Yang Hitam itu Aishah

Yang hitam manis, pandang tak jemu.

I am si hitam manis. Nonetheless, I used to be of a darker hue during my childhood ;p. The fact was made prominent by my younger brothers' fairness. One day in standard six, upon my exit from the teachers' room with a gebu-er Cimi in tow, a teacher remarked (being confident that it was out of my hearing), "Kesian ye. Adik lelakinya putih; kakaknya hitam!"

At the age of four to six, my defense against colour discrimination was to sulk ;p. It worked just fine as my maternal grandma, uncles, and aunts, started calling me 'Putih' (instead of teasing me about the stark contrast of my skin colour as compared to Cimi's and Cajib's).

Last Friday night, as Mak went back to Rembau with Kamal and I (from Ayah's boss' open house in Seremban), the old joke of me being the 'black' sheep arose. Surely, the teacher's remark was hilarious. Then, the surprise:

"You used another defence mechanism when you were in standard three or four."
"I did?" *Stopped laughing* *Clueless*
"Yeah. You came up with a pantun."
"Mak? Are you sure?" *Excited*

"Putih putih hampas kelapa dibuang orang. Hitam hitam baldu songkok dipakai sayang."

It became a secret joke between my parents :D.

More Work = No Dip in the Pool

Kamal and I are sitting side by side at our work station and we've been here since 5.30 a.m. Workaholic? Naaah. We decided to enjoy our dinner and watch Tuesday craps on TV last night instead of torturing ourselves with more work. My duty at the General Assembly as the Ministry Secretariat ended at *8.00 p.m. Parliamentary duty today and tomorrow before going back to PWTC on Friday. Long days ahead. A hearty breakfast with Kamal is a great way to start each day.

Enjoy your day too, chums!

*It is not meant as a complaint as I've worked until midnight before and I know those who work until midnight daily although their official working time starts at 8.00 a.m.

All We Want is a Dip in the Pool

Kamal and I have just discovered the existence of a public swimming pool in Presint 16 near my office (in which, the so-called discovery is already archaic to others working here ;p), so we planned to swim after working hours yesterday. It drizzled the whole night though. We had vegetable soup, mihun kungfu, and Milo '0' in Limau Nipis instead.

From all the work, we definitely would love to exercise the stress away. The work even deprived me from at least four hours of power sleep needed to restore my energy which has been sapped by more work in the office. How could I have that luxurious portion if the Boss kept on trespassing my dreamland?

For my nation, I willingly obliged :D

So, here I am, relieved that I've just completed an important assignment. There are more. One step at a time.

A Reunion :D

The highlight of the weekend was Fandi and Shella's wedding reception at the groom's place in Seremban. The Chembong Clan went to Paklong's place at 8 a.m. to lend our hands to the final preparation. Of course everything was already in its place so we took the opportunity to catch up with other relatives.


Nora, Maklang, Mom, Lida, Mak, et moi. Paklong, Maklang, and Mom are my mother's elder siblings.

Maklang never missed her nephews or nieces' weddings although she stays in Brunei. Moreover, Fandi is the last among The Paroi Jaya Clan to get hitched. This time around, she came with Nora.

Along, Angah, and Cajib -my brothers:

Cimi arrived later, after completing his work. Cilan was not there *sob sob* as he was undergoing a practical then. Kak Nani, my sis-in-law, arrived at lunch hour.

Me, I got to play with Anis and Haris the whole weekend! Back in Rembau, Kak Ita got her share of iSqueeze in peace :D (Anis usually got her own seat when Angah and Kak Ita went for reflexology massage).

*Cheeeeese* (Look at Haris' gigi susu ala kapak =D)


I'm missing this sweet boy (and his cheeky sis)!


But, I'm missing this guy the most...


I've made the right decision by not taking my car from Rembau yet. As I'm going to Penempatan Daerah next week, I'd better spend more time with him. The guy behind the car pool concept is a genius ;p

When the Cat's Away, The Mice...

