fate...

I was listening to a song by Westlife, called The Dance, when I suddenly thought of my pakcik. Part of the song's lyric goes like this:

And now I'm glad I didn't know

The way it all would end, the way it all would go

Our lives are better left to chance

I could have missed the pain

But I'd have to miss the dance

You see, my pakcik went along with my parents to go umrah recently. He was over the moon, overjoyed to get the chance to visit the Ka'abah; he even took initiatives to jog before going to get his stamina up. By Allah's will, a few days after he returned back from umrah, his wife passed away. It got me thinking.... if he knew his wife would be going away soon, would he have gone on the trip (the trip that had made him so happy)? Or would he had stayed and be with her during the last weeks of her life?

But alas...we're merely human and knows not of our fate. Reading La Tahzan, it stresses that we should never even question 'if this or this happen'... as everyhing is predetermined, and all we can do is be patient.

As a lesson for myself.... never take things for granted, appreciate everything, live life to the fullest, but always remember death. You could be so happy one day, but you never know whether you would still be alive the next day.

May Allah bless her. Al-Fatihah...

Join me at Goodreads!

Previously, I was using one of the Apps on Facebook called Visual Bookshelf. After a while, I got bored of it... mainly because it takes quite a while to load and the features seem limited. So I looked around for a social network website for bookworms (or nerds if you want to call it =P ) and I'm so happy to come across Goodreads!

There are many other social network sites of course (like LibraryThing, Shelfari, etc.)... but I like Goodreads the best. The interface is not too boring like LibraryThing and yet you can still find all the things you want. What I had in mind was... I wanted a website that I can keep catalogue of all the books that I have read and at the same time I get to read and share reviews of books with others ... and I think Goodreads have just what I need.

I love how the books can be nicely catalogue!

This is what the homepage looks like.

The book reviews are really what interest me. With so many people using this site, you can get all sorts of views for just one book, from whichever genre. You can even find Malay, Arabic, French (etc..etc..etc..) books' reviews... It's great way to find what to read next.

There are even fun stuffs like trivia and quizzes... and you get to vote on all sorts of list (like the "Best Books of the 20th Century" and "Worst Books of All Time"... amazingly, Twilight was voted on both lists! haha).

I have also joined one of the groups called Goodreads Malaysia... and it is so great to be pleasantly suprise by the number of bookworms out there. Who says Malaysians don't read?! The community even put up a challenge of "50 Buku Setahun (2011)"... where you challenge yourself to reading 50 books!!! Erk... I don't think I can manage that... so, I've set my target at a humble 20 this year (see the widget I have on my right ----> ).

To all my friends out there, come sign up on this site. I would love to know what you've been reading and your views on them.

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. ~Mark Twain

Pelik ke?

A few days ago, while taking out my laundry, my colleague accidently saw I had a Quran in my luggage bag (we were switching hotels in Skudai at that time). He was suprised and said "ada lagi ye orang macam ni? bagus la". Really?! Pelik sangat ke? He asked why do I bring it along? Do I always bring it along when I travel?

To be honest, I'm quite suprise by his questions. Pelik sangat ke bawa Quran? Why do I bring it along? Sebab takut hantu ke? (huh? klau bawa je boleh halau ke???) Ntah la... but I know klau dah lama tak baca, rasa rindu nak baca balik. My reading is way far from perfect, I sometimes don't even read the translation so I don't know what I'm reading... but I just like to read it... rasa calm. I'm not that pious, but I'm blessed to be around people who reads Quran (as a normal habit)... my brothers, my parents and my dear.

I'm not writing this with the intention to say I'm good or whatever.... far from it in fact. I'm just wondering where / how the general Muslims these days place Quran in their lives? Only for prayer? Or whenever someone passed away? This morning I found out my Christian colleague brought along his Bible with him. Shouldn't we be embarrassed?

Books for this month

Well, not for March particularly, but these are the books that I've read for the past month or so. Two of them I just finished this week (which my colleagues were like "dah abis dah?!" hee...)

Often when people ask what genre do I like, I don't have one. I usually pick whatever is on the bestseller list or recommended by friends. If you're looking for something good to read, hope this review helps (but then again, you should always give it a try yourself anyway~).

