At 2.35am, I was sitting on the sejadah, and felt that my cheeks are wet.

And I know i'm in trouble.

Wednesday. I had a press preview for [REC] in Mid Valley (please read my review in CO site, cuz I'm on my lazy-to-link mode). Then Nad SMSed saying that Yeh's interview at KPMG has just finished and if I want to continue on my mission to go pulangkan trailers cds to office and join them at lunch in IKEA.

So I went to IKEA straight on cuz I realised that the feeder bus was already there while I am too lazy to walk to office with a stinkin heavy laptop. Lunch lunch lunch (gua berjaya habiskan poached salmon AND swedish meatballs... wuuuhuuuu!!!) at IKEA's cafe while finishing on [REC] punya review and sent it for proofing to the office, layan Yeh and Nad borak, while chatting with Zee who still thinks that he's the king and that the world should worship him, and then googling Klinik Pakar Sakit Puan Annur (not for me, gila. For Nad). Then battery went dead on me so we decided to roam.

IKEA is an evil place where it makes you:
1. Wanna have a small apartment when it comes to the 'small-space section' with cool wardrobe and creative space fillers
2. Wanna get married when it comes to comfortable king-sized modernist bed with oh so cozy black and white comforter and dimmed lighting
3. Wanna have kids when it comes to cute nursery rooms and supercool baby crib
4. Wanna be high flying novelist when it comes to great work setting section with huge book rack and state of the art working table

I hate IKEA. It illuminates the aura of 'responsibility'......

Then jalan-jalan kat IKANO until my shoulder ache cuz of my damn heavy lappy, wanting to buy a shirt that say "I'M NOT BOSSY, I JUST HAVE BETTER IDEAS" but it was too aqua for my skin colour so I passed. But then I went to POPULAR and buy meself a crappy novel called "The Ideal Wife" (I'm sick of too many literature-correct stuff. I just need crap reading), and also "Slumdog Millionaire" (because I'm impatient and wanna know what it's all about n the movie lambat nak keluar!!!), and told Nad that I need to buy a bikini, in which Nad ask why and I said "for vacation" and she looked at me with the face that says "Why? You? Bikini? Vacation?"

So I gave her the bikini versus undergarments theory in which 'bikini is easier to wash and dry, and thus works better as undergarments when you're on a vacation' and I can see how lega Nad was that I was not intending to wear it to beaches. Haha.

That was funny. I'm intending to say more weirder stuff in future.
  
Then later on Mun called and said she's joining us. So Nad asked me if it's okay that I return home only later.
"Sure. My parents have no desire to know my whereabouts anymore when I'm with you guys. They don't even care to call and ask why my press preview is still on even when it's already 6pm now."
So after solat maghrib, we went to Kayu Nasi kandar at TESCO and have dinner. Then baliks...

Notes:

1. Ugh, need to change caller ringtone before Zulkifli make any more comment about my current caller ringtone and how the Prime Minister would cancel his plan of employing me if he calls and hear that ringtone. Yeah, I bet Pak Lah will call me anytime soon and offer me - the daughter of a member of opposition since 1979 - a job.
What's wrong with Jay Chou? I loveD Jay Chou. I once intend to marry him, until I realised that Linkou and Shah Alam is too far away, and that I don't look like Patty Hou. 

2. I decided I would just terminate my other blog. It has no challenge. I'm bored stiff with it.

3. I thought of continue writing, but then I ended up chatting with Maria until 2.30am. And translate my resume cuz Puan Zaiton said that DBP nak pakai orang. The question is, do I WANT to work in DBP? Hmm...

4. Mun also has a crush on Surenthar, who is of course, the most charismatic Indian guy I've ever met. Haha. Seriously, Surenthar is cool... not like Rajnikanth "Une yazhi thani yazhi" cool. But... just... oh you have to meet him to know. 

In a week of my life - perbualan merepek, giving advice, accepting advice, dan sebagainya. 

"Die camni. Bile ko sedih, ko decide. bile ko rase hepi tetibe ko akan rase nak tarik decision tu. Biasela. Dia cam ade angel ngan setan kat bahu ko... whispering uncertainty."

"Tsk, so not good of me. But since i'm all 'pious and proper' now, i will give that satanic attitude to you. Haha."
"Hehehe. Proper my butt."
"I dunno if ur butt is proper or not. But mine is. Ahahahahah."
"Hey hey hye, my ass is so proper it can...erm, sit properly.*bluek*. Beat that."
"My butt is so proper, it can spell 'proper'......... why are we discussing butts again?"
"I have nooooo idea. Hahaha. Look whos supposedly proper now. I tot proper ppl don't talk about ass. Ne ne ne bu bu *points thumb at you* (the proper polite way of pointing) lol."
"Shit swee! I'm a good person."
"Whoaaaa. Chekkidout. "shit". You contradict yourself in so many ways man. Haha."
"That's it. One more word from you Imma quit msn altogether so i can go on my mission to be proper."
"HAHAHA."

