The Day When Cupids Strike & Roses Bloom

For those who aren't aware, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Yep, the most commercialised celebration ever, but be honest, even those who don't celebrate it, deep down inside, feel that little pang of jealousy when your colleague in the next cubicle gets that gorgeous bouquet or adorable teddy bear on Valentine's Day. OK, so you'll hate her in the next 5 minutes when she starts telling anyone who'll listen that her boyfriend/husband/partner is the best one ever, but for the first 10 seconds, believe me, especially if you're a woman, you'll definitely get the pangs.

For those looking for a romantic dinner with your loved one, or just to make it a fun girls' night out (which I did with my best friend a few years back 'cos our significant others suddenly made themselves scarce), check out Tonka Bean Cafe at Impiana KLCC.

Why Tonka Bean, you ask? Well, I will be there, together with my fella, as the official photographers for the dinner. The Valentine's Set Dinner is priced at RM128++ per couple, and you get a special COMPLIMENTARY photograph from yours truly as a memento of this special dinner.

And what else can we do to make it special? Your photograph can be either in colour or in duotone, your choice. That's something worth checking out, if you ask me.

OK, so I'm shamelessly promoting my services, I admit that. But seriously.. isn't this a great deal? You get a great romantic dinner, be serenaded by a live band, the ladies get roses, and to top it all off, you get a nice photograph of you and your partner as a memento! That's why Impiana KLCC is the place to be on Valentine's night. Trust me.

For reservations, call Impiana KLCC at 03 2147 1111.

You Will Be Missed

One of my college friends passed away recently. Zaimirawati Ramli, or Atie, was not a close friend, but we would always greet each other with smiles and small talk.

We lived in the same block in college, but because we took different courses, we didn't have that much in common. However, I remember her most because of her sunny smile, and extremely good nature, and the fact that when we do chat, it was always filled with laughter.

After college, most of us went our separate ways. However, as fate would have had it, my aunt was close friends with Atie's mother-in-law. I was always touched that Atie would ask about me whenever she met my aunt and would always send her regards. That was her nature, and it continued, even when she became sick.

My aunt would regularly update me with news about Atie, and my one regret was that I didn't make more of an effort to call her up or even email her just to say "Hi".

After a long battle with cancer, Atie passed on peacefully on 6 February 2008. She left behind a loving husband, and two adorable children. Such a beautiful soul, both inside and out, has left us to go to a better place.

Semoga Allah meletakkan dia di kalangan orang-orang yang beriman. Al-Fatihah.

Night Out at the Movies

I'm bored. I have tons of editing to do, but I'm not in the mood to do any. 'Cos I'm bored. (Have I said that already?) My fella and I thought we'd go watch a movie, but there's nothing to watch. Maybe we'll just watch DVDs tonight instead.

My fella and I have simple tastes when it comes to movies. I personally don't enjoy movies that make me think too much. I know that probably puts me in the non-cool urban yuppie category, but hey, there's so much to think about in everyday life, why the heck should I pay good money to think some more?

That's not to say that I don't watch heavy dramas and such, to me, it's no longer entertainment. I like movies which go beyond the realm of normalcy, for e.g. car scenes from the Transporter & James Bond franchise.

I like action movies and romantic comedies. I love The Wedding Singer, and wish my fella would sing "Grow old with you" to me constantly. I love the Italian Job, although half of it is because I want to go to Venice, and partly because I adore Seth Green (especially as Oz in Buffy).

I love Die Hards 1-3, although I balk somewhat at Live Free and Die Hard, because Bruce Willis didn't seem like John McClane in it, unless John McClane became a broody, tired and lethargic old man since the last movie came out.

I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy although I sat through nearly the whole of the first movie thinking Legolas was played by James Marsters (Spike of Buffy fame) and marvelling at the wonderful make-up job that made him look so young.

I love treasure hunt type of movies, so National Treasure, Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade and Da Vinci Code occupy a special place in my heart. That said, how much did it suck that Tom Hanks played Robert Langdon??? I mean, dude was wooden, boring and don't even get me started about the hair!

I hate most Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movies, and not just because I like Jennifer Aniston (well, her movies aren't that great either). I think most Brangelina movies are hyped 'cos they're pretty people, and I strongly believe that the only reason Angelina Jolie got that Oscar was because she played a crazy person, which er.. was kind of who she was then.

I love Sandra Bullock movies, even the semi-boring Lake House, although While You Were Sleeping will always be my favourite. Speed would be my next favourite, and partly 'cos for all his woodenness, I actually do like Keanu Reeves.

I like Hugh Grant movies as well. Love Actually and Music and Lyrics are my current fave. I would like to sing "Pop! Goes My Heart" when I see my fella, complete with pelvic twists and thrusts.

I love love love (!) Monsters Inc., and not just because Boo reminded me of my niece, Elise.

I love P. Ramlee comedies 'cos they're P. Ramlee comedies. Enough said.

My fella's taste is easier. As long as there's Chris Rock, Chris Tucker, Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac, Eddie Murphy or Cedric the Entertainer, he's happy. Oh. And he likes Italian Job too.

