Tuesday, December 27, 2011

#22 - Inspired

Lately, I've been blog hopping a lot as a way to kill some time. I did bump into a few blogs that are worth revisited.

You see, the reason I started blogging 6 years back was to enhance my writing skills. Especially writing in English. Though my education background is in English studies but I totally suck at writing. Funny isn't it?

However, sometimes I fail to write in full English and ended up writing in Bahasa. Not that it's a bad thing but it deterred from the original purpose of this blog.

Anyways, after reading a few good blogs I decided to really polish my writing skills.

Insya Allah.

Monday, December 26, 2011

#21 - It's Like A Fairytale

Greetings from En. Suami's hometown.

We've been here since Thursday's night and will only be back to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow afternoon.

I've been stuffing myself with a lot of food that I dared not to be near the weighing scale. I'd probably get minor heart attack. You see, I have gained 6 kg after I got married. Probably a couple kgs more after the long weekend.

My mom told me, it's ok to gain some weight if I plan to conceive again. To some friends and family members, I looked healthy compared to a month before my wedding. But, my weight, it's a little bit too much now. I bet, I cannot fit into my wedding dress anymore.

Anyways, on to another story of my life.

My days as a homemaker is coming to an end soon. Boo Hoo.

I accepted an offer and will start work on the 3rd January. I wish I could stay at home a little bit longer. However since money is a big issue so I have to work. It's a 2 months contract employment. After 2 months, both me and my employer will work on my status. Whether I want to be their permanent staff or maybe I want to do something else on which they will work it for me as well.

We see how it goes later.

Till then.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

#20 - Being a Housewife

Assalamualaikum.

Almost a week being a housewife. And the famous questions are, "apa perasaan jadi housewife?" or "best tak jadi housewife?"

Truth be told, it's too damn early to say whether best ke tidak jadi housewife. Belum masuk 2 minggu pun. Lepas 2 minggu, mungkin kaki ini dah tergedik2 nak bekerja kembali.

Separuh jiwa mahu bekerja balik secepat mungkin sebab hendak duit. Macam mana nak berholiday atau bershopping sakan kalau duit takde. Tak perlu cakap, "ala suami kau kan ada. boleh sponsor". Maaf suami saya peneman hidup bukan ATM saya. Tapi, separuh jiwa saya meronta-ronta nak duduk di rumah.

Kalaulah saya boleh work from home. That would be the best.

I have to find ways so I can work from home. The, I don't have to deal with any office politics and annoying colleagues.

Please pray for me, ok.

Till then.

Friday, December 16, 2011

#19 - Masterchef (Pressure Test)

So today is my second day as a housewife. Till this minute, I've done laundry, vacuumed, little wiping here ans there plus prepare today's lunch.

En. Suami is on half day off today so I'm taking the opportunity to cook something. You know, to enhance my cooking skills.

Prepared fried chicken (his all time favourite), ikan tenggiri masak asam and stir fried choy sum with squid.

Hope he likes them.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

#18 - It's Time to Say Goodbye


Today is my last day at my current office. I've served my notice for 2 months (with going off for a 2 weeks long medical leave and honeymoon for one whole week). But don't get me wrong. The medical leave was unintentional and the honeymoon leave was approved long before I tendered. Plus, my boss was nice enough to still let me go for my honeymoon.

I've decided that this industry is not made for me although it was something I wanted to do back then when I was still a student.

Truth be told, I don't have anything specific planned out yet. I'm taking the opportunity to rest and enhance my domestic skills. There are clothes to fold, toilet to clean and food to cook.

Insya Allah, I will come back to working life.

Till then.


Monday, December 12, 2011

#17 - Ombak Rindu The Review

So I went to see Ombak Rindu last weekend. Stop reading if you haven't watch and planning to catch the movie. It's going to be a hardcore (or lack of it) review.

This movie might be good to someone who haven't read the prior to the movie. Unfortunately, I've read the book so many times that I know everything by heart.

At first, I was contemplating of watching the movie. I'm afraid it's going to be something like Lagenda Budak Setan The Movie. That, ladies and gentlemen, was a total disappointment. But, I gave Ombak Rindu a try anyways. Giving the benefit of the doubt.

Here goes the review:

1) Casting
I'm sorry the whole casting was a total failure. Well at least to me. Initially I thought Aaron Aziz would be suitable to play Haris but I don't know. I just don't feel it. He was trying very hard to be sad and sooo in love with Izzah but he failed. My interpretation of Haris; very successful businessman, hot tempered but very loving. Arrogant but inhuman. And Aaron didn't portray all that.

Maya Karin as Izzah - I disagree with this since DAY ONE. Physically, Maya did not suit Izzah. Izzah nie ayu gadis melayu. Tak berwajah moden. Satu lagi, Izzah adalah budak lepasan sekolah yang berhajat untuk menyambung pelajaran ke peringkat lebih tinggi (diploma/ijazah). Jadi, boleh tak pilih seseorang yang lebih muda. I'm thinking someone like Tiz Zaqyah. Or maybe someone new.

