The Original Juice

I'm torn between feeling excited and glum about the prospective journey to Pakistan this Dec.

On one hand, of course i'd like to:

1. Meet my mother-in-law and brothers-in-law
2. Can't wait to learn cooking!
3. Take aeroplane
4. see a new country.. but not just any country, my husband's country...
5. take a break from work
6. shop!!!... for clothing materials and others...

On the other hand, i'm dreading it bcos:

1. i'll be alone on the 2nd week (my family wld've returned to spore)
2. Zubair will leave me alone at home, while he goes gallivanting with his male friends
3. i dont know many pple there
4. i'm afraid if i'd miss home
5. Im afraid if i dont like the food there. Me being choosy and BEEF eater.
6. lastly and most importantly, im forced to meet and be cordial to the one very last person i'd like to meet in the whole wide world. The Ex. Ergh

Help!

It's funny how yesterday i was overflowing with things to write (but i restrained myself saving it for another day) but now i dont feel like writing...

But Im gonna talk about leaves... not the ones hanging on trees.... but the ones you take to get paid time off from work. haha

Going to Pakistan i'd need to take 3 days of unpaid leaves. As a newbie, im only entitled to the standard 14days annual leaves. What with the leaves i've taken in March for wedding, now i'm left with 0 after taking into account the December Trip of 2 weeks+.

Kak Long gets only 11 or 12 days from her company!! And she's already been there for like what? 2 or 3 years? They give what is the very minimum that's regulated by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) instead of the standard across the board rate of 14days! Nonsense. I feel for Kak Long.. Luckily she still have enough leaves to cover for this Pakistan trip.

Now.. being a senior, my dad gets 21days of annual leaves!! BUT BUT BUT, he still needs to get a few unpaid leaves for our December trip. He travels a lot lah.. the other time he went for Umrah for 1.5 week!

So anyway... can you imagine my colleague is complaining of too much leaves! She said cannot finish all, Though they have till June the next year to clear them... tsk tsk tsk *shake head* Because she's been serving for more than 5 yrs, she gets 21days a year. maybe more for long service... Then, brought forward from last yrs'... Gosh!

Well... bcos she's so hardworking, goes for holiday once a year of 1 week only and doesnt take leave unless really necessary, i guess i'd understand why she'd prefer to ENCASH the leaves. But unfortunately, that's not possible.. nor is it transferable :( hahaha

Pple like me and Long... we resort to MC! hahahahahahah *evillest laughter*

Let's see if this video feature in blogger works.

It's been 2 months since we last bowled and we got kinda rusty. The first round was sucky. But Alhamdulillah, i got 3 spares and my points touched 100 + 1. hehe While Zubair's throws are very powerful, he needed to throw it straight.

Second Round: Zubair did extremely well. He finally recalled his winning move. While me, I finally can handle the no 9 ball (i used 7 or 8 before) and striked 3 times, and spared 3 times. i was going for the Turkey on the last frame but i guess over confidence got the better of me. haha.

On Tuesdays, i finish work at 5:15 so we get the 1pm - 6pm public rate of $3.80 per game. BUt of course students or Safra members will get even better rates.. just $2.70 if im not wrong.

Please who wants to bowl please please please call us!!

After that, we were so tired, we sat down on the floor in the crowded train! Dont care anymore!

I am soooooooooooooo Manja (pampered) i cannot stand myself! hahaha

I woke up early this morning at 5am for sahur (i have 4 more days to go!!). I played games to stay awake to leave w Ayah at 7.30 to work. it was 7.20am when i got a bad news. i was already dressed, just left to put on my tudung (scard) when Mummy said, "Ca, Ayah said go to work on your own. Ayah sending me to polyclinic and he also wants to check his trigger thumb"

First thought: If i'd known this earlier, i wld have slept!

To go out now is too early. but if i sleep, i'd be too groggy to wake up. even if i sleep, that means i only get 20min of nap, i doubt i get any seat in the train, let alone sleep through out the 45min journey.

Conclusion: I dont wanna go to work!!! im so sleepyyyyy..But i dont have anymore leaves. Last week i already took 2 days MC, making a total of 3 days in August alone! HOW? How? HOW?!?!?!?!

