Coretan Syawal

Today is the seventh day of Syawal and the first day I am back at work. Checked my inbox for one week's old of incoming e-mails and let out a sigh of relief that there was no pressing matters that requires my immediate attention or action. Decided to reply some of the e-mails anyway and get some outstanding matters out of the way as I will be busy with the final details of the company's first Annual Dinner & Dance which is just 2 weeks away. The committee members have decided to do a brief performance as part of the opening gambit that night and we have yet to practise together-gether. Luckily the performers we engaged have agreed to help us out with the dance steps at their dance studio.

Earlier in the morning on the way to work, dropped by at Liza's place to give goodbye hugs and kisses to my niece and nephew before they leave for KK that morning. Asheen was in her usual chirpy mood whilst Noah was grumpy having woken from his sleep very early in the morning. Managed to get to work on time despite of the usual heavy morning traffic.

Reminiscing the last few days of Ramadhan in preparation of Syawal, I started baking Raya biscuits the morning I arrived in TI and Kema took over the kitchen in the afternoon. Started with Badam Potong (2nd pic from left) followed by Mata Kucing (3rd pic from left) and Mandarin cupcake (1st pic from left) whilst Kema made the rest, Coklat Gajus (3rd pic from left) and cornflakes (5th pic from left). Tried to bake marble cake but for a certain reason, it did not turn out the way it was supposed to be. Liza is the one who is good at baking cakes but this year for a reason oblivious to any of us, dia mogok. Luckily there was another cake given to Mak by her friend and a cheese cake from one of Kema's clients.

First day of Syawal was the same as the previous years. The day started with sembahyang Raya at the mosque, asking forgiveness from Mak and my other siblings and headed to onyang's house which is about 15 minutes drive to meet with the rest of my relatives. That night, everybody adjourned to my house and we had belated birthday party for Asheen and Noah. Asheen's birthday was in September whilst Noah's in October. I only went to the cemetry to visit Abah, Onyang, Tok and Tok Alang's graves on the 3rd of Syawal as it was packed with people with cars parked alongside the road on the first 2 days of Syawal.

Started going to my relatives' open house on the Saturday I came back to KL and on Oct 31, I will be holding a joined open house with Liza at Armanee, Damansara Damai. Other than my relatives, I invited a few close friends and bloggers who are in town. Look forward to meeting friends I had not seen for quite sometime except via e-mail or phone and also fellow bloggers I am meeting for the first time.

Menjelang Syawal

Dengan Syawal yang bakal menjelang, persiapan raya juga semakin rancak. Dua minggu lalu aku sudah mengambil baju kurung pesak dari songket Pakistan yang ditempah di sebuah kedai di Semuahouse. Aku amat berpuashati dengan hasilnya dan aku turut membeli sepasang brooch untuk dipadankan dengan baju tersebut. Dua pasang lagi kebaya Kema tolong collect dari tailor hari ini sebab aku memang takkan sempat ke kedai itu selepas waktu kerja. Pada hari minggu yang lalu, aku, Kema dan Mak ke Parkson di Putra Place untuk membeli pakaian kasual dan kasut raya untuk anak-anak buah aku. Si Asheen insists baju dia mesti warna pink dan kasut kena ada heels. Noah pulak is just too young to have fashion sense, till then, he'll just wear whatever we buy for him. Hari ini pula, Bobo (nickname for my twin sister) called minta belikan baju kurung untuk Asheen. Baju kurung yang ditempah telah disalah potong oleh tailor di KK. According to Bobo, lehernya terlalu besar hingga belahnya sampai ke perut Asheen. Tergelak bila aku bayangkan rupa Asheen pakai baju tu.

Last weekend juga, bahan-bahan untuk membuat biskut raya dibeli. Biskut raya yang wajib sudah semestinya Coklat Gajus, Badam Potong, Mata Kucing dan Cornflakes. Masa tu mulalah buka resipi yang mak tulis dalam diari. Diari berisi resipi tu dah macam legasi dalam keluarga sebab dah bertahun-tahun dalam simpanan dan dirujuk setiap kali menjelang raya. Sebagai tambahan, aku bercadang membuat Tart Nanas, Mandarin Cupcake dan Marble Cake. Ambitious betul tapi tak tahulah larat ke tidak. Mahu bersengkang mata sampai dua tiga pagi tunggu kuih raya masak dalam oven macam tahun-tahun yang lalu.

Insyaallah, selepas sahur Sabtu ni, aku akan bertolak dengan Kema ke TI. Liza dan Shahrul akan bertolak keesokan harinya selepas mengambil Bobo dan family at the airport that morning. Semoga semuanya selamat sampai ke kampung untuk beraya bersama.

