvement then we'd all just be gathering moss wouldnt we?
So i'm not here to argue whether its a good thing or not. i'm just saying that for something to be effective & sustainable, it really needs to be thought out through & through. obtaining such & such certifications for the organization is well and good, but to actually create a shift in the mindset of the workers as well as bring about actual change in the workculture, now that takes a lot of time & effort.
The target of achieving 5S certification by june 2010 seems rather farfetched to me. not if we really want to make a difference.
Workout Log.
AM - 4km/25mins/TSA .. gawd it was a great run, i managed to shave off 5mins :D
PM - Aerobics Masala/50mins/NRG Fitness
Call me old & jaded but i dont have that much faith in the effectiveness of such programmes anymore. for starters, its usually based on management's impulsive whim & fancy. moreover its usually just hangat2 tahi ayam. both of this factor makes the whole endeavour unsustainable. so theres always a whole lot of huh-hah initially but after a while all that remains is something that very much resembles a deflated souffle lol.
I'm not saying that the content of the seminar was completely worthless. nope, nothing is without value and everything is here for a certain purpose. incorporating the 's' series of sort, set in order, sweep clean, standardize & sustain would certainly make the workplace (or the home for that matter) a brighter, more organized place. and kaizen.. well, if we didnt already dedicate our life towards continuous improvement then we'd all just be gathering moss wouldnt we?
So i'm not here to argue whether its a good thing or not. i'm just saying that for something to be effective & sustainable, it really needs to be thought out through & through. obtaining such & such certifications for the organization is well and good, but to actually create a shift in the mindset of the workers as well as bring about actual change in the workculture, now that takes a lot of time & effort.
The target of achieving 5S certification by june 2010 seems rather farfetched to me. not if we really want to make a difference.
Workout Log.
AM - 4km/25mins/TSA .. gawd it was a great run, i managed to shave off 5mins :D
PM - Aerobics Masala/50mins/NRG Fitness
Monday, November 30, 2009
Ya Rahman Ya Rahim
Keghairahan mengiringi anak ku dengan puasa & doa di musim peperiksaan ini telah membuat ku engkar kepada perintah Mu ya Allah... dan ku pohon ampun & belas ehsan Mu terhadap kealpaan ku ini.
I completely overlooked the fact that today is the 13th of zulhijjah, the last day of tasyrik. all i thought about was providing spiritual support to AH on the days that she'd be sitting for a paper - today its biology 1, 2 & Amali. it wasnt until i overheard a group of friends talking that i realised what i had done.
Tasyrik - 11, 12 & 13 Zulhijjah
I had fasted on a day declared haram for fasting!!
Guilty & frustrated beyond measure i immediately texted golfman, an instinctual response. then i broke my fast. the time was almost 6pm.
I really must be more careful about these things.
I completely overlooked the fact that today is the 13th of zulhijjah, the last day of tasyrik. all i thought about was providing spiritual support to AH on the days that she'd be sitting for a paper - today its biology 1, 2 & Amali. it wasnt until i overheard a group of friends talking that i realised what i had done.
Tasyrik - 11, 12 & 13 Zulhijjah
I had fasted on a day declared haram for fasting!!
Guilty & frustrated beyond measure i immediately texted golfman, an instinctual response. then i broke my fast. the time was almost 6pm.
I really must be more careful about these things.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Tears in my eyes
.. and contrary to what you're thinking, it had nothing to do with my beloved ;)
Cikgu was going about the house looking a lot like a lost puppy, sangap beyond measure that his gamemates (namely AI & AH) were both unavailable for a 'killing spree' - AI had gone to klcc to celebrate a friend's birthday (and probably another round of new moon) while AH had gone back to her books (both biology & manga, with a stress on the manga).
AI's ongoing obsession with the fanged ones
AH's fascination with mangas - currently dengeki daisy
When the boys decided to pool together their resources for an xbox 360, cikgu was the one who'd forked up the major portion of the share. and whenever he is home, his time is spent holed up in their room nuking anything that moved. gaming is a passion, an all time stress buster.
Pitying the poor sod, i halfheartedly offered to play (or at least try to bcos for the record, i didnt even know how the controller works) fully expecting him to laugh & decline. well, i must've underestimated his level of desperation bcos he suddenly got all excited and agreed lol.
