Officemate

I was at the office trying to print out something when somebody knocked on the door...

"come in"
"hi.. hello"
"hello.. yup.. can I help you"
"I'm Suzie, we've never met, but I'm actually your officemate.. I came a few times before but you were not around.. no worries, I only come here once or twice a month", said Suzie, a bubbly Scottish lady.

O my God.. I never knew that I'm actually sharing the office with someone else.. yup I think DD did mentioned last year that I was going to get an officemate.. but until today, I never knew that I was actually sharing the office space with another being. Felt so guilty, my books & stuff are all over the place.. I conquered the whole room without knowing that someone else also have the right to the work space!

So things to note:
do not put your books on the other table
leave some space on the bookshelf for Suzie
keep the office tidy!
(ok ok.. I'll never leave any dirty maggi 'tupperware' & soup mug on the table)

am sleepy.. will wash the maggi tupperware tomorrow...

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People always concern about what I eat.. and they said that I'm not eating enough.. yeap, I know, I'm skinny! I eat heaps but never seem to gain weight!.. so I'll make a point to list out what I eat for the day everytime I blog!... (just incase anyone wants to help me count the calories)
today:
1. Vogel's sunflower seed&barley toast with spread & honey + a mug of milo
2. Rice + bok choi (green vege) with garlic& oyster sauce + sweet&sour tuna
3. Toast & honey (again!) + coffee

Icy drops from the hail storm 

Hail storm

ice pellets on the pavement

I was staring blank at my laptop just now when suddenly a noise louder than the usual pitter patter broke the silence… I peek out the window.. it was not rain, it was hail! Saw this a few times before, but this time the ice balls were bigger and the lawn and pavement outside were all white covered with icy pellets. I’ve never experienced hail back home… the tropical weather is not cold enough to freeze the rain, may be it happen on very rare occasion.. so here, I get excited everytime it hails! Anyway, I am yet to experience ‘hujan emas di negeri orang’ hujan ais ade la!

India Cottage 

Lazy weekend & dine out

curries.. and more curries...

I don't know why it is so hard for me to concentrate on my work this weekend.. I've been enjoying myself too much for the past 30hrs. Had pizza party with the girls and Chai last nite, my treat. As soon as I get home I boiled water to make myself a cup of coffee.. hoping it will keep me awake so I get to do some work.. but I end up falling asleep, and a mug full of coffee sits on the kitchen table till morning!
Tonite Chai treated us at Indian Cottage, one of the few halal restaurants we have here. My first time there, the food & services are good… worth the price I guess…and yup, lucky we got student price for everything above ten bucks! Well, may be I’m already too old to qualify for a student price.. but, I still AM a student!

Homesick

Sometimes things that you came across by accident can actually influence your emotion for days. .. yesterday, I read an old friend's blog, Reality Lane- read her stories about her arwah Tok.. saltwater start to well in my eyes.. suddenly I feel like I'm no longer here.. my my mind is already home.
Then I found her link to Pokku's blog that made her write about her Tok and found a poem 'Baliklah Wok' written in terengganu dialect.. the more i read it, the more drops of tears fell... I long for home.. and until today I'm not fully recovered.. still missing home!

