borgy's $0.02

Tale of a Stalker

2012-01-28T02:41:00.002+08:00

Once upon a time, during the MIRC era in the early 00's, I chatted with a guy named Taufiq (bukan nama sebenar. *wink*) I had a HUGE crush on him because:

a. He's CUTE. Totally my type. (I've seen his picture. He's photogenic, at least. ;p)

b. His name is TAUFIQ. ("Taufiq & Hidayah" does have a nice ring to it, kan? Aiyooo.. berangan!)

c. His English is superb. (My kryptonite)

After 1 year of knowing him online, we lost contact with each other. Bummer.

I would be lying if I were to tell you that I have never tried searching his name on facebook/twitter, once in awhile.

Just 10 minutes ago, I tried googling his name. 22,400 results came up and I clicked the third link randomly.

Lo' and behold, the elusive Taufiq. I FOUND HIM!

But the blog post is about his wedding. *cue thunderstorm and heavy rain*

AAX debacle update

2012-01-21T10:40:00.002+08:00

I don't want to relive the horrible attempts to get the attention of AAX, it'll just spike my blood pressure.

To cut things short, I called their "premium line" (that's just their fancy term for "fucking expensive call charges"), went through their incompetent live web chat, sent 3 emails and all of them failed to get them to move their ass, do their job and settle my urgent problem.

My travel buddy Faiza, called their premium line as well and on the second call, she managed to get them to give us the new destination itinerary. Phew~

Can you believe it? I had to go through all the available channels and none worked. It seems they will only pay attention to us with a little bit of scolding over the phone. To say that I was frustrated would be the understatement of the year.

Alas, they managed to settle the recovery options and we were given another destination at no extra charge. I just wish they are more organised in handling their customers and not brushing them off easily, just transferring the customers from one channel to the other. We know, you are a budget carrier and you did offer cheap price for the airfares but we did pay with our hard earned money. Please respect and value your customer.

"Thank you", AAX.

One of many first world problems

2012-01-15T01:08:00.000+08:00

I noticed, these past few weeks.. the things people post on social network sites are annoying the hell out of me. I will not go into details because I have about umm.. 34678 reasons for feeling so.

Social networks are double-edged sword, for example:
a) helps you to keep in touch with strangers (hello, stalker generation!);
b) serves as public diary for people to air their dirty laundry;
c) are effective tools to spread mundane news such as how terrible government servants' English is. (Ok, now I am just being mean. SOME government servants' English. Sorry.)

Full disclosure, I have done the aforementioned.

Now that I have established the ~~pros and~~ cons, here's the tricky part. Moving forward, what is the best step?

Here are my limited options:
a) Delete my fb and twitter account and stop inflicting harm to myself;
b) Delete all strangers on both accounts and use the sites to communicate with ONLY the people that I actually like; OR
c) Let it be and continue to be annoyed on a daily basis.

Hmm...

"Smart" move, AAX

2012-01-14T12:43:00.000+08:00

Last Wednesday, I was scrolling my fb news feed and suddenly stumbled across an announcement from Air Asia X. They are cancelling a few routes "due to soaring taxes and higher jet fuel prices". Unfortunately my flight to Mumbai on 16 February 2012 is affected. Bummer.

Well, all is not bad. Air Asia X promised to give three alternatives "including a full refund, a reroute to another AirAsia X destination (e.g, in Australia and North Asia), or a move to an alternative carrier where available" and all these " at no additional cost".

Air Asia X, I sure do hope you keep your promise this time.

FYI, I purchased my flight tickets a year ago during the RM0.10 promo and I bagged the return ticket to Mumbai at RM260. Sounds like a pretty good deal at that time but why oh why must you make a drastic change without much earlier notice?

The route to Mumbai is cancelled from 1 February 2012 onwards but this announcement was only made on 11 January 2012. Come on, it's common sense that ample time of notice must be in order before you simply cancel your customers' flights.

Mass email from Air Asia X

According to the email, they are going to send another email to individual customers to inform the options available to them. Well, today is the 14th and I see no email from you, AAX! Nak cancel flight cepat aje.. nak remedy the situation lembab pulak kan?

Lady Luck is on my side as I have not made any accommodation arrangements yet and have yet to apply for my visa. Phew!

The only silver lining I can see out of this shenanigan is that I have the option to travel to other countries with no extra cost. I am definitely picking somewhere far, somewhere expensive. Hahaha! I really want to go to New Zealand so, fingers crossed! :)

Ji Hyun Woo

2011-12-28T15:20:00.001+08:00

Last weekend was a long holiday due to Xmas. My whole familywas in Kuantan, we had kenduri tahlil for arwah Mama. Family gathering isalways fun and I miss my hometown.

The thing is, although all my siblings are in KL, my eldestsibling is staying at his own place in Ampang. So, last weekend I got to meethim and he’s known for his extensive collection of downloaded movies andseries. I asked him for a favour to download my favourite Xmas movie, TheHoliday (THANKS!) and while going through the list of movies in his external HD,I came across two Korean movies that I have not watched. One of them is AttackThe Gas Station 2 (주유소 습격사건 2).

As soon as I reached my home in USJ, the first thing I didwas watch this movie. 10 minutes into the movie, I am in love with this one cool dude. I never quite catch his name in the movie because well, he has no name.According to asianmediawiki.com, the character’s name is One Punch. The actor thatplayed this cool character is Ji Hyun Woo. HE IS SIZZLING HOT HOT HOT!

One Punch and his CHARMING squint. *swoons*

His smile was the first thing that caught my attention. Suchpretty smile. Boyish, innocent smile. I am not going to go into the plot of themovie, you just have to watch it for yourselves. It’s quite funny, in Korean-comedy-antic kind of way. Hahah! See, my words are inadequate to describe thestory. ;p

My post is dedicated to Ji Hyun Woo’s charming smile in themovie. He is definitely not the most handsome actor around the block but hissmile placed him on top of my Hottest Korean Actors list. :p

Love!

Hitting the Rucksack

2011-12-13T11:31:00.001+08:00

Last month, I embarked on a journey with six friends toSingapore. We started our journey to the south around midnight on the 4^thof November 2011. The plan was to drive to JB, leave the car at my relatives’house and take a bus to Singapore via Woodlands.

We reached JB at around 4.30am. Given a few hours leftbefore dawn, we rested for a bit. We took the bus from the brand spanking newJB Sentral at 6.45am. This place is HUGE! I was a bit annoyed because to get tothe immigration counter, we had to walk quite a distance.

Prior to this trip, I’ve asked around for tips and what we’re supposed to do atthe immigration in Singapore. I have been warned that we had to RUN if wewant to catch the same bus that we took from JB. WE DID RUN but apparently not fast enough. Haha! No worries as busses are plenty and we only had to wait for5-10 minutes for the next bus to arrive. We were travelling on shoe-stringbudget thus, the public transport. It’s a hassle to purchase an RFID tag (similar to Malaysia’s SMARTTag) and EZ Link Card (similar to Malaysia’s Touch N’ Go) if we were to travel by car.

From the immigration at Woodlands, the journey to QueenStreet bus station took about an hour. Our dormitory is on the Hong KongStreet, around the Clarke Quay area. We had the option to take the MRT fromWoodlands but I figured, might as well take the bus right to the nearest stopto our dormitory. From the Queen Street bus station, we were quite confused onhow to get to the dormitory. I planned to use Google Maps and walk or take thebus to the dormitory but it didn’t occur to me that I would not be able to accessGoogle Maps once I’m in Singapore. SAY NO TO ROAMING CHARGES.

After coming to the conclusion that the bus system isincomprehensible for tourists like us, we hopped on the MRT at Bugis station,interchanged at Outram Park station and finally alighted at Clarke Quaystation. Phew! We could have easily reached the place in 10 minutes by foot butwe were not going to take any chances. Good thing the dormitory website provides anaccurate direction to the dormitory from the Clarke Quay station. The dormitory is 3-minute walk away from the MRT station. Prettyconvenient, huh?

Once we enter the RUCKSACK INN 2, we were greeted with aflight of stairs and interesting graffiti on the walls. It was just 10 in themorning and the journey kicked our asses. We dragged our tired butts up the stairs tothe reception area. The check-in time is at 2pm but we were allowed to leaveour belongings in the small room below the stairs, near the reception counter. Be warned that the room isquite small and anybody has access to the area so, DO NOT leave your valuablesin there. The staff were so kind to let us use the bathrooms. They even servedus with cold water. Thank goodness! Well, it is JUST plain water but we were beyond exhausted and our throats were as dry as the Sahara by the time we got there. The excellent hospitality did relieve a little bit of our fatigue.

After resting for awhile, we made our way to UniversalStudios Singapore, the highlight of our trip. I’ll talk about it in anotherpost.

After having LOADS of fun in USS, we checked-in our rooms that night.I, Piah and her sisters, Nirah and Qilah settled in the Nyonya room, the female dormitory. The boys, Rassi, Haponpon and Bobby settled in the Babaroom, the mixed dormitory. I did mention to theboys that they will be staying in a mixed dorm but somehow they had this ideathat it’s an all-boys room. Imagine their surprise when there were girls in pyjamas(read: SKIMPY CLOTHES) sharing their bunk beds. Your lucky day, boys! You're welcome. :p

I did not take any pictures of my room, though. Manyapologies. To sum it up, the room was clean, a little bit on the cramped sidebut comfortable nonetheless. The air-conditioners are only switched-on for afew hours during the night which is totally understandable because thebackpackers are usually out during the day. If you’re feeling warm in the room,you can always head down to the common area where there are guitars, a flat screen, books and X-Box for your entertainment. I know! COOL! If you need toget online, wifi signal is available throughout the dormitory. There are a fewPCs, connected to the internet at the common area and they are for free.

The drinks are for sale. I've been meaning to try the vitamin water. It tasted.. EH.

Bobby on the PC

Books!

The bathroom. I love love love the bathroom. There is one sharedbathroom on each floor. There are a few shower rooms and toilets in thebathroom. The bathroom is super clean, plus shampoos and shower gels arecomplimentary! I didn't take any picture of the bathroom as well. SORRY!

The kitchen area is pretty neat too. Small but very functional. You can find one big dining table, a microwave and a toaster. Breakfast is complimentary. They have butter, peanut butter, jam and bread. You can help yourself to teaor coffee as well.

Kitchen area. It is ALWAYS clean so make sure you clean up after yourselves. :)

My ideal breakfast.

This is my first time staying at a backpackers dormitory. I must say, Rucksack Inn 2 is a memorable first experience. If you feel that you are not comfortable sleeping with other backpackers, they offer double, triple and quad room too.

For all these how much did I pay for the room, you ask? $32/night! It’s a STEAL!!!

Oh, before I forgot. A word of advice to anyone who intends to stay at a backpacker dorm: PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHER TRAVELLERS. We did run into one DIFFICULT occupier of our room. This person was so rude to us that the OTHER girls in the room apologised to us on her behalf. Well, if we live in an ideal world, everyone would be nice and polite but in reality, once in awhile our paths will cross with jerks and the likes so, patience is key.

In a nutshell, RUCKSACK INN ROCKS!!!! Big time. :)

What happened in Singapore, stays in Singapore?

2011-11-11T15:28:00.001+08:00

What happened in Singapore, stays in Singapore?

Wait for my post on the trip to the Lion City! :)

The Lioness. (excuse my XL nostrils)

Homecoming Queen Part 2

2011-10-05T23:36:00.003+08:00

First up.. breakfast at the legendary DM (Dewan Makan = Dining hall). Since we're the guests, we didn't have to queue up to get our food. One major difference is that they have re-tiled the DM and the kids are allowed to wear shoes inside. I remember the disgusting, sticky floors that we had to walk on, 5 times a day. Urgghhh.. These kids had it easy! *jealous*

At 9.30am, the "pep-talk" session with the SPM candidates began. Rather than giving them a long, boring speech on the "path after SPM" or "future", we decided to put them into groups, according to their ambitions. Naturally, I was in charge of those aspiring to be lawyers. Guess how many students were in my group? T-H-R-E-E! Oh well.. it's given since it's a science stream school. hehe. The bulk of the students wanted to be in the science field. Some were even clueless on what they want to do after SPM. Do not worry, kids. I was sure that I'd further my studies in medicine before I took my SPM. Soon after, I was rudely awaken by my mediocre result. With all B's in Physics, Chemistry and Biology, I would be struggling if I were to take up medicine. ;p

SPM candidates

All I did was ramble about how to obtain a law degree, what they can do with a law degree etc. After three hrs, we dismissed the kids and I could tell, they were glad it was over. ;p

For lunch, we headed to the DM again. The food was surprisingly good. haha! I do not remember the food being this good when we were in school. ;p After lunch, sesi merewang Pekan Bandar Diraja started. When we went out for our fortnightly outings, KFC was the best thing we could find in Pekan. Sekarang Pekan dah maju. There's A&W! hahaha. We had desserts thr. Well, I ate a coney dog, a tall pitch of root beer float and a box of curly fries. Talk about binging!!! After that hearty meal, Cik Nisa and I went back to our hotel room and sleep the food coma off. Mane la tak beso gabak gini.. -.-"

Petang tu Miss Salina ajak pegi open house rumah dia kat flat guru. So, MAKAN LAGI. After devouring the delicious laksa and nasi minyak, we went to the soccer pavilion to cheer on the guys. They were playing against the form 5 students. Seri je.. boooo!!! haha. ;p

at Astaka bola

For dinner, we went to a thai place nearby and had dinner with Ustaz Hassan and Teacher Haslina. It was great chatting with Teacher Haslina and she remembers my name! Kagum gila. Or maybe sebab Teacher ada facebook sy? hehehe.