[My dear Lord.. what had i gotten myself into *bangs head on wall*]
Before i knew it we were well on the way of getting me my own personalized avatar (abe i'll be making one for u too k lol) which turned out pretty cute lol. then he left me to fiddle around with the controller just so i'd get the 'feel' of things. i started with simple stuff like zuma (which i found rather thereupatic), feeding frenzy (i dont think i find getting fat, even as a fish, much fun), and mission something or other.
Then we tried a real coop game together - fable 2. its slow paced and kind to the sluggish responses of a first timer makcik lol. but it wasnt for me. too fairytale-ish.
So we tried another game, assault heroes, and 5 seconds into the game we both knew we'd be having a whale of a time after all!!!!
My initiation to mindless frenzied shooting ;D
OMG it had me laughing so hard tears came to my eyes.. which weasnt a good thing bcos i couldnt see where i was going or what i was shooting!!! but we were screaming away at the funny tanks and even funnier arab tribe swarming the beach (arabs? forget about being rationale lol).
Hehehe.. its a long ways yet for me to proceed beyond the arcade level but who knows, one of these days you'll see me gunning zombies yet ;)
[See abe.. the things i do w/out you around ekekekeh!!]
Cikgu was going about the house looking a lot like a lost puppy, sangap beyond measure that his gamemates (namely AI & AH) were both unavailable for a 'killing spree' - AI had gone to klcc to celebrate a friend's birthday (and probably another round of new moon) while AH had gone back to her books (both biology & manga, with a stress on the manga).
AI's ongoing obsession with the fanged ones
AH's fascination with mangas - currently dengeki daisy
When the boys decided to pool together their resources for an xbox 360, cikgu was the one who'd forked up the major portion of the share. and whenever he is home, his time is spent holed up in their room nuking anything that moved. gaming is a passion, an all time stress buster.
Pitying the poor sod, i halfheartedly offered to play (or at least try to bcos for the record, i didnt even know how the controller works) fully expecting him to laugh & decline. well, i must've underestimated his level of desperation bcos he suddenly got all excited and agreed lol.
[My dear Lord.. what had i gotten myself into *bangs head on wall*]
Before i knew it we were well on the way of getting me my own personalized avatar (abe i'll be making one for u too k lol) which turned out pretty cute lol. then he left me to fiddle around with the controller just so i'd get the 'feel' of things. i started with simple stuff like zuma (which i found rather thereupatic), feeding frenzy (i dont think i find getting fat, even as a fish, much fun), and mission something or other.
Then we tried a real coop game together - fable 2. its slow paced and kind to the sluggish responses of a first timer makcik lol. but it wasnt for me. too fairytale-ish.
So we tried another game, assault heroes, and 5 seconds into the game we both knew we'd be having a whale of a time after all!!!!
My initiation to mindless frenzied shooting ;D
OMG it had me laughing so hard tears came to my eyes.. which weasnt a good thing bcos i couldnt see where i was going or what i was shooting!!! but we were screaming away at the funny tanks and even funnier arab tribe swarming the beach (arabs? forget about being rationale lol).
Hehehe.. its a long ways yet for me to proceed beyond the arcade level but who knows, one of these days you'll see me gunning zombies yet ;)
[See abe.. the things i do w/out you around ekekekeh!!]
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Di ambang Eid
As in 2006, golfman will not be home for eid. a sad & dismal state of affairs but unavoidable nevertheless. such is the nature of his work, such are the sacrifices that must be made.
Qurban in Turkmenistan, 2006.
Salam Aidil Adha from all of us here sayang.. mwaaah3x
Surah Al-Ankabut, ayat 1 - 3:
And to one & all Selamat Menyambut Hari Raya Aidil Adha.. semoga kita menghayati pengorbanan yang di lalui Nabi Ibrahim alaihisalam and his immense & unwavering faith in the will of the AlMighty.
Qurban in Turkmenistan, 2006.
Salam Aidil Adha from all of us here sayang.. mwaaah3x
Surah Al-Ankabut, ayat 1 - 3:
الم (1) أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آَمَنَّا وَهُمْ لاَ يُفْتَنُونَ (2) وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ (3)
And to one & all Selamat Menyambut Hari Raya Aidil Adha.. semoga kita menghayati pengorbanan yang di lalui Nabi Ibrahim alaihisalam and his immense & unwavering faith in the will of the AlMighty.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Yang berkait & bertaut
Isnt it funny how a certain thought can sometimes trigger a chain of other thoughts that suddenly becomes an avalanche of information or ideas?
