one year older, one year wiser

so, what have i learnt for the past year?
after almost existing for 29 years, i surprised my own self by doing something i didn't expect i could do.
i learnt that anything is possible if you try hard enough.
i learnt that there are nice and kind people around when you least expect them to appear.
i learnt that life is too short to put off the things that you want to do.
i learnt that some things are just better off left the way it is.
well, there are more things that i have learnt in this journey we call life.
i don't regret a single thing i have done. i have lived, and still is living, my life the way i planned it to be. of course there are still more things that i would like to achieve. Insya Allah, i will do those if it is willed that i am able to.
the father's not feeling well right now.
ps : ms DivaH, it's nothing bad. no need to call home. a do'a for his health would be much appreciated.

Monday already?

can the weekend be a whole week long?
i really dislike going out on weekends. it's the only time i get to catch up on my sleep and the home. i already spend more than 12 hours everyday out of the house, so weekends are for me to stay home and rot. yeah, i'm that boring.
can't wait till the last week of December. i'll be staying home to rot in peace before the house tornado comes home. heheh...

rubs hands is glee

this calls for a plan. new digicam, new laptop, another break.
any other suggestion?
on another good note, a BIG CONGRATULATIONS to the sister for the exams. i knew you'd make it. all the (almost) panic attacks were unnecessary. *LOL*

looking forward to...

the chances of this krazy cat coming back with the sister is looking good.
now i just need to convince the parents to let him into the house. hehe...

reminiscing

looking thru' the photos from my last trip, can't help feeling so sad. the digicam just had to go bonkers right when i was trying to have a bit of fun.
now i'm looking for a new camera. haven't really decide on what brand or model to get. just looking for any cameras that makes use of SD card since the current bonked out camera's using that card.
i'm sad cos it is the first camera that is all mine. and also one of the first few pictures i took from that camera were these :






followed by a tragic end :


well, at least something good did happen as a result of the last 2 pics. made the horrible feeling i had a little lighter. just a little only.

one more day

i'm hanging on for the weekend. was down and out literally yesterday with a cold. how i really dread having a cold. the stuffed up nose, the itchy throat, the blocked feeling inside the face cavity and not to mention the constant sneezing. once i start i can't stop. that's really tiring i tell ya...
only had MC for yesterday, so i have to hang on today before i get to knock myself out this weekend. here i come bed :D
ok, have a nice weekend everyone.

think happy thoughts

suddenly, i feel so down and miserable inside yet again. i can definitely put the blame on the hormones. a sure sign i'm getting old. (i know what you're thinking naj. it's a long story which didn't include venus :D)
so what i'm going to do now is to force myself to think of happy thoughts and not wallow in misery as i would normally do. i will not let myself get sucked into a black hole.
my upcoming project will be :
to bring this little cutie here.

his "don't mess with me" look

checking out my luggage when i first got to the sis' place

who can resist this face?

see, he really wanted to follow me home. he was 'helping' me pack on my last night in oz. heheh...
after some enquiring on the net, turns out it's not that expensive to bring him back here. so ms 'DivaH', you settle all his shots over there, i'll settle the paperwork here. make sure he doesn't do the territorial marking again ok. *LOL*

Salam Lebaran

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, Maaf Zahir Batin to everyone.

life is unpredictable

last night, an aunt from the paternal side succumbed to her illness and breathed her final breath. Inalillahi wa inaillahirraji'un. it's a blessing for her to go during this blessed month of Ramadhan. Semoga roh nya dicucuri rahmat, Amin.
ultimately, everyone will have to face death. it really doesn't matter what your status in life is. when it's your time, nothing can stop you.
it's how you live your life that really matters. you don't know what will happen to you next. you can be a healthy and fit, but that doesn't mean you will live till 100. you never know if you can even meet the next day or not. therefore, take the time to set your priorities.
i'm going to get mine straightened out too, Insya Allah. 6 more days of Ramadhan left. let's use these last few days wisely. you really don't know if you can meet the next Ramadhan or not.

i'm home

landed last night about 8.30pm. feels so good to be at home finally.
the last 2 weeks had been a very great experience. the on-campus experience could have been better though. that was too short to be part of the course module at all. i found most of it irrelevant for us who's got work experience and those who's graduated from the polytechnics here.
anyway, the overall experience from everything had been an eye-opener. thanks to everyone i met. very much thanks to the sis
who's put her academic life on hold the entire time i was there. (i miss your cat already). now it's back to the real world for all of us. i've been slacking to the max and now i'm dreading the thought of having to go to work.
on a not so good note, the digicam's busted. couldn't take decent pics since last monday (2nd oct 06). so there's not much pics from sydney. the sis offered the use of her digicam but i declined. not the same as using your own.
there's just too many pics that i took prior to the soon to be demised digicam to upload here. i just can't be bothered to do it.

i'm online, finally!

a quick hello to everyone. i'm doing fine here in the land down under, Alhamdulillah.
finally i got the connection to update this blog which has been collecting dust for almost 2 weeks.
it's almost 3.30am here but i'm not feeling that sleepy. i'm just too excited that i can finally update & check blogs. after only a week of being out of country, i feel so disconnected.
anyway, it has been a very good experience for me the past 1 week plus. spending the first day of Ramadhan not with the family wasn't the first time for me, but spending it out of the country is. what i miss is the porridge (bubur masjid)..hehe...
there's just so many things that i have to say, but i just can't find the words to express it all in the way i experienced it. (blame that on the engineer side of me - engineers make bad writers) :D
the things i had to do, the people i met, the friends who were with me and not to mention the family who is supporting me in their own way. all those me push myself out of my comfort zone. i really didn't think i have the guts to do what i did the past few days. i can do even more, Insya Allah. it's defininitely the blessing of this blessed month of Ramadhan too.
have a very blessed Ramadhan. will see you next week, Insya Allah :)

almost ready

clothing is packed. toiletries and food are not.
tomorrow is the start of Ramadhan. wishing all brothers and sisters a Ramadhan Mubarak.
see ya in 2 and a half weeks.

