Party time!!!

It's no rare thing yang ari Jumaat selalu relax bagik aku.

Usually by the end of the week, hari terakhir, work grinds to a halt.

Seminggu dua ni memang sibuk gila ngan banyak kerja dan projek yang dijalankan, so tonight has been awesome as I get to unwind at a company event yang membolehkan aku walk about with a ciggy in hand and a bottle of...erm...Coke... or something in a green bottle in the other.

The event was the company's year-ender celebration... an excuse ler basically nak party, and also to make the advertsers happy so they'll plonk more money for this year's accounts.
Aku takder tugas khas apart from just generally mingling and amusing people...so senang ler.

Oh my...kekadang susah nak percaya I'm getting paid for this...but there you go. We had a little awards thing on the side just for the fun of it, and Nikki won Best Breakthrough Artiste.

Other notable mentions, si Joey G dapat Hottest Male Artiste while Sharifah Amani got the female award for that (you are hot indeed, babe!) Nikki hadir tuk wat show, along with Yanie and Diddy yang juga perform.

I was amusing myself ore than anything else, and indulging in idle gossip here and there, so takder ler take note of the event's proceedings as well, tapi by the end of it, da gossip ngan orang ni (yang tak kenal sapa tuh Tony Eusoff)-wat male jer aku introduce) dan juga orang ni (yang tukang carut dia sebab tak kenal Tony).

Nani was also chatty that night, and sekali ngan Que Haidar, Awal...simple night but kind of fun nonetheless.

Lama da tak unwind on Friday night like this.

From left : Nikki dan Joey G showing off their wins, sambil Yanie tolong Joey pegang award dia yang dua tuh (minat ek, Yanie?!). Nani jangan kerut dahi sangat...ayik sangat ngumpat sampai beriya facial expression. Awal lak gayut je keja...and last but not least, Nani, Que and Nani's friend tengah gossip beriya.

By the end of it, it was 'back to work' sebab diajak tokei diamond tuk join in the meeting nak tengokkan design Jovian Mandagie tuk baju Ning dan Nikki untuk red carpet di Anugerah Bintang Popular nanti.

Before this kan da kata kan...yang Hatta akan wat baju persembahan tuk Ning dan Nikki masa time performance apart from Yanie's frock, so yes, this is the second pair of outfits for two of the divas so that tak pecah lobang dan kurang surprise ketika naik pentas wat pening show kang.

Pening...esok lak nak santai rileks...entah dapat ker tak peluang tuh.

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Diamonds are forever!

I finally gor some sleep after turning in about 4am semalam. Seriously, the sleep did me so much good that now I resemble less of a freaky panda sebab eye-bags tak horrific sangat ler.

Meetings...planning..paperwork...and all this after work hours. Quite a few things running in tandem, so memang pening habis. Aku pun tak tau ler camna nak handle. Hari ni jer dapat cool off a little sebab hanya ada interview ngan Noraniza Idris and then another meeting at 9pm tonight. Esok lak ada event yang kena organise sikit berkaitan ngan kerja, so...it's pretty smooth sailing until the weekend.

Semalam was the worst ler, sebab nak jumpa the whole she-bang of the Ning & Associates and Artistes United crew kat Habib Jewels, Ampang.

Akibat mata melekat and various other unrecognised charitable contributions (isn't it always such a bitch when that happens) - sampai pun everyone da gathered.

Ada orang tuh tak call, terus diva yang call. Yang ni nak amik ati kata nak sampai pun susah. Kalau orang lain leh brush off.

When it comes to Ning, here's how the conversation went. Transcript ala ala berangan cam blog orang ni...

Ning : Dear, where are you? (in serious hushed tones meaning serious business lah)
Me : We're two minutes away, diva. Be there in a very short while...I love you (bodek amik hati)
Ning : Everyone's here and waiting for you...
Me : Oh, everythere's there already. Don't worry, darling...be there in two minutes...I love you...
Ning : Hurry up...
Me : Love you Ning...
Ning : I know...now hurry up!

Oh well...biasalah. When we got there, security sibuk kata Ning lum sampai, turns out though they were already in the meeting room. Now you know why some people are doomed to live the rest of their lives in well-deserved squalor.

Handed in our ICs and then headed to the safe room/meeting room upstairs to pick the baubles yang akan dipakai oleh both Ning dan Nikki untuk persembahan pembukaan dan juga red carpet kang kat Anugerah Bintang Popular.

At the end of the glitter fest, here's the total racked up for harga berlian yang akan dipakai oleh Ning dan juga Nikki. (no harga rounded ek..this is the actual price tag punya harga)
Ning (for red carptet, a sapphire and diamond set) - RM726,995 (necklace), RM181,280 (earrings), RM288,295 (bracelet) and RM86,135 (ring)

Grand total for that?
RM1,282,175.

Nearly RM1.3 million. and that's just one set. Malas nak list out the whole price list of all the And Ning has two sets...one more for performance coming up to more or less the same amount while Nikki too has dua set nak pakai tuk malam tuh, satu tuk performance dan satu agik ketika jalan kat red carpet.

Total amount of precious stones that collectively will adorn both divas?

About RM4 million.

Pening...first time aku dok bilik with millions of Ringgit worth of jewellery strewn all over. Makes you just want to turn into a jewel thief. like you see in the movies.

Ning showing off one of the sets she rejected. Then discussing ngan Hatta pasal design tuk baju performance along with Nikki. Bawah tuh, yang kiri is the sapphire diamond set yang Ning akan pakai and on the right is the ruby set Nikki akan pakai. Those two baru set yang korang nampak kang kat red carpet...there is another set for each of them for show.
Now isn't it just fun to play dress-up. Bertukar-tukar set si Ning ni. Pening tengok banyak lak diamonds, si Nikki. You see the diamonds on the table? I think there must easily be RM10 to Rm20 million worth there....
Berapa kali Ning tukar barang kemas. Yes, she loves 'em big (diamonds ah...nothing else). The next pic lak nampak ler aksi behind the scenes. Hah...that's Vernon adjusting the clasp of the necklace as Ning gets fickle and tries it on for the upteenth time. The last pic is the set Ning akan pakai for the show. That's only PART of the set sebab pastu dia tambah agik bracelet dan rings....keji....cam pokok krismas. Janji...a very expensive one...

It was fun...and hardly dampened by the fact someone spilt mineral water all over early on in the proceedings, or chose to shine his own diamond rings in the middle of it all.

So once the divas had agreed to their choice, okayed by Vernon, and given the nod by myself and Hatta, who has been selected to design the outfits for the performance, for the overall effect...we were on to another meeting.

This one was for the launching event of the repackaged Maharani album by Nikki.

A bit of a yawn fest really...cause I hate meetings which involve people with no experience, but I'm not even going to go there. Instead, busied myself with a fascinating discovery (not really fascinating...just to illustrate how bored I got).

I ordered my usual dose of sugar in Coca Cola, tapi yang sampai nih...Qibla...seb baik bukan Qiblat cola. Keji teramat.

Didn't bother to try how it tasted sebab tanak gamble...I've had a few weird colas yang rip off Coke...and just...well...there's nothing like the real thing no matter what.

They may rip it off in terms of looks, but they can't do anything about the taste.

By the way...kenapa ler Coke tak saman...there is more than just a passing resemblance of these kind of colas to the actual Coke...it's actually quite pathetic to see these kind of colas sebab cam rip off to the max.

Took a pic of it though sebelum aku tukar ngan a 7-Up to shoot up and get a slight adrenaline buzz (tired out like hell) to endure the next few hours.

Accompanied Hatta to another meeting to Cheras, before headed back to Shah Alam for a meeting with some other designers untuk tentukan sapa akan buat baju sapa tuk Anugerah Bintang Popular.

Yes, Right now, I am overseeing about eight names to liaise between them and the designers selected. And tonight punya meeting lak nak determine sapa lagik pas bincang senarai artis yang we want to make look good.

Hard work...but fun. At least it's work...and I'm doing something with my life.

One thing yang ala sentap sikit sebab tak jadik ke surprise birthday party Siti jer lah...so korang tenung-tenung jer lah pic hasil dari Vernon ek.

Yes, he officially has the bragging rights as the only blogger so far to have the pictures online. I have the first say of taking them and posting them on my blog (gelak keji....but at least I'm THANKFUL and ask first...not imply and remain ungrateful - laughter rings out again)

Enjoy the pics...esok posting lebih menarik to close the week.

So surf over to mrmanager's blog kalau nak baca lebih pasai surprise birthday event tuk Siti.
And happy birthday to Siti Nurhaliza....best wishes girl...and all the best tuk 2007 ek!

Nak off for now...layan surf on my new notebook sat. Time ni dapat leh enjoy sikit nak have a cup of coffee, watch the world go past, and still surf the net....before the whole stressful routine begins again.

