Thursday, December 09, 2004

Last Days

LastDays

Hisham looked at the trail behind the school. He has no choice now. He has to go home using that shortcut. It’s too late. He had been waiting for the rain to stop and now that the once heavy rain had gone to a drizzle, the front gate has closed. He had been avoiding that trail for weeks now. Eversince that day when he saw that creepy man.

He was walking down that trail from school just like any other day. There were two other boys behind him. It’s the shortest way to his house anyway. If he were to take the front gate, he would have to walk past the mosque, around the houses by the playground and pass 4 junctions before reaching his house. This way, the path was rougher, the grasses taller and denser, it can only fit one person or one motorcycle at a time and sometimes the stench from the huge drain that he walked along would rise up a little too strongly, but it leads him straight to the back gate of his home.
Hisham saw the creepy man on the wooden bridge that the motorcyclists used to get to the other side of the drain. He was wearing a long black robe, his face hidden under the hood. He looked really creepy. Like something out of the movie he saw at Amin’s house. The one where they chased the little boy that had a ring. Hisham couldn’t see the man’s eyes, but somehow he knew the man was looking at him. He stopped in his tracks as he felt his heart beat faster, and he felt as if his legs had turned to stone.
He was awoken from that freezed state only when the boys behind him gave him a shove and a shout “Woih jalan lah!! Apa ni???” “Move it! What gives???”. Hisham pointed at the guy, but the boys just shook their head and pushed him to move on “Apalah engkau nih.. mimpi ke..? Jalan lah!” “what are you.. dreaming..? Just move!”. Hisham made a move, and when he looked back, they guy was still there, looking at him. He quickly ran home and stayed indoors.
In Math class the next day he started to feel his navel moving. At first he thought it was just gas because he had deep fried tapioca for tea break , and even though he didn’t have a stomach ache, he had asked permission to go to the toilet. He lifted up his shirt to tap his tummy to check for bloating and actually saw his navel moving. He didn’t know what to think. Was there something in his stomach? He didn’t feel any pain, and the movements were slight, though noticeable. Perhaps it’s that creepy man. Maybe he’s an aliean and maybe he had implanted something in his tummy. He almost vomitted in fear.
He decided to take the long way home starting that day. When he reached home that day, he headed to the kitchen, went out the back door and braved himself to crane his neck and look out to the bridge. The creepy man wasn’t there. Maybe he was just dreaming yesterday, he thought. Hisham turned to go back inside, decided to take one last look and nearly fell over when he saw the dark figure staring at him. Staring without even looking. Even from the bridge, his stare penetrated Hisham’s soul. Hisham ran inside and bumped into his mom.
“Ya Allah , Sham... hati-hati lah sikit..” “My God, Sham, do be careful!”, she chided.
“Sorry Mak”"Sorry Mom" was all Hisham managed to say.

He went to his room and thought. Why was this man stalking him? Why was the man watching him? What does the man want?? Has he done something wrong??
Hisham tried to think of anything bad that he has done for the past few months. He remembered he had borrowed Amin’s money during teabreak and have not returned it. He pried his money bank open and counted his money. He vowed to pay Amin back the next day. But when he got home, he looked hopefully at the bridge and still saw the man.
Perhaps this man was hired to look after him by his father? His father works outstation a lot, and his father doesn’t really like him walking and playing near the drain. He wanted to ask his father, but didn’t dare to.

So since that day, he avoided using the shortcut by the drain. No matter what he did, however, everytime after tea break, his navel would still move, sometimes so violently it’s almost vibrating. And lately, he was feeling like even his forehead is moving.
Everytime he got home from school, he would go straight to his room. He would drown himself in his homework and books. Even pleas from his younger sister to play with his ball with her in the backyard would be declined. He would rather play cards with her in his room. While helping his mom with the dishes, he would avoid the urge to look out the window towards the bridge, because Hisham knows, the creepy man is there. Standing and waiting. For what, he doesn’t know. He only prayed that the man would not come a-knocking on the back door. The man never did.

Hisham stared at the trail and took a deep breath. No choice. Have to get home by that way. It’s the only way now. And he better do it soon, because it will get dark and he can’t imagine encountering the creepy man in the dark. What if the man grabs him??
He needed a disguise. Maybe if he disguised himself, the man won’t recognize him. He opened his bag and took out his raincoat, spilling out his snackbox in the process.
His mother packs him a tuna sandwich in a tupperware everyday eversince he complained about feeling his navel moving in the afternoons. As he picked up the half-eaten sandwich, he recalled his conversation with his mom before he left for school.
”Kenapa Sham selalu tak habis makan roti yang mak bekal tu? Membazir aje tau””Why dont you finish any of the sandwiches I pack for you? It’s such a waste” she had said, as she stuffed the tupperware inside his bag while he puts on his shoes.
”Entahlah mak, macam tak lalu aje””I don’t know, mom, I guess I wasn’t that hungry” he offered as an explanation.
”Tu lah .. patutlah perut masuk angin..””That’s why you’ve got gas (it’s because you don’t eat)” she said , while poking his tummy in jest.
Hisham smiled at the gesture. They sat there in silence for a while.
”Mak, Hisham ada buat salah dengan mak tak?””Mom, have I ever wronged you in any way?” Hisham finally ventured.
”Eh, apa kejadah nya pulak..?” ”What in the world are you asking..?” his mom was suprised, ”Kenapa tanya macam ni?””Why do you ask?”
”Tanya aje ... manalah tahu..””I’m just asking, just in case” Hisham said.
His mom giggled , ”Tak ada ... Sham banyak tolong mak.. lebih-lebih lagi time-time gini masa abah engkau pegi outstation nih””Never .. you have helped out alot, especially these days when your father is working outstation” and she rubbed his shoulders in assurance.
”dah, dah, pukul berapa dah ni.. nanti lambat pulak.. dah lah kamu lalu ikut jalan jauh dah sekarang””Enough chat, look at the time, you’re going to be late, especially since you’re taking the long way nowadays” His mom gently pushed him off the porch steps.
”Pegi dulu ya mak. Maafkan salah silap Hisham, halalkan makan minum” “I’m going now. Forgive all my misgivings..” Hisham says as he hugged and kissed his mom.
His mom giggled some more ,”Macam beraya pulak.. ye lah.. mak maafkan, halalkan makan minum segala.. “This is just like Eid .. of course, I forgive you” she said .
She watched her only son walk out of their porch.
”Tolong ambikkan bola engkau kat tepi jalan tu..? adik engkau main semalam, dia tinggal aje kat situ.. dia nak main dengan engkau, kau taknak.. “”Can you please pick up your football ? Your sister left it outside after she played with it yesterday. She wanted to play it with you but you didn’t want to” his mom yelled from where she was, pointing at Hisham’s football that was outside their gate.
Hisham picked the ball up and handed it to his mom ”Mak kasilah bola ni kat Hanis. Suruh dia jaga baik-baik” “Give my ball to Hanis, tell her to take good care of it”. He walked out the front gate and headed to school.
Hisham heard his mom laughing and talking to herself ”Mimpi apa lah budak sorang nih?””What in the world have gotten into this boy?”

”Tak balik lagi?””Not going home yet?” the gardener asked Hisham, rattling his bunch of keys. “Pakcik dah nak kunci pagar ni””I’m going to lock the back gate soon” he said, waiting. Hisham put on the yellow raincoat and pulled the hood over his head. He was ready. He started walking , keeping his head down, his vision limited to the trail and nothing else. His bag rustled under the raincoat and the raincoat rustled against the tall grasses. The rain had stopped, but he could hear the sound of the water still rushing in the drain. He didn’t dare to look at how much water had collected in the drain, because he was nearing the bridge now.

“Abang!””Big Brother!” he heard a girl’s voice call out.
He looked up in front from the trail, peeked under his raincoat’s hood and saw his sister standing near their house’s back gate.
”Jom main bola?””Let’s play ball?” Hanis beamed, bounced the ball once and kicked it towards him.
Her foot kicked the ball at an angle and instead of going towards Hisham, it went towards the bridge instead.
”Alamak!!””Oh No!!” She hit her forehead in frustration. ”Sori abang.. Hanis ambik balik””I’m so sorry, big brother. I will get it back”
Before Hisham could run towards her, Hanis was already heading towards the bridge to look for the ball.
”Hanis, tunggu Abang!” “Hanis, wait for me!” Hisham shouted as he hurried towards her. He glanced at the bridge and saw that the man was there. Waiting. Watching. Hisham hopes to get to his sister before the man does.
Hisham saw his sister’s head stoop down and dissapear near the bridge. He called out for Hanis, hoping that his voice reaches her over the rumbling of the water.
”Kat sini, Abang!” “Over here, Big Brother!” Hanis’ voice cried out from under the bridge. As he reached the planks of the bridge, Hisham saw the man starting to move towards them. He took off his raincoat, dropped his bag and ran as fast as he could under the bridge. He reached the edge of the drain just in time to see Hanis reach her hand out towards the ball, which had fallen into the drain but was not carried off by the rushing waters because it was caught on some tangled weeds.
“Hanis! Biar ajelah!! Jom kita balik!””Hanis! Let it go! Let’s just go home!” he shouted above the rumble of the water. The man must be right above them now, he thought.
”Tapi ini bola abang””But this is your ball” Hanis said as she tried her best to reach out to the ball. She edged herself closer, slipped and in an instant, fell into the water. Being bigger and heavier than the ball, the tangle of weeds could not support her body and the current pulled her away.
“Hanissss!!!” Hisham shouted, and without thinking, he jumped into the water to save his sister.

Hisham had swum in rivers with his friends before, but none had ever had currents as strong as those in this drain. He was swimming with the current, which made him go faster, but the current were also inconsistent, sometime pulling him towards the middle, sometimes pushing him towards the edge. He struggled to keep his course steady and kept his eye on his sister. He saw Hanis’ hands waving and he could hear her screams of ”Tolong!!””Help!!” in between gurgles, the sounds of rushing water in his ears and his own arms and legs thrashing through the water.
His limbs start to ache as he swam and swam and he lost sight of Hanis. His head had gone underwater a few times and he had gulped some water but all he could think of was Hanis. He pushed his body upwards with all his might to try and find her and he saw her, holding on to a dead tree that had fallen into the drain. He felt relief, ... then panic. He was being carried off further and further away from his sister. Further and further away from his home. He tried to swim back, but the currents were too strong and he had no strength left.

That was when Hisham saw the man again. The man was standing waist deep in the water, floating along with Hisham. As the man got closer, he reached out his right hand to the boy. Hisham didn’t know what to do. Is he trying to help me? Hisham thought. He saw the man’s hands and noticed how smooth and shining it was, as if there was light coming out from his flesh. Hisham tried to look at the man’s face, and even though it was still hidden under the black hood, he could feel the stare, and somehow this time, he didn’t feel fear.
With whatever strength he had left, Hisham reached out his own right hand and grasped the man’s. Hisham felt the man pulling his body towards him. There was a chill that started from the tip of his toes, that slowly crept up his legs. As Hisham got closer to the man, he could feel the chill reach his navel, and he realized that his navel had stopped moving. He felt the chill reach his chest as soon as the man’s left arm wrapped around his waist. The man pulled Hisham close to him, but Hisham felt no warmth. The chill then stopped at his adam’s apple, as if waiting for something.
And Hisham finally saw the man’s face.

