".....I would counsel against watching the news over and over. We all know it's numbing...."

That came a tad too late. I watched too much & became too numb. I dunno what it means to be 'too' numb, I no no longer feel remorse. Those who went through the spate, sad...yeah. Like the malay saying:

"Berat mata memandang, Berat lagi bahu memikul"
- It's hard for us to watch others who are dire situations but it's even harder for them who had to go thru' it....

They are asking for help - the various charity organisations. Lets do our part. You see those cans, in shops, ppl holding them as they approached you? They have these small slots that you can put money thru'. Old clothes? Better still - blankets?

Go thru' these links:
Red Cross(Singapore)
Mercy Relief (Singapore)
Tsunami Help
World Changing
Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunamis Blogs

My mum is packing blankets & comforters and some old clothes. Somebody's collecting them to be sent to the Indonesian council.

It must be cold out there. All that water...

Went to J.B. yesterday. A bit of shopping here & there.

But no mood to talk bout that now except that I bought another book by Dan Brown:Angels & Demons. Heard it's a good read. Better be worth it. Too lazy to look for books in the library nowadays. Rather buy. Bought some books for me nephews & nieces. They gotta' read more English books. School's opening.

Visited some blogs belonging to peeps that were at the various areas affected by the tidal waves. Thanks, Shyba! It's a real eye-opener to read the experiences & opinions of those who went thru' it first-hand. Really sombre pictures that can make you shiver inside.

People who only want to seek solace from their everyday life. Going to places they worship as island paradise. People whose places have ALWAYS been their paradise, suddenly became an almost hell-hole. Their home, whole villages even families & friends.... all gone. Things will never be the same...for them and everyone else. Heck, even the guy at NASA said that the earth's rotation (or something like that) has been slightly affected (and changed) byt that great quake.

I saw pictures of places I've been to before. Patong beach. I know that place had lots much more to offer, that's why I want to go there again. In fact, I almost booked a hotel sometime before the disaster. The same hotel which I heard was 'flattened'. I checked out the resort on Phi Phi that I also almost booked. What was left was only the roof.

I wonder what happened to tose who were there? Those who watched the bigger-than-usual waves coming towards then in awe. Thinking it's something magnificent. Thinking it's some 'surfer wave' that they've seen in tv. How does it feel when it dawn upon them that the wave will eventually swallow them up? Their families, belongings? Their lives? The tourist whose video showed what he saw first-hand. When he dropped the camera, what happened? Is he still alive? Or is he one of those in the hospital, waiting to be identified?

What about those fishemen who find it really hard to catch & sell fish fo living and to support their families who were waiting for them in the flimsy huts by the sea. How does it feel to find fish suddenly coming to them in abundance, drawing them with their families to rush to the seaside and get the catch, thinking that life is getting better for them only to realize the waves that actually bring in fish is the same one that's going to take everything from them?

Sigh...

Depressing as this may sound, this is REAL.

What we call life, ANYTHING might happen, can happen, will happen.

A view from the air of damage caused by the tsunami in Phuket, Thailand.
Oh dear...The numbers are continuing with their rise on the death toll chart. A moment of silence, please. Tick...tick...

I'm not going to gripe bout' not being able to go to Phuket this coming Feb. I'm more worried bout' those in affected areaS who are still not evacuated.

Extracted from CHANNEL NEWS ASIA
"....As survivors were evacuated from stricken areas across Asia, the full horror of carnage wrought by the tidal waves emerged; babies torn from their parents' hands, children and the elderly hurled out to sea from their homes, entire villages swept away.

...Indonesia's Aceh province bore the brunt of the temblor, hit at point-blank range and then battered by a tsunami, leaving at least 4,725 dead and many more missing.

...In southern India survivors grimly buried or burnt their dead as the death toll rose to more than 6,500, with thousands more missing amid warnings of a return of killer tsunamis.

...Thousands of people were fleeing the coasts of the islands after fresh tremors hit Monday and meteorologists warned aftershocks could trigger "big waves" until Tuesday afternoon..."

The aerial view of Marina Beach after a tsunami hit the area in Chennai in India.

Let's get on with our prayers for them to be brought to safety before the next strike of nature's fury.... Please God help them. Amin.

Came back from jemputan just now when my fren messaged me bout' some massive earthquake in Indonesia. She told me that it's all over the news, esp. Channel News Asia

Apparently the quake, measured a powerful 8.9 on the richter scale. My fren did mention bout' some metoer that crashed in Indonesia but I dunno if that's connected to the quake. What's scary is that there are no traces of that meteor though ppl reported a huge explosion and some 'white light' before that.