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Work...work...and more work. And my trusty Compaq!

Dengan tibanya another round of anugerah, maka tambah lah sibuk aku.

Yerlah...ada kerja-kerja lain yang aku kena wat. In fact sebenarnya, I really don't have much time for anything nowadays sebab banyak nak dedicate kat keja.

Tuh pun tak dapek aku nak keep up with the demands of the responsibilities I've chosen to shoulder. Sabar jerlah....azam 2007 nak wat duit bebanyak....so gotta keep my nose to the grindstone.

Today was busy the whole day...patutnya gi sidang media Anugerah Juara Lagu, but instead gi recording Prelude Anugerah Industri Muzik kat ntv7 di Shah Alam. Sana lebih ramai artis tuk aku settle kan keja dan wat stockpile of stories, so decided ler nak gi sana.

Ramai wooo! Pening lak tengah malam ni nak taip cita abihkan keja dulu, lupakan bantal tuk pastikan esok lak tak pening pala nak rush gi hantar cita kat opis sebelum tugasan seterusnya.

Seriously....ni pun baru dapat time nak settle kan, sebab nak settlekan beberapa perkara berkaitan Anugerah Bintang Popular akan datang....with my own company punya affairs.

Lum agik pecah pala pikirkan pasal beberapa perkara lain berkaitan, and also the first project tuk syarikat aku yang akan ditubuhkan. Rezeki...baru nak tubuh da ada keja nak wat. Tapi tu la pasal..pening tak terkira.

Meanwhile, sayang di'lupa'kan wat sementara tuk memberi ruang masa pada segala urusan while my best friend and lover kini notebook Compaq aku yang baru. Yeap...that's mynew toy and mysteady companion nak abihkan keja.

Seriously kan...I bet you guys thought it would be something more exciting. Sorry, guys. Aku ni skang turning into a yuppy (two generations too late) But what to do...reality catches up with us sooner or later.

Didn't have time to catch Fail Sulit Akademi Fantasia tonight...but don't think I missed too much. Anyone want to fill me in on what I 'missed' as I had my moneymaking venture going on?

Was it as bad as yesterday or ws it decidedly better?

What took place?

To Nana yang call aku dan mesej bersusah payah dari awai pagik, Yer nok...jangan marah ek aku cam Zahid pecah lobang...Nana and Aypol...sitting in a tree...C-E-N-S-O-R-E-D....first comes love, then comes marriage, kalau tak comes anggota JAWI and counselling free (rhyming tak???) Yes, girl...I do think you deserve higher than setakat nombor empat paling stylo...(and for the first time aku tak nyampuk sebab jujur nih)

Anyway, ni nak end the entry for now (I will try and post later pasal some stuff later sebab kena temankan beberapa artis ke Habib Jewels tuk pilih accessories for Anugerah Bintang Popular later this afternoon).

So I'll leave you guys with some pics for you guys...until later today y'all...ta!

From top to bottom left to right : Liza Hanim (ko tak bersalah wak...cam nak justify something jer), next pic, ah-so Helen Yap cam tengah sesi leter Nurul jer padahal ngumpat, and thirdly si Waheeda dan Ning engaging in social banter (otherwise also known as mengumpat) .
Two of my fave pics for the day. Pose Ning yang ala garu bawah ketiak (or hiding a tear in her baju) and Sarah showing off her new hairdo ala Halle Berry (tak nyesal kan girl amik nasihat aku?)

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Fail Sulit Akademi Fantasia? FAIL?

Can somebody please...oh please tell me what was the point of Fail Sulit Akademi Fantasia yesterday.

I really thought some of the issues were really thought provoking and all, tapi semalam, alam episod pertama gagal!

Ok let's begin with host Sarimah Ibrahim. Kak Mah Gali??!!! How long did they take to coin that monicker up? Hardly creative, and it was a little contrived to see Sarimah going all out.

Well... that's another candidate to fill Aznil's shoes out of the grand scheme of things.

First issue : kononnya kisah cinta Nana dan Burn. Malas nak komen lelebih...cause sapa yang tau, and kept in touch with musim pertama and following that would know the truth. In other words...BASI!

Dijadikan lawak lak bila Burn kata pasal Nana, "Bukan taste Burn". In whatever context, I thought that was just ridiculous and such a no-no. Statement aku paling suka dari Zahid yang kuat pecah rahsia - "Nana ada boyfriend sebenarnya" (rasa nak call je si Aypol - sorry Nana...I love you)

And I didn't get the point of the second issue, a none issue as far as I'm concerned on kenapa Farhan suka berahsia. Abih yang lain takleh. Erm...abih bebanyak aku dengar pasal si polan tuh dan nih tuh apa. Better tackle issue Mr. Purple...oops!

Lupa Akademi Fantasia kena deal ngan issues rated U jer...

And then issue bila ler nak pelajar pompuan nak dominasi lak tempat pemenang. Erm...cuba masuk lebih mendalam faktor BAGAIMANA pelajar pompuan dipilih (tak terjawab lagik skandal musim lepas pasal peserta pompuan masuk kerana tali persaudaraan ngan seorang executive producer - no komen ler tuh)

In between the three mundane issue, kena lak kita tengok poll, sapa lak yang paling stylo dalam Akademi Fantasia. Was this voted? Ke suka-suka je bagi? Tempat kelima, Amylea. Erm...sorry...not even in my list. Nana should have ranked higher than just number four, as well as Fitri yang aku rasa patut top the list (yerlah, audition pun da kimono - nama pun da pelajar jurusan fesyen). Tapi dia dapat nombor tiga je.

Amirul leh nombor dua????!!!

You got to be joking!!!

And number one?

Adam?!!!

Now something's really wrong. Kalau nak wat poll - jangan ler wat ikut taste jer. I mean seriously...sapa ler yang minat anak ikan nak nobatkan dua orang tuh top two. If wearing a bandanna on your hands is supposed to be stylo...or trying to appear a wannabe rapper circa 80s in in...then I really wanna be a geek.

I don't know what will happen in tomorrow's episode...but from what I've caught, I was hardly impressed. Camna ler tujuan meka nak promo tuk musim kelima kalao benda nak kupas yang konon sensasi nih, so salah punya topik.

Banyak lagik benda nak tanya...

Aku rasa, gossip sebenar Akademi Fantasia ketika jalan musim-musim memasing tuh lebih hangat...but I suppose some people just didn't do that much of research. I dread to think what season five of the series will be like kalao camni. Ok ler nak tidur...ada banyak keja esok. Antara sidang media Anugerah Juara Lagu atau Anugerah Industri Muzik. Will write more on that as well as my new 'toy'.

PS. Tuh bukan aku tau yang kuar muka. Tu klon yang pakai t-shirt promo blog aku jer. (statement keji tidak mengaku katanya)

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Faith? Or fated

Malam ni bermula Fail Sulit Akademi Fantasia, a programme supposedly ler nak peel away at the layers of crap we've had to endure.

Kononnya meka perkenalkan siri ni sebab nak sensasikan ler siri Akademi Fantasia dan hangatkan suasana as a 'prelude' before the actual fifth and supposedly final season begins supaya tak menjadi the horrible thing that was last year yang bosan tahap cipan dikacukkan ngan gaban.

Will it work?

I don't know.

But I do agree yang Fail Sulit Akademi Fantasia ni will be a good way nak gauge what the new season will be like.

Seandainya, program ni jujur dan mereka bebetul identify and address the more important issues yang mengakibatkan Akademi Fantasia ilang sinar dalam musim keempat, then perhaps people will just have more faith, be more confident, and not judge too harshly contestants tuk musim ni.

Sepanjang beberapa musim, macam-macam ler isu timbul, and sadly this has never been taken seriously by the production.

Hopefully now they see the impact of what bugs people about the show, and that people actually have a right to switch to another channel...here's hoping that they'll pay more attention dan anggap kita-kita nih yang bayar bil Astro nak melayan stuff like Akademi Fantasia, want to see QUALITY production dan bukan standard standard Hari Penyampaian Hadiah.

Mereka yang selama ni tak deliver anything to the production, malas brings it to all time low, remove jer lah. Deadwood is so 80s...

So catch Fail Sulit Akademi Fantasia mulai malam ni kat Astro Ria and let's see what will become of season five.

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Welcome to Malaysia

Watched the launch of Visit Malaysia Year semalam.

Well...just as much as I could stomach as I watched our tax Ringgits being blasted into the sky. Apparently...we're very proud of that as Malaysians as we do that every time (does anyone do an EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment, everytime we pollute the capital massively?).

What's with the pyro obsession???!!!

