Smiley me..

Syawal sudah menjelma..

I was back at the office on Wednesday, 5th of Syawal. It's too short I know. But, hey I gotta do what I gotta do. I need to take leaves in November for my bro's wedding, hence the short Raya vacation. 4 days of raya and 2 days of fasting at home wasn't that bad after all. I didn't get to bake cookies, but my modified-from-the-original-recipe cheesecake and yummy layered cake (kek lapis) were 'sold-out' within a day. I'm so proud! I will need to bake 2 kek lapis in the future since there will be requests from the 'other end' as well ;). Nothing feels better than seeing your loved ones loving what you bake.

A friend of mine sent this Aidilfitri wish which says something like this: "Do celebrate Hari Raya for what it truly is, not what people are expecting from you". I think it's a good reminder, everybody should be reminded of what Hari Raya truly is. Sometimes we get too carried away with what should we serve during the day, what should we wear, or how much money should we give out? Kids all over are excited because it's the day they will be getting ang pows. But do they know the real meaning of Hari Raya? I'm not sure if they are really sincere when asking for forgiveness from their parents. I'm not sure if I really meant it when I said that "I'm sorry". I feel sad in a way, thinking that this means that another year has passed by, and all of us are not getting any younger, including my parents. I think you should be able to figure out what's in my head by now...

Nevertheless, Hari Raya has been awesome. Catching up with friends and relatives is something we must do! and Hari Raya is the best time to do it. Because the 'chefs' will be serving their best food and I just have to eat them. Mak Anjang's nasi dagang, and Abg No's home-made satay were two things that I cant get out of my head. So yummy! I ate them although I was already full. Couldnt resist the temptation. This year I learn how 'bbq-ing' the satay with bamboo's sticks wont do the chicken as good as compared to 'lidi'. so kalau buat satay sendiri pakai lah lidi, lagi sedap daripada pakai buluh yg jual kat kedai tu. haha. whatever lah..i will just eat them. Although it was too short for me and mr MKA, since we both have our reponsibilities as a son and a daughter, I guess we had our moments...together and also with our respective families. and I'm sure we'll be having more Hari Raya memories in the upcoming years. InsyaAllah.

Salam Aidilfitri 2007..

Alas, Raya is just around the corner and I'm flying back tomorrow! yeah, tomorrow baby at noon!!! It's going to be a bit of a rush since I need to meet 4 people to pass them 'stuff' before i head to Kemaman, within 3 hours before berbuka. 3 hours seem more than enough but considering traffic in KL at that hour, I'm thinking that berbuke is probably gonna be on the move..which means in the car!

Aaaaanyway enough of the babbling. I wish you all,

SELAMAT HARI RAYA, AND THOUSANDS APOLOGIZE FOR ALL MY WRONGDOINGS YEAH...
MAY EVERYBODY HAVE THE MOST WONDERFUL CELEBRATION WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FELLOW RELATIVES.

Photos..

Sit back and enjoy. This is generally what's been happening since April 2007, yeah.

Ramadhan 1428

Shame on me, it's already Ramadhan 17th and it's only tonight that I wrote about it here. Oh well better late than never, right??

It's my first Ramadhan in HCMC and I wasn't really excited with the fact at the beginning. First of all, the fact that I dont have the luxury to go to Pasar Ramadhan and choose my food from the abundant of selections there. The kuih muih, bermacam2 lauk, air pelbagai jenis, which my favorite is the chrysanthemum tea, and the fact that we all can go home 1-hour early from work. Of course, fasting in KL also means my friends and I will have a good reason to get together, eat and catch-up with each other *sigh*

The second thing is the fact that I wont be able to really spend time fasting and breaking fast with my family back in Kemaman. My mom's tasty bubur lambuk, puding buih, even to the simple dish of ikan singgang and sambal belacan...i just cant help thinking about it. And breaking fast with all my brothers,sisters, in-laws, and those cheeky nephews and nieces would be so meriah, boleh runtuh agaknye rumah my parents..not to mention shopping with my mom!

Last but not least is of course the fact that I cant cherish the best month of all in Islamic calendar with Mr MKA. It's our first Ramadhan together, with quite a distance in between. Well, hopefully the distance will only strengthen the relationship, not otherwise.

Despite all the thoughts, Ramadhan 1428 is going well so far. I have to thank a friend, actually a couple for being so sensible. I'm pretty much spending the evening at their apartment, eating home-cooked meal, and entertained by two adorable kids. Jihah and Iman...haha the "Sergeant Saunders"..and i'd say i'd been to terawih more frequent than the past Ramadhans. Yay to that! Plus, I got to spend the weekend last week with my friends and my family and MKA. So, not too bad I guess :).

