a plea for luck.

About a week ago, I began doing assignments. I have not been doing assignments for a long time now. I have never been much of a last minute person before and you would never see me staying up.

But about a week ago, I burnt the midnight oil like no one's business. For the fist time in my life, I didn't care much about how things turned out as long as I get the things bothering me out of the way. Once and for all.

For the first time in many years, I will be sitting for an exam tomorrow.

And like I said, I have never really been much of a last minute person before.

But forced into such situation, with so little time and so much to do, I think I just have to stay positive and hold on, as long as my eyelids can serve me. If they fail me (like this evening, Myra if you read this, you know now why I didn't call), I'll sleep like no one's business. If I didn't panic just now, I probably would have slept up until now.

This is nerve-wrecking and I don't think I have depended this much on (solely) luck for anything in my life before.

I can't wait to get my precious sleep back.

And for the first time in many years, I don't think I mind going back to the office.

I need all the luck in the world. Gulp.

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)

my reason for sit ups.

If there is one thing which I absolutely love doing after being married, it would be cooking (much to my mom’s chagrin because I hardly did back in TTDI).

I don’t know if its just me or I’m anal like that, but I get very territorial in the kitchen and once someone looks over me too much or tells me how to do things twice, tops, I get agitated and give that person the “if you know it so well, then why don’t you do it yourself” look and lose my mood to prepare whatever it is that I was preparing.

Mean, I know. But a necessary evil all the same.

Well, anyway, the transition from being unmarried to married has lead to many kitchen mishaps. For one, I almost lost a finger, remember?

Plus, I am so used to cooking for a household of 5 and my brother is always hungry (or he seems to be), I have had trouble budgeting the amount of food to cook. And trust me; no one trusts anyone else apart from me where budgeting is concerned because I am The Master. I claim so myself because it’s tested and proven.

And then, when I get my budgeting right and convince myself that “3 pieces of chicken is enough to feed the both of you, dimwit, not 5 or 7!” (I mean, how long can I stand looking at my husband’s gorged eyeballs, while he gives me the “ARE YOU CRAZY?” look every time dinner is served?), I have trouble with salt.

I get my portions right, but I get my flavours wrong. I cook the right amount of chicken or fish but I make gravy enough to feed a platoon of soldiers (hyperbolically speaking, of course). But day in, day out, it’s always salt that I’m having trouble with.

But Alhamdulillah.

Many days have passed since and I have been trying my best to cook when I can. I’m traditional in the sense that I feel some kind of fulfillment at the end of the day if I am able to stuff my husband with good home-cooked food, much to his horror at times because I still do get a ‘lil overzealous with the portions. Haih.

And that means that I now eat more as well (I get hungry looking at him eat) and that has caused me perut lipat-lipat (imagine a multi-tiered cake without any cake stand in your head), which in turn has forced me to do sit ups before going to bed. Night before last, I did 25. Last night, I did 15.

Please don’t ask me why there has been a reduction in number. I’m weird like that. Hahahaha.

Well, anyway, despite getting all worked up and insecure about my expanding midriff, I do still indulge in all the worldly goodness of all things sweet. After all, a ‘lil bit won’t hurt, right, right? Wrong, I know.

Anyways, the point of this entry (when I began writing it just now) was merely to share a pancake recipe which I whipped from ThePinkStiletto’s Blog. It’s mighty easy to make and can be prepared even on weekday mornings before work (provided you wake up early enough, of course).

Well, here goes the recipe (which I improvised because I didn’t have some of the things in my house) –

Dry Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
a pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients
1 egg
1 tsbp oil (I feel that one is enough already)
1 cup milk (preferably HL because it already has a vanilla taste)
if not, just add a tiny bit of vanilla essence

Instructions
1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. In a different bowl, mix all the wet ingredients.
3. Then, pour the mixed wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients gradually until all clumps of flour have dissolved.
4. Take out a non-stick pan (preferably) and pour pancake mixture.
5. Watch the pancake.
6. The sure sign that you can already turn it is when you see tiny holes forming in the mixture (I know I should be more helpful by giving a pictorial tutorial, but didn’t get to snap a photo, sorry).
7. Once most of the surface is covered with holes, flip it to the other side.
8. And then, you’re ready to eat (please take it off the pan first okay. unless of course you're real hungry)

And here’s a photo to make you drool (hopefully) on this lovely, rainy Friday afternoon.

just drizzle maple syrup or honey and you're good to go!

Happy trying!

