A few days ago, I celebrated my first ever birthday away from home. I didn't know what to expect..the day seemed like any other day anyway. I guess I just feel a bit older :) As the day passed by, I was surprised by the number of Kiwis and other non-Msian friends who knew of my birthday. Then again, of course.FACEBOOK. Some of 'em were pretty eager to know how old I was, and boy were most of them shocked to learn that I was 21! They assumed I was younger than them, and they were like 18,19 or 20. (oh, there are of course a few geniuses who were as young as 16!) It was kinda cute how they made such a big fuss over it - how turning 21 (the supposed legal age) officially transforms you into an adult. I could now (according to them) enter casinos and gamble! I should throw a humongous party (which they suspect is the reason behind me not going to med wine & cheese that night, I prolly have some private posh party planned) and should claim big, xtravaganza prezzies!
Funny when I thought about it, all I had planned was cooking my mum's signature dish - mee mushroom - for my flatmates..and I was gonna spend a quiet night with them, watching American Idol on tv,etc What else do you do on a Friday night. I was gonna 'jam' a bit before that..and Sarah's gonna spend the night at our house. Just simple and nice.
Becoming 21 to some is a huge deal...that's when you try something totally out of this world, something that you'd prolly never do..like get a pierce, a tattoo or jump off a cliff. Just like sweet 16. But personally for me though, I was scared as hell to turn 21. Coz it meant more than all that combined. It meant I've actually lived, breathed for 2 whole decades. And it made me wonder...where has all those years gone? What have I accomplished? Did I let all that time go to waste? or did I optimize everything I had?
The big two.one. Also means I'm no kid anymore. I'm on the verge of adulthood. More responsibilities. About maturity. No more childishness or carelessness. Although of course, I'd never let that inner kid that exists in all of us die; there still is a place and time for everything though. In a few years I'll be a doctor insyaAllah..and a few more, prolly someone's wife and mum. :) A long way to go...but hey. It's not as long as we may think it is. I'm done with 20 years. What's another 10?
Some people are against the celebration of birthdays...some may not be, but are not brought up with such traditions in their families. So their responses may vary...some may not like it at all, whilst some feel touched and happy at being the special one for the day. All we can do is respect their stands. Never force someone to like something, and don't have high expectations for them - you might just end up getting hurt. And I know this from 1st hand experience ;) Coming back to my point...even if some people feel there is no need to celebrate one's birthday..to follow those cultures of the West (especially the wild ones) ...there is definitely that one person who deserves to be celebrated and honoured - and she's none other than Mum.
A senior told me this during my surprise party and they're the words of a Muslim brother/scholar..can't really remember the name. But the meaning is deep.
"Who are you to celebrate your birthday when it is really the person whose womb bore you who should be celebrated."
And no one can argue with the truth. So let us call our mothers on our birthdays, thanking them for bringing you out into the world. For if it were not for them (and God's will of course) we would never have existed in this life at all. Surprise THEM for a change. and Mama, I know you won't be reading this...but I want the whole world to know that I am ever grateful for being your child. And I know my 20 years of life wasn't thrown away at all...because I have you as my mother. You as my guide. You as everything anyone can ever be to me. You bring meaning to my world. THANK YOU. - my very late Mother's Day dedication. Although I feel it should never just be a day. It's every day.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Overrated?
Trends come and go. There's always a season for something new..and that also applies to the Muslimah World. Hey, who ever said we were old-fashioned?These days there are so many types of headscarves to choose from..I remember my taste evolving..from simple cotton (my first days of headscarves) to the high quality bawal (yup, HIGH quality to the extent that I never did iron mine much ;p) Now there's a whole new scene..and there's just so many versions of it - As-Syura, Ariani and whatnot..all probably more famously known by the person who models them - hence scarves which are dubbed 'tudung Ekin' or 'tudung Binda', so on and so forth. The more modern, elegant-looking ones.
Despite all the fuss, in the end it all comes back to one - Munawwarah. This is the shop where it all began. The ladies in my family have been loyal to this brand since long ago. I had wanted to follow suit but since I was still in high school (boarding school to be exact) I figured I wouldn't have the time to wear such things. College came but I didn't think it was the place to be all fancy schmancy. So now that I'm in my tertiary years, overseas..I thought, when else.;)
During my summer holidays I came back to Malaysia and started wearing those 'lilit2' kinds apart from a few hand-me-down Munawwarah special scarves on a daily basis. Usually, I'd wear those types only during certain formal occasions. A guy made a comment about it and his words sounded something like this : "Ai.Tukar style tudung nampak. Tiru Ekin eyh?" Honestly, I had no idea who Ekin was at that point of time. I learnt quickly though. After tuning in Astro Ria. "Owhhh..tunang Mawi rupenye." For some reason I felt insulted :p Hello?I've been wearing this style even before the girl started even wearing one. A quick comment on the whole Mawi & Ekin fiasco - it's just all TOO MUCH. Come on la..they're being totally overly exploited. With the shows and the books and God knows what - it's too overpublicized! Bak kata my mum and sis - makin lama makin nyampahlak tengok.Balik2 muka diorang. Dah tak sweet dah. Moral of the story - never try to be all Hollywood Glitz & Glamour. Stick to our roots - cara orang Timur.
