If you're wondering, I am back at my original blog.
Come visit me there if you like what you see here.
Q: What do you do with leftover baked beans?
A: You make Chili con carne
Q: What do you do with leftover chili con carne?
A: You make karipap.
That's what I did. I had some leftover baked beans from breakfast before ramadhan started and then I made chili con carne for iftar a few days ago, but there were some chili left over.
Today I browsed for recipes for karipap skin, and voila, made karipap.
easy peasy karipap
Skin:
225grams of flour
1 stick (roughly 113 grams) of I cant believe it's not butter or margerine would do
a pinch of salt
some lukewarm water
Filling:
Leftover chili con carne
Potatoes (boiled till tender, then diced)
hard boiled eggs, cut into 4, or cut into circles, whichever u prefer.
Method:
Mix diced potatoes into chili con carne. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix flour, salt and butter with hands till its mixed well and crumbly. Add water bit by bit while kneading, until dough starts to unstick from walls of bowl. Knead for a while, let it rest for a bit (like 30 minutes lah lebih kurang).
I divided my dough into 8, since I only had enough eggs for 8 (2 hard boiled eggs which I quartered). This made really huge karipaps. I guess you can divide the dough into 16 and make medium sized ones.
I dont have a rolling pin, nor a pastry board, so .. I just rolled up the dough in my hands then flattened them and just spread them out on a plate. I put a dollop of filling and a piece of egg, then pinched and folded the edges to seal them.
The karipap should be deep fried in hot oil until golden.
They weren't pretty but they were damn delicious. ;)
kenapalah susah sangat nak post stuff kat blogspot nih..kat modblog senang giller..
tapi modblog down!! huhu...
takde apa nak cerita lah..
nak gi mandi, and then nak gi Bahrain (second try)
oh okay ada benda nak cerita..
Masa mengandungkan ilham kan, I kena marah ngan doktor sebab puasa. So I tak puasa.
Tahun tu rasanya kena ganti 27 days ke gitu. Bayar fidyah berkilo2 beras that year.
Dengan Ihsan, alhamdulillah tak jatuh bulan puasa .
Dengan Anis, I puasa selang sari.
Dgn baby nih.. hm.. tengah try nak puasa the whole month. Mula2 ingat nak selang sari gak, tapi dok kira kira nak ganti 14-15 days.. aiyakkkk sangat susah woooo
Tahun lepas nak ganti 7 hari pun macam nak rak.
I make sure I sahur, tapi makan roti, and kalau makan nasik pun, ratah lauk lebih. Pastu tonggang laban. and makan kurma at least 3 bijik. and makan vitamins.
ALhamduillah, takdelah teruk sangat.
Ada lah rasa uwek2 sikit, tapi as long as tak keluar benda, I continue.
BTW, semalam makan nasi briyani, tak muak lak.. 3 pinggan you..! HA HA
baby ni memang made in s@udi kot. suka makanan arab.
Sementara modblog down ni, kerja kita is browse for recipes.. heh heh
kita dah jumpa resepi untuk:
1. keropok lekor (serious!! guna canned tuna lak tu)
2. ayam percik
3. custard sauce
4. homemade noodles (boleh lah makan mee kari nanti)
5. kuah kacang (untuk raya babe)
6. and last but not least, jeng jeng jeng... Beef Queso!!! (dah tak yah gi Chili's dah)
Ha ha... nanti kita try masak, and ambik gambau.. and you can see menjadik ke tidak.
Tapi on modblog lah ek? tak reti lah nak letak gambar kat sini..
dah lah layout pun macam siut je.
okeh nak gi mandi.
yes it's noon and saya tak mandi lagi... kekekeke
Did it feel like I disappeared off the face of the earth?
Well, it felt like it for me.
No Computer meant no emails, no blogs and no chats.
I have a phone but I don't have anybody to call.
My mobile phone works but I can only receive calls and sms (hint hint AF pals!!!) but I cannot make calls nor send text messages.
I can't believe how much of my happiness is dependent on my family and friends.
For 2 weeks I buried myself in the only 3 books that I brought with me on the plane:
Prattchet's The Wee Free Men, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude and Caldwell&Thomason's The Rule Of Four.
When I'm not reading, I'm cooking and doing domestic stuff which includes asking my kids when they're gonna pick their butts off the couch, peel their eyes off the tv, dislodge their thumbs from the PS2 controller and brush their teeth and take a shower.
