The Story of How I Broke My #1 New Year’s Resolution

“My name is Azri. I came from Besut and currently staying at Setiwangsa.”

Upon hearing the last word, my sensitive coyote ears perked up. Automatically, my mind reeled into concocting on ways to take advantage of this newly acquired info.

I started to observe the guy; quiet and a bit reserved, was what I deducted during the morning session. Hmm… that MIGHT pose a problem; he may not comply with the preposition that I’ve devised 10 minutes after his personal introduction in class.

But before I could present this proposal to him, I needed to confirm a few facts; to which God had help answered during morning break. THANK YOU LORD!

And now all I need to do was to approach the victim target

I waited for him with a lot of patience after lunch. As soon as I saw him, I rushed towards him and blurted out “Azri, I WANT to carpool with you. Boleh tak?“

***

Right away I called Yuyu.

“Yu, habis my resolution!”

… and she reacted with an evil laugh >.<

*Sigh* Please tell me HOW to be less brazen with the boys? I tried and failed on the 3rd week of the new year.

***

That was 5 weeks ago and I have to say, I still can’t believe that I actually approached him on the first day itself. 5 years ago, I wouldn’t even dare.

The good thing that came out of this were getting to know him, going out shopping with him and actually found out that we were in the same school for a whole year (he came to SAB for Form 4, I was in Form 5 then)… and to tell you the truth, I can’t even remember the bloke

I think I’m gonna miss him when training period is over

Short Crushes

My, my, my.

Just look at you, leaning against that wall and lighting the place with that winning smile. I see that I’m not the only lady’s attention that you have caught – almost every female set of eyes are glancing and stealing peeks at you.

Maybe, just maybe, when your gaze settles on me, we lock eyes in that tunnel-vision effect like in the movies, you’ll come sit down beside me, and we’ll…

Oh! Now you spotted me trotting along with my girls.

You smiled and said “Welcome”, echoed by your friends.

You showed us our table and recite the house’s specials that by now you know by heart. You jot down our order and walked away towards the kitchen.

Mid way, your friend bumped into you and you joked around. At that moment, I was turned off, because you have that accent that annoyingly irritates me.

Well, as long as you hide that accent around me, I’ll be okay. I intend to come by again. The food is sinfully good.

(Duration of crush: 1 hour max per visit)

Stuck in line at Starbucks, I curse for my own silly decision to get coffee during the weekend morning “rush”. Of course, that was before I realized that you were lining in front of me.

I swear that planet Earth ceased rotating when I saw you – with that air-blown jet black hair, lean body beneath that vintage tee and ripped jeans, with that crisp clean scent of CK One that makes me giddy, always.

You’re at the register now, still scanning the menu board – thirty seconds and counting. Seriously? You have been to Starbucks, haven’t you?

I mean, yes there’re a lot to choose from but most people stick to what they used to. And they order it fast.

It was a nice save when you turned around and said “Sorry” when you notice me looking at my watch and tapping my foot impatiently. More importantly, you heard the angry grumbling that came from my stomach, demanding that Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin.

OMG! Can you just pay the barista already? You don’t have to empty your pockets for loose change.

I think my tummy hates you now.

(Duration of crush: 5 minutes)

Another work day finished, another work week done. It’s a rainy night in the city and I had just been dumped by my girl for her out-of-town boyfriend.

The train was empty with only few people inside. I guess they didn’t know what they’d miss to not want to brave the thunder and lightning.

Because there you were, gliding through the doors. You, with that familiar sleek copper hair and fair skin that would make Edward Cullen wept in envy.

As the train lurched, you look around like an adorable lost lamb before deciding to take one of the seats opposite mine.

Your gaze caught mine and you smiled. Smiling back, I was excited to see that you’re about to start a conversation with me – and at that moment your phone rang and the train came to a stop at the next station.

I bolted out as fast as I could.

I’m sure you were shocked to see a girl my size could have that agility. But I’m sorry; I truly am, for wanting to laugh at your choice of a ringtone.

I think I laughed too much now. Thank god there was no one around.

Now I need to call my colleague to relay the happenings of what we now call “The Gorgeous XYZ banker and the tacky Dangdut ringtone.”

p/s: I’m sorry that we couldn’t keep a straight face when we met you at that training session in SC.

(Duration of crush: 2 minutes)

Bye, Bye 2009

Oh my.

Is it just me, or has this all happened rather quickly, this 2009 thing?

The Good Things That Happened This Year

I made new, wonderful people this year under not so good situation. Despite only knowing them in a short period of time, I think they are great friends to keep. I miss them already and do hope to see them soon.

