Things are seriously...

I seriously have this fixation to update my blog more frequently. I know I updated twice yesterday, but I thought it be nice if I did a posting early in the morning like this since it's a public holiday.

Besides...something's been on my mind. Yesterday, when I was having lunch with some friends,

I bumped into an old pal. I've known him since the days when I did volunteer work for Pink Triangle in the mid Nineties, time baru habis sekolah.

Well, anyway...one thing led to another, cita la pasal Marina Mahathir tak head the Malaysian AIDS Council and all, I was rather disturbed to hear that for this year, Pink Triangle will not be receiving funding this year.

Pada mereka yang tak tahu, Pink Triangle is a non-governmental organisation yang dedicate themselves to raising HIV/AIDS awareness with various community based programmes. It functions (or used to) with financial aid from the public as well as allocation from the government and the Malaysian AIDS Council.

I don't really know how the mechanics work. Tapi all I know is, now only Ikhlas, their community project for the Positive community is receiving funding now...abih camna la Pink Triangle nak stay afloat.

I would have thought HIV/AIDS awareness was a cause that was well supported financially. Sadly enough...apparently, HIV/AIDS causes are not the IN thing for the moment. Cancer is.

Well...doesn't that just bugger you! What the ... freak!!!

I sure as hell tatau ler how Pink Triangle is going to survive, but I wish them all the best.

Statistics are shooting through the roof in neioghbouring nations, tapi no proper studies have been done among our youths. What are the true figures of those who are in the high risk groups is a guessing game, which may be answered only way too late.

A few months ago, an acquaintance, who was a familiar face, passed on suddenly. All I heard was dia meninggal sebab of something HIV related. That person was only in his early twenties.

Entahlah...kadang-kadang, orang kita ni tak pentingkan sesuatu until it strikes this massive blow on them. Look at how cancer awareness has suddenly shot up. Give it a year or two...another disease will take over lah as the fashionable plague to be associated with. We never learn...

Moving on, semalam abih keja...lepak office je. Malas nak balik, so lepak. Sempat tidur...rehatkan diri. Sedar-sedar da very late at night dah. So terus gerak gi Zouk jumpa abang Bad and Co. yang ada event kat sana. Kami semua tak larat nak masuk so dok luar cuci mata (actually criticise what the wannabes were wearing ler).

Then gerak gi Lotus kat area Nikko Hotel Jalan Ampang gi melantak. Sempat borak-borak for only about 20 minutes or so when Bad pointed out si Hazami, Rem and Anuar Zain dok tengah supper sana gak.

Dok ngan meka sat chew the cud bersembang sampai tak perasan lama sangat Bad, Jolene and Shawn (did I spell his name right?) decided da nak balik. Aiyo...so sorry ler. Kena laser ngan Papa Smurf...yelah...dok ngan selebriti je...

Pedas! Soriii!!! Tu lah akibatnya kalao lelama tak jumpa nak tukar story more that ever to catch up. After that, spent another 45 minutes or so sok sek.

Tengah sembang tu Anuar pointed out something even I rasa irritating gila. Ada satu meja...about a few metres away. Mamat muka pecah rumah rupa tong minyak sorang ni pegang camera, ada zoom aku rasa. Curi-curi target camera tu and while pretending nak sembang, amik snapshot meka meja kami. Huh! Nama peminat, tegur je lah amik pic. Apa salahnya sopan sikit bukak mulut!

Ni wat muka sombong, kerek nak mampos jeling-jeling, tapi tetap nak amik pic. Tak paham aku....Bukan orang nak nyombong. Ni nak feeling paparazzi lak!

I think a lot of people forget...artis ni...celebriti ke personaliti camna pun, they are first and foremost HUMAN! And they do deserve respect like all of us. Ni muka mamat amik pic tu bengis cam @#$& pastu curi-curi amik pic. Apa barang??? Sheesh...ni peminat ke stalker? Lain kali bang oi...kalau minat tegur!!! Jangan da ko wat muka bengis tak tegur nak mintak amik pic kang wat cita lak kata artis tak layan peminat kang...hah!

Argh!!! Letih ngantuk lak pagi-pagi sejuk ni. I don't really know what plans I'll be up to today...tapi have a feeling nak tengok wayang ler. Anyone wanna join? Mai Klang (gelak besar cam Papa Smurf)

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I made it!

Yes...I have made it through the day...my first official working day since I was on leave from Dec 6. What did I do today? Let's see. I checked my column...finished a story (almost...erm...) went out for lunch with Muzaffar, and met up with some Astro and AMP contacts (yes...abang Bad being one of them-that's one of the advantages of being pals with people you work with).

Yes it may have seem all fun and games...but I WAS really working. Cungkil ler sedikit gosip tuk next week punya column dari kengkawan time sok sek.

Sempat check ERA's website and saw Nikki da naik lagi Carta Era. Cuma keliru...the week before, minggu pertama dia masuk, nampak carta tulis nombor 18, ni tengok second week tulis dia last week nombor 19. Pelik tul....tak kisah. Janji da naik...and mintak ler naik dan naik lagi. Biar slow and steady...janji naik!

Ok...just a reminder guys...keep voting for single pertama Nikki bertajuk Pinta kat ERA.
To vote ada beberapa cara.

Melalui panggilan ke penyampai-penyampai bertugas dari 6pm to 12am kepada talian 03 - 9543 3355 dan request untuk lagu Pinta.

You can also fax permintaan anda dengan menggunakan borang disediakan ke 03-95435676. To get the form, surf over to website ERA where you can also vote online. Ingat bahagian ni penting...anda perlu mempunyai epass atau pilihanmu tidak akan sah!

The last, and easiest way you can use anywhere is to SMS. Hantar pilihan anda dengan menaip ERAPDE Pinta, (tajuk satu lagi lagu pilihan) dan hantarkan ke 32555.

A slight reminder. Di mana ada ruang permintaan lagu lain, pastikan Pinta is pilihan pertama anda, so that it gets priority!

Keep voting, guys and let's see Pinta make it!!!

Pada those yang celebrate Hari Raya Haji esok...selamat merayakan ek...aku esok tidur seharian jer ler...apapun...malam ni nak gi enjoy!!! Yuhuu!!! Down it!!! Nak balik dulu and change out of these work clothes and get into party gear! Yeah!

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When I start thinking

Pertama sekali, I really have to share this. Ni kira posting luahan perasaan. My first for 2006 as I deal with the onset of my impending mid life crisis of turning 30!

I know a lot of people tell me (and I also tell folks, though I'm hardly honest about it most of the time), that age is nothing but a number....that you are as young as you feel...that we get better as we age....blah blah blah.

Realitinya, dalam beberapa hari ni saja into the New Year, aku horror at the prospect of turning 30. And it's horrifying sebab I feel not a day over 21 (except for the back pain, the occasional migraine, my bad knee etc)!

I mean, looking back, I don't really have regrets as I think I have done my best. Sadly though, I cannot claim to having achieved even half of my goals I promised myself I would.

I am not going to wallow in depression as I think I haven't done too bad, tapi cam terduduk diam sat to contemplate what went wrong. Is it my fate that I will always be Joe Average, that no matter what I do, my life standards are doomed to be strictly mediocre.

I won't reveal all my goals, sebab kang ada yang kata over ambitious, but I think most of them are like that of other people.

But I am going to work extra hard this year (especially in the next six months before I turn 30, to achieve most of them.

