Lots of stuff to blog about, and so little time... :)

First off, just wanted to say hi to anyone reading this, besides me. And that I was motivated by a cousin to start blogging again. :) I was reading her blog and thought that blogging was fun. And I have lots of things to blog about.

The surau near my house is finally open. It officially opened on the first day of the school holidays which was on the 28th of May 2011. It's called Surau Sayyidina Umar Al-Khattab. And alhamdulillah the people from the neighborhood are swarming to the surau for all the five prayers. The surau is organizing a Jom Gotong Royong activity this Sunday and I'm involved. How cool is that. :) I'm handling the food for that day. I'm also a committee member, in Biro Kebajikan, or the Biro of Righteousness? I'm not sure of the exact translation of Kebajikan. Other than that, I've gotten to know my long lost cousin. :)

Well, I think there's more, but I can't seem to concentrate. Got lots to do at the moment. Hopefully, I remember to update this blog as often as I can.

Well, do take care and cheerios! :)

Astro B.yond Rocks!!!

Well, hello there dear reader(s). If there are any left. Hehe. Just wanted to blog about anything, really. Am feeling kinda busy, with too much to do and so little time to finish them. Am currently reading Tun Dr Mahathir's 'A Doctor In the House', Andrea Hirata's fourth book, 'Maryamah Karpov', 'Kisah-kisah Ringkas Rasulullah S.A.W', and am still struggling to finish 'Yakjuj Makjuj'.

Tun Dr Mahathir's book is a fantastic read. I'm reading it slowly, very very slowly, so that I can savour every word he wrote, and every thought in his brilliant head.

Maryamah Karpov is proving to be as good as the previous three books Andrea wrote, so I'm enjoying reading that too. 'Kisah-kisah Ringkas Rasulullah S.A.W' is very interesting, as it has a lot of short stories which I haven't come across before this. And 'Yakjuj Makjuj', the book started out as a promising read but when I arrived at the half way point of the book, things began to slow down. Seriously.

Just got the Astro B.yond. And now I'm wondering how in the heck did we view television before this? Because the pictures are so much clearer until it made some movies look like some cheap budgeted movie.

A new neighbor just moved in to the front and left of us. A very friendly and nice couple with four kids. The eldest is getting married soon, somewhere in November 2011. The first time we met them, my wife and I were complimenting them on their renovation. And the wife brought us on a tour of the house. And it was impressive. Very impressive. I heard that the cost of the renovation is more than the cost of the house.

Am waiting for a new furniture to arrive. Not sure when. Tried to call the person in charge but no one picked up the phone. Will try to call later.

2011, translations, books, and allowances...

Welcome 2011! Okay, I'm developing a habit of updating my blog once a year, and that is not good. So I will try to blog every week, or month, at least.

Just so I remember, I just got a call from the HR people and apparently, I'll be finally getting my allowance, alhamdulillah. I went for a translation course for ten days in December 2010, and it was fun. Tiring but fun. My course mates are great. In our class, we had two pensioners, two students, a couple of government servants, some teachers, a lecturer, people working for the private sector, and a housewife. And the lecturers were great as well. This particular lecturer, Pn. Jun. She was an inspiration to all of us there. I mean, she would suggest some books to read, and we would all buy them. Actually, I bought 8 books throughout the course. 4 novels by Andrea Hirata. A history / novel of Sultan Muhammad al-Fateh, an autobiography of a Menteri Besar, and two dictionaries.

The course ended with a four-hour written exam, and I just got the results today. I passed, alhamdulillah. So now I'm a certified translator.

I would like to blog more about the books I'm reading, but maybe another time. I've read Lasykar Pelangi and Sang Pemimpi, and am currently reading Edensor. All by Andrea Hirata. Good read. Seriously good read. Pn. Jun told us that to master the Malay language, then it is imperative that we read these books. And I totally agree with her. Thanks Pn. Jun.

2010

It has been almost a year since I last blogged. So many things happened, some happy, some not so happy. I moved to a new house early this year. I got the Maxis iPhone 3G a few months before the the 3G(S) made an appearance. And am now waiting patiently for the iPhone 4.

I would like to go straight to what's bothering me at the moment. Two things. First, my siblings and me have been branded "bad-children" by our very own relatives. I'm not quite sure how things got this out of hand, but I think it's unfair to brand someone if the someone was not consulted and was not present to defend themselves.

I was depressed for a few days when I first heard about this. I mean, my siblings and me are trying our very best to be helpful and understanding, we really do. But we have our own families to think about and that's where the problem starts.

I am very thankful for everything that's happened all my life, but when I see other children of parents, children my age, I sometimes envy them.

The second thing is, I was recently appointed as translator for my company's website. And this appointment comes with an allowance. So, when I got the appointment, translation work started coming my way, even legal documents, and the dean's presentation slides.

I was happily translating because I thought I would be getting the allowance every month. How wrong I was. Now it's the middle of July and I still haven't seen a speck of the allowance. And so I asked the HR person in charge and she told me there was a problem.

The didn't know what code my translating work should be under, because apparently, no one has ever been appointed as a translator. So now I'm still waiting for their feedback. I hope I get it soon. At least that could cheer my up some.

Wait, I'm still depressed about the first thing. We are always misunderstood. Or should I just say I'm always misunderstood. Sometimes I feel like going someplace else and start fresh. In fact, I'm planning towards that. But one thing at a time.

Trials and Tribulations of the iPhone 3G

Just so I don't forget, I would like to write about my adventure with the iPhone. The iPhone 3G arrived in Malaysia last year. And at the time, I was contemplating on whether to get the Nokia N96, E71 or the Samsung Omnia. Then an old friend of mine suggested the iPhone. At that time, the iPhone wasn't even in my mind. But when he mentioned it, something suddenly clicked in my head. So I did some homework on the phone, not much, just to see how it looked like. And I went in search of the iPhone in KL.

I found one at the Mines Shopping Centre and was hooked on it. It just looked so slick and beautiful. I had to get it. So after a few weeks, I went to Low Yatt and bought the iPhone. The guy who sold me the phone warned me not to upgrade to the latest iPhone OS. He said if I did, the iPhone wouldn't be able to recognize our local sim card.

So, I was using the iPhone happily, downloading apps mainly from Cydia and Installer. Up to a point where the iPhone hanged. My friend mentioned that that might happened if I installed too many apps without downloading an app that actually manages the storage. So what happened was, I think, was that the apps were being installed in the main drive where the OS lives. So as it took space needed by the OS, it stopped working.

Panicking, I formatted the iPhone using iTunes, and that's when the trouble started. It took about half and hour to complete the formatting, and to upgrade the OS (which was a big mistake). After finally completing the formatting, my sim card wasn't recognized by the iPhone. I thought "oh crap". Luckily I had a backup phone with me at the time. So I have to use my backup phone while my iPhone became a paperweight.

So then, I did some research on the iPhone and the ways you can jailbreak the iPhone. I downloaded a few applications and tried it out, and finally managed to free my iPhone (meaning, I can actually open my iPhone). But, it still didn't recognize my sim card.

To be continued..... (maybe)

Hello World!

Hello World!

I wonder if anyone actually noticed my disappearance from the blogging world. I seriously doubt it. Ha ha ha. Oh well, could be worst. Could be even I didn't notice my own disappearance in the blogging world. But then again, that doesn't make sense does it. Hmmm.

Another year, another birthday, a few more experiences, a few more friends, and a new baby girl. :) My beloved gave birth to a healthy baby girl on the 6th of March 2009. This time though, she didn't get her own room, so she had to stay in an open ward. As I didn't want to be too far away from her the first night, at first I slept outside the ward with my sister in law, then I sent my sister in law to my parents' place, and spent the night in my office, which was a few minutes from the ward (walking distance).

Tried to watch some movies while in the office, I think I actually saw one whole movie before I fell asleep in my chair. When I woke up, checked on my beloved in the ward then went to my parents place to shower.

After two nights, she was discharged with the baby.

Ramadhan

I'm currently blogging at my sis-in-law's house in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. My biras (which is my sis-in-law's husband) has a 24-hour wi-fi setup in the house. So, I'm making use of it to surf the web and update my blog. Thanks, Mr. Biras. :)

Today is the first day of Ramadhan. And I would like to wish all Muslims a very good Ramadhan this year. Hope this year will be better than the last.

Duma Key

I'm currently reading Stephen King's Duma Key. I didn't even know he had a new book out. I found this gem of a book in my office's library. Duma Key is a place where this ex-contractor is recuperating after being almost crushed to death by a crane. So far it's a good read. Well, I haven't read a Stephen King book I didn't like yet. I seriously can't put it down. It has the same weird creepy feel as in Bag of Bones, though. :)

My Best Friend's Wedding

On Saturday morning, which was on the 16th of August 2008, my best friend of 16 years got married. The ceremony was held at a Mosque in Pandan Indah. Above is the picture of the lovely couple. Congratulations, Sagaff & Ayu!

Hot Blood

I'm currently reading Stephen Leather's Hot Blood. This is the first time I'm reading a book by the author, and I must say, I like his style. It's about a former SAS agent who becomes an undercover cop. And the hero with his other ex-SAS buddies are trying to rescue their buddy from being beheaded by terrorists.

The storyline and the action are quite good, but the thing that really got to me was when the hero (a sort of an atheist, with Catholic in-laws) discusses Islam with his 7-year-old son. One of the things he tells his son is 'You should read it (the Koran). If everyone behaved the way the Koran tells people to behave, the world would be a much better place.' And he goes on to talk about the five pillars of Islam.

It's been a while...