So anyways, back to my point. =p I went places and noticed there were just so many scarves just like the ones that were in Munawwarah sold here and there. And of course, prices were always the issue. I think the salespeople have some nerve to compare theirs to Munawwarah. Of course theirs is cheaper - the quality says it all. Then there are the people who feel Munawwarah is just overrated. They charge too much when the costs are just not that high. A friend even recommended another shop which sells cheaper stuff.
After much observation and even a chat with Munawwarah store owner (they go a long way back with my family, us being one of the first few clients for Umrah/Haji in the early 90s) I've arrived to a simple conclusion - it's NOT overrated. Reason number one : QUALITY. You can easily spot the differences btwn scarves sold in the pasar or any small area and the ones in Munawwarah. After wash and daily use, Munawwarah's are still brand new. The fabric's soft, it's easy to wear and style and the colours don't fade. The slightly higher price is definitely worth it. It's convenient. Personally, I think the price is reasonable seeing that everything's hand sewn. If it's produced in bulk then only a lower price is possible but in the end..it's the quality that matters.
So one day on an outing with friends, I learnt they were taken by my scarve. And funny they'd never heard of it before. I guess Munawwarah is not that common amongst students as it may be a little too steep for our pockets, the loyal customers are after all middle-aged women to the more elderly. I started recommending and promoting to these curious friends of mine, and I even started looking at the blog. I have heard before that people totally crowd the shop and I thought they were exaggerating. They kid me not. I saw the pictures. Of long queus just to get in the shop. And guess what. It happens EVERYDAY. People actually wait for the shop to open at 9.30am. I found out that there's always new stock, of 200-300 scarves every single day which comes in the morning but even by noon, they could be all gone. On Saturdays they even reload twice and even that's finished. It's selling like hot cakes!
Yana my friend just came back from Indon a few days ago and like I promised before, we'd go to Munawwarah to shop for the first time for our own first scarves. I looked at their blog to see for any updates and I couldn't help but read the latest entry. It seemed that last Friday, a police car stopped in front of the shop as there was a large group of women gathering outside. The policeman asked the crowd if there was any problem. A lady replied, the problem is...the shop was not open yet. And everyone including the policeman laughed. So the moral of the story is, to check the opening hours before deciding to come. =p Luckily, I just did. Today, Friday, the shop's only open from 11.00am onwards. So 5 minutes to Yana and I were already searching for a parking space. She was asking me where exactly is the shop until we saw people 'berkerumun' iin front of this store. Not hard to find ;)
Once the doors were open...whoosh! Berebut-rebut smorang masuk.hee Yana and I found it cute since the women in front of us were totally older than us. They certainly were ready and full of energy for this one. In the end Yana and I spent 1 hour in the shop, learning the names of the scarves, trying them on. The good thing about the shop is that it's women only. So they practice an open-fitting concept for everyone's convenience. I taught Yana a few styles of wearing the scarve (if not she would've had to join the group looking at the video :p) People in the past have complained of customer service but I think they're doing their best. There may not be that many staff but there's just too many people to attend to.It was helpful though, that the lady at the cashier explained which scarves needed special attention in terms of care so that we don't spoil them. I couldn't stay in the shop any longer coz I'd get attracted to something else..there's just a lot of nice choices to select from.
At the end of the day, I've never been happier to part with my RM200 for 3 nice scarves :D So for those out there who've never tried it - you don't know what you're missing ;)
Sister's permanent style
For casual wear
My sis-in-law's also a loyal customer ;)
Also suits formal/semi-formal occasions...
It has even reached Shah Alam.hee
Feeling all comfortable and lovely
(^,~)
Monday, February 2, 2009
F.U.C.K.
So..how many of u know what that stands for? ;)
Not a word I normally use (hmmm..have I?=p) but this one here, really is just an acronym. Some may recall the sms being forwarded back and forth.Where F.U.C.K. really just means Friends U Can Keep. And I'm just interested in the meaning, in this post.