When I had finished reading the 3 books I attempted some Pilates. I found myself lying flat on the floor straing at the ceiling thinking about what I've become more than exercising.
well, gotta go read emails now.
I drove a lot this past few weeks... I think it's almost like God is trying to make up for me not being able to drive for the next few years that I will be in Saudi Arabia.
My lunch buddy Mdm Y calls me a spoilt driver, and I agree with her. For the 10 years that I worked where I had worked, I had to only go through, at most, 15 minutes of traffic to get to and come from work. Even then, I would complain when there's a slight congestion and if it takes me more than 15 minutes. I never drive further than Damansara. If I had to go anywhere further than that, I would either get my husband to send me, or hitch a ride with someone, or take the train.
I don't know whether it's coz I hate driving, or that I'm not confident with my driving abilities that make me hate driving further out from my 'comfort zone'.
I find driving through congested traffic really stressful. I've never driven anywhere else, so I wouldn't know whether it's because of Malaysian drivers or it's just me who's easily stressed out. I have no patience with slow drivers. I have no sympathy for queue-jumpers. And I hate people who tailgate me and flash their high beams at my bumper when I am trying to overtake another car.
This last few weeks I had been forced to come out of the comfort zone though. I had to drive to the Saudi embassy in KL, on 3 seperate ocassions. And, I had to drive to Putrajaya twice. All trips involve driving more than 15 minutes, through erratic traffic and together with more erratic drivers. I play it safe and always leave early. That way I won't feel like I have to hurry and I can play it cool. I bought food so that I could eat while driving. I had Pearl Jam, Peterpan and Bo Bice on the CD Changer to keep me company. And I invented a new game to amuse me: target a car and make overtaking it at some point my goal. I usually choose cars that change lanes because he/she thinks the lane we are currently on is too slow. Then when I pass that targeted car, I'd let out a hearty "HA HA!".
Oh yes. I must have had a few "Ha Ha!"s this past few weeks. It was fun.
Unlike my mother, who would pack for a trip at least a month before the said trip, I am a last minute packer. Even when I had to go to the US for my studies, my mom would nag me almost everyday for two weeks before the trip, asking me "Have you packed? Did you check whether you've got everything?", and I would be packing on the last night before the flight. usually staying up late going thru clothes and stuff.
It's the same this time.
I had 2 weeks to prepare for the movers coming. I had looked thru clothes but couldnt decide what to ship, and what to pack in suitcases to bring on the flight. So in the end, I had a list, on paper and in my head, of what to ship, but physically I havent done anything to those stuff.
The movers came this morning and I went into overdrive going through clothes, pulling comforters of beds, choosing my books and the kids' books...
3 hours. That's how long it took me. Not 3 weeks, but 3 hours. Thats not bad, eh, I think..
Taufik & I are both tired now..
oh.. we've packed the computer. (I'm on Taufik's laptop now). I don't know when it'll reach al-khobar. Prolly 6 weeks. And I don't have internet at home in Al-khobar yet. So this may be my last entry.
See ya!
Anis always sings a little song before she falls asleep.
Last night I heard her singing
"sea-vern rock, sea-vern rock, sea-vern rock"
and I was about to ask her whether it was a new nursery rhyme she learned in school when she got to the final line:
"Ohio hi-o hi-o!"
and I realized it's the theme song for The Drew Carey Show.
Oh.My.God. What have I done to my children??
Oh well, I hope that at least they get a sense of humor.
My flight to Saudi Arabia will be on the 15th of July, 8:45pm, from KLIA, of course.
Orang-orang yang berkenaan, sila ambil perhatian
When I told the kids that we were going to fly on a plane, they got so excited. Among them, Ihsan is the only one who had never been on a plane. Ilham accompanied me to Kerteh to meet his father when he was about 3 years old. Anis was 9 days old when she was carried into a plane when the original mokciknab passed away and we took the earliest flight to Trengganu.
They were jumping about in my mother's sitting room yelling hoorahs. Then we turned on the TV, and lo and behold, National Geographic was showing "Aircraft Disasters".
dammit.
Now I have to calm these kids down.
Our passports are ready. Ilham's translated report card is ready to be sent to the Saudi Embassy tomorrow.
My husband is coming back tomorrow!! woo hooooo!!!
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.
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.
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.
The things I find while cleaning out my closet ...
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.
She turned over and felt someone lying beside her.
She panicked for a bit then realized, eh, he's home. He came home.
She snuggled closer to put her head on his chest. She felt him pull out his arm from under her and put it around her shoulder.
"You're here"
"Hm."