Perhaps you can make it for tea, today!

p.s.: The mugs at the back were wedding gifts. I think that person is my reader :) Many thanks to you for the gift! We love it and used it right away! :)

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Limbo

Of late, I have been reading a lot. And my reads have been from quite a number of ranges; chic lit, literary and magazines, to name a few.

I discovered this thing about myself; I suffer from intolerable inferiority complex each time I read the Reader’s Digest. Really. Every time I pick that small reading material up and delve deep into the short stories, tips and jokes in it, I feel inadequate in a way I cannot quite comprehend myself.

After all, it’s just a Digest, for crying out loud!

In my opinion, to come up with a reading material which is short, sweet and precise takes a lot more skill and effort than writing a chic lit book.

And for that, I always end up in a limbo – a writing limbo, that is. Hence this blog suffers my silent treatment as I attempt to get over my idiocy of not being able to come up with something interesting enough to even keep myself reading until the end of the entry.

Hence, until I get over my inferiority that my English is equivalent to that of a primary school goer, I will continue writing nothing of substantial value or significance.

And here I thought at the beginning of this post that I would pledge to stop writing nonsense for a while. But really, did you really think I would give up rambling?

Nah. Not in a million years. Who on earth was I kidding?

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tiupan.

“I was a commoner, I was not trained in the field of administration, economics or finance. But you can learn if you want to learn. The best reward is not monetary gains but the results of your effort,” he said.

Source

So, yes.

I am aware that the number of people who love him is equivalent to the number of people who feel otherwise.

But this wise old man has just said something so simple; that it goes right to the core of things.

Okay, Tun.

I will forget how much I don't like what I hate sometimes and try to learn what I was never taught to know.

Please live long enough to teach my children the values you are passing on to us.

God Bless.

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lipgloss.

He called me over lunch to ask me what I'm doing. I was having lunch alone. Didn't feel like going out because of terrible tummy upset.

Then, he told me that I should have told him so that we could have lunch together.

Then, he told me he "merajuk" and "nak pakai lipgloss".

OMG.

That just transports me back to yesterday. Yes, yesterday, the mother of all funny things.

Yesterday morning, we woke up earlier than normal. And since I had already boiled some eggs the night before, I knew that I wouldn't have to rush so much to make his breakfast.

But,

somehow, we were still late. In fact, I arrived at the office at 8.00 a.m. SHARP okay? How scary is that? I have to be at the office before 8.00 a.m. okay?

At home before heading for work, I told him that it was weird that we were still late, although we woke up early.

Know what he said?




He said it's because I main-main in the kitchen! 

I got sooooo pissed off sampai merajuk takmau cakap the whole way to the office. Main-main? That's your breakfast I'm making, husband!

But the funny thing is, I love to talk and that means that if I can't talk (or don't want to by choice), I have to do something else.

Guess what I did???






I PUT LIPGLOSS ON!

Okay, so other people won't see how funny this is. But he does. Because he knows that I'm not the make-up type of person (not even lipgloss) and so yesterday, when he was trying to pujuk me in the car, and I finally looked his way pouting, imagine how surprised he was to see his wife's lips with lipgloss on! Sumpah kelakar muka dia punya terjekut. HAHAHAHAHAHA.

Now, he is going to use this against me for the rest of our lives.

I don't know what applying lipgloss on has got to do with merajuk. But it sure was funny alright. His face was an even funnier sight. AHAHAHAHHAHA.

Seriously, I am very grateful for all the amusing things in life we have found together ;)

Lipgloss indeed ;)

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constant laughter.

Alhamdulillah.

"... despite everything, we both conceded to the fact that yesterday must have been the funniest day in our married life, so far..."

You make me feel like dancing :)


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wrong foot

I wonder.

Have you ever felt anger over so many things, you just feel like screaming your head off and then, whack that person or persons for the matter because you just can’t take it anymore?

I feel that way right now.

I feel like giving the people from JUSCO a piece of my mind. Wait. I already have and now, I just feel like giving them 2 pieces of my mind (as if I have that much to give away to begin with) because I am exhausted at their non-existent professionalism and efficiency, even their members’ day can’t make up for all their inefficiency, I feel like I’m burning inside. You just wait for my complaint email. I am not joking. Even then, I don’t think my anger would subside unless I get to literally hit someone until they pass out.

I feel like giving some people a whack on their heads because they just have to own up and stop acting dumb and stop being afraid of being wrong or stupid because acting like you are so clever is actually stupider and please, for the life of me, stop freaking whining because it ain’t pretty.

I want to concentrate on certain things. But I can’t concentrate on certain things because some people can’t make up their minds and really, don’t they have anything better to do apart from the things they are doing? Because, trust me, I have a lot of other things to do.

