Dee.

Sometimes, even when you don’t intend to be a bad friend, you can’t help being one due to the surrounding circumstances. It’s lame to blame circumstances, I know. But when we don’t want to blame ourselves, that’s what we all do.

But realizing and not being ashamed to make up for our mistakes makes us become friends, even if we’re not so good ones. So, a belated “shower” for her it was.

We bulldozed the roads last two Saturdays, even when we hadn’t an inkling of where we were going.

And after many mindless (and not to mention fruitless) arguments with the GPS, we made it to the Mommy-to-Be’s abode, which, if I may add, is LOVELY!

Poor Mommy was just finishing lunch but the rest of us were FAMISHED! So, we mommy-napped her (with her husband’s permission of course) and took her out for some dessert at Empire.

Auntie Batul managed to talk to Baby D (while she was still in the womb) and told Baby D of her “planned schedule”. It was real funny how Batul talked to the tummy and told Baby D, “Auntie Batul will be here until Wednesday okay Baby? My bus is on Wednesday afternoon.” So specific, that we couldn’t help laughing like crazy! AHAHAHAHA

Apparently, Baby D was listening and Auntie Batul’s wish to see her before she went back to Singapore came true. Our dearest Jaja gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on 5th July 2011.

Welcome to the world, Baby Dahlia. You have brought joy to our hearts with your presence.

So pretty this Amoi :')

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

to good times with good friends.

I was never good at making (or keeping) friends before these people. It’s probably because I enjoy my own company most of the time and think that I can survive being in this world on my own.

But they taught me otherwise. They taught me that you can have good friends whom you can rely on and slip into conversation with even after not meeting up with for eons. That things shouldn’t change just because you start living in different states or in our case… different countries.

And so, two Fridays ago, when our Batul told us that she would be home from Singapore for a while, I couldn’t say no to meeting up with them. Even if it was at The Gardens, on a Friday night, where the traffic would be massive.

But of course, it’s always when you plan a perfect Friday that it doesn’t turn out so perfect. I had to attend some meeting later that evening and FB messaged them telling them of my predicament. They then gave up their table for eight when it looked like only the four of them would show up.

But us two, we came albeit a lil’ late.

And I couldn’t have been more glad that I made an effort to just make it that night.

It was so good. The food was good and the company… the company speaks for itself. It was a celebration of sorts, I must say – for Batul coming home (although just for a short while) and for our dear Din who began working that week.

The poor boy was "robbed" of his money that night and if he has a beef with Alexis now, I wouldn’t be so surprised. His money turned out to be the joke of the night but it was all in jest, of course. All in good fun. In a nutshell, it was just a lovely, lovely night.

With my most favourite people in the world. ♥

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the way of the world.

Generally, in this world, there are 2 sets of people -

(a) they are smart and they know it. They are beautiful and they know it. And they act on it; and


(b) they are smart but they don't know it. They are beautiful, but have no idea how much they turn heads. And so, everything just looks "natural" because they are acting naturally.

More often than not, people love Set (b) because their obliviion somehow makes them classy, mysterious, humble.

But, like it or not, everyone will remember Set (a), even if in a bad light.

Eventually, Set (b) will go unnoticed because they couldn't even bother to notice themselves.

Sometimes, even if it's good to be Set (b), it's good to have a certain degree of Set (a) in us because that's just the way of the world.

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flowy flow

feeling tourist-y ;)

Remember I told you that I had blisters and was dying for "Crocs Bohong?".

Well, it turned out that I didn't need to buy any counterfeit products after all.

I found them perfect shoes at BATA! Hahaha. I actually went in to see some other shoes and when I spotted them (those shoes I am wearing in the photo above), I knew that I had to give my poor feet its much deserved rest. Guess how much I got them? Less than 2 red bills! Such a steal! Even I was surprised. Heehee.

***

On a side note, these days, I am trying to vary my style.

Once, I blogged about how I wished I wore more clothes which matched my age, but I came to realise (after many red bills passed between me and many cashiers) that I am a "t-shirt and jeans girl" at heart and that the only way I would feel completely like myself was if I stuck true to my simple style.