Yeap...I watched as a Singaporean took centrestage as the main diva for the celebrations, more foreigners skiing on the lake bearing Malaysian flags (we were constantly reminded they were among the best folks who worked on stunts for Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible : 2), then everyone popping over to the Eye on Malaysia, as I'm repeatedly harrassed with the info that it's made in three countries (Germany earning the prominent mention) as sparklers from Lord knows where (definitely not Malaysia) blasted through the skies.

So much for national pride.

Warped sense of an attempt to promote Visit Malaysia Year...by putting in full display our dependence on other nations' products.

Erm...if that wasn't enough, we had to put up with lame attempts like the Zapin Fusion routine (why when they think future, they think of shiny aluminium foil wrapper-like costumes and Kamdar sells out its most glittery material) with the modulation-overdose of its vocal tracks.

Aiyak...seriously.

Takperlah...never mind the fact that the millions they spent on the launch, as well as the many more on the Eye on Malaysia (a glorified Ferris Wheel - or as RTM folks put it - buaian putar) could have been put to better use on repairing better public amenities for the comfort of everyone, not just tourists. Never mind that that heritage buildings can be torn down...or the fact that we seem to pride our malls more than our cultural offerings.

Never mind that tourists must be grinning away when our two nations' astronauts catwalked up (literally) to be part of the celebrations. I mean really...ni bukan Hari Kebangsaan....I know they're our pride and joy...and in a way I'm proud that we can send folks into space too....but for them to be able to take centrestage during the launch of Visit Malaysia Year?

I would be sniggering away if I were a tourist....cam takde kena mengena langsung...

You guys remember PATA 86 (did I get that right?). I distinctly remember the turtle being the logo...and how back then we prided ourselves on the beauty of our natural wonders and attractions, not shopping malls.

Oh well...times change I suppose...and some people in charge of such events never do.
We have to throw a multi-million Ringgit bash, to celebrate the nations' malls. Whoopee do.

Don't mind me if I sleep in.

Malaysia boleh!!! Malaysia boleh!!! Malaysia boleh!!!!

Boleh apa is the question....though wasting money seems to be on the top of my list of guesses.

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Mukhsin - another Malaysian pride!

Dapat SMS just a while ago dari Yasmin. As usual, if there's an SMS from her, aku berdebar-debar sikit. Yerlah...she usually messages not frivolous stuff like from this other person, but things yang ada ler worth sharing.

So bila baca, let out this whoop of joy in the Internet cafe as I was updating my blog, because it was a bit of good news yang memang aku bangga sangat!!! For those of you anticipating the showing of Mukhsin in local cinema, be proud of the fact that the film has been selected to compete in the 57th Berlin International Film Festival which will be held from 8th to 18th February 2007.

Memang kebangaan ler tuk aku, cause Yasmin's films never cease to amaze, not just at home but also abroad. Ni baru kata mengharumkan nama negara...but oh... yeah...I forgot...pencemar budaya lak kata orang kita, kan?

Oh well..whatever rocks your boat.

Apapun, congratulations to Yasmin and also her talents and crew responsible for Mukhsin. Whether or not they come hope with a Bear (I believe that's what they call their trophy), is irrelavant. Janji, we get to share a little of our Malaysian culture and heritage through film...and what better way than through an innocent love story.

Mukhsin di calonkan untuk pertandingan dalam kategori Generations. For those yang malas masuk link, this is a slight explaination of the Generations category.

Since 1978, the Berlinale has dedicated a special section to films, which see the world from the point of view of children and young people: Generation.

The section began as the Kinderfilmfest and has been complimented by the youth film competition 14plus since the Berlinale 2004.

The section was renamed for the Berlinale 2007 in order to do justice to its specific programme structure. The section's competitions are now known as Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus.

Every year, the Berlinale awards three Crystal Bears to the best films of the section. In the Generation Kplus competition, the winners are selected by an eleven-member Children's Jury.
The seven jurors of the Youth Jury award the Crystal Bears for the best feature films of the Generation 14plus competition.

In addition, an international expert jury awards the Grand Prix of the Deutsche Kinderhilfswerk (German Child Support Organisation) worth 7,500 Euros to the best feature film in the klpus competition.

The Special Prize of the charity, which has a value of 2,500 Euros, is awarded to the best short film in Kplus.

Special appeal: the diversity in the audience Generation is not just a platform for a flourishing segment of the film industry and its films, but attracts a very diverse audience.

Every year, more than 35,000 moviegoers attend the screenings in the Zoo Palast, CinemaxX Potsdamer Platz, Filmtheater am Friedrichshain and in the Colosseum Filmtheater in the Berlin district of Prenzlauer Berg.

In the cinemas, professional guests, directors and actors meet up with children and young people of every age group. These encounters contribute to the special appeal of the section.

Both praise and criticism for the films are expressed during moderated discussions in the cinemas immediately after the screenings, making a visit to this section a unique experience for audiences of all generations.

A broader understanding Generation stands for a broader understanding of films for children and young people.

Alongside high-quality children's or youth films, the programme contains productions that have their own appeal for younger viewers, without having been specifically conceived for this target audience.

With a programme that consciously and passionately presents films from diverse backgrounds, Generation encourages the film industry to shed its fear of young audiences."

I don't know how many Asian films will be shown as well, but still no less praise for Mukhsin's nomination. So, here's a shout out for Mukhsin...may it open some eyes, minds, and hearts...

PS. Happy birthday Yasmin!!!!

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Year of love

Yes, what can I say. This is the year of love...

Barely a week into the new year, I'm discovering a whole new problem da.

Kalau sebelum nih ngadu tak abih-abih single mingle...2007 nih rasanya membuka pintu baru kot. Semakin tua...kot kot cam fine wine, I age better...I hope...

Anyways...aku mintak trial seperation ngan my significant other, sebab aku rasa mungkin priorities kita berbeza in what we want in a relationship, walaupon dia da sampai tahap meluahkan segala janji yang mampu untuk tidak perlu berpisah.

So aku berikan sebulan sampai ujung Januari untuk tentukan samaada kita masih boleh bertahan ke tidak.

Sayang...cinta...tuh semua da wujud, tapi ala lagu Patty Smythe and Don Henley kan...'Sometime Love Just Ain't Enough'... so we'll see. Pada masa yang sama, ada ex yang nak rekindle our past relationship, memang at the close of 2006 aku da tup pintu pada dia....tapi ni muncul lagik seseorang yang pernah hadir dalam hidup aku.

We're friends...dia pun tau aku attached. Right now we're enjoying a platonic relationship, sebab lain dari dulu, dia pun da mampu mengaku, dia masih mencari erti cinta.

Mungkin....entahlah.

Then ada adik angkat aku nih yang seribu satu masaalah. Entah bagaimana....somehow dia sekarang memandang aku as sumber inspirasi dia (gila ke haper...), tapi dia nun jauh di Sarawak. Aku pun...kekadang kesian lak tengok dia nih. Masaalah dia tak penah abih.

Yerlah...problem keluarga, problem study akibat orang lain...problem social...so many things just not right. But I am proud gak ler dia mampu nak try and wat yang terbaik untuk improve diri dia. Tapi lately, dia cam lain ngan aku, nak bermanja lebih...entahlah...

And then ada sorang nih yang aku anggap kawan. Memang orang nih jauh sekali dari taste aku...tapi dia terkejar-kejar. Bila say no, kecik hati lak.

Aduh...

And that doesn't even include the PSYCHOTIC bitch who's been calling me.

Pelik aku...ni tahun mengawan ke?

Oh well...we'll see how it goes lah. Whatever it is, another one of my resolutions is not to cave into my state of dependency to be an emotional parasite anymore. Boleh? I will take love for what it's worth, but I will not compromise on who I am anymore to make someone else happy...will it work? Stay tuned...

Times like this though...I realise how much I miss being lonely...

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Hujan emas dinegeri orang....

Could't sleep...so rajin ler nih nak posting sesuatu yang nak syok sendiri.

Supposedly insightful...but I doubt it is. Maybe for me lah...

I saw this whole crap about Visit Malaysia Year 2007...I mean not that I'm against it or anything.

Just I think that the authorities and the people who actually have the power to open the purse strings of the country ni tak pandai tul merancang tourism.One major thing has to be improved...before we can spend...or more likely waste millions on wooing people to visit the country...and I'm not talking about public toilets either.

Something happened that day between friends....yerlah...sebab aku ramai kawan Melayu kan.

I grew up in this community where ada this mix of all races, evenly at that...and I was always comfortable with other people of different races. The term racist was never something I could understand.

Masaalahnya...as I grew up, I learnt to be politically correct, sebab masa tu, tidak lagi dapat nak senang-senang nak panggil orang racist terms which we used without intent.

Back then, innocence was the key to everything, and no one had any malice in reference to someone's race.

My friends were welcome to my home...regardless of creed or colour...and other distinguishing factors. Sadly enough...things seem to have taken a downturn now.

