I SAW ELVIS TODAY!!!

Who ever said that the King of Tassels is dead? Yup ladies and gents, he was sitting oh-so-comfortably in the spanking new black Honda Accord at the junction to Damansara Jaya. Wore his signature big sunglasses and still had the "jambul" and those long-long side burns. And he must have been on botox cause he looked like he's not past 25...perfect alabaster skin, plump red lips...wow!

The King himself...all this while, they were mourning him in Graceland and he's been hiding in Uptown Damansara...but I think he has changed his name. I believe he now goes by the name of Elvis Lim or Elvis Chia or Elvis Lee or Elvis Chua or Elvis Tan or Elvis Leong and the list goes on and on and on...HA! HA! HA! GOTCHA!

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILADHA TO ALL!!!

I AM MOVING TO TIMBUKTU!!!

Yup folks, am leaving town as soon as I can. Am moving to Timbuktu. Why??? My sister-in-law is pregnant again. Help! Help! I am going to have another niece or maybe this time it'll be a nephew...to hug and kiss...to spoil rotten...to buy things for...hmmm...bad news for the pocket and the emotions. Here we go again!

Amiera tengah posing-posing lepas mandi. Tak lama lagi jadi kak Miera ya. Ala cayang anak mama kan...dah jadi "big girl".

Am just kidding...am thrilled to bits about the pregnancy but as I've stated above, it will not be good for the "belanjawan". Folks, nieces and nephews burrow their way into your heart and your pocket. Your job is to spoil them, to be the irrational voice next to their parents' "by-the-book-I-am-the-drill-sergeant-for-the-rest-of-your-life-pool-cue-up-ass" discipline. You are the cuddle after the "ping" or the "babab" or whatever euphemism used to describe the pinch or the smack on the bottom. You are the extra candy after the "you've had enough", the "it's ok, we'll go there again some other time" after the "you will not be allowed of the house ever again"...well, you get the picture.

Amiera and her papa, hmmm...satu bendera kan (Kelantan), so very the mesra gitewwww!!!!

The small girl and the big "Hello Kitty!"

The first and one and only, Amiera the Bon-Bons...soon to be Kak Miera or as she likes to say "Kak Meela la".

I can't wait to see my new niece or nephew...to my Brother, the Mr Poyos Tahap Dewa Ejamulen Gaban Ultraman Keng Keng Keng Transformer Mamak Cyber...heh heh heh, nice one bro! Love you!

ONLY GOD KNOWS WHY...

People don’t know about the things I say and do,
They don’t understand about the shit that I’ve been through,
It’s been so long since I’ve been home, I’ve been gone….
I’ve been gone for way too long,
Maybe I forgot all the things I miss,
Somehow I know there’s more to life than this,
I said it too many times and I still stand firm,
You get what you put in and people get what they deserve,
Still I ain’t seen mine…No, I ain’t seen mine…
I’ve been giving just ain’t been getting,
I’ve been walking that thin line,
So I think I’ll keep on walking…with my head held high,
I’ll keep moving on…
AND ONLY GOD KNOWS WHY…

- Kid Rock -

The weather is not clear...am pissed off. Not pissed as in "bloody legless" kinda pissed, I am just not in a very "sunny" mood. The day didn't start out all sunny either, it rained cats, dogs and a few wolly mammoths just as I was about to leave the house this morning. Maybe I am just not very "mesra alam" today so it takes very little to turn the mood dial to the full blown head-banging-on-wall-I-wish-I-was-somewhere-else indicator.

The feeling that life have not exactly been "fair" lately sure doesn't help...just can't seem to do anything right, you "get it" when you are bad and you "GET IT AS WELL" when you are doing your damnest to do the right thing and be good and nice and sugar and spice...

GOD...I didn't have a choice...YOU didn't give me any...I tried to be true...I did the right thing...why do I feel so bloody lousy then???...............I guess only GOD knows why...........

WARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!! KILL!!! KILL!!! DIE!!! DIE!!!

Ahhhhh...felt good to get that off my (ample) chest...

Hmmm...post raya blues folks, wish I had 35 days of annual leave (and that's only the annual leave which is being brought forward from last year) like someone I know in the department. But I do not so " I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go".

Hmmm...life just has not been the same since Raya. I loved my Raya leave despite the fact that I was covered in paint most of the time. Didn't have the required RM to pay for others to paint the family "mansion" in Mantin-Montreal so did it myself with the help of me hubby. Was fun though. Then I decorated me mum's room, turned it into a garden full of roses...that was fun also. Painted the living room, dining room, tv room and my brother's room as well, it turned out really professional like... that's a bit of "masuk bakul angkat sendiri" 'kay. Will post the photos soon together with photos of the "D' DEBABS' RAYA" celebration at the "Maison de Batu 8" in Mantin-Montreal including the ever so glamorous "all-together-now" family photos.