But... that doesn't stop me from loving dresses and flowy clothing. So, every once in a while, I do go out in skirts or dresses. It's a good thing that they are in fashion these days, so, they're pretty easy to find.

I'm not really brand conscious and that makes things easier, I guess?

What I wore that day was -
Top - Nichii
Inner - TZ
Skirt - some shop in Nilai 3 (hahaha, random kan?)
Shoes - Bata
Handbag -Carlo Rino (the story of how I bought it are here and here)

I think I trump Cleo Magazine anytime where wearing below RM100 is concerned ;)

***

Oh, speaking of skirts, notice that I linked Wardrobe Wishes at the sidebar? The owners are my friends and so, I thought I'd do them a favour. Their new skirt collections are selling like hot cakes! Why don't you click and make your wardrobe happy today, yes? ;)

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

different kind of -zilla

Apart from meeting my in-laws and my extended siblings and the food and the fact that I can completely relax in Melaka, there is one more thing that makes going back to Melaka something we look forward to.

Surpise, surprise.

We LOVE "the pau". Uhuh.

Not just because we love pau, no. I'm normally not even crazy about pau in the "I must have or I will die" kind of way. But this one. This one makes you crazy just thinking about it!

I've only tried 2 flavours though, so I can't say for the rest, but take my word for it that the Pau Ayam (Chicken Pau) and Pau Kaya are delicious! I mean, I don't know about you but I can no longer find huge chunks of chicken when I buy pau in KL or anywhere else. This one? You'll probably find like 3 pieces of chicken in one pau, I kid you not! And the kaya is so delicious. Like the one you get from really old kopitiams or... like the ones we used to buy from Uncle Roti Bai, remember?

(Oh, I just remembered, my mom-in-law did taste the Pau Kacang (Red Bean) and she said that the red bean was too mashed up. Taste wise, it was okay, I guess?)

But whatever the rest of the pau taste like, I can certainly guarantee you that the Pau Ayam and Pau Kaya will not disappoint.

Just in case you're wondering, it's not sold in a shop or anything. It's actually sold by the road side, just outside Petronas Cheng. Yup, just look for Petronas Cheng and a very skinny kakak with a Kenari and you're in for a gastronomical experience (over sikit tapi sedap sungguh!).

Happy trying if you go to Melaka!

couldn't stop laughing when I saw this. I am indeed a Pau-zilla every time I'm in Melaka.

HUGE don't you think so?

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jum jalan lagi

(I actually wrote this on Friday)

Phew! Finally some time to breathe.

These past few days have been SO hectic!

I have missed blogging dearly. Hello, whoever out there who has been, is and just started reading. Sorry to disappoint but it has become increasingly difficult to update due to many reasons.

But all has been well and it's all coming to an end now.

(Hopefully this coming weekend will be just as exciting as the last.)

Last weekend was balik Melaka week. I drove (alone!!!) to Melaka after work because husband went earlier to attend to some work there and boyyyyy, driving alone is so boring! I was so, so sleepy, you have no idea, I'm telling you. The fact that it was night time didn't help at all. But I've got to say that I surprise myself a lil'. Thought I wouldn't be able to make it.

I've always loved Melaka for many reasons. And one of them, most definitely... is the FOOD! Uhuh! I SUPER LOVE THE FOOD THERE! In fact, once upon a time (not too long) ago, I imposed on my husband (then boyfriend) this "Tiga J rule" where we had to go to Jonker, Jiki and Jalan-jalan every time I got the chance to go to Melaka.

But... now that we're married, of course we (read: more like ME) have to behave more and stay at home with the in-laws when we are in Melaka. Lest they think that my parents haven't taught me well. Heehee.

But... having said that, my husband does spoil me a lil' and even though we didn't get to go for our Tiga J activities, he brought me out to Jonker and alot of Jalan-jalan in Melaka town. We had a really good time walking here there and everywhere and dancing to the "Beca Beats". Syiok gila!

I didn't enjoy one part of the whole day though (which was actually no one's fault but mine). I made this mistake of wearing heels (albeit only tiny ones) and walked as if I was invincible and guess what? That's a no-brainer there, I think? I ended up with blisters, of course!