Friends.Gotta have 'em,some can't live w/o them and for others,well.. they're family.I'd say I'm very fortunate for having many,many friends. Though there are of course those special ones that you keep close, having many friends really teach you a lot of things. In my case for example, of just the many different groups of people that walk the Earth. And I'm only talking Malaysia here ;)
I'm only 20 and I already have 3 groups of friends that I'm stuck with forever - my choice of glue of course.hiks
The oldest group - my dearest TTDI childhood chums.We go all the way back huh? It's been 14 years of friendship..and still counting. I was looking through some old stuff the other day and stumbled upon my diary (back when I actually did write them)and boy was that a blast from the past. From the catfights and non-stop bickering amongst boys and girls, the incident where the teacher suddenly snaps or merajoks, the Sakai Kids, the crushes and admirers, the loveletters and slambook(is that what it's called?:p), the sleepovers and Furbies.And oh so much more. Those were the days. All the while, Backstreet Boys & Britney were the soundtrack.hee Gone are the days of chalks and surat cinte, of pranks and hours of phone calls, of padang time. But I'm glad our friendship stayed. And I look forward to more reunions at OU,Curve or wherever that smells like home.Coz it's our turf. Where we grew up together. I'll always miss you guys,and yea, I know u prolly miss my open houses more.hiks. AND mymum's chocolate cake and laksa johor =p Next time, I'll make 'em for y'all aite?
The next group of friends came around in KUSESS. Where a whole new life existed for me.I remember the many episodes of drama that was always going on. Boycotts.Dodging pakguards when you're playing hooky.hmmm :p.Getting caught'dating'.Trips to pasar malam.Halaqah makan2.Borak2 on friends' beds.Luahan hati in storerooms or stairs (whatever corner we can find).Kantoi.Rebut2 nasi lemak on weekends.Gerai.Kene mare ngan cikgu.and Macam2 lagi.From all that, a special clique emerged - my beloved Rukun 13 mates. Well, there are 13 of us, and the name just came up out of a history lesson. Sth we never thought would stick til today. But it did, and for the better. These were the friends who've gone through a lot of tough times...but with the bad, comes also the good.And the sweet memories are everlasting. I know we're all scattered all over the world, but I know that won't stop us from uniting once in awhile for more good memories.
Then came college. Two years in MCB for some reason seemed a lot longer coz the people you meet there,well, some of them...it felt like I've known them forever.We click. And I guess it's coz we're in it together. We've survived IB.And that's special on its own.These are precious times...when we're learning to deal with life, be it of making sacrifices in love, choosing the right paths, living with the decisions we've made. Every step of the way which matures us and nurtures us to be an adult, preparing us for tertiary education and the life after.And they say it's not about the years spent with someone but the meaning behind all that time spent.I'd say it was all worthwhile.A part of me wouldn't have made it w/o my rockin' classmates, ladies & gentlemen of MO6E, my ever-so-genius and kind roomate and of course, Yogies.
To those who don't belong to any specific group it doesn't mean I care less about you. Those I met randomly during debates, the one-too-many competitions, the interviews or educamps, even the ones who were in my previous lives but unmentioned..you are not forgotten. Thank you for adding colours to my world.
Like I said before, I'm only twenty. And there's a whole new chapter ahead of me. I'd love to meet my 4th,5th maybe 6th group..who knows. One thing they all share in common, they're F.U.C.K. And I love them. =)
TTDI : buddies for life :)
KUSESS : RUKUN 13 and 5years of friendship
Not a word I normally use (hmmm..have I?=p) but this one here, really is just an acronym. Some may recall the sms being forwarded back and forth.Where F.U.C.K. really just means Friends U Can Keep. And I'm just interested in the meaning, in this post.
Friends.Gotta have 'em,some can't live w/o them and for others,well.. they're family.I'd say I'm very fortunate for having many,many friends. Though there are of course those special ones that you keep close, having many friends really teach you a lot of things. In my case for example, of just the many different groups of people that walk the Earth. And I'm only talking Malaysia here ;)
I'm only 20 and I already have 3 groups of friends that I'm stuck with forever - my choice of glue of course.hiks
The oldest group - my dearest TTDI childhood chums.We go all the way back huh? It's been 14 years of friendship..and still counting. I was looking through some old stuff the other day and stumbled upon my diary (back when I actually did write them)and boy was that a blast from the past. From the catfights and non-stop bickering amongst boys and girls, the incident where the teacher suddenly snaps or merajoks, the Sakai Kids, the crushes and admirers, the loveletters and slambook(is that what it's called?:p), the sleepovers and Furbies.And oh so much more. Those were the days. All the while, Backstreet Boys & Britney were the soundtrack.hee Gone are the days of chalks and surat cinte, of pranks and hours of phone calls, of padang time. But I'm glad our friendship stayed. And I look forward to more reunions at OU,Curve or wherever that smells like home.Coz it's our turf. Where we grew up together. I'll always miss you guys,and yea, I know u prolly miss my open houses more.hiks. AND mymum's chocolate cake and laksa johor =p Next time, I'll make 'em for y'all aite?