"Nape aku kene lecture ko?"
"Sile bagitau aku yg lain kali kalau die buat lagi speech pasal nak berubah, sile jangan aku tertipu lagi n nak menolong, sbb ianya sgt wasting time, energy n kesabaran."
"Ok, sile jgn tertipu lagi dgn die kalau die buat lagi speech pasal nak berubah. and takyah dah nak tolong die ok, sbb ianya sgt wasting time, energy dan kesabaran!!"
"Ahahahahaha, bagusla ko nih"
"Sebenanye ko dah lecture diri ko sendiri."
"Yela, aku mmg pandai lecture diri sendiri, pastu nanti aku tertipu lagi."
"Ko jangan jadi mcm tipah yg dlm lagu tipah tetipu tu..kalau jadi latipah mak ko takpe ok."

"Ko tau semalam aku hampir di hempap pagar rumah aku yg seberat 1 tan aku rasa. Aku sempat menahan dia dr jatuh sebelum aku tergelincir ke belakang dan tersembab atas lantai. Tp impact dia ya rabbi semua tempat sakit. Ahahahha."
"Apatah lagi kat bahagian yg dah sememangnya sakit tu ye?"
"Cara jatuhnya agak kelaka. Tersembam tak kena belakang."
"Oh. Bahagian tu safe la. Tuhan tu Maha Adil. =P"
"Tapi pinggang aku cramp kejap semalam. A'ah, bagi sakit dpn pulak. ahahahha."
"Eh 'balance' pe. Islam kan is all about justice and equality. Ahahahahaha."

"I must stop being cuss friendly. Cuz I'm meeting someone tomorrow."
"Oooooh, is it the Thai hottie?"
"Do you think my life revolves around the Thai hottie je ke?"

"Eh, kenapa dulu kite suke tgk citer Sepet ah? tadi aku tgk macam tak best pon. Adekah otak kite dah berkembang pesat? Atau otak aku semakin menurun?"
"Mungkin sebab masa tu kita tgh dahagakan filem malaysia yg berkualiti. Ataupun sbb budak tu minat takeshi kaneshiro. Ahahahahahah."
"Hum, adekah aku minat Takeshi Kaneshiro secara tersirat? Tapi aku rase aku minat Takeshi Sorimachi."

"Kadang-kadang aku rase dia nak suruh aku blah je dari hidup die, tapi dia tanak cakap, so dia asik sakitkan hati aku."
"Ataupun, dia nak ko blah, tapi dalam masa yang sama dia taknak ko blah jugak."
"Apesal plak camtu?"
"Mana aku nak tau what lurks in the heart of men."
"Eh, ape kate aku blah je? Malasla aku nak paham. Ko rase cane?"
"Ko buatla keputusan yang tak menyakitkan hati ko in the end. Itu jela."
"Oh, ko memang geniusla. Ngehehe."
"Aku ni bab memecah-belahkan hubungan orang lain memang aku pandai."

"Pakcik Shafril bagi duit kat ayah? Pakcik Shafril ni bagus betulla, mana nak jumpa kawan yang nak bagi kawan die RM100 macam tu je tanpa sebab. Nak kawan dengan Pakcik Shafril jugaklah."
"Kawin dengan anak dia la. Jadi menantu. Hidup senang. Ada banyak kedai, boleh manage kedai2 dia."
"Taknak."
"Kan ayah, kan?"
"Apa dia?"
"Berbesan dengan Shafril."
"Ha'a ye, silelah masukkan doktrin2 dan idea merepek tu dalam otak ayah tu ye?"

"Kat sini ada chocolate ngan chilli"
"Euw, sedap ke?"
"Tak masuk langsung rasa. amat tak sedap."
"Tula, manis dengan pedas, tak ke cam merepek. Mungkin die rase kreatif kot."
"Rasa menjengkelkan ada ah."
"Aku rase kan, Sani, mungkin they're going for that. "It's hot, and annoying", iklan dia."
"Berjaya ah diaorang. Aku end up bagi coklat tu kat kengkawan aku, just nak tgk reaction."
"Kawan2 yg ko benci ke? Ahahaha, macam satu hadiah yg sesuai utk dibagi kat musuh je."
"Semua akur je, coklat tu menjengkelkan."
"Macam mende yg don corleone patut bagi kat banzini."
"Corleone tu cool gila do. Kalau aku leh cakap cam dia, mulut tak nak bukak, jaw kasi muncung sikit."

*Berenti jap kot. Nak cover balik blog lagi satu yg aku tutup arituh, and janji dengan Mun untuk update "EMMA" in the other blog. Damn, I got too many blogs.

MELAYAN BUDAK2 MAIN MASAK2
(note Shazni and Shazrina's 'secret recipe' and Ejal's attempt to jumpstart the tv by plugging wires into the bed.)