I reignite the romance back in the relationship that I have with my collection of books and learnt to love a few more that I haven’t had the time to flip, what more to indulgently read through. The perks of being unemployed was that I had the luxury of reading.

The Batu Pahat clan is definitely growing bigger. This year, we have additional babies to play with and new in-laws to learn about and love ^_^

I survived being unemployed for 6 months. I can proudly say that I was and still able to clear my monthly expenses without help from the parents. Lesson learnt this year: Prudency + Savings = GOOD, Charles & Keith = Can do WITHOUT.

The Not-So-Good Things This Year

The bank had to let go of my team late May. Rumors circulated about the reason the Senior Management decided to close down the department before and after we left. Whatever the reason was, I’d like to think that the bank had too many staffs for its own good anyways. Better let the new meat goes first, rather than the old ones right?

If you noticed, I haven’t found my way into a happy, HEALTHY romantic relationship. Then about two weeks ago, I realized that I don’t really need and want one at the moment. After all, I have loads to think about that are more important than a love life.

With that said, I’m also depressed by the fact that at twenty-four, I’m still romantically challenged. This was brought to center stage when my same-aged nephew got married a few weeks ago. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy that the lovebirds tie the knot. It’s just that, I anticipate that by the end of the year that they have one bundle of joy to add to our gargantuan family. This will officially make me entitled to the ‘granny’ title at the age of twenty-five >.< DEPRESSED!

Anyways… all these are prelude to what’s to expect next year. Hopefully, my career path will be much clearer and relationships will grow stronger. As how the celebrations will go on about, have fun and stay safe.

I’ll see you next year.

Tag from Eda

It’s been a while since I’ve done this kind of things. So here goes:

1.NAMAKAN 5 KERJAYA YANG ANDA GEMARI MENGIKUT TURUTAN

(a) Professional traveler, someone like Janet Hsieh and Samantha Brown.
(b) Feature writer for a magazine… Kak Intan, Kak Nini, kite nak join Gaya boleh tak?
(c)  Ice cream taster… jangan gelak. There is such a job.
(d) Photographer
(e) Walt Disney Imagineer

Note: Funny isn’t it that none of these have anything to do with what I majored in campus.

2.NAMAKAN 5 ORANG KAWAN ANDA YANG ANDA RASA ANDA TERINGIN JADI DIRINYA….

Tiada siapa. As imperfect as I am and the uncertain path that I lead, I would not change it for anything.

3.NAMAKAN 5 ORANG KAWAN PEREMPUAN ANDA YANG ANDA RASA DIE CANTEK PADA PANDANGAN ANDA….

(a) Baiti Hamdan
(b) Eda Zakaria
(c)  Yaya Elias
(d) Firra Sulaiman
(e) Beeha Mustapha

4.NAMAKAN 5 ORANG KAWAN LAKI2 ANDA YANG ANDA RASAKAN DIE HENSEM PADA PANDANGAN ANDA…

None. All my guy friends are pretty boys >.<

5.NAMAKAN 5 BENDA YANG AKAN ANDA BAWA KE MANA SAJE..

(a) Purse from Cambodia
(b) Hand sanitizer… bacteria is everywhere people
(c) Make-up pouch walaupun pada hakikatnye aku malas untuk mencalit lebih dari lipgloss
(d) Pens
(e) Notebook

6.NAMAKAN 5 PERKARA YANG ORANG BELOM TAHU PASAL ANDA…

(a) I have contradicting personalities/ characteristics. Tak percaya? Put one friend pre-GEMS and one post-GEMS friend together, I’m sure they will have different, opposite views of me.
(b)  I’m confused with what I want to do with life (still!)
(c) I want kittens… badly!
(d) I need someone to re-teach me how to handle a car.
(e) Unlike Eda, I’m not a romantic… yes, I appreciate sweet, surprising gestures but please, don’t make it laced with too much sugar that causes goosebumps (that is not in the good way).

7.NAMAKAN 5 PERKARA YANG ANDA SUKE DAN XSUKE PADA LAKI2..

(a) Like: Protective. But not in the paranoia kind of way that you can’t do much without him.
(b) Dislike: Smoking habits. It’s a vile, rancid habit.
(c) Like: Independent. I don’t like the clingy types.
(d) Dislike: Kiss ass habit. This is one thing that I just can’t stand.
(e) Like: Spectacles. Nerdy sexy is just sooo irresistible :D

8.NAMAKAN 5 BLOG KEGEMARAN ANDA….DAN ANDA NAK TIRU JE BLOG DIE

(a) Baiti’s Biting Baiti… memang kadang-kadang tiru (opps! inspired by) pun
(b) Noktah Hitam
(c) Teddy-O-Ted
(d) Mighty Jacksparrow
(e) Kampung Boy, City Gal

I’m Home

IF you’ve been wondering, I’ve not been in KL fully for the past 2.5 months.

