IT'S HERE

time: 3.42 pm

approximate time to maghrib (iftar) : 2 hours 32 minutes

it's the first day of ramadhan today here. everyone (including me) thought that it would start on sunday. i went out to the beach yesterday evening (i'll blog about this next) and got home at about 8.30 pm. at 9 pm, my friend called.

"eh, tak gi terawih ke?" he asked.
"hah?! esok dah start pose ke?!"
"a-ah"
"la... ye ke? ok ok. thanks. nasib baik ko bagitau"

and so that was the start of ramadhan for me. it came without warning (kinda). i have never managed to complete my terawih EVERY single night of the month (don't have the discipline to do that.. eheh), but i seldom miss the first night. in fact, i can't even remember the last time i miss the first night of terawih. but last night, i missed my first terawih. i was too tired after a long day at the beach.

truth is, i have not been looking forward to this year's ramadhan and syawal. because i know that i will get sentimental about it. a couple of days ago, my colleague played sudirman's raya song and i was already choking back tears. pathetic kan? but i'm like that. cepat sangat boleh mengalir air mata. and i know that in the next couple of weeks, there'll be a few similar moments to come. and i can just imagine what will happen on the first day of raya. dreadful. simply dreadful. matila pecah lubang.. hehehe.

today would have provided me with another sentimental moment for me - IF my whole family is back in ipoh to celebrate the first day of ramadhan together (like we usually do especially if it falls on a weekend). THANKFULLY, that is not happening this year because my parents are not in ipoh at the moment. they are in mekah performing their umrah. so in a way, i am relieved. (even slightly happy). if i don't get to spend the first day of puasa with my parents - NOBODY can!! eheh..

since i am starting ramadhan a day earlier than back home, it probably means that i'm celebrating raya one day in advance too. and i'm quite relieved of this fact too. at least, when i am celebrating raya here, people back home are still fasting. and when it's the first day of raya in m'sia, it would have already been the second day of syawal here. so there's no opportunity for me to make direct comparison. and that is a good thing. at least, it will help me feel i little bit less miserable (i hope).

this IS my first ramadhan and syawal away from home. personally, it will be a challenging period for me (especially emotionally). i know i should try concentrating on reaping the benefits of the holy month. and i plan to do that. but at the same time, i am only human (a quite emotional one - may i add). and i know that as human, God will throw us some challenges during this month. dugaan-dugaan untuk mencabar kesabaran. and guess what - i already got my first dugaan this morning. in the form of my housemate.

it was 4 o'clock in the morning. i had woekn up for sahur. went to the kitchen and i saw that were some strings of noodles stuck at the sinkhole (and this is not the first time - i swear to God). apparently, the housemate made some maggi mee for sahur. and apparently, he doesn't use his eyes when he washes his dishes. or maybe he DID use his eyes, but expects someone (namely me) to clean up after him. i got so pissed. EXTRAORDINARILY pissed. naik blood pressure sekejap kot. i wanted to yell at him but he was already asleep. ok la, i'm not THAT mean to wake him up just to yell at him. but nevertheless i was so pissed. so pissed that i was scolding him in to myself (macam rehearse script pulak). and i don't usually do this. macam2 perkataan keluar. very good ones too (i'm quite good at making sarcastic remarks.. was born with the talent. even my mom pun tak tahan)

in the end, i decided to send him an sms before i went back to sleep:

"clearkan lubang singki kat dapur. ada maggi tersekat. and it's your turn to take out the garbage"

and this morning - after i woke up, i went to check the kitchen. kitchen sink cleared, garbage taken out. nasib baik. kalau tak, ada je orang yang kena sembur first day puasa nih. and he actually invited me to break fast with him at his cousin's place after that. i declined (not very politely though). i don't want to be a hypocrite by having to say good things about my housemate if required when the fact is i have very little good things to say about him.

to everyone - selamat berpuasa. sambutlah bulan ramadhan dengan penuh kesyukuran. hope you guys are having a better first day of ramadhan than i am. and be thankful that you guys don't have to share a house with my housemate. i'm serious.