She was listening to his heart beat.
budumdum budumdum
His chest felt kinda damp.
He ran his fingers on her cheek and looked at the result. wet.
"Hey, i'm here"
"yes, you're here"
and she continues sobbing.
Boring tul lah..
tengah syok syok nak menulis nih, tetiba modblog down lak..
eee geram tullllll
Mood: wooohoooooo Playing: Man of the Hour by Pearl Jam
Man of the hour is taking
his final bow
bye for now
I've had this song in my head for days. The guitar melody just sticks in your brain. I've been humming it around the house and found out it's pretty difficult to hum the low notes.
Anyways, this song is not so appropriate for this current situation, but the 'Bye for now' part is, so I'm just putting that song on for that part, not the 'final bow' part.(Insya-Allah)
I'll be going away on a trip tomorrow. We're all gonna go up north to Taufik's parents place.
As much as I hate to make Ilham cut class coz I'm afraid if he'll grow up thinking school is not that important, it's prolly the last time we'll be going home before the big move. After that it'll be awhile before we'll be going back again. I feel so guilty though. I'm actually making my kid cut class. I think I should write a letter to his teacher.
I was watching Oprah (as always) and heard something very interesting.
The American Psychiatric Association (or something) declared that 1 out of 25 americans have no conscience.
And thats not the interesting part. The psychiatrist on the show said that people are not born evil. Somehow sometime and somewhere in their lives, they just lost the ability to feel for another person. When parents don't show empathy to their children, Children learn that their feelings don't matter, therefore, other people's feelings dont matter.
Isnt that so sad???
But there's hope.
He talked about a guy who said that the only thing that stopped him from killing other people was his 3rd Grade teacher's voice telling him that "I see that there is a good person inside you, underneath it all". That statement stuck in his mind.
And there I was, thinking about the stuff I've screamed at my kids.. nothing degrading, I've always made sure of that.. but then.. a child's psyche is so fragile. Man. I better be more careful eh? I don't want to have to see one of them end up being a sociopath or something.
I remember the most hurtful thing anyone has ever said to me. He was a teacher at this english course we had to attend after our SPM. He was saying something about being an imbecile. And stupid me asked, "What's an Imbecile?" and he said, "Exactly". And just by the tone of his voice, I knew what the word meant, and I was *so* hurt. Actually, it still hurts.
Anyways, whenever that memory wafts in, I would think of one of the nicest things anyone ever said to me.
We were on a plane, on our flight to Los Angeles. I seldom talked to this guy coz I find his probing eyes and questions unnerving. And he said to me, "Joe, you know what, you have a liquid brain". I took it as a compliment and still does.
So, while I'm away, do tell me:
1. What is one of the most hurtful things anyone ever said to you?
2. What is one of the nicest things anyone ever said to you?
I'll be looking forward to reading it when I get back.
Bye. For Now...
The Contender
I missed the first 2 episodes of The Contender. The first episode I saw was the one where Ishe beat Ahmed. (I was glad, coz Ahmed looked pretty arrogant, thought he was pretty to look at, and so was his girlfriend).
I am not much of a boxing fan. I find it violent and painful to watch. But watching The Contender made me see that the boxers as real people, with families, dreams and aspirations.
I was too young to remember what Rocky was all about, plus Rocky was a movie. Everything looked unreal and made up, coz you know it's a movie. On real sports events, you only see boxers in the ring, and seldom outside (unless they're in court or something) so you tend to not see them as real people.
Somehow The Contender has a tragic edge to it, and I'm not saying this just because Najai passed away (for whatever reasons.. but he did look a bit unstable on the show).
With Survivor, if you get voted out, you lose nothing. You get back on a plane, get back to your life, eating regular food.
With The Apprentice, you might even be better off (or not) with the exposure. Contestants that are fired get into a nice taxi with their resumes intact.
But with the contender, losign seems so final. It's like the end of their career or something. i wonder if it's just dramatized to be that way for ratings purposes, of if it's really that way in real life..
*damn*. I've gotta go. Someone's coming to the house to fix the gate.
Just a short note on AR7.
I am ashamed that The Rombers didnt stop to ask the brothers whether they were okay. Race or not, it is not polite.
The Karma police finally caught up with Ray&Deanna.. that's what u get for not helping an old woman with her forehead cut but her sense of humor intact ("We're collecting money for the Rhino Fund. And were not Lion".. was cheesy, but hilarious, given the situation)
Did anyone else think that Deanna got beat up by Ray? She looked all bruised and had trouble opening up her left eye or something.
