Nice start to a new week

It's 3pm, and here I am at home. Definitely a good Monday to start the week.
I'm on leave today. Hectic weekend, so I guess I owe myself a day off. Actually I'd rather have the whole week off. But then, I'm a paid employee - I can't come into the office (or not come :P ) as I please.

***

I had an open house yesterday. Best!

Well, me being me, I'm always worried if we don't have enough food to serve guests. Of course, not knowing exactly how many people will turn up serves as fuel to fire up this worry even more.
Sibuklah pikir contingency plans, in case lah food tak cukup!

Oh Yam, you worry too much lah.

Tamu yang datang memang ramai, but food was aplenty. A LOT!

Some food memang habis, i.e. makaroni bakar. Some still ada leftover - rendang daging, kuah lodeh (rendang tu elok lagi of course, though the kuah lodeh, ada sikit kena buang lah.. sayang jer, but I don't think it will be good to be eaten today)
Laksa Johor, ayam masak merah, nasi himpit - all habis by the end of the day.
Not too bad eh? :-))

Who came? Kai's friends, Ya's friends, my friends and also a few colleagues from work.
My friends? Some from secondary school, some from A-Level, some from Newcastle, some from workplace.

One friend from secondary school came with her hubby and two kids. The two darlings are absolutely adorable! And, Abah commented that her parenting skill is very good. (OK, I'm not at a place in life where I can comment much on this subject.)

Sha came, with hubby and baby Hans. Mak was holding baby Hans when Sha and hubby were eating. Hmm.. something about the way Mak dukung baby Hans made me wonder if Mak wants a grandchild soon. Hmmm...

One of my friends from A-Level mentioned this: "Yam, nampaknya tunggu rumah kau nyer open house baru boleh jumpa!"
LOLs..
Darlin, if you're reading this, I'm telling you: "That's not true!"

***

It was a good makan-makan.

To the ones who came, thanks a bunch y'all :-)) I'm really glad I can jamu you all with some homecooked food.

***

So today feels like a Sunday still.

Aiyoh.. my Monday blues will be on Tuesday! Let's hope there's nothing tomorrow that's gonne give me a headache.

Have a nice week ahead everyone!

From Raya mood to reality (bites)

So much for my Raya mood lasting the whole month. My feet is definitely back on the ground, or more accurately, my mind is now switched back to 'work mode'.

I have a Regional meeting today. Of course, the reps from overseas branches are attending, via teleconferencing. I'm just there to take minutes – being the youngest of the meeting secretariat. Mumue a.k.a The Boss is not around, she has been on MC since last week (So kesian, she slipped and fell down, and sprained her ankle. Now the ankle is swollen and she's having difficulty moving about), so in her absence, the Parrot @ Icky Guy has to man the show.

Last month, Mumue and Parrot attended the Regional meeting. So Parrot was the one who prepared the minutes, and followed up on any matters arising. So, his updates on the matters arising were included to be discussed in today’s meeting.
There were only 2 matters, both with its own status updates.

Guess what?

Parrot totally f@%*-ed up on those TWO bloody issues.
Ada ke for issue 1 dia pegi letak update for issue 2, and vice versa?

OK lah, I thought that any normal, reasonable, responsible person would highlight in the meeting that he made a mistake, and the updates for those TWO issues were terbalik.

But NOOOOO... he kept quiet through the whole thing! Apparently this Parrot is NOT normal, NOT reasonable, and most definitely NOT responsible!!

And then when one Division Head pointed out to the Chairman of Meeting that those two updates were terbalik, the Chairman looked at Parrot and asked: "Didn't anyone checked before it was sent for printing?"

Forgive me for being innocent enough to expect him to admit he made a mistake. I almost vomited blood when I heard him say:
"Oh, Mumue (I can't use her real name here now, can I? :-Þ) has been on MC so nobody checked this."

