Closing June, welcoming July

I just got back from Perlis, with my parents. Sent Ozal my little brother to UiTM Arau. This is his first time being far from home. Just like what my sisters and I experienced when we stepped into the university. The only difference is that, I am the eldest, and he is the youngest. And I don't expect him to be as tough. He will always be our baby, though he's 17 going on 18..


(Ozal, please don't merengek kat sana ok!)

The queue towards UiTM Arau gate was as long as the traffic jam queue during peak hour on the Federal Highway. With a few impatient drivers trying to overtake and squeeze their vehicles in between cars which were already bumper-to-bumper, our patience was really tried. If I were driving a 4WD, you could predict what I would have done to those cars, huhu.

About 10 meters away from the main gate, we saw the signboards being put up by the security personnel: Right lane for male students, left lane for female students. For the second time (first time was during Ain's time in UIA), boys were again being outnumbered by the girls (in UTP, it wasn't like that). As a result, driving to the male hostel was smoother than driving to the female hostel, haha.

After helping him unpack and all, we headed back to KL, and arrived home in about 5 hours. Upon writing this, I already missed him. I hope he will be strong there.

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The news on Michael Jackson's departure held my breath. It is the same feeling like I had when Lady Diana died. A total disbelief. And I knew that it is a big loss to not only the entertainment world; he was an icon encompassing his music. The world is not ready to lose him. Though I am not that big of a fan, I feel his loss. It hurts inside.

I then begin to think, whose departure after this would leave such a big impact alike to MJ's? Sir Elton John? Sir Paul McCartney? Mariah Carey? Nelson Mandela? I'm not that sure..

Whatever it is, Michael Jackson is forever irreplaceable. May he rests in peace.. and if it's really in Islam, alhamdulillah..

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June has been a fun month for me. I got to fulfill my dreams to give a talk when my alma mater invited me as one of the speakers for their students induction week, went for technical seminars and vendor presentations (which I have not been able to do for the past few months), secured myself a good deal for my big day during the wedding fair at Ampang Point, went for my offshore safety training (and being in water now is no more a nightmare, yay~!) and boy, was it a fun experience, and with my good friends Caah, Shafaf, Yatt, Alice, Diyana and Nazrol by my side, it was even more exciting :) I wish that I'll be assigned for offshore RTS work this year.. even if it's not under my group's KPI..

July is coming.. and I foresee my absence from KL, which means, yay! (Oh well, a little urrgh for not being able to have breakfast talks with Caah, Yatt and Shafaf..)

Danger: Emotional Alert! Haha.

I have always wanted to know where my readers come from. And because of the advancement in real time online tracking, I am able to track where my readers come from. Yes, it is nice to know that my blog is being visited, even by people whom I don't know. I sometimes wonder, which friend is it that I have in Brighton (well, cousin Alisa used to study there.. but that was like 2 years before), Singapore (Tan Su Yi kah?), Saudi (let me guess, Zaim?) and Japan (I suppose it's Fiqah). I just wanna say thanks for spending the time browsing though my posts :).

How do I know some of my readers? Well, some are constant commentors (like En. Dayat!), some friends (who are usually bloggers too) told me that they came across my blog and expressed their views about my posts, and some friends gave some hints that they have read this blog by giving me some hints, e.g. you love fried chicken, don't you? And I will wonder like, err.. when did I give that information away verbally..? Hmm.. The pulling down part is that, when I know my readers, I tend to restrict whatever I am writing so as not to write things that may be discomforting to them. As a result: depressed blogger! haha. Less of self expression.

For almost two years, I no longer engage in diary-writing (except during new year's eve), cuz when I read back my diary posts, it all seemed to be quite emotional (it's easier expressing my emotions on paper, than with people, nanti kena label as drama queen. Tak macho la kan..), and I don't prefer that sort of feeling. And I have thrown lotsa them into the dustbin. In short, waste of my time. So no, I avoid going near to fancy diaries when I step into Kino or MPH.

