30BPC-Day 4: Your Favourite Photo of Your Best Friend

Hello again,

Some assignments of this Challenge are easy, some are not, some I'm looking forward to, and some, just wanna get it over with.

Nope, not gonna ramble too much.

Errmm..I guess when you've reached a certain age, you get to be more selective of your friends. I;m friendly with just about anybody who's friendly with me too, and I don;t think I have a best friend. But good friends? Lots! :)

And that's why choosing a photo for this post is very difficult because I have lots of photos taken with my good friends. I go out with different sets of friends all the time, and I share various interests with them.

So here are some of the photos of me and my friends whom I cherish always. Sorry ye this time I disobeyed the rules:)





There you go:)..Till tomorrow!

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!

The 30 Days Blog Post Challenge

Heyy...

Told ya I'm gonna make up for the long silence didn't I?:)

So what I'm gonna do is take up this challenge and do one post a day which at the same time can reveal a bit more about myself to the readers according to that daily challenge. Won't be easy I reckon, but I'll do it.

This is the full list of what I need to blog:

Day 1 — Your favorite song
Day 2 — Your favorite movie
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – What makes you different from everyone else?
Day 6 – A song to match your mood.
Day 7 – A photo of an animal you'd love to keep as a pet.
Day 8 – Your dream wedding.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of your favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – A picture of your favorite memory
Day 12 – Your current relationship, if single discuss how single life is.
Day 13 – A picture of your favorite band or artist
Day 14 – A TV show you're currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don't leave the house without.
Day 16 – Short term goals for this month and why
Day 17 – How you hope your future will be like.
Day 18 – 5 things that irritate ME about opposite/same sex
Day 19 – A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – Who are you?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you want to go.
Day 27 – What kind of person attracts you?
Day 28 – In this past month, what have you learned?
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days

I'll start tomorrow, so..bring it on!!!

Grand Plan

Hi,

Really. Thousand and millions of apology for the extremely long silence. My cooking and baking mojo is back, but not the blogging mojo. I'm not sure where she's gone to, so I'm dsperately trying very hard to get something decent written.

Maybe I should challenge myself ya, blogging-wise. Anyways, lots of stories and happenings this past few months, and they're at the back of my head, so cross fingers, I hope to have time to put them into words here.

Yes I know, it's April already (can't believe how fast time flies!!) but here I am still talking about a plan.

If last year the grand plan was all about setting up my own nest, this year it will be all about expanding my wings! To to show a few, let the pictures do the talking ya;) All pictures are Googled:)













Ok enough:) Don't wanna say much. But if you've popped by here to my blog and read my twitter feed ( I tweet all the time!) then you'd have guessed.

Insya-Allah, right now still planning and gathering information. But really looking forward to it.

See ya soon!:)

2010-A Year In Review

Haii..

I was supposed to post this entry on 31 December 2010. But due to time constraint and the never-ending things to do, I didn;t manage to finish it on time.

So how has the new year been to you? For me it's work, home, friends and all things as usual, except that then end digit to the year now happens to be 1.

I remember at this time of the year last year, when we were at the beginning of 2010 feeling all kinds of things, especially when thinking that I would be moving to my own place. Fear, mostly, and worries. That's cause I was worried about how I was going to make the new place a home, where I would find money to move, what I needed to move and things like that. But towards the end of the year, I was also busy attending social gatherings and outings and lots of makan-makan events with friends.

Anyways, let's just do some review of what 2010 has been for me ya!

January
Started off the year just like any other new year. Rested nicely. I would say that January was pretty uneventful for me, as we were just turning into the new year, so it's been all about making plans for the year and adjusting to the new digits to the year.

February
February was the month when everything picked up for me. We celebrated Chinese New Year, and during this time, my parents came for a two-week stay. My cousin was here too as she had a work trip which she then extended to spend time with us.

We took the opportunity to drive up to the East Coast, and we went to Kota Bharu for about two nights. Once my cousin left, we also went to Port Dickson for a day trip and a picnic with my recently-married cousin.

