Countdown to 2011

Another new year.

I'm hoping for good things to come.

For me... as well as all of you :D

(Pic from google images)

HAPPY NEW YEAR PEEPS <3

2008 & 2010

Both meaningful years, pain ridden & heartbreaking but monumental in shaping my personal growth.

The greatest barrier in our quest for continuous improvement i think is always the tendency to fall into a rut & to take things for granted.  and as you get older, it gets easier.  sliding into a certain comfort zone becomes almost second nature, you've reached a certain level  and just dont feel the need to push yourself anymore.  therein lies the problem, routine slowly kills all vestiges of passion and without passion its hard to feel 'alive'.

The recurring events of 2008 & 2010 have indeed turned my world upside down but the 'cold water' effect couldnt be more timely.. i needed to be waken from my deep slumber. if jannah is my goal, as i suppose it is with everyone of faith, then i certainly must reconsider the direction i am heading.  with the clock ticking away, i might not be able to catch up... theres so much that needs improvement.

 (Pic from google images)

I am still hopeful that my journey will not be made alone, i am still hopeful that my dreams & aspirations are shared but the truth of the matter is, we are all personally accountable for whatever choices we make so in the end, we're on our own.  i cant afford the luxury of continuously wallowing in self pity nor lamenting in regret.  enough of dancing to the tune of others, its time i take charge of whatever's left of my life.

Lets get on with it.

Big Sale

Its on.. everything's on sale.  all you need is to bring along enough mooolah hehehe.

Sadly,  i'm not a shop-a-holic so big sales dont mean much to me.  if the man had more sense he'd be eternally grateful to have such a low maintenance wife.  the throng of people at mega sales scare the living daylights outta me (what if there was a stampede over at the shoes & handbag counter?).  i even came back from the land of turkish delights with only a pair of leather boots to my name lol.

But i'm thinking i should brave the crowds just so i can get me a new pair of running shoes.  especially bcos now i kinda know what i should be looking for.

Earlier this month i was fortunate enough to chance upon a promotion by adidas, in collabration with mbsa for its sahabat taman tasik kick off.  there was a free foot scanning service as well as a podiatrist to recommend the best solution to suit each requirement.

After looking at my foot scan and physically examining my feet, the podiatrist procaimed that i belonged to the high arch category and in consideration to my age and weight, recommend that i search for shoes with cushioning, torsion system & toe-off 

That actually translates into the adidas blue range i.e. emphasis is on cushioning...adistar ride 2, supernova glide 2. response csh 19, bounce venus, adizero boston, adizero adios, adizero ace.  still a long list but at least i'll be zeroing in on these specific targets.

But still, buying the right shoe is such a big hassle isnt it?!

The tryst

Heheheh.

Me meeting golfman on the sly... no kiddies this time.

(Pic from google images)

Will be back next week ;p

Entah

Dumb & dumber

Three sugar babes find themselves on an island. One of them stumbles onto a bottle and a genie pops out. The genie says he will grant them one wish each, yada yada yada  (you get the picture)...

(Pic from tutsking.com)

The first one, Tonia says, "I need to get off this island, I wish for a rowboat." With a flash, a rowboat appears and she rushes out into the ocean.

The second, Olga says, "I need to get off this island, I need jetski".

With a flash, a jetski appears and she rushes out into the ocean, soon overtaking the first babe.

The genie looks enquiringly toward the third, and Christina with raised eyebrows, smirks and says," Just give me a million dollars, I'll take the bridge."

Ekekekeh ;p

TGIF.... have a great weekend peeps <3

But before i leave, heres another one for ya LOL

 

(Cartoon courtesy of datehookup.com)

This or that

Hmmmmm.

Do i rough it out with the guys @ boot camp?

Or work my buns off with the gals @ aerobics studio?

Decisions, decisions.

(Pic from google images)

Its a tough call.  i think i'll just let my feet take me wherever it wants to lol ;p

Rolling the ball.

Okay..its done.

I am fast approaching another milestone and this time its a big one.  the plan is, come 1/1/2011 i will be temporarily shelving my SMMs, COCs, APs & Surat Pekelilings and taking a break, a long break, from having to deal with anymore bqs, drawings, tenders, claims, payments, reports, meetings etc.

Yup, i'm taking a no-pay leave of absence for 2 whole years.  i'm making myself totally available to my husband.  at the snap of his fingers i can just up & leave.. work would now cease to be a deterrent.

