Story from Multiple Eyes

That site of internet banality can always lift my mood up. And of course I laughed out loud since my cat, Fasha, totally does this in the morning to wake me up. If biting and scratching does not work, (to wake me up and feed her), she will come go to my face start licking around my face and hair. Urgh. Cat breath early in the morning.

Oh yeah, other people my age is telling tales about their kids. And I am telling stories about my cat. And it hurts when people complained that is the only thing I told. Because you know what, those cats are the only thing aside from my family and work, that are important in my life.I am not the life of a party y'all and I don't even GO (or got invited) to party. Even Tupperwares one. My routine consisting of going to work, back to work, dinner with husband/family and layan the insane antics of my cats.

Kids? Oh yes. I think as each year past, when a couple are still face with a childless year, the smile that accompanied to that answer for the question "Bile lagi?" gets more and more taut. I am not complaining nor stressing out since it is much too early. But I do get frustrated when people expect a kid is a must in a marriage and something is really wrong when you are not conceiving right away. Both husband and I, have not celebrated our 2nd year anniversary yet. We still got a lot to go through to learn and accept each other. But it does get frustrating when you know a girl say, 2 bulan into the marriage is happily exclaiming "There's a bun in the oven". Happy for her yes, but feeling kinda anal about feeling frustrated because you are slightly disappointed when the period come without fail every month.

And also another thing I am complaining about for new mothers is how they asked me what could go wrong in the pregnancy just because I had a miscarriage. There is a person at work who know she gotten pregnant, then immediately after telling me she is pregnant, she then asked me.. "So... what happened to your pregnancy eh? I don't want to follow the same mistake."

I am not angry. I understand their concern. But the question does sting. Even though I KNOW they are not implying such, but I felt like I'd fail to take care of myself sufficiently. Also it feel like I am like an infomercial to tell you what you CAN'T DO DURING PREGNANCY. Macam the poster child of Don't Drink and Drive or you end up like this. So I don't appreciate being likened to that. Every person is different. Every pregnancy is different. I can't guarantee you that what happened to me if you do the same can happen to you.

Wow, this post is becoming very personal. Anyway. That's that. Kinda like letting go of toxicities in my head.

p/s: I don't mean that I am angry when people asked me what went wrong to cause the miscarriage. But it does get kinda grating when a person asked, what went wrong?  And I said nothing went wrong, it just happened. Then they kinda bites their lip, eyes unbelieving, and after a few seconds of silence asked me again : really, what happened to cause this? 

Tak ke rase macam nak lempang kalo dah macam tu kan?

First of all, I am not very well prepared for this trip. No confirmed itinerary , but I have like 1000 places that I wanted to cramp into this 1 week holiday. Heheh.. Most of the day, we only decide where to go on the morning itself and Santa Monica was our first destinations.

We went to Santa Monica early on Saturday morning, 12th June 2010.

Why? I read the review about the beach and the Third Street Boulevard shopping... While we were driving along the street, I saw one of the street was closed for Farmer's Market. Eh, macam best jeee...

(Later when we were back at our rented apartment, I googled about the Farmer's Market. Rupanye it was one of the main attraction at Santa Monica. Heheh... Tengok, betapa tak ready nye aku nak berholiday?)

The Farmer's Market was great with its vibrant colours of organically grown produce from the local farm. There was flowers, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, pets.. Everything was fresh and tempting. I was told that chefs from top restaurants flocked themselves to this market early in the morning to get the best crop for their kitchen. Huhuh...

The pictures are not in timely order and there was not much picture to begin with. I was too busy sightseeing and "enjoying" the chilly breeze... hehehe :P

View of Santa Monica's beach from the rooftop of  the 7-story parking building. 

What a gloomy morning... Huhu...

This was taken in the morning. I was only clad with a tee and capri jeans when the first breeze hit me. 