That's just Mum and Dad posing near the fancy briodge in front of PICC

Picnic at Port Dickson

Our road trip-me camwhoring! Sorry gambar bercelaru tak ikut order!!Hahaha..


Then, my friend Carol got married and I was there to witness her big day. She's now settled in Adelaide, Australia, and I'm trying to find time (and money) to fly there and visit her some there.


During Carol's reception at Sunway Hotel and Resort.

March
March was another uneventful month I reckon, except that this was the month that I seriously gave a thought on switching my job. Alhamdulillah, as soon as my parents flew back to Kuching, calls started coming in to invite me for interviews. Among them was from an oil and gas conglomerate, as well as a government statutory body.

At at the same time, at the work place, I enjoyed my work as I had a wonderful boss and collegaues who werer really understanding and appreciate my contribution to the team.


April
April was a melancholic month for me, mostly because it was 'his' birthday month. And yes, I guess it was around this time that we made our break up more definite.

I also got a new job offer in April, so end of April I tendered my resignation. Four years at that private university was among the best in my career. I learned a lot, made many friends, matured a lot and grew financially, intellectually and in so many other ways.

It was while here that I decided also to buy my own apartment as I was confident enough that I was financially able to do so.

In April, my friend Carol moved to Australia. But before that, she asked me to come over to her place to give her one last cooking lesson. The story is here

May
May was the last month at my old place. As I was preparing to leave, I also prepped myself up for the new place-nervously anticipating how it would be like, prayed that things would go smoothly and that I would have a good time at the new place.

During this month, due to serving my resignation notice, I had to forgo my planned trip to mabul and Sipadan. Oh well, what to do?

June
It was 'the' month that I finally made a professional transition. Before that I was in education line, now I am in the communication and multimedia line. Before that it was the private sector, but now I am in the government sector, albeit a statutory one. Work-wise, it is still pretty much a corporate environment. I still have my pay deducted for EPF, Socso and tax.

But when it comes to transportation and travel, my oh my..the expenses took quite a lot from my pocket. As I was still living in Damansara, I had to travel around 45km and paid two tolls one way. Expenditure for fuel doubled. Before that, a full tank could take me two weeks before I had to refill my tank, but now, it took only on average one week. Then, multiply the daily expenses and really, i would easily spend about RM300-RM350 just for travelling to work and paying the tolls.

It was hard to adjust at first. The long travel also took a toll on my car, and as a result, I had to get it serviced at shorter interval.

July
Things start picking up at work, and I was getting busier. It was towards the end of this month that I received the notice of vacant possession from the developer. Happy siot! Finally! My home was ready to be occupied.

Last summer was a footy-mad month for me, as it was the World Cup season. Started in June, and culminated in July. Bad football withdrawal jugak after that, so was counting the day till the new season started again.

Then, due to the heavy daily travel, my car broke down in the middle of peak evening hours when I was descending from the Cable Bridge at LDP!! Oh my godd!! Memang teruji betul kesabaran time tu! Kalut sangat-sangat as thins kind of thing never happened to me before. But thank god it taught me to take better care of my car.

It was during July also that I rescued another kitten. Tried to adopt it out, but nobody seemed interested. So now I ended up with 8 kids:).

This was this lil kiddo when I first found him


And this is a much bigger Adik when he's busy suckling on his big brother's chest like a baby:)..(Sorry gambar dia takde plak, lots of it in my camera, and I don't have it with me right now)


August

Pretty much occupied with fasting. It was also a historic one as I collected my house keys during this month. Then I started looking for ideas on house deco-buying magazines la, and scouring the websites for inspiration.

Towards end of August, right in the middle of August, our family welcomed a new addition. My cousin gave birth to her baby boy and I got myself a new nephew!! Yippeee...!

Work-wise, things were as hectic as ever.

September
What is there to remember about September ya? Hmm..it was Hari Raya month, lots of celebration, family gathering, meeting friends and of course, food!:)

It was also my birthday month. I attended my school friend, Marlene's wedding reception on the eve of my birthday, and after the reception, we proceeded to another ermm..'private karaoke party' for my birthday:)..It was great, and glad to be able to spend time with friends.

