biker chic

t-shirt

2011-06-27T15:06:00.000+08:00

beli le...

downsizing a dream...

2011-01-01T00:11:00.000+08:00

i was just blog-surfing and realised it's been a while since i've been here...

and saw my wish list.

z-zah's current wish list

lasik surgery
sunglasses
chiropractic mattress
42" HDTV with IPTV Ready
HONDA CRV

I have totally forgotten about this but realised that i had somehow acquired almost all of it ( i think?)...

because i have only bought the cheaper version of everything...

chiropractic mattress - replaced with an 10" spring matress (should be good, bought during a sale)
42" HDTV with IPTV Ready - replaced with a 22" HDTV (i think it's IPTV ready)
HONDA CRV - replaced with a KIA Sportage ( that's what i'm aiming for now)

Now, it occured to me that i only dare to dream big but too coward to fulfill it...

Such a coward that is me...

Maybe becoming more brave & bolder should be in my new year's resolution...

but, let me watch my favorite series (Stargate SG-1) on my new 22" LCD TV while resting on my new matress....

Hope it'll be a good year for me next...

it comes with the territory...

2010-09-03T23:41:00.000+08:00

i wanna vent!!!!

i have a very conventional way of thinking...

no work, no pay...
to demand more pay, you have to earn it...
if you go to work, spending more time chatting with your friend than completing your task, do you really deserve that extra pay that you demand?

maybe this is why i have a zero PR skill...

dealing with young people, who was influenced by experienced people, who still have the old mentality & culture is really tiring. why can't they have a fresh perspective, have a new set of productive rules, be BETTER???

argh... people and their 'asal boleh' attitude...

Quitting is not an option...

2010-07-12T19:43:00.001+08:00

I don't understand why i'm always the minute writer whenever i was in an internal meeting... doesn't matter if there's someone else who's younger, lower rank (who's supposed to be bullied), junior rank... even when the meeting wasn't supposed to be attended by me (higher management meeting, i was taken from attending my shift just to take minutes in the meeting)...

A friend joked about how the typical minute writer (she's one too) will only be relieved of her power after she got promoted, and i agree....

i got promoted recently... and part of the job is to be a secretariat in a committee... or best summarised by the head of the committee...

"I need a secretariat for minute taking. I suggest 'biker-chic' to be the secretariat"

Ok, then... Seems that i won't be able to run from it for a very long time.. So, i'll just honing my minute taking skill then...

Can't beat them, might as well join them...

sabarku di penghujungnya...

2010-02-13T12:00:00.002+08:00

Di P2SC, masih menunggu kereta yang dijanjikan...

Masih tak siap lagi... dan dalam masa menunggu ni pun, diminta menukar pelbagai alat ganti lagi... dan saya menolak...

sejak ahad hingga sabtu, terima 3 panggilan penangguhan beserta tambahan pertukaran alat ganti...

Jadi, untuk tidak mengganggu moral pelanggan lain yg sedang menunggu ( kerana terlalu banyak tenaga negatif yang disebarkan), saya tunggu di tengah panas terik di luar pejabat...

tidak sepanas hati di dalam...

not a good way to start the year...

2010-02-10T13:19:00.002+08:00

I sent my car to workshop for a major overhaul… you know, the standard… timing belt, clutch pad…

It was supposed to be a one time thing… timing belt was changed last week, but because they don’t have clutch pad in stock, I need to send in the car again for the clutch pad…

I was promised the job will be finished in 2 days…

It’s been three days now…

my car servicing was postponed to make room for Alza servicing… apparently, many Alza was sent in for servicing due to mechanical problem and all PSCs are prioritizing them due to, well, mostly because it’s new, and because it’s a family car that most people need for the long holiday coming… most people only use kelisa as second car…

But not me… the car is my only means of transportation… you try live in SK and work in Cyber… there is no other way to get to work other than the cab… or hitching a ride…

Today, I got a call from the P2SC again… they think the engine mounting need to be changed… additional cost of RM900… ouch!!! that'll really hurt the pocket… it get worst… the car will only be ready by Friday (on my insistence)…

Not only I lost the use of the car for a week, I also spent RM2000 on the first 2 month of 2010 on the car alone…

I wish I had my bike…

update: the car will not be ready by Friday... i'll be spending CNY not in my hometown...

tempting to follow the masses...

