Sebagai peringatan

1. Memberi/membuat segelas air untuk suami -> mendapat pahala puasa sunat 1 tahun.

2. Menyedia/memasak makanan yang mengenyangkan suami -> mendapat pahala haji dan umrah.

3. Menguli tepung gandum dengan bismillah -> Allah akan berkatkan rezeki.

4. Menyapu lantai dengan berzikir -> mendapat pahala seperti meyapu lantai di Baitullah.

5. Melayani dengan baik suami yang pulang ke rumah di dalam keadaan letih -> mendapat pahala jihad.

6. Menjaga solat, puasa, menutup aurat serta taat pada suami selagi suami tidak melanggar syara’ -> diizinkan Allah memasuki syurga dari mana2 pintu.

7. Melayan suami tanpa khianat -> mendapat pahala 12 tahun solat.

8. Mengurut suami tanpa di suruh -> mendapat pahala 7 lapis emas.

9. Mengurut suami setelah disuruh -> mendapat pahala 7 lapis perak.

10. Memandang suami dengan penuh kasih sayang -> dipandang Allah dengan pandangan rahmat.

11. Melayani suami dengan baik dalam keadaan suami marah -> mendapat pahala separuh jihad.

12. Menghamilkan benih suami -> mendapat pahala syahid.

13. Mandi Junub dengan suami -> mendapat pahala seperti bersedekah 1000 ekor kambing pada fakir miskin.

14. Redha suami keluar berjuang ke jalan Allah dan kemudia menjaga adab rumahtangga

-> masuk syurga 500 tahun lebih awal daripada suami, menjadi ketua 70,000 maalaikat dan bidadari, dimandikan di dalam syurga, dan menunggu suami dengan menunggang kuda yang dibuat dari pada yakut.

15. Meninggal dalam keadaan suami redha -> masuk syurga.

Pegi cucuk diri kamu sendiri

Go fuck yourself.

No offense peeps. I wasn't trying to curse or anything but that's exactly what I heard on the idiot box from a show called Orange Roughies (roughies???) on TV 1. Apparently the con-man is a Malaysian who can't speak English and that was what he said to the police officer (pegi cucuk diri kamu sendiri) which later were translated by his translator as go fuck yourself. Te he he.

Apart from the daily tasks as a hot wifey house wife, I've got something to really look forward to this coming Friday.

I'm getting a keyyyyyboarddddd! Yeayyyyyy! A high performance WK-series from Casio with 76 real size touch sensitive backlit keys, exactly the specs that I wanted! Well, even more actually coz I initially only wanted a standard real size 61 key. Thank you sayang!!!! Love yaaaa!!!! Muahx muahx! Sorry I fought with you in the morning. And afternoon ;p

So hubby said he'll get everybody on North Shore to come over Saturday night to hear me play. Ya rite. Bluweekkk. My palms are sweating, my lips are twitching and like what the Brits always say, I just can't bludeh wait! Ngeeeeeee ;D

On another note, I am quite worried about the work permit. Haven't got much time left until my visitor's visa expires on the 10th of April. I've undergone the medical check-up which cost us 470 dollars at Sunnynook medical centre, Sunset drive and Apollo drive last week and the results were all good except for my urine and iron level. The urine was contaminated (had no idea I had to do mid-stream tssk) and apparently I've got iron deficiency therefore, was required to undergo another test just to be sure. The second result wasn't that good either as I was informed that my iron is still extremely low though I had steak the night before. They're setting me up with hubby's GP next Monday for consultation and we'll see how that one goes.

Other than that, there's much to be thankful for. I am beginning to fall in love with this new place called home. The serenity, the calmness, the feel of the different colored sand and the grass underneath my feet. The knowledge that I can be at the beach to ride the waves every single sunny day. To go for quite walks or even a dip in the pool with darling hubby whenever he gets back from work. The knowledge that you're in such proximity to the city, but so far away from the hustle bustle and bad traffic. The fact that you can go do your groceries anytime of the week, even at 2am in the morning in your PJ.

I miss my girls. I miss hanging out and lazing around at Intan's place. I miss lunch and movies with Ennie and Farah, and karaoke too! I miss my sunday brunch with Ai. I miss trying to fit in Sham's very busy schedule. I miss chatting with Ain. I miss K.radhi's company and her mean mushroom and chicken in oyster sauce. I miss the sporadic emails and lunches with Adek and Epit. I miss sharing my secrets, thought, insecurities, hopes and dreams with darling Ijah and mek yue. And lately, I've been missing my Erasmus comrades too. Ton, Paras, Lis, Preston and Jun. I wish you all well and I wish you all find whatever it is you're looking for in life.

