Life is not about grieving for things that we don't have.
It is about appreciating all the things that we have.

Kau dan aku mungkinkah kau akan percaya bersama mimpi kita
Apa daya yang mungkin ku rasa mungkinkah ini semuanya dusta

- Nitrus’s “Hujung Dunia” OST Goodbye Boys -

I’ve got a soft spot for these guys, whom I think and I hope, will be the next best thing to hit Malaysia. I actually bumped into their showcase at OU last month, and as far as boppy malay songs goes, this was bopping enough for me to bounce in my heels and baju kurung.

Ramadhan is back, and my latest grouse would be literally kissing people’s asses every day. Or should I say, every night? I know that in worshipping The One, you let go of all trifling issues of life as you face Him and just surrender your soul. Unfortunately, surrendering your soul nightly has come with a panic button *or should I say eject button?* upon which when you get up from a sujud, and wham bang, someone else’s ass is in your face, you tend to jerk up so quickly, you almost lose your balance. *sigh* I’m mean, I know! But I do favour my comfort, and if I were to commit to a nightly ritual of 30 rakaats, I would prefer it if it would be in a state where I’m peaceful, mind and body. Face, ideally, too.

But I love Ramadhan, and although I’m typing this on the verge of shutting my eye for a quick catnap, I’m still all excited about breaking fast, wondering what will be on the table when I get back *oh, aren’t I the spoiled daughter*. This time round, I’ve got a few resolutions to fulfill, and due to financial constraints, and sometimes, bouts of laziness, I’ve managed to partially fulfill only some. But baking is on the list, and yes, that was fulfilled last weekend with a “Kek Coklat Lembab” or better known as Moist Chocolate Cake!

Well, actually, I kinda cheated cuz I used the pre-mixed and pre-measured ingredients, and it wasn’t actually baking, but actually steaming. Hehe. But I did stir the batter instead of using the mixer, and I used a “folding” technique so, technically, I could say I spent the whole morning, making a cake :) Onwards would be a lasagna, and dare I say, my first batch of chocolate chip cookies? Well, stay tuned folks!

Otherwise, I’ve been busy, period. Why? Because I was elected emcee for a whole month of internal events, and despite me telling them how my emceeing ruined my best friend’s wedding earlier this year, they were surprisingly quite adamant. Shove the speech writer under my nose, adjusted my lighting and all that. Haha, but I’ve received comforting feedbacks, and gee, I didn’t know that the way I talk is way too fast for some? Thought that was normal? You have not seen me presenting a case I cannot get away fast enough from. Then you’ll know what fast is. So that would be something to work on. Thank god, the final event is next week, I think the audience has had enough of moi this month.

Then there’s that focus group committee on which of course, the macais like us had to spend the whole afternoon drafting out proposals, and endless meetings to discuss whether a comma is required in the sentence or not. Argh! And of course, piles of files on desk to face with daily.

Then I had to sit for legal exams of which I HAVE to pass in order for me to be confirmed *wait, do i want to be confirmed? cue ponder life's direction* , where I spent 3 hours speed writing, and flipping through dusty legal books to answer 10 confusing questions. Arrghh! I do hope the slip I’ll be getting in 3 months time will have the word “Lulus” on it instead of “Kandas”.

And the annual dinner earlier this month? Well, that went ok..i’ve too many grouses actually about it, but I’ve to accept the fact that the new committee have got lots to learn, and will have to expect the unexpected, and I’ve also learnt that dieting is something advisable before a big event! I can’t bear to look at the various pictures I took with *although, I have to admit the outfit that I had on was really cute!*…oh my arms, my arms! So tree-trunk-like were they! And looking like a teapot, all short and stout is not exactly flattering when you’re on stage to pass out awards.

Kelantan trip was great! Had yummy, yummy food, and the relaxing company of Nonzies, and her newly-completed family :) Its amazing to see her so settled in and living the life of a wife and mother. We had colek by the sea, lovely nasi ulam at some cultural village, and the customary rush to buy Nasi Kerabu about, oh, 5 minutes before the plane took off. Oh, and I love how errands in KB can be done in a fraction of the time taken compared to KL.

Jakarta was amazing! Amazing meant taking wild rides on a van stuffed with 15 people, taking wild rides with speed demon cabbies, and sitting through traffic jams that lasted from Asar to Isya’. I supposed I need not mention how daredevil-ish Jakarta drivers are, but I have to mention the short but extremely wild trip we took on the van made for 15. See, we were going to the bus depot, and since its about 5 minutes away, we decided to take this van-thingy. There, we were trundling merrily down the road, with the conductor’s head and toes hooked into the van’s door as a mean of support while his body dangled out of the van, when suddenly the van encountered a traffic jam. Not too busy, and we were quite near to our destination, it’s just that we’ve got to u-turn later down the road. Our driver decided to take the alternative route- and speeded down, albeit merrily, a road with traffic going in the opposite direction. It was surreal, I tell you, to see vehicles rushing towards you. I almost forget to gasp in shock, or maybe I did, but my breath had shortened by that time, so I couldn’t hear anything except tiny voices in my head screaming. Just as I thought the ride couldn’t get any worse, a policeman on a motorbike vrroomed towards us, and our driver, calmly, did a u-turn and attempted to outrun/outdrive the cop. He, of course, didn’t succeed. But since we had to get down at the bus depot, the next best thing he could do, without actually breaking any more laws, was to reverse the vehicle. All the way.

Oh, and we were also involved in a minor accident. It is apparently customary for cars to move on the roads of Jakarta as if to kiss the bumper of the one in front of it, and during one of our speedy cab rides, we were hit from the back. But surprisingly, they didn’t get out and shouted at each other and caused massive traffic jams. Nor did anyone drove by to jot down numbers for 4D or to punch in numbers of tow truck companies. Our cabbie calmly got out, assessed the damage, had an almost friendly 1 minute chat with the culprit, and resumed driving. Speedily again.

Like I said, amazing.

Amazing was also the house we stayed in, as it’s literally a huge house with enough space to accommodate 50 families at one time. Amazing was also the company we had, and the sweet daughter of a great lyricist who I made friends with, and the lyricist herself, who turned out to be one of the funniest person I’ve ever met.

Amazing was also the loot of kain we brought back *oh yeah, I’ve still got a few pieces if anyone’s interested, just give me a buzz*, and the amazing tailor who made my suit looked like I got it from an upmarket boutique. Amazing was the crowd of people, the places we go to shop, the yummy and sometimes doubtful food, and amazing was also the beautiful language.

Oh yeah, amazing was also hearing Siti NurHaliza’s song playing in one of the malls.

That’s me, melepas-ing rindu for writing. Oh yeah, btw, I’ve got a new shipment of batik outfits they called “Natasha” which consists of a crepe batik blouse and matching silk pareos. So, if anyone’s interested to have a look see, do give me a buzz or holler, and I’ll hold a viewing party at your convenience :)

Ok, am gonna go drool over the makeup brushes, lipstick and lipgloss that I got for 70 bucks, all thanks to Fuzzy Wuzzy who has great sense to buy branded cosmetics, and to sell the freebies off at less than the price of a decent lippie at the pharmacy.

Toodles!