Lil rascals December 26, 2006

I called my niece just now.   

Me:  Aneesa buat apa?

Her:  Aneesa main ngan mainan.

Me:  Iyer, main ngan siapa?  Najla tak datang?

Her:  Main ngan Aneesa je.  Najla datang haritu.  Dia tido sini dua…

Me:  Tido sana dua…?  Dua hari?

Her: Hihihihi.  Ha’ah!

Alahai….gerammmmnye!!  Comel!!!   I dunnow why but two of my nieces seem to have a problem with finishing their sentences which end with hari/days.  They usually omit the hari/days part.  It’s weird!

Najla:  Acu…Acu tido sini one ke two ke three??

Me:  One ke two ke three DAYS, Najla.  And Acu tido sini one day je.

Najla:  Tapi haritu Acu tido rumah Aneesa three…  (and she made a sad face.  and so managed to get me to stay longer at her house) 

Still omitted the word ‘days’ eventhough i corrected her!  But they are so adorable that way.  I love it when they speak incorrectly and i have to figure out whatever it is that they are trying to say.     

My nephew once wailed, “Aniq takut Kong Kong Chipper!!!!”

And my mum and I were like,  “What…???”

And then we heard it.  A lorry passed by hailing, “Kaw kaw puchi.  Old newspaper.  Surat khabar lamaaaa.”

Kong Kong Chipper must have been what it sounded like in his head. 

Oh…the time when they discovered that I actually have a proper name. 

My mum was calling out for me from downstairs, “Syahidaaaaa, Syahidaaaa! Jiiiiiiiid!!!“

Aneesa and Najla, probably with looks of bewilderment on their faces,  ”Tok Mak, Tok Mak panggil siapa?”

Hehehe.  Sabar je la.  They actually thought my name was Acu. 

And for the rest of the day they kept calling me Syahidaaaa, Syahidaaaa, in the ‘makcik’y way.  Eeeee, mak nam mak nam ni.  Gerammmmm! 

And once I asked Mimi, “Nama papa Mimi apa?”

Grinning, she said, “Uncle Farid.”

It’s because her cousins call her dad Uncle Farid that she thought that was his name. 

 Arrrrgghhhhhh, rinduuuuu!!!!

*Najla, Aneesa, and Mimi (who was in the process of recovering from a great fall, out of her bed and onto the floor.  Hence, the swollen right eye.)*

Eureka! December 25, 2006

I’ve had my red Vaio for four months now.  And that is how long it took me to realise that the laptop came with a built-in micropohone!  The built-in camera is hard to miss, I’d have to be blind not to notice it.

I know, I know.  I am totally clueless when it comes to IT gizmos.  I bought this laptop because it’s red.  And also because I, as cik kinut would have it, ’fried’ the keyboard of my old one.  I didn’t even do any research before buying the laptop, which led me to buy it at the Sony Centre, where all I got for free was a charger case.  Pssshhhh.  I’ve been told that I would get lots more if I’d bought it at Low Yatt.  But aiyooo, Jalan Bukit Bintang is really not my favourite road lah.  Phening lu tau.  So, nevermind.  The dumbest part of all:  I actually yelped when the sales guy opened the laptop to show me the inside of it.  It’s pink!!!!  The softest shade of pink, metallic.  I didn’t even know that before I committed myself to buying it.  Nasib suka, kalau tak?  Refund policy kat Malaysia kan macam cin cau.  And I was lucky to have my IT bodyguards (Natte n Yas) with me to make sure that I did’t get RAM & ROM mixed up with ramp & romp, hehe.  Thank you!

Anyhoo, back to my built-in microphone discovery.  It was when Foy called me on YM this morning.  He’s never done that before.  I know he did it because he saw the look of surprise on my face when I saw a mic attached to his laptop.  I was like, “Who do u speak to using that?  You usually call your mum using the phone.”  Unspoken thought:  Is there another girl?  He heard it anyway.  And that guy, God bless him, called me this morning just to prove my unspoken thought wrong.  He was all, “Morning…!  Buat apa?  Bla bla bla bla..”  I was typing away like crazy trying to answer his greetings and questions.  Tap tap trap tap tap trap tap tap.  Rasa macam tengah berdating dengan orang bisu tak?

He said, “I can actually hear you type.  Cuba you cakap.  I rasa you ada mic.”

Me, all excited, “Serious you boleh dengar?”

Him, just as excited, “Haah!  I dengar, I dengar!”

Me, “Oh my God! Oh my God!  I have a built-in mic!  Oh my God!! Best nye!!!!”

This ought to explain why I got a mini iPod just months before the colourful nanos came out.  I just haven’t got a clue!!!  Ppssssshhhhhh.