Speaking about being emotional, lately I sense the huge impact of emotions on me. You know, I guess the "9 nafsu 1 akal" thingy is taking over me. Nafsu, in my understanding after reading a few opinions (mentioned by Saifulislam and demipena in their websites) does not really link to lust or desire or whatever synonyms that it has, but more to the emotion matters. I asked a few of my close girlfriends before, do they feel that, and they said it's affirmative. It's not that I'm trying to deny the womanish development inside me, but it does feel awkward (and tak best jugak!). Why? Because I adore those whom are more logical than emotional. Maybe it's the ego thingy, or maybe the adapting process is slow. And because my emotional side is developing, I pity my fiance who has to get used to the emotional turbulence I had recently. Believe me, I am adapting as well! It's rather weird you know.

Perhaps I should finish reading that Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus (sebenarnya malas nak habiskan.. tapi Robert Kiyosaki said those who don't wanna learn more are ignorant people. No, Sharifah is not ignorant!) to better understand women (as well as men). It should help me in dealing with my loved ones, and friends and colleagues.

I've got a wedding tomorrow to attend in Putrajaya (congrats Syikin and Amri!) and after that, I'll head to Jalan TAR, kikiki.. mencari kain! And Monday to Wednesday, BOSET with Yatt, Caah, Nazrol and Shafaf! May we survive.. (cey, the scaredy-cat me!)

Early June rantings

I mentioned in one of the previous posts that I would love to have some kinda reunions with my fellas. Guess what, after that wish was written down, I continuously bumped into my Raja Muda (Arshad, Khairul Amir & Ziadora), Alam Megah (The Cronies - you know who you are) and UTP friends. Boy it felt sentimental to revisit the memory lane again. Thank you God for granting my wish..

I suppose June is a bit more relaxed than the previous months. The boon about it: I am able to attend weddings, haha! But of course, I can only go for one wedding a week.. why? Penat! Seriously the commuting (plus the bad weather and the traffic jams!) are taking their tolls on me; where usually weekends are the times to relax and unwind, are now the times to get me wound up on the roads. Well, not that I don't enjoy driving, but you know, trapped among not-so-nice drivers (though just a few) can actually drive me up the wall! Huhu.. and the result is Weary Mondays -_-.

(aah..~ I can't concentrate writing.. these songs are distracting me..)

I'm actually in the midst of finishing reading Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad (which I should have bought like 2-3 years ago). One thing that I like about the book is that, it encourages the readers to continuously think and seek ways to better up financial knowledge, and not just stamping on the head the dollar sign only. The keyword is "continuously think", in which I think, is something not all of us do constantly (except En. Dayat and my fiance, speaking of those whom I know of), and also, it somehow agrees with CIMB's tagline "winning is about thinking one step ahead" (I love this tagline). I should be completing the book by next weekend (my pace is too slow.. darn) and I should start reading another book after that.

Oh yeah, let's see.. schedule in June: wedding fair at Ampang Point (why must it be Ampang.. why not Alam Sentral..), offshore safety training, sending Ozal to Arau. Can't wait to go for all those!

Oh yes, I would like to wish my dad Happy Father's Day! No one can beat your patience of waiting, and I am learning it from you (well, not that he bothers to read my blog pun.. haha) Neways, we all love you Abah!

P.S: To Nawar, happy welcoming your baby soon! I pray for both mother and baby to be safe and healthy (Muspa, if you read this, please convey this to her okay, hehe =) )

Kasih berubah..~

Cinta zaman sekolah. Hyundai Coupe. Perfect for ladies.
(The new 2009 Coupe is out! Do check it out. Wicked!)

Peugeot 407.. Cinta zaman universiti.
Perfect front and rear appearance, perfect interior, perfect cruising.
Personal opinion: A perfect package.
(Tak reti nak komen panjang2 macam Jeremy Clarkson..)

Cinta terbaru! Alfa Romeo 159.. terlalu handsome!
Kalah Justin Timberlake.
Bila la boleh beli..
Perlu test drive macam ni!

Mehndi? What's that? Shaadi karogi!

Beginning this weekend, I am gonna go for a series of weddings every end of the week. I am happy that more and more of my friends are gonna start their family life very soon. And yes, going to weddings can also help in giving me some ideas for my own wedding afterwards, hehe.

