The Frivolity of A Wannabe

Why do you have to throw a wet blanket on my dreams?

2012-01-28T01:14:00.000+08:00

What do you make of someone who keep on repeating the same thing at every juncture? If I were to hear it one more time, I could probably speak-a-long with. What I find strange is when that person don't seem to realize that. Or maybe they do realize it but buat muka seposen repeating it in hope you'd telan bulat-bulat.

Don't you get a sense of déjà vu? Because I surely do. I believe it is being spoken at least thrice a year!

If that person think I'd just sit and listen... again... Well, don't get your delusion bite you in the arse when you realise you're sitting there all by yourself.

There's a saying that you can't make the same mistake twice. It is definitely not a mistake when you do it multiple times now, is it? You chose to 'make' those mistakes. You know this, ya? Because each time I point it out, you ignore me. And to say that you 'dah sedar' and will 'buat betul-betul' this time -- puhlease! Don't make me laugh.

Although, I actually did LOL-ed. It was just too funny! I mean, I so expect that from you.

SIGH!

Akak letih la uols. Please don't say I didn't try. I think I have tried and wished and prayed so hard for it, that this failure (again) left me with a broken heart. Not emo lah, but... I dunno. Hard to explain this feeling. It's like I redha that it will just not happen as I hoped. I'm not even angry any more, just felt like being let down in a big way.

Like, major. Huge. Ginormous.

Good luck to you in finding your own way in this world.

xoxo

Somebody That I Used To Know

2012-01-25T10:00:00.000+08:00

People!

I'm obsessed with this song and the band -- Walk off the Earth! Found it via Cory Monteith's tweet the other day. This is actually a cover version. Original artist was Gotye (yeah, have never heard of him before either) and you can view his very cool music video whilst listening to the original song here.

I just love this version. Simple with powerful vocals.

Now and then I think of when we were together Like when you said you felt so happy you could die I told myself that you were right for me But felt so lonely in your company But that was love and it's an ache I still remember You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness Like resignation to the end Always the end So when we found that we could not make sense Well you said that we would still be friends But I'll admit that I was glad that it was over But you didn't have to cut me off Make out like it never happened And that we were nothing And I don't even need your love But you treat me like a stranger And that feels so rough No you didn't have to stoop so low Have your friends collect your records And then change your number I guess that I don't need that though Now you're just somebody that I used to know Now you're just somebody that I used to know Now you're just somebody that I used to know Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over But had me believing it was always something that I'd done But I don't wanna live that way Reading into every word you say You said that you could let it go And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know But you didn't have to cut me off Make out like it never happened And that we were nothing And I don't even need your love But you treat me like a stranger And that feels so rough No you didn't have to stoop so low Have your friends collect your records And then change your number I guess that I don't need that though Now you're just somebody that I used to know Somebody I used to know Now you're just somebody that I used to know Somebody I used to know Now you're just somebody that I used to know I used to know

Awesome, right?

Thank you.

xoxo

I know I say people suck, but I didn't mean it literally.

2012-01-21T22:15:00.004+08:00

Awesome 4-day weekend and a brand new wireless keyboard and mouse. I am thisssssss close to complete the desktop computer project. I could finish it this month but an opportunity to pay off one debt took priority.

One down, two more to go and I. am. free!

Today, I want to rant about what happened to me yesterday. Talk about sucky people customer service.

I missed the semester registration a week or two back, and seeing that the semester starting next weekend, I thought I'd go complete the registration as well as collect my manuals. I'm not sure I've stated it here before but I've taken up PTPTN loan to cover the rest of my course. By right, my status in the university system should have changed to reflect this.

So off I went after lunch, all the way from KL to Bandar Baru Bangi. And it being a Friday, the traffic was pretty heavy. The journey had never been that long and far! Sampai lutut dan pinggang ku sakit dan lenguh-lenguh. Maklum la, dah tua.... :-p

I wasted three hours of my life!

First, I couldn't complete the registration neither can I collect the books because I'm supposed to pay the minimum payment first. My status in their system has not changed and no, they can't do anything about it because it all depends on the system whether or not it can allow me to collect the books. And even though I am 'sponsored' I still need to fork out my money first.

WTF. I wasn't prepared for this, I had no cash of that amount with me. You might be wondering if I should have called the centre first. I had. But no one answers the call or my darn emails!

After that, I went to queue for the book voucher collection. Oh, you couldn't believe it because I didn't, but my name was not on the list. Why? Because I haven't registered two weeks ago, so I have to wait for the second batch.

WTF! It was never stated as such in their announcement about that. I was seeing red! They just refused to do anything and was being very condescending about it. Like, as if I'm a kid.

Hello? I may be your student but I am an adult who pays my tuition fees to you. I am still a paying customer. I wish they stop treating us like we're 19 or something.

So yeah. Three hours of nothing. I now have to sort out the fee payment thingy. Rasa macam dah tak de mood dah ni.

xoxo

I want music and dancing and secondhand smoke!

2012-01-08T23:30:00.000+08:00

No, no. Not really.

The first 3 days of school was taxing for me but it went as smoothly as can be. I have never felt so tired in doing the school run before. Probably I'm out of practice? On Wednesday, I walked Mira to her class and helped her locate her classmates at the hall. They've changed some things this year, thus there was a little bit of confusion.