The quake, however caused the neighbouring seas in South Asia to run amok. Tidal waves were reported all over, esp. M'sia, Sri Lanka & Southern Thailand.

Erk? S.Thai?!

Gosh, I'm going there in less than 2 mths! Checked the news:

".... At least 99 people were killed and more than 1,300 were wounded in southern Thailand, with many of the deaths occurring in the idyllic tourist islands of Phuket and Phi Phi.

A police officer in Phuket said at least six of the dead were foreigners who drowned on Karon beach on the island's west coast. The death toll was likely to rise with several officials reporting over Thai radio and television that beachgoers and villagers had gone missing.

Police said 31 people had died in nearby Krabi on Thailand's southern mainland, at least 11 were killed on tiny Phi Phi..."

FYI, I planned to spend 3 nights on Phi Phi Island and another 3 on Phuket in early Feb '05. My fren is even going there next month.

Shucks....

Now what?!

My bosses can be really farnee. My collegue, Sri & myself finally decided to finish off that can of chilli tuna for lunch yest. Sri came to work bringing bread & salad. It never come across to us that Christmas Eve will mean a 1/2 day. Niwae, our bosses neva' told us anithin.

He came in, "Do u girls know that u got 1/2 day today?" Erk???
Guess the tuna-lunch thingy shall be kept for another day...

So the both of us went to get lunch. Where? On a land far away called Harbourfront(we worked in Ubi). Why there? The beef noodles of course. Sri had heard me gushed so much bout' it that she gonna taste it for herself. Glad to hear the positive comments from her(hey, my tip is reliable, after all). After which we walked ard the shopping centre. Nothing much except cutesy stuff. Got me pal her b'dae presents and went ga-ga in More Than Words, which had a large collection of Mashimaro stuff(for me, Mickey & Minnie for her). Oohhh! Being broke, I only managed a Mashimaro keychain.

Took a N.E. train ride to Clarke Quay and chill at CBTL @ Boat Quay. I love their Choc. Of A Thousand Leaves cake. Such indulgence! Pure sin!
Sri :: Me, the procrastinator at work

Pergi toilet, lak leh sembarang. So we went to The Riverwalk. The toilet is so darn clean. Now I know where to take a leak when hanging around Boat Quay...
Us - In The Riverwalk toilet.

Met the guys @ Great World after that. We contemplate watching Ocean's 12. We wonder it it's gonna be worth our $8.50. We thought of watching something much better (read:comedy). Kung Fu Hustle? Meet The Fockers? Hey, isn't that a Ben Stiller show? A sequel to Meet The Parents?! Now that's something. Decision finalised. Fockers, it is.

I figured out the name of the 'house of clocks' that I mentioned previously. It's called MOLECULE. Dun' even think of buying much if you dun have the moolah. Things there are on the brink of being a tad too exuberant. $105++ for a foam wine bottle-holder? A veneer table for some hundreds? Or is it thousands..? I forgot. Looking at the tags of a couple of supposedly 'harmless' products almost gave me palpitations. I still love their clocks, thou. Gonna get one of those. The stuff there - simply a feast for the eyes, a food for much creativity.

Dinner was at the humble KFC, after which we decided to get a quick cuppa @ Spinelli before the movie. Come to think of it - Movies on Bas, Dinner on Meng. Coffee's on me.
Bas & Meng

We got Theatre 1. Wait a minute. Isn't theatre 1...? I heard some couples whispering to each other, "Isn't this the IMAX?" Ditto. My sentiments exactly. We're watching Meet The Fockers on IMAX ??! I loooove GV Grand!

The movie is funny+funny+funny=heeee-larious! It's so much like Dharma & Greg. Just that it works on the opposite genders, that's all. C'mon, what can you expect when Stiller's character is Gaylord Focker? How bout' this quote by Gaylord's fiancee,"I wanna be Pamela Martha Focker!" Now repeat that, faster this time.
Meet The Fockers


This is a great laugh-a-minute. A definite must watch.

Nothing beats being by yourself to get to know yourself better. Private moments in the toilets aside, I was meaning QUALITY time by yourself. You know, like going out alone-spend the whole day by yourself.

That's what I'm determined to do. Maybe take 1 day's leave and walk down the memory lane. Days of my past, my childhood.

