ANGELS & DEMONS - VERSI BUKU

Satu Kepuasan! Aku baru je habis baca buku Dan Brown - Angels & Demons. Lepas baca Author's Note baru aku tau yang Angels & Demons ni sebenarnya adalah adventure pertama Professor Robert Langdon sebelum The Da Vinci Code. Angels & Demons diterbitkan kali pertama pada tahun 2000, The Da Vinci Code pulak pada tahun 2003.

Sejak dulu aku memang suka tengok movie yang diadaptasi dari novel, dengan syarat cerita tu bukan berkisar cerita-cerita fantasi zaman naga terbang & ahli sihir macam Lords of The Rings atau Harry Potter. Selalunya aku suka ikut filem yang diadaptasi dari buku-buku John Grisham, Stephen King atau yang kurang menonjol, filem adaptasi dari buku Danielle Steel.

Oh ye, buku Angels & Demons ni sebenarnya buku terpakai yang aku beli dengan harga cuma RM8. Masih dalam keadaan yang baik cuma kalau korang tengok gambar, cover dia terkoyak sikit (sebab tu harga dia RM8 je). Anyway, kepada sesapa yang berminat nak beli buku terpakai bolehla ke website ni http://www.booklovers.bs.my/ untuk browse senarai buku dan order.

CSI : FAREWELL GRISSOM!

After watching few episodes of CSI without Grissom, I just realized yesterday that CSI has lost its 'kick' without him. I have been a long time fan of CSI, collecting the CDs & DVDs, even watched the repeat episodes. I watched all CSI series but I prefer the original (LV) than the franchise series (Miami & New York). But now CSI Vegas is not the same anymore. Sedih betul. Last season, Sara quit, shocking tapi masih boleh terima lagi. This season Warwick pulak mati. Another shock. Then Grissom left. Seriously, CSI is so dull without Grissom.

Unlike Cik Nanie, all these while I never watch CSI because of Grissom. Apart from the fun of guessing who's the killer, I enjoyed watching how they collect and process the evidence using those high-tech gadgets/equipment, eventhough sometimes I wonder whether the real CSI team really use or have these kind of gadgets. Tau je lah cerita kat TV, kadang-kadang auta je lebih. I'd say that I love watching CSI to see how the team solve the case. From the early process of evidence collection to the crime scene/death analysis to the interrogation process with the suspects until they finally figure out the killer(s) identity, the storyline is always presented in a unique way. Most of the time, Grissom has been the one who 'crack' the mystery.

After watching yesterday episode, I see the remaining old team members and the new one as bland. Dulu aku ingat Dr Ray Langston ni akan ganti Grissom as supervisor, memandangkan his seniority and expetise. Lagipun, it was Grissom who offered him to join CSI. If that's the case, I think it may be interesting to watch how the new supervisor from 'similar field yet different industry' run the night shift lab. Grissom Vs Langston. How nice. Tapi dia ni jadi Level 1 CSI - level paling bawah pulak. Disesuaikan dengan watak lower level officer & watak orang baru, Dr Langston ni always seem unsure. Muka nampak takut-takut memanjang. Mungkin producer nak viewers nampak macam mana character ni berkembang kot.

Maybe it's just me la kan, but I view the character of Catherine Willows who replaced Grissom, not outstanding enough as a Supervisor. Don't know la whether the producer wanted her character to be that way or she is still trapped and so used to her previous role as Assistant Supervisor yang selama ni diovershadow by Grissom. No wonder this new team macam membosankan! It's just like a team without actual leader. To me, Grissom is the soul of the team and the series too. The new team mates, Dr Ray Langston & Riley Adams can't beat what CSI was like with its original team members. Well, what to do..it's life - everything changes and nothing stays the same forever. Despite aIl this, I will still continue watching CSI and see whether the producers can create magic once again with this new team.

Sayonara Grissom! You will be deeply missed!

HAPPY 33 MONTHS!

For your patience and love, for the ups and downs we endured together, for the laughters and tears we shared and for our journey ahead..

ANGELS & DEMONS

This movie is definately worth watching people! 5 stars! Lagi best dari The Da Vinci Code. I only read the first few pages of the book before I watch this movie, so I don't have a clue who the bad guy is. Tapi after years of practice by watching CSI, I can guess who is the villain right from the beginning of the movie.

Overall, it's a very entertaining, past-paced movie - tak sempat nak rasa boring pun. Vatican City scenes memang superb. Kinda haunting yet breathtaking. Buildings architecture and views simply made me want to grab my camera and fly there. Rome memang dah lama jadi impian tempat untuk dilawat. Entah bila agaknya...

I don't want to write any other details of this movie. Go watch it yourself, guys! Don't forget to read the book as well!

BEVERLY HILLS 90210 & YEARS LATER

Bila Star World sibuk dengan promo pasal siri baru 90210 dengan pelakon-pelakon baru, aku sikit pun tak berminat nak tengok. Probably because I don't want to be reminded of how OLD I am now! Huhu! Cerita budak-budak high school ni macam dah tak menepati citarasa and sungguh tak relevan lagi. Original 90210 series ni popular masa aku kat secondary school which was berbelas tahun dulu. Bayangkanlah betapa lamanya sejak aku kelihatan comel memakai uniform sekolah.