Till then...

SOCCER CAT

There was a point in time when we toyed with the idea of referring to "Honeyz" with another name. When we called her "honey", she just pricked her ears but didn't give the kind of response that we wanted. Then my hubby wanted to call her "Chelsea". I disagreed as I did not want to start a trend. Well, next thing you know, he may refer to Darling as "Liverpool" and refer to Baby (God forbid!) as "Manchester". But as Honeyz was found at a tom yam stall, we ended up calling her "ramvong". Don't ask me why, but the name stuck.

Anyways, something happened recently which made my hubby very happy and at the same time gave him ample ammo to get back at me for mooting his idea of the name "Chelsea". It was at the beginning of the EPL season, and Chelsea had a game with Hull. Right smack in the middle of the game, guess who jumped onto the table in front of the telly and was avidly following the players and the ball with her paws...Honeyz a.k.a Ramvong a.k.a Soccer Cat. She stayed there for quite some time, transfixed by the moving images. God...another sports fan, sports fans.

Hmmm...this guy's too slow...Hurry up you nut or I'll bite you!

Get the ball you big blundering buffoon!!! You should just let this kitty play, I am sure I'll be able to do better.

Urghhhh!!! The game has gone to the dogs!!! You should just leave it to us cats, we know what to do with balls. We roll them, we pass them around, we bite them, and scratch them, and bite them, and scratch them, and bite them...gimme a ball!!!

PRINCESS LEIA CHINCHILLA REAMIEY...

I was conned...again. Like a fool I was seduced by those big golden eyes and weak at the knees, succumbed to love. Ah...to fall in love again...but don't blame me. I am just a mere mortal and she was a temptress with her silver hair streaked with black and her beautiful eyes, it was those eyes, both sad and sparkling at the same time. I was mesmerized and I had to have her, I must have her, she must be mine, there was no other way...and so Princess Leia Chinchilla Reamiey arrived at our doorstep, looking all sweet and fragile...we refer to her as "Angel" because of those beautiful eyes, which looks as if someone had taken a black eyeliner and gone around it several times, just like Angelina Jolie's eyes in "Wanted".

So very fragile....

Back to the story...I was afraid that she would break if I handled her roughly. I planned on keeping her in a cage first to enable her to familiarise herself with her new surroundings, especially as she did not fare very well during the ride from Mantin-Montreal back to our humble abode in Puncak Alam. I was so scared as she was frothing at the mouth and looked half drugged. So I wiped her clean and took her into the bedroom...she lay on the bed for a while and then, slowly raised her head, then her front paws, then her hind legs...and "zoooommmmm!", that's it! All pretence at being a mild mannered little lady was discarded along with some fur and my "Angel" turned into a "Setaaaaannnnnnn!!!!".

Am trying to get some beauty sleep here people!!!

Degil ya...tak nak dengar ya...tengok taring nih...gigit karang baru tau!

"Angel"?

THE BOWLER...

Have you guys ever heard the song "The Boxer" by Art & Garfunkel? It's a good song, something that reminds you of the "Make Love Not War" era, just like "Mrs Robinson". "Mrs Robinson" was the theme song for the film titled "the Graduate", I think it starred a very young Dustin Hoffman who played the character of a young man being seduced by an older woman, played by Anne Bancroft. It's a classic.

To me, songs by this duo are always very "windy". No, they do not break wind when they are singing it, but I always think of the moors in Yorkshire whenever I hear them, especially "Greensleeves", as it's very windy in the moors. They have a poem about this, about a man who lost his hat during a windy spell in the moors. I remember asking the lady at the Information Centre about it when my friends and I went on a hiking trip in Yorkshire. It was in Barnsley (or was it Burnley???) if I am not mistaken. Nice day, good friends, one of these days I'm going back there for a walk down memory lane and this time I am dragging my husband along. He should feel at home in Yorkshire, both the population of Yorkshire and my hubby speak english the same way, with a thick accent, only his is Kelantanese...ha...ha...ha!

My hubby...thinks of himself as a sportsman. Well, in a way he is. He plays football, he plays badminton (once upon a time in a far away galaxy called Kota Baharu) and his latest passion (other than moi!) is bowling.

So one not-so-fine Sunday, 5th July, 2009 to be exact, I was dragged to attend a bowling tournament that he was taking part in as a representative for KLfm. The tournament was held at Mutiara Bowl which is situated at the Mutiara Shopping Complex which itself is located somewhere along Jalan Ipoh.

Ze' banner for ze tournament.

See...that's the name and the logo of the Bowling Centre.

My hubby and his team...by the way my hubby is Paparay.

My hubby making sure they spelled his name right.