One of my dreams is to diversify myself, and aku rasa one of the things I've been putting off for some time now, finally aku akan buat. Walaupun aku gementar sikit, but I have agreed to an offer nak participate in the staging of this experimental theatre production which was written by a friend, inspired by some of the drama in my life. I don't know whether I can act, but I sure as hell am going to finally do my best. Being onstage is one of the purest artforms to me, and I envy those yang mampu nak be anyone they want to be when the limelight's on them, and I hope to learn the craft, not for fame and fortune, but tuk capai what I've always wanted...to push myself another level further and challenge myself to my fears.

You see...I used to have stage fright, and I did much to conquer that fear. Ada beberapa member tanya, ko leh lakon ke? Jawapan aku, I'm going to try, so I never have any regrets about not giving it a go. After all, courage is not about doing something you're good at, but rather something that challenges you, an endeavour that inspires fear in you.

One more thing I'm going to do this year, is bloody make more money. Bukan tuk diri aku...bukan tuk kemewahan atau kesenangan or anything like that. Tapi tuk pamper my parents with the luxury they deserve. I am not the best son, but I want to give my parents what they've always given to me...the best! And walaupun aku da cuba sedaya upaya setakat ni tuk memberikan apa aku mampu, I think it's just not enough...

Everywhere I look, people are raking it in. Credit where credit is due, a lot of my friends who make way more money than me EARN it by working their ass off. Tapi...entahlah. Like I said, maybe I have a curse of mediocrity that hangs over me and dooms me never to excel more than the average person.

Anyway, that's not going to be an excuse this year, and these past couple of days, aku da pikir masak-masak. There may be a change of career this year...nothing too drastic as I think it will still involve the field of entertainment, sebab industri ni merupakan the soul of my life...but maybe not full time journalism like now. Who knows kan? Kita hanya mampu merancang....Tuhan yang menentukan segala. But I sure as hell am going to make that extra effort, rather than just get down on my news and leave it to divine intervention.

One real resolution I have promised myself this year...is NOT to fall in love. I have wasted too much time, getting to know someone, and to let them to get to know me...sampai it ends up being wasted hours. I mean, don't get me wrong...banyak kenangan manis aku selain yang pahit dari cerita cinta yang pernah mewarnai hidup aku...but I think that I have resigned myself to the fact (several years ago in fact, I realised this...just didn't want to admit it) that I am doomed to spend my life alone. So tahun ni...I doubt ada lah stories for me to share with you about a someone in my life...who knows.Again...kita hanya mampu merancang....

If I sound depressed, maybe to an extent...I have hit an emotional low. Over the past month or so...banyak benda main kat kepala aku pasal several personal problems, but being who I am...I don't dwell on it too much in front of people. I mean, luahkan tu ada pada some of my closest friends...but I suppose in all my simplicity...I am pretty hard to understand too. But if anything...times when tears seem easy...I won't forget to thank God for the little blessings in my life despite my trials...

One of the many things I have to thank for is definitely the few friends I have left after the 'stock clearance' of 2005, mana aku had to reevaluate certain friendships and decided to put them behind me to not be loaded down by what has become liabilities.

By the way...walaupun aku da lama stop drinking (skang social drinker je...tu pun very the jarang), I used to be able to pride myself on holding my liquor. Aritu masa keluar with a few friends, I had one margarita and I actually felt some effects!

Haiyo! Now I KNOW age is definitely doing me in!!! That's one of the few skill I picked up from college gone to waste due to lack of practise. Kalao tak, masa dulu cuti kat Langkawi ke apa...I could polish off a whole bottle of Smirnoff and still be standing and in control!

Harumphh!!! Ok...now lepas that unexplained nature of my rantings about the fragility of my current state of emotional nature...let's move on to what I've been up to this past few days.

Before that, in case anyone was wondering (pada kawan-kawan yang keep in touch by checking on my blog...if you're guessing what the look of the moment is, here's the latest pic of me, masa gi lawat Rudy kat hospital ngan Bad, Muzaffar dan Vernon. Due to my depression, the current look is short, black hair...or otherwise...simply normal (which is not so normal for me). I promised a lot of people when I turn 30, aku takkan colour rambut aku agik...or go for weird hairstyles...and remove all my piercings.

Now? Not sure lah jadi ke tak...Apapun...this look will remain, at least for a while. Kalao nak ubah pun...mungkin bila dekat ngan anugerah apa-apa nanti. Sempat kot tukar imej a few times more (Anugerah Juara Lagu, Anugerah Bintang Popular, Anugerah Industri Muzik) sebelum my 30th birthday...so we'll see whether I stick by that rule I made up for myself.

Let's see, moving on...I told you guys about Anugerah Juara Lagu kan punya PC? Nothing much...cuma cabutan angka giliran persembahan, pengumuman tema malam tu dan sebagainya. Which you will be able to read in the papers lah.

Tapi, the info I think most of you will want is tarikh AJL and venue mana it will be held, so here it is. It will be on February 5th and it will be at the Putra World Trade Centre (seb baik bukan pesta joget lambak kat Stadium Putra agik!!!)

Nothing much happened at that PC, lepas habis, lepak ngan Ning & Co. sat...layan Nikki dan juga Yanie (protege Ning dari Mentor) sat. Kalau nak tahu, Yanie pun nak keluar album soon....Anyway, for those yang minat Nikki dan Yanie, the two 'sisters' are now staying together in KL dan dibawah guidance Ning, serta pengurus Ning, Vernon. Comel tak meka berdua (Nikki dan Yanie ek...bukan Ning dan Vernon...gelak sat!)

Malam tu, keluar jumpa ngan Muzaffar. Dia wanted to go for a charity screening of Sepet, so kali ni, aku lak menyemak tak dijemput.

Reason I wanted to go was to meet Yasmin Ahmad, I mean I've interviewed her a couple of times, and had fun talking to her, tapi tak pernah jumpa dia face to face.

Anyway, it was a fun do (sorry pada yang kenal aku melalui blog tapi aku lak tak cam ek-aku selalu blur kalau keadaan camtu sebab ye lah...aku bukan superstar yang biasa jumpa orang yang kenal kita yang kita lak tak cam). Anyway...I was so tired from running around sebab banyak appointment sampai ngadu ngantuk. Still it was fun because Nani @ Orked was there along with si Ng Choo Seong @ Jason...nice to see they took time off to spend time ngan semua orang.

But I think kudos to Yasmin ler sebab wat charity screening kat GSC MidValley secara diam-diam tanpa kecoh. Tujuan nak raise funds...not a fuss, and she achieved that! Biasalah kalau orang wat charity screening...kalao tak invite satu battalian media...mustahil! You rock Yasmin! And all the best for Gubra!

The embarassing part of the evening, aku mengharapkan ler...versi Sepet yang ditayangkan ni, unedited ke...director's cut. Nyata aku kecewa sebab dia versi VCD release yang kena potong by the old men at the Censorship Board yang takde lives apart from making everyone's miserable by snipping away everything they deemed immoral. Couple that with my fatigue...I would like to officially apologise to every yang dok keliling aku sebab TERTIDUR dan BERDENGKUR dengan teramat kuat!

Malu siot...tapi da takleh control diri. Bak kata Garfield...NAP ATTACK! Muzaffar tension gila babiks ngan aku asik elbow aku je...dengan statement ulangan dia, "Wei...bangun la! Tak kuasa...dengkur punyalah kuat!" Huh! Tunggu...your day will come! Siot je...