It has been almost 7 months since I've last written my thoughts here. Celebrated my birthday in January, my brother's and one best buddy's birthday in February, my other best buddy's birthday in April, my Dad's birthday in May, and my sister's in June .

The Wira gave us lots of problems for a few months. The worst was when we had to change the gearbox and the clutch plate. By then my beloved and I decided to get a new car. It just wasn't worth the hassle and money to maintain the Wira anymore. Although we have so many memories with the Wira, including going back and forth from KL to Pahang on a weekly basis when my beloved was still teaching there, to going back to her hometown during the school holidays. And even back when we were still dating.

We were quite sad to sell the Wira, but it was either that, or keep on paying for the maintenance, which would suprise us every now and then. So in the end, we decided to get a new car, a Toyota. Luckily for us, my beloved's friend knows a Toyota sales person. So Toyota bought the Wira at a remarkably higher price than what was in the market.

And we finally bought a non-Malaysian car for the first time. My first car was a red Kancil. My second car was a black Wira SE. So, after eliminating a few cars from the mental list we had, we finally bought a Toyota Vios. A black Toyota Vios. :)

I Am Legend

Last night, saw the premier of 'I Am Legend', courtesy of my wonderful and beautiful sister-in-law (I hope she's reading this, and planning to give me those premier movie passes to AVP2. Hahaha). My sister in law gave me two tickets, and I took my best buddy with me, since my beloved is not the movie going type, and she hates horror movies. Besides us, there were my brother and sister in law, my brother's in-laws, and his buddies from school.

The movie was quite good, actually. It evokes two main emotions in the viewers' heart almost throughout the movie.

At times, it can be quite frightening, two examples would be when he was curled up in his tub with Sam, his dog, and in the background were these horrifying howling and screaming coming from outside his house. The second one would be when he stumbled into their hive and they were all standing in a circle, breathing heavily. Who 'they' are, you have to see the movie to find out.

And at times, it can be quite sad. One example would be when he had to leave his wife and daughter on the helicopter, sort of knowing he might not see them again, but trying to brave it out by smiling at them. And the other one would be when he actually spoke to a mannequin and pleaded to the mannequin to answer him.

All in all, it was a good movie, but for one thing. To me, the 'them' or 'the Darkseekers' should be more realistic. I think that was the only flaw of the movie.

Saw some previews of upcoming movies. 'Aliens Versus Predator 2' looks excellent. Johnny Depp has a new movie coming out, Sweeney something something. The movie looks weird, which is almost always the case for Mr Depp.

I almost forgot to mention that we had to leave our handphones at the counter. This is so that we don't record the movie. So I had to leave my handphone and the headset, can you believe that. But we got it back after the movie, so it was ok. All in all, it was a fun guy's night out for me. Thanks for accompanying me, best buddy. :)

Sony Ericcson S500i

Two weeks ago, these two Australians came to the office to deploy a new set of executables. It was for an application being used here. The whole exercise started two weeks before they came. We had to upgrade the database for the new set of executables to function properly. That meant two whole nights in the office, troubleshooting and solving any problems from here while they upgrade the database from Australia. We had to constantly monitor the database and the operating system for any errors, and solve it on the spot so that the upgrading can take place without problems.

But as always, there were some problems. But we managed to settle them without much fuss. The first night we did the exercise, my in-laws were at my house. They came to KL to catch a flight to Langkawi and after they came back to KL, we took them shopping at all their favourite locations. So, my beloved was quite worried as came back late that morning. I started work at around 10pm the previous night, and got back home around 9-ish in the morning. I managed to sleep about 1/2 an hour to one hour at home. Woke up, drank my power drink and was up and about the whole day, shopping with my in-laws. After they left, the house felt empty, with just the three of us.

Last week, my beloved had a 3-day-course in one of the hotels in KL. My daughter and I tagged along and stayed with her at the hotel. In the mornings, I would take our daughter to her nursery and went to work. And after work, I would pick my daughter up and we would go straight to the hotel. On the last day, I made plans with my two best buddies for a guys' day out. We went for lunch at Omar Khayyam, a really old school beriyani place. The food there was excellent, as ever. After that, went to a shopping mall to look for my beloved's belated birthday gift.

My beloved wanted this Sony Ericsson phone. She saw it on the net and wanted it ever since. But unfortunately, the phone didn't arrive in Malaysia on her birthday, so she said she would wait for the phone. So, my buddies and I went in search of the phone, and found it. It was really nice. And I knew my beloved would love it.

After getting the phone, we went in search of a box to put the phone in. Yes, the phone was already in it's own box. But I wanted to suprise her. So, we went to KLCC in search of the perfect box. Found it in a place called D'Nata (if I'm not mistaken) and got her this small black box with black and gold ribbons. The phone fitted snugly in the box. I was so overjoyed with the box that I hugged the girl who did the ribbons. Well, almost. Hehehe.

After that, went back home and gave my beloved the box. She was drying out clothes in the back and I just sort of passed her the box and said, "Here, this is for you." She took the box from my hand with a puzzled look on her face and opened the box. Her face lit up instantly, and she looked shocked. But a good kinda shock. After a few seconds, she finally managed to say that she was speechless. I was really glad she liked the box and the phone.

I would like to thank my two best buddies for their help, their thoughts and advice on the matter of the phone and the box. Thanks so much, you guys.

Times Square

Last week, had a conference at Berjaya Times Square Hotel. I was head of the IT unit there. It was a very small unit. We had to make sure the laptops were working, the projector was running, and a technician standing by with a backup laptop just in case the one the speakers were using became problematic. There were five of us there. We were working very closely with the committee organizing the whole thing.

I slept at the hotel the first night with a colleague. We had a room on the 26th floor and the view was amazing. We could see the top of most buildings. And we saw KLCC and the KL Tower from there. But the layout of the hotel room was a bit weird. I don't think I can explain it well here, so you just have to take my word for it.

The food there was fantastic. And the hotel's connected to one of the biggest shopping malls in Malaysia. They even have a roller coaster in the mall.

Food Galore

My beloved and I went to a vendor's Jamuan Raya on Friday after work. It was in Subang Jaya. We got completely lost due to the map they gave us. We finally got to the place around an hour and a half later. Luckily for us, the food was great. By the time we got there, we were extremely hungry. So, we attacked the lamb first. Then we attacked everything else.

On Saturday, went to my mother's close friend's Jamuan Raya. We were quite late in arriving there, but there was still plenty of food. We ate our fill and left to see the house. My parents seemed to like it. After that we rushed for home because my sister-in-law apparently just arrived at our house. Luckily my mum-in-law was at home. So, they waited for us to arrive to bring a bucket full of KFC's hot & spicy and original recipe.

On Sunday, went to survey a hotel in KL. After that, went to my colleague's Jamuan Raya. Ate our fill and went to another of my colleague's Jamuan Raya. Came back home full and contented.

Seminar

Just got back from a seminar in KL. It was packed. My colleagues and I arrived about 20 minutes into the first session. Since we came in late, we had to sit right up in front of the speaker. But halfway through the second session, I fell asleep. I managed to sleep while sitting upright. Then it was time for a break, which I badly needed.

There, I met up with my ex-colleagues and my ex-boss. They are all doing their own thing now. We left our previous company at different interval, but still managed to meet up at these seminars. It was good to meet up with them.

Major Reshuffling

There was a major change in the organizational chart recently. And it affected some of my colleagues and myself included. A close colleague of mine got the short end of the stick when the management decided to relieve her of her previous unit and gave her some lame excuse for a new unit to head. Her new job scope is to maintain the department's ISO documentation.

She has a Master's Degree in IT and all she has to do now is to handle documentation? I mean, isn't that a waste of knowledge and resources. As for me, I was transferred to another unit since my unit head is now heading the unit my close colleague was previously heading. My colleague and I were transferred to another unit, but strangely enough, our job scope remained the same. I thought at first that my job scope would be different, but apparently, my job scope is the one following me around. So no matter which unit I get transferred to, my job scope would always be the same. Weird, huh.

Yesterday, a former unit mate made me an offer. He wanted me to join him in his new unit. I told him I'd have to think about it. The problem was, I would still be doing the same thing, but with a different unit head. So, technically, I'm lugging around this job scope on my back with no relief in sight. Don't get me wrong. I like what I do, but, I think it's kinda weird, don't you think? I'm the only person in the department doing what I'm doing now. It's sort of like an honor, I guess, since apparently no one else can do what I do. Or are they just smart and they don't want to do what I do? Hmmm.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

I hope it's not too late to wish everyone a very 'Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri' and 'Maaf Zahir & Batin'. We celebrated raya this year at my beloved's kampung first. We anticipated a massive jam on the drive to her hometown, so we decided to leave early. We started on our journey around 10pm on Wednesday night. We packed tuna and beef sandwiches for our drive and for me, two bottles of coffee.

We arrived early the next morning, with me dead tired. I slept till late afternoon and woke up feeling weird. I didn't feel refreshed but rather felt my head was in a fog. It wasn't a great feeling, let me tell you.

The first day of raya was all about food and duit raya. My daughter got quite a lot this year, actually. Lucky daughter. I don't think I ever got that much when I was younger. Way way younger, that is.

To my best buddy. Thanks for the comment. Yes, I know I haven't blogged in ages. It's just that I'm way busy nowadays, and with the new environment at work, I'm adjusting to it. Or slowly trying to.

N95 8GB

This is the latest Nokia N95 8GB. My new dream phone. It has all the same key features of its predecessor, the N95, except that this has eight gigabytes of built-in memory, new luminous 2.8" QVGA display, and its now black. It really is beautiful. But its not out yet. But it's coming. Soon. Real soon.