They found him caught in the wire mesh that prevents large debris from going into the main drain, still in his school uniform. His ball was found next to him, deflated.
Hanis cried as she told her mom how her brother tried to safe her. The mother was almost hysterical, the neighbours had to rummage the bedroom drawers to look for the number to contact her husband and break the news. A TV crew came to interview her as soon as she calmed down and had accepted the fact that her son is gone.
When asked about Hisham, all she could say was that he was a nice boy. He was boisterous and active like any other normal boys, but he had been particularly quiet during the last days of his life. She didn’t know why, then, but she knows now that he must’ve somehow known of his impending death.

Monday, December 06, 2004

Jelly & Fruit Salad

Mood: 25 days till quitting ! Playing: wish I was listening to pearl jam

Munch on this while I season my Fictional Jam:

This was concocted out of an emergency. My friends were having a potluck gathering and I had offered to make Konnyaku Jelly dessert. Went to Giant and to my horror, they didnt have them small jelly moulds anymore!!! (somebody bought off all of them during Raya no doubt *glares at zan*) . All that's left were them huge fish moulds. And I was planning to make bitesized jellies..
*thinks hard while looking at the baking contraptions they sold at the same section of the store*
*Sees cookie cutters in all shape and sizes. Sees them ice ball makers. Sees flat baking tray*
So i bought them ice ball makers and a set of cookie cutters and a flat tray.
I already had a can of peaches in syrup in my larder. Also bought Konnyaku jelly powder (the 250gm pack), pineapple flavoring and orange food coloring (coz that's the theme-color for the gathering).

Easy Peasy Jelly&Fruit Salad

Method:
In a 2L pot, boil 1250ml of water and dissolve the jelly powder (OR follow the instructions on your jelly pack on how to prepare it).
Add coloring and flavour (alternatively, u can add the syrup from the canned fruit, or fresh juices.. citrus fruits works best).
Pour some jelly into moulds (I used them ice ball makers so I got cute jelly balls)
OR Pour jelly into the flat baking tray, to an acceptable height. (Note: Accceptable height = not higher than your cookie cutter coz else your cookie cutter won't be able to cut through them *duh*)

Let them cool and harden (chill if you must)

Take out jelly from moulds.
For the jelly in the tray, cut out pieces using the cookie cutter. I used them flower shapes and the butterfly shapes.
Dump everything into a bowl.
Dump peach slices into the bowl.
Pour in a bit of the fruit syrup.
Mix them up a bit so that the distribution of each shape in each section of the bowl is roughly even.

To serve:
Ladel some into small bowls, squirt whipped cream.
Interesting texture and taste..

Variations:
You can seperate the jellies into different colors in different trays. That way, it's prettier when mixed. (mine was orange all over, which was pretty boring).
You can also use mixed cocktail fruits, or any other canned or fresh fruits diced/sliced, this adds different colors, textures and tastes to the dessert.
Sprinkle chocolate or crushed nuts on top of your whipped cream for a crunchier dessert.


Happy trying!

Saturday, December 04, 2004

What a day

Mood: 27 days till quitting ! Playing: Sounds of Transformers

woah.
Today was pretty hectic.
Woke up and moved to another bed coz the kids were all over me on my bed and I discovered that Taufik had moved to another bed too. I sidled up beside him and then realized how hot he was. He has a fever!
Oh No.
And we had so many things planned for the day.
We had a lunch invitation from my dad, and an MRSM Kuantan Alumni Hari raya Gathering in the afternoon.
After Taufik got back from the clinic, we weighed our options. Since him going out is totally out of the question, it meant that if I were to go anywhere, I'd have to go alone.
Got a call from Didi who wanted a lift and I told her about my situation so we decided to call our 'designated driver in times of emergency' a.k.a Abang Icai (Elida's husband). So called Abang icai and he (well, actually kak long) said okay, but I would have to drive to her house to get the ride. No Problem. Also found out a horrifying detail: It was Mimi's birthday! (mimi is my half sister). I didnt know it was a birthday party! I thought it was just a Hari Raya gathering. I was planning to go empty handed, or with some cuklat nyunyuk for my dad.. (which in the end, I forgot to bring!)
So 10:45am, 45 minutes away from the time I was supposed to be at my sister's house for the ride, I had to rush out and get a present.
So what do you buy a teenager for her birthday?
I was aiming for something for her room (coz when I was that age, I stayed in my room a lot), but my favourite traditional decor store was closed (I was thinking of getting her a pretty decorated rattan basket or something), so off to Teddy Tales I went, with half an hour on the clock. I called Didi up, and she said she brought home a watch for Mimi, so i thought, okay, I'll get her something she could put the watch in.
I browsed Teddy Tales and most of their stuff are like very pengantin (fit for a bride), all frilly and lacy and rosy and ribbons.. till I saw this cute little jewellery box. Okay no time to think. That's what she's getting.
Looked for a gift box, but found one that was too small, found one that was too big, so I went with the bigger one. Went to another store to buy them tissue paper to stuff it with. Even did the wrapping myself. I must've done quite a good job coz the girl who worked there asked me if I wanted to replace her... heh heh.
Anyways, so paid for everything, rushed home, changed the kids, kissed the husband and went to pick up Didi then drove to kak long's place.

Have you ever been in a car with 6 kids? You don't want to.
What's worse is, on the way back, there were not 6, but 8, Yes, EIGHT kids in the car.
Ilham kept singing "it's the C.A.M.P fire S.O.N.G. song, it's the C.A.M.P fire S.O.N.G. song, it's the C.A.M.P fire S.O.N.G. song" (I think it's from SpongeBob), and kept taunting Aiysha by calling her "Eager McBeaver" (I don't know where he got this). Once in a while you'd hear Aliya say "Quiet please, Dada driving" but most of the time she's drowned out by Anis who keeps screaming "Abam!!" and "Adam!!" and "Anis Suhaila!"
Luckily I was in the front passenger seat.
I think Didi sighed in relief when we finally reached home and the kids poured out of the car.
I reached home about 4. Taufik was napping on the sofa with a wet towel over his head.
A few people at the MRSM Kuantan Alumni gathering sent me text msg-es asking me where I was, I had to reply with regrets for not being able to make it.
Took a nap.
Watched "Bowling For Columbine", which I thought was pretty good in content, but was a bit haphazard in presentation and sometimes I didnt like the approach Michael Moore took when interviewing some people. I mean how could you embarass Charlton Heston.. "Moses Himself".. I thought MrMoore could've approached the subject with more tact and respect.. then maybe he'd get a respond, and wouldnt make the person feel like he's being accused or attacked.
I cried at some parts, especially during the 911 calls (from both Columbine and the Buell elementry school)
Then the kids played Transformers.. and now Taufik is playing Transformers. I guess he's feeling better.

Been working on a Fictional Jam.. it's been brewing and stewing for quite a while. I think I'll dish it out tomorrow.
Ready?

Friday, December 03, 2004

Alive and 'The Mamasan Trilogy'

Mood: 28 days till quitting ! Playing: Alive by PearlJam

Haven't been writing about Pearl Jam for quite awhile.
Yesterday I was listening to Kickstart on Red 104.9 on my way back from a BNI meeting and they played "Alive".

I, like I guess most people, first thought that the song was about hope and thankfulness about being Alive. The chorus goes "I, I'm still alive". It's prolly one of the first PearlJam songs I listened to.
I didnt buy the album till much much later and only then did I realize what the song was really about. Then I read their interview in the RollingStones , where Eddie explained further on what the song was really really really about.
It gave me the heebee jeebees.



Alive
Written By: Vedder, Gossard
Album: Ten
Release Date: 1991-08-27
Found On: Ten, Alive Single, Alive Single, Oceans Single, Dissident Single
taken from http://www.theskyiscrape.com

son, she said, have i got a little story for you
what you thought was your daddy was nothin' but a...
while you were sittin' home alone at age thirteen
your real daddy was dyin', sorry you didn't see him
but i'm glad we talked...
i...i'm still alive
i...i'm still alive
i...i'm still alive
she walks slowly, across a young man's room
she said i'm ready...for you
i can't remember anything to this very day
'cept the look, the look...
you know where, now i can't see, i just stare...
i...i'm still alive
i...i'm still alive
i...i'm still alive
i...i'm still alive
is something wrong, she said
of course there is, you're still alive, she said
oh and do i deserve to be?
is that the question?
and if so...if so...
who answers...who answers...
i...i'm still alive
i...i'm still alive
i...i'm still alive
i...i'm still alive




If you have never read the Rolling Stone article, basically what Eddie said was,
it's about a boy who was told that the man whom he thought was his father was actually not really his real father (and it explains alot on how the 'father' has been treating him -- this topic is covered alot in their other songs). The thing is, the boy has now grown up to look exactly like his real father, and now that the father is dead, the mom started realizing that she still has feelings for the man.
The part that gives me the heebeejeebeees is that "The look, the look .. oh you know where" .. Eddie explained that a lot of people think that when he says "the look", people assume its "on her face", but actually the "you know where" meant .. you know, "down there".
It's pretty sick, but also very sad. Sad for the mom, to have to go on with a constant reminder of the man she loved (once and probably still), so close yet so far. And of course, sad for the boy, to be burdened by the way he looks (something which he can't help). His mom loves him for the wrong reasons, His step-dad probably hates him just coz he looks like 'the enemy'. It could and would totally screw him up.

So here comes The Mamasan Trilogy.
I don't know how true the story is. The story that's been going around since Ten was that PJ wrote the song in a trilogy, and it's all about this boy, his mom and how screwed up he became.
One part is 'Alive'. The other part is 'Footsteps' , a song about a boy blaming his mom for every nasty thing he did. And the third is 'Once', a story about a man, who spends his time killing hookers on the streets.
It all sounds pretty violent when I write about it, but actually if you listen to the songs and read the lyrics, nothing is ever graphic, just bits of suggestions and nuances that paints the picture without really drawing out every detail (which is exactly why I love PearlJam so much).

So I guess the next time I write about Pearl Jam, I'll write about 'Footsteps'.

p/s Ilham was jumping about in the living room singing "Our house, in the middle of our street" today. I asked him where he learned that song and he said he heard it in his dad's car (on the radio). So I sang the song to him, and he was quite delighted that I knew it. Woo hooo..! I guess now I can introduce him to Madness!