The problem of having cats is that they are VERY curious. Every sound are considered threatening noise, and everything that moves are food. Every crevices seem to hold a gateway to a land of mystery, and every weird looking thing are considered a target for a pre-emptive strike.

Or at least that's what MY cats think. Take Phibun for example - the most curious cat of the bunch. Upon hearing the sound of a ringing phone, he will absolutely run towards it, climb the chair to get to the phone. And not until you actually answer the call, he'll be mewing his heart off like saying "Miss, the phone's ringing! The phone's ringing! The goddamn phone IS RINGING!!!"
(as I am typing this, I am also shouting at Phibun and Kapo to get down from my book rack).
And don't get me started on Phibun's habit of following me to the room. I always go up to my room as soon as the clock strike twelve (am, that is). And he NEVER fails to follow even when... excuse me for a while, I need to smack the head of a stubborn cat that is still playing with the ribbon of my dress....

Where was I? Oh yeah, he never fails to follow me up to my room and then disturb me. Let me tell you. I love my cats. They're a good companion when you're out of ideas on what to write because then they'll sit next to you like a loyal friend and looked at you as if saying, "You're having a writer's block eyh, miss?" But sometimes there are times when they turn all crayyyyyzey that you will end up throwing them out of the room and lock the door.

Like the fact that Phibun's idea of playtime is when I was praying. He thinks that biting my leg or my kain telekung when I ruku' seems to be the best, or lying down and making a cute face when I am ready to sujud is cool, or the worst of all... during tahiyat awal, he seems to think I was sitting down to pet him, so he would approach me and sit on my lap. Not only that, he'll sit up straight, look into my eyes and ping!.. just touch my nose with his paw. Usually, that's how he was thrown out from the room, but not before I ask him to say 'amen' to all my doa. I was like, "For all the demonic stuff you're doing while I was praying you better ask God to grant my wishes, you stupid crusade-like creature."

And then there's the fact that he likes to disturb me while I am chatting with my friends. If I was chatting with you and suddenly I was saying "No, I think thatlkmnbhgfds..." Well, that's not me, that's Phibun trying to walk on my laptop.

I love my cats. Especially since they drove away all pests - rodents, lizards, and roaches. Some people may adopt cats just for the sake of adopting animals, or that they love cats. But in my family, you have to earn your way into the house. Ha.

In another note,
1. Finally I cannot access to my CO email. Took them quite a while to terminate my account, huh? Isn't that cute? That's like what linked me to the office other than my MSN. I still use my MSN, so Swee can pour her occasional 'crap die die die' heart out.

2. Why people think it's fun trying to convey a message to me by NOT verbally communicating them? I mean, I'm a writer, not a mindreader.

3. A certain someone in my flixter that I don't know kept sending me messages like, "Whatcha doing, baby?" "How are you, baby gurl?" and then one day got pissed off when I never replied and ask me what's wrong. YOU are asking ME what's wrong? I'm not the one calling a dancing animation avatar nickname such as 'baby'. 

4. My guilty pleasures includes listening to Miley Cyrus' "7 Things" song. Yeah yeah, laugh all you want. But that is a very catchy song, and the lyrics is just very straightforward.

5. I kept having weird dreams involving talking parrots, creepy white-faced ghosts that grin at me wherever I go, buying gifts at MPH, masjid Shah Alam painted green, making a cake out of cat food and getting married through MSN... all in a same dream. I used to want to decode its meaning, but nowadays I'm just too lazy to care. But I like telling it to people, because they say that my dreams are usually more fun and wacky and Twilight Zone-ish than my real life. Pfft.    

6. Me and Iza were in PEACE boutique when the radio blares out Pussycat Doll's "I Hate This part" song. The song goes, "I gotta do it! I gotta do it! I gotta do it! I gotta do it!!!" and me and Iza went "Ada duit pun nak bising..."

You see, I have issues with the RM20 per international movie thing yang dah jadi isu basi tu. But not in the 'oh-shit-why-I-must-pay-RM20-per-movie-boohoo' type of issue. It's just, the people that surrounds the whole RM20 ladida. You know how some of these industry players kept talking about how we must support the local film industry? Yeah, seriously, I do believe some of them tak layak langsung to say that.

The thing about whether or not local films are going under, is not because of us. I mean, why blame us, when you keep bringing in movies from the outside? Okay, so I can't blame FOX, or BVI... because it's an MNC kind of thing. People wanna watch Hollywood shits. I am even okay with distributors bringing in Asian movies of good quality. "Ada Apa Dengan Cinta", "Janji Joni", yeah, they're good movies. But what's with those crap?

