Sunday, March 22, 2009

A new Belle found...

We had dinner a few hours ago at SACC Mall... semenjak jadi warga Shah Alam ni, ni la first time jejak kaki at this mall. I actually wanted to take a look at this particular shop that I saw online... had inquired about its merchandise via email earlier, tapi tak berapa confident nak beli dulu till I actually saw the product.

When we got there, surprise, surprise!! Ada kedai Belle rupanya!!! My wish came true!!! All this while I've been trying to figure out when to go to Alamanda Putrajaya, cos the outlet at Giant Kelana Jaya didn't really appeal to me merchandise-wise. But this one at SACC Mall was a very decent one, I tell you!

Almost terlupa niat sebenarnya nak gi makan and check out another store heheh... while waiting for our dinner to arrive, I brought Adik in the stroller over to check out the clothes. Baru je pegang a few to try on, Hubby dah call - our food's arrived. Terpaksa la patah balik to eat first.

Ingatkan dah abis makan nak pegi sana balik... Malangnya, kedai-kedai ni semua tutup awal!!! 9.30 semua tutup ok! Having been accustomed to 1 Utama, The Curve and Ikano all closing at 10pm or later, that takes some getting used to... so abis makan, balik aje le jawabnye... huwaaa :(

Hmmm... ada la alasan nak ajak Hubby ke sana lagi lepas ni hehehe... It's so near compared to Putrajaya & Kelana Jaya kan? ;p Tapi esok pagi plan nak gi Ikea... camana ni???

Saturday, March 21, 2009

I need...

1 - New lipstick... my Stila is almost down to a stump... although I love the texture and colors Stila has, somehow I feel its lipsticks don't last very long... had the same problem with Clinique's... maybe these 2 brands don't really suit me? Been wanting to try Bobbi Brown or MAC, but not too sure what they'd be like... any advice out there?

2- New compact powder... ha, this one, I know I want Stila's... so no issue hehehe... just waaaaaaaiting for my paycheck to come in...

3 - New books... this is a constant need hehehe... do I get a mystery novel, a cookbook (bab ni Hubby will say 'Bilanye nak buat ni? Buku dah banyak dah...'), general knowledge, kiddie books? The list is endless....

4 - New clothes... huwaaaa.... my waist is slowly expanding again, and reducing my food intake (whenever I could, that is) hasn't made the least impact on my waistline... need to go to Belle soon la macam ni... Edmundser's stocks dah abis tengok dah, and my previous purchases macam dah tak muat aje... new baju kurung pun not a bad idea...

5 - Standing mirror (is that what people call it?)... that would fit nicely on the wardrobe delivered this afternoon... no more standing in the bathroom to check my tudung every morning, hurrah!

7 - Anniversary card (at least) for my parents... that's coming up really soon!!!

6 - More Munawwarah tudungs... hey, matching tudungs are always needed, plus old ones will need replacing hehehe... it can't hurt to continue building up my stock kan, and it's already been a while since I went to the shop...

7 - New bag? Hubby will stare daggers at me if he reads this... maybe not a bag then, not right now anyway... :p

To be honest, items 6 & 7 are more 'wants' rather than needs... but they're no less important than the others, are they? ;)








Side note on item 4 - is it just me, or do maternity clothes look really nice when you are NOT pregnant??? Time pregnant, takde pulak baju yang menarik... time takde plan ni mula la semua baju nampak lawa.... saw some really pretty ones at Motherclub earlier, the kind that you can wear even when you're not pregnant... can I just add the clothes to my wardrobe anyway, and use them now? As long as people don't really think I look pregnant, that should be OK la kan? :)

For the love of writing...

I was digging through some old papers in my parents' room some time ago (alright, they were my papers, menumpang diri in there ever since I had to move my bookshelves to her room before my wedding hehehe) looking for a copy of my degree, when I found several papers I'd written in the past.

Some were college assignments, others were drafts of papers, and some were actually my essays for my college applications written in 1996! Unfortunately, I didn't really take good care of the papers, so some had turned yellow and mouldy at the edges... luckily my high school certs were still OK! Those I had kept in the plastic folders, so are still in good condition.