Sayup mengelor anok dok balik
Menyembah sujud pada Mung
Seakang zaman doktong sudah sapok
Seakan zaman gelekek habih doh
Mung duk jauh Mok panggil dekat
Mung duk dekat Mok panggil rapat
Mung duk rapatt Mok sendal
Takmboh bui gogeh
Renungan si Ibu terandeng jauh
Seakang mengelor anok manih
Yang hatinya gelebek sumbing
Ingat air mata yang luroh berjelabok berlembang di lambor
Seakang noknya anok tembor berdecung dari Kuala Lumpor
Biar cokkoh depang mata
Biarlah mung dulu suka mengakas
Sedor sedor le ni senyap tuppas
Sampai gitu mbas menengung
Mok tunggu mu balik raya kappong
Mok tunggu mu jadi bejuruh jangan jadi cakduh
Mok doa' biar jadi manih dok kelat sebbat
Mok doa' lagi hari raya, biar tenang jangan kelecat barat
Rok jelibung mok tebah buat jalang
Takut mung kena pakoh pinggat lari meletang kalang
Nok tengoknya ke mung
Memang dok dang dang
Nok ramah jari mung anok ku anok kesayangan
Hari Raya andainya buleh aku kelor mung
Takut nak jeruwoh takut mung belohok
Bukang mok nak kereta tolok, bukang mok mitok mah setokol
Mok tahu mung makang burger, hotdog
Dulu mu berahi jering, gemo kuih badok
Mok cuba kelor lagi neh
Baliklah Wok baliklah
Hari raya dok baik bekok
Mok terima mung sayang
Salahnya cuma silap belaga buah getoh
Silap sikitnya rebus ubi kayu dok rebus ubi torok
Adik Adik mu tu nye je mung jadi bekok
Hari raya ning baliklah Wok
Mok sorang berlagu pilu sedih
Ayoh mu gi dok royat nok mati
Rasa nok gelekek tadok tepat geli
Raya sama mung dok tau tepat nok gi
Baliklah Wok
Anak anak ku
Kalau mu kenang duana mung tubek
Kalau mu kenang sapa beso ke mung
Kalau mu kenang sapa dia jaga mung jok kecik
Kalau mu kenang macang mana mung boleh baca nulih
Pagi raya ning mung ada cokoh dirumah
Pagi raya ning mung buat air dappor
Pagi raya ning ciung tangang orang tua
Pagi raya ning mitok maaf dengan mok
Pagi raya ning mok dok pernoh berniat nok kehel mung
Hari raya hari berkeluarga, cenderhati termahal
Hadiah paling comel, hamper paling beso
Hari raya, mung semualah paling beso
Anok beranok, warih waroh
(Sajak written & read by Ibrahim Mohd Taib of Ajil, Ulu Terengganu)

Reading Yi-Fu Tuan's human geog writings always made me homesick.. but not as deep as this one.
ok ok.. have to face it.. i can't just keep thinking of home.. go do some work!

the lib on autumn noon 

the autumn leaves 

it aint over till its over..

finally did my presentation today.. some ppl said it was good, but i think it was a total mess! (i think they just say it to make me feel better.. thanks pals) i stumbled with my words, i couldn't find the notes.. i forgot everything that i've memorized earlier and i end up reading whatever thing i have on the power point.. suck!
and as always, I never seem to understand anything that Lien said. was it just me who is so dumb that i still cannot catch up with his kiwi accent... no not really, coz the other girls also said that they can't even figure out what he said. but he seems to be giving out so much ideas on that.. i really need to grasp the kiwiness so i can communicate better with him... note: learn more kiwi accent!

anyway.. it's over.. but there's still tons of work to be done.
i took a break.. went home, called the the girls & chai to come for dinner.. do the thing that i always do when i'm stressed- COOK! spent almost an hour cleaning up the meat.. from last 2 wks' deer slaughter & kenduri we had... i wished the meat could come up clean like the ones u get from butchers... argh.. i never do this meat cleaning job at home.. see mom, one good thing that u let me come here is- I manage to make myself do things never did at home!
I made some 'venison rendang' for the girls & chai. Poor OC, she found the rendang too spicy for her minah saleh taste... managed to force myself to walk to the gym after that.. no, i didn't go there for a workout. I promised Lisa to come and cheer for her volleyball match. Lisa & OC came to give support for my presentation earlier, so I really think I should support her in return.

wanna write more.. but am too tired.. gotta get myself buried in the duvet.. wanted to call home, but that may mean i'll be talking with my eyes closed... so better not.. will talk to you tomorrow mom, not tonite.. your little girl really need to 'shut down' now.