My girls.. :)

Yummeeehhhh!

We checked out of the hotel afterwards (yes, suka hati nak check out mlm2 buta.. haha) and spent the night at Aspuri (girl's hostel). It was nostalgic, spending the night in the dorm. Had our pillow talk and reminisced our good ol days till we pass out.

.. and now I miss my school and my friends. *sigh*

School, sweet school. :')

Late night epiphany

2011-10-03T00:31:00.000+08:00

Something clicked.

I CAN DO BETTER.

It's as if somebody turned on the lights in a dim room.

Homecoming Queen! (Part I)

2011-09-28T01:10:00.000+08:00

Class of 2003 a.k.a my batch organized a homecoming/reunion/pep-talk for current form five students of our high school over the Malaysia Day weekend. Although the response from my fellow batch-mate was so-so, I could not pass up the chance to visit my alma mater, Sekolah Sains Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, Pekan.

On Friday evening, Hanisah and I made our way to Pekan from KL. It was pouring as soon as we rev up our engine. It was pouring cats, dogs and pigs and since we were travelling during night time, it was bordering on dangerous. I ditched my 120km/hr habit and drove VERY carefully. We arrived at Pekan at around 10.30pm after having dinner in Kuantan. Straight away, we went to check in our hotel. Well, “hotel” would be inaccurate. More of an INN. Hehe.

The place is called Polo Inn. All other hotels/inns were fully booked and upon arriving at the inn, I quickly realized why this was the only place with vacancy. One word: CREEPY. Very low occupancy, apart from us.. I think there were only 2 other rooms being occupied. One is right next to us because we could hear the guy next door snoring thunder. haha!

It is situated at the polo field, near Sultan Abu Bakar palace. Though there were street lights along the way, but the inn itself was very grim. After sorting out our room and stuff, we headed to the brand new spanking hospital, right next to SHAH, Pekan. Takde la baru sgt.. but new to me since the “hospital” we frequent during our school days was the one in the heart of the town and now it is downgraded to “klinik desa” or smthg. Aimi was having stomach pain due to gastric and kebetulan Ustaz Hassan ada kat sana. He was accompanying a student to the hospital jugak. So, bila first time jumpa semua orang kat hospital, mmg la riuh waiting area tu. Hehe. Sorry, doc! ;p

Right after the hospital trip, we went to Aspuri (girls’ hostel) sincethe rest of my friends are staying there. Hanisah and I needed air-cond and hot shower, so.. creepy inn was our best option. Plus, the condition of the hostel was really bad. I swear, it was cleaner and prettier back then, by a mile. Nevertheless, spent some hours just talking to the girls, reminiscing our good ol’ days. When we can’t hold our eyelids open anymore, we made our way back to the inn and called it a day.

The next day, we woke up to fresh kampung air and the green polo field was gorgeous! The inn was less creepy during the day. Hehe. The trees, the grass, the air, immediately shot me back to our cross-country days. *sigh* I detested having to run that 5km from school, through the kampung, lalu this very padang polo and back to school. But now, I definitely MISS that excruciating run.

The majestic tree in front of the inn

The driveway leading up to the inn. The blue house is the next-door neighbour

Cik Nisa, in front of the inn

The grass is always greener in Pekan. :) The polo field.

Glad to be on the greener side! ;p

To be continued...

Festive

2011-09-23T00:54:00.001+08:00

It's my 1st time blogging from Blogger's iPhone apps (evetho I'm using an iPad, the iPad version of app is yet to be out) and I've gotta say it's pretty convenient.

We are now in the month of September . Nothing worth noting here but my Eid last month was awesome. Did A LOT of cooking. By a lot, I meant NON-STOP. Phew! Culinary is definitely not my career option.

Oohhh.. I managed to learn how to weave a ketupat after years of fruitless attemps, thanks to my ever so patient guru. Big shout out to Cik Nin. Woot woot! :)

After spending 5 days in Muar, I made my way to Kuantan to attend my friends' wedding, alone. I fulfilled only 2 out 4 invitations. Nevertheless, a fun Eid indeed.

Good night!

Mind My Grammar

2011-08-09T21:15:00.000+08:00

I have been scrolling about my older posts.

My grammar... Oh lord! It's a disgrace.

Note to self: re-check your grammar before posting. (I wonder if the correct spelling is 'recheck')

Ramadhan datang lagi

2011-08-05T09:58:00.003+08:00

Assalamualaikum readers! (ewah, mentang-mentang Ramadhan, terus bg salam. ;p weh.. x baik memain. ok. gila)

How's everybody's doing?

I'm doing good, thanks!

I bought an iPad. Yeay!

(hmm.. ape lagi ek..)

Nothing much going on, I guess.

Ok la. Bye!

Smell like...

2011-07-01T13:36:00.004+08:00

I was ambitious yesterday, setting my alarm clock at 7.10am today. I woke up at 6am and reset it to 7.20am. I had trouble waking up immediately and took my time to close my eyes for a little while. I was jerked out of my sleep at 7.58am. I have to clock in at 8.30am.

Close-my-eyes-for-a-little-while my ass.

I jumped out of bed, reached for the towel, tried to open the bathroom door but it was locked. My brother was in there doing his usual morning ‘business’. Cursing in my head, I detoured to my mom’s shower.

As soon as I entered the shower, I sniffed this familiar smell. I saw Pink LifeBuoy’s body wash. The scent opened a dam and a wall of emotions came rushing through. The scent triggered my hippocampus to high gear and memories started to replay almost like slideshow in my mind.

SEOUL. It’s the scent of Seoul.

When I first came to Seoul, we (Nuur and I) spent a few days in Nuur’s cousin’s house. It’s a compact house with an open space that serves as study area/living room/dining room, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchenette, and 1 small upper floor just for sleeping. This smell reminds me of that cute house. Every morning we would shower with this body wash before we embark on our adventure for that day. At the end of the day, we would shower again. So, we smell like this all-day-long.

God, I miss Seoul. SORELY.

I didn’t pause to reminisce, rather, I quickly lathered the soap all over my body.

The feeling….. Oh, the feeling! It felt like home.

Since I don’t have the luxury of time, I finished my shower in exactly 4 minutes. (Hey, don’t judge my speed. I was clean, I smelled wonderful, I was good to go. ;p)

It’s casual-Friday at the office so, I scanned my room for my jeans. Of all days, the jeans were not hung on its usual hook by the closet door. I opened by closet - lo and behold, my OLD jeans. I bought these pair especially for my trip to Korea and wore it almost everyday there.

“Great, another item just to remind me of my happy days in Seoul”, was what I thought.

I have to admit, the jeans were a little eager to hug my umm.. voluptuous figure. Not wanting to waste more time, I ~~slipped~~ struggled into the jeans and while doing that, I was eyeing my casual tops drawer. What to wear? What to wear? What to wear?

I settled with a purple top that I bought from Seoul, just to embrace today’s Seoul-Hark-Back theme. I put in on, checked myself out in the mirror and decided I looked like Dr. Bruce Banner transforming into Hulk – nearly ripping through the seams of the clothes.

Aigooooooooo! I settled with a brown (stretchable) top that I bought in Bandung. Buzz-killer.

I didn’t even put on toner and moisturiser and scrambled to the front door exactly at 8.16am. While walking to the elevator, I took a loooooong whiff of my right arm.

I, indeed, smell like Seoul. J

p/s: In case anybody's wondering if I got to work on time.. NOT!

Mid

2011-06-14T00:03:00.003+08:00

Dear all,

It is now the middle of June. Gosh. Where did time go? Excuse my long absence from the blogging scene. As usual, the sucky internet connection at home discouraged me from posting any pics of my trips to Redang and KK.

However, pls don't feel abandoned, dear blog for I will make it up to u. :) U just wait.

Tribute

2011-05-22T20:10:00.002+08:00

Greetings!

My cousin, Yaya, yesterday made a remark regarding my blog:

"Kenapa awak dah tak tulis blog? Pergi Sabah, Redang sume tu. Pemalas eh!"

That's when I realised, she's right. Sorry, bloggy for the abandonment.

I'm not gonna write abt my trip to Sabah/Redang Island. I need a good 3 hrs to compose those. heheheh.

Great news, I just bought a brand new spanking LAPTOP! *woot! woot!* My old Compaq started making weird noises for the past five months, the adapter is impaired and I have too much files but too little space. Hence, my new Lenovo comes into the picture.

I am dedicating this entry to my Compaq which has been with me for the past 5 years, through college, through pupillage and through many other phases. So long, Compaq. May u find the recycling centre a great home.

Hired!

2011-05-05T01:41:00.003+08:00

Greetings Readers!

I have a good news to share. Alhamdulillah, I am HIRED! After being unemployed for 34 days, I received the offer yesterday and immediately accepted it. I will be starting work next Tuesday (supposed to start on Monday but I'll still be in KK that morning). I wanted this job so bad since I am done braving through the horrible traffic from USJ to KL. My new office is only 10mins away. Yeay! :)

I am still in the legal line but not as a practising lawyer. Please pray that I will adapt well to the new environment and be able to be more productive in the future. InsyaAllah.

p/s: Can't wait for my family trip to KK this weekend!

Why?

2011-04-18T23:01:00.000+08:00

One hour to 19 April. Damn, why am I so sad?

The Climb (nope, not even remotely related to Miley Cyrus or that song)

2011-04-16T00:57:00.009+08:00

After we settled down in our new room. We immediately jumped into the lake and had a quick dip. Takut la nak berenang jauh2, since it's a lake. Mane ade landai mcm pantai.. there's a few rocks stacked up along the bank of the island but beyond the rocks, it's REALLY deep. I have bathophobia. :( We ended up masukkan badan, pegang kuat2 kat tangga, berenang 5 meter than naik darat. (pathetic..)

By noon, we were thinking we better take a look around the island instead of being cooped up in our room. Ari, he's a staff of the cottage, offered to take us to the waterfall. We were over-zealous, wanting to walk to the edge of the hills where the waterfall is situated. God's grace, right before we depart from the cottage, it drizzled. We ended up taking 2 motorcycles - Ari and Rio were our drivers (ape nak pggl org yg bwk motor eh? rider?) and rupa2nya tmpt tu jauh gila! Poyo je deorg kate boleh jalan ke sana. Mmg boleh, tp kene gerak subuh hening, pastu smpi sana tgh hr buta.

We needed to hike a mountain (ok, over. It's a small mountain. FINE. Hill.) to get to the waterfall. Why we chose to do this strenuous activity? Sila tanya Kikin. Bosan katanya. hahaha! Though it was raining, we stucked to our plan. I was a bit worried though, but kept it to myself. When asked how long does it take to get to the waterfall, they said about 20 to 45 minutes.

With Ari, our hiking guide.

Memang tak DUA jam aku mendaki gunung!!! Bohong betol..

Biase je waterfall ni.. tp sbb nak cari smthg to do, ok la.

The COLD water washed away our fatigue.

The view from the hill. This is only half-way to the waterfall. Yes, we hiked this high. Seb baik x pengsan. haha.

Small town of Tomok. This pic was taken while I was on the bike.

After our refreshing swim at the waterfall, we were feeling uber healthy. haha. Alang2 da ade 2 driver, we asked them to take us to Tomok for a short souvenir shopping since da nak maghrib. Sempat la beli t-shirt untuk diri sendiri.

Sekian, until next post.

My day

2011-04-05T21:56:00.002+08:00

Woke up at 6.15a.m. in Rawang.