What struck me as I browsed through the papers was how much I missed writing! Yea, I admit, I still write now - emails, notes, writeups of events at work, this blog - but it's not the same. Even my writing voice is not the same anymore. I remember enjoying my English Lit courses, the other optional Lit and Theater classes, anything with final papers to write. They were a pleasure to do! To analyse what I though the writer meant, what the pictures represented, what the images conjured... to me, they were the most enjoyable part of college classes! Of course my friends didn't agree hehehe... they'd rather sit through a final exam than write a final paper heheh...

Anyway, I thought I sounded more positive then, more hopeful, more cheerful... and more analytical, too, somehow... I wonder how I changed from that to what I am now... should I even want to write in the same voice as I did before? Would my material still be of the same mould, or has my life changed so much that what previously interested me would no longer hold the same appeal?

Over the years, I've wanted to go back to writing... even contemplating taking up long-distance writing courses (and UW-Madison happens to have a good program too!), but never managed to take that final step to enrol (I did ask for the program catalogue though hehe)... maybe I'll think about it some more and take the plunge, if only to satisfy myself... who knows, maybe I'll find my purpose through that... at the very least, I should continue to write for pleasure kan, which is where this blog comes in :)

And no, I didn't find any copies of my degree... the original's safely in my parents' safe deposit box... but there were plenty of my original transcripts hehe... hmm, I wonder, should I still keep them in case future needs calls for them? ;)



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I guess that's why I'm enjoying bloghopping... reading other people's thoughts, going through the different voices out there... the funny, the plain, the detailed, the poignant... so many people I can learn from! To all the bloggers out there, keep chronicling your lives ye!

Chocolate, anyone?

Was at Kinokuniya yesterday looking for a birthday present... I've been itching to buy new books, but couldn't decide on what to buy... so being able to buy something for someone else was good enough for me hehehe...

Paid for the books I chose, and while waiting for the sales staff to giftwrap it, I saw this at the counter...



Am dying to try the recipes out... and the book itself was a bargain!!! Only RM13.90! On my way out saw 2 more books, one about cookies and the other, muffins... maybe that should be my target for next week...

Now, to savor the delicious recipes in the book first...:) I think I wanna pop a piece of choc first before I proceed...

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

I did the Macarena with a ninja in line at the bank because I'm a Ninja!

Kihkihkih... Couldn't wait to do this once I got home... Thanks to Mrs Noba for the tag :)

Keep this going. Type out the sentence you end up with in the TITLE of your note and tag your friends.Have fun. :D


Pick the month you were born:

January-------I kicked

February------I loved

March--------I karate chopped

April----------I licked

May----------I jumped on

June----------I smelled

July-----------I did the Macarena With

August--------I had lunch with

September----I danced with

October-------I sang to

November-----I yelled at

December-----I ran over




Pick the day (number) you were born on:

1-------a birdbath

2-------a monster

3-------a phone

4-------a fork

5-------a snowman

6-------a gangster

7-------my mobile phone

8-------my dog

9-------my best friends' boyfriend

10-------my neighbour

11-------my science teacher

12-------a banana

13-------a fireman

14-------a stuffed animal

15-------a goat

16-------a pickle

17-------your mom

18-------a spoon

19------ - a smurf

20-------a baseball bat

21-------a ninja

22-------Chuck Norris

23-------a noodle

24-------a squirrel

25-------a football player

26-------my sister

27-------my brother

28-------an iPod

29-------a surfer

30-------a homeless guy

31-------a llama




What is the last number of the year you were born:

1--------- In my car

2 --------- On your car

3 ----------- In a hole

4 ----------- Under your bed

5 ----------- Riding a Motorcycle

6 --------- sliding down a hill

7 --------- in an elevator

8---------- at the dinner table

9 -------- In line at the bank

0 -------- in your bathroom




Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:

White---------because I'm cool like that

Black---------because that's how I roll.

Pink-----------because I'm NOT crazy.

Red-----------because the voices told me to.

Blue-----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want

Green---------because I think I need some serious help.

Purple---------because I'm AWESOME!

Gray----------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.

Yellow--------because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars

Orange--------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.

Brown---------because I can.

Other----------because I'm a Ninja!

None----------because I can't control myself!



Now type out the sentence you made, write 'em in my comment box and also as the TITLE line and tag your friends in the note!


I did the Macarena with a ninja in line at the bank because I'm a Ninja!


