Closing June, welcoming July

I just got back from Perlis, with my parents. Sent Ozal my little brother to UiTM Arau. This is his first time being far from home. Just like what my sisters and I experienced when we stepped into the university. The only difference is that, I am the eldest, and he is the youngest. And I don't expect him to be as tough. He will always be our baby, though he's 17 going on 18..


(Ozal, please don't merengek kat sana ok!)

The queue towards UiTM Arau gate was as long as the traffic jam queue during peak hour on the Federal Highway. With a few impatient drivers trying to overtake and squeeze their vehicles in between cars which were already bumper-to-bumper, our patience was really tried. If I were driving a 4WD, you could predict what I would have done to those cars, huhu.

About 10 meters away from the main gate, we saw the signboards being put up by the security personnel: Right lane for male students, left lane for female students. For the second time (first time was during Ain's time in UIA), boys were again being outnumbered by the girls (in UTP, it wasn't like that). As a result, driving to the male hostel was smoother than driving to the female hostel, haha.

After helping him unpack and all, we headed back to KL, and arrived home in about 5 hours. Upon writing this, I already missed him. I hope he will be strong there.

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The news on Michael Jackson's departure held my breath. It is the same feeling like I had when Lady Diana died. A total disbelief. And I knew that it is a big loss to not only the entertainment world; he was an icon encompassing his music. The world is not ready to lose him. Though I am not that big of a fan, I feel his loss. It hurts inside.

I then begin to think, whose departure after this would leave such a big impact alike to MJ's? Sir Elton John? Sir Paul McCartney? Mariah Carey? Nelson Mandela? I'm not that sure..

Whatever it is, Michael Jackson is forever irreplaceable. May he rests in peace.. and if it's really in Islam, alhamdulillah..

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June has been a fun month for me. I got to fulfill my dreams to give a talk when my alma mater invited me as one of the speakers for their students induction week, went for technical seminars and vendor presentations (which I have not been able to do for the past few months), secured myself a good deal for my big day during the wedding fair at Ampang Point, went for my offshore safety training (and being in water now is no more a nightmare, yay~!) and boy, was it a fun experience, and with my good friends Caah, Shafaf, Yatt, Alice, Diyana and Nazrol by my side, it was even more exciting :) I wish that I'll be assigned for offshore RTS work this year.. even if it's not under my group's KPI..

July is coming.. and I foresee my absence from KL, which means, yay! (Oh well, a little urrgh for not being able to have breakfast talks with Caah, Yatt and Shafaf..)

Danger: Emotional Alert! Haha.

I have always wanted to know where my readers come from. And because of the advancement in real time online tracking, I am able to track where my readers come from. Yes, it is nice to know that my blog is being visited, even by people whom I don't know. I sometimes wonder, which friend is it that I have in Brighton (well, cousin Alisa used to study there.. but that was like 2 years before), Singapore (Tan Su Yi kah?), Saudi (let me guess, Zaim?) and Japan (I suppose it's Fiqah). I just wanna say thanks for spending the time browsing though my posts :).

How do I know some of my readers? Well, some are constant commentors (like En. Dayat!), some friends (who are usually bloggers too) told me that they came across my blog and expressed their views about my posts, and some friends gave some hints that they have read this blog by giving me some hints, e.g. you love fried chicken, don't you? And I will wonder like, err.. when did I give that information away verbally..? Hmm.. The pulling down part is that, when I know my readers, I tend to restrict whatever I am writing so as not to write things that may be discomforting to them. As a result: depressed blogger! haha. Less of self expression.

For almost two years, I no longer engage in diary-writing (except during new year's eve), cuz when I read back my diary posts, it all seemed to be quite emotional (it's easier expressing my emotions on paper, than with people, nanti kena label as drama queen. Tak macho la kan..), and I don't prefer that sort of feeling. And I have thrown lotsa them into the dustbin. In short, waste of my time. So no, I avoid going near to fancy diaries when I step into Kino or MPH.

Speaking about being emotional, lately I sense the huge impact of emotions on me. You know, I guess the "9 nafsu 1 akal" thingy is taking over me. Nafsu, in my understanding after reading a few opinions (mentioned by Saifulislam and demipena in their websites) does not really link to lust or desire or whatever synonyms that it has, but more to the emotion matters. I asked a few of my close girlfriends before, do they feel that, and they said it's affirmative. It's not that I'm trying to deny the womanish development inside me, but it does feel awkward (and tak best jugak!). Why? Because I adore those whom are more logical than emotional. Maybe it's the ego thingy, or maybe the adapting process is slow. And because my emotional side is developing, I pity my fiance who has to get used to the emotional turbulence I had recently. Believe me, I am adapting as well! It's rather weird you know.

Perhaps I should finish reading that Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus (sebenarnya malas nak habiskan.. tapi Robert Kiyosaki said those who don't wanna learn more are ignorant people. No, Sharifah is not ignorant!) to better understand women (as well as men). It should help me in dealing with my loved ones, and friends and colleagues.