Arrived in Shah Alam at 8.30a.m.

My brother picked me up at 9.20a.m.

Went to Amcorp Mall at 10.05a.m. and bought SEVEN books! 2 from a second-hand bookstore (lingered there while waiting for BookXcess to open) and 5 from BookXcess. My boredom is over.

Arrived in Sen Heng Taipan at 12.00p.m. and bought myself an air-conditioner.

Went to Mydin Mall, USJ 1 at 1.00p.m. and bought tonnes of groceries.

Arrived home at 2.35p.m.

Cooked ayam masak kurma at 6.05p.m. and the chicken was ready at 6.55p.m.

Had dinner at 7.30p.m.

Mengantuk gila at 10.03p.m. *yawn*

"Vicious" cycle

2011-04-04T11:53:00.003+08:00

So.. life after my short legal stint is kinda boring actually. My brother is using my car, so I can't go anywhere. Last week, I gave him my car keys along with the house keys attached to the same keychain. I was literally trapped in my own house. When the delivery man arrived, I had to ask him to pass me the food one by one through the openings of the front door gate. A papercup of coke nearly burst as I forced it between the steel bars. ;p

I spend my days watching reruns on Astro. When I'm done with past seasons of Ugly Betty and Oprah, I resort to internet. When I'm done with that, I turn on the tv again... and the "vicious" cycle continues.

Heaven.

Free woman

2011-03-30T01:54:00.004+08:00

I am a free woman. To say that I'm having mixed feelings is such an understatement. It feels like a hundred adjectives, put in a blender, fused and compounded into a liquid of confusion. Hahaha! Well, above all.. I feel RELIEVED and ALIVE. It was such agony to come to this decision one month ago and having to mull over it from last Friday till Monday this week, was just reliving nightmare.

When I received the offer to be placed in another team, with another boss, it was a sign from God. It was a reminder of why I wanted to quit in the first place. On Monday, the first day I was back at work after reconsidering to stay on in the same firm, my feelings towards practice did not change. I resigned on the same day.

The circumstances did not and will not change even if I am working with another boss. That offer really made it crystal clear to me that my heart is not in private practice anymore.

I would never do anything differently. I am very grateful to have incredible parents whom support my decision with open hearts. I do not know if this is the right decision, but I do know that I believe in my decision.

InsyaAllah.

Bleeding ♥

2011-03-18T22:23:00.002+08:00

giggle

2011-03-17T20:09:00.005+08:00

A year has passed, he barely crossed my mind,
Yesterday, he greeted me with a smile,
I said "Hi!", turned away, and go,
Hoping that he won't see me turn red as a tomato.

Today, I saw him from the corner of my eye,
My skin tingled, my heart did a wheelie,
I hope, oh, I do hope he'd stop by,
He came into the room and talked to me. ME!!!!!!!!!!

The Cottage

2011-03-16T09:44:00.008+08:00

While we were on the ferry that took us to Samosir Island, a young man approached us and told us to check out his hostel. I didn't make any prior bookings due to umm.. lack of credit card. haha! So, we agreed to follow him and he showed us around his hostel. For a room with twib bed and hot shower, he offered us Rp120,000/ night. That's approximately RM40 for 1 night. Dirt cheap. However, we decided to keep on walking and maybe take a look around before settling down.

We arrived at this 1 hostel. A middle-aged woman is the inn-keeper. When we asked her to show us the room right on the bank of the lake, she said smthg about it'll be waste of her energy if she shows us around but we end up not wanting to stay there. I was actually a bit scared of the lady, so I quickly refused her but she insisted on showing the room. We had to follow her around and she was really persistent in wanting us to stay the night. We gave up and decided to stay there for the night. She charged us Rp100,000 per night. FYI, I think we were the only ones staying in that hostel. SCARY!

Later that evening, after settling down in that scary hostel, we decided to check the neighbouring hostels. It turns out that the other hostels are much better than the scary hostel. We decided we would shift to the better hostel first thing in the morning.

Our "better" hostel, Samosir Cottage. Rp150,000 per night with hot shower. Trust me, you'll need hot shower in Danau Toba.

The reception area and dining place of the Cottage.

The view of Danau Toba from our balcony.

The view of the Cottage from our balcony.

We were officially in paradise. :)

The Journey To The Lake

2011-03-14T23:11:00.008+08:00

As you know, I went to Medan to do a little bit of soul-searching (more like running away from the toxic air in KL) in February. I meant to put up my pictures earlier but work had been CUH-RAY-ZAY. The Bali post (my trip last year) will have to wait.. hahaha!

Now I know what will work. Piecemeal. Baby steps. Since my internet connection is a wee bit faster than an old man trying to cross the road, I figured.. why not do it small? :) Here goes..

My cousin, Kikin and I boarded a very early flight to Medan on Thursday. We planned to go straight to Danau Toba upon arrival and spend at least 2 days there. We did research on the internet and we were supposed to get a "bus" from the airport to the bus terminal where we could take another bus to Parapat, the town at the bank of Danau Toba.

As soon as we landed, we head out of the airport and the first thing we noticed was a KFC at a Petronas. We made a bee line to our target and totally forgot that KFC won't be open for business at 8a.m. Hahaha! Disappointed and starving, we tried to catch the "bus" to the terminal. It turns out the "bus" mentioned on-line is actually an ANGKUT. An angkut is a van with no doors and can fit up to 10 people at one time. I remember taking angkut in Bandung so, no surprise there. I bet org2 putih tu ingat ni "bus" because there is no ordinary bus in the city.

It was quite a long ride in the angkut to the terminal. Erase the normal bus terminal image in your mind. Picture uneven ground, full of pot-holes, thousands of angkuts and two buses. Oh, and literally people everywhere. Nope, they are not boarding the bus.. they are women selling bottled water, snacks and such. Well, most of the men just hang around the bus stop staring at the crowd, jumping around (yes, they jump), grooming each other (tolong kawan die cabut janggut or smthg). Basically nothing productive.. We were quite early to arrive at the bus that was taking us to Parapat. Thank God we were early or else we could have ended up seating on the floor of the bus. Right before the bus reach it bursting point, the driver finally turned on the engine. Note that there's no air-conditioning in the bus. I had little children screaming from all sides, XS seats and 5 hours journey ahead. We did ourselves a favour and promised to rent a car back to Medan.

Once we reached Parapat, we had our lunch and head to the Tiga Raja jetty to take a ferry to the island of Danau Toba, Pulau Samosir.

The view of Parapat from our ferry

Look at the angry sky.. It seems like we were at sea, with waves crashing and all. Bbrrr!

The ferry had 2 sections, indoor and outdoor. We did try to brave the wind, rain and cold but with ever passing minute, the wind seems to get wilder, the rain heavier and definitely colder. We gave up on "enjoying" the ride and took shelter in the gasolin-stenched covered area. After about 1 hour of ride, we finally reached our destination, Samosir Island at 3 p.m. Phew~

A preview of the beauty of the island. :)

To be continued...

Home

2011-02-27T20:45:00.002+08:00

Honey, I'm home~

Lake Toba was divine. I'm beyond exhausted but it was worth it. I'll post the pics soon. :)

In the meantime, I am just feeling dreadful to go to work. I took a peek at my office mail and I have 30 unread mails. My immediate reaction is to pretend I didn't see them, closed my email and decided to deal with all the mess tomorrow. *sigh*

This stops. Tomorrow.

I am

2011-02-23T00:22:00.003+08:00

Torn.

Confused.

Impatient.

Anxious.

Rushed.

I am lost.

Mati ke?

2011-02-20T13:28:00.003+08:00

*takes deep breath* Here goes..

Kenapa org2 ni x reti nak cuti on Saturday and Sunday? Mati ke kalau agreement tu siap hari Isnin??? Mati ke kalau revert to your emails on Monday? Mati ke kalau aku x pegi office on Sunday morning, spend 2 hours of the road from Subang Jaya to KL, semata2 for a half-an-hour task that I can do on Monday?????????!!!!!!

You guys should know your priority.

My priority is life. Get one yourself.

Whim and fancy

2011-02-18T00:41:00.003+08:00

My first trip on a whim. I'm departing in 6 days! :)

Guess where?

2.30 a.m.

2011-02-16T02:30:00.002+08:00

I am still wide awake at 2.30 a.m. on a weekday. Although I need to wake up at 7 a.m., I don't care. While having nothing to do this late at night, I surfed the website of my firm and found this...

Coolness.

Decided.

2011-02-13T19:43:00.004+08:00

I have had enough. I had my moment of clarity and what I need to do has never been so obvious. Life is all about making decisions and to say that this decision is difficult to make is an understatement.

Whatever the outcome of this decision, I only have Him to guide me. Amin.

Korea Trip Day 7 - Apgujeong, Sillim

2011-01-30T11:10:00.019+08:00

오랜만이야~ It has been more than a year since I was in Korea. Oh, does time fly. After the long hiatus from my Korea trip posts, I present you, DAY 7. We were spending a few nights at Hyekyung's place and tonight would be our last night in Sillim. We had promised to meet up with a fellow CSer, Boram. She's interested in knowing more about Malaysia as she plans to visit here soon. (Hmm.. I wonder if she's visited Malaysia by now.) We promised to meet in Jongno-3-ga. After a warm cup of coffee and a doughnut in the good ol' Dunkin Donut, we made our way to Apgujeong. As I have mentioned in my previous post, every neighbourhood in Seoul has it's own character and charm. Apgujeong is an upscale district, evidenced by the sky-high price of real property, grandiose shopping mall (equivalent to our Pavilion, Bukit Bintang) and it being the go-to place for celebrities to get their hair and make-up done at the exclusive salons here.

I can't remember the mall's name. hehe. Apgujeong's Rodeo Street. It was nearly deserted that night. I was hoping to bump into any celebrities but even commoners were hardly around.

I was eyeing my prey - PASTRIES.

Boram actually taught us an important survival tips for travelling with shoe-string budget : FREE FOOD! Hahahahah! We can actually sample the food at the food court. The fact that the mall is on the high-end side doesn't hurt either. Being the typical hospitable Koreans, they gave us not just the small pieces of samples, we got newly-baked pastries. Few of them. I love Korean service. :)

Goofing around the emaculate powder room. Boram tried to ignore our jakun act. hehehe.

Tak mampu nak masuk Gucci. Amik gmbr je pon jadi la ek?

Earlier that day, we planned to go to the Korean sauna - jjimjilbang with Hyekyung and maybe spend the night there. I have seen countless dramas, movies and variety shows (Happy Together. hehe.) filmed in jjimjilbang. Finally, I get to experience it myself.

The staple food of jjimjilbang. RAMYUN!

After exploring the jjimjilbang, we tried laying down in the big hall where everybody sleeps. It was awkward at first but imagine sleeping with your family kat kampung, at the living room, ramai2. Instead of family, you're sleeping with strangers. hahah! I can't actually post the pictures here. Malu la. hikhik.

The floor of the jjimjilbang is heated. For Koreans, they like their skin to touch the floor. As they say, 시원한다! Believe me, after 10 minutes of laying on the floor without any lining, you'd feel as if you're in a crock pot.

At about 1 a.m. I had to retreat and headed to the second floor where they have cool chambers that would fit one person in one chamber. It's like a cave made out of cooling rocks. I took a sleeping pad, a square pillow and slept soundly in the chamber. I was quite afraid that a drunken uncle might crawl into my cave but I ignored my anxiety as my eyes were rebelling for sleep.

At around 3 a.m., I felt really cold in the chamber. So I dragged my sleeping pad and slept in the big hall again beside Nuur. I woke up at around 6 a.m. and found a man sleeping soundly beside me. I was so sleepy that I couldn't care less. Hahaha! Around 9 a.m., Nuur and I got ready to leave and Hyekyung was nowhere to be found. We knew she had to go back home early so we weren't that worried.

After a week in Seoul, we can get home from any bus stop or subway station. :)

The jjimjilbang basked in the morning sun.

Muka baru bgn tido. :) Lovely morning.

When we got home, Hyekyung immediately asked where have we been. We told her that we were still in the sauna when she left. She thought that we had left her because she can't find us in the sauna.

We told her about the stranger sleeping beside us. She thought she saw a family of three sleeping together so it didn't occur to her that it was us all along. HAHAHAHA!!!

Hyekyung's affectionate mom. She looks like a typical ahjumma right? I miss her. :)

After a quick morning shower, we packed and was ready to head to Konkuk University station to meet our next CS hosts, Chad and Sue.

New style!

2011-01-29T20:54:00.002+08:00

안녕하새요!!!