1. Flashforward (by Robert J. Sawyer)

Rate: 3.5 / 5.0

The TV series with the same name was based on this book. The idea of the whole world put on blackout and getting a 2 minutes glimpse of the future really pulled me to read this book. To some, knowing the future motivates them, while for others it's just a burden (yes, one character even committed suicide). Unlike the TV series, where the blackout was caused by some bad guys, in the book the event was a complete accident caused by side effect of an experiment with the Large Hadron Collider. Read how everyone tried to deal with it, and suprisingly they even tried to recreate the blackout again. There are parts of the book where it gets too physics and I just got blur... but on the whole, definitely recommended.

2. From Nothing Hill With Love...Actually (by Ali McNamara)

Rate: 1.5 / 5.0

Borrowed this from my cousin and read it while I was bored at rumah nenek. Yes, it's just a chick-lit where you know everything will be happy in the end (and I do enjoy reading chick-lit cause it's so takyah pikir)... but why does the main character have to be so.. erm.. so... silly (yeah, that's the word). She goes around wanting to proof movies does exist in real life. I mean huh?! And the movies that were quoted were mostly romantic comedies... if you really want to proof things in movies happen in real life, why not go for those drama-type ones, or even those based on historical facts (duuuhhh~!). If such person do exist, I think it's best to slap some senses into her =P

3. To Kill A Mockingbird (by Harper Lee)

Rate: 4.5 / 5.0
My dear rumet bought this for my coming 25th birthday (thank you met~!!! sorry I've read it before my birthday =P). I've always been wanting to read this book, to see why it's so famous... and I love it. The story is told from the view a little Scout Finch (somehow stories written from the kids' view are really good...just like Room). I guess a lot of us already know the general plot of this book is about a lawyer trying to defend a black man who was accused of rape (which he didn't do). Considering the heavy topic, i.e. on racial equality, aside from having a good court scene, the book is also suprisingly amusing and warm. I might as well give this a 5.0 / 5.0!

4. The Alchemist

Rate: 3.5 /5.0

Hurm... was recommended by rumet. Generally I love the journey went through by Santiago to achieve his dream. I may not agree with the philosophy of Soul of the World (or maybe I just don't understand it), and the wind and the sun talking are just weird... but hey, that's suppose to be magic of the story I guess. I like the fact that there are questions at the back of the book that are meant to guide readers and make them think. I love books that force me to think~! This book would be a great choice to be used in our schools for english literature (as compared to what they have now. I saw my brother's literature book for Form 5 students and it has lots of pictures in it! really?! it's literature for Form 5 and there are big pictures!!! hmm...ridiculous).

Back in skudai

Yup, I'm back in Skudai, but this time for project work. After doing a 12-hour shift I guess I should really just go to bed, but my stomach is too full right now...haih... anyway, here's my ramblings for today~(considering I had hours just menonton the reactor tadi, I had plenty of time to think about random stuff =P)

1. Saw this on today's newspaper:

Seriously what?! The guy is being so damn generous to give $28-billion to charity and these people are talking how this would cost him his Forbes title?! Who cares! He's helping so many people (as compared to keeping all the wealth to himself...sampai mati pun tak abis duit tu). I know I like watching the Forbes list on E! for entertainment purpose, but I simply love what Mr. and Mrs. Gates are doing here...hope they'll continue on the effort and inspire others to follow (I understand even Warren Buffet is joining in to help the Gates Foundation! nice =D)! Don't give a toot about the list k!

2. Here, I just want to vent off something... Today alone I got asked the same question again and again (I guess walking around the "digi" suit in UTM really attracts attention, especially since I'm a girl) ... which I don't really mind. But it gets annoying when someone said something like..."oooh patut la blaja kat UTP, memang la dapat keje situ" with that certain tone in their voice. I mean Seriously lady?! Since when studying in that university and getting the scholarship gives you the golden ticket to work in the company? And who says working for the company is a walk in the park?! And what's with you asking "baru 24? keje engineer???" in that tone... if you meant it as a compliment, then thank you, but it doesn't seem like one. And another thing...what's with you bragging your friend didn't get accepted by this same company but got into a different O&G company... seriously I don't care! Thank goodness I have enough sense to be polite and smile the whole time.