2010-01-21T02:07:00.000+08:00

our external tv antenna just died.... after only a mere 5 months!!!!

of course there were signs...

watching tanyalah ustaz on tv9 is like listening to the radio... only the audio is clear...

we gave up watching BONES altogether on ntv7…

tv3, which hardly need any effort before, needed so much tweaking that we would rather let it be than changing the channel…

tv1 & tv2 still bearable…

oh… there’s another channel, 8tv… 8tv is snowy…

but we kinda in denial...

besides, after I changed the streamyx modem at home to wireless modem, we spent most of our time surfing the internet than watching tv since everyone had their own notebook. Previously, we only use it if we are alone at home, one person at a time…

I was contemplating a much proper external antenna, you know, the one people install at the roof of their home, (the one we had was a small rotating one), -but we live in an apartment (bummer!)…

while a housemate suggested astro.

Very tempting.

Until I saw what we can get for the basic package.

AXN- good, Bernama TV-good, but no ChannelNewsAsia? I think I rather have IPTV instead (cheh, loyal gitu)…

So, I’ll be shopping for another external tv antenna in these few days…

random things to do...

2010-01-07T18:03:00.001+08:00

Alhamdulillah...

my dream had come true... my target to complete the 5th Pillar before 40, was fulfilled with His Permission.

so many story to tell but i'll tell you the random things to do there... others, you might need to figure out on your own or ask me privately...

1. the power plug there is a 2-pin plug, but it's a funny looking plug. but any 2-pin plug can actually fit (except for my rechargeble torchlight that i bought there). the plug adapter can be found at any small electronic shop there for 2 Riyal, or at Bin Dawood store for minimum 3.95 Riyal. Also, can borrow mine if you want to go there, provided i don't misplaced it by the time u ask for it... he..he...

2. Using local SIM card is cheaper than roaming your M'sia phone. I used SAWA VISIT by STC and asked my family to use the same, to get the cheaper, same-network rate. there are others like Zain & Mobily (i think). have no idea which has cheaper rate to M'sia, maybe need to ask En.Manzlie. for STC, you can get SAR100 credit for SAR75, or SAR666 credit for SAR350 only, but might need to be bought directly from STC. in Makkah, it's quite difficult to locate the STC office, but in Madinah, it's within walking distance. Maybe this will change after the heavy construction in Makkah completed. At first, i thought SAR100 is too much phone credit but at 0.45 SAR per SMS & 2.50 SAR per minute call to M'sia, it'll drained just like that...

3. AL-BAIK chicken is a must try. it's a fast food outlet, like KFC. don't know how to find it in Makkah, but in Madinah, it's just around the corner from Perkuburan al-Baqi. but i only tried its fried chicken, value shrimp and jumbo shrimp. the verdict: i love all of them but my family don't like the jumbo shrimp, it's too chewy for the dentally-challenged. ;-)

4. According to my uncle, Halawa made from Tahina is a must buy. It's a confectionery. Personally, i don't really like it as it's too sweet for my taste. I managed to find a less-sweet version of it (for diabetic) but it's too bitter for me. (it's hard to please me).

5. A personalised Jawi-engraved keychain. Cost me 10 SAR. To me, it's worth it coz i have no idea where to find Jawi-engraved keychain here in Malaysia. If you could find it, please let me know.

The heavy construction in Makkah is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010. Anyone wants to go there after 2010, please invite me tooo!! I wanna go again...

Really missing it already...

When they ask…

2009-12-15T00:25:00.001+08:00

when they ask you to sit and stay, when what you really want to do is roam and run free, is that fair?

surat jemputan yang ditunggu...

2009-10-28T06:32:00.000+08:00

mengikut tahun-tahun sebelumnya, 'surat jemputan' biasanya dah siap sebelum raya... jadi, masa bulan puasa, saya telefon pejabat penyedia surat 2 hari sekali... tak cukup dengan itu, saya pegi pejabat penyedia surat beberapa kali dan diberitahu lepas raya baru lah surat tersedia... oklah, saya pun balik kampung dengan lega...

tapi di kampung, ahli keluarga yang akan bersama menyertai jemputan beritahu yang mereka dah ada surat jemputan... saya pun cakap je kat diorang, "takpelah... dah dapat surat jemputan, pegi je lah"... he..he... konon-kononnya yakin la akan dapat juga surat jemputan tuh...

selepas cuti raya, cuba telefon semula pejabat penyedia surat... oh.. susahnya nak menembusi talian... bila berjaya menembusi talian, diberitahu surat jemputan tiada lagi.... saya mula patah semangat... baru lah tahu bagaimana rasanya di'reject' oleh orang yang disukai... mula la sebak bila mendengar talbiah... mula la bergenang air mata bila melihat foto orang bertawaf...

jadi saya pun meminta, dan meminta, dan meminta....

akhirnya....

nampak tak status dalam kurungan tu? itu la yang biasanya bakal tetamu tunggu...

nampak tak tanda 'tick' kat hijau tuh?... saya sihat alhamduLillah...

bagusnya bila badan dah berisi tahun ni, takde la rasa sakit sangat bila disuntik 2 KALI...

