.: Auld Lang Syne :.

Almost there.

Found out that my sister actually reads my blog once a while. Her views were;

• On my brother :: You called him, Indiana Jones? So he made you a geek!

Many years ago, there was only my brother and my sister, when I suddenly popped out of my mums’ belly and assumed the role of baby Godzilla trampling on all his toy soldiers. *I knew they were sneaking treats behind my back. sis said my brother was the brain behind it. too bad he doesn’t know I’m a step ahead. yes, I was a devious child* Ever since I won the telly rights at the age of 5, my brother must have thought this little terror is going in the wrong direction. *Sesame Street beat Transformers. eat cookie, Megatron! Elmo loves you!*

“I found your lack of faith, disturbing” - Darth Vader.

He brought me back to his ‘light’ by feeding me with stories of his misadventures, robotech, macross, gundam, and the likes of it. By the time I realize I have a sister, the damage was too severe to be rectified.

• The Dr. Love advice :: You actually blog on that?

I couldn’t resist. It just seemed too preposterous for someone to ask me that kind of stuff knowing that I have zilch knowledge in it.

• Little brother :: You miss him, don’t you? Call him!

With all the drama that happened and is still happening, I begin to wonder whether I have actually woken up from that Hindi movie I never volunteered to be in.

• Her British Born Pakistani boss :: You! You! I knew it! You are a Paki lover!

As she conveniently drives me nuts, I live to torment her hysterically. Nuf said. *blame it on Indy. He was the one that taught me survival instincts, whatever that is.*

• On our conversations :: Did you say that?

You seriously need a break from work. Let me meet your boss and give him a piece of my mind. How dare he torture my sister? That’s my job!

To my sis :: If you’re reading this, smack me in the head and bring me back to reality. And no, I’m not making that call. Also, I still can’t wipe that sickening image of you reenacting that ILU stuff. Not only did I almost burn my cookies yesterday, I can’t function well at work all thanks to that. *the song, the scene, everything is hovering in my head!* I need to reformat myself else have a major overhaul.

Happy New Year. :)

11.54am Malaysian Time

.: Who you're gonna call? :.

1st Muharram.

In most places here, it's a public holiday. Doesn't apply to me and my sis though. I took the day off while sis went to work. In night time, her office building can pass off as the Ghostbusters firehouse hq.

"We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!"

Dr. Peter Venkman

Who can forget the slime ball, Slimer? :)

1st Scene - In front of my sister's office building.

Sis :: There's a couple of foreigners. Go and help them.
Me :: One of the joys of being a foreigner is getting lost. *I was lazy*

2nd Scene - On the phone with my friend who's trying to get me to swing by her apartment only to have her hopes mercilessly ruined by me. *I was still lazy*

Malaysian hubby to Malaysian wifey :: I think she's Arab. *he was pointing at me, how rude*

All I said to my friend was "Ya lah". In Malaysian terms, Ya means Yes. Lah is the suffix that accentuates the meaning. Guess they interpreted it as "Yallah".

3rd Scene - At KL Sentral and there was a an Indian couple. *instincts say they're from India* It was like a scene from The Amazing Race. Indian hubby scrutinized the Malaysian public transport map, with Indian wifey frantically looking for signboards. Felt a pang of guilt from the 1st Scene. Wifey went MIA so I approached the hubby.

Me :: Hi, you need any help?
Indian hubby :: Yeah. Do you work for the train?
Me :: *eh?* Nope.
Indian hubby :: Great! How do I get to Subang Jaya?

Me :: Take the KTM. Tell the ticket guy you need 2 tickets to Subang and go down to the platform. Both ways lead to the same platform.

Indian hubby :: Thank you! *Indian wifey suddenly appears.*

*there was no catfight. I made myself scarce immediately after that.*

4th Scene - Home. Sis had a bad day so I thought, why not share my day with her to loosen her up?

Me :: So that's it.
Sis :: You Paki lover you!
Me :: What has that got to do with what I just told you?
Sis :: Isn't it obvious? You look like a Paki!
Me :: That is so not true. I wasn't wearing the shayla.
Sis :: If only I know how to communicate with my brother, I'd ask him to find one for you.
Me :: *to self, Alhamdulillah. that explains why Allah S.W.T only allow me to comprehend his 'cute' English.* He had. He brought his brother to see me, didn't he? And his mum did ask about me.
Sis :: Isn't he a bit too young? Have to get him to find you someone else.
Me :: Look, if you're so bent into this whole thing, I might just end up with one and you'll have a Paki brother-in-law.
Sis :: I hope I do. Especially if he's as nice as my brother. Go find one.
Me :: Right. It's not rocket science, is it? * a sentence her Paki boss loves to use. these days, I use it to churn a chuckle from her*
Sis :: See! You are a Paki lover!