A few days ago, a little spat between friends, which was more of a misunderstanding than anything else...resulted in me being called, what was that now..."cina babi busuk".

Sampai hati...memang kelakar kan...kalau tak kena ngan batang hidung sendiri. It's not so funny when it's your ancestry that becomes a joke though. I was dumbfounded by it...until a friend pointed out that as non-racist as I choose to be, there will always be people like that. It's embedded so deep in us that we just ignore it when we choose to. However it rears its ugly head when anger...or some form of a stronger emotion pushes it out.

I was a little distraught by what I was told by my friend...tapi nak wat per kan?

Aku terima.

What was a little hard to swallow was the fact that he told me that it WILL happen again. Each time they needed to mock me...or make fun of me. The easiest and most distinguishable point would always be my race. That's the hazard of being friends with friends of other races...I don't want to believe that.

I never feel that way kalau aku bengang manapun ngan orang. I never resort to race or religion.

An asshole is an asshole...no distinguishing factors about that...not visibly at least...

Susah ler...orang camnih nak kutuk ikut bangsa ataupun agama nih...sama ada memang takde modal...ataupun cam katak bawah tempurung. As we pride ourselves on racial integration...ada lagik yang judge by the colour of skin.

Aku tak penah anggap orang tuh keji sebab warna kulit dia...ataupun fahaman agama dia. If you're an asshole...then you are. Nothing makes you that way...least of all your race or religion.

Another friend yang balik daripada Bali selepas bercuti, SMSed me the moment she touched down on KLIA, telling me in comparison to the Balienese she met, she realised how rude and ugly Malaysians are. That's KLIA for you.

Just walking down those hallowed hallways will do that for you.

And yet we pride ourselves on our warmth. Our loving nature...our harmonious culture.

All I can say is we are like a carpet. Pretty on the outside..attractive in ways...but the reality is, there's a lot of ugliness and dirt that lies beneath....

And that's what we have to address first and foremost. Be real...be loving.

We can't turn the clock back to the 80s (retro sih!!!) to achieve that, but as globalisation kicks in, I realise our people are more divided than ever....call it the nasty remains of past generations. This hatred and fear of others...

So will Visit Malaysia Year 2007 work? Probably during the period...but I think that those who make the call forget what is the biggest selling point of our country.

Hmphh...and we get pissed when we're among the rudest....really!!!!

Oh..and they should realise that at the end of the day...selling the country with malls...theme parks and skyscrapers isn't going to work. I think they have that in other countries too.

And golf courses??? Really...

Eco-tourism? Such a joke...when it becomes more of a circus sideshow when packaged to tourists.

Anyway...here's hope that they realise a simple warmer and more genuine people will help achieve the aim. A clean public toilet helps quite a bit too lah...

Not all of us travel business class, or stay in five star fancy spots that HAVE to treat you like gold because of the greenbacks you carry.

Is it too late for me to wish...selamat datang...and welcome to Malaysia....just a smile away... or is it?

DISCLAIMER : Entry ni aku tulis time berat mata....so merapu ler sikit...just needed to get it off my mind so leh tidur...

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Kali terakhir? Or Tora datang lagi!!!!

I know everyone's written about this, tapi yerlah...kira civic duty nak war-wakan about the upcoming Akademi Fantasia auditions.

Rasanya kalao korang ada Astro, takyah ler sesapa announce...dah banjir semua channel ngan iklan tuk ujibakat.

Why am I not keen on it?

Cause I doubt that the fifth season of Akademi Fantasia will be much different from last season yang hancus gila babs.

Still...there are A FEW worthy valuable people in the production team yang harapnya mampu membawa kelainan pada musim ni. Yerlah...jangan harap tiga musim meletops...terus rilek jer kan?

Banyak aspek perlu diperbaiki, you don't just rest on your laurels.

But then again...for some...laurels are a good place to rest...so lantaklah.

Just a few months of non-fame, Faizal da pun nak ada pengganti takhtanya sebagai juara. Lain lah dari Vince, Zahid and also Mawi, yang leh kira tahan gak sampai ari nih.

But for those of you yang masih nak cuba nasib...apa salahnya kan?

Just learn from the mistakes of the past...I mean seriously...how can people watch previous seasons tapi still masuk Akademi bangang nak mampos with the same act...over...and over...and over...thinking that the viewing public will be taken in.

Yerlah...yang selection pun kena pandai sikit. Jangan pikir nak lawa jer...tapi sora very the tak kemana.

Jangan lak pilih sedara mara....oops!!!

For those yang nak audition...here are the details. Just head to ASTRO, Bukit Jalil (13 & 14 Jan as well as 3 & 4 Feb for those yang around Klang Valley atau kawasan kawasan sewaktu dengannya.

Pendaftaran akan dibuka mulai 9am to 1pm

Please...make it easier for yourselves...(bertahun cakap sama jer tiap kali) ngan email segala butiran ke tac@astro.com.my atau hubungi TAC Team di talian 03-95436688 ext 2539, 2552 atau 2253.\

Bawa foto terkini anda (abih nak bak foto sapa lak kan???) bersaiz 3R, salinan kad pengenalan (nak buktikan korang bukan bangla). Pastikan ko berumur antara 18 dan 27 tahun pada 1 Jan 2007.

Lagu wajib bagi peserta lelaki : Diari Seorang Lelaki (Pretty Ugly), Kian (Mawi), Dealova (Once) dan Lonely No More (Rob Thomas).

Untuk peserta perempuan, Teman Tapi Mesra (Ratu), Biarlah Rahsia (Datuk Siti Nurhaliza), Langit Ke Tujuh (Sharifah Zarina) dan Because Of You (Kelly Clarkson).

Kenapa takde lagu dari bintang Akademi Fantasia lain selain Mawi...tak endorse ke hasil keja bakat meka pilih??? (gelak sat...)

Jangan berlengah lagi. Inilah peluang TERAKHIR anda ke Akademi Fantasia! So they say...to let everyone this may be the last go. Mmmm....penting ke emotional blackmail gituh....

Oh well...

For those yang nak pergi, ni aku recycle tips aku leh berikan tuk meka yang nak prepare to go for auditions. This is based on previous auditions process...and since website Akademi Fantasia (CLICK HERE TUK BUKTI) TAK PERNAH diupdate kecuali untuk warning orang pasal bab jangan deposit duit dalam bank account...so don't know ler apa cita. Dulu leh download borang pelbagai...skang...nampaknya ada pihak makan gaji je kot...update ikut musim.

Stage 1
Peringkat ni simple...dan confirm ramai yang lepas kecuali memang bangap!
Kalau nak senang....print out borang dan bak sekali supaya takyah leceh berejam nak isi borang. Kat sana pun leh...but better if you do it earlier. Jangan lupa gambar berukuran 3R dan kad pengenalan. Please...make sure you ikut syarat umur ok. Pastikan anda warganegara Malaysia...and please oh please be able to speak English dan juga Bahasa Malaysia.
Hah...kan senang...kira layak da ke peringkat seterusnya.

Stage 2
Here's where it gets tricky.
Peringkat kedua...peserta akan dibahagikan kepada dua kumpulan, Team A dan Team B.
Disini, vocal, presence dan kebolehan memberikan persembahan yang menarik secara keseluruhan penting.

Tapi kalau anda mampu membuktikan anda mempunya vocal yang bukan sahaja menarik dari segi tone suara, tapi juga kebolehan basic mengawal pitching dan tempo...dan TAK SUMBANG, then you're in. Pada mereka yang serious, sila sediakan pilihan lagu sendiri kalau-kalau pengadil mahu mendengar sesuatu kelainan dari anda untuk lebih menilai your vocals secara acapella, atau tanpa music, untuk lebih meyakinkan mereka.

Please take this stage seriously sebab aku perasan ramai yang main-main jer time ni. Takkan untuk tak sampai seminit takleh wat preparation betul-betul kan?

Sila ingat video yang diamik tu bukan setakat tayangan kat @15 tau, tapi akan digunakan untuk penilaian juri kemudia kalau anda lepas stage 4 untuk decide whether or not anda akan jadi pelajar Akademi Fantasia.

Stage 3
If you've made it this far, congratulations. It means there is something about your voice that people do bother with, and you're more than just penyanyi longkang bertemankan kapok.
Cabaran seterusnya diadili oleh dua lagi set pengadil.

Peringkat ni melibatkan interview untuk discover your personality. Peringkat ni, selain dari tu, anda mungkin diminta menyanyi lagi, ataupun menari untuk menyakinkan juri anda layak.
Seperti mana stage 2, please note that sesi ni juga divideokan, walaupun bukan untuk tayangan, tapi untuk tontonan juri sebagai sebahagian proses evaluasi.