On Friday morning, went to a workshop to change two tyres on my car. It was long overdue anyway. I even asked them to service my car, and they even serviced the throttle body, which finally solved the car's problem of dying whenever I change from third gear to second gear. Not always, but often enough to make it a problem for me and my beloved.

On Saturday morning, went to meet up with my beloved's friend in Putrajaya. Since we were in the neighborhood, went shopping in Alamanda immediately after. The last time we went there was to celebrate my birthday with a bunch of my uni friends. Bought some stuff for the house and for the car.

Got back home, and slept till evening. After that, went to break fast at my parents' place. My brother and his family was there as well. Had our fill of 'nasi tomato' and chocolate cake and 'ayam goreng berlada' and some fruit concoction. And after all that, I was stuffed. The first time I've been that stuffed in Ramadhan.

Birthdays And Weddings Part 2

The continuation...

After the birthday party, we went to my parents' house for tea. But by that time we were full, so we just had tea, and took my mum's famous "shepherd's pie" home.

Around 6 something, my best buddy came over with his girlfriend and they had high tea at my house. Yes, we had my mum's famous "shepherd's pie". After that, we went to Wisma Sejarah for our school mate's wedding. The thing was, I really couldn't remember our friend's face. At all.

But when we got there and I saw him, I totally remembered him from our old school days. Although we weren't close friends, he invited me. And that made me feel good. At the wedding, my best buddy and I met our old friends and we exchanged phone numbers. With promises to keep in touch. Went back home in time to see the last two hours of "Anugerah Era 2007".

The next morning, wiped my car clean, since it rained on the way to my friend's wedding. Lazed around at home till around 5, when we decided to drive around. My daughter was excited with the prospect of going for a drive. Finally we ended up at Ampang Point, and bought our dinner there.

Birthdays And Weddings Part 1

It's been a very eventful weekend. On Friday night, went to the new Tesco Cheras to get some wedding presents and a birthday present. We were shocked to see so many people waiting in line to get a parking space. Luckily for us, we got ours a few minutes after entering the premises. The place used to be Makro, but somehow, Tesco managed to make the whole building look bigger than it used to. We were there for a few hours and got everything we came for.

On Saturday morning, washed and polished the car. Was sweating buckets by the time I was done. Good morning exercise for me. Then after lunchtime, went to my beloved's colleague's house for her daughter's birthday party.

About the birthday party. We were the second couple to arrive at the house. So, I got to seat at the couch while my beloved was sitting on the floor with her colleagues. After that, the house slowly became packed with people. One of them was this parent I met once upon a time ago when I was out with my beloved and her colleagues. And this parent still remembered me.

She gave me this big smile and came to greet my beloved and I. Then she sat next to my beloved and started chatting away. After a while, it was time for us to eat. Since no one was moving towards the food, my beloved and I stood up and attacked the food first. Yes, we are shameless in that sense. Hahaha.

As I was enjoying my 'mee bandung', the parent came and sat next to me. My beloved smiled and said something to the parent, who then told my beloved that she was just going to borrow me for a while. I smiled sheepishly and concentrated on my food. We then started talking about things when I felt someone looking at me.

You know how you can feel when someone is eyeballing you. So when I looked up, I saw my beloved's colleague looking at me, smiling. I smiled back and she said something to my beloved which got my beloved laughing and retorting back saying, "That's dangerous, you know". Uncomprehending what had just happened, I continued my conversation with the parent.

Apparently, the parent's husband is a lawyer by profession and has his own construction company. No wonder the parent is so rich, I thought. She then told me that her husband is launching a new housing area somewhere in Gombak. I asked her where it was exactly as I was quite familiar with the Gombak area. She started explaining it to me by trying to draw an invisible map on her thigh with her finger. Then she changed her mind and started drawing the invisible map on my thigh!

I sorta freaked out when I saw what she was about to do.

To be continued...

Books Books Books

These are just a few books I've read over the years. But my favourite all time book is still Haruki Murakami's Dance Dance Dance.


Whoever loves to read should check out Shelfari. This website is something new.

Psych

A couple of weeks ago, saw an old friend on Yahoo! Messenger. She went missing from my friends' radar since almost two years ago. When I suddenly saw her icon on my buddy list, I messaged her and asked her how she was and we started chatting about stuff. Then out of the blue, she asked me about my best buddy. I told her that he was fine and still single. Before we ended our chat session, I got her number and got my best friend to contact her again. And now they are seeing each other on a regular basis, much to my delight.

Saw 'Psych' last night on AXN with my beloved. And we extremely love the series. It's funny and fun, and very entertaining. Nothing much more to say about the series. You got to watch it to believe it.

Perfect Strangers

Last night, it was raining heavily. I mean, really really heavily. It started around 6pm and it didn't stop till around midnight. And because of that, we had to watch dvds. Since Astro doesn't work when it rains. Bummer huh.

So, last night, we saw The Simpsons Movie and Perfect Strangers. The Simpsons, as usual, was hilarious. I like the part where Bart had to skate naked and his wiener was being covered by everything you can think of, all along the way, except for this short portion where they actually showed his wiener. Funny stuff. As for Perfect Strangers, it's a good murder mystery movie. And the ending is quite shocking.

My friend made it into the papers today, as her futsal team won 1st runner up in the Karnival Wanita Futsal i-Metro, which was held a few days ago. Since I had lunch with my parents today outside the office, took the opportunity to buy a copy. Then I made my friend sign the paper. Who knows, she might be famous one day and the copy could be worth millions.

After having lunch with my parents, we went to GH to visit my aunt. She just had an operation yesterday, and I wanted to see how she was. My parents had already seen her after her operation. Hope she gets well really soon.

28 Weeks Later

Happy Merdeka Day, Malaysians!!! On Thursday, a day before the Merdeka celebration, I got back home early just to wait for the Astro guy to come and fix the dish on top of the house. Yes, I have finally gotten Astro. And now I can't get enough of it.

Recently, I think it was about a couple of weeks ago, my good friend from the office entered a karaoke competition held by the Arts Club here in the office. And the event was fantastic. I really enjoyed the thing. Though my friend didn't make the final three. He got a small trophy and a certificate.

The winner was this really talented girl from another department. And she was a truly talented singer. Though she could improve on her performance. All she did was smiled at the audience and wriggled her shoulders at us. She looked cute doing that, no doubt. But she could have done better, I think.

Just saw '28 Weeks Later' and it rocks!!! I really love the movie. Especially the scene where one guy was being chased by a field full of the infected. I can feel the victim's horror at being chased. Dang!

I even saw 'Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer'. And I definitely prefer this one compared to the first movie. I saw another movie recently but I just can't remember what it was. A-ha! I just remembered. It was 'The Bourne Ultimatum'. And as usual, it's a cool movie. Though I don't know which Bourne movie I prefer.

Look Out! An angry person!

I've finished reading 'Sputnik Sweetheart' and am now reading 'The Wind-up Bird Chronicles'. Yes, as you can guess, I really like reading Mr Murakami's books, and the fact that I have no new books to read. I really should check out the library on the third floor for any new books, or books that I haven't already read.

I might actually get 'After Dark' this weekend, in the hopes that I'm not too busy with weddings and stuffs. Three of my coming weekends are already fully booked with weddings, so I may have to get my soon-to-be-mine 'After Dark' after work. We'll see how it goes.

Am currently pissed off with someone. That person is being very unfair and discriminating. The thing was, the person emailed me something which was very unclear. And so I replied to the person with very clear answers and some very clear questions. But then this morning the person replied with very vague statements, and didn't even bother to answer the questions I posed. Bluddee "f-word with 'er' at the back!".

Enough of that.

Yesterday, we had this singing competition during office hours in the auditorium. I went there with a friend just to see the contestants. My friend will be singing today. Anyway, after two contestants, I told my friend I had to be getting back to work, since there was something that needed doing. So I left. About half an hour later, he came to see me and told me that the competition was postponed till today. He said one of the curtains caught fire from the spotlights, and one guy actually tried to douse the flame with water from a small mineral water bottle.

My First Time

Yesterday, something happened to me. It was the first time for me. But before I get into that, let me start from the very beginning. In the beginning, there was light. Hehehe. Not that far ahead, ok.

This was how it started. I saw this video of an overweight guy who did this simple exercise regime and within 5 months, had lost all of his fat. So, since I saw that it was just a simple regime, I decided to try it out.

We have this gym in our office and I decided to give it a go. So, I brought along my soccer jersey (Real Madrid), shorts, and my futsal boots with me that morning. After work, I went straight to the gym and changed into my exercise gear.

There was only one other patron there at that time. I started my exercise on the treadmill for around 10-15 minutes next to this doctor. We chatted for a while about our families and work. He seems like a pretty decent guy. He saw I was using an iPaq, so he showed me his Dopod. He said he got it for below RM1K, second hand. Which was a really good deal.

After he left, I started with the regime. By that time, there was one fat Malay guy, one thin Indian guy and one equipment technician. After completing 8 of the 10 steps, which consisted of 30 reps each step, I stopped and had a breather.

I felt weird. Extremely exhausted. And I was perspiring non-stop. All of a sudden, I started seeing bright colourful designs all over the place. They were in my vision. Then I knew something was wrong. So I sat on the bench, closed my eyes and concentrated on not passing out. I took short breaths, but it seemed that I was about to pass out any second.

So, I laid down on the floor and closed my eyes. Then, the thin Indian guy, who happened to be a doctor, thank goodness, came over and ask me. "Are you ok?". I told him that I was about to pass out. He checked my pulse and told me to stay the way I was and relax.

A couple of minutes later, he came back and checked my pulse again. He then told me that my pulse was very weak the first time. But now it was normal. So he told me to stay where I was, and only to sit up once I felt better. So I just laid there and tried to relax.