Glad that she wasn't as uptight about her work anymore.

The things I'd do.

9.28am Malaysian Time

.: Awal Muharram :.

Maal Hijrah 1430.

... Masjid Putrajaya ...

---| Merry Christmas! Happy Boxing Day! and a Happy New Year! |---

________________________________________________________

:: A Solemn Affair ::

"I still remember accompanying Tuanku to London one time when an elderly woman stopped him and said "Sir, from your style (clothes) you must be somebody" Ismail said. "Tuanku replied, "No, I'm only a train driver on holiday" --- Source, Bernama.

The Duli Yang Maha Mulia Yang Dipertuan Besar *His Excellency, Ruler* of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Ja'afar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman, a well respected and much loved monarch by his subjects passed away yesterday at the age of 86.

May Allah S.W.T bless the deceased and induce patience to the bereaved family.

________________________________________________________

:: School holidays are ending ::

To all students that will be taking their major exams next year, go for it! The others can jolly well resume your student roles. :)

"What people say you cannot do, you try and find that you can."

Henry David Thoreau

加油!

9.41am Malaysian Time

.: One fine day :.

An interview.

Barely a few months after starting my first job, a group of students from a neighboring university paid a visit. Apparently, they were doing research for their assignment concerning racial communications. Friends decided to send them over to my office.

:: Our conversation started off as so ::

Girls:: How do you communicate with other races?
Me:: I beg your pardon?
Girl:: How do you converse? Do you eat with them? What do you guys talk about? What do they think of you? Do you have problems with other races?
Me:: How do you do it?
Girls:: We don't.

I was flabbergasted. Before I could blurt something else ...

Girls:: Well, actually we do. Just that we never got to do much. You know, difference of religion, language, race, culture etc. those barriers.
Me:: It is only a barrier if you see it as one. Once you liberate yourself from it, there really isn't any restrictions comparatively when you commune with someone from your own circle. People are generally the same inside. Surely you don't want to be treated any different from anyone else?

--- total silence ---

The next 1 hour plus, our discussion touched on understanding, accepting, respecting and accommodating to the diversity of others. By the end of it, my colleague alleged that I may had just corrupted their innocent minds or perhaps twisted their very beliefs. For a moment there, I was paranoid whether I'll be chased allover campus by a bunch of furious parents blaring curses at my brainwashing act. No doubt I can outrun them on any given day, though why take the risk?

:: Our final words were ::

Girls:: What if the others don't accept us?
Me:: By accepting others first, in due time will they accept us. Acceptance doesn't come immediately.
Girls:: You're not from around here are you? *that's a loaded one*

--------------------------------------------------------------------

My former colleagues and close friends often say that I'm different. Whether it is a good thing or the other, beats me. The most recent comment I got from my present colleagues of 7 weeks was, "Why are you so different from other girls?". "What is that supposed to mean?". "Well, you don't do girl stuff.". "Like I can do girl stuff with you guys."

All my friends think that I'm destined with someone of a different race and from another country. The idea of me being with a Malay or Malaysian just doesn't fit. *I wonder why* Sis stressed that since I'm the closest to dad I will definitely follow his footsteps. *dad used to say how he's able to trace his relations anywhere in the world.* Mum remains neutral on this. *she did marry dad*

Update 3.03pm :: meeting up with a friend for advanced calculus ... really, using calculus to meet up has got to be the lamest excuse. surely she knows that works like 5 years ago plus I'm all rusty at it ::

Pretty strange world we're living in.

2.07pm Malaysian Time

.: 100 things :.

Feeling tagish.

Got this from Strangerinthisdunya's blog. Realized that I'm usually the one being tagged, so I thought perhaps I could do a reverse.

Rules :: Basically highlight stuff that you've done. :)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity | Insya'Allah in future.
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis | I held a grasshopper ... they're relations, right?
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumping | Trying to get friends to go for it. So far, none. :(
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
    
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child | Thought about it.
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables | Tried, and failed. Someday I might try again.
    
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice | my aunt yelled from the pier insisting I hold on to it for dear life. My brother said "It's ok, if you fall ... I'll save you!" with gondola guy singing in the background.That, did not help.
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community | Interesting.
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David | I was too young to remember what I saw. Remembered my sis saying it's art. I said it's eww. Did a quick google and yeap. Still say it's eww. I feel sick. *to art enthusiasts, sorry for not being able to comprehend it. just too artsy for me.*
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud | And get spanked from mum?
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie | I was in the news, does that count? :)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies | I do the buying. :)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma | Can't. :(
65. Gone sky diving | Mum will freak out. Lemme get done with the bungee jump and we'll see from there. :)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favourite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone | Superman made me do the jump. I was 6.
    