I've got a wedding tomorrow to attend in Putrajaya (congrats Syikin and Amri!) and after that, I'll head to Jalan TAR, kikiki.. mencari kain! And Monday to Wednesday, BOSET with Yatt, Caah, Nazrol and Shafaf! May we survive.. (cey, the scaredy-cat me!)

Early June rantings

I mentioned in one of the previous posts that I would love to have some kinda reunions with my fellas. Guess what, after that wish was written down, I continuously bumped into my Raja Muda (Arshad, Khairul Amir & Ziadora), Alam Megah (The Cronies - you know who you are) and UTP friends. Boy it felt sentimental to revisit the memory lane again. Thank you God for granting my wish..

I suppose June is a bit more relaxed than the previous months. The boon about it: I am able to attend weddings, haha! But of course, I can only go for one wedding a week.. why? Penat! Seriously the commuting (plus the bad weather and the traffic jams!) are taking their tolls on me; where usually weekends are the times to relax and unwind, are now the times to get me wound up on the roads. Well, not that I don't enjoy driving, but you know, trapped among not-so-nice drivers (though just a few) can actually drive me up the wall! Huhu.. and the result is Weary Mondays -_-.

(aah..~ I can't concentrate writing.. these songs are distracting me..)

I'm actually in the midst of finishing reading Robert Kiyosaki's Rich Dad Poor Dad (which I should have bought like 2-3 years ago). One thing that I like about the book is that, it encourages the readers to continuously think and seek ways to better up financial knowledge, and not just stamping on the head the dollar sign only. The keyword is "continuously think", in which I think, is something not all of us do constantly (except En. Dayat and my fiance, speaking of those whom I know of), and also, it somehow agrees with CIMB's tagline "winning is about thinking one step ahead" (I love this tagline). I should be completing the book by next weekend (my pace is too slow.. darn) and I should start reading another book after that.

Oh yeah, let's see.. schedule in June: wedding fair at Ampang Point (why must it be Ampang.. why not Alam Sentral..), offshore safety training, sending Ozal to Arau. Can't wait to go for all those!

Oh yes, I would like to wish my dad Happy Father's Day! No one can beat your patience of waiting, and I am learning it from you (well, not that he bothers to read my blog pun.. haha) Neways, we all love you Abah!

P.S: To Nawar, happy welcoming your baby soon! I pray for both mother and baby to be safe and healthy (Muspa, if you read this, please convey this to her okay, hehe =) )

Kasih berubah..~

Cinta zaman sekolah. Hyundai Coupe. Perfect for ladies.
(The new 2009 Coupe is out! Do check it out. Wicked!)

Peugeot 407.. Cinta zaman universiti.
Perfect front and rear appearance, perfect interior, perfect cruising.
Personal opinion: A perfect package.
(Tak reti nak komen panjang2 macam Jeremy Clarkson..)

Cinta terbaru! Alfa Romeo 159.. terlalu handsome!
Kalah Justin Timberlake.
Bila la boleh beli..
Perlu test drive macam ni!

Mehndi? What's that? Shaadi karogi!

Beginning this weekend, I am gonna go for a series of weddings every end of the week. I am happy that more and more of my friends are gonna start their family life very soon. And yes, going to weddings can also help in giving me some ideas for my own wedding afterwards, hehe.

Suddenly this thought came to my mind.. and I just wanna jot it down.

We all love pretty weddings, especially with some sort of concept. There are tonnes of wedding concepts that we can usually see: garden weddings, wedding by the beach, Bali-style wedding, English style, fairy-tale wedding, arabian night concept (Mawi?), and the list goes on..

But, all in all, as Muslims, regardless of whatever the concept is, we should adhere to the DOs and DON'Ts of the religion. No exception.

Recently, there were interviews on henna wearing among brides. It is announced that the henna should not be drawn on the hands, as it somewhat replicates tattoo-wearing, and tattoos are definitely a huge no-no in Islam. Enough to wear henna on the ends of the brides' fingers.

Well, drawing henna on hands is not the only thing that happens in weddings that contradicts to the teachings of the religion. I think it should be better if the DOs and DON'Ts in weddings can be communicated thoroughly, and I suppose the best channel would be during pre-wedding courses conducted by the State Religious Department. Perhaps orang nak kahwin ni, they get so excited, they want everything to be pretty and adorable, they forget other things easily.

Personally, I think if cara pakai inai je betul, but other things are being overlooked, like bride tak menutup aurat ke (tutup aurat time nikah je trend sekarang ni.. haisshh..), sesi berkaraoke lagu pop yeh yeh ke, still, it's not good in the eyes of Islam. The usual flaws in weddings.

And sometimes, I think, we are just too focused in not making Muslim weddings be influenced by elements in Hinduism, we overlooked that Malay weddings are actually becoming more.. westernized! Off-shoulder gowns, a parade of aurat-exposing bridesmaids.. fashion show man! Sigh..

Oh well, it's just a thought anyway, that it's hard to run away from being double-standard.

Huh, saja mengomel petang-petang..