Happy New Year 2014!

Assalamm...

I hope it's not too late to wish everyone a Happy New Year 2014! Let's hope 2014 brings all the happiness and luck to everyone!

Hope to fill in this space with more stories and ramblings and photos and useful things that I can share ya?

Till then, cheers!

30BPC-Day 23 – 15 Facts About You

Hola!!!

Adehh.... bila nak abis challenge ni weehhh???

15 facts about me? Geee, have to garu kepala sikit nak cerita 15 facts about me:

1. I was born on 2 Syawal, thus the name. As Raya is getting nearer, so is my birthday! (both is Muslim calendar as well as the Gregorian one)

2. I love to cook, but I like to procrastinate cleaning up after I eat. Tsskk...bad habit...bad habit:p

3. I love pastries! Sometime just thinking about a simple crunchy croissant have me salivating. I love staring at rows of pastries at hotel buffets. When having buffet meal, the pastry table is definitely the first one I check out!

4. I have owned two cars- a Kelisa, and now a Myvi. And they're both of the same colour - ash grey. If I changed my ride, most probably it will be of the same tone too kot.

5. I don't eat durian. Can't stand the smell. But give me tempoyak anytime, and especially tempoyak goreng, I'll probably tambah my nasi 2-3 pinggan!

5. Aside from durian, I also don't eat ciku and betik cause of their strong smell. Strong smell ke? According to my nose la. Even when ordering rojak buah, I'll tell the rojak-man to leave out betik. Tak ske!!

6. On a more personal note, I think I've always wanted to be a mom. But so far takde rezeki. Insyallah one day ada la kot.

7. Up until a few years ago, I never knew what I actually want to be, career-wise. That's why a few years ago my life was in quite a turbulence, cause I was still searching for my direction.

8. I was never the type of person who falls for someone easily. I take my time getting to know a person before I dare give my heart to him. That means I don't have that many exes.

9. My weakness - I can't stand it when people are in need of help. Then I get taken advantage of. I know, I should toughen up a bit more. Working on that.

10. I love travelling, but I'm not in love with flying. At times I get scared of it, especially short-distance flights. But since I'm doing lots of it lately I think it has somewhat gotten better. Alhamdulillah.

11. According to my family, I make the best daging/ayam masak merah! So bila Raya, I'm usually busy in the kitchen the night before preparing it. I have my own recipe and I guess I have perfected it over the years. Even cousins and nieces have asked for my masak merah recipe. A couple of weeks ago, I cooked some extra daging masak merah and gave them to a few of my colleagues for their berbuka puasa. They liked it too.

12. There are times when it took me a while to warm up to the new people I meet. But most of the time, I have no problem adjusting to meeting them. I guess it's all about the personality kan? During a workshop that I participated in a few months ago at work, according to the personality test that we took, if I were a bird, I'd be a peacock. Flamboyant you!! Hahahah..

13. I don't know how to ride a motorbike. Jadik pembonceng pun jarang, and I don't remember when was the last time I got on one. A motorbike is never a fixture in my family's vehicle history, and I think my dad pun tak reti bawak. Tapiiii....
Kalau tengok those big bikes kat highway, teringin gak nak jadik pembongceng diorang! Minah bonceng gitu...:))

14. I went to Pusat Asasi Sains UM for matriculation, and obviously, the Univeristy of Malaya for my degree. D'uhhh... Had among the best time of my life there. Am still very close to a few of my friends there, whom I meet practically every week.

15. Have always been (and maybe always will be) among the smallest (not that is not applicabl, sekarang guna term 'petite' je :)) ) in my class during school. So asyik-asyik kena line-up kat depan je> There's no escaping.

So tu je lah!

30BPC-Day 15: Something You Don't Leave The House Without

Hi...

It's the new week, and I didn't go to gym today. But this evening, I received a sad news. My grand-aunt, my Nek Udak, has passed away at her daughter's place not far from my parents' place back home:((..Innalillahh...

She was my late grandfather's younger sister, and since my grandparents died, she was the closest I had for a grandmother. Her own children are also close to my mum and uncle, and they were like siblings actually. In fact, her eldest son is considered my mum's saudara susuan (breasfeeding brother?) because my late grandmother used to breasfeed him when he was a baby as he is just slightly younger than my mum.

Anyway, let's move on to today's assignment shall we?

Here it is the bag that I almost never leave home without.