On friends, it's time to congratulate Bad yang akhirnya dapat letter of appointment dia for his new post! Hah tengok je pics ni...tunjuk envelope ngan letter tu, and siap opening of the letter masa siang tadi jenguk Astro sat wat keja...time tu serempak ngan Juan yang da lama wat aksi cookies Chipsmore menghilangkan diri sebab kesibukan overdose! Juan ngan aku tunggu ko belanja tau, bang Bad kuar je first gaji. In fact...kira Bloggers United leh ada makan besar la! Tapi member yang jiwang tu, takyah ajak girlpren nak makan skali! Dahlah dia pun lama tak jumpa sebab dok sibuk ngan awek je...(gelak gelak dan gelak lagi!!!)

Anyway masa kat Astro, lalu konti ERA, si Nana tengah tugas. By the way pada meka yang tatau, si Nana ni rajin chat ngan peminat tau masa dia.

Kalau dia on-air tu korang rasa nak sok sek ngan dia, lawat, register dan sertai nana-ke.com! Bukan orang lain ek yang chat on her behalf...dia sendiri gak! Rajin Nana! Seronok layan tengok Nana on-air. Masa tu member Press, si Farihad (congratulations tuko keja mai join the family) dan Zul (peminat Halim Othman - matilah aku kena maki pasni!) pun dok jenguk.

Tengok cam zoo lak...cuma cam wondered which side of the glass yang exhibit dan which side yang visitors (mati lah aku kali kedua kena belasah meka berdua - jadi gelak besar lagi)
Aduh!!! Saliha...panjangnya posting aku ni...ok lah...time to call it quits. Esok ada dua appointment lagi. Ni da lebih 5.30am da...confirm bangun pun da tengahari (tapi kalau jadi...mesti bangun by 10am sebab dua ari da maintain nak wake up awal and earlier slowly...)

Will blog tomorrow (arini) pasal PC Anugerah Bintang Popular yang akan diadakan later this evening. Tapi jangan ler korang mintak aku report event tu. Keja tu...keja bergaji beb! Semua letak blog...abih keja cari makan aku kat paper. (Muahahahaha!!! Lawak bodoh!) Take care guys...I'm off!

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What's so new?

2006 has not been all it's cracked up...

For me...the whole thing provided me for New Year celebrations yang paling teruk I've had since whenever.

It all started from the eve....memacam problem timbul. Tension je. Apapun, aku dok rumah sampai habis countdown akibat malas nak keluar since everyone had their own New Year plans, ada yang sibuk toasting the New Year (non alcoholic fruity cocktail concoctions), while ada yang dok rumah je, while there were those yang God knows what they were up to.

It was ok everyone were busy...I know friends are not there for you ALL the time...it's just WHEN they're there that's so important.

I took this picture masa aku gi lawat Rudy with Vernon together ngan abang Badand Muzaffar. It's so touching...and here hoping that I'll have friends if I ever end up in a moment of need too (discarded friends who didn't serve a purpose in 2005-no regrets...just some anger).

By the way - that pink bear, hadiah get well from Vernon tu di position kan sebegitu oleh aku time nak amik pic sebab tanak abang Bad kecoh pasai aku amik pic tak lawa yang konon nak sabo di sebab perut dia yang montel tu terkuar selambak (amik ko!)

Me? I simply felt it was going to be a damn bore to wrestle with KL traffic.

Lepas 1am, pikir nak kuar meronda with some friends so met them in Cheras and took a spin around town. Thought gi lepak mamak kat belakang Istana hotel so we caught the crowd there hanging out, mostly made up of mamat mamat poser skin dan punk yang tak jadi.

As expected, tengah celebrate, a fight broke out at a nearby club. Mamat bouncer semua yang predominantly one race, gaduh lak ngan customer-customer yang mabuk !@#$%.

Da bebudak yang takde rumah, mak bapak atau otak ni semua dok dekat-dekat, apa lagi, meka pun jadi lah 'firestone' egging on the fight. Nothing serious despite the intimidating numbers there.

Aku sakit hati tul celah-celah anak-anak @#$%^ ni yang kecoh, ramai lak nak sibuk join (sokong molot je) dan maki hamun several statements that were just bloody racial. I mean...a fight is a fight. No need to get racial about it.

Aku da malas geng posers cam bebudak no job, no life and simply no brains yang berangan punk dan skin ni. You don't know anything about the music, you wanna make it fashionable but you *&$! it up big time.

Mana taknya orang yang kolot dan sempit pemikiran ingat muzik ni merosakkan anak muda! Posers camni dress and try and look and sound like the authentic thing, and to the untrained eye, the represent...which is bull!

It's amazing to think that while we're celebrating 2006, racial tension can still strike a chord of fear (trust me, yang makan-makan kat area tu semua tak pasal bersedia je nak cabut takut kena belasah tak pasal-pasal)

Kalau keadaan cam malam tu masa aku melantak kat SS15 di Subang Jaya bersama Fiebie lain la! Two separate tables of guys were cussing each other nak gaduh bila Fiebie bisik kat aku,

"Mintak-mintak gaduh leh cabut kita nak selamatkan diri and makan free!". Tulah ko...sapa mintak makan bebanyak! (azam nak diet kan tahun ni?)

Anyway - after all that hoo-ha...kereta peronda lalu about three times or so, tapi cam takde effect. Small fights kept breaking out, and I seriously doubt the police were even bothered to do their work....now seriously! Sheesh!

Apapun, gaduh SMS ngan a so-called best friend and then awal pagi sampai je kat Klang, rush balik Bangsar kerana masaalah anak buah and some other personal problems of friends (arghh! wasn't it my resolution not to give a flying %^& about other people's problems?!).

Tertidur kat apartment dia sat tengahari and then later went out again. Bumped into some friends and lepak sampai malam sebelum balik rumah tidur the whole day. Not a very great New Year for me...definitely. At least I got to spend time with my parents.

Still...if these past few days were anything to measure the year by, then I really have a bumpy year ahead. So here's crossing my fingers (and legs and eyes) hoping that eveything will be be peachy keen for what 2006 holds for me.

On the plus side, masa keluar with some friends tu...bumped into an old acquaintence yang aku kenal dari online chat sometime in 2001. Aku memang minat dia and I think there was some chemistry, tapi we knew it wouldn't come up to something serious and we chose never to meet.

Apapun...that night...sempat ler erm...get the first whoopie for 2006 (some consolation huh for not having someone to kiss at the mark of New Year).

Monday was similarly boring, tidur the whole day and then later int he night beli a bucket of KFC and pigi rumah anak buah lepak tengok VCD (The Princess Diaries 2...not my choice...zzzzz) before mai Internet cafe to just update my blog. Tomorrow will be fun though.

Walaupun aku cuti sampai Isnin depan, esok isi masa lapang nak ke sidang media Anugerah Juara Lagu tergempar kat Berjaya Times Square. At least I'll have some fun tomorrow. Maybe I'm just bored because I miss work. What a concept!!! (gelak sat)

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2006!!!

At the end of one year and the start of another, many of us will renew our commitment to daily affirmations to improve ourselves. I know there's much room for improvement in my life...and 2005 has taught me much on what to buck up for in 2006.

2005 has seen much take place...I've made some great friends, lost a few of those too...and rediscovered some whom I've lost. Death came and claimed some nearest and dearest to me...I started believing again that I could love...then that idiot proved to me to be just that. I realise loved needn't be sought, as in approval for my life...and that I need to have faith in whatever the future holds for me.

Anyway, these are my resolutions...and while these may not suit everyone's taste, here are some "possible" affirmations to consider!