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Epilogue on "Effin pissed"

Mood: 29 days till quitting ! Playing: Sounds of Nickelodean

I think I have done injustice to The Actress when I described what happened a few days ago.
She's actually a really nice person. I've known her for at least 5 years. She's a very competent person, very thorough in her work and very knowledgable in her field. I have never known/heard her ever passing the buck with any of her duties and have never been on the receiving end of any if she ever did.
I would consider her a friend, some one who is more than just an acquaintance.
It's the end of the year, there are a lot of deadlines to meet, and the manufacturing (which we support) have a lot of goals to meet. What with limited resources (One of my colleagues just resigned, and me stuck at home), a lot of issues, and the boss away, I think she was pressured to make a decision (and if I heard correctly, The SystemAdministrator, who have been known not to be so supportive and have been known to pass the buck sometimes, have been complaining to her about the sudden increase of responsibilities) .. so maybe that might have been the reason why she had had to put her foot down and wrote that email. Furthermore, how could she know what I was doing if I didnt tell her, right? She can't read my mind, and with me not in the office, she can't see what I'm doing either..
Anyways.
I talked to her and ironed things out and so everything's fine. Don't panic. I havent kicked anybody yet.

Thanx ChekNa for the tips. Will definitely make full use of them!!

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

f f f f f f f f. i am so effin pissed.

Mood: 31 days till quitting and I cant effin wait Playing: Transformers

Today I am just so effin pissed. FYI, I am working at home for this whole week coz Anis's chicken pox is still contagious and she can't go to school and none of my family members are willing to help take care of her for me.
I woke up. brushed my teeth. went down to make breakfast and started up my computer to dial in to work. and got a call from the office from TheActress (the lady who's acting for my boss coz he's away for the week). She asked me to look at one of the reports that the users are complaining are giving them the wrong numbers. Okay no problem. I was logging on to work anyways
So I looked at the report. They were complaining that my consolidaton project were causing the wrong numbers, but I looked at the report and it wasnt using any of the fields that I had changed. So essentially, the wrong numbers had nothing to do with the changes I made in my project at all. Okay that settled, I started going thru my emails and resolving stuff that I can. I get IM-ed by users a few times, talked to one of my colleagues abt a problem she's facing, troubleshoot it , found out the root cause, wrote a script and was resolving it while checking out my emails. There were a few emails that I thought was best handled by the new SystemAdmin so I forwarded them to the guy, with instructions on how to handle them.
At around 2pm i got an sms from my boss (the one who's supposed to be away) that I'm supposed to cover the SystemAdmin's duties because he (the SystemAdmin) is 'busy with testing of the latest version of the application'.
Okay no big deal. I'm already doing it anyway.
But then this guy started forwarding me all his mails. Every single one. Even the simple ones.
i was like what the f??
So I picked one that I knew was easy, and would be beneficial for him to learn from since he is new and all, and asked him to do it instead. Even gave him specific instructions on how to do it.
And what do I get? TheActress, replied, cc:ed to my boss, asking me to 'work as a team' and help out.
what the f??
WHAT THE EFFING FFF??
I've been working my ass off the whole day, feeding anis only Roti Canai for breakfast AND lunch, working on the issues and she's saying I'm not working as a team and I'm not helping out??
Rasa macam nak SEPAK aje semua semua !!!

I am in the right mind to quit on Dec 10th as planned.
Team my ass.


On a happier note though:
I got Anis to wear the pink-black striped top that her Che'Su gave her with her black tights today. She looked so cute. Like a little petit french girl. WIth her gibberish, she even sounds like she's speaking french.

Sunday, November 28, 2004

Reminders

Originally written on Nov 16th 2004

Things that make me think of you.
(among other things..)

Dave Matthews Band (remember when i asked you why his voice makes me feel like falling in love? you said maybe coz his voice reminds us of possibilities)
Debbie Gibson's Lost In Your Eyes (I don't know how many times I've cried when I hear this song playing on the radio)
X-Files (I really wish you were around to share the joy of watching Mulder and Scully finally kiss. Bet you thought it would never end.)
Rizwal (I get mixed feelings everytime I see or talk to him. I don't know whether to comfort or ask to be comforted. But I think he's doing well. He's happy. He's a father now)
Calling Anis by her full name (which is a weird thing coz I only do that when I'm mad at her and as soon as I call her by her full name, I'd think of you and my anger would dissipate)
Survivor (I really miss messaging you in the middle of the night)
Richard Marx's Right Here Waiting (I used to laugh at you for liking this corny song so much.)
anything sung by Jamiroquai(actually I cant look at a floppy sock hat without thinking of you)
5th day of Syawal (I keep expecting to get a call from Rizwal)
Nov 16th (Happy Birthday. You would have been 33)

and i still miss you





Blog Comments


Posted by: riza
Date: 11/28/04 at 3:54PM (1M4w ago)
the yarn about rizwal in one of your postings touched me deep. especially at this placid moment. regret not for introducing him to your departed best friend. there are lots of things in this life which we regret the most are the risks that didnt dare to take. things happen because they are meant to happen. the show must go own. one thought once flashed in my mind. i can't imagine my life now or ahead IF we at one time fell in love and got married. i bet we would quarrel over things that others would even want to put their minds into. worst still if we only had one computer at home...( by the way, the other day, my wife asked me to marry my computer !!!)


Posted by: gartblue (Offline)
Date: 11/28/04 at 5:09PM (1M4w ago)

I'm sorry for your loss ... i lost a close friend too on 12th Ramadhan .. he would have been 32 today .. we've mourned heaps and learned heaps too ..


Posted by: Pok Ku
Date: 11/29/04 at 3:00AM (1M4w ago)
I have an old Jamiroqui cd somewhere. Want to take it to Saudi?


Posted by: mokciknab
Date: 11/29/04 at 3:38AM (1M4w ago)
here's something to cheer you up a bit : yesterday, as you know, we brought your boys, Ilham and Ihsan to a water-logged wedding (that's another story). Ilham and Ihsan plus my three kids means complete mayhem in the car, especially when they're wet children. To stop them from laughing their kidneys out at their own horribly inane jokes, their auntie, Didi played a spell-it-backwards game. So it goes like this :

Didi : Adam, spell clinic backwards.
Adam : err c-n, no c-i-n-i-l-c
Didi : ok. good! Aiysha spell door backwards.
Aiysha : R-O-O-D!
Didi : That's right! Now, Ilham, spell apple backwards.
Ilham : a-p-l-k-e-r-f-g-h-j- k-l
Didi : no, no that's not how you spell apple
Ilham : But that's how they spell apple in Saudi Arabia!

And then we stopped at the toll booth and Ilham saw the name of the collector, pasted at the side.
"Eh, Suhaila!", he beamed. The kids all waved at her and she waved back, smiling.


Posted by: meowxx (Offline)
Date: 11/29/04 at 3:46AM (1M4w ago)

*sniffs*

***
Fame is the scentless Sunflower, with a gaudy crown of gold;
But Friendship is the breathing Rose, with sweets in every fold.


Posted by: LoLlieS (Online)
Date: 11/29/04 at 5:26AM (1M4w ago)
I love Jamiroquai. Sniff. Sniff


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 11/29/04 at 7:19AM (1M4w ago)

Thanx for all the kind words.

Incidently, Anis has been going around repeating "Anis Suhaila" again and again and again and again today. I don't know what has gotten into her, but today she insists that I call her by her full name.

Me: "Anis.."
Anis: "bukan..! Anis Suhaila!" (No..! Anis Suhaila !)
Me: "okay.. Anis Suhaila.."
Anis: "Saya!" (That's Me!) *beams in joy*

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"

Camera Phones banned in Saudi

Mood: 33 days till quitting Playing: "Mobius One Enganged", "Mobious One Fox Two",'Mobious One Crashed"

Thanx Riza, for bringing this up.

I don't know whether u've heard, but the Saudi government is banning all camera phones.
You either put your phone in storage at point of entry (they give you your sim card tho) where you can retrieve it upon your exit of the country, OR, if you refuse to surrender your phone, they would use a glass cutter to scratch your phone lense, rendering the camera on your phone useless.

I'm sure you can read more about it from scouring the web.
My thoughts about it: meh, I think they have good reasons for it, but I think they'd be better off punishing the perpetrators rather than punishing the tools. It's like the "Guns don't kill people, People kill people" argument.
But as long as there is that rule, I am going to abide to it. I'm not gonna get myself in trouble and risk my family's peace of mind just coz I don't agree with one stupid rule.

So I'm selling off my phone. Unfortunately for those of you who have been eyeing my Motorola e380, I've already got a buyer for it.. hee hee





Blog Comments

Posted by: nectar
Date: 11/29/04 at 2:02AM (1M4w ago)

Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise. Now you can get a separate digicam with better resolutions. :)


Posted by: meowxx (Offline)
Date: 11/29/04 at 3:55AM (1M4w ago)

why? the women are all covered and how much damage can the phone do... ok forget about the women... what damage can a camera phone do? weird....

***
Fame is the scentless Sunflower, with a gaudy crown of gold;
But Friendship is the breathing Rose, with sweets in every fold.


Posted by: LoLlieS (Offline)
Date: 11/29/04 at 9:32AM (1M4w ago)
True the woman are all covered but Elisa being female can gather around with the ladies and snap photos of the women when they are not covered and might also spread it around. I heard they love belly dancing among the girls too.


Posted by: nectar
Date: 11/30/04 at 4:25AM (1M4w ago)

I agree with Lollies. The women are known to dress sexily among themselves.


Posted by: meowxx (Offline)
Date: 11/30/04 at 4:30AM (1M4w ago)

ohhh elisa... please take some photos and mail them to me... muahahaha..... *drooling*

***

Thursday, November 25, 2004

poo poo eeeeyeeewww!!!!!

Mood: 36 days till quitting Playing: Discovery Channel

WARNING: THIS IS KINDA DISGUSTING
Read On At Your Own Risk

Today I did the most disgusting thing I have ever done in my entire life.
I wont go into details.. I'll let your imagination take charge.


I took leave from work coz we have to submit a medical report to the Saudi Embassy to get our visas. 'We' as in THE WHOLE FAMILY.
So today we brought the kids, even Anis, with her chicken pox, to the hospital for a health screening/checkup.
Taufik had a check list he got from the Saudi Arabian Embassy.
It had the usual stuff, among other things : Chest X-rays, Blood test, Urine Test and.. believe it or not, Stool test.
Yup you've got it. We've got to submit a sample of our stool.

Having carried 3 kids, I have pee-ed in a cup for at least 27 times. But I have never in my life, ever ever ever, poo-ed in a cup before. I looked at the size of the cup/sample container they gave us and I was like.. what the heck? I think I need a bigger cup, ma'am. Perhaps ones that are as big as those at the cafe in Friends. Perhaps a tupperware.
What in the world do they expect me to do? Scoop a bit out of the toilet bowl or something??
someone even suggested doing it in a ziploc bag! *faints*

They asked us to bring the the cup home and return it whenever we're ready.
Another eyeewww. You mean you expect us to be carrying these things around?? Should I keep them in a thermos as well?
Damn. I spent the whole day worrying and thinking about how I was going to do that. And not just for me, for the kids too. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) Anis didnt need a stool sample coz she's within the age exception. I think getting a stool sample from Anis would've been easy coz it would be contained in her diapers.
I kept asking the boys if they needed to go. And I told them that if they needed to do the 'big business', they were to inform their dad and not to go on their own (coz they might flush our visas away).
Heh heh..