The next group of friends came around in KUSESS. Where a whole new life existed for me.I remember the many episodes of drama that was always going on. Boycotts.Dodging pakguards when you're playing hooky.hmmm :p.Getting caught'dating'.Trips to pasar malam.Halaqah makan2.Borak2 on friends' beds.Luahan hati in storerooms or stairs (whatever corner we can find).Kantoi.Rebut2 nasi lemak on weekends.Gerai.Kene mare ngan cikgu.and Macam2 lagi.From all that, a special clique emerged - my beloved Rukun 13 mates. Well, there are 13 of us, and the name just came up out of a history lesson. Sth we never thought would stick til today. But it did, and for the better. These were the friends who've gone through a lot of tough times...but with the bad, comes also the good.And the sweet memories are everlasting. I know we're all scattered all over the world, but I know that won't stop us from uniting once in awhile for more good memories.
Then came college. Two years in MCB for some reason seemed a lot longer coz the people you meet there,well, some of them...it felt like I've known them forever.We click. And I guess it's coz we're in it together. We've survived IB.And that's special on its own.These are precious times...when we're learning to deal with life, be it of making sacrifices in love, choosing the right paths, living with the decisions we've made. Every step of the way which matures us and nurtures us to be an adult, preparing us for tertiary education and the life after.And they say it's not about the years spent with someone but the meaning behind all that time spent.I'd say it was all worthwhile.A part of me wouldn't have made it w/o my rockin' classmates, ladies & gentlemen of MO6E, my ever-so-genius and kind roomate and of course, Yogies.
To those who don't belong to any specific group it doesn't mean I care less about you. Those I met randomly during debates, the one-too-many competitions, the interviews or educamps, even the ones who were in my previous lives but unmentioned..you are not forgotten. Thank you for adding colours to my world.
Like I said before, I'm only twenty. And there's a whole new chapter ahead of me. I'd love to meet my 4th,5th maybe 6th group..who knows. One thing they all share in common, they're F.U.C.K. And I love them. =)
TTDI : buddies for life :)
MCB : Beloved Yogies & M06E
KUSESS : RUKUN 13 and 5years of friendship
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Toys r us
My current bedroom at home used to be the toyroom. Growing up, my siblings and I had TONNES of toys. And I'm not even exaggerating. My bros had everything, from Transformers, Star Wars & Thundercats figures to Ghostbusters, racing cars and Conan. Others, I just have no idea what they're called ;p My sister loved Warner bros' characters, she also collected the hot cartoons of her time - JEM and My Little Pony. I had bears after bears after BEARS! She and I later shared a passion though : Barbie. She had so many dolls, I should think up to 30 perhaps. I on the other hand, had a fetish over Barbie accessories - the clothes and houses, the luxury and such. Friends who've gone into my toyroom so far have all made the same expression. They all gawked. Everything's just so PINK. Yup, I had my own Barbieland in that small lil room upstairs.
So when I got older, I didn't want to be sharing a room with sis anymore. I cleared the toyroom , donated what was in excess and wala! My personal bedroom. All the Barbieness was kept safely in boxes under my bed.
Few days ago I found myself looking around my room. What a change. Now it's full of clothes. Lots and lots of 'em. ;) Mum was persistent on not wasting anything, so I rummaged my wardrobe and set aside a huge bundle for charity. As I was doing that, my eye caught the stuff underneath the bed. And I've been pulling them out, getting the dust off and arranging them neatly. I was thinking of giving them away, maybe to a children's hospital or an orphanage. After I got everything assembled though, it felt really difficult to let go. These were the sweet childhood memories...plus they're all still in good shape..I asked my mum about it. When she looked at them, she told me to keep them. (yay!) Who knows when she finally has grand daughters they'd like to go to Mamatok's house to play with Barbie ;D
Just recently I told my bro to go through this stack of magazines I found, some were collectors' comics - to determine which ones he wanted so that we could recycle the rest. And out of the corner of my eye I saw him snickering to himself as he flipped them through. Afterwards he took all the magazines to his room! Guess I'm not the only one unwilling to part with precious memories =p
Before I store them once again for the unknown future, I can't help but take some pics. Here's a glimpse of my very girly2 childhood days :
JEM
To the ball with Barbies ;)
ps. Everyone's brought up differently, while good values in my opinion should matter, I don't see why toys should create such a fuss. In other words, non-Barbie fans - bite your tongue ;)
So when I got older, I didn't want to be sharing a room with sis anymore. I cleared the toyroom , donated what was in excess and wala! My personal bedroom. All the Barbieness was kept safely in boxes under my bed.