These are my resolutions which I vow to keep for 2006! To everyone...have a great year ahead!!!

1. I will not include any postings on New Year resolutions just nak cukup syarat tuk have a posting for the onset of the New Year.
2. Two minutes into the New Year will not constitute a mammoth achievement to keep my resolutions.
3. I promise myself not to give into the pressure of relinquishing smoking even though I am now in a minority group!
4. The words MUST BUY does not mean literally that - but looking is no harm.
5. I vow never to feel guilt, be in touch with my inner sociopath and swear like a hog for the rest of the year healthily to avoid anger building up inside me. Vent! It's healthy!
6. I will not honk or carut at old ladies or pregnant woman while on the road, but everyone else is fair game! Patience is a much wasted virtue on Malaysian drivers! Survival of the fittest baby!
7. I promise myself to continue to let my imagination soar beyond the existing levels of suspicion and paranoia - especially when I turn 30 in July!
8. I will assume full responsibility for my actions, except the ones that are someone else's fault.
9. I will for 2006 focus on looking for solutions to my problems, or at least a scapegoat to blame on! Boleh?
10. I will no longer waste my time reliving the past and spend my time just worrying about the future.
11. I have to keep my resolutions short and sweet, cause chances are I will just be wasting the fifteen minutes thinking them up anyway as I'll probably forget them before the New Year.
12. I won't procastinate! Or maybe should I keep that for later....
13, I promise to love myself more despite my weaknesses, and never put love for anyone (apart for God, my parents and my career) before myself! - You have to love yourself first before anyone loves you right? So I will accept that I will always be overweight, be bitchy, sarcastic and self righteous no matter what!
14. I will always give thanks for my good skin and lack of wrinkles (especially since I'm turning 30 in 2006! - actually I'll give thanks if I live to be 30 even...)
15. I will have more sex and less relationships (or was that less sex and more relationships? - I get confused)
16. I will not intefere in my friends' lives...even it means they screw it up (they have to learn on their own instead of me mollycoddling them!)
17. I will continue to add or DISCARD friends if they no longer prove to be so without fear or regret.
18. I will appreciate those who appreciate me.
19. I will be less obsessed with the need to fall in love.
20. My next year's resolutions will be more accurate and realistic and less lengthy (hey...I gotta make more mistakes or I won't have anything to resolve for 2007, right?)

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Preparing for 2006 (rather I was bored)

Ok....the truth and the absolute truth is, semalam lepas balik dari update blog, tak ngantuk. Try as I did....there was no way in hell i could catch some sleep. Entah kenapa mata terang je. Last-last tenung lampu aku baru beli dari IKEA malam sebelum ...nekad ah konon nak kick off preparation for 2006 by giving my room a little makeover.

Matilah aku sakit belakang....dari 8 pagi all the way to about 4pm, redecorate ler bilik tidur katanya akibat insomnia. By the time I was done, lapan beg plastik itam sampah yang besar da dok ngan muatan. Banyak nya benda I didn't need! All that clutter all the while! Haiyo....betul ler nasihat blogger Cap Ibu dan Anak! Kalau nak beli benda nak feeling decorate...get rid of the clutter...most of which you will find sentimental....

Walaupun abang Bad mintak share pics before and after bilik aku...aku memang berat sangat to do so. I mean, how can I not be reluctant to reveal my most sacred sanctuary to virtually unknown strangers who just wander into my blog?

Tapi kalau da enam tujuh jam non-stop sakitkan badan nak therapy tuk cantikkan bilik...I suppose I should show how some things look at least. note that a disclaimer comes with viewing this pics tau! Bilik aku bukan lawa mana...segan lak...

The real thing I want to share is several possessions of mine yang aku paling sayang dalam bilik aku (selain bantal dan KY *oops*)

Anyway...the first thing is this gorgeous side table from India. Meja ni di jual kepada aku oleh Lea Laurielle yang dulu berkhidmat ngan airline. Kalau kat KLCC ke memana mahal cam sial meja ni, I got it for damn cheap! And this is one of the bigger sizes too. So anyway, lampu aku beli kat IKEA tu (uncreatively) aku sumbat kat celah dalam side table tu je. So malam it provides this lighting which places emphasis on the intricacy of the carvings on the table. Not too bad la kan? It'sa gorgeous table...and definitely one of the things I love the most in my bland room.

Next thing which is quite a recent acquisition is a brass (I think) dragon which was a Christmas present from Ted. Of course ler, common sense aku ni born in the year of the Dragon, hence the significance (1976 if you need to know). By the way...if you liked the table from India, you get to see the patterns of the carvings more clearly in this picture. I don't know too much about feng shui, but I hope the placement, direction and material (or whatever) is coordinated right for the best go at prosperity! being Chinese kan...benda camtu just becomes part of your nature to immedately observe...even if you really have no clue to the significance (or even the actual measures - du-uh)

Benda seterusnya ni korang takkan nampak sangat ler detail dia sebab camera phone aku takde laa high tech canggih sangat sampai leh capture the details. It's a relief (kinda like a sculpture mounted on a frame thing) that I got for Christmas two years ago from my ex in Jakarta. Dia hantar while we were having this on-line relationship, and up to now, it's become a symbol of our friendship. A few months after I got it, I went to Jakarta and saw that even a small one was quite costly, so quite taken aback dia spend that much on a Christmas present.

Next item up for display is a silly little novelty appeal object I picked up in a shop in Portobello Road in London, a few years ago, masa pergi sana tengok launch concert of Kylie's Money Can't Buy show for her Body Language album.

It's a tea candle holder in what's supposed to be a disco ball!!! It's got glass panels, and little panels with mirrors like on an actual disco ball. Bordering on tacky butI think it's an absolutely must have.

Got it for quite a decent price too (tu laa kalao da kaki bargain shopping!) As far as I an remember, I bought two (nyesal lak bagi orang tuk Christmas present - tau aku simpan dedua *busuk hati lak*)

This box was from Ted, and the only thing I was is that it ws the last one from Dodo Art in Central Market. No real story behind it, just think it's nice and plus it has the same gold leaf motif as my side table.

Matching sangat! The funny thing about this 'storage faciility' is that nampak je so classy dari luar....tapi dalamnya aku gunakan tuk simpan all my leather straps, studs, piercings dan lelain benda yang you wouldn't have guessed would have been stored there.

Ok...this next thing is rather grotesque and I wouldn't have kept it myself if it hadn't been for the fact that it was gift from a friend. yes, terima kasih ler Vernon sebab you have such bad taste in gifts. It's soo teeny I have no idea what the space (the 'tong' opens up) is meant for. Samaada ash tray ke....tempat simpan barang tatau lah. but it's realistically too bloody small for anything. in other words it can't do anything but look freaking ugly!

Ada benda yang valuenya bukan pada price tag, or what it's value is in terms of its physical form. One of the many things I collect is the press tags from events I cover. Ni part of the collection. Every few months aku kena spring cleaning buang yang mungkin tak ada real value.

Those from overseas assignment ada yang autographed...cam Westlife. I remember bebudak peminat meka sampai nak nangis mintak aku tuk tag aku kerana ada autograph Shane on it. "But it says to Joe...what use would it be to you," I tried reasoning to a Singaporean schoolgirl who was obviously smitten by the oirish lads. "Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa......I waaaaaaaaannntttt ittt!!!" How can you fight with logic like that? Needless to say, I ran fo my life (and tag)

Ni my pride and joy. My CD collection. it's not as big as it used to be...tapi my mom complains it takes too much space...and I have to agree...I suppose... yerlah...sayang.