I stayed the whole day there, lined up at the bookshop to buy some books, bought some school supplies, spoke to her teacher, chat with some mothers, enrolled her art class for this year, etc. I know she's in standard two and all, but I want to be involve and I wanted to be visible to her teachers. I want to build relationship with them and for them to know that they can approach me if there's anything a matter with my girl.

After school we rushed to Hartamas for her learning skill assessment appointment. This is a two-hour sessions broken into two parts -- one on Wednesday and another on Thursday. We'll know the result in 10 days. I'm open to anything but I pray for nothing severe.

I browse through the assessment form submitted by her tutor and I'm kinda sad to learn a few new things about her. Mostly on some of the social challenges that she has to face. I do wonder how it impact her emotionally because she has never complained or spoke to me about it. Whenever I ask, everything is well and rosy and that she likes her friends a lot.

It's sad really, how I can't protect her from it. Sometimes I'm faced with this dilemma to either cushion her all the time at all costs or allow her to deal with the situation on her own because this is real life. She needs to learn and neither can I protect her forever.

Sigh.

On Thursday, after making sure she has settled in, I left to run some errands. I heard a funny story how 5 standard one kids got lost and joined a standard two class. When the teacher had called all the names on the roster, these 5 young students' name weren't on the list. Lol.

There was also an incident on Wednesday, during recess. A tiny little girl trying to buy food but was so intimidated by the crowd that she cried, not knowing how or what to do. So pitiful. Kenapa la her parents tak helped guide her for at least one day. Primary school is different than a kindy la kan -- it has their own rules, protocols and procedures.

I was rather free on Friday -- just dropped Mira off in front of her school and then shoot off home (to continue sleeping). I'm so proud that she can do that now. The whole of last year, I walked with her to the front gate every day. If we're too early, I'll walk with her all the way to her class. But this year, we can do the drop-off thing. Cool!

But Friday was the first day of her new routine.

After school, I sent her to the day care/KAFA school. And then I went home. I received a call from her at half past five that she has safely arrived at her tuition centre. When I picked her up at night, in the car she took a deep breath, closed her eyes and sigh and said 'Mengaji best, Bibu!'. And she proceeded to tell me about her day.

I'm glad. Hahaha. But then again, that was only her first day. We'll see how she fare next week. Also, her gymrama and art class haven't started yet (in February, after Chinese New Year), so it's not really her full schedule until we can factor those two in.

But I think she'll be ok :-)

xoxo

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000+08:00

Happy new year 2012!

There was a moment of worry when I suddenly wondered if I made any resolutions last year. I've checked and I can tell you that I've failed. Who am I kidding? I'll never wear them blingies unless I have to! I don't even have a wristwatch. Perhaps I should get one for my birthday?

I haven't thought of any resolution for this year.

Anyway, my lust for the Tab has been squashed and the so-called tanduk has quietly retracted into its place. How so? I had to fork out some unaccounted for incidental charges and fees. It all started with Mira's tuition and then I had to fix the car door...

When I met her class teacher in November, we had a chat about Mira's progress. I worry for a bit, pondered about it and came to a decision that we need help. I wish I can tutor her myself but really, I'm not a good teacher and neither have I the patience. So, it's either I let her be and we face the consequences of this lax later in life or I fix it now and probably make her hate me forever.

It just so happen two weeks prior Mira's BFF's mom told me about a centre she found which provides daily tuition nearby her housing area. I went to check it out and liked what I saw as well as their method. Not only the session is daily, it will help teach her studying skills and discipline. I decided we should try it to see if:

she likes it; and
if she can cope with four hours of study.

I enrolled her in November to start in December. Before that, I spoke to her 'Aunty bus' to discuss about transportation if I were to let her continue once the school reopens. She said she is willing to drive her to the centre and we'll discuss the fee at the end of the next month. With that sorted out, I went ahead with the registration.

I am pleased to report that she likes going there and always look forward to spend her day there. During the school holidays, her tuition starts at 10 AM and finishes at 2 PM. I send and pick her up every day -- thanks to my flexi hours I'm able to do that. And the centre is about 15 minutes drive from my office via DUKE.

Last week, I spoke to the 'Aunty bus' again to finalise the fees and such. Unfortunately, our previous agreement fell through. She won't be able to arrange transport for Mira from her Atuk's house to the centre. She also commented on how Mira is still too young and the daily tuition will be taxing for her. I understand her concern, I wish she understood mine too! But I digress.

I was very disappointed she backed off from our agreement and it put me in a dilemma. Seeing how Mira likes the place, I want her to continue going there. But without someone to ferry her around, it is impossible to continue. I can't rush in time to pick her up from her Atuk's to drive back to KL for that. The traffic wouldn't allow it!

Then I remembered a transit house I saw nearby my cousin's which is within the centre's area AND nearby my office. If I send her there I am able to pick her up after work to send her for her tuition. So last week I made an appointment with the principal to check the place out.

Turns out, the supposed transit house is also a private KAFA school. Ada mengaji, hafazan, kelas fardhu ain, kelas jawi dan bahasa Arab. Lunch and tea included. On top of that, they provide transport to send the kids to school, kelas agama, tuition, etc. after the KAFA classes. Syukran! Allah has answered my 2-year search at last for a kelas mengaji.