Imagine. I woke up on the right side of the bed (literally) and I still feel like crap and only half the day has passed.

To make matters worst, my car smells like freaking cow dung.

Just one of those days. Yes, one of those days.

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tak puas.

Pernah tak rasa macam tak puas?

Tak puas tengok gambar, I mean.

I got the softcopy of nikah album already. It was sent to me for proofing before they proceed with printing. There were only minor details which I requested for amendments. And overall, saya sangat berpuas hati with all the editing and the selection of photos.

Tapi itulah, how long should you look at your wedding photos and rasa tak puas? Rasa macam pengantin (tak berapa tua) yang tak malu pulak, asyik-asyik reminicsing, tapi seriously, lepas dah kahwin, tak puas tengok gambar kahwin sendiri. Membuak-buak lain macam perasaan tu.

Sekarang tengok gambar nikah rasa like, "wow!", I would do it all over again (with same person of course), sebab the feeling masa tu memang cannot be replaced with anything. Mungkin bila dah ada pengalaman bersalin, I would be overwhelmed with that pulak.

But for now, rasa macam nak post the entire album kat sini bagi semua orang tengok sebab saya happy sangat with the outcome.

Tapi, tak perlu lah. I'll just leave you with some of my favourites. Okay? Tapi rest assured my favourites ada banyak ;)

photo credits to Fotoeve.

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heyya, soul sisters

I have been out of the “scene” for a long time.

I haven’t seen anyone apart from my immediate family, my in-laws, my husband, my officemates and Mamita.

So, it’s no surprise that I miss my girls a lot. It doesn’t help (me) that they all live and work close to each other. They are so accessible to each other while I feel so distant; both emotionally and physically.

So, I told them I missed them.

And the next thing I know, we were planning an impromptu coffee evening together at the obvious choice of venue – Starbucks.

There were only 4 (+1 had to go back to an emergency so kesian) of us, but there was so much to talk about. I think we stayed there until close to 8 p.m., talking about life, money, people and change.

Sopex is right. 2010 saw growth in many of us. Maturity is the name of the game now. Change is the theme. And all for the better, insyaAllah.

We came to realise that at this age, we can’t help but to be picky and choosy about whom we are friends with. It cannot be helped if we are no longer on the same page with some people because of the different wavelengths we are at.

I’m not saying that a cat can’t talk to a dog; they can eventually be friends if they try hard enough. It’s just that the language they speak becomes a (huge) barrier. So, people tend to stick to those of their own kind. It’s human nature.

xx

I used to feel really bad about leaving this particular person in the dark as to why I suddenly distanced myself. Some phone calls have gone unanswered and many text messages have come and gone with no response. And it’s been going on for about 2 years maybe?

At first, I thought that all I needed was a little bit space. But after a while, I know for a fact that it’s more than that. I actually wanted out. I felt comfortable without. Not responding is probably not a very healthy way to tell a person I need the space/ time out, but sometimes, nothing else works apart from silence.

So to that person To Whom It May Concern, I’ve got this to say; it has got nothing to do with hate or the fact that I don’t like you. It’s just that I have come to accept the fact that I can no longer be on the same page with you and there is no more of that “comfortable silence” when we are together. Our priorities and lives have shifted and to me, there is nothing else to it when there is no logic lying in between us due to the things which have happened. It was great, but it cannot be great anymore when I fail to understand certain things and come to realise that I no longer have the energy to understand them.

xx

I can’t help but want to talk to and meet people who understand me better. Even we may drift apart some day, but for now, I’m glad we’re friends.

To many more great impromptu evenings, girls ;)

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don’t be an idiot.

When I mention the word “terlelas”, do you know what I am talking about?

Some people understand me, but most don’t, unless I mention the word with a little bit of motion.

I have been obsessed with many, many things of late and one of my obsessions include pancakes. And no, not just eating them, but rather, making them. I guess I miss baking but I don’t have a Kenwood Chef (yet) where we are staying and so, anything involving a little bit of floor would do for now.

On Maulidurrasul, we did alot of cleaning, ironing, mopping. By the end of all that, I knew that I had to treat myself to some pancakes. I made the batter and was ready to put them on the pan. I decided that I needed some butter and reached for the knife. Then, I thought, since it’s butter, I might as well use the butter knife, right?

Right. That was one of the best decisions I made that day.

In all my impatience, I decided to not wait for the butter to reach room temperature. That’s okay. But against my better judgement, I decided to NOT use the chopping board and held the butter in my hand.

The knife went through the butter, but seconds later, I also realised that it went through something else.











My finger, that’s what.