Some photos from the wedding reception and the karok party;)

So glad to share the table with my school friends and the bride's trainers heheh..And here of course, with the bride and groom.

We were so gila-gila that we even took the flowers after the reception;)..And we're all from the same school:)

At the karaoke reception while waiting for our room to be available. We sang the night away from midnight till about..3AM? Tiring, but we had fun.

October
What happened in October ya?? Seriously can't remember much, except the fact that the house preoccupied most of my thoughts. I know that during this month, I was busy engaging contractor to do some things at the house, as well as choosing wallpaper and paint colours and getting my thoughts together on what kind of house can be my home, one that suits me personality as well as my budget.

It was also the time when I finalised and approved designs, and started to scout for the little things that would be featured in the house. I decided that furnitures could wait, so I was not exactly in a rush to get new ones as I prefer to use the existing ones that I have. I found a place that could reupholstered my L-shape sofa, for a fraction of a new one.

At the same time I also started packing up my stuff at home, delegaing between the impotant ones as well as getting rid of the ones I don't want. But the packing was going slow at that time as I gave myself the deadline to be end of November. Memang niat nak pindah to coincide with Ma'al Hijrah. Ye lah, like I write earlier, nak ambik berkat hijrah kan:)

November
So the works started in November. By then I was making more frequent trips to my new place during weekends. At the same time I was also busy doing lots of surveying. Foremost on my mind at that time was the lighting needs of the house:)..I was not worried about things like kitchen cabinet and airconds as they come with the house. Alhamdulillah.

So little by little I saw my house becoming the vision of what my nest would be like. I started packing up more aggresively as well. My family agreed to come and help me settle down. So I gave myself the December move-in target as I don't want to trouble them too much. They could just help me unpack instead of packing and unpacking.

Anyway, I gave a notice to my landlord about my impending move, settled the bills at that point and started searching for movers and packed more and more stuff. My kids noticed the changes, so I hoped in a way they understand what was going on. And of course, being around boxes make them very happy! Like this:



December

So December finally came. My family arrived on the last day of November, and I brought them straight to the new place. I got the movers to move the rest of my stuff the day before-a tiring and stresful day indeed. Sadly, had to leave my kids behind as I didn't want to stress them out during the move, and add that to the anxiety of having lots of people around as they're not used to being with many humans at a time.

We spent the first night at the new place with boxes scaterring around and my friend's hubby and his worker doing some final touches to the wallpapering and changing the bidet in both the toilets.

Unfortunately, despite being on leave on that 1st and 2nd day of the month, I had alot of driving to do. To make matters worse, I got my period, and naturally, the pain that comes with it as well as horrible fever and cough. It actually started a couple of days before that, probably due to the dust that I was exposed to whilst cleaning up the house. I almost lost my voice, and I squeaked when I spoke.

On the first day I was due back at work, I felt the lousiest. Remnants of the stomach discomfort persisted, and on that day I totally lost my voice. Couldn't stand the lousiness, I went to see the doctor during lunch time. He performed all sorts of checking, drew my blood for a test, and actually had to take three readings of my blood pressure. Oh well, it was a stressful period indeed, as my BP was at an unhealthy level!

So he immediately ordered total rest for the rest of the day, as well as on the next day. Went home and tried as much as I can to maybe get some more sleep, but as I had lots of people around, resting was impossible.

Anyway I recovered a few days after and could finally enjoy having my family around. Only after they flew back to Kuching did I bring my kids back to the new home.

It was really a covert mission, done at night with the assistance of my friend, Kartini. Thanks Tini! Once at the new home, they were at first wary, except of course, for Mimi who, as long as she can see me, would feel very much at home anywhere I am. Alhamdulillah, by the next day they started smelling and sniffing the nooks and corners of the house and registered the fact that they now have a new home.

Some of the stuff in the box are yet to be unpacked. I'm just taking my time.

And now that the new year has descended, new hopes, aspirations, wishes, and plans are being executed and put into place.

So that's it folk, my uber-long entry. Sorry for that, but well, after all, it;s the year in review isn't it?