Brrrrrr.... sejukkkkkkkkkk!! No, the shawl did not help at all and I was trying my best to smile while shivering in cold air... and it was a freaking summer weather.

The crowd at Farmer's Market

Random pictures

Rows of fresh strawberries. There was another stall selling berries. Blueberries, blackberries and etc.. and cherries too but I can't find the photo. Isk..

A closer look. Slurppppp........ We buy 3 boxes of this strawberries for 8 dollars and it was worth it.

Fresh mushrooms. If this mushroom was sold in our normal Pasar Tani, I will be their faithful customer.

Then... we stumbled into this stall. Aquafarm, what the heck was that?

Then, we went nearer...

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Tadaaaa...

They sell oysters!

Clean, fresh and very tasty looking oyster. It was priced at 2 dollars each. Quite pricey if it was converted to RM but we just didn't care about the exchange rate at that time. 

We buy about a dozen oysters and the stall owner cracked it open for us. Seriously, it was the best oyster I ever taste. Sampai harini boleh meleleh air liur kalau teringat. Damnnn....

The owner was preparing our oysters.

Do you see the difference between these oysters and the one that was served here? 

I was told by them that there was a sweet kind kind of oyster, which I really loved and the salty oyster that tasted like seawater.

(I am an oyster fanatic. I can wallop at least 5 oysters every time I saw them served in any buffet. Heheh...)

Artichoke. I never thought they were this big.

Fresh herbs for the garden.

It there was no 23 hours flight barrier between LAX and KLIA, I will buy them for my kitchen. I was always dreaming to have a kitchen like Jamie Oliver's. The fresh herbs are always available by the window sill.

Organically dried fruit. Free tasting, so you know how kiasu us Asians can be right? 

That was the kind stall owner who just let us taste every sun dried fruit that he sell. Haiihhh, again.. there is no pictured of the sun dried fruit. Maybe I was not my usual click-click self there :P

My mom with the juiciest strawberry. Heheh... seriously sangat sedap.

Me with the half eaten strawberries. 

This was the last pictures taken that day before we went *ehem* shopping *ehem* at Third Street Boulevard.

It was a touristy street with almost all major stores along the street offering discounted items and there was always street performance everywhere. 

They was showing the World Cup, USA vs England match that day so it was funny watching English lads camping outside their English themed pubs and at the other side the Americans cheering their team.

Random pictures: A can of coke with World Cup themed I bought when we transit at Bangkok. 4 fingers on every hand to grab the ball. Heheh

P/s: I was traveling with my mother. So, please do not expect a travel log full with  fast-paced adventures. This holiday was tailored for my mother's comfort :)

I watched Lagenda Budak Setan last weekend. Having read the novel, my expectation couldn't be any lower. Come on man, it's like fantasy become reality. It's like for long watching porn and suddenly found out that you'll be in one. Ok...bad analogy but you get what I mean.

But ended up, I'm hugely disappointed by the facts as followed:-

Disclaimer: Spoiler alert. Writing in point form easier.

Disappointment Indicator (DI): 1 for no disappointment at all and 10 for WTF is this stuff doing here?

1) The setup was in college instead of high school. The college setup was unreal, it's more like college that didn't passed LAN (Lembaga Akreditasi Negara) or fake college. DI: 5

2) The vice chancellor talks with Kasyah at the corridor. One of WTF moment. FFS, do some research on how college should look like. Malay movies always make college and university student look retarded. DI: 10

3) The chemistry between Farid Kamil & Lisa Surihani. Another WTF moment. They look stupid together. Some might say that they look good together in I'm Not Single but not in Lagenda Budak Setan. DI: 8

4) Fazura was Katerina when I'm expecting her to be Amelia/Ayu. Marah sungguh. I'm freaking pissed when I realized that. DI: 10

5) However, Fazura acting looks more lively and genuine. Heck, she could act. Girl should be given more screen time. I love Fazura's acting, she had grown gracefully in her acting career. I love it! DI: -1