And now... passing the tag along to Fairy Godmother, and anyone else interested in doing so (sorry la... have not formally registered all the blogs I've been frequenting hehehe... any silent readers are welcome to do the tag & link back to me)

Saturday, March 14, 2009

That time of year... part 2

I knew it (insert cynical laugh here)...

Had a quick discussion with my boss right before we left the office last night... well, she said it's just a comment on my writeup, not yet a proper discussion...

But anyway... from the onset I could already get a sense of how she's going to do the appraisal...

I think I'm already immune to this by now, having 'suffered' the same way twice now... so the third time's not gonna break my spirit, would it?

All I know is.... as a superior, whatever you do, you should be fair to those who work with you, regardless of what the final outcome is. Rate people accordingly based on the results against the agreed standards, that's all.... please don't give excuses etc etc... don't say 'In the future, it'll be easier for you to get excellent ratings in your new position' - are you then saying it's hard for me to get it now, despite what I've achieved? Oh yea, that's right... you did say that... silly me... I can already see what's gonna take place, but time will show whether my hunch was right or wrong.

Never mind... I know what I've done, I know the efforts I've made... my rezeki is in the hands of a Higher Power...

I have always given my own staff their due recognition... insya-Allah I'll never forget to do that, despite whatever other people do to me...

Hai... camana la agaknya the actual discussion will be like?

Friday, March 13, 2009

That time of year...

Yes people, it's performance appraisal time!

For the third time in my working life (sedihnye... 3 kali je baru), I feel pretty good about my performance... kalau ikutkan my results against the agreed standards, I think I've exceeded quite a bit of them. Siap mintak Hubby's opinion as an outsider lagi hehehe...

However, I'm not keen to sit down with my superior and discuss my results... bukan apa, I can still remember what happened last year. I didn't do too badly, but somehow coming out from the discussion, it seems that even though what I delivered matched the agreed standards, she still felt it wasn't enough to give me a better than average rating... to me, that shouldn't be the issue, kan? Cos the standards were already agreed upon up front at the beginning of the financial year, so the appraisal should be based on those standards... but being me, jenis yang tak suka nak tegang-tegang leher defend diri sendiri, malas nak argue... I mean, the superior should know la what his/her subordinate has done throughout the year. Results pun I dah tulis sendiri, you be the judge la whether my self-rating is correct or not kan... at the end of the day, it's actually the ownership of the superior to decide on a fair rating and to defend the given rating to the committee... if you gave me anything less than what I deserve, Akhirat nanti jawab aje le...

So this year... my superior may change and do the review differently, but I dare not hope she has... cos if she hasn't, and it's gonna be the same thing all over again, then it's gonna be a meaningless exercise. It's not that I'm dying to get an excellent rating (I know the process... so many other people and factors come into play), but recognition from my immediate superior, if no one else, would definitely be a morale booster... otherwise, memang le buat keje tertonggang-terbalik semata-mata...

Oh well... we'll see how things go within the next few weeks... the submission deadline is looming... I'm soooo tempted to just submit my form and let my boss edit sendiri anything yang dia nak tukar kemudian...

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Friday expedition - Part 2

Did I say over? Hehehe... no no no... only over for me folks, not for other people!















After work, Hubby and I rushed to 1Utama to find a birthday present for Adik (yea... last minute, I know, but hey, it wasn't for a lack of trying tau!) We wanted to get him a toy, since between Kakak & Adik they've already got lots of nice books, but we're no good with toys... If you want me to find books as presents, consider it done! But toys are another matter altogether... I'm a bit picky when it comes to toys... I want them to be educational, but at the same time, fun and ageless, you know? So takde la abis season, tak usik lagi dah...

So, that explains why on the eve of his birthday, the luckless parents were still searching for something suitable... di Jusco dah tengok, Toys-R-Us KLCC pun dah tawaf... in the end we went back to 1Utama's Toys-R-Us, baru la jumpa! Got a little something for Kakak as well, so that she won't feel left out (Atok & Opah actually got them identical race cars, ok, supaya tak gaduh! Untungnye Kakak yang tak celebrate birthday lagi tu...). Hubby kindly picked up the tab for these...