I'll take bus no. 7 and alight at Holland Road and walk down East Sussex Lane. I shall assure myself that it's ok to walk there alone in broad daylight. That place is super-eerie, I tell you. All big trees with over-hanging leaves that may brush your face as you walk past. Along that road are the backyards of big bungalows. All quiet... There's a huge rambutan tree that when it start to bear fruit in all its glory, ooohhh, just so tempting. Best part is, it's overhanging the overhead bridge. One can easily reach for one or two of those... FYI, the bridge span over a railway track. Back in those days when the bridge doesn't exist, ppl mentioned seeing this small boy 'playing marbles by the side... And some others. I shan't elaborate on that.

What's memorable is that when my bro & I visited my late great-gramma(gosh, I still miss her so...) and it's already dark. After we cross the bridge, we'll sprint down that lane, past the big trees, the big houses (or that girl on that swing in the dark backyard...) to get to the main road. We'll start laughing after that. Scary but funny.

Then I shall walk around the neighbourhood. I can visit the house where I grew up in but my cousin & his wife is living there now & I shan't disturb them. Go to the old(but renovated) market, the coffee shops, hawker centres, the (now new) CC, the police post and the loooong walk to Buona Vista MRT....

After which I will take another bridge to Holland V. Going there in the day brings me back to the good ol' days in Poly. BK, Starbucks, Coffee Bean.... The large collection of megazines at that mamak shop. Holland Road shopping ctr....

Then take 106 to Orchard Road. Go to Taka. Up to Kinokuniya. Those days of looking for design ideas by browsing through their great collection of books... My ol' workplace(some restaurant in that building) then the basement-Foodies' Galore. Buy my fav. Choc. Almond Croissant & Cinnamon Doughnut from Bread Factory. Then have a quick lunch while sitting at the Civic Plaza....Get a cuppa from Starbucks Liat Towers. Or from BK. Reminisce those days of discussing group works there, with that bulky laptop....

After which I will take a bus to Marina. Go to Millenia Walk. Sit at Time2. Visit the waterfall. Those were the days when I try to get inspiration for my final-year project. Then the BK where I used to spend hours drawing away my ideas. Hopefully, by then it will be evening. Sit at Suntec's fountain terrace. Watch the laser show. Enjoy the music and amuse myself with other ppl's antics. Maybe take out a sketch book. Get Auntie Anne's for dinner. When the show is done, I'm done. I'll then go thru' City Link and take the train....Home.

That's all.

Sigh.....

Had a fall-out with my mum yest' night(dun' worry, Tini. It's nothing to do with you..) She said that she won't come back before going for work. Sounds scary. I hope she only said it out of anger. The fact I have migraine doesn't help. She even refused to let me drive her to work.

Took medication for migraine. All's well until I was about to take a drink later on. That's when a blardee black, fat lizard dropped on my foot. Eeeee! Aaaaargh! Bleagh! I think the whole block can hear me scream, "EEEkkkkk! Cicakkkk!!!" I jumped around and hopped onto the sofa on the living room. The headache comes back amidst my bated breath. Sucks.

In the morning, I awoke super-early. 0630hrs. My dad reminded me to wake my bro up later on(that's my mum's job). He mumbled something bout' my mum calling earlier on. Erk, isn't she coming back after work? She really meant what she said yest??? "Dun forget to mintak maaf dengan your mum, nanti," my dad reminded me beforte leaving for work. Aww, man! And I have plans this evening, meaning I won't get to see my mum the whole day!

Was having a shower when I hear the keys jingle outside my house. Hey, my mum's back! After shower, I went straight to the kitchen where she always sat, took her hand and kissed it. "Mum, I so sorry bout' yesterday..." She replied, "I'm sorry too." Then kissed me on both cheeks.

Such is the power of forgiveness. It lights up my day, though it doesn't cure the still lingering migraine....

Can somebody enlighten me as to what impact a menopause can have on the person herself and her family????

Was doin' some blog-hoppin' when my bro called me to watch this kinda' new Hoobastank vid, 'Disappear". No regrets, man! His body is so hot hot hot! (some scenes showed him in a concert, singing topless....)


*Dang! Can't see his bod much from here! But all I can say it's so much of a swimmer's bod. Awww!(man, do I sound like a .... or what?!) Nevermind.


I soooo dig guys in black shirts. *swoon*

Btw, his singing sucks so he's not my idea of a 'complete package'. So, there!

My body's internal clockwork did me injustice - today and every Saturdays before this. No matter how late I slept the night(or even morning) before, I always wake up at the same time every Sat morning, i.e. the time I wake up on every week/working days. Doesn't it get the idea I only work 5 days/week???! Ugh!