6) The prank (2 pranks only, WTF!) was half-asses done. Kasyah definitely not live up to "Budak Setan" title that he earned. DI: 7

7) They called Cikgu Loga. This is college, you don't call your lecturer as "Cikgu". Do you want to setup it as college or high school? Wrap your mind around it, Mr Director. DI: 9

8) What kind of college (I think a fake one at that) would allowed research grant to an undergraduate art student going away alone to remote area for a long time? Do your homework la, Production Team. Attention to details, please. Don't treat your audience like fools. DI: 10

9) Who-is-she, Amelia/Ayu is a tunggul kayu. She can't act to save her life. She shouldn't bare this huge of responsibility and shattered by imagination on how Amelia/Ayu look like. And she's not even pretty. Raja Farah could nail the role as Amelia/Ayu better than her. DI: 10

10) Kasyah should be very messy and distorted when he met with Amelia for the first time. Farid Kamil barely shows emotion and like tunggul kayu. He should lose weight also. Wasn't convincing at all that Kasyah was suffering from Ayu's marriage. DI: 7

11) Que Haidar as Azmi is great. He's violence and revengeful. Just a bit sissy at times though it does fit with his character. I loike it. DI: -1

There are few more details that should be paid attention by the production team however it's small enough to distract me from writing it here. The accumulation of half-asses work done make me losing faith in adaptation movies produce by Malaysian. When you can't pull things right for such legendary piece of work like Lagenda Budak Setan, it shows how much we're bothering in creating the hype and disappoint the audience rather than genuinely appreciating the value of the masterpiece.

I wasn't expecting it to be 100% according to original piece cause time is the constraint, however doing things right means so much in adapting the piece to silver screen. I could let go that the movie didn't shows side story of Sapi and Kasyah, the evil girls that tag-team with Kasyah and many more small things but even with so many short cut of the storyline, they still couldn't put it right.

I would love to suggest that Malaysian should stop adapting literature masterpiece to silver screen for once and for all but there will be some hasty idiots that will go out their way to offend the masterpiece lover again. In near future.

And I should support Malaysian movies? Come out with more believable things at silver screen and never treat audience like a bunch of fools. Be smart for once.

Yes I am.

No, I yet to have walimah done on both side.

Yes, I just akad nikah or in Malay called it "nikah gantung".

No, aku nikah dengan manusia...bukan gantung. Whatever.

It's a decision I made to keep my marriage quiet from all people (well, not all since I have to inform my family and officemate to take up my work). Why?

1) Cause I yet to have the walimah done. I feel that it is not proper for me to bang the drum when the ceremony wasn't even there.

2) I have some superstition that when I'm overexcited over something, it usually failed miserably. Past record shown that most of my relationship ended up when I'm surfacing the relationship to the world. That's also included this relationship...nearly broken but somehow we managed to get hold onto it. Credit to her for being so patient with my kerenah.

3) The nikah ceremony was done amongst family. It's a very small ceremony hence I think it's not appropriate to get people rushing to Kuantan on Thursday just to see me get married. You guys could save the holiday for walimah later. Owh...the ceremony was on 10/06/2010, Thursday.

4) Walimah InsyaAllah will be held in October, most probably end of October. So, save up your annual leave ye. Why October? That's the only month that I will be free in between 2 budget cycle.

I know some people get offended by it. Some just happy for me. Some just feel nothing. Well, I couldn't help how you feel but if I do offend you in any way, I'm sorry.

Lastly, a picture from photoshoot kat perkampungan nelayan Tanjung Lumpur. Gambar selebihnya boleh tengok kat FB.

Cin-dera-rela versi reverse saiko

Last week I was on holiday at Perlis, Langkawi and briefly Penang. Hence the absence.

While it would be nice to be writing it about it here, I chose not to, well not chose more like I don't have the time and I don't have the cable to my camera. Loads of valid excuses, nothing interesting. I will write it in my own blog when I got the time. 