Sick Day

Yesterday morning, I woke up with a slight headache. Went straight to the shower, washed my hair hoping that my headache will subsequently go away. Whilst driving to work it got worse and by the time I reached the office, I felt giddy, lethargic and felt like vomitting. The air-condition at the office worsened my condition as it was too cold and I did not bring my shawl or jacket along. Tried to bury myself into work just to forget the throbbing pain but by 11.oo a.m. it was unbearable. Decided to go the clinic at the ground floor of my office building and got to see the doctor after waited for almost half an hour. The doc was male though I hoped to see the female doctor. Told the doctor my situation but I didn't see this coming..

Doc : Are you pregnant?

Me : Err...no (My eyebrow raised)

Doc : It's just that normally if you are pregnant, you'll feel this nausea, vomitting etc in the morning.

Me : Ooo..ok

Doc : Have you had any children?

Me : No

Doc : Are you married (Ahh...finally the question he should've asked in the first place)

He checked my BP and it was slightly low than normal. Checked my eyes, tounge, the palm of my hands and pressed the tips of my fingers. His conclusion was I am not anaemic but dehydrated. I was given Ponston, T.Moloxon and Oral Rehydration Salt for dehydration and to help increase my BP.

I still continued with my fasting and after seeing the doctor I felt much better even without taking any the medicine prescribed. I think it's a psychology thing. Receiving a call from a close friend during my UiTM days made me felt much much better. Her usual chatty happy go lucky ways made me forget the pain for a while. After breaking fast, took my medicine and went to bed after Maghrib prayer. Missed Tarawih that night....

Dia Dalam Kenangan & Doa

Sejak bermulanya Ramadhan 10 hari yang lalu, ingatanku kepada lelaki ini semakin kuat, sayu rasa hati terutamanya bila mengingatkan saat-saat manis bersama dia. Dan sejak 12 tahun yang lalu, pada pagi Raya, aku akan menziarahi dia berbekalkan air Yassin dan segenggam daun pandan. Di situlah tempat bersemadinya seorang lelaki yang pernah menjadi sebahagian hidupku dan takkan ada gantinya.

Masih segar dalam ingatan peristiwa 12 tahun yang lalu seperti baru semalam berlaku. Tengahari itu, Abah pulang dipapah oleh Mak dan Tok Mat selepas 'collapsed' di sekolah. Percakapan Abah kurang jelas dan pandangan Abah kabur. Cuma mampu menggeleng kepala bila disebut mahu dibawa ke hospital.

Ketika melihat Abah terbaring tidak bermaya dalam ICU dengan tiub, wayar dan monitor ECG disambungkan ke badannya, aku tak dapat menahan airmata daripada tumpah, laju mengalir seperti empangan air yang pecah. Aku genggam erat tangan Abah, tak sangka Abah yang selama ini memang aktif, sekarang ni terlantar tidak berdaya dengan sekelip mata. Aku lihat airmata Abah mengalir, aku kesat airmata Abah dan aku usap kepala Abah. Aku bisik ke telinga Abah memberitahu Abah aku ada disisinya. Pada awal pagi Januari 4, 1995, aku terima panggilan telefon dari hospital yang Abah sudah tiada lagi. Mak semasa itu dalam perjalalan ke hospital untuk memulakan giliran menjaga Abah yang telah dipindahkan ke wad biasa selepas seminggu di dalam ICU.

Apabila jenazah Abah tiba di rumah, aku mampu mengawal emosi, tiada ratapan, raungan cuma tangisan kecil keluar dariku. Aku tatap wajah Abah, ada airmata bertakung di kelopak matanya yang aku kesat perlahan-lahan dengan tisu. Bila adik-beradikku sampai, tiada kata-kata antara kami, hanya pelukan erat dan tangisan yang menggambarkan perasaan masing-masing. Mak, kulihat tidak mengalirkan setitis pun airmata. Aku tahu Mak kesedihan tapi mungkin dia mahu kelihatan tabah untuk anak-anaknya. Sebelum wajah Abah ditutup dengan kain kapan, aku kesat airmataku dan aku cium dahi Abah, terasa sejuk dingin. In spite of all this happening, aku masih berasa seperti semua yang berlaku pada hari itu seperti mimpi even semasa aku mengiringi jenazah Abah di dalam kenderaan jenazah ke masjid dan ke tanah perkuburan. Hanya selepas segala-galanya selesai dengan lancar, pada malam itu aku masuk ke bilikku, aku macam baru tersedar yang Abah dah pergi selama-lamanya. Di dalam kegelapan, aku menangis sepuas-puasnya. Malam itu, aku keseorangan tidur di atas katil di mana jenazah Abah dibaringkan dan kain pelekat Abah menjadi selimutku.

Beberapa tahun selepas itu, Mak beritahu yang Abah pernah berkata kepada Mak yang kalau dia pergi dulu, dia nak Mak pastikan semua kami adik-beradik sampai ke menara gading. Mak bersyukur yang amanat Abah sudah dia tunaikan. Cuma aku terkilan Abah tak sempat melihat kami menerima ijazah dan untuk aku membalas pengorbanan Abah selama ini. Tapi, aku sentiasa berpegang, apa yang berlaku ada hikmahnya.