New 90210 Casts

Anyway, ari tu aku sempat gak tengok siri baru ni (Actually terpaksa tengok - Cik Nanie yang conquer TV every Tuesday). Bolehlah. Jalan cerita lebih kurang je mcm dulu, issues pun sama - drugs, love, family problem, social problems, affairs, scandal bla bla bla. Typical teenage drama la kan. Tapi aku sebenarnya bukan nak cerita sangat pasal 90210 versi baru ni. Just terkenang balik zaman-zaman cerita asal Beverly Hills 90210 (title untuk siri baru ni just '90210' je rasanya) yang amat glamer dulu seglamer New Kids On The Block. Yess! hanya orang seangkatan aje yang tau. Just like NKOTB, everyone has their own favorite BH 90210 characters/actors/actresses. Kat plastik pembalut buku teks sekolah tu, kalau tak diletak poster 90210 mesti poster NKOTB. Itu belum tengok dinding bilik tido lagi..mak bapak yang tensen. Itupun kalau mak bapak diaorang jenis anti-tampal-poster-dalam-bilik-tido macam parents aku. Aku pun tak kisah sebab lagi suka conteng dinding dari tampal poster.

The 1990 Beverly Hills 90210 Casts

Cerita ni masa tu kiranya the first of its kind la, lepas siri ni meletup-letup barulah tumbuh TV series lain yang ala-ala mcm ni such as Melrose Place la, Dawson Creek la - yang penuh dengan pelakon-pelakon 'jambu'. Dulu aku takdelah minat sangat pun tapi ada masa-masa ikutlah jugak perkembangan especially masa kes cinta 3 ke 4 segi between Brenda Walsh (Shannon Doherty - agak popular as Prue Halliwell in Charmed), Dylan McKay (Luke Perry), Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestley) & Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth) tu. Aku pulak minat dengan si Jennie Garth ni yang menurut mata aku, dalam semua casts 90210 masa tu dia yang paling cun. And of course la dalam conflict cinta segi-segi diaorang ni aku sokong Kelly dengan Dylan. Kenapa? Sebab Dylan tu nama dia dekat-dekat dengan nama aku kot? Muahaha!Tapi aku tak pernah pulak letak poster dia kat mana-mana. Minat konon!

The Lovely Jennie Garth @ Kelly Taylor - Dulu & Sekarang

Dalam siri baru ni, Jennie Garth aka Kelly Taylor still ada tapi as guest star je la. Dia actually ada anak dengan Dylan rupanye, haha..baru aku tau. Wah..wah.. character-character lama yang dulu students trang tang tang sekarang either dah kawin, beranak pinak or kembali single. Sama la macam budak-budak sekolah aku jugak. Haha! Seriously, after watching series after series dulu I still can't remember what happened to all the original characters in the end. Katanya nanti Donna Martin (Tori Spelling) & Brenda Walsh pun ada special appearance. Tempat melepak diaorang, Peach Pit tu pun nampak lagi hip sekarang sesuai la dengan zaman. Anyway, perkembangan watak-watak lama dalam siri baru ni setakat plot sampingan. Tak heran sebab cerita pun pasal budak-budak sekolah, pelakon lama yang dah tua pi jaga anak kat tepi sana.

Zaman tu pulak memang zaman suka buat soundtrack album. Bersepah-sepah album soundtrack dari TV series atau filem. Yang aku ingat banyak lagu-lagu best dalam soundtrack 90210 ni - my favorites were Saving Forever For You (Shanice) & The Right Kind Of Love (Jeremy Jordan). Tak pernah dengar? Mesti korang lahir tahun 1980an ke atas. Tapi kan, kalau didengar balik lagu-lagu tahun 1990an dulu, rasa macam muzik arrangement dia tak penuh gitu. Macam very empty & hollow. Tak macam lagu-lagu sekarang yang meriah dengan segala macam bunyi. Kadang-kadang sampai tak perasan pun ada certain bunyi dalam lagu tu, bila pakai headphone and betul-betul concentrate baru terdengar. Takpun bila timbul certain isu yang kononnya ada bunyi tak sepatutnya dalam lagu tu, baru la terperasan.

Tak tau la whether popularity for the new 90210 ni macam dulu ke tak. Lagipun sekarang banyak channel TV, banyak TV series yang best-best and sumber entertainment lain pun banyak jugak. Tak macam zaman aku sekolah dulu. Masa tu mana ada Astro or internet ni. Itu pun kira nasib baik dok kat Johor, dapat channel Singapore & Indonesia. Adalah option sikit nak tengok program luar instead of tengok local channel yang asyik kena potong sana sini, kalau tak potong kerana scene-scene yang sensored mesti sebab nak kasi ngam-ngam panjang cerita dengan time slot. RTM la yang suka potong-potong scene. Tau-tau je cerita dah lompat sana sini. Kalau potong cerita P. Ramlee takpe lagi sebab dah biasa tengok, kalau cerita tak pernah tengok confirm aku tak paham. Sekarang ni aku tak sure la RTM buat macam tu lagi ke tak sebab dah bertahun-tahun tak bukak channel RTM. Hahaha!