So I will write a snippet of conversation that I heard a while back while I was buying nasi lemak at a pasar malam. 

There I was waiting for the makcik to bungkus and whatever all the lauk that we ordered I noticed 2 guys standing by my side.

This is going to be a heavy load post (with images). Dial-up users be warned! (that was so 98's yo)

(Writing during Portugal - North Korea match) edit: kenot konsentret, 7-0 HOHO


Yesterday, I was in Sepang, watching Super GT (previously known as Japan GT). It was a spontaneous plan, suddenly I had this 'I have to go' feeling while getting my haircut. Ada geng, jalannn~

I always wanted to watch 'any' event at Sepang International Circuit, but due to laziness and no transport (and maybe cash), it was only a dream, well at least until yesterday.


And I should have bought a pair of earplugs.

First I thought, meh this tuned road legal car, how noisy could it be? IT WAS FREAKIN LOUD! It was the loudest sound I've ever heard. I iz noob, I know... now.

A friend of Iyayy said last year was more happening, well I dunno. A bit boring I might say, with few canopies of company selling official merchandise, as well as those show off rich guys with their VIP tag and millions of RM car.



Oh and a freakin expensive bottle of water (and all other foods).

I noticed a stage with lotsa photogs waiting. I thought they got this concert or something going but boy I was wrong. The MC started shouting 'Miss Yuka' or 'Miss Minami' or along that line and then I realized it was a stage for the famous Race Queens.




With FZ28 in hand, thinking that I could 'tapau' those DSLR in front, I started to snap and snap. Pity, most of the girls were not that 'iklan' cute. Not that I cared so much, it was freakin hot out here and I lost RM6 buying some flavored water.

After filling my SD Card with lotsa blurred photos, we headed to the grandstand, because the race was about to start. The race started with warmup session, and the cars started entering their respective position. More photog and public event (like meeting the driver and race queens stuff), after that ROLLING START!


Call me noobs but I couldnt enjoy the race so much because the thing was, both GT500 (500HP cars) and GT300 were racing at the same time. And I just didnt know how to cheer haha. Well, at least watching fast cars was interesting.



I thought my first time coming here in SIC was good enough, but hell the seating area was not well maintained. Felt a bit ashamed to those foreigner, with dirty chairs and all. This was not exactly what world class circuit looked like. One photog overheard Iyayy and me talking about the next year event and he joined our conversation, saying that maybe Singapore next year. Which means that no more Japan GT in Malaysia after this (since this race is considered Special Stage, the only race outside Japan).

Served us right. Clean the whole circuit for God's sake.


My target after this, F1... maybe

While others celebrate their birthdays, vacations (like Soraya Zainal) or marriage (congratulations mangifera!) with such happiness, I was hit by sad news last Sunday. My aunt has passed away. 

Most of my friends have not met my aunt; only some of them did (like Unta@Jitra; remember when we all crash at my house back in Muar on our way to Dils' wedding?). 

I am one of the most affected by the loss because she was the one who always looked out and taking care of me since I was born. And the news hit us quite sudden - we never expected her to leave us like that.

She died out of fever due to her compromised immune system starting when she underwent dialysis for her kidney problem. Two days of fever, and then she's gone. 

I am still coping. Thanks in advance for all wishes; but I do need to take some time off from social events - thus, you might see less of me. 

A pinch of tobacco

rolled in paper

with fire at one end

and a fool at the other!

MARRIAGE: It's an agreement wherein a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her master

SMILE: A curve that can set a lot of things straight! 

Looked like this, taste like feet. I'm sorry. Usually people went gushing how wonderful some food are, so I want to list some horrible one. People said, tak baik, menolak makanan. True that, which is why it is fair we try a fair amount and try to finish it as decently as possible and then make a note to ourselves and others to not waste our money on that again.