That shit called 'BURN', for example. Or 'Beranak Dalam Kubur'. Or 'Sundel Bolong' and those crappy weird Philippines' horror with Rica Paralejo as the main cast. "KM31", "Catwoman", any Uwe Boll directed films... Cinemagoers are weird people. They like to watch things that are from Hollywood and other countries because people like Z. Lokman and Razak Mohaideen just proved them time and time again that Malay movies can be a total piece of dogpoos (though sometimes it is also because some cinemagoers are damn dumb people who worship Hollywood no matter if it's just a movie about dogs). International distributor is one thing. But when local distributors too are bringing outside films to Malaysia, can you really blame the audiences? Really?

And come on, it's all about profit. Wherever you go, the fact of the matter is money is important. Come to think of it, some directors kept their mouth shut when they're winning, when their movies get mils. It's when they are hit with massive loss that they start to do all this 'Malaysians need to support local industry' speech. I mean, yes, some of them should be concern and have the right to be all holier than thou about it. Professor Dr Hatta Azad Khan, or Mamat Khalid, James Lee, Subash, Liew Seng Tat, Osman Ali... people who make good films that accentuate the art side of the films. Who would think about the quality above commercialism. THEY have the right to call us morons who watch craps. Other directors who make crap can't say the same thing.

It's the same with me being a novelist. I don't have the right to criticise people's choice of reading materials when I know I am just a pop novelist. I know I write crap. But people like Azizi Abdullah and Faisal Tehrani can say this. They can criticise because they are the people who do quality over commercial content. Let's not be hypocritical, if I were to criticise, it's not because I am concerned about people reading crap, it's just because people don't read my crap, and that I'm a jealous bitch! Ha. Cuz the truth is, I have been in that place where the quality of my writing is ignored and considered rubbish just because they are not profittable.

Ergo, in any business world, if you're not profittable, quality is not of essence. Stop putting the blame on us.

In another note:
   
Pakai tali pinggang keledar for backseat passengers are one of the most STUPIDEST idea in the history of stupid rules. I really wanna know who started the idea so I can kick his/her head. Yeah, to avoid from terpelanting keluar bila eksiden ye? How about an accident that involves tersekat di belakang and then car bursting in flames? Would imprisoning yourself with seatbelt help? How about people with lots of kids. If they got five children and only three backseat seatbelts, what would happen to the other two? Put them in the bunk? The thing is, death is inevitable. If you're going to die, you will still die albeit wearing the most secure outfit in the world. Dumb JPJ. Dumb government for executing that dumb rule. And here I thought boarding schools are the ones with stupid rules, like no chewing gum, or no use of iron except for Sundays.

I was buying slurpee in 7/11 when I realised that a pack of condoms are sold at only RM3.90. Wow, sex ARE cheap...

I do think it's funny that people who believe in premarital sex kept condemning prostitutes. I mean, you go on a date with a guy you just knew, ended up getting laid and the next day the guy don't call back. Dat's good? You know, prostitutes at least get money in the end. 

Israel believed that THEY are the real victim of 60 years of terrorism and the US conform to this. I don't mean to say you're stupid if you believe in this, but, seriously, Israelis population is still a lot more than Palestinians after this '60 years of terrorism', and they have nukes while Palestinians only throw rocks at them. Is THAT a victimised state? Come on, in 1948, it's not the Israelis who were raped, killed and victimised and was kicked from their land by the Brits. Anybody wanna throw a shoe at Ehud Olmert? Anybody?

At PEACE boutique as I was paying for a dress, the tauke smiled at me and said, "If you bought items more than RM100, we'll give you a mystery gift."
........................ yearright. Who am I? Becky Bloomwood?

a) Upon realising that Iza's on brreak and already home from Oz, I called her and gave her my piece of mind, "Kurang hajar ko Iza, balik tak bagitau! *Toot* punya *Toot* budak *Toot* Iza ni. Sekali aku *Toot*.. eyh, *Toot* betul."
You owe me a Kenny Rogers. A 6 months supply of Kenny Rogers, come to think of it.

b) Do NOT make stupid request like "Kopi Dangdut" song for a karaoke at someone's house when the host is your aunt who will go the extra mile to make you sing it. ALSO, do not berlagak that gelek gerudi is just a walk in the park when you know you ain't gonna do it anyway.  

c) I was cleaning up the rest of my stuff (dah berenti keje 2 minggu, Shai. Baru nak kemas, ye?) when I realised I accidentally brought home trailer cds for "Angus Thongs" and "Burn". Daymit.
Do NOT put office stuff together with a bunch of your Royskopp albums. I'll deal with those later. In the words of Scarlett O Hara, "I'll think about it tomorrow". Those cds are not important, right?...................... Right?