I paid the registration and 1,001 kind of fees to the school. The initial fee was expensive but from next month onward it shouldn't be that much of a burden any more. I will have to drive Mira from school to the house for now until I find a suitable transport for her. Most of the bus operators out of her school send pupil to this area, so I'm not that worried. It would be cheaper compared to what I'm paying the 'Aunty bus' now, too.

So next year, Mira will no longer take the 'Aunty bus' home and neither will she spend all her days at her Atuk... which makes him sad.

I suppose her weekday will be long, hence, her Atuk's worry if she can cope. School in the early morning, KAFA from half past two to five, tuition from 6 PM to 10 PM. But the journey is short, that'll be a small relief compared to if she were to travel to/from her Atuk's. I also plan to let her take the art classes again, so she will have to skip KAFA on Wednesdays.

However, once she started to show any signs of distress, I'll think of something else. So far, she's rather tough and very resilient. I mean, she's gone through 3 ballet classes back-to-back a handful of times back then, and then pergi ukur Mid Valley and Gardens mall without a complain. LOL!

xoxo

Life is a game in which the player must appear ridiculous.

2011-12-29T00:15:00.000+08:00

Says Lady Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham. Gosh, I love her character!

Since our iPod Touch died, I plan to replace it with the latest model (some day). Then I thought we might as well get an iPad instead. We didn't use the iPod for MP3 but just to check email, browse and play games. And since Mira has her own hand phone now that plays music as good as your next MP3 player, there's no reason to really get an iPod at all. So we've decided iPad it would be.

However, the PC building has to take precedent now; owning an iPad has been put on the back burner until it's finished. Truthfully, it has been painfully slow in the making although it is at the last stage, which is the CPU and all its ilk. But a slow process nonetheless.

Over the weekend, the Hubs out of the blue said he wanted to get himself his own netbook or laptop. That caught my attention! Eyes wide with excitement, I said, 'instead of another netbook, why not just get an iPad. You can have my netbook'. So excited I was. But really, he was just thinking aloud -_-

But it was too late, an idea has formed in my mind -- tanduk sudah keluar la so to speak. I searched the internet for the cheapest deal, be it for an iPad or iPad 2 as long as it is cheap. Then I caught up with Wawa over BBM and she mentioned Galaxy Tab 10.1 . . .

. . .

. . .

. . .

PEOPLE! I WANT ONE! AND I WANT IT NAAAAOOO!

I read reviews about it on all the blogs I can find, watched all the unboxing and review YouTube videos... Macam kena angau okeh. You would not believe the extend I was willing to go to get the darn thing. Unfortunately, it's not wise to get it now though because there's a lot of stuff to deal with in the month of December -- school supplies, car insurance, road tax, property fire insurance, the shitz. I suppose a year of practice in frugality managed to save me... or did it?

To satiate my... hunger?... wants?... lust?... I bought myself a new bag.

LONGCHAMP Le Pliage small short handle in Grape

Bought it from How2Shop. Actually, I bought a bag organiser first from her and then saw that she has those bags on sale. So I beli lah. This is to replace my medium 'Ler Plagiat' bag :p

Did it cure my Tab lust? Not really -_-'

Nampaknya tanduk tak turun lagi... :-(

Please God, give me the strength...

xoxo

My timetable has been wantonly disregarded!

2011-11-10T13:57:00.001+08:00

Pangkor Island

I've been pretty busy as well as tired and mentally drained by the end of a work day. Hence, the minimal blogging. I missed those times when I can just write. Nowadays, by the time I'm done with work all I wanna do is just lepak.

Anyhow, a much need break -- went to Pangkor over the long weekend last week.

I have always wanted to go for a beach holiday for the longest time! And I also discovered... that I've never been to Pangkor before. Went to Lumut (Swiss Garden) once or twice, but I don't think I've ever been to Pangkor Island itself.

And it was LOVELY uols!

I just don't wanna come back. Mira had a blast and she don't wanna come back either. We stayed overnight on the 3rd day at Teluk Intan (E's parents' place) and when we took the bus back on Monday, she thought we're going back to the beach. Heh heh.

I'm just going to write a summary of our holiday as I'm pressed for time (I've assignments to finish!).

Day 1:

Took the early morning bus from Pudu~~raya~~ Sentral. My, how the place has changed!
Got the double-decker Plusliner bus.... should have opted for Transnasional lah. The journey took 5 hours!
Had lunch at Lumut while waiting for our ferry. We stopped at the 2nd jetty instead of the 1st (a fishing village).
Took the taxi to our hotel, checked-in and we all left for the beach in haste!
Decided to return to our rooms to change... we're going to mandi laut!
Played and stayed at the beach until it was time for dinner. And it started to drizzle a bit.
Had dinner at Daddy's Cafe, which was pretty nice.
Head back to the hotel, changed and just lepak at the hotel area while the kids stayed in the rooms, playing Mira's DS.
We also bought a grilled fish, so just snacked on it.
Slept.