My husband didn't help at all and kept teasing me. Every time we had to cross the road, he would tell me to "RUN!" Macam mana nak lari if kaki sakit laaa???!!! So, I told him that I wanted to buy a pair of "Crocs bohong" which was met with much objection of course. Turns out that I didn't need to look for "Crocs Bohong" at all because got myself a better bargain ;)

Anyways, when we were in Jonker, we went to Jonker 88 (where else) and to my huge disappointment, the Baba Laksa was GONE! Every single drop of it! For crying out loud, it was only 6.30 p.m. We even thought we were early. Haih. Better luck next time I guess. Ended up eating the Assam Laksa, which was not bad at all, just wasn't what I really wanted.

I've got to say though, due to all the hype they're getting, their quality has somewhat... declined (???). I thought that their cendol was too runny. Not at all how I remember it to be. Hmm.

Well, here are some photos of last weekend anyways.

Sukanya dapat ice cream goreng! We've been looking for it for the past 6 months!

Double chin. Quadruple cheeks. Haih.

Assam Laksa and the DILUTED cendol. Sigh.

Oh, and now that we can no longer do out Tiga J activities, I've decided to call it Jum Jalan Lagi instead. Sounds just as good, don't you think ;)

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Sunday Perfection

Since we stay in Putrajaya, we hardly go to malls for our dates. After all, the closest to us (apart from Alamanda) is Mines Shopping Mall and we have more or less gone in and out of all of the shops there.

Another reason why we don't go to malls much is because there's really nothing much to look for. So, if we go shopping without a shopping list, it becomes an increasingly difficult task to refrain from buying things we don't need.

But last weekend we had the kenduri arwah. We also planned on going to Melawati on Sunday morning for Nia's aqiqah (but we didn't, we're so sorry!!!) so, of course, it was best to sleep at my parents'.

But after waking up and having some breakfast, I got some snuggle time with Mama and one conversation dragged to another until my husband got bored and by the time we were done gossiping, it was already almost 12.30 p.m.

My husband said that it was superbly kureng of us if we just showed up to eat, so we didn't go to Nia's aqiqah after all. Maafkan kami, maafkan kami, maafkan kami!

Later that afternoon, since we were already in TTDI, we decided to go to The Curve. Yip Yip Yippee! IT HAS BEEN SO LONG! Rasa jakun yang tak terbendung. Heehee.

And since we sort of got some kind of "bonus" on Sunday, we decided to put the money to some good use - FOOD!

Had a tough time choosing what to eat and in the end we chose Gardens for some late lunch.

I already knew that we were going to have chicken for dinner. And I normally order the Carbonara or Lamb Shank, so I thought it was a good idea to order some fish. Well, it was a good idea as the dish as a whole (Grilled Barramundi + mashed potatoes + steamed vege) was delicious!

But... after 2 bites later, I told my husband,

"Encik, saya rasa dia rasa macam ikan siakap."

So, he tried my dish and agreed that it does taste like ikan siakap.

Hmm.

So, out of curiousity, I looked it up because the similarity is just... uncanny.

Well, now, I don't wonder anymore why my dish tasted like ikan siakap.

Barramundi tu nama glamour je!

Say hello:

to Barramundi

 and ikan siakap


And the girl who was seriously "blur" that Barramundi and my good ol' ikan siakap is the same.

i wanted to do a silly pose but accidentally drank that citrus-y drink. ended up looking like this.haha

Sunday at its best! :)

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satu tahun sudah.

One year plus.

That's how long it's been.

June has always been a month of challenges. But last year's challenge must have been the biggest (so far). While I was juggling work and engagement preparations, my Atuk passed away.

He's never been sick before. Not with a chronic or terminal disease, at least. So, I think we all thought that he would shake his cold off and he would bounce back to his old self and stay with us forever.

But of course, we all have to go, eventually.

And the moment he had to put adult diapers on, he knew it was time. He had so much pride, that old man. No way was he going to put his children through so much trouble, while seeing him in such state. And he knew that that was not the way he wanted to spend the rest of his life. Of course, Allah knew better. And I think Allah knew best that this time last year, was the best time for Atuk to leave. So he did.