Al-Fathihah untuk Abah...................

Sand And Stone

This story tells about two friends who were walking through the desert. At one point during the trip, they started arguing and one of the friends hit the other in the face. The one that had been hit was hurt, but without a further word, wrote down in the sand - TODAY MY BEST FRIEND HIT ME IN THE FACE.

They carried on walking until they came across an oasis, where they decided to freshen up and bathe. But the one that had been hit before got caught in the mud and was about to drown, but the friend saved him.

After he had recovered, he wrote down on a stone - TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE.

The friend who had hit his best friend and had then saved him asked, "After I hit you, you wrote in the sand, and now you are writing on stone, why?"

The other friend answered, "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand, so that the wind can forgive us by blowing it away. But when someone does something nice for us, we should engrave it in stone, where no wind can ever blow it away."

They say it takes a minute to find someone special, an hour to appreciate them, a day to get to like and love them, but it takes a lifetime to forget them.

A Different Perspective

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from this trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip"

"It was great, Dad."

" Did you see how poor people live?" The father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what did you learn from this trip?" asked the father.

The son answered. "I saw that we have one dog and they have four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lantern in our garden and they have stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We have our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all thank for everything we have instead of worrying about what we don't have. Appreciate every single thing you have, especially family and friends.

Third Day of Fasting

First day berpuasa pada hari bekerja dah melalui cabaran dalam bulan Ramadhan ni. During the fasting month, Muslim employees are allowed to leave 1 hour earlier provided that one work through lunch. Although I started work at 8.30 a.m., I decided to leave only at 5.00 p.m. thinking that it would give me ample time to to go to bazaar Ramadhan kat Stadium Shah Alam and be home before masa berbuka. When I came out from the office lobby and walked towards the carpark, noticed that cars were queuing up opposite my office building. Ingatkan mungkin disebabkan simpang kat Jalan Pantai but by the time I drove out, I realized that the queue was all the way to Federal Highway up to exit ke LDP. It took me 45 minutes just to get to Federal Highway and by the time I reached home, azan from the nearby surau dah dilaungkan. Berbukalah dengan kueh teow semalam tapau masa berbuka di rumah Kema. Terkejar-kejar jugak mandi and bersiap-siap tarawih di Masjid Negeri Shah Alam. Alhamdulillah, dapat bertarawih dengan tenang. Selalunya buat 8 rakaat aje, by 9.20 p.m. dah selesai and sambung witir di rumah sebelum Subuh prayer.

Hari ni, berbuka meriah and lebih teratur. I decided to leave the office at 4.30 p.m, traffic was smooth and sempat balik rumah sebelum jumpa Zura di bazaar Ramadhan. Nampaknya, kena leave office at 4.30 p.m. on the dot sepanjang bulan Ramadhan ni. I bought a few kuih, nasi tomato and a couple of lauk untuk bersahur. As usual, bazaar Ramadhan kat Stadium Shah Alam ni memang banyak jugak gerai and choices. Kalau tak kawal nafsu membeli, boleh sampai beli more than one can eat and at the end pembaziran. By 6.30 p.m. headed back to my place untuk berbuka. Earlier, my aunt called nak berbuka kat rumah jugak. So, bertigalah berbuka hari ini. Seronok and lebih berselera kalau berbuka berteman ni.

Aiman Tak Kisah....

A couple of days ago I received an sms from my twin sister. Tergelak sorang-sorang bila baca sms tu.

"Kalau terasa nak buat jahat dalam bulan puasa tanyalah iman, tentu iman kata tak boleh. Jangan tanya aiman, nanti dia kata aiman tak kisah..."

Ramadhan Datang Lagi!

Ahad ini, September 24, 2006 bermulanya Ramadhan. Bulan mulia ni bulan ibadah bagi aku. Honestly, I am not a perfect Muslim, ada banyak flaws - for one I do not wear a headscarf. Sembahyang lima waktu, I strived untuk tidak tinggalkan walaupun kadangkala terbabas juga kerana lalai dengan urusan dunia. Nauzubillah! Sempena bulan Ramadhan ni, aku ambil kesempatan untuk tambahkan pahala dengan membuat sembahyang terawih di mana pahalanya berlimpat kali ganda. Like Stef said - to level the score. Last year, alhamdulillah aku dapat tunaikan sembahyang terawih hampir penuh except masa 'red flag' and a few days skip sebab terima jemputan berbuka puasa dengan kengkawan. Tahun ni, aku komited to fulfill sembahyang terawih jugak. Zura dah sound awal-awal nak berbuka puasa sekali dengan aku sepanjang Ramadhan and aku nak ajak dia terawih sekali. Last year masjid pilihan untuk berterawih were Masjid Besar Shah Alam and Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan kat Jalan Duta. I prefer to go to Masjid Wilayah sebab the ambience lebih tenang and bacaan imam memang very soothing but Masjid Shah Alam lebih dekat dengan rumah. Hopefully, Allah permudahkan urusan aku dalam memenuhi niat aku ni.