Jangan sayang sangat

Nanti sakit.

Love like you've never been hurt?

Bull shit.

Resolution

My brain's kinda dead by now. Life has been on halt work wise, for the last 45 days. Funny that when you're working you're dying to be on leave, but when you're on leave it's the other way round. I guess we shall never be satisfied with what we have.

It's probably a little tiny weeny late for a new year resolution. Not that I've been following any for the last 28 years. Bohoooo. Though it does feel good to write them down coz it gives me some ideas on what I want to do coz I usually forget. Better than sitting like a lazy bum for the rest of the year aye? Also, it's good to be sharing them with you guys coz it'll made me turn red if I don't ever get them all done. So be sure to ask me by end of this year. Muehehe.

1. Learn spanish

2. Learn how to read notes and play keyboard

3. Start a Permanent head Damage.

4. A good scholarship.

5. A part-time job

6. Brush up on swimming and play more sports

7. Lose 6kg for good

8. Cut down on sugar, carb and fat. Eat more greens & 5 servings of fruits per day

9. Drink lotsa water

10. Read, listen and watch more

I have a good feeling that I won't get any of it done but what the heck.

On another note, I am still at odds with other Malays in North Shore. I can't seem to find a common ground on how to connect. Half of the ladies are doing their PhD while the other half are stay-at-home-moms. I met one family from my hometown with 4 adorable kids ranging from 2 to 11 years old. I taught them how to swim once and now the mother is thinking of sending them to me on weekly basis. Not that I mind. In fact, I think I would really enjoy their company. Yesterday we played basketball while the other moms were chit-chatting. I wonder what the other moms think of me. Hmmm. Why can't I find people like you girls here???

People have been asking me whether I like this new place called home. You know it's a difficult question for a fickle minded person like me coz the answer varies from time to time. One time I feel bored to death, another time it feels like Nirvana. From time to time it does occur to me that the ETs really do exist and they're doing an excellent job here - abducting people, that is. Sometimes I strain my ears real hard to listen to people's voices but nope, I only get the sound of the wind and on my lucky days, a meowww. A really faint meow from Salwa. Go figure for a country with 4 million people but 40 million sheep.

Life is pretty much a holiday around here. People seem to take their hobbies a tad too serious but it's good coz they've got cool ones like cycling and surfing and yatch-ing and other water sports that I don't even know their names nor existence before I came down here. They even do cycling on one wheel, like wth??? It's the kinda place where you just pat you friend on the back and say "Hey dude, wanna go ride some waves?" when you don't know what else to do. The other day we went to Piha to watch the World Junior Surf Championship. And on another day we went boogie boarding at Omaha after strolling at Matakana which is also known as the slow-food town simply coz they're against the fast food industry. All within 45 minutes from home. 5 minutes and uphill, you can go see some horses and feed them carrots if you feel like it. Believe it or not.

Signing off for now.

With love.

The aftermath

2 hari lepas kawen saya mimpi melawat taman monyet bersama hubby dan makan yong tau foo berharga RM120 segelas. You read that right. The yong tau foo was half full (note how I use half full rather than half empty after marriage.muehehe. Am I making any sense? whateverrrr). It was also presented to us in a glass rather than a bowl, in water rather than soup. Hubby took a look at the price tag, refused politely and paid RM10 as compensation to the hawker for declining the meal. Betapa mulianya suami saya walaupon dalam mimpi. Apekah? Sayang, was that supposed to be our honeymoon? At taman monyet? Why oh why????

As spooky as it may sound, I dreamt of monyet again last night. This time in the form of Avatar. We were watching the trailer for Avatar before we went to bed, hubby thought it was cool and suggested that we go watch it in 3D today. As much as I want to give it a pass, being a good wifey that I am *ahem* I agreed so we'll be having our first movie as man and wife at 5.50pm today at Hoyt Silvia Park. That made me dreamt of a pitch black menace monkey for the whole night. Lucky he was cute though and behaved well towards the end. I can still see his face staring at me even now. Duh.

Okay let's wrap up the monkey business for now.

Marriage has been bliss so far. We are taking things easy so the transition has been quite smooth. Being an amateur cook, I went to bed late the first night that we arrived in Auckland to prepare the spices for nasi lemak and got up earlier than usual to cook our first breakfast here. Poor hubby got up 3 times that night looking for me as he felt bad for leaving me in the kitchen all alone though I insisted that he should be in bed due the long journey that we had earlier that day. Lucky he loved my dish and couldn't thank me enough, so he brought me to this cool German bar at Mission Bay which serves really scrumptious dishes for dinner. We had masak lemak mussels, tomato soup and chips and waddaya know, it was indeed the best mussels and tomato soup I've ever tasted my whole life! Like seriously! The mussels were huge, at least 4 times the size of mussels in Malaysia, fresh, sweet and chunky, the tomato soup was cooked together with cream and cheese and the taste just kinda explode in your mouth. The coolest really! After the slow walk by the beach, darling hubby took me to Parnel to have a taste at the Chocolate Boutique, a small but packed cafe which serves killer chocolate deserts of all kinds. All this for the small effort of nasi lemak? Cool aye? Maybe that's what people say that when you give, you get back so much more.