So I got Taufik to do the dirty job. Literary.
I gave him the sample cups/bottles and an opaque black plastic bag to carry the bottles in, so that he doesn't have to look at it when he transports it to the hospital tomorrow.
I really don't know how Taufik did it.
All I know is that at one point, he came downstairs to search for something in his toolbox. I don't know whether he threw away what he used after he used it.

Me, well .. i strategized and estimated and exercised enough control to be able to avoid having to scoop anything.
I can now say that have I poo-ed in a cup, once in my life.
I surely hope this would be my last time!



Don't say I didnt warn you!





Blog Comments


Posted by: J5Freak (Offline)
Date: 11/25/04 at 5:21PM (1M3w ago)

Eww. I've had to collect my dog's...presents... in containers before to the vet. And its really weird, because the only container we had at home was a clear orange-sherbet container. I felt stupid carrying that into the vet...ugh...so gross...

-Sarah-
You know that I'd give anything to watch you sleep, I can picture you just lyin' there...
Sleep with one eye open - so I can see those baby blues


Posted by: LoLlieS (Offline)
Date: 11/26/04 at 12:38AM (1M3w ago)
What kind of data are they looking for? I wonder..


Posted by: dudae
Date: 11/26/04 at 1:33AM (1M3w ago)
.

hahahahahaha, send this to ripley's believe it or not, hahahahaha

.


Posted by: yellowcab (Offline)
Date: 11/26/04 at 1:42AM (1M3w ago)
OMG!!!!! i had friends working now in arab saudi...but no one ever mentioned poop!!!!

hahahahha i would faint if i had to do it...yuckkkkkkkkkk

.yellowcabbie.


Posted by: yellowcab (Offline)
Date: 11/26/04 at 1:42AM (1M3w ago)
and imagine..the ppl who have to test the stuff later....
uweekk...he better have a high pay!

.yellowcabbie.


Posted by: pizzofmine (Offline)
Date: 11/26/04 at 2:51AM (1M3w ago)

ahhh this is not as frightening as your lassssst entry.

imagine out on a date, and when the date asked what do you do? and answering: "oh,i took a lot of shit during work"


euwwhhh euwwwhhh euwhhhh 3:)~>


Posted by: gartblue (Offline)
Date: 11/26/04 at 3:21AM (1M3w ago)

gosh elisa .. you had in fits of laughter .. triple ewwww to you .. think in the olden days, they had schoolkids bring in their stool if they're suspected to have worms .. but not in adults .. ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 11/26/04 at 3:25AM (1M3w ago)

Ihsan woke up this morning and asked
"Boleh tak Ihsan tengok berak Ihsan?"
(Can I look at my poo?)
Taufik & I said "NO!" in unison.

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: Pok Ku
Date: 11/26/04 at 3:37AM (1M3w ago)
Spoiled my brunch.
Heheh.


Posted by: SyntheticFaith (Offline)
Date: 11/26/04 at 4:25AM (1M3w ago)

Man I love Ihsan...funny funny stuff.


Posted by: nectar
Date: 11/26/04 at 2:41PM (1M3w ago)

that's just hilarious. but come to think of it, mothers have to deal with poo a lot. when your kids are sick, you might have to describe the colour and hardness of the stool to the doctor.


Posted by: zack_
Date: 11/26/04 at 5:21PM (1M3w ago)
wow.


Posted by: Cimorene130 (Offline)
Date: 11/27/04 at 2:15AM (1M3w ago)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!� !!! *is dying of fits of laughter* That is hilarious and revolting at the same time. o wow...ur husband with TOOLS! I'd make him wash every tool piece. lol. Let's hope you get those visas!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Someday your prince will come. Mine just got lost and is too stubborn to ask for directions."


Posted by: riza
Date: 11/27/04 at 1:35PM (1M3w ago)
they probably can tell your madzhab from those :))
i read that they have just recently banned camera-phone.
if you have one, better sell it to me cheap cheap


Posted by: beyondinfinity (Offline)
Date: 11/28/04 at 4:12PM (1M3w ago)
Oh my god..you had me in fits of laughter!! Wonder what your husband did with the tools?? I really pity the guy who has to do the testing..btw, your kids are so cute!!

♥ �ŁếẰ♦
♪...Masquerade, paper faces on parade... hide your face so the world will never find you.....♪


Posted by: meowxx (Offline)
Date: 11/29/04 at 12:28PM (1M21d ago)

ROFL... OMG!!! I could not imagine if I have to do that... Oh boy oh boy!!!

***
Fame is the scentless Sunflower, with a gaudy crown of gold;
But Friendship is the breathing Rose, with sweets in every fold.

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Amin

On one of the Eid holidays we stopped by Taufik's friend's home in Gurun. 'Gulam' (I don't know what his real name is.. but that's what Taufik calls him, though I think that's his father's name) comes from a big family and according to his mom, she has like 20 over grandchildren or something.
The house was full of kids running around.
Anis and Ihsan fell asleep in the car and was still asleep when we carried them out into the house.
Ilham was the only one awake and he was gleefully eating the festive cookies.
Then came a cat.
The cat was really playful. He scratched one of the girls in jest and some of the boys were chasing the cat around, in and out of the house. It wasn't long before Ilham joined in the fun.
In the middle of a chase I heard Ilham ask an older boy,
"Saya Ilham, Kamu siapa?" (I am Ilham, who are you?)
The boy casually answered "Amin"
"Apadia??" (What??) Ilham asked, with a suprised tone.
"Amin"
"Oh!", Ilham raised a finger as if he just got an idea.
"Amin. Macam bahasa Arab. Allahummabariklanafimarozaktanawaqina-azabannar-AMIN...!"
(Amin. Like the Arabic language. [then he recites the dua before eating real quick]).
'Amin' is equivalent to saying 'Amen'

I thought it was hilarious.





Blog Comments


Posted by: SyntheticFaith (Offline)
Date: 11/23/04 at 2:59PM (1M3w ago)

I thought it was very cute. Yours is the only blog with subtitles that I love.


Posted by: dew107 (Offline)
Date: 11/23/04 at 3:13PM (1M3w ago)

she's so cute masha Allah =)

I can picture her cute face with the sudden idea in her mind.

_________________________________________________________
The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal.
The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.


Posted by: nectar
Date: 11/23/04 at 3:29PM (1M3w ago)

:) He is so spontaneous. Cute.


Posted by: lion3ss
Date: 11/24/04 at 12:10AM (1M3w ago)
Reminds me of a story someone told me.

Two brothers, Amin and Ahmad were praying side by side at the mosque. After the fatihah, the congregation (together with the elder brother) said Aa-min. Not wanting to be missed, the younger brother spoke out loud - Aah-maaad.


Posted by: pizzofmine (Offline)
Date: 11/24/04 at 2:15AM (1M3w ago)

lol, that was hilarious lion3ss. wow you DO travel a lot during the Raya. me, only went to 3 of my friends house and that was it.


euwwhhh euwwwhhh euwhhhh 3:)~>


Posted by: LoLlieS (Offline)
Date: 11/24/04 at 2:52AM (1M3w ago)
Finally, Ilham's pick-up line works


Posted by: pizzofmine (Offline)
Date: 11/24/04 at 3:09AM (1M3w ago)

yes, that what i noticed too. this time the reaction's he get is positive. he is persistent.


euwwhhh euwwwhhh euwhhhh 3:)~>


Posted by: Pok Ku
Date: 11/25/04 at 4:00AM (1M3w ago)
Ilham is sharp. I am waiting for Ihsan to develop.


Posted by: The Angel Islington
Date: 11/25/04 at 1:51PM (1M3w ago)
Hahahahaha. Kids say the funniest things!


Posted by: meowxx (Offline)
Date: 11/29/04 at 1:11PM (1M21d ago)

he is naughty! LOL

***
Fame is the scentless Sunflower, with a gaudy crown of gold;
But Friendship is the breathing Rose, with sweets in every fold.

Brace for Impact

Mood: 38 days till quitting Playing: some guys talking

okay so we were supposed to start the database consolidation (data from one database is copied/merged into another database.. think like taking two bank accounts and combining the two together, but on a more complex level) at 10am but some of my users ask for a postponement an so we started at 2pm instead.
It took us the full 6hours that was originally planned to complete everything, so it meant I finished everything at 8pm.
It's now 10:30pm and I'm still at the office resolving issues that had cropped up due to the consolidation exercise...
*sigh*

boring.
say it.

anyways.

So far so good. No major issues. Just minor minor ones, but they're still making their output so they're not screaming at me.
Yet.




Blog Comments


Posted by: famygirl (Offline)
Date: 11/23/04 at 3:16PM (1M3w ago)

go get some rest. esok nak makan besar...


Posted by: nectar
Date: 11/23/04 at 3:24PM (1M3w ago)

kesiannya. tak pa. tak lama lagi dah nak "pencen".


Posted by: LoLlieS (Offline)
Date: 11/24/04 at 1:14AM (1M3w ago)
So what time did you finally manage to go home


Posted by: pizzofmine (Offline)
Date: 11/24/04 at 2:18AM (1M3w ago)

boring.


euwwhhh euwwwhhh euwhhhh 3:)~>


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 11/24/04 at 11:14AM (1M3w ago)

1am.
watched The Apprentice, then David Letterman (coz my brain was still in high gear) then fell asleep when he interviewed Colin farrel coz I couldnt understand a word that guy was saying..

and yes.. harini MAKAN BESARRRRRR

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: ammar zolkipli
Date: 11/26/04 at 9:12AM (1M3w ago)
ahahks... altho i dun do database work, but i got a similar story like that, except mine is to upgrade a 12 node parallel processing UNIX server from solaris 2.6 to solaris 2.8. The last one, was suppose to take 2 hours max, on a weekend. After 2 hours, I was still in the freezing data center for a day and a half. Standard la, Murphy's law.

Sunday, November 07, 2004

Dinosaurs in Trengganu

I apologize to readers who have no idea what the Trengganu language is..

I think I’ve been reading too much Ikang Kering..
Coz I was watching Dinosaurs with the kids last night and I was thinking how it would be if a Trengganu person wrote the subtitles. I was even imagining, if they were to translate that animated movie for the Trengganu audience, this is what it would sound like: (best read when you’re watching Disney’s Dinosaur with the volume turned down)



Aladar’s egg falls into the forest. Lemurs scatter around in fear. Plio peers thru leaves

Zini: Yar what is it? Pok yar, gedia tuh?
Yar: I don’t know Aku dok tahu lah..