Stage 4
Semakin ler cerah masa depan anda (sial jer statement ni) kalao da sampai peringkat ni kerana anda telah dishortlistkan.

Kalau ikutkan tahun lepas, kurang dari 200 orang je dari beribu yang sampai ketahap ni.
Pada mereka yang lepas stage 3....samaada anda akan diberitahu...terima kasih...apa apa nanti we call you...dan ditunjuk pintu keluar...ataupun anda akan mendapat borang.

Mengisi borang tu adalah peringkat seterusnya. Jangan perlekehkan peringkat ni walaupun nampak simple.

Apa yang anda isi dalam borang tu, akan memainkan peranan juga dalam bab pemilihan.

And then what? Kalau anda da berjaya sampai tahap isi borang...the only thing you can do is wait, and hopefully, the sessions videotaped will have something that will yakinkan para juri anda layak menjadi pelajar Akademi Fantasia.

Untuk membantu korang...ni aku wat guide tuk korang supaya korang lebih bersedia menghadapi ujibakat. Print this out if you have to, and make a check list, untuk pastikan anda ikut guide point by point ni.

This will really help you...so laugh if you must, but take it seriously if you are going for the audition.

*Pastikan anda membawa segala dokumen dan gambar yang diperlukan. Also bring along a CD player tuk nak layan lagu yang anda akan perform during the audition. Practise makes perfect...and daripada anda membuang masa termenung...baik berlatih. Bring along a book too in case the waiting takes too long, and bekalan minuman (ataupun member atau ahli keluarga yang leh jadi 'runner' tuk dapatkan bekalan makanan dan minuman seandainya lapar atau haus. Persiapan ni akan memastikan anda tak lari-lari kemana, takut nombor dipanggil lak entah kemana...it doesn't give a good impression to be late for your audition.

*Pastikan you're dressed to be impressed. Tapi takyah terlampau fashionable, sebab kalao packaging meletop tapi isi tarak pun tak guna. It's only one of the ingredients...looking good... Dress to impress, but don't overdo it. Make sure you look as good as you sound. Choose a look that goes with your personality, tapi pastikan pada masa yang sama anda selesa, ok, as the audition process could take very long. Kalau baju ke seluar baru, kang gatal-gatal ke tak selesa lak kang...but it's always worth investing in doing something to your hair, like getting a cut.

Guys, pastikan jangan rupa serabai jer while girls...don't look like hookers (no one listens to me on this}...atau make up nak kalahkan opera Cina.
Like I said, preparations help. Kalau anda bukan antara batch yang awal, you may have to wait for up to 12 hours, based on my experience.

*Tunjukkan minat anda. You're one of thousands, dan naya je bukak mulot je, juri da kata tima kasih leh cuba tahun depan. Jangan terlampau bodek...kang nampak bodoh lak bakat tak sampai tapi yer yer nak butter up the judges. It will NOT work...trust me. Say what is necessary while maintaining an honest representation of yourself. Jangan lak nak tipu ngan berlakon menjadi something else nak impress. Professionals can see through your acting. I mean it. Dan control your nervousness. Jangan membebel atau meracau. Taking a breath before you say anything. It'll calm you down. No chewing gum ke apa apa. Nampak kurang ajor da.

*Anda tidak akan didiskriminasikan (malah silap haribulan akan dibantu kalao ada pertalian saudara = DISCLAIMER : Statement ini tidak ada kena mengena ngan yang hidup, mati atau patut mampos). So jangan ingat ada apa pun pasal diri anda yang akan menjadi bahan tuk juri memandang serong at you. As long as you're decent in every way, you'll get the same respect from the judges.

*Panik? Buang masa...baik takyah audition. Pada yang beragama Islam...erm...tauler what you have to do kan. Yang other religions pun can say a short prayer before you start. Calm yourself down, and jangan stress. Fokuskan your energy of being afraid yo prepare yourself. Jangan torture diri sendiri. Kalau anda cukup bersedia, anda takkan menghadapi sebarang masaalah, so kenapa nak risau?

*Bayangkan kenapa anda audition in the first place. Kalao ko takde sebab...padan muka ler. Kalao ko cuba nasib sebab yakin anda ada bakat...then you will have no problems. Focus on making it. Maintain keyakinan anda dan sentiasa pastikan diri anda tenang, supaya tak affect persembahan anda. Pastikan ada keseimbangan dalam personalii dan suara anda. Don't let one outshadow the other.

*Pilih lagu yang sesuai untuk anda. INI TERAMAT PENTING! Jangan pilih lagu cam Kian hanya kerana minat Mawi, kerana anda bukan Mawi. Pilih lagu yang bersesuaian ngan suara anda. Juga yang mampu anda persembahkan tanpa sora ke laut. Interpretasi adalah penting. Jangan nak fotostat lak! Tak guna kalao lenggok sebijik nak ikut CD. Wat pe? Kalau anda klon terhebat sekalipun, peluang anda immediately kurang da.

*Kalau suara power, jangan lak sampai menjerit nak robohkan Astro. Impress with your vocals, tapi jangan sampai berserabut sehingga melody pun da takde. Pada mereka yang tak mampu, jangan ler nak melalak. Suara yang kuat, lantang atau nada tinggi tak semestinya sedap! Banyak lagi faktor yang menjadi pertikaian. Show what you have....but remember...don't overdo it...dan ikut kemampuan...

*Paham tak apa tu emosi? Kalau bak lagu sedih, jangan sengih cam kerang busuk! If it's an upbeat song you're singing, look happy, have some energy. If you're crooning a love ballad, do it with feeling so you embody the words coming out of your mouth. Kalau tak mampu nak hiburkan setakat dua anggota juri dan teman teman seperjuangan...camna nak menghiburkan Malaysia?

*Body language is important too. Jangan lak tengah nyanyi tu, tangan tergantung cam mayat je...ataupun nak wat aksi garu tempat tak patut. Choreography is not just about dancing. You already chose your song awal-awal. Jadi persembahan anda dari segi gerakan anda patut dirancang juga supaya ko tak dok setempat sambil tenung spotlight, ataupun jalan kehulu hilir nak merentas desa sebab gementar tatau nak wat apa.

*Be honest. The judges want to see you! Bukan lakonan semula video clip mana ko tengok yang ko nak over-over lak nak tiru. Feel the song and concentrate on delivering it.

*Dalam menunggu giliran (kecuali nasib ko ler jadik yang first) sembang ngan teman-teman sekeliling. Find out what they're singing. Pastu, kalao ada yang nyanyi lagu sama, compare notes. Mana tau, ada idea ko leh curi sana sini to adapt to your presentation.

*Your attitude is important. Samaada ko leh wat perangai yang elok, dan memikat hati juri, atau wat perangai yang bagi orang meluat atau menyampah dimana juri akan terus mintak ko berambos! Lack of confidence is another thing yang sering menjadi penyebab kegagalan. Yakin pada diri anda dan kebolehan anda (masaalahnya ada lak yang terlebih confidence tapi kekurangan bakat!)

*Pada saat anda akan membuat persembahan, cari sesuatu dalam diri anda sebagai motivasi!

*Don't let anything or anyone intimidate you. Kalau takut sebab tak penah nyanyi pakai mic ke apa, buat-buat je cam ko kat karaoke (tapi nyanyi jangan ler camtuh...style sambil lewa!) Kalau takut judges...wat pe...meka bukan nak marah ke nak gigit ke. Kalao ada contestant yang ko dengar sora power, so what? Rilek and do your best. The best voice is not the only thing necessary and just think that the person might not have something you do.

*Ini adalah rancangan televisyen. X-factor adalah penting. Find out what is yours, or if it is too late, confidence will be enough to fake it for the moment. *Your best-selling point has to be something in you. And if you try too hard it will always work against you. You want to be yourself, but at the same time, you want to have something that distinguishes you from someone else. Jangan jadi sesiapa kecuali diri anda sendiri. Be yourself.

*Which brings us to...be honest. Jangan nak kelentong kata pandai wat lenggok asli ke R&B kalau it's not your thing. Admit your kelemahan so the judges know and you don't make a fool out of yourself. Dan educate yourself ok...kata R&B tapi bunti tuh asli...kena gelak kang...

*Be patient. Kalao ko ingat dok 12 jam baru dapat nyanyi 30 saat stressful sangat...dok rumah je ek. Ramai lagi sanggup. Jangan terbawak your impatience or your unwillingness tuk bersabar into the audition. It makes you look really ugly. Lagipun kalao ko ingat tension dok tunggu berejam...bayangkan ler pening dan stressful nya tuk juri nak layan lalakan meka yang pekak badak!

*Kalau anda mempunyai banyak masa, jangan habiskannya ngan melalak. Practise is fine. Tapi aku perhatikan yang datang satu group mai lalak tak abih-abih...tapi masuk studio ilang sora. Ko datang tuk ujibakat...bukan sesi jamming.

