Never-ending story

So i went back to Kemaman for raya haji. Ate lots of food and did some visiting. Meeting my aunties and uncles are always "interesting", especially if i have to answer their never-ending question of marriage. I've been asked this so many times today (they just won't give up asking!) that i can compile their questions here and my standard reactions. Here goes:

Question: Bila lagi nak kawin?
Reaction: Usually i just give a shrug and smile, but if they are persistant i would say "tak dok seng", but that is usually follwed by "Hish, tak kan engineer tak dok seng!"

Question: Bila lagi nak habiskan zaman bujang?
Reaction: Entah, tak habis-habis pun lagi.

Question: Bila nak kawin? - from me mom
Reaction: Mak sponsorlah. - (She would just drop the subject at this point.)

Question: Rugi tau tak kawin awal
Reaction: Smile (dalam hati: yeah, i know. And i know you're referring to the sex. Give me the money and i'd be happy to find a mail order bride so that i won't be missing what you're having)

And today, me mom again mention some girl for me to consider.

Me mom: Hari tu mak jumpa Mona. Ingat tak Mona tu?
Me: Who the hell is Mona?
Me mom: Alah, yang tumpang sekali masa mu tuisyen dulu.
Me: Huh??
Me mom: Dia dah kawin dulu, tapi laki dia mati. Anak dah dua.
Me: Huh?? WTF?

I then got up and went for a ciggy with my auntie.

Isi angin

Had a flat tyre just now. Urgh, the inconvenience was a nightmare. I guess i should blame Isham 'cause he was driving.. hehe (jangan marah)... but he did most of the tyre-changing process and i should be grateful. After we changed the tyre, the spare tyre did not have enough pressure in it! We had to make a turn to the petrol station. So people, remember to isi angin in your spare tyre also!

The question now, where can i find an open tyre shop on Hari Raya?

**update**

After safely made my way to Kemaman with the spare tyre intact, i found out that my front tyre has a gelembung on it. Showed it to my uncle and he said "Ni bahaya ni, kena tukar. Tu lah, beli tayar cap ayam".

I finally found an open tyre shop in Kemaman, decided to change all four tyres to a more branded one. Luckily they accept trade-in of the old tyres.

After driving with the new tyres, i felt like the journey was more smooth and quiet. Plus, it says that the tyres can reduce fuel consumption! Note to self: Money well spent. (or it could be just a psychological effect)

Last weekend, Ashlie and I went to watch a movie at OU. As we were waiting to go into the hall, i thought i saw a colleague of ours from UTP leaving the cinema.

"Isn't that so and so?" I asked. "OMG, he looks so thin! (He was kinda chubby in UTP)"
Ashlie's first reaction was "HIDE!!"
We were already standing behind a large banner of a cheap Malaysian movie (which i will definitely won't go see). Ashlie was facing the other way and did not see him at all.

"I can't believe he's so thin"
"Are you sure it's him?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure??"
"Yes!"

Ashlie ran towards the escalator to make sure that i am wrong. But our colleague was already gone.

"That's not him lah"
"Yes it was. He's so thin now."

We stood in silence for a few moments.

"That's not him lah"

Silence.

"Maybe not." I finally replied.

We then went into the cinema feeling better about ourselves.

Gambar Raya

I finally got gambar-gambar masa raya from my sis. Just thought i share some of them.


My cute nephew, Zayn (did I mention he's only 1?)


My cute nephew, Rifqy

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy your holidays people!

Save the cheerleader, save the world

I am now officially a fan of the TV series, Heroes. I find it a visually stunning, fast-paced story. In a nutshell, it's a story about ordinary humans with cool extraordinary powers and their connections with each other. Can't help but compare this series with Lost, because of the multiple characters, but it's different in terms that Heroes feeds you with lots of information and does not held back; while Lost does. If you're a fan or obsessed with Heroes the TV series like me, you must visit the website. You can download really cool wallpapers, online comics/graphic novels, and Hiro's blog.

New DVD This Week

1. Lost - Season 2
I'm very satisfied with this purchase. It comes in a very nice box (looks is everything for me) and 7 cool looking discs. Contains all episodes of Season 2 plus a whole disc of special features and easter eggs.

Special features includes:

1. All new Never-before-seen Flashbacks - get to see more of Shannon!

2. The Official Lost Connection - it's so cool!! - an interactive connections of main characters (shown in short video) and not so main characters. I could go on for hours checking the connections.

3. Lost on Location

4. Deleted scenes

5. Bloopers - also my favorite

What's with all the Mariah Carey haters?

From Guardian Unlimited

She attracts almost universal hatred and yet sells millions of records. Can I be the only one out there who thinks Mimi's music is really rather good?