Or my collection would have been better now...Zaman student dulu, kan biasa...asik takde duit belanja. You never seem to have enough. Well, I was always self reliant. Never bothered to ask for more...ever. What I would do, would be to pack up all my CDs and bak gi Music Exchange belakang Lot 10 and sell them.

You see Music Exchange buys and sells second hand CDs and that was my usual haunt dulu nak cari duit kalau tengah kering. Sedih lah masa nak keluar dari kedai...siap pernah wave goodbye to my first edition (sent dari US) of Nirvana's Nevermind and Pearl Jam's Ten among others.

Well...apa nak buat...guess I have to look back for the old stuff now.

Apart from CDs and tags, I also collect lighters, Zippos to be more precise. Ni part of my collection. The other two obviously not Zippo punya original la. Tapi sebab pattern dia sama ngan yang one of my collection, so nampak cantik ler for display purposes.

This is something that I haven't used in a long time. Aku beli masa dulu kat college time study for my diploma in sound and audio engineering. Because kami buat banyak recording dalam studio tuk projek kami, memang lebih elok kalao ada microphone sendiri.

Yang ni aku pakai masa final aku, it's a classic Shure SM58. Takde mahal sampai gila babas...tapi kalau time student dulu nak beli sakit gak la! So I still keep it...and it's one of my treasures that you will notice in my room sebab sayang nak jual ke nak bagi orang ke buang.

This is a frivolous piece...takde reason at all for having it. Just like looking at it. Bits of metal twisted into a form of a rather stately lady (tapi cam African lak with big hoop earrings). I bought it last Christmas as a back-up present in case I forgot anyone...but never needed to give it out so kept it. The big secret about this is that it only cost me RM10! Kekadang rasa nak buang sebab makan ruang, but bila tengok lama-lama....entah...cam cantik lak!

Terlupa lak aku nak sebut one more hobby apart from collecting CDs and lighters. Aku suka sangat nak kumpul perfume! Bila da habis...botol kosong ler diperagakan. However my taste is not as adventurous as most people. I have my favourites which I stick to.

The unorthodox fragrances would be female scents like Chanel Allure and such...tapi my all time top three smells would be this three...from left, Cerruti 1881, Paco Rabbane's XS and Hugo Boss's classic Boss.

Let's see...what else can you find of interest in my room?...Mmmm...kalau ko minat Madonna suka lah...kot. I don't really go all out to collect her stuff, but somehow have a decent collection of Madonna stuff in the form of CDs and posters and such.

In fact, above my CD collection, a resplendent black and white poster depicts Madonna in a vogue position which in an indicator of what to expect. The highlight of my collection? the actual (and controversial) aluminium-bound coffee table SEX book that my sister bought for me for Christmas when it came out. Bless her....(my sis...oh and Madonna too lah)

Here's something people wouldn't expect me to treasure. Artist, Yuri Gorbachev (yes, he is the immediate cousin of Mikhail Gorbachev) was in Malaysia years ago, and I interviewed him.

I fell in love with his artwork, even though I know shit about art. He was here doing a charity bid for WWF and selling some specially commissioned pieces of his work.

Anyway, it happened to be my birthday the next day - and jokingly in our conversation after we hit it off, I accidentally let it slip that one day, I'd be able to afford one of his work and not just wish about it on my birthday like today...and the next day when he met me...no he didn't give me a painting (so imaginative laa korang)...he gave me a sketch of one of his paintings. I'm not sure, but with the seal and being one of a kind, I was told that even that would fetch US$2,000!

No chance of selling it though...like every present from anyone, I keep it forever (even ugly ash trays).

Speaking of gifts from Vernon - I have him to thank me for singlularly providing me with my calender needs for 2006. Setakat ni da tiga calendar aku dapat dari dia.

One with a homoerotic Vatican theme (go figure), satu agik focusing on History of Fashion (go figure) and the last on...erm...the penile form in art (have to use bahasa bunga sikit tuk elak bebudak tanya lebih-lebih)

Anyway, Il Pisello will now tell me how my year progresses and basically well...be an ...erm...interesting conversation piece from my room.

Speaking of calendars, this is a 2003 calendar yang aku tak sanggup buang. It's a special Robbie Williams 2003 calendar yang EMI bagi. He takes off his kit all the time so it's no real bloody deal, tapi aku rasa am collector's item je, so simpan terus. By the way...the picture on the right is for the month of June! (never knew the moon came out in the day in June)

Sapa nak beli dari aku calendar dua (make that tiga) tahun lepas, it's still in good condition - just make the best offer you can and see if you can pry it from me.

Ok...ubah angin sikit. One thing you'll surely notice the moment you walk in my room...is that I bloody own too many jeans. I mean I love jeans...I only have three pairs of slacks (one still in the plastic exactly like when I bought it) From Levi's to Guess...it's pretty run of the mill, though the better designs come from an old school Gouche (my friends never returned my Karl Kani and Cross Colors) and your newer names like Akademiks, Makaveli, Von Dutch and so on. So...for your pleasure...here are my three altenative choices to branded jeans....but look hell funky.

Exhibit number one is something I bought along Patpong in Bangkok. There is a huge variety of patch patterns, and this particular gerai, is the best! Yang ni baru dalam RM60. Kalau Uptown mati lah kena cekik. Buka harga RM150 ler ke apa...janji at least a hundred. I haven't worn this yet....and I really have no idea bila aku akan pakai....takut gak nak pakai.Cam tak betui sikit!

This pair I've worn berapa kali dah. Aku suka sebenarnya cause it makes me look like I actually have a butt! (Cina mesti bontot leper). I got this in London for 10 pounds at Oxfam in King's Street (dia charity shop yang jual ala bundle). Kira dekat RM80 ler tu, tapi pattern dia patch work, siap ada metallic stars apart from sand blasted-esque print stars as well. Funky!

Closer to home, I found this pair kat bundle di Chow Kit. it's stretchable jeans material. Yang penting they're hip huggers! Again...more ass! the best however it yet to come...if you notice...dahler jenis seluar berangan J.Lo pattern cam kena potong da rendah.

Pastu, dotted along the edges as well as at the pockets....ada diamonds lak! Amik ko! lama da tak pakai this pair...but I have a feeling I might not be wearing this soon too.

I don't necessarily spend a lot, tapi aku memang gemar to be different ler dari segi dressing atau image. Ni one of my pride and joy. Aku pakai masa the last AIM, ramai lak suka. Very rock-ish. Baju ni sebenarnya baju RELA yang biasa yang da dialter. Maybe aku salah kerjaya...ke ada bakat terpendam lain? Leh? Sapa nak baju Raya tahun depan, tempah ngan aku jadi test case....(tergolek sambil gelak)

Hish tak perasan lak entry kali ni panjang berjela. Ok time to wrap up...back to my CDs...the actual pride of my CD collection is not only the number of CDs (biasa la tu) but the autographed CD collection yang I have. Setakat ni cuma sentap tak ada Pink (dapat...tapi bagi ex sebab ex nak sangat dan aku tak berani mintak dua lak masa jumpa Pink kat Singapore kat MTV - but she is so cool!) dan Avril Lavigne (pen tak ada dakwat...leh? terus malas mintak sebab bukan minat sangat kat dia pun).

Here are my favourite autographed CDs in my collection. yes...my all time favourite is from Christina Milian (yang nyanyi AM to PM tu).