Where was I?

After months of unemployment, I decided to park myself at Port Dickson with GEMS Malaysia. Better than doing nothing at home, I’d reckon. So there I was one fine October afternoon, registering myself at Casa Rachado (and no, I won’t recommend anyone to stay there) and 2.5 months later, it was all over.

How would I describe the experience?

GRUELING FUN

I skipped 30% of the grueling part. At the same time, 30% of the fun part was also missed.

The people there… oh gosh! I truly miss them despite the love-hate relationship that we have. I mean, how could I not? We were infused together practically 24/7. There were no such thing as turning in early (at least not for me).

I’ll write more… soon, hopefully. Now, I need to re-set my internal clock to normal before starting the internship part of GEMS =)

Syawal Update

It’s been a while eh?

14 days into Syawal now and I’m sure it’s still viable for me to say Selamat Hari Raya to everyone. I hope your Eid had been wonderful in more ways than one.

My Ramadan had a sweet ending, judging by the desserts I consumed the night before the eve of Hari Raya. Jules managed to organize an Iftar gathering at Pavilion for us girls (sans Aira, Fadil & Hanie and together with Azid, Muthu and Kak Harim). Jules blogged about it here.

The family went back to Rawang the eve of Hari Raya. I think I slept early that night… or at least I tried too :p Sleeping over there still feels foreign. Don’t get me wrong but I just don’t like staying over >.<

Oh and this year we had a family photo session, thanks to the fact that Kipphi has this Hari Raya assignment thing.

Drive safe, eat moderately and have fun. Selamat Hari Raya from the family =)

Surprisingly, the day after we came back from Rawang, I was out and about again for food. I was anticipating a few days of rest Went to Rashid’s at the last minute but it was great to see Wan, Maria and Ikin after a long while.

We may look a tad bit different but we have never looked better =)

The next Syawal celebration in tow would be my birthday on the 24th. Little did I know, a Syawal miracle happened on the 23rd.

23 September 2009, 12.14 pm a baby girl was brought into the world. Although I tried coaxing her out earlier than the 29th September due date, I was not ready to get the news of her arrival a day earlier.

Aunty Nana loves you =*

This is by far one of the greatest thing to happen for/on my birthday ^_^

Birthday celebration was great. It was well spent with Syafira, my so-called twin, and Rashid. Thank you darlings =)

Thank yous are in place especially to those who remembered and sent their well wishes. Special thanks to Ayuni Amir for getting me the book that I wanted.

I actually just came in from a long day on the road. Heavy traffic makes one hungry but it’s a good thing when you are house hopping where food is finger licking good. Thanks Sarah and Mek Jah for inviting me for the trip. Thanks to Faizal for being our designated driver.

Have a merry Hari Raya people =)

Note: I hope to win Maybelline Simply Fabulous Giveaway from Beetrice’s Reviews. I’m in need of new beauty products and something new for my social calender =D

Favourite Scenes

Since June the lack of employment have made me resolve to a few things to occupy my time. Other than honing my writing and cooking skills (I would love to post pictures of the yummy food I made but according to NoktahHitam, that would be inconsiderate to the Holy month of Ramadan), I’ve been reorganizing my old VCDs and DVDs. Needless to say, I’ve been watching movies, drama series and anime almost non-stop.

Almost always I keep on repeating these scenes because I love them so much:

From Beauty & The Beast

From Serendipity

From Hanzakari no Kimitachi e

From Fruits Basket

From Full House (Korean)

From Twilight

From 10 Things I Hate About You

To tell you the truth, there’s more that I’ve watch than listed :p Can you just imagine sitting at home, with not much to do (other than my part time writing gig, housework and interview hopping). I’m almost done with my personal collection that I raid my brothers; which doesn’t really suit my fancy since it’s way too packed with Gundam, Kamen Rider and non-PG13 shoujo anime >.<

I better go check my eyes soon. I may need to upgrade the lense -_-’

It’s September, Baby!

In 23 days time, I’m going to turn another year older. I’m not sure if I should be =) or =( about it. I’m fickle, I know >.<

Every year, I most definitely make a wishlist. Last year, I had one but since I’ve gotten everything that I wanted before my birthday, there was no point in posting it here or Facebook =p

This year, I’ve decided that I want these:

Yuyu, I expect you to get me this :p

I’ve been meaning to get these books for a long while but never came around to actually buy them. I really hope that I could get them in my collection this year.