There are certain stars in pop the public loves to hate - almost murderously, it sometimes seems. At the moment, for some people it's Pete Doherty. Others still wish to burn Phil Collins alive. Personally, I want to give Chris Martin a really thorough slapping whenever I see him doing his "look at me, I'm a hugely sensitive showman" routine on telly.

One star who attracts almost universal contempt these days seems to be Mariah Carey. Her very name is almost a cuss word, in middle-class circles at any rate. (At our office party this year, guests have been invited to run up CDs of a couple of tunes to rock the room, with just one proviso: no Mariah Carey. All I Want for Christmas is You was also named the worst Christmas song ever in yesterday's Observer Music Monthly.

And this hate will almost certainly find further fuel from the weekend's news that Mimi is to sue porn star Mary Carey (to stop her trademarking the very similar-sounding name on the grounds that customers might confuse the two, thereby defaming her own "brand"). As a legal action it does sound like a fairly classic "only in America" legal case, particularly if you look - as in the interest of research, you understand, I did - at how very unlike the two Careys look. No link there, you might have noticed - you'll just have to google for Mary yourself. This is a family blog.

But back to the better known Carey. While I do find the tales of her prima-donnish behaviour, her ridiculous demands for grand luxuries in hotels, etc amusing - I can't share the hatred so many people seem to have for her music. (And, since she's obviously emotionally vulnerable, I get a bit irritated at the public venom directed at a fragile nature.) People have actually said to me, in conversations about music when I've enthused about my taste for R'n'B, "I don't believe it, next thing you'll be telling me you like Mariah Carey!"

The thing is, actually, I really do. I'm not a fan of her work while she was the property of Tommy Mottola, the Columbia records executive who star-spotted her, then became her husband while still managing her career. It's aimed at the mass market in a shameless way that deploys Carey's astonishing singing range to fake up strong emotion, and it's often nauseating.

However, since she and Mottola separated in 1996 and Carey was able to incorporate her love for hip-hop into the songs, she has just got better and better. The single We Belong Together is plainly one of the very best pop songs recorded in the last 20 years. Yet I can remember a lot of people, after Live 8, saying it was the most appalling thing they saw all day. I saw the performance too, and I thought it was great.

Tell me: am I entirely alone in recognising how good she is? Millions and millions of people buy her records - so why does my love for these songs feel like such a lonely passion?

My Weekend with Fasha Sandha

Spend the weekend watching 2 movies with Fasha Sandha in it(and no, i did NOT watch Nana Tanjung):

Movie#1: Cicakman
Great visual effects. That was the first thought that came to mind after the movie ends. But the sad thing is, that's the only thought that came to mind. Not that it's a bad movie, (Yusry did a great job on the visual effects and directing) but it left me feeling wanting more as i feel that this movie has great potential.

The story revolves around Hairi (Apek) getting superpowers from a cicak he swallowed in his coffee and then decides to go against the evil Prof Klon. Apek, as usual is funny as well, Apek. The movie has its funny moments, but not laugh-a-minute kind of movie. It's enough to get you awake throughout the movie.

Yusry tried to incorporate a few themes (action, comedy, drama) in the movie (ala Spiderman). But the editing seems a bit choppy. I can't seem to feel the emotions they tried to display.

By the way, Fasha has the looks, but her voice irritates the hell out of me.

Overall rating: B-

Movie#2: Cinta
The movie with all the hype and great reviews. Well, sad to say it kind of bore me a little bit.

But i have to say, the editing is good as the story of a lot of people involved (i seriously can't remember how many!) intertwined nicely. Some say this movie is a malay version of Love Actually. Well, sort of. Unfortunately, some where in the middle, the storyline gets a bit dragging to me.

Great acting all around especially from Rahim Razali. Even Rita Rudaini is good. Sharifah Amani: after watching this movie, i don't think she's a versatile actress. Either she acts the same as she's in Sepet/Gubra or the character is made that way. Either way, her character bores me.

Unlike Cicakman, this movie did bring out some emotions in me; not much but i think it's enough. Did feel a bit sad for the kid in the movie after Rita Rudaini decided to leave her husband.

Again, Fasha looks good but that voice!

Overall Rating: B

Someone once asked me "When's your best day of your life?" After five or so wrong answers i gave him, he said "Everyday is the best day of your life." What an optimistic man. Right there and then i realised that he and i can't be friends.

Enjoy the Music

Yesterday i went back to Kemaman to visit my aunt who was diagnosed with cancer. She was diagnosed a month or so and this is the first time i saw her since. She is extremely thin than i remembered and feeling very weak. It breaks my heart to see her in that condition and i wish her well.

This reminded me how short life is and how we should make full meaning of it. Ellie from OTH once said:

"Every song has a final movement, whether it fades out or crashes away. Every song ends. Is that any reason not to enjoy the music?"

Art of the Week: Untitled By Peyton Sawyer

Source: peyton-art.skyblog.com