g'nite kiwiland... kiwi kasut, will buy some kiwifruit tomorrow.

the tin shed 

sleepyhead

sleepy...
i'm full.. had dinner.. Lia cooked rice, tomyam & veges, it was good.. much better than my cooking.. had a piece of ice cream cake.. it's Chai's bday.. the girls bought him an icecream cake, they planned everything for a surprise party.. i'm too tied up with things.. just let 'em do it.. and i managed to leave the party CLEAN.. yeah, everyone else had at least some cream on their face/hair/tudung/clothes... Chai had worse- they threw eggs & flour on him! poor bday boy!

last nite OC's parents came.. they cooked dinner 4 us... our guests came & cooked dinner! (aren't we supposed to be the ones who cook 4 them?).. her dad is a chef (so this time, don't expect me to prepare food for a chef!). the food was awesome!
i was reallly full. i made a cup of coffee after they left, trying to stay awake and do my work.. but i end up falling asleep without even have the chance to sip the coffee! .. macam ular sawa kenyang!
OC's parents looks like any conservative parents.. not really the kind that will let the kids 'roam free'... but OC have once told me that her parents actually let her do drugs! the 'permissive' parents in her stories didn't seem to match the cool-normal-conservative-parents I met last nite.

much ado about nothing

my day wasn't really good today.. still have a lot to do with my research proposal. time is running out. .. aiyoo.. stressed!! so guess what do i do everytime i'm down? I cook!! no, not that i'm a good cook.. but i feel better when i get something burning on the stove! regardless of what they will taste like later on!
without even checking out what i have in the fridge, i just called a few friends to come for dinner.. then i manage to pull out some warehou (its a type of fish, i hope i get the name right. it sounds more like warehouse!!), ikan kering (thanks mom for sending me this!), carrot and cabbage from my fridge.. that should be enough for 8 us who eats eats EVERYTHING as long as you call it lauk and eat it with nasik. so far they never complain... what else, makan sajala.. janji dapat makan some malay food!!
after masak nasik i got a call.. Az said somebody is coming over.. this week is the graduation week.. so some datin who owns a restaurant somewhere in KL is here with her daughter and they'll be joining our dinner. i was WHATTT?? a datin cum tokey restoran will come and eat my 'next-to-rubbish-tasting' cooking?? there and then i was chanting "o my god o my god.. what should i serve them.. ", tried to find something better to cook.. but then since i have not been doing my shopping for quite sometime, there's nothing decent to cook!!.. yup.. found some eggs and anchovies.. so i add to my menu- 'egg curry' & 'spicy anchovies'.. aiyoo.. i felt like masak for bakal mak mertua! managed to get em done.. but i have to give credits to those BRAHIM & MAGGI paste. what would i do without them!! hehehe..
the next thing I know, our guests called in to cancel their visit.. so its just me and the other 6.. arghh!!.. buat suspen jer! or may be the girls just trick me by making up that someone is coming, so that i serve them better dinner! hmmm.... i checked the date.. no, its already a week after april fool.

autumn leaves

the falling leaves
drift by the window
the autumn leaves
of red and gold
i see your lips
the summer kisses
the sun burns hand
i used to hold

since you went away
the days grow long
and soon i hear
old winter song
but i miss you most of all
my darling...
when autumn leaves start to fall...

i kept singing this song since the last few days.. this old song taught to me by Mrs Ho Ho Chuen during music class more than a decade ago. I love you Mrs Ho!! eventhough she gave us tons of homework during maths class, i still like her.. and always look forward to her music lessons, where most of the time i sat right behind the piano where she couldn't see me, coz I never seem to be able to memorize the notes for 'recorder' session.. so i just brought a recorder to class.. hold it.. but never blow it!.

but this week, the song is always in my head when i start to see the changing colors of the trees around me.. amazing! call me 'jakun' or whatever.. infact I AM jakun.. this is my 1st autumn experience!