Putting Things Right

My Project Manager had the good grace to hold a meeting with all of us and discuss the merits (or lack of it) of closing our KL office two weeks earlier than everyone expected. So now we've reverted back to the original schedule. Thank you, God. I'm still sending half my team there on the 16th, just so Construction can get off my back and give me some breathing space while we finish up here in KL. Then, come 31st July, it's SAYONARA to KLCC and hello Dayabumi!

**************************

Yesterday has been pretty productive, literally. I'd planned to do a solo marathon run of errands, but as usual my uninvited sidekick Nuaim managed to tag along. Managed to visit my tailor about my wedding clothes (my brother-in-law's, but MIL bought me some fabric so we can all go 'in uniform'), then bought some more lights and new ceiling fan for the house. Oh, and a new wet kitchen is going to cost me close to 20G. This one will have to wait for Sudan money to come in lah.

Mak is off on her European jaunt, and it was a bit of a rush getting her to the airport. She had a wedding to attend in Subang last night, and was taking a 2 a.m. Emirates flight with another friend after the wedding. Nuaim, as usual, was eager to send her off to KLIA, so of course I had to go along. Fortunately he fell asleep on the way and was out cold by the time we reached Sepang, so we said our goodbyes on the tarmac and sped off home to Damansara.

While my mum is taking in the sights in London and Switzerland, I'll be working whatever's left of my behind off back here, and it'll be more late nights for me. Pity my kids, I only have the weekends left with them (and that's if I don't have any weddings to attend). I promise I'll take a few extra days off in August, maybe while Hubby's attending the Forum in KK. Before anyone asks, of course I cannot join him there, for the same reason I can't fly to Bintulu - my growing tummy won't pass the test. And I don't feel like getting on a plane either at this point in my pregnancy.

Oh, by the way,

CONGRATULATIONS to NAJMIAH & AKMAL on your wedding!!!

Yes, we did grumble when the couple only arrived at 1 pm - 2 hours after the time stated in the invitation card, but the tiramisu was so worth the wait. Ima and I were sitting next to each other, and we both bit into the decadent dessert a the same time, it must have been really funny to see us both looking at each other in such bliss.

And I loved how the wedding turned out to be a very intimate affair shared with family and friends, with all those kids running around. I'm still not sorry for not bringing my boys along though. Nu'man would 've been okay - except when faced with the buffet spread, of course - but I could just imagine Nuaim chasing after all the girls and making his special guest appearance on the pelamin!

A spanner in the works

Work sucks. BIG TIME!

There must be something wrong with me somewhere. Bad Karma, badi or whatever you'd call it. Except for a couple of projects or so, I don't think I've ever joined a project team where things went on smoothly, but this really takes it to another level.

If we screw up, it's gonna be the biggest screw-up ever, but if we don't - but how can we NOT screw up?! And it's not as if I'm bitching behind my boss's back. I gave him a piece of my mind then and there, in front of everyone in the Engineering meeting, and I do hope it gets recorded in the minutes. I mean, I spent a good part of the week planning everything so I can get it just right, and all of a sudden there's a change in the schedule, and we're expected to readjust without disrupting our already slow progress.

No wonder other people just take it easy. It's no use putting in your heart and soul and sweat and tears into your work when someone else can so easily pull the rug from under your feet, just to score some brownie points that I'm sure contributes nothing to the big picture.

Pokai daa...

I never realised roman blinds could be so expensive.

Today I finally purchased the curtains for my renovated balcony. Since the windows are much larger and wider than normal sized windows, I had to get the blinds custom-made. So there I was in Home's Harmony at One Utama, happily looking at fabric samples and picturing my new window in my mind, with no idea that my credit card was already maxed out and I didn't have enough cash to pay for the curtains. Luckily I had Hubby's checkbook with me, so managed to save face. I mean, whoever knew the tracks alone would cost a cool Rm500?

Top of the Pops, anyone?

Karin tagged me. The rules are:

* Go to Pop Culture Madness.
* Pick the year you turned 18.
* Get nostalgic over the songs of that year.
* Write something about how those songs affected you.
* Pass it on to 5 other friends.

This was tough. Since I spent most of 1994 in England doing my A-Levels - and the British pop charts don't exactly reflect worldwide tastes spearheaded by the great American economy and showbiz - the songs on the Year's Greatest Hits list weren't quite memorable. I mean, I know and love some of them, but there's nothing special about those songs. Anyway, the tag rules didn't say how many songs, right? So here goes:

1. I'll Make Love To You - Boys II Men (number 2)
I did my A-Levels in an English boarding school, and we were divided into single-sex Houses. I was in Upper Sixth then, and was singing the first lines of this song when I came to the common area where a small group of Lower Sixth girls where sitting about. Just as I went 'Close your eyes, make a wish,' one of the girls, whom I'd always been close to, shut her peepers and said, 'I wish Dian was my girlfriend.' I have no idea whether she was just joking or really serious, but I did a quick turnaround and went back to my room.

