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!!!

Ohhhh, the next few entries will be filled with things that are long overdue (nope, that doesn't include my library books..)

Pics from various occasions.... that date back to last month. Those even earlier than that? I decide to just incorporate then into existing photo albums. Okies...?

Last Sun, 07 'Nov 2004
Maybe the holy month of Ramadhan is simply a great time for reunions. Another renion, this time with the guys, back from my Poly days.


1) Meng 2) Bas 3) Khama 4) Kai

We were to meet at 6+ and at yet, at 5+, Bas actually said that he has a last minute recall to his camp and can't make it. It's one thing to make an effort to organise and its another to make a plan work. I offered to send him back if he join us for the dinner.

Khamz met me under the block(since he live across the road from me). He's late (why am I not surprised..???) Then it's Kai. He offered to meet us at the train station instead of us having to go all the way in. Aww..That's nice of him. Thing is, he has yet to make the walk so it's some waiting on our part. By the time he reached the car, I was already in the backseat. He took over my place at the driver's seat. Ahh.. it's just so nice to sit in the back, doesn't it?

Kai driving. Sorry Kai, I am just so sick of driving at that time. Been driving the whole day...

Bas got lost in Far East Plaza itself. Hee... We had dinner at Anatolia Turkish Restaurant. The food is kinda so-so. frankly, I think the kebabs at the bazaars taste nicer. More vege. But the fries were nice.

Meng & Kai hamm it up for the camera @ Anatolia Turkish Restaurant

Then it's chill-out time(yep, chilling-out is my fav. past time) @ Borders Cafe, Wheelock Place..Duh! Had some coffee & desserts. The place is nice. Cosy and relaxing.

Meng, trying to figure out how to eat the hard-as-rock frozen peach that comes with the gelato, before biting the top off. Not surprisingly, he got brain-freeze.


An attempt at snapping a funky-lookin photo. What's in the pic? Figure it out yourself. Nice???

Me & the guys...

I wonder, how long it will take before all of us meet up again....

29th 'Oct 2004
This day, 3 ol' pals finally met up - together after long, long time. Tini - Mard - Me. How long? God knows. Each of us with our own commitments... yadaa yadaa...Same ol' excuse.

So for a reunion, what do we have? KFC. Wow... Big deal. Well... not for us who have not had that for ages. Since Mard may have difficulty meeting us on time, Tini suggested we had our break-fast at Siglap, where Mard worked. There's KFC there. Clever girl.

Anyway, since it's my collegue's b'dae, we were given 1/2 day off (yesh, our bosses gave us 1/2 day off on our b'daes..) The whole week, I've been dreaming of doing a bit of housekeeping & keeping up on my sleep when I came home early before meeting moi pals. Yar rite. I came home and my mum was actually awake. Amazing. It's only noon. "Let's go out and do some shopping," she said. Arrgh! There goes my personal plans! Sleep? Fuhgettaboutit!

Niwae, went to City Plaza & Tanjong Katong Complex. Lotsa' nice baju kurungs. Thank goodness my stuff are all ready. Can't imagine having to make more decisions, "which one to purchase...should I fork out $$$ for that ridiculously expensive suit??" blah..blahh... Well, my mum bought an "exclusive" suit. The type where it's one & only and you won't risk having someone else on the street wearing that same clothes as you do. $173, down from $249 for an organza abju kurung... Cool right?? My mum tried to get me to purchase one too. No way! Unless I wanna sabotage my own financial planning and bust my budget. Hello, festive season..?
Enough of shopping. Not that I'm THAT interested, aniwae. Met Tini & she suggested we took these 2 buses. 1 to MacPherson and then 40 to Siglap. Thing is, at MacPherson, we were not sure, from which side of the road, should we take the bus from. Wanna know the route? Imagine a capital 'D'. Instead of travelling along the vertical line, we went around the curve. Not surprisingly, Mard started calling us when we are not even near there. Come to think of it, it's pretty hilarious, cos' 1/2 the time, both Tini & I wondered if we'll even reach Siglap. Hee..