After a while, I sat up and drank some water. And I felt a lot better after that. Then, I stood up, packed my stuff and went home. I thanked the doctor profusely for his help. I think if I hadn't laid down, I would have passed out.

That was the first time for me.

After Dark

Saw Shrek 3 the other day and I must say, I was very disappointed with it. I mean, it's not as funny as the first two. And the storyline is kinda weak. And the jokes aren't what they were in the first two Shrek movies. Luckily I haven't gotten the DVD yet. I don't intend to get it now.

Saw '28 days later' again. I saw it a long time ago, so I saw it again just to recap what happened in the movie, because I intend to watch '28 weeks later' soon. And it is a brilliant movie.

And before that, I saw 'Pathfinder'. And I must say, it's crap. Seriously. And I actually saw the whole movie. Even though it was crap from the very beginning. The only thing it has going for it is the starting, I mean the credits before the movie, and that's about it.

I'm still reading 'Sputnik Sweetheart' and I'm taking my time with it. I'm planning to get Mr. Murakami's latest book called 'After Dark'. According to one website, it has this to say - "A short, sleek novel of encounters set in the witching hours of Tokyo between midnight and dawn, and every bit as gripping as Haruki Murakami's masterworks The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore."

Norwegian Wood

I've just finish reading 'Norwegian Wood'. And yes, it's an extremely good read. I'm currently reading 'Sputnik Sweetheart' by the same author, Mr Murakami himself. I've just started, though this is the second or third time I've read it. It's the same with all Mr. Murakami's books.

I just saw 'Transformers' with my other best buddy, since it was on a Wednesday morning, and my best buddy couldn't take leave on that day. I, on the other hand, was on leave and was loving every minute of it. The movie was great, no doubt about that. The story line is ok, but then again, we all went to see the movie to see the Autobots and the Decepticons, right.

Been extremely busy with work. And with my family. My beloved was suppose to go to a workshop in Pangkor Island for four days. And I assured her that I could take care of our daughter. But on the night before she had to go for the workshop, our daughter suddenly fell ill. Her temperature was high and she was restless. And she threw up a few times that night. My beloved and I couldn't sleep that night as we were caring for our daugther.

We then decided that my beloved couldn't go to the workshop since our daughter needed her mother more than her father in times like these. So, that morning, my beloved had someone to take over her place at the workshop.

Friend's Friend

Last Friday, my technical manager asked me to see him. And in his room, he was showing me some pricing on a software that the department needed. So he asked me to phone this person whose company was selling this product. So I took the name of the person and her phone number. I phoned her and asked her to come over on Monday to discuss about the pricing. She had this really old-person's name.

So, yesterday the person came to discuss about the product. Lo and behold, it was an old face from the past. It was a friend of my friends. So when I saw her, I said, "It's you. I thought it was someone else. I didn't know you name was ...". She smiled and said, "Yup, it's me". So after we agreed on the user license and the product that my department needed, I casually asked her whether she was married or not, since she was sort of cute and petite.

Then she answered, "I'm still single. Why? Do you have somebody to introduce to me?". Well, that was an invitation to match her with my friend, if ever I saw one. So I said, "Well, that is someone I would like you to meet. I have a picture of him in (a famous community website)". So I showed her the picture and said that he is extremely tall. I even stood beside her and put my hand a couple of inches above my head and said, "He's about this tall". To which she said, "Wow. I like tall men. And he's cute too. Do send him my regards".

So, I got her handphone number and passed it to my friend. Hope everything goes well.

Happy Birthday, Daughter!

Happy Belated Birthday to my daughter who just turned 1 on Saturday. Celebrated at my mum's house. She invited all the guests except for my best buddies, which I took the liberty to invite. We started the morning with my daughter and I sending my beloved to school on that Saturday morning. Then went straight to my mum's house to prepare for the party. My colleague came to my mum's house to bring the cake she baked for the party. Around noon, we picked up my beloved and headed home to prepare for the party.

The party went great. Everyone came expect for two people on the guest list. It was fun. I think my beloved and me had a greater time than my daughter. Heheheh. The presents were fantastic. I don't think we had them when I was her age. My beloved and I were enthusiastic about opening her presents, and opened them while she was sound asleep. Thanks so much for the presents.

Saw 'She's The Man', courtesy of my niece. Starring Amanda Bynes. She's so funny. And the movie's hilarious. I mean, I just love the way she acted in the movie. This is no 'I'm a cute lil' princess' kind of movie. She is just so natural. I love it. Thanks, niece. I really enjoyed the movie.

Last night, went to the premier of 'Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix' at Midvalley's GSC courtesy of my sister-in-law. Thank you, sis-in-law. Got there around 7.45pm with my best buddy and stood around waiting for the tickets, since it was still with my sister-in-law. Saw some adults wearing the witch's hat and cape and holding a broomstick.

The movie itself wasn't bad but I preferred the previous Harry Potter series. I was sitting in the middle of my best buddy and my sister-in-law's brother-in-law. And as soon as the movie started, both of them fell into a deep slumber. My sis-in-law's bro-in-law was snoring contently next to me while my best buddy was out of it for half of the movie. I was wide awake throughout the whole movie. Not to say that it was that interesting, but it wasn't boring either.

After the movie, we drove home and my best buddy spent the night at our place, since we were dead tired. By the time we got home, my beloved and daughter was fast asleep.

Happy belated Birthday to my Beloved!!! We had dinner at our favourite restaurant and bought a new pinstripe pants for her. But that's not her main birthday present, though. Her main birthday present is still not in the market yet. Though in one website, somebody alleged bought one. Can't be sure, though. Before we went to the restaurant, got her a cake and had a few slices before dinner. It was fun.

Am currently reading Haruki Murakami's 'Norwegian Wood'. This is the umpteenth time for me. 'Norwegian Wood' is a fairly early work by Murakami, first published in Japan in 1987. It was also his most resounding success there, a phenomenal bestseller. It was translated into English, by Alfred Birnbaum, but that edition was basically only made available in Japan itself. Now, finally, the book appears in an authorized translation by Jay Rubin.

The Beatles song from which the book takes its title echoes throughout the novel, the melancholy tune and sentiment imbuing the work. The novel begins with a brief introductory chapter in which the 37 year old narrator, Toru Watanabe, once again hears the song, a "sweet orchestral cover version" this time. It reminds him of his life almost twenty years earlier, and the rest of the book retells the events of those times.

Lady in the Water

On Saturday, beloved had to work so it was just me and the little girl. We planned to just spend time at home, but since her grandmother insisted I bring her to her grandmother's house, we obliged. After that, went to my colleague's housewarming party. We arrived about the same time as all the other married couples. So we were passing around babies, and asking the usual questions, "What can he/she do now?", "Can he/she walk yet?", "How many teeth does he/she have?". It was fun because we got to see everyone's babies.

After that went to my parents house for dinner. Then my aunty and her daughters came, so it was like a party. After having eaten our fill, we left for home.

On Sunday, went to the usual dvd place and changed 'Shrek3' to 'Lady in the Water' by M. Night Shyamalan. It's quite a good movie, actually. An apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is actually a character from a bedtime story who is trying to make the journey back to her home, he works with his tenants to protect his new friend from the creatures that are determined to keep her in our world. A very interesting movie.

My ring of Power

I've finally gotten it! My precious.... Hehehe. I went to Downtown last night to collect my ring of power. When I got to the stall, the lady wasn't there. But them one of the salesgirl said to me, "Follow me". So I followed her to another stall which the same lady owned. The lady gave me one look, and said, "Yes, I have it". I was obviously ecstatic to hear that, and then, there it was, on my finger, with the words 'One Ring to rule them all'. My ring of power.

Before that, went to get some dvds from the usual place, but the usual guy wasn't there. I bought the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Shrek3. But dang that guy. Shrek3 was taken in the cinema. Gonna have to change the dvd tomorrow then.

Busy day...

I'm sporting a brand new haircut today. Actually, it's the same haircut I get every few months. Which is, short. Had the haircut yesterday after work at the usual place. Am feeling a lot better with this new do. Yesterday, had an appointment with an old friend of mine at 3pm. But then he phoned to say he would be running late, so we rescheduled at 4pm. Then, he sms'd me and wrote that he'll be running slightly later than promised. And in the end, we met up around 4.45pm. And at the exact same time, my beloved arrived at the office with our daughter. So, we all sat down together and had tea.

My old friend was from the same uni and we even worked at the same place years ago. We chatted about work, and about our families. And as we were talking, we found out quite a number of things. One of his colleagues is the sister of our ex-colleague, and a daughter of another ex-colleague. And the same colleague, has two children in the school my beloved is teaching at. A very small world, don't you think. So, my beloved chatted with this lady about the school, the teachers and the parents.

Last night, went to pick up my Lord of the Rings ring, but alas, it was not meant to be. The lady was actually shocked to see me. And when she saw me she said, "Wah, I completely forgot about your ring. When I see your face, then only I remembered. Tomorrow I bring the ring". Well, I certainly hope so.

One Ring to rule them all

Just got back from the departmental meeting. Luckily for people like me, who detest long boring meetings, the meeting was over within an hour and a half. Last night went to Downtown to look for a plain ring. My idea was, to get the guy to engrave on the ring, the same wordings found on Sauran's ring of power in the Lord of the Rings. I actually wrote the line, it was suppose to be in 'elvish', carefully on a small piece of paper. But when I showed the lady the piece of paper, she said, "Whoa, cannot ma". So, I had to translate it to plain old English, which goes something like this; 'One Ring to rule them all'. Actually, the actual line is longer than that, but I don't think it can fit into a small ring. Will be picking it up tonight. Hopefully they didn't get the spelling wrong.