Lisa Surihani as Mila - At first I thought it would be ok but I guess we need someone mature to be Mila as someone who grew up with Haris. Lisa looked too young for Aaron. On the acting part, I think Lisa is ok but sometimes she was overdoing it.

Azizah Mahzan as Datuk Sufiah - Azizah Mahzan did not nail this character. To me, Datuk Sufiah was very authoritative. People respected her so much that they don't make stupid jokes. Azizah is more concerned in calling Haris name with fake English accent.

I'm not going to go through the characters one by one. These 4 would be sufficient.

2) Plot.
- They changed some of the facts. For example, Izzah's aunt did not suffer from any cancer. She was as evil as the uncle. Wafiah was not Mila and Haris's childhood friend. Mail didn't get any job offer in KL, he was in the army. Izzah was not a religious teacher but she worked at a factory.

- There were not enough sufferings for me to feel sad for Izzah. Period.

3) Key point
- One of the things that make Haris fell in love with Izzah is because of her naivety. Satu lagi, cara Izzah menyedarkan Haris tentang solat. To me, that is crucial. I don't understand why the Director does not want to highlight this.

- Continuity memang sangat out.

Ok these are some of the things that I don't really like about Ombak Rindu. There's more but I'll keep it to myself lah. Nanti orang kata emo tak tentu pasal.

So I learned my lesson. No more watching movie based on novel. Especially Malay novel. It has been disappointing so far.

Till then.

Friday, December 9, 2011

#16 - Fantasia Bulan Madu Day 5

Our last day in Bali.

Since we already packed all of our stuff the night before, that morning was not that chaotic. We took the time to really enjoy the last moment of honeymoon.

After we done packing the necessities, we headed down with our bags and have our last breakfast. The driver was already waiting for us and he was 30 minutes early. Maka, tunggu dulu ya Pak.

Breakfast was nothing fantastic as we were having the same thing over and over again for the past 5 days. So, makan yang perlu jer untuk mengalas perut. Lepas makan, off to airport.

The process at the immigration counter was a smooth one. Alhamdulillah. We have like one and half hour to kill so we took the opportunity to do some more shopping since we have some rupiahs to burn.

Managed to get myself a new pair of Ipanema's slipper. Woohoo! It's a new design, not yet available in Malaysia. En. Suami bought 2 Ipanema slippers. Melampau betul :P

After we done with our shopping, we waited at the lounge. Alhamdulillah, our flight didn't delay and we got a bigger plane. More comfortable. And the best thing, I managed to get some sleep.

I had so much fun in Bali (obviously). Like I wrote in honeymoon album in FB, "it's like celebrating our 6th months anniversary. Look forward to countless anniversaries and thousand of trips together"

Till then.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

#15 - Ping *Blinks Eye*

I. WANT. THIS!



My current camera is dying for a new battery and needs new charger. But they cost so much. Might as well get a new camera altogether.

Oh, when will you be mine?

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

#14 - Fantasia Bulan Madu Day 4

Day 4.

Today we planned to do some souvenirs shopping. With Bakhtiar's help, we managed to a get driver for a half a day trip around town, from 1.30pm - 6.30pm for RP300K.

So in the morning, after breakfast, we decided to go for a pedicure and manicure session at one of the spas near our hotel.

We chose Princess's Spa.

People always ask me to go for full body massage because that is Balinese people are known for. But, considering my condition I dared not to do any massage so we settled with pedi and mani.

Obviously the treatment is nothing to shout for. I mean I can get the same (better) treatment in Kuala Lumpur but obviously the rate is cheaper in Bali.

The two spa assistants thanked us profusely as we were the first customer of the day. So, I hoped we do bring some good business for them for that day.

After pampering ourselves, we walked along the street and we found out that there's a beach nearby.


Obviously, this is not the famous Kuta Beach (or maybe it is) but I am so happy to be near the beach. Since it was scorching hot so we didn't stay too long at the beach. Took a few photos and back to hotel and get ready.

Our driver greeted us at the lobby at 1.30pm sharp. We made a few stops and actually managed to get everyone's souvenirs.

Since we paid RP300K for the half a day trip, we thought it would such a waste to be using it only in town so we asked if the driver can bring us to Uluwatu and watch the Kecak Dance.

Ok, the reason why Uluwatu was not in our earlier itinerary because we heard so much about monkeys in Uluwatu. Apparently, the monkeys are quite violent and they steals from tourist. So Pak Media (our guide from the 2nd day) didn't really encourage us to go there.

But after giving it so much thought, we decided to give it a try. I mean how violent can the monkeys be, right?

But Agus already have another Client that he needs to pick up at the airport at 7.30pm and the Kecak Dance performance is at 6pm. It's impossible to go there and come back to airport in time. Not our luck.

After we done shopping at our third store, Agus said that he can bring us to Uluwatu as he already made another arrangement with his friend. Like, how accommodating can he be?