How do you like my new layout? Ha? *nudge your elbow* Ha?

Hehe.

This is what I do on a Saturday. :)

I won. Again. Yeay.

2011-01-19T21:30:00.003+08:00

While I was teaching Wafa how to spell "bu-nga" in Asu's house, my phone started ringing. The caller id was an unknown number. I thot, who the hell calls me from a landline, after office hours.
Me : Hello.

Caller : Hi! Is this Nurul?

Me : err.. Yes..

Caller : Hi! This is Han from Red.FM.

(WTH? I didn't even call them or send any SMS to the radio station)

Me : Huh. Uh. Hi!!! (very chirpy.)

Han : I believe that you sent 2 SMSes yesterday for our Cinepasses? Why didn't you send any today?

Me : Err.. because I'm not driving.. hehe. I am already home.

Han : Oh u're home. Great. What are you looking forward to in this movie?

(Honestly, I forgotten which movie we are talking about for a second. I can't even remember the title! hahaha. I don't know who's in it but I knew a few has-beens are in there.)

Me : Since there are a lot of guys, I'm looking forward to a lot of actions. (Nice save, Borgy!)

Han : Oh. yeah. Do you like Collin Farrel? (Ohhhhhh!! So that's the has-been!)

Me : I used to. He's old now. HAHAHA!

Han : What? Don't discriminate old guys. (He went on about how shallow of me to not like older guys.. yadda yadda..) So who do you like? Justin Bieber?

Me : Oh. God, NO! Never. (padahal nyanyi lagu Baby kat karaoke. ;p)

Han : Hahaha! Just kidding. So, I'm calling to tell you that you've won 4 tickets of 'The Way Back'!!!!! (Ohh... so that's the name of the movie.)

Me : Today?

Han: Yeah!!!

Me : Geez. Thanks! (Believe me, I was psyched but I was in my aunt's kitchen so I can't actually shriek in happiness.)

Han : Sound more enthusiastic! Shout "Woohhooo~!! Thank you, Red. FM~!!!!"

Me : Thank you!! (In falsetto) Sorry, i can't be that loud. thihihi.

Han : That's ok. You did fine. (Err.. sorry to disappoint you, Han.) Just wait for the tickets to be ready and you can collect it from our office. Thank you. Have a great evening.

Me : You too!

Am I lucky, or am I LUCKY?

Thank you, Red.FM!! woooohhhhooooooo~!!!!

PUBLISHED!

2011-01-16T00:50:00.002+08:00

My first piece to get published by a newspaper! *up top!!!!*

tho, "piece" sounds grand, it's just a a couple hundreds words essay. but, hey! whaddaheck. I am officially PUBLISHED!!!!

check it out~

ps: this is fictional. i wasn't alone. hehehe!

7 January 2011

2011-01-07T23:27:00.004+08:00

Today, Nurul Hidayah Binti Abdull Rahim was called to the Bar.

Alhamdulillah.

Gadgets

2011-01-05T00:48:00.002+08:00

My material wish-list for 2011

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB
I want this bad boy so bad. I think I'm gonna spend my pupillage savings on this. It'd better be worth it.

I just checked my mail and I won the Nothing Like Australia Contest. All I had to do was to comment on the entries of the previous contest. How easy was that? Guess what I won..

Wooohhoooo!!!!! Tapi menang 1 je la.. not all 5. hehe.

2011

2011-01-01T10:12:00.001+08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR, DEAR READERS!!!

MAY WE HAVE A GREAT YEAR AHEAD..

Meow!

2010-12-14T13:57:00.006+08:00

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

2010-12-13T20:33:00.004+08:00

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

2010-11-21T23:11:00.002+08:00

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....

2010-11-11T23:58:00.007+08:00

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

2010-09-23T23:57:00.009+08:00

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..

2010-09-03T21:39:00.002+08:00

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

2010-08-25T23:01:00.002+08:00

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..

2010-08-07T01:27:00.004+08:00

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

2010-07-09T19:24:00.005+08:00

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

2010-06-15T09:30:00.014+08:00

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?"

2010-06-10T13:45:00.005+08:00

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

2010-05-18T10:20:00.000+08:00

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

2010-05-09T22:18:00.005+08:00

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

2010-04-20T00:27:00.005+08:00

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

2010-04-17T21:55:00.003+08:00

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

2010-04-03T11:42:00.002+08:00

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

2010-03-29T00:09:00.004+08:00

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

2010-03-07T22:43:00.010+08:00

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

2010-03-07T11:46:00.002+08:00

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

2010-03-04T13:48:00.004+08:00

My wish-list for March

Due D

2010-02-22T20:45:00.002+08:00

My first ever due diligence a.k.a due d is awesome (so far)! The company is 10 minutes away from home so I can wake up later than usual which means I can stay up a bit late to catch programs on KBS World. yeayea!

I've learnt a lot for a first-timer. Everybody was very accommodating to the process. Handsome blue-collars have never been so easy on my eyes. Haha! Hope tomorrow's gonna be another great day. Bestnye x yah masuk office! ;)

Escapade

2010-02-19T22:05:00.002+08:00

In one hour, i'll be on my way to PENANG! woohoo!!!!!!! it's been ages since the last time I went there. I wonder what has changed. Some said the best food in Malaysia is in Penang. I refuse to believe that until and unless i've tasted them myself. *ehem* (justification to eat a lot?) Rojak Pasembur (pronounced pa-sem-BOQ) and Char Kuey Teow, u can run but u can never hide~

Oh ya, I'm going there for a Nana's wedding. Dang. First of our lot to get married after graduating. When's my turn? Don't worry, ppl. I still remember my pledge though with work, it's nearly impossible to even meet new people. God's willing, Mr Right will find me. SOON. (Amin..) Kene amik berkat Nana la gini. *puts on determined face to catch the bouquet tomorrow*

Korea Trip Day 5 - Guro and Sillim

2010-02-13T10:10:00.010+08:00

Came Day-5 of our trip. I remembered that day was not as eventful as other days because we spent half of the day to go to Sillim i.e. Hyekyung's house. Before we set off to spend 3 days in Sillim, we decided to cook something to thank our hosts, Azza, Azma and Anna for their hospitality. We woke up earlier than usual to go to the nearest shijang (market). All of them were surprised when we told them where we were going to shop for groceries. We were so used to walking non-stop for the last 4 days that a few miles to the market didn't matter. Anna gave me directions the night before and I was confident that we'd get there without any detours. It's no surprise we got lost at 9 in the morning, wandering aimlessly in Gocheok-2-dong. haha! Thanks to 1 ahjussi and another ahjumma who didn't ignore me when I asked for directions we finally found the market. :) It was kinda like our small adventure for the day because we were relatively new there. Me and Nuur just accepted the challenge of walking to the market by ourselves, buying veggies and squids head-on. We survived! ^^

Nuur's cooking debut, Sotong Masak Kunyit (Turmeric Squid)

My dish, kailan ikan masin. Had to make shift since there was no ikan tenggiri masin. ketuk pintu neighbor (other Malaysian students) and mintak ikan kering sikit. Fry it, blend to powder and tada!

After all that cooking, we had our lunch and went to Sillim.. by bus! Scary to go to a new place by ourselves. Thank God, we arrived safely to the arms of Hyekyung who was searching for us when we accidently got off the bus at one stop earlier than the one we're supposed to.

This is our first time to go to a REAL Korean home and I ADORE it! It was so compact and everything is so different from Malaysian home. Hyekyung was so kind to cook us a good 'ol Korean meal.

Rice, kimchi, omelette and doenjang jjigae. Different from our Malaysian dishes above. hehe.

Hyekyung's super cute nephew, Minjae. He liked us because we kept praising his drawings. He reminds me of 2PM's Wooyoung.

After stuffing ourselves silly at dinner, Hyekyung wanted to bring us to a cheap coffee shop near Seoul National University. It's usual to have cheap shops around universities since students are broke. haha!

Hyekyung's home is literally on top of a freaking high hill. I kid-you-not, the incline is really steep, chincha musowo! Hyekyung said that the shops are near. I stopped believing her after 30mins of hiking. hehe. However, the journey was definitely worth it! I love this place. Cake + coffee = 5000won (Nuur, betol ke? I can't remember) which is approx rm15. In Hongdae, a cup of espresso is 5000won.

High on delicious cakes and sweet coffees. Excellent atmosphere.

Hyekyung, her sister and Minjae. We had a pretty serious conversation over our dessert. We talked about the suicide of Korea's previous president, Roh Moo Hyun.. the current president, Lee Myung Bak, and other things about Seoul. Very enlightning. Finally, honest opinions of the country's political state from Seoulites.

Posing in front of the cafe. Minjae looking cute with his gomdorii (hat).

My favorite cafe in Seoul because it's the cheapest! ^^

When we were about to leave, my steps were heavier, thinking that we had to walk back home. Luckily (?) Minjae was tired and sleepy so we took the taxi home.

My Weekend

2010-02-07T14:02:00.003+08:00

Once I've started a 9 to 5 (to be exact, 8.30 to 5.30) job.. Weekends are more precious. Unemployment made me oblivious to days in a week. Everyday is Sunday! weeeeeeeeee~ How I miss being a bum. :/

My boss kept telling me that the most important thing that a lawyer must do is read. I agree. However, picking up that habit again is HARD. Ever since I've been crazy about k-pop, reading is at the bottom of the list. Yeah, i do read law books but it was purely for exams. He asked me to finish one of the many Penguin books placed at the rack in front of reception. I picked Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Excellent read. Why I didn't read it earlier, I dont know.

Reading a classic children book... CHECK!

One thing that worried me when I started working is that I won't have time for k-pop. Believe it or not, k-pop/k-drama is my sanctuary to run away from the evils in this world. (drama queen. i know. hehe.) I'm glad I could spend some time this weekend to catch up with the reruns in KBS World and watch cutie Lee Seunggi (Shining Inheritance) in my laptop.

Escaping to K-World... CHECK!

Sunday, why can't you be more than 24 hours?

Had enough

2010-02-04T20:56:00.004+08:00

Traffic jam is hell on earth.

Let's go house-hunting at KL Centre. :)

1st Day of Work

2010-02-02T22:34:00.004+08:00

Tired. Tired of doing nothing all day.

Looking forward to tomorrow. Filing in the papers for chambering.

Alone. *sigh* All by myself.

Feelings

2010-02-01T21:27:00.003+08:00

Thank heavens for Hari Wilayah (a public holiday) in my 1st week of work. Before I know it, Friday will be around the corner. :)

So, tomorrow is the 1st day of work. Having these mixed feelings..

Excited - How does my master look like? Will my cubicle be cosy? Will my computer NOT face the crowd so I can sneak in some FB and blog time? (Will my future employer read this entry and cut my salaries for having this plan to slack off during office hours?)

Nervous - Will my master be nice to me? Will I do a GREAT (im not settling for anything less) job? Will I even be able to DO my job? Do I need to sleep at my office? :/

Sad - Ill be leaving my beloved KBS behind.. :( No more sitting on my big bum all day long. Ill miss unemployment. Bad.

Curious - What will I feel at the end of tomorrow?

Let's find out then, Borgy. Go go go~

Hmm..

2010-01-31T11:54:00.001+08:00

Interesting product I came across in Seoul... I wonder how it tastes.

Once Upon A Wednesday

2010-01-29T09:33:00.004+08:00

Once upon a Wednesday, I went out with...

Dayana & Arina!

Sunway Pyramid was the destination. Our famished bellies were filled in Ayam Penyet Ria.

My usual expression before a feast. *Munch munch*

Arina: Borgy, let's do funny expressions.

Borgy: Nahhhh... :p

After the meal, we.. i mean, I went office clothes hunting. Bagged 2 shirts in Jusco. Thank you Dayana for the honest pointers. :)

Then, it was time for MOVIES! I've always wanted to watch Avatar 3D, tp x kesampaian. Sape suruh James Cameron buat cite tu lama sgt. We watched Spy Next Door. Cheesy lines overload!!!!!!!! RM8 goes down the drain.

Arina bought some cupcakes from Cupcake Chic. 1 for RM4.50. A few cents less if you buy in bulk. I still prefer my own ugly cupcakes. Haha! We were about to head back home, then i've noticed a Maxis Centre. Aha! Ive been meaning to send my mobile to be fixed and maybe upgrade the software. This was 6.30pm. I got in line and rupe2nye kene pergi Nokia Centre. Godbless Sunway Pyramid for having everything here. Rushed there, sent my mobile and It'd be ready by 8.30pm. Poor Dayana and Arina, they had to wait for me.. Thank you so so so so so much for your patience, girls!