A DAY OF PLEASANT SURPRISES

ok, time for my birthday report (well SOMEONE asked for it.. i can't disappoint my readers kan? eheh..)

first of all, to all of you who left me birthday wishes here - THANK YOU!!!! i don't know some of you personally, so it's really nice when people who you don't know wish you happy birthday... hehehe (but of course, it's just as nice to get birthday wishes from you guys whom i already know..:P).

all in all, it was a good birthday. what made it good is because the people i know do remember it. and took the trouble to wish me on my birthday. i know most of my str8 friends (actually ALL of my str8 friends with the exception of one.. grr) don't really read my blog (and i pray to god that they don't EVER get to read it) - but i just want to say thanks to them here. guys, thanks for the sms-es. thanks for the phone calls. thanks for the offline messages on ym. thanks for the birthday testimonials and messages on friendster.it's nice to know that eventhough you don't really get to hang out or be in touch with your friends as much anymore - they still remember your birthday (well, friendster birthday reminder may have assisted that process a little bit. but still..:P).

and as expected, i received birthday wishes from my family. mom and dad called (and gave the usual 'semoga menjadi orang yang lebih beriman' speech ..eheh), my sister called. my other sister sms-ed. my OTHER sister sent an e-mail (3 sisters - the brady bunch, remember?). but most surprisingly, my elder brother sms-ed me too. just for the record, he rarely does this (wait... nope, he had NEVER done this). i remember 2 years ago he called me up on my birthday. i thought he was going to wish me happy birthday, but he didn't. he just called to ask me whether i have borrowed his dvd or not. so to have him sms me happy birthday is actually a big thing.

the makan2 thingy that night went well too. there was a lot of food and a lot of singing (no filipino guys though synchro.. i didn't invite them on purpose). i told everyone that i was only buying kfc (hehehe.. teruk kan?). mostly it's because it's the easiest form of party food available and there is a kfc 10 minute's walk away from my apartment (talk about convenience eh?). and i did buy enough kfc for everyone (i spent 27 bucks on nuggets alone ok? believe me that was a lot of kfc for 12 people). but my guests decided to bring something for me too (maybe they don't really like kfc..i dunno). so, i was pleasantly surprised when they came over with food. one came with nasi ayam (which was absolutely yummy), one brought macaroni bakar. my boss' secretary came with a big bowl of spaghetti (my boss was not invited btw). and they got me a cake too! and managed to sneak it into the kitchen without me knowing. right in the middle of the party, they switched off the lights and brought out the brightly-lit birthday cake (26 candles ok?) and (of course) sang happy birthday. i was really touched by the gesture. i did not expect that at all from my new group of colleauges/friends here. i think they know that i'm not really enjoying myself here (well i haven't really been keeping this a secret.. eheh) so they actually made an effort to make my birthday a good one.

oh and guess what? i actually got presents too!! a necktie and a bottle of chicken spread (don't ask about the chicken spread - it's a loooonnng story). and to top it all off - my housemate actually HELPED me clean up after the party! it took me a while to recover from the shock of seeing him with a broom in his hand (heheh). but, the next day, he turned back into his regular self - an asshole. might as well at actually - i think i've had enough surprises that i can take for a while.

i was really touched by the things that happened on that day. but this sms touched me a little bit more than everything else (i got a little teary-eyed when i read it). it was from my ex-girlfriend (i DO have a couple of ex-girlfriends btw) and this is what it reads:

happy birthday (my name)!!
hav a good one!
KL misses YOU!

so simple, but yet so heartfelt.

26 YEARS AGO TODAY...

... an ABSOLUTELY adorable baby boy was born, bringing bundles of joy to an already big family of 5 children. he completed his parents' wish of having 3 pairs of children - 3 girls and 3 boys. just like the brady bunch (ok i'm making this up... heheheh). the doctor, when delivering the baby, told the baby's mum this - "he's going to be a smart boy. he'll get 6 aggregate for his SRP" (THIS is true - honest! ask my mum if you don't believe me). and 15 years after that, true enough, the boy did get 8A's for his PMR.. (ok so the doctor was not psychic enough to predict the change in the m'sian education system..but still.. quite impressive eh?)

ok - so i turn 26 today. i am neither extremely happy nor extremely sad. not EXTREMELY happy because i am not expecting much of a celebration with my new friends here. and i keep thinking about what i'd be doing on this day with my friends if i was back in kl. but at the same time, i'm NOT very sad because there'll be some sort of celebration later today.. so it should be quite fun.

surprisingly, i'm not cringing of the fact that i'm now 26 (at least not yet!). i think, based on how i see myself as a person - 26 is actually an appropriate age for me now. just nice. maybe it's because i'm not comparing myself with other 26 year olds i know. i guess at least there's one thing about being away from your country, you are not surrounded by ex-classmates / ex-unimates who are 26 AND already married with a kid or two to make me feel inadequate or unaccomplished (especially in THAT particular area).