Few days ago I found myself looking around my room. What a change. Now it's full of clothes. Lots and lots of 'em. ;) Mum was persistent on not wasting anything, so I rummaged my wardrobe and set aside a huge bundle for charity. As I was doing that, my eye caught the stuff underneath the bed. And I've been pulling them out, getting the dust off and arranging them neatly. I was thinking of giving them away, maybe to a children's hospital or an orphanage. After I got everything assembled though, it felt really difficult to let go. These were the sweet childhood memories...plus they're all still in good shape..I asked my mum about it. When she looked at them, she told me to keep them. (yay!) Who knows when she finally has grand daughters they'd like to go to Mamatok's house to play with Barbie ;D
Just recently I told my bro to go through this stack of magazines I found, some were collectors' comics - to determine which ones he wanted so that we could recycle the rest. And out of the corner of my eye I saw him snickering to himself as he flipped them through. Afterwards he took all the magazines to his room! Guess I'm not the only one unwilling to part with precious memories =p
Before I store them once again for the unknown future, I can't help but take some pics. Here's a glimpse of my very girly2 childhood days :
JEM
To the ball with Barbies ;)
Why we hate mannikins,dummies and dolls - they look too good to be true =p
Dolls have better clothes than we do =s
Barbie's lil sis, Kelly & her bestie, Melody
Dolls have better clothes than we do =s
Barbie's lil sis, Kelly & her bestie, Melody
Sunday, January 25, 2009
It's NOT cartoon ok.
10 years old. That was the age I first got hooked on Anime - all thanks to mega tv's axn. I watched them all : Burn Up Excess, Gestalt, Gatekeeper, Dual - Parallel World, GS Mikami, Curious Play, DragonballZ, 3x3 Eyes, Akazukin Cha Cha, Flame of Recca, Ranma 1/2, Grander Musashi, Ninja Robots, Oh My Goddess!, Ayashi no Ceres, El-Hazard, Gensomaden Saiyuki, Cyberteam of Akihabara, Yu Yu Hakusho, Sailormoon...I'm a MAJOR fan of 3 though : Samurai X/Rurouni Kenshin, You're Under Arrest & Slamdunk. The old school anime I guess...but till today I still watch the reruns and true to the fan status - I never get bored of them. And it's already been 10 years.
Now that there's Animax on Astro, there's a whole lot of Animes...and a different, more modern perhaps, variety. I was introduced to Hell Girl, R.O.D the TV, Colourcloud Palace, Paradise Kiss, Cardcaptor Sakura, Midori Days, Please Teacher!, Rave Master,and the list goes on and on..impossible to mention all at once. I personally think both old and new have their own touch, and they're a pleasure to watch.
When you're totally absorbed by Anime, you'd most likely to get offended with those who simply refer to Anime as mere 'cartoons'. Coz obviously, they're not. Cartoons, are those animated stories which generally amke you laugh. They're silly, they're funny, and sometimes they entertain. Anime brings all that to a higher level. They depict real life, or fantasy. They portray real emotions and hey. I have laughed AND cried watching Anime. They just give you an overall good feeling, which won't happen for those who don't get it.
Sometimes the love stories are better than the real life acted ones...seriously. And the jokes - classic. Most of the Anime are adaptations of Manga, but I feel some are better left as Manga. It just doesn't work on screen. But I just hate those people who spoil it all - when they try to Westernize the Japanese originales. The day they decided to let a white guy play Goku - they've practically ruined the whole essence of Anime. Big time.
I suppose I'm not as hardcore as those who attend cosplays, dress up as their favourite Manga/Anime character and join Anime Clubs. (altho my eldest bro is a member - a lil pastime we share together *winks*)But I still treasure Anime. It's cool. And it matters that I think so. Those who can't seem to understand though, just have to deal with it. =D
ps. Please2 don't complain when I watch Animax. It's all I watch and look forward to - just happen to be on when you get off work. You can try taking it to Astro customer service ;p
Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X
Cyberteam of Akihabara
Curious Play
Colourcloud Palace
Sailormoon
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