2. All For Love - Bryan Adams, Sting, Rod Stewart (number 25)
The only memorable thing about this song was that it came from the movie 'Three Musketeers'. Watched the movie, loved the song, thought Sting was such a Hot Old Man (I still think so). The trio were dubbed by one music review as 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'. Wonder which was which.
I also 'discovered' Julie Delpy in that movie, which lead me to watch 'Reality Bites', which suddenly made backpacking around Europe so romantic. I did embark on a sort of backpacking adventure around Europe a couple of years later, but nothing spectacularly romantic happened.

3. Love Is All Around - Wet Wet Wet (number 41)
One of those songs that was played over and over and over again on the radio. Came from the movie 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. Everyone wanted a boyfriend like Hugh Grant - till he was caught doing something very naughty indeed. I couldn't understand why he fell for Andie McDowell instead of Kristin Scott Thomas. He should've seen her in 'The English Patient'.

4. Stay (I Missed You) - Lisa Loeb (number 55)
This isn't exactly one of my favourite songs, I don't even quite remember what Lisa Loeb looks like. But a good friend of mine really loved doing an imitation of Lisa Loeb singing this song, and managed to make her sound really annoying. She (the friend, not the original singer) and I used to schedule our showers together (in separate cubicles, of course) so we could belt out Sheila Majid staples when no one else was around. Last time I met her, she's married to an Irish doctor, had a baby and living in the UK. By the way, our warm-up shower song was from a government campaign entitled 'Senyum'.

5. All I Wanna Do - Sheryl Crow (number 1)
This one's a late entry on my list. I never really understood the appeal of this song or the singer, but a guy I first met over the Christmas holidays was SO into it. He was pretty good-looking, and several friends of mine went ga-ga over him. I described him as a 'wonderful piece of decoration to have on your arm if you wanted to impress people at a party.' Ended up going out with him for 5 (or was it 6?) years after I finished A-Levels.

That's all I can think of. Nothing quite memorable, is there? Told you it was tough.

Right, I'm supposed to tag 5 friends, am I? Here goes:

* Stingrayz
* Verde (fotopages pun kira blog la)
* Ghazaaz
* Miss YY
* Scarlet

So people, go do your thang!

Sorry for the Silence...

I know, no pictures as yet. Well, I've just been too busy blogbrowsing elsewhere, and my life seems so mundane in comparison I decided not to waste any precious cyberspace. Just an update on things:

1. My former Lead Engineer has left the country. The project decided to demob him in April, his contract expired in May, he's got a new job in the States and now it's left to me to pick up the pieces. And there's so much work to do!!! No wonder he was always complaining.
2. My big boy is now 3 years old and is turning into quite the good-looking young man, despite still insisting on diapers. Well, you can't ask for too much.
3. My second boy turned 1 in April and is a bundle of laughs. Only got 4 teeth, still can't talk properly but woe betide anyone who messes with this lad.
4. Am having a third baby, due this Aidil Fitri, which happens to coincide with my sister's birthday. Hoping for a girl this time. DEFINITELY planning for a break afterwards.
5. Hubby still attached to Sudan job, may be extending his stay if he gets another posting with new upstart company there (no, that's not a spelling mistake).
6. Busy with house renovations. Decided to pick everything out myself, from kitchen cabinets to curtains, so progress is much slower than previously expected. Much like my job at the office, actually.

So there. Hopefully, when I get some inspirational words of wisdom to jot down, I'll be able to get to an online PC quickly enough. Oh, I forgot, now I can with the 3G-enabled, WiFi-connected DOPOD 838Pro that Hubby got me as my birthday/anniversary/Mother's Day present - complete with QWERTY keyboard! But this post was still typed out on an old-fashioned desktop, to tell you the truth.

Oscar winners

An American dreamer, a weathered old man and two British monarchs swept acting honours at this year's Academy Awards.

Long live the Queen!

Back in Malaysia

I'm back.

Well, Ive actually been back for more than a fortnight already, but I was so engrossed in catching up with my sons (how quickly they've grown!) that I just couldn't be bothered about updating the blog. Have been thinking about it lots though, and planning to put up photos and all, but it'll probably turn into a mini tutorial of 'How to Perform Haj and Umrah.'

Anyway, the first question everyone asked me since I've been home is 'How was it?'

It's a really difficult question to answer. There's no one word that describes the feeling, the whole experience of it all. Mega stupendously brilliant doesn't even come close. Because performing Haj is a series of rituals and worshipping acts in so many different places and circumstances, it's so many things added up together - humbling, uplifting, awe-inspiring, sometimes frightening, exciting, peaceful, joyful, sad. I tried explaining it to a friend, but she couldn't understand it. It truly is something you have to experience yourself. So my advice for those of you contemplating the Haj is

GO GO GO!

And do it while you're still young and healthy and have the energy. Allah knows there are enough elderly people there who need a young helping hand. And some of the rituals can be physically draining. It's not just the act itself (imagine walking across 3 km of cold marble in bare feet - for the men at least, we ladies get to wear socks.) but the fact that there's a sea - no, make it an ocean of humanity doing it with you. I'm probably the most unfit 30-year-old I know, but it's still woprth doing it before you hit the big 4-0.

I'll write more and share photos in my next post. Need to go do my prayers now.