7.45am: i started whining. the when-u-dont-wanna-wake-up-but-u-hafta kinda whine. Then mummy started knocking on my door, signalling that im late. and then i started to cry... like a baby! HAHAHA Zubair opened the door and mummy came to me and asked me:

Mummy: Asal nangis ni? why are you crying?
Me: tak nak gi kerja Dont wanna do to work
Mummy: kenapa? pasal ayah takleh hantar? Why? Is it bcos ayah can't send you?
Me: (i can't answer that bcos its not really BCOS of that, but it resulted in a bleak frustrating 45min of standing in train when im too sleepy to even move an inch)
Mummy: Bilang mummy sini... pasal ayah takleh hantar eh? Tell mummy, is it bcos ayah can't send you?
Me: ah... nanti kena naik mrt takleh tido!!! Well... yeah bcos in the mrt i can't sleep!
Mummy: OK lah oklah.. mummy hantar lah... ok cepat siap, nanti mummy lambat appt kul 9.
OK ok... we'll send you. quick get ready, my appt's at 9.

then Zubair came to me to ask what's going on. When he heard about it.. he laughed and hugged me, "Manja!"and then i laughed and i felt all better already.

5min later, mummy knocked again to check if im ready and i opened the door. and Zubair teased me and acted to whine. Humph! you nonsense you!

Mummy to Zubair: See.. so pampered ah she
Zubair: Manja!
Mummy: oh you know the word also? a ah betul! (right!)
Mummy: See now she's smiling already.

But mostly, im smiling bcos im laughing at myself for being so pampered and childish. I'm MARRIED, for god's sake! i cant believe i just blackmailed my parents to get them to send me to work! *shake head* but its nice to get your own way, na?

Ok.. so im very tired of writing today... bcos i clocked in 2 additional entries in my wordpress last night... so im kinda drained for ideas...

So i picked up one of the topics that i stashed on a list for emergency days like this...

I've recently created a facebook account! http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=584228013 search &/or add me there!

Well... actually.. its not very user friendly.. but i like the many many many applications you can choose from. Im loving:
1. Top friends
2. Sticky notes
3. My Profiles (Show your accounts on other sites like Friendster, etc)
4. MOOD

I like that they can like the spouse if he's in my friends' list "married to... Zubair Ilyas"

I also like the various networks and groups that they have down there. Ok, its not something new, Orkut also have that but Facebook is more global i guess...

Facebook also serves as an alternative to my blocked-in-the-office Multiply, i suppose?

The best feature is the Mini-feeds that tells MY activities and News-feeds that tells my friend's activities.. who they added, who they write wall posts to etc.

Ok, but somehow my server doesnt load the pictures in facebook. How irritating is that!!

And with not so many friends in there yet... it hasnt reached its hype for me yet.

Sunday at noon, my parents and us went to Geylang to buy my dress for first day of Eid with colour code: BROWN.

Surprisingly, it wasn't difficult to find one at Tanjong Katong Complex. It was a mix and match though. and brought a total of $73. *faint*

Oh it was Zubair's first time in Geylang. We passed by here a couple of times but never walked around.

Then we went to Darul Arqam for Zohr. I reminisced how we used to hang out here a lot after school... with Kak Shark, Kak Fiqah during O level time when we were waiting for the English teacher to come.. I still remember i've been to an interview here once. Whilst the manager/interviewer was encouraging, she was also intimidating and scared me off the hectic schedule with alternate Sundays to be on duty in the office. While i simply love the wudhu' and musolla area, i m totally turned off by the washroom. I thought, thank god i dont hafta work here!

I wasnt really hungry but Zubair hasnt eaten properly yet so we went to Teh Tarik (its malay for stretched tea, but in this case it is the name of the coffeeshop)next door. and also considering that we're going somewhere else later, so we shld fill up the tummy w some fuel.

Then mummy and ayah sent us to safra at Mount Faber.

The place is super duper nice! See the colours! There are swimming pools, restaurants and even a bowling alley!

However, we're here for a Singapore Pakistan Development (Spade) forum's Joint National Day celebration.

We were early and felt out of place knowing noone. but we tried to strike up a few conversations with some. The recently promoted President of the org, Frank Teo, made us feel comfortable. and you know what? He speaks fluent Urdu and Punjabi! Imagine a CHINESE speaking Urdu. hahaha. He was working for the Singapore High Comm there in Pakistan for the last 7 yrs, that's why.

There were also other non-Pakistanis who came mainly Chinese. They are business associates. We talked to an Emily who do Spa and facial products business in Pakistan. We talked to a Tracy who is doing an Online business. I spoke to a Wajiha who is a registrar in NUH for the last 7 yrs! I jaw just dropped when i heard that sey. and then i excused myself from her a bit intimidated.

At first, i was very scared of this function. like i dont know anybody.. i dont know the agenda.. i dont like stepping into total darkness. And i was afraid it's gonna be a boring, speech only event. But it turned out that the two political figures, the two high commissioners, were not able to make it and the event turned out to be very informal and quite fun. and later, 2 of his guy friends arrived, and we felt at some ease. later still, Fatima - the interviewer for National Day came and i felt even better.