Day 2:

Woke up at 7AM, went out to the beach for a walk.
On the way back to our hotel, stopped by Restoran Manshur for breakfast. Their nasi lemak was really nice.
Changed for the beach and we're practically there until it started to rain again.
The wind was so strong that it blew Mira's floater away into the nearby woods. LOL. It was quite a scene!
C, Mira & I hanged out at Daddy's again. We decided to have lunch. E & her son, who predicted the rain earlier and went back to the hotel while we stayed back, came over after the rain stops.
It started to drizzle again, so we headed back. And it rained the whole night!
We had dinner at Horizon. Food was alright. We hit the grilled fish store again, but this time we ate there.
The adults just lepak, the kids went to bed early -- too tired.

The kids made this (with help from C).

Day 3:

Our morning plan kinda spoilt because of the rain. But luckily it stopped early enough, so we changed for the beach and stopped by Restoran Manshur again for breakfast.
Mira and I walked to where we thought the floater flew, and hurrah! found it behind a tree. Mira was SO glad!
Then on to the beach until check out time. I stayed minding the kids whilst E & C went back to pack our things and check out. Then they came back, sun tanned some more.
It started to drizzle again, so we pack our things, went back to the hotel to freshen up.
Went to Restoran Manshur (again) for lunch this time. Had their meehoon Jawa yang sedap!
Back to the hotel, took our things, bid farewell to the owners (they're the friendliest people) and ride the taxi back to the Jetty.
E's father was at the Lumut Jetty waiting for us. I went shopping for some dried stuff -- fish satay, dried sotong, the likes.
Then off to Teluk Intan we went.
They took us for dinner at a seafood restaurant in town, we ate and ate (salted egg crabs are to die for!). Mira was getting a bit fed-up with that. Haha!
We all slept early that night.

Day 4:

E brought us to town, had brunch at a rojak shop in front of the Store.
Then we went to check out the Leaning Tower of ~~Pisa~~ Teluk Intan. It's actually a clock tower lah. Unfortunely, it was closed for maintenance so we can't climb up.
Went back home for C & I to pack our stuff; our bus leaves at 2PM.
Reached Duta two and half hours later, send C back to her place.
Home sweet home.

The Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan.

Mira & I just love Pangkor and we're so happy to be there. We're planning to go again in March with DH this time, insyaallah.

xoxo

And the CAT jumped over the moon...

2011-09-24T23:00:00.000+08:00

Not the cow. But the cat. My cat to be specific, who jumped over the balcony railing to get into our neighbour's so he can chase their dog. I always thought it's the dog that chases the cat not the other way round. Tanda-tanda nak kiamat kah?

As I first mentioned here about it, he did it again yesterday. Let me show you how the balcony looks like and the distance between ours and the neighbour's.

Exhibit A

You see there? My neighbour's balcony is adjacent to ours, not even at a certain angle where you can easily jump over. We have no idea how Mort can climb up the railing to go to the other side. Really! Clueless!

This is what would happen... First, he'd check out if the dog is also at the balcony (dog's house is placed at the balcony, I think):

Peek-a-boo! I see you!

Notice the skeleton of a smaller cage there? When he started to just climb over the railing for a peek, we placed it there thinking it would help to deter him from climbing. But, of course not!

If the dog or the neighbour's sliding door is open (we think Mort can smell the dog), he'll quickly climb up the railing, like so...

Maybe I should rename him Spiderman?

Even with the Astro thingy there, I still don't see how he can balance himself enough to get to the other side. And when he wags his tail furiously, that means he's ready to jump. And then you'll start hearing the dog barking non-stop.

Yesterday, when the balcony door was opened, DH was in the kitchen with Mira raiding the fridge, whereas I was in my room to charge my BlackBerry. I was going back to the living area when I heard the scratching of nails on iron and then heard the dog barking rather excitedly.

I looked at DH, alarmed and asked 'where's Momort?'... I quickly check our room (he likes to sleep under the duvet) and DH quickly went to the balcony to see if he's gone over. And true enough, he was there!

DH quickly knocked on the neighbour's door, profusely apologise and picked Mort up. Adoila! Tak boleh lepa langsung. He was sitting on the sofa with us before that. And in a split second he was gone.

Our sliding door is always shut now. Unless we lock him in the cat's cage or in our bedroom when he's sleeping. Otherwise, we'll have to selak the drapes for a clear view of that corner. But he's black so that doesn't work well at night FML.

And, because he can't go to the balcony any more without supervision, whenever he hears the dog bark, he'll do this instead...

I see you there, Mort!

Jangan kau ingat kau boleh terbang sudah. This is getting more challenging than taking care of a babe in terms of safety precautions you guys!

xoxo

I have had a holiday, and I'd like to take it up professionally.

2011-09-19T20:20:00.000+08:00

Earlier this year after tendering her resignation, C went to Pangkor on a self-dicovery trip. She shared with E & I photos of her holiday and suggested for all of us to take a vacation together soon. It has been in the works for the longest time!

Decisions had to be made -- to take the kids or not, which long weekend should we plan this trip i.e. to go during Deepavali or Raya Haji or Malaysia Day; and neither wanted to utilise too many off days for this. We only managed to confirm it last month with a date that is suitable for everybody ;-p

E has booked our room (we've decided to take the kids). Only left is for me and C to purchase our bus tickets.

So... Pangkor, here we come!

Pangkor

Let the countdown begins... T minus 45 days. Woohoo!

xoxo

In my world, everyone’s a pony and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies!