Suddenly this thought came to my mind.. and I just wanna jot it down.

We all love pretty weddings, especially with some sort of concept. There are tonnes of wedding concepts that we can usually see: garden weddings, wedding by the beach, Bali-style wedding, English style, fairy-tale wedding, arabian night concept (Mawi?), and the list goes on..

But, all in all, as Muslims, regardless of whatever the concept is, we should adhere to the DOs and DON'Ts of the religion. No exception.

Recently, there were interviews on henna wearing among brides. It is announced that the henna should not be drawn on the hands, as it somewhat replicates tattoo-wearing, and tattoos are definitely a huge no-no in Islam. Enough to wear henna on the ends of the brides' fingers.

Well, drawing henna on hands is not the only thing that happens in weddings that contradicts to the teachings of the religion. I think it should be better if the DOs and DON'Ts in weddings can be communicated thoroughly, and I suppose the best channel would be during pre-wedding courses conducted by the State Religious Department. Perhaps orang nak kahwin ni, they get so excited, they want everything to be pretty and adorable, they forget other things easily.

Personally, I think if cara pakai inai je betul, but other things are being overlooked, like bride tak menutup aurat ke (tutup aurat time nikah je trend sekarang ni.. haisshh..), sesi berkaraoke lagu pop yeh yeh ke, still, it's not good in the eyes of Islam. The usual flaws in weddings.

And sometimes, I think, we are just too focused in not making Muslim weddings be influenced by elements in Hinduism, we overlooked that Malay weddings are actually becoming more.. westernized! Off-shoulder gowns, a parade of aurat-exposing bridesmaids.. fashion show man! Sigh..

Oh well, it's just a thought anyway, that it's hard to run away from being double-standard.

Huh, saja mengomel petang-petang..

Of leadership course, and a lil bit of emo thingy..

Question: what do you do with someone who does not like you and tempts you to feel the same way towards him/ her? You obviously don't wanna get in a mess with that person, but because of his/ her shown 'attitude', you feel like smacking that person on the face? Is it worth it?

Well, I was in this leadership program a few days ago. A good program for my inner growth definitely. Learnt a few useful things that I could do to better up my self-reflection, judgment, decision and action. We watched a movie titled "The Peaceful Warrior" on the 2nd night there.. and obviously we had to pick up a few things in the movie related to what we have learnt in the previous sessions. The movie was superb! I wish I could discover my Socrates like Dan did. It was a mind-opener..

There was one particular line in that movie that made me laugh about myself: "Life is a mystery, don't waste time figuring it out".

Well, I DO waste a lot of time thinking about life's mystery, haha. Why? Ntah, I just like to. Maybe it's nice to blog about what others don't really think of kan.. hehe, poyo. And sometimes, thinking about life helps me to widen life choices, mend heartbreaks, change my perspective... But yeah, at times, my mind is too cluttered I get agitated when my family asks me about my weekend plans for wedding preparation. Sigh.. kerana jarang ada plan pun! Wedding kan lambat lagi.. ceyy, alasan!

At this point of time, I feel my life has less meaning than before. I don't know why suddenly I feel that. Perhaps because I don't have that many activities outside work hours. Plus the really hot day-time.. that adds to the lazy feeling definitely. Ah, I'm definitely thinking about some kinda reunions or catching up with old friends.. or hanging out at some coffee house with my sibs.. but it all ended up as plans.. plans not realized! Cis cos.

Oh well.. At least I am left with myself to reflect upon, and that's a lot of homework jugak!

Another day at the office.. and I'm off to Bintulu! Hopefully I will be able to meet my Uncle Shah there.. and ask him what's it like to be the new first man of ABF, huhu. Can't wait!

P/S: Maybe it is worth it to give a smack, but I would like to stay in my best senses.. and not to react to my anger.

Just some updates..

Although today is Saturday, but it feels like it's Monday tomorrow. Feels a little bit awkward with 3 days off. Anyway..

Yesterday, the UPU online result was announced, and Ozal got a place in UiTM Perlis. Well, my parents wished that he would get himself a place not too far from home. I guess after this my parents will be willingly happy to have outstations in the northern region to visit Ozal more frequently. Surely after this, our weekends won't be as cheerful as it is now.. We, especially Ain, will miss Ozal..