(tahun ni, jemaah kena suntikan tambahan seasonal influenza)

the swag... banyak sungguh syarikat yang menderma...

bukannya satu tapi DUA kursus perdana yang saya hadiri....

akhirnya, jadual penerbangan pun dah diterima...

tapi, saya masih terfikir... layakkah aku menjadi tetamuNya?

tapi, sepertimana seorang ustaz beritahu dalam ceramahnya semasa saya mengerjakan umrah 5 tahun lalu, 'jangan fikirkan bagaimana anda boleh ke sini, fikirkanlah bahawa anda di sini kerana diizinkanNya, jadi tumpukan kepada apa yang akan anda lakukan sebagai tetamuNya'...

Oleh itu, ini akan menjadi post saya yang terakhir untuk tahun ini... Di kesempatan ini juga, ingin saya meminta maaf jika ada sebarang kesalahan dan kesilapan sepanjang perkenalan... Diharap dapat mendo'akan saya semoga mendapat haji yang mabrur, serta selamat pergi dan pulang ke tanahair...

and i knew this all along...

2009-10-25T06:14:00.003+08:00

i'm a little bit frugal person... or, you can call me cheap if you want…

my favorite food is a friend’s treat… my favorite movie is on my portable hard disk…

I still have clothes from college years, which was 13 years ago…
my car, well, you know my tiny car… probably the most fuel efficient car in the country… had it since 7 years ago … (I’m saving for a new one.. he..he.. don’t tell her… she’ll get cranky..),
currently renting, with 2 housemates, a small apartment 10 minutes from the office, which reduces my fuel consumption more…
I seldom eat out… always cook my meal at home… mostly because I have different schedule from others… but generally because I don’t like how much they were charging me for a simple meal…

But when I splurge, I splurge big time… but that’s another story…

Bloghopping thru the websphere took me to ‘mysuperkids’ blog and particularly, one money management article…

It titled ‘money management is about the kind of life you want to live’

however, i kept wondering…

does it count if i have a small goal, and that is the kind of life i want to live?... a car, for me is just something that can safely transport me from point A to point B. A house is just a roof over my head...

because, to me, having an expensive car means attracting carjackers... having a designer's bag means attracting snatch thieves... having fancy house means attracting robbers...

well, when you grew up with nothing, you'll either become an obsessive collector (i don't have this during my childhood year!!) or a contented couldn't-care-less wanderer (life's a bit better than childhood, i'm good...)...

crystal collections? Wall display? Fancy curtains? Flower display? FRESH flower display? i don’t get why there’s need to buy them… I like my things practical, simple and easy to maintain…

so, does it count?

I asked this question in the ‘comment’ box.. here’s the reply, verbatim:

Comment:

it's depend on what and how we set the goal. of course there's no no right and wrong.

nobody can stop you form setting any goals, kan. if you wanna buy a Perodua car or a Toyota, it's your goal by the way no matter how small or big as long as you can commit.

afterall we set goals that really suit to us kan. if we are lazy, gaji sikit, shud we put goal nak beli rumah banglo di Shah Alam in 10 years?

Well, apparently, I’m lazy… and i knew this all along...

post-raya story...

2009-10-23T08:16:00.002+08:00

how's your raya? my raya was pretty bleak...

amazingly, the 'soalan cepumas' stopped. but another remarks appeared...

'dah berisi sekarang ni...'

i don't know which was worse....
should i be thankful to them for not asking the dreadful question or should i strangle them for saying what all women don't want to hear?.... i really should strangle them on behalf of all women...

anyhow, nothing much to say... managed to stay true to my 'boikot raya' spirit and goes to ONE raya invitation, or rather i invited myself to her house. TQ az 4 your mee bandung and no regards to your husband, ok... aku sedar diri aku sapa...

the after-raya holiday is also a very busy month, with me trying to get hold of the 'surat jemputan' over and over, and after getting it, busying myself with the preparation of attending the 'jemputan'...

i'm still not ready... but i'm trying my best....

my most photographed cousin (because she's the baby of the family) with my sister, the same sister who was supposed to record the fireworks display but forgot to push the 'RECORD' button on the camera.. shishh...