It's only one week and a half to go before I fly back to Malaysia for Hari Raya. I have a feeling that Raya is going to be different this time. Anyway, I wish for nothing more than everybody's arriving home safely and my parents' joy seeing all their children under one roof and grandkids running around happily during Hari Raya.

Have a blessed Ramadhan to all!

Post Merdeka!

Wish holiday is not over yet!

Found this in a friend's blog. Do give it a try too!

***You Have A Type B+ Personality***


You're a pro at going with the flow
You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer
A total joy to be around, people crave your stability.

While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity.
Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done
You're passionate - just selective about your passions


Do You Have a Type A Personality?
http://www.blogthings.com/doyouhaveatypeapersonalityquiz/

Badminton or Goodminton..

Went to play badminton yesterday..so I'd say that was my 'healthiest' Saturday of all. Usually Saturday morning is spent by erm..sleeping late, shopping, watching tv, work, almost absolutely nothing as healthy as this. And I should be proud of myself and thankful to those who actually made me went.

We started at approximately 8.30 am, and guess when did we finish? 11 am! I think that was pretty long and I am so impressed with everybody's energy and motivation. Then I started to think why am I so not motivated to do this? I used to force everybody to wake up early on Saturday morning to play volleyball at the gym in UT, or go to the park..but now, I'm sooo lazy. Why oh why? Maybe my mind is in Malaysia? I'm totally a lazy bum now? can't seem to find the reasons. I just dont have the heart to badminton. It has never been my favorite past times back then. never been good at it is another thing. I guess I'm more into team sports. I like volley, netball, basketball,hockey, but if you ask me about squash, or badminton, tennis, hmm I wont be in the front line. I guess I need to change my attitude and start a healthier life.. climbing the stairs to get to my room on the third floor, and walking home from work at least once a week just don't seem to be enough right?

It's amazing how Vietnamese make exercising part of their lives. They start swarming the public park at as early as 4 am! well, i have never been out at 4 am to witness the health-conscious crowd, but that's what my friend told me. I am not surprised though. I used to walk pass the park every single day after work and watch them either walking, running, playing badminton, tai-chiing, and takraw-ing. I'm not talking about one or two persons, this is like 50s of them. maybe hundreds. What a positive environment I thought.

However, on the other side of the road, I can see a cab driver rolling down his window and throwing away a plastic cup of cafe sada. Just like that, no sense of guilty to the government, let alone the sense of responsibility to the environment. On the pavement, a woman selling beef noodles for breakfast just throw away the leftovers by the road, I guess hoping the majlis perbandaran to clean them all.

Those are only 2 examples that when i thought about them, I feel lucky that I'm a Malaysian, born in beautiful Malaysia. Yes we still have a lot to improve, our government officials sometimes worry about things that they should not be worrying about, like 'Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia?'. But some of them have really made what Malaysia is today. Compared to the last 5 decades, I think we did good. SELAMAT HARI MERDEKA! and HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY MALAYSIA!

Outdoor Movie

Watched two movies in a row, under the starry skies of Damansara Utama, surrounded by buddies, and filled our tummy with McDonald's burgersss.

Yeah they claim it as the biggest outdoor cinema in Asia. It was kinda awesome, get to watch movies outdoor. Some even brought blankets, pillows, bean bags, sleeping bags, everything and anything that will make themselves comfortable. Being the first-timers, we regretted that we only brought a mat, courtesy of Shawn. Yeah my back hurts, and my shoulders..But next time, I know that I'll be fully-prepared ;). Who else wants to join next year's Starlite Cinema outing?

We came, we saw, we ate!!

At Binh Quoi on 13 July 2007. Look at how much we ate! A good place to eat the local food. Since this is our 2nd visit in a week, we spent sometime taking pictures and more time eating! It's exciting to see how some food are similar like we have in Malaysia such as ubi ketuk (tapioca, cooked and mixed with grated coconut, sugar and crushed peanuts), siput sedut, and taufu fa. Others are mostly new to me, made from rice flour mostly like that chewy fried thing. Thana thought it was puri but then it turned out to be some desserts made of glutinous rice. Too bad I dont have the picture. Chewy but sedap!

The boss was mentioning today, "NO riding on motorbikes". Shoot! So how am I supposed to have fun then? Well the justification does really make sense though. It's dangerous and the insurance will find a way to find your fault if accidents happen. So no more motorbike rides for me...aisey!!