Cam-whoring..

To kill time, we just sat on a giant ottoman.. Watching people pass by, checking out cute guys. *sigh* Typical unemployeds, melepak kat Sunway Pyramid. Ya Allah.. rempitnya! Finally, after we've realised we were being eyesores, we went to Subway to have our dinner. Uuu~ Succulent sandwiches. At 8.35pm, picked up my mobile from the Nokia Centre and finally! returned home. Thank you Arina and Dayana for the fun day-out. Saya sangat suka!

Sekian, terima kasih..

Plight of A Single Lady

2010-01-26T18:55:00.008+08:00

I, Borgy ( Nurul Hidayah Abdull Rahim), vow to get a man before 2010 is over.

Watch me, ppl. Ill get there.

p/s: any takers?

Kuih Keria

2010-01-25T23:14:00.009+08:00

My cousin, Aliya came over to my house yesterday from JB. I planned to go to One Utama to shop for new office clothes and send my hp to the Maxis centre (the bloody thing cant send nor receive MMS.) It turned out both of us were so lazy to move our bum and ended up staying home.. So, ive decided to make my infamous(?) keria for tea. :)

I wanna give you a decent recipe but honestly i've never made anything according to exact measurements. Intuition, ladies (or gents), intuition is the way to go.

Dough

Sweet potato

Flour

A pinch of salt

Boil the sweet potatoes until they become tender. This is important so that u wont break ur fingers while trying to mesh them. Peel the skin and mesh the sweet potatoes to pulp. Carefully add in flour little by little while mixing them until the mix becomes less sticky. Add in the salt. Shape the flour to small rings. What I did was to shape it into a small ball, press it a bit and poke a hole through it, CAREFULLY. :p

Ugly. I know. Wait for it......

Fry them in oil until they turn brownish. Put them aside.

Sugar coat

Castor/icing sugar

Water

The quantity of sugar should be the same as the water. Put the water in another clean pan and add the sugar. Keep stirring the sugar water until it is foaming, thick and the sugar starts to cystallize. Just throw in the fried kerias and mix them well. Place them on newspaper or paper towel and wait for the sugar to dry.

Voila! kyopji? :)

Our tea. Teh o panas, my mom's butter cake and my keria. Delish!

Credit to Aliya for the perfect frying and sugar coating. :)

South Korea Trip - Day 4 - Itaewon, Namsangol Hanok Village

2010-01-24T13:02:00.026+08:00

It's time for my Seoul trip report! (yeah.. ive got nothing better to do..) On our 4th day in Seoul, we went to Itaewon to meet another CS friend- Jordan. He's an American and has spent a few years teaching at an English hagwon (academy for children). The awareness of importance of English is increasing nowadays so the parents would send their children, as young as 4 years old to learn English at hagwon. So, most of the youngins can speak good English. Accent American berhabuk.. hehe. If i were to convert the standard salary of an English teacher to RM, it is over RM6000 per month and on top of that, lodging is provided. $$$$

Itaewon is also known as the 'foreigner's district' because of the diversity of the people here. Most foreigners in Seoul would come to Itaewon if they want to eat smthg from their motherland. There's a lot of Middle Eastern kebab (HALAL!) restaurant, African restaurant, Thai restaurant etc.. Unfortunately no Malaysian restaurant. If I were to open 1 sate restaurant, uuu.. makcik kayo! My junior, Liyana once told me.. one ahjumma (old lady) suddenly asked her why she's staying in Guro instead of Itaewon. Haha!

Waiting for Jordan in front of Hamilton

Sweet, sweet Jordan.. We had lunch at one Thai restaurant. The tomyam was SUPERB. A bit different from what we have in Malaysia, there's santan in it.

We were excited to see halal meat eventhough it was in this form. :)

Nuur in front of Itaewon mosque. The Islamic centre is located here. We even met 3 female muallafs. beautiful..

After Zuhr prayer at the mosque, we went to Namsangol Hanok Village. Nuur wanted to try on the hanbok (the traditional dress) there. We couldnt find the place first so we went in Korea House. We thought it was a museum, it is actually a hanok (traditional korean house) converted into a restaurant. Chincha yeppuda! We were allowed to look around the place.

I dont know what these are..

Peek-a-boo! Mende ni weh?

Doenjang! It's fermented beans, used to cook doenjang jjigae.. This is the must-have in every Korean home.

A teepee look-a-like. Nuur tido situ mlm tu..

It is actually a shed for the porcealain pots(?). Usually the pots that are used to store doenjang and kimchi are buried in the soil during winter. It allows better fermentation. Healthy!

We were wandering around Korea House compound and the next second, we were at Namsangol Hanok Village.. Haha! They are connected. Unfortunately, no hanbok available for us to try.. I dont know why. Maybe the hanboks are frozen in winter. :p

A ssireum (Korean wrestling) ring.

Swings used in the palace. I dont know how it works..

The kitchen.. If u're an avid viewer of Family Outing, they've used these many times before to cook rice, beans.. etc.

Weee~ See-saw!

Enjoying a cheap cuppa beside the beautiful pond..

Nuur would have jumped in if it wasnt winter..

Areumdaum! (beautiful!)

Meditating.. Trying to get the voices out of my head. ;p

You're supposed to run while driving the metal ring in front of u. We weren't able to make the ring stand for more than 3 seconds. Babo..

This is melted sugar snack.. I thot it'd taste sweet but it has this bitter after-taste. ew. You can see Namsan Tower in the background.

We went back to Nuur's cousin's apartment. Something happened and we couldnt stand being in the house any longer so we went to Times Square in Yongdeungpo to catch a movie. We watched Ninja Assasin, the UNCUT version. Coolness.. Gory, but awesome!

The movie 'tickets'. Looked more like receipts.. 8000won/pax. It's RM24. Baik tgk Gold Class kat GSC. hehe.

More to come, ppl!

Nerd

2010-01-23T16:56:00.004+08:00

Fell asleep last night while doing the National Geographic pop quiz.

Nerd.

a new chapter

2010-01-22T19:02:00.003+08:00

It's done deal! After 3 more interviews, I've decided to take the 1st job. Many might doubt my decision but it is all me. Nobody influenced me, just sensible advices that i took into account. I know along the way, I'll get bored, I'll be stressed out, I'll be overwhelmed with work, I might have a change of heart of what to do about my future but that's exactly what I need for me to grow up cuz some just don't. :)

A new chapter unveiling.. can't wait!

Alhamdulillah

2010-01-20T18:07:00.002+08:00

Remember that 1st interview drama? I actually got the job. (yeay!!!!!!!) Talk about dropping a bomb. I received the news right before I went into another firm's interview. Totally lost focus in the interview.

Heeeeee.. Im so happy! Very2 happy. Td rs mcm nak lompat2, jerit2, tp pikir tgh dlm office org. Haha. Again, mucho mucho gracias for the emotional support. Jongmal kamsahamnida, yeorobun!

Grateful

2010-01-19T12:12:00.002+08:00

After what happened yesterday, one good thing came out of it. I've realised how lucky I am to have amazing, wonderful people around me. I am blessed to be surrounded by encouraging and loving people.

My family whom cheered me up when I was crying on my bed last night. Papa for saying "So what?".. Umi for patting my leg...

Friends whom wished me the best of luck for the interview, whom asked me how it went, whom comforted my bruised heart and ego from the rejection, whom gave advice for the next interviews and simply, whom cared. :) You know who you are..

Thank you, i am forever grateful.

not a good day

2010-01-18T15:55:00.003+08:00

My first job interview at a firm in KL. Im so not in the mood to write about funny stuffs. I seriously cant read what was on the interviewer's mind. This is how it ends..

"You two (a friend of mine who's working there was called to be in the interview too) better go back before I lose my temper.."

He even gestured his hand to me like shooing a chicken away.

*sigh*

When 1 door closes, another will open. Better luck, Borgy.

cheit!

2010-01-16T20:25:00.009+08:00

A few minutes ago I returned home from Faisya's house warming. His mom's beef stew is the best! Siap tapau balik rumah and he even gave me a loaf of baguette. haha. Thanks Faisya! ;) It's no surprise that the road from Sunway Pyramid to USJ is jammed so I took the farther route. SAME JE! Pointless..

At Faisya's, Ya told me that she received an offer from SPA. She told me numerous times before that it is always government job over chambering. I share the same sentiments. :)

When I reached home, carrying the baguette in one hand and the beef stew in another.. I headed to the post boxes in front of the basement elevator. It's been 2 weeks since I last checked the mail box. After struggling a few seconds with the food and the keys, I managed to open the post box. The first thing that caught my eyes was a blue envelope with emblems of SPA printed on it. Coolnessssssss!!!!! Finally! A government job offer.

In the elevator.. "Should I just ditch the firms and pupilage and work with the goverment?"

Walking thru the corridor.. "Kalau dpt koperasi mcm Ya, nak keje ke? Boleh la. Asal government."

Opening the door of my house (siap ketar2 lagi unlocking the pad locks sebab excited sgt).. "Ok! Government is priority.. but it is safe to have smthg to fall back on if it doesn't work out. Pegi je la interview kat firms."

Switched on the light, dumped the foods on the dining table, freed my hands from all the other letters and sat down. Carefully tore the letter open and it reads..

AKUAN PENDAFTARAN PERMOHONAN.
Permohonan tuan/puan telah didaftar dalam Sistem Data Berkomputer SPA. Surat panggilan temu duga akan dihantar ke alamat tuan/puan jika terdapat kekosongan. (ni mmg dlm surat tu siap bold lagi)

cheit!!!!

2PM

2010-01-16T02:37:00.003+08:00

It's been awhile since my last post about 2PM. I just found out that 1 local recording label is trying to bring OneDay (2PM + 2AM) to Malaysia. OMG! OMG! OMG! 2PM in Malaysia??!!! I am SOOOOOOOOOO going to the concert. Check this blog out and vote in the polls. Thanks!

http://onedayinmalaysia.blogspot.com/

a time to kill

2010-01-14T20:48:00.002+08:00

I spent the whole day watching You're Beautiful. Jang Geun Seuk is BEAUTIFUL. Tolong la mimpi die mlm ni. thihihihihi.. I have so much time that I dont mind killing it. I was fine with staying at home before but now, it is so boring. I can't watch Youtube on my laptop and i cant surf allkpop as much as i'd do before because my laptop went bonkers. The internet connection kept failing. How I wish for a new PC. Maybe a 29" flat screen.. Heaven nye tgk Youtube with the big screen.. :) Since I cant do anything with the laptop except updating my FB and blogging, that's exactly what ive been doing. You might have noticed that the entries are more frequent now. I miss my Korean shows. *sigh*

Hana kompyuto jusaeyo!!!!!

Copulins

2010-01-13T20:24:00.005+08:00

Interesting topic on Oprah tonight. It is judicial notice that, men are more attracted to the physical appearance of women rather than their personality or brain. Unlike women, we tend to look at what's underneath the clothes. No, i dont mean THAT. Hihi. U get what I mean..

Men has the ability to decide which face is attractive and which doesn't rock their boat. However, women have this 1 secret weapon i.e. copulins. Copulins is a scent produced when a woman is ovulating. When a man is exposed to copulins, he'd lose this ability. They'd be drawn to the ovulating woman like ants drawn to sweets.. when on any other day, men won't even notice her.

The question is.. where can I buy this copulins and wear it 24/7?

Happy

2010-01-13T00:33:00.001+08:00

So what if it hurts me?
So what if I break down?
So what if this world just throws me off the edge
My feet run out of ground
I gotta find my place
I wanna hear myself
Don’t care about all the pain in front of me
Cause I’m just trying to be happy

2010-01-12T01:05:00.001+08:00

♥

Seoul, in memory..

2010-01-10T00:30:00.018+08:00

I was looking through the pictures of my Seoul trip in Facebook, suddenly I had this strong urge to return to Seoul.

It's the kind of longing that'd make your heart race.. Like your chest is going to burst! I miss..

THE FOOD

One of the many street foods that I tried. This one is made out of potato.

A friend once said "If you really want to appreciate ice cream, eat it during winter."
I concur.

My favorite street snack of all time, hotteok! It tastes like roti bom but it's softer and the insides is made out of cinnamon, sugar, and sunflower seeds. Mogoshipoh!!!

The must-do of every outing, stop by great coffee shops. The drinks are great, the pastries are excellent. More than that, I miss the cosy atmosphere that is exclusive to only coffee shops in Seoul. Even the Starbucks are different!

THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT

The buses are clean, efficient and comfortable. I miss their bus-stop announcements.

Not to forget the jihacheol (subway).

THE NEIGHBORHOODS

Familiar sight for areas near universities. This one is Konkuk University viccinity.

Another neighborhood, very hilly! Silim..

My neighborhood for 1 month - Guro. I adore this place.

Most of all, I miss the people.. Seoulites (at least the ones I know) whom brought warmth in the cold winter..

I MISS SEOUL!!!!!

Wasteful?

2010-01-09T01:07:00.005+08:00

Tomorrow is the KL Bar Legal Career Fair. It starts at 10am-4pm. So.. i SHOULD be in bed by now but.. malas nak angkat bontot from this spot dpn tv which i ceded from 11am till this very moment. Siap letak comforter lg so that my butt won't hurt on the cold marbles. Haha!

My plan is to send out as many resumes as I could tmrw at the Fair. FInally, spending RM120 last week for my printer's ink is put to good use. Or is it??? Cartridge for Hewlett Packard PSC1315 mmg mencekik darah saya. Dok senangkan hati sendiri while printing the cover letter, 3-page-long-resume and 3-page-long-transcript x 20, that i can get the inks refilled using the syringe thing-a-majiggy yg RM10 tu..

Banyak rupenye nak kene print, photocopy and scan. it took me the whole day to keep editing my resume, wait for the lecturers to say 'yes' to be my referee, and only at 9pm that I started to print out the resume. Bile da print with the precious inks, ade banyak pulak yg salah! *grrr* I'm so hoping that at least 1 la firm yg lekat tomorrow. Tolong la! All that while I was thinking, kan senang kalau hantar email. X bazir kertas.. x bazir ink.. x bazir masa!

WEIRD!

2010-01-06T21:38:00.004+08:00

I came across http://www.gettingrandom.com/ on Facebook cuz Bazla posted it on her wall. We log in thru FB and it matches us with random stranger and we can chat 1:1 with him/her. Cool, right? So I tried it and my first 'stranger' was from CHINA and he/she was 20 years old. The conversation was nice and everything flowed smoothly. We chatted about our family, our travelling stories, our ambition etc. I guess, it was beginner's luck.

The next one was a stranger who asked me "Do you want to marry me?". I answered, "Do YOU want to marry me?". Heh.. trying to be witty la tu. So not. Plus, i think she didn't know how the thing works cuz she was surprised that Im a girl and immediately disconnected. Hello, Miss-Not-So-Witty, you can choose which gender you want to chat with and YOU should state your gender..

I was so excited about this new application and straight away commented on Bazla's post about how cool it was.. Haha!

So,the next stranger. This is the weird part.. (directly copied from our conversation)

You are chatting with a Girl in Semenyih , Negeri Sembilan , Malaysia...
Chatting Tip: Your stranger has an interest in Books, Music, Movies, Games, Photography, Boys (nyum)
Quitting a chat soon after it begins is rude. Do it often and you will be banned. Please respect the other chatter.
Stranger: hello
You: hi!
You: ure from malaysia?
Stranger: yes
You: age?
Stranger: 23
You: hey!
You: we're same age!
Stranger: u?
You: 23, malaysia and a girl
You: :)
Stranger: nice
Stranger: ko borgy kan?
You: hahaha
You: damn
You: betol
Stranger: camne leh jumpa ko kat sini
Stranger: ahaha
You: ni sape?
You: bazla?!
You: dayyum!
Stranger: ko agak?
You: ko 24 kot tahun ni
Stranger: yeszaaa~
Stranger: ahaha
You: nipu
You: hahaahhahaa
You: this is soooooooooooooooooo weird!
Stranger: alaa...aku baru je masuk 23
Stranger: ahaha
You: bazla!
Stranger: i knowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
You: aku tgh amazed
You: hahahahahahahahahaahaha
Stranger: same la weh
You: this is so going into my blog

If I wanna chat with Bazla, i cud have just selected her from my Yahoo Messenger. LOL.

Local Paradise

2010-01-04T21:55:00.012+08:00

I've always had interest in travelling to a new country. So far I've been to Indonesia, South Korea, France, United Arabs Emirates (just a transit in Abu Dhabi) and Singapore (maybe 15 years ago. haha!). I'm so used to the tropical climate of Malaysia, thus going to Europe, enjoying the cool breeze would be a nice change. Sure, in Malaysia there are peaks and places that is not scorching hot for example, Genting Highlands, Cameron Highlands, or other famous highlands but people kept saying that "Sekarang da panas!" ("It's warmer nowadays!"). I've never thought I'd found the best kept secret of Selangor - Broga Hill, Semenyih. The view from the top is breath taking and the hike is not that hard, eventhough i slowed down in the middle of it cuz i cant keep up with my energetic friends.. i reached the top nonetheless. hehe! Proud of myself. :)

I'll let the pictures taken by yours truly do the talking.

2010

2010-01-01T01:32:00.002+08:00

Hello 2010!

2010 marks a new chapter in my life. So long student life, say hello to adulthood. It's still surreal that I HAVE to start working, for real, this year. I've had odd jobs before and usually i'd quit after 6 months because I was bored. Though I gave excuses (like..it's getting busier next sem, i have to quit the job) but actually it was because I had enough of the work. Haha! Obviously I cant do that when im working professionally. I wonder how i'd cope with it.

I'm still learning how to cope with stress as sometimes, I tend to let it get to me. The stress would literally make my head hurt and sometimes, even down with fever. Crossing my fingers that as I'm a year older this year, I would have the maturity and know-how to handle whatever challenges 2010 have for me.

Come what may. Happy New Year, people!!!!!

Home

2009-12-28T22:44:00.002+08:00

Home, sweet home. But Seoul is definitely cooler (in terms of weather.) After spending that much time there, the humidity here is so obvious. Have to readjust to the weather.. hidung pon asyik tersumbat je.

Another thing that needs readjusting is.. the internet connection. In Seoul, the internet is at lightning speed. I never had to wait for a video to finish loading before i could watch it. Click, and watch. Heaven!!!! Nak tulis entry ni pon lama nak bukak page nye.. Adoi. I'm so sending my laptop to be reformatted tomorrow. Thinking of buying a new set of PC. Flat screen yg 29". Pergh!!!!

Nevertheless, Alhamdulillah. I'm safe at home. There is definitely no other place like home. :)

Dear Seoul

2009-12-28T01:02:00.003+08:00

Seoul ah..

Naneun ulgoshipoh.. ㅠ.ㅠ

This is my last night.. Can't believe it has been a month since ive been with you. Time flew so fast because I had one helluva time.. I will not forget this experience ever. Truly, a month to remember. :)

The bittersweet (mostly sweet) memories we've created together will last for a lifetime. You have been so good to me. Your people is very unique. Warm (especially the ahjummas), stylish (the youngins), good-looking, TALL, rude (they dont say 'excuse me' or 'sorry' when they bump into you), crazy (the girls wearing a piece of cloth in winter), helpful (they never refuse when we asked for directions) and most of all, FUN!

If there's one thing that i would be tad unhappy of is the weather. It is HARSH. Even as Im writing this, my fingers are numb because of the cold..and im inside the house! hehe.. But, thank you for snowing so heavily on my 2nd last day here. I love love love snow! We went outside to build snow man on a -10 celcius night. That's how much I love snow. heheh..

I love you so much and thank you for making me feel right at home. You are clean, fascinating and beautiful! We'll meet sooner than you think. :)

xoxo,

Borgy

Jjimjilbang

2009-12-24T10:08:00.015+08:00

Last two days, Liyana (it's her first time here) and I went to a jjimjilbang (Korean sauna) in Yongsan. This is one of the biggest and most popular jjimjilbang in Seoul. It's called Dragon Hill Spa. It's right beside I'Park Mall. U couldn't miss it. ;)

I did go to one jjimjilbang in Silim with Nu'u and Hyekyung during our first week here. I gotta say this one trumps that. In terms of size and also experience. Understandably, when we went to the one in Silim, I was SO shy seeing naked ladies everywhere. We were so cautious of everything and it was night time. Jjimjilbang is also the place where the men go after drinking with their friends, not wanting to drive under influence or face their angry wives at home. hehe. So, we were a tad scared of what the drunken ahjussi's would do to us while we sleep. Oh yeah, we can sleep in there too.

Now, seeing another naked woman is.. alright. Not bad. :p

In front of the sauna. It's the one with the giant clock and blue dragon. The admission fee is 10 000 won (from 5am - 8pm). It's 12 000 won after that hours.

Liyana in front of the elevator to Women's section. Thank god for that. The one in Silim doesn't have a hall for women (we can lie down.. watch tv here) , only the bath section is especially for women. So, we can rest in peace after soaking in sweat in the hot room without interruption.

The infamous Korean Jjimjilbang Towel style. I made it myself. Seriously, I didn't learn from any tutorials. haha!

Us in the Charcoal Kiln room. Very comfortable although we were lying on woods. It's not hot nor cold. Just right. The second time we went in, there were this 1 young couple who couldn't take their hands off each other. Nyampah! After finishing our ice cream, we left. Seb baik x muntah ice cream tu.

Our lunch. It's the staple food of jjimjilbang, ramyun. It tasted like maggi kari + telur. sedap!!!

A little noraebang carrel. Ni posing je.. x nyanyi pon. Mahal.

An interesting mirror. I had to take a picture. hehe.

On the rooftop. Very cold but we didn't care. haha!

The salt room. It's compulsory to wear socks in here. We wonder why...

My throne. Seriously, this is in the jjimjilbang. Haha! It's common for taping of shows to be done here.

Thank you for the great experience!!!!

In the locker room.. There's even chandeliers here. Talk about FAN-CY!

The Winter Sonata pavilion - Yeap, although it hardly looks like it.. that's what they call this pathway.

Liyana even said that honeymoon here would be great. I agree. It has heated swimming pool.. arcade.. a lot of sauna rooms.. restaurant.. you can rest with your family and have fun at the same time, just in 1 building. Clever, right?

FUN day!!!!!

Today

2009-12-18T20:20:00.013+08:00

I give up on blogging about the past days since I can't remember candidly what happened on that particular days. Maybe ill write smthg about our sight-seeing on week 1 and week 2 in Seoul and Gyeongju later. I wanna write about today.

Remember Yunhui, our 1st friend in Seoul.. our tourist-tour guide..? She invited me over to her place in Mapo for a lunch. She promised to cook us something but Nu'u has returned home so I'm reppin' on her behalf. (im in ghetto mood today. "reppin'"??!!! wtf. i make my self LOL) I woke up early today. Partly because we've promised to meet at 11am and also because it's that time of the month. The back pain and the moisture forced me to get up at 8.30am. ;p

We met at the World Cup Stadium station and it was effin' cold today. -8 degrees! We quickly took shelter inside Home Plus of the Stadium. Can u believe it, a shopping mall in a soccer

stadium. Imagine how big it is. I forgot to take pictures of it. darn. We did some shopping in the supermarket and walked back to Yunhui's apartment.

I love her apartment. It's on the 14th floor and the view is spectacular.

The magnificent view. Lucky her!

She's a good cook! I love her cooking. Pae bulloyo! (I'm full!)

(please excuse the images. i forgot to take pictures before we devour the good food. these are the leftovers. haha!)

Ken nip mandu - the insides is tofu, carrot and tuna. mashiketta!

The best steamed egg i've ever tasted.

We ate and talked till 2.45pm. I had to head home early because I planned to go to KBS and watch Music Bank with Amirah (Liyana's housemate) at 5.30pm. Yunhui had to go to Dongdaemun to buy a sleeping bag. She's going to Vietnam for a volunteer program on Sunday. She's an angel.

Me and Miss Yunhui

We said our last goodbye and we parted our ways at the Hapjeong station. I went back home and waited for Amirah to get ready. We left home at about 5.30pm. I was so excited that I'm finally going to the show I religiously watch everyweek. The show that made me go into fan-girl mode each time I watch it - MUSIC BANK!!! I can't wait to see the celebrities with my own eyes and finally, my trip here would be complete.

We arrived there around 6.10pm. Unfortunately the doors to the music hall was already closed. There was this one fierce guard-ahjussi manning the entrance. We just stood outside, in the cold waiting for him to let us in. There were 7 or 8 girls including us outside and all of us were putting on our best face so that the ahjussi would let us in. We watched 2 girls trying to get in but the ahjussi won't let them in.

