Thursday, June 30, 2005

WOOO HOOOOOO!!

It's here, it's here, it's finally here!!!!

I called the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia this morning and our residence visa is HERE!!!
YAY!!!!
So tomorrow morning I have to drive to the Embassy to submit our passports and application forms and documents and stuff so that they can get it stamped.
I am actually a bit apprehensive about driving to what may be the most congested part of town, but I'll brave it out, coz it means I'm finally gonna be with my husband again soon!! woo hoooo!!
Taufik will be back on the 6th, and he is currently booking flights and stuff and we're planning to leave either on the 13th, 14th or 15th of July.. depending on which flight arrangement would require the least hassle (read: not having to wake up the kids at 4:30am all cranky, or arrive in Al-Khobar at 4am all jet lagged and hyper one moment and all sleepy and cranky the next..)

The sad thing is, my mom is still in Seattle. She's only reaching home on the 17th.. so I wont get to see her before I leave .. :(
But the good news is, I have a webcam!! and my sister in Seattle is getting herself a webcam (i think), so then one of these days we can have a video chat before we pack up the computer.
My mom is 'totally bummed out' (Didi's words) about not getting to give me a proper send off, but I assured her that I'll be back in December, Insya-Allah.

Oh wow.. so lots and lotsa things to do..
1. Get our passport stamped. (due 1st July)
2. Finish my Tsunami script. (due 1st July)
3. Reply Famygirl's questionnaire (due 4th July)
4. Pack (due 13 July)
5. Pick up passport and get Ilham's documents certified and ready for school registration (due 13th July)
6. I already one farewell party to go to next weekend.
7. I would have to throw a thankyou party for Taska Salsaabila (My kids' kindergarten) ..

hm.. now that I've got it listed out, it doesnt seem like much...
I've got to get to doing number 2 NOW.

so erm.. I'll be restraining from blogging for the next few days. I swear. I'll be trying my best. I really need to finish that script.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Speed

I was a little late picking up Ilham today. I had to interview the Director of Meteorological Services Department today and the traffic back was jammed. I arrived 15 minutes later than usual.

I asked Ilham if he was scared when I didn't show up on time.
He said "Yes".
So I asked him why he was scared.
And he said, "Coz I thought you were in jail"
"Why would I be in jail?" I asked.
"Coz you drive too fast".

I do not drive fast.
REALLY!

But that triggered a really fun conversation over chicken rice during lunch on how the judge would find me guilty or not guilty and what would've happened to me and who would send him to school if I were to be put in jail.

I reiterate.
I do not drive fast.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Malaysian ModBloggers + mokciknab gathering

I guess it's high time I write about this eh? Everybody else has :)

Firstly, I brought my camera, but I was too busy to take it out and take pictures.
Unlike other mommies, who had husbands to bully coax into taking care of their kids, I was there without my beloved Taufik to help watch my kids (and other people's kids). Heh heh.. I was the designated cikgu tadika (kindergarten teacher) *grin*.
If you wanna see pictures, just go to malaysian and browse around.

Saturdays are always busy. It's grocery day. It's bangun lambat day. It's basuh kasut day. Good thing I was only in charge of cooking rice. The only thing that took alot of my time was shopping for balloons and the plastic pool and I made the mistake of going to Giant with my-sister-who-does-not-blog who is also known as my-sister-who-is-extremely-fashion-concious-but-is-super-indecisive coz she takes forever to shop for one item. I was so hungry by the time we're done, we had to stop by Ayamas and have lunch.
I initially wanted to go with mokciknab, coz she had my car, but because she is also known as the-head-procastinator, I decided to borrow my-sister-who-does-not-blog's car and go there ahead, on my own.
Okay. MSWDB (my-sis-who-doesnt-blog) owns a kancil. A seven-hundred-something-cc car that rarely goes above 90 and have not travelled further than One Utama. I was kinda scared. What if it breaks down or something? What if a dog crosses the road and hits the side of the car and dents its milo-tin body and renders it undriveable? I've got to have some sorta protection on the way. So I called the only person who would pass PJ on the way towards Putrajaya: nutty.