F.L.O.W.E.R

Friendship

Like

Ours

Will

Eternally

Remain

I have no idea what to babble about other than work. So hopefully the flowers will cheer up some of you! The picture was taken when I was at Kangaroo Island in Adelaide. It's just outside my room. Soooo pretty! Dunno what it's called though. Any idea?

Binh Quoi Tourist Village

My friends and I were planning to visit the Independance Palace but they were closed when we got there. So we went here instead and it's totally awesome! a very peaceful and romantic place, located by Saigon River where you can actually take a boat ride (aah boat ride..hmm). there's an outdoor buffet with lots of local food. so we're planning to come here again next week with a bunch more friends. Cool!

My new 'house'

It is not exactly MY house. but i live in it. i rent the room. it's spacious, about 12x15 ft i think (counting the tiles). i have someone who cleans the room everyday. the rent comes with free internet and laundry. of course, all other bills are paid too. i have a small tv, maybe 15", yup, too small actually. furnitures are included as well. i even have a bath tub in my bathroom. all in all i think it's alright. it's a totally different experience, living in a house with 10 bedrooms, meaning 10 other people that you hardly see. and the landlord and his family actually occupy some of the rooms.

the youngest daughter is so cute. i had the chance to talk to her today after i got back from work. anyhow, the best part of all, she has a good looking brother! who seems to work out often...haha. oops, i'm actually forbidden from flirting around now. but having a crush is still legal, right ;)

To-do list

1. Look for the best area to view sunset in Malaysia. I've been in Gunung Mat Cincang in Langkawi..which was really nice.
2. Visit KL Tower..(please, for God sake! who else should be proud of it if not us Malaysians?)
3. Island hoppings. well, not literally lah. i wanna go appreciate Malaysian beautiful islands and its heritage under the sea.
4. Eye-on Malaysia - done!
5. Family vacation, haven't done that in a while. budak2 semua sekolah, so the time is limited to school holidays now. *sigh*
6. more to come soon!

I like the feeling of going back to Malaysia because...

it's a relief to hear everybody speaks a language i can understand.
i can eat whatever i want
i can call my friends, my family, and anybody i want because it's darn expensive to call them from saigon. bile lah derang ni nak ade calling card!!
i get to tell people, 'hey, i'm back!!! let's meet up!'
i get to see movies that are not translated to vietnamese
if i go back to my hometown, i get to drive my citroen!
i can see my nieces n nephews happy, cute faces

yes, i miss Malaysia..i will probably add more later..

why oh why...

...is my blog language suddenly turned into Vietnamese now? it was fine before, and I did change the language setting yesterday. good the entries are still English, i wonder why...

Ice-cream treat.

3 scoops of ice-cream after a whole day of a reserves assessment meeting is just worth it.

and walking with 3 slim, slender, petite Vietnamese girls just make me feel..well.. HUMUNGOUS!

the above picture is courtesy of Roza, who's now enjoying the very last 2 months of her stay in Austin. this is Zilker Park, where they have this Trail of Lights everytime it's winter in Austin. it's a Christmas tree made of lights, lots of lights. and it's tall. so the most fun thing to do underneath this 'tree' is to hold hands with a friend..or two..and start running in circles while looking up. yes, up. it wont last long since you'll get verrry dizzy...it's so much fun i tell you. i used to come here every winter, with a bunch friends and get crazy. the trail is so pretty, they will have kinda like ice sculptures, snow white and the seven dwarfs..then we drink hot chocolates, with whipped cream of course, and walk, and run, just like a bunch of 5-year old kids. well actually only us girls did that, the guys think they are too cool to let their guts down and act like a kid again...well, it's their lost.. ;) ..good old days..

New life, new Gigi!

Yep, i just got my braces on today! like 4 hours ago! cant believe it..i was excited at first and now that it's starting to get hurt, i'm afraid to eat..haha.. dont worry, i'll make sure i eat well enough to survive ;)

it's interesting enough that i receive various kind of responses from my friends..and the responses are mostly consistent with the gender. ie. most guys feel that it's ridiculous to spend money for something painful like this..and the girls are all supportive! some of the comments i can recall:

Guy #1: i'll never do that to myself, pulling out those precious teeth, put that metal thing on,then u wont be able to eat everything la..sakit, yada yada yada..
Guy #2: if you do that, then you'll be the same like everybody else..(cant he understand how self-conscious i feel..haha)..however, after some explanations, he kinda agree with me and start being all supportive.
Guy #3: dont do laaaah..too expensive!
Guy #4: wow! new gigi! ---->the most supportive of all..
Guy #5: WHAT IS IT WITH YOU PEOPLE EK?!!!!!!...haha..then he went on and on..which makes a lot of sense, then he said "does she realise how lovely she is" - that's what he thought when i told him why i got myself braces...

