Meow!

Hi!

A few weeks back, I picked up a stray kitten from the basement of my apartment. That poor kitten was searching for food and looked very hungry. I bathed him and fed him and it turns out, I didn't have any allergic reactions to it. Yeaaayyy!! I've let him out to the basement again and whenever I see him, I take him up to my house and feed him and let him go again. I don't want to keep him in the house because he seems very active at night and likes to jump on me. I had my fair share of scratches and bite marks, but that's his way of playing.. I guess that's because he's not domesticated. I rarely see him nowadays and that gave me the idea of keeping a cat as pet again.

I have been doing some research online and I have found out that the Siberian breed is the breed with the least protein that causes allergies and has the least dander. Now I know that the length of fur or the thickness of the coat does not determine the severity of allergic reactions. (please watch Cats 101 on Animal Planet, super informative)

The fluffy Siberian!

I've tried searching online for Siberian kittens that is up for adoption but that breed is not widely found in Malaysia. The nearest cattery is in Singapore.

If anyone of you reading this know anybody with Siberian breed, please let me know. I am willing to buy and even better if the cat is up for free adoption. Thank you so much!!!

p/s: I am also interested in adopting kittens of any breed. I prefer lighter shade. Please please please let me know if you have any kittens to give away. Thanks!

Bali - Day 1

My love-hate relationship.. *sigh*

This post is long-overdue. Though I am unoccupied nowadays, I have been wasting time watching movies. (well, not a total waste.. I felt good afterwards. Hehe!) I even had a movie marathon last week to watch the blockbuster trio Rapunzel-Harry Potter-Narnia. It was definitely a day full of ‘magic’. :) To sum it up, I watched over 20 movies (DVDs included) since I came back from Bali. I know it’s not something to be proud of.. but that’s the best thing I’ve got so far. Hahahhaha!

Ok, enough with the chit chat. Let me start narrating what went down in my Bali retreat.
My Air Asia flight from LCCT to Bali was scheduled to depart at 6.30pm on 29 November 2010 (Fun fact, exactly one year ago I left KL for Seoul! I shall make this my vacation day. Hehe.) My mom was very kind to give me and Sakinah a lift to the airport. We arrived 50 minutes before the take-off, so everything went smoothly. Thank God we didn’t have to check-in any bag and we did the online check-in. However, I didn’t have any printer at home and we were anxious about not printing the boarding pass beforehand so we ran around Summit USJ, frantically searching for a cyber café that has printing services, but to no avail. So, we still had to go to the check-in counter in the LCCT and get our boarding pass.

We didn’t pre-order any meals on board so we planned to eat at the airport before we board the plane. On our way in to the boarding area, Sakinah told me that she heard the number of our plane being announced. We tried listening intently but heard nothing, plus, the crowd was big. (I know.. I miss KLIA.) We were relieved to find Dunkin Donuts so we took our time to order our Sandwich-Donut-Coffee combo. As Sakinah was taking her second bite out of the sandwich, we heard..

“Attention to Miss Nurul Hidayah binti Abdull Rahim, Miss Nur Sakinah binti Salleh, Mr Yadda Yadda and Mr Yadda Yadda, please board your plane AK000 to Bali, NOW”

It was 6.20p.m. Fucketty fuck.

We shoved the sandwiches and donuts in our handbags, grabbed my iced coffee (Sakinah left her drink there. Poor thing.) and scrambled to the boarding gate downstairs. The gate was already closed but, bless Air Asia, they still let us in. I know this sounds contradictory but I hate Air Asia for having to walk that 200-metres stretch to our plane. Remember we didn’t check-in our luggage? I was tugging my 6kgs cabin luggage in one hand and managing my drinks in another, I was trying to sip (more like suck) as much iced coffee as I can, while half-sprinting across the hangar. I felt like throwing up after climbing that stupid metal staircase up to our plane but the feeling of relieved washed  my nausea away. Hahaha! After all that pandemonium, five minutes after we boarded the plane, the plane took-off and we were well on our way to Bali!!!!