anyway, i am not the only one who is celebrating my 26th birthday today. fyi, there are some other cute guys who were born exactly 26 years ago today (apart from me, that is :P). ben savage (from the sitcom boy meets world) shares the same birth date as me. aid*d marc*llo (that 'still standing?' guy from the brylcr*em commercial) was also born on the same day.

check out my twin brothers:

twin brother #1 a.k.a abang long










twin brother #2 a.k.a abang ngah










looks like 13 september 1980 was a definitely a good day to give birth to a baby boy, eh? those who were born on that day all turn out to be absolute hotties! (hehehe...kasik can la... it IS my birthday today ok? ). anyway, happy birthday to abang long and abang ngah. but most of all, happy birthday to my most favourite person in the world - ME! :p

PAST CELEBRATIONS (OR LACK THEREOF)

i always make a big deal out of my birthday. it is something that i look forward to every year. i'm not one of those people who can forget their own birthday (like my brother - how is that even possible?!!). coming from a big family (and being one of the younger ones in the family), birthdays had always been an anticipated affair for me. i used to get presents from all my siblings (i was much cuter and loveable when i was a kid). and every couple of years, my parents would throw away parties on my birthday (being first in class sure had its benefits.. eheh). but as i grow older, i seem to celebrate my birthday more with my friends and less with my family. probably because i was no longer at home during my birthday. and probably because the mere fact that i grew up from being a cute, adorable boy to this cute, adorable young man (ahaks!). everyone knows that celebraating with friends are much more fun!

throughout the years,i've had some good birthdays that i still remember. but i've got my share of not-so-pleasant birthdays as well. and i'm taking this opportunity to document them. you know, so that 25 years from now, i can have something to help me reminisce about the then good ol' days. so this entry is pretty much dedicated to myself 25 years from now (i hope i'd still be alive by then). but you guys can read it if you want to..heheh

GOOD BIRTHDAYS

8TH BIRTHDAY

it was sooo much fun, it was stress-free (cos my family did everything for me... even picking up and dropping off my friends) and i got loads of presents!!! most of the presents were books - something i liked so much (it was so easy to satisfy me when i was younger). i remember getting a lat comic book from my brother and ceritalah lagi! volume 5 (remember that book?) from my dad and some tractor that can transform into a robot thing from my neighbour which i hardly touched (early signs of plu-ness eh?). but, one thing that i can't forget about that birthday was that i got 3 bars of lux soap from a classmate as a birthday present. but it was wrapped nicely so i still loved it. :P

19TH BIRTHDAY

it was a triple celebration (celebration for september babies) cum class reunion for me and matriculation friends (i was in first year of uni at that time). the whole class (those who were invited.. there were a few not-so-cool or just plain weird classmates which we didn't invite) was there. not many of us had cars back then, so we really had to squeeze in) i think they were 20 people in 4 cars (3 of them kancil). we convoyed from my uni to mcdonalds bandar utama (this is pretty much what we all could afford back then). spend hours in there. the whole class pitched in and got each on of us a pooh bear (yup, from mcdonalds.. how convenient). but it was a lot of fun!!!!

24TH BIRTHDAY
organised a birthday party at my apartment. something which turned out to be a VERY challenging task. i had to deal with a crazy deadline at work a few days before the party (some million-dollar proposal which we eventually won :) ), which required me to go finish work at 11-12 midnight on a daily basis. but in the midst of the late nights, i still managed to draw a map to my house (using microsoft visio, nonetheless :P) and send out email invitations (with the map) to all my friends. borrowed my sister's deep fryer (half of the menu involved some deep-frying of some processed food..hehehe). i even bought a dvd player just for the party. and my housemates were such good sports. they helped me with the preparation for the party and entertaining the guests. and the party went well (no bodily injury, no shortage of food). everyone had fun (kan shima kan? hehehe). the party started at 4 pm and the last guest left at about 12 midnight. and the next day, i had to drive down to ip*h for an audit. penat.. but it was worth it!

25TH BIRTHDAY (SESSION WITH EX-COLLEAGUES*)
my friends got me on this one.they pulled a prank on me. a couple of days before my birthday, we (me plus four other girls) decided to meet up for dinner on my birthday. but that morning, one by one called me up, wishing me happy birthday and at the same time apologising for not being able to make it that night - making all sorts of excuses (ada makcik nak datang rumah la.. kena stay back at work la). everyone except shima. i was already very disappointed, but i decided to still go and have dinner with her at chilli's OU. those who 'cancelled' actually came. they were laughing their heads off, mocking how terrible i sounded on the phone when they told me that they couldn't make it. cess!!

