How do you measure a year...?

It's almost the end of 2006. I, for one, am glad that the year is almost over, since it was a shitty year for me... I guess my 'shitty year' cycle happens every 8 years lar kut... hmm...

Anyway, despite all the shitty-ness, I guess I've come a long way and have gone through a lot of changes this year. There were lots of tears shed, laughters shared, friendship forged and renewed, and lives touched. So, I guess when I focus on the the great things that happened through out the year - it doesn't seemed as shitty as I thought it was.

Here's a great song that I would love to share with all of you. Just try to remember all the love that you have and Insya-Allah, you'll realised that you have seasons of love... Happy New Year Everyone!

525,600 Minutes
525,000 Moments so dear
525,600 Minutes
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?

In Daylights - In Sunsets
In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee
In Inches - In Miles
In Laughter - In Strife

In 525,600 Minutes
How Do You Measure
A Year In The Life?

How About Love?
How About Love?
How About Love?
Measure In Love

Seasons of Love
Seasons of Love

525,600 Minutes
525,000 Journeys To Plan
525,600 Minutes
How Do You Measure The Life
Of A Woman Or A Man

In Truths That She Learned
Or In Times That He Cried
In Bridges He Burned
Or The Way That She Died

It's Time Now To Sing Out
Though The Story Never Ends
Let's Celebrate
Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends

Remember the Love
Remember the Love
Remember the Love
Measure In Love

Oh you got to remember the love
You know that love is a gift from up above
Share love, give love, spread love
Measure, measure your life in love

Seasons Of Love
Measure Your Life In Love

Song: Seasons of Love
Album: OST Rent

binx: selamat hari raya korban too!

Listening and understanding...

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood"

Habit 5
Stephen Covey's 7 Habits for Highly Effective People

How many of us actually practice this habit - to listen and understand before giving out our response? Imagine how many arguments can be avoided if only people would listen to each other first before forming and trying to give out their opinion. I for one have been guilty of not listening fully, or forming an opinion too soon on countless occasions. The consequential effect of those acts could have been avoided IF ONLY I could have practiced the habit more often.

With so many catastrophic events happening around the world, let's just try and be a little more emphatic and not add to the negative vibes that are surrounding the globe. Try not to anger mother earth any further. You never know, a little patience in listening can go a long way.



Let us join together in a prayer so that the earth will return to its calm state and the people occupying it will find peace and serenity come the new year.




Insya-Allah...




binx: thanks...

Confession of a 'pening' Binx

You go out on a harmless coffee 'date' with a guy, not expecting any magic-mambo-jambo thing to happen and you ended up being bugged with endless sms every single minute of the day... Am I THAT irresistible (NOT!) or is he THAT desperate? I really think it's the latter... hahaha of course lar rite!

I really don't understand the situation. I can't say that the coffee outing was anything out of the ordinary... In fact, it was rather a one-sided meeting (a very boring one actually...), where the guy did all the talking, mostly about himself, his passion for photography and his work. I even had to hold back the urge to yawn a couple of times out of politeness.

After we've said our goodbyes, I thought that would be the last time that I will hear from him. Oh was I wrong... I received an sms as soon as I got home, saying that he just reached his house. And another few hours after that saying that he's going to sleep. Hmmmm..... Since when did he decide that he needed to report his every move to me?

This happened almost everyday. He tried to ask me out again the next day, which I politely declined. And the day after that.. And the day after that.. And the day after that.. Until I ran out of excuses to give him, and don't know how to tell him that I wasn't interested to go out and hear him ramble about himself for another hour or so...

I feel so rimas rite now. I can't even go out with my friends without having him sms'ing me asking my whereabouts... @$#!%@%#$@&**#^... I know I should tell him something soon, cause he doesn't seem to be getting the message.. However, I really don't know how to do so...

HELP!




binx: why do i attract lalats all the time?

Peace on Earth...!

Lesson On Decorum (Part II) - The Frog Says It All...

Remember what I was rambling about in Part I last week?


Finally they had come up with this clip, which was aired before the beginning of the movie that I was watching last nite...

picture source: Walt Disney's Meet the Robinsons' Official Website

Check it out guys :-
--> Walt Disney's Meet the Robinsons --> Watch Frankie and The Frog Sings!




binx: i love u, frankie!

Times like these...

" I, am a little divided
Do I stay or run away
And leave it all behind? "

Title: Times Like These
Artist: The Foo Fighters

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Time flies so fast when you are having fun. However, as soon as the fun is over, it starts to crawl ever so slowly, leaving you with lots of time to reflect on your life...

This is the time when your problem (if any) starts to creep back from the corner of your mind, where it had been hiding all these while. Once it has caught up with you, it will start to pounce on your brain, over and over and over again - until you can find a way to either solve it or push it way back to the corner.

I really hate it when this happens. I can't sleep just thinking about it. It will bug me until I can find a source of entertainment that can help me forget about it for awhile. However, like I said, it would just be forgotten during that span of time. It can never disappear into thin air with a single click of the fingers (though I really wished that it could).

So, how do you solve a problem, when after trying all your might you still don't have the means to solve it? Do you consult with someone that can help you out, but will end up feeling indebted to the person (which is something that you are not keen of)? OR do you just dwell on it until you feel as if your brain's CPU is gonna blow a fuse?




binx: cracking my head now...

All in 24 hrs...

Recently, Mom had gave me the email address of her friend's son. Eh bukan nak try to pair us up, it was for some business inquiries that I had lar.

So, we finally managed to meet on Monday night - albeit through YM.