nut: Hello?
me: mak kecik, are you like, on the way already?
nut: err.. we're about to leave the house
me: oh good. Can we convoy? coz i'm driving my sister's car and I'm not sure how to get there
nut: actually I'm not sure how to get there too! I'm just gonna follow the roadsigns.
me: Okaylah then we get lost together-gether lor.. actually, i'm not sure if i really said this.. but it sounded good.. if i didnt, i should have .. tee hee
nut: I've got to go pick up someone in USJ bla bla bla
me: *gets confused and unsure of where to meet up and stuff and gets a little panic coz i havent ironed my scarf, and finally ...* okaylah I try to drive alone lah.. but kalau sesat tak tahu eh.. semua orang takleh makan nasik.. hee hee
nut: okay

Nutty sounded like an indonesian on the phone.

Anyways...
have you ever been in a kancil?? The air conditioning SUX! BIG TIME! (Sorry eh yellowcab). We were cooler driving with the windows down than with the air conditioning on.
So after being forced by design to take a tour of Putrajaya (read: we were on the wrong side of the road and had to go one round to get to the right side and enter Taman Wetlands), my kids and I reached there right behind 'kereta Ayah Sofea', famygirl. A short call to bertique to confirm that we were in the right place, and we parked our car.
I must say, the place is quite impressive. I applaud the horticulturists and team of gardeners who manage and upkeep the park. The manmade islands and plants are absolutely gorgeous. (dammit. Now I wish I had taken pictures).
The company was awesome!! I recognized bertique right away coz I've seen his picture before and remembered that he looked more like Samwise Gamgee than Smeagol. About the only people that I didnt recognize right away were BerryBear and lazydaisy79.
famygirl & zan I meet almost every week.
nutty and syira, I've met at their house .. and nutty was shy-shy-cat like that and syira was in her usual mode that made me takut nak tegur nanti kot kot dia tengah bad mood nanti kena makan or something. HA HA.
OndeOnde was my highschoolmate and the last time we met was during our highschool reunion, so it was nice to see her and her kids with the amazing names.
Lollies and gartblue, I've met during one of the readaloud sessions, and there was an instant bond.
PB looked so serious and reserved .. I was kinda scared if I would overwhelm her if I got all friendly all of a sudden.
lazydaisy was so sweet, just like I imagined her.
Bear was quite cool with the kids. He took over water balloon duty when I decided to go eat. Though his were more like Pamela Anderson's while mine was more like .. erm.. Twiggy's..
I wish I had spent more time chatting with people rather than screaming at supervising my kids. Plus I had to bring Anis to the toilet twice (read: 2 times!)
I had really wanted to get to know PB more ;)

It's actually kinda weird meeting another blogger, especially when it's someone you do not know previously. Coz I think people are usually more open on screen, but are usually more reserved in the flesh. With blogs, you can choose to just read and not respond, but when you meet people face to face you don't have the choice of not reacting. Everything about you is a respond. Where you look, HOW you look, your body language.. and when you meet someone whom you think you know from what she/he writes about but are actually unsure of, it's erm.. can get a bit awkward.
I, for example,wanted to hug everybody. But I only hugged those whom I have hugged before coz I wasnt sure if other people wanted to be hugged. (plus I wasnt sure of how I was smelling by the end of the sweltering day) tee hee.
But despite... I had a lot of fun :)
The next time we do this, I have to make sure that Taufik is around, OR, I come without the kids.

well, enuf blabbing.
Summary: I drove, I arrived, I filled up the pool, i filled up water balloons, I screamt at my kids, I chatted a bit, I sang Menuju Puncak (I can't believe nutty knew this song. I actually thought she was joking at first) and Last Kiss (not the quintessential PearlJam song, but what the hey!), I had my picture taken, I packed up, I changed cars, I lost anis for a while, I scolded Ilham for losing his backpack and not looking after Anis, I drove home with the windows up and the air-cond full blast, I watched Akademi Fantasia, I cried for Idayu, I chatted with Taufik, I went to sleep.

Make the next one in December!! I'll be coming home for the holidays, Insya-Allah.