Cute aren't they?

I love these handmade clutches/ wristlets from She’s stuck Between Punk and Retro since I’ve discovered them in my bouts of blog hopping. Last year I missed the order session and was hopping that it would re-open soon. If you can find something similar to these, do let me know. Better still, if you could give them away as my birthday pressie xD

I love got milk? ad campaigns

Since I’ve yet to secure a job, I might as well take on my college dream job as a Starbucks barista while I wait. Wish me luck with it okay =)

Pretty aren't they?

I’ve been looking for a turquoise necklace for a while now. Although I love shorter ones like above, I really do think that a longer strand looks better on me, like my long strands of pearls that was one of my birthday pressies last year *loves*

The best thing about my birthday is that it’s going to be during Hari Raya, which means not only because of the great company and I can request for some yummy food :p

Aishah, I'll be waiting for these ^_^

Thanks in advance to Aishah and Yuyu (assuming je ni :p) for the birthday pressies. I hope everyone is enjoying your Ramadan and I hope you make the most of it.

I Love Snapshots

“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

Elliott Erwitt

I have always admire art. Though I can’t seem to ‘get’ classic masterpieces (think Michelangelo or da Vincci), I love modern art. Be it Art Nouveau or Pop Art, I can almost always fell in love with an artwork. My favourite kind of modern art is definitely photography.

A camera is my favourite toy to play with no matter what form it takes in; phone camera, digital compact camera or a DSLR. What I love most about photography is that it’s doesn’t always turn out the way that you would imagine it. It’s always a pleasant surprise.

Teh Tarik Satuuu!: My attempt of a Bokeh shot

Let Me Go Home: A Shot Made By My Phone Camera

Hawa @ The Playground: A protraiture of the crazy housemates

Good enough for a novice no?

There’s one thing that keeps me from being behind the lens though; I love being in front of it even more ^_^

When I’m not playing “Photographer”, I almost always delude myself that I could be a model (it can happen, you know). I’m a closeted Camwhore, yes. And who can blame me if my pictures turn out good 80% of the time.

Yummy Gummy Mummy as quoted from Eda =)

Oriental Garden

Bunny Mummies

I Don’t Have A Best Friend

A friend came to my home away from home one day and told the problems she had with her best friends. While she narrates, me and a few other friends listened quietly and emphatized. At the end of her sobs, she told me they had broken up. We were amused by this and did not hesitate to tell her so.

For us, we don’t use the term ‘best friend’ to describe our closests friends. There is no need to say to the world “Hey, this is my BEST FRIEND,” and later when the friendship turns sour, everyone would somehow use the term to justify ‘getting back together’.

Personally, I have never used the term since I was nine and am not ashamed to admit it. The distraught friend said that was ‘the saddest thing I’ve ever heard’. Not for me, because I am blessed with with soul mates that I can depend on. I’m lucky that every step of my life, I have found someone that could be with me through the end.

The moon must've been blue because everyone was there :p

There’s the girls that I spent five years with in high school. Yes, we went our ways after SPM (Neng went away after PMR) but we somehow found time to spare to get together, eat, talk and catch up. I must admit that I’ve never been close with every single one of them at the same time but nevertheless, we run in the same circle and that was kept us close. We had bouts of disagreements/ dislike with each other but sooner or later we drift back together. For us, it was a natural thing without anything to force or be forced.

I miss my crazy housemate

Then there’s the girls that I shared a household with for two years. What’s great about sharing a home with them was that we’re polar opposites but we managed to find a way to tolerate each other. And I must say that we balance each other out with our personalities and interests. While two of us don’t mind spending the night out, the other two wants to be safe in our home. While two of us are neat freaks, the other two care less about sweeping and dusting. Try putting a devil-may-care person, a high strung mouse, a depositary and a frugal person together in a house and see if they can handle two whole years together.

Somehow we have the same brainwave

When I first saw this small yet intimidating girl, I would never though she could be possible stay with me until the end. We don’t really see eye to eye but we get the point of each other’s rather bizzare rationale. What freaks us more is that we usually think about the same things at almost the same time. How cool is that? I think out of all my girls, she’s the most honest (and probably, if possible, most vain ) with me.

They’ve supported me (in their own way) as much as I have supported them. Other than that, they share the same traits; they’re fun, funny and total camwhores. I love these girls and it’s impossible to love them less.