Anyway...the joke behind this was that on the day of the interview..I was wearing a T shirt (biasalah...ada je) that said I'M SHY! - But I have a big dick!

Apa lagi...Chris immediately warmed up to me...and she even introduced me to her mom and we had a chat and hit if off...hence...the CD was signed...To Joe and his big dick!. We were betting what tabloids in the US would make of it if they saw it...hmmm!!!

Kelly Clarkson is my second favourite...she is not only the only Idol to be left standing (dahler she was the first!)...but she is also so down to earth and warm. First time jumpa terus kena peluk ngan dia (I'm sorry...I a huggy kinda person was her excuse)

Wow! Ok! Plus she is so genuine...I've met so many pop stars who are fake...and Kelly is just not one of them.

Jewel was the first international artist aku interview in the history of my whole career! And I was shaking sebab takut...tak pernah interview artis yang luar negara masa tu...again dia tengah top with Hands. S8!t! Panik aku!!!

Tambah agi everyone who came out of the interviews called her a b&$@*h! Turns out she was bored because most of hem didn't do their homework and some didn't even know who she was. Needless to say we were rolling on the sofa laughing away. And the 15 minute interview? Extended to about 40 minutes.

If there was a real biatch, it would have to have been Sophie Ellis Baxter. I never shudder with artists....local or international...but Sophie was the Ice Queen herself! Prim and proper...buat lawak pun dia pandang ko cam takde benda.

Damn! Other people warm up to me within seconds. Into my second question she still couldn't warm up. But thankfully...the challenge has helped me hold it together for interviews nowadays...and plus...Sophie did warm up much later.

If so far I've been dealing with pop acts...this must make one of the highlights of my career! Interviewing Slipknot in Bangkok (ok so Ricky Martin is better than that...but I only have the picture of us and not the autographed CD!) I haven't really been a big fan of Slipknot though I've loosely followed their music. But man...it was great not only to interview them...but also hang out with them backstage for their show!!!!For four hours lagi!

They're relaxed...but man...the moment those masks come on...move out of the way and tell Grandma to lock her doors.

Oklah. Berapa jam sangkut depan PC ni. Member mesej kat YM pun tak layan. Sentap sorang-sorang kang...Anyway...hope you guys had a nice brief (yerlah tu brief) tour of things of good memories in my room...

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Grinch me...I must be dreaming!

Christmas has come and gone...and I still haven't got the new video iPod I've been secretly wishing for.

No matter...they say it's better to give than to receive (remind me why when I next check my available bank balance).

Something silly that should be shared. On Christmas morning, my mom, dad, me, myself and I went for brunch at this Chinese restaurant nak pekena dim sum. We were later joined by my sis and her boyfriend. At this particular place, after you pay the (very expensive cam sial abih duit aku...seb baik ler murah rezeki ler kerana sayang orang tua sanggup) bill...they place this little thing on the table.

Probably out of realisation that their waiters and waitresses find it extremely challenging to say 'Thank You', this little sign does the job quite nicely. Supposedly...if it hadn't read HANK YOU instead.

My sister's boyfriend and I start giggling hysterically (we find something as a reason to do so everytime to maintain what's left of our precious sanity) before my mom and dad and sis join in when they finally notices it.

So, after conferring with my sister's boyfriend, Dave, we decided to do mess with the sign a little more. Using this nearby family on the next table for inspiration (we're sure one of them married for money cause the other was not only ugly as sin but also grouchy to the max and nasty to the restaurant help)...we decided it should say (drumroll please)...HANI Y U (as in Honey...why you?) Hilarious...don't you think? Of freak...forget it...you had to be there.

This year....if anyone's interested to know, my theme for this year's gifts is literacy...so I gave everyone books! (Habis Popular, Nationwide dan MPH untung ler dari bonus aku)

And good books I got on discount lak...ada beribu price stickers proclaiming you got it cheap, sampai Vernon's gift of Simon Cowell's autobiography (I Don't Mean To Be Rude But...) yang aku bagi dia (despite having given the once over for price tags) bore the BEST VALUE sticker that said it had only cost me RM21.90! K!*@k punya s!@ Popular Bookstore!!!

I suppose this has been one of the best Chrismases I've had, cause this year, while I may have 'lost' people close to me...I have lots more who have come into my life. And their companionship has given me much hope that the next year is only going to be more fantastic.

Semalam was an example. sultanmuzaffar ajak gi tengok showcase Sunday Nite Live Dayang kat Planet...now don't get me wrong. Dulu aku kaki gi Sunday Nite Live...wajib in fact. But of late, the acts who have been performing there samaada boring nak mampus (tak reti nak adapt to a live set, performing cam album promo) ataupun da recycle perform sana brapa kali...and usually with a rehashed song list.

Anyways, followed ler. Yang tension nya...entah apa kejadahnya...penuh sesak lak Bukit Bintang. The night before Christmas pun aku dengar camtu gak...tak paham ler bangsa-bangsa menyemak jerit Merry Christmas ke...Happy New Year ke...spraying that vile fake snow and littering all over...pastu tak balik rumah cause takde transport sampai tertidur kat tembok depan McDonald's.

I mean...do they even understand what they're celebrating ke...saja nak benda nak sorak? Kalau camni...sampai bila pun...orang kita terperangkap ler in the illusion of achievement without even realising that they's just trying to validate their pathetic existence.

So, obviously you can tell my Christmas spirit is no longer possessing me...in fact...like I SMSed sultanmuzaffar masa on the way nak jumpa dia, abang Badrul, Rudy and their friends kat Bukit Bintang nak ke Planet Hollywood...it was definitely not the Christmas spirit I was spewing out at the mindless drivers on the road staring at fairy light, "ooh"ing and "aah"ing away.

Hello? Like some of us ARE trying to get somewhere and not sit in a makeshift parking lot in the middle of the road. Geez!!!

The show was kinda nice...nothing hot. I thought Dayang looked just horrendous in terms of how she dressed. For both sets. Rizalman or not...the ensembles looked mismatched and plucked hastily from a haute couture wannabe designer's test rack.

She sounded tired and strained for most parts - tapi still managed to put on quite a good show.
Yang paling aku suka - well...actually tak suka sebab kena ejek ngan Badrul was the medley of hits yang dia buat.

Kalau korang ingat masa Akademi Fantasia III punya konsert mingguan...time konsert kelapan Mawi nyanyi Pupus, and then konsert kesembilan Marsha nyanyi Ku Pendam Sebuah Duka.

Well....ketika persembahan kedua lagu tu tika the weekly concert, aku (feeling sentimental ni) ada ler sampai tahap nitis air mata (konperm pasni aku kena carut sebab emo) SMS dedicate pada seseorang yang masa tu aku tengah berdrama swasta with.

Well, needless to say...Dayang sang BOTH songs back to back...and start je...aku da rasa air paip da ngalir (the top waterworks ah...) Badrul pun immediately cam ingat...apa lagi...tak berhati perut ler ngusik diri aku yang tiba-tiba vulnerable lak teringat si 'dia' yang penah muncul (kaco je...gelak sat sambil tergolek kat lantai). Yelah...dahler aritu...tengah malam...few days before that, aku tengah dengar ERA awal pagi buta, suddenly keluar lak lagu Tiada Lagi Tangisan dari Aishah...adus...dahler masa tu aku tengah baca buku, and my bookmark lak gambar orang tu (kebetulan capai pic tu for a bookmark). Terus bawled my eyes out ler teringat drama yang took place before.

Baru done je...abih lagu, meka on lak Menghitung Hari (ni teringat kes lain lak).