Till the next time, cheers!

Life's Been Pretty Hectic

I'm taking a break from work right now, but after this will need to resume.

Must admit that yes, this new place is much much busier than the old place. I should've been confirmed by now, but my new Boss, as usual, does not seem to take any urgency into this yet. Oh well, sooner or later it will happen, InsyaAllah...
(Any other things I have in mind of her shall be in my own confidence, takut kantoi kang, bahaya kan..?)

Anyways, as it is towards the end of the year, that perpetual Year-End-Blues is setting in. The laziness towards work is stronger, but because of the many tasks to fulfill, have to suck it all up and muster the strength and the mental will to do them. If I had my way, I'll just spend the day surfing the net, catch up on my blog-hoppings, FB-ing and many other more interesting things but work. I guess it's the same sentiment with anybody else.

And oh yeah..of doing the year-end reflections. Flashes of memory of what 2010 has been to me keep popping up now and then, but I guess right now I can't afford the time to recount them. Perhaps in another entry when I'm relaxed at home.

Yes, 2010 has been an indeed eventful year for me. The biggest would of course, be finally moving in my own place. That is really something huh? And to think that I did all that all alone, without sharing the responsibility with a MAN, and without my relying on my family pitching in, money-wise, is something that I'm proud of. Of course, the family helped in other matters, especially when I'm moving in, but that doesn't count. So I guess, yes, I do have valid reasons to be proud of myself:)

This is just a rambling to take the steam off the work, so hope I can make a new entry very very soon. Promise!

Till then...

Mi Casa-Sneak Peek

Ok..

So this is what I've been busy for this past few weeks. Practically every weekend keluar rumah the whole day, driving here and there. Not to mention attending to family matters la:)

The pictures shown here are just to share sikit-sikit my new palace. Insya-Allah, next week dah nak pindah dah. Sekarang pun tengah buat final touches on the works. Ada lagi benda nak buat, but cross fingers everything is done by this weekend.

Just nak bagitau awal-awal, my rumah ni sederhana je, but it's a vision of my dream home. I take utmost consideration my lifestyle and the fact that I live with my kids, so kalau nak letak benda-benda macam pasu ke, decorative items like small trinkets ke, jangan harap la yer...Hehehehe...I want my place to be spacey so that the kids can run around. I haven't even decided if I want a coffee table pun. Tu kemudian hari la. Buat sikit-sikit bak kata orang.

Ooppss..banyak celoteh plak. OK..so I'll do this in a rather before-and-after sequence la ya..:)


My distended living room windows before.

And after I got a storage bench built there. Memang tak pasang cushion pun cause I can't decide on what material it should be of. Sebabnya, kalau guna fabric, takut anak-anak seronok kencingkan hahahaha...But I did buy some flat cushions which can be used as lapik kat situ. I envision sitting there petang-petang baca buku, or even of my Dad sitting there to read his papers. I got the windows tinted and installed with Invisible Grille as well. Then untuk lampu kat situ I chose the lampu berjuntai tu. Modern and simple. I love the crystal err..stick there hahahha. And as you can see, my coulouring concept is a combination of green and cream.

By the way, this is the view outside my window!!Hahahahaha..Duk berjiran dengan lembu dan kerbau tau!. For some people, the sight of those roaming cows and bulls might annoy them but not for me. I just love watching them graze on the grassfield outside our fences. And of course, there's that lake over there. Petang-petang, or time weekend, we can see people fishing and playing with the jetski kat tasik tu. Precious! I loike!


This is my kitchen-before. Still green. Mintak-mintak sejuk mata memandang ya!:)

And my kitchen partition after the installation of the sliding door. Sorry it's still messy in there. You can also see that I've installed the ventilation fan:)




And those three are of the rooms in the house! Motip banyak-banyak kaler kan?Hahahha... Anyway the first one with the top of a wardrobe is in the master bedroom. Saje je tunjuk siling, sebab syiok tengok lampu putih tu!:)..Lampu tu pun murah je. I got a good bargain (kot) as they cost me only RM29 each. OK la kan? In fact semua benda yang dibeli untuk letak kat rumah ni, most of them are of bargain price. That's why tak duk diam kat rumah time weekend, sebab pegi bargain-hunting and survey barang-barang tau!!