IBM

I'm frightfully busy at the moment. So, I can't write much. Have to go to the post office before it closes. Luckily for me, the post office is in my office building, though on the other side of the compound. Which usually takes me around 5-7 minutes to get there, by walking briskly. Be right back.

And I'm back. On the way back, had to make a pit stop at the data centre to check whether the RMAN script is running smoothly. Unfortunately it's not. So, I have to figure out a way to get it to work properly.

This morning went to a seminar conducted by IBM. It was held at the new IBM Plaza. The interior is seriously beautiful. It's so state-of-the-art. But there were just too many security guards. There were at least one on every floor, standing around near the elevators. Even at the car park. They were everywhere.

Anyway, when my colleague and I got there, we were about 15 minutes late, the conference room was packed. My colleague quickly took a seat near the door while I was still scanning the room. Suddenly, my ex-colleague pointed out an empty seat near the back of the room. So I squeezed between two female attendees, and started to get comfortable.

As my butt was adjusting to the hard plastic seat, I surveyed my surrounding and saw seating next to my left, was this good looking lady. As I stared at her, she stared twice as hard at me. Finally I said, "You look very familiar,". And she said, "Yes, you do too. Where do you work?".

And as we were interviewing each other, trying to figure out where we might have bumped into each other, we finally found the when and where. And after that, we chatted about work and people we know, and contacts and all that stuff.

The seminar was suppose to finish around 11 something, but it didn't. So my colleague and I had to beat an early retreat. Since we had other things to do in the office.

Zombi Kampung Pisang

On Saturday, basically just stayed at home playing with my daughter. Work up late, went to the nearby store to get something, then proceeded staying at home doing nothing. Actually, I was busy doing some photo editing for my beloved. It started Friday night till Saturday afternoon.

Then, saw 'Zombi Kampung Pisang'. A friend recommended it and yes, it was quite funny. The storyline is simple. Whoever ate at this one stall in the village, would turn into a brain eating zombie. The cast is quite good, and the director is not bad too, actually. So, overall, it's a decent local zombie flick.

My best buddy told me he was going out with this nice looking girl for their first date. And I was excited at the prospect of seeing him with a steady girlfriend. But later that night he told me that it wasn't meant to be.

On Sunday, had something to do in the office, so brought my daughter along. Nowadays, whenever I go out of the house, she would want to follow, and during those instances when I don't bring her along, she would stare at the door for the longest time, my beloved told me. My beloved gave me a bottle of warm milk to bring along. It was like a picnic. Hehehe.

That evening, went to my parent's place for dinner, and met up with my brother and his family there. After dinner, my mother took out these old family photos she said she found. We were all laughing like crazy at some old pictures of ourselves. I look so thin back then. Well, back then.

Then, my best buddy phoned me to inform me that he had made his decision. And I support him 100%.

Congrats!!!

Morning, people. Yesterday was packed. In the morning, had a meeting from 9.30am till almost 12.30pm. Then had another small discussion till 1 something. After which, there was a third meeting at 2.30pm, and which ended around 3.30pm. I'm not finished yet. Then, had to go to the Emergency Ward for a Load & Stress test exercise which has to start at 4.00pm (so that 7 other sites can start simultaneously), which finally ended at 5 something. But wait! There's more! After which we had a meeting on the findings of the exercise.

Last night, my best buddy phoned me to inform me of a really really good news. Congrats, bro!!!

Deja Vu

Yesterday, had an extremely painful headache. The right side of my face felt like it was smacked by a heavy weight boxer. Seriously. Wanted to take leave but had a meeting to attend to. Now am feeling a lot better after taking some paracetamol tablets.

After the meeting yesterday, went to lunch with a fellow colleague but only had a drink. Face was still pulsating with pain at the time, so wasn't in the mood for food. After lunch, had some documents to prepare. Bought some paracetamol from the pharmacy and ate a strawberry bun to fill my empty stomach.

My beloved was down with a cough, so she was on leave. So after work, went to pick up my daughter from the nursery and went to get our dinner. Daughter was excited to follow her daddy buying food and stuff. It was fun.

Last night, saw 'Deja Vu' again. It's a really good movie. Saw some minor details I missed the first time I saw it. Even beloved was engrossed in the movie. She seldom watch action-flicks, so the fact that she was riveted by the movie says quite a lot, actually.

The New iPhone from Apple

Apple iPhone, combining three products—a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with desktop-class email, web browsing, searching and maps—into one small and lightweight handheld device. iPhone introduces an entirely new user interface based on a large multi-touch display and pioneering new software, letting users control iPhone with just their fingers. iPhone also ushers in an era of software power and sophistication never before seen in a mobile device, which completely redefines what users can do on their mobile phones.

iPhone will be available in Asia in 2008, in a 4GB model for $499 (US) and an 8GB model for $599 (US), and will work with either a PC or Mac. Cool huh! Can't wait for it to get to Malaysia!

Stuffed With Food...

Just had breakfast. And am I full! This morning we had our monthly (well, it's suppose to be monthly anyway) breakfast feast for the whole department. The menu: Mee bandung; Pulut kuning with beef rendang; Meehoon; Roti jala with chicken curry; Chicken nuggets; Chocolate cake; Pudding; and a few other assortments of food; and tea.

Am suppose to meet an old friend of mine this morning. I wonder where he is.

Shoot 'er Next, Deja Vu!

Saw three movies over the weekend. The first was 'Shooter' starring Mark Wahlberg. The movie is about a marksman (Wahlberg) living in exile is coaxed back into action after learning of a plot to kill the president. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, he goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why. Two thumbs up! Seriously.

The second movie I saw was 'Deja Vu' starring Denzel Washington. A brief synopsis : A ferry filled with crewmen from the USS Nimitz and their families was blown up in New Orleans on Mardi Gras. BATF Doug Carlin (Washington) is brought in to assist in the massive investigation, and gets attached to an experimental FBI surveillance unit, one that uses spacefolding technology to directly look back a little over four days into the past. While tracking down the bomber, Carlin gets an idea in his head: could they use the device to actually travel back in time and not only prevent the bombing but also the murder of a local woman whose truck was used in the bombing? Pretty cool stuff.

And the third and final movie was 'Next' starring Nicolas Cage. Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson (Cage) has a secret which torments him: he can see a few minutes into the future. Sick of the examinations he underwent as a child and the interest of the government and medical establishment in his power, he lies low under an assumed name in Vegas, performing cheap tricks and living off small-time gambling "winnings." But when a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles, government agent Callie Ferris must use all her wiles to capture Cris and convince him to help her stop the cataclysm. Pretty awesome concept. I love it when he goes in a few different directions at the same time to find the best route. And the way he avoids being shot at. It's a really cool movie.

On Saturday, celebrated Father's day with my parents, my brother and his family. We went to Cosy House at Great Eastern Mall. The place was quite empty when we first arrived, but after a while, it was packed with hungry patrons. Bought a handbag for my mum. A belated Mother's Day gift. And bought a watch for my dad.

My beloved bought me a watch for Father's Day. Thanks dear. :)

Meetings... Conferences... Discussions...

Just got back from a meeting. I think 40% of my time is spent attending meetings. Seriously. It's either called meetings or discussions. And tomorrow I have a meeting at 8.30am. Can you believe that. It's so early in the morning for meetings. But the person did state in the e-mail that breakfast will be provided. Let's hope the food will be good.

I kinda enjoyed the meeting just now, on account that my close friend from the office was there with me. And because this is outside of my department's meeting. She just joined the committee because I told the committee my portion of the work can't be handled alone, so they asked me to select a few people to assist me. So I chose my close friend as one of the people to assist me in my tasks.

The meeting atmosphere was fun because the chairman is a laid back kinda person. And the committee members themselves were very relaxed and fun to be with. So it was good fun. After the meeting we had something to eat there. So we (my friend and I) chatted with a few of the other committee members.

Mickey Mouse Watch

My best buddy is currently in Sabah. He went there yesterday for a meeting. How cool is that, getting to go to Sabah for a meeting. Wish I could go outside KL for a meeting. It's his first time there, and on the phone with him yesterday, he said Kota Kinabalu is a beautiful place. I've been there twice myself and I have to agree with him, it is a beautiful place. You can find beautiful beaches, islands, and even mountains. So you have the full package there without even leaving Sabah. It really is great. He'll be coming back to KL this morning. So, will have to wait to hear an updated story from him then.

Went to KL Downtown last night to look for a specific item for my beloved. We found it, but it wasn't the colour she wanted. So, we might go again tonight. While we were walking around, we stopped at one of my favourite stalls, which sells rings. Lots and lots of rings. I'm currently in the rings phase yet again. I used to go nuts over silver 925 rings. But not anymore. Now, I'm into stainless steel rings.

Then, at yet another stall, saw a really cool kinetic Mickey Mouse watch. I might get it. It's too cool not to get. But yes, it is a Mickey Mouse watch. You have to see it to see how awesome it looks. Though nothing can replace my trusty Swatch watch which I bought in 1997. 10 years and it's still running. I was in a motorbike accident a year or two after I bought the watch, and it came out of the accident with less scratches on it than me.

N95

This is my current dream phone. The Nokia N95. I just love the look and feel of it. It looks like a PDA but it's not. But it has all the features of a complete PDA. But it's still expensive. So, am waiting for it to get cheaper, or wait for someone to give it to me as a birthday present. Hahaha! I wish!

Well, just had to show everyone one of my heart's desires. My beloved wants a Sony Ericsson handphone, though it's still not in the market yet. Will just have to wait for it to come to KL.

