A Song You Can Live By

Sunscreen by Baz Luhrmann

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97.
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience...
I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.

But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked...

You're not as fat as you Imagine..

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind.
The kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy;
Sometimes you're ahead,
Sometimes You're behind.
The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults;
If you Succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life.
The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.
Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don't Congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body, Use it every way you can... Don't be afraid of it, or what other people Think of it,
It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own...

Dance... even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.


Brother and sister together we'll make it through
Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting, but I've been waiting to be there
For you.
And I'll be there, just tell me now, whenever I can.

Everybody's free.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings;
They are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will Philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you.
Maybe you have a trust fund, Maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen...

Brother and sister together we'll make it through
Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting, but I've been waiting to be there
For you. And I'll be there, just tell me now, whenever I can.
Everybody's free.

* The blue highlighted parts are my favourites... :)

Gastronomic Discovery..

Dear Readers..

I think I may be ketinggalan zaman for this, but I have discovered a place that gives me gastronimic pleasure. That place is.... Jeng, jeng, jeng...

This is not me being vain. Take a look at the cover of the menu... Hehehe...

My partner in crime, Kak Asmah..

Its Old Town!! This is kinda an overdue post of mine.. This was when I was still in Putrajaya.

I have always heard about this place in passing but never really gave it much thought. It was only after I saw aidathepinkgoddess.blogspot.com punya enthusiasm in promoting Old Town that I actually went and checked it out. Thanks Aidalina.. ;)

That was when I fell in love. Not only was the food delicious, the price was also reasonable. Well, at least in KL it is. Food in KL is so expensive you'd be clapping like the happiest seal in the zoo if you pay RM6++ for a square meal.. Unless of course you eat at mamak stalls. Anyway.

Chicken curry + rice, Old Town White Coffee & Honey Lemon drink

My dish.. I think its the Chicken Hor Fun...

I had ordered noodles (I unfortunately do not remember the actual name. Sorry Old Town kalau salah) and my housemate Kak Asmah ordered curry with rice, white coffee and lemon honey drink. The curry is to die for people! It's so good. The famous Old Town White Coffee is okay. I'm not an avid coffee drinker but I like it. Kak Asmah said its just 'Macam besa jak...' though.

I'm happy with my meal too. It suits my taste just right. All the price is also affordable, averaging on RM6.80 give or take a few Ringgit. To order you need to fill in kind of like a form. Reminds me of ordering Yoyo drink..

The order sheet.

Thank God ada Old Town in 1 Borneo.. Yay! Looking forward to eating at Old Town again... For those who haven't tried Old Town yet, jangan tunggu lama lama, nanti lama lama... Langgar dinding sebab kepunan. Hehehe.. You won't regret it. 

Cheers! 

Phyllicia - Domestic Goddess in Training?

Dear Readers,
Women are supposed to be accomplished house-keepers right? Little girls are trained by their mamas to do the laundry, fold the clothes, sweep and mop the floor, arrange things in their proper places, etc. I'm going to tell you outright that housework and me do not mesh well together. Before you start rolling your eyes or start blaming my mama, hear me out. I'm not making an excuse to cover up any laziness okay. I just don't think that I have the aptitude in housework.

I get sneezing attacks that lasts the whole day when I sweep, my hands become itchy and sore when it comes in contact with detergent and cleaning agents of any kind. However hard I try to arrange things they always end up looking messy anyway and when I fold the clothes it always ends up being un'unified' in size. It was especially bad when I was younger, up to the point that my mama would complain and say, "Make sure you marry a rich man so you can afford a maid". I kid you not. So I was 'excused' from doing housework most of the time. Over time my house-keeping skills did improve somewhat but not too much la.

My house-Pandangan depan

View from my veranda.

Then, I was given a whole house to myself in IPD.. I was quite horrified (Okay, make that very, very horrified) at first because there was so much to do and I had to do it alone. The first few days were a bit of a struggle. However as time goes by I find that, well ahem, I'm becoming more accomplished in doing housework.. Okay stop laughing people.. I said stop! Bukan angkat bakul sendiri ah, betul ni.. Although it's not in a so-pristine-clean-you-can-eat-right-off-the-floor state but it's in a neat state. And liveable.

So how did this change came about? Well, with no one to depend on the only person left is myself. Sure, I can let the trash overflow but I'd still be the one who has to take it out in the end and not a roommate or housemate who can't stand to see the sight of the mess. I can leave the dishes in the sink to accumulate (which I don't do okay) but I'd still have to wash them when I run out of clean mugs, lates and cutlery. In short, procrastinating is not an option.