I've passed the first round.  thankfully my boss here in selangor is supportive and is willing to release me.  and today with the admin's consent, i've personally handed my application over to the kementerian for approval. thats round two.  its totally out of my hands now.. but at least the people at HR were very helpful and assured me, everything seem to be in order and they're not expecting any problems.

Right.  i sure hope so. bcos i really want to get this over and done with. bcos its high time i put an end to this  yo-yo existence. bcos i'm just so freaking t-i-r-e-d of functioning as only a part of a whole.

(Pic by Gordon Mitchell)

*I want to be complete. heck, i need to be complete.

Doakan, please.

[ * added after pakmat's comment ;p ]

The Traveller II

You fly high a journey never ending,
Moving forth destination to destination.
Every quest equally demanding,
A shadowy traveller of your own creation.

Seasons change you're still on your own,
Dreams to realise, targets to meet.
But life is not to be lived alone,
The emptiness reign, the silence deep.

Wicked the heart that is barren & lonely
Crumbling walls, unlocking doors
Secret daliances excitingly risky
Numbing the soul in its quest for more.

The years pass by heedlessly uncaring
Wrecking bonds, weakening ties.
When realisation dawn clear & painstaking,
Life has flown on the wings of a sigh.

Patient are the ones that love you,
Those that hold you close to their heart.
But allow not time to forever seduce you,
You might end up alone in the dark.

JT

Gym tryout

I was actually surfing the net for dance classes in shah alam, belly dancing to be specific lol.  and you know how it is when you surf.. you can end up just about anywhere, sometimes even forgetting what it was that you started with ekekeke.

Anyway, one thing let to another and by lunchbreak, i found myself at the stadium, checking out xclusive fitnesz, a new gym here on my side of the world.

It used to be the venue of mal gym (under malik nor), a place i used to frequent some time back (we're talking about a couple of years here hehehe) and there's been quite a few changes to the old place, though subtle but its there.

Apart from the standard gym hardware and the aerobic/dance sessions (without which i wouldnt even be there lol), i like the new ideas that the owner M has brought in... boot camp sounds interesting, as well as the running programme (still hafta check that one out tho). plus the fact that the people running the place seem really nice.. nice enough to let me try out a session before making up my mind.

And gawd, their little mascot is heart wrenchingly CUTE!  its a hyper little ball of fur that goes by the name of NINJA.  he's also another reason why i'll be dropping by again hehehe ;p

 (NINJA's pic ciloked from here)

Update after my tryout peeps ;D

Latest - yup its done, i'm in lol

Salam Eidul Adha

Aerobic marathon

I have more repressed energy than i can deal with these days and thats why the idea of a marathon aerobic competition sounded so appealing (marathon running pun nak gak lol but right now, its just beyond me).

I was pretty excited when Jules from my aerobic class came up with the invitation to join her group (dah rasa nak terkinja2 dah nie hehehe) and my 'i'll call you to confirm k" was, to me just an act of stalling the inevitable.  but when i got back home, it hit me. hey, it was the weekend of my favourite niece's wedding!!!!!!

Alamak.

No contest, my niece comes first, of course.

But it really would've been so much fun jumping about like a monkey, and with the possibility of winning RM3,000.00  ;D

Selagi masih

Anak kucing berlari lari
Berkejar ke sana berkejar ke mari
Berteduh sejenak di pohon rendang
..  bahangnya mentari.

Walau dugaan silih berganti
Selagi kasih beraja di hati
Selagi rindu masih bertandang
.. aku kan di sini.

Interlude

Its almost midnite and sleep seem so so far away.  maybe some Q & A to liven things up a bit?


Q: What are a married man's two greatest assets?
A: A closed mouth & an open wallet.


Q: How does a man keep his youth?
A: By giving her money, money & more money.


Heheheh.

And this sudden craving for something sweet is rather surprising..  but since i'm already hyper as it is, a little sugar aint gonna kill me surely lol.

Anyone for a sugar daddy? ;p

Overload

I have been bitten by the worse bug ever - melancholic type M virus.

And M is for malas ekekekekeh.

Just on a much needed break peeps.. like juney, i'm taking it one day at a time :D

Pentas dunia

Fool me once shame on you,
But fool me twice.. shame on me!!!!

Yup i'm a fool alright.








(Pic from google images)

AI's 22

I have indeed been blessed with truly wonderful children.  and their less than peachy childhood have made me realise rather early how fragile life can be and how very precious they really are to me.

 Just like his brother, my second child had his fair share of early childhood trauma - he suffered a stroke at about 10 months and was partially paralysed. alhamdulillah he regained full mobility after just 2 weeks and has been fine since (except for the occasional bouts of asthma, courtesy of his father hehehe).

