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?
Sunday, 17 June 2007
Sunday, 10 June 2007
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!
* 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!
Saturday, 2 June 2007
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
Tuesday, 27 February 2007
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!
Long live the Queen!
Tuesday, 20 February 2007
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.
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.
Saturday, 23 December 2006
Labbaik Allahumma labbaik...
In about 4 hours, I'll be stepping out of my mum's house, fully garbed in white from my head to my toes on my way to answer Allah's call to his Holy House. I am feeling both nervous and excited - nervous because I feel so unprepared, so unworthy of being his guest in the most barakah of places, hoping no ill befalls me. But excited because the last (and first) time I went to Makkah was 17 years ago, and I only remember bits of the trip.
One thing I do remember is that feeling of awe when praying at the Masjidil Haram - as I get up from teh rukuk or sujud, my eyes will befall the Kaabah right in front of me. Not an embroidered or painted image on the prayer mat at home, but the REAL thing. And it really hits you then: ALLAHU AKBAR. God is Great.
And Great is HE in welcoming me to his Holy House - small, lowly, unworthy me. This will be my last post till I come back home in 45 days, InsyaAllah. Till then, take care everyone.
Be good.
One thing I do remember is that feeling of awe when praying at the Masjidil Haram - as I get up from teh rukuk or sujud, my eyes will befall the Kaabah right in front of me. Not an embroidered or painted image on the prayer mat at home, but the REAL thing. And it really hits you then: ALLAHU AKBAR. God is Great.
And Great is HE in welcoming me to his Holy House - small, lowly, unworthy me. This will be my last post till I come back home in 45 days, InsyaAllah. Till then, take care everyone.
Be good.
Sunday, 17 December 2006
Celebrating Motherhood
A couple of days ago, I met up with several friends for lunch. We normally do have lunch together, but after the restructuring our HOme Office was relocated to Dayabumi so our little 'clique' was kinda broken up.
One of them, I was having lunch with for the first time since she'd given birth early last Ramadhan. Two others were glowing first time mothers-to-be. Another is still on maternity leave. While we were lunching, another former colleague came by who had also just returned from delivering a baby boy.
I'm older than them (the lunching ladies, not the boys) by about two or three years. I'm also the first to have kids, so automatically I was designated Resource Person and Agony Aunt regarding motherhood and sometimes, career. It was wonderful to hear the new mummies sharing their experiences, their eyes lighting up whenever talk goes to the topic of their babies. Overall they seem to be having the time of their lives. Yup, nothing like having children to put them on top of your priority list. I mean, Nuaim's already 2 and a half years old and I still can't stop talking about him.
It reminds me of the time I had a chat with another friend, who was caught in a career-vs-motherhood dilemma. She had put off having children to concentrate on her career, but is planning to start soon. At the same time, a wonderful career opportunity has presented itself to her, involving a faraway location. It's the kind of break anyone would want, the kind I myself craved a couple of years ago. Her husband, however keen he is on having children, is not so keen on the idea of having children in that part of the world. When she asked my opinion, I think she already half-guessed what my answer would be. Of course, had I been single, I'd have signed the papers and grabbed the flight tickets immediately. But getting married introduced new principles in life, and having children strengthened them even further.
Firstly, however 'modern' and career-minded I may appear, as a Muslimah the first thing I tell myself is I am working only because my husband allows me to (and also if he didn't we could hardly afford this kind of lifestyle, and it's nowhere near the annual-overseas-holiday type either). My husband's blessing is important to me. Besides it's also a contractual requirement when I accepted that scholarship 13 years ago.
Having a husband, and hence a family, also means that whatever career decision I make requires me to factor them in. How easy would it be to maintain the family unit? What kind of environment will the kids grow up in? What facilities are there? Some working arrangements that would've appealed when I was young(er) and free(am I less free now) just simply don't fit in anymore.
And you know what? I'm not complaining.
And this, my dear friend, is the most important bit.
You may feel right now, and other people may feel, that once motherhood comes in you have to sacrifice the bigshot career option. The sigh that says 'look what I had to give up just to bring a snivelling baby into this world'. I hope, when you do have children, that you never, ever have that thought.
Because when you come home from work, or even give up that corporate career completely, and you look at that wide toothless grin or hold that snivelling baby in your arms at night, you'll realise that the jetsetting corporate career world pales in significance. Trust me on this.
And giving up on something so insignificant hardly warrants being considered a sacrifice, right?
One of them, I was having lunch with for the first time since she'd given birth early last Ramadhan. Two others were glowing first time mothers-to-be. Another is still on maternity leave. While we were lunching, another former colleague came by who had also just returned from delivering a baby boy.
I'm older than them (the lunching ladies, not the boys) by about two or three years. I'm also the first to have kids, so automatically I was designated Resource Person and Agony Aunt regarding motherhood and sometimes, career. It was wonderful to hear the new mummies sharing their experiences, their eyes lighting up whenever talk goes to the topic of their babies. Overall they seem to be having the time of their lives. Yup, nothing like having children to put them on top of your priority list. I mean, Nuaim's already 2 and a half years old and I still can't stop talking about him.
It reminds me of the time I had a chat with another friend, who was caught in a career-vs-motherhood dilemma. She had put off having children to concentrate on her career, but is planning to start soon. At the same time, a wonderful career opportunity has presented itself to her, involving a faraway location. It's the kind of break anyone would want, the kind I myself craved a couple of years ago. Her husband, however keen he is on having children, is not so keen on the idea of having children in that part of the world. When she asked my opinion, I think she already half-guessed what my answer would be. Of course, had I been single, I'd have signed the papers and grabbed the flight tickets immediately. But getting married introduced new principles in life, and having children strengthened them even further.
Firstly, however 'modern' and career-minded I may appear, as a Muslimah the first thing I tell myself is I am working only because my husband allows me to (and also if he didn't we could hardly afford this kind of lifestyle, and it's nowhere near the annual-overseas-holiday type either). My husband's blessing is important to me. Besides it's also a contractual requirement when I accepted that scholarship 13 years ago.
Having a husband, and hence a family, also means that whatever career decision I make requires me to factor them in. How easy would it be to maintain the family unit? What kind of environment will the kids grow up in? What facilities are there? Some working arrangements that would've appealed when I was young(er) and free(am I less free now) just simply don't fit in anymore.
And you know what? I'm not complaining.
And this, my dear friend, is the most important bit.
You may feel right now, and other people may feel, that once motherhood comes in you have to sacrifice the bigshot career option. The sigh that says 'look what I had to give up just to bring a snivelling baby into this world'. I hope, when you do have children, that you never, ever have that thought.
Because when you come home from work, or even give up that corporate career completely, and you look at that wide toothless grin or hold that snivelling baby in your arms at night, you'll realise that the jetsetting corporate career world pales in significance. Trust me on this.
And giving up on something so insignificant hardly warrants being considered a sacrifice, right?