Anyways, it started with Frank describing what Spade is for and what they have been doing. Basically it is to create awareness of Pakistani society amongst Singaporean, to garner friendships, business relationships and what nots. They have annual Cricket Friendship Tournaments. and they raise donation for earthquake and flood affected areas in Pakistan.

One of their donation drives is thru the sale of MANGOES. its at $28/5kg carton. $10 for delivery but 10 cartons above, free delivery. You can still place order within this week! Call Zalina at 6299 3944 or 9800 9073. I didnt believe when Zubair said he eats mangoes by the KG (WITHOUT seeds) but now i do cause Frank also said he did just that. Him and his son finished the mangoes in the market! haha And so.. the sale proceeds will be channeled to those funds.

We also found out that a new Singapore Pakistan Association has just been inaugurated in Mar this year. i had expressed my distress for the lack of such association before... when Zubair and i were planning our wedding. Imagine that even the Pakistan Embassy didnt know of any and such org. GRRR

And since it was informal and two speeches down... Frank asked if anybody wanted to sing. Me and Zubair's face lighted up! and with a bunch of other guys, Zubair led the group to sing one of Pakistani national songs. I like that he took charge grabbing the mic but at the same time generously shared with the others. I have a poor quality video of it and no picture. so nothing for this.

Haha ... we were such gundus (blur pple), we didn't bring any writing utensil with us. This is our first time attending such gathering and stupid me didnt preampt that we would be networking and collecting contacts! *slap forehead* So we just name dropped in other pple's lists. Sighh

In any case, we hope to gain something out of this day.

haha did i mention there were food? hahhaa and we just ate! our tummies were bursting and still there's paya (mutton leg soup) waiting at home.

And my thanks and gratitude to Mummy and Ayah for driving us around today. While we were in Mount Faber, they went to Tampines and then went back to fetch us again! So nice! i was about to cry not knowing how to go back. Though Mount Faber seems a very nice place, it is sooooooooo inaccessible!!! GRRR

Old notes and coins

Anyways, i think we spent too much time reading up the Singapore history section. (yup i think its a bit too wordy. but there were also some interesting videos.) There were quite a lot of grounds to cover.. but i guess its justifiable to spend most here for Zubair to know Singapore lah kan.

Zubair tot malays last time were giants.. haha

Next was South East Asian section. From Thai Buddhas, Indonesian potteries.. to Malay customs, and Dayaks..

Next Stop, the best of all was West Islamic Culture.

My route to and from work will be SLE-CTE... pretty much north to south...

Unfortunately, we'll be facing the sun heading south-east to work and north-west back to home.

Sometimes the sun are so blindingly bright that even my dad's cyclops sunglass cannot help.

I had to use one of my hands to shield to rays from my eyes. I was doing just that yesterday right after Yio Chu Kang exit. I felt desperate and anxious to get it over it as i negotiated the sharp bend single handedly with my left hand when im a rightie at a speed of 80-90km/h. a bit Dab Dub dab dub...

If this continue for long, my degrees will increase because i kept having to squint my eyes if i need to use both hands.

My dad and i had a temporary solutions we call Extension. heheheh because the flap above (hahah dont know what its called!!) is not long enough to cover the sunrays because the sun is always too low during that time we travel. So a hard paper wedding invitation card was folded and hung on the flap. this helps a bit... if the sun still disturbing... i'll just sit up higher and it will do lah...

But i wonder how do the other drivers manage this super bright interference to driving?

I was googling for some place to go out to with Zubair tonight, when i stumbled upon this site.

Inexpensive Date ideas from Singapore Street Directory! hahaha Let me just pick out the interesting ones:

1. Learn A New Skill: Gather some information on a skill you always wanted to learn and spend a day practicing it together. It could be a day of learning card tricks, learning how to juggle or learning to make bird calls. Any skill you have always wanted to try can make a fun and interesting date. Er... new skill? like what? Cooking? potting? sorry but this sounds more stressful and educational...
2. College Events: If you live near a college or university, utilize their resources for your dates. Guest lectures, music recitals, art exhibitions and plays are common and are often free of charge. The quality can be excellent and the variety enormous. Yeah i remember going to Ayid's sch concert and Zubair's music sch concert. quite fun. but dont know if there's any others any time soon?
3. Follow Them Date: As the two of you meet, you look around and pick somebody out on the street. The date is to follow that person where ever he or she goes. Once that person has stopped or you can no longer follow them, pick another person to follow. Your bound to have loads of laughs as you attempt to stay with your designated guide. Sounds like fun! So long we dont get caught or reprimanded or threatened to be sued! haha
4. Scavenger Hunt Date: When your date arrives, have him or her make a list of what he or she considers to be 20 unusual items. Once the list is made, the date will be to try and find as many of those items as possible. Or make the list in advance?
5. Truth Or Dare Date: Pick some spots in your area to visit, but play truth or dare along the way. It doesn't really matter where you go since the entertainment is doing the various dares that the other gives in addition to telling all the truths. Yeah i can ask Zubair to... ask a girl for her number? HAHAHAHA or... make it a guy!