FREE AT LAST!

Finally, I am officially an ex-employee of this company. Just like what I wrote in the previous post, this company is definately not what I imagined an MNC to be.

As mentioned earlier, there are many reasons for me to resign despite the good pay - I got almost 1K for my annual increment eventhough I have only been with the company for less than a year. Yes, I know I am a crazy fool. But I can't lie, dudes. Each day at work I feel that my actual capabilities, work experience and skills have been wasted. Coming from organizations that gave me the freedom and flexibilty on how to carry out my job effectively, being in a conservative & too controlled company definately not my cup of tea. And the fact that I have to work with a Director whose leadership and working style is really outdated, made me more certain that this is not my kind of working environment.

I know I am taking a very big risk to resign before I actually got another job offer. Looking at the current economic situation, only God knows how long I'll be unemployed. Haha! Survivor kan memang gila! But I am certain that I am doing the right thing. This is what I should have done earlier. Selagi tak resign, selagi tu aku tak boleh nak attend interview. Dah tu, macam mana nak cari kerja lain? Takpe, Survivor will definately survive. CHAIYOK!

At this moment, I feel soooo relieved. Before I started hunting for my next job, i could use couple of weeks to de-stress, clear my mind and of course ganti balik my much needed sleep!

WATER THEMEPARK@STARHILL JB

Last weekend I was in JB. Since anak-anak sedara aku yang comel pun balik sekali, memang sesuai kalau buat perkelahan keluarga. Budak-budak kan suka main air, mak & bapak budak lagilah suka. So we all went to La Stella Water Theme Park kat Starhill Golf Resort. Actually, aku dapat tau pun through Google. Sebelum tu tak pernah tau pun ada Waterpark kat situ. Teramat la dekat dengan rumah my parents.

Tak susah nak cari tempat ni. Kalau aku tak silap, masa Fab 5 kena organize Annual Dinner dulu, we all pernah datang survey Starhill ni. Tahun 2004 ke awal 2005, waterpark ni pun belum wujud lagi. Masa tu naik Iswara buruk company. Dahla berhimpit naik lima orang, takde aircond pulak. Haha! One of the unforgettable memories of Fab 5. (Macam tajuk album lagu pulak).

Masa aku & family sampai, aku tengok yang datang semua mengangkut golf clubs. Tak nampak pun ada unsur-unsur air. Kena register & bayar entrance fee kat opis dulu. Terperanjat gak aku bila kakak yang jaga counter tu baik & friendly. Sekarang ni kalau berurusan dengan orang-orang kat counter apapun, susah nak jumpa yang murah senyum, berbudi bahasa & ada customer service skill yang bagus, kan? We all kena bayar RM15.75 seorang untuk bayaran masuk. Tapi budak-budak bawah umur 4 tahun & orang dewasa 55 tahun ke atas FREE, So cuma aku, Cik Nanie, my brother and wife dia je kena bayaran masuk. Okla kan - jimat. Kalau nak murah datang weekdays RM10++ je. Lepas tu we all dibagi tag, kena pakai sepanjang ada kat dalam tu. Selagi tak koyak, selagi tu boleh la keluar masuk dari parking atau golf course ke area water themepark ni.

Jalan masuk ke Waterpark area. Tiang-tiang besar tu

buat aku terasa macam kat Rom la pulak.

Pakai jangan tak pakai

Tempat dia tak besar mana pun. Setakat nak bawak budak-budak & diri sendiri main air tu boleh la. Lagipun tak crowded sangat, memang menepati citarasa aku yang anti-sosial ni. Ada satu pool besar & ada satu pool khas untuk budak-budak. Ada banyak kerusi-kerusi malas untuk family nak letak barang & lepak-lepak. Free jugak. Masa aku pegi Bali tahun lepas, sempat main air & bercanda kat pasiran Dreamland Beach, kononnya salah satu daripada pantai tercantik kat Bali. Kat situ pun ada banyak beach chair macam ni disediakan betul-betul atas pasir tepi laut, tapi banyak 'ulat-ulat' yang mengejar nak sewakan kerusi tu kat para pelancong. Masa time aku diaorang nak charge Rp30,000 untuk satu kerusi (lebih kurang RM11-12). Boleh la kalau nak bargain, tapi lagi baik aku letak barang atas batu and duduk atas pasir - FOC! Memang dasar cheapskate!

Pool untuk dewasa. Siap ada pasir.

Pool budak-budak

Untuk mereka yang suka melompat, kat sini ada trampoline. Silalah melompat beramai-ramai. Peratikan gambar kat bawah. Trampoline ni nampak macam nak rebah je kan? Tapi, lepas budak-budak ni turun, ada satu geng mamat-mamat yang sekali naik melompat 4,5 orang. Trampoline ni tetap tak jatuh. Baru la aku confident nak try. Oh ye, kat sini pun ada satu water slide yang turun pakai inflatable tube tu. Yang tak logiknya, takde pun staff dia yang jaga kat tempat 'berlepas' tu. So pandai-pandai sendiri la camne nak turun especially orang yang belakang sekali. Kalau try nak 'berlepas' sendiri, confirm sangkut punye.