Plio goes to check out the egg

Yar: Plio get back here, you dont know what it is! Mek plio, maghi sini! Dok soh gi lah! Mu dok tahu gedia nnatang tuh!

plio sniffs, sees the egg cracking

Plio: dad, get over here Pok Yar, cer mu maghi sinni metta.

Zini starts to join Plio, Yar pulls him back

Yar: zini it’s not safe! Awang, mung dok soh gi ah. Mung dudok sinni. Bahaya tuh.
Zini: oh I always have to go when stuffs happening! Augghhhh...Aku sokmo dokleh tengok!

Yar joins Plio

Yar: what, what is it? Doh, gedia tu, mek ?
Plio: It was an egg.. look.. Sakni telor.. lenning..tengok lah..
Yar: Ugh!
Plio: What? Bakpe pok yar?
Yar: it’s a cold blooded monster from across the sea, vicious, flesh eating.! Nih nattang jahak dari beloh nuh nih.. nattang ni makang daging nih!
Plio: Looks like a baby to me. Napok macang anok kecik jah..
Yar: Babies grow up. You keep that thing, one day, we’ll turn our backs, it’ll be picking us out of its teeth. Things like that eat things like us as snacks. Anok pong.. kekgi jadi besor. Mung sipang nnattang tuh, kekgi acu nok tidor, sedor-sedor, kita dok celoh gigi dia. Nattang gittu makang kita macang makang khrepok jah!
Plio: So, what do we do? Pahtu nok wak guaner?
Yar: Get rid of it! Huh! Tohok buang lah! Huh!

yar walks away

Plio: What has gotten into you? Bakper dok tau, pok yar nih..
Yar: Plio, that thing is dangerous! Mek plio.. nattang tu bahaya aku kata..
Plio: *sigh* I’m sorry little one. .. okay get rid of it. *gives baby to Yar* *Ngeluh* Mitok ma-ah lah kecik we… hoh.. mung lah tohok. *wi ke pok yar*
Yar: Allright, I will Buleh.. aku buleh tohok..

Yar mutters and attempts to throw baby Aladar

Plio: You better hurry up dad, it looks hungry Derrah skek pok yar weh.. napok macang lapor doh tuh..

Baby gurgles, yawns and pees. Yar’s heart melts

Yar: Here. Noh. Mung ambik lah semula..
Plio: It’s okay, we’ll teach him to hate meat Dakper lah Pok Yar… kita ajor dia makang sayur deh..

Plio takes baby. Yar starts to walk away , and turns for a final word

Yar: Watch his head..! I mean watch it, he could bite. Jaga paller dia..! Eh, jaga-jaga sikik.. dia kekoh kekgi, aku dok tahu..

Other lemurs gather around Plio. Zini checks the baby’s mouth

Zini: This monster’s got no teeth..what’s he gonna do? Gum us to death? Nnattang ni tak dok gigi starang pong…dia nok wak mende? Nok gonye kita sapa mapuh?
Plio: Zini, come on, look at that sweet little face.. does that look like a monster to you? Cer mung tengok gak..muka comey lotte ginni.. dok kang lah jahak..



Now read it again, but imagine Plio berkemban (in a sarong tied up to her chest), and Pokyar wearing a rolled kain batik on his head, with a rokok daun (handmade cigarette) behind his ear…
ha ha ha…

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Who do you look like?

Hm... book reviews are never popular with commenters.. ;)

Last night while having dinner at a restaurant near our house, one of my friends (who also frequents the place) came with his wife.
Somehow Anis was so shy with him. Maybe coz he likes to look at Anis. She would cover her face and then peep through her fingers to see if my friend was still watching her.
Halfway through dinner, Ilham asked me
"Who is that?" pointing to my friend.
"He's my friend, he's Uncle XXXX. You've met him before, havent you?"
"He looks like Bob"
"SpongeBob?"
"Bob from Akademi Fantasia"

I almost choked on my fried rice.
I laughed and said "really??"

A few minutes later he said
"That guy looks like Ki (grandfather)" pointing to the guy frying the kuey teow, who was fair skinned and wears glasses.
"and that guy looks like Kaer" pointing to the guy selling rice porridge, who is thin and lanky and has wavy hair.

I guess children associate everything with the familiar.
I wonder who I look like... hmmm...

Edited to add:
I just remembered .. a while before or after this conversation, Uncle XXXX commented that Anis didnt look me nor Taufik. And said Ilham looked like me.. and Ihsan didnt look like me.
I don't know which conversation triggered which. But both were funny to me..
btw, alot of people say Anis looks exactly like me, but I think I look more like Ihsan when I was a little girl and Ilham looks like Taufik when they were babies.
and it is undisputed that Ihsan looks like his grandfather.


Who do you think you look like?

p/s
Dear Uncle XXXX,

Please don't be angry..... and thankyou for your gift. We enjoyed your CD. But we only managed to listen to half a song during the short drive back to our house last night. Who are they anyway?

regards,
Ilham, Ihsan and Anis Suhaila

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Mood: goofin' Playing: Fatal by Pearl Jam

The only other Joseph Conrad book I've read is Almayer's Folly. Which was a good story. It had adventure and romance and betrayal and violence and conspiracy and even a bit of women's rights thrown in..
anyways.

This one was a much much much more difficult read than Almayer's Folly.

Heart of Darkness was written almost fully in narrative form. That means having to read everything, even dialogues, in.. well.. narration.
I found it difficult to imagine tones and attitudes when it is told like this. Furthermore, the language was pretty flowery and 'advanced' for me. After reading a straightforward book like 'Lovely Bones', reading Joseph Conrad proved to be a chore. I had to use too much of my brains.. lol!
However, the story was intriguing enough to make me keep on reading.
A guy was telling a story about when he was manning a steamer up a river in Africa. He kept hearing about a Mr Kurtz, who everybody idolized and said he was great and stuff. So he goes on a journey to meet this MrKurtz and found him sick/dying and living with natives, sort-of. They bring Mr. Kurts out and he dies.
Well, there's actually alot more going on in the story.. basically he described the jungle and the natives a lot, and how the 'white people' were behaving over there and stuff. But half of the time it was people describing how great MrKurtz is, how inspiring, how brave etc etc.. that kept me reading the book coz as much as the protagonist, I wanted to meet and see what MrKurtz is really like.
Maybe I was too sleepy, maybe the bombastic words took a toll on my brains, but I thought meeting Mr.Kurtz was an anti-climax.

However, I think this book would make a good action-adventure movie. If they do make it, I'd definitely go watch.. just so that I could digest the book better. After watching the movie, I might even give it another read if it still intrigues me.

now on to Updike...




Blog COmments

Posted by: zack_
Date: 9/28/04 at 10:51PM (1M3w ago)
if only i was interested on books as i am with paddle pop pelangi.

*sigh*

have a nice day elisa.


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/28/04 at 11:03PM (1M3w ago)

i was trying to search if there was a movie ever made out of this book and stumbled upon the reviews made in Amazon.com.

Though some views I tend to agree with, some made me think: Was I reading a different book or what?



"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: Anuar Fariz
Date: 9/29/04 at 3:33AM (1M3w ago)
What CD was it? This reminds me of being in my brother's car and listening to Old Macdonald, as requested by the Princesses. After 20m, I was ready to bang my head on the dashboard and kill myself after 50m.


Posted by: didee
Date: 9/29/04 at 12:40PM (1M3w ago)
Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" is based on Heart of Darkness. It's a very difficult read, yeah? Tapi cool la in some parts.


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/29/04 at 8:16PM (1M3w ago)

really?? didnt know that. but Apocalypse now is SO different..

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: Yasmin
Date: 9/29/04 at 9:25PM (1M3w ago)
Hi elisa,

My first posting here, hope you don't mind me trespassing.

The book you want to read which has been compared to da vinci's code.. i think it's called 'the rule of four', written by a harvard grad & his friend.

wow.

Oh wow.
something is going on. can't say what, because like Dana and the-missing-and-missed Russell , I'm afraid if I say it, I will jinx it.
something that could be exciting.
Something that is almost an answer to my prayers.
but yet so many unknowns.. so many possible-things-that-could-happen-to-yous (otherwise known as 'risks').
something almost life changing ..
eh but isnt every moment , a life changing moment?
No I wont go there now

all i can say is : WOW.

want a shot at guessing?





Blog Comments


Posted by: sf
Date: 9/28/04 at 6:17AM (1M3d ago)
Please re-consider. I've always found you are just perfect as a woman. The surgery is quite drastic.....how does taufik feel about your choice?

r.


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/28/04 at 6:37AM (1M3d ago)

HA HA HA rotfl.
good guess, but not close.

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: chiko deanna
Date: 9/28/04 at 6:44AM (1M3d ago)
huh? surgery? mummy elisa.... u made me confused.. huhu

____________________
Honey D
...cute but psycho


Posted by: nectar
Date: 9/28/04 at 6:56AM (1M3d ago)

another baby?
you got an offer to be a business partner?
you won a million?


Posted by: meowxx (Offline)
Date: 9/28/04 at 8:24AM (1M3d ago)

one big multi-national company wishes to buy your instant noodle recipe?

***
Fame is the scentless Sunflower, with a gaudy crown of gold;
But Friendship is the breathing Rose, with sweets in every fold.


Posted by: MeQ (Online)
Date: 9/28/04 at 2:20PM (1M3d ago)

ooooooooo

Did you get the email about the Nigerian guy too?!


Fly me to the moon


Posted by: ShuggaFootzz (Offline)
Date: 9/28/04 at 3:55PM (1M3d ago)

YOU WON THE LOTTO!!

If I had a dollar for every time somebody said that to me I would only have a dollar because that's the stupidest shit I've ever heard.


Posted by: DaisyBoo
Date: 9/28/04 at 6:05PM (1M3d ago)
Ahaaa... I'd guess at either a new baby, or a new job. Hmmm... or perhaps a new husband? :P Just kidding!!!! *hugs* Good luck with whatever it is though,,,


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/28/04 at 6:58PM (1M3d ago)

sf @ r : if u are who i think u are, then I am very honoured that u make the time to come and read me ... *touched*

everybody else:
1. I get an email from a different nigerian guy every other week.
2. though I do wish I was pregnant, unfortunately, I am unable to confirm that I am at the moment.
3. No I have not won the lottery, but it feels almost like it.
4. I am NOT going thru any surgery.
5. I wish somebody *would* offer to publish my hare-brained and cream-filled recipes though..

heh heh

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: dew107 (Offline)
Date: 9/28/04 at 9:20PM (1M3d ago)

how about a new car??!!!
that would make me go wow =)

_________________________________________________________
The tragedy of life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal.
The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/28/04 at 10:08PM (1M2d ago)

unfortunately, I can't afford a new car..
*hangs head in shame*

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: nutty (Offline)
Date: 9/29/04 at 10:09AM (1M2d ago)
weh apa ni suspen suspen


Posted by: famygirl (Offline)
Date: 9/30/04 at 7:02PM (1M1d ago)

is this what i think it is???
something that keeps getting 'postponed'??