After enduring 3 hours of our seats being kicked by kids, we landed safely on Bali soil. We already arranged for a place to stay for the entire trip with a sweet girl, Dama, whom I found on www.couchsurfing.org. First thing first, buy an Indonesian line so that we can get in touch with Dama. We made a bee line to the nearest stand and bought a sim card for Rp50000 with Rp6000 in it. (RM1=Rp3800) After confirming that Dama is home, we went to the nearest taxi counter to book a cab. The taxi ride to Dama’s place set us back Rp70000.

Finding Dama’s place was tricky since it was dark plus the roads and lanes in Sanglah, Denpasar area was narrow. After that one phone call to Dama in the airport and a few texts to our families in Malaysia, we ran out of credit. We had to ask the taxi driver to call Dama using his cell phone or else we would never find her place. Thank goodness the driver was kind and generous and he was more than happy to make the call. Definitely, kindness on foreign soil is invaluable.

After settling down in Dama’s place.. we drew the curtain for Bali Trip – Day 1. Stay tuned for Day 2!

Nostalgic

Hello good people of blog world!

Right now I can't help but feel really nostalgic. I've was reading the posts in http://budgettravel2korea.blogspot.com and suddenly my wmp played Hug by DBSK. All those memories in Korea came rushing and the song reminded me of my old house. My old room, my old bed, the ambience, the smell, i remember everything like it was yesterday.

FYI, i moved to my current house last year. Before that, I was staying in an apartment not far away from here. Although the house is much smaller, fond memories were definitely made there. I remember staying up late on my bed, DBSK songs playing on my laptop, wishing that I would someday set my foot on Korean soil. Guess what, I did just that. :)

I've come a long way since then. I have graduated law school, I have finished my chambering and now I am on my way to being a full-pledged lawyer. (My long-call is on 7 January 2011! wuuhuu!!!) God, time flies.

I know I was kinda obsessed with everything Korean. But i have outgrown that. I no longer need to watch DBSK music video everyday to feel good, but i do feel much better after listening to any Korean song. Heck, there is no DBSK anymore. (sob sob) I no longer need to watch the latest episode of Family Outing, or else my week would feel incomplete. (FO pon da habis... sob sob sob) I miss that obsession, tho. hehe.

I am entering a new phase of my life and I am so excited about it!

It's time....

Oh dear.. *clearing out the spider webs and dusts* One whole entry-less month !!! Well, that's a first. Sorry, blog.... :(

Lets get back to basic. The reason why I started this blog in the first place was for it to be the medium for me to capture my experience in Seoul and to keep my family and friends in the loop. Since I am not that diligent in keeping a diary, might as well write about my trip once in awhile and let the world know. Travel blog la konon2 nye..

I did try to write about the Seoul trip after returning to Malaysia and I tried to recall as much as I can. A lesson I've learnt is to post A.S.A.P. or else I'll be writing about the weather and the weather only. Saya pelupa. thihihi.. A candid post is the best post. Hence, ME. CANDID. ;)

Fret not, dear blog. Another trip is coming up. Here's a little sneak peak of the destination.

The Street Cafe, SS15 Subang Jaya

Fresh from the Eid celebration, Aliya and I had a peculiar Korean food craving. Since we've only been to The Street Cafe in Sunway Pyramid, we decided to give this outlet a try. We rang Sofia and Fitra to join us, and we were there in a jiffy.

We were a bit confused on the location of the restaurant, at first. After a good 40 mins of wandering around, we finally spotted the treasure. :) It is situated on the row of shops facing Metropolitan College. We thought it would be near to Starbucks and McD and kept circling that viccinity. Actually, you have to come from the Pappa Rich side since it is a one-way street.

We were impressed by the layout of the restaurant. Definitely better than the outlet in Sunway Pyramid. Since we wanted privacy, we head up to the 2nd floor. They had sections where you can sit on ur butt a'la Japanese, ordinary table and chair, or you can opt for the open air section.

Our eyes were immediately drawn to the thousands of post-its on the wall. I've seen this view in restaurants and cafes in Seoul. Glad that they're bringing a bit of that decor here.

The hungry rascals waiting to devour their food.

Pardon my fugly hangeul and even worse spelling. Haha!