Malangnya we tak dapat nak bedal makanan yang dibawa dari rumah. Bukan main banyak makanan we all buat - ayam goreng, kebab, nasi lemak, buah2, air sejuk, airpanas, sandwich etc tapi malangnya just like any other theme park kat Malaysia ni, no outside food allowed. Lu lapar nak makan, lu beli kat kedai gua. Akhirnya, bekal makanan yang banyak-banyak tadi tu dijadikan dinner we all malam tu.

Lama jugak berendam, sampai Riz anak sedara aku yang memang suka main air tu pun taknak balik. Cuaca ari tu memang panas giler. Kulit aku yang memang pantang kena panas sudah semestinya legam.

Kesimpulannya, tempat ni ok & berbaloi la untuk orang-orang yang tinggal tak jauh dari area Kempas especially those yang tak tau nak gi mana masa cuti or tak kisah kena keluar at least RM10++ satu kepala just untuk main air & pasir. Itu tak termasuk makan minum lagi. Tapi harga makanan kat dalam ni boleh kata reasonable & affordable la. At least ada water slide & trampoline kan. Kalau gi piknik kat laut or waterfall pun cuma dapat main air je. Nak gi Wet World kat Batu Pahat pun jauh, nak kena bayar tol/minyak lagi. Ini jelah lokasi berendam terdekat yang tak crowded sangat.

BOSAN MELAMPAUI TAHAP GABAN!

I know it's not a year yet, but at this point, I just can't stand it anymore. One of the reasons I left my previous company is because of the better offer eventhough i love what I'm doing there. This company is very stable financially, pay good money, has a generous recognition program (which my previous company don't have) - pendek kata everything pasal duit takde masalah punye. But there's no job satisfaction for me here. I used to handle every HR functions, yes lots of work, headaches and challenges but i love being all rounder. Challenge, responsibility, delegation & empowerment, skill upgrading through hands-on experience..sume ada kat company lama. I thought by joining a bigger company, an MNC lagi, i can widen my skill, knowledge and learn more here. Tapi hampeh la. The only thing I learn is how to put up with this crap!

Top management buta IT, old-fashioned work process - nak reply email or surat kena panggil masuk bilik boss (sebijik macam scene cerita 'Madu Tiga' masa P Ramlee panggil secretary dia dictate surat pastu terbayang muka Sarimah) menyebabkan banyak masa terbuang and tak efficient, very authocratic management style and resist changes. This kind of working environment seriously does not suit me and to make it worst, my job description does not reflect my position at all. It's too boring and too clerical for me. And since I worked there my boss mcm jakun with my so called creativity and knowledge of using computer to design artwork (which is nothing compared to Carn's, Aini's or Jen's skill) and since then I am the inofficial graphic designer for the company. Weh, sapa nak jadik graphic designer, I want to be an HR person beb! I have been turning down the company's offer to send me for external courses because i dont have intention to stay longer. Rasa bersalah pulak nanti. I am just afraid of wasting my time here and started to feel too comfortable with this culture. Every skill and knowledge I gain so far will go to the drain if I stay longer with this company. I don't think I learn something relevant here.

Now I just cant wait to get out from this company! Company sape ada nak pakai HR cepat-cepat bagitau aku ok!

THE NEW LOOK

I have been thinking of changing my 4 years old blog skin for quite sometimes already. I've searched in the internet, i like a few but i dont know why, when I try to paste the code, it can't be read.

Last week, i found this skin and after pomen sana sini in the end dapat gak tukar skin baru. Itu pun i lost all the existing comments walaupun dah puas aku cuba nak dapatkan balik.

Aku yang tak reti ke atau Haloscan yang problem? Ada sesapa tau camne nak buat?

JB@EARTH HOUR 2009

Rasanya hampir semua orang tau pasal Earth Hour 28 March lepas. I went back to JB that week walaupun teringin sangat nak tengok bandaraya KL bergelap especially macam mana rupa bentuk KLCC tersergam dalam gelap - sure macam lembaga hitam yang besar gila. Anyway, memikirkan i can see JB town and Singapore in the dark, which is OK jugak tu, aku pun tak terkilan sangat la melepaskan peluang ada kat KL that week. Lagipun next Earth Hour ada lagi...

Tapi hampeh...Sungguh keciwa & hampeh..Untuk pertama kalinya dalam sejarah sungguh malu nak mengaku jadi rakyat Johor! Sungguh!

Tengok nih...

Ni kat mana ek? Area Pelangi kot..

Danga Mall

Plaza Angsana

Plaza Pelangi

Dataran Bandaraya

ARE YOU THE HITZ.FM FUGITIVE?

Imagine approaching makcik cleaner yang tengah sapu sampah and asked her 'ARE YOU THE HITZ.FM FUGITIVE?' Or stopping someone yang tengah syok berjogging kat taman and asked him the same question? Well, i did that and I even asked a fighting couple who kind enough to forget about their fight and respond politely to my question. Nasib baik tak kena hempok...