The barbed repartee between mak & AH at the breakfast table today suddenly reminded me of my long departed grandma. maktok hailed from the pearl of the orient and unlike mak & AH, my granny and i shared a good relationship. just as mak is living with me now, she too lived together with mak. she was in fact more of a mother to me than mak ever was.. she was my confidant, my mentor, my tempat mengadu. and i remember whenever i was sad or unhappy, she would entertain me with the most colourful recollections of her bangsawan days.. those times when she was with the troupe for the dances & plays, and the people that she had met.
Maktok Yah, 1975
Me flanked by my Maktok & Mak Ngah while Mak is on the other side, 1965
[is that how i got this love for dance & movement perhaps?]
Which then got me thinking about my paternal side and how abah's family is largely an unknown entity to me. he took off in his teens due to family differences and later, our nomadic life with the army only added to the rift. theres this huge void bcos i never had the opportunity to really get to know my N9 relatives. in fact there are uncles, aunties, cousins out there who i only know by sight but not by name or vice versa; not to mention the nieces & nephews that i hardly know. which is actually acutely embarasssing, not to mention depressing as well.
Bcos as they say blood is thicker than water and family is family. and as i get older i find myself thinking about it more and more.
My paternal grandfather Hj Hamid of Kuala Pilah, N9.. my youngest bro dug this up from the depths of his 'pandora box'.
The Kuala Pilah clan circa 1940's.. i am told we have minangkabau roots.
I remember vaguely a certain book that my Tok Hamid had written about our family lineage and also my late abah's pride in his father's painstaking effort in putting it together for the benefit of the younger generation. now if only i can recall the whereabouts of that copy. maybe i can look it up with my aunty.
I suddenly have this niggling desire to know more.
The barbed repartee between mak & AH at the breakfast table today suddenly reminded me of my long departed grandma. maktok hailed from the pearl of the orient and unlike mak & AH, my granny and i shared a good relationship. just as mak is living with me now, she too lived together with mak. she was in fact more of a mother to me than mak ever was.. she was my confidant, my mentor, my tempat mengadu. and i remember whenever i was sad or unhappy, she would entertain me with the most colourful recollections of her bangsawan days.. those times when she was with the troupe for the dances & plays, and the people that she had met.
Maktok Yah, 1975
Me flanked by my Maktok & Mak Ngah while Mak is on the other side, 1965
[is that how i got this love for dance & movement perhaps?]
Which then got me thinking about my paternal side and how abah's family is largely an unknown entity to me. he took off in his teens due to family differences and later, our nomadic life with the army only added to the rift. theres this huge void bcos i never had the opportunity to really get to know my N9 relatives. in fact there are uncles, aunties, cousins out there who i only know by sight but not by name or vice versa; not to mention the nieces & nephews that i hardly know. which is actually acutely embarasssing, not to mention depressing as well.
Bcos as they say blood is thicker than water and family is family. and as i get older i find myself thinking about it more and more.
My paternal grandfather Hj Hamid of Kuala Pilah, N9.. my youngest bro dug this up from the depths of his 'pandora box'.
The Kuala Pilah clan circa 1940's.. i am told we have minangkabau roots.
I remember vaguely a certain book that my Tok Hamid had written about our family lineage and also my late abah's pride in his father's painstaking effort in putting it together for the benefit of the younger generation. now if only i can recall the whereabouts of that copy. maybe i can look it up with my aunty.
I suddenly have this niggling desire to know more.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Day 3
Just one paper today and its the weekend break yay!!!
AH's teman setia while she studies lol
Abe - cikgu's back and the comforting sound of our children's laughter is washing away my blues :D good luck with the exhibition k, luvya!!
Workout Log
AM - 4k/30min/TSA ... hah, chased away some of my demons and my heart is so much lighter ;)
PM - Aerobics Masalla/70mins/NRG
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Another long day
2nd day and its another tight schedule for AH.
But at least tomorrow there'll just be EST thank god. that'll give her some breathing space (and me, some peace of mind..anak yang exam mama yang stress lol).