Copyright (c) 2004, by Jeffrey Strain

This article may be freely distributed so long as the copyright, author's information and an active link (where possible) are included.

So What shall we do tonight, honey?

My net friend broke her ribs when she fell from her bed due to pins and needles. She was hospitalised but recovering.

Zihah ever fainted in the bus on the way back from school bcos she was having very high fever.

I ever saw a man fainted and dropped like a tree with a LOUD thud at Tampines Stadium. He was an elderly man, standing while listening to the preach.

I thought to myself... how come i've never fainted? i want to know how it feels to faint. i want to see who will care for me...

But still i was afraid to play that game in sec sch. Remember how Kak Lin Ghazali and her cliques ran around to make themselves out of breath then the other will press their heart and they will suddenly drop on their feet? It was super interesting, i felt like trying it but it also felt like tempting death. It was forced and unnatural.

I want to faint naturally and genuinely.

Once upon a time, i had ever wondered how it feels to vomit.. Just as i turned 16yrs old, i got the chance. I returned from a camp at Gunung Ledang with extreme diorrhea (however u spell it). and i vomitted a lot of times... bcos my appetite didnt come down and i was still eating like normal.. the frequency and volume of the vomit were quite a few! It felt satisfying having ur guts thrown out. I felt like the merlion, spewing water. It was like spilling out porridge from your mouth.

But i dont like the kind of vomit that comes from nauseausness (ok again spell check!) bcos it will only come out salty saliva and nothingness from ur tummy. its not satisfying at all.

Once upon a time, i had also dreamed of being hospitalised. in 2003 or 2004 i had the experience. (of course i had been hospitalised when i was a baby bcos i fell from my cot but i was too small to remember that)

So anyways, having slept very late the night before my trip to Australia w friends, i discovered the next day, my eyes were very red. we thought, ok before going to airport, let's pop into the doctor to grab some medicine and go. But instead, the doctor told me it wasn't any ordinary sore eyes, it was cornea ulcer. he advised AGAINST travelling bcos the pressure might endanger my eye sight. i was being hospitalised at Mount Elizabeth Hospital for 4 days i think.

I was having a great time! I liked having visitors.. tho there were not many (and i deserve it bcos i dont alwyas visit my friends/relatives at the hospital haha).. i like having nothing to do but read, watch TV and sleep. I like that mummy urged me to pray while sitting down on the bed... i still remember the gifts i got. unfortuantely, the red heart pillow Sarah and Azma got me has since been disposed. (Sorry!!)

Fortunately, i got a two bedroom unit and my bed wasnt the one next to the windows. haha i remember bcos i had an eye patch, i cldnt wash my face and at the end of the 4 days, my nose was full of white heads!

Conclusion: i like to fall sick and feel pain and distraught and get the attention minus any deadly danger. SIOW.

Went to see Chakde (chuck-they) India at Yishun 10. It's his first time in Yishun. Remember once upon a time Yishun used to be a hot place to be? Now... i didnt even bother to show Zubair that town! haha



30min before movie, we popped into Sakura.



Guess what he had? TOM YAM NOODLE OF COURSe!! and he simply loves it! and im soooo happy!! heheheh but he still won't take Secret Recipe's Tom Yam.

Arghhhh

What's wrong with blogger today? I cant see the toolbar to insert photo or change font or whatever!! I wanted to write where we went yesterday but bcos of this mysterious disappearance of the toolbar, hafta write about something else...

Road Games...

Before that, this morning we spent 1hr 15min on the road to get to Tanjong Pagar from Woodlands! What causes traffic jam when it rains, i wonder? there wasnt any accident that i know of... Or was there? One reason could be pple are driving slowly... but still! cannot be so slow that a journey that normally take 25min stretched to 1hr 15min right?? What's your idea?

So.. while stuck in traffic jam... or whenever im bored travelling in a car, i have this mental road game. i add the numbers on the plate numbers. for example: SGE5287E
5+2+8+7 = 22! I'd be happy if the results are multiples of 5 bcos that's how u score in dominoes and would think the driver is extremely lucky is the numbers add up to 21, black jack? The thrill of it is, u hafta add up quickly before the vehicle passes u by! i wonder if im the only one who plays this game?

Now.. my parents have a diff game of their own... They look at the models of Toyota cars. Anywhere and everywhere that they can see TOYOTA cars they will comment something like:

1. Hey this is a new colour
2. this VIOS is a bit different
3. Is this a new Toyota model?

I dont understand their obsession for Toyota sedan cars. We've had 2 Toyotas and current is a VIOS.