3. I finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird within 2 days of 'menonton' reactor. huhu~! Tomorrow I'll start on The Alchemist...good thing I've brought my stock of novels to read =) (book reviews coming soon~)

4. Earth Hour is coming again~! Don't forget to switch off your lights on this 26th March at 8.30pm.

5. Would like to experience watching a play at Istana Budaya~ Will Lat the Muzikal be worth the trouble?

It's framed!

I'm so happy...~! It's finally framed and it looks fantastic! =)

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Love in Disguise

Reasons to watch this movie:
1- It's a romantic comedy (so you don't have to think much)
2- It's directed by Wang Lee Hom himself (his 1st movie), which he won the Best New Director for it
3- The theme song to this movie is amazingly beautiful (which I think Lee Hom wrote too)
4- It has a happy ending... yay~
5- You'll get a good exposure on Chinese music

but most of all, you know the MAIN reason to watch this is because:
there's Wang Lee Hom acting in it!!! haha... dduuhh...

Plot? You can just google it up. Should you really watch? I say yes! haha... btw, here's the theme song to the movie... YOUTUBE LINK HERE (dunno somehow I cant embed or share the video here) anyway... even if you don't understand the lyric, you know the music is beautifully arranged. hee~

loving my new bag~!

My previous handbag got stolen last year (yes, stolen! in a surau!) It was a nice dark brown Sisley bag...I do miss it. So for the past few months I've been menge'pow' my mom's and maklong's bags. No, I just pick the cheap ones (giler ke nak pinjam Bonia, Coach, LV sume?!).

But... finally I've bought a new one to replace it... ta-daa~!:

Absolutely LOVE it! Plus, it was on CNY sale at jusco, and I got it at 50% off! huhu. I'm definitely in love with it... love the subtle color, no loud CR evrywhere to tell it's Carlo Rino, love the design on it, love the shape of the bag itself, the wide space inside it, every little details like that metallic buckles, the CR chain and that band tied across the front, the squiggly opening, the pink lining inside~!!!

I am so happy this didn't even go beyond RM150. And like my dear said... this should be a reward for myself for the 3 months in Skudai~

Read these...

While waiting for Geets to arrive from Miri (yay~!!!), to kill the time I'm going to do book reviews. Just realised that all these books are by female authors (whereas the previous book review entry was all by male authors...hmm..) and no, these are not all from the chick lit genre.

1. The Book of Tomorrow (by Cecelia Ahern)
Rate: 3.5/ 5.0
To me, Cecelia Ahern books always have interesting angles...either it's a woman recovering from death of her husband (cried like crazy readin this), or a place where lost things go, or even imaginary friends (my fave~). This book is not my fave Ahern, but it's still good. I'm not a fan of the main character since she's obviously so spoiled. But the story has a good suspense and twist to it.

2.Room (by Emma Donoghue)
Rate: 4.75 / 5.0
Haha...I might as well rate the book a full 5. Trust me, you must read this. When I picked up the book from MPH bookstore, I had no idea it was ranked third on top 10 fiction bestsellers for the week. What attracted me to it was it's brief summary at the back, it's simple cover and "Man Booker Prize Finalist" written on the front.

The book is about a young woman being kidnapped and prisoned for seven years in a Room, and her son was born and brought up not knowing the Outside world really exist. The book is writen from the perspective of the 5-year old Jack and you can really see his innocence. I don't want to give spoilers away, but here's the brief summary at the back of the book that drew me to it:

'To five-year old Jack, Room is the world. It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where Jack is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.'

3. Eat Pray Love (by Elizabeth Gilbert)
Rate: 2.0 /5.0
I'm sorry to those who love this book, but I don't. First, to those who do not already know it, this book is somewhat an autobiography (so it's non-fiction) of the author's life finding her happiness. It's been turned into a movie with Julia Roberts playing the main character. Anyway... why I don't enjoy it? Maybe cause she goes on and on about her problems... about not being able to concentrate while meditating, about not being able to open up to love, etc etc etc. I guess to me, reading is my way of escapism from daily stress, so reading about people talking about their problems is just no fun.