Last night i tried out a new fitness place in seksyen 7. ooh its been there for quite awhile.. but its new to me :) a ladies only fitness centre and its ok i guess, nothing fancy but suits the purpose. we had a 30 mins aerobics segment followed by 30 mins strengthening & toning. RM10 for a 1-hour workout.. not bad. maybe i'll stick around.
Before this, i was going to aerobic classes at the stadium but although its nearer to my place, that route to seksyen 13 has a tendency to clog up with the evening traffic so i stopped going. there's also another option nearer to home, the akuatik/msn group, but i found out their time just wasnt flexible enough.
I can always sweat it out at the KSAS gym but it gets pretty lonely being on my own so much thus this need for some 'pack' action lol.
And to family & friends who are waiting anxiously for the release of the UPSR results today.. insyallah ok tu & congrats in advance :D
Workout Log
Wed - PM/60 mins aerobics/NRG
But at least tomorrow there'll just be EST thank god. that'll give her some breathing space (and me, some peace of mind..anak yang exam mama yang stress lol).
Last night i tried out a new fitness place in seksyen 7. ooh its been there for quite awhile.. but its new to me :) a ladies only fitness centre and its ok i guess, nothing fancy but suits the purpose. we had a 30 mins aerobics segment followed by 30 mins strengthening & toning. RM10 for a 1-hour workout.. not bad. maybe i'll stick around.
Before this, i was going to aerobic classes at the stadium but although its nearer to my place, that route to seksyen 13 has a tendency to clog up with the evening traffic so i stopped going. there's also another option nearer to home, the akuatik/msn group, but i found out their time just wasnt flexible enough.
I can always sweat it out at the KSAS gym but it gets pretty lonely being on my own so much thus this need for some 'pack' action lol.
And to family & friends who are waiting anxiously for the release of the UPSR results today.. insyallah ok tu & congrats in advance :D
Workout Log
Wed - PM/60 mins aerobics/NRG
Lunchbreak
I've been going over to the school canteen these past two days just to be with AH. bcos of the packed schedule, she didnt want to come home for lunch so, as they say, 'if muhammed wont come to the mountain, the mountain will come to muhammed' lol
Yesterday i bought her & her bf's younger bro nasi bungkus, dadeh, popias, fresh papaya & drinks. today her bf's elder sis insisted that its their turn to bring lunch packs and she did. but just to add to everything, i also bought egg tarts, pies & puffs from baker's cottage. so its been a merry little gathering for our little group & hopefully merry enough to provide some respite for the anxious kiddoes.
ICT teacher, AH, bf's bro & bf .
Other students having quiet discussions over lunch.
Dua recitation just before leaving for the exam hall.
ICT teacher, AH, bf's bro & bf .
Other students having quiet discussions over lunch.
Sejarah teacher giving out pointers & a last minute peptalk.
Dua recitation just before leaving for the exam hall.
p.s. not to worry too much abe, our daro's doing fine.. doakan je byk2 ;)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
SPM 2009 - Day 1
My baby's first day.. here's hoping she'll keep her cool.
To all the rest who will also be sitting for their SPM... good luck & God bless, semoga cemerlang :)
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Smokin' hot
It was a very muted popping sound that woke me up. a little disoriented i thought it was part of a dream. but just to make sure, i flicked the curtains aside for a cursory look, half expecting to see nothing but the black nite staring back at me.
But not this time. bcos this time there was a raging fire outside my window. the time was 4.27am.
As i watched incredulously, there were more popping sounds and even in the safety of my room, i automatically braced myself. it was a natural response, i was starting to feel a little scared. what the hell was burning out there?
Running downstairs i knocked on AI's door. my son wasnt asleep even though it was 4 in the morning (sheesh the vampire generation). after another look, we both agreed that it was probably the neighbour's car and decided to go out for a better view.
There was nobody around even though the fire was now high enough to reach the power lines. just when i was about to run back and start making calls, the police arrived. help was on the way, thank god.
My greatest fear was the possibility of a bigger explosion. one that involved the gas tank or something.
The bomba team arrived not long after that and managed to put the fire out in no time. alhamdulillah.
The scene outside my house.
The fire finally doused by the firemen.
By then there was a small gathering of neighbours and we were all wondering the same thing, how on earth did the fire start?
Did the car self ignite? was that even possible?