BAD BIRTHDAYS

(SWEET) 16TH BIRTHDAY
it was the year when i first started boarding school (i was in form 4). and it was the first birthday away from home. it was the quietest birthday that i had. i was waiting for MY friends to wish me happy birthday in the morning. but no one did. class went on as usual. i remember feeling so miserable that day. thankfully, that night, my english literature classmates gave me a birthday card. thank god for that - i was ready to commit suicide that night (KIDDING!)

(KEY-TO-FREEDOM, LEGAL-AGE-TO-DRINK) 21ST BIRTHDAY
my birthday fell on the exam week. usually my friends and i would go out for makan2 on my birthday. but that year, everyone told me that they're not available for celebration cause they needed to study. they've passed me birthday presents earlier.so on my birthday, i decided to treat myself for a movie at the golden class (gsc mid valley). it was recently opened at that time and i wanted to try it out. but i found out that on that day, the golden class was showing a period movie (lord of the rings or gladiator or something). and i am DEFINITELY not a fan of such movies. so, in the end i opted for rat race that was showing at one of the regular theatres. didn't enjoy it at all as my whole "treating myself on my birthday" plan was jinxed. after the movie, i had lunch ALONE (on my birthday!!!) and went back to college. pretty sad, eh?

25TH BIRTHDAY (SESSION WITH HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS*)
not only did they had to postpone it to the 30 september (cos everyone was soo busy), it sucked because there was an impending crisis between 2 of my close friends (some drama about one girl 'stealing' the other girl's love interest. i tell you i've got some really dramatic friends). so in the end, one of them didn't come and the gathering was in a rather sombre mood. and i got some not-very-desirable presents. hint: don't ever give me chocolates for my birthday (i'm not your girlfriend and i'm already fat as it is), or a witch hat (i'm not a witch nor do plan to become one). or a plastic jack-o-lantern (i don't celebrate halloween). i know you're trying to be cute - but i'm a VIRGO. i'm PRACTICAL. i like practical PRESENTS. got it? eh yeah, and instead of getting me a birthday cake, they got me strudels instead, i hate strudels. (ok la ok la ..it's the thought that counts. but putting more thought into these things would definitely count MORE)
*last year, i had 4 separate birthday gatherings - 1 with high school friends, 1 with uni friends, 1 with ex-colleagues and 1 with (then) current colleagues.

anyway, this year will be the first time that i'm celebrating my birthday outside the country. and i'll be celebrating my birthday with a bunch of people whom i didn't even know up until 7 months ago. i'm seriously not expecting them to throw me a surprise birthday party or anything (seriously - what are the chances?), so i'm planning to throw a small makan2 session myself on wednesday. not expecting any presents too (again - what are the chances?). just want to start the year with some good deeds as a sign of gratitude that i'm still alive. well, that AND to show off my new karaoke set to my officemates :P

oh and by the way, you guys are invited. this wednesday, 8.30 pm (GMT +4.00). just give me a ring first alright. hehehe ...

HOUSTON, WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM

i just read that they have chosen the guy who's going to be the country's first astronaut. what a hunk! *swoon* i'll be looking forward to see HIM in a space suit.. eheh

however, i feel bad for the other doctor. he happens to be my friend (or was... we've lost contact after a while. but i think he'll still remember me. i am, after all quite unforgettable ... kakakak). he's a nice guy.. very good-natured, funny guy. and quite cute too actually (he was one of cleo's 50 MEB a couple of years ago. however, being photographed next to the model-doctor made him look a little less cute .. so kesian). i always admire cute guys with no attitude problem... heheh (inferiority complex kicking in).

but i guess even if he's not chosen... it's still ok. even if he doesn't get to fly to space, at least he gets to be the back-up and go for the training in russia. that must be a million times more exciting than checking the inside of the mouth of macho soldiers day in and day out (sure it sounds appealing to us .. but HE is not plu. oh btw he's a dentist with the ministry of defence).

anway, it WOULD have been cool if it was my friend who was chosen. i'd love to have friends in high places, and if your friend is an astronaut - it doesn't really get a lot higher than that does it?

i need more famous friends....