My advise to Deanna: Dont date Ray. Ever Again.
gotta go!!
Mood: wooohoooooo Playing: You Are by Pearl Jam
Forgetting how good your husband looks after 3 months of being apart and being reminded of how good he looks the first time you see him walking down the train station's stairs
Watching your kid's expressions the first time they see their father.
Watching your husband eat the lunch you cooked. 2 pinggan.
Listening to him tell stories in the dark till you fall asleep in his arms.
Waking up, and having someone else help you wake up the kids and get them ready.
Being able to go to taichi on time.
getting this email was not the epitome of happiness, but it was hilarious nevertheless:
Subject: Elisa ke?
Date: tue, 29 Mar 2005
From: F
cc:
Woi Elisa!!! Mentang2 dah 3 bulan punya....sampai gempabumi the whole
M'sia !!!!! Sakan betul !!!
Best Regards
F
Not to be confused with 'gibberish'
Anisish is a unique language spoken (and never written) by only one person in this world, namely Anis Suhaila Mohamed Taufik. It is, however, understood by a few people within the speaker's social circle, which includes her parents, siblings, grandmother (sometimes) and her acquaintences in Taska Salsabiila. Other dialects of Anisish has been heard to be spoken by several other members of the population outside the abovementioned circle, though in slightly different versions. It is interesting to note that these members of the population are usually under the age of 5 and could easily be understood by their mother.
The root language if Anisish is a combination Malay and English. The main discerning pattern is the replacement of the pronounciation of certain letters are replaced by other letters.
The K sound is most often than not, replaced with sh or tch, except when it's the last letter of the word, where it would magically be pronounced impeccably.
Therefore "Nak shopok" can be translated to "Nak Keropok" (Want a fish cracker), and 'Tchencin' is 'Kencing' (pee)
R is often replaced by y or not spoken at all. This is unlike Ihsanish, that replaces the Rs with either a W or a very soft rolling Rh. Examples of these are 'Beyak' (err u know what) and 'Shayot' (Carrot).
T and C are interchangeable. Sometimes, they are also replaced by the ubiquitous sh.
Examples:
"Hello Shat" (Hello Cat)
"Tat nak shopok?" (Cat nak keropok?)
"Shopok jenyan shitap" (Keropok dengan Kicap) (fish crackers with soy sauce)
D is somewhat a confusing letter in Anisish, since sometimes it could be pronounced clearly, sometimes it'd be pronounced as j, as with the case of the word 'Jenyan' (Dengan)(With). Somehow Anisish for 'Bonda' is 'Bonda'.
Anisish does whatever they like with the letter P. They may omit it whenever they like or use it to replace other letters whenever they like, as evident in this statement recorded a few days earlier:
"Shonjbob sharepang shonjbob parepang shonjbob.... sharepang!! ayayayayay..."
Anisish can be quite a confusing language for the unfamiliar, but it is easy to understand the speaker if you really pay attention to what they are doing and/or pointing at.
Sometimes if stories related to you in Anisish seems to boggle you, it might be smart and polite to just go "uh uh? really? That is *so* interesting!!". This would trigger a happy smile on the speaker and you might just be rewarded with an invitation to 'shiss' or do an 'eshimo' (which involves rubbing of your noses together).
Mood: 1 day till reunion!!!!! Playing: Hail, Hail by Pearl Jam
I managed to finish watching 2 movies last week, in several sittings because I have to babysit my nephew, and clean the house, and take care of my kids and stuff.
Anyways...
The Motorcycle Diaries
I often try to watch movies with no preconception, so that I dont create any presumptions. With the amount of coverage that this Academy Award Best Foreign Picture got, I thought I would end up being dissapointed because I would be expecting so much out of it. I was suprised.
I extremely enjoyed watching these 2 guys try to travel across South America in their beat up Norton 500, to see how they matured from hormone laden, fun seeking men into men with principle, commitment and compassion.
The cinematography was beautiful, the script was entertaining. There were sprinkles of funny moments thruout the movie. My favourite ones were these conversations:
in Cuzco where the boy said "These walls were built by the Incas, those walls were built by the Incapables, the Spanish"
and when they were denied food for not attending mass,
"I didnt know there was such a rule, I have never even seen the rule book" "If I saw it, I would probably eat it"
If you don't know yet, this movie is about Che Guevera. And watching the things he went through, the lessons he learned, the spirit he took from the experience of meeting the people during this journey and knowing what he eventually became, it made me wonder.