All Blacks

It has been quite a tiresome but fun weekend. My in-laws came over to stay at our house. My sister-in-law went shopping like crazy. She bought clothes and handbags. And she doesn't seem to get tired by the end of the day. Amazing, huh. We brought them all over KL, even went to Bangi and Putrajaya. Though that was for a different matter. We really enjoyed their company. It was sad to see them leave on Sunday morning.

In the evening, went to my brother's house for dinner with my parents. My brother just got back from a two-weeks vacation to Australia and New Zealand. So, he was showing us the video he took there, and NZ was amazingly beautiful. No wonder they did Lord of the Rings there. The scenery is seriously breathtaking.

We got some cool stuff and some chocolates from my brother. Thanks brother. After dinner and three dvds of the trip, we left for home. It was raining cats and dogs by then. Could hardly see the road, it was that heavy.

Feersum Endjinn

Today is the last day of the week. Working day, that is. Tomorrow am planning to go window shopping. Actually, I'm waiting for a certain Sony Ericsson handphone to arrive in the market. And according to a website which I regularly check, it's still in the 'Coming Soon' section. Dang! Will just have to keep waiting then.

Nothing much to update here, really. Just can't wait to see 'Shrek the 3rd', and 'Fantastic 4 - The Rise of the Silver Surfer'. Silver Surfer looks really good in the preview. I hope it's as good as it looks. Did I mention that I saw 'Ghost Rider'? I don't think I did. Anyway, that movie sucks. The effect is cool and all but it just doesn't cut it, you know. And I don't think Nicolas Cage is right for the role.

I don't have any new books to read. So I'm reading 'A Wild Sheep Chase' by Haruki Murakami yet again. I really need a new book to read, seriously. Currently, I'm in the mood to read an Iain M. Banks's book. Must get his book soon. Maybe the 'Feersum Endjinn'.

Thanks, bro...

My best buddy told me a couple of days ago that he just read my blog. And he commented on it to me, on the phone. And what he said really made my day. I was thinking of not blogging anymore, but he made me changed my mind without even realizing it. Thanks, best buddy. You made me want to write again. :)

Happy Birthday, Sis!!!

Today is my sister's birthday. Happy Birthday, my dear Sis!!! May you have a good one!!!

At long last....

Hi there. I haven't updated this blog since early this year, if I'm not mistaken. Well, what happened during those few months. Hmmm.... Let me see if I can remember all that has happened. Well, in February celebrated one of my best buddies's birthday at the Club. It was fun. We had dinner and stayed talking about everything we could think of. It was really great.

Then in March... hmm... can't seem to remember anything momentous there, except one. It's not momentous, just frustrating. This was what happened. I applied for leave from my immediate boss around three weeks before, waiting for her to approve the form. But she just kept it on her desk, unsigned. So, I just assumed she would sign it when she gets the chance. But apparently she didn't want to sign it. Because, she was planning to go to Australia at that time, and she wanted me to be in the office to do her work, which is to be in the discussion with the ISO people.

In April, bought an MP3 player for my best buddy and had lunch at an authentic 'beriyani' place. I can't seem to remember the name of the place. The food was great, though. We plan to go there again someday.

In May, went out with my best buddies and my cousin to watch Spiderman3. And to me, it's fantastic! Seriously. It's a lot better than the first two movies. I love the way they potray 'Venom'. Though he should be slightly bigger. But the movie was great. Am waiting for the DVD to come out.

I bought a DVD called 'Apocalypto', which was directed by Mel Gibson. And it's an extremely great movie. Mel Gibson rocks! It's about the ancient Mayan civilization. You really ought to see it. It's great. Seriously. Though I heard it won't be making it in the cinemas in Malaysia.

Well, just got back from a one week holiday. It was fun. Spent time with my in-laws, went shopping, talked about almost everything. It was good fun.

Don't Be Sad

Just finished reading 'Never Let Me Go'. And it truly was a good read. A very sad ending though. I'm reading 'Don't Be Sad' by 'Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni. I will take my time with this book, since it has loads to offer. It's a motivational book of sorts. I've only started reading it, and it make sense, what the author wrote. People ought to read books like these to become a better person.

At home, 'Consider Phlebas' and 'Blind Willow Sleeping Woman' is calling out to me to read them. I'm not sure which one I'll start reading first. Hmmm.... Any ideas, anyone? How about you sir? Yes, the one holding the cup of coffee. Minus the shirt, and the pants. Right.... Never mind.

Tomorrow am going to my parents's house for a party. Immediate family only, I guess. Plus my best buddies, of course. Can't wait to eat there. Nyum nyum.

I've been busy this week preparing for the ISO internal audit which will be happening next Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully everything goes well. The last audit we had, my colleague had forgotten to sign some forms for approval, and we had gotten a severe warning. Wish us luck.

Consider Phlebas

Last night, had dinner with my wife and baby at our favourite place to celebrate. After that we went to KLCC to meet up with my two best friends. They bought me three books. Haruki Murakami's Blind Willow Sleeping Woman', 'Don't Be Sad' by someone I can't remember, and Iain M. Banks's 'Consider Phlebas'. Can't wait to start reading all three books.

I'm currently reading Kazuo Ishiguro's 'Never Let Me Go'. He is the author of 'The Remains of the Day', 'Unconsoled' and a few others. The book I'm currently reading is fantastic. He lets you in on the whole picture bit by bit. And the way he does it is really remarkable. I mean, you don't realise when or where the exact sentences are but somehow you know about things he doesn't really say. Remarkable. Amazing.

28 years ago today...

After a couple of months of silence, I am back. And today of all days. For today, 28 years ago, I was born into this world. Got an MMS from a very close friend this morning, and it really made me feel great. Thanks, dear friend. I've been extremely busy in December of 2006. And this is due to the implementation of the new system. We had to sleep in the office the first night it was implemented. The system is still running but with problems, according to the helpdesk.

Enough about work. In my personal life, things have gone from bad to worst, to not so bad, to even worst than before, to smoothing out the edges. It has been crazy. I don't know where to start, really. It's just that, I've gone through some pretty rough patches in my life recently. I couldn't have survived it if it weren't for my brother, sister, and my beloved.

I'm slowly trying to get in control of things. Trying to hold on to the reins, hard. And not letting go. In other people's eyes, I am nothing. I am just something to judge upon without even asking me whether what they think of me is correct, or an incorrect assumption. I'm tired of trying to be whatever it is they want me to be. Let me be. Let me be. Let me be.

Let me make the wrong choices. Let me choose for myself. Let me decide my own fate. Though any advice would be appreciated. But don't punish me for deciding something that is against your wishes.

I am tired... so so tired... and some people around me are not being helpful in my plight...

Dewan Perdana Felda

Went to Dewan Perdana Felda yesterday to break fast. Courtesy of a vendor. Thanks vendor-person. Went with my beloved and three other office mates. Met up with some old faces from my previous job, and got to know some new people. The food there was excellent. Despite my sore tooth, which gave me a splitting headache, I managed to eat a tremendous amount of food. Had to chew slowly though. But once again, the food was great. Since that place was a jam-prone place, we left early from home, but still managed to get caught in the jam. Luckily we arrived there slightly after 6pm.

As we were trying to find a parking space, I suddenly saw a face I haven't seen since form two. I lowered my window and shouted out his name. And he looked at me and said my name. Apparently we haven't forgotten each other. He hasn't changed a bit. After getting a parking space, met up with him and introduced my wife to him and his future wife. He told us that Bank Rakyat invited him for the event.

At first, I sort of panicked, because I thought I might have gotten the wrong date. But as it turned out, the whole place was full of people, from lots of organizations. I was relieved when I saw the banner for the vendor who invited me there.

We were one of the earliest, so we sat at a table nearest to the food. Hehehe. A very strategic place to be, actually.

In the Night Room

I've finished reading The Teeth of the Tiger. The ending is quite crap, actually. The storyline building to the climax is quite good. But the ending, how the so-called heroes actually defeated their arch-enemy, is quite boring. Wasted my time reading that. Now I'm reading Mr Straub's In the Night Room. Looks promising. Hope it won't be a disappointment.

On Saturday, actually went shopping. Had to leave my daughter at my sister-in-law's house. Bought some stuff for the house. Then, had to rush back to the pasar ramadhan near my house to grab some food. Had mutton beriyani, while my beloved had char keow teoy. The beriyani was excellent. Seriously. The mutton was huge. But I did finish it, anyhow.

On Sunday, took my daughter to the clinic, since she wasn't feeling very well. After that, washed the car, since it was covered with dust and dirt. Just couldn't take it anymore, so, around 11am washed the car inside out. And felt better, though a little tired. Then, proceeded to clean the house. That evening, we went to another pasar ramadhan near our house. Bought some stuff and went to eat at my parents house.

Had an appointment with a clinic with my beloved this morning. The appointment was at 9am but we finally got to see the doctor around 9.50am. Luckily I brought my book along. The appointment went well. But as usual, whenever I have a doctor's appointment, there will surely be a problem with the system I'm handling. Today was no different. I had a call from a vendor saying that the users can't access the system, and that the server can't reboot. But as I was in the clinic, I couldn't really help. But it all worked out in the end. Even managed to liased with the vendor from Australia to get his opinion on the problem.

Dark Tower

I'm currently reading Tom Clancy's The Teeth of the Tiger. Mr Clancy's works are quite good, actually. And this book is one of them. I'm reading Peter Straub's The Black Room as well. Just finished Stephen King's Dark Tower - The Gunslinger. Have to look for the second Dark Tower book - The Drawing of the Three. The book reminds me of The Eye of the Dragon by Mr King. I can't really explain the similarity, but the atmosphere is somewhat the same. Very surreal. Though not as surreal as Haruki Murakami's books. No sirree.