For the past few weeks I have been obssessed with this hunt - gathering and trying to figure out the clues with Cik Nanie and also with the hunters via FB. Everyday they will be 4 sessions where the fugitive will be in different locations and the hunters have to figure out his/her location based on the clues given. The clues were given through sms, radio, tv, 3g and The Sun newspaper and all the hunters have to do is to ask everyone 'Are You The Hitz.fm Fugitive? to win the cash prize. Jangan salah tanya atau miss satu perkataan pun or else eventhough you asked the right person, you cant win the money. To increase the chance to win, the hunters will have to ask everyone bcos this fugitive will disguise himself to avoid being caught. Each time the clues pointed out that this fugitive might be in this city, I wish I will be on leave so that I can be out there hunting for him. Tuhan je yang tau betapa sakitnya jantung gue knowing that he was nearby but I was stuck in the office instead!

I had my chance during the weekend, we believed that he might be in KLCC. So I and Cik Nanie headed to KLCC to look for him. A lot of other hunters were already there and everybody were running except me and Cik Nanie. We asked everyone - local, foreigners, pakcik guard, mat bangla, orang tengah jogging, couples and even other hunters (who also asked us the same question). It was embarrasing but buat tebal muka sudahla for the sake of the money! But no luck, he was in different part of KLCC. Damn!

The other time we figured out from the clues that he might be in Batu Caves, so we thought of going there after we finish our errands, however we did not make it on time and he was indeed in Batu Caves but nobody asked him because he was talking to himself and everyone thought he was some kind of mad man. Damn again! If I were there I will asked everyone around and the cash will be mine!

Guess luck was not on my side because most of the time that he was in KL, I have to work till 6.30pm. Damn you, boss! Nak concentrate pun tak boleh, because I know he was so near! Mata tengok boss, but my mind was elsewhere thinking in which part of that shopping mall he was. I was so close asking my boss for time off because of 'personal emergency'...emergency abis! heheh..And last Thursday he was in Carrefour Wangsa Maju which is just near to my place. Damn lagi! *hentak kepala kat dinding*

The final hunt was last Friday and the last session was from 9pm til 11 pm. The clues were confusing but we believed that he might be in KLCC. The bounty was 15K and a lot of hunters were there. As we were asking everyone in the concourse area, suddenly a group of hunters ran to the escalator and the rest of us not knowing what happened ran to the escalator as well and followed them to the fountain area. Later i got to know from one of them that the current clue given was 'park' and that was why they were heading to KLCC park. Berapa ratus orang melepak kat situ lagi-lagi esok weekend. Tapi buat la muka tebal tanya semua orang kat situ. Unfortunately, the hunt was over by 11pm and no one caught the fugitive to win the 15K bounty.

Anyway, it was fun, we made friends with other hunters we met at the location as well as the support groups in the FB. Congratulations to all the winners and hopefully next round it is my turn to catch the fugitive and win the bounty!

This is from Cik Nanie's experience

Cik Nanie : Are you the Hitz.fm fugitive?

Mat Salleh : (muka confuse) I am not a fugitive, I am a tourist!

Wakakakakaka....

BACK AGAIN!

After few months in denial, at last I accepted the reality that there is something wrong with my laptop, Ah Beng and it cannot possibly be OK without sending it for repair. Finally Ah Beng is up and running again. Yeay! But that does not guarantee that this blog will be frequently updated. Hahah!

Nampaknye Carn is the only active blogger in my circle. The rest probably dah kategori 'offside' gaknye..kan korang kan kan kan? (soalan kerek orang yang update blog.)

There's nothing much to update. Life here is pretty routine, gi keje balik keje. Nowadays the gym and swimming pool is our favorite hangout spot. Now that I can swim (thank you Cik Nanie), everyday I look forward to practice my newfound skill.

It has been nearly a year since I moved here and in my personal opinion, I think most of KL drivers are selfish and inconsiderate (termasuklah diri sendiri), but bikers are the worst. They ride their bikes as if they have 3 lives. I really really hate to get stuck in the traffic jams here. But then, from my observation, sometimes in certain areas these jams is caused by a very bad town planning. Yes, to me KL is badly planned city. It makes me wonder how and why such projects were approved? Diaorang ni tak kaji dulu ke..main belasah je janji siap. It's like solving one problem just to create another.

Contoh senang, DUKE highway exit to Jalan Semarak is causing a worst congestion compared to the time before this highway started its operation. I have been using Ayer Panas - Jalan Semarak to travel to work and it has always been pretty bad congested before. Suddenly since the highway opened for public, this roads has been swamped by vehicles seeking alternatives route and the jam has become worst now. What's the point of travelling with ease only along the highway but as soon as you exit, you are trapped in the jam? Happy hours on the road konon.. I don't think so unless the roads connecting to these highways are upgraded to two or three lanes. I just feel whoever responsible for this project (tak kira la konsortium ke PWD ke) don't really care about improving traffic or providing alternative route to the motorists as they claimed, but only care about the profit. Eventhough it is totally different issue, this kind of attitude remind me of the current ongoings in our country, and i can't help feeling frustrated.