Posing gaya lentuk sebelum memulakan perjuangan.

My hubby posing with his brand new ball...bowling ball ladies and gents, bowling ball.

My hubby...membaca mentera "semerah padi" sambil mengusapkan-usap bolanya, bola bowlingnya ok, bola bowlingnya.

Gaya mesti ada beb, gaya mesti ada!

Well...you've got to admit it...the man's got style, and he's mine! All mine!Muahahahaha! (gelak ala jin dalam cerita "Ahmad Albab")

The same man praying that this time he will make a strike and not strike out.

Satu lagi gaya menarik dari "The Ultimate Bowler", bukan "Ultimate Warrior" ya.

My hubby's team mates, KAMARUDDIN a.k.a Kzie and Mimie.

A few "celebs" were also in the tournament...here's Yantzen and Salwa Abdul Rahman. For those who are not familiar with their work, they used to be "BIG" during the 80's.

Sad to say, my hubby's team was not in the top 20 (they had 28 teams taking part). They lost to a bunch of makcik-makcik and kakcik-kakcik UMNO. But we went home with a hamper nonetheless. Folks, that's part of the perks of being the wife of a minor celeb, you get a prize just for taking part...ha...ha...ha.

THE LITTLE GIRL WHO COULD.

9th August, 2009...and my dearest Nur Amira Zahari Binti Mohd Aswadi turned three!

Alhamdulillah, syukur kepada Allah dia atas segala rahmatNya. We didn't have a party...it was not exactly a very good time for gatherings...H1N1 you alls!!! But Amira's mum half baked a cake (half baked because she baked the blueberry cheese cream part, the rest of the cake was done by some else) and I bought gifts. Our small family gathered at the family "mansion" in Mantin-Montreal (ha...ha...ha!) and we had our own little "soiree".

Right) Amira and her coloring book. I bought it at RM10 from this lady who was selling the book together with the cd at the Dengkil R&R. Told Amira it was her birthday gift, the only gift. She took it anyway, with a smile and was quite engrossed in the book.

It is a relieve to see her, grown and healthy and happy. A vast difference from the frail 1.98 kg baby with wrinkled skin and under developed lungs. Quite the little Princess nowadays. What can one say, she is the one and only grandchild (to date), and as far as my family is concerned, she is the sun, the moon, the stars...or as Amira likes to say "intan payung".

Memang "intan payung" but sometimes it becomes "intan payung gunung meletup"! Especially when she's having one of her "merajuk" moods. I don't know where she gets it but this little lady is such a chatterbox and so very inquisitive. It is quite impossible for her to sit still...so when she's around, not a lot gets done around the house because she is always "helping" out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Berebut dengan ibu dia nak potong kek!

At last, she got her way and she cut her own cake. It is her cake and it is her day, so I guess it's alright. Nevertheless, we stood by to ensure that the cake maintains its shape...it did, thank the Almighty!

It was nice although we didn't have balloons or decorations...Next year ya sayang, Mama promise. This year your birthday fell during the period the country is grappling with H1N1, and your ayah, ibu, nenek, tatuk, papa and mama didn't want to risk it so it had to be toned down. Insyaallah next year, we'll have the whole "she-bang" and we'll have your friends over just like last year. Last year we had a blast...didn't we. Insyaallah panjang umur, we'll do it again.

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE!

SHE CAN'T WAIT TO GET HER HANDS ON THE BUILDING BLOCKS.

Aha, the gunung is about to meletup...tension sebab tak dapat buka hadiah sendiri.

As always...Mama to the rescue kan sayang.

Amira's parents...my brother and my sister-in law.

Later in the evening....Amira and the gift from her aunty Rose...a vacuum cleaner. (I wish my vacuum cleaner had a smile like that...)

I WISH YOU A LONG AND WONDERFUL LIFE SAYANG...SEMOGA SENTIASA DIRAHMATI ALLAH...AND ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD.

DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES????

I once read this phrase somewhere..."days of wine and roses". I believe it connotes a state of utter bliss, where everything is like those old movies set in the mediterranean. I am not sure why but whenever I think of this phrase, the image of Princess Grace of Monaco or that lady who starred in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" always come into mind. Alamak, apa nama dia ya??? Haaaa...Audrey Hepburn!!! Thank you to Cik Pah for her assistance.

She was also in "The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain". That's a phrase Roza, not the movie title! Aiyooo!!! What's the name of that movie? Ha...it's "My Fair Lady". It's based on the book titled "Pygmalion" and according to my english teacher, Ms Thomas (God bless her for after three years of teaching me english, she became a nun!), the movie was not true to the spirit of the book, because in the movie Eliza Doolittle (the Cockney girl potrayed by Ms Hepburn) married Professor Higgins. In the book she married Freddy Eynsford-Hill because she got tired of Professor Higgin's domineering ways. Well ladies and gentlemen, that's a bit of trivia for you today.