Lepas ni kena buka buku balik ulangkaji pasal sembahyang Terawih - almaklumlah setahun sekali aje buat.

EnTiTi

Sayup-sayup terdengar petikan gitar, sekali-sekala terdengar suara jeritan lelaki memecah keheningan pagi dari asrama pelajar lelaki. Release tensionlah tu! Almaklumlah final exam tinggal sebulan lagi. Aku masih tercanguk di meja study menelaah subject Accounting. Mata masih tidak mengantuk lagi walaupun jam dah menunjukkan pukul 3.00 pagi. Memikirkan ada kelas pukul 11.00 pagi, aku ambil keputusan untuk tidur. Nanti mengantuk pulak dalam kelas. Kawan sebilik aku, Azni dah lama koma, yang dua orang lagi, Linda dan Artie entah ke mana merayapnya.

Aku kemaskan semua buku dan padamkan lampu kamar. Suasana dalam kamar masih samar-samar oleh cahaya dari asrama pelajar lelaki yang terletak di atas bukit di hadapan blok aku. Aku pejamkan mata, pusing kiri dan kanan, masih lagi sukar nak lelapkan mata. Keadaan malam yang agak panas menyukarkan lagi untuk aku tidur walaupun kipas di tengah kamar ligat berpusing dengan kelajuan yang maksimum. Cuba jugak kira anak kambing lompat pagar, kut-kut boleh tidur, masih tak berhasil. Tipulah siapa yang bagi petua kira anak kambing ni boleh tidur. Aku baring mengiring betul-betul di tepi katil supaya boleh kena angin dari kipas. Yalah, katil aku double decker dan aku di bahagian bawah. Aku pejamkan mata dan fikiran mula melayang tentang kisah lalu dan berangan tentang masa hadapan, cubaan terakhir untuk tidur. Manalah tahu, bila otak letih berimaginasi, terlelap kut mata.

Tiba-tiba, aku terasa tilam di sebelah belakang aku tenggelam seperti dibaringi seseorang. Kemudian aku terdengar bantal kepalaku dicakar berulang kali. Tubuhku terus kaku, hatiku berdebar-debar, mata ku pejamkan rapat-rapat dan aku mula membaca di dalam hati ayat-ayat suci yang aku hafal dari ayat lazim hinggalah ayat kursi. Semasa itu, aku teringat kisah yang aku dengar tentang pelajar dihempap oleh sesuatu semasa tidur. Sedang aku asyik membaca ayat-ayat suci, aku dikejutkan pula dengan bunyi yang amat kuat. Ku bukakan mataku sedikit dan aku terlihat satu lembaga hitam lebih kurang 7 kaki tingginya berdiri di tepi pintu sedang menghentam pintu kamarku dengan kuat hingga bergegar pintu tersebut. Ku pejamkan mata semula dan tidak putus-putus membaca ayat-ayat suci. Berbagai perkara bermain dalam fikiranku, tergerak jugak untuk berteriak dan melaungkan Allahuakbar tapi aku batalkan niat aku dan mengambil keputusan untuk mematikan diri.

Selepas beberapa kali, bunyi itu berhenti. Aku terdengar pulak satu suara membuat bunyi ketawa "He he he" beberapa kali. Hatiku berkata-kata, "Alamak, apa pulak ni." Aku memberanikan diri untuk membuka mataku sedikit. Dalam cahaya samar-samar itu, kelihatan satu makhluk bertubuh sasa dengan bentuk tubuh setengah manusia dan setengah beruk ala-ala dalam cerita Planet of The Apes. Makhluk itu berlari-lari kecil dengan menghentakkan kakinya sambil ketawa di tengah kamarku. Beberapa kali aku pejam dan buka mataku sedikit memerhatikan tingkahlaku makhluk itu. Risau jugak aku kalau tiba-tiba ia menerkam aku. Selepas tiga kali berlari-lari di tengah kamarku, ia lenyap dari pandangan dan aku terasa benda yang berbaring di belakang aku juga bangun dari katilku. Tiba-tiba, terdengar kembali petikan gitar dan suara dari asrama pelajar lelaki. Sepanjang aku diganggu oleh sesuatu, lembaga dan makhluk itu, aku seperti berada di alam lain kerana aku dapat melihat Azni tetapi dia sedikit pun tidak terjaga dek bunyi yang kuat di pintu dan gelak ketawa makhluk tersebut. Tanpa aku membuang masa, aku terus terjun dari katil dan lompat ke katil Azni. Azni terjaga dan tanya aku kenapa. Aku cakap esok aku cerita sebab hati aku masih berdebar-debar dan aku tak mahu takutkan dia. Sempat juga aku tengok jam di tangan aku - pukul 3.30 pagi.