2011-09-14T11:05:00.000+08:00

You wouldn't believe what happened yesterday.

My next door neighbour has a small dog. I think it's a Maltese. Her name's Donna. The Lord Voldemort (my cat), became very intrigued by it. At first we thought he's interested to befriend the dog. But actually, he was more interested to pick a fight with it! -_-'

There were many a time when the dog was allowed out at her unit's main entrance area (cordoned off by chicken wire), Mort will sit by our main door trying to smell or peep through the space between our door and the floor. Very kay-poh la pakcik ni.

Whenever the dog is at the balcony, Mort will climb our balcony railing, balancing himself on it while trying to take a peep at the dog, too. All these times, we were waiting for him to either try jump over or die trying (seven floors down yo!). Yesterday, he actually succeeded jumping over the neighbour's balcony!

DH and Mira weren't aware of this. They went out to buy lunch. While having their lunch, the neighbour knock on our door to let DH know that Mort is in their house and had chased and attacked their dog all over the place. When they tried to catch Mort, he became very defensive. So they had to call us to pick our cat up.

Luckily, no one was hurt :-p

The dog ran into her master's room. When DH went to pick him up, Mort was sitting at the neighbour's balcony like it's a casual thing to have your cat visiting your neighbour's.

Haih... macam-macam hal!

xoxo

Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.

2011-08-18T09:38:00.001+08:00

In less than two weeks, Ramadhan will be over. I try not to say this but... time flies.

A lot has happened since I last blogged. Ok lah, probably there were only 1 or 2 major drama, but let's not focus on that. It's all water under the bridge and I feel after all has been said and done, I don't think I am able to become friends with you any more. It also brought out a side of you that I have never seen.

Anyway, I am happy to report, my Sims craving has been met. Remember I bought the base game just because it was on sale the other day? I also bought additional RAM to upgraded my work PC and I now have the game installed in it. Muahahaha!

Ok what, I played during lunch and a bit after work only :-p

I love this new game. It's different in the sense that I can only play one Sims family because its world is 'open' without boundaries. As in, the whole city/area/neighbourhood-whatchamacallit is my Sim's oyster. It's a very pretty world, too.

Sunset Valley's Beach

See... what a life!

So, I have created and played three families in different neighbourhood background (guess what? I bought Ambitions EP, too!). The current family I'm playing is my favourite and I think I shall play with it for a while.

Yesterday, the founder Sims died. Now, the wife and two grown kids are in mourning for two Sims days! It was also frustrating to find out that the two outsiders that I coupled it with mine were much older. One was about to turn into an elder and another was already an adult, wtf.

I think my Sims have an easy life. Maybe I should try shake it up a bit. Heh heh. I will kick out the elder Sims by breaking off their relationship and make her move out. Whilst for the other kid who's having a relationship with her high school mate (I don't get how he could have outgrown her in terms of aging either!), probably I'll get them to move away as well. Maybe move them back to his family's home.

I wish I have Late Night for it's Bridgeport township, not so much about the vampire; and Generations as well. Le sigh.

xoxo

Reticulating Splines.

2011-06-30T16:30:00.000+08:00

Guess what? I bought this!

The Sims 3 base game - belilah yang ori

Even though I have no computer to play it with. Har har! But... it's on 30% discount now if you buy it from The Software Boutique! Heee... I travelled awwllllll the way to PJ after work just for this. Ok lah, to be fair from my office it wasn't that far ;-p

I have been thinking of getting the base game first as the carrot to my building computer quest. So now I actually have it.

Also, after calculating the total costs of rigging one, I found out that the PC in my office costs cheaper to own in comparison. I thought I'd try it out to see how well the game will play seeing that it was only a year old, it should come with a better specs from my own derelict one at home. My office's PC specs are:

Pentium Dual-Core @ 2.93GHz
1-pathethic-GB of RAM
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator

Eh, no wonder it sucks. I thought it has 2GB RAM at least even without a canggih video card. The game was laggyyyyyy nak mampos! Even after I lowered down all the settings it still took a painful amount of time to get it going.

Tak best la if you can't play it on high settings kan. Sigh. No choice now but to go ahead with my plan.

Therefore, Plan 1A can be striked off. Next month I'll try to strike off Plan 1B, which is getting a monitor, chasis and power supply.

C'est la vie.

xoxo

Sometimes I like to vent.

2011-06-27T11:08:00.000+08:00

Like now for instance. I just find working with the network-thingy frustrating sometimes. I am not even an IT graduate but I am still the go-to person for any IT related issues here. Benda sempoi-sempoi ok la kan, but there are some things that are beyond my basic understanding.

Networking issues for example.

I don't have a clue why the wireless on three (just three while the others worked, dammit) computers won't connect to the Unifi router. I've tried troubleshoot it, still it doesn't work. Neither have I any clue why the printers refused to connect to the said router.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, ROUTER?? I've wasted two hours of my time trying to make everthing work but to no avail.

Haih!

xoxo

A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart.

2011-06-21T23:10:00.001+08:00

I don't know how it started or how long it has been since, but Mira and her Atuk has a secret goodbyes code between them. I don't really know what it means or if it has any meaning at all.