A few of Ozal's friends didn't get a place, and seriously I felt sorry for them. My mom is heavily bugged by the worried parents these few days, seeking for advice on their next step since their children didn't manage to get through, other than seeking for comfort. Well, kesian these parents.. cuz of their children didn't score in SPM, they had to find other ways to get them a place in some private college. Well, I guess the admittance criteria to universities are now getting stricter. During my time, even those who scored 2As could go to Matriculation. Now, I don't think so. Getting 10As also is not something extraordinary at all nowadays.. Oh well, I am glad I have passed through all that.

Fatin called me just now. One of the topics discussed was about Tomok's victory in last night's OiaM grand finals. I thought I was the only in my circle of friends who voted, but Fatin voted for Tomok even more okay! Haha.. I first voted YES for Aweera, and a few NOs for Esther (hehe, jgn marah aa.. tak minat Esther langsung!) and 3 YESes for Tomok. Fatin voted 15 YESes for Tomok alright! Way to go Tein.. =) All in all, Tomok won, and I really hope that he will make full use of his advantage being the champion, unlike Suki and Ayu, respectively being overtaken by Faizal Tahir and Shila, eventhough they were champions of the previous OiaMs. And I hope Aweera and Esther will make more fortunes after this, and that for Aweera not to go and collect tins to make ends meet. It was indeed a pity to be listening to those kinds of hard situations. Unimaginable. Seriously.

I will be back in Kertih on Monday. I suppose this "jumper"-type of life will not be relaxed so soon. Nevertheless, I guess it's okay, since there are not many important things to happen in May. Only a few family and friends' weddings to attend, but that will only be the activities during the weekends. Oh ya, some shopping for Ozal of course.

Thank God tomorrow's Sunday. I still have another day to lepak around.

What a great thing to end my 1st May!

I am soooo HAPPPYY!!! that Tomok is the champ of this season's OiaM!

Congratulations Tomok! You definitely deserve it!


To Aweera and Esther, congratulations also for the well-done performances. You guys definitely have a place in the music industry, cuz your talents are over the top!

Aaaa.. Can't wait to listen to Tomok's new single.. haha.. sure boleh jadi Juara Carta Era and Hot FM ni!

And.. guess what.. I voted, haha!

-from once-not-a-New Boyz-fan-

Who's the next one-in-a-million?

One of the TV shows I lately look forward to is One in a Million season 3 (haha!). Only this season that I get to follow quite a few episodes. The past two seasons, I only knew who won at the end of the competition. This time, I think what ignites my interest is watching two recording artistes - Amylea and Tomok - battling for that RM1 million - alongside Aweera, Esther and Nine.

It is actually easy to see who is at the top of the heart of the voters, and who's not. Anyway, that could just be my own judgment. Perhaps Malaysia will prove that thought as wrong. Hehe.

Okay, since I have time to waste tonight, I think it's fun to analyze the top 5 of this season's OiaM.

Amylea - seriously I wasn't a fan of her during her AF times. Furthermore, her songs in the radio, personally for me, aren't that melodic compared to, say, Mila and Stacy's. But in this program, she really proves herself to be more than just a singer. A true talent. It is really apparent that she just loves performing! Very natural. I should say, reinventing the songs that she chooses in her own ways, making them sound so.. Amylea! And I love it when she does it in Lily Allen's way. If her fan base is big enough, maybe she can win OiaM. I wonder if I were in this competition with her.. mau je surrender.. hebat sangat for an amature.


Tomok - well, I think we all must agree to one thing: that his female fans still love him! But surprisingly, he is a good performer too, just like Amylea, creative. Contradicting to the time when he was still with New Boyz.. you know, he sounded so dreary when he sang all those 'jiwang karat' songs. I was really surprised when he sang Beyonce's Crazy In Love.. boy, was that a great performance. I think if I was there as the audience, I would've get on my feet and dance along. Seriously, Tomok is a close competitor to Amylea. Although his vocals are not as 'whoa' as Rizu or Esther's, but he has made it to this point. And I think he has a big chance of winning, since his female fans will be more than willing to vote for him time and time again. If he wins, I hope he won't go back to singing 'Sejarah Mungkin Berulang' genre.. it would be a total waste of talent then..