Cerita ni memang kisah benar. Aku pasti sebab aku memang cubit diri aku sendiri semasa didatangi oleh gangguan-gangguan tersebut. Aku pernah terbaca dan terdengar mengenai ada tabir yang memisahkan dunia manusia dan dunia makhluk halus ni, jin atau syaitan. Ada masanya, tabir ni tersingkap dan manusia dapat melihat makhluk alam lain ini. Mungkin sesetengah orang anggap sesiapa yang dapat peluang melihat atau berjumpa makhluk alam lain ni bertuah tetapi bagi aku cukuplah sekali melalui pengalaman tersebut.

Semasa aku menulis entry ini, beberapa kali bulu roma ku meremang...................

Annual Beach Cleanup @ Teluk Kemang, PD

I departed from home exactly at 6.00 a.m., left my car at the office and took Putra LRT to KL Sentral, meeting point for all volunteers. By the time we got onto the bus, it was already 7.30 a.m. and we only arrived at Teluk Kemang on the dot 9.00 a.m. We had to change to the event T-Shirt distributed on that day though we were very much prefer to just wear and show off our company's T-Shirt especially when we females ended up with L and XL size T-Shirts which were too big for us. Volunteers were asked to form into group of 4, each group were given garbage bags, gloves and a form listing categories of garbage that we need to record. We were told that the data we collected will be used for research purposes.

After speeches by the Managing Director of Body Shop, Country Manager of Coca-Cola Malaysia and a local VIP, off we went on garbage-hunting. Our plan was to walk together and one person was supposed to record the type of garbage collected but I guess eventually whilst we were busy scanning the beach for rubbish, we tend to wander off and went our separate ways. It was not suprising that the highest type of rubbish collected were cigarette butts. Our group managed to collect 16kg load of rubbish whilst some collected more than 100kg of garbage (though some of us silently protested deadwood does not count as garbage!)

After lunch, prizes were given out for the heaviest garbage, the most variety and the highest type of rubbish collected. Our group did not win in any of the category. Although the event started late, it ended on time. It was supposed to be free and easy at the beach after lunch but all of us were so dead tired. The organizer arranged for the buses to depart earlier than schedule and we slept throughout the whole journey back.

Latest Addition To My Book Collection

Bought them at MPH, SAC Mall, Shah Alam today

The Harmony Silk Factory By Tash Aw

This is the story of Johnny Lim, textile merchant, petty crook and inventor of the Amazing Machine, and his marriage to the beautiful Snow Soong.

In 1940, with the Japanese about to invade Malaysia, Johnny and Snow embark on their honeymoon to the mysterious Seven Maiden Islands, accompanied by a mercurial Japanese professor and Peter Wormwood, an Englishman adrift. Many years later, Wormwood looks back on this defining journey, while Snow's son goes in search of the truth of his mother and the infamous Chinese man she married.

The Other Side Of The Story By Marian Keyes

Jojo, a high-flying literary agent on the up, has just made a very bad career move: she jumped into bed with her married boss, Mark ....

Jojo's sweet-natured client, Lily's first novel is a roaring success. She and lover Anton celebrate by spending the advance for her second book. Then she gets writer's block......

Gemma used to be Lily's nest friend - until Lily 'stole' Anton. Now she's writing her own story - painfully and hilariously - when super-shark agent Jojo stumbles across it.....

When their fortunes entangled it, it seems too much to hope that they'll all find a happy ending. But maybe they'll each discover that there's more than one side to every story.....

My Favourite Goodbye By Sheila O'Flanagan

Ash O'Halloran knows she should be having the time of her life. She's twenty-nine, single and self-suporting. So shouldn't she be out there every night, swiling Chardonnay and falling in love? Or if she isn't, at least having a great time moaning about it with her friends?

Doesn't she know how to be a single woman?

Trouble is, Ash likes things as they are. She doesn't do impulsive and relationships scare her to death. At the first hint of commitment, it's goodbye. No way is she going to let herself get hurt.

But as Ash watches Dan Morland - who employed her to cook the ultimate dinner the night he proposed to his girlfriend - trying to sort out a life with the woman he loves. she begins to wonder if being Miss Self-Contained-and-Secure might also mean Missing Out.....

So, This Is How Fresh Dates Look Like...Duh!

Has anyone seen how fresh dates look like? Well, I haven't till yesterday. On the way back from lunch at the usual place with the usual suspect, I saw a few people flocking at this stall membelek-belek this fruit. Usually, stall ni jual jajan, raisins, asam and dried dates. Out of curiosity, I stopped and asked the kakak, "Buah apa ni, kak?" "Fresh dates, dik dari Madinah" the kakak replied. Another person asked how does it taste. Kakak tu rasanya kelat. Teringin jugak nak rasa, so I bought some. Mahal jugak fresh dates ni, RM4 for every 100gm. I bought about RM30 bila fikirkan mak akan datang ke rumah hari ini. Bolehlah rasa kut-kut dia tak pernah rasa.