Work has been hogging my life this month (so far) that there wasn't even a space to blog, let alone breathe. Duh.

:D

Although the Head of the Division were in London for a week since last Wednesday, the mice kept on typing away on the computer. As I was about to rejoice in the completion of a very important report (while dealing with the nitty gritty of other works which were supposed to be under another department's care), the cat meow-ed.

I swear I almost procrastinated - just abandoned the report and enjoyed the interesting sound of the pelting rain. I'm thankful though the integrity in me said NO. (Echeewah). Or else, the cat might pounce on me and sink its razor sharp teeth in my fragile body. I shoved the report for him to read before bedtime tonight. Me, I prefer to make love. Peace.

Next week, I can't even have the luxury of dreaming about *procrastinating.

*Never try procrastinating at home, kids. I'm using the word strictly for fun. ~Grin a cheeky grin~

Celebrations

Ministry's. Private Education Department's. Ayue's. Reza's. FANDI & SYELLA'S WEDDING. Human Resource Management Division's -invited but missed-, Development Division's. More.

Ghaso Nok Negho?

*Ghaso nok negho* <--- I picked this during the Aidilfitri break in Ketereh. As I'm extremely sleepy right now, I don't bother to check with Mr. BuduBauCheese whether or not it adheres to the grammar. *Yawn* Ironically, although I'm extremely sleepy after taking the ubat tahan gatal with the label 'CAUTION: THIS MAY CAUSE DROWSINESS', I just can't doze off because the eczema is really itchy! Nyamuk tegar lebih memburukkan keadaan. Thank God the ubat sapu is really effective. I think I should attempt a short nap at least, hoping that the itchiness would not bother me in the dreamland. 'Til Kamal brings back my mihun kungfu, chums. Daa... *For my endless burping, the doctor prescribed charcoal in pill form. I don't croak anymore! Yeaaayyyyyyy... *falling... asleep*

Iron Pumping

Here I am, where I was four hours ago. My record was a day straight, skipping lunch. Kamal by my side. We do exercise. He walked to our favourite breakfast stall, for the weekend dose of nasi kerabu/nasi berlauk/laksam. Then, forgetting to get the camera (which needed charging) from the car, he ran up and down the stairs. I'll be pumping iron as soon as I finish this. Ironing is that tough. ;D

After Zuhur, we'll visit Ayue's place in Seksyen 8. Nana called to inform that she'll be going to Azie's open house in Selayang with Ibah, Elin, and Elis. Sob sob. I'd like to join them as we've not met each other for some time, but Kamal and I have earlier received my cousin's wedding invitation to be held in Jalan Semarak. To console me, Nana has promised to snap lots of pictures of them having a gala time for me to blog.

Last night, I tagged along Kamal to see an office space which Zam planned to rent. The place belonged to a company specialising in interior designing. Refreshing as there was a mini garden despite it being on the second floor. Later, I was told that the little outdoor was and is meant as smoking area. Thoughtful.

We proceeded to Zam's place afterward. His wife, Ita, served delicious mi goreng (which Kamal has been wanting to eat since the Aidilfitri break). Dani, their six-year old daughter, was excited to show us the pictures of her graduation day. She even asked me to read her a story written in jawi. I think I'm missing Anis and Haris. Yeay for I'll be seeing them at my cousin's wedding reception in Seremban. Angah's special pizza awaits if we decide to follow them back to Pulau Gadong.

The mention of pizza reminds me that I need to pump the iron.

The Greatest Find ;p

Of course I still treasure the greatest find of all: dirt cheap items, quality uncompromisable.

One of them was a RM15 shirt found in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan.

A Splurge, A Steal

Splurging was made possible with the vouchers I won for the Alamanda competition. Among the vouchers were three from Rizalman worth RM100 each. RM300. I had classic chain brooches in mind.

The vouchers could only be used individually though. One voucher, one item. *Breathe in, breathe out* As I've merely admired the collections through the display windows, I needed the amiable sales assistants' suggestion of items within my reach. Thanks to the best buy promotion *phew*, I got myself an elegant blouse.