Let's talk about Item B
So, it all started with Aying saying "Jom pegi umah makcik."
"Kenapa?"
"Saja-saja."
Then Nad called, and told me that her tudung stock dah habis and so I said, since I'm going to my aunt's place in Pinggiran Putra this saturday, might as well she would come that day. After agreeing, I called my aunt and told her that we're coming to her house, saja-saja and plus, it's her birthday too. But my sister pergi pulak buat request nak makan macaroni la, ape la.
"It's my birthday and you want ME to cook?"
"Okayla, cuz then Syahida will bake a chocolate moist cake for your birthday."
(This is the problem with my sister. Being a lawyer, she thinks she can strike a deal without needing to consent me if I would like to make a chocolate moist cake or not. Oh well, nasib baik senang nak buat.)

Then I made the wrongest move by putting in my facebook profile this status update:


Forgetting the fact that BOTH makcik and paklong - two karaoke champs in the family DO have their own facebook, and read that status update, the whole 'saje-saje nak pergi umah makcik' turned into a "BIRTHDAY AND KARAOKE" event. Maklang came with kuih talam satu dulang (ha), mum bring nasi goreng, paklong bought three buckets of KFC, I baked a chocolate moist cake and so it goes.

Thanks to my big mouth that said that "Kopi Dangdut" and gelek gerudi is easy.

But when makcik called paklong and asked him to come over for karaoke against the Kamarudin's children (kitorang la tu), he said;
"Ellleh, setakat lawyer buruk (kaklong), technician (Aying) dengan penganggur kreatif (yours truly) tu, Amalik tak heranla...."
So it turns from normal karaoke session into a competition:
Intan Mawarni, lawyer & partner of Azlin Shaharbi & Associates
Adlil Khaliq, clerk of MIDA
Nurul Syahida, freelance writer & novelist
AGAINST
Siti Maisarah Abdul Wahab, fulltime housewife and ex-secretary in IBM
Dato' Dr Raja Malik Raja Mohamed, of Global IT Services merangkap Presiden MNCC
Ramlah Abdul Wahab, surirumah sepenuh masa, dan pakar kuih talam

Daym... let me tell you one thing. There's a reason I am a monotonous person who would shake my head when a microphone comes my way. Because I don't want to start. I have an inner karaoke demon I wish not to be unleashed... so as other demons inside me that I thought of unleashing only after:
a) I'm married;
b) I have kids and/or;
c) never to be unleashed till the day I died.
But then paklong kinda drop the mic on my lap and make me sing Melly-Kris' "CINTA", and then move on to "Awan yang Terpilu" to.... what did I sang later on actually? I don't remember, but my relatives were shocked cuz I sang a jiwang song and also did a Ning Baizura improv.

Oh, come on, I can sing 'Jablay' if I want to. I just don't. Hahahahahaha... berlagak pulak. My uncle didn't wanna go home, and accused us of making him sing all night long. I can't put up the vids of him singing "Ekspres Rakyat" dengan penuh perasaan nor makcik's rendition of "Always" here cuz they threaten to put mine in facebook. So it's 0-0. After lots of karaoke, changing Ejal's diaper, layan budak2 kecik main masak2, sepinggan macaroni, nasi goreng, chocolate moist cake, KFC, kuih talam and pengat and jadi despatch sementara between Nadyeh & my relatives, kitorang pun baleyk...

Makcik also put all the blame on me for influencing her to buy all those tudung from Nad & Yeh nellyshop business. Hahaha....

Next stop, Kenirojesing with Iza and Zamel (seriously, I need to stop going out with friends while they're with their boyfriend/ husband/ future boyfriend/ future husband... rasa macam mengganggu ketenteraman percintaan orang lain... ahahaha...). Then kursus dengan Nad, and then lepak dengan Chaq.

Anybody else bored? Call me. Hahahahahaha.... (nampaknya Shai telah melupakan the fact dia ada dua deadline dan hutang review 'Le Febbre' dengan CO)

Pictures say it all. These are among the activities sepanjang 2008 (excluding stuff like numerous occasion to FINAS or GSC... or that sad excuse called Impak Maksima The Musical). Nampak tak kemalasan nak susun gambar?

1. March 08 - Second shooting location I visited after 'STAMP'. This wud be Apek's "Dia Datang" with Kak Mai, Wahi & Cammy at SS17. Under marketing position.
2. March 08 - COET Futsal Day Out. Pic of me with Naya. Two most sopan santun players who kept apologising when bumping with each other.

3. May 08 - Birthday @ ofc. I think it was Gracie, Arfah, Zim and Wahi's bday
4. June 08 - 2 day set visit for movie "GENTAYANGAN" in Melaka & border Johor with Kak Mai, Wahi, and Jackie the intern.

5. June 08 - 3 days Bandung trip with kaklong's offfice and mum. 3 days in Bandung is NEVER enough. You need a week to swallow everything, man.
6. July 08 - Watching teater musical P.Ramlee with Masni, Jis, Iza and Fariz at Istana Budaya. Good show. My skirt got stuck at the escalator in KLCC later on, while Jis screamed her heart out at the sight cuz we all know what would happen if the escalator rip it apart. Phew, near fatal.