It goes something like this:

When it's time to say their goodbyes, either one will say 'Bye-kiiii' and the other will return it with 'Bye-diiii'. Then they'll add 'See you-kiiii' and that will be replied with 'See you-diii'. This will go on for a few rounds and they'll end it with 'kiiii' 'diiii' for a few more times.

Only then my dad will say 'Ok, bye!'; and only then are we allowed to leave or hang up the phone.

A few days ago, DH asked me about this peculiar greetings and tried to get Mira to replicate the same in their phone conversations together. She just cheekily laughs it off. But later she also makes fun of him with it by saying it wrong (bye-dididididi ~and laughs 'ahahahahaha!') and then she'll add 'apalah Ayah ni cakap macam ni'.

HAHA!

xoxo

After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.

2011-06-19T18:49:00.000+08:00

Alright. The other thing that made me feel so out of sort, or more like as if I'm being blanketed by a slow sense of sadness, is that...

HARRY POTTER MOVIE SAGA IS COMING TO AN END UOLS!

I have a boxful of wonderful memories that comes from being a fan of the books and the movies. I remembered the first time M introduced me to the first three books. How I read the borrowed books so quickly and actually bought my own so I can read it again.

And how we woke up at dawn to queue for The Order of Phoenix. It was a Saturday, I remembered. A working day. We picked up our books, went to Dome for breakfast and read a few chapters quietly until it was time to go to work next door.

And I remembered our first movie experience. We were ~~squeeing in the cinema~~ so excited to see it all -- the quidditch match, Harry, Ron and Hermione coming to life. H and I went to see it for a few more times after that. We can even recite the lines from the first movie, to DH's amazement (dia kata weols hardcore, which was true I suppose).

I remembered the time when M and I chased the Hitz.fm Prado cruiser to get premiere tickets for the second movie. It was fun and funny at the same time -- two grown up acting like children because you know, HP is not even a Young Adult series like Twilight for example.

When the last book came out, the end did not feel so absolute because the movie still has a few more to go. But now? Sigh. After this no more anything-Harry-Potter to look forward to.

Harry will go on to live happily ever after with Bonnie. It would be the final 'Fin'...

T_T

Can you believe it???

xoxo

Who is rich? He that is content. Who is that? Nobody.

2011-06-08T17:55:00.001+08:00

I have been on a quiet not because there's nothing to talk about, but because there were loads. Oxymoron statement of the day. Well, to be honest, I am mostly perplexed at how far behind I am.

For one, I have just discovered that The Sims 3 has released a new expansion pack called Generations and it has been announced that it'll be followed by Pets in the Fall of this year. I vaguely recall this entry, and do you know how long it has been since I planned to upgrade my desktop so I can play The Sims 3?

The Sims 3: Generations

EXACTLY TWO BLOODY YEARS!

That, ladies and gentlemen, is procrastination at its best. I am very proud of myself. Not!

My desktop has totally kaputted and the jurasic CRT monitor has become junk right now. I need to either build from scratch or just buy a new set. I've calculated the costs, and hopefully, I can have a new PC in 2 to 3 months top.

I have this feeling that probably by the time I actually have a computer, The Sims 4 would have come out... that folks, would be sometime in 2015!

-_-"

Right, secondly... we'll save that for another blog entry, ya? Muahahaha!

xoxo

The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet.

2011-05-24T12:16:00.000+08:00

It's been months since the last time Mira reached her school early. Ever since I discovered the ease of dropping her off via the back entrance staircase, I started to delay everything by half an hour. And we'll reach school 5 minutes before the bell rings. Heee...

SMART Tunnel

However, with the closure of the Smart Tunnel since Monday, I've no choice but to go back to our old routine by taking Loke Yew instead. The traffic has been smooth, though, so we ended up at school by half past six. Gilos awal.

Bila la tunnel nak bukak balik. Oh, Smart, how I have missed thee!

School holiday is just around the corner. I have plans to take a few days off next week, but no idea what to do to entertain the little missy. Probably I'll take her to the park or zoo or something. And a movie... or two. Shopping. Etc.

We'll see lah.

xoxo

He that shuns trifles must shun the world.

2011-05-10T14:28:00.000+08:00

Whad'dya know, there are quotes about trifle!

Last Saturday, a friend hosted barbecue at her place. We didn't notice it kinda coincide with Mother's Day until someone pointedly ask about it.

She asked if I can bring some desserts. I chose to make trifle as it is the simplest. Heh heh.

Trifle in the making

Recipe from here.

As you can see, there's a slight accident that time I poured the jelly on top of the custard, also not enough cream. I thought one can of whipped cream should be enough, but apparently not.

I couldn't find strawberry rolls at Tesco, so lantak je la dengan pandan flavoured roll. It made the whole thing colourful in the end, though. So all was well :-)

xoxo

Prince William and Duchess Catherine

2011-04-30T21:03:00.002+08:00

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

By some twist of fate, Mira's school held their Kem Solat on Thursday and Friday after school hours this week. The notice was distributed on Wednesday. Thus, I got to pick her up at 3pm and went straight home... and got to watch the wedding of this century.

Awesome luck!

Whenever I read historical romances (especially the Regency era), this is how I picture the heroes and heroins in said books travel, get married, etc. And you have to admit it is plausible. *love*

Family Portrait

The bride's wedding gown was beautiful. Simple, yet elegant. And Pippa's bridemaid's dress is TDF! Everything was so perfect.