Signing off for now. Have so much to share but till then, adios!

Thank you girlfriends!

Mon - Raya @hometown
Tues - movies with besties. Two words: Jacob = HOT!
Wed - YTM's award and hen's dinner. Yummylicious!
Thurs - Zzzzz
Fri - Natrah the musical. Thanks peep for the free tix! Gorgeous Remy. *drool*
Sat - hen's & movies. Awesome food. Hail Chillis!
Sun - girls day out. Love u girls to bits.
Mon - ??
Tues - teh tarik session
Wed - hen's. Uber cool band, funny + sentimental dedication, cute headgear, yummy dinner + cake. What more can I ask for? ;D
Thurs - back to hometown
Fri - IJ's solemnization. Cried a tiny bit. She didn't see it though. He he. Congrates dearie!
Sat - IJ's reception. Lucky maid-of-honour? Yours truly, thank you very much.
Sun - wed prep
Mon - Zzzzzz
Tues - farewell lunch
Wed - farewell breakfast

Haven't had much rest for the last couple of weeks. Comrade's coming back to town this coming weekend, fiancee's flying home next Tuesday. I don't need happy pills, for I HAVE BECOME THE PILLS! muehehehe.

Apart from the bulging tummy, life has been swell.

Cheers!

Double celebration for the day!

Alhamdulillah, me and a bunch of others were selected to receive Scholar Excellence Award 2009 from Yayasan Telekom Malaysia. The certificate and gifts were presented by none other than our very own Group CEO Dato' Zam Isa, so hooray for that! Press from various media were also invited to cover the ceremony so it was kinda cool to have both the GCEO and the press together coz it made me feel special and important (poyo). The dude from Harian Metro took my photo and details so I was guessing that he wanted to feature me for the recipient of the Master's degree award but unfortunately I had to leave before he had the chance to do a proper interview as I had training to attend to after lunch. Bummer, else you might see me in tomorrow's edition. Perasan. I am still crossing my fingers for the photo to come out muehehe gile glamour tak aku? 2 kali poyo. Whatever.

I wanted to leave before lunch took place but my tummy was telling me not to so I stayed put and boy, was I glad I did coz lunch was scrumptious! We had meat soup as starters while mains consist of white rice, ikan merah masak lemak cili api, black pepper meat, butter prawn, tofu with soy sauce and chilly asparagus. Left before desert was served, so not only did I miss my favorite portion but also the press conference and teh tarik session with the GCEO which came afterwards. Another bummer.

I guess YTM did not have much to spare as the scholars did not receive any remuneration as we did last time. Few years ago instead of receiving nicely wrapped gifts, we were presented with a simple brown envelope but with RM1k cheque enclosed instead. Cool aye? Furthermore, it was held in Holiday Villa Subang and parents were invited to join the event so it was kinda cool to see how proud they were to see their kids on stage. This time, it was held at Level 50 of Menara TM instead but despite that, all was good and I am greatly thankful for the recognition so again, Alhamdulillah ;)

On another note, met up with SS and SJ at Telawi's for dinner - love the ambience at La Bodega. We did not go for tapas as it was quite pricey for such small portions so each had normal western meal (duh) - cheese burger, roasted and sauteed chicken. There goes my diet but nevertheless thanks SJ for the exquisite meal! Ohh not forgetting SS for coffee and choc cake afterwards, it was awesome! Anyway, haven't met SJ for so long as she was busy with her wedding preparation - hall booking, invitation, house reno and all. Mentang2 la bf belikan duplex condo kat Damansara! I envy you babe! ;p

It has been a good 10 years since I've known them and I am pleased to say that both girls have done me proud. SS is currently working in an internationally recognized oil and gas company while SJ is in the insurance industry. We've been through a lot together and I sincerely hope that this friendship will last a lifetime. I would say lots have changed since the last decade - both have grown into successful, mature adult and I salute you two for becoming the person that you are today! Each is embarking on different challenges and journeys and I wish them the best of luck in all that they do - you two are always in my prayers ;)

Photos to come.

From top to bottom: yummy; yummy; yummy; from YTM, from SS, thanks dearie!