Could it have been a short circuit of sorts? I've heard of a citroen doing that but a savvy?
They did find suspicious looking bottles at the scene so could it have been foul play?
Why would anyone do such a thing? what could've been the motive?
All the csi wannabes (me included) were a-buzz with questions. when something unexpected & unexplainable happens, the need to know is strong in all of us.
Bcos whatever happens to others can so easily happen to us.
But there definitely wasnt going to be any answers this morning. that would've to wait until our able policemen & their team of experts start investigating. we'll just leave it to the professionals.
Haaish.. now that the excitement's over, pening la pulok ;)
But not this time. bcos this time there was a raging fire outside my window. the time was 4.27am.
As i watched incredulously, there were more popping sounds and even in the safety of my room, i automatically braced myself. it was a natural response, i was starting to feel a little scared. what the hell was burning out there?
Running downstairs i knocked on AI's door. my son wasnt asleep even though it was 4 in the morning (sheesh the vampire generation). after another look, we both agreed that it was probably the neighbour's car and decided to go out for a better view.
There was nobody around even though the fire was now high enough to reach the power lines. just when i was about to run back and start making calls, the police arrived. help was on the way, thank god.
My greatest fear was the possibility of a bigger explosion. one that involved the gas tank or something.
The bomba team arrived not long after that and managed to put the fire out in no time. alhamdulillah.
The scene outside my house.
The fire finally doused by the firemen.
By then there was a small gathering of neighbours and we were all wondering the same thing, how on earth did the fire start?
Did the car self ignite? was that even possible?
Could it have been a short circuit of sorts? I've heard of a citroen doing that but a savvy?
They did find suspicious looking bottles at the scene so could it have been foul play?
Why would anyone do such a thing? what could've been the motive?
All the csi wannabes (me included) were a-buzz with questions. when something unexpected & unexplainable happens, the need to know is strong in all of us.
Bcos whatever happens to others can so easily happen to us.
But there definitely wasnt going to be any answers this morning. that would've to wait until our able policemen & their team of experts start investigating. we'll just leave it to the professionals.
Haaish.. now that the excitement's over, pening la pulok ;)
Monday, November 16, 2009
2 days to D-day
SPM starts on the 18th.
And AH is starting to show some signs of anxiety. its only natural i guess but i do hope she's not going to let it take over completely. she'll need a cool head on her shoulders.
And AH is starting to show some signs of anxiety. its only natural i guess but i do hope she's not going to let it take over completely. she'll need a cool head on her shoulders.
You can do it la yang :)
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Terhibur
.. dengan gelagat anak2 :)
Kiddoes a couple of years back.
Having all the kids home is always such a joy.. sekejap kamceng, sekejap gaduh, sekejap ngendeng, sekejap ngutuk lol. macam2 ada, ngalahkan astro.
Cikgu's home at the request of a close friend. he's leaving for haj this 18th and wanted to lepak & bermanja (read: lawan xbox sampai pagi) with the cikgu before he leaves. the thing with the 'niner' kids, they're extremely close bcos they grew up together from primary school up to secondary school. this is made possible bcos srk seksyen 9 & smk seksyen 9 was once part of the 'sinar' school concept where both primary & secondary schools are built in the same compound.
And not only are the students close, so are the moms!! 11 years is a long time & we get to watch the kids blossom right before our very eyes. in many cases, it also involves siblings and that time frame is extended accordingly. take the case of AH's bf & us for example.. his eldest sister and AF used to be form-mates. he & AI go way back to primary school and AH is the same age as his bro. they are all niners and we're talking about a time span of more than 18 years!
Anyway, with the cikgu home the house tend to resemble a mini cyber cafe lol. friends come and go and theres never a quiet moment. AI's buddies on the other hand, are a little less rowdy but they're seldom around bcos they prefer going out to the movies & mall-hopping. but its still an overpoweringly male zone.. but at least this weekend AH has her cousins over for a sleepover so that sorta balances things out a bit lol.
Saturday saw me attending a cousin's doa selamat.. she's also going for haj. bcos i hadnt the faintest idea where her new house is, cikgu installed the garmin thingy on my nokia so that i could use the gps. mmg jadi senang except that when its in the annoying "recalculating.. recalculating" mode you just hafta be patient lol. the tazkirah was ok, the food was overflowing and in the end, i turned into an 'ular sawa' tergolek kekenyangan lol. mana taknye, dah la badan penat lari 8k pagi tu, ni pulak makan sekenyang2 nye ekekeh!!