After an interesting 2-hour chat, he asked to meet up so that we can discuss further about the business venture. Hence, I had agreed to a breakfast meeting the next day (Tuesday).

Guess what... The breakfast meeting had stretched to lunch, tea and dinner! 10-hour outing ok...

It was as if we have been friends for ages. We talked, exchanged ideas, joked around, laughed as if we were old buddies, which was very cool lar kan.

Being the brilliant and kind guy that he is (based on all the reviews that I heard from Mom and from my own observation), he was willing to let me pick on his brain for ideas for my future venture. It is very rare for someone, whom you just met, to want to share his business ideas with a stranger - without any strings attached. Even my business partner was a bit skeptical about it when I told her earlier. However, I can tell that he was sincere on sharing it, since according to him, it won't do him any good to keep it all to himself.

So, Sir Bob, thanks for a long great, tiring yet interesting day. Here's to the beginning of a new friendship... Hope to get more chance to pick on your brain for more great, and fresh ideas for the future venture! *winks*




binx: sakit kaki...!

Dig in...!

I've noticed that my blog's traffic had a drastic increase today. It surged up to 100+ views in just a few hours! Mind you, I don't really get that much traffic per day, let alone per hour. Hence, such an unusual activity can be detected easily.

OneStat.com had confirmed my suspicion - someone's digging into my archive. Hmmm... oh well... Welcome new reader! Dig in... Nanti datang KL jangan lupa bawak buah pala or those yummy jeruks for me, k *winks*

-----------------

After watching Cinta the movie for the 2nd time (eh I didn't planned it), I find myself humming to this catchy tune by Shannon... Nice..

Listen to it here.

Bila Engkau Jauh
~Shannon~

Sedapnya hati tidak jemu
Tak sabar bermanja
Hanya sehari tak bertemu
Macam selamanya

Rindukan tawamu
Yang menyegarkanku

Aku tersiksa dengar sendu
Bila engkau jauh
bila terasa sentuhanmu
aku tersembuh

aku bermimpi riang terbang
pagi sampai senja
cinta di hati sudah kembang
untuk engkau saja

tidur atau jaga
rindu sentiasa

aku tak pernah bercinta
sampai terbalik seluruh duniaku
hanya satu yang kupinta
jangan tinggalkan aku

aku merayu oh kekasih
belailah hatiku
bila ku layu lagi sedih
curahlah kasihmu

kau dakaplah aku
sembuhkan piluku

jika kau rasa sepertiku
bila aku jauh
biarlah dua jadi satu
bersama selalu
hanya kau dan aku

binx: continue humming...

A Lesson on Decorum (Part I) - At the Cinema

Have you ever been to the cinema, expecting to have an uninterrupted entertainment only to be irritated by some inconsiderate jerks? Remember how there used to be idiots that would answer their phones during the movies, until the community service reminder advert were aired to remind everyone to turn off their mobile phones or put it on the silent mode before every show? I think they need to revise that reminder advertisement and include all other annoying behaviors that have recently become a major nuisance at the cinema...

Maybe the advertisement should include these following points in their community service reminder campaign... It will definitely make MY future trips to the cinema less stressful...


1.

Please make way for people that are trying to squeeze their way through the narrow aisle. Should you happen to have long legs or is slightly on the plush side, it would be great if you could just stand and let the other person through. It's bad enough to not give them a clear access, it's even worse when you let out an annoying sigh when they accidentally tripped on you LARGE foot that was obstructing the way!

2.

Never rest your feet on the chair in front of you, unless it is unoccupied. Try to resist from doing so because it will just irritate the person who is sitting right in front of you, especially if you keep kicking or shaking his/her seat through out the entire 2 hours... How is that person suppose to concentrate on the movie with an irritating idiot behind him/her? How would you like to be kicked and pushed from the back while you are trying to enjoy a movie?

3.

Try and save your personal comments or remarks on the movie until after it ended. Other people didn't pay RM10 to listen to your snide comments or even synopsis about the movie. Or if you really need to make a comment, just whisper it to your partner next to you. Public annoucement are not appreciated especially during the climax of a movie/scene.

4.

Never go for a movie when you are sleepy... especially if you know that your snore can actually cause tremors. That is just plain rude...


What say you?




binx: hangin nyaaa....!

Of wedding dinner and coffee...

... What should I wear for the wedding reception tonight? *sigh* Been trying to figure out an outfit for the chinese wedding that I had agreed to attend since last night.. And so far I still haven't decided on 'the' outfit yet.. I know for a fact that black is a definite 'NO' for a chinese wedding... rite? *long sigh*. I think I need a new wardrobe...


... A minimum RM150 limit for the wedding 'ang pau'? Hmmm... I heard that they go by the standard of the hotel where the ceremony is going to be held. E.g. Shangri-La Hotel is a 5 star hotel in KL. Hence, the minimum ang pau should start from RM150... Thank god that I don't go for chinese weddings that often.. If not memang can go bankrupt laa...




... Can't wait to eat the 9 course chinese dinner tonight. I wonder if they have prawns on their menu... *slurpp*



... How long do you have to know someone before agreeing to go out for a 1-on-1 coffee date?






binx: white or blue?

Pardon my England aaah...

Well I now know for a fact that I don't need to pay a few bucks for cheap entertainment. I can get a good hard belly laughs by just surfing the net and reading through forums and other online portals.

I was browsing through the net, doing some research for business ideas, and I found this instead...