complaining does pay

i whine and gripe and bitch about a lot of stuff, but mainly to whoever is around. i seldom make it official. i'm normally too passive to do anything more than whine, gripe or bitch.
anyway, certain conditions made it necessary for me to take action. what conditions would that be? i'm most irritated and frustrated about bus services.
true, singapore has the most reliable bus system, the public busses that is. the private bus companies, well that's another story.
now that i'm working in a location that requires a shuttle bus to take me in and out of work premises, i expect the bus to meet the time schedule on the dot. there is this one driver who got on my nerves lately. he'll only arrive at the front gate at the time he's supposed to go out of it. if it happened only once or twice i wouldn't mind. afterall, he's only human. nobody's pefect. but he's been doing it for a few weeks.
what do i do? i wrote in the the logistics officer and explained the situation. following day, bus came and left on time, and i'm all smiles.
the end.

something good

The Truth About Chocolate and Your Skin
Here's a formula for sensational skin: cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, and . . . chocolate?

You heard right. When eaten, flavanol-rich cocoa, the main ingredient in dark chocolate, improves skin's texture, thickness, hydration, and blood flow. It may even boost your skin's defense against the sun by up to 25 percent! How? It packs serious antioxidant power. Just don't overdo it -- chocolate is high in fat and calories, too. And you still need to wear sunscreen every day.

yeah...bring it on baby...

the best lain plan...NOT

true to the signature picture on top, i'm living up to it. i'm planning to fly off in 2 weeks time and i'm still without a ticket. still haven't plan on anything yet.
this will be the first time i'll be travelling on my own now that the travel partner's out of action indefinitely. i might need to open an invitation for a travel partner. (will have to blog on this by itself someday) :D
ok, to ms juli, this is the plan i got:
- to sydney on 23rd Sep
- to brisbane on 24th Sep
- back to sydney by night train on 2nd Oct (if you're not joining me)
- fly back home on 9th Oct
list the things u need in my comments box. i'm too lazy to get a pen & paper.

no more pain

after suffering from painful cramps every single month for over 15 yrs, today, i declare myself pain-free. i tried painkillers, traditional herbal remedies, exercise, but none of them actually gets rid of the pain completely. the best i felt was a lesser degree of pain.
what finally relieved me from the pain? it's this product :

Elken LD Venus
after consuming almost 4 boxes (1 box contains 20 bottles), i am finally relieved from the pain. this is the first time i'm not moody, cranky, miserable, etc.
i'm actually feeling happy. so happy that i want to skip around and sing. i'm that happy. for those of you who have never had cramps before, you don't know what PAIN actually is. for those who needs pain reliever, i'll be very happy to share this with you. it's worth every cent, trust me.
PS : different people will need different amount. some friends needed only 1 box, while some needed more.

happy born day

to the divah perasan, happy 23rd year on this world. may u have many more blessed years ahead.

just waiting

[quote] "if somebody can take leave for more than 2 weeks and not affect any work, then that person is redundant" [unquote]
then what if that person is taking maternity leave? that's 3 months. what about urgent medical conditon that is very unplanned? that may require an even longer absence than maternity leave.
i need to go for some school work for 2 weeks at the end of next month. isn't 1 month sufficient for me to give notice? i did inform of this earlier, even before the leave freeze started, but just didn't actually put up the leave application.
ok, so i've not much load at work, but that doesn't mean i'm totally redundant. it's your decision to re-org the team this way. it's not that work can't be covered. i'm going away for official purpose, and since i'm going to another country, shouldn't i take the opportunity to side track a little. i saved up on my leave just for this purpose. like i care if i'm not pulled in to do the extra duties. that's not my fault.
frankly, i've lost the passion to come to work for a long time already. i'm just waiting for the right time and opportunity. this is no longer my calling anymore.

i survived this long

today marks my 6th year that i am working in this organisation. that's already crossing the half decade mark. how i've changed, and seen many changes take place along the way too.
i'm happy how things are turning out. not everything went as planned, but i'm grateful for the experiences i gained. have a nice week ahead everyone.

time for a change

i've been talking of making changes lately. well, i'm finally doing it. first change was the study programme i was doing. then i cleared off all the junk i carried home over the years, especially the stuff i brought back from my last job - that was 7 freaking years ago!! heh...
so, i had a theme in mind when i was doing the clearing up. theme was : "how to pack easy if i move out". i just want to pick the stuff up and put them in boxes if i do plan on moving out. now that i'm on the wrong side of 20, my shelf life is running out of display time soon. only 6 more years till i'm eligible to apply for a HDB flat.
anyway, most of the junk are gone, i've got space i didn't know i had and found things i thought were gone. re-arranged the wardrobe space. haven't really thrown out the unused clothes yet, but that shouldn't take up too much time.
the last major change will depend on one thing. i might go for it all the way. leave this line for good. if not, it will definitely be a part of my life journey.
talk about mid-life crisis. i think i'm going thru' mine here. *LOL*
it's monday, so a fresh start to the work week. have a nice week ahead!!