Tribute

Been busy and haven't had the time to blog. Well, actually, I just hadn't thought about blogging in a long while. And I even stopped reading other people's blogs. Just stopped. Weird, huh. Now I'm trying to start writing again. And start reading blogs again. The reason I'm starting all this again is because of an old friend who has a blog of her own. Thanks 'd'.

Someone once told me, or I think I read it in a blog, anyway. The person wrote, or said, when you think things can't get any worse, they will. And I know exactly what that person meant. Seriously. When I get a bad news, I usually think, I can handle this, because this is all there is to think about. Then immediately after that, another bad news hits me. And even before I can think of what to do next, another one lands right in front of my face.

And it sure does not help that other people are making me panic. I prefer to think about it quietly, and find a solution, no matter how slow it takes me. I would ask for advise, and I would try to find the middle ground. I do not like to panic. Because, once I panic, I can't think straight.

I'm so not in the mood for anything right now. One of the things that are keeping me happy in the office is Jack Black's video clip called 'Tribute'. Jack Black rocks, man! I love the song and the video clip. He's so funny. I'm even listening to it now. Hehehe.

Tired and worn out...

I'm currently at work, in the lab, waiting for the simulation to start. We started since 9 this morning and it's now 9 at night. We are about to implement our own Hospital Information System and we are now undergoing the testing phase. If everything goes well, we might launch it by the end of this month. It has been a tiring few weeks for us and for me especially, since I've been travelling to and fro from KL to KB to see my wife and daughter.

Darn the Italians...

Oracle's Real Application Cluster 10g has been successfully installed in two servers!!! Woohoo!!! It took us (the three of us) 3 whole days to make it work. And today we have managed to import the data from the old database to the new one!!! Hoorah for me. Now I can sort of relax a bit. But I can't really relax. Because my boss just gave birth to a healty baby boy. And I'm the one that has to do all her work for these two months. And with great power, comes great responsibility.

This Wednesday, two internal auditors will be coming to our department for our annual ISO auditing. After they're done with us, the real ISO auditors will come. And I haven't updated our files. Will have to do that later today. And will have to actually clean out my desk, because that's part of the ISO thing.

I'm currently reading Stephen King's Dreamcatcher. And it's quite a good read. From A Buick 8 is a really surreal read. And the ending just blows you away. Seriously.

I saw the game last night. France against Italy. And I must say. I'm very disappointed with the way things turned out. It was funny to see Zidane head-butt the Italian guy. But it wasnt's funny when the referee gave him a red card for that.

Back At Last...

I'm currently reading Stephen King's From A Buick 8, and Patricia Cornwell's Postmortem. I heard about From A Buick 8 from King's On Writing. At the time he wrote On Writing, From A Buick 8 was still in production. So, when I saw From A Buick 8 at my office library, I grabbed it. The book is about a strange car that looks like a Buick 8. But it's not really a car. But if it isn't a car, what is it? Well, I'm finding that out at the moment. And I still haven't found the answer. You have to read it to find out.

At work, I'm currently trying to install Oracle 10g with Real Application Cluster (RAC). A cousin once told me that his friend charged RM15K to do a RAC. Might charge my office the same amount. I wish! If I actually manage to do it. The thing about RAC is, you have to configure lots of stuff for it to work. And since this is my first time, I'm having some problems with it. And it doesn't help that the bosses are waiting for it. Hope I can pull this off.

Yesterday, chatted with my brother's colleague on YM. It was the first time we chatted. And she called me 'my-brother's-nick' brother. It was fun chatting with her. And after a while she threatened to show our chat to my brother. I really wonder how different I am from my brother. I mean, when we talk to people. I really do wonder. Do we sound the same to other people? Hmmm....

I've stopped reading Brad Thor's The Lions of Lucerne. Because I am currently reading Dan Brown's Deception Point. It's not as good as The Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons, but it has its moments. My brother's short story has made it into a collection of short stories. Congrats, bro! This is the second time, if I'm not mistaken.

Yesterday, sent my mum to the hospital for her operation. The admission went smoothly, and as we were waiting in the room, chatting, a few doctors came into the room and discussed about the operation. Then, they decided to discharged my mum because apparently they'd forgotten to ask my mum to stop taking her medication. Since I had a meeting at 11, I drove my dad and niece back to the house, and my brother drove my mum back a while later.

On Sunday, went out with my beloved and my best buddy. Bought an audio cd for my best buddy as it was his birthday. We ate at Asean Flavours and went window shopping afterwards. We went into a store which had weird / cool stuff. I can't really describe the items, though there was one fridge magnet that resembled a cartoon speech bubble. Cool stuff.

Have been busy this past few weeks. When have I ever been not busy. I even came to work last Saturday. Luckily, my beloved came along, so I wasn't bored. She was shocked to see my desk. Shocked would be an understatement. So, she cleaned up my desk while I was doing my work. Lo and behold, I can finally see my desk. Heheheh.

I'm currently reading Brad Thor's The Lions of Lucerne. I got this from the office library. After I'd finished reading The Algebraist, I didn't have anything else to read, so I went to the library and got a couple of books. So far, The Lions of Lucerne is quite a good read. Though I'm still itching to read Mr. Banks' books.

I've been really out of it for a couple of weeks, really, and that's my excuse for not updating my blog. Went to KB for a week during school holidays, then my mother-in-law stayed with us for a couple of weeks after that. Then my sister-in-law came with her family and my wife's aunt, and stayed for a couple of days. We went shopping like crazy for two days in a row. My sister-in-law's idea of a good time is shopping. She was tireless. Seriously. And she was 6 months pregnant. An amazing woman. Even I felt exhausted following them shopping. Her husband managed to skip a shopping trip by sleeping in the car with their youngest daughter. Smart bugger.

I've just realised that I'd forgotten to get a birthday present for my brother. I was planning to get him a book, but after being so busy with things with my family, in-laws and work, I completely forgot. Will get him a book by Mr. Banks, or Mr. Murakami. Not sure yet. Will see. Or will just ask him what books he has his eyes on.

At the moment, my wife's cousin and aunt is staying with us. The cousin is graduating from her class this Friday, and the place is literally in front of my office. Well, slightly to the right, but close enough. Since both her parents had passed away, this aunt has been taking care of the cousin and her siblings.

The Algebraist

I just had my first taste of eel. We had eel soup and eel in padprik sauce. It taste somewhat like fish. But a very delicious fish. I can't really explain the texture, but it's nice. Seriously. My brother in law gave me a url to surf. It might interest those of you with a passion for cars. Or for those who just likes to surf. It's http://www.verdictoncars.com. Check out Proton Gen2. Now, it is time to sleep. Though I will probably continue reading Iain M. Banks' The Algebraist. A birthday present from my brother and my best buddy. They both bought the same book for my birthday. At least I have two copies of the same book. Like all the other sci-fi books by Mr Banks, it is truly a strange and bizarre alternate future or past, whichever way you look at it. A really fantastic read.

Kelantan

For those of you who actually reads my blog on a daily basis, I apologize for the lack of update. In defence, I plead not guilty, due to stress at work. It's not stress actually, because I really do enjoy my work. No, seriously. I'm not just saying this on the off chance that my boss is reading this. Anyway, I won't go in details on how I worked from 9pm till 5am for four straight days. What I will do, however, is to write about what I am currently doing.

I am currently writing this entry in Kota Bharu, or more specifically, in one semi-d along Jalan Raja Dewa. That is where my sister-in-law is staying with her family. My beloved and I are here along with my mum-in-law and my other sister-in-law with their respective kids. We are about to leave to have dinner outside.

We are going to eat eel. Will know soon enough how it tastes.

A Rainy Wednesday Morning...

Got in to work around 6.45am this morning. Left home around 6.30-ish. My beloved dropped my off at work and drove to her school. And she arrived about 45 minutes later. With the traffic jams and all. Her school is only about 10-15 minutes away. It must be due to the rain.

Yesterday was hectic. Seriously. Started doing my database thing in the morning, and before I knew it, the clock on my computer was displaying 12.02. I thought it was showing the wrong time, but alas, as I looked at my watch, it displayed the same time.

If that wasn't shocking enough, I suddenly got a phone call from the Director's office. The person on the other line said that they wanted me to translate something, and someone would be coming to my office to pass the text.

When the text arrived, I was quite suprise to see three full pages of text. And they wanted it back before 2pm. They wanted the whole text in english. I thought, wait a minute, this can't be right. So, I phoned the guy who was suppose to be doing it, but he went out for lunch.

Can you believe that. So, I dug right into it, and managed to come up with a decent translation. But, there were some words I just couldn't, for the life of me, translate. So, I went straight to his office to show him what I had done.

As I arrived at his office, he said that there were some changes to the text, and he gave me an even longer text than before. I managed to finish it before 2, emailed it to him, and passed him the hard copy of the text.

Then, I exhaled.

ExploreRace

The previous week, I went to my second cousin's wedding with my family. I don't think I've ever seen my cousin. He is my mother's first-cousin's son. Anyway, apparently, he was in ExploreRace, and that was where he met his wife. No wonder the wife looked so familiar. For those who watches ExploreRace, the wife was one of the twins. And my cousin was the guy with the shaved head.

The wedding itself was nice. But. It wasn't on time. We arrived around 8'ish an sat waiting for the event to start. We were assuming, rather naively, that the wedding would start at 8.30pm. But, alas, it didn't. It still didn't start at 9pm. And by then we were hungry and bored. It finally started around 9.30pm.