4. The Memory Keeper's Daugther
Rate: 4.0 / 5.0
To be honest, this book is thick and the plot is really slow. Took me a while to finish it, but I'm glad I did. It's about a doctor who delivered his own twins, but found out one of them was born with Down syndrome. Thinking the girl might not be able live long (it was 1964 after all) and wanting to spare his wife of the sadness in the near future, he decided to give the baby away and lied to his wife saying one of the twins died during childbirth.

5. Twenties Girl (by Sophie Kinsella)
Rate: 4.5/5.0
Chick lit~! Huhu. Bought this book at a really good discount, cost me only 5 Aussie Dollar (that's only RM15!... wait, don't be fooled...books there are generally more expensive, they cost about $18-25 per novel. I got this at a really really good sale at QBD Bookshop). Anyway, this book has a nice story to it. Yea, it's chick lit, so you don't need to think much and just enjoy the story and the happy ending.

P.S.: My dear got me a really nice stamp with my name in calligraphy (this is khat kufi). It's made by Yayasan Restu in Shah Alam and I've been stamping all my books with it. Thank you =D See...

Self-leadership...

"Most experts would agree that if you can’t effectively lead yourself, then you can’t effectively lead other individuals, groups or organizations. If you’re continually changing your priorities and can’t effectively address most of them, then the rest of the world will seem to be a confusing mess to you, as well. Others will soon become confused about your priorities, including for them. You’ll soon lose credibility and your ability to lead." - excerpt from an article written by Julia Fabris Mcbride.

OK... I don't know who Ms. Mcbride is, but what she says is right. I remember back in PIPE, one of the OPUs CEO came over for a talk session with us. What I remember most was that he said

"If you can't lead yourself off from your bed and your blanket in the morning for the Subuh prayer, how can you lead others in an organization?" ... very impactful words indeed.

This year, I hope to lead and manage myself better... in terms of managing finances, relationships, work, also in terms of keeping fit physically, mentally and spiritually. So that's my resolution for 2011 =)

My ramblings...

My first entry for 2011... didn't even bother to write bout 2010 in summary or about my new year resolution... hmm... anyway, here are things going through my head (it is possible that it's on influence of Nescafe):

1. I am annoyed if I go to have a meal with someone and he / she starts playing with the phone the whole time. It doesn't matter whether you're surfing the internet (on your so-cool smart phone), or chatting, or playing games... it's a no no NO~! Answering a call or replying to a text can still be tolerated. I've gone through this so many times that I guess I'm used to it... but I still don't like it. Table manners people!

2. Feel like dancing when the radio puts on 'Love Like Whoa' or that 'We Speak No Americano' song... =P catchy tunes...~

3. I don't like to update my Facebook status that often... maybe cause then everyone would read it... and that means EVERYONE... old schoolmates, officemates, makcik2, cousins, potential in-laws... But then people can always read this blog you say... yea, but who really bothers to read this blog, except maybe Geets or Illy (you girls still do right? gosh... I sound so pathetic =P)

4. If you come to Johor, you MUST visit Tanjung Piai. You'll learn so much about the importance of mangroove forest (hutan paya bakau) to our eco-system, and about the plants and animals there. But hey... we all know the main attraction is really the fact that it's the Southern-Most Tip of Mainland Asia! It's practically like climbing the Everest! (ok la Kinabalu maybe)... only not.

5. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to get the 3-months attachment at UTM Skudai. I've learned way so much about membranes. Will really miss this place, and the people here, and the working environment here (we get to punch in at 9am and wear T-shirts to work... how cool is that!).

6. Need to save money seriously this year... like damn serious (or Geets would say like serious shit!)

7. Which btw, I haven't seen Geets physically (I've seen her pictures on FB obviously) for a year now... it's been a year and a half since graduation, and it's been a year PIPE... but I love that we still chat with each other EVERY SINGLE DAY!

8. My dad's birthday is next week and I have no idea what to get for him... hmmm...

9. Teringin sangat nak makan limau mandarin right now... especially klau dengar iklan Chinese New Year on the radio.

10. Better get back to report writing... ~ as Paris Hilton would say (on her BFF show... yea, I can't believe I've been watching it for 4 consecutive weeks... but in my defense there was nothing better on TV...)... anyway... TTYM~!