on the other hand, most of my girl friends go like:

"YAY, WOW welcome to the club"....haha..and surprisingly, my mom's excited too. she can be very conservative sometimes, but not on this one. so in conclusion...girl friends are GRREAT! no offense guys..and no no..i'm not becoming a lesbian..haha

funny funny...
i guess i need not to give my reasons here..most of them can be understood by most girls, and those who used to have braces on. it all end up in self-satisfaction i guess. Guy #4 asked me whether there is other part of me that i'd like to change..my take on that is no. let's leave some imperfections as they are. it might not look good to you, but others might think the opposites, so you'll never know. on this one, i have thought about it for a very long time and considering what's been going on in my life, i think i deserve this. it's not at all fun to have some kind of metals in my mouth that hurts..but i hope i'll be glad that i've made myself do this.

Yes girls, i'm in the club! :)

i'm falling, and falling, and falling.........

Ive been tagged!

Just got to HCMC from KL. Since i'm feeling gloomy anyways, i'd like to distract myself with this:

LAYER 1: ON THE OUTSIDE.

Name: Nurhidayah Hutamin

Birth Date: 8 February 1981

Current Status: Single Mingle

Eye Colour: Dark brown

Hair Colour: black

Righty or Lefty: righty

LAYER 2: ON THE INSIDE.

My Heritage: chinese+javanese

My Fears: God, loosing my loved ones.

My Perfect Pizza: Thin crust with chicken mushrooms and pineapples, our favorites at UT

LAYER 3: YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW.

My Thoughts First Waking Up: nak tido lagi!!!

My Bedtime: 11.30 pm

My Most Missed Memory: good old college life.

LAYER 4: MY PICK.

Pepsi or Coke: Pepsi

McDonald's or Burger King: McD

Single or Group Dates: Single

Adidas or Nike: Nike, i wonder who's the genius behind that tick mark

Tea or Nestea: Tea

Chocolate or Vanilla: I love chocolates but not chocolate ice cream...i'd prefer vanilla.

Cappuccino or Coffee: Coffee

LAYER 5: DO YOU...

Smoke: Nope

Curse: Of course, but when needed only. i dont start every f***ing sentence with the f word like some people..hehe

Take a Shower: Staying in a hot & humid country, it would be suicidal not to - agree!

Have a Crush: erm...now? nope..

Think You've Been In Love: Maybe

Go To School: sure

Want To Get Married: yup..

Believe In Yourself: most of the times

Think You're A Health Freak: i eat whatever i want, but i'l make sure my weight wont exceed 53 kg ;)

LAYER 6: IN THE PAST

Drank Alcohol: nope.

Gone To The Mall: Countless of times... It's just below my office

Been On Stage: Sure ;)

Eaten Sushi: Yep, but not a fan.

Dyed Your Hair: never, thot about it, but for some reasons it never happened

LAYER 7: HAVE YOU EVER...

Played A Stripping Game: no

Changed Who You Were To Fit In: i think so, if i remember correctly..but not to the extreme..i'm pretty much the same compared to years ago..maybe i have better fashion sense than before (not the best), no more glasses..

LAYER 8: AGE YOU'RE HOPING...

To Be Married: passed it already..so next would be after i got the braces off?

LAYER 9: IN A GUY...

Best Eye Colour: dark brown

Best Hair Colour: black

Short Hair or Long Hair: short

LAYER 10: WHAT WERE YOU DOING...

A Minute Ago: writing a good-bye sms

An Hour Ago: tido on the plane

4.5 Hours Ago: talking on the phone with friends while waiting for my flight to saigon

1 Month Ago: vacation in bandung i think

1 Year Ago: hoping..

LAYER 11: FINISH THE SENTENCES...

I love: cafe sa-da! (vietnamese iced coffee)

I hate: liars..

I hide: my personal blog ;)

I miss: that on-cloud-9 feeling

I need: to move my ass and take a shower and start a new chapter in life.

LAYER 12: TAG 5 PEOPLE.

1. PMSPMS

2. Maya

3. cant think of anyone else who would do this ;)

To Na Chang and home..