"I'm just got my wedding a few week ago, i take my wedding photo at X, when the 1st day i walk in this shop, their sales girl talk the quality to me, they say their product all are good quality. I'm trust their services and sign up the weding packege at the day, 2nd time i go is my fitting gown day, 3rd time is my shooting day, then see photo, touchup and design until that day i take my wedding bouquet and they help me to do my wedding car with red colour netting and ribbon after finish i go back with my husband, on the way back to house, the sky is raining.

At this time, my wedding car like injured, its start blooding, my silver wedding car is change to red car after rainning, i think this is their quality!! What can i do ? i need to spend another money to wash my car and renetting my car."

I shared it with my friend, who was online, and both of us broke into laughing fits... Sampai keluar air mata ok... hahahaha....

Besides the Internet, there are a few other conversations that I had or encountered that had an everlasting effect on me.. because it was so funny...

I remembered one of the conversations we had with our manicurists, whose name shall not be mentioned here...

L: You know you have to take care of your nails...
B: Oh really? How come? It looks ok to me...
L: You see your upstairs ah not too strong...
L: So I cannot buff very long...
B: My upstairs?
L: Yeah laaa.. Your upstairs (pointing to the cuticles)
B: Ooooo my 'upstairs' *rotflol*

I am not in the position to criticise their 'England'. However, I just hope that they wouldn't mind me sharing it with all of you, just for the fun of it... *lol*


Do have any more bad 'England' stories to share?




binx: still rotflol

Where did you find it?

One person found it on the elevator
Another found it on a bus
Someone else found it on a TV show
And one hits her while she was having a blast

A blogger found his through his blog
A friend found his on Match.com
And now both are planning their weddings
To their partners, who they think are da bomb
(sorry, am trying to rhyme here)

It’s funny how it shows up
In many kind of ways
It never gives any warning
Just strikes you at anytime of the day

So if there’s a cupid out there
How do I get his attention?
For I don’t think he noticed me out here
He can’t even sense my desperation


Hey I was just kidding bout the last para.... Am not that desperate... *lol*




So tell me, how did you and your wife/husband/partner meet?




binx: it's the wedding season, again!

Observations of a curious (bored) Binx...

... Did you know that there is almost 200 bean sprouts in a packet of kuey teow goreng? Well, believe me, coz I've counted it all one by one...


... Did you know that a strong car polish can actually remove a terrible scratch on your car bumper? With time to spare and a storng right arm, you can practically shine it back to perfection...


... Did you know that you will find more bird droppings on a white or silver car than a black or dark colored car? Try parking a light colored car next to a dark colored one and observe. You'll be surprised to see the result...


...Did you know that an onion, apple and potato all have the same taste? The differences in flavour are caused by their smell. No kidding...


Care to share more interesting facts/observations?




binx: lalalalala....

a story about love...

"
sehari bersama dengan orang yang kita betul-betul sayang, walau macam mana perit pun, lagi baik dari seumur hidup bersama dengan orang yang kita tak sayang..

(a day with the one we truly love, despite all the pain, is way better than a lifetime with the one we do not love... )

"

~Rubiah/Mak Bi from CINTA the movie~

Watched the movie today... All that I can say is... EXCELLENT!

EXCELLENT line of actors and actresses (esp the lil' kid)...
EXCELLENT cinematography...
EXCELLENT soundtrack...




binx: saya sayang awak jugak...

I can finally see...

... THE FLOOR!

I must admit that I am not the most organised person around. Though I do have a filing system for all my bills, credit card statements, exam records and what not, I usually just chuck all of it on my study table until the pile gets irritatingly larger that it occupies almost half of the table. Then I'll start piling everything on my bedroom floor.

After a while, I can't even tell which pile is which.

For the past month, I have been neglecting all the piles and just let it sprawl all across the floor. I was either too busy organising the school reunion or studying for the exam, which in a way made my room even messier than before. Besides all the letters and bills, I added on all the paperwork that I needed for the reunion plus my study notes that seemed to grow larger and larger every semester. Trying to find a pen in the pile is like trying to find a needle in a hay stack...!

So today I finally gathered enough strength to tackle the pile of junks. I found...

... a year worth of credit card statements (I do all my banking transaction online, so I never bothered checking my statements)

... a year worth of JPA loan statements

... half a year worth of salary slips

... a year worth of car installment payment slips

... raya cards (even from 2005)

... birthday cards

... chinese new year cards (???)

... wedding invitations

... exam results, exam admission slips

... financial management magazines

... CIMA newsletters

... storybooks

... business cards

... catalogues (mostly frm the credit card reward thingy)

... stacks of CDs

... stacks of pictures

... movie ticket stubs

... and lots and lots of other junks!

It took me almost 4 hours to sort every single piece of paper out -

1. identify
2. sort according to subject
3. arrange it chronologically
4. file accordingly in each respective file.

Phewh!!! Penat ok!

And as always, there are 2 huge black gargabe bags waiting to be hurled downstairs tomorrow morning. I just hope that they don't accidentally rip along the way down and spill all those junks out.

Someone once told me that women tend to keep lots of junk, be it in their purse, handbags or at home... He even said that if I were to gather all the receipts and junks I have in my purse, I can start my very own bonefire... :p


How do you manage your junks?




binx: ahchoooom......

How to save a life...

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Artist: The Fray
Song title: How to save a life



This is my current fav tune... And once again it's taken from the soundtrack of Grey's Anatomy. For those of you that are following the show on Ntv7 or Astro, well, here's a sneak peak of what's in store for you guys.. *winks*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something to ponder:

"Do you go out with him because you're really into him or because you are lonely and in need of company?"

binx: hmmmpp...

T.W.O

Confessions of a Rhumba Addict

is

TWO!

However, there's no Rhumba Frapuchino to celebrate with...