Must-watch movies

I know I've missed a few great movies this year... No, I haven't watch Inception yet (gasp!!!), and I watched 'How to Train a Dragon' way after everyone already seen it. But fortunately, it's almost the end of the year where so many movies have come out ... and here's some that I think are a really-must-watch~!

1. Let Me In

Ok, to be honest, I only agreed to go watch this movie at the cinema with Yana cause I thought it was rated U (I mean how terrifying can it be if it's rated U right?! =P)... turns out it was actually 18PL. Anyway, I don't regret watching it.. I only don't enjoy the gore parts, but other than that it's a really really good story. And those kids are amazing actors! It's a definite 4.5/5!

2. Megamind

Picked by my dear. Nice story, I think it's kinda cute =) A 3.5/5.

3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I'm a self-proclaimed Harry Potter fan, I've read every single one of the books, and re-read some of them again... but honestly I don't think the movie is that great. I find the movie to be slow (so I'm not suprised if anyone almost fall asleep during those scenes where they were at the forest). Since there's a bit more drama to it, you kinda realise they could have done better with their acting (the kids in Let Me In acting performance are better than Harry's and Ron's), and I think Voldermort need to be more evil~!!! He looks kinds nice in the movie... he is supposed to be the most feared one where no one even dare to say his name... he should be more evil looking~! Anyway, my favourite HP movie is still the 3rd one... as for this one, I guess it's a 2/5.

4. Rapunzel

I think in some countries they call it Tangled. Just watched this with my dear yesterday... love it~! Every character is cute and charming... it's such a sweet Disney movie (reminds you of the old Disney cartoons) and it's funny! I just find it kinda weird to have them singing out of nowhere (it's because it's a Disney, I know). Overall, an almost 5/5.

5. Social Network

I enjoy watching this. I know it's not really 100% based on facts (you can easily Google and find out more), but there is still truth to it. It's cool to see how Facebook started out, from just an idea and expanded so fast. The guy playing Mark is great... he looks cooler (or even more of a jerk) than the actual Mark Zuckerberg~ huhu. It's a 4/5.

Count your blessings...

There's a resturant at Taman Universiti at Skudai where we like to go here... its mee hotplate is quite nice (I think I'll do an entry on food while I'm here~=P). We got to know the place thanks to one of the staff who took us there after our games of badminton (our normal activity every Tuesday and Friday night~huhu... my bit of exercise to make up for a whole week of eating and being a nerd~).

Anyway...
There's a pakcik selling otak-otak there. The first time I saw him I felt like crying (maybe I was just being emotional). His tactic was quite smart really... since not many would buy otak-otak from gerai for dinner...so what he did was put a few of them in a small basket on your table...so obviously some people would eat at least one or two while waiting for their order. And yes, the otak-otak are really nice, plus they are served while still hot.

What really touched me was his effort. He sells the otak-otak alone. So he would be membakar them... them go around seeing who would potentially eat and put on their table... then go around surveying again seeing who eats, who doesnt and collect back all those baskets and his money. He moves around non-stop the whole night working and surveying... and for all his hard work, he earns 50sen per otak-otak.

I know some ppl might sell otak-otak at cheaper price (so his profit might not be so bad), and there are ppl in worse condition out there... but I still felt so ashamed... I can sit comfortably and know that my salary would be banked in at the end of the month. I'm not saying makan gaji buta... but the thought that I don't need to do what he does, I earn more and yet I still complain sometimes... hmm...

Count your blessings... if Allah give your more rezeki than others, don't forget to give back. Your money and knowledge are not really yours...

korean love songs mode ;)

At home for the weekend... I miss the good times listening korean songs with my rumet and the rest of the housemates in UTP. Gta would go to the extent of annoying me with all the latest suju news, while faezah and jann would be so bersemangat to try out wonder girls' dance.... I miss you people so much, and your insanity too~

Anyway, back home now for the weekend and definitely not in the mood to read papers... soooo... hehe... I wanna share 3 of my fave korean love songs for now (which I wouldn't mind listening to again and again... for now la)... note: english subtitle provided.