Eh, excuse me!?! I would've thought anyone would be sane enough to check his / her work before sending it for printing. Come on, this is only updating the status of these TWO matters, bukannya suruh pikir strategies for the bank. Simple, kan? And there were only TWO issues! TWO!! (Fine, so I can't let go of this. Try handling like 10 issues to follow up, and provide updates for those. I wonder how he'll fare? )

I can't believe this, this... I don't even know if I should call him a man. Apparently he has no balls.

Bloody hell. How do you work with a person who apparently has no ethics, and readily blamed his own boss (who's absent) in a meeting attended by high level management? Now that I think about it, I'm sure he won’t hesitate to pass the bucket to other people, yours truly here included, to cover his shortcomings.

My Aunt makes the BEST Laksa Johor

Well, that's what my tastebuds tell me :)

OK OK, so maybe I haven't tasted THAT many laksa johor in my life. But so far, I still believe that my aunt makes the best laksa johor :)

Hmm.. maybe I should try and learn how to make the kuah eh? I guess that's the thing that makes all the difference.

***

On a different note, I must remember to bring some kuih raya for my colleagues at work. Errr, I wonder what's left in the balang kuih at the kitchen? Must check and decide which ones to bring to the office tomorrow.

***

BTW, Acat, kuih tat nenas dah nak habis. Probably around 20 pieces left in the big balang kuih. LOLs.. that's one of the kuih yang paling laku time raya. Yelah, that's the only one homemade. The rest were bought, or as some people puts it: "Kuih Tunjuk"
:P

Still in Raya mood (bear with me.. ;P)

Selamat Hari Raya!

I'm still in Raya mood although it's already the 4th day of Syawal.

Earlier today I went to Alor Gajah with Mak and Abah, to visit Puan. She's Mak's stepmother, and Mak has a few half-brothers and half-sisters back in Malacca.

It's like a routine - every year on the 3rd Raya, Abah and Mak would drive down to Alor Gajah for Raya visit. For a few years it was only the two of them; recent years have seen myself, and a few times Kai and Ya, joining Mak and Abah.

After I came back from Newcastle, I was more interested to join my parents for these Alor Gajah Raya visits - compared to before Newcastle years. The main reason would be my renewed 'keakraban' with my cousin Duan (OK, so I used the word 'keakraban' coz I can't think of an appropriate word in English :P LOLs..). He was in South Sheilds for a few years, and a couple of those years coincide with my life in Newcastle.

Cousin Duan would, once in a while, call me to tell: "Yam, ada rumah tak esok? Duan nak datang ni. Dengan member sorang." More often than not, I would say "OK, datang lah" and so I would start thinking about what to cook for them.

Biasalah, anak Malaya. Mesti nak makan nasi. Hehehhe.. So, the menu would normally be Nasi Ayam. And the chicken would be the wings, marinated with crushed garlic + ginger and soya sauce, and grilled. Or deep fried. Yummy..! Sheils would be very happy whenever Duan and Adly visited, coz she would be able to enjoy the chicken wings as well! Yes, of course I always made extra. Enough for everyone, times two :P

After graduation, I promised myself that I would continue to keep in touch with Duan. And of course, with that, it spilled to my having good relationships with his sisters, his brother, his parents (his mom is Mak's half-sister), and the many aunties and uncles, whom I previously did not take the time to get acquainted with. I admit I'm still adjusting to having a big extended family.

It's definitely a new experience for me - suddenly I have a Pak Ngah, Pak Andak, Mak Teh, Acik and Pak Usu. And their spouse. And their children. Which I assure you, is definitely more than a handful!
*Phew* Imagine that.

When I was younger, I only thought I had Mak Ton (Mak's younger sister of the same mother - hmm, I guess she's a half sister too then?), and Uncle Sam (Abah's younger brother).

I do have a lot of cousins, it seems. Eventhough I'm a bit late getting to know them, I suppose now would be a good time to start.