     

We serve God December 23, 2006

Yesterday, I went for my first usrah for this academic year.  I missed two previous usrahs before this because I wasn’t in Soton for the first one and I had a friend over for the night for the second one.  Valid reasons I would say.  And somehow some people managed to raise their eyebrows over those reasons, “She’s not coming again??”.  Wanna give me that hollier than thou attitude?  I don’t give a flying duck about it.  It’s not my fault that I have a life and you don’t, so stop judging me and find something else better to do.  Leave the judging to God, will you?

Ahhhhh, relief…  I’ve wanted to get that out of my chest for ages!!!

Anyhoo, I learned something from yesterday’s session.  I never come back empty handed from the usrahs that I’ve attended.  One thing that was said that really hit home was on fate.  How we all have our own designated life plans up there and nothing but His power alone can override those plans.  I think the dalil can be found in the 4th Hadith.

Everything has been planned for us.  From our birth to our death.  From our excellent exam results to bad ones.  From our wealth to our losses.  From our beauty to our littlest of scars.  From marriages to divorces.  From happiness to hardships.  Everything is fixed.  But the beauty behind it is that we feel that we are going through life and making choices freewillingly, when in actuality we’re merely acting out the scripts that have been written out for us.  It’s because the scripts are unknown to us that we feel it’s all our choices and decisions.   

So, when you think that you’re successful because you have worked hard for whatever it is that you’ve been aiming for, you’re wrong.  That success was brought about solely because God wanted you to have the success.  You take God out of the equation, no matter how hard you work for it, it’s never gonna come to you.  You are rich because God said so.  You marry so and so bacause God decided so.  You are beautiful because God made you so.

Right.  So you’re thinking, why the heyy would I need to work for anything that I want if everything’s been pre-fixed for me then?  It’ll come to me naturally, right?  

No.  Wealth and success won’t fall on your lap just because it’s written up there.  Here’s an anology:  Fire is hot.  You get fire from lighting a matchstick, or turning on the burner.  Therefore, if you want fire you’ve got to light that matchstick or turn on the burner.  The fire is hot because God made it hot.  Lighting the matchstick is just the means by which God has chosen for you to get the fire to give you light and keep you warm.  That’s how it works in this world.  Things don’t fall from the sky to get to us.

So, let’s apply that anology.  Jid is hot.  Jid is hot because God made her hot.  Eeeeekkkkkkk.  Oooookayyyy, that won’t help me prove my point.  Let’s try another one.  Let’s just say, I get a first class honours.  Dear God, please let this be true.  I get a firstt class because God has long decided that it’s best for me to get a first.  That first class won’t just come along if I were to sit in my room doing nothing, just like how hot won’t come about from fire if I don’t light the matchstick.  The means through which I’ll be getting that first is my effort.  My efforts alone cannot bring about a first.  It has to be dictated first by God that I will get it.  Or else, I won’t. 

So, the next time you want to feel so big and great about yourself for something that you’ve achieved, stop.  Coz you know it’s not you.  It’s God’s work.  Your part is equivalent to that turning of the burner.  That’s all.  Furthermore, by bearing this in mind, automatically everything that you do is for God’s sake.  Coz the outcome you leave it to God, and therefore your effort is solely because Allah says working hard is part of ibadah. 

Why worry about the future, eh?  We’re so small and powerless when we come think about it.  Live life the right way and leave everythingelse to Him.  We’re nothing without Him anyway.      

Hope I get my point across.       

Sway December 22, 2006

Woman:  May I know the reason why you want to terminate the contract?

Me:  Sure.  Because your service simply sucks, really.  I’ve been trying to bla di bla di bla di bla…and your company hasn’t been able to bla di bla di bla di bla…

I bet she wished she handn’t asked me that question now, eh?

But what do you know.  At the end of the conversation, I opted for an upgrade with the same freaking phone company after all.  What the hell, JIddd???  What was the lecture on the quality of the service all about?  Yes, yes, I do not adhere to my own principle and stance.  I throw them away at the thought of getting a new phone and a very cheap phone deal.  But it’s seriously cheap.  And you don’t know the whole story behind my phone problem and I’m not in the mood to venture into it.  Simply put, she’s solemnly promised that i’ll be getting my new phone and contract in 5 days’ time (because of Christmas and all, if not it’d be in 48 hours’ time, yeahhh riteee.) 

So, you see what kind of training that these people actually go through?  They are trained to be downright persuasive and patient!  I’m really not the kind of person who you’d want to talk to when I’m all annoyed and irritated.  I really am the bitch when I’m mad (a plus point for when I’m back in KL actually, because some of the the sales people in KL, be it sales girls or cashiers, are just so freaking rude!!!!  Don’t u think? Get this: YOU are serving ME!!!!).  And she managed to talk me into continuing my phone contract instead of terminating it.  Whoaaaaa.  What I would give to have the sales people in Malaysia go through this kind of training.    Some, not all. 