The train is at 6.30 am!! my oh my, i gotta pack and everything. the schedule sounds nice, island visit, snorkelling, kayaking, teambuilding, mud-bathing..i hope they'll be some beach volleyball too.

three teeth officially removed today. yes, 3! the second one was hard..really hard. the dentist had to move from my right hand side, to my left hand side for her to actually make it happen, to pull the tooth out! my right mouth was numb up until my nose, so i didnt feel a thing, couldn't even tell whether the tooth was out or not. first experience was scary i tell you, i was a bit shaky right after, but the 2nd time wasn't that bad. 3 teeth some more. yes, 3! 2 required for the braces, and one is the wisdom tooth..i survived!!

i guess i won't be able to enjoy the meal that much during the family day..ohh..im sure the food is gonna be good. yum yum..but i will make sure i eat everything i can once i get back to kemaman for training..they say food at awana kijal is good. and i'm gonna eat nasi dagang, keropok, nasi lemak lauk ikan..aah best nyer :D...and last but not least, a chance to meet the person i miss most at this moment!

OMG!

I can't believe ive got myself into this.. I'm getting myself braces, and the dentist just removed 2 of my teeth. Oh, dear God, what an experience..of course it wasn't hurt at all because of the anasthetic, but i have half an hour to go before it starts to go off..i saw my teeth, my beloved ones. they served me well for the past 26 years..and i have two more to go! wishing myself all the best! if everything goes as planned, i will get braces put on me on June 11th.. :-S

saturday was nice..did some shopping and walked to Saigon Tax. Rain when I was on my way, I stopped and had the chance to take some pictures. it was nice actually, although my mood was not really on its path last week. walking and shopping actually helped a lot..hehe. apologize to you-know-who, who had to put up with my hormone imbalance. ;) I dont feel like putting up the pics now. later maybe. adios!

tomorrow

i hope tomorrow's weather is gonna be nice. i'm planning to walk around the town :)

Window shopping....

last weekend was merely abt price-comparison on Vietnamese silk i intend to sell in malaysia..the conclusion is..it's cheaper by USD 1.50 per meter at shops along Hai Ba Trung Street where i'm located now..so nx time i dont hv to go as far as Ben Thanh market. Can get same stuff at the local market at HBT even. good news..

secondly, i watched football. the only good thing abt it was Chelsea won! ive never had a team..am neither a football fan..but last saturday i just decided to vote for Chelsea..just because i dont like MU..haha..good pick though! altho the game was a bit boring...i like watching sports for the sense of belonging to a particular group, and the excitement during a match. oh how i miss watching college football with my longhorn friends...with papa john's pizzas on the table, vanilla coke, and that cinnamon sticks...good old days..

thirdly, i still cant decide where to stay!!! i'm so mad at myself for being so undecided..it's been a while since i thought about this and i STILL cant decide..oh well, i'm so confortable here maybe..but i need to decide soon!!

To golf or not to golf..

i know i know...doesn't look like a pro at all..haha. ppl here play golf during most weekends. so i'm thinking now whether i should join them. i tried it once during the HSE workshop, hmm, i think i wasn't that bad, well compared to the other ladies first-timers. i'm pretty sure the guys will be picking on me the whole time we're on the course. plus, the last time i played golf, my back hurts, my arm hurts..what else..even my wrist hurts. i must have got all the technic wrong.


the only good thing is that i get to learn thing that was never familiar to me, that has never caught my attention before..

so next would be talking to my friend who's been here longer than i do and see what else can be done around here. a she. so i'm expecting better tips from her...

this weekend Tran is taking me shopping at Saigon Square. can't wait to learn more Vietnamese and get on a motorbike ;).

A day by the beach..

Aren't they cute? these are my nephews and nieces. 5 out of 12 ;). the first picture, it was hard to know what they were looking for. anyway, we totally had a blast at Pantai Mak Nik, close to Kuala Kemaman. the kids just enjoyed being in the clear sea water (well, me too actually..haha). we built sand castles, buried our feet in sands, and just sat by the beach waiting for the cool but fierce wave to smash us in the face. miss the bunch! miss being a kid!

My next beach destination will be Nha Trang, north of HCMC. It's said to be 29th most beautiful beaches in the world. I googled the beach and for some reasons i'm not impressed with the pictures they have online. will update more on it. stay tuned!

Things I find fascinating in Bandung.