*sob**sob*

Here's to many more silly, crazy, sappy, emo, psycho, ntah apa2 posts to come!!

Cheers!

binx: 390 posts... wow!

Choosy Schmoosy...

My friends kept telling me that the reason why I am still single is coz I'm too choosy.

Am i?

I don't think so...

I mean, I don't measure guys by their looks nor skin color. And I don't care what type of car that he drives or even how much he is earning. Where he works, what he work as, where he lives, where he's from, what his parents does... All those things are irrelevant to me.

However, I am particular about finding someone...
... who I can really talk to about anything and everything
... who I can call a friend
... who can guide me towards being a better muslim
... who I can see myself growing old with
... who can tolerate all my quirks and twists

There would be bonus points if he...
... can play the guitar
... has a sexy head (me n my head fettish *lol*)
... looks good in 3/4 pants and loafers
... doesn't chew out loud while he eats
... is taller than me
... looks like adam sandler (hahaha)

It's normal for someone to have their own set of criterias for the man or woman of their dream. However, like the saying "love is blind", you can never tell with whom you might end up with. You might even end up marrying someone who you think was so wrong for you in the first place.

Where am I going with this post? Well, my point is that I am not trying to be choosy. I am just being cautious as not to get myself hurt physically, emotionally and spiritually. With the rate of failed marriages in my family, I am really adamant not to rush this process. Hence, I am taking my own sweet time in finding the 'right' guy for me.


Magic? What magic?




binx: baby steps...

It was a great weekend indeed

Friday


The makan-makan with the crew was great.. There were lots and lots of food as expected (sampai tak muat meja ok..). And while we were feasting on those yummylicious food, we also had a private screening of the video from last Saturday. Hence, began the gossip session for the night... Fun I tell you... Plus there were some 'soft porn' shots taken by accident... hahahaha.... Luckily the only 2 lil' kids around were too busy watching Barney to notice what their moms and friends were laughing about.

DELICIOUS FOOD + GREAT COMPANY + GOOD HARD BELLY LAUGHS = SUPERB NIGHT


Saturday

Had breakfast with a friend that had given me more business ideas to expand on... me likey! Friends like him helps to boost my spirit to carry on with my current plan. What I need now is just to sit down and draw up the new business plan and get myself a financial back-up. There's so much that I want to do, but there are few contraints that are holding me back. When will I be able to realise my dream? Maybe after I get myself my very own 'Datuk' (not the title, the man with the title) kut... NOT!


Sunday

Went to SIC to watch the A1 GP... It was my maiden visit to the race circuit so I was wee bit jakun lar.

Thanks to her, not only did I get to set foot on SIC for the first time, I also managed to get a free grandstand seat, and a visit to the VIP suite. Thank you again, TEEK! *muahs*




So, how was your weekend?




binx: me like...

Happy Happy Friday...!

Just saw 'Happy Feet' and suddenly I'm in a happy, feet-tapping mood.


Today's gonna be a grrrrrreat day for me.


Because....

1. I have a lunch date @ Chili's with an old friend from uni
2. Gonna have a celebratory dinner with the Reunion's Organising Team and watch the video we shot last Saturday... There's gonna be satay, extra large pizzas with extra cheese, nachos + salsa + cheese, buffalo wings, beef spring rolls and many more...

Hope I can stuff all those food into this small tummy of mine... (tembam lagi laa pipi I nanti...)


So you people have a great day and a great weekend ahead ya.. I know I will coz I'll be going to the A1 GP...! :D




binx: TGIF

Of broken promises...

When you promise to call,
please do...

When you promise to arrive at a certain time,
please do (+- 30 mins is still tolerable)...

When you can't make it,
please have the courtesy to call and inform the person who is waiting for you about it...

If you can't keep your promises,
then please don't make any at all in the first place...

Cause it's bad enough that you can't make it...
It's even worse when you make someone wait for you...




binx: exam's over!!!

It's 2 a.m. and I can't sleep!!!

The exam is less than 7 hours away...


AND


there's a cockcroach in my room!




I need to get some shut eye.... H.E.L.P.!

binx: *yawns*

And it turned out great...!

After a full 2 weeks of extensive planning, fighting, bitching about people and basically getting down to business, we have successfully executed our plan and had organised a fantabulous reunion!!




No doubt it started on a bad note, with all of us on the organising crew lashing out on each other due to the high stress level and also the mere 4 hours of sleep the night before. Everybody was a bit edgy and I thought that everything that we have worked on for the last 6 months will be going down the drain even before it started. However, despite all the problems between us, we managed to unite and rise above it all to put on a great show.




The music was great, with selection of tunes from the school days. Everybody was singing along to it, while recalling the great memories behind the song.

The food was great too, though I only managed to eat 2 buns with the black pepper beef and lots and lots of mini fruit tarts. The specially ordered cake was beautiful and delicious as well. For those of you that want to order cakes for you kid's birthday party or any other occasions, I would personally recommend you to order from Something Special. They can design practically anything that you want with a great taste to boot for. You don't believe me? Well, just take Jasmine's word for it then... hehehe...

this adorable lil' girl really love the choc cake..

The slideshow turned out great as well, despite the minor glitches that I had encountered few minutes before showtime. All my time going through every single piece of the high school pictures, contributed by friends, and compiling it chronologically was worth while after seeing the happy and cheerful faces of my fellow schoolmates and even the teachers enjoying the show. The smiles and laughter had even managed to erase the negative comments that I've received about the "unprofessional boring slideshow that will not capture people's attention" that I received from an arrogant 'so-called' professional photographer.