Christmas is coming.  That means post-Christmas sale is coming!  Here’s a quote that I really like from my uncle, which I think will be of much help to those fickle-minded people like me, “Biar menyesal beli, jangan menyesal tak beli.”  Maka, beli lah apa2 yang berkenan di hati.  Now you know who to blame for my severe shopping habits! 

Happy hols people!!!!!

Cuti-day! December 18, 2006

The plague of mussiness has spread to the whole bedroom.  And I just can’t be bothered to be cared by all the mess.  It’s the holiday.  My bedroom deserves a break too! 

Hol-i-day!  Ahhhhhh, it’s been a food galore eversince the holiday started.

Started off with a roast dinner on the Wednesday of the last week of term.  It was a reunion of Flats 201 & 205 of Orions Point.  Actually, it was an annual dinner for Sarah, Van, & I coz we’ve never missed the three roast dinners that were held over the 2 and a half years.  I made the roast chicken this year.  And Van brought the roast turkey.  It was one hell of a big dinner.  Sarah and Nic were so lucky coz they had their kaftans on the whole time. 

They even picked me up in these!  I was waiting for them a little bit outside my building.  It was dark when I saw two girls walking downhill and I thought, “Am I seeing right?  Are those really the neon pink and green kaftans I got them that they are wearing?”  And then two hands waved,  “JIIIIDdddddd!!!”.  I looked around a bit.  Right, no one’s here.  Safe to say Hi back.  Hehe.  Awwww, you two are the greatest!  Really appreciate the gesture.  To quote Sarah, “We were just in the Malaysian spirit.”  I bet the Malaysians who are reading this are very fond you two now.

*salivating yet?*        *love u!!!*      *and all of u!!!*         *pineapple is the key*

As you can see, I was going for the Christmas tree look.  I might as well have been a decorative piece because the Christmas decorations in the room all matched me!

*See?*

We all ended up sprawled in the living room talking nonsense whilst devouring fruits dipped with choc from the chocolate fountain.  Ahhhh, encore s’il vous plait!!!!

And then it was Friday.  Yeay!!!  I spent my day borrowing books from the library coz this is the only time that I’d have the chance to borrow reserve collection books for three weeks, rather than for just 18 hours.  Yipppeee!  Went to the public library to get my dose of fiction.  I’ve been seriously deprived of good books lately.  So, was really glad to have been able to shed a tear to Jodi Picoult’s My Sister’s Keeper just now.  I only started reading her work during the previous summer.  And I’m so into her books now.  Highly recommended, definitely. 

I went out shopping with Van on Saturday.  We both bought a couple of nice shirts fr Benetton.  Benetton’s on sale Sotoners!!  Hurry!!  Had a movie and pizza night later on.  Batman Begins- v.good and Jackass 2 – v.disgusting, seriously sick people in that movie,  and pizza – v. v. good!

Sunday was a sambal tumis udang and petai day!  Had Wanee and Foy (the petai lovers) over for lunch.  Man,  i don’t know why, but somehow having petai in UK is so much different than having it in Msia.  We have petai readily available here.  Keluar, petik je.  Tak percaya?  Hehe.  

Today was my first attempt at making Natte’s famous corn pudding.  And I’m happy to tell you Te’ that there was no leftover in the pudding dish at dinner tonight.  I only had a few spoonfuls from Foy’s plate.  I’ve already passed the recipe to Shahmeen’s sister coz she loved it so much.  Hope you don’t mind!!  You should’ve seen me handling the custard.  Tonggang terbalik kat dapur takut custard to keras.  I suck at making dessert, seriously!       

Bored much already?  Ok ok, I’ll stop now.  Sheeeesshh!!! 

Dead or Alive December 10, 2006

I wouldn’t even be able to find an elephant in my closet if I wanted to.  Hence, I foresee myself in a manic state come Tuesday, when I have to find something decent to wear to meet my dissertation supervisor.  If only I could turn up in my pyjamas.  Because my PJs are mostly under my pillows.  Quoting dear flatmate who recently discovered that I keep my PJs there, “Ni apa ni?  Almari?”.  Dude, I’d be sleeping in my birthday suit if I’d kept them in the cupboard.  Us, with our not-knocking-barging-in habit, God knows we both need to have clothes on at ALL times!  (And btw, you know the choc chip muffins that we hoard on?  I just discovered they contain 401 calories EACH!!!!  Yessss, we are both pigs now!!!!  Pregnant ones at that, might I add!  Gemuk siallll!!!!)

Back to my very imporatnt cupboard topic.  Don’t get me wrong though.  It’s just my cupboard that’s really messy.  My room is alright.  Right, just to clear that up. 