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Qur’an | Alhamdulillah.
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating | Killed and prepared an animal for dissecting. Yes.
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous | in my eyes, my dad is famous. :) but yeah, I have met real ''famous' people.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Tagging Ms. Unique, Hijabee, Lazeena, Hajar, Redanna, Miss Ash, Globe Trekker Diaries, and whoever that feels like doing it. ^

Will be out and about for the next couple of days, hence no posts. Insya'Allah there'll be one on the eve or during the 1st day of Muharram.

Many many cheers to all!

3.15pm Malaysian Time

.: Sing sweet nightingale :.

Random scribbles from my notebook.

Forgetful; I can be so scatty. In Mecca, my sis and I did some last minute shopping. *before friends think that I've finally seen the light, let me straighten it out by saying that i shopped on food, only.* My sis bought a pair of boots cos she gave her sneakers away. Persuaded me to buy a pair of my own. I settled for slip-ons. *I'm ashamed* As we went down the escalator, we heard someone calling "Ya Hajah, Hajah!" Turns out the shopkeeper was calling out to us. So the situation was he's at the top while we're at the bottom of the escalator. He placed a bottle of mineral water on the steps and let it go down. Only then did I realize, hey ... that's my bottle! I could sense the sheepish smiles from the shoppers. My sis said "You just had to make a final scene before we leave, don't you?". Little did we know that the best was yet to come. :)

The devil wears Prada; I detest heels. Despise it to the max. My heels aren't that high. In fact, it's about 2 inches. *mind you, they're not even stilettos* Despite that, I can never walk properly in it. Honestly, I feel like a flamingo on stilts. How do people maintain their poise, grace? Also, if I hate it so much, why do I have it? Simple. I did the mistake of purchasing the heels. A moment of folly that ended up with me being intolerably antagonized by it. The instant I reach home, I sure look forward to kick the bloody heels aside.

*Heels finally giving way! *I should really throw a party ...* So I got a new pair. Sandals. And NO HEELS!*

Running; I tend to run at times, for no particular reason. Often I get lectured, cos when I do, I'll either fall or bump into something or someone.*it happens* The whole Cinderella casually dropping her glass slipper scene? Done that countless times.*blame the heels, blame the heels!* Incidentally, it happened in Saudi too.

In most cases, the turn of events are like so :: I run, take a wrong step and my shoe flip.*yeap, it flips ... if you happen to catch such a spectacle in KL, chances are that person is me* Fairly used to it now. These day, to avoid losing my shoe or having that embarrassing disaster, I buy sandals with straps.

" ... and they lived happily every after".

3.18pm Malaysian Time

.: Close call :.

Snatch theft.

Friday. Was on my way home when the guy in front of me became a victim. It happened in a split second. Alhamdulillah. No one got hurt.

Masjid As-Syakirin KLCC [ Kuala Lumpur City Centre ]

Before that, I wanted to have my Asar prayers at home. Home meant that I'll have to qada' cos I won't make it in time. That really won't do since I've been doing that for the last couple of days. On second thoughts, I thought of Masjid As-Syakirin. I guess the most feasible is the latter alternative. Of course there are other places that are nearer though something beckoned me to go there.

So I notified mum about the incident *mum didn't say much* and told her I'll be at KLCC till Maghrib jama'ah prayers. Found out that there will be a talk on Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah after that. Called mum again and asked whether I can stay for it, till after Isya', which is around 9.30pm. *Isya' jamaah prayer begins at 9.15pm after the talk* Amazingly, mum said ok. *she made me go back with my uncle though*

The mosque is separated into 3 levels. The ground floor is the hall, 1st floor is the men's section and for women, it is on the 2nd floor. We have full view of the men's section, thus I was able to take some shots. There weren't many women, and the few are mostly the regulars staying nearby or members of the masjid. *if i'm not mistaken, KLCC has a musolla at level 4 so shoppers usually frequent there instead of the mosque located close to the park*

Being new to the mosque, I really didn't know my way. Thankfully, the women were really helpful. For the talk, the Imam asked us to join in the men's section. *yeap, more photos* There were foreigners amongst the locals, however the talk was in Malay. While some paid attention, others read the Qur'an or zikr. As soon as I was done with my prayers, my uncle picked me up.

For Muharram, they'll be having recitations and other activities. Insya'Allah, I'll be going there to find out more about it.

And perhaps be a part of it. :)

10.02am Malaysian Time