All in all, we had managed to touch hearts, rekindled friendships and organised a kick-a** event.

Didn't manage to snap that much pictures though as I was too busy running around and trying to mingle with old friends. So I'd have to wait for the pictures from the photographer that we've hired for the day.



So one down, one more to go....! Time to hit the books.....

binx: i'm tired...

Pipi ku, asset ku...

I received an sms from a friend early (very early in fact) yesterday morning saying that my picture was in the NST... Whoa.. Terbeliak mata when I read the message.. What picture? I didn't win anything did I?

So I called her up and found out that it was actually an article about my dear friend, who was also my ex-colleague and study partner for CIMA. She just got admitted as an Associate member and they did a write-up on her. She decided to submit a picture of us, the colleagues, for the article. So I got to tumpang her glamour for the day lar... Thanks Nadia!

However, to my horror, they decided to blow up the picture and it was an extreme close up of my chubby cheeks! So, I kept getting sms'es from friends commenting bout the tembam cheeks..!

Tuh baru a picture taken 2 years ago.. I've just taken a look at the picture that was taken last weekend - the tembam'ness was doubled!

I guess I can't do much to change the chubbiness (is there such word?) level of my cheek.. The fat doesn't seem to be distributed equally throughout my body. Imagine a girl with chubby cheeks and a 'kurus kering' body. Funny ain't it?

Ready to see my tembam cheeks?

taadaaaaaaa.........


So that's me and my tembam cheeks.. The last picture was taken last weekend.. Memang drastic laa the chubbiness in that picture..

Someone suggested going to the beauty slimming center for help... Hmmm... However, I think I shall just live with it laa kut since it has been my trademark for many years... Pipi ku, asset ku, trademark ku... hahahaha...

binx: i'm out of the closet for good...

The promise...

A: Hey, tell you what..
A: If both of us are still single by the age of 28...
Me: ahaaaa....
A: Why don't we marry each other...
Me: Huh? What?!!!
A: Why? Am I not good enough for you?
Me: No.. it's not that.. But you can't make such promises..
A: Hey.. I'm serious... honest!
Me: Ermm.. ooook..
A: So... is that a yes?
Me: Yeah sure..
Me: I bet you and your girlfriend will be married by then..
A: Ok.. it's a deal ya!
Me: Ok.. it's a deal...


That conversation took place maybe about 8 years back. At that point of time, I didn't think that the deal will ever be materialised for A was already in a serious relationship with another girl. Plus, I thought that I would have settled down with someone by the time I reach 28.

However... few months back...


A: Hey, do you still remember our deal back then?
Me: What deal?
A: That if both of us are still single by next year, we marry each other..
Me: Oh... that deal... ahaa.. yeah.. *shoot*
A: So... what do you think? Are you ready for me to masuk meminang?
Me: Whoaaaaaaaaaaa..! What?!
A: Well.. you're still single.. and I broke up with my girl few months back..
A: So we are both singles..! *huge grin*
Me: eerrrmmm.... ok
Me: But there's still few months to go..
Me: Anything can happen during that period of time
A: Ahh.. excuses.. excuses..
A: Now I'm really hurt... You really dont want me as your husband eh?
Me: Errmmm... no?
A: Ouch....!


A, if by any chance that you might be reading this, no hard feelings ya.. You know that I can never treat you more than just friends. It's just too complicated... So don't sue me ya... *winks*

To lawyers out there, can that conversation be considered as a legal binding agreement?




binx: never make promises you are not willing to keep..

I've got a hole in my soul...

This week has been a week full of emotions.

Had an embarrassing confrontational session with someone dear to me. Luckily what I thought was there was just my imagination... pheeeewh.... Managed to 'purify the air' between us and that was a total relieve! It's good to talk about things openly and not second guess anything in order to avoid any awkward situations. I personally think that things can be resolved maturely if only you let it out openly.

Revisited a soft-tender place in my heart earlier this week when someone from the past paid me a visit. It has been almost 5 years since we've last seen each other for more than 10 minutes. It was good to see him again - talking and joking about the good old days. However, neither one of us touched about what had happened between us long time ago. It was as if that particular episode in our lives did not transpire at all. It might have been for the best cause there was no need to go down that lane any more. Life goes on...

With all my time being occupied between planning for the reunion and studying, I still had time to dwell on the fact that I am lonely. Yeah.. I'm pathetic, I know.... Maybe it's because of the number of wedding invitations that I've received for the up coming month. Or the fact that I realised that almost 80% of my batch that are coming for the reunion are either married / engaged / involved. Suddenly it doesn't feel like fun turning up at the reunion and having to explain that I'm a 27-year old with no career and no partner when everyone else will come bearing stories about how successful they are and how great their partners and kids are. Oh tidaaaakkk....

I fell asleep last night thinking about my pathetic life... Oh god, I really need to do something about it real soon...




binx: i think too much.. i know...

Question of the week...

Can I be smarter if I consume lots and lots of Smarties?

binx: exam fever!

"Ya... Cikgu!"

I'm in the midst of organising my batch's 10th year high school reunion. Hence, since I was the only person that is available during the day, I was handed a HUGE task to perform yesterday - to go back to my Alma Matter to get the list of names of the teachers that had taught us 10 years ago.

It was hard for me to approach the teachers for I think the then Binx and the current Binx is totally different. And a teacher had actually echoed my thought.

Teacher: Eh awak nieh student saya ke dulu?
Binx: Ye laa cikgu...
Teacher: Your face is a bit familiar but.. aah.. dulu you tak pakai tudung rite?
Binx: Yeah....
Teacher: Wow.. you really look different...
Binx: Yeah.. I'm all grown up now.. hehehe

Another teacher had a unique way of recalling her students...