1. No Other by Super Junior

2. Can't Let You Go Even If I Die by 2AM (I know...sounds a bit too dramatic, but it sounds real good)

3. Unforgettable by DBSK (old song... but still nice)

huhu... OK, off to bed... bersemangat kene rajinkan diri baca papers esok~!

From UTM...

Currently in Johor for my attachment at AMTEC UTM for 3 months. What's AMTEC? It's advanced Membrane Technology Centre. What am I doing here? To get exposure on membranes.

Do I like it here? Yes... Prof, the staffs and all the Masters and Phd students are so friendly and willing to teach and share. I learn so much about membrane materials and fabrications, eventho it's just been 2 weeks. And there's even more to learn... dope formulation, all the different treatments, effect of additive, casting and spinning rate, etc etc etc... I honestly think it's impossible to learn all within just 3 months!

But, I do get terribly homesick. I miss my mom, my dad, my brothers, my meow, and my dear a lot. I know... Johor je kot~ haihh...~

Anyway, might as well take the opportunity to get the best out of the attachment~! Hopefully I get to fulfill paper writing KPI too... and... pergi berjalan2 around here. Singapore maybe??? ;)

Songs I grew up listening to...

I've been listening to westlife since they first debut. Not a die-hard fan...but I do enjoy listening to them. Yes, they do tend to make covers of other ppl's songs...so what... they still sound great. =P

Found this clip on youtube the other day. It's kinda like a walk down memory lane growing up listening to this boyband. (Tu blm kira bsb, spice girls, nsync, britney lg =p). Cant believe it's been more than 10 years since they debut! Oh dear... I feel old. I guess this is what it's like for my parents who love those oldies stuff... I can totally relate nw! =p

Anyway, this performance clip is really nice cause it's just acoustic...n it's a mix of their popular songs. The last one is quite recent (i just found out too~! Haha...told you im no die-hard fan). Love this part of the lyric:

"Everyday's another first, another chance to fall in love with you...and I do"...

Aww... jiwang mode??? =P

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A pleasant suprise

It's great to know that there are still many good people in this world... (after the fact my bag got stolen in a surau, kinda hard to believe! huhu) ...

I was stuck with the stupid parking machine rejecting my money...and complete strangers, a korean auntie and her daughter helped me out.

I am truly suprise and grateful. Thank you...

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Testing

Just got new phone~!!! I so am in love with it... Although bkn la iphone or htc or blackberry but it has all the features I need for just RM700! So what is it???


It's the new Galaxy 5 by Samsung~!

Love samsung for making it affordable to all :-))

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Negaraku #3 - 10 tahun sblm merdeka

Well, for this one, no more quiz, but I really want to share this documentary I saw recently. It was my colleague who showed it to me (thanks Mira~!) ... and I want you to watch it too.

It's about the other side of the story... you know there are always 2 sides to a story (of even maybe more)... well this is the left-wing side of story. How they too tried to fight for merdeka. And no... this is not something you'll learn at school. Here, I've put the 1st part of the documentary. The complete documentary is only about half an hour long and available on YouTube...

You may agree with it... or you may not... but at least it opens up our mind~ =)

P.S.: Met, this is the one I wanted you to see...

Negaraku~ kuiz #2

Let's play another kuiz! huhu... since today at the office they were talking about kuih, let's see how well do you know kuih-kuih melayu?!

Since I stay at sempadan Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, with parents and relatives orang Melaka and Perak... so I'm not well exposed to kuih-kuih from negeri-negeri pantai timur (except for those yang Gta ajar when I was in KB... thanks met~!), and those from Sabah or Sarawak. So this list is limited to only those that I actually know hahaha... and please note, there may be more than one name for each type of kuih.

So, let's staaaart~~~ ... Namakan kuih-kuih dibawah:

And again... hadiah kuiz is the new-found knowledge!!! huhu... at least, if you go bazaar ramadhan now, you know what it's called :P

P.S.: The pictures were taken from all over Internet... and they're for illustration purpose only, dan bukan untuk menguji kesabaran anda yang berpuasa :P