1. Shopping. Yup as most of you have heard, Bandung is a shopping heaven. Good that we were there on weekdays. the stores were far than crowded, thus there were no scenes of me grabbing a shirt from somebody else's hands..hehe. It's almost like the factory outlet in San Marcos, Texas only that the stores are smaller, by this road called Ir. H Juanda (or previously called Dago) and they are not really next to each other. you got to walk a bit to the next one. we only went in and shop at the first few outlets we walked in. Firstly because we ran out of Rupiahs, of course there's this magic plastic called ct card...but nope,..and secondly it was too risky to visit other outlets. the possibility for me to buy stuff just because they are cheap is HUGE! well, who won't buy a RM20 Nike shirt? or a RM30 cool Gap shirt. it's still cheap even after u convert it to US$. *sigh*

2. Jeans shops at Cihampelas St..wont tell much, but you can get a RM60 Burberry's jeans, boot cut, loose fit. the material is so soft that i put it on the very nx day. it's not so much abt the brand, it's the quality. i wish i had bought more. ;)

3. Ice-Cream at Cihampelas walk. I picked coned turquoise-blue colored icecream, combined with blueberry flavor...(i forgot what flavor was that blue one)...ohh so yummy. reminds me of Amy's in Austin. they are so good we ate it in the winter! at night..i still want them..help!

4. fresh milk in Lembang. at Cafe Sumur. the place was big and the menu revolves around milk and some local food. strawberry milk, mocha milk, milk + honey and eggs, etc etc etc...

5. tangkuban perahu. Subhanallah, awesome view.

6. sundanese food. yum yum. will post the food pictures later. we basically took photos of each meal we had..haha

7. the people: very determined, consistent, tak tahu malu utk mencari rezeki, and persuasive. wont go away until you buy! i find it annoying, but admirable at the same time. if they were given the same opportunity we had in malaysia..i'm sure they would be on the top. we malaysians, malays to be precise..are taking things for granted..dont you think?

8. entertainment and food in the bus! no need to stop at the grocery store to get mineral water, or bread or fruits to be munched while on the road. very convenient! and this kid sang a pop song that i could actually sing along. if u enjoy it..gotta give sm money of course ;)

9. jagung bakar pedas..sedap! in malaysia only got the buttered one..there in bandung theyve got 3 flavors: hot, sweet, and salty. innovative.

10. taman safari in Puncak. i actually enjoyed looking at the animals in the wild rather than in the zoo. they seem more healthy..hehe. white tiger was there..i enjoyed seeing the bulls, and the llama..

that's all i guess. hungry! i need food..later peeps..

Oopsie Daisie..

I have to apologize for the long silence...PMS, it was very thoughtful of you to sms me and asking if i was okay...i am :)...going back to malaysia was a blast, got to see him, some of my friends...and 2 babies: sha's and binx's... they are so cute! although i think i didnt have enough chat with my friends..especially maya...she was talking to me with her eyes closed..that's how limited the time we had..didnt get the chance to see whoda at all...i miss you gurl! i'm sure your new apartment is as cool as you! cant wait to visit and make a mess there...hehe..to husen, shawn, farhana, and kamarul, thanks for making the effort to meet up...others, hope we can hang out next time i'm in kl...

where was i? KL (2 nights)-Bandung (4)-KL(0.5) -Kemaman (2)-KL (1) then today i'm back in saigon...

let's talk abt what i intended to write b4 i left Saigon first..

Thursday April 26th was a trip to Cu Chi Tunnel: (btw, 26th was a holiday 'celebrating' the death of the first king of Vietnam)

"The Cu Chi tunnels, which were more than 250 km long and three levels deep, were important for the Viet Cong victory over the Americans as they allowed the Viet Cong to control a large rural area around Sai Gon. Today the remaining tunnels have become a major tourist attraction giving the visitor a unique experience of what underground life in the American war was like."

yup, a little bit of history..i wanted to put more pictures, but irwan took them all. wl put them in my fotopages once i got him to send me the pics. will update the bandung pics too..

a reminder to myself: update fotopages (HSE, cu chi tunnels, bandung, picnic at pantai mak nik)

Don't be too nice..

I am always known as the nice girl..but sometimes I hate being the nice one. too nice that others can take advantage on me. too nice that i hardly raise my voice. too nice that i couldn't see who's being sincere, and who's not. rule that i never learn: never trust those who talk too much when you just only know them for a short time. it's not about the amount they talk, but the things that they say; they brag too much about themselves, try too hard to make them look good..something like that. i'm not saying people who talk non-stop can't be trusted, because i'm surrounded by these talkative friends whom i can trust, and i love them..

life here is getting monotonous now. i need some spice!