Sampai kat office, aku letakkan plastik berisi fresh dates tu di atas meja. Rasalah sebijik dua, rasanya taklah kelat sangat tapi campur rasa lemak manis jugak. It drew attention a few colleagues yang turut merasa. Some like it, some don't. Well, terpulanglah. Different people ada citarasa yang berlainan. Siapa teringin nak rasa, carilah sendiri yea....

The Office

Hari ni put extra hours at the office. Pukul 8.30 p.m. baru balik. Managed to clear a lot of tasks and did some filings. Aman rasanya sebab takde gangguan. Kalau tidak boss aku jap-jap panggil and a discussion that should take a few minutes dragged sampai berjam-jam sebab dia suka meleret-leret. Aku tekad tak bawak laptop balik so that aku tak teruja to continue work at home. Seronok rasanya duduk kat lokasi cubicle baru ni and I have started to personalize my work area dengan decoration and plants. Tapi my boss said this is temporary and early next year mungkin kena relocate lagi.

The signs I put up continue to receive comments from my colleagues. One said I should just leave it there because everytime she passes and sees the signs, they brought smile to her face. It also caught the attention of one German visitors and he came to my place just to find out who the 'culprit' was and commented 'It's very funny." Some said macam treasure huntlah and I retorted, "Tapi ni takde treasure to collect or giftlah, just me."

Masa aku berjalan through the pantry area to go to another wing, I didn't notice the cleaner was mopping the floor and aku terus jalan through the wet floor, terpelecok lah pulak. Immediately terasa a sharp pain around my ankle. Berhenti sekejap, gosok-gosok kat buku lali tu. Rasanya tersalah urat, jalan pun kena slowdown sikit. Sampai sekarang masih lagi terasa sakitnya. Kena urutlah jawabnya tapi siapa yang boleh urutkan yea....

At lunch, my colleague told me that last nite her husband was robbed at knife point at basement parking KLCC. He was working late and when he was opening the car door, a man pointed a knife at him and told him to surrender his wallet. He did not fight back and did as told. Luckily he was not harmed. Today, KLCC security informed him that his wallet has been found and all his personal documents, credit cards and bank cards remained intact, only cash yang kena kebas - about a few hundred aje. Tak tahulah apa nak jadi dengan dunia sekarang. Jenayah merata-rata, daring sungguh orang-orang ni lakukan jenayah sampai sanggup membunuh.

Minta aku dilindungi Tuhan dari situasi begini. Amin.....

Shell and Petronas vie for Jet stations as Conoco pulls out

Bangkok Post - Thailand/Monday September 11, 2006

SOONRUTH BUNYAMANEE

Shell and Petronas are interested in acquiring the JET petrol stations operated by Conoco (Thailand) Co. The US-based oil company has decided to withdraw from Thailand after failing to break even after 15 years. The firm has quietly approached several oil companies operating locally, including PTT Plc, about selling its 147 petrol stations nationwide. Industry executives now believe Conoco will call for public bids for the Thai operations in the near future. "We're interested in participating in the bids once Conoco begins the process," said Tiraphot Vajrabhaya, the chairman of Shell Company of Thailand. he said the multinational was always exploring opportunities to expand, particularly in Asia Pacific, under its "move from West to East" startegy. "However, the final decision of Shell (regarding Conoco) will depend on conditions, the market situation, potential and pricing," he said. Conoco is estimated to have invested more than four billion bhat in its Thai operations but Mr Tiraphot said the price of any acquisition was likely to be lower once depreciation and current market value were taken into account. For one thing, he said, the current climate of the retail oil business in Thailand was very poor. "With minimal margins for retail oil trading, we will definitely not expand the business this year." He expected the bidding process, if it went ahead, to last for six to 12 months. Mr Tiraphot said Shell would invest 200 million baht for general maintenance of its stations to sustain businesses for this year, substantially lower than its normal investment of 700-800 million baht a year. Shell has been closing around 10 poorly performing stations per year and now has 580 sites, a figure it expects will decline to around 500 over time. A Petronas executive confirmed that the Malaysian company planned to bid for the Jet stations to strengthen its presence in Thailand. However, Mohd Aidnil Abdul Razak, chief executive of Petronas Retail (Thailand) Co Ltd, said the company would not expand its network this year beyond the 117 stations it now has. "We are always seeking opportunities to expand business, but if Conoco formally opens bidding, I will have to convey the message to my headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and the decision will be made there," he said.

A Good Week!

Kelmarin aku berpindah ke another cubicle. Yang bestnya sebab secluded and ada privacy memandangkan my work deals a lot with confidential matters. Yang tak bestnya, betul-betul kat depan bilik boss. Bak kata pepatah Melayu, sekangkang kera atau sepelaung aje. Half day gone just moving and re-arranging the files and cabinets. Dahlah tu, pagi-pagi lagi my laptop buat hal, tak boleh nak login to network. Banyak kerja yang tergendala. Contact IT support pun, tengahari baru datang selepas aku berjaya solve the problem on my own. After lunch kat Rivierra (nama glamour untuk food court kat tepi longkang besar), aku singgah kat mini mart in my office building beli 1 box of mini cornetto ice-cream for lelaki-lelaki gagah yang tolong aku move the cabinets. Ice-cream yang selebihnya jadi rebutan yang lain. First come first yang merasalah.