Going to Toys-R-Us meant we went through Jusco on the kids' floor... saw a bunch of pajamas and t-shirts, and thought of Kakak's baju tidur yang dah senteng kakinya... bile dah nampak, apa lagi, amik je la terus kan? So we did... grabbed a bunch of cute pajamas (some were even on sale!), 3 pairs of leggings/pants for school, 4 new t-shirts for school, and a few kiddie suits for Adik as well... Yang ni I pulak la tanggung... for a total of 19 pieces, the cost wasn't too bad tau! That's why I love shopping at Jusco hehehe... boleh guna debit card lagi, kurang hutang plastik makcik...

Bile dah sampai rumah, rasa macam we went a little overboard pulak with the focus on Kakak... she ended up with lots of PJs, but Adik still needed a few more (which we didn't get!) Luckily some of Kakak's PJs can be handed down to Adik, so for the time being pakai je la dulu ye dik... itu pun mama dah pilih yang tak nampak girly sangat heheh...






And now, that was definitely the end of my shopping expedition for the day... until next time! :)

Friday expedition, Part 1

Has anyone ever tried one of those skin analysis things that the cosmetics/skincare companies' booths often have?



I've often wanted to do that, at least for the sake of finding out the 'true' condition of my skin. Last year, as I regretfully realize that I was approaching my 'tiga-puluh-sen' years, I noticed my skin was beginning to show some signs of needing more special care. When I was studying in the States, I used Clinique for my moisturizing needs (especially perfect for the Midwestern winters, I tell you!), but found it to be too rich for use here, so I switched to Oil of Olay. For years I've been happily relying on Oil of Olay for my skincare, but I realized at that point that it was no longer adequate for me. So I started using Biotherm, the Biosource and Aquasource line plus Source Therapie for normal/combination skin... I did that without trying out the skin analysis thingie though, so kire main agak-agak aje la keadaan kulit sendiri....





This year, after more than 8 months of using Biotherm and needing a fresh supply, the promotion booth set up near the KLCC lift area was extremely inviting hehehe... I figured this was as good a time as any to check out my skin condition after months of using the products. Yesterday being a Friday, I'd already surveyed the display setup while on the usual Friday ronda-ronda with my friend, so on the way back from work, I stopped by and did the analysis... and the result?


































My skin was not that dry (which I already knew by now hehehe), but apparently the range I was using is no longer that suitable for me!!! I need something that will provide me with increased moisture, so that the elasticity is increased... The recommendation? The Age Fitness range!


I had visions of that meaning I have old skin (oh no!!) but the consultant assured me that's not the case (yet!) But the analysis did highlight the area I've been neglecting (my eyes.... it was THAT obvious on the machine wooo..... got wrinkles, augh!), so she recommended the eye serum as well. Luckily for cleansing purposes, the Biosource range is still OK for me to use...

All in all, my supposed 'supply top-up' came up to quite a hefty sum.... huwaaaa!!! But this being the Isetan sale period, I did get the pretty white handbag and the miniatures as gifts, plus a few other extras... plus Isetan vouchers for each RM100 spent on cosmetics. So, not too bad la kan?




Tu la... masa memuda dulu (beberapa tahun dahulu aje le hehehe... am still young ok!) malas nak jaga kulit muka... nak cleanse pun punye la seksa, lagi la nak guna toner la, serum la... tahu letak moisturizer aje! Nasib jenis jarang pakai makeup... kalau tak sure lagi teruk muka kot! Now I'm paying for those years of neglect... huwaaaa!!!




And so, my shopping expedition for the day was over...

Hariz is 2!


Our handsome boy is now 2 years old... Happy Birthday Adik!
Among the things that I pray for on this day....
1) May our cute, adorable, active, cheeky boy continue to be the fantastic person that you are
2) May you grow up to be a good, God-fearing, well-mannered man, who treats everyone the way they should be treated
3) May you always be Mama's boy! Heheheh... any girl hoping to be with this man, watch out! You gotta win me over first beb...:p
4) May you find your life's purpose as you go on this wonderful journey
There are so many others, so let's just leave it at that...

Mama, Abah & Kakak love you!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Kutu oh Kutu...

Do you do Kutu?