That's very rude Lady!

watch out for shoplot no 804 at the Ben Thanh market, where most tourists go to shop. it's just like an indoor factory outlet for local stuff. When i was trying to bargain, this young lady who was supposed to be nice to everybody..had the guts to say, "I sell for 50, and you want to have it for 10? what dyu think??" with that horrible annoying face. i've never imagined i would see that in this friendly city.

i regret that i didnt say anything..i put the crystal ring back - which i wd hv bought if only she's a little nicer...and then walked away without even looking at her face. just because your english is above average in town doesnt mean you need to be rude. good luck selling with that kind of attitude!

My very first Au dai..

I think the spelling is wrong..anyhow, it's pronounced as 'au yai', vietnamese traditional dress as baju kurung is. bought the material the first week i got here, sent it to a tailor recommended by a friend, and yeay! i got it yesterday. the material, which is vietnamese silk was sold to me at USD5 per meter and then to my surprise, we found another shop who sold it for half of the price! i was devastated, but i learnt my lesson..

lucky it only costs about RM40 to make an au yai..not that much difference with KL's price to make baju kurung, but at least this is a professional tailor. the quality is superb. and au yai is not that the only thing they can make; suits, shirts, pants, anything under the sun, can be customized just for you. i especially love the pants. so yesterday i was happy to walk out with an au yai, 2 pants, and 2 shirts. all for VND560 000 (RM122.50). the material was cheap as well..can get all kinds of them everywhere. pants and suits would cost around RM200+, depending on the material you selected. See, I'm promoting the tailor already. I shd be given some more discounts ;)

My ex-boss was angry at me!

why? because i didn't include him in the mailing list when i emailed almost everyone in my previous team about how am I doing over here, and about this blog i just created...the news just made my day!

so yeah he was 'mad'...and he told Michelle to make sure that i know that he was mad..I miss you Jim..i'm glad to be one of those who actually can pick up your subtle jokes..like I said, you are the coolest boss ever! although when it comes to college American football, he became an Aggie monster..woop!..peace ;)

anyway, i guess it's good to step out of our comfort zone once in a while..to see life from a different angle...to develop your career..to discover the options you have out there..or all of those at the same time..i made 2 big steps by accepting this assignment..one is my career, and the other one, u all know what it is...mushy2 stuff la..haha..some of you might not understand, but it's alrite, it's too complicated u might not wanna know...

i'm sleepy..maybe we'll have part II of this talk about moving out from our comfort zone thingy...nity nite all..and sweet dreams..

tak tahu nak kate ape, so let's sing!

Lea Salonga - We Could Be In Love

[Lea Salonga]

Be still my heart

Lately its mind is on its own

It would go far and wide

Just to be near you

[Brad Kane]

Even the stars

Shine a bit bright

I've noticed

When your close to me

[Lea Salonga]

Still it remains a mystery

Anyone who's seen us

Knows what's going on between us

It doesn't take a genius

To read between the lines

[both]

and its not just wishful thinking

or only me whos dreaming

i know what these are symptoms of

we could be in love(verse 2)

[Lea Salonga]

I ask myself why

I sleep like a baby through the night

Maybe it helps to know

you'll be there tomorrow

[Brad Kane]

Dont open my eyes

(oOOooO)

I'll wake from the spell

I'm under makes me wonder how

(tell me how I could live without you now)

[both]

and what about the laughter

the happy ever after

like voices of sweet angels

are calling out our names

[Brad Kane]

all my life

i have dreamed of this

but i could not see your face

[Lea Salonga]

dont ask why

to such distant start

can fall right into place

oh it doesnt take a genius

to know what these are symptoms of..

we could be (oo oh)we could be

we could be in love

could be in....

we could be in love....

Stuff I discovered...

1. there are not much options on a place to stay that is close to the office. by close I mean 5-15 minutes of walking. i think the place where i'm staying now is good enough with USD18/day with free laundry and internet. yeah internet and cab fares are so cheap here!

2. i can find a really cheap place like USD 250/month but it's in a quite dodgy location, altho the owner claims it as a safe area. the room that we saw was quite nice, but i just dont feel good abt living there. less privacy.

3. there's a public swimming pool around the office area.

4. properties and cars are so expensive here. way more than malaysia.

5. meals at restaurants cost as much as in malaysia. probably slightly more expensive. so do electronics. but food at the lorong is so cheap. but i only found one halal lorong food so far.

6. i wish they have italk or sth similar..calling rates are so expensive. i got VND 100000 in my fon last nite, and i finished it in 10minutes talking to my mom. so it was like RM2.50 per minute.

7. pc to pc call (provided that both parties are at least with that 10Mbps connection) is free but so clear. no lagging. well maybe 1 sec. that's good enough for me.