They have a stack of games, wigs, and toys for us to fool around. They even have Twister. (warning: Play before you eat, or you'll be throwing up on each other.)

Our lunch spread. Feast for your eyes je la. Dtg sini sendiri kalau nak rasa. haha!

My lunchbox of spicy chicken teriyaki. Mashiketta!

Aliya's dolsot bibimbap. Divine.

Sofia's ramyun. Savoury.

The infamous On Fire Fried Chicken. You might want to order an extra glass of iced water to douse the "fire".

You couldn't tell the difference with a brawl scene. Haha!

After the HUGE lunch, we turned our attention to the game racks. We chose Uno Stacko. A piece of advice, please lower your volume eventhough the game is full of suspense, or else who-can-laugh-louder competition would ensue with four girls from the last partition. (Nak senyap2, sila masuk laut. Terima kasih.)

Fitra's measly attempt to keep the Stacko upright.

The wrecker's shame.

Kenyang perut, suka hati. I think there's something in the kimchi. (padahal x sentuh pon) ;)

Check out another review on the Sunway Pyramid's outlet here and The Street Cafe's website here. Happy dining!

While waiting for Azraa and Nuu..

One fine day, Azraa texted me at 16:43. The text reads "kt0wam da grak..". "What language is that?", you might ask. It's Azraa's Tongue. Only she and she alone can pull off that language. In English it simply means, "Azraa and Nuur is on their way to meet me at Dang Wangi LRT station, so that we could go to KGPA together for buka puasa."

I was still at my office and was in the midst of reading Allkpop when I received the aforementioned text. Their office is just 1 station away so they could arrive in 5 mins time. I hurriedly closed my Explorer browser, shut down my PC, accidentally poured too much food that could feed an entire ocean into my fish bowl and dashed to the lift. From the 10th floor, all the way down to ground floor I prayed hard that Azraa and Nuur is not waiting for at my car, under the hot sun.

It took me 5 mins to get to my car and my prayers were answered. They were not there. (yet?)

"Maybe there's a lot of people in the station", was what I thought. I got behind the wheel, turned on the engine and switched on the A/C, full blast. I kept looking at my rearview mirror, hoping to see them emerging from the LRT station behind me. After the 15th glance, I gave up. "Checking their reflection in the rearview mirror won't make them arrive any sooner".

Suddenly, I remembered that I brought my digicam. Aha! *imagine light bulb on top of my head*

This is all your fault, Azraa n Nuur. Both of you are the reason for my vanity.

They arrived at 17.12pm.

p/s: Yes. motive post ni adalah untuk tunjuk gmbr vain saya. Sekian, terima kasih.

K-Pop Concert in Singapore

I just got the news that there'll be a K-POP concert in Singapore in Oct 2010. How awesome is that?! Amongst those coming are Big Bang and SNSD. Finally, seeing the 'idols' performing right before my eyes. I am definitely booking my flight tix right this instance and buy the concert tix the first thing it is made available. I don't care if I'm going there alone, as long as I can scream my lungs out for Taeyang! Hehe. Punye la jauh pergi Seoul, last2 tgk deorg kt Spore jugak. Ahaha! Talk about irony. :) Gosh, I am all excited as I'm typing this. Let's cross our fingers that the I can grab the tix.

P/s: Anybody wanna join me? ;)

so far..

Annyeong!

How's everything going??? I know I haven't been writing as much as I would like to. Blame the job, blame my lazyness. *smirks*

Reporting today's activities....
8.00am - woke up (lambat. I KNOW.)
9.20am - arrived at court but I missed Ain's long call speech and the whole ceremony. Got to see her, nonetheless.
10.00am - Extracted my short-call papers. (Usually, pupils would do this in their 1st month. I was only able to get it done on my 6th month!)
11.10am - Drove back to the office.
12.10pm - Arrived at office. (The WORST jam ever. A supposedly 10 minutes drive was dragged to 1 hour. Crazy KL!)
12.45pm - Lunch
2.05pm - Back at office (Tak start keje satu habuk pon. hahahahaha!)
6.45pm - Joanne's farewell party at Hard Rock Cafe. My first time there. The ambience is great, great selection of music, the food... so-so.
10.55pm - Return home
11.30pm - Watched 2D1N. I still love them. :)
12.40am - Mandi + mengarut2
1.41am - Writing this.