*Jangan skali wat alasan tuk your lack of ability to sing. It turns the judges off. Alasan paling original aku dengar dari one of the judges yang told by one of those yang ujibakat, "Saya takleh nyanyi sebab da malam. Saya malam memang takde sora." Kepala hotak ko!

*I cannot stress enough the need to be confident! Tapi...kekadang...untuk sesetengah yang aku tengok....aku kena gak cakap...jangan lak overconfident!!!

*Have fun! That's the first thing before you can have confidence, and also the much needed ingradient that will make you look more like a pro (doesn't make you sound like a pro, but at least it won't affect your voice if you're nervous)

Based on my experiences...this are the best tips I can think of to help you. So...apa lagi. Start working on it if you are going for auditions after today. Tapi meka yang wat audition siang ni....work on it anyway, ok.

Aku akan ke Astro kang tuk hari kedua ujibakat, so kalao korang nampak aku...tegur je kalao ada apa-apa nak tanya. Just call me and said I offered you the help in my blog. I understand how memeningkan kekadang auditions ni, and I don't mind helping out by giving a little advice here and there.

And by the way.... don't get your hopes up tau no matter what...orang ni cuba nasib...tima jer lah ok apa pun keputusan. Ada rezeki tuh ada ler... that's all for now... kalau korang nak apa extra tips ke ada questions, tinggal kat bahagian komen dan aku cuba jawab ok....good night...

PS. Perlu ke AC Mizal di katakan sebagai pengganti Aznil? (gelak tak terhingga bila diberitahu sumber beberapa minggu lepas)

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Spring cleaning!!!

Most people do their spring cleaning awal-awal...me? I have some old 2006 entries to clear out before we can move on with the new year punya events.

Also since this is my part to generate at least one entry a year (kalau datang psycho, bebanyak kali posting lak kan).

So apa yang past tense yang nak kongsi nih. Erm.... kita bermula ngan the birthday of si Fiebie yang aku cakap dalam one of my previous postings. Korang tau tak...aku dah ler gegas gi beli kek sebab nak celebrate birthday dia. Ingat sekali ler ngan Famee. Tatau ler Hatta choose nak balik Singapore so fast, so tak include lak nama dia dalam kek. But in the cake, aku pun carut ler dua orang nih yang feeling forever young by tulis Happy 16th Birthday.

The joke was that masa jumpa meka nih nak raikan birthday dak ni semua (Gina pun besday sekali rupanya)...si Fiebie da beli kek tuk diri sendiri! Keji!!!

Takut ler orang lupa nak celebrate birthday dia. Sabar jerlaa....

Anyway, the cake on the right, aku yang bak kan...korang tengok lah cake Fiebie hadiahkan kat diri sendiri...do you see something wrong between both the cakes?

Merasalah aku carut 16th birthday, orang tuh dah ler beli tuk diri sendiri, letak HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY lak...keji!!!

Aku wat joke 16 dia lak puji diri sendiri 24. Aiyak...merasalah the difference between carutan and delusional state of non awareness of being kertu!!!!

Takper la nok... that forest fire you had to put out should be evidence of age enough...(gelak terkenangkan wax all over the cake because it took ages to blow the candles out)

Kalau nak tau umur sebenar Fiebie, campurkan kedua hasil umur yang di celebratekan oleh kedua kek. Merasalah Fiebie menafikan itu umur dia, dan dia tak setua orang ni lak... yang memulakan perbalahan besar mengenai umur. Some people just don't know how to age gracefully. Not that I have that problem sebab aku masih jauh lagik muda dari meka. Bergetah ok....!!!

In the midst of all this, ada lak yang majuk sebab tak dijemput, padahal mummy dan daddy dia ada kat sini. Saja je tau nak wat hal...

Anyway, Fiebie ni balas our little birthday do by playing chef.

Hajat hati nak masak spaghetti. Ni lah hasilnya.

Sedap tau....takde ler rasa kicap Tamin cam masakan-masakan berangan Western kawasan Shah Alam.

The garlic bread however....that was another issue. Well it wasn't really bad...in fact it tasted quite delicious walaupon HANGUS!!!! Matilah Fiebie kata garlic bread memang kena hangus....keji seribu kekejian tau kalao pan tuh terlampau panas mengatakan itu adalah skill. But it was delicious...walaupon orang tuih pakai roti bun burger because tak dapek roti yang sepatutnya.

In other words, it tasted better than it looked lah...

Nevermind the fact that dinner invitations were sent out just an hour sebelum time nak makan, sebab orang tuh saja jemput orang lambat kerana risaukan masakan dia keji sangat dan patut di campak dalam lobang jamban berdekatan. Aiyo...so much for confidence!!! Makes me *urghh!!!* look forward jer to the cooking...

Asrul bising kata perut dia meragam barely hours later, salahkan spaghetti Fiebie yang ibarat 'cacing yang memakan dalam perutnya'. Aiyo....some people are so not grateful. Fiebie lak kata dia kg.com....very the kampung sebab tak mampu digest makanan omputeh dia. Asrul lak kata memang perut dia tak built for masakan Italy which has a menu that includes burnt bread.

Erm....don't you just love the people around me. But thanks Fiebs for the dinner.

Nothing much to shout about what happened towards the end of 2006, though several private issues popped up. With the yang tersayang....and then another dilemma of an ex trying to get things back on track, while adik angkat yang aku penah gilakan tiba tiba made advances to me.

Erm...when it rain, it pours....

Christmas this year was an event, cause I had more money to spend, despite giving my mum and dad a part of my bonus, and my road tax and insurance renewal didn't amount to much - the befits of driving a bucket of bolts lah.

So I indulged in...SHOPPING!

I've never been obsessed with presents...as in receiving. I love buying stuff for people, so Christmas is always fun because I stupidly pander to the commercial objectives of retailers.

Mula mula plan in gat nak ke Singapore just for a day trip on the 23rd, nak final countdown shopping tuk rasa kemeriahan sana. But then, my keen eye caught an ad in a paper on a warehouse sale.

Oooh!! I love those things. Now most big ones are pathetic and fake...but the smaller ones (make sure they sell genuine articles lah) are quite good.

So I pun pergi lah kat hotel kat Petaling Jaya ni. Wow!!! Naik gila aku. I ended up beli 11 bottles of perfume! Spent about RM800. Loved it so much esoknya gi balik sana and spent more that an additional RM400 for another 5 more.

We're talking about 50ml, 100ml and 125mls of Versace, D&G, Moschino and MNG as well as Mango ok. Naik juling. Seb baik I practised some restraint...kalau tak tatau ler what happened. On the left is the total collection I bought. Yeap...that's a heavily discounted RM1200+ in branded fragrances.

On the right you will see the wrapped conclusion. Erm... I of course decided to keep five bottles for myself. Yerlah....one year supply (thought I think it'll last longer than that)I usually get my perfumes in Singapore because they're dirt cheap (plus Singaporeans are so bloody kiasu they won't touch testers, making them cheaper [padahal tester ler yang more concentrated than the actual shelf product).

This time however, thanks to my weird shopping habits, dapat gak massive saving dekat beribu gak ler sebab dapat come across this warehouse sale.

Oh by the way...because of my find, my theme for this year's Christmas presents (yes, I usually have a theme) was 'Making the world smell Ultra Fabulous!'. No it's not 'rid the world of BO....my friends are more yummier than than when it comes to hygiene...

The below three aku letak pic are my favourites from all the ones I've bought for myself. Sayangnya D&G tuh, which I also bagik kat my sayang, and I bought for myself tuh...takkan dapat dibau on me.

Sebab I practise this rotation of the perfumes I have, and I have my Tommy Hilfiger still...so cam sehari pakai satu scent ler. And this particular day nak pakai lak D&G, aku pun bukak ler kotak. Baru tekan sekali, ilang grip for some reason, and the bottle ended up on the floor.

In other words, thanks to the carelessness of bouncing along to the tunes of Macy Gray, bilik aku kini berbau D&G, especially lantai aku. Arghhh!!!!!

Walaupon dapat kat sale, tapi sentap! Nuts!!!! Sial sangat....

Anyway, these were my personal top three yang aku feel go with me... scrap the D&G sebab memang aku tak beli extra pun sebab time tuh ni ler antara yang paling laku. Kang nak kuar dating ngan sayang, curi pakai jer lah dia punya yang aku bagik. Keji kan???

Like I said there are some sales that are good. Then there are others like $%^&!!!!

One such sale was the one they held at Putra Indoor Stadium sampai masuk tahun baru. That was the biggest con job ever!!!