1989 @ Langkawi with abah & abang

And just like his brother, he has become my other pillar of strength. strength that i depend on whenever their daddy goes on another of his 'disappearing' acts. heck, without my 3 kids i wouldnt have been able to live thru this yo-yo existence another day lol.

Ish ish, anak mama dah besar panjang ek ;p

2010 @ Wadi Samrah.

But still my baby la hehehe

HAPPY BIRTHDAY my darling, semoga bahagia sokmo mwaaaaaaah ;D

Pics of birthday dinner @ TGIF...and they took him completely by surprise lol.

In transition

Golfman is in between jobs right now, and being the workaholic that he is, this lull is killing his brain cells bit by bit.

So he gets temperamental sometimes. and i get sentimental.. the perfect combination for fireworks & waterworks ekekekeh ;p

But we manage.  we try to enjoy each other the best we can and keep ourselves occupied in the process.

And what might be our latest pre-occupation?


Hehehe.

Belting out old numbers with friends.

And checking out all the shisha flavours ;p

Ayayaiyayai.. shisha osso can get addicted aah?

Note: shisha joints here should have a cosier, more relaxed atmosphere.. baru ada feel ;p

Its the age

Yup, i guess thats what it is.

I'm an emotional wreck these days.  tersangat la sen-ti-men-tal.. skit2 je berair mata, another level up meleleh air hidung plak lol. and sometimes over the most inconsequential things.

Unstable hormones most certainly. i'm not at the pre-menopausal stage for nothing you know lol.

But its also the sad, melancholic feeling that life is passing me by.  i hit 49 last month which means its just one more year before the big five-o. fifty, separuh abad.. theres something very resolute about the sound of that!!

The family pulled a surprise at a friend's raya gathering.. 

 .. i wasnt supposed to know hehehe

At Wadi Samrah, Janda Baik

Although some would say that its just numbers, its also indicative of how fast the sand in my hour-glass is falling. life has a way of moving relentlessly ahead doesnt it but thats ok, i personally am looking forward to the next phase. a phase where i can sit back, let go of some of the burden that i've been carrying & just focus on growing old, hopefully as gracefully as i can.

Sept 17 - Together with golfman

Aaah, and to be able to share the twilight years with the one you love!! but life has taught me that nothing is a given and i do realise that it might not actually be an aspiration shared by my partner.  he might not be as ready to embrace all the changes that growing old is stringing along in its wake. its not that easy to stare mid-life squarely in the face.

Grey hair? what grey hair? 
 
The one behind your ears la darling ekekekeh ;p

But whatever it is, i choose to bersangka baik. its much easier on the soul that way lol.

And theres still a lot of stuff on my wishlist..  my pilgrimage, travelling the globe, being a granny, trying out a ferrari hehehe. and that means i need to keep myself as fit & healthy as possible.  semoga Kau panjangkan umur ku dalam iman & taqwa ya Rabb.

p.s. errr juney & azza, you people still game on turning me into a marathoner by end of 2011? ;D

Tiada yang pasti

(from google images)

.. but this too shall pass, insyallah.

The daily grind.

Since eid not a day has passed that i havent been cooking up something or other for family & friends.  golfman loves staying home & eating entertaining and i dont mind bcos it gives me great pleasure to see him so relaxed & happy :D

But its back to work again today. back to juggling between what i hafta to do & what i wanna do.

Back to reality. back to the endless hustle & bustle.

Ya rahman ya rahim.. walaupun ramadhan berlalu pergi ku mohon dibuai keinsafan & kesyahduan yg berpanjangan, agar hati ini mekar dan jiwa ini terus berbunga.

1st Syawal

Hope your first day of eid was as great as ours :D

But not too much ketupat, lemang & rendang k, nanti kena lari tak hengat punye heheheh.

Theres still loads to be done so i leave you with a couple of eid pics of the family ;p

The Family Eid 1431H

The Family - forget about formal hehehe.

My Man

My Bouncers

Missy & Cikgu

Missy & Topman

Have a great hols y'all <3

Aidilfitri 1431H

Its almost that time of year again. the great exodus out of the cities. and probably the only time that klang valley isnt as choked up as it normally is.

For family & friends travelling back to their hometowns for raya, please dont take any chances on the roads. drive safe.. there'll be loved ones waiting dengan penuh harapan for your return.