The most fun to watch? Are the hats! Ok, when I visit England in the future, I want to buy me a hat and wear it everywhere I go :-p

All photo credit goes to The British Monarchy's Flickr account. You can view them here.

Of all the photos I've seen so far, this one is my favourite!

Very picturesque, like a painting doncha think? *love*

Le sigh.

May they live happily ever after.

xoxo

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"

2011-04-25T00:47:00.001+08:00

I chance upon an update from a friend on his FB status about the new release of two exclusive Blackberry themes for Spring and I downloaded both. But I oh-so-love this one than the other...

because...

Check out the cutesies icons! It has blue tulips yo'. And green grass... or is that weed? And when the icon is highlighted it look as if there's a sun shining through.

Aren't they pretty!

You can download them through your BlackBerry App World or here and here.

xoxo

Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.

2011-04-03T23:53:00.001+08:00

Holy crap, Batman! It's already April!

Against all odds (o'rly?), I got the office set up and moved end of March as scheduled. It was a mad whirl wind of 5 work days trying to get everything ready on time. TM tried to gave me numerous heart attacks, but still, they came through. At least on one part.

The only thing I couldn't get done was to get us internet connection. And you know how without internet no one can work/live nowadays? Fortunately, my arse was saved by P1's plug and play. So, we has internets people! And boss was happy and impressed (can we have that translated to a raise, maybe?).

This was the shortest time frame I've worked with to accommodate an office move.

This is my room -- small and cozy...

I'm liking my new space now. I like everything about the new location, too. There are a lot of restaurants there and hangout places. Tutti Fruitti is a few steps away as well as a nail spa. Kalau stress boleh pergi kejap to de-stress? Lol.

Parking is dirt cheap and I hope it stays that way for a very long time.

Commuting between there and Mira's school and back wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It took just about the same duration when we were at GT. So, that's cool.

Business should start as usual tomorrow. I still have a few minor thing to settle and then I can concentrate on my other goals for the year.

xoxo

Meet Barry... Black Barry

2011-03-26T17:19:00.002+08:00

I HAVE A NEW TOYYYYYY!

Blackberry Bold 9780

A handful of days before my birthday, DH asked me what I want as a gift. I jokingly mentioned Blackberry Curve 3G, as you all know my wish to get one myself. I left it at that because, well, let's face it -- my husband is usually the last person to give me anything for birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I can't remember the last gift he got me, really.

We also discussed what to get Mira for her birthday.

He asked me about it again later on, wanting to know about the specifics i.e. which model I want, the costs, etc. I couldn't make up my mind between a Curve 3G and Bold 9780 (aka Bold 3). He said he really wanted to get me one, so I better decide which one I want.

At first (sebab malas nak fikir banyak-banyak), I thought of just getting myself a Curve 3G. That was the plan anyway, right. But Bold 3 looked better and better as the days goes by. I find the idea of lugging two phones around unattractive. As it is, satu ni pun rasa sangat leceh, ni kan pulak dua? And then Bold 3 has 5 MP camera. It's more than sufficient for me. The reason why I wanted to get two new phones was because there aren't any 5MP cameras on Blackberry at that time.

And to cut the story short, I got Bold 3 for my birthday from DH. SUKA! I've named it Barry Black ;-)

I'm glad I chose Bold 3 in the end; love it big time. It took a little while to get around the new device at first, but I'm getting the hang of it. I love how I get emails instantly, how I can communicate real time with friends via BBM and even BB's SMS bubbles. I've downloaded (and purchased) some apps for my phone and rearranged everything in the phone's menu to my liking.

It's pretty much *my* Barry now.

ILU baby!

xoxo

Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon... smart too late.

2011-03-20T19:13:00.000+08:00

Birthday come, birthday go. I am a year older (a few days ago lah) and hopefully, a little more wiser now. I was pretty happy with how the day went -- lunch with my ex-colleagues at our favourite seafood joint, got my dose of salted egg crabs and spend the remaining of the day with another person whom just turned 7 a week before, Mira.

We went to see Rango. Actually, she wanted to watch Mars Needs Mom but I vetoed the idea. I said 'Let's watch Rango lah, got Johnny Depp'. Fifteen minutes into the movie, I thought we'd probably find MNM more appealing.

Dunno lah. I just find the story drags after a while.

We stayed home these two days. I need this down time to gather my 'energy' to start the school run again tomorrow. I kinda miss being the first one in the office and not be bothered when others got stuck in the traffic and got in late.

And then, there's the office move that I need to plan and execute. Yes folks, we're moving at last! Everything needs to be in place by the 3rd because the plan is to resume business as usual in the new office on the 4th. I only have a week to get everything done as the current tenant only moves out this coming Friday.

Madness!

Ok lah, I now need to gather my 'energy' to start ironing school uniforms. Sigh.

xoxo

Life isn't weird: it's just the people in it.

2011-03-02T22:53:00.000+08:00

You would not believe what happened to me (or us) today.

First, the car battery died. Fair enough, it's been awhile since we last changed it, but not la dot dot a year due. I thought I have until end of this month to do something about it but alas. This morning, the car just refused to start. So nothing to it, Mira had to ponteng school whilst I took the public transport to go to work.