That's my gigantic Doraemon-bag, aka my Charles & Heith hobo which I bought early this year. Big in size, into which I can put everything I need when I'm on the go. On it are the stuff I always have inside it - my wallet, my sunglasses, and now my GPS, car keys and of course, a compact powder. Actually a few more items, like my mobile phone, are also those I can't leave home without, but they didn't make it in the picture.

But of all those things, I think the ones that is totally indispensable must be my car keys and my wallet.

OK I guess that's it. Till tomorrow yeah..

30BPC-Day 3: Your Idea of the Perfect First Date

Hhaaaii..

Err..I kinda dread this one, thus the long greeting.

Hmm...Truthfully speaking, it's been an extremely long time since I last had a first date. Having been in a relationship for a long time and then when we finally separated, going on a 'first date' was a distant memory.

Honestly, I don't know what could be a perfect first date for me. I would say it's all about meeting someone new in a 'dating' element, have a great time getting to know each other, be comfortable with that person, and most importantly, be able to just be yourself. That's the most paramount thing.

Activity-wise, I'd want it to be a very relaxed meeting in a relaxed environment, perhaps over lunch or coffee, perhaps even while doing a shared interest. This person and I would be able to talk about anything and everything, and he would not be trying too hard to impress me. If a man wanted to impress me, he's better impress me with his intelligence. Being a football fan is a plus, and being a Manchester United fan is A++++++. Ooppss...am I accidentally disclosing what I want in a man? Sorry:)

Anyway, I would want to be able to be myself and comfortable around him. I'd goofy around and he could still laugh and not mind my sometimes crazy antics. I would want him to know that I have a good sense of humour and that he can make me laugh too.

Perhaps, towards the end of the date, realistically, I wouldn't want us both to feel the pressure of forging a relationship or to go to any extent physically. I would want to feel like whether he could be the person I could be in a relationship with or not, in the end, I feel comfortable with my decision. Being smitten and knowing that the feeling is mutual would be nice too, I guess.

Like this:


But of course, saying it like this and what really happens could be totally far-off. I don't know what to expect, but I'm ready to love again, and of course to take that plunge and go on that first date again.

So you'll be able to see me like this;)



OK, next assignment please!! *blush*

30BPC-Day 2: Your Favourite Movie

Heyyaaa..

Gee, this is pretty tricky. When it comes to movies, anything goes. There're times when I have many movies I want to watch and could watch back-to-back, but I could have my movie drought too. A few months ago went for almost half a year without stepping into a cinema hall, as opposed to getting in and out of the halls due to this marathon.

Favourite movie? Hmm...very difficult, I simply can't recall any that I could say favourite, but there are a few that I could watch or not mind watching again and again over the dvd. I have the tendency to buy the dvd of the ones I've watched at the cinema, so I guess maybe those are the contenders for the favourite movie title. But the ultimate favourite? *garu-garu kepala*

Oh gosh sorry sorry I kept yapping and yapping hahaha..banyak cakap plak!

Let's see...apa ekkss? (Topic ni very difficult worr..)

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*Ting!! OK got it!!Hehehhe..
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This is among my top favourite movies ya.


This is a brief description of this movie:
Adapted from the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the film portrays the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker who spends nearly two decades in Shawshank State Prison for the murder of his wife and her lover despite his claims of being innocent. During his time at the prison, he befriends a fellow inmate, Ellis "Red" Redding, and finds himself protected by the guards after the warden begins using him in his money laundering operation.

Wikipedia

To read about the plot of this movie, read here

I have the book and like watching the movie, I don't mind reading it over and over again. Despite the modifications made to the movie to suit the screen time, this is among a few movies adapted from fictions that I really like and that stays true to the written story.

So there goes-kawtim Day 2 of the Challenge, 28 more days to go. Yeayyy me!!

Till tomorrow yes?

30BPC-Day 1: Your Favourite Song

Hola.
So here goes. This is it, Day 1 of my blogging challenge:)

This is easy, though in actuality, not so much. I listen to the music a lot, and of course, 'favourite song' changes from time to time.

But my current favourite I would have to say would be this- no surprise I suppose, but I can't help it:)



No special reason why I love this song. It's simply because I'm a fan of his. It's the theme song of the movie 'Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa', and I went to watch it the day it was released almost a month ago.

So that's it, my current favourite song. Could make it into my list of all-time favourite song.

Hmm...this challenge is not so bad ehh? Ok..see ya tomorrow!