I'll be working till Wednesday. having no kampung to actually go back to has its perks, theres no hassle of packing or travelling involved.  just the usual raya preparation. raya's eve and we're at the wet market trying to beat the long queues at  the butcher as well as the 'santan' stall lol. next will be the long hours spend in the kitchen (golfman loves to eat during raya). raya morning and we're trying our best not to drown in the sea of indons & banglas thronging the masjid negeri hehehe. then its making the usual rounds visiting family (golfman's mom & 2 of his bros are in shah alam) and neighbours. surprisingly over the years, there are more and more people celebrating eid in shah alam.

See, tak balik kampung can osso be lots of fun (yo la tu hik2) ;p

Btw, do you know what happens when you take away the 'golf' from the 'golfman'?

Heh heh heh... he becomes the Zzzz-man ;D


Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri dari kami sekeluarga.  Maaf Zahir & Batin.

Close at hand

Bodyguard & constant companion.

Life in the AA family wouldnt be the same without him <3

Imam's bodyguard

Sleeping partner

I appreciate beauty & fashion as much as  the next person but i so hate shopping. in any kind of weather or any type of condition. and especially when it involves large crowds.

But its raya and the kids look forward to having new clothes come syawal, so brave the elements we did.

The massive jams, the full car parks, the long queues, the crowd of impatient people just waiting to pop a vein. heck, enough to test even the most patient of saints!! but we did it anyway. saturday saw us combing the bazaars of sacc & pkns complex for traditional malay garments and sunday was spent at sunway pyramid for the rest. yup we did it. not for me or golfman bcos neither of us really care about what we'd be putting on our backs but for the kids. its the festive season and we have after all been trying our best to conquer our nafs. surely, there is a need for celebration.

At least that part has been taken care of. i can breathe easy now thank god. bcos i really dont think i'll be doing much in the way of sprucing up the place. we're not the type to get new things for raya. i'm just going to give the place a brief once over bcos i'll be needing my energy for the almost non-stop cooking during eid. we love having family & friends over lol.. and we dont believe in open houses. it might be a convenient way of celebrating eid but it doesnt really leave much room for personal interaction.

So..... are you taking a long raya break peeps?

Please dont go

So much to do, so little time, such limited resources.

Adeh.. and i need my sleep. badly.

By tonite everyone will be home and this time they will all have to help out. during their school going years the kids only had to deal with limited duties.  i wanted them to remain focused on their studies.   maidless for all these years, i've juggled with work & housework the best i can but its time to really share the burden.. dah besar panjang pun.

Now lets see.. theres inside, outside, upstairs, downstairs.

(Pic from google images)

Eeeeeeek!!!

I'm starting to wish that ramadhan would go on forever.

Btw its been an uncannily peaceful morning. do you think that perhaps last nite was lailatul qadar?

 Surah 97: Al-Qadr (1-5)

“We have indeed revealed this (message) in the Night of Power: and what will make you comprehend what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein descend the angels and Gibreel by the permission of their Lord, on every errand: Peace…it is until the break of morning.”

Nuzul Quran

Last nite at the masjid negeri, following the eve of nuzul quran, there was a tazkirah with Ustaz Ismail Kamus after tarawih followed by a qiyamulail session at 4am. i would have loved to have stayed on after the tazkirah but sadly without golfman, it wasnt a viable option.

Yang termampu hanya menghabiskan saki baki malam dengan menghayati al quran. at home, alone, in the privacy of my room.

And i woke up to a glorious morning, alhamdulillah. one not to be wasted. one which i am glad to report i utilised to the fullest lol.

What initially started out as a relaxing 4km run, became 8 and ended as 12!

Yup, it felt so good that surprisingly i completed another 3 loop run round the tasik. and surprisingly it required less effort than my first 12km attempt a couple of weeks ago. i thought i was out thrashing my demons but somehow found peace along the way. rahmat bulan ramadhan i guess, and the run felt easier probably bcos i was a little lighter on my feet.

And i'm not complaining bcos an easier run meant less sweating and thats a good thing when you're fasting with no hope of replenishing any body fluids till the end of the day.  i wasnt thirsty but my lips were dry.  again it must be the effect of ramadhan and years of of training to fight off hunger & thirst.

But guess what subliminal message my mind was sending me when i was shopping at tesco later in the day?

Hehehe.. a major portion of the stuff i loaded in my cart was all kinds of heavenly fluids ;p

Selamat Menyambut Nuzul Quran peeps & Selamat berbuka bersama keluarga <3

Workout
Santai 12km run/TSA

Penglipur lara