Anyways, it was Saturday, 1st August, 2009. My hubby had to work. After sending him to Angkasapuri, dengan muncung panjang berdepa-depa I drove (very fast...heh...heh) back to Mantin-Montreal. It's an old family joke. My ayah likes to claim that he's from Montreal... Mantin-Montreal. He was actually in Montreal for some time during the sixties as he had to attend a course with the Canadian Air Force. However on that day, my dad was not home. He had to attend an AGM in KL. What a day, all the men I love out in KL and a few parties were organizing a rally to protest against the ISA in the capital city as well. I was worried, so was my ibu. Only the two of us at home together with the cats. We were getting our knickers in a twist with worrying, so my ibu suggested that we do something to get our mind of the matter. She asked me to help her pick the "limau kasturi" (lime).

So off I went to the side of the house. There was this scrawny tree, tall but "alahai...kedingnya". Tapi jangan pandang tak ada mata, keding-keding si pokok limau, buah meluyut sampai ke tanah!

The lime tree...yang keding dan tak banyak daun tapi banyak sangat buahnya.

Close up...check out the fruits.

Sungguh banyak buah.

Seronoknya petik buah limau kasturi...

My ibu really has green fingers...daripada anak sampaikan buah semuanya size XXL!

My haul of the day.

Just to prove that the plastic bag is not a small one!

Ada sesiapa nak mandi limau??? Kalau perah rasanya dapat satu baldi air limau nih.

Chilli tree, very pretty and the chilli fruit is hot, and the taste of that little chilli, is impossible to beat! (Please sing according to the melody of the song "Lemon Tree")

Cantik kan...merah, merah, merah...kalau buat sambal colek nih...nyam...nyam...

My first chilli (padi) tree!

Hasil daripada pokok cili padi pertama ku.

Well...my house is not a villa in the South of France...it's just a humble kampung house in a small village in Negeri Sembilan (HIDUP YAMTUAN!). I was not picking grapes, just "Limau Kasturi"... but I had the best company...my ibu, the weather was nice and balmy, the nescafe was just right, the food wonderful, the conversation flowed and I was relaxed and happy...

In my book, the day was perfect...I was in a state of utter bliss...so I guess it was my own Malaysian version of "a day of wine and roses"...I LOVE YOU IBU!!!

THE WEEKEND PROJECT-CONTINUED

After the very satisfying meal at "Chiengmai", my hubby and I drove to the nurseries in Sungai Buluh. Me, the budding "not-so-green fingers" wanted to buy some flowers for the house.

The first flowers we encountered were "Bougainvilleas" (I hope I spelled this right). I bought four, one white, one chilli red, one orange and one yellow. I also bought one "keladi tebuk" (its a "pokok keladi" with leaves that have holes in it), another plant which I believe belongs to the "helliconia" family and one vietnamese jasmine. I wanted the jasmine to compliment the "pokok kesidang" which I already have at the house. I was also looking for the "Harum Sundal Malam" flower but to no avail...never mind, I am sure we will cross paths one day.

The nursery where we bought our bougainvilleas.

Cantiknya...

I fell in love with these huge, and I mean HUGE bunga raya. Bought a few, bright red, white with red centre, the softest silkiest purple and the little "fire engine red" bunga raya bunched up like little scarlet bells . Then I found the "dahlias". My ibu used to have them. So did her friends but they seem to have disappeared into the woodworks (the dahlias, I mean, not the aunties, they are still around). Maybe the "dahlia", being the "quiet, elegant flower" that it is have taken a backseat to the more spectacular roses and orchids. Nevertheless, I bought two pots of "dahlia" but discovered that I have been blessed as one of the pots actually had two plants of different colours. Alhamdulillah!

Sungai Buloh brought back the nostalgia of my childhood, in several air force bases around Malaysia. My ibu was, and still is, an avid gardener. She loved her flowers. I was taught from an early age that flowers are not for picking, they are there for you to enjoy their beauty. Pick any of my ibu's flowers and all hell will break loose, not to mention a few "cubit-cubitan tak berapa manja".

My hubby and I wandered in a heady daze around the nurseries (can you believe that it was his first time in Sungai Buloh's nurseries?) and of course we bumped into the orchids...eye candy all the way!

There was this nursery which specialises in orchids...I rasa nak berguling-guling atas jalanraya tengok bunga dia!

Ya Allah, dia orang ni pakai baja apa agaknya?

Cantiknya...cantiknya...cantiknya...

Didn't buy any orchids though. I am not really an expert with flowers and as orchids tend to be rather finicky, I think its better that they be left in the hands of my most learned Ibu. So I took my flowers home...and that my friends is another story.