I think our family generally dealt with Atuk's passing better than we did when Nenek left. But after Atuk's passing, we all became changed people. It's as if nothing was there to bind us anymore.

Obviously, Atuk was a force to be reckoned with.

He lived 94 very good years. He was loved and cherished. He still is.

And I don't think anyone will stop missing him. But thoughts of him are always happy thoughts. Which is why in a sombre occasion, we still smile for him.

And let's hope that our prayers reach Allah and benefit him in the other world where he is now.

Amin.

Some photos before and after the kenduri arwah.

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FFTO activities

 
Yesterday, I fasted. I'm quite infamous for ganti puasa lambat and this year is no exception.

You see, when you love to eat but you can't eat, your brain starts to crave many things. And so... I thought that going to Alamanda wasn't such a good idea.

So I went home. Like I always do on Fridays.

And the moment I arrived, I had this lightbulb moment on how to properly "waste" my lunch hour.

Ended up making these babies.

Oh my. It was so satisfying. I wasn't sure if it would taste good (which it damn well does by the way) but the smell... the smell was enough to make me salivate. Aum.

This is my second attempt in making buttercream/icing. But this time it turned out loopy and runny just like the last time.

I think it's time I enrolled into cake decorating classes. It'll be such a waste to be able to bake good cakes yet know very little how to decorate them, right?

Does anyone have any idea on how to make good buttercream/icing without using eggwhites?

Mine was a simple mixture of butter, icing sugar and milk and it still turned out runny.

I want my cakes to look pretty!

HELP!

For the record, it took only an hour an a half for me to bake the cake. Including prep time, cooling time and icing time.

So proud of myself. Heehee.

Jemput makan!

They bind. They break.

If you think of it properly, I am sure that we've all been brought together by a guy before.

Uhuh.

A guy.

Ala. You know. Those people you become friends with because of a guy. I've been there before. That much I know.

It's easy to make friends when you're talking about guys, don't you think so? "My boyfriend is like this." "My boyfriend is like that." Or "My ex was such a jerk" "He was like this." "He was like that."

Yeah. Those things surprisingly bind women together because it's easy to find something in common when we talk about guys. They are either uber sweet. Or total jerks. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you get something in between.

Either way, it's nice to share.

Because "guy stories" are so easy to relate to.

But... in some cases, guys not only bind but they tear girls apart too.

Yeah. They do. I've been there too.

At the point in time when we allow guys or any particular guy to come between us, it all makes perfect sense.

Because... she is supposed to be your friend so she should understand you most, right? So now that the guy has hurt you, the last thing your friend should do is to go and get all buddy-buddy with the guy, right?

Yeah. To a certain degree, it is right.

But we can only control so much if we are not adults. Now that we are, there is every reason we should act more rationally, and deal with the situation in a much, much more mature manner.

And that includes being civil and not avoiding our friend just because she now goes out with your ex.

It makes perfect sense to feel hurt. Betrayed. Feel like a million lil' things no one can understand. It's logic. We're human, aren't we?

But throwing away years and years of rock solid friendship over a guy?

It's not worth it.

Trust me.

Because believe me, I've done that before. It felt good when I did it. But now that many years have passed, all I can say is that we were all so stupid.

So stupid to fall into that web.

So, you shouldn't ditch your friendship over a guy too.

I'm not blind. Nor am I stupid. I observe more than you think.

"wrong" thoughts.

I read a lot of blogs. And when I mean a lot, I mean it.

I'm one of those people who don't link anyone, not because I don't read anyone else, but rather, because I did it once before and when I changed my blog template, I lost them all. And never really found the drive to find those links and link them again.

But that doesn't stop me from reading other people because after frequenting their blogs for so long, I've committed their addresses to memory.

I noticed that these days, if any blog post is anything more than 2 paragraphs, people will not read it.

Unless it is about your wedding, your fight/sweet moment with your husband, some scandal or gossip or about your baby/kids or if you're filthy rich and famous and well, the occasional tips gets some hits as well.

I would know. From the number of responses I get from my entries, I know that that is the blogging trend in Malaysia.

When I began blogging in 2004, I wrote about everything. Everything that I did, everything that I said, everything that I felt. It was kind of a no-holds barred situation, where I trusted my blog enough to keep my deepest darkest secrets. Just like you, you and you. Yes you – whose blogs I frequent.