8. pc to fon call is so not working for me yet. i can hear them, but they cant hear me. even if they do, it would be like 8 secs later. *frustrated*

9. i know what to buy my lovely nieces now - that cute cheongsam with pants. banyak sangat kat saigon tax. murah2.

10. pirated cds here are so much cheaper. vnd15000 per dvd ~ RM3.50. i bought godfather 1, 2, and 3 and 2 more. thana bought cerita 300 and all those ganas movies.

11. michelle told me abt this lavender coffee which is made of cats' poops because they apparently chose the best coffee beans..and i really need to know which one are they from the locals. i dont wanna eat no poops la..hope it's not the coffee ive had. they are so good!

12. there's a theme park, wet park, like half an hour away..will give it a try!

13. i miss him dearly...

is it the ninja turtle backpack, or is it just my lucky day???

Fifth day in Saigon, fourth day at work..1st time carrying the backpack the SLB frens gave me as a farewell gift...it's so cool seriously..so today we had the HSE workshop...it didnt start very well for me tho..i missed the bus to that Song Be Golf Resort..i was only 5 minutes late and they were all gone! 2 buses..none waited for us! luckily i was with Uya and then I saw Thang with a few more late comers...haha..i was not alone..thank God!

so Thang apparently was late on purpose...he had sm stuff to take care of, so 4 of us waited for him to come back from God-knows-where and then we called a cab. so the cab arrived at the office at 8.45 am..we hopped in, but the driver was busy..seemed like looking for something under the seat...he said something, but of course la tak paham kan....dgr mcm membebel je..then Thang told me..'flat tyre'..hmm so i was like..oookay..oh well...let's go get some food then i told Uya... i was starrrrving..

i ordered a tuna sandwich, i got an egg sandwich instead..from this halal stall at the lorong..anyhow it turned out to be such a delicious sandwich..and an iced coffee..both cost me about RM3-the cheapest meal Ive had so far..others would cost me like RM10...and the coffee...so yummy! whoda, u so need to try the coffee once u got here.....

we arrived at 10 am i think. safely. with some vietnamese language lessons in the cab..kham, mot, ba, hai (0, 1, 2, 3)...haha that's all i know now..ntah betul ntah tidak..i'm so keen to learn the language, but not from sb who seems like he was trying to hit on me...well, the thing is he's not my type..being too obvious turned me off..not-so-bad looking, but i just dont feel like i wanna be nice and flirty with him..hehe..let's be strictly professional la dude..someone already did a good job being flirty but subtle with me...and i kinda like that method better.. :)

i'm getting tired...so let's make it short...so after lunch, which was a good one i think..the chef did an excellent job..ade karipap, buttered shrimps, sotong, sm chewy pandan cake dessert..we headed for the games...the 1st one was tug-of-war...i was never interested in games that need sm level of strength bcause i know how lembik i am...but i tried it anyway...and guess what...my team won the 2nd place...yeehaw! dapat hadiah tu...tak sia2 jatuh..

there were 4 options...tarik tali, fishing, swimming, and golf..so the nx one that i picked was golf. alaa dekat driving range je...main pukul2...my first try wasnt that bad..melambung tinggi la at least..and the competition was just to see who hit the furthest. i wasnt gonna join, but then what the heck..so i signed up, made 3 hits...my best shot was 60 ft...and i'm the winner in the female category...yay! i got a box of grapefruit juice (which they call blood orange), kacang2, and raisins...sth to munch at the boring office...hmmm i miss rohas' 10 types of cookies and coffee..ade nescafe, milo and teh je kat sini :(..

well there goes my day...my department - DVM (Vietnam development) won 2nd best in HSE performance. each of us get USD10...nice isn't it? i'm loving this place so far...shopping, oh i dont wanna start that topic yet..too much to tell...im having a good time so far but sm ppl already warned me on how boring this place is...but i promise myself to have fun as much as i can..as Mark was saying (quoting his grandpa),

"There are always different ways of looking at things..So look at the bright side and enjoy every moments der.. If ade problem.. take it as a challenge.. work on it n the satisfaction of solving it is sooo great..that makes life so beautiful.."

i will live by that quote ;)

Biiiiinx, i really wanna see you and the newly born baby!...but the best i can do now is to kirim the gift through uya...tak beli lagi but i hope i can find sth nice for you and the baby :)

opps...not too short, huh ;)...ok lah, time to brush my teeth, wash my face, and go to bed!!! it's been a great day. and I miss all of you who read this...friends forever!!!