Bila la pagar-pagar sekelian nak kerja untuk rakyat (as they claimed) & berhenti makan padi?

NO 2 TAHUN NI

Aku baru perasan rupanya tahun 2008 cuma ada satu entry jek?

Ish..ish..Sungguh tak productive sekali. Walaupun tak boleh nak access or update from office, insyallah tahun ni akan rajin siikiiiit dari tahun lepas. Azam tu...

Semoga azam tak putus tengah jalan sudah...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hello people! Wat up?! Yes, i know that this blog has been inactive for quite sometime already and i know that i promised to update my blog in my last entry in March. However, settling down in a new place and a new job wasn't as easy as i would like it to be.

It has been 7 months since i moved to this city. It took about 3 months to finally unpacked everything and organized the stuff we brought from JB. I did a few attempts to write but didnt manage to finish it. Furthermore my company server blocked access to everything; meebo, forums, blogs and currently all web mails.

Then one day, when I finally really wanted to sit down and update the blog, the unexpected happened. My laptop broke down, i don't know what was the cause and I have not send it to computer shop to fix it yet. I know this sounds crazy and silly, i actually hope that if i let it untouch for some time, the laptop will have time to self-recuperate, and one day when i switch it on everything will be OK. Hahah..don't blame me, it's a piscean nature to imagine things like this.

So here I am, with a 'laptop pinjam' courtesy from Cik Nanie, writing just to wish you guys a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR. Despite the economics downturn forecast, i hope that 2009 will still be a good and happy year for all of us!

p/s : Congratulations Jen on your marriage! :)

HI AGAIN!

Wah... lama rasanya blog ni terabai. Punya la lama tak menjenguk sampai masa nak log in tadi pun puas aku try recall username & password. Boleh lupa pulak.

Beban kerja aku yang semakin melambak tak mengizinkan aku nak update. Since entry terakhir last November, workload aku sampai la ni tak surut-surut. Masa yang ada tu terlalu pendek & berharga untuk diluangkan dengan mengupdate blog. (Aku ni bukan mcm sesetengah orang yang duduk, kemudian ketuk keyboard 2,3 minit pastu walla! siap satu entry...Otak aku yang berkarat ni nak tulis satu entry pun kadang-kadang amik masa berhari-hari..heheh..2 tag dari Cik Nanie pun aku tak sempat nak buat. (Sorry ye Cik Nanie, pasni i buat..insyaalah!).

Entry ni pun ditulis just nak mengelakkan blog ni dari terus bersawang..insyallah dalam masa terdekat ni akan ada update baru. In the meantime, walaupun 2008 dah nak masuk bulan keempat, harap-harap ucapan selamat tahun baru aku kat korang masih diterima.

So, Happy New Year guys! Semoga tahun ni adalah tahun yang best dari tahun-tahun sebelumnya!

WATCH ANY MOVIE LATELY?

FIRST MOVIE

Ingatkan best tapi... BO-RIIIINGG!! Ngantuk seh movie ni!

Seperti mana aku akan mengantuk kalau betul-betul ada program radio & DJ macam si Erica Bain (Jodie Foster) ni. Macam dalam kelambu...

Aku beli pun sebab ada satu review kata movie ni ala-ala 'Enough' yang J-Lo berlakon tu. Pasal balas-balas dendam ni. Tengok poster pun macam best tapi, jauh bezanya & tak best langsung.

Walaupun ada la scene-scene yang agak best, tapi overall storyline agak slow & memerlukan orang yang sabar macam aku. Baru 1/2 jalan, Cik Nanie dah tertido. Ikut ati memang nak tertido gak tapi malas la pulak nak tengok separuh-separuh ni walaupun dihampakan dengan kehampehan.

Huhu...bazir duit & karen aku je. Nasib baik beli yang pirated punye...

SECOND MOVIE

What more can I say?! Memang BEST & lawak giler!! Kalau suruh tengok lagi 2.3 kali pun aku sanggup! JOM!

FIRST TIME

Last week i accompanied Cik Nanie to visit her late father's grave which is also my first experience visiting a non-muslim cemetery.

When I told one of my muslim colleague about it, she seem a bit surprised. The look on her face and the way she said "apa la u ni..in response to what i told her, as if I was doing something very wrong and I can be murtad because of it. She even asked me, " So, u sembah-sembah sekali la ye?" And I have to explain that nothing of the sort took place. Pelik. Terkejut. Ada ke patut cakap aku sampai ke situ sekali?! Seliberal -liberal aku pun, i know where's my limit la, cik kak.

Come on la babe, it's not wrong for us Muslim to visit person of other religion's grave kan? Cik Nanie's father is a chinese so if she has converted to Islam doesn't mean that she cannot visit her father's grave? And as a friend tak salah kan kalau aku temankan dia sekali. I was just standing there watching Cik Nanie 'talked' to her father. And it was a very brief, less than 5 minutes visit.