In the dressing room, the silk chiffon sensuously embraced my curve. My mind was already sketching ensembles that go well with the luxurious feel. Out of the dressing room...

Two more vouchers. Limited best buy items but I wasn't complaining as they were exquisite in their own class. The perfect thing to do was to share this great find with Mak. So I bought her a soft fine linen blouse in pink with intricate stitching details. I just had to add RM50 for each blouse. The last voucher was spent on a pair of classic brooches which I can also share with Mak.

Now, I'm waiting for a perfect moment to redeem the voucher for a spa treatment...

Ginger Eno

It's time for ginger Eno. This product reminds me of Achik Munah, my siblings' nanny who had been with The Extended Chembong Clan for 30 years. A light eater, her nutrients came from ulam-ulaman and teh tarik. And rokok pucuk. Somehow, Eno made it as one of her favourite drinks. Let's see if Eno is really efficient as it proved to be for Achik Munah.

(The night before bersanding, I dreamt of Achik Munah visiting our home. If she were still alive, Kamal would be her favourite 'son-in-law', aside from Abang Wan).

Despite the bloating and cramp and continuous burps, I toughed it out by slowly walking to Alamanda. Enough of sitting in the office. It killed ;D.

The bloating and cramp worsened. The burps continued. Since Kamal and I have decided to dine in Rasa, I simply waited for him there, not bothering even to browse the magazines at the nearby newsstand. Instead, I watched the television, trying so hard not to merely stare at the colourful screen. The pain subsided after having Milo 'O'. Just having a good laugh with Kamal might have helped too.

It came again as we began walking. The cure was finding an Aussino comforter set at only RM59.90 instead of the bargain RM99.00. Luckily there was a fun yet sensible print left (as opposed to bright colourful glasses print. We would buy it if it was priced at RM20.00 though and keep it for suitable guests ;p ).

Zam was coming over to complete a proposal with Kamal, so we rushed home. As we'd normally spend Thursday nights in Malacca with our family there, I'm not sure what interesting program to watch tonight. To think that I was a hantu tv. :D

Eno halia satu!

Once an SSPian, Forever an SSPian ;)

What is an SSPian doing at a MCOBA gathering? Ack!

This is not my first time accompanying Kamal and I know how dragging it could be. Nevertheless, he lured me with excellent wi-fi connection ;p. Moreover, I'm going to drag him to SSPians' weddings! *Evil grin*

Naaaaah... As Mak wisely said, "Boredom doesn't exist."

Perhaps, I'll come out with two dozens entries tonight. NyehNyeh. That is, if I'm not occupied with my dinner. Aw. I'm hungwy. Plus, there's ironing to do once we're home. (And upon reading this, Kamal ngosek, "Sampai pukul dua pagi tau.")

Do bring your swimming suit wherever you go (by keeping it in the car, of course; unless you don't mind stuffing it inside your handbag). You might want to swim while waiting for the clock to strike 2. Particularly if you have to be at the event straight from the corner lot cubicle.

I love wi-fi!

For Ayoh and Mok

The sound of Mok digging up the ground using a hoe, planting tumeric...

Ayoh sauntered into the kitchen with kacang goreng sempalit from Raub in his right hand. I was already seated at the dining table in the middle of the kitchen, slowly peeling a limau, absorbing the sight, the sound, the smell, and Ayoh's gentle smile.

With Mok, I could talk about anything in the universe although it took time. Just like I take my time to be close to a new friend.

With Ayoh, there was a sense of solidarity, but never a magical moment of father-daughter. I reached for a kacang goreng after finishing the limau. Ayoh popped one kacang goreng after another into his mouth, steadily. We were not desperate to break the silence. It did feel like a magical moment of father-daughter after all. The sound of Mok digging up the ground using a hoe, planting tumeric...

We smiled at the silence. Mok, putting a jug of cold drink and three glasses on the table, smiled too. Then, I spoke.

I love you, Ayoh and Mok.