Monday, September 27, 2004

Donkeys, Chocolates and Shoes

Mood: same ol same ol Playing: Anything by The Calling

In I, Robot, there was a scene where Will Smith called someone an 'Asshole'.

Ilham turned to us and asked, "What's an Asshole?"
After the 'fucking' experience, we were ready.
"It's not a nice word. Don't say it to anybody, okay? People wont like it." Taufik answered.
"Okay" he said.

Later during dinner he asked again.
"What is Ass?"
"How do you spell that?" I asked back, hoping that he had mispronounced A.S.K.
"a. s. s." he said.
Taufik looked at me.
Then I remembered Shrek 2 and how Puss in Boots told Donkey that he still looked like an ass after drinking the happily ever after potion.
"An Ass is a donkey" I said
"oh, so it's donkey hole?" We knew he was referring to 'asshole'. Oh man... after 3 hours, he still hasnt got his mind off the word??? Okay let's tackle this head on.
"Ilham, sometimes bad people say bad words. But you're a good boy, right? You don't want to say bad words" Taufik started.
"You won't like people calling you a donkey, would you? So you don't ever call another person a donkey" I added.
Ilham agreed.
I reminded myself to check my mouth and not use that word while I'm driving the asshole-filled streets of KL.

---------------

I have 4 chocolate nuggets tied up with a ribbon in a bundle of netting on my dresser. I got it as a party favor when I went to a wedding a few weeks ago. I didnt want the kids to eat it (coz they already finished eating theirs at the wedding) so I had put it on the dresser when I got home.
Ihsan was getting dressed this morning when he saw the bundle. He had tried putting on his father's deodorant on his armpit but he kept giggling coz it tickles. He saw the chocolates when he was putting the deodorant back on the dresser.

"I see chocolates! Whose chocolates are that?" he asked.
"It's mine" I answered with a straight face.
"Oh, you're going to eat it?" he said while he pulled up his underpants.
"No. Not now. Later. Please put on your pants"
"Oh you're gonna give it to your friend?"
I gave a non-commital "Hm" and a "put on your octopus t-shirt".
Ihsan continued getting dressed.

Later while he was combing his hair in front of the mirror and I was putting on my scarf, he said
"Bonda, if your friend gets into her car, and then an anaconda who has been hiding in her car suddenly comes out and eats her.."
I gave him a shocked look. He was calmly combing his hair, looking at his own reflection and didnt look at me.
".. can I have the chocolates?"
I tried not to laugh.
"okay, if that happens, you can have the chocolates" I said and patted his bum.

And he smiled and said a triumphant "yes!"

-----------------------

Anis didnt put on her shoes when I picked her up from school yesterday. So her shoes were on the floor of the car when we got home. She had left her shoes there and I had left the door open so that she can go get it.
She went straight to the sofa and laid down, sucking on her bottle.
"Anis, have you taken your shoes out of the car?"
She shakes her head. suck suck.
"Anis, do you want to take your shoes yourself or do you want me to follow you?"
She shakes her head. suck suck.
"You want to take it yourself?"
She shakes her head. suck suck.
"You want me to follow you?"
She shakes her head. suck suck. and turns her attention to the TV.
"Ilham, switch off the TV. We will not watch TV until Anis takes her shoes out of the car and puts it on the shoe rack"
Ilham switches off the TV and groans "Oh man.... !Anissss!!!"
Anis shakes her head. suck suck.
"Okay, fine. No TV until u take your shoes" I said.
"Anis!!!" everybody whines.
Anis starts to cry from all the pressure.
I went upstairs to change and when I got back down, Anis was off the sofa.
I could hear her weeping outside.
I went out and saw her retrieve her shoes and walk around the car.
When she saw me she cried louder.
I said "Good Girl! Thankyou...", ruffled her hair and wiped her tears.
She put the shoes on the shoe rack, went in and headed for the TV. She put her finger on the 'ON' button and looked at me. "Blayh?" she asked. It's her version of "Boleh?" or "Can I?".
I said OK. and she pressed it.

She came and sat on my lap while we laughed at Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Sunday, September 26, 2004

Laksa Lemak

Mood: same ol same ol Playing: Our Lives by The Calling

Maggi used to have their Instant Noodle in this flavour: Laksa lemak. It has a creamy, spicy soup with a slight prawn taste.
It was excellent ! *thumbs up*
dee, i'm sure you remember it
Somehow they've stopped making their instant noodles in this flavour. I don't know why.

The other day I saw Adabi had come up with an instant noodle in Mee Bandung flavour. It's supposed to have a nutty, spicy, creamy, prawn-y soup as well, but unfortunately it didnt turn out right (due to the fault of the manufacturer or the fault of the cook a.k.a. me, I dont know).
Anyways.
So yesterday I came home from MC-ing a charity treasure hunt in Kota Kemuning and was tired and hungry and I thought Taufik had bought me lunch but it turned out he didnt, so I had no choice but to cook instant noodles, and all I had was Adabi Mee Bandung.
So how to make it taste better?
you know it's coming... you can't stop me if u wanted to

So here's what I did:

Boil water.
Soak the noodles in the water till it's al-dente (coz that's the way (ahak ahak..)
I like it (ahak ahak..) )
Drain out half of the water (coz I like my soup thick)
Add in the packaged soup seasoning (they're in paste form)
Add in 1/2 teaspoon of Delichef's Prawn Mee paste
Add in 1/2 teaspoon on Knorr's Tom Yam paste.
And the piece de resistance (if only I can spell it) : one tablespoon of cream.
Mix thoroughly.
Savour.


I ate it in front of the TV coz Taufik had popped in I, Robot.
Ex.Ce.Llent.
Now I can't look at a robot without thinking of my Laksa Lemak.

So dee, add this into your shopping list:
Maggi Kari or Adabi Mee Bandung, DeliChef Prawn Mee Paste, Knorr Tom Yam paste.
Guaranteed to cure homesickness.

hungry yet?

Friday, September 24, 2004

Celebrate you

This was inspired by reading a few people's blog, and by my numerous visits to the Penang & Vietnamese stall in Giant Kelana Jaya's Foodcourt.
Bon Apetit




The trip up the escalator had gotten Pah a little bit breathless. Not because of her weight, but because she was talking to her friend Su all along the way. The were talking about last night's Fear Factor and they were poking fun at some of the contestants. By the time they reached the food court, they were laughing so hard, they had temporarily forgotten about what happened at the office before they left for lunch.
They scanned the stalls at the food court, undecided on what to eat. Su finally settled for some Yong Tow Foo : some fish balls, tofu cake, some vegetables. Su decided to have them in soup instead of fried. Su didn't say anything, but Pah knew that in the back of Su's mind, rang their colleague's remark about their weight. Though the colleague didn't explicitly say it, Pah knew that when she recommended that Pah & Su try out this new diet she discovered, there was an unspoken "since you're so fat" trailing behind.

Pah walked to one of the other stalls and scanned through the menu.
Too much fat.
Too much meat.
Too oily.
She heard and smelled someone cooking in the back of the small kitchen. The clanging of spatulas on a wok. The smell of sauted garlic.
Sounds and smells oh so delicious!!
She could probably order some Assam laksa, she thought. Less laksa, more vegetables.
As she stood there, a thin figure came and stood beside her.
She was well dressed, in a pink blouse and a modest knee-length skirt. Her make up was perfect. Shaded pink eyeshadow on eyelids, mascara on lashes, lipstick, blusher. Pah tried to recall whether she had put any lipstick on. The lady's hair was neatly pinned in a bun. She looked like an air stewardess. Maybe she is, since their training centre is just across the street, Pah thought.
Miss Stewardess stood next to Pah and talked to the stall owner.

What's in the eggrolls?
Carrots, cucumber, beansprouts, eggs and peanut sauce.
I don't want the eggs. or the peanut sauce.
Mana sedap woh (Then it'll be tasteless)
Can you not fry the eggrolls?
Can. can.
okay I'll have two.

The stall owner dissapeared into her small kitchen with the order chit in hand and came out with a plate of fried kuey teow. She set the plate on the counter, in between Pah and Miss Stewardess. The fragrance of sauted garlic & oyster sauce enveloped them. The flat noodles were tinted dark of soy sauce, and the oil made it glisten. Bits of eggs and chunky cockles and stringy beansprouts mingled with the noodles. Pah saw Miss Stewardess looking at the dish from the corner of her eye. Miss Stewardess' hand ran across the waistband of her skirt and she heard a tiny sigh. Of longing?

"Leng loi, mau order kah?" (Pretty girl, do you want to order?), the stall owner asked Pah.
"That looks good.. I'll have a plate of that" Pah said, pointing at the kuey teow "extra cockles ad beansprout okay auntie?"
"Auntie, are my eggrolls ready?" Miss Stewardess asked, with a slight impatient tone in her voice.
" sekejap ah.. lu punya special order mah.. (In a minute, yours is a special order)"

Another customer came and asked the stall owner if the kuey teow was his, and walks away with the dish. Miss Stewardess moved slightly away, as if the fat from the dish could travel through air and deposit on her thin body.
The stall owner dissapeared again and a few moments later came back with two trays:
One with a plate of two unfried eggrolls and a bowl of peanut sauce. The eggrolls lay cold and white. Pale and bland. The sauce nutty and spicy.
The other had a plate of steaming hot char kuey teow, laden with cockles and beansprouts.

Miss Stewardess paid and took her tray. She was about to leave when one of her friends walked by, looked at the contents of her tray and said
"eeeyeww.. you're gonna take the peanut sauce? It's very fattening you know?"
Miss Stewardess turned around, returned the sauce and hurriedly joined her friends. But not without a final glance at Pah's kuey teow.

Pah and Su sat not far away from Miss Stewardess and her friends and Pah couldnt help but watch that table. They were talking while eating, and Pah saw that after each bite, Miss Stewardess' eyes would be roaming around looking at other people's plates. Everybody else had salad or soup. Two of her friends shared a grilled mackerel. Miss Stewardess finished her eggrolls in about 8 bites. The rest of the time she sucked mineral water through a straw.

Pah savoured her lunch. It was somehow more delicious than she had imagined. Even Su, who complained that she's still hungry and snuck a bite from Pah's plate, thought it was tasty too.

"Lets get a DQ Blizzard" Pah announced, "I feel like celebrating"
"Celebrating what?" Su queried
"Celebrating me" Pah smiled.



NOTES:
Yong Tow Foo : assortment of fishballs and fishcakes or vegetables stuffed with fish. Served either fried and eaten with sweet and spicy sauce or in a soup.
Assam Laksa : Thick Rice noodles (laksa) in a sour&spicy fish soup (assam), served with mint leaves and shredded cucumber, onions and pineapples.
Char Kuey Teow: flat rice noodles (kuey teow), fried (char) in a garlic and oyster sauce. With cockles, beansprout, thinly sliced fish cake thrown in.