And finally, ni pulak lampu kat hallway. Suka kat lampu ni:)..harga pun OK la sederhana.

Ni je kot nak tunjuk sneak peek of my new casa. Even more excited as my family will be coming as well to help me settle down in this new place, and InsyaAllah, I will get my Dad to azankan rumah ni. Ye lah nak ambik berkat restu mak bapak kan? Ni kira hijrah jugak la;)

Apa-apa pun do pray that this house, along with other good things bring in more rezeki to me. Till the next time ya;)

So Very Busy

Hello,

My apologies again for being errant in updating this space of mine. Truth it, the office life is getting more hectic. Never mind, this is what I signed for when I accepted the offer at this new place. I have to keep up with the pace, and I still consider this, 5++ months down the road, still a learning period.

Busier still is my weekends. I barely have a restful one nowadays. My kids rarely see me staying put at home both on Saturdays and Sundays as I'm always out. but Mummy's doing it for our new palace la sayang;).

And yes, my Saturdays and Sundays are filled with activities related to the house. Just a quick update:

1. My tentative date of moving will be end of this month. Tentative is the operative word here.

2. I'm getting some works done to the house. Among them:
a. A new partition between the kitchen and the dining area. I'm installing a
sliding door as I want a limited access to the kitchen, especially from my
furkids.

b. Installing glass panel throughout my stove area all the way to the front of
the kitchen sink. Hope it turns out ok. By the way these things are being
installed as we speak.

c. Instead of installing another sliding door/window to the backyard, I'm
settling for an outdoor wooden blind. I reckon this will bring more air and
still keeping my privacy;)

d. A sky-high shoe cabinet!! Hehehe..just exaggerating! But nice to have that
space to store my shoes, in case I decided to buy even more shoes in the
future!

e. An 8-feet wardrobe in the master bedroom, with full mirror and an extra table.
Self-explanatory methink.

f. A storage bench along my distended living room windows. I'm especially
excited about that, cause that means I will be able to relax and read my
books whilst enjoying the lake view ouside that window:)

g. A TV panel from IKEA. But I'm kinda bummed that they cannot instantly send
it to my place as when I went there last Sunday, a few items ran out of
stock, so they have to wait for it to arrive before sending their contractor
to install it at my place. I have a definite design that I want, which
explains why I didn't bother looking at other places. Hmm...come to think of
it, maybe I should, huh?

h. I'm getting the walls repainted, and the feature wall be wall-papered. My
friend Nora and her husband are doing it for me as they're having their own
wall-paper/home deco business. She's also my de-factor project manager
actually. I'll definitely show you how things turn out, and if you like what
you see, and want to do the same thing to your house, don't hesitate to ask
for her phone number from me ya!

Some other things I haven't really decided yet, like where do I want to place my dining table. That is among my biggest dilemmas right now. Not to mention that if I were to put a pendant/hanging light near the entrance, it won't be proportionate to the supposed placement of the dining set. Oh well, that can wait I think.

I'm also not very sure about acquiring a coffee table. I'm excited about my brand new sofa though:)..In actuality, I got my existing sofa re-upholstered. It's really a big relief to be able to save up on more than RM2k to get a new sofa. That's because all this while I've been asking around, especially furniture stores where most of them would shrug me off and said I might as well get a new one instead of getting it re-dressed.

Then I found an ad for this service, and the price they charge took me really by surprise. Alhamdulillah, dapat jimat banyak you!

Then, my parents, my eldest sister, my aunt, my cousin and my niece will be coming over on this 30th supposedly to help me with my move. But I guess I don't want to trouble them too much and instead get everything settled before they come over so that they can just help me settle in la. So excited, and will definitely baca doa, azankan and buat doa selamat sikit-sikit before we actually sleep in the new place.

That's all for now. That explains my kemalasan to update this blog, eh? Sorry no pictures in this entry as well, maybe next time. Till then, later ya!