Nowadays though, I have become a lot more... cryptic?

I don't know why. Oh, wait. I DO know why, who am I joking.

It's like this.

When I read other people, I tend to think that they trash other people too openly. Or that they are too emotional. Or that whatever it is that they decided to write is too personal and not suitable for all audiences. Or repetitive. Or that their writings concentrate too much on a certain subject matter and so, I tend to think that that is all their live revolves around. Or that they are trying so hard to emulate other people's lifestyles to a point of being superficial and fake. Or that some people think that the world revolves around them, and them only. Or...

Well, I think you get my drift don't you?

In the end, there are only so little blogs that you can really read with respect. The rest? Well, as for the rest, I only have repect for their dilligence in updating ever so frequently, no matter how mindless or unnecessary those updates are.

Point is that when I read others' blogs, there are bloggers who I want to be and who I don't want to be like.

And that got me thinking – why am I being so judgmental about other people's blogs?

After all, the rest of you, you and you also signed up for free with Blogger, agreed to abide by the terms and conditions and well, if I don't like your blog so much, I did have the option of not visiting you, right?

So I thought, it's not impossible that out there in the "blogosphere", at least one more person feels the way I do. And I won't be suprised if some bloggers/readers out there think that I'm not a good blogger too (judging from the reactions I get to my entries - which is close to none).

But because we're human, we continue visiting those we don't like. And judge some more.

In the end, the most basic human needs are translated through our writings.

We want to be liked/loved/accepted by society. No matter how much we say we don't care what other people think about us, it's the truth isn't it? That's why sometimes we write what we think other people want to read so that we would continously get good reactions from our audience, when we're not really just what we write.

We (women especially) love to share. We want people to know where we live, what we bought, what we cooked, where we went. Even if people didn't react to it, we would want them to KNOW that we have those things, bought those things, did those things. That we have a life of some sort.

We (Malaysians, especially) love gossip. We love food. We love weddings. We love love. We love conflict. Nothing else. This is also reflected in the "Most Read Links" of online local newspapers. Don't believe me? Try visit TheStar for once.

We love to bash other people openly and we love it when some stranger bashes that person as well, without knowing head and tail of the story. Because sometimes, when we say it out loud, no one entertains those thoughts. Worst still, the people we tell them to condemn us or asks us the other side of the story, which we are of course, reluctant to tell. So, when we write, we approve comments which are in our favour because that makes us feel good.

I can list a whole load of things, but that'll do for now.

What I can say is that whatever our reasons for blogging are... we must do so with prudence. And caution. We don't know who is reading - and they could be your friend; they could be your foes. Yes, foes with an (s) at the back.

People might comment and say nice things on your blog and you feel like you've known them since forever! And while in some cases, Cyber Friends can turn out to be better friends than your real friends are... but some... well, some are two-faced and so, you never know if they genuinely care for you or if they are just being nice because you don't know who they really are.

I actually wrote this because sometimes, I feel like whatever I write doesn't reach anyone or like no one can really relate to me the way I can relate to their stories. See? I said it myself. I feel like in the blog world, I don't write what people want to read. And to think that I never really minded about this before, it's weird that I do now.

I'm not so fashionable.

I don't share my most private thoughts or activities.

I don't have that many tips.

I'm not much of a -zilla, be it a bride or a mom-to-be or a girl-zilla (if there is such a term).

I don't write much in BM because when I do, I write like I talk and it ain't that pretty. And the whole point of me writing in English is so that I don't lose that skill.

I'm not rich or lavish.

I don't eat out much or visit that many places or go to many events.

So, you see. I never used to feel bad about those things because to me, my blog reflects my thoughts and I shouldn't care about whether or not people liked what I write or that there are any people reading to begin with.

But after a while, when you feel like you've been talking to yourself for much too long. Well, you start thinking that maybe you're doing it all wrong.

And crave for some kind of recognition of existence in a world so volatile, you don't even know why you crave it. And to think that I have everything to be thankful for.

The WorldWideWeb is indeed a weird place to be in. Very weird indeed.

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