Anyway, i noticed a lot of 'adab melawat kubur' difference between Muslim & Non-Muslim.We Muslims have to be properly dressed and menutup aurat. But the visitors I've seen in this memorial park is more casual. Wearing short pants, t-shirts and even sleeveless. I remembered that I'm a bit panic bila Cik Nanie suddenly kata nak visit her father on our way back home.

Looking at my outfit, i asked her.."Alamak, abis tu i pakai camni, takpe ke?"

"Relax ar, kat sini u pakai ape pun tak kisah, dulu i pakai short & spaghetti strap je"..haha..tu la jawapan Cik Nanie.

On our way in, ada Hindu funeral rites in one of the hall performed by the Hindu monks just outside the cremation hall. In the memorial yard, I noticed that there are quite a number of indians buried kat situ. Maybe after the cremation ceremony they just buried the ashes there because it is more convinient to do everything in one place. I guess, this kind of crematorium / memorial park is no longer restricted to certain race or religion kot. Luckily nobody noticed that there's one budak melayu sesat dalam tu..kot tak pasal-pasal kena halau. Nasib baik kulit ada terlebih gelap, bolehla conceal identity sikit.

THAT'S HOW I SPENT MY RAYA

Holiday's over.

People has come back to work and business resume back to normal.

My Hari Raya is not as merry as the previous ones. The first day of Hari Raya is a bit quiet as my bro is celebrating with his in laws family in KP. So pengajaran pada kengkawan sekalian, kalau kawin make sure beranak banyak-banyak, kalau tak..kesian kat anak korang nanti jadi macam aku keboringan sebab takde geng. Luckily this year Cik Nanie is spending her raya with my family, or else i'm sure i'll be bored to death.

However, we still prepare the hari raya dish. Makan tetap makan beb. Biar raya takde mood, bab makan wajib meriah.

Brownish/gold is our theme this year. Manage to take family photo of the four of us using my nearly-1 year-but never-been-used tripod. Haha..rasa ada studio gambar sendiri pulak.

Not much of activities during the first two days of Hari Raya. We didn't even visit any relatives' house since it's my bro's request to go beraya with them. So, my parents, ne and Cik Nanie just visited my late grandparents' grave in Mahmoodiah and after that lepaking at house watching TV Raya programs.

There's nobody came to beraya at our house as well, not even the kids. I'm not surprised, though. Everyone seem to be out of the town and might be somewhere in their kampung celebrating this once a year family gathering. Well, I kinda like it. What a way to spend the Hari Raya. It's holidays, good food, lotsa programs to watch and I have it all to myself.

Things started to be more lively the moment my bro, SIL & nephew arrived JB. We visited the relatives' house on the 3rd day of Eid. Masa ni la jugak my parents keep getting calls from friends/relatives who were asking whether we were at home or not. Apa, orang semua mula keluar beraya masa raya ketiga ke? As expected, the next day and the day afterwards was the busiest. I dont even have time to bath (hehe, pecah lubang) because people came non-stop. Sekali datang 2,3 kereta. Campur pulak dengan the kids from the nearby neighbourhood yang mula buat project mengepau tuan rumah.

My aunties, uncles and cousins who started to call me 'Nyonya Kedai Gambar' because i'm using tripod to take this photo.

But when Riz was hospitalized due to Rotavirus infection, all of us lost our raya mood. Kesian sangat tengok budak kecik macam tu diarrhea & muntah-muntah. Luckily he was discharged after 3 days there. On the bright side, we got to spend 1 week with them here in JB.

That's how I spent my raya. I'm sure yours is much more better than mine.

KISAH PANAS SEBELUM RAYA!

Cerita ini berlaku beberapa ari sebelum raya dan beberapa minit sebelum berbuka. Baran betul aku. In fact sampai ke ari ni aku masih rasa 'hot & spicy' lagi.

Ari tu, on the way nak balik umah my parents, B-Tam dah bergesel dengan satu Kelisa yang drivernya (seorang Ah Beng) yang sungguh kurang ajar & kurang akal. Kisah ni berlaku masa aku nak u-turn ke simpang masuk rumah parents aku. Jalan pulak memang tengah jem giler waktu tu. So, lepas u-turn aku signal untuk susur masuk kiri pelan-pelan. Masa tu aku dah lepas first lane & try nak masuk ke last lane pulak.

Masa ni la macam nak mampus aku signal tapi si driver Kelisa yang bodoh ni seboleh-boleh taknak kasi aku ruang masuk. Terpaksa la aku dok kat first lane sambil menyignal dengan harapan dapat masuk ke last lane sebelum tiba ke simpang masuk taman yang parents aku tinggal. Tapi jalan pulak memang terhenggut-henggut, jem la katakan. Bila simpang ke taman tu dah dekat, ndak tak ndak memang la aku kena gak pegi ke last lane. Kalau tak..maunye terlajak, takkan aku nak u-turn balik. Disebabkan situasi tu, B-Tam dah dok antara first & second lane, so in a way menghalang motor-motor yang nak menyelit tengah-tengah jem tu. Kereta-kereta lain pun tak boleh gerak memandangkan aku tersempal kat tengah-tengah.