Bon Apetit

This was inspired by reading a few people's blog, and by my numerous visits to the Penang & Vietnamese stall in Giant Kelana Jaya's Foodcourt.
Bon Apetit




The trip up the escalator had gotten Pah a little bit breathless. Not because of her weight, but because she was talking to her friend Su all along the way. The were talking about last night's Fear Factor and they were poking fun at some of the contestants. By the time they reached the food court, they were laughing so hard, they had temporarily forgotten about what happened at the office before they left for lunch.
They scanned the stalls at the food court, undecided on what to eat. Su finally settled for some Yong Tow Foo : some fish balls, tofu cake, some vegetables. Su decided to have them in soup instead of fried. Su didn't say anything, but Pah knew that in the back of Su's mind, rang their colleague's remark about their weight. Though the colleague didn't explicitly say it, Pah knew that when she recommended that Pah & Su try out this new diet she discovered, there was an unspoken "since you're so fat" trailing behind.

Pah walked to one of the other stalls and scanned through the menu.
Too much fat.
Too much meat.
Too oily.
She heard and smelled someone cooking in the back of the small kitchen. The clanging of spatulas on a wok. The smell of sauted garlic.
Sounds and smells oh so delicious!!
She could probably order some Assam laksa, she thought. Less laksa, more vegetables.
As she stood there, a thin figure came and stood beside her.
She was well dressed, in a pink blouse and a modest knee-length skirt. Her make up was perfect. Shaded pink eyeshadow on eyelids, mascara on lashes, lipstick, blusher. Pah tried to recall whether she had put any lipstick on. The lady's hair was neatly pinned in a bun. She looked like an air stewardess. Maybe she is, since their training centre is just across the street, Pah thought.
Miss Stewardess stood next to Pah and talked to the stall owner.

What's in the eggrolls?
Carrots, cucumber, beansprouts, eggs and peanut sauce.
I don't want the eggs. or the peanut sauce.
Mana sedap woh (Then it'll tasteless)
Can you not fry the eggrolls?
Can. can.
okay I'll have two.

The stall owner dissapeared into her small kitchen with the order chit in hand and came out with a plate of fried kuey teow. She set the plate on the counter, in between Pah and Miss Stewardess. The fragrance of sauted garlic & oyster sauce enveloped them. The flat noodles were tinted dark of soy sauce, and the oil made it glisten. Bits of eggs and chunky cockles and stringy beansprouts mingled with the noodles. Pah saw Miss Stewardess looking at the dish from the corner of her eye. Miss Stewardess' hand ran across the waistband of her skirt and she heard a tiny sigh. Of longing?

"Leng loi, mau order kah?" (Pretty girl, do you want to order?), the stall owner asked Pah.
"That looks good.. I'll have a plate of that" Pah said, pointing at the kuey teow "extra cockles ad beansprout okay auntie?"
"Auntie, are my eggrolls ready?" Miss Stewardess asked, with a slight impatient tone in her voice.
" sekejap ah.. lu punya special order mah.. (In a minute, yours is a special order)"

Another customer came and asked the stall owner if the kuey teow was his, and walks away with the dish. Miss Stewardess moved slightly away, as if the fat from the dish could travel through air and deposit on her thin body.
The stall owner dissapeared again and a few moments later came back with two trays:
One with a plate of two unfried eggrolls and a bowl of peanut sauce. The eggrolls lay cold and white. Pale and bland. The sauce nutty and spicy.
The other had a plate of steaming hot char kuey teow, laden with cockles and beansprouts.

Miss Stewardess paid and took her tray. She was about to leave when one of her friends walked by, looked at the contents of her tray and said
"eeeyeww.. you're gonna take the peanut sauce? It's very fattening you know?"
Miss Stewardess turned around, returned the sauce and hurriedly joined her friends. But not without a final glance at Pah's kuey teow.

Pah and Su sat not far away from Miss Stewardess and her friends and Pah couldnt help but watch that table. They were talking while eating, and Pah saw that after each bite, Miss Stewardess' eyes would be roaming around looking at other people's plates. Everybody else had salad or soup. Two of her friends shared a grilled mackerel. Miss Stewardess finished her eggrolls in about 8 bites. The rest of the time she sucked mineral water through a straw.

Pah savoured her lunch. It was somehow more delicious than she had imagined. Even Su, who complained that she's still hungry and snuck a bite from Pah's plate, thought it was tasty too.

"Lets get a DQ Blizzard" Pah announced, "I feel like celebrating"
"Celebrating what?" Su queried
"Celebrating me" Pah smiled.


NOTES:
Yong Tow Foo : assortment of fishballs and fishcakes or vegetables stuffed with fish. Served either fried and eaten with sweet and spicy sauce or in a soup.
Assam Laksa : Thick Rice noodles (laksa) in a sour&spicy fish soup (assam), served with mint leaves and shredded cucumber, onions and pineapples.
Char Kuey Teow: flat rice noodles (kuey teow), fried (char) in a garlic and oyster sauce. With cockles, beansprout, thinly sliced fish cake thrown in.





Blog Comments

Posted by: nectar
Date: 9/24/04 at 2:19AM (2M6d ago)

I don't want to be too fat, but I don't want to have to act like that thin stewardess either. Can't we have the best of both worlds?


Posted by: Bustaman
Date: 9/24/04 at 2:46AM (2M6d ago)
I had my first taste of Vietnamese food in Melbourne. I guess it tasted like Thai food to me.
As for char kway teow, try the Penang No Pork the shop house on the road going to the FAM building.


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/24/04 at 2:58AM (2M6d ago)

actually, I prefer Lau Wan's in Restoran Jaya to Penang No Pork's in Subang Ria (that's the name of the restaurant near FAM).
Mama's kuey teow is also not bad :)

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: famygirl (Offline)
Date: 9/24/04 at 3:04AM (2M6d ago)

so, which DQ Blizzard did Pah order?? :P


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/24/04 at 3:08AM (2M6d ago)

Nestle Hot Chocolate with Almonds. YUMMMYYYYY!!!

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: OnEdge
Date: 9/24/04 at 3:17AM (2M6d ago)
"How DQ Won The Day" should e the title..

aya..now hungry for Lau Wan's..

I'm always hungry anyway..but don't have a body of stewardess pon? ahahahaa


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/24/04 at 3:47AM (2M6d ago)

wah OnEdge, I never knew you secretly desired for a body like a stewardess...

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: lion3ss
Date: 9/24/04 at 6:18AM (2M6d ago)
That's it..my weekend will be full of blizzards, and kuay teow, and assam laksa, and yong tow foo, *the list goes on*. No soup or salad (or unfriend eggrolls minus the egg and sauce) meals for me! Have a good weekend.


Posted by: nuttywhocantloginforsomereason
Date: 9/24/04 at 7:00AM (2M6d ago)
very nice story.
my mom's on a no-carb diet, which annoys the heck out of my sis and i, because we like our food fattening and greasy, thankyouverymuch. we'll purposely go "yummm this (insert fattening food here) is REALLY good mama are you sure you don't want just a teeny bit?"
crazy woman won't eat.
so we'll say "mama, MAKAN LAH!!!"
now crazy woman is trying to get us to eat leaves for dinner. i mean.. veggies. *shudders*

oh ya chip and kim won. YAAYYYYY!


Posted by: raina
Date: 9/26/04 at 12:55PM (2M4d ago)
i prefer calling Kuey Teow as asian fettucine..hehe


Posted by: meowxx (Offline)
Date: 9/26/04 at 9:16PM (2M4d ago)

I luv the story... by the way, life is short... Shouldn't we be enjoying it? I believe a bit of everything would not hurt...

p/s: I had Yong Tow Foo for lunch yesterday :-)

***
Fame is the scentless Sunflower, with a gaudy crown of gold;
But Friendship is the breathing Rose, with sweets in every fold.

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Eiffel... I'm in Love

Mood: happy tra la la Playing: Tak Tahan Lagi by Melly Goeslo

natt,
Kelmarin gue pergi nonton sinetron "Eiffel.. Aku Jatuh Cinta".

fuuuhhh lumayan juga yah..
Gue pergi bersama 2 teman gue yang juga kaum ibu. Penuntun yang lain semua rada2 remaja atau yang berpacaran. Cuman kami bertiga yang tanternya.
Jalan cerita nya agak predictable.. yahh kisah cinta.. udah banyak yang difilemkan. Namun cara penyampainya bagus banget. Skrip nya bersahaja dan nggak membosankan.. pelakunnya juga natural. Kami bertiga sering kali ketawa berkikik-kikik nonton filem ni. Lucu kali!!
Adit (Samuel Rizal) rupanya rada2 Kaer dari Akademi fantasia 2, jadi gue anggap nggak cakep banget, tapi perwatakan nya menarik.
Tita (Shandy Aulia) cakep, walaupun karektor nya kadang2 agak terlalu manja dan membosenkan. Namun bicara hati nya lucu kalik.. "bilang kerna cinta. kerna cinta!" ha ha ha!
Watak2 utama dalam filem ini gue rasa memuaskan kerna 'real' dan tidak di-buat2 seperti dalam fairy tale .. dan baru gue tahu yang pengarang nya (Rachmania Arunita) dalam belasan tahun ya? kerenn banget yang ngarang nya.
Teman gue pengen cari VCD nya donk. mau dinontotin hari hari. Ha ha.
Gue cuma kesal tentang satu perkara: Ngapaein karektor nya kaya2 banget? mampu terbang ke paris dan shopping segala. makanya cerita ini seperti nggak .. ngomong english boleh nggak..? bahasa indonesia gue limited donk. This story became too pretentious. It's bad enough he covered her bedroom with white roses.. then they had to go shopping for clothes then dinner at a posh restaurant? If Tita had not insisted that they go somewhere less formal, I think I would have puked. The non-cliche' ending actually saved me from hurling my pop-corn out.
All in all, I thought it was quite a good movie to watch with friends.
Kami ibu bertiga seronok kali nonton filem ini!
Gue mau sountrack nya!!




Translation:
Yesterday I went to watch a movie caled "Eiffel.. I'm in love". It was quite good. I went with 2 of my friends who are mommies too. The other audiences were young folks and couples. Only the three of us were 'aunties'.
The storyline was pretty predictable... it was a love story afterall.. there are so many love stories. However, the delivery was done well. The script was simple, real and very entertaining, the actors were natural. The three of us were laughing our asses off thruout the movie. It was really funny!
Adit (samuel rizal) looks a bit like Kaer from Akademi Fantasia2, so I don't think he was that good looking, but he has an attractive personality.
Tita (Shandy Aulia) was very pretty, even though her character was a bit spoilt at times and bored me. However there were times when we could hear her thoughts and it was really funny.
The main characters of this film satisfied me because I thought they were real and not too 'perfect' and what's the word (deliberate?).. as if in a fairy tale. I also just got to know that the author (Rachmania Arunita) of the novel that this movie was based on is actually in her teens! I think she must be very cool for being able to write a story like this.
My friend wants to look for the VCD of this movie. She wants to watch it everyday ha ha .
The only bone I want to pick is: Why are the characters potrayed as such rich folks? So rich that they can afford to travel to Paris and go shopping and all. At that point, the story became too pretentious. It's bad enough he covered her bedroom with white roses.. then they had to go shopping for clothes then dinner at a posh restaurant? If Tita had not insisted that they go somewhere less formal, I think I would have puked. The non-cliche' ending actually saved me from hurling my pop-corn out.
All in all, though, I thought it was quite a good movie to watch with friends. All three of us had fun!
I wanna look for its soundtrack!