We do! I say we, meaning my colleagues and I who are all bag-crazy hehehe...
It started in January... a group of us yang memang kaki handbag were just talking about the state of our finances in relation to our constant desire for bags and more bags. Someone suggested we start a kutu (for those not familiar with the term, it's basically a mutual fund collected from all the members on a monthly basis, for a certain amount of money. The duration of the kutu depends on the number of people involved, plus the sum we wish to get per person. Some of the rules may vary according to the group).

So anyway, after mulling over the idea, 5 of us agreed on the proposal. The kutu started in Jan 2009, and will run till at least June 2009 when all the members have received their share (yea, i know... 5 people, but 6 months? Two of the ladies decided to band together and pitch in another share, so technically they get the money twice. Genius, no? Hehehe...)

And I was lucky recipient No. 2!!!! Whooohooo!!! So I got my cut last week, bile gaji dah masuk, and I spent an enjoyable week thinking of what I'd like to do with the money. The stress I was feeling at work more than fuelled my shopping intent, as a means to relieve my tension.

And the result? Tadaaaaaa!!!!

















Behold my latest acquisition!!! The Parker Op Art Convertible Hippie, but in Khaki/Brown (seen here is Light Khaki/Sand - apparently the brown is not available on coach.com, but is here in the KL boutique). Gorgeous, just gorgeous! At first my friend and I spent a delightful hour browsing the Radley bags on sale at Isetan last Friday, but before I made my final selection, I just had to go and see if the boutique had put up the latest Spring collection for display. And it had! So my kutu's fate was sealed.... and to be strictly honest, I had to top it up a bit... hehehe...

If some people feel we are wasting our money during these hard times, that's entirely their opinion. Our rationale for doing this stems from the fact that it's actually a form of forced savings, since we'll have to fork out the money every month, and at the end of the day we've got the lump sum for us to do as we wish. We may or may not buy a handbag as originally intended, but if we do, at least it's from money we've saved over that period. And if we don't save it pun, it'll sure flow out of our wallets for other purposes without us noticing.... sob, sob...

Lest anyone else thinks we're spendthrifts, just for the record we've already paid off all our monthly obligations, put aside the necessary funds for savings, and have some money left over for our daily expenses... we're not mindless shopaholics, ok?

Sigh... Honestly, the high from that single purchase will be enough to sustain me through some tricky situations anticipated this month.... reliving the experience - bliss!

Potluck Party Ooh La La

Just hosted a potluck gathering at our place yesterday...

For the first time ever, we had a big bunch of people over (all Hubby's siblings, plus families, plus my parents-in-law), and man, was the house packed!

In Seremban, my in-laws' big house provided plenty of space for the kids to run around and play to their hearts' content, without disturbing the grown-ups' conversation. Yesterday, no such luck!

Earlier in the evening, the bigger kids went down to the pool, supervised by Hubby, his brother and his wife. Everyone then came back up to enjoy the potluck spread. We had sate & fried mihun, rendang & puding cendol (courtesy of my mum-in-law), nasi Arab, KFC, cakes and fruits galore, thanks to my bros & sis-in-laws. We the hosts provided the drinks and disposable ware hehehe... We were all pretty stuffed by the time the conversation turned serious.

We were discussing the family's plans for a group holiday this year. The last time we had such a trip was almost 3 years ago, so it was high time for another one. The general consensus is to have an outdoorsy holiday, to give the kids the experience of being in the great outdoors, sometime in Nov or Dec. It can't be any earlier, cos 2 of my sis-in-laws are delivering babies in April & June, and some of the kids have major exams coming up. So in the end, 1st choice was Eagle Ranch, PD... if that's a no-go, then someplace similar to that la yang kena dicari... As per our tradition, we'll be buying gifts for the kids, so guess who volunteered for that job??? :)

Anyhow, during this discussion, we had to put up with the kiddies watching TV just a few feet away... the hubbub, omigod! Kalah riuh sekampung! Hehehe... nak halau suruh main tempat lain, takde tempat dah! The rooms are all filled with things, so no room to play in as well. So the adults had to manage the discussion as best as we could. Nasib baik none of the neighbors complained heheh...

After the fun and frolic, spent this morning vacuuming and mopping (well, Hubby did the vacuuming heheh... thank you baby) up the mess, and after a spot of ironing, finally I could sit down to do some office work (and surf the web, obviously :p)

Feel like unwinding with a spot of window (or actual?) shopping later today.... and Hubby said yes! :) Whoooppeee!!!!