We watched D.O.A yesterday.  Pergghhhhhh, badan masing2, cannot remember!  But really, don’t expect anything else from the movie except that.  The selling point of the movie (if it’s even selling) is purely the exploitation of hot looking babes.  For the guys, it’s “Wooohoooo!”.  For us gals, it’s ”Stupid movie.  All it’s done is make us feel like pregnant cows/ How the hell do they get bodies like that?/ Dah bertumbuk apa bagai, macam mana bikini diorang boleh tak tercabut??/etc”.   We were kept entertained regardless.  Chattering away like monkeys with our criticisms and what nots.  So, boleh la kalau mmg takde kerja sangat.

Foy who tried to appear like he wasn’t at all amused said, “I tak faham.  Kenapa dia kena pakai underwear slow2 macam tu?  Tak boleh pakai macam biasa?” Hahaha.  It’s ok, honey.  No need to pretend like you don’t get the whole point of that scene.  Like I don’t now you at all!  Hehe.

Subjective December 6, 2006

So, I have this huge pimple on my left cheek and another one just above the left corner of my lips.  They are so obvious that I cringe everytime I look at the mirror.  Cik Kinut hadn’t noticed the break outs because only my right profile was facing her.  So, the “What jerawat??”  became an “Oooohhhh…” when I turned my face 180 degrees to give her the full view.  Damn you!

There was this one time in school when I overheard this senior(who shall remain anonymous, u can never be too sure of who’s not reading you blog)  saying, “Aku rasa kan, perempuan kalau takde jerawat ni tak manis la.  Kene ada satu dua la kat mana2, baru nampak manis.” 

My friends and I who were in the dorm when the conversation took place tried so hard to suppress our laughter.  Dia ni ingat jerawat tu macam tahi lalat ke?  Kata juniors masa tu kan, mmg la cari nahas sendiri kalau menyampuk masa senior tgh berborak.  Suppress punya suppress, sampai sekarang tak boleh lupa kata2 hikmat tu. 

So yesterday, when I was applying acne gel on my very ’sweet’ pimples I tried to make sense out of her sentence.  Betul ke?  Mana tahu betul2 manis.  Belek punya belek punya belek, tang mana manisnye pon mak tak boleh nampak, nyah.  If only her view could be seen as the favourable one to everyone.  Kan senang hidup ni. 

Cik Kinut and I acted out an advertisement if the world’s view on pimples was as such.  Me, showing off my spotless side of the face, “Dulu…tak ada manisnya…”  Face turned a 180 degrees, finger pointing to the red spot.  “Haaa, sekarang baru lah manis! Hehehehehehikhik( gelak Johnson&Johnson, Dove, Pantene, Fair&Lovely, dan sebagainya.)” 

Bankrupt la dermatologists kalau macam ni.  Heh.   

Of Randomness December 2, 2006

I love Fridays.  It’s the day where new episodes of House, Desperate Housewives, and America’s Next Top Model Cycle 7 come out.  And of course…squasy!!!  I’m so loving the sport right now.  The adrenaline rush from running for the ball is just so awesome!  I’ve got my own racket and squasy balls now.  Cool, eh?  It’s the only multi-player sport that I can play.  I play squasy three times a week nowadays.  I seriously love the sport with a passion, though that doesn’t change the fact that i still suck at it.  I’m still a beginner ok, so gimme time. 

What better way to end the day than having a long hot shower with a new bottle of shower cream.  I swear, trying out a new kind of shower cream is one of the more simple luxuries in life that one could have.  Random, I know.  But that was my thought in the shower. 

I absolutely love it when I have to go soap shopping.  I seldom stick to one brand or smell.  I usually have more than 2 kinds.  Love the fact that I have the option to choose between the many bottles in the shower cubicle to suit my mood.  Ahhh, suka!  Yes, I really am easy to please.

Yesterday during tutorial I managed to make the whole class laugh with me.  With, not at me.  It’s a whole new group to me because for the past two years I’ve been with the same people for every single tutorial.  Third year is different because you choose the subjects that u want to study.  Therefore, I’m still not seasoned with the people that I go to tutorial with now.  So, it was a nice feeling to feel accepted in a new group of people.  It was the best feeling to see my tutor, who is just so intimadating (imagine the lecturer in Legally Blonde who threw Elle out of the class on her first day), laughing along with the class.  

Right now I’m so happy because I have a decent picture of Foy and I together.  This does not come often, people.  Seriously.  Thanks Sha for your great photo skills and Natte, for uploading the pic!  It’s my current laptop wallpaper, it’s on my friendster, it’s my MSN display picture, and now it’s on my blog.        

I believe I need to stop now.  Have a good weekend, my hearties!