Jom Santai-Santai Kejap..

Hari ini Mizz Ray sengih-sengih:)...macam ni


Bukan apa, my cooking groove is back!!! *Doing the chicken dance now*, so adalah project kitchen hari ni. Bukan apa, dah berapa minggu ni amatla malasnya nak buat projek masak. Bukanla takde masak langsung, tapi bila dapur berasap pun, masak yang biasa-biasa je. Takkan takat masak sardin ke, ayam goreng ke pun nak tunjuk kan? Kalau ada pun masak yang lain sikit daripada menu biasa, angin malas lain pulak yang menyerang, iaitu malas nak ambik gambar and cerita hehhee..

So hari ni alhamdulillah, the weather was super duper great, sebab hujan in the morning, and it stayed cool all day, so I just stayed in and cooked! And kejap tadi baru je siap buat kek batik, with a twist. But those will be in the next entry je la sebab la ni tengah tunggu kek batik sejuk dulu then nak kena masukkan dalam fridge.

But in the meantime, jom santai-santai dulu berhibur dengan my two favourite ladies-Alicia Keys & Beyonce in the new song- Put It In A Love Song. Enjoy!

World Cup Fever: My Love Affair With Football

Hola!! Como es tas?

Well, if you saw this on my blog profile..:


The uninitiated ones might be wordering why the heck did I call, or at least, profile myself as a Red Devil. Red Devil is the nickname for Manchester United, and I'm a massive Manchester United supporter. I've been supporting them for a long time, since I was in school, since the days of Captain Robbo. I've watched them playing live a few times, when they came over to KL for their pre-season tours, and actually the main reason why I was close to doing postgrad studies in Manchester (tapi tak jadi, takde rezeki nak pegi sana, so offer tu burn je la...sedey weeyyy...)

OK let's backtrack to my love affair with football in the first place.

I was born into a footy-loving family. So since I was young, as young as 9 or 10 years old, my Dad (especially) and other family members have been taking us to the stadium to watch the game, the Malaysian league la so to speak (let's not get into the quality of the game right now ya) and so we've been exposed to the football culture early on.

I remember when we were living in the town about 3 hours away from Kuching, and Dad would take us on a return trip back to Kuching within one night just to watch Sarawak (our state team) play at the State Stadium. When it was about 5PM, Dad would quickly drive back home to fetch us and right away, after a quick refreshment, went on a long drive to Kuching straight to the stadium to catch the game, which always started at 8.15PM. Then once the game is over, usually around 10PM, he would drive back for another 3 hours, even on weeknights. Most of the time, one or two of Dad's collegues would come along.

Map of our long journey
Source: Google Map

English football is really big in Malaysia. Heck, even now, most of the time, football fans here could list the first eleven of say..Liverpool or Chelsea (in my case MU la) faster than they could name the players in their own state team (shameful I know). And I've been watching it since the Malaysian TV start showing it extensively in the early 90's. But even then, English football have been having big followings here. Families become divided, but basically, everyone loves the sport for its beauty.

I guess I was the only odd one out in the family, as most of them went for Liverpool, or some other teams, depending on their current performance in the league. But United, for me, is a team not only rich in great performance, great players and legendary managers, but mainly is rich in history. It is the team that has survived near backruptcy during ints infancy years in the early 20th century, and having its stadium, Old Trafford surviving the German bomb during World War II. Most poignantly, this is the team that rose from the ashes of the air crash in Munich in 1958 to become the first English team to win the European Cup (now known as the European Champions' League Cup) in 1968.

Thanks to Mr. Googs;)

This is the team that, in the 70's despite being in the second league, still could become the team with the highest attendance in its stadium, the team to first achive double championships (league and FA Cup) in 1994, and also Double double (1996), subsequently becoming the most successful English team so far (18 Championships). It is also the only English team to so far has done the Treble, meaning to win the League, FA Cup and European Champions' League within one season. Darn it, they won all these titles within one and a half week in May 1999!! ( Still is the best week of my life)

The big prize
Source: Wikipedia

Since then, United have won more and more championships and like any other teams, also experiences downsides, backlashes, and conflicts. But I stand firm by them, and hope to really make my 'pilgrimage' to Old Trafford one day. Next year possibly, insyaAllah...:)

Anyway, back to the World Cup.

