Ramadhan Al-Mubarak

Ramadhan is here again! This year is a very challenging year for my department. The Ramadhan and Eid falls right smack in the middle of the budgeting cycle. Somehow the head office budget datelines were brought forward thus it clashes with the Partners' and Host Govts' budget. Time of great stress at work this month. This may be my last blog entry for now. Hopefully not. Happy Ramadhan to all. May you have a good month ahead. Wassalam.

SMCS Reunion

My school actually had a reunion last Sunday. It was the first such a thing was held. It was great meeting up with some friends. Though the turn out for my batch was not that great. It would have been better if more of the Malay Girls in my class had turned up. Maybe next time. They actually had us sang the school song at the end. It brought back such memories... Excuse my voice here, didn't know it would be so clear. And it has been so long.

Our School Song

Alyn, Intan and Rapidah

Alyn, Beryl, Harmeet, Karen.

Maha, Sharlini, Alyn, Avy and Me.

Merdeka Weekend

Happy Birthday Malaysia!!! For Merdeka this year we finally managed to go to the Merdeka Parade. Thank goodness it was held at the Dataran Merdeka this year. So, it wasn't too far from home, plus we could get there by LRT. Easy peasy!!! Nayli has been singing Jalur Gemilang for a couple of weeks leading to the big day itself and I guess the teachers in her school has been feeding her a whole load of information about the country, the Prime Minister, the flags in Malaysia etc etc. So it was good that we took her to the parade, though of course the parade wasn't everything about Merdeka but for a 6 year old, ok lah tu kan?

To the parade everyone!! Including S-I-L and family

What's a Merdeka Parade without our Jalur Gemilang!

The compulsory float.


The aliens have descended?

Part of the crowd

Another float.

Soldiers! not, the Swamp Thing!

Merdeka Parade? At this hour??

Going home. Same time next year ... perhaps!

That was Friday the 31st. I had 2 invitations lined up for the rest of the weekend, both in Perak. On Saturday was an engagement in Simpang Pulai and on Sunday a wedding in Bota. I actually took the time to study the map of Perak to find out where these two places were to find a reason to stay overnight somewhere interesting in Perak, so that we did not need to make the trip back and forth KL that weekend. The truth was that I would be willing to put up in any descent hotel in Perak, I just wanted to be away from KL even just for an overnight. I had a terrible hectic 2 weeks at work before this Merdeka that I wanted a quick short break. I heard about the new route to Cameron Highlands [C.H] via Simpang Pulai, and suggested to hubby that we should stay overnight at C.H. He agreed so off we went that Saturday morning to his cousin's engagement in Simpang Pulai and then straight to C.H. Stayed at Equatorial Hotel. Hmm!! So so hotel, maintenance not so good I must say. Still got the yuckie feeling but no too bad. Weather was a nice change from KL though it did rained the next day. Managed to do the touristy things. Kids had fun, and the stressed mommy forgot about work for 48 hours, good enuff!

The hotel driveway.

Yummy strawberries.

Strawberry fondue, so cheap!

One satisfied boy.

More strawberry concoction.

Lovely blooms at the Butterfly Farm.

Cacti too!

You got to smell the roses.

The only place where you can find the choc fondue fountain at the Pasar Malam.

Strawberries at the Pasar Malam.

Sungai Palas - Boh Tea plantation. A must see.

"Natural Bush Walk" to the Boh Tea Centre way up there.

At the centre.

Tea Factory Tour

The Boh Tea Centre - walking towards the factory.

What you can see at the far end is the tea shop.

Tea & scones time.

The BOH coffee is not too bad either.

The tea plantation. Breathtaking.

Kellie's Castle - no where near Cameron H.

On the way back from the wedding at Bota.

My Encounter with... "LELAKI INI"!!!