Shit!

That's why kekadang certain songs are so painful for me to listen. The memories that go behind each and everytune tu...mmm...

Well...balik cita pasal kat Planet Hollywood. Masa kita sampai, memang there was no table available sebab memang tak sempat booking.

So by luck, we took meja yang sepatutnya for Dayang's guests. Senang sebab muka da jadi regular kat sana.

Adaler sorang mamat ni....adik-adik baru gitu punya stok...dok skali. Tak kisah lah sangat when he plonked his ass tanpa malu kat sana...so lantak la...

Towards the end of the first set (which was so-so, maybe because I had heard most of the same playlist in previous Saturday Nite Lives) mamat sotong kurit ni ada ajak member dia sorang ni join lepak sekali.

Their group basically comprised of pondan tak jadi dua ekor ni...dan dua tiga minah very the bohsia punya appearance. Damn...these kids look so bawah umur! Ni mesti anak lord mana ni...(sorang dua je ler....yang lain dok tumpang je by the looks of things).

Anyway...yang member dia yang lembut sorang ni...memang cam p#&!*@k!!!Mana taknya...mula-mula aku ingat aku je irritated ngan dia ni...tengok-tengok dalam diam...sultanmuzaffar, Badrul and the rest of our table da pissed off gila ngan si sotong berangan ni.

As the evening progressed, meja belakang aku pun da naik tension ngan binatang sekor ni yang dok wat kecoh (ada abang sorang tu besar tough nak mampus...kalau aku le kena jeling ngan dia takut siot - muka pembunuh!).

Dahler bising nak mampus (rosak my concentration to appreciate Dayang), dok galakkan rempit-rempit busuk yang ikut bohsia-bohsia tu kecoh sekali!

Huh! Tu lah akibatnya kalau tak pernah keluar sekali sekala jejak tempat cam Planet Hollywood...feeling lebih!

Teringat aku ngan iklan pesanan komuniti ERA..."Tahukah anda diaman anak anda sekarang?"

Ikut hati aku nak 1. hamun 2. penampo 3. penyepak and/or 4. order kopi panas nak curah muka dia...tapi abang Bad jeling kat aku bila aku voice my intention. Pas abih baru abang Bad kata...aku jeling mintak ko buat....(siot je!)

So kepada sotong kurita s!@l yang dok spoil everyone's night....jangan ko nak berangan ko tu cantik sangat! Adik-adik ketinggalan zaman...muka tuh foundation elok ler sikit (jangan lak pakai Three Beauties je)

Dahler complextion cam jalan baru buat, baru tabur batu kelikir lum tar...I think the surface of the moon pun tak banyak craters banding muka ko! And then lak...dressing aiyo! Ko ingat badan ko tuh cantik ke pakai sleeveless??? Dahler underarm chicken flaps! Sebelum tu pakai denim jacket ingat jantan ka??? Dahler pala besau tak proportionate ngan badan...cam iklan TMnet lak...

Bayangkan...dahler ko tu dok nompang atas ajakan member yang sendiri dok nompang the table which had become ours...setiap dua minit lepas melalak konon nak amik perhatian Dayang ("Aiyooo...Dayang meletup....gila kan perempuan tu...bontot cantik makan hati...eeee...nyah...mak pun leh camtu...wow...vast gitu kalau mak buat camtu...lebih meletup dari Dayang...mampus la pmpuan tu...hahahaha...eh nyah...air ko bak siikit....nak minum....slurrrppp....woooo!!! Dayang!!! Kamek sayang kitak...cam sial....hahahaha)

Tak henti cam bontot ayam cirit-birit! Air pun tak mampu beli ke sampai 'pau' member punya? Dahler setakat wet wipes Planet Hollywood aku selamba je amik tak mintak...sedih perangai adik-adik yang tak kelas tapi ada hati feeling over....

Aku rasa aku gigit lidah sampai berdarah...sampai sultanmuzaffar pun leh tension sound kuat, "Adik-adik over!!!" Badrul ngan aku gelak je...jarang Muzaffar leh tension bab camni. So much for patience.

Eh...malas lah nak cita pasal malam semalam lagi. Memang spoiler habis!

Tapi semalam pas habis that fiasco of an outing, we had a drink. Aku sempat tanya Bad kalau lagu Pinta dari Nikki da masuk carta. Dia kata lum kot. Hah...tapi ni kedudukan yang aku check kat website ERA arini. Baru masuk! Skang dok at 18. Jangan lupa push sampai Nombor 1 beb!!! Check out Fokus ERA meanwhile and see who's the hot bet with ERA.

Ada tiga cara untuk membuat permintaan di ERA bagi mereka yang masih don't know.
1. Anda boleh menelefon penyampai ERA di talian 03 - 9543 3355.
2. Layari laman rasmi ERA di atau hala terus ke ruangan Pilihanmu Di ERA di alamat http://www.era.fm. Sila ingat anda perlu mendaftar untuk e-pass terdahulu. Pendaftaran adalah percuma!
3. Anda boleh membuat pilihan anda melalui SMS: Cuma taip ERAPDE Lagu Pertama , Lagu Kedua dan hantarkan ke 32555. Contoh : ERAPDE Pinta, Awan Yang Terpilu, Gemilang, Aduh Saliha, Dialah Di Hati.
4. Fakskan permintaan anda dengan borang yang diperolehi dari atas, dan faks ke 03- 9543 5676.

For more information, ingat ek...awat laman rasmi Nikki at http://www.nikkimusic.com.my

I gotta go off now...wanna fix the stuff I bought from IKEA. I'm embarking on a mini-makeover for my room for the New Year. Lagipun...takde benda sangat nak buat tengah cuti ni.
Be blogging tomorrow too...

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Reading!

Ok, aku tahu I haven't been updating my blog, tapi aku memang malas nak make any entries. Faham sajalah...dahlah aku tengah cuti (matilah ko fiebie! Ni dah settle the Glass House project Nikki, terus *woohoo!!!* enjoy the holidays lor.

Anyway, just to recap the last few days first, am extremely busy with. Yerlah...on Thursday ingat nak ke Singapore tuk wat some last minute Christmas shopping because aku tau where to get the best bargains there, which is hell of a lot cheaper and more cool than here.

Tapi last minute takde tiket bus available malas terus aku...putus asa. No Christmas gifts from abroad lor...have to do my part for the Malaysian economy by offering myself up to the slaughter of local retailers with supposed discounts yang tak semana...

But one proud achievement I have to boast of is kebelakangan ni, sempat ler aku nak keep up to my reading habit which has been virtually non-existent in my business. Have read this Roald Dahl compilation of short stories halfway...tapi apa pun...into the third book from Sophie Kinsella.

The 'shopaholic' series (The Secret World of a Shopaholic, Shopaholic Abroad and Shopaholic Ties The Knot) is really good (book three aku da halfway), so kalao you've heard of the Adrian Mole series, you really should get this cause it's simply hilarious!

It's so me...cause it's about this character yang obsessed with shopping...mampus ler aku mengidam ler nak go brand hogging cam dia. This book is like the Harry Potter series for anyone who can't resist a good bargain or a good sale!

Aku been neglecting to read for some time now...and the fever to start back to a habit aku came ever since aku baca the December issue of The Rolling Stones, and read that Madonna carries a book everywhere (she hates wasting time, and reading is the most beneficial way to kill time - she even drags one along into a disco just in case) aku da psyche myself up to be more prepared to more wisely spend my time.