Saya penyeksa housemate saya…

2009-10-22T20:55:00.001+08:00

Sebelum anda semua (baca: korang berdua) berburuk sangka, biar le saya jelaskan dulu…

Saya ni budak baik, saya tak suka susahkan orang… kalau boleh saya nak buat semua perkara sendiri supaya saya boleh salahkan diri saya sendiri kalau saya buat salah…

Malangnya….

Saya suka perkara-perkara DIY… kalau boleh, nak belajar mcm mana nak buat rumah (atau sebahagian rumah spt bilik air, pasang skrin shower etc)… tapi setakat suka je la… tak le passionate sangat pun… saya sangat kagum dengan orang yang bekerja membanting tulang untuk buat sebuah rumah… atau renovate rumah…

Masa mula-mula pindah dulu, ntah kenapa logik saya haru-biru… kenapa saya decide nak beli jugak meja makan ikea yang ‘flat-packed’ dan ‘assemble-it-yourself’, padahal kalau beli kat kedai perabot, dia boleh tolong hantar & pasang dengan free. Jadi, housemate jugak la yang tolong pasang… sampai berpeluh2 mengerjakan meja tuh…

Satu hari yg tensen, setelah setahun tonton tv dalam keadaan ‘SABAR’ (dah le tinggal kat tingkat 1 je, pastu guna aerial dalam rumah pulak tuh), saya buat keputusan untuk beli aerial luar supaya dapat la tonton tv dalam suasana sihat (aka tidak le menyumpah2 kalau ada angin kencang… he..he..)…

Kerana saya ‘suka’ buat kesalahan yang sama berulang kali, saya masih beli DIY aerial. Kononnye nak pasang sendiri le… tetiba housemate saya sudah bukak kotak dan study manual… dan tetiba je, kami bertiga berusaha keras utk memasang aerial tuh…

Kerana saya ni seorang yg sentiasa salah, saya asyik salah baca manual, dan salah bagi housemate instruction, akibatnye, kami pasang dan buka dan pasang dan buka dan pasang aerial tuh (isk… sapa la yg tulis instruction nih.. mmg patut kena saman)… setelah berjam-jam, baru le dapat pasang dan sekarang baru lah kami dapat tonton TV2 dalam warna…
Kesimpulannya: susah nak carik housemate yang sanggup susah seang bersama nih… he..he…

cerita saya membuat pasport...

2009-10-06T10:12:00.000+08:00

ini kisah benar...

Suatu pagi, dalam keadaan separa sedar (kerana bekerja malam tadi), saya pun memandu ke arah Precint 2 Putrajaya...

Setelah meletak kereta di kawasan yang disediakan, saya pun berjalan ke arah bangunan kerajaan tersebut... puas berpusing-pusing, tak jumpa kaunter pelanggan, akhirnya bertanya ke kaunter pertanyaan...

"tumpang tanya, kat mana nak buat pasport"
dia pun jawab, "buat pasport kat jabatan imigresen, ni jabatan kastam, cik...."

la...

(bile pulak jabatan kastam & imigresen dah jadik jabatan kastam & jabatan imigresen? nampak sangat la aku ni ketinggalan zaman berdekad2... he..he...)

what's the smell of freedom?... SWEET!!!...

2009-10-01T06:40:00.000+08:00

i'm completely free today...

the so-called no-pay-necessary student loan is no more... paid fully by my 10-year tenure at the company...

how do I feel? Slightly relieved. 1 less thing to worry.

But, it’s not like I’m going anywhere… 19% EPF, where to get now?… I need their retirement plan… and their car loan too... although my kelisa will stay with me as long as it could, I’d like to have the loan facilities should, god forbid, something might happen to it. The housing loan is good too, I get my dream house (I know… I have small dreams… ok, not small, tiny… ). and the room for roaming…

The thing is, I easily got bored… 2 years on the job, I’ll be itching to seek new place… this company, being as big as they are, always provide the room to roam…

10 years here, I’ve already in 5 different posts, each post very different from the other… but, jack of all trades is master of none, therefore, I still in the same position level 10 years ago. Do I regret it? Hardly, since I really love learning new things on the job. Furthermore, it humbles me, and made me appreciate what really matters, like the forgiving family that I neglect while chasing my ridiculous dream, or the friends forgotten…

Of all the 5 posts that I held, I’d say my decision to move to Johor in 2004 was probably the career killer… you see, I’m really, REALLY plain.. there’s nothing special about me. Wherever I go, I’d rather sit in the corner (preferably in the dark) than being in the spotlight. So, coming from the place where everyone knows me to the place where no one knows me, is like walking in on your 1st day on the job. You start all over again… when I first started here, people thought I was a fresh graduate (I’d already halfway thru the obligatory contract)…

But moving to Johor do wonders to my family bonding… i no longer feel awkward among my aunts and uncles… I get my cousins’ nonsensical yet humorous jokes… they are willing to help this damsel in distress at a drop of the hat (previously, I was too afraid to ask them for anything) … so, it’s probably a win-lose situation but it’s a good win-lose, right?

