i found the recipe for these cookies in allrecipes.com. Search for Urban Legend Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I tell u. yum....!
to make them soft, place huge patties on the tray..probably about 1 tablespoon of the dough.
to make them crunchy, place little patties, 1 teaspoon..
bake in oven for 6-7 minutes, then take the tray out for the cookies to cool. dip in milk for extra umph.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Urban Legend Chocolate Chip Cookies
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Angkasawan Launch
damn, i totally forgot about this most anticipated angkasawan launching today.
Congratulations to Dr Sheikh. I would definitely do anything to get to be a passenger in a mission into space. Maybe someone will hire me to photograph space some day. At least I'd be doing something. hehe.
A conversation i heard on the radio between a caller and the DJ.
DJ: Awak rasa bagus tak Dr Sheikh dapat pergi ke angkasa?
Caller: bagusss....
DJ: Kenapa awak rasa bagus?
Caller: Sebab Dr Sheikh tu kan hensem, and dia best.
mangkuk betul pemanggil itu.
from CNN.com:
Shukor, 35, will bring a "symbolic" load of Malaysian food to the space station, said Zulkeffeli Mat Jusoh, a program director for the Malaysian space program.
Shukor's religion also requires that he face Mecca for prayer but clerics decided that the exact location matters only for the beginning of the prayer ritual.
from The Guardian Unlimited:
The astronaut will take the Baikonur launch point as his reference for his five-times daily prayers, ordinarily dictated by sunset and sunrise. Otherwise, with 16 orbits each day, a devout Muslim would be obliged to pray 80 times every 24 hours.
Luckily, Malaysia's Islamic scholars spent a whole year finding solutions to these and other ticklish problems as Mr Muszaphar prepared for his nine-day trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket.
adoih...kecohnye....
I'm surprised they didn't make him wear a songket space-suit for his journey into space.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Al Fatihah
My grandfather, who suffered from stroke since early 2006, passed away about 2 hours ago after his condition deteriorated from the fever he caught last week. Though I don't have many memories of him and me, he is still Atuk, a part of my life and blood. He opened his eyes yesterday, as i whispered into his ear to tell him that i was leaving back for KL. I was touched; i guess in a way i am glad that he remembers me, one of his countless grandchildren and great grandchildren (dang, i can't even remember the names of all my cousins, nephews and nieces).
at least now he gets to be with nenek.
semoga roh atuk dicucuri rahmat.
Al-Fatihah.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
it may takes a while....
Sorry, all our executives are busy. It may takes a while for your call to be answered by our executive. Please hold. We will attend to your call shortly.Maybank's IVR system.
Needless to say, I never got to speak to an executive. So i blog instead.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
je suis stuck
there's the assessment criteria for process maturity, the importance of the criteria, and the evaluator's rating, and all that will give an end answer of how mature a particular process is.
it sounds simple when i type it out like that. but every time i open up a new spreadsheet to build a test application, i stumble upon a dead end.
maybe if i think about it from an RFP point of view? hmmmm...
i think i'll go to the square where the geeks are, to find some inspiration.
Monday, October 01, 2007
no view today
rather scary, as i turned around and realized that we're completely surrounded by heavy fog. i couldn't see the ground below, nor the top of the other tower.
hehe.
Cyber Love

Technology allows you to do almost anything these days. Here I'm experiencing my newly born nephew having his bath, although he's almost half way around the world from me. It's amazing how I can feel so much love for this new being whom I've only ever met online.
Welcome to the world, little one. (ok he's not so little..5 months old oredi..hehe)
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
i am old
today, for the first time in my entire life, i was addressed as "makcik" (auntie) without the kids being told to call me so.
kids: makcik makcik ambik gambar saya!
me: WHAT did you just call me?
hehe no lah. of course i didn't say that to the kids.
but dayemmm, did i look like a makcik?? maybe i did, a little. hahaha!
Acar Buah
Monday, September 17, 2007
alas, i sold another.
apparently the French Spidey, Alain Roberts climbed the Federation Tower in Moscow last week. Much to my delight, ABC News Online purchased one of the pictures I sent to Scoopt.com/Getty Images many moons ago. It was used as a compilation with other images of the French Spidey climbing towers around the world.
Supporting image pun supporting image lah, kan?
Link to the page here.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Facebook Fobia

I've been introduced to facebook recently. I was told that it is bloody addictive, but now i'm just scared. it's like something that moves too fast before i've had a chance to properly understand it. so i just leave it, and it takes a life of its own. click 'confirm' where i want, and click 'ignore' where i don't want. hehe.
I think playing Alice Greenfingers is more addictive than this scary thing.
:-)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Food Frenzy
1st ramadhan.
I attempted to brave through the crowd. Quarter way in, i realized that i was concentrating more on trying to push my way through, than checking out the variety of delicacies offered at the bazaar.
I turned back, got my yong tau foo and jelly sirap, and got back inside the car where it was much more comfortable. i totally forgot about the lemang i had to buy for Tok. hahaha.
after dinner, i checked out my belly in the mirror, and decided that today will be the last day that i ate like a monster.
Selamat Berpuasa
And good luck, for those who need it. hehe.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Panorama Kuala Lumpur
once in a while i work late (covering back the time for coming in late hehe), and sometimes when i'm lucky enough, the sky will be as nice as this and i have a respectable camera with me.
unfortunately the window cleaners haven't reached this level yet in their cleaning rounds, so the glass was kind of dirty. hehe.
taken from my office with my coolpix P5000. 3 shots stitched with Autostitch.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Monday, September 03, 2007
selamat pagi malaysia part deux
as it turned out, i still arrived at 9.20 despite leaving home at 7.45 AM because there were two accidents on the Federal Highway, and of course, everybody slowed down to see what was going on.
and as i was cursing the traffic, i suddenly remembered that the morning meeting was postponed to tomorrow afternoon.
zzzzzzzzzzzzz...
selamat pagi malaysia
i'm up this early because i never even slept. serves me right for sleeping until noon on sunday. i was reading, when i realized it was already 4am. so i figured, screw it, i'll just stay up until it's time to go to work.
...kerana hari ini aku tidak mahu lambat lagi ke ofis for the monday morning meeting that i have been consistently late for, for the past weeks.
may it be a good week ahead!
i know for sure it won't be a good Monday for me starting at about 12noon when my head starts to ache from the lack of sleep.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Malaysia Boleyyyyy!!!
i was trying to find excuses to not finish the things that i'm supposed to do, so friends and me decided to brave the traffic to watch Malaysia play. Awesome stuff, i didn't take too many photos because
1. the game was too interesting
2. i was 100mm short, and from where i was sitting, 200mm was kind of useless.
look at those dudes in the orange shirts...cheh, jeles aku!
Malaysia won 3-1 to Myanmar. Myanmar played rough, and it was bloody annoying. But Malaysia persevered, and we won! Nice 50th Merdeka present for the country yea?
ok aku nak tidok...rasa macam nak demam lak....argh.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Perbalahanku dengan pihak berkuasa
Dah la aku nak cepat ni..kena tahan pulak. Sah2 kena saman. but what did i do wrong? After waiting for about 3 minutes in the friggin hot sun, Pihak Berkuasa (PB) finally came to my car. I rolled down the window.
PB: Bagi lesen. Awak tahu apa salah awak?
Me: Tak (and gave my license)
PB: Awak U-turn dekat double line kat atas sana. Double line mana boleh U-turn.
Me: Saya tak nampak pun double line? Papan tanda U-turn ada la, warna oren.
PB: Pegawai saya dekat atas sana nampak kamu U-turn. Mana-mana ada