Esther - my first impression on her: she looked older than she is actually. She may be plump, but I think she's really sexy when she does all that poses on the stage. Her plus point is when she sings ballads and jazzy sounds. But I think her performance last week was not so good. I have to agree with Paul that she overdid the 'Legenda' song. Nevertheless, she has lotsa fans back in her hometown I suppose.. so she might not be so threatened by Amylea and Tomok. We'll see if she makes it to Top 2.


Aweera -(Wa, he will add to the list of male rockers in Malaysia whose names start with 'A': Awie, Amy, Ali, etc.) Aweera is a good looking young man, definitely, equipped with ability to hit high rock-song notes. But this guy, agak 'control macho' sikit la. The thing is, he is not as musically versatile as Amylea and Tomok, in which he prefers to play it safe, having too little changes in the song arrangements. Oh well, it seems he has his own circle of fans (even the guys scream for him in the studio!), so I bet he'll be in Top 3, if luck is on his side.


And lastly, Nine - not my fave definitely. He is really lucky to still be in the running to get that RM1million. He usually picks Indonesian songs for his performances, which I think, somehow erodes his credibility in this competition. It seems that he seldom heeds the advice from Paul and Syafinaz. Vocals, not that improving, style more or less the same every week. I'm bored watching him! Last week, he was in the less-voted group, and his performance was messy too. So I guess he should be worrying about his next performance this Friday.

Who's my fave? I should say they are Amylea and Tomok. The only thing is that they are already recording artistes, and both of them has a few years of experience performing on stage, leaving the other three to be seen as total novice. Who do you choose Malaysians? Our second-chance-seeking celebrities, or the hopeful newbies? Well, all we can do is sit and watch (and also vote!) who will win the heart of the viewers :)

Hehe.. I only vote during elections.

Saturday night post

April has four important dates in my calendar: Ain's birthday on the 6th, my parents' anniversary on the 10th, and my beloved's birthday on the 14th. On this 25th, Ain will be called to the Bar, and she will officially be proclaimed as a lawyer. Congrats sis =) I'm so proud of you.

So far, I missed the earlier two, and I will miss this 14th too. So I am foreseeing a birthday card or a gift to be given away on a belated basis. I'm sorry sayang. Ain, I promise I will make it!

This month is a busy month for my family, and for myself definitely. Only in KL on weekends, and wherever-I-may-be on weekdays. Mak and Abah are going to do some traveling also. Abah with his regular outstation, and Mak will be interviewing students in some states too. Pity Ozal he has to stay at home. But it's good also for him to be around for a while, before he continues his tertiary education.

Okay. Enough of the minor updates there. Lately, I am quite disturbed with this annoying issue that my mom faces these few days. Since the university my mom works in is opening interview sessions for selected students, many of her acquaintances + relatives + friends + colleagues are asking her help to recommend their child/ nephew/niece to get a place in the varsity.

I won't take it as an issue if the candidates score fairly in SPM. But I don't think it is right if they were to be accepted based on some 'back-door' deals just because their parents/ uncles/ aunts have good contacts that can get them through. In fact, nobody with a clear mind will say it's valid to do so. Yeah, I understand that every parent wants their children to be educated, i.e. to attend university. But, with scores of mere 6Cs, 7Ds and 8Es, it will just give universities a bad name of taking bad students in. Quality should be the priority here.

Therefore, I wonder, how many of us actually did qualify for our tertiary education? Was it because of our own merits, or was it because our parents or acquaintances had the influence? If one has merits and influence, that is a double-bonus I suppose. But if it was based solely on the influence, then pardon me, we should be doubling our efforts because it was just a tick of luck for us to be given the opportunity. The reputation of getting a chance based on influence is definitely questionable.

Therefore, please, stop asking academicians that you know for the back-door ticket. It's too loathing, personally for me. It's not nice being granted an instant VIP pass. Every candidate should go through the same procedure of screening. You will know if you do well or otherwise..