Thanks again Mr. Googs;)

Like any other fans all over the planet, I'll be glueing in front of the TV to catch the games, even in the wee hours of the morning. I'll be sporting even more prominent dark circles under my eyes because of lack of sleep, and I'll be walking around like a zombie (hope not while driving) due to the erratic waking-and-sleeping hours.

Fret not, this is just a once-in-four-years kind of fever. Well, if you include the European Championships (European countries' tournament, not the club type), then let's make it a once-in-two-years kind of fever hehehhe...

But whatever it is, football has that special kind of magic that only true fans will know. And everyone's welcomed to join the club. This is the game that brings everyone, etranced in its magic, whether you're a monk at the top of Himalayan mountains, or barefooted kid in the slums of Rio de Jeneiro, or a kampung boy in Hulu Selangor.

This is the game that even united enemies waging wars, as happened Christmas periods during World War I between the British and German armies. Here's the story:
On Christmas Eve 1915, a peace overture came from the German lines. On Christmas Day, after a night of carol singing, Bertie Felstead, a private in the Royal Welch Fusiliers recalled that feelings of goodwill had so swelled up that at dawn Bavarian and British soldiers clambered spontaneously out of their trenches. A football was produced from somewhere – though none could recall from where. "It wasn't a game as such, more a kick-around and a free-for-all. There could have been 50 on each side for all I know. I played because I really liked football. I don't know how long it lasted, probably half an hour."
More info can be found here.

Here's my dedication to football, the beautiful game. I'll be cheering for the teams that have United players in them and let's hope the best team wins come July 12. Cheers!! Allez allez!:)

Rescue2Rehome

Heyaa..
I had a blast last weekend. Great time spent with friends, furry family, movie and fine dining -which I will blog about later. But I thought I wanna skip all that and write about last Sunday first, about something that is close to my heart -cats.

You know that I have 7 cats at home, all from one family, all which I rescued from the street somewhere in Kepong. Now my life pretty much revolve around Mimi and her kids. And since then, I made it a point to encourage my friends to also adopt stray cats instead of buying them from the petshop.

Alhamdulillah, from time to time I also rescued kittens (especially) and managed to find homes for them -mainly to my friends who coincidentally were looking to have cats as their pets. I also made it a point to encourage them to get the cats neutered and spayed because the excercise bring more benefits than harm, and of ourse to ensure that their cats are well taken care of.

Anyway, on Sunday, I went to my usual pet store at Taman Tun (late afternoon when there would be pasar malam there) to get bags of litter for my babies when I saw this outside Pet Plaza:


I met with Nicole-Ann Thomas and her friend (or sister?)from Independent Pet Rescuers Malaysia (can I call myself that too?) who regularly rescue cats and dogs and take care of these animals and get them rehomed. On that day they brought three cages of cats and tried to get people (the pasar malam crowd) to adopt these cats. Trust me I was so geram wishing I could take home some of them, but then again, I just don't have enough space at home now. These wonderful ladies are doing a fantastic jobs with these adorable cats, and I applaud their efforts.
I hope many people brought home your cats that day Nicole-Ann;)

So if you're looking to get a cat (or a dog), please don't spend your money and buy those expensive puppies OK? Because many more unfortunate ones living on the street also deserve a loving home.


If you want more info on what Nicole-Ann is doing, you can visit her blog. If you want to meet these adorable cats yourself and perhaps adopt them, you can go to Taman Tun Dr. Ismail on Sundays especially in the late afternoon, and at Hartamas Shopping Complex on Saturday afternoon at 1PM onwards.


Awww...aren't they cute??Aren't they adorable? Don't they deserve a home?

Please, bring these cats (and dogs) home and share your love with them. I should know, I brought home Mimi and her kids, I fell in love with them and they give me such unconditional love that is just as fulfilling as having your own kids. If you want to know how you can contact Nicole-Ann, just buzz me at the comment box. I don't know of any other way I can help them, but at least making his entry is a beginning.

People need to know that our animals deserve better treatment. Don't dump your cats or your dogs if you don't find them cute anymore. Don't torture them and stop feeding them just because you don't think you can afford to. The least you can do is to let them find their own food. Spay and neuter your pets if you don't want them to reproduce before the next thing you know, you become the person who dumps their cats or dogs to the street. I'm not talking at random here, I've seen these things happening around me.

Subhanallah..God makes animals sinless-because they don't have the level of intelligence like we do. But what they do know is to love you and PRAY for you. Trust me, insyaAllah when you keep your animals and treat them well, they always pray for your endless rezeki and happiness.