Also, my boss in Johor was the best boss I’ve ever had…

But alas, I still got bored and now, I’m back in klang valley, doing entirely different things from my previous job… and starting all over again… and probably killing my career along the way…

berakhirnya ramadhan...

2009-09-16T20:29:00.000+08:00

Ramadhan tak habis lagi....

tapi memandangkan posting kat blog ni sangatlah far in between, maka anggaplah ini posting terakhir dalam Ramadhan...

Ramadhan tahun ni, sempat le merasa tarawih kat 2 masjid besar: Masjid Putra & Masjid Sultan Mizan.
Tujuan asalnya nak tengok Masjid Sultan Mizan yang baru dan gah itu, tapi kerana tak buat homework untuk survey jalan nak pegi sana, kerana dah terlambat, kami buat keputusan pegi ke masjid yang dah tau jalan iaitu Masjid Putra.

Kali kedua, selepas dah survey jalan, barulah berjaya sampai ke Masjid Sultan Mizan.

Kesimpulannya: Tarawih kat Masjid Putra lagi best dari Masjid Sultan Mizan.

Kenapa?

1) Masjid Sultan Mizan masih tiada penghadang untuk pisahkan jemaah lelaki dan perempuan. Jadi, kena la bersopan santun masa nak pakai kain sembahyang (masa nak mula) atau nak lucutkan kain sembahyang (lepas habis). mungkin sementara je kot situasi nih... maklumlah, baru lagi... landskap pun takde lagi...

2) Masjid Sultan Mizan macam kurang meriah. Agaknya pasal masjid ni terbuka, jadi macam tiada gema jemaah mengaminkan doa imam. Kalau masjid lain, rasanya macam berdengung-dengung 'Amin' nya...

3) Bacaan imam Masjid Putra lagi sedap... he..he.. rasanya ada 'bias' sikit kat sini coz dari suaranya, imam tu macam muda je...

Dengan berakhirnya Ramadhan, selamat hari raya kepada kesemua (dua) orang yang membaca blog ini. Tahun ni saye cuti raya lama sikit... seminggu di Johor... err... rumah saya takde open house, kalau nak datang, kite jumpa kat KFC Jusco Equine ye...

while you were waiting...

2009-02-27T08:42:00.000+08:00

It’s been a while…

For all two of you who read my blog, sorry for the lack of update. As I mentioned before, I found writing is really hard. Those who knows me, know that I could talk for hours on the phone or even face to face (well, most of my friends are quiet persons). So, this thing is really new to me. I’ve yet to adopt the habit of carrying notebook everywhere to jot down my thoughts to be blogged later. So, bear with me, you two. ;)

Recently, a close friend lost his father. (Az, condolences to you). Any death made me sad. I seldom cry but I always cry at funerals. Heck, I even cry watching death in movies. Once, I cried at a distance relative’s funeral, made my mom looking at me weirdly (sejak bile anak aku ni kuat nangis?!).
However, when my grandmother (on my father’s side) died last month, I was so shocked by her death that I didn’t even feel like crying. And I also mengelak from seeing her for the last time because of the previous trauma that I had when my grandpa (on my mom’s side) passed away. Furthermore, it’s like nobody has time to even berkabung. You see, my grandma lived in a kampung that still has old tradition. In any event of death, the whole kampung will be coming to the house at night after Isyak to recite yasin & tahlil. So, the close relatives (children, grandchildren) will be busy cooking dinner for the people coming. I found this rather sad because my grandma had a very large family, with 12 children and so many grandchildren, great grandchildren & great-great grandchildren, instead of everyone gathering at home and recite yasin for her, everyone’s busy in the kitchen cooking. This is so different from when my grandfather (on my mother’s side) died 7 years ago.
My grandpa died after Subuh. After his Solat Subuh at the mosque, he felt chest pain and couldn’t even wait for the doa after solat and ride his motocycle home. Then, he just went, on my grandma’s lap and my uncle’s family who lived with him. The entire family were quite shocked because my grandpa was never really sick. In fact, just the day before, as what he did everyday, he still worked hard in his kebun. So, on the night of his death, the whole family (8 children, 8 in-laws, and several grandchildren), solat maghrib, isyak & tarawikh berjemaah, recite yasin and tahlil for him, lead by the eldest son. I think, there’s two people from kampung came in but since we didn’t expect them, we only serve them tea and some leftover from buka puasa. They came home after the yasin, didn’t even wait for the tahlil, maybe because they felt awkward. So, it was that very night that the family discussed about the inheritance, the debt owed, everything that needed to be discussed, because they weren’t tired from the cooking.
I’m not condemning my father’s side or applauding my mother’s side, it’s just an observation.
Oh, and the trauma? I think I was getting high fever on and off for the whole month from the shock. So, to avoid that, I’d rather not see my grandma then.