7. Aug 08 - 'Hawa's wedding' and 'Kuantan Jalan2 Carik' Penyakit trip with Mun and Lan. Mandi laut di Teluk Chempedak, lepak kat air terjun Sg Pandan, crash Lan's relatives' house dengan tak malunya, Mun 'hospitalised' for allergy to seafood, to returning home smellin like a stinkin fish, 'twas the best.
8. Aug 08 - "ESTET" set visit in Kuala Kangsar. Soffi Jikan, Mamat Khalid & David Arumugam - perfect combination. The best work-based trip ever, though I forced myself the durians.

9. Sept 08 - Majlis Berbuka Puasa MIG at Lemon Restaurant, Mines. CO staff crash the place, like always.
10. Oct 08 - Graduation photography session with Jis and Masni at Fariz's studio in Sect.9 bersempena of Jis' convocation.

11.Oct 08 - Hari Raya Idul Fitr at Kg Mertang Negeri Sembilan with the whole suku selemak minang clan.
12.Oct 08 - "High School Musical 3" bash and premiere. Went there with Maria, Adam, their sister and Swee. 2 bosses included. Babysitting Cinnamon too. Hmm... I did not remember writing any news nor review for this. Did you do all of them, Swee? Oh yeah, that's the boss behind me, pretending to be a plane.

13.Oct 08 - Liliee & Ika's birthday at Bangi.
14.Oct 08 - MBO Terminal 2 Seremban launching. Babysitting stuffy Cinnamon (again). This is me, punching the little thing to stay still at the big number 3. The thought of losing that thing always scares us. Bos antar balik sampai depan umah. Bagus majikan-majikan zaman sekarang. Ahaha.
15.Nov 08 - Lunch at IZZI. Just got back from GSC HQ for that EU Film Festival thingy, still a bit blurry. Was a bit moody that week for the whole Alang accident-amputated hand + career issue + long lecture by the chief about work + relationship brouhahas, also the day I decided in the car that i would give myself another try before I sorted my priorities a month later. Didn't even finish my fetuccini tho I LOVE fetuccinis. By the way, this is the ed team - Wahidumyass, Sweeweewee and Especkiel. Hey, why am I not in this picture? Oh yeah, I took em.

16.Nov 08 - Trip to Melaka with Tim and Mun. Bought myself a keris (haha, letter opener that turned into a weapon i kept in my handbag), two tudung, pistol lastik kayu, menatang untuk urut belakang, wajik, dodol.... ugh, Melaka is an evil cenderamata state. Had to restrain myself from buying the stuffed snake thingy.   
17.Nov 08 - "TWILIGHT" screening. Macam perjumpaan staff CO plak... but because of that I had the greatest time.

18.Nov 08 - "Histeria" Gala Premiere. Went there with Maria and Adam but can't stay long cuz got no transport to balik if later than 11pm. Liyana Jasmay sure wears a lot of make-up cuz I didn't realise that the girl I snap some pic of was actually her. The first time I told Maria I think I am not cut out for the entertainment industry and she supported my resignation 100%. Hahaha. Adeh.
19.Dec 08 - Lepak with friends at dataran Shah Alam, as the last meeting before Tim return to Sabah. Damn you gomen, hantar kawan aku mengajar jauh2!!!

Upon telling Swee about Maria's new image bertudung, she said, "Maybe that is Maria's new year resolution - to wear one. YOU, on the other hand, must make a resolution to remove it."
Haha. Verrrrrry funny. Nice try. Pull a .22 on my head, maybe I'll think about it.

YM-ing bila sepatutnya sedang bekerja
Abd Sani Bin Abd Jalal: kalau ym on ni, susah nak buat kerja
shai laden: haha. tulah, tp die ade otak nak keje ngan otak nak slack off
Abd Sani Bin Abd Jalal: multitasking tu
shai laden: btul btul. dia menguji ketahanan minda seseorang untuk bekerja dan berborak dalam masa yg sama. hanya org2 terpilih je yang boleh melakukannya
Abd Sani Bin Abd Jalal: adakah anda orang itu? soalan yang perlu ditanya kepada diri sendiri
shai laden: ya, saya percaya, hanya dengan usaha yang sungguh2 untuk bermain dan bekerja, keseimbangan itu boleh tercapai dan saya, akan menjadi di antara org yg terpilih itu
Abd Sani Bin Abd Jalal: hahaha. bagus. optimis!

(Been watching "30 ROCK" for 6 hours nonstop. Every time I blink now I can see Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin in my head)

There's a thing about my publisher. When they can't remember the writer's name, they will call us by the title of our book (because there are lots of us under Buku Prima) like, "Ada apa-apa soalan Cinta Terakhir?", or "Kita ada Salju Kasih bersama kita juga hari ni.". Luckily enough, my editors and my GM remember my name, so it ain't too often that they call me by my book title. But still, it's kinda cute, because suddenly when they suddenly forgot my name, they ended up calling me,
"Meh sini, Plain Jane."