I also remember when i was in primary school and took the school bus home with the rest of my friends in the same neighbourhood.. we had a game of spotting a Mercedez. Who shouts the colour of the mercedez first gets 1 point. Also, Fit and I who always sat together liked to wave at other drivers and passengers. I remember vividly, there was this one malay family who waved back enthusiastically... they prolly thought, "What cute girls!" hahahahah

What do YOU play while on the road?

My two nights a week group of Iqra' students decided to change to once a week. Will revert to twice a week once the children's settled down.

This is the group which i told you i had no motivation to go except for the income every 4th lesson (about 2 weeks). Now once a week session sounds more dreadful. Just once a week, then salary will come after 1 month, that is if no classes are cancelled... you might argue that at least once a week is not really tiring.. but...

In the end i decided to take a break altogether. So that i will come back refreshed. Also, I wanna spend more time with my hubby on weekday nights and weekend although it will mean that i have less income now. Quality is better than Quantity (Oh God i remember that was a debate topic me and my team handled like 8 years ago? haha).

Classes will resume two weeks after hari raya ie somewhere early Nov. And then i will go on holiday in Dec, insya'Allah. Bad teacher bad teacher. Sorry babes, i hafta be selfish sometimes too.

I appreciate the mother who is very understanding. Actually when i first told her, she wanted to know if it was bcos i was pregnant! hahah so funny... if you're wondering the same question, the answer is no, not yet. :P

haha it can cost as low as $10 or less!

I forgot to mention how much we spent for the last two dates we had. Let's see..

Tampines Mall outing

$10 (voucher) + $4 cash = 2 movie tickets
$10 (voucher) + $2 cash = 2 McD dinners

We wanted to eat some rice at the Kartrina at the basement but they didn't accept vouchers. KFC is not in TM where the voucher can be used, Zubair doesnt like LJS so we ended up w McD

Kaching! $6

Esplanade outing

$4 dinner of kway teow goreng shared between the two of us.

(luckily, the portion is big and i brought some other snacks and im on "starvation". haha)

$5.50 for 1hr Screening Room.

Kaching! $9.50

Moral of the story... who else wants to donate vouchers to us? hehehehe *thick face*

Guys!


Do you know that Esplanade Library has two private screening Rooms available for rent at $5.50/hr for 4 person. Im not sure how much is the bigger room's rate but it can fit 8 pax.


Last night was our 3rd time there. Zubair LOVEs the Esplanade bcos there's always a band playing and he loves to listen.

After that, we took a slow walk along the esplanade towards the Merlion.

We asked a teenage couple to snap this

and then i asked if they wanted us to snap for them cos they were self snapping too. but they said its alright.

Zubair asked TJC student to take this.

And they asked their friends to stop bcos they wanted to snap our photo and we caused human traffic jam at the bridge. haha

That's the Merlion

For the benefit of our Pakistani or other foreign friends and relatives, Merlion is an icon of Singapore. It is a cross between a mermaid and obviously, a lion. This one here is spouting water from its mouth. This is just the miniature though. The Big mama Merlion can be found at Sentosa island.

Just us enjoying the cool breeze of the night punctuated with splashes from the Merlion.

Zubair is a night bird and complained that i dont like to go out at night, always tired and dont wanna walk. Im changing myself slowly slowly just for you ok, honey? We stayed till 10pm and that's an improvement considering its a work night and 50min away from home.

We reached home like 11pm. but at 12:30, Zubair suggested we watch the wedding video. I felt so touched, i didnt complain that i was sleepy but stayed up to watch it with him all over again. and it felt like he renewed his vows. and i was amening after the doa in the video. =)

I used to not be able to stand starvation.

I cannot fast without having sahur before fajr first. Mummy will always packed more food for me than for Kak Long. and if she doesn't want, i'll gladly claim her share. I'll certainly be the last to finish as buffets.. etc...

Yesterday, a new experience tiptoed on to me.

I ate 1 banana in the morning. Drank tea for lunch. 3 half slices of toast for tea. Dinner was 1 small chinese pear then half serving of mee siam. i felt great!

And this morning when i ate mee siam again, i felt full after just 3 or 4 mouthfuls!

I hope to keep this up till Dec.

Bismillah...

Note to self: Buy more fruits. (Grapes, pears, apples, oranges, mangoes, bananas)

In less than 2 months, our car got hit like 3 times!

First, i hit the right side behind the passenger door after hitting the concrete wall while reversing to park.

Second was my dad's turn to hit the left side while reversing to park also. Well must be balanced what.