So, to all my friends who lost somebody, I dedicate the song ‘Bye bye’ by Mariah Carey, which creepily regularly I’d listened to since Nov 08, coz that’s the first song on my MP3 player in the car.

going the opposite way…

2008-08-01T13:26:00.000+08:00

Warning: this is a ‘fuel price hike’ ranting!

Did you feel the crunch yet?

At first, it wasn’t much of a crunch for me. Why? Because I have a small car, running on 6L/100km. Coincidentally, 4th June was the last day of my Basic Japanese Language class. After that, no more traveling to PJ twice weekly, until next class started. And I had also filled up the tank on that day, not knowing the price will increased.

The RM50 filled-up lasted for about 11 days.

Then the nightmare started. The next filled-up was RM75, which was totally expected. What caught me off guard was, it lasted for about 8 days (the classes started again!). Which means my daily fuel consumption is now RM10, therefore, I need to increase my monthly fuel budget from RM200 to RM300. I was already scraping by as it is, so, I took it off my meal budget. It was probably the worst decision ever, because apparently, food prices were also increasing everywhere. Even the 2-for-1 bread deal that I know of at Jusco is hardly available now. So, what a girl with a single limited income to do?

I went on a beige spending.

I was a planner, at least in my personal life. (If it was about my work, I’m a chronic procrastinator). If I decided to buy new shoes, it usually took me about 2 month to buy it as I was saving for it before buying. However, after seeing prices increases left and right, I went on a panic mode and started spending on things that I was planning to buy later. I bought a new pair of shoes, splurge on a western lunch, bought a new dress, 3 pair of pants and a handful of shirts.

And the biggest splurge of all, climbing Mount Fuji in Japan.

This year, I was hoping to climb Mount Fuji when I stumbled upon the Mt Fuji package last year. The package was RM3k. I’d been scrimping for it since last year and I managed to save at least for the package, which not include spending money. However, this year, the package cost ballooned to RM5k. So, I decided, maybe I’ll do it next year instead. This was before the fuel price hike.

After the fuel hike, and learning that this year’s group was a very small group (less than 5) and there might not be any climbing expedition next year, I went into panic mode again & decided to pack my bags and go climb a mountain. Damn you, crude oil! You make me do things I normally hate.

I’ll tell you all about it next time.

kindness still exists in this cruel world...

2008-07-06T15:05:00.000+08:00

check out this video to know what happened to me yesterday....

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4826897

it's saturday and i was on my way to Cheras when i heard a very loud sound...
apparently, i've been driving with 3 tyres and a rim from Cyberjaya. and knowing me, it is a very high possibility that i might drove that way from Bukit Jalil as well...

yeah, i'm absent-minded like that...

i stopped at the emergency lane and called my auto-assistance. nobody came.
After 30 minutes, as i took out the spare tyre and the jack (is that what it was called?), i kept thinking what did i pay my auto assist for? so that they could held annual dinner at big hotels? so, i leave them at the roadside and continue waiting.

suddenly, a Honda sedan WBN XX (i don't know what model) stopped and ask me what's wrong. After i explained, one of them decided that they'll just changed it. As they changed my tyre, i just looked on and my mind continued in its numb state until they finished it. While i'd probably thanked them several times, i didn't even asked their names.

yeah, still, i'm absent-minded like that...

so, am i considered rude & ungrateful?
also, do people usually pay good deeds like that?

teach me how to properly socialised with people.... HELP!!!

my new life in Selangor

2008-06-15T03:42:00.000+08:00

i miss my home in JB....