Eid Mubarak Wishes

It's 1st Syawal, and Muslims worldwide are celebrating Eid Mubarak.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri to everyone reading :-))

May your Syawal be a blessed one.

Busy, oh so busy..!

Busy.

Two major public holidays and the company insisted to convene a meeting. Before the holidays start!

How do you prepare a report when there's no information available?
This is so hopeless. Nak meeting pun, be reasonable lah. What are you going to discuss if I can’t give you any reports? Might as well arrange for a discussion among yourselves.

*sigh*

Yam, don't complaint. You're paid to do this job. The headaches, the stress and the pressure are of course a given – it's part & parcel of working. Hmmm, which makes me wonder, is there any job in the world where you won't be bogged down with stress and pressure?

It's a wonder I can still manage to write things that make sense to you :Þ

First Saturday, and I'm working

Well, actually the whole government sector and the banks are working today. What should've been a public holiday (being the first Saturday of the month) was postponed to next week. So since we're working today, next Saturday will be a Bank Holiday.
Eh, give chance lah, us in the banking sector a chance for last minute preparation for Hari Raya. :-)

***

I'm already in Raya mood. Erm, honestly? I've been in Raya mood after a week of fasting. LOLs... And going out to buy a cassette with Raya songs didn't help much to lessen the festive feelings.

I'm remembering my childhood Raya. Primary school years to be exact. Not that much pocket money, but somehow we still managed to buy kad Raya for friends.

And who can forget all the famous "pantun"s we used to write in those Raya cards:

1.
Pecah kaca
Pecah gelas
Sudah baca
Harap balas

2.
Pecah kaca
Pecah tong
Sudah baca
Harap gantung

Hehehhe... I loved getting kad Raya! (I still do! :-))) And of course with those pantuns in the kad Raya, you kinda have to send a card back to the sender.

We used to count the number of kad Raya we received, and compare with friends – who received the most. And of course, who gave us those cards. A sign of popularity, perhaps? At that time, if anyone of received a kad Raya from a senior, it definitely meant you're a somebody sampaikan senior pun notice. (Aiyoh, what do you expect? This was primary school! Those were the world we lived in... ;-Þ)
Another competition was to see who can fast the most number of days. Well, considering the canteen is just a few metres away, and the ice-cream man was loyally standing near the place we waited for the school bus, to buka puasa in the middle of the day was really a temptation with capital T.

And, of course, on the first Raya day itself, I don't think I was at home a lot. Busy visiting neighbouring houses and collecting Raya packets with duit Raya inside.
And after Raya, it was back to school, and another competition took place: "Who received the most duit Raya?"
Some friends would always always tell me that they went back to kampung and received duit Raya from the Mak Long, Pak Ngah, Mak Su, auntie this, uncle that...
And me? Abah has one younger brother, and Mak has one younger sister. Well, you can guess who NEVER won the "who received the most duit Raya" competition ;-Þ

Ahhh... those were the wonderful primary school years. What fun, eh?

But once I started the secondary school, somehow all those excitement (about getting kad Raya and visiting neighbours to collect duit Raya) started to fade away and eventually ceased to exist.

***

Eventhough I'm working today, I don't mind it so much, 'cause I have a facial appointment to look forward to this afternoon. What bliss... to make it a perfect relaxation I only need a full body massage. Hmm, yes I definitely should get one. Perhaps after Raya I ought to spoil myself. :-))

Happy weekend, everyone!

On Blogging and Being Anonymous

Well, it's been over 5 months since I wrote my first blog post. How time flies eh? :-)) Looking back at what I've written all this time, I can't honestly tell if my mastery on of the English language has improved or otherwise ("mastery 'on' English"? *grimace* See what I mean? LOLs..! Anthony, thanks man :) ). Hmm.. perhaps not. If you've noticed, there ARE some bahasa rojak here. Some??? Excuse me, I meant to say I used A LOT of bahasa rojak ;)

When I think about blogs and bloggers, one thought keeps popping up in my head - the preference of bloggers to remain anonymous. And to keep their friends / families / colleagues from discovering / reading the posts that these bloggers write.