I tried to sneak in when he wasn't looking but obviously, I wasn't fast enough for the 50-year-old granpa and he caught me by the arm. He just shoved me out the door, pushing me while shouting "No! No!" Seriously, it's not like I was going to kidnap the President of South Korea, DAMMIT! I was so frustrated and waited stubbornly outside with the hope that maybe he would let us in eventually. It won't hurt the show if he'd let 8 girls in and save us from the cold. But NOOOOOOO.. he stood on the other (warm) side of the door and didn't even look at us. For k-pop's sake, HAVE FUHREAKING MERCY! Finally, an officer in suit told us to get lost and to not wait anymore. I accepted my defeat and retreated. *sigh* I tried.

In the end, I took some pictures to show that I've been to KBS building..

In front of the radio studio. (is that what it's called?) It's supposed to be the place for Sukira where Eunhyuk and Leeteuk of Super Junior are the hosts. Their program is at 11pm. We'd be snow-women if we waited.

On the big stairs of KBS where the filming of 1 Night 2 Days is usually done.

I still love KBS after what happened. (still heartbroken tho)

Our smiling faces.. Tuhan je tahu betapa hampa nyer hati.. T.T

Thank God no 2PM performance scheduled for today. I would have cried right there and then.

South Korea Trip - Day 3 - Ewha University, Hongik University

2009-12-11T23:39:00.026+08:00

On this day, we had no particular plans. Since we're meeting a new friend, Jin Kang in Hongik University (Hongdae, for short) for dinner, we decided to explore the university's vaccinity. Before we head to Hongdae, we went to Ewha Womans University (Edae) to just take a look around. It's like we're on a mission to check out all the universities in 1 day. haha. Edae is just a few stations away so, we thought.. what the heck, let's go.

Getting out from the subway station, we proceeded to the Wedding Street. It's res ipsa loquitor. The whole street is heaven for brides and grooms-to-be. There are shops selling hanbok (traditional clothing wore on special occasions for example, a wedding) and modern dresses. On the other side of the road is a small portion dedicated to suits for men. Churches can be found on the street too. The street is so convenient for gun-shot wedding. Buy a dress in 1 shop, cross the street, pick up a suit, go to the church next door and done!

Strolling down the Wedding Street, a single lady preying for potential grooms. But as u can see from the picture, nobody's to be found. Darn.

Pretty murals. Koreans are creative.

Colourful Hanboks

The Wedding Street

Another pretty mural drawn on steps in between blocks.

I love these.

After we woke up from fantasizing about our dream wedding, we finally went to Ewha Womans University. It was beautiful! Very unique indeed. The buildings are very futuristic and the university compound is opened to public, unlike certain local universities that stops every single car that's entering the campus.

Edae's campus map

Up on a hill..Yeap, still in the uni. Scenic, huh?

A lot of statues. Failing my fierce pose.

The grandiose stairs. We were too lazy to climb up.

Pretty much the front part of the uni.

In front of the uni, on the streets.

After spending 3 good, hours exploring that part of the city.. we finally make our way to our destination - Hongdae. We were there by 4.30pm and to kill time, another round of exploration. Actually, we wanted to just hang out at a coffee shop till it's dinner time. What happened was, i thought i saw a sign saying that a cuppa would cost around 2000 won. Little did i know, that that price is impossible in Hongdae. We walked inside this pretty underground coffee shop and on the menu it says : Espresso - 5000won. Dayyum. Eventhough we had already sat down, we quietly gathered our stuffs and went out without ordering. Hahaha. We kept walking to find the cheapest coffee shop and in the same time exploring the area too but we ended up getting lost. Finally, we settled with the first coffee shop we saw when we regained our bearing. The price is still ridiculous but our feet won't let us walk anymore.

A street in Hongdae

Our first coffee shop for the day.

The view from the coffee shop

While enjoying our caffe latte (that we shared), Jin Kang texted us to say that he's gonna be 1 hour late. I remembered a friend, Yujin who was supposed to meet us yesterday but she had to cancel. I called her up and she said that she could meet us for coffee (again) in Hongdae. We settled our bill and head out to meet her at the subway exit. While waiting for her to come, our handphone rang and it was Hyekyung calling us.

Hyekyung : Hi Nurul!

Me: Hi! How are you?

Hyekyung : Good. Are you, by any chance, in Hongdae right now? I think I saw u just now.

Me: Yeah. Im right in front of the subway exit. Where are you?

Hyekyung: Wait, Ill come to u. This is amazing. Haha!

Mind you that Ive never seen Hyekyung before and she only saw my picture on Couchsurfing. She said that it was so easy to spot us as we're the only ones wearing hijab in the sea of people in Hongdae. We chitchatted by the roadside for awhile and at the same time, Yujin arrived. Hyekyung left and Yujin brought us to this precious tea shop at some back alley. It is surprising to find a neat shop at that kind of place. ;) So, this is our second coffee (tea) shop for the day.

Yujin demostrating the proper way to keep our tea warm in a cold winter.

Nu'u and her teapot.

Me and my iced 'Paradise' tea. Sedap!

Pretty, pretty tea shop. The owner even has a certificate of making tea. (or whatever it is called.)

After hanging out with Yujin for 1 hour, it's time to meet Jin Kang. (phew. lots of new friends in 1 day). We told him earlier that we wanted to try sashimi so he brought us to this 1 huge sashimi restaurant.

Before

After

The fishes were surprisingly chewy and very fresh. I like it but once is enough. I cannot eat this everyday. Nu'u could.

With Jin Kang in Hongik University. A quick walk around the campus to digest our food.

Next stop, coffee shop! We chatted about a lot of things. Jin Kang had some serious questions about Islam and we gladly answered him in the best possible way. We did not try to preach, just enlightening him on the true facts about Islam. From what I can see, there are still misconceptions about Islam be it because of what the media portrayed or out of sheer ignorance. Nevertheless, it was satisfying to have been able to clear some confusions even if it is only 1 person.

Our third coffee shop of the day!

Crowded subway.

All in all, it was a fun day.. Meeting new friends, trying new food, exploring new territories by ourselves. Im proud of my newfound adventurous side. Hehe. Because of the overload of caffeine I slept at 5.30am. It helped me to write new entries. Thanks, coffees.

South Korea Trip - Insadong, Cheonggyecheon Stream and Han River

2009-12-10T20:11:00.017+08:00

First of all.. I'm now in Guro-gu, at Liyana's (my junior from high school) place, to be exact. She's having an exam tomorrow so I am now using her laptop to prevent her from straying into Facebook from her revision. Focus, Liyana, focus! ;p

Let's pick up where I left off. After the sight-seeing at Namsan tower, we had 2 friends from Meteor Club that would help us navigate through the city and brought us to the important tourists spots. Meteor Club is a club where it's members are students from various colleges and universities in Seoul and it provides FREE tour guides around the city. Well, we felt that they are more than just tour guides.. they are our new friends! ^^ We set the meeting at 5pm at Anguk Station.

Enjoying some snack - Deli Manjoo at the 지하철역(subway station)

We met them at the agreed point and we headed to Insadong to enjoy some good 'ol Korean dinner. It was very, very tasty to say the least. Enjoy the feast for your eyes. hehe.

비빔밥 (Bibimbap) - Mixed seasoned rice. This is haemul bibimbap or seafood mixed rice.

Voila! Ready-to-eat bibimbap. To those Full House fans, this is the "dog food" that Rain mentioned in the drama. It was faaaarrrr from tasting like one. haha! Delish.

I forgot this dish's name. Let's just call it Fried Seafood. In case you feel like u've seen this somewhere.. Yes, this is Hyori's special dish in Family Outing.

해물 따전 (haemul pajeon) - Seafood Pancake. Also made popular by Family Outing. It tasted like jemput2 udang but better. hehe. It was on the house. Indeed, generous Korean restaurants.

After the sumptuous dinner, we head to the streets of Insadong. I don't know the name of this bazaar. It was full of cute shops that sells artsy stuffs like intricates, fusion hanbok and even traditional instruments. We can't afford any of it so window shopping is fulfilling enough.

Yunhui, our new friend and the bazaar at Insadong.

WithYongwoo and Yunhui in front of steel trays that had drawings on it. creative.

After we digested our food by window shopping around Insadong, we made our way to Cheonggyecheon stream. The stream was actually hidden under concrete roads and it was reclaimed by the government. The project to break the concrete and retrieve the stream costs USD 900 million. It was opened to public in 2005.

Our tourist-tour guide got lost. Haha!

Laser show at the stream bank.

Another impressive laser show.

Nu'ur under an overhead bridge.

Breath-taking waterfall. The stream was totally dry before, so 120 000 tons of water had to be pumped daily. Yeap, it has chlorine, just like our tap water.

Done with the romantic stroll along Cheonggyecheon stream and up to Sejong plaza, we went to Han River to ride on the river cruise. It set us back us 11 000 won (RM33).

Two damsels in distress with Pirates of The Carribean. No, it was not our cruise ship. hehe.

Our tourist-tour guides maps. It was hand-written and they couldn't read their own map. Haha! Our funny friends.

It was Yunhui's first time to ride the cruise. It is true that we take for granted our local attractions, thinking that we would have time later to visit it. Instead of acting like our tour guides, they were more like our Korean friends who are exploring their city with us.

It was cold enough on land but on the cruise with the wind it was COLD times 4000. Despite that, we still got out to the front of the boat and enjoyed the view from the deck. They asked me to sing something. I was thinking, belting 'Without You' by Mariah Carey on a cruise, on 1 degree Celsius night would be ridiculous so I started to sing a Korean Christmas carol randomly. We ended up singing and dancing to 'We wish you a merry christmas.." on the deck. It was only 1st December but the festive mood was really fun! Good times, eyh? ^^

Along Han River at night. Nomu yeppuda!

Time to take the subway and go home..

We got lost on our back home. It's our 2nd night in town and we hardly ever get lost again. InsyaAllah.

Internet opso!

2009-12-05T20:14:00.002+08:00

Heyya guys! I know i should have posted a new entry by now but now im couch surfing with Hyekyung and she doesn't have any internet connection at her home.

Right now im in Hongdae. The 'brilliant' me forgot to recharge the rented handphone. We sent the battery to Family Mart (kind of like 7 Eleven) and they have this service that can charge the handphone battery. I have to wait for 30mins and it only costs me 1000won. To kill time and to get out from the cold, me and Nuur is hanging out at a PC 방 (cyber cafe). So, i think 30minutes is up. Gotta go back to pick up the battery. Please be patient and ill post smthg new a.s.a.p. Have a great weekend, ppl!!!!!

South Korea Trip - Day 2 - Namsan Tower

2009-12-03T03:22:00.021+08:00

After lunch at home, courtesy of our roomates.. I was full, happy and ready to start my day. Armed with new leggings and boots, I held my head high and wore a smile while ascending the apartment. We were supposed to meet Yujin from Ewha Women's University at 12.30pm but she had to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances. So, this is our first attempt to sight-seeing without any tourguides. We decided to visit Namsan Tower. Go go go~

Love my new kicks! ^^

Our selca for the day, in the bus.

Azza and Azma (our roomates a.k.a house owners) showed us the direction to the tower. After 5 minutes of confusion, we asked the concierge at a nearby hotel. The description from Azma and the concierge was similar "The cable car to the tower is behind Pacific Hotel, it's about 15 minutes walk." They did NOT tell us that it was not a walk, it was a freaking HIKE! The hill behind the hotel was very steep and it really brought memories from Recreation class back. ;) We arrived safely at the cable car station that would bring us right to the tower.

Namsan Map

Padlocks of love.

These padlocks represents the love that is being locked so that it'll never go away. U're supposed to throw the keys to the padlocks down the hill so that nobody can unlock the 'love'. When Alex and Sinae done this on We Got Married, i think it was just a few. When Andy and Solbi came to do the same, it was already a lot. Now, it's overloaded.

Nado! (Me too!)

Gom kachi.. (with bears..)

We didn't go up the tower nor visit the Teddy Bear Museum cuz we're gonna come back when it is at night. I heard the laser shows are spectacular.

Traces of gaeul (autumn)

Very pretty road..

I'm surprised that flowers survives in this cold weather. But actually it's not flowers. They are really hard and it looked like colored lettuce. hehe!

After awhile, we thought we'd head to our next destination as we were out of things to see anymore. Suddenly, the mascots made their entrance and made us stay. They are the cutest things ever! I bet they are grateful to be in the suits during winter and suffer in summer. keke.

The adorable koyangi (cat) mascot.