Selepas aku pindah, some people have problems finding me. So, I put up a few signs to direct them to my new cubicle which is just 20 steps away - NURUL HAS MOVED (With an arrow sign)......U'RE GETTING CLOSER (with pictures of footsteps).......ALMOST THERE, ABOUT 5 STEPS AWAY.......CONGRATULATIONS! U'VE FOUND ME. Macam mini treasure hunt pulak. In spite of the signs, ada yang masih asked people around where am I. I guess either they do not see the signs or some people are just not good at reading signs walaupun aku rasa signs aku tu 'terang lagi bersuluh'. Ramai yang jadi guide tak bertauliah directing these people to my cubicle. Several people teased me about the signs I put up, ala just to add humour in the office.

Minggu ni jugak aku terima call dari headhunter about a managerial job in a UK-based retail company. I told the headhunter I am not interested but she insisted of e-mailing me the job profile. After a couple of days, baru aku berkesempatan accessing my personal e-mail and read the job profile. It looks like a good career move but I'd like to prove myself in this company and I enjoy what I am doing right now. Lagipun, I just joined the company for less than 3 months. I replied to the e-mail and recommended a friend to the headhunter instead.

Alhamdulillah, rezeki aku murah sejak akhir-akhir ni. This is the 10th job opportunities I was being considered for, mostly from MNCs including 5 from oil & gas (the industry where I have worked in for almost 7 years), 2 pharmaceautical companies, 1 FMCG company and 1 each from an Arab-based broadcasting company and service company. I politely told the headhunters/company I did not wish to explore but will let them know if I wish to move on. You have to build a good rapport with them because you'll never know when you will need them. I also pity my friend who never seem to give up persuading me to join her and even willing to pay whatever salary I want just to lure me. But then again, although dollar and cent tu penting, I also value job satisfaction, working environment and quality of working life. To prove that, I gave up a job in an oil & gas company which provides better compensation and benefits package after two and a half weeks to join my current company merely because I like the job scope better.

This morning, on the way to work, sempat aku habiskan baca buku cerita The Undomestic Goddess' whilst stopping at traffic lights and caught in the usual slow moving morning traffic on Federal Highway. Now I can start reading another Sophie Kinsella's 'Can You Keep A Secret' which I just bought last Thursday at MPH.

That morning juga, received sms from sis, Kema 'This Sunday buat apa? Dtg la rumah kita makan. About 11 camtu. Plse confirm - in preparation to cook. Menu nasi lemak dan mee kari (ye la takan steak lak! Tak reti) Sms to confirm. By tomorrow morning'. Tak sempat nak reply sebab busy with work. Petang Kema dah call minta confirmation sebab dia nak pergi beli groceries. I asked her to buy some other things because I plan nak tambah a few dishes especially when she said she dah terover invite people mainly our relatives.

Later in the evening, a friend called and asked me to participate in a focus group study about water purifier where participants will be paid RM60 for 1.5 hour session. Terpaksa turn down sebab firstly, not interested and secondly kena help Kema with her Sunday luncheon.

Who is Tan Sri?

I was asked this quetion by a few people since I posted entry 'One Quiet Sunday Night'. Biarlah rahsia? Maybe, but when it's time to let the cat out of the bag, don't expect any fairytale lavish wedding like CT. One thing for sure, he's a friend who always make you feel special just the way you are.

Aktiviti Di Hari Merdeka

Sempena cuti Hari Merdeka ni aku dan Zura mengambil kesempatan untuk membeli kain lining untuk baju raya dan menghantar kain-kain tu ke tailor. Bukannya gungho, tapi kalau hantar lambat, tailor tak terima nanti. Furthermore, sempatlah buat fittings and alterations kalau perlu. Semasa aku di cashier untuk membayar, there was this lady who was in the midst of paying her purchases. Aku tengok kain yang dibeli were several French laces heavily embroidered with beads. Mesti mahal ni!! True enough, her total purchase was more than RM1K. She flashed her gold credit card and the cashier took out several shirts wrapped in plastics for her to choose as free gift. Aku tengok label kat shirts tu Zara - a well-known brand and usually quite pricey too. Yang warna orange tu cantiklah pulak. Don't know why I am soo into orange and pink nowadays. Anyway, instead of just choose one of the shirts, I saw her looking at them in disgust. She called her daughter, "Ni hah, engko tengoklah mana-mana yang engko nak. Kut nak pakai yang celoreng-celoreng ni ke, ape ke" dengan nada yang agak sombong. Lepas membelek shirts tu, her daughter decided not to take any of them. Whilst she walked away, I overheard her say, "Elok buat lap kaki aje." What a pompous ass! Kalau tak berkenan pun, tak payahlah buat ayat-ayat macam tu. Just politely declined or just take it and give it away to somebody else. Macam-macam ragam manusia ni.....