Ustazah: Saya ajar awak ke dulu?
Binx: Ye laa ustazah... tak ingat ke?
Ustazah: Saya penah pulas telinga awak kan dulu?
Binx: errm.. hahaha... yeah...
Ustazah: Haaa.. saya ingat...
Binx: hahaha.. tu pun Ustazah ingat ke? *malu*

Ye laa kena pulas telinga coz lupa nak bawak tudung for her Agama class... Isk isk isk.. Those were the days.. Tuh tak jumpa lagi with the teacher that scolded me for buying nasi lemak during the Pendidikan Jasmani's merentas desa session. Or the teacher that gave me and friends an hour lecturing (membebel) session in the teacher's room... Muahahaha...

binx: me a good girl lar....

Tell me...

Tell me what I should feel...
when there are 101 feelings inside of me.

Tell me how should I react...
coz my head is still dazed and confused.

Tell me if this is real...
coz I need to face the reality of life.



Maybe I should just wake up and smell the coffee...!




binx: i'm back....!

Goodbye Terengganu...

Thanks for lending me a temporary shelter

Thanks for trying to heal my broken heart

Thanks for all the beautiful sights

Thanks for the great food

Thanks for being ever so friendly

Thanks for a great one month




I shall never forget you....

binx: i'll be back!

More missions impossible...

Mission III: Operation Ayam Golek

Still remember me complaining about the rooster that never stopped crowling the 1st morning I slept in the new house? Well, it never did stopped. In fact, now few more young roosters had joined in and together they formed a very irritating choir.

I thought I was the only one disturbed by the irritating noise every morning. However, I later found out that my housemate too found it very irritating. She even noticed that those roosters kept on with their musical choir until late afternoon. Nak sleep in during the weekends pun tension. Both of us swore that if ever those roosters cross our path, we will definitely turn it into our dinner feast.

One morning, while I was hanging my laundry, one rooster came to view. Apa lagi… I tried to catch it with my empty laundry basket, ala-ala iklan raya tuh laa konon. And like the iklan too, the rooster got away… I didn’t want to make it obvious to the neighbours and chase after it, so I kept my cool and swore to myself that I will catch it the next time.

This morning, 2 of them were playing around our compound. I was behind the wheel at that time.

Aunty: Haaaaa.. tuh haa ayam bising tuh! Apa lagi.. gelek dia!
Me: Gelek?
Aunty: Yes.. gelek! (Tension to the max oledi…)
Me: Oooook boss…!

With my stepping hard foot on the gas pedal, I tried my best to run over those roosters. I bet at that time both of our faces dah tukar jadi macam the devil kut. Tuh yang the roosters lari lintang pukang sampai bulu pun tercabut…

Ada chance tomorrow morning they crow extra kuat – revenge of the roosters.. hehehe…


Mission III failed!


Mission IV: 180° View Snapshot
I am currently working on the 14th floor of one of the tallest building in KT. From the window, I can see at least half of the town. And ever since the 1st day I wished that I could take out my camera and start snapping away.

However, it was not proper for me to act in such manner when even the sight of me wearing pants had caused everyone to stare at me from head to toe. I bet if I were to take out my gabak camera in front of them it would cause more hu-ha then before. So I refrained myself from doing so, even though is very hard to do so.

Today, I had an opportunity window when the reception area, where the huge window over looking the sea, was clear. Everyone was out for lunch. Since this is my final week here I just had to act on it. So sepantas kilat I took out my camera and started clicking away. This was the result…

click on the image to view the original size

Mission IV accomplished!

binx: last day at work!

Mission Impossible (?)

Mission I: Operation Garbage Dump


Since we are living in cute kampung community, we have been having problem of getting rid of our garbage. There is no door-to-door garbage pick-up service by the MPKT people in this area. The makciks around here just burn their garbage – contributing to the bad haze in KT.

Hence, on our 2nd day here, we went out in search for a place to dump our garbage. Our 1st location was a huge dumpster that we saw in front of a shopping complex that we visited the night before. So, dengan muka tak malu, I stopped my car close to the dumpster, while my accomplice went out to get the stinky garbage out of my car boot. Rasa macam nak rompak bank laa pulak, coz my partner actually checked out if there was any guards/police around at that time… hehehe.. Padahal nak buang sampah aje..

On our way back, we found two other huge dumpsters about 2 kilometres away from our house. So now we no longer behaved like criminals… Now main campak aje the garbage out of the open window.. Dah terror… hehehe


Mission I accomplished!



Mission II: Operation Wi-Fi tracker


Being so used to having 24/7 connectivity, I felt like a lipas kudung since I came here. Mana tak nya, there were no wi-fi signals around the house. I thought being the neighbour of the MB would give me a chance to surf the net from home. Alangkah keciwanya when I found no single wi-fi signal… Takkan anak MB tak guna Internet kut? Hampa sungguh!

So last Friday, after almost 10 days of no connectivity (cuti raya), I drove around town with my notebook on my lap, trying to track any free wi-fi signals around town. There were actually quite a few on Jalan Sultan Ismail. However, I can’t seem to be able to connect to any of it, either due to the secured connection or weak signals. I went from one building to another, driving ever so slowly, just to get the maximum signal strength. Siap buat illegal U-turns 2-3 times around the block tuh. Pathetic kan….?

Finally, I was able to get a good connection. Punya laa happy… Skali bukak web browser, it prompted for the TM Hotspot password… Hampa lagi!