The bride and groom looked lovely. When they finally arrived. And after the renjis ceremony, we actually started eating. By then, everybody was starving. After dinner, actually, after dessert, they had a short movie about the couple. It was fantastic. And after the show, someone told my mother that it was done by Fly FM. Seriously.

After that, they did the cutting of the cake thing. And I thought it would be over after that. But no. The groom sang for his wife (which wakinda cool, but we were really tired by then). After that, the groom's sister gave a speech. Finally, after all that, the wedding ended.

It was a remarkable and memorable wedding, no doubt about that. But the timing was definitely out. It started late and it ended late. And we were working the next day. So, it wasn't fair to the guests. I'm sure the couple and their family had a great time. But they should consider the other people in the hall.

I, for one, was dead tired by the time we reached home.

Two Thousand Six

Happy New Year!!! Welcome, 2006. Good bye 2005. Usually, people would reflect on their life in the previous year. So shall I. What have I accomplished last year? Well, I got married. I managed to gain weight, although that's not a good thing, is it. I went to BTN. Went to Sabah. Got books that I wanted. Watched anticipated movies. Among other things...

Usually, my best buddy and I would be out celebrating new year either at KLCC or Bintang Walk, Sunway, or any other places of interest. But this year, we stayed at home. Me with my beloved, and him with his family. We have grown old. Met up with my best buddy and chatted about the usual stuff. It was good to hang out like that. Like the old days. We should do it more often.

Today is the first day of school. And my beloved's first day teaching in the new school. Good luck, dear!!!

It's Saturday...

... and I'm currently in the office with my beloved. I'm here on account of a colleague of mine. She has requested that I coach her for her presentation this Tuesday. So, here we are. I have finished coaching her, and am now waiting with my beloved in the office. And while I wait, I thought I might as well write something in here.

Tomorrow, am going to BSC to celebrate a couple of friends' birthdays. My old uni friends. We haven't seen each other since August. A couple of nights ago, went to Uptown to meet up with my best buddy. I haven't been to Uptown in ages, and it still haven't changed a bit.

There were a couple of MPPJ lorries, just waiting for the first VCD stalls to be put up, so that they can tear it down again. My beloved and I was quite looking forward to browsing through the stalls, in search of Chicken Little. But alas, it was not meant to be.

In the end, went to a DVD shop nearby and browsed through the selection. Didn't buy anything though.

Was away in Melaka for five days. Attended the compulsory BTN course. Although now they call it SSM. The place was in Alor Gajah. There were 93 of us. The first day was in anticipation of what will happen to the 93 of us. Well, suprise, suprise, but I had fun throughout the five-day course.

We had to do some physical exercises. We had to run 2km in under 18 minutes. Running uphill and downhill. It took me 14 minutes and 20 seconds. Yes, I know that's pathetic, but I'm not that fit to begin with. After about a 10 minute break, we had to lift a participant in a fireman lift and walk 10 metres, I think it was.

My partner was someone I thought was about my weight. But apparently wasn't. He lifted me just fine. But when it was my turn to lift him, I could barely walk. Luckily for me, the coach called a much smaller guy for me to lift.

The next day, we were forced to abseil from a four storey tower. It was a first for me. So, I was quite nervous about it. After wearing the harness and the rest of the gear, I went up the four flights of stairs, and was shaking in my Adidas-All-Star.

Honeymoon in Sabah

Welcome back to Kuala Lumpur!!! I was on leave for a week. The reason? I was in Sabah!!! With my beloved!!! Arrived last Sunday around 1.00pm, after experiencing a delay in KLIA. Apparently, the runway was full of planes. So, we had to wait our turn. My cousin was waiting for us at Sabah's old airport, and we went straight to my aunty's house in Kepayan.

That evening, we went to the beach to see the sun set. It was beautiful, to say the least. We ate some snacks while watching the sun set. The next day, in the morning, we went to Monsopiad Village, where they have this kind of tour thing going on. It was interesting.

Legend has it that Monsopiad, a warrior from 300 years ago, used to collect the heads of his enemies and placed them in his hut. Our guide said this was to discouraged further retaliation from his enemies. After walking around the place, we went to the main hall, where we saw their traditional dance. And we participated in one of the dance. It was fun.

After lunch the same day, we went shopping at The Phillipines Market. We emerged from the place a couple of hours later, with less money in our pockets and a couple of plastic bags full of stuff.

During the week, we went to Kundasang, the foot of Mount Kinabalu. We went to Timpohon, the entrance to the track to go up Mount Kinabalu. Then, we went to the Dairy Farm, where New Zealand-kind-of-cows were being bred. In other words, they were black and white.

We even managed to stop at Nabalu to do some shopping. Yet again. We stayed at Pines Resort, and the following morning, we sat up after dawn to see the tip of Mount Kinabalu. The morning air was cool, there weren't many people up and about, it was quiet and peaceful.

The few days after that, we went to Gayana Island, near Kota Kinabalu. We stayed at a chalet in the middle of the sea. Well, not really in the middle, but it wasn't on land. It was on the water. The chalet itself was nice.

It was sad to leave Sabah the following Sunday. But leave it, we had to. It was fun. Hope we can go there again.

My beloved just got a phone call from her school a couple of days ago, and they told her that she just received a letter stating that she has been transferred to school very near where I work. We'll be surveying the area soon to determine the exact location of the school.

Today, had lunch at home, since it's so near. Well, at night, it takes around 7 minutes to get from my house to my office. This is without traffic jams, and with just a couple of cars on the road. But during lunch break, it could take up to almost an hour. Seriously.

I have to work this Thursday night. And as usual, we start after midnight. Hope we don't encounter any unforeseen problems. That's basically why sometimes I work till dawn. It's because of these unforeseen problems cropping up at the least expected places. Dang those problems.

Next week, the ISO auditors are coming to my office to audit our procedures. We had a pre-audit just the other day, and I was called into the meeting room to answer some questions. Luckily it only took a couple of minutes of chatting with the auditor. This coming audit is the real deal. This is where we either make it or break it. So, everyone in the department would have to be ready for it.

The first audit was done a couple of months ago, by the company employees, but from different departments. I had to sit in for my boss, since she had to audit some other department. That was quite scary. Until I found out what it was they would be asking. Then after that, it was only routine question and answer.

I hope we bag the certification. That would be something. Well, do wish us luck, kay. Thanks!

Am currently reading Mr Murakami's Kafka On The Shore and Mr Block's A Walk Among The Tombstones. Mr Lawrence Block, by the way. The former I bought at Kinokuniya's with the help of my cousin. Thanks, Girl. And the latter, got it from my bro. Thanks, bro.

Both books are good reads, but I'm going to finish Mr Block's book first. Because, as usual, I like to read Mr Murakami's books slowly. Very very slowly. It's the same when I'm eating something delicious. Sometimes I would just take time eating it. That would usually mean dessert. I remember eating a chocolate-icecream-cake-thingy at TGIF with my family. It was huge. Extremely huge. And extremely delicious.

By the way, I saw Bewitched the other day. The movie Bewitched. And it's quite ok. I mean, it's not that funny. It's just sweet. Yes, just sweet. And I saw The Longest Yard. Now, that's a good movie. Actually, I generally like movies with Adam Sandler. He's fun to watch.

Am now wanting to watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Narnia, Doom and AeonFlux. About Narnia, I've read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe a couple of times when I was little. And it was a really good read, or I wouldn't have read it that many times. I think it was my sister's, since my brother didn't admit it was his. And I really can't wait to see it on the silver screen. It looks promising.

I'm currently reading Scott Adams' God's Debris, A Though Experiment. He's the guy who does the Dilbert comics. And the book is quite interesting. It's about a delivery guy was suppose to deliver a package to someone, and ended up talking about everything under the sun with one old man. The topic of their discussion ranges from Delusion Generator to Physics of God Dust, and everything in between. Its an interesting read. And it's free. You can get a copy of it here. I printed a copy and got it binded, so I can take it anywhere with me. Neat, huh.

On another note, Haruki Murakami's Kafka On The Shore is finally out on paperback. Fantastic. So, I plan to pick it up this Friday. I asked a cousin of mine to keep a copy of it for me, since she's working in Kinokuniya. What are cousins for, right!

We went rayaing to a couple of my beloved's relatives' houses. And on the second day, we went to our mutual friend's house. So, mostly, we just ate and ate and ate. It was fun. But tiring though. On the fourth day of raya, we left for KL. We left around 8.30 in the morning. And arrived in KL around 6.30 in the evening. Luckily for me, my beloved drove half way, so wasn't so tiring. Although it still was.

During the following week, went to my relatives' houses. And some relatives came over. It was good to entertain and to be entertained. Then, one night, I suggested to my beloved that we go hang out at one of my old haunts. And so I invited my best buddy and my brother's sister-in-law to join us. And in the end, there were eight of us there. My beloved and I, my best buddy with two of his female friends, my brother's sister-in-law with her Aussie friend and her cousin.

I was on leave for two weeks. And for the past three days, I was at Putrajaya for a workshop. So here I am, again. Lots of things have happened. And I hope I can get it all out on this blog. Firstly, I spent raya with my beloved at her hometown. It was a first for me. We left KL on Monday after sahur, around 6.30am. This was on the 31st of October, 2005. The road was quite empty. Meaning, there were some cars on the road, but it wasn't the heavy traffic kind of thing. I drove the first leg of the journey, and my beloved drove the second leg. We finally arrived at her mother's house around 2.30pm.

The raya celebration there was quite different from the ones I'm used to in KL. In KL, open houses would mean, people coming in droves. Non-stop. But in her hometown, people would come in very small groups. So, the atmosphere wasn't hectic. Unlike the open houses in KL.

To be continued...