Now the third one happened just two days ago. Ayah parked his car in Simei. When they came back to the car a man was loitering about armed with his namecard or whatever. Turned out this guy's lorry hit our right front bumper when he wanted to move out from the lot. He waited for some 10 mins for my dad to return to the car while thinking of what to do.

Guy: Uncle, u think how much are the damage?
Dad: $400?
Guy: Aiyah there goes my savings to get married.

He was visiting his girlfriend. Dad went to the workshop with him, got it accessed at $120 and he paid on the spot.

Now, my dad relayed the story to his supervisor telling him what a noble chap that guy is to have waited for my dad. But the supervisor said, "NO LAH, He's so stupid! Religion teaches us to be good but dont teach us to be smart. Im bad but im clever. I would just cabut (run away from the scene)."

That's not all he even told Ayah, "If u see the buddha's fingers, one is pointed out the rest are to himself. what does it mean? Means u shld never tell the truth all the time" Er... Hello... what has it got to do with anything? And anyways lying is a BIG sin, no matter if its to cover up your freaking flat ass. It will be more embarassing if you were found out later and will make u look like a fool.

Anyways, this supervisor so kecoh (loud) one. He went around doing a poll as to what they'd do if they were in that guy's shoes. as if to emphasize that he's correct that that guy's so stupid.

While i would and did the same ie Cabut, i would still say this guy is a good samaritan who has done the right thing and deserves something in return. May Allah show him the right path for his good deed.

Or it could also be because my father has been a devoted servant thus Allah made this guy took responsibility so as not to burden MY father. Yup i think that's a sane theory.

But what would YOU do if you were in his shoes? Would you say he's a good guy or just plain stupid?

I got off early from work today. and we went to Tampines Mall. I had CapitaLand vouchers that can be used at CapitaMalls like IMM, Jurong Entertainment, Compass POint, Tampines Mall and etc.

We were in the train to Tampines when I gasped after asking to take a look at the voucher. it has expired on 1st Aug 07 and yesterday was 14th Aug 07! two full weeks... $20 meant a lot to us. no matter, we were half way there, so decided to press on.

Zubair, who was up and about following Ayah around on site inspection and to Mustafa since morning was tired. His leg was sore from all the walking i guess. we rested awhile... not knowing what to do... Then i got an idea to call them to get it extended and we got it! but need to use it by that day. Alhamdulillah...

And so we got to watch Disturbia.

It's a nice movie with a good story line but is not for a hardcore horror story fan bcos the horror part only about the last 20 to 30min or so. but its very nice for my kind of person who cant tolerate too much gore nor horror. The person behind us left right after the climax of the story (i wont spoil it for anybody who wants to go watch it).

We were at a junction away from 168 bus stop when we saw the bus approaching but stopped for a light. i said aloud, "Alamak. that's our bus!" when the green man light was on, we ran for it like crazy and we caught it. Alhamdulillah. But i thought i heard a malay uncle say, "LARI" means RUN! hahahah so funny.

cicak = lizard

The shower in mummy's bathroom smelled of something fishy. We tolerated it for a day or two... then mummy found out:

a baby cicak was squashed in between the shower screen's slider! and the dead body stank. PADAN MUKA! (serve him right!)

I HATE YOU, CICAK!

I feel like a ragdoll being tossed up then fell on the floor. Tossed up again only to left falling to the ground again...

Please consider my feelings. it hurts to bum on the ground.

I want to vent my anger, frustration and hurt but im afraid of the consequences. Must i be the one giving in each and every freaking time?!

My job's on the line.

I've been waiting for an email from SII re the IDOL competition all week last week but no news.

Today i received email from them to say its been cancelled. probably due to poor response.

There goes my fantasy of winning that $800.

*sound of glass breaking*

Title Translation: Today is my stupid day, ma'am

Do you see anything wrong with this table? Well... its senget!! (crooked??) Looked like all the bottles and what nots are precariously perched on a mountain!

The support beams got bent! how you asked? i was trying to reach a container on the very top shelf. i used the step ladder and then the stupid unthinking me put my knee on the apparently fragile table and the thing groaned and bent on my knee weight! Well... cant blame it.. it's already some 12yrs old! Ever since Hanani and family were owner (of this house)!

Mummy was super angry at me. Her initial reaction was, "Dah lah tgh pokai" (we are broke right now)... then i told her surely it can be unbent.

Probably an hour later... this happened!

I was fixing myself cornflakes & cocktail and was rolling the top to close the packaging when the bottom burst like a balloon! the plastic WAS indeed very thin! Then i had to sweep the flloor and transfer the balance to another container. My mum said, "Takde kerja cari kerja!" directly means no job look for job. But translated loosely to mean now there's additional work u hafta do bcos of your clumsiness.