My house also has an ant problem. It has nothing to do with my less than perfect housekeeping skills, I swear. They were already there when I first moved in. Really.. They invade my house through the nooks and crannies of the back door. I can't, simply CAN'T leave the dishes in the sink for more than 15 minutes or the trash for more than a day before I have an ant attack in my hands. Tambah lagi jadi rajin kunu, ndamau tangguh-tangguh buat kerja rumah.

To be honest, I kinda like it to a certain extend. It gives me a sense of accomplishment whenever I sweep the floor, wash the sink, take out the trash and arrange my things nicely. Or at least, I try to arrange it properly. I still fail with that task. Anyway. Who knows that this may be the start to my journey in becoming a Domestic Goddess... Right?

Okay, I can hear thunder. Even the skies are laughing at that statement..

Whatever.. Cheers!

A Trip Down Memory Lane.. Highschool Years..

Dear Readers,
Yesterday as I was waiting for my turn to use the ATM machine at BSN Tuaran, I saw these two young girls in light blue pinafore crossing the road. Both girls were pretty and my guess is that they know it too cause control cantik berabis ni. Hahaha.. Anyway, looking at them suddenly brought back memories of my years in highschool.

Teringat balik time dulu2 masih slim lagi and wearing those light blue pinafore, zaman kegemilangan sampai bila sy bilang "Teda borang" (Last time when a guy wants to be your boyfriend thay will ask if they can 'isi borang') pun the guy sampai buat dan print borang sendiri and gave it to me. Siap ada attachment lagi di belakang utk kirim balik sama ada permohonan dia tu 'sukacita' atau 'dukacita'.. That was kinda cute.. Hehe...

For the most part, I was a good girl in highschool.. I had to be because I was a school prefect. On the other hand I did get into scrapes and annoyed a few teachers. One even cried because of me and my friend's antics.. Was it our fault that she's allergic to the twirling of our pens (Twirling your pen was the IN thing to do at that time okay) and we do it anyway out of habit? Ish3x... In form 3 lagi the whole class was asked to line up on the school field (Well, if you can call it a school field) during recess hour because our class was very noisy.. Hahaha...

I also remembered my time at MRSM KK. I think that was where I had most of my bitter-sweet memories. Stress gila babas pun ada, happy pun ada.. Me and my bestfriend (Actually, with a lot of the other girls) would cuci mata tengo the guys play basketball every evening (Alamak, pecah tembelang. Hahaha...). One in particular had caught my eye at that time. Satu orang jak dia sana yang tegap.. Walaweh... Our eyes had a good 'workout' everyday.. Kahkahkah...

I'm glad that I never had it bad in highschool. I was never bullied, made fun of yang teruk2,etc. I couldn't escape from making stupid mistakes though. Some of them make me laugh and some make me cringe when I think about it now.. Hahaha... On the other hand, I know I wouldn't be who I am and be where I am today if not for those mistakes..

Ah, life was quite a bliss oh time sekolah menengah.. I didn't have to worry about much except getting good grades, wondering if the guy I like likes me too and maintaining my 'saham'. Teda lah mau worry pasal sewa rumah, the bills to pay, etc. Looking at those two young girls crossing the street, a felt a slight twinge of jelousy at their vibrancy and care-freeness. I feel kinda old ni (Chewah! Macam lah tua sangat..).

Then suddenly the woman in front of me moved away from the ATM machine. It was my turn to use it. I smiled. Lantak lah ko youthful kah, carefree kah, yang penting those years are behind me and now I'm a working young woman with more experience and knowledge in life. That smile I see on your face cause the guy you like sat next to you during recess time? Been there and done that. Excuse me while I withdraw my monthly pay.

Cheers!

Angan2... Nda Salah Kan?

Dear readers...
When I was a student a lot of the things that I had was purchased based on what I needed and not necessarily what I want or like. This is because I have budget to stick to. After having a whole house to myself (Chewah, macam la kunu sy punya permanently..Hehehe...), I began to angan2 to have a few things that I choose to buy based on what I want, what I like and not just for the sake of having it.

For example, I'm longing to have a tv. Any tv can do the job of providing me with entertainment right? The tv that I would like to have is a flatscreen tv yang HD punya.. Wah... Cheh cheh cheh... Ndapayah la besar, yang sederhana (Sederhana lagi tu, bukan lagi yang kecil.. Hahaha...) pun cukup lah. Adakah yang bulih beli guna CCM tu ah?

Kalo sudah ada tv tu musti lah mau ada Astro kan... If it were up to me lah kan, I would want to have the Metro package, Entertainment Package, Learning package, cartoon channels and Movies aside from the basic package. Slama ni kalo ada Astro pun, ada jak channel sy suka yang teda. Mcm mo get an Astro by next month la.. Hehe...