Discounts were pathetic...and the only thing worse was the choices of crap they put on show. I mean, most of the items were Petaling Street quality at best. Take for example, the Diesel shirt below...or was it B.U.M? Whatever brand it was supposed to be, I'm sure it was genuine simply for the fact that even at a glance, one already notices the grammatical and spelling errors.

Memalukan tul!!!!

Last scene???!!! Birth : Hafel??? my house crossed road for a second and then he was fame???? brignging???

What the $%^&* is this t shirt on about!!!

Speaking of typos and excellent English thanks to our standard of education in the country, check out this one I spotted masa along highway Shah Alam nak ke Puchong melalui Hicom. Whoever hires this security company better wonder if the company is worth the Ringgits poured into the outfit to rely on its brand of security...sebab their English is hardly anything to be proud of!

Yes yes....if you can't see it clearly (cause this was snapped on the go - no...no...er...my car was atationary when I took this pic with my Nokia...I would NEVER consider snapping a pic while my car was moving and breaking more traffic laws), it's clearly tagged that this car, the Kancil is their PETROLLING unit. Erm....patrol ke petrol???!!!

Meronda ke mengisi minyak masaalahnya?

Er...maybe ni unit mengisi minyak bagi keta meka yang meronda kot.

Pelik ler... you'd think if they couldn't spell it right, they'd find a way around it. Ni tak...confident tahap cipan to label their company vehicle camtuh.

So anyone hiring Alpha Guard, pikiaq ler betui betui ek sebelum something happen sebab obviously someone running the company lacks a little something or other.

I dread to think that some of their guards could be armed...

Moving on...Christmas this year was sweet because we had a new member of the family, thanks to Yasmin.

Ni pic of the new addition.

Yang itam bulat sikit tuh Mickey.

And since my other pup passed on (check my previous entries), kurang ler the sound of pitter patter, until Jack joined. Ni Jack with Mickey sunbathing (yes Yasmin, you can see he's now indulging in the finer things in life). In fact I think Jack has gained quite a bit of weight compared to the bag of bones he was masa he was found at SPCA by Yasmin.

He's definitely the BEST gift from anyone this Christmas. Thanks again so much Yasmin...we may have given him a home, but you gave him a chance to have a home...so bless you for that, woman.

Away from the mushiness, and on to the most appreciated Christmas present for personal, selfish reasons...is my sister's offer of a tattoo! Yes, another brand new tattoo to join the ranks of my pathetic...one.

When I'll get it, don't know. How it'll look like or how big it'll be? Don't know...had a couple of designs, but now scrapped most of them.

Anyone got any suggestions?

Actually would like a dragon sebab aku lahir tahun naga api...tapi tuh commercial sangat ler.

Plus I don't want to end up looking like I'm in on a chinky triad (talk about dissing your own roots). And my zodiac sign of a crab is pretty lame.

Thought about a crab riding a dragon...but that's even sadder.

Thought of a phoenix, breaking out of the shell of a heart...kind of a metaphor of my love life...always reemerging from sadness and having a fresh go at it...but too lemau.
So nak wat per ek....nanti ler aku pikirkan puas puas. I want something arty yet symbolic...

A couple of days ago, before we hit the new year, also took several pics of myself...why? Sebab I want to remember myself, how I looked at that time. And to remind myself how much I hate having short hair despite everyone telling me I look better with it.

I liked this pic best cause nampak devilish ler sikit. You can practically imagine the horns coming out...

Bukan syok sendiri ok..so sapa nak muntah tengok muka aku...cepat tutup page nih.

Saja jer letak...it's not a case of vanity or anything...and before someone goes, "Me thinks he doth protest too much" or "The guilty flee when none pursue"...shut up Vernon (tau je sapa nak carut aku kan!)

So with that... I'll leave you guys...until tomorrow ok...(gigih ni nak pastikan azam tiap hari ada entry nih)

Ok guys... this took ages to upload sebab every bloody server still seems wonky even though the Internet connection has improved slightly. Mintak mintak it gets better ler cause I seriously took hours to finish this update.

By the way...guys...leave your comments in the comments are because I think the msjbox is one of those suffering from all the wonkiness.

Same goes with my counter. Malas nak remove, sebab nanti ok...nak letak balik lak...keji kan twice the work.

So deal with the broken links for now...and hopefully things get back to normal soon.

Pada meka yang start keja atau sekolah esok (which is 95% of the population ler I suppose - except if your place is still flooded or you're me or Badrul and are off until Monday depan)....HAVE FUN!!!! (keji....can't help laughing...so sincere kan aku punya wishes...)

By the way...did you guys catch the footage of Bangkok bombing tu? Shite....my favourite spots....oh well...seb baik I wasn't there at that point. Another thing to be grateful for going into 2007.

Condolences though to the families of those who were hurt or killed in it. Senseless killing....and so long Saddam.

Out for now...

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2007 already?

Blame it ont he festive period...me taking my annual leave for more than three weeks off work...my refusal to go near a computer in that period...or even the Internet lines that were down internationally...

Apapun, hey...I'm back and blogging...

And azam tahun baru...my new year resolution for 2007, is to upkeep my blog to the max!

Which means setiap hari for 2007, there WILL be a posting. Mampu ker? Don't know lah...but tuh azam jer. So I'll try my best to make sure it happens.

What are my other resolutions? To keep on not giving a damn to haters...tuk terus ignore jer orang yang perangai cam binatang, and keep on being myself. I know what my weaknesses are, so no need to try and work them out one by one. Not like it ever works kan? Instead, I'll just focus on being a more wholly enduring person blah blah blah...

Realistically, azam aku tahun ni, is to steamroll over anything that stands in the way of my ambitions. For Christ's sake...I'm 30! While some people may be more ancient and antiquated than me, and not realise the urgency of the situation, I do...and therefore my will to 'make it' is bigger than ever.

I'm a little scared and intimidated by the scale of my own plans....tapi yerlah kan...kalau tak cuba camna nak tau. In fact, 2006 proved that no matter how daunting a task seems, I can always do it if I believe in myself and stick with it.

So my dream of owning my own outfit (as in company) is on the track, walaupun cuma sampingan, dan nampaknya sudahpun ada kerja nak diselesaikan dari tuh.

After setting up my little home office and all, in this week before I go back to work.
Whatelse are my plans for 2007? Make more money lah...that should be easy to guess.

Apa lagi nak perbaiki lagik? I tried self improvement for 2006. But then I found out that most people around me are hurtful morons who don't appreciate much of your attempts. So...as they say, when in Rome...tapi takder ler sampai ignorance is stupidity, and stupidity is contagious as

I've always said. The old motto from my alma mater (ACS Klang katanya...) was Sapienta Est Potentia...knowledge is power. So having the knowledge to mingle, blend and yet not sink to the deepest, dingiest, dankest bowels of stupidity...will empower me. Ceh wahhhh.... yer yer je.

Oh well. Like I haven't been doing it. I suppose however I have to resolve to tone down a tad on honesty and up the hypocrisy as that seems to be in vogue lately.

I also resolve to NOT keep writing 2006 on anything that requires dates sebab terlupa it's already 2007 (this usually takes up to six months or so for me to adapt to change).
2006? Weird year...a few attempts at having a relationship - finally meeting someone and then having to put up with the whole tiresome process... a couple of ex yang nak wat comeback but I I drew the curtains on repeat performances...so....erm.

Job opportunities were really good this year, and because of that, my financial status was a lot more to speak of. It also laid the foundation for that I am going to do in 2007.
Socially? Friends come and go right? I stick by my 2006 resolution to easily be done with 'friends' is they don't subscribe to common sense and trust and loyalty. If that's too much to ask...then don't have friends la kan?

And the past year has seen me make more new friends...and lose a couple of stinking parasites and leeches who think too much of themselves but amount to nothing in the end (can we pronounce the word 'delusional'?)

Arghhh...enough of my resolutions and my ponderings....malasnya.

By the way...why does the onset of 2007 seem so boring je? I know they toned down (understatement of the year if it wasn't only the beginning of the year) the new year celebrations sebab Raya Haji...but really. It could have been just another day? Me? Stuck in front of the TV, before going out for a cuppa with a friend way past midnight to avoid dumbass revellers who insist on standing on street corners to holler and giggle sanelessly.

Aiyak...panjang panjang tulis but no real substance. Oh well...that just shows I'm keeping to my resolution to blend in with most of the idiots out there.
I'll just say this is a thoughtful and insightful posting and you guys can lump me in the other half of the general categorisation of bloggers lah.

PS. Thank you to all my blog friends I've made in 2006. To all those who have met me, or said hi tiap kali aku ke memana dan jumpa korang,thanks. Again it means so much for people to bother with our little personal space. You guys rock!!!

PS Pt II - Notice I didn't mention weight loss. Frankly I could care less about comments, biarlah...aku kalau da kurus sikit ker da gemuk sikit ker...ok jer. I'm still me, and that's what's important.