I, for one, am guilty of such. Not all of my close friends (yes, The Girls) know the existence of this blog. Somehow, I just can't open my mouth and tell them I have a blog. I wonder if they have an idea what a blog is. Eh, no, I'm not underestimating anyone. 5-6 months ago I found out about blogging from Sheils - some people are already into blogging 2-3 years ago! :-Þ And about a month ago I explained to Rozy about blog. So I'm not surprised if some people have never heard about blogging.

To claim total anonymity wouldn't hold true, as Sheils and Darls know the existence of this blog. Err, my parents know about these posts too. (Hahahahha... oi, don't look so shocked!). And my brother (I've linked to his page too). And my sister. LOLs.. I don't know when was the last time my family read about the things I wrote, perhaps 2-3 weeks ago :)
Oh yes, Mak was grinning away when she read one of Dina Zaman's posts, can't recall which one though. She said Dina writes funny, and very good too :-))

Initially I have no intention to reveal my blogsite to my parents, but after about 2-3 months writing, I felt: Why shouldn't I tell them? What HAVE I written here that's too secretive to let them read?

I remember talking to a friend online (yes, he reads my posts too, once a while), and I asked him: "You know I have a blog, right?"
Him: "Yes"
Me: "Is it bad of me NOT to tell my close friends about my blog?"
He said (ok I don't recall his exact words! I'm forgetful, forgive me):
"Maybe, maybe not. Depends lah. You got kutuk2 your friends in your blog?"

Well. Now that he mentioned that... there are some people who erm, got kutuk-ed (OMG, definitely NO improvement in English here, Yam!). Hehehhe..

Hmm... so probably that's the main reason I'm keeping my lips sealed about my blog.

My blog is a place for me to write. For sometimes words just fail me verbally. I would resort to my blog to let things out of my chest. In my blogs, I can write and rewrite things to my liking.
Sometimes, when talking, there might be things I don't explain very well. I'm not THAT eloquent with words - well, maybe not when talking eh.

So I write. I blog.
Sometimes the things I'm not happy with I just can't say it outright to the people concerned. Need some time to compose my thoughts. And hence, the blog.
Sometimes when I'm pissed off at the Boss or the icky guy a.k.a the parrot or anyone at work, I turn to my blog and write.
Sometimes when I'm happy and I want to share my mood with the world, I blog too. Spread the joy, eh?
Sometimes when I'm too chocked with emotions and words simply refuse to come out of my mouth, I blog.
Sometimes when I'd feel frustrated with the ways of the world, *tap tap tap click tap tap click* goes the sound of the keyboard - that's me blogging away.

All this time, I didn't feel like telling some of my friends about this side of myself. Perhaps I wasn't ready to let them in on some secrets? (Eh, ada secrets ke?) I don't know lah.

But yesterday afternoon, I've almost decided (almost jer tau!) that I'm gonna tell a few close friends about my blog. Hehehe.. this (almost) decision came after thinking about it for a few weeks. Such life-altering decision eh?

*sigh*

I guess this blog is another side of me. For the moment, let's just keep it our little secret, OK?

Tinggal Kasih, Tinggal lah Sayang

Recently I watched this movie again, about half hour before it ends. The first time I watched it was a few months ago, on Astro Ria. Simply put, it's about a wife whose husband had just passed away, and in his will he leaves everything to her including asking her to take care of someone named "Kasih".

If you're a woman, and married, can you imagine learning about your husband's second wife after his death? Can you imagine having the responsibility to tell your "madu" about hubby's death? Can you imagine being given "the honour" to take care of her for the rest of both your lives?

I'm not married. So I don't feel like it's my place to comment elaborately.
But I am human. And I do have feelings (although it can be exaggerated at times :P).