Then ada angan2 mau beli iPhone.. Kalo sy ada iPhone sy mau cover dia pink yang macam warna air bandung tu. Ndatau lagi ni mau cover yang getah atau yang plastic.. Itu kali hujung tahun lah baru sy ambil.. Wah! Hahaha...

Next is laptop... After going through 2 laptops, jerah betul sy mau lug it with me everywhere I go. Berat betul oh... So for my next lappy, I'd like to have the small one yang bulih masuk dalm handbag tu and in pink color! Hehe.. Ni lah ni kalo gila pinky color... ;p

Sy mau washing machine lagi... Teda masa lah mau cuci by hand ni... Hahaha... Pedahal malas... Kedapatan!!! ;P

Fridge also perkara wajib walaupun ada kmungkinan tidak akan selalu masak.. Hehe.. Can put in leftovers ma.. Bila tengah2 bulan yang mau kering2 sudah tu 'Money Well' baru stok fridge ngan barang basah untuk masak...

So what do you guys long to have?

Tuaran Oh Tuaran... The Update On My New Town and Workplace..

Hello Dear Readers...
I've been in Sabah for about a week now and it feels so good to be back. I reported for duty on the 17th of May 2010 at IPD Tuaran and Tuan Inspektor Roshaidi (Muda lagi jadi Inspektor sudah... I'm just saying.. Hehe..) managed to secure me a house within IPD itself for the time being.. I may be relocated to another house by next week or next month.

Okay, so previously I've been working in W.P Putrajaya at the HQ and memanglah, di sana sumanya 'santik2' belaka dan serba lengkap. We have our own desks, own PC, own storage cupboard, etc. Office pun airconditioned with carpeted floors. Stationeries are always available and anything that we need can be ordered and collected every Monday and Thursday.

My current working place is just the opposite...

We don't have our own desks, storage space or our own PCs, office guna kipas and bare tiles for floors. You don't have your own stationeries and there are not enough chairs.

But you know what dear readers? I am so much happier in my current working place. I see a so many hikmahs di sebalik everything we lack. Among them are:

1. No easy access to a PC and the Internet = More work gets done. Segan lah mau main FB cz no privacy ni.. Haha..

2. We make do with what we have. It promotes patience and creativity. Jadi jimat cermat ni. Kalo dulu, misplace stapler sudah malas mau cari, men order yang baru jak terus. Salah print kertas pun buang gitu jak.

3. Having less and sharing stationeries makes us less selfish. You won't hear cries of "Hey, that's my pen you're using!". I also notice that I'm more carefull when using the stationeries because its not mine alone.

4. Nobody 'passes the ball' where work is concerned because we do EVERYTHING. You see, in the HQ there's so much to be done that our tasks become very specific. Ask someone randomly about something outside of what they do and most probably they won't know about it cz they only know their scope of tasks.

5. The relationship between officer and subordinates are close and the difference in 'standard' is hard to see. My jaw almost dropped to the floor when I saw my CC roll up his sleeves and swept the office floor. He's 52 okay. Kiamat kali before CC di HQ mau p ambil vacum cleaner and vacum the office floor.. Hahaha...

6. The people I deal with are mostly village-folk. They are so polite and ready with a smile.. Sejuk hati sy berurusan sama diorang. They NEVER forget to greet us and say 'thank you' tau...

I'm not going to be an ungrateful brat and say that HQ tidak bagus.. I had my first govenment job experience and learned what I know from there afterall. I'm just saying that working dalam Daerah is not as bad as it had been said to be if you but open your heart to the experience. Tipu lah kalo tidak wish the office was bigger and there are more facilities but I wish it not for myself but for everyone at my current office. Everyone deserves a better working space mah.

My section has not been finalized yet. I'll be either at the General Office or the Traffic counter. Kalo dapat di Traffic counter terpaksa lah mau berdepan dengan orang yang marah2 mau bayar saman trafik.. Huhu...

Moving on from my office to the town I'm staying, Tuaran. Alright, I'll be the first one to admit that I didn't request for Tuaran when I applied for transfer. JPA yang bagi sy di sana. I applied for KK but unfortunately it was all full. I had worried a bit because hey, I like going to the movies and I like to shop. Then I thought to myself 'Buat apa juga mau minta puji, dulu lahir dan membesar pun di pedalaman, bukannya ada shopping complex atau panggung. Nda juga mampus.' Hahaha... So I accepted the offer anyway and when I got to Tuaran..

Haaaaaaaa...... (High-pitched angels singing voice and scenery shining)

I fell in love...