Next time, I wanna have my book title something like, "Gadis Jelita" or "Kau Sungguh Genius." atau "Perempuan yang seiras Aishwarya Rai."
Wouldn't that be fun, to be called that when suddenly Kak Sharah forgot my name? Haha.

---

As I commented on Ema's blog once upon a full moon:

"Happiness is when your heart is full but your soul is empty. Satisfaction is when your soul is full but your heart is empty. Success is when you are both happy and satisfied."

In 2009, I will stop waiting for anything. BRRRRRING IT ON!

P/s: It's 2009, blogdrive. Why don't you make 'be a better blog provider with less sourcing issue' your new year resolution, eyh?

"30 ROCK" Marathon. I soo love you, Star World...

Went to the office yesterday. Overall:
1. Answer Kak Mai's inquiries about sinema melayu - CHECKED
2. Pulangkan every single stuff rented from Zee - CHECKED
3. Collect claim - Kak ANI was on EL. No worries, she'll bank in the monay, so I need not berulang ke ofis again.

Then Kak Mai ajak gi 'berpoye2' (gi lunch je pun) to SAJI. Lepas tu balik. Grace is thinking of doing that contest with blogger thingy with my blog, so we'll see how that will turn out. I realised one thing though. I really AM painstakingly bored. As I was talking to Maria, I realised that I knew Ariel will be holding a BBQ party, and Veron is going to Perak without needing Maria telling me all of this... and then also while chatting with Grace, I was like, "No, actually he went from 'single' to 'in a relationship'...." and thought to myself, SERIOUSLY, I seem to read every single post on Facebook. I really AM without a life!

Maria was like, "You're here for your claim?"
"No, I'm here to accompany the guy there (memuncung ke arah si Zulkifli yg sedang khusyuk membuat kerja tanpa menyedari dirinya diumpat di belakang). Kesiaaan dia, all alone typing away."
*Double Snorts*

But I was sleepy the whole time, actually. So balik tu, after chatting a while with Mun about whether or not she'll go to Nellyshop booth this New Year, I fell into a coma. Serious ngantuk. Spent the whole night chatting with Sani the night before. This, I have to remind myself. Next time, if he wants to chat, he has to follow MY GMT. Not Germany's time frame. From talking about writing to the subject of genocide ("Terpengaruh dengan the local culture" alasannya, when I question his 'genocide' answer to everything...), and to discussing about the quality of scripts in TV series and films, by the time he signed off I realised it was 6.30am and I haven't written anything. Padehal elok je dia kat sana baru nak malam.

Dammit. (my neighbours must be quite pissed off with me anyway, laughing like hell malam-malam buta). He will return to Malaysia in 2009 by the way. "Penat mengHeidi-Klumkan diri..." katanya. Good. I'm bored. I need lots of people around. Hahaha.

Aku ngantuk lagi. Bacalah syarahan panjang bapak aku ni, yang telah aku taip sepanjang dia bercerita dengan si Aying.... good stuff (and it all started with Aying asking about Fattah and Hamas).

"Masa tahun 1967, orang-orang Israel pilih untuk ikut jalan yang ada berpuluh ribu tentera Mesir di Terusan Suez, tapi tak berdepan dengan bahagian atas, yang cuma ada berapa ribu tentera Islam yang lain. Bila orang tanya kenapa, jawab Israel, puluh ribuan tentera Mesir tu orang-orang Islam yang sekular, Tapi yang orang-orang islam yang sikit atas tu, tentera Ikhwanul Muslimin. Nampak tak beza dia? Yang berpuluh ribu tu golongan orang yang berperang tapi takut mati. Dia tak sama dengan Ikhwanul Muslimin yang berperang atas nama jihad. Israel lagi takut pada yang ada di atas gunung tu.

Kenapa dia tak takut sekarang? Sebab orang Islam sekarang takut mati. Dah terlampau sekular. Tapi kematian ni, bila-bila masa pun akan datang. Duduk rumah diam-diam pun kalau tiba waktu mati, akan mati jugak. Sebab tu yang diorang takut sangat dengan osama bin Laden. Ikut logik, apa yang Osama boleh buat? Dia cuma lelaki biasa yang ke sana-sini dengan tongkat. Tapi apa yang bezanya dia dengan orang lain? Sebab dia tak takut mati.

Keamanan tu, ertinya dia kena merintah ikut hukum Islam, dengan amanah dan adil. Bila dia buat tu semua, maka Tuhan akan jamin keamanan dan kesejahteraan. Kalau orang hebat sekalipun, kalau Tuhan nak bagi bala... macam dulu-dulu, bukan tak hebat. Atlantis lebih hebat dari New York. Tapi ada lagi Atlantis? Bandar Sa'dum? Dah diterbalikkan. Jadi, macam padang pasir Arab tu, Tuhan letak Siti Hajar, ikut logik biasa boleh ke hidup? Takda air takde pokok. Tapi siapa nak tahu kuasa Tuhan. Cucuk je keluar air zamzam. Orang sampai sekarang pelik, macam mana air zamzam kat tengah padang pasir tu sampai sekarang tak kering-kering. Air perigi pun boleh kering.