After watching the whole drama, we headed to Semuahouse to send all the kain to the tailor. Kat kedai tailor, Zura came across kain dari fabrik songket berwarna pink lembut dengan bunga berterabur yang ditenun dengan silver thread. It was love at first sight. The salesgirl tunjuk warna lain tapi aku dah terpaut dengan warna pink lembut. Memang aku dah lama mencari kain songket macam ni tapi kainnya samada keras atau motivesnya terlalu heavy. Yang ini, kainnya lembut dan harganya berpatutan. This must be my lucky day! Aku terus letakkan kain tu ke badan dan tayang di hadapan cermin. Dah mula berimaginasi how it will look on me once made into baju kurung. It did not take me long to decide that I must have it. Told the tailor yang aku nak buat rekaan klasik - baju kurung pesak gantung. Memang aku gemar rekaan ni and I have a few baju kurung with this design. Zura also bought one but berwarna kuning air. Tak sabar nak tengok the finished work and pakai pada Hari Raya nanti. Ala-ala Perempuan Melayu Terakhir gitu, kut.

*Sigh* Esok kena kerja........

Merdekakah Kita?

Pada pagi Hari Merdeka ni, aku teringat lagu WARISAN yang sering dinyanyikan semasa di sekolah dan UiTM Di Hatiku. In the hype of Merdeka celebrations ni, kita gembur-gemburkan tentang pencapaian, tapi bagaimana dengan failures? Aku sebenarnya sedih sebab masih ramai bangsa Melayu yang lalai dan ada mentaliti yang sentiasa mengharapkan subsidi dari kerajaan, Melayu kena tolong Melayu (in spite of most of them do not deserved to be helped) instead of berusaha sendiri. Kalau dah diberi pertolongan, tak menghargainya dan mensia-siakannya sampai ada yang sanggup menggadainya pulak. Allah juga takkan tolong hambaNya kalau hambaNya sendiri tak berusaha. Adakah tanpa semua ni, kita tak boleh survive...............merdekakah kita? Mungkin jasad kita merdeka tapi minda kita? This requires major paradigm shift.....dan aku faham Mahathir's frustration.......thanks to Malay Dilemma yang banyak membuka minda and to my parents yang telah membesarkan aku dengan fikiran Melayu baru.

WARISAN

Anak kecil main api
Terbakar hatinya yang sepi
Airmata darah bercampur keringat
Bumi dipijak milik orang

Nenek moyang kaya raya
Tergadai seluruh harta benda
Akibat sengketa sesama kita
Cita lenyap di arus zaman

Indahnya bumi kita ini
Warisan berkurun lamanya
Hasil mengalir ke tangan yang lain
Pribumi merintih sendiri

Masa depan sungguh kelam
Kan lenyap peristiwa semalam
Tertutup hati terkunci mati
Maruah peribadi dah hilang

Kini kita cuma tinggal kuasa
Yang akan menentukan bangsa
Bersatulah hati bersama berbakti
Pulih kembali harga diri

Kita sudah tiada masa
Majulah dengan gagah perkasa
Janganlah terlalai teruskan usaha
Melayu kan gagah di Nusantara

Unfortunately, aku tak jumpa lagu Warisan untuk diperdengarkan dan dihayati bersama tapi diharapkan lagu UiTM Di Hatiku ini akan mengingatkan kita.

One Quiet Sunday Night

This sms texting took place between 9.05 p.m. to 9.51 p.m, started with an sms sent at 12.51 pm today about watching Actorlympics @ Actor's Studio some time in September.

Tan Sri: Cunt lah, darling
Me: Did you purposely spell cant that way?
Tan Sri: Thats how you make me spell.
Me: Ahhh...blame it on Virgin Mary. The Actorlympic thingy seems to be on hold anyway
Tan Sri: On hold?
Me: Actor's Studio said so. Called them earlier
Tan Sri: What about you? ;)
Me: What about me?
Tan Sri: You on hold too?
Me: On hold, frm wat?
Tan Sri: You are such a tease. You know, you dont fool me. You are naughtier than most girls I know! Nurul, nurul...
Me: Bcoz m not like most gurls u know. He2x
Tan Sri: I have to agree with that. But you have to agree I am right about you
Me: Only on tis 1. Most of other times on other subjects, I agree to disagree.
Tan Sri: I am not interested in being right about HR. YOU are far more fascinating subject.
Me: We'll talk just abt me then the next time we meet ;)
Tan Sri: You read my mind. Over drinks soon. If I am someone you trust, and open conversation is something I look forward to.
Me: Look forward to that 2. Will give you a buzz. Nite2x
Tan Sri: Cheers. Bye