Too lazy to even think of cooking for the bunch of ravenous kids waiting for me at home, i took the easy way out by stopping at kfc & pizza hut. hah, senang cerita ;)
Sunday morning saw more of the same. knowing the kids would be late getting up, i took my time at the tasik. after the usual 40 plus mins of aerobics at the dataran, i opted for a 4k run just to increase my mileage. seronok lari on sunday, you get to see a lot of fresh new faces along with the regulars but be mindful of young children who can unexpectedly get in your way. i almost fell once bcos of such a thing.
Making a quick stopover at tesco's, i had enough stuff to feed a small army hehehe. on the menu today - fish curry, grilled kambing, mixed vege & eggs.
Heh.. there's bread & goober just in case anyone wanted breakfast. otherwise theres just brunch lol :D
So if i can settle AF's stuff as quickly as i can.. then i can just as quickly settle down to a good book.
Aaaaah.. weekends. why do they have to end? ;p
Workout Log
Sat - 8k/55mins/TSA
Sun - Med pace aerobics/40mins/DSA & 4k/30mins/TSA
Kiddoes a couple of years back.
Having all the kids home is always such a joy.. sekejap kamceng, sekejap gaduh, sekejap ngendeng, sekejap ngutuk lol. macam2 ada, ngalahkan astro.
Cikgu's home at the request of a close friend. he's leaving for haj this 18th and wanted to lepak & bermanja (read: lawan xbox sampai pagi) with the cikgu before he leaves. the thing with the 'niner' kids, they're extremely close bcos they grew up together from primary school up to secondary school. this is made possible bcos srk seksyen 9 & smk seksyen 9 was once part of the 'sinar' school concept where both primary & secondary schools are built in the same compound.
And not only are the students close, so are the moms!! 11 years is a long time & we get to watch the kids blossom right before our very eyes. in many cases, it also involves siblings and that time frame is extended accordingly. take the case of AH's bf & us for example.. his eldest sister and AF used to be form-mates. he & AI go way back to primary school and AH is the same age as his bro. they are all niners and we're talking about a time span of more than 18 years!
Anyway, with the cikgu home the house tend to resemble a mini cyber cafe lol. friends come and go and theres never a quiet moment. AI's buddies on the other hand, are a little less rowdy but they're seldom around bcos they prefer going out to the movies & mall-hopping. but its still an overpoweringly male zone.. but at least this weekend AH has her cousins over for a sleepover so that sorta balances things out a bit lol.
Saturday saw me attending a cousin's doa selamat.. she's also going for haj. bcos i hadnt the faintest idea where her new house is, cikgu installed the garmin thingy on my nokia so that i could use the gps. mmg jadi senang except that when its in the annoying "recalculating.. recalculating" mode you just hafta be patient lol. the tazkirah was ok, the food was overflowing and in the end, i turned into an 'ular sawa' tergolek kekenyangan lol. mana taknye, dah la badan penat lari 8k pagi tu, ni pulak makan sekenyang2 nye ekekeh!!
Too lazy to even think of cooking for the bunch of ravenous kids waiting for me at home, i took the easy way out by stopping at kfc & pizza hut. hah, senang cerita ;)
Sunday morning saw more of the same. knowing the kids would be late getting up, i took my time at the tasik. after the usual 40 plus mins of aerobics at the dataran, i opted for a 4k run just to increase my mileage. seronok lari on sunday, you get to see a lot of fresh new faces along with the regulars but be mindful of young children who can unexpectedly get in your way. i almost fell once bcos of such a thing.
Making a quick stopover at tesco's, i had enough stuff to feed a small army hehehe. on the menu today - fish curry, grilled kambing, mixed vege & eggs.
Heh.. there's bread & goober just in case anyone wanted breakfast. otherwise theres just brunch lol :D
So if i can settle AF's stuff as quickly as i can.. then i can just as quickly settle down to a good book.
Aaaaah.. weekends. why do they have to end? ;p
Workout Log
Sat - 8k/55mins/TSA
Sun - Med pace aerobics/40mins/DSA & 4k/30mins/TSA
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