I dunno why I can't sleep early on Fri nites. Maybe it's the anticipation of the coming weekend or I have some residual caffeine left in my system from all that coffee I took to wake me up during office hours... Like yesterday, I slept at almost 4am, making my bro supper & watching this Malay vcd with him. What time did I wake up? 7.45am!!! Same time I do every other weekDAY! Goodness, it's the weekEND!

Niwae, I was bent double watching the vcd yest. It starred Saiful 'Apek' of Senario fame. It's a romantic drama actually but what makes it funny is Saiful starring as the hero. A SERIOUS hero. No joke!(pun intended..) The more baritone his voice is, the more stiff his posture, the more I laugh! I mean, c'mon! Did you see him in Senario?! What irony, that a comedian made me laugh harder the more he starred in serious roles....

Talk bout' irony... I stumbled upon tis' ad while fiddling with the radio tuner...Think it's on Perfect 10...
Mum to son:"... stop that! You're already 24 and you are NOT Santa Claus!.."
Really, what irony. My bro is 25 and he IS Santa Claus (if you wonder where, just ask...)
Evidence proving that I HAVE a Santa Claus under the same roof...

Waking up too early make me like a lost soul in the house. Wandering aimlessly. My dad must have sensed my restlessness and mentioned bout' going out. Yeah, the WHOLE family went out. My bro skipped work(for some reason or other but he deserved a rest...! He got koyok all over his back!) We had lunch at Raffles Banquet.
My musically-inclined sibling wanna imitate his idol, the late John Lennon. (Piano courtesy of Raffles Hospital)

Then it's shopping @ Parkway Parade(again?!) after which we made a stop-over @ East Coast beach for a good breather after the hectic atmosphere at the bustling shopping centre. Government staff just had their bonus, I think(..pardon me if I'm wrong. Just assuming)

Dad :: Mum :: Bro @ East Coast (my bro looked like he'd been beheaded by some flash of light. Scary...)

Watched a re-run of Ikhlas(a charity programme)just now. Must say that I'm duly impressed with Tiara Jacquelina's performance. So energetic. So unlike the literary-classic concept of the epic movie Puteri Gunung Ledang. Power!

Oh... And also, kudos to you, Khama. You finally appeared on national TV! Donning that smart uniform of yours! Haa haa. Your 2 mins of fame... Heee..

Anyway, now that I'm finally done with things, I shall get the rest I sooo wanted. With a great book and the ever faithful wasabi green peas for company. Ahhhhh...

*Ciao!

I dunno which is worse-keeping late nites or eating suppers. Wait, having supper do mean keeping lates nites. Sheesh!

Yesterday evening started with a trip to the airport. Yar, yar, sounds lame but hey, we ain't the only ones (non-traveller, that is) there. I dunno why my dad ain't pleased with the idea of me hangin' out at the airport. Turns out, my fren's dad has the same sentiments, too. So does my cousin's dad... Did I thell you that all our dads work at the airport? Hmm...?

We were at T1, near Swensens. I know ppl go to the airport to look at planes. Who cares bout' those metal birds anyway? We go to airport to look at ppl. Yeah, standing at the upper level, looking down thru' the glass window and commented on those foreign travellers hanging at the departure lounge. You know, where all those retail outlets are?

Like I said, standing there like some dictators, with a baguette, croissant, cappucino & latte from Delifrance. Huh, coffee from Delifrance?? Hey, last time I came here(ages ago) Coffee Bean still existed in T1, ok??? We do contemplate going back to T2 & get Starbucks but....leceh, lah. But it's nice to comment on those unknowing travellers below, who came from all walks of lives & congregate there, at Changi Int'l Airport. Niwae, we may sound like we got no life but we were there from 8+ till' 11pm. Hee...

Niwae I dun' want to be photographed, my fren dun' wanna be photographed. So just took photos of the surroundings...


That's where we hung out :: Guess, I'll be taking that-Tiger Air :: It's Christmastime!

My bro fetched us. He hinted that he'd not eaten yet, so I offered to get him supper(see, lah!) From airport, where else? Changi Point, lah! It's almost the rite' time for bapok/ transvestite or whateva' names they get by. I'll just refer to them as 'ladies'. I mentioned almost the rite' time. So to fill up that space, where do we go? Ol' Changi Hospital. Yar, yar... Malam Jumaat and all. But we just stayed in the car.