I think I'll have to do a bit of spring cleaning tomorrow. My wardrobe is full of bags and craps rather than clothes. Time to donate Incredible Hulk-appropriate clothes. hehe.

Anybody who has been reading my blog would know that i HEART Seoul. I was thinking of going back there this year, with all the frenzy of cheap tix by AirAsia. Bila pikir balik, might as well work my as* off and kumpul duit. Nnt boleh kahwin. muahahahahah! No la, i think big vacation in 2 years in a row is a bit too much. duit takde, ade hati nak jln2 pula.. :)

Maybe i'll spend my money on deco this year. So much stuff to buy. (in order of priority) Aircond, Streamyx, desk, swivel chair, carpet, aquarium.. heeee..

oh ye, tomorrow night ada dinner. mcm fancy jek. makan free! wuhu!

till next post. toodles.

headache

I have been having this headache, well more like a constant, dull pain at the back of my head for 7 days.

At first i thot maybe my pillow was too high, so i resorted to another pillow. That didnt work.

I guess, maybe I'm just stressed because of work. Well, the work ended last tuesday but the pain persisted till today.

I figured, maybe because of my eyesight. I tried wearing my glasses for the whole day, but it just made things worst.

The pain comes like wave. I tried taking some pain killers - twice, to be exact- on Tuesday and Thurday. But the effect didn't linger and the pain resumed after 4 hours.

I don't know what's wrong with me but this headache is so annoying!! I should get myself checked right? Can the doctor certify 1-week medical leave? Hehe.

** I talked to my dad about the pain and turns out he used to have the same problem. It's freaking MIGRAINE! Gosh, i've been having migraine for 7 days!!! That explains it all.

Korea Trip Day 6 - Palace, Myeongdong, Hongdae

After the long wait, finally I have the time to reminisce my days in Seoul. After the nice dessert at the coffee shop (please refer to Korea Trip Day 5 post) we head back and ready to hit the sack. Hyekyung warned us that her room (she was so kind to let us use her room) is very cold at night. Still in the "polite-guest" mode, I replied "Oh.. Don't worry. We're used to the cold by now." Boy.. was I WRONG! Traditional Korean houses use heat from the floor (ondol) to warm the house. Unless u are lying on the floor, the temperature is pretty much the same. Imagine sitting on the heated floor, so ur butt would be warm and cosy but you can't feel your cheeks because it's frozen. That very night, the wind was blowing like there was no tomorrow. I was woken up at the middle of the night from the sound of the wind rattling the window. Oh, and a few times I was shocked out of my slumber because I shivered in my sleep. I felt like I was on the 2 Days 1 Night show and had to sleep outside because I lost bokbulbok game. Hahahaha! It was memorable, nevertheless.

Feeling like crap the next day, we immediately jumped on the sight-seeing wagon. We thought Minjae (Hyekyung's nephew) didn't want to tag along. He changed his mind overnight. Kids... :) We picked him up at his house which is not that far away from Hyekyung's place.

He was busy showing off his cards to us. Cute kid.

It was my first snow and it was snowing pretty heavy that morning. I remember hopping outside of Hyekyung's gate when the first snow landed on my palm. ahh.. the good ol' days. :)

We had our breakfast at one clean restaurant. The food was good. This is kimchi jjigae and some little prawns inside. Minjae's pork cutlet reminds me of Prosperity Burger Patty. hahaha!

First stop, the Palace. We don't mind going to any of the many palaces in Seoul. Hyekyung brought us to Deoksugung Palace.

The admission tix.

They're supposed to have changing of guards ceremony. We missed the ceremony. The guards in the above picture are already heading back to the entrance of the palace.

Hyekyung, Minjae and their bodyguard.

The throne. (nak bg lagi description tp ni la masalah ngn procrastination. I forgot everything. haha!)

It has stopped snowing by the time we got there but still windy. We went to the toilet and smarty Hyekyung showed us a great way to stay warm. Right on top of the heater in the toilet. :)

I remember something about when the bell is rung, something happens in hell. (mane ade vague. hahahahaha! sorry readers.)