i miss the spacious house...
i miss the fully furnished home...
i miss the proximity to shops and banks...
i miss the friendly and dependable mechanic at workshop near the house...
i miss cooking at home...
i miss singapore TV & radio channel...
i miss washing my car at the spacious car porch...
i miss washing my laundry using washing machine...
i miss sun-drying my clothes at the porch...
i miss talking nonsense with my friendly neighbor...
i miss the private office...
i miss my supercool ex-boss...
i miss my colleague at the sales department...

most of all, i miss the zero cost of 'balik kampung'... no toll, no fuel expenses, no extra mileage on the car...

instead, i'm stuck here with 'freaking Puchong' (yes, i still got lost there), super annoying housemates, no gas cooker, no washing machine, no dining table, 'dark' neighborhood (apsal orang kat sini suka bunuh2 orang?), and most importantly, only 6 TV channel...

the only bright side is, maybe, just maybe, i could relook in continuing my Masters & probably revisit Japanese Language lessons. hope it's enough to carry me thru the years...

freaking Puchong!

2008-03-20T04:22:00.000+08:00

no offense to all my friends living in Puchong...

i totally forgot how irritating Klang Valley road can be....

for the record, i have no sense of direction.

that's why, i prefer to look up places in the map before i actually went there. i couldn't wing it, not with confusing road signs Malaysia's famously associated with.

but last saturday was different.all i wanted was only a freaking shelf/wardrobe to store my stuff. i was living out of a suitcase (rather, being a girl, 2 suitcases) for 2 months now and i've had enough. so, i thought, why not just go to Giant, grab one, go home. that's it. pretty simple, right?

WRONG!

Murphy's Law kicks in.

Murphy's Law in shopping-the supermarket is selling everything but what you want.

Went to Giant and decided on a 5-tier wire shelf. no stock. but i really need it, so i thought, why not go to Tesco. it's only 5km away, right?

WRONG!

freaking Puchong's road signs. i have no idea that the 'turn left' sign is for the 100m ahead. so, now i'm lost in the housing area. with no sign. 10 minutes wasting fuel and herding honk from other motorists, finally on the correct road. then i saw Tesco, on the OPPOSITE SIDE of the road. now have to find U turn. long story short, missed it! not only i missed it, i also got lost in the different side of Puchong. the 'pekan' side of Puchong, with dusty roads, wood shophouses, big bushes. i have no idea how to get to the 'big town' Puchong. i didn't even know where is north and where south. did i mention that this is at 8.00pm?! after another 20-30 minutes,i finally arrived at Tesco. guess what! Tesco did not sell shelves! they have airbag mattress, plastic drawers... heck, they even had the whole outdoor camping gear: foldable bed, tents, portable gas cooker... but no shelf.

so, i was heading home until i saw IOI mall. ok, may be jusco had it. i'm here already. why not, right? i'll tell you why not. SATURDAY IS JUSCO'S BUSIEST DAY! the parking's a 'sundel bolong' nightmare. the staff is really busy. the wire shelf sold was not what i wanted, and very expensive too. so, i settled for a wardrobe. head to the car and drive home. NOT!

forgot to validate the parking ticket. another nightmare of finding empty parking space. out of the car. walk into store again. in the car again. drove home. it's already 10.30pm.

safe and sound? NOT!

the key broke in the door knob. had to call my sublet-er who's 1 hour away to open the door. she was irritated but i had no choice. (later i found out she's in an accident on her way home after opening the door for me-totally creep me out coz i've a feeling that my bad luck somehow rub off on her)

already tired of all the negative energy all night, i just went straight to bed and determined to DIY the wardrobe tomorrow.

Morning time, had my Nescafe 3in1, and began working. a few hiccups, and it was done. i'm happy and began to put in all my clothes there immediately. then left for work. (yes, i work on Sunday. it's a shift thing.)

i went home to a collapsed wardrobe. AARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!

when it rains, it's not only pours, it's flash flood in z-zah's world.

oh! if you think that wasn't bad enough, imagine doing all that on high heels.

FREAKING PUCHONG!!! i'll be back and next time, i'll conquer you, PUCHONG!!!! (throwing fist!!!)

what i really hate, in all this, is my logical thinking. why do i do all this on a Saturday, when i usually have the weekday off (it's part of working shift perks)? where's the logic?

do i look desperate in this skirt?

2008-03-08T22:16:00.000+08:00

noo... i'm not talking about 'that' desperation...

it's about my new year resolution #1.
I went to one particular bank to apply for the refinancing. being the 'always ready, sometimes to a fault' me, i came bearing all the documents needed.

a copy of IC
certified copy of 3 months payslip
letter from employer
bank statement (where the salary is bank-in)
EPF statement - from i-akaun
a copy of S&P agreement
previous bank loan statement

to be safe, i also bring

local council tax bill - as proof of ownership
EPF statement - from EPF kiosk

apparently, small loan amount gets no cheer from bank officers. as soon i mentioned i want a 50k loan, she's been trying to show me the door several times while i stubbornly stayed.