Then it's off to supper. "You're in luck, they're out early today..." my bro said. True enuff'. Almost 10nos. of them were already sashaying ard the carpark. He drove slowly past each one of them. Fuh, gorgeous!(as always). Well, till' they started talking, anyway. My bro had fish & chips(sedap, I tell you! Taste like Fillet-O-Fish).


My bro & his fish & chips.

My bro mentioned there's another 'spot'. There's only a lone lady there. Turns out my bro knew her. I turned down my window, "Chris! Hey!" my bro called. Aik, mcm kawan lama, lak... Chris giggled upon seeing my bro. 'She' saw my fren' at the back seat. Never expecting another passanger, she feigned surprise. "Haiyah, relaxlah..." The voice?...erm...There's more to be improved on.

Next, we went to "blakang runway". Reaching there, we're in luck(again). A Quantas megatop was just taking off. Whoo! The sight, amazing! The noise, deafening! Then it's silence. There's were a few stationary & dark cars nearby. Dun' ask me wat they're doing, just that when we passed one of them, we saw one of the 'ladies' in that car. Hmm..

We end that night looking at the stars. In a dark place like this, the stars were much brighter... bigger.... Wow!

Tini with her ultra-cute little niece, Nurul
Dear Tini,

So sorry that I took so long to upload the pics into an online album. I finally did so you can now view them online....

Click here to view. Okies...?

Regards,
bAyYa

I feel so darn excited just thinking bout my next trip to Phuket(again?!). Aghast! I realized that I have a mere 1mth to get all the necessary preparations straightened out. Still sourcing for the cheaper way to book our(my collegue & myself) choice of accomodation. At least the transportation to there is settled...

What is stressing me out is the finacial side of things. Activities there ain't that cheap. Diving alone comes to almost $80/=(2 dives/1 day), not to mention snorkelling, canoeing, parasailing and....Bungy Jumping! Yeah!


woo hooo!!!!

At least my collegue get to skimp on that. She won't do the jump while I intend to do not one but two jumps! Phuket apparently has 3 bungee jump sites (just checked). I'm going for the regular bungee jumps which kinda' cost around $60 each. The other bungee option is 'The Catapult' or what is formally called the 'Reverse Bungee'. I've already done that at Clarke Quay so i guess I'll give that a pass.

Jungle Bungy(the original)- jump from 50m - at Kathu District


World Bungy(the highest in S.Thai) -jump from 60m - a mere 15mins walk away from my hotel.

All I can say is... I can't waittt!!!!!!

Been on his mind for quite sometime. Not to mention, yearning for it. But it was only yesterday that he voiced out his intention. Huh?

It's the Thai beef noodles that he last ate @ the hawker centre beside Harbourfront bus terminal. Not just any beef noodle, ok? The taste is the authentic Thai taste - Thaksin(yes, as in the Thai PM) Thai Beef Noodles.
Extremely tender fresh beef(the meat), stew meat(ribs area) & the yummy-licious tripe all in one bowl. Not to mention fresh kangkong, taugeh, noodles with really delicious i-dunno-how-many-spices soup topped with fresh sweet basil leaves. Just $4. Does that leave you drooling?
Oh, you can self-serve the coarsely ground chili padi with vinegar or the harmless looking chili flakes(like u get in pizza hut). Don't be fooled by the chilli flakes, though. Despite it looking suspiciously like dried chili padi, I dumped a great amount into my bowl, anyway. Big mistake.
The ultra-spicy chili+very hot soup=great pain. Ooooh... It comes to an extent that both my mum & myself got scared of eating it hot and waited for it to cool down first. Less painful on the tounge, that way. The noodles are still deeeeelicios nevertheless. FYI, they have 2 other branches - 1 in Clementi & the other in Woodlands.

awwwsome! the beef noodles :: mum & dad with theirs'

Went to Parkway Parade, next. Dad said he wanna check the Hello! shop cos' his current h/p is giving him trouble. As always, we drop by Ya Kun for their kopi & kaya toast. Irresistable! Sorry Starbucks but Ya Kun's kopi carries more temptation for me than my own fav. Caramel Macchiato. Besides, it costs less than $1! We even bought another packet of their ground coffee(Ya Kun, not Starbucks).