Sure, it's a small town and has more kedai runcit than all the fingers on both my hands but its quaint and peaceful... The people are friendly and not snotty at all.. They're polite too... I can't get over that you know. In KL everyone is so focused in their own world that they barely look left and right at others. Kaki men pijak jak, langgar jak without saying sorry.

Two days ago I was on my way back from Tuaran town with a few things I bought for the house. I passed a pair of schoolgirls and we accidentally bumped to each other. I expected her to hiss angrily or complain loudly to her friend like the kids in KL would do. Instead she quickly turned around to me and said "Sorry". I was so surprised I almost walked into a ditch. Hahaha...

So dear readers, that's all the update I can give for now about my new workplace and town. I hope the happy feeling that I'm experiencing at the moment will not change much in the future. I know, I might bitch about the lack of facilities a few weeks down the road or something kan if it interferes with my work. I way also face difficult colleagues and such as well. Nothing is perfect afterall.. For now, yours trully will just enjoy the ride and the peacefulness that comes with it. Cheers!

I Need HELP! Packing Suggestions Wanted..

Dear Readers...
If you're one of my friends on Facebook, you'd know by now that I have managed to get transferred back to Sabah. I'm very, very happy that I have finally got what I've wished for although now I'm in a bit of a pickle.

I don't know how on Earth am I going to pack all my stuff. I've accumulated so many clothes, accessories, shoes, lotions and potions during the 10 months I've been here. OMG! No wonder tidak digalakkan membeli belah sakan (in other words, BOROS), rupanya bukan saja mem'bankrap'kan tapi juga memyusahkan bila mau pindah.. Good thing I didn't buy any furniture except for my multi-purpose rack and my Worn-Thin-At-The-Butt matress.

It's the little things that are driving me crazy. Sudahlah fragile, mau bawa pun susah, kasi tinggal sayang pula. On top of all the things that I have here, I also have stuff left at my sister's house and at the office. One of my trusty luggage (the pink one) pula zip sudah patah dan tidak boleh diselamatkan so I only have one luggage left (Thank God it's the expandable one!)... Kalau overweight sy punya barang2 ni matai la mau membayar.. Hm.. Have to ask my superiors if they still tanggung the cost if that happens...

I was thinking of giving my lotions (Notice that it's plural?), hair mask, body scrub, and some of my makeup away to friends, kalau tidak pun put at my sister's house in Damansara but my housemate said, "Bawa jak, sayang bah tu.." I could give it away but quite sayang cz some of them are unopened and some only used a little bit. Mau jual, belum tentu diorang mau beli. Kalo simpan at my sister's place, nobody will be using it which is a waste.. Haiya..

My makeup. Have more at the office and in my handbag. I know, I know.. It's an incurable affliction of mine. Haha..

Kemarin sy cuba la kunu ni prioritize my makeup mana satu mau bagi kawan, mana yang mau kasi tinggal dan mana yang mau bawa. My MAC, Bobbi Brown and Benefit are of course coming with me without a doubt. I thought that I wouldn't have any probs in making my decision since I don't really use some of my makeup items often. Sekali sy try guna makeup2 yang jarang diguna tu, I discovered so many ways of using it and making it better. Needles to say I ended up not being able to part with any of it. Adoi...

My magazines..

 

My books..

I will have to leave my Female, Cleo and Seventeen (Yes, I still read Seventeen magazine eventhough I'm 24 years old, so there!) magazines at the office. I adore them and I can't bear to part with them but I know without a doubt that I can't bring them with me. It's just too heavy. The books and novels that I've bought would have to go to my sister's place. Sorry kak Alia for taking up your space. Will belanja you makan at Waroeng Penyet next weekend. Hehehe...

Then there are my shoes and acessories to think about... Oh, tidak.... They're my babies and I love them but where to pack them into? Terpaksa lah sy membodek budak IT nanti minta kotak. Atau minta dari tu Bangla yang ada kedai runcit di bawah perumahan sy (Who by the way has an iPhone... I'm just saying..).

Macam satu rumah punya kasut tapi suma sy punya. Ada 3 pasang lagi tidak masuk dalam ni gambar (Shame-faced... Huhu...)

Normally I keep the necklaces, earrings and bracelets separate but for the sake of packing I had to dump 'em all in the same box... And it's full... Huston, we have a problem...

Sy betul2 taubat oh dari beli barang lagi... Well, at least for the time being.. Hahahaha... So dear readers if you are have any suggestions in how I should pack or how to lighten my load of stuff (A mantra to get rid of emotional attachment to things perhaps?), feel free to leave a comment below. Toodles...