Colourful leaves along the pathway on the palace ground.

The place where they burn the logs to keep the palace warm.

Our pet. Minjae the Monkey.

Admiring King Sejong. He's the face on 10,000won bill. He invented Hangeul (the Korean alphabets)

We took another break at the coffee house inside the palace.

You guys might think "Is something wrong with Hyekyung's ears?" or "Was Nurul shouting while snapping the pic and made Hyekyung protect her ears from the noise pollution?". Animida! Actually My Ear's Candy - Baek Ji Young feat. Taecyeon 2PM was playing in the background. Hyekyung thought she was Baek Ji Young. :P

Lucky us, by the time we're about to leave the place there was another change of guard ceremony. The guards were getting ready to rumble.

It was like a mini parade. Loud and colorful. I like.

After running around the palace ground, we decided to explore Myeongdong, the glorious shopping district. While we were going through the subway station, there was a demonstration on a Korean wedding(?). We wrote our well-wishes for the newlyweds on pieces of paper and pasted them on the pillars.

Khusyuk menulih.

The groom. Kot.

The plan was to jalan2 kat Myeongdong and then head to Hongdae to meet fellow Couchsurfers to hang out with them. Minjae was exhausted so Hyekyung had to send him back and we stayed in Myeongdong on our own and promised to meet her in Hongdae.

We finally met our new friends in Hongdae. We planned to have dinner together and while we were searching for a decent restaurant, we stumbled upon this art gallery.

Interesting art display. (I don't get art.)

One of our food for dinner. It's ddeokbokki + seafood. Sedap!

There are 4 nationalities in this pic (Malaysian, Canadian, American and French) + 1 korean taking the pic. hehe. Had good time chit-chatting about our cultures. I highly recommend Couchsurfing.org to have rich travelling experience.

They invited us to hang out at a bar/club but we declined. Was not up for loud music and crowd. We were in Hongdae so we naturally head to one of the pretty coffee shops. It was cold so a warm cuppa would do wonders. I can't imagine winter without coffee shops.

Our loot from Myeongdong. We bought a few cheap stuffs from Nature Republic (Rain's cosmetic shop) but the freebies were more than what we bought. Generous Koreans. :)

Cosying up on the couch in the coffee shop. Planning our next day. (nmpk sgt berlakon. theheheh.)

I'll say thing one more time, I heart Korean coffee shops! They are cosy, the deco is pretty and the coffee is good. The table was actually made out of a STOP sign. :)

Our dessert.

At home, we quickly put on the free masks we got from Nature Republic. We were exhausted but insisted on wearing them. We woke up with dried papers on our faces the next day.

More to come.

"When's your turn?"

Borgy is in the house~!! woot woot!!! i miss writing in my blog. How's everybody doing? I'm doing pretty ok. Things are slowing down a bit at the office..


Apart from lukewarm situation in the work department, my weekends are full with weddings. Weddings of my friends. I used to go to my friend's sister/brother's wedding. Not my OWN friends. I think marrying early is back in season. Getting married before 25, even for guys are normal these days. They are not in any hurry to move in together though.. some even live with their parents which is a good thing. Build strong foundation on with both families during the early stages of married life. Amik hati mertua. hehhehe!


Eventhough nobody's asking me the jackpot question : "When's your turn?", I wonder about it myself. It's interesting to think who'll be my boyfriend and eventually my husband. Who can bear with all this fabulosity? hahahahahahaha! (that's just depressed-me trying to make things sound better by condescending my future other half. ;p)


That day will come. Eventually.

Pain

On Pain by Kahlil Gibran

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.
And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life,
your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;
And you would accept the seasons of your heart,
even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.
And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.
Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity:
For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,
And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips,
has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.

Ranting on a Sunday night

Ahh.. Sunday night. Bittersweet, Sunday night. It is my down time but it also reminds me of Monday morning. Urgh.