The funny thing was the mascots didn't stop teasing the policemen. Oh, forgot to tell u. There were a group of policemen there. I don't know what they were doing on the Namsan hill but they were eating icecream and walking around and doing nothing. One thing that is peculiar, they're always in lines. Very2 disciplined. Even when we asked two of them to take pictures with us, they stopped eating the icecream, didn't say a word and automatically turned to their superior to ask for permission to pose with us. When the leader (i guess) nodded, only then they posed with us. haha. cute policemen! most of them are VERY tall and some are handsome too. They should be actors instead of policemen. ;p

A hobbit with two Gandalves.

Mongmyeoksan Beacon Hill Site

After we got tired of playing with the mascots, we've noticed that there are a few men practising martial arts. We thought, let's watch them do their thing. After half an hour of waiting, nothing happened. So, we went to get 800won coffees, to warm out freezing bodies. To sip warm cocoa on a cold day is just perfect. ;)

Finally, the warriors put on their long-awaited show

Impressive skills

Me and my warrior in blue skirt and my blue pet.

Leaning Namsan Tower. Thanks, Nuu.

The view from the cable car on our way down

A very warm Malay family

We bumped into each other on the hill and we coincidentally rode the same cable car. We discovered that actually there's an elevator from the cable car station to the foot of the hill. Nevertheless, the hike was a great way to digest our lunch.

South Korea trip - Day 1 - Later that night..

2009-12-03T02:43:00.011+08:00

First of all, sorry for the late post. It's been so crazy here that I have no time to write.....

Yeah. Ok, I lied.

We usually hit the sack by 12am and wake up when we've slept too much i.e at 10pm. hehehe. The walking and commuting has really taken it's toll on my 22-year-old body. Im still adjusting to the weather and life here. (oh wow. it sounded like im living here for good. ;p)

So, on the night of Day-1, Nu'u, her cousin Azza and I went to the largest indoor shopping mall in Seoul which is Times Square in Yeongdeungpo. It's really near to our place in Guro-gu. We went there since it is only appropriate to explore our viccinity before going to other areas. And, it was Commuting In Seoul 101 by Azza. She really helped us to get used to the bus and subway system. We bought our T-Money (equivalent to Touch N' Go in Malaysia) when we arrived at Incheon Airport. It is actually cheaper to pay using this card than cash.

Our first impression of the mall is, this is similar to Pavilion! They have high-end boutiques like Louis Vuitton, Coach etc.. and the building is new too. We went to this popular bookstore because Azza wanted to get a membership card. Nothing special about the store, it's similar to Boarders, Kinokuniya etc. We took a picture inside the store but this one cranky ahjussi told us off. ;p

Entrance of Kyobo (on the left, Azza and Nu'u is on the right)

After a quick stroll around the mall, we saw a big-ass christmas tree outside so we hurried into the cold to take pictures. Hot or cold, pictures is our priority. :) Yeppuji?

Times Square's Christmas Tree

A small garden in front of the mall. It adds to the festive mood.

Actually, before we went to Times Square.. we did a bit of shopping in an underground mall just beside it. I bought my chocolate boots for 15000won = RM45, a scarf for 5000 won = RM 15 and a legging for 8000 won = RM24. All in all, it's a good bargain. ;)

On our way back to the apartment.

Buying some midnight snacks at Tous Les Jour bakery. Bakeries in Seoul are all pretty and cosy. The breads are delicious too.

Yumyum~

KLIA-ICN

2009-11-30T21:56:00.016+08:00

Finally, our first Korea trip post. We would like to thank those who came to see us off at KLIA - Bazlaa, Paan, Bonyo, Azraa and siblings, Kamal, Faisya, Ajin, Cepah and for giving us the warmest send-off (hajj style. Haha!) and also to those who called and texted us..

Everybody sans Nu'u (x sampai lg dr Penang), Bazlaa and Paan (pegi KL)

Waiting to board the Airbus

Excited!

Our first snack, a delish upgrade from peanuts. ^^

Our breakfast at 4am - Nasi Lemak! Yummeh~

Nu'u and her breakfast - Steak.

@Incheon International Airport

From left : Our Korean Trip Bible and on it is our rented handphone, banana milk (tasty!) and Nuur's laptop.

On the Limousine Bus that brought us from Incheon to Yeongdeungpo Station.

At Yeongdeungpo Station, in front of Lotte Mall while waiting for Liyana to pick us up.

Our first meal in Seoul, kokuma (sweet potato). The generous halmoni gave us 1 piece for free. That's Korean hospitality. ;)

I think i'll stop now, im so sleepy i could sleep right here, right now. hehe. To be continued..

nothing in the bag

2009-11-29T09:32:00.002+08:00

I vowed to myself last night to finish packing all my stuff before i go to sleep. Guess what, i woke up at 9.03am and NOTHING is in my luggage. This high skill of procrastinating is developed throughout 6 years in high school and 5 and a half years in tertiary education. To master it, you must not suffer the consequence of procrastination or even if you do suffer the consequence, you must not learn your lesson.

South Korea Trip - Precautions and Currency

2009-11-28T15:05:00.004+08:00

Yesterday was Hari Raya Aidiladha. It was fun and unique, to say the least. I had the privilege to spend the day with my family in the morning and with my friends in the evening. It's definitely one Aidiladha to be remembered.

Today, I was supposed to go to a money changer to convert my RM to USD and WON. Ive done a bit of research online to find out which channel give the best rate. I've read somewhere in http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ that banks give the best rate. I guess it's only applicable to other countries as i've notice that the rates offered by local banks are higher than the commercial money changers. A lot of people suggested money changers in Summit USJ (this mall is so convenient for my South Korea trip. i love it!).

Nu'u just texted me and said that the antiviral for H1N1 is RM80! Whoa! Why so expensive? Isn't the government supposed to subsidise the antiviral? Whatever.. Im not gonna jeopardize my health just because the price of the antiviral.

**i just got off the phone with few of the Influenza A(H1N1) CARE Clinics suggested by http://www.h1n1.net.my/. It's a good thing to give them a call first to know if they actually administer the shot for preventive measure. Only 1 out of 4 clinics that were listed have the shot and it's for RM65! cheaper than RM80 initially stated in the website. I even called the nearest government hospital i.e PPUM, PJ and they only administer Tamiflu to those confirmed positive of h1n1. They do not administer the medication as safety precaution. So, my advice is call the clinics near you to know if H1H1 shot is available and inquire the price.

Off to get stabbed.. Annyeong!

**The doctor administered the injection nonchalantly and didn't even warn me of what's coming. Since he's stabbing me ever-so-coolly, i did the same too. Chatting with him, laughed at his joke a bit.. But actually i was cringing and the pain made my left arm move upwards slowly towards the doc. hihi. Big girls dont cry, eh?

After I got the antiviral shot, I went to Summit USJ to change the currency. I was a bit concerned about my safety since there were stories about people getting robbed right after they left the money changer. I was thinking about asking the security guard to escort me to the parking lot. haha! DO JUST THAT IF YOU ARE ALONE. In the end, I got over my fear and walked to my car safely.

I did a bit of bargaining with the nice Indian Man at the money changer. On the board it says "We Sell - USD - 3.46" and "WON - 3.07". After asking whether they can lower the rate, they sold me USD for 3.39 and WON for 3.00. I was selling RM3000 for USD and RM480 for WON. Eventhough they gave miniscule discount of 0.07, it made a HUGE difference. The reason why I converted most of my money to usd is because the denomination in won is small. Thus, if i converted ALL my money to won, my wallet would rip! Talk about 'thick' wallet. haha! So, i'll convert the usd to won later when I get to Seoul and... usd is much more expensive there.

Finally, I feel like everything is happening for real! I haven't pack my stuffs yet and I don't even know if I'll be able to sleep tonite. The excitement might keep me up all night long. haha! Tomorrow is D-Day! I foresee teary eyes at KLIA. :)

South Korea Trip - Almost Final Shopping

2009-11-26T18:51:00.008+08:00

Today, I woke up to the sound of my alarm at 10am. Last night, I planned how today was going to go in my head, while lying on bed..right before I went to sleep.

In my head:

10am:
Wake up, take a shower
10.30am:
Eat breakfast
11am:
Go to the mall, maybe watch New Moon or Ninja Assassin
Exchange the birthday gift I bought for B that was 1 size bigger
Buy a digital camera
Buy DVD for the camcorder
Buy anything else that's necessary
4.30pm:
Go home and watch Chit Chat of Beautiful Ladies on KBS World.

What actually happened:
10am:
Woke up.. Pulled the blanket further up..
10.20am:
Stomach ache, have to go the loo. So I HAD to get up.
10.40am:
Ate breakfast (more like brunch, i had rice and sambal sotong)
11am:
Watched tv, surfed the net etc..
1.30pm:
Took a shower, got ready to go out
2.05pm:
Headed out to the mall (Sunway Pyramid)
Exchanged the gift - I dont know what's up with the OLD lady at Converse, she was such a pain in the arse. Learn more about customer service, Miss "Sunshine"!
Bought the DVD- RM25 for one that could record up to 30mins. I bought two and when i got home, i realized that only 1 is enough cuz the dvd is rewritable which means, i can transfer the clips that had been recorded and just re-record new things on the old ones. Aren't I Einstein?
Bought RM10 of pastries in Bread Talk - I know, i was so hungry.. haha!
Bought a few must-haves :
Mask - a necessity, protection at the airport and on board.
Toothbrush and Shower Gel - d'oh
Hand sanitizer - another thing that'll come in handy
Face brush - My secret to clear skin. Buy it at Guardian for less than RM10 (it's like over RM40 in Body Shop and Guardian's has longer holder). It works wonder in purifying our supple skin. hehe.
3.35pm:
Headed to another mall (Summit USJ)
Bought a digital camera for an incredible price - Panasonic LUMIX, 8.1 megapixel for RM350!
I think it's a bargain. My uncle suggested this camera after a 20-minutes-research online. He checked the specs of the camera, checked the reviews online (it's so informative as most reviews give this camera 8/10) and then checked the price in local market. You can search for the market price at http://www.lelong.com.my/ or you can check in http://www.ebay.com/ for other countries. I was so glad when he said that the camera is available in a mall nearby my house. No need to wait and you have the leisure of inspecting the product beforehand and ask questions to the seller. Although initially I had wanted a pink camera, black is ok! On the way to the ATM, i stopped by a licensed vendor for Panasonic products, 2 floors below. They said that they sold the same model for RM400 and now it's obsolete. Yeah right, im buying that 'obsolete' model for RM50 cheaper.

After that, I went to Ace Hardware to buy some rechargable batteries. I did not move from the batteries shelf for 20 minutes, just contemplating whether to buy the batteries or not. It was sooooooo expensive. Plus, I only had RM50 left in my wallet. I've decided to put it on hold first as I have to check with my friends in Seoul if the plugs there are the same as what we're using in Malaysia. I still have 2 more days to shop so.. I'm gonna take my time.
5.20pm:
Return home and the show on KBS had already started. Darn it.

borgy's $0.02

Tale of a Stalker

AAX debacle update

One of many first world problems

"Smart" move, AAX

Ji Hyun Woo

Hitting the Rucksack

What happened in Singapore, stays in Singapore?

Homecoming Queen Part 2

Late night epiphany

Homecoming Queen! (Part I)

Festive

Mind My Grammar

Ramadhan datang lagi

Smell like...

Mid

Tribute

Hired!

Why?

The Climb (nope, not even remotely related to Miley Cyrus or that song)

My day

"Vicious" cycle

Free woman

Bleeding ♥

*giggle*

The Cottage

The Journey To The Lake

Home

I am

Mati ke?

Whim and fancy

2.30 a.m.

Decided.

Korea Trip Day 7 - Apgujeong, Sillim

New style!

I won. Again. Yeay.

PUBLISHED!

7 January 2011

Gadgets

2011

Meow!

Bali - Day 1

Nostalgic

It's time....

The Street Cafe, SS15 Subang Jaya

While waiting for Azraa and Nuu..

K-Pop Concert in Singapore

so far..

headache

Korea Trip Day 6 - Palace, Myeongdong, Hongdae

"When's your turn?"

Pain

Ranting on a Sunday night

I was born 23 years ago

I dreamt of Seoul last night

Equation

Bitching

Penang Mari

live in the moment

Wish-list

Due D

Escapade

Korea Trip Day 5 - Guro and Sillim

My Weekend

Had enough

1st Day of Work

Feelings

Hmm..

Once Upon A Wednesday

Plight of A Single Lady

Kuih Keria

South Korea Trip - Day 4 - Itaewon, Namsangol Hanok Village

Nerd

a new chapter

Alhamdulillah

Grateful

not a good day

cheit!

2PM

a time to kill

giggle