Si Kelisa ni pulak memang hampehs, langsung taknak kasi jalan walaupun kereta depan dia dah mengensot sikit so aku boleh masuk lane tu. Ape tah masalah dia. Tak considerate langsung. Bukan je kat aku, tapi kat kenderaan-kenderaan lain. Lagipun, as rakyat Malaysia, takkan tak tau orang Islam semua puasa, time pun dah nak berbuka. Tapi gitulah orang kalau dah kurang akal, last-last bergesel dengan B-tam. Padan la dengan muka kau yang bangang tu! Busuk ati sangat, taknak bagi sampai sanggup menjahanamkan kereta sendirik, ambik kau! Nasib baik la jalan jem, so impact dari pergeselan tu sikit je, kalau la laju tadi, akan ku pastikan kau masuk kubur ari tu jugak.

Si Ah Beng dengan ahli keluarganye (kebetulan mak bapak dia pun ade gak dlm keta tu) terus serbu kat aku & Cik Nanie yang masih dalam kereta. We all tak keluar sebab rasa sungguh tak munasabah la nak bertekak kat tengah2 jalan tu jugak, dah le tengah jem gile jangan le tambahkan jem lagi. Bodoh sungguh! Tu pun dah menampakkan selfish bongok Ah Beng ni. Puas dah aku & Cik Nanie suruh alih kereta & discuss kat tepi jalan, tak reti2 bahasa gak. Dia sibuk nak amik gambar scene tu nak tunjuk kat insurans company katanye. Ape kebangang la. Kalau kereta kau kemek terburai macam ikan busuk tu bole la nak claim. Insurans mana la gaknye yang nak layan claim setakat scratch camtu.

Yang mahalnye, mak dia terus meluru kat we all yang still dlm keta ni and berulang kali dok tanye "sekarang apa macam, sekarang ape macam.." Haih, Ah Soh ni, sekali aku lesing jugak kang! Nasib baik sebelum sempat aku lesing, kenderaan dah mula bergerak, si keluarga Ah Beng sengal ni kena marah dengan driver yang lalu lalang sebab menghalang kat tengah2 jalan. Barulah terhegeh-hegeh nak ketepi. Dasar tak sekolah! Memang tak sekolah pun, gaya cakap pun main lu gua, lu gua je.

Dah kat tepi tu, aku check keta aku dulu ar, make sure keta aku takde mende, pastu baru aku tengok condition keta dia teruk ke tak. Hek eleh..auta je lebih. Takde yamg kronik pun. Setakat minor calar & mudguard keta dia terkopak skit, kalau gam pun ok. Masa kena pun pun perlahan je, so takdela ape sangat. (kalau teruk pun aku tak kuasa nak bayar. Boleh blah la!)

Si Ah Beng dari tadi sibuk marah-marah. Apehal kau nak marah2..kau yang start himpit keta aku. Bagero! Pastu macam mak dia gak sibuk tanye sekarang macam mana? Macam mana ape, kau yang himpit keta aku jgn harap le aku nak bayar. Pastu maknye Ah Beng ni yang pulak sibuk nak pi buat report kat balai. Fine! kau nak pi report sangat pasal keta kau yang tak seberapa tu, aku OK je. Kalau kena jontos kepala dengan polis kat balai kang aku tumpang jontos sama kepala sengal kau tu. Lagipun aku confident giler yang diaorang ni gertak jek, sebab aku taknak bagi duit kat dia. Orang giler je nak mengabiskan RM300 nak buat report, padahal harga repair keta pun baru berapa sen. Unless si Ah Beng & family ni memang golongan terencat itu aku tak tau la.

Si Ah Beng dengan tak menyempatnye terus nak ke Balai Polis nearby. Engkau nak pi report silakan, silap-silap polis pun tak kuasa nak layan time orang sibuk nak berbuka especially bila tengok kereta engkau setakat calar skit. Aku pun malas nak layan family bengong tu, ape kejadahnye nak redah jalan yang tengah jem giler ke balai polis, baik aku balik rumah buka pose dulu. Malam-malam kang kalau rajin aku ar singgah ke balai tengok ada tak orang buat report pasal B-Tam.

3 ari lepas tu aku check dengan member yang keje as polis trafik, ade tak report pasal accident ari tu, seperti dijangka memang la takde.

Sabar ye En. Ah Beng, kalau lu teringin sangat nak buat report or claim insurans, lu tunggu wa jumpa lu punye keta sekali lagi, memang gua dah standby paku ni..tinggal nak kasi kereta lu betul-betul calar baeekk punye, lu tunggu je la...

SELAMAT HARI RAYA

Aidilfitri is just around the corner and i just want to wish all Muslims 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri' and Maaf Zahir Batin.

For those who will be driving back to your hometown, do drive carefully and take a break if you are sleepy. Don't be a part of the accident statistics, ok. Ingatlah orang tersayang yang tak sabar menunggu kepulangan anda, bukannya jenazah anda.

While celebrating and enjoying your eid, dont forget to be thankful for the rezeki & chance to celebrate in peace and harmony. Remember our unfortunate friends all over the world who might be celebrating Eid in hunger, fear and poverty.

Once again, wishing you all an awesome Aidilfitri and happy holidays!!