Watched Ironman 2 last night with Bazlaa, Paan and Paan's friends. The movie was AWE-SOME!!! I found my jaw dropped a few times, gawking at the awesomeness of Ironman and Tony Stark. Yes, there's a difference. Ironman, is when he puts on the suit and Tony Stark is when he is not and I can have the magnificent view of his rear end. thihihihi.. I am completely smitten over Robert Downey Jr. Gosh, am I turning into those ditsy, dollar-sign-branded-eyes, 20-something girls who find men over 40 to be hot?? God forbid. I think my taste remains the same. Guys around my age, fair skin, tall, Asian. Well, Robert Downey Jr is the exception. *cue Paramore's The Only Exception*

Awww.. How I miss ranting in my blog. I was about to write something about work but I got to my senses and quickly hit the 'backspace' button. Hahaha! Enough talk about that. Anything interesting about my life? Not really. Not much action. Maybe I should spend some time to seriously think about what I want to do about my life. Maybe teach English in Seoul. (yes, i love that city too much.) Maybe enroll in volunteer work in Africa. That's interesting! Hehehe..

Dream on. Sounds like somebody is trying to take the easy route. *smirks*

I was born 23 years ago

Happy Birthday, Nurul Hidayah Binti Abdull Rahim.

May you never forget how to laugh at yourself,

May you furnish the room of improvement,

May you be wiser,

Nothing beats being a year older. :)

I dreamt of Seoul last night

I had the most beautiful dream last night. It was in sephia (yeap. i do have sephia dream.) and I remember gazing at the winter sky in Seoul and saw this lovely brownish light.. I saw a blanket of snow on the rooftops of a block of old shops.. The atmosphere was indescribable and I could actually feel the coldness in the air. (Actually I lost my blanky, the window was wide open and the fan was on full blast. hahaha!)

I don't know how to make of the dream. Did it mean that I need some peace and quiet? Did it mean that I long to go back there? Or did it simply mean that I need to be where I am the happiest?

Equation

A lunch treat by the clients at DELIcious @Marc Residence = 50 points

Chili's delivery for dinner, paid by my boss = 50 points

Praises for figuring out some law issues = 50 points

Flat tire in the middle of KL at 10.20pm and had to stop at Mobil Jln Syed Putra = -200points

A nice uncle helped me to change the tires = 50 points

50 + 50 + 50 - 200 + 50 = 0 points! :)

Bitching

Hey y'all!

Oremaneji? (Long time no see, right?) The lack of entries is pretty self-explanatory of how my life is right now. HEC-TIC! My second due d demands me to work 9am-10pm on weekdays and 9.30am-5.30pm on Saturdays.

Though I whine incessantly and complain about it, honestly, it's not that bad. Being busy makes me feel like I am a person with purpose. Datelines helps me focus and not just sitting around wondering what to do next. It almost feels like my work is making me feel important. The feeling of people depending on me to get the job done is empowering. With that said, I promised myself before i get into this corporate hole that I will never ever let my work define me. After a few encounters with office politics, I should know better than to make business, personal. Like Trump said, "Nothing personal, it's just business." However, I do hope that I could get along with everyone (ok, maybe most people). hehe.

Actually I'm taking a break from work right now. Bringing work home is so not sexy. Though I had this Sunday off, it's no different than being in the office. In 6 hours, I have to get up, race to the office... and the vicious cycle continues. Stop bitching and start working, bee-otch. Toodles!

Penang Mari

Readers, this is what we call MOUNTAINS of food! They are the ingredients you put in Rojak Pasembur. Basically it's a mixture of snacks and veggies topped with peanut gravy. Just the thought of it made me salivate!

The finished product, ready to be devoured.

Grilled cockles. Bust open the shell, dip it in the special sauce and u've got urself a delicious treat!

live in the moment

I just want all the madness to stop. I'm taking Oprah's advice : LIVE IN THE MOMENT! I'd go crazy thinking what i'll do after chambering (if i ever manage to finish it..) I can't keep messing up my head comparing what i've learnt or what i'll learn during my pupillage to my peers. Competition is necessary to grow out of my comfort zone but too much of it welcomes stress. All i can do is do my best on every assignment. Enjoy every moment for time does not wait for no man.

Que sera, sera.. whatever will be, will be.. Percaya kepada Qada' & Qadar. :)

Wish-list

My wish-list for March