OH well... hari ini hari bodoh saya mak encik. But the whole time, me and kak lily were laughing... only mummy wasn't enjoying the scene much. hehehe

Ayah came back and spoke in a rather firm or disappointed tone that ive never heard he used to me before, "What happened, caca? What if u got hurt?"

And then miraculously, this morning, it is now exactly perpendicular against the wall again. Alhamdulillah.. so it CAN be unbent...

Peace!

All of us now.. Mummy was the one who took this picture. Way to go mummy!

In the car, Ayah made the best nickname for Zubair. You see... the 4 girls in the family, our names begin with the letters J-U. A Long time ago, Before we got married, ayah nicknamed himself JU-ling (malay for cross-eyed) to be part of the Ju-s. but not that he's really cross eyed or anything. and today Ayah suddenly called him, JUbair!!!!!!!! kekek sey! (hilarious!)

Do you like to play Text Twist but often get stuck bcos they come up with strange 6 or 7 letter words?! Here's some tips if you havent known this already.

The final word is Tacked. Notice that the first letters from the 4-letter category are T, A, C and D reading upwards. Notice that the 3-letter category goes T,A,C,E. the remaining letter not in 3 or 4-letter category is K. so u place K accordingly with to match the sequence T,A,C,D and T,A,C,E. Meaning the letter E is somewhere after C but can either be before or after D.

Now give this one a shot.

You've got C,H,R,L and S. just insert U appropriately!

In the case of 2 6-letter word answers, it will follow the first word or the last word, depending whether you are playing the online version or the downloaded version. In this case below, it follows dieter.

In the case of 2 of the same letters in the puzzle, it will be placed on the first position in the final answer.

You have D,R,Y,A, and S. the D doesnt repeat again. so u can say the missing letter to be placed is the 2nd D. and so it becomes Dryads.

Well.. Good luck! and i dare anybody who can beat mine and my mother's score from joint effort of 3mil. :P

...to write. But God.. please give me things to read... i wanna numb my brain.

Woke up at 2:30am and didnt/cldnt go back to sleep. My head is heavy, my heart weights a tonne, my feet drag themselves... and i still have class tonight.

Let me just die.

Wow! this is my 100th Post. Like finally! it took me 3 years to get to 100!! hahaha i started back in Sept 04.

By the way, do you still read my wordpress? In case you're too lazy to check the clues for the password, i write here again:

1. My full name + father's name. If it doesnt work, try

2. my 8 digit birth date. If still cant, try

3. same password as Hidayah's

If not, then it's not for you. heee

Anybody wants to brush up their designing skills? I am willing to be guinea pig for you to design my blogspot layout, provided you can help me back up my entries first lah.

By the way, by the way, the other day my boss asked me what's the status of my application for transfer to another dept. and i told him that the HR person said there's still no reply yet from the manager in charge. i had even emailed my friend in that dept asking if they've got anybody yet.. but also no response. what's happening, man?

And then puzzlingly, my boss asked me, "But if it's offered to you, are you still interested?" I said haltingly, "Yes." My uncertainty is NOT bcos im not sure whether im still interested or not cos im sure i still am but wasnt sure what he meant behind that question. I dont like guessing game. i want real answer! But too shy to ask. *slaps own forehead*

Zubair's Singaporean Pakistani friend wanted to interview us for a school article.

The theme was National Day and she thought she wanted to write about how foreigners who've married Singaporeans spend the Singapore's birthday on this very island.

First was background questions how long we've been married bla bla bla...

But this coming 9th August will be Zubair's first National Day. In other words, he hasnt seen the extent of Singaporean celebration.

We don't usually do anything extra on that day. It's just like any other holiday, to rest at home and catch up with the family, maybe watch the parade on TV. One thing's for sure though, we're going to my 'Azma's wedding on this coming holiday.

When I was in pri/sec sch, we used to queue up for tickets to go to the NDP. But now i dont think its worth it to go. Its HOT, its CROWDED, its TIRING (they have some more shows after the live telecast's over) and u cant really see the whole thing. Watching it on TV from home is the best, u can the best view even from way up high without having to sweat.

Then they compared the celebrations in Pakistan and Singapore. In Pakistan, they make kuihs, put up buntings, basically anything merry.. just like an Eid. I read that the male youths will be hovering around town on their bikes as loud as they can and pull up stunts too.

High expectations = Great Disappointments

I was expecting salary last saturday.... But they seem to have forgotten...

I was expecting another salary this friday but gotta know last friday that the family can only do once a week for the time being... ie it would take longer to complete 4 sessions :(

I based my shopping and budget on these two expectations... so now really hafta sit tight...

But let me indulge in some fantasy...