It was my hubby's business partner's brother in-law's wedding. I was talking to my his other partner's wife, when suddenly I spotted him and I just went huuhhh!!! O-M-G!!! And she went what??? Wait! wait! wait!! Let me cool down a little! Don't turn but that's Annuar Zain aaaaa!! Quick he is passing by, ok!ok! she went... "Eti, take out your phone and I'll take a picture of you with him! And tarrraaaa!!!!
He was so friendly, he actually stopped and chat. I was all flabbergasted and blabbering! So when is it gonna be your turn??? AZ went like, Wedding you mean??? Dumdfounded me, " yeah, what are you waiting for???" Hmmm lambat lagi lah.... Ohhh gushing gushing gushing!!! Me of course, and he was just there smiling down at me with his sweet smile....aaaahhhh!!! I am updating while having his latest single.. Lelaki Ini playing at the background. I promised him I'll get his latest album...and so I will...

Haunted Mansion... NOT!

If someone were to ask me to name one of the scariest place that I’ve ever been too, it wouldn’t be the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. Na… aaahh. No way! I’m sure any normal woman would have been to this place at least once in their lifetime. And furthermore, having been to this place… knowing that it’s haunted, knowing that each time you come out of that place you are just like in a daze, totally not knowing what had happened in there. What cosmic supernatural powers that existed in that place that could have possessed you each time you enter. The most rational being … well maybe not the most rational, I guess the most rational person will not return to this place.

Ok, enough beating around the bush. Let’s not talk about anybody else let’s just talk about me. I am an average normal moderate income earning mother of 2 who works hard for a living. Once in a while I don’t think there’s any wrong with splurging a little bit on my good ol’ self. No, I don’t mean spending on shoes and handbags, these two things I strongly believe that I do deserve them and I’m not talking once in a while either. I am referring to skin care, facials. You see the scarry place that I was referring to earlier was a facial salon, beauty centres and spas. You know what I mean right?

Before April this year, I thought I have been neglecting my skin for quite sometime in the sense that I have not been going for regular facials. Firstly it is because I just couldn’t find the right place, with the right services (meaning good products with good therapists that do thorough, miraculous extractions that would leave my face black/white head less for weeks on end or that will also be able to give excellent back, shoulder and facial massages). It’s always one thing or the other, you know the product would be good but they don’t do extractions, or they don’t have such super duper products but the salons are just heavenly, the actual facial so-so but the massages that comes with it are to die for. So I ended up spa or salon hopping.

Until one fine day which so happens to be the Mother’s Day month and bonus month. Woohoo! Big mistake for someone like me, and what am I? A big sucker! That’s what I am. To cut a long tragic story short, no I wasn’t forced or even slightest bit coerced into anything. It was all my fault. What can I say? I have a weak heart. I somehow found myself walking out of this swanky, posh salon (when I do not have in the first place any business to go in there) with a treatment programme that could have easily bought me an “LV Never Full Tote” (this I have to revisit and dedicate a posting to this beauty)! Sigh! But the lady in there promised that my face will be free of blackheads and whiteheads and I would have a more even skin tone. After all one do need to take care of their skin early on in life or risk pre-mature aging! I don’t what that, do I? No!!!

So, having bought the programme, I thought great I never need to spend again for the next 4-6 treatments right? I should leave my credit card home. Of course, I almost never leave home without them. What do you know, the next treatment, I suddenly find myself in need of the “Home Facial Set”, and the next treatment, I decided that I simply must try the underarm waxing. Another treatment I realized that hey, you have an adjoining nail spa, do they do mani & pedi during facial treatments. Wow, talk about time saving!!! You catch my drift??

This morning I was determined to walk out of this "haunted place" only with a new tube of facial wash, since I’ll be running out of my current tube in no time at all. When all of a sudden I realized that I had signed up for a Merdeka Celebration package that would supposedly save me give me GREAT savings but I was just blinded by the fact that it cost me the left pair of a Ferragamo pumps not even on sale! What is wrong with me. That's just it I am such a weak! weak! person. God give me strength, else give me more money!!! Amen!