Kalaau babi tu haram, kenapa Tuhan cipta babi, orang tanya. kalau Tuhan tak cipta babi, macam mana kau nak tahu dia haram ke tak? Kan? (we all laugh) Kita ada tangan kanan dan tangan kiri. Tapi kalau Tuhan cipta tangan kanan aje, mana kita tahu ada kiri? Macam tulah kita belajar. Sebab tu ada aman damai, dan ada perang. Ada lelaki dan ada perempuan. Kalau semuanya indah, manusia ni tak belajar apa-apa, hidup jahil aje.

Islam diajar untuk berjihad. Sebab tu bila ditindas, dia melawan. Kalau orang lain, bila kena tindas, dia senyap. Ni yang Orang Barat tak faham. Macam dekat negara mana tuh, orang-orangnya tak melawan, sebab tu pemimpin dia jadi diktator. Orang Belanda tak memberontak atas kerajaan Belanda contohnya. Tapi bila Belanda menindas orang Islam, dia lawan balik. Sebab tu banyak kumpulan. Macam Hizbullah, Ikhwanul Muslimin. Sebab dah diajar, 'sabar tu ada batasnya'.    

Diktator ni, lawannya mesti orang yang tak takut mati. Macam Batista dulu. Dia diktator dan dibenci rakyat Cuba. Sebab tu lelaki bernama Castro ni masuk hutan dan jadi guerilla untuk lawan Batista ni. "

Actually ikut cerita sebenar, adalah dalam dua jam. Aku tak larat nak taip.

Oh, I forgot one thing I need to do next year.

Change my ringtone, my SMS tone and my caller ringtone. Seriously, I have been using Mr Darcy's voice for my SMS tone for what? 3 years now? I've been using Jay Chou's "Twilight Chapter 7" for both my ringtone and caller ringtone for 2 years.

Seriously, I nearly able to do a Jay Chou rap by now...

I was watching the TV and saw this one skin care ad featuring Shila - you know, daughter of N.D. Lala who nearly won One in a Million Season 2 if she didn't sing that awful "Oops I Did it Again" again... (I mean, didn't you realise the word 'oops' in that song is subliminally telling you to NOT do it again?). Which makes me think, why the hell all girls in tv commercial spoke in that annoying cutesy voice nowadays?

Last time I watch a KOTEX ad featuring the three girls from "Kisah Kaisara", I almost threw up from the giddiness. Is it a new trend now? To speak like babies? I mean, what's wrong with saying things like, "Sekarang saya rasa lebih berkeyakinan" and give that hundred million dollar smile, rather than wiggle your shoulder, arch your back, give a puppy dog eye and say;
"Shekarrrhang, shaya rhasshe lebey berrhkyakinahn." (add annoying giggle at the end)

Like what Sophia Ridza said in that Korean talkshow, "It's becoming, for Koreans and Japanese girls to be all cutesy. If Malaysians do that, people will look at you weirdly." Like I said before, it isn't wrong to be cute. But not all the time. And moreover, if you are a Malay who speaks Malay 24/7, why the hell do you have to be all slang-ey? I have friends who have a bit of slangs, and that's because they are english speaking people since toddlers. But to have entah minah mana yang baru datang KL all prim and proper suddenly turned into babies and substitute their 'S' with an "Sh" and Perakian 'R' with American 'Rrh' just makes me wanna slap em. For God sake, if you wanna do that act in front of your boyfriend, please. Do. Whatever.

Do NOT try to be all that in front of me.   

But kudos for Silkygirl's new product... that whatsitname fairness cream. I'm not talking about its cheap price of RM1.99. I'm talking about how they advertise that thing. Showing women of all colours and said that all colours are beautiful, BUT if one wants to be fairer, they have a product for that. It's nice and subtle, instead of Fairever and Fair & Lovely's rude and mocking advertisement where they use words like, "Kini anda boleh mengubah masa depan", as if being dark skinned is a ticket to damnation and the only way to live life is to be fairer.

Yes. I admit. I was extremely disturbed and disgusted by it (the 'kini anda boleh mengubah masa depan' slogan). And so are millions of other dark-skinned women out there. Face it, even Condoleezza Rice would feel the same way, though I hate her from the deepest pits of my soul. 

Dialogue of the Day
Shai : Anybody remembered how that Raj Kapoor movie "Mera Naam Joker" ended?
Aying : He was kicked by Batman.
Shai :  ........................You wanna know how a kick feels like?