If i win that $800 and crowned the Singapore Insurance Idol 2, I would:

1. Give my family a treat at Sakura. 7 pax. $70
2. Buy that lingerie i kept looking but didnt buy. $40
3. Buy contact lens. Had been wearing specs to save on the lens. $100 - $20 voucher
4. Go for a much needed Pedicure. $30
5. Hunt for our 1st day Hari Raya Dress. $60
6. Send last years' Raya Dress and bridal bedsheet from Mar for laundry. $50
7. Get proper Anti-Virus Software. $60?
8. Go to the dentist. $60 but claimable
9. Buy 5 tudungs and 2 blouses. $65
10. Go Bowling + Arcade. $50
11. Save the balance for my Pakistan Trip.

How much is balance anyway? *pause to calculate* $295 only!!!! *faint* that is IF i win that $800... if i only get $100?? Jeez.. In that case, i guess i'll just buy the Hari Raya Dress and save the rest.

So pple.. u can see that the prize money is fully allocated. So... understand understood.

The event is stale but the issue still relevant.

It was a week ago when we went to Orchard for dinner treat by Hidayah.

Before dinner, we went to pray at Royal Plaza's musollah. It being Maghrib, the Imam read aloud. I thought nothing of the Fatihah he read, but the 2nd surah from both rakaats shocked us all! He didn't pronounce it properly, he missed a few words and it was just horrible! To me, it sounded like a typical Malay "pak turut" kinda reading, ie he doesnt know how to read the arabic word but just memorise from listening. Malay being Malay and NOT a native Arab, OF COURSE they cant get it right without actually learning to READ the scripture.

After Salam, Zihah gave a "HUH???" look. we discussed whether we should've come out from that solat with that imam, though we didn't. We reached a conclusion that because we didnt know he was like that, it was forgiveable.

Azma raised an interesting Question, "How could he volunteer himself or accept the invitation to be the Imam?" I could think of 3 possible reasons:

1. He didnt know he's NOT reading it RIGHT
2. Nobody else volunteered
3. Nobody else is better than him.

I had the chance to ask the hubby who was there. i asked how did that guy become the Imam? Zubair reported that after the Azan, somebody nudged that guy to be the Imam. The Imam actually asked other pple incl Zubair if they wanna come up and lead the prayer. Before Zubair could walk up, the Imam turned around and started already.

I wldn't say Zubair's reading is perfect but i MUST say its doubly much BETTER than that Imam!! GRRR

Well.. in any case, i hope that somebody will guide that guy to better reading. Ameen.

Zubair was reading the Basic Theory Book in bed and i read what he was reading too.. and saw something VERY interesting that ive never come across before...

"Driver and passengers are required by law to wear seat belts. However, persons under 1.5m in height are exempted." (!!!!!!!!!!!)

Basket! *wink at kak Long* :D

I'm just 2cm over. If not i can happily NOT wear seat belts in the back seat! But then again, i like to wear seat belt esp when i wanna sleep bcos it prevents my head or whole upper body from swaying and getting salah bantal / sore muscles afterwards!

Background Story: I quit sch and want my refund back becos i paid all 3 years' fees thru a loan. I understand if my 1st year is forfeited but even 2nd and 3rd year? I sent an appeal email to the manager a few weeks back.

When i called him if he's received my email, he said please call back 1 or 2 weeks' time, bcos he needs to ask his boss.

When i called up a week later, he said his boss said that they dont normally refund because its AGAINST their company policy, even on compassionate ground. however, he will appeal to the bigger boss.

Yet another week after (yesterday), i called again only to find out that they are still stubbornly sticking to their terms & conditions and not budging.

Me: *sad* Then where else can i appeal to?
Officer: CASE.
Me: But im not a member (The last time i read u need to be a member for at least 6 months)
Officer: U dont need to be a member
Me: Oh?
Officer: But if anybody ask you, dont say its from me

hehe... ok since he's from the sch and he said that, i think i might have a good chance. Like probably, somebody else had done the same and succeeded?

Actually, our previous plan was to approach a lawyer (one of my father's cousins) if this email appeal didnt come through. But at his suggestion, i decided to visit CASE site yet again. and these are what i found out:

1. You DO need to be a member to file a complaint. but they recognise certain union group to be a member as well. Thankfully, i am an NTUC member under Singapore Insurance Employees Union which CASE recognised.
2. CASE is a mediation centre, where two parties are called to discuss cordially as opposed to a lawyer suit. In the latter, u might get grilled by the lawyer and is very stressful or so i read in the papers
3. They have 88% success rate.
4. The rate for a mediation session for claims between 5k-10k is $15 (member) or $50 (non-member)
5. They will advise further actions u can take if u persist when mediation fails.

After chatting with Kak Long on this, we decided yeah we should go to CASE first.