Not willing to surrender just yet, I went in search for the Hotspot prepaid pack. The only place that I thought would stock it was 7-E, since they sell all sorts of prepaid reloads. I stopped to almost all the 7-Es that I know of – semua never heard of the Hotspot pack. Then I thought of the TM shop, but memang sah cannot get it that day laa kan, since it was a Friday and plus it was close to 7 p.m.

In the end, I gave up and went back home dengan perasaan yang hampa.


Mission II failed!



More missions in KT to come.....

Hari Raya for Bibik - Part III

Part I | Part II


Alhamdulillah bulan Syawal telah kembali. Ini bermakna kita telah sudah menyempurnakan puasa selama sebulan. Itu pun kalau kalian semua berpuasa laa kan.. hehehe…

Tahun ini bibik telah pulang beraya ke Kelantan, setelah lebih kurang 2 tahun beraya di Kuala Lumpur sahaja. Perjalanan pulang ke kampung pada kali ini amat menarik sekali karna bibik memilih untuk pulang melalui jalan persisiran pantai Kuala Terengganu.




Ya Tuhan….. amat kagum sekali bibik melihat keindahan pantai. Lantas bibik tidak habis-habis mengambil foto permandangan yang indah itu. Bukan saja foto pantai, malah foto lembu yang melintas dihadapan mobil bibik, dan foto kambing yang sedang meragut rumput tepi jalan juga bibik ambil.



Memandangkan itulah kali pertama bibik melalui jalan itu untuk pulang ke Kelantan, bibik telah meminta jasa baik teman bibik agar melakarkan pelan perjalanan buat bibik. Pada mulanya agak mudah untuk bibik mengikut pelan tersebut. Tetapi lama-kelaman bingung jadinya karna mungkin bibik terlalu asyik memerhatikan permandangan disekeliling bibik dari menumpukan perhatian kepada pelan itu. Maka asyik sesat sajalah… Nasib baik lah jalan yang bibik lalui itu jalan mati, jika tidak, ya ampun…, mungkin bibik sudah sampai ke London ketika ini…




Setibanya bibik di rumah bapa saudara bibik di Kota Bahru, bibik sudah diberikan tugas untuk menggantung langsir.. Mentang-mentanglah bibik ini paling tinggi, disuruhnya memanjat tangga yang hampir separuh reput itu. Syukur bibik ini kurus, jadi tidaklah patah dua tangga nya.

Oleh karna bibik sudah kempunan kepingin makan McDonalds sejak bibik datang ke Kuala Terengganu, jadi bibik telah memujuk saudara bibik pergi ke McD yang berdekatan pada malam itu juga. Tetapi, bibik telah diduga karna terpaksa merenangi kesesakkan mobil-mobil yang banyak sekali. Ramai sungguh umat Kelantan yang baru pulang dari perantauan. Akhirnya kami sampai ke McD pada jam 11.45 mlm. Jika kami lewat 15 minit, mesti meraung bibik di situ karna McD disitu tutup pada jam 12 mlm.

Setiba dirumah, kami pun lantas membaham burger dan kentang goreng yang dibeli. Ya ampun…. Sungguh lazat sekali… Memang puas hati bibik dapat melantak begitu rupa..

Tetapi pada subuh keesokkan harinya, perut bibik telah dilanda angin puting beliung yang telah mengakibatkan bibik berkurung didalan jamban selama separuh hari. Ntah kenapa begitu, karna setahu bibik orang lain semua makan apa yang bibik makan. Kenapa bibik saorang saja yang kena? Nasib baik bibik diberi kekuatan untuk meneruskan puasa yang terakhir itu, walaupun lembik selepas habis segala isi perut bibik dikeluarkan.

Syukur sakit itu tidak berlarutan. Maka dapatlah bibik bermain bunga api dengan anak sepupu bibik yang baru pertama kali memegang bunga api pada malam raya. Seronok juga rasanya karna sudah berzaman bibik tidak bermain bunga api.




Bibik juga tidak ketinggalan untuk melaksanakan tugas bibik didapur. Bibik telah berjaya meng’influence’ saudara bibik agar menambahkan menu nasi impit dan kuah kacang ke dalam menu lebaran mereka. Jika tidak, mereka selalunya hanya menyediakan menu nasi dagang sahaja pada pagi lebaran. Sungguh tidak kena lah pada pandangan bibik.. Raya kenalah ada ketupat dan kuah kacang. Lagi enak jika ditambah kuah lodeh dan rendang danging. Tidak ketinggalan, atas permintaan ramai, bibik terpaksa laa berhempas pulas di dapur untuk menyediakan chocolate brownies sehingga ke jam 3 pagi. Sungguh capekkk….

Lebaran pada kali ini bibik berkesempatan menyaksikan berbagai episode kehidupan yang selama ini tidak bibik endahkan. Bibik mula sedar bahawa tragedi yang berlaku didalam sesebuah keluarga adalah satu dugaan Tuhan kepada kita. Bibik sedar bahawa walaupun sesuatu itu tidak boleh dilihat dengan mata kasar, tidak bermakna ianya tidak wujud. Bibik juga sedar bahawa perjalanan hidup ini memang sukar, walaupun berpandukan pelan perjalananan yang paling impressive.




Kini bibik telah kembali ke Kuala Terengganu dengan hidung yang tersumbat dan tekak yang amat gatal sekali. Demam….. Mungkin karna bibik telah dinaikkan pangkat menjadi supir pada Lebaran kali ini. Capek bibik dibuatnya. Didapur pun bibik nolong, di jalan raya pun bibik nolong.

the massive traffic in Kuala Terengganu

Bagaimakah Lebaran kalian pada tahun ini?