Here's her several attempts:

her: we only accept loan above 100k.

me: i've consult your fellow officer. below 100k no problem.

her: we only finance 90% of the house value.

me: i know. that's why i asked for a 50k loan.

her: how much is your house value?

me: i don't know, that's for you to find out. (you see, banks have their own panel of valuers)

her: (after finding out the house value is 70k) you should take 63k loan.

me: i don't want to. i need 50k only. the house need to be fully paid in 5 years. i can't do that with 63k loan.

her: then, we need bank certification for your salary bank statement.

me: there aren't that many branches. i don't want to waste my time. the online statement print-out is good enough. (it has the bank's copyrighted print)

her: in that case, we need kiosk-printed EPF statement

me: (sheepishly took it out from my pile of papers)

her: (shocked) oh! you have it... (probably thinking why won't this girl go!!)

after several minutes, she finally relented and fill out the application form.

Hon, hope to hear from you in 7-10 business days.

all that talks....

2008-02-27T07:54:00.000+08:00

so, all that talks are actually TRUE!!!! you ARE moving to a greener grass... well, i wish you the best of luck... hope our path will cross again some time in the near future...

on the other notes, did you see the exchange rate yesterday? USD1.00=RM3.21!!! like that matters to me... but living in JB, when the dollar slide, SGD is getting stronger, so, the JBrians are sufferin'... when the chicken prices are lower everywhere due to the surplus, apparently, JB is an exception...

THAT'S IT! I'm moving away!!!

happy belated new year

2008-02-20T11:57:00.000+08:00

THREE!!

not one, not two, but THREE new year had passed.
be it GREGORIAN, HIJRI, or LUNAR, my new year resolution is still not in the works. i was too afraid to set any new resolution this year, as everything i planned for the last six months was totally whacked!

so, i'm going to start with the easy one.

Resolution #1- refinancing my 2005 house to get much lower rate (7.2%!!! whose bright idea is this?)
Resolution #2- use this year's bonus to settle personal loan (RM600 monthly payment is soooo not cool)
Resolution #3- no more talks about new car until 2005 house is fully paid (praying hard the car could last that long)

so, wish me luck!

on the news: crude oil prices jump to USD100 today. darn it! i'm still adjusting to my personal inflation rate due to previous 20% increase in oil prices. now, have to be prepared, yet again for another inflation.
It's hard living on single income nowadays.

how's your morning?

2007-11-15T22:48:00.000+08:00

this morning, as i drove to the office, my trail of thoughts leads me to Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas... which leads to 'Sweet Home Alabama' the movie... then i turn on the radio and Traxx.Fm was playing 'Sweet Home Alabama' the song...

creeeepppyyy....

however, a long lost friend called today... and really made my day...

my singing should stay in the shower...

2007-11-14T20:23:00.000+08:00

So, what do i get for singing along with the MP3 while driving on a federal road?

apparently this...

and this...

i was driving alone (hence the singing) last raya trying to get home early so i could wash my car before work day... a combination of red traffic light, many cars and hilly road can be quite lethal... at least on the car... and AAM is really sucks in helping people...

there goes another plan thrown out of the windows...

I learned something too... since it's not my fault, i could still claim my insurance without affecting NCD... but still have to pay some excess...
now i know....

It's that time of the year again

2007-09-21T21:06:00.000+08:00

my second attempt to post...

(man, writing is really hard!! i don't know how the other bloggers do it... )

ramadhan had always been the most anticipated month of the year...
it's the most happening month... the pasar ramadhan, the tarawikh, the chasing lights on the houses, the fireworks (or meriam) at night... most departmental stores will held their sale during ramadhan...

me? i'm going to use this ramadhan to renew myself.. mentally, physically, spiritually...

Physically, i'm reducing my food intake and trying to lose weight...
Mentally, no more 'life sucks!' as a motto...
Spiritually, hmmm... i'm keeping this to myself...

hope your ramadhan be a great one too...

My First Entry

2007-09-21T12:36:00.000+08:00

As part of my b'day celebration, i'm joining the masses of bloggers and biker-chic is born!!!

Coincidentally, the oil price reached a new high today at USD82 per barrel... hmmm... i could almost see Petro*** staff grinning ear-to-ear, anticipating a new level of bonus this year.