How many times have I been faced with injustice or hardships faced by other people and have just stood by and watched? I mean, I would rant about it for a few hours, days or even weeks after.. but how many times have I made the effort to try to make a change?
And I don't mean we should all go start a revolution or something. Just start small.. changing yourself, or your family or your community. Find something you are passionate about and try and do something about it.
This reminds me of Lance Armstrong who started the Live Strong yellow bracelets. He sells these bracelets for a dollar and all the money goes into research for cancer. Last night on Oprah (an episode which aired like in November last year), he had collected 35 million dollars!
Wow!
I don't think i can collect 35 million dollars by selling anything, but I guess I can start by being more sympathetic towards that lady with 3 kids that sits in front of my mom's house after every friday prayer.
Finding Neverland
Oh my god this movie...
It made me cry so hard. and I didnt even know why I was crying.
To tell you the truth, I only wanted to watch it because it had you know who. And because I heard it was good. And it was.
To say the story was touching would be an understatement. It just reaches out and grabs your heart. I didnt think I would cry at first, because I didnt cry at the sad moments. But actually it's those happy and beautiful ones that got to me.
It's an amazing story.
I'm gonna go search for 'Peter Llewelyn Davies' after this.
Menu for lunch tomorrow: Tom Yam Udang, Kailan ikan Masin, telur dadar and white rice.
If you live in the Klang Valley and you are not aware of it yet, the MPH Warehouse Sale is currently being held at that big public hall in front of Brem Tower (where your friendly LHDN staff works) in Kelana Jaya.Yesterday and today are days restricted to MPH Readers Circle members and their 3 guests. I was privileged to be famygirl's guest yesterday.So here's what I bought and why I bought them:
Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven - coz bertique recommended it. :) and he's always giving inspiring anecdotes, I'm sure this one would inspire me. Even if it is half as good as Tuesdays with Morrie, I would be happy.
Paul Coelho's Veronika Decides To Die - coz ummi said it was good and I have read The Alchemist before and I had enjoyed it immensely, so I believe her.
Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl - coz primarybasic had it on her shelves, and I'm wondering what all the hype is about (more on this later).
Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran - coz someone who won't admit being related to me wrote a review about it and got me piqued. (I tried to find the specific post but I gave up. You can search her archives for it).
Terry Pratchett's The Color of Magic, The Light Fantastic, Jingo and Nightwatch - I was *so* tempted to cleanup the whole shelf, but I remembered that I am poor, and that borrowing somebody else's books (read: my siblings) don't cost a dime, So I called my Kak Long, who obligingly went out of a meeting to recall what she already have on her shelf and what I should buy. "Anything with witches and Lord Venturi". So I got those first 2 ones (I don't know if they had witches in them) and the latter 2 had Commander Vimes, so I'm assuming it will also have Lord Venturi innit. Yes Firhad and D.. I now see why
Oh I also bought an Enid Blyton book for my neighbor's son who had hurt his arm in a car accident on Sunday. Can't remember the title. The Mystery of .. Something about a house.
I also bought 2 cute small purses with 'Hot Cat' on them. Somehow I thought of Ray The Arab Cat... maybe she's psychic and remotely controlled my minds to buy them for her.. They're really cute tho.
I wanted to buy some Neil Gaiman, but alas.. they didnt have any!! And I was also looking out for something from Edward De Bono that riza is reading, but couldnt find that either.
okay..So the first book I decided to devour was Artemis Fowl.I have so far only reached the 3rd chapter. There is some hyrogliphic code running along the bottom of the pages of the book and you're supposed to break it and reveal the 'secret message' and .. heh heh.. weep puny kids! I have solved the code!! muaha ha ha.
it was pretty easy, really.. maybe because the book's target audience *are* children..
anyways.In the first chapter, I loathed Artemis. I thought he was some cruel, arrogant, spoiled snob.. I had actually imagined him looking like Draco Malfoy. Then they revealed the mother and revealed the sad mother-son relationship, and I kinda pitied him. So now he's a pitiful cruel, arrogant, spoiled snob..But then, I never judge a book by its first few chapters.. the story is intriguing enough to make me keep on reading.
So far it's like a cross between Dan Brown and erm.. I hate to say it, but Neil Gaiman. Detective work in the magic and fairy territory.. and watered down for juvenile consumption.
Oh and I also bought a book on paper planes for my kids. So aside from reading these books, I will also be spending my time making them paper planes and launching them off my mom's balcony.
Looks like I'm all set for the next 2 or 3 months.