Blog Comments

Posted by:LoLlieS
Date: 06/28/05 at 12:21 PM (6M1w ago)
december ya...after raya


Posted by:akon
Date: 06/28/05 at 12:30 PM (6M1w ago)
MSWDB?haha first time I heard that terms


Posted by:nutty
Date: 06/28/05 at 2:41 PM (6M1w ago)
i do NOT sound like an indonesian on the phone!
and you did not go 'hee hee'.. you went MACAMANE NASI TAKDE!!?
aduh.. saya pun panik dong.
sorry ar we couldn't convoy, tapi you sampai dulu anyway. it was great seeing you again even though you were kinda busy with the kids.

---
by golly, this coffee tastes like shit.
austin, it. is. shit.
hmm. it's kinda nutty.


Posted by:gartblue
Date: 06/29/05 at 12:07 AM (6M1w ago)
elisa elisa elisa .. you're so funny, woman !!
*wiping tears and pick myself off the floor right after i fell from my fits of laughter*
cheers for the balloons elisa .. the kids sure had fun .. uwaa .. thot i heard Last Kiss but I was prolly too busy attending to Ariz (rare huh!) ..


Posted by:zan
Date: 06/29/05 at 12:58 AM (6M1w ago)
yeah let's do it after raya...raya open house.

"Given enough coffee, I could rule the world" - The Unknown


Posted by:ondeonde
Date: 06/29/05 at 1:10 AM (6M1w ago)
ha..ha.."Though his were more like Pamela Anderson's while mine was more like .. erm.. Twiggy's..

I pun tak byk ambik pics and also wish get to know PB (nutty and syira) better!

next time! next time!

Posted by: rotidua (View Website)
Date: 06/29/05 at 1:20 AM (6M1w ago)
tak mention pasal stering keta ketat pun. hahaha Dah berapa mileage keta tu eh? the last i saw was less than 20,000km and the car dah masuk 5 thn.


Posted by:lazydaisy79
Date: 06/29/05 at 1:43 AM (6M1w ago)
nice meeting u sis elisa
we hugged each other right when we say goodbye to each other right ? hee hee

"Stay close to me as we step forward into the future. We can't change the past, only remember the good times, but we can make the past our good times."


Posted by:famygirl
Date: 06/29/05 at 3:30 AM (6M1w ago)
ayah sofea was curious apsal that green kancil dok follow belakang kita? suspicious sungguh...


Posted by:boredom
Date: 06/29/05 at 4:46 PM (6M1w ago)
hahaha. a funny tale here. with ur sis elida's even hotter tale at her blog. gez the gath was really a blast huh? sabar je laa...

Posted by:BerryBear
Date: 06/29/05 at 6:50 PM (6M1w ago)
great meeting you elisa although didn't really get the chance to talk to you!!! Hope to see you again someday!!!

XXXXX Nak kena gigit ke? XXXXX

Posted by:bertique
Date: 06/30/05 at 1:13 AM (6M1w ago)
i'm back ...

eh semlm i ngk LOTR, lain la muka i ngan samwise .. rambut dia kerinting :D .. hahaha

nice meeting u there, and tenkiu for plastic pool + bidan terjun utk acara kanak-kanak ..

orait, 2nd gathering - dec .. agak2 tarikh ??


Posted by:+PrimaryBasic
Date: 07/02/05 at 4:41 PM (6M5d ago)
i think the jubah made me look serious. :p but with all honesty, i felt serious next to your pinkness. my sister pun kata, "kaklong macam nak pergi berkabung orang mati" XD. btw, i had no qualms in getting hugged by you.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Lost+Found

The things I find while cleaning out my closet ...



Taufik,

Sejak kumbang bertemu bunga
Kini taman sudah berbuah
Kasih sayang tidak didua
Hati setia tidak berubah

Kini taman sudah berbuah
Buah dinikmat sehingga puas
Hati setia tidak berubah
Jiwa berhajat agar berbalas

Buah dinikmat sehingga puas
Makan semua bersama-sama
Jiwa berhajat agar berbalas
Moga berbahagia selama-lama

Selamat ulangtahun perkahwinan kita yang ke-6, sayang.

-elisa


(circa 15th August 1998)

Apologies to my non-malaysian readers.. I dont know how to translate this into english

Saturday, June 04, 2005

heartbeats II

She turned over to hug the one lying beside her.
She reached out her hand and felt empty space.
She woke up in panic.
Where is he???
He's not here. No, he's not.
no more chests.
no more heartbeats.
just a lone pillow
for her tears to dampen at night.