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I'm...dreaming...of...a...white...Christmas...

Aku ari ni gi ler balai trafik Klang nak check saman aku.

Amik ko. Semalam aku check online saman satu je kan? Tadik check bawah nombor IC muncul ler satu tuh. Patutnya RM100...dapat ler discount bayar RM70 je, walaupun status online court date pun da tamat. Bodoh tul....

Ok le...tak puas ati aku check agik, kali ni ikut nombor keta.

Online takde hasil...konon free of saman kan? Matilah ko...ada LAPAN! Bincang discount ngan member abang angkat aku, tiba-tiba...usha bebetul..lor...ada empat tuh bukan dalam IC aku.

Pemilik keta sebelum aku punya. Kipert....baru teringat every year nak renew ada je saman hantu tuh.

Anyway, aku punya four extra tuh, dua da mati tempoh pun. So budget lari gila ngan automatic max fine.

Tapi...jeng jeng jeng...atas 'budi bicara'...member abang aku kata RM380 jer leh la...aku pun bagi RM400...round figure ler. So I spent that amount je nak bayar saman semua. Sikit tuh.

Teringat ada setahun tuh, aku penah ada 13 saman!!!

Bayar pun RM600 je time tuh....package deal katanya.

Merasalah...saman pun leh negotiate...cam hypermarket lak lagik banyak lagik murah.
Anyway...ari ni keja banyak paperwork je...yerlah...nak isikan claims dan sebagainya sebelum aku bercuti...apart from the paperwork nak mohon leave....which starts...TOMORROW!!!!

Yeaa-ba-da-ba-dooooooo!!!!!

I'll be back to work hanya in the second week of January!

Berapa ari ni sibuk ler sebab persiapan for Christmas nan ado setakat ni. I haven't done anything, and this is the worst year when it comes to planning compared to previous years.

Biasa aku seminggu dua before aku da shopping lengkap abih semua, tapi with five days to Christmas....I haven't beli anything pun yet. Kelam kabut ler start esok nak shopping sakan.

Yeah!! Retail theraphy....bonus lak da masuk. Apa lagik...

Ari ni nak gegas dari opis cepat sebab nak ajak Fiebie dinner (padahal call tengah membuta agik walaupun da 6pm...KEJI!!!).
Iyo lah...per pun...tak leh carut dia (walaupun keji!!!) because BIRTHDAY mentallydisturbed.blogspot.com (ala...yang blog tonjok mata lebam tuh) or more affectionately known as Fiebie, ESOK, on 21 December. Umur berapa? Tanya dia...or if ko kenal dia, count the number of eye bags to know (each bag represents 15 years at least). Apapun, HAPPY BIRTHDAY FIEBIE!!!!

Speaking of birthday...of course kena la also ucapkan a belated birthday to Zahid!!! You're 26 now, man! Hugs to baby bro for the big day which was semalam actually. Tapi yang tension nya..in true Zahid pesen, rosak lak surprise birthday party tuk dia. The surprise being the reason why aku tanak sebut kat blog yang there was a party for him...Tapi tengok-tengok, dalam keluarga Zahid dan juga extended family in ZA8FC da kompol kat Bora Ombak tunggu dia, si Zahid lak sneak in dari pintu belakang. Aku tengah dok isap rokok kat pintu kat one end of the restaurant talking with a friend, bila dia rush past, nearly bowling me over..ingat orang tuh cam familiar sebab dia cover muka...lor...rupanya dia lari masuk terus naik stage surprise kan everyone.

Kejiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!

Rosak surprise...patutnya nak surprise Zahid...semua orang kena surprise ngan dia. Not quite how it was planned. Rupanya the whole grand scheme orchestrated was spoilt by member dia yang pecah lubang lak pasal preparation, si Apai. Tunggu ko....

But it was a fun night....aku pelik gak keluarga Akademi Fantasia tak hadir...but who cares.
Still Edlin datang. Si Zain RuffEdge pun singgah walaupon lewat sikit. And of course, Nikki ada gak. Edlin dan Nikki took to stage with Zahid perform suka-suka, but it was mostly Zahid for the night.

Apapun, nak ler wish congrats kat keluarga ZA8FC sebab anjuran event besh gila babas ni. You guys rock tul la...almost two and a half years later, ZA8FC still going strong and loyal pada Zahid. Cayalah!!!! Applause tul la kat korang... nak sebut sorang-sorang, rasanya each and everyone knows kan your contribution. So pat yourselves on the back.

Tapi one person that night kena puji gila babs punya, si Aypol. Ala...si ensem yang PA Zahid, merangkap...erm...boypren seseorang penyampai radio jelita dan ayu dan anggun tapi banyak cakap.

OOPS!!!!!!!

(eh eh...terdengar paluan kompang tak, korang???!!!)

Jangan salah pic ni cam apa lak rupa dia.
Salahkan lighting, camera Nokia aku yang kureng vast...dan juga keberatan si Aypol nak jadi model.

Pada sapa yang mintak pic Aypol nak tengok muka dia bebetul...this was as good as Aypol's pose tuk aku gets.

Dia kata malu nak pose lebih-lebih lak (takut awek marah kot sebab takde skali dalam pic).
Ala....malu-malu konon...mana leh nih kang berbinikan penyampai radio popular kang kena get used to it gak kan?

Matilah aku mencarut....

Tapi kalao tak silap aku...(ingat ingat lupa lak), Aypol kan ada dalam video clip Wo!!!...

Korang usha sana ler kalau malas nak belek belek posting lama aku semua.

So walaupun surprise birthday party tak menjadi sangat surprise...

Apapun...tahniah ler gak pada Aypol sebab bukan senang nak handle surprise birthday party of this scale anyway.

Great effort. 10 out of 10 for execution. 0 for luck though. Merasalah dalam puji mencarut laks.
Apa agik jenis stok cam Zahid ni yang memang susah nak kelentong nak trap nih.

You did a good job...and if anything, Zahid is lucky untuk have a best friend yang leh harap cam ko.

Zahid lak...hope you realise, bro, you are lucky to have your family and friends as well as your career...so keep doing your best ok.
And one more time....HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZAHID!!!

Sebut Zahid ni....hah...ZA8FC yang hebat dan power, take note yeah....kita mulakan gerak gempur untuk kempen UNDI NIKKI DAN ZAHID untuk Anugerah Bintang Popular - Berita Harian 2006!

I know some of us think it's a little early to get going with the voting, but with the long holiday season coming up, with Christmas, Raya Haji and then the New Year, aku rasa baik kita kick off skang jer...

Kalao tak jenuh nanti nak wat semua last minute.

Miss President...apa lagi? Voting party....Mr Manager...belah Artiste United tanak organise sekali ke?

I'm rather surprised yang kedua Zahid dan Nikki tak tercalon ke kategori kategori utama...but what to do.

This is popular ma...and popularity at times is such a warped perception. I mean...look at the list pun da tau. Some of the people in it, you don't even know exist...but suppposedly popular.
Sometimes rich backers buying lots of papers and employing people to do the voting helps!

Oops!!!

Tak mustahil tuk meka menang, as Anugerah ERA pun da buktikan gabungan mereka yang meminati Nikki dan Zahid memang ramai.

Tapi minat-minat pun tak cukup ok kalao tak undi...so beli soratkhabar bebanyak dan VOTE, VOTE VOTE!!!

Kita make up for tertewasnya Caramu di semifinal Muzik Muzik Pop Rock aritu. Yang lain nak tick haper tuh, terpulang....tapi dalam kategori Duo/Kumpulan Popular, pastikan pilih Nikki dan Zahid ok!!!

Abih pun malam semalam da tengah malam. Nak hantar sorang sorang balik sebelum make my way home pun, by the time nak tidur pun da almost 2am.

Ok ler...leh tahan agik.

Or so I thought. Ni pala sentuh bantal je...lights out terus.

It's getting late. Nak call sayang aku dulu....lepas rindu kat phone pun...jadilah. Bila nak jumpa pun tatau...

Time to stop merepek-ing and time to pick up some food and stuff for Fiebie's birthday. Ciao all! Be posting soon...

One more time...remember to get your Berita Harian today and VOTE!!! Kalau sesapa ada banner nak promosi kan tuk undi mereka, again, leave a note of it dalam ruangan Comments aku. Aku akan link kan ASAP ok. Mari kita ramai-ramai mula kan kempen sekarang juga...

Ya ampun...dari tadi nak gerak tak berganjak...dah kul berapa da ni. Ok...I'm out of here...for real this time.

Nak tengok pic birthday party Zahid? Click below. If you have more pics of the event, leave your comment and I'll link you, ok!

Judd's Lair - tunggu dia update...pemalas tul

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