Natt: If you find the book, can you buy one for me? I don't know where to look for it in Malaysia.






Blog Comments

Posted by: shumagorath (Offline)
Date: 9/23/04 at 2:18AM (1M2d ago)
ala shuma tak tengok lagiiiiii hari tu dah nak tgk pastu silap tgk schedule plak melepas!...huhu


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/23/04 at 2:28AM (1M2d ago)

pegi lah tengoookkkk!!! besssssttttt..romant ika dan kelakar siuttt.

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: famygirl (Offline)
Date: 9/23/04 at 2:52AM (1M2d ago)

aik?? i thought you guys were watching PGL?


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/23/04 at 2:55AM (1M2d ago)

tak jadi, coz PGL was too late, and some people were saying that it was too long. ;)
I'm glad we watched something 'light' .. very rejuvenating.
Wish you were there tho, coz after the movie we went to Chilli's for a late lunch and Afidah ate so little and me and yat had to finish everything.. heh heh..

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: nattever (Offline)
Date: 9/23/04 at 2:56AM (1M2d ago)

aiiihhh ternyata di malaysia pun diputar yaa?? hahahah aku juga udah nonton, filmnya romantiss yaaa, teenage sekaliii...aku sendiripun rasa sudah terlalu tua untuk nonton film macam tu laah....hahahah tapi bagus ya ceritanya, lumayan menghibur bisa bikin tertawa2 laah..:)). oiya itu ada sekuelnya loh...nanti mungkin di malaysia juga diputar...:D

~ Nattever's, The Life taste like an orange.....^_^ ~


Posted by: nattever (Offline)
Date: 9/23/04 at 2:59AM (1M2d ago)

oiya satu lagi, aku jadi ingin punya rumah yang ada kolam renangnya tus aku bisa baca novel duduk2 diatas kasur air tuh...aih nikmatnya...hahahaha

~ Nattever's, The Life taste like an orange.....^_^ ~


Posted by: famygirl (Offline)
Date: 9/23/04 at 3:00AM (1M2d ago)

you know... i'll be wanita 'bebas' by this weekend :P
4:24PM Sunday to be exact...

so bila nak outing lagi?? gotta wait till lepas raya i guess.

*thinking of the nachos at chilis* yum yum yum


Posted by: roserose (Offline)
Date: 9/23/04 at 9:27AM (1M2d ago)

Belum ada chance nak tengok citer tu lagipun susah nak faham..
1. siapa nama kamu ? malulah nak cakap
2. kamu umur berapa? 31 nak masuk 32
3. ayah kamu kerja apa?Business man

______________________
Life is wonderful


Posted by: shumagorath (Offline)
Date: 9/24/04 at 12:54AM (1M1d ago)
mummy elisa mmg kaki chilli's ek..sure dah hapal sume menu kat chilli's tuh..huhu

~I cannot believe it's over, I thought that fairy tales would last forever~


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/24/04 at 2:28AM (1M1d ago) Modified: 9/24/04 at 2:30AM (1M1d)

shuma, murah siotttt
but I can never finish a main meal at Chilli's. What we did the other day was shared a bowl of beef queso (which comes with bottomless tostada chips) and one grilled chicken cesar salad. And drank bottomless fruit juices.
$63 for 3 people.. not bad, huh?

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: nectar
Date: 9/24/04 at 8:05PM (1M1d ago)

dah tengok review, tunggu keluar kat tv jelah. you know what, sejak ada anak, I'd been to the movie only once. biasanya tengok cd je.


Posted by: Amyza
Date: 10/18/04 at 10:53PM (7d1h ago)
numpang mampir mbak..lagi jalan2 surfin nyari vcd eiffel im in love extended versionnya. soalnya yang eil yang kita nonton itu terlalu banyak ndak nyambungnya. itu kata penulisnya sih.. nah mbak..mampir ke blog aku yah..kita ngelink yuk...

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Answers to Questions from previous post

mm kay, i started to write a comment for the previous post in answer to all the questions raised, but it got really long, so I decided to make a post out of it.. hee hee
(yeah Dana, I'm cheating)

I got this PS2 practically free. I use my credit card to buy stuff most of the time and I havent redeemed anything for a really long time, so I have accumulated a substantial amount of 'reward points', enough to redeem a PS2. (I was saving up for a trip to mauritius, but they had taken that out of the redemption catalogue this year *bleagh*)
I don't know anything about any other systems, coz actually, I'm not a gamer. The last real vdo game I played was some alien shoot-up game on Nintendo when I was in the US. That's like 10 years ago. So prior to PS2, the only 'games' I played were minesweeper, solitaire, freecell and tetris. Yeah, so lame.
But I do like to watch XPlay on TechTV ... just cause i like watching the animations and so that I know what games NOT to get.
So don't ask me about XBox or nintendo etc. The best person to ask (for me) is OnEdge, or mokciknab's Adam, who by the way, also has a blog : here , but he doesnt update it that often, coz he's 9 and he's got homework and exams and eating and other stuff to do.

what were the other questions? *Looks at comments*
Oh, I got the screenshots from this gaming site I found while googling for images. It's pretty cool site. When I have the time, I would definitely visit again and browse the other games.

Okay about my PS2. Yes, original games are really really really expensive over here, so we bought cetak rompak ones. Taufik had to hantar the PS2 to some kedai cina kat KLCC and then diorang rewire ke apa tah supaya boleh main game ciplak.
*Note the sudden use of local language. I am talking about something that is actually illegal. tee hee..*
*oh i could rant about this topic , i.e. why i chose the illegal route instead of the legal ones and the opression of the burgeois who i cant even spell but I have to get back to work really soon, so I wont.*

Our interest in videogames is something Taufik&I have in common. We're not overly passionate about it, but we're also not against it. Being somewhat careful with his money, videgames are one of the few things that Taufik is willing to spend on. Even then, he's open to ways to cut corners and save him money (re: redeeming for the PS2 instead of paying for it).

Often times when we play these games, we will later talk about how it might have been programmed. We both like games with good graphics, and a high level of interactiveness, but not necessarily high complexity. A difficult game is challenging, but a too difficult game to master can be a turn off.
Taufik really likes to experiment with the games and find out the different things he is allowed to do with it. I.e. what happens if Shrek hits the donkey? Can he shoot down his friend instead of the enemy? Will he be punsihed some way? We are often suprised and pleasantly delighted to when we find that programmers take the time to think up of these scenarios and actually make the game react to it accordingly and correctly.

I am often the 'technical and tactical advisor' when it comes to these games. I decipher the instructions and find out the tactics. Finish shooting the red ones first and you'll complete the level even if the yellow ones are still alive. You can get across the moat by jumping on the flowers. The ogre can't see you if you hide behind the stairs. Sully can jump and pounce to destroy objects that otherwise would hurt him etc
Taufik has better hand-eye coordination than me, so he's usually the one playing and would teach me how to work the buttons. He's the one the kids and I turn to when there's a particularly difficult level that requires speedy reactions.

Rogue Squadron eh, Avi? will definitely check it out.

pizzofmine : there'll be a vacancy in December. coz I'll be quiting, but I don't know if my boss will be hiring or not, coz they're kinda in a tight budget right now





Blog Comments


Posted by: MeQ (Offline)
Date: 9/21/04 at 8:30PM (1M4d ago)

Uhm, Rogue Squadron is for the GameCube :)
I have both of those;
But man, I love the Burnout series (racing with a twist), and the SSX series (funk snowboarding). Must check those 2 out.

And XPlay rocks \m/

Gran Turismo, ATV Offroad Fury series, Final Fantasy, etc, etc
Hundreds and hundreds of games.

Right, cough.
But the GCN has Metroid!


Fly me to the moon


Posted by: OnEdge
Date: 9/21/04 at 9:12PM (1M4d ago)
Don't know about the other platforms...but between PS2, Gamecube and XBox..the summaries are..

PS2 has loads and loads and loads of titles. (but they are not necessarily good)

Gamecube is an enigma to me...I don;t know much

XBox is catching up with Ps2 in titles...and they will almost always win hands down in terms of graphics. But PS2 is more user friendly. It looks cooler too.


Posted by: 375mL (Online)
Date: 9/21/04 at 9:20PM (1M4d ago)
PS2 - Casual gamers.
Xbox - Casual fans also.
GameCube - Dedicated fans.

The GCN offers nothing than gaming so you don't get the extra features like DVD playback etc with it. That's a turn off for a lot of people, but the Nintendo are probably the best company at pumping out great games.

I had a PS2 but I sold it to get an Xbox. I haven't regreted it thus far ;)

What sorts of genres are you interested in?


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/21/04 at 9:38PM (1M4d ago)

mL: what genres... hm.. i don't really like those RPG-shoot-em-up games like Doom or quake. nor those kungfufighting games like erm.. ninja something.
I like games with a bit of a story, and a bit juvenile, like picking up stuff (rings, eyeballs, cookies).. mainly so that even my kids can play it.
But the one thing i really really love: Pinball! Regular pinball, alien pinball...I have one on my handphone and I play it everyday... mmmmm love my handphone..

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: MeQ (Offline)
Date: 9/21/04 at 10:57PM (1M4d ago)

These might interest you:
Sly Cooper (1 or 2)
Ratchet and Clank (1 or 2)
Jak and Daxter (1 or 2)
Tak and the Power of JuJu (I think there's a second one ...)

Look those up, Ratchet and Clank is definately an awesome title.


Fly me to the moon


Posted by: MeQ (Offline)
Date: 9/21/04 at 10:59PM (1M4d ago)

XBox most notable titles for me are
Halo (of course)
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Crimson Skies

I really want Crimson Skies, it's just so freaking awesome...


Fly me to the moon


Posted by: 375mL (Online)
Date: 9/21/04 at 11:55PM (1M4d ago)
So like adventure games. You can't really go wrong with the ones MeQ suggested.


Posted by: elisataufik (Offline)
Date: 9/22/04 at 8:11PM (1M3d ago)

oh, is that what it's called? "Adventure Games" ?
lol better remember that next time I speak to another gamer ;)

"we were but stones, ... your light made us stars"


Posted by: 375mL (Online)
Date: 9/23/04 at 9:49AM (1M2d ago)
Yeah. Adventure, platformer. Whichever. Those are my favourite games as well :)