Lonely Ramadhan....

This might be my last post before Raya for I will be on leave from tomorrow til the next Sunday.. (saje jek nak emphasize that I cuti lama.. hehehe...)

So... It's almost the end of Ramadhan. It saddens me that I didn't get to enjoy it that much this year as I used to. I only managed to squeeze in 4 or 5 terawikh sessions this year. Terawikh used to be one of my favorite event during Ramadhan. Hence, I felt as if my Ramadhan this year is not complete.

On the other hand, this Ramadhan was the first Ramadhan in 8 years that I got to berbuka with the only grandma I have left at her house (my kampung) which I haven't visited since my parent's divorce. It kinda reminded me of the good old days where we used to go back a few days early before hari raya and make all the necessary preparation for the big day. It also made me realised that our lives had changed tremendously in the span on 8 years. Changes that had lead us on a separate course of life. Changes that had turned us all into strangers.

This Ramadhan also had witnessed me living my life in solitary. It was no doubt a lonely journey despite being around new surroundings and warm kind people. I chose to be alone, just to clear off my mind and soul. I needed the time away from all the problems that had been haunting me for the past few months. Have I found the peace that I seek for? Ntah laa....

It has been a long, adventurous and lonely Ramadhan for me. Am hoping that Syawal will emit some bright new hopes for me to continue my journey on this uncharted path.


How was your Ramadhan?

Selamat Hari Raya
&
Maaf Zahir Batin

to everyone that reads this stupid rambling space of mine...
May all of you have a blessed Syawal with your love ones...

binx: it's a lonely world...

My iftar adventure...

Since I'm left alone to fend for myself til Raya, I decided to venture out for iftar yesterday. There's no point in cooking a meal for one... Buang karan aje..

After checking with my ever reliable "KT Directory" a.k.a the newly appointed (by me) town mayor, we found out that even to berbuka puasa at the fast food joint pun have to be there as early as 5 p.m. If not, there will be no guarantee that you'll get any seats at all. So that option was scratched out from my list. What's the point of going there at 5 and melanguk for the next 2 hours kan...

He then suggested a local bistro by the Batu Buruk beach called Tropix. According to him and another colleague, the place is very hip laa amongst the KT ppl nieh. So, my colleague and I decided to check it out laa kan. When we arrived, we saw that they have laid out a buffet spread for RM22/pax. I thought it was kind of expensive lar for the amount and type of dishes that they were serving. When asked if we can order ala carte, they said that ala carte is only served after the Maghrib prayer. So dengan hampa nya we made our way back to the car.

After driving out the lane, we saw the well-praised Restoran Nil and thought that we should actually check it out. Parked the car, crossed the street and was smiling when we saw that there were actually one last empty table that was not already filled with delicious food and drinks. Mind you, the restaurant was actually empty when we got there, just that all the tables aje yang penuh with foods. I guess all the KT people suma call and book ahead laa kut kan.. We all aje yang dungu main redah aje all the food joints. So, when asked, we were actually brushed off by the rude waiter saying that there were no more tables left. Even the empty table were reserved.

Sedey giler ok... and it was already 6.40 p.m. by then. We here berbuka at 6.55 p.m.

In the end, we decided to head to KFC. How pack can it be laa kan... The KFC in TTDI is usually dead during the iftar time.

We were really shocked when we walked through the restaurant's door. There were no more tables left!! And the queue at the counter were still long!! So, nak tanak, we queued up jugak laa kan.. Dah nak dekat berbuka, there was no time to look for other places to eat. As my colleague queued for the food, I went around with muka tebal and asked each and every table if they have 2 seats to spare. Cause according to the worker there, people usually occupy the long tables despite having only 4 people in the group - 'jual ikang' sungguh mereka ini laa.. I was welcomed with angry stares and rude remarks when I asked them, so I gave up in the end and decided to just tapau the food and eat at my place.

However, 30 secs before berbuka, and still halfway in the queue, we saw one chinese couple got up from their table and left. Alhamdulillah... memang it was our rezeki to actually berbuka there. So we managed to get the table and ate our chickens in peace.

That was the most adventurous iftar ever... Scouting for place to eat.. Battling for seats... *sigh* At this point of time, I really miss the ample eating joints in KL... Orang KT nieh suma tak masak ke ek? All the restaurants and pasar ramadhan will be packed with people every single day...




binx: i want McD...!

Terima kasih daun keladi...

Someone told me that I have done nothing but to criticise his town and its people since I came here. Well, it’s not all true…

For one thing, I have one person to thank for making my stay in this town bearable. This person has been giving me info about the town, from where to get the essential items for the household to giving out direction to the nearest roti canai joint in town. I don’t know what I would do without this ‘local directory’ of mine.

This person had even gone out of his way to introduce me to another kind soul in this town when I was faced with an unfortunate mishap. With their help, my car’s front bumper had gone from…


this…



to this…



than this…




Amazing ain’t it?


The 2nd guy, Mr. H, didn’t just stop there… This guy had gone out of his way to drive me to the nearest market when I can’t find any store that opens at 8 a.m. And when I mentioned that I was trying to find time to renew my driving license, which I recently discovered had expired since June, he offered to actually have it renewed for me – with no extra charge. His kindness really took me by surprise. Never had I met any mechanic that would provide such extra service. Most of the mechanics in KL only think about the profit that they are gonna make out of you.

Hence, despite the slang and other quirks that I still find a wee bit weird, there are still kind souls in this town… The town with no McD.. uwwwwaaa.. I miss my weekly dosage of McD…




binx: i hate sundays!!!