What did I feel for the first wife (played by Nasha Aziz)? Sympathy definitely. I guess if I were her, I would've felt cheated. Beyond words. I mean, hubby comes home everyday at 3-4am. Naturally wife assumes he's busy with the company. Oh, he's busy alright, and the company is another woman. No, make that another wife.
At home, the husband is perfect. Treats her nice, very loving, etc. Obviously he's very good at hiding the fact that he's got a second branch elsewhere. Either that, or wife number 1 is absolutely clueless. If there were classes called "Signs of Cheating Husbands 101" wife number 1 should be among the first to sign up.

Wife number 2 (played by Ellie Suriati) thinks hubby is a jaga / security guard (and not the millionaire businessman that he is). Who works from 3am to 6pm or 7. Hubby only comes home around 7pm and leaves for work again before 3am. Furthermore, once he comes home to her, he would help out at the gerai (she sells food at a foodstall, can't recall what though), until the wee hours of morning. (Superman ke? Doesn't he need sleep?) The movie portrays Ellie as an unassuming girl – maybe it's this trait that attracts the hubby in the first place. Complete opposite of Nasha's character of a sophisticated city-girl.

I wonder about Johan (Eizlan Yusof's character). Why lead two lives? Afraid of... what? The hatred he would see in first wife's eyes? (What wife wouldn't?)
Afraid that wife number 1 might issue an ultimatum – choose either No.1 or No.2? Couldn't bear the thought of either wives hating him?
As it was in the movie, both wives think the world of him. Perhaps he wished his wives to remember him as a good man, a good husband, a good provider.
And isn't it nice of him to tell the first wife that he has a number 2 in a letter? And to also tell her that should anything happen to him, wife number 1 must take care of wife number 2. How nice eh?

Perhaps the husband has his reasons to marry a second one. If I'm not mistaken, towards the end it was revealed that wife number 2 is sick – cancer I think. So the second marriage wasn't about the sex then? He genuinely wanted to.. errrr, take care of her?

Oh, did I mention that wife number 1 is unable to conceive any child?
Hmm, so is that a good reason to pasang a second wife? To get children?

This is a sensitive issue. I'm NOT questioning the right of a muslim man to marry more than one. I know that's a given. And I stress again, I'm not questioning that.

But I believe that if a husband wants to take a second wife, or third, or fourth, come out clean – before the solenmisation ceremony with the second wife. Why hide?
Afraid of fights with the first wife? I mean, if a husband have already made up his mind, sometimes no matter what the wife does, he would definitely stick to his plans.

Explain your reasons to your wife.
I'm not guaranteeing that your wife will accept your reasons; I'm just saying she deserves to know why on earth would you want to take a second wife.

***

I know a couple who's quite a high-profile in the business world. Their business is doing rather well, perhaps getting hundreds of thousands of Ringgit Malaysia for monthly paychecks. Big cars (5-series, X5), big house, blessed with good children. Both are religious and God-fearing people.

One day, the husband told the wife that he likes someone, another woman.
I assume under normal circumstances, a wife would be screaming and yelling and crying and trying to understand what's wrong with herself that the hubby decides to take another wife.
Instead in this case, the wife - being the unbelievable soul that she is - asked for her name and other details.

Why, you ask?
So that she could personally ask for the woman's hand in marriage – for her husband!

The couple is still married – the last time I saw them, they were very happy and very, very loving.

And yes, the husband did marry a second wife. From the pictures I've seen, wife number 1 and wife number 2 are in very good terms. Their relationship with each other is a close one, more like sisters. And the husband is obviously in love with BOTH of them.

***

What I can conclude is this:

You know that parents have this ability to love their children, no matter how many children they have? Be it 1 child, or 3, or 13 children, the parents will love them, and love them all (well, mind you, there could be cases of favouritism, but that's another story).

I think everyone is capable of doing that – to love Person B without loving Person A any less.
Yes, including a husband, who perhaps is capable of loving more than one wife.

To love equally or otherwise, that's a different matter altogether.