MAKE WAY FOR THE KARAOKE KING!

how many people in this world can say that they have a karaoke machine in their their bedroom? well i CAN! hehehe...

yup guys (and gals).. i just got myself a dvd/vcd/svcd/audio cd/mp3/jpg/karaoke player last night (that's what's written on the box anyway). it cost me around 700 bucks... EASILY among the best purchases i've made in my entire LIFE!!! (it even beats my 100 bucks d&c shades i think..hehehe). i don't think they sell this back in m'sia. the player comes with a cd that has more than 30,000 songs in like 10 languages (including indonesian!!). they've got lots of songs from glenn, marcell, peter pan, padi, dewa and so7 in it. and there are actually some malaysian songs terselit in between the indonesian songs (like from our datin s*ti, sheila m*jid and slam (err..eww)). and the english songs are great too!!! it's even better than the song selection they have in news ktv or red box. i was ECSTATIC going through the playlist. soooooo many good songs!!! i was even giddy at one point from jubilation (is that even possible?). love it love it love it!! i mean, sure they don't have hazami or rem or SHIDEE (hahaha that's for you lan) in the playlist, but hello? - i got this in freakin' d*bai! at a freakishly low price, may i add. this is already more than what i can ask for!!

oh by the way (nak bangga diri sket.. hehehe), the saleswoman who came and help set up the machine was impressed with my (ehem) singing. all i did was sing boyziimen's a song for mama half way (tak sempat tarik pun the last part) but her jaw already dropped (well maybe not literally la... figuratively). she even said that she'll definitely give me a call the next time there's a karaoke competition organised by her company. isk bangga.. bangga..hihihi

i think i have finally found something that may be able to help me maintain my sanity here. looking forward to hours of musical fun fun fun!! oh, and if i bring this back home... you'll be seeing less of me in news ktv or red box. but i'll still go there... for dates and stuff (tactic nih...shhhh!);P

AS I MOVE ON...

in 10 days, i'll be 26. 10 years ago (when i was 16), i would have thought that by the time i'm 26, everything would have fallen into place. i would no longer be a plu. i would already be married at this age. i would've have had one or two kids by the time i'm 26. life would be fine. i'd be financially stable, doing something that i like for a living.

how foolish a 16 year old can be, eh?

10 days shy from turning 26 - i'm still a plu. not married. not even attached with anyone (no girlfriend. no boyfriend). no kids. hating my job... but financially (quite) stable. ok so that's like 1 out of 5. not very impressive is it. i'm embarrassed of my 16-year-old self. but really, it's HIS fault for setting such high expectations on life ;P

anyway, as i move on from being a 25-year-old 'not so hunky' malay plu to a 26-year-old 'not so hunky' malay plu, i would like to document some of the significant changes that have taken place in my life at 25. changes that i see as a step forward towards adulthood and maturity.

25 is the age when i opened my first current account (which means that i have a chequebook)
25 is the age when i first bought a non-disposable shaver (i was using disposable all this while)
25 is the age where i started wearing boxer shorts

it's a weird list - i know. but these are things which i refused to be associated with earlier because to me, they signify adulthood. and i wasn't ready for it. maybe it's because throughout my working/adult life, i've always been the youngest in the group (mostly because i completed my degree in 3 years and stared working earlier than some other people). i was usually the youngest in my department in the companies that i worked for. even in my current company, i am actually the youngest in the department. so, there has always been the 'younger than everyone' feeling that has subconciously dissuaded me from acknowledging the fact that i am an adult. but at 25, i somehow managed to acknowledge that fact. maybe it has something to do with me working in a foreign country (which to me is a very 'adult' thing to do). i don't know. but what DO i know is that at 25, i have embraced adulthood.

AT WIT'S END

you know those emoticons that they have in yahoo messenger? one of them is called 'at wit's end'. i never really really used that particular emoticon. first of all, it looks scary. and second of all, i was never really in a situation where i feel that way.

until now that is. i am OFFICIALLY at my wit's end with this country.




they have decided to block VOIP calls in this country effective yesterday. a total 100% block. previously, they blocked calls from yahoo messenger. but it was still fine for me because i still had my skpye (skype.com has been banned in this country since last year but i downloaded the application before i came here so it was still ok). but now, they've blocked the bloody thing totally that i can't even log on to skype!

this is just utter cruelness for me. this country, as it is, is filthy rich. is there a NEED to deprive the foreign workers like me (which accounts for 75% of the population) from communicating with the people our home country at an affordable rate? apparently, there is.

the last time i checked, making a phone call to m'sia using my handphone costs me about rm6.50 per minute. how do you even talk comfortably when you know that you're calling at such rate? but thanks to skype, i was still able to call my family and friends (not forgetting scandals) and chat mindlessly for hours. that is now a thing in the past.

etisalat - you SUCK!!!!! pbbbthhhh!!!!!

p.s: camana nak berskandal jarak jauh dah lepas nih?

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