The top part of my skin (on my middle finger, if I may add) was almost completely severed. I would have been okay if it had not bled so much, but it did and the skin was flipping and I saw a tiny bit of my flesh while I left my finger under the running water. I called my husband who came running to the kitchen. He got me ready and we went to a clinic. Good decision. I was bleeding non-stop.

We got the finger treated with “Epiglu”. It was supposed to “sew” the top part of my finger back to my middle finger. I don’t think its working. It doesn’t hurt much anymore, but it bleeds when knocked against hard surfaces.

The point I’m trying to make is that... well, if you are intuitive like me, LISTEN hard to your intuitions. I had a premonition that something like that would happen, hence my butter knife decision, but didn’t listen to my head when it shouted “chopping board!”.

Your palms are not chopping boards.

(Ikea) butter knives are deadly. Keep out of reach of children. And adults who think their palms are chopping boards.

I think I deserve this. For not listening to my mom (when I cut my finger, her voice was echoing in my head *nanti terlelas jari, girl multiply by 100 times per second*. For not listening to my husband. For not listening to myself.

(the reactions I got when I told my parents were surprising. I thought Mama would be the one who would get all panicked, but nooooo, Babah was the one who got all worked up because I cut my hand. haha. Daddy’s girl sangat)

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fifteen eleven.

I think I’m done with weddings. I think. The only thing I haven’t reviewed on is probably the difference between the spa at Tanamera and the one at Jentayu. I can still remember both experiences well, but I don’t feel like reviewing them at the moment, so let’s just talk about other things.

So many things have happened in this past week.

And yet, I have been so quiet, why’s that? Because I was an idiot, that’s why. But let’s talk about that one in a different post as well.

On my birthday (which was a week ago exactly), I received many texts and facebook messages. Favourite question for the day was – how’s life as a missus?

Well, I’ll tell you what’s different.

tormented soul

I woke up next to a guy, that’s one. And the “best” thing is that the moment I opened my eyes to greet the world, he kept tormenting me about how old I was. =.=" Hmmppphh. So, yeah. That’s 2 things there.

We were supposed to begin the day with Broga but of course, despite the many alarm(s) (!!!) we set, we weren’t alarmed at all. Slept all the way past sunrise like a baby. Hmmmmppph.


I'm a better jumper than basketballer


So, as a substitute, my husband taught me how to play basketball instead. That kind of like became a defining moment of some sort as it confirmed that I suck at ball games. *No wonder I didn’t join any back in school.* We had a quick breakfast afterwards and then got ready.

As I was brushing my hair, someone (who else could it be apart from my husband?) conveniently spotted something on my head. 2 grey hair, that’s what!!! So, that makes it 3 things different as a missus already. On my own, I would’ve never spotted those grey hairs (they were in my “blind spot”). I told him to chop it off. He chopped off like 6 strands of hair, even the black ones =.="

We got ready and headed for Jusco Balakong. Yeah, I know. So romantic right? Jusco Balakong? Whatever for?

Well, as I mentioned here, I was obsessed with the Panasonic washing machine priced at RM 598.00. The entire week before my birthday, my husband had patiently brought me to every single electrical shop I wanted to go to, but I knew that his patience was waning so I promised him that the next place we went to, I would just buy it already. So, we bought the washing machine, FINALLY. Hahaha.

He told me that he would take me to The Curve for my birthday treat, but first, Mamin and Amed invited us for lunch since we didn’t make it to their house-warming party before. I happily obliged.

Mamin made spaghetti Bolognese and bandung soda *yumyumyum drool*.

The next thing I know, a huge butterscotch pecan cake *pecan my favourite thing in the world!* came out of nowhere and I was gobsmacked. And silenced. I mean, who is this man with the huge cake and where did you hide my husband? Hahaha. I never in a million years thought that that was my surprise birthday party! Didn’t have an inkling of an idea. AT ALL.

I know, I should be ecstatic rather than shocked (I was ecstatic later), it was my birthday after all. But you know, for the past 6 years, when we were just friends, he had never surprised me like that before. It took me a while to get used to all the attention and fussing and then, when I felt that overwhelming feeling flooding over me, I just felt like hugging that man. Like wow, Abdul. I didn’t expect that at all!

What ensued was a great day. I was surrounded by good, fun loving people. We all went furniture hunting, which we all loved. I got myself a haircut *which my husband thought was a waste of money because I didn’t look much different* We ended the day stuffing our faces with meatballs.

And I am more than sure that I went to bed smiling widely that night. Oh, how I love being married. I feel so loved and content. Even with the simplest things in life ;)

Shy to comment? Well, never mind! Your reactions mean the world to me! Make me smile today :)