Gosh, it's been ages since I did that. I've forgotten how inconvenient the whole experience was. Took 2 hours just to go to work wtf.

And I craved for Oldtown's Iced Hazelnut Coffee like nobody business! I texted Chewie to check where she was (she's a train commuter, too) and we promised to meet at Ampang Park. I had two, I repeat TWO!, glasses of said iced coffee.

Suddenly feeling sick after that. LOL.

I made an arrangement to leave early on Wednesdays, so I left after half past three. Decided to just take the cab which proved to be a wise decision. Why? Because when I came home to pick up the car keys to see if I can make it start to bring it to the workshop, I saw a red notice at my door grill.

You just know what those things are, right? Love letter from T*B!

Ok, fair enough, I haven't been receiving any bills for months (roughly ten) and initially I did bug them to find out what's the problem. But after ding-donging for a while, I stopped following up. No bills, no notice, no nothing. Then today a letter saying that they've taken out the whole meter-thingy.

Panic giler ok. Terus call the careline to basically ask APAKAH?

Well, they pun initially don't understand how the situation got to become such. Folks, the letter was dated April 2010. Yup. Twenty ten. At first I thought my eyes was playing tricks on me coz reading through the paragraph it said I should pay the arrears before May. Well, hello we're in March, until I saw the year... TWENTY TEN.

Major wtf moment kan? Precisely!

So, I was instructed to make the arrears payment before 5:15 pm at the Cheras' management center, which was all the way in BTHO. Dah la mak ~~tak pernah~~ ok lah, jarang-jarang pergi that place and I've less than 20 minutes before closing time. I prayed to Allah to permudahkan jalan and let my car start.

Thank god, it worked. Like orang gila I drove to find the place. And thank god again, it was rather easy to find. But alas, I reached there just 5 minutes after closing (which at the door said 5:00 pm btw not fifteen past). I knocked on the glass door (I did!) and practically begged them to let me in. Nasib baik la theyols tu baik bagi mak masuk.

Paid the bill, went to another section to get them to fix the bloody meter soon-ish but was said they can only do it later tonight or tomorrow morning je. What a girl to do? Think think think... we have to put up a night somewhere. Mira has a test tomorrow, she needs to do revision kan. Gelap-gelap macam mana nak baca (alasan? mungkin...).

Checked this hotel in Cheras and looked at the price... mahal gila for just a night. Tried TuneHotels and let just say the price comparing that it is right in town was well worth it.

So here we are, staying a night (10 hours more less) at TuneHotel Downtown KL.

Sesuai untuk tido je lah.

How was it? Ok la, serviceable. Suitable for 'nak terberak' people like me. But the room has no TV. Sangap la kalau tak de netbook ke, iPod ke, iPad ke, smartphone ke atau kawasan yang sewaktu dengan nya. Of course, you could walk the area surrounding it. You are in KL as it is.

Ok, time to enjoy my micro-mini getaway. Gonna do a Vampire Diaries marathon in a bit.

Nite!

xoxo

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public relations officers.

2011-02-27T23:06:00.001+08:00

Merry had one of these way ahead of me -- mommy's network at school. Now that Mira's in primary school, I have a bunch of them myself. Other than as a point to check about school happenings and homework, we look out for each others kids.

While chatting with them yesterday morning over gimrama class, I discovered a few amusing things about Mira.

One of her classmate's mom works nearby the school, so she frequently come over to check on her daughter after school. Sometimes she'll bring over lunch as well. One day last week she offered Mira to join them as I was late. She asked in Malay if Mira would like to have some food but boleh tak her kid told the mom that 'Mira ni cakap English je, ibu. Ibu kena cakap English dengan dia.' -_-"

And then another of her classmate's mom, a tiny girl that reminded me of Daria from the moment I saw her (her name memang starts with D pun) and I shall call her that in here from now on, chipped in 'Oh, ni la mak Mira yang Daria cerita cakap English je tu.'

I always assumed that was the main reason no one wanted to befriend her in that other school she went to for pre-school the first six months of last year. Apparently, it's true wtf.

The thing is kan, it's not like she converse really well in English. Basically, she doesn't really converse in any language well at all. Tak lah petah mana pun compared to her peers. Dah la masih pelat and she can't pronounce 'R' well. Somehow, she prefers to use English when communicating, and when she tries to speak in Malay bunyi dia agak kelakar. Susun atur ayat pun lintang pukang. You need to really know where she's coming from to understand her. Her ayah can hardly pick up what she's saying, but he's picking up on it after spending two weeks at home with her.

I'm trying to fix this. This worries me, and yes, as pointed out by one of the mom that it is good how she can speak English, I'd rather her be able to speak well in both language. That's the point isn't it? Of being able to speak more than one language -- that you have good command of both.

Anyway. When Daria told her mom about Mira, so the mom asked her if that bothers her. She said no because Mira is her friend and she speaks English with Mira, too. She also told her mom how there was this one day the class teacher was called to attend a meeting and asked the class monitor to look after the class. But the class monitor's a rather soft spoken girl, hence these two girls helped her in maintaining silence and order... by being loud themselves.

One will shout 'keep quiet!' whilst the other will say 'senyap la!'. LOL.

xoxo