There's a Doraemon performance at PP. So cute! I actually sang along to their song. But I stopped short at dancing. Too crowded, lah. Bro called. Hearing tat we're in Parkway, he said he'll be taking a cab there. He's broke anyway so we ended up waiting for him at the taxi stand later on & paid for the fare. When I told him bout' the Doraemon performance, he was so disappointed that he missed it. So I content him with a photo-session with the replica... That's my bro for you.

bro & me with Doraemon

Did I mentioned I went shopping? Top up on facial & cosmetics for mum & myself. Heck, I even bought a book!
Been trying so hard to get this book in the library....
I just strode into MPH. The book was displayed near the entrance. Was real excited that the paperback version is out. Only $17++. Just took one & pay. Bonus! I think there's 20% disc. End up paying only $14++. Yea!

Still got time to go to Giant. My bro(always the kid) went from one aisle to another. Most of the stuff in the trolley is his junk food. Mum even bought a chilli plant. Mind you, with the pot & all. Bought stuff for the car etc... By that time it's 10+ and everybody's rushing home so exiting the carpark is like going thru' the Causeway. Jam.

Should I go away, I'm really gonna miss Parkway. My family had such great times whenever we were there...

The news bout' the fatal shooting of ex-Pantera & current guitarist for Damage Plan, Dimebag Darrell Abbot touched me. Sigh... Another musician dying a tragic death. FYI, he's a great guitar legend. My bro(who's so adored this fella) said that Metallica's Kirk Hammet even 'lost' to Dimebag. My bro once thought of buying a guitar endorsed by him...

Poor bro of mine. First John Lennon, then Kurt Cobain now Dimebag.... All his favourites....All gone. On my bro's behalf, here's to you, Dimebag Darrell....


You rock. Always.....

Courtesy of WWW.PANTERA.COM

Went to watch the third & final instalment of the Blade series. Frankly I dun' even know it's supposed to be a trilogy. Come to think of it, I've been following up on lotsa' triologies... Matrix, Harry Potter, LOTR, Star Wars(ending soon) & now Blade. Hmm...I sense a pattern...

Anyway, Blade:Trinity was ok. Though I admit Blade I is much darker & still the best. Blade II is more dramatic & Trinity is hyper-funny! Ryan Reynolds character as a motor-mouth ex-vamp is so darn funny I still giggle and some of his quips.

Heard that the cast had to go for intense training to pump-up their body to suit their roles. it's sure did them some good. Jessica Biel reminded me of Jennifer Garner in some scenes. I soo soooo dig Ryan Reynolds new bod. You should hear the gasps, followed by, "Oh my! His body is hot!" by fellow female audiences in the theatre. Ditto. I'm one of them.
Bet my movie buddy ain't that happy. He's been working on his body, too. C'mon Bas, the time will come. God knows when. Hah! Ok...ok...I shall be supportive...

Being @ Great World Cityis always nice, cos' it's more quiet & I so dig the lifestyle shops there. Check out this modern furniture shop and this particular shop selling pop-art stuff & mostly clocks on the 2nd floor.

The movie experience is good, too. The IMAX screen aside, the theatre's not bad. Hey, the place ain't called 'GV Grand' for nothin'. I got the Ocean's 12 popcorn set. Got 2 collectibles plastic cups! I like..!

Niwae, it's so sweet of my bro to wanna fetch me all the way from there despite the rainy weather. He dun' even mind send me fren home. Thanks bro! U're always cool!

Finally changed my skin! All that black background can be quite an eyesore. So what if it no longer seem dark-natured? This is reeeefreshing! How? Nice?

Gals(you know who you are)...I've uploaded the pics of our Hari Raya thingy already. Ruf, do forward me your set, ya?


I dunno when will I be able to stay at home on the weekend & rest-FOR REAL. Last Sat gotta' accompany my mum to ther company's D & D @ Holiday Inn Parkview. Kinda lao-yar. They catered the food for us Muslims(dun' have a Muslim kitchen) but the portion sucks.
The only good thing bout' that hotel is the fact that it's next door to the CTE entrance. Easy to avoid the Orchard Road jam. Sat nite', what do you expect?

The whole bunch of us at my cousins' open house. Yes, ppl, it's still Hari Raya. My parents still have not had enuff' of jalan raya. "Too many ppl, to little time," they say. So said everyone else. Anyway, this time it's been more fun. The young ones all pile into my car. Esp. after we've fetched my bro from werk.... Kecoh!

Ended the day with a good cuppa' at Afghanistan(no, not the ex-Taliban regime). The coffee-shop. Stories exchanged.. Jokes shared.... Secrets revealed... It's all between us.... Rite? (u know who you are)

Yeee har! Finally, uploaded the pics of the Belakang Padang trip! Woo hoo! Ntah beezeee macam mana, lah mina kita satu ni...Since Sun, today then upload....
Heh. C'mon, gimme a break!