Movies should just be for entertainment. And to me, anything that can make me forget life's troubles for 2 hours is money well spent.

Days of Flying Saucers & Nasi Lemak Pak Ya

I recently browsed my friend, Idan's, blog (Frossonice) and he was rehashing memories of our MRSM Balik Pulau days. Coincidentally, my gals & I were also talking about the same stuff, although Idan's memories were way tamer than my gals!

Anyway..I spent the best years in my life in some form of hostels. It started with MRSM from 1989-1992, MARA College Banting from 1993-1995, then University of Hull, UK from 1995-1998. The friends I made in these places are those I can consider as lifelong friends, and indeed, if you look in my Facebook, about 90% are school friends (this includes my SRK Sri Petaling friends as well).

And unlike several other MRSM survivors, I totally LOVED my MRSM years. Being there since Form 2 made me more independent and adventurous than I would have been if I'd stayed at home.

For instance, I wouldn't have learned how to bathe in a river (citygirl since birth..woohoo!), run 10 laps at 3pm and a further 5 at 6pm during hockey season, stretch my bed linens over my bed so tight that a coin could bounce off of it without leaving a mark (OK.. I couldn't do it, but my friend Renny was THE master!) or learned how to hang my undergarments under other clothes to dry on the clothesline so that the boys who lived in the lower block wouldn't take them JUST FOR FUN.

Nor would I have learned how to sleep standing up while on the then Penang Yellow Bus to Georgetown, take a bus, ferry and train (all in one night) back to KL for the holidays, memorised nearly all 80's & 90's Malay rock songs by heart (to this day, OK?) or rode an Army tank, truck and camped out with my whole batch & some Army personnel after the SRP exams.

Nor would I have had the opportunity to eat food which I will never see outside of an MRSM, like ikan jaket (however, this gives me shudders to this day!), flying saucers (a wonderful concoction of sardines, baked beans & pancake-like batter), grilled corn-on-the-cob marinated in condensed milk and butter (YUM!!!!) or breakfast, lunch and dinners served in steel trays.

Nor would I have known the other 120 souls who registered with me at MRSM Balik Pulau on 7 January 1989 (For the record, my nombor maktab was the very cool 89098). Nor would I have realised I could actually memorise every single person's nombor maktab as well (don't think of me as a loser, but just someone with more time than necessary on her hands).

Nor would I have known that these 120 souls, as well as the others who joined us in Form 4 (now mature 33 year olds with respectable jobs), upon meeting now, would immediately transform into giggly teenagers reminiscing about the good ol' days.

Nope.. these things I would have never learned, had I not gone to MRSM. I may have had different memories had that been the case, but right now, I would not trade these memories with anything in the world.

"Kau umpama bunga yang mekar di hatiku..
Ku harap kau mekarlah selama-lamanya..
Kau umpama bintang menyinari hidupku..
Ku harap kau terus bersinar.."

-Cintamu Mekar di Hati-MAY
(Told you I can still hafal the lyrics!!!)

Busy Busy Bee

This was a Bumblebee cake for my friend, Sally's daughter, Ika Bee. It was a chocolate cake with frosting, with Rocky chocolate sticks as antennae, and paper doilies on sticks as the wings. My only regret was not being able to find black food colouring in time, so my bee had brown stripes instead of black.

Oh.. Bumblebee as in insect, and not the Transformer robot.

Dear Diary..

When I was younger, I had a diary. Make it 4 diaries, each being a huge ledger. I wrote in them nearly every day, and some, more than once a day. God knows what thoughts I had that warranted multiple entries in a day.

I guarded those diaries with my life. My friends in boarding school often saw me hunched over my diary, writing furiously about my life at that time. Thinking back, my life wasn't that happening then (not that it is now!) but I still felt it warranted being inked in memory.

Most of the time, I would write about my crush back then, my friends, people I was mad with, people who were mad at me, song lyrics, the usual stuff. As I grew older, I found less time to pen my thoughts, and more time being engrossed in life. If by life you mean sprawled on the bed with my friends in my quaint little house in Hull, watching Empire Records for the 100th time and eating Las Vagas (not a typo, that's really how it's spelt!) takeouts (the cheeseburger is the best!).

Thinking back, I wish I still kept a diary, 'cos I have memory like Swiss Cheese. I can barely remember what happened yesterday, much less what happened 10 years ago! I blame it on Britain's Mad Cow Disease.

Anyway....I wish I still kept a diary 'cos so much has happened to me, and there are so many places I've been to, and things I've done, which should be documented so my future descendants won't think I'm a loser whose main achievement in life is making a killer lasagna!

I kid.. I actually make a damn good pudding as well.

So, I'll try to properly utilise this space to jot down my thoughts, experiences and memories, and hope my descendants will at least think, "Boy, can she write cr*p!"

At least I tried.

Mat Rock!

Ahh.. the days of tight pants & Tancho hair cream.

This song is dedicated to all 90's rock fans, especially my MRSMBP buds.. Batch 89! This is for you!

Make sure you guys get the gestures & actions down pat.