To end this, jamu mata with my baby girl Dodo OK;)..She's just like any other cats, loving the sometimes tight space to find comfort and security, and that's all animals -including street animals- need in their lives.

Mari Gelak Togeder-Geder..:D

Hola!!

This is the fest that I've been waiting for this whole month:)



PJ Laugh Fest 2010.

Seriously, when do we seek laughter in our life? We know the saying, laughter is the best medicine. But why so serious?

In our quest for happiness, we benchmark that with the amount of money we have, the things we buy, the children we have, the property we own and the job we do. But have we thought about being happy in the friends we have, the smile we give and receive everyday, and of course, the laughter we have?

Let's look at the sunny side of life shall we? I know I want to, and always try to.

So starting from tomorrow night, PJ Live Art will be presenting the month-long PJ Laugh Fest, starting with..



This is what I'm gonna watch tomorrow night. Got my tickets earlier (discounted price of RM36 only), and here's a bit of info on that performance.

So You Think You Can Mamak?
30th April - 1st May : 3 PM & 8.30 PM
Starring - Na'a Murad, Megat Sharizal, Bella Rahim, Nick Davis & Kuah Jenhan
Directed by - Joanna Bessey

Synopsis :
What happens when a Malaysian Adventurer, an Ambitious Achiever, a Protective Father-type and a Nerdy Pragmatist sit down for a typical Mamak Session? Find out in this devised, original comedy piece. Which type person are you? So you think YOU can mamak?

Many other performances-skits, live acts and comedy theatre such as this are lined up throughout this Fest. I hope I can catch more, and at the same time, be able to support our local arts movement.

In the meantime, let me just go to my corner and practice my laugh...Muahahahhahahahha?? Or kekekkekekekekkeke??? Or ahakkkkkssss..? Or Hahahhahhihiihihhiiihuhuhuhuhhuuhu..?

So let's all laugh togeder-geder OK!!:)

*p.s- Mizz Ray tak dapat upah pun promote benda ni. Just buat public announcement jer. Review will come later OK;)
*p.p.s- All photos and infos from PJ Laugh Fest website:)

Nak Kejar Deadline

Ishh...Peningnya kepala!! Sebab apa? Dah bulan April ni, tau-tau aje la sebab apa. Tambah-tambah deadline pulak is on 30 April 2010.

Apakah bendanya itu?



Yes, nak submit tax filing. Sekarang ni semua orang dah boleh buat filing ni secara online, tapi sebelum tu kena la buat treasure hunt kat rumah, geledah balik carik resit-resit untuk berbelanjaan yang tax-deductible.

Not sure whether you're eligible to pay tax? Kalau tak sure, senang je, pegi tanya kat HR nun!! Hehehhe. But still, mestila kita sendiri tahu sama ada kita bayar tax ke tak kan? Dah terang-terang benda tu mesti masuk dalam salary slip. For more info, you can find out from LHDN website or a bit more info kat sini.

But bear in mind that there are some expenditures which are tax-deductibles. Kalau support mak ayah dapatkan rawatan kat hospital, make sure mintak resit sebab perbelanjaan ni tax-deductible. Even when you buy sports equipment pun tax-deductible. Hmm..kan best kalau gym membership pun dikecualikan dari cukai kan??Mesti syok:)..yelah, kita ni bayar beratus jugak every month for gym membership, so it would be a nice motivator untuk kita semua bersenam dan amalkan cara hidup sihat kalau dapat pengecualian cukai atas membership gym ni. Dah tu kalau beli notebook atau komputer, make sure jugak simpan resit. Beli buku, magazine, majalh ilmiah, semuanya boleh dikecualikan dari cukai. Ada a few expenditures yang mungkin kta tak tahu sebenarnya boleh dikecualikan daripada cukai tau!!
Adehh...berapa kali mau ulang tax-deductible daa...

Meh sini Mizz Ray tepek sikit an article my friend sent me a few months ago on what are the tax-deductible expenditures ok!
Click to read ya!

So benda ni la yang buatkan I pening kepala dah seminggu dua ni. Pening sikit je la..:). Banyak ruang yang tak isi lagi tau!

OK OK..back to my E-filing. Selamat menjalankan tanggungjawab kewarganegaraan anda everybody!!:)...(huhuu...panjangnya ucapan!) Have fun with the info OK, Mizz Ray saje nak share, sharing is caring kann?? (poyo-time:D)