We were still a tad early for break-fast. So we sat at the near empty KFC, while waiting for the time to break-fast. Lotsa' to catch up on one anothers' lives. Then it's makan time!

1)Mard looking smart (though Tini & I tot' she looked like a security guard)
2)Tini, ever so proud of her new earrings.

3)This was eaten by 3 ppl. What a mess! *burp!
4)The only things left unfinished. 1 cute bun and a date. The dates are so fresh, they taste like grapes.

After dinner, we wondered where to go. Mard can't stay up too late cos' got morning shift the day after. Niwae, Tini dropped by Starbucks to see if her frens were there. Well, turn out, not one, but 3 of them were there. So we end up hanging out there. Kinda' cool. Why not? Got free drinks and the atmospere is very much 'chilled-out'.

5) 3 of us @ Starbucks Siglap.

Tini actually had space for a waffle ice-cream. She can't resist the temptation of having Gelare next door.

6)Tini, happy that she get her waffle ice-cream. Gelare, no less.
7)We only leave behind the soggy parts. *burp - again


8)Lin, sharing with us some juicy gossips about a 'certain someone...' Beside her is her fren, whatzisname
9)Tini & me

And finally, as proof that we were there, Tini offered her smile to go with the Starbucks sign in the background...


I LOVE coffee.

This one date back all the way to 24th 'Oct (yar..yar...THAT long ago)
We got $300 worth of Centrepoint vouchers that can be spent at the various Centrepoint Shopping Centres and I specially select Causeway Point simply because that place is big & it's easy to get stuff all under 1 roof.

Btw. my 14 yr-old cousin Fatimah drop by the night before & stayed over...

...so she ended up joining us for this shopping trip.

I admit that I'm such a lazy person esp. now that it's the fasting month & the destination is sooo far away...

So I leave it to my dear bro to do the driving. Not that he mind, anyway. I'm glad he drove cos' reachin North, it began raining cats&dogs. So heavy was the rain, that visibility must be down by almost 50%!

Not surprisingly, there was a 'mini-jam' leading to... guess where? The carpark of Causeway Point! Har! But as I thank my lucky stars that the car in front was the lastest Merc C-Class. I was ogling at it until a van rudely squeezed in & park right there & then. Drats! Everyone jam-braked. Atrocious! Here we are, patiently following the CORRECT line into the CP(unlike others who try to cheat by squeezing in near the front) & this stupid van just parked there. My bro, being my bro, spewed expletives(regardless of the fact that my parents are in the car) and blast the car horn at the van. Euuugh!!! I hate car horns!!!

Luckily the shopping was fun. Got a b-dae gift for me collegue, bought my cousin her Hari Raya shoes, my bro stock-up on his surfer clothes, I dunno what dad bought but I know mum bought cushions & kitchen utensils (again!!) With the voucher, she took the chance to purchase the more high-end ones. I bet they are silverware...


I'm not a big shopping fan so while the others find their stuff, my cousin & I went....on a mini photo shoot! Hee... Now that's fun.

Grab any clothes that we took a liking to and snap pics while posing with them. Well, till' my dad had to call my handphone asking our location. Frankly, we dunno. Wandered too far, I guess. Ha ha!

There was a Mitsubishi roadshow below and my bro+myself got into the Colt to get the feel. Then I quickly nudged him. "Last time I did this at this exact place, our family ended up buying a car. Scary..." I told him. He just laughed it off. He can do that cos' he wasn't there, then. But it's the truth. It was the KIA roadshow then and my mum & I was so interested at the Rio H/B model that the salesperson approached us. The rest, as they say, is history...

We bought stuff for buka at the bazaar next door. Lotsa' stuff, man. Almost bought the Arsenal jersey & polo tee there. I was interested in the blue one. I'm SO glad I didn't purchase that 'un cos' that very night, Arsenal lost to Man U wearing THAT same jersey...

Niwae, we sent my cousin home before heading back. What a day it's been. Both my bro & I managed to catch some 40winks before break-fast....


After all that fun, I still wasn't too keen on shopping...