Mangosteen juice sold by the same people who sold Peel Fresh. Don't buy it. It is an abomination to mangosteen. I have my suspicion that they throw the whole part of a mangosteen and some other vile stuffs in there. I gulped it once and couldn't bring myself to gulp it more. 

This stuff on sushi. I don't know the name of it, but I type green stuffs in google and out came the picture of my horrible experience with sushi. Some type of seaweed obvs. Wow, Google, you rock.

Ok... those are the one that I shunned. As for eateries that I think are terrible, it really depends on taste and I guess cleanliness. Like there is one stall of nasi lemak that I refused to go again because the owner is too stingy in their sambal, even after we asked for more. I am sorry ye makcik, if you are selling nasi lemak, I think you need to be a little bit generous in the sambal department. My husband does not mind, even though he did grumbled that the sambal is too puny, but I refused to step foot in there again.

There is also one eatery that my friend love to goes to during uni times, but once I went there with my then boyfriend, my fried rice was served with a side of cockroach. I refused to touch food for 3 days afterwards due to that memory. I told my friends, but they nonchalantly shrug it off because they said the food is too good. And since my friends like to go there, I (the non-car owners) follow je la). Ermmm, so when I went there, I just ordered drinks, even then I slightly lose my appetite when I dined there. (Oh, and the  reason that makes me hate that shop is not so much the uncleanliness. It was when I complained, they flicked off the cockroach and set the food back to my table again. And they refused to replace another food. God damn shop owners).

So it really depends on which dealbreaker a food or the place is going to be, it differs from one person to another.

What turn you off?

Hahaha

Yeah I was on holiday last week, so with no 'internets' (ada actually, celcom broadband but a bit slow), updating was almost impossible.

On 30th of April, I had completed my Cuti-Cuti Malaysia in all countries by visiting Negeri Di Bawah Bayu, Sabah (except for WP Labuan). A budget travel you must say but it was a good holiday indeed.

We (me and Mrs) landed on KK Airport in the middle of the night, unlucky for us, have to pay RM45 for a taxi to our budget hotel. It was expensive but seeing that there are no other alternative, we just paid. I saw nothing special...

except for a nest of 'kupu2 malam' right there in front of our hotel. LOL!

So after a night rest, day one was filled with a visit to Pasar Tamu @ Gaya Street. It was somehow a bit different from any place I've ever been to. Here, they got pets for sale (puppies, kitties, hamsters, big bunnies), 2-3 stalls of fake CROCS, Kopi Tenom stall, and lots and lots of souvenirs + pearls.




Later that afternoon, we went 'round2' around the city, having some bargain price for amplang (like fish crackers) and biskut cincin at the Philippines Market, and having dinner at the the food court.

Seafood...

Ketam cost RM8.80 per KILOGRAM...



It was heaven...

There was this big seafood food court here, with a lot of restaurant showing their goods in front. All fresh, pick and choose how to cook. Dirt cheap i tell you. We went back to the hotel after our stomach full.

Second day, we spared the whole day island touring + snorkelling. It cost around RM40 per person which I considered cheap. It was a bit amazing to think that the marine park for the island was located not far from the city itself. Nice looking beaches, clear water, lotsa friendly fishes = WIN.




Later that night, we went on a free shuttle bus to 1Borneo Shopping Complex, which was the biggest shopping mall in Sabah I think. It was situated a bit far from the city and it took us about 30mis to reach there. After that, back to the city, and we have dinner at the food stalls near Philippines Market.


Day 3, Kundasang expedition! The journey to Sabah is not complete without some Mount Kinabalu sightseeing. It was Initial-D road all the way, and like my mother in law said, Mount Kinabalu is shy, rarely we could see the summit. Yeah, the cloud was a bit thick that day. At Kundasang, we borong all those sayur, kinda like Cameron Highland's Kea Farm.





Later that night, we boarded a fight from KK to Kuching. Time flies when you're having fun. True.