So this year, I'm up three books (I'll be done with the third book by tomorrow and continue with the Roald Dahl one...) which makes it four, plus two Amy Tan ones (The Hundred Secret Senses and The Bonesetter's Daughter) to complete her series (saw a new one from Amy in MPH yesterday...have to get it!). Plus the autobiography from Tim Allen, Don't Stand Too Close To A Naked Man (absolutely hilarious!!! - one of the funniest books I've read in a long time), which brings my grand total of at least six books (seven if I can finish the Roald Dahl in time) in 2005. Not good...but not too bad...and that's not even including some favourite titles I've been rereading (as well as the books which are hardly credible to mention as reading material).

Seriously...think it's not too bad (waddaya think?) I read somewhere the average number of books read by Malaysians in a year is two, so I've more than done my share (boleh?) Ok, back to updating my entries...I know a lot of updates on The Glass House Project - iaitu pelancaran album Nikki, Maharani, which lasted three days.

Tapi kalau korang baca ler dalam blog beberapa geng Bloggers United yang turut terlibat menyumbang masa untuk menjayakan projek ini, iaitu sultanmuzaffar dan elkapitan, you would have gotten an idea of what it was all about and how it went. Jangan lupa usha blog Abang Bad gak because dia pun ada updates sikit pasal tu.

It was absolutely fantastic, and I think these pictures prove how amazing it was. All of us stayed at Bukit Bintang for three days, and Bintang Walk was our home (not literally lah sebab kami dok JW Marriot - cuma jarang ada peluang tidur). For those yang tatau The Glass House Project tu apa (where the flying freak have you been), on Friday, December 18th, Nikki entered her glass house located in the heart of Bukit Bintang, the busy shopping district of Kuala Lumpur.

So dalam tu, dia sibuk vocal training ngan mentor dan executive producer album dia, Ning Baizura, and also vocal trainer dia Hazami as well as Linda Jasmine tuk prepare for the mini showcase pada hujung tiga hari tu.

Celah-celah tu, ramai artis yang lawat dia untuk memberi sokongan...dan juga nasihat untuk berjaya dalam industri muzik. Dari keluarga Akademi Fantasia, tamu-tamu Nikki termasuk Zahid, Mawi, Farah (tatau ke mana gambar-gambar Farah...kena cari!), Marsha dan Kaer.

Pastu ada gak Jac, Nasha Aziz dan Afdlin Shauki yang wat kunjungan mengejut. Tu lum kira semua penyampai era yang mai memberikan sokongan tak terhingga iaitu Rustam, Nana, Kieran, Nila, Farah, Linda...erm sapa lagi ah....Geng Bloggers United pun hampir semua ada in full force (leh kira glamer lah kan)

Ok...here are a couple of photos of who was there...ni tak comprehensive...keep checking [klubbkidd's rave] - the fotopages for more and more pictures added...slowly (part ni kena tambah takut kena maki sebab lambat sangat update).

Ok...don't forget ler lawat blog kengkawan Bloggers United yang da link kat atas tu, sebab aku letih nak update bebanyak...(jangan marah) But it was a great experience...and I was glad it was for Nikki, one of the most promising new artistes in our country...and together with a team of people who I can consider friends and family...

Apapun, aku ada dua pic nak share ni. Yang aku rasa very the meaningful. First of all this one...this is the first tamu yang datang sejurus Nikki masuk je kerumah kaca. Apa lagi, alang-alang dedua beradik aku kan...so relax tak kekok ler. Lagipun ni bukan kali pertama mereka berjumpa pun...Zahid ada rakam featuring spot on one song dalam Maharani (dengar Urban di era).

So...for being the first guest (and for me...one of my favourite!)....thank you so much Zahid!!! Thank you ler pada semua yang mai sekali gak ler....I mean...all of you were so nice to visit Nikki...and not just like Nasha yang bak buah tangan hamper cekelat yang giant...siap bak teddy bear pink (favourite colour si Nikki tu) yang giant gak...but also membawa hadiah yang paling istimewa dan berharga...iaitu nasihat dan tunjuk ajar.

Terharu aku...kawan-kawan semua mai support....By the way...kalau nak tau...tengok celah pintu tu...enter frame pic di bawah tu si abang Badrul ler...

Ok...the next photo aku nak share ni...gambar Mawi. Bukan apa...sebelum projek ni jalan, dan ada promo semua, ada peminat Mawi yang serang Nikki. Aku diberitahu dalam forum semua, ada je yang hentam Nikki, angkara para fanatik (yer...yang cam pakai nickname pengkid tu).

Lantak ler ko Dol kalao ko tak suka. Tapi Mawi sendiri rilek je ngan si Nikki nak bagi nasihat, ko dengki ngan budak ni sebab tak kena ajak lunch skali ke? Lum agi...masa da siap era da announce Mawi akan lunch bersama Nikki...ada lak sebarkan benda tu tak jadi...yang si Mawi 12.30 sehingga 2.30 ada kat Dewan Felda. Apa lah nak naya tanak orang mai tengok...ehek!

Mawi sendiri gelak je...apapun...tima kasih daun keladi dari pihak Nikki tuk Mawi kerana menghabiskan masa dari lebih kurang 12.45 sehingga dia bergerak dekat kul 3pm (singgah kedai Linda Onn sat). Apapun, ni bukti sokongan album memasing. Ni time meka bertukar album...Mawi sign Yang Tercinta tuk Nikki...dan Nikki autograph kan Maharani tuk Mawi. Yang penting bagi thumbs up tu! So kalau ada yang nak kutuk sebab Mawi ok ngan Nikki...lantak ler korang...memang lebih kuah dari sudu...

So anyway...jangan lupa to drop by Nikki's Official Site and if you want to get the CD of Maharani online, check out Project : Maharani.

Moving on...Christmas is going to be so great, even though I wish I was celebrating kat Sabah. Mana taknya....Nikki kat Sabah...aku call Felix dia da pun tengah prepare nak celebrate Christmas at home there too. Marsha pun SMS aku wish da...miss them lak.

But I'm glad this year aku (walaupun habiskan bonus dua bulan) aku da settle manyak benda. Masuk 2006 ni memang kewangan way better than sebelum-sebelum ni. Keta dah renew road tax dan insurance (tinggal nak repair sana sini - sapa nak sponsor!). Pastu bebanyak yang tinggal aku shopping sakan ler. Got my mom this Clarins set....new shoes and clothes. Just sakit hati tak sempat gi SIngapore nak beli perfume my Mom punya favourite (Boucheron - Jaipur).

Takpe lah...bagi cash to her and my papa pun dah rasa sedap sikit...

Papa aku punya present lak satu hal...nasib baik this year my sis is handling that department. Rilek sikit aku takyah pecah pala nak cari! So esok...(alamak! berapa jam lagi..sah tak tidur) kena lari keluar and buy present my sis as well as her boyfriend...as well as some friends yang aku lum settle lagi.

My score card for this year - da dua hadiah da setakat ni aku dapat, a cool diary (more like book spoof of a diary and planner) and calendar dari Vern and gorgeous ear studs from Badrul (ever the sweetie!)

Ok lah..walaupun tak seberapa entry ni, aku harap ler mengubat rindu korang ek (ada ke yang rindu) entry-entry aku. To everyone (not just those celebrating)....have a merry Christmas and God bless. Sapa nak shopping last minute esok jom! Call aku!!!

So to everyone...again...here's wishing you a hearty merry Christmas...remember the reason for the season!!! (and my Christmas presents!!)

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