For that, we were super thankful to him.

It was already 4.oo at that time and it's a 40 minutes journey to Uluwatu. We stopped by at McDonalds (it's halal by the way) for a quick snack and off we go!

Once there, Agus reminded us to be careful with our belongings and don't mind the monkeys. Upon entering the temple, we were given a string to tie around our waist as a show of respect of the place.

Agus took the role as our photographer.


We took some photos and around the area and off to the theatre set to get the tickets for the Kecak performance. Luckily we go there early because it full house that day.

The performance was something different and while watching the dance, we managed to catch a glimpse of the sunset.

Once the show ended, we walked back to the carpark where Agus will be waiting for us. Our next stop should be Planet Hollywood but Agus need to pass some documents to his friend that is waiting for his Client at the airport. So, we off to airport first then to Planet Hollywood.

It was already 9 when we reached Planet Hollywood. We were there for 20 minutes because there was nothing much to see and we asked Agus to drop us at Kuta Square instead of the hotel.

We paid Agus (plus some tips) and off we go to find something to eat. Do some more shopping. Not too long though as we have to go back to hotel because we need to start packing.

It has been long and tiring day for us so as soon as we finish packing, we called it a night.

Till my next entry.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

#13 - Fantasia Bulan Madu Day 3

Day 3.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, our initial package was only for 3D2N with one day tour package. Since we extended 2 more days, we have to plan on our own itinerary for the rest of our stay.

Through Pak Media, we managed to arrange another one day tour. Our day started as early as 8.30 am as we have to reach Batubulan before 10am to watch the Barong Dance performance.


Barong Dance is actually about a fight between good and evil. But fret not, you'll be given a programme paper that will explain the dance act by act so you won't be lost in translation. The dance is performed in old Balinese dialect.

The performance is an hour long. After the performance, we off to Ubud. Both me and En. Suami agreed that Ubud is more happening (in terms of shops and hotels) as compared to Kuta. But of course, different people have different opinion and preference. We roamed around Ubud Market and managed to get some souvenirs for the people back home.

Next, we off to Tegallalang. This place was not in our initial itinerary but the driver suggested to stop by as it's on our way to Kintamani so we thought why not.

Tegallalang is one of the famous rice terrace paddies in Bali. The road is a little bit narrow and was quite packed with cars that parked along the way but we managed to stop and took a few photos.

Something different isn't it? However, do beware of the by the roadside sellers. They could be quite persistent so you have to firmly say no if you are not buying anything.

After a few shots, we continue our journey to Kintamani. From Tegallalang, it took us another 30 minutes. Kintamani is known for volcanic Mt. Batur and the scenic view of Lake Batur. There are some package for tourist who wants to climb Mt. Batur and witness the sunrise. Please do so if you are into that kind of activity. As for me and En. Suami? No way Jose!


Again, be careful with the sellers that will be harassing you to buy their stuffs. Politely (but firmly) say no and walk away. After camwhoring like nobody business, we off to have our lunch. Since this is tour is not part of the package so we have to pay for our own meal.

We went to this restaurant called Grand Puncak Restaurant. They served lunch buffet so again we ended up eating only seafood although our driver claimed it's halal. The view, however, is beautiful.

After scrumptious meal, we off to Tampak Siring Village where the Tirta Empul Temple is located. The Temple is a holy spring temple. They believe the water could help them expel the black magic. This is the only thing that I could remember from the guide's explanation. When we done roaming around the temple, it's shopping time.

We took the opportunity to shop souvenirs for my nephews and nieces. The sellers at Tampak Siring are far more aggressive compared to the one in Tanah Lot or even Ubud and can be quite intimidating. I think we spent almost an hour here then we have to go to our last destination of the day.

Hello, Jimbaran Beach!

We've been told so many times about this place. The main attraction is the seafood dinner but the interesting part is to do it while watching the sunset. Sounds like a romantic dinner date to me :P

The view is gorgeous. I think this must be my favourite part of my entire honeymoon. It was romantic, the food was good, the wind, the buskers and most important of all the most perfect company, En. Suami. I could never ask anything better than this.

To make it even more memorable, it was on 11.11.11. Alhamdulillah.


Check out our food spread. Gila ok makan dua orang. Macam nak bagi makan segerombolan. Tapi sumpah sedap dan fresh!

On our way back to the hotel, since we already covered all the major tourist spots, we decided to hire half a day driver to bring us around to shop at the major shopping outlets. So we asked Bakhtiar (our driver) to help us. Unfortunately he couldn't make it so he suggested Agus, our driver from the previous tour. So kawtim already.

After freshened up, we took a taxi to Hard Rock for some live band performance. We were quite lucky because the band was good.

It was a challenge to get a taxi after 10pm because they tend to mark up the price and does not even bother to use the meter. We managed to get a taxi that would use the meter but he decided to use the longest route possible. Cost us Rp30K!

Anyways, another long day. Had so much fun. Toodles.