Mon~Got the Blues + migraine (excused)
Tue~Overtime...Rushing a deadline (excused)
Wed~SG Idol. Too many ppl talk bout' it on their own blogs so I shall not elaborate on that. Just tat my $$$ is well worth it. Tot I sms 10x. The confirmation msgs came back 13x. Whatever. (excused)
Thu~Overtime, then rush back for jalan raya with Sec sch mates, for which I came back at 0135hrs. (excused)
...And then comes today.... and I uploaded. Geez, I am a beezee person!

...so much for the crap. Here's the pics :
++Belakang Padang I++ ++Belakang Padang II++

Wonder when I'm uploading the outing with my mates yest'day...

Ok, peeps, finally uploaded the Hari Raya pics. There's a lot, so I divide them into 2 parts.

Hari Raya I : Hari Raya II

Sorrie, I took so long.... OMG! Look at the time now...Erk! Got deadline tomorrow! Shucks!

27th Nov '04
Went to Belakang Padang. For those not geographically inclined, it's located a mere 15mins away(by motorised sampans) from the main island of Batam. Yes, Batam, the place where chee-ko-peks go to find a new wife...


my cousin sumi & myself during the journey.

Meant to update on the trip there on Sun but my parent still haven't had enuff' of jalan raya, so who else had to drive them around but yours truly? Grumble..Grumble..

Yesterday, was still feeling the vibes of updating me blog but Monday blues gave me a bonus -Migraine.... Urgh!

Now, I'm feeling the vibes no more, so just saying that I went for the trip to attend a cousin's wedding. Apparently, they chose the wedding date based on the Javanese calendar (just like the Chinese ppl), therefore the wedding falls on Saturday, instead of the usual Sunday.

As always, we dropped by the market to buy the usual stuff that can hardly be found in S'pore but we always yearn for when watching the ads on Indo channels. Groceries like Kicap ABC, Kicap Bango, Super Mi, Kropok Tempeh... Or toiletries, medications & supplements like Adem Sari, So Klin Power, Madu Hutan, Komix, Kunyit Asam... The shopkeeper sure had a jolly good time attending to us... why not? We bought stuff like it's World War 3. Can't help it. These stuff are way too expensive in S'pore.

Niwae since it's still Lebaran, we took time to go house-visiting. Word get around fast on that small island. Everyone seem to know we're coming, therefore every house served us these really yummy'licious food. All of us were so bloated it's amazing the sampan never sink with the extra weight (inc. stuff tat were packed for us to bring home).


Missed catching the sunset. Whatever is left of it on the way home...

Hmmpf! So much for 'not having the vibes' to update......

Gosh, it's raining.... Again.


I mean...I like rainy days. Like what Madonna sings.."I feel it on my fingertips...Hear it on my window pane.." Pitter-patter. The growling of thunder, the occasional lightning....

Nice, yeah. Onli when you're at home, belly-down on the bed, reading/writing, some nice music on the radio/blaring the mp3s, pulling the blanket closer & hugging a pillow. Oh, dun forget the mug of hot Milo...

Definitely NOT nice when you're in the office, facing the computer screen and rushing a deadline...Noooo...That ain't nice. Worse, the view outside is so grey, everything is a blur. What view...?!


View???! Yar, rite.

This is bleak. So bleak.....

My office has a new pet!!!

Hee...It's none other than...Mr Sluggie!!!

Discovered it while watering the plants @ the balcony garden. Seems like it's making its way sloooowwwwly to that pot, there. So cute, esp. the darker-coloured tail.

Here's a close up. Check out those feelers...


How??? Kinda' gross actually...

After all that kuehs, lontongs, rendangs, lodehs and the ultimate sambals... I'm beginning to feel the aftermath. The pounds that I'm practically piling is beginning to show! Pipi dah macam kue pao.. Bukan yang 50sen nye lagi. Yg seringgit-lebih nye!

Kesian, my cousin satu nie...Ada ke dah mengatuk pun disuro bergambo???

Time raya-raya nie, memang tak sah kan....Kalau takde gambar bebudak yg kiut-miut, tue. Maklumlah...Last year datang, masih lagi newly-born infant.. Tup-tup, datang raya tahun nie, dah pandai bejalan, ketawa, boleh cakap,"Shalam!" dengan hulur tangan, lagie. Bukan main tembam, pulak tu... Ish!


The youngest amongst her brood of cousins.. Naturally the cutest. From the maternal side of my family.

From the paternal side:

The 4 siblings in their PJs with their gramma. See how the girls have their hair tied on 2 sides...Cute!


Macam anak Jepun! The 4 siblings' little cousin.

Tomorrow is the stay-in day. Since yesterday ppl have already informed my parents(in advance) that they wanna come over. Gonna be a busy one!

It seems like everyone seem to have some kinda' Hari Raya greetings in their blogs. Hope it's not too late... Well, here goes...!
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Mohon Maaf Zahir & Batin.
Harap dapat dihalalkan segala makan & minum. Thousand Apologies, for any wrongs, be it intentional or not. I know I can be pretty sarcastic sometimes... Or those jokes & teasing that may have gone a tad too far, somehow... Whatever I've done that may have displeased you, one way or other, I offer you my sincerest apologies.

Wow, that felt really good!

Hari Raya eve had already been one tiring affair. The whole family travelled all the way to Clementi & Jurong(we live in Bedok) to give food to relatives. Came back ard 1am. My mum cont'd with her last min. sewing & I ended up sleeping on the sofa(supposed to be watching Bujang Lapok). When my mum woke me up to sleep properly, it was already 4+ and my neck was really sore. So much for good posture...
1 Syawal, I woke up to the sound of a motorboat..Wait a min. A motorboat???! Turns out it's my exhausted bro. Cheh...! My mum say he just came back at 6+am...Hence the snore.
My family was hardly even getting ready at 10+am. My parents & I were just about done with breakfast & my bro was still dozing away. All's well, until my neighbour drop by-for the 'official' hari raya visit. Shucks! We had never ever had anyone visiting us on the 1st day! I welcomed them in, while still in my PJs (I already bathed before b'fast, ok.. Juz' wore my PJs, that's all). Aiyoh, so paiseh!
Turns out they're going off to Johore the day after, hence the very early visit....

My bro drove thoughout the day except for 1 occasion, from Bedok-CCK. His excuse? "Dunno the way.." Yar rite...I had to drive bare-footed cos' my pointy-front shoes ain't good for driving, somehow(so said my dad..) Spent the whole day with my mum's 2 brothers & their families.. Kecoh, I tell you! 2 vehicles travelling together.. Waiting for one another upon arrival. Rushing for the lifts and the aftermath of our arrival.... Dasyat!


My bro & myself..


The Ladies - with my maternal cousins...

I hate whatever I wore that day. I was supposed to wear it last year but I simply refused to. Now I remember why. Just how uncomfortable can a clothing be??? I had to sit-up super straight in the car cos' my kebaya was billowing around my seat. It's that 2-piece type where the outer layer is this stiff organza material that is so bloody stubborn and can't stay in place. Ish!

We reached home when it's almost 1am... Just like the previous day... Tiring, man! Not to mention the fact that I'll be the driver the next day. My bro's workin. Sheesh..!

Today is the 2nd day that my bosses are away. I know, some of you must be thinking: "WHEN THE CAT IS AWAY, THE MICE COME OUT TO PLAY" I'm not that sort, ok...?

Aniwae, as always, my collegue & myself has been pondering as to where to go during our block leave during Chinese New Year. Krabi? (what about the violence in the South?) Bali? (Is it within our budget?) M'sia? (Drats! It's the monsoon!)

Seriously, I wanna go to Krabi. Last time I went to Phuket, it's only for a pathetic 2 1/2 days. Very unsatisfactory. Besides, I can't get enough of the natural beauty of that place.


You see what I mean..? Isn't it simply gorgeous?

Anyway, before leaving for Pulau Sipadan @ Sabah for their diving trip, my boss's wife actually booked 2 tix to Phuket for this Feb on Tiger Air. Only $105 inc. tax. She excitedly booked A WHOLE WEEK for our trip. Whoa!

Actually, I dun' mind. Someone has helped us with the decision-making, after all. Thing is, I dunno just how to break this to my dad. He's been saying bout' how Thailand is just no longer safe. Shucks...! True enough, when I broke the news to him, he questioned me over & over as to whether the place is safe enough...

Anyway, I plan on staying at 2 different places for that whole week. One will be on Phi Phi Island and then Banthai Resort in Phuket-the same resort I stayed in previously. The resort is pretty expensive but I just can't seem to get over my previous experience there.


I love this resort! Very contemporary Thai design, boasts 2 swimming pools & has EVERY rooms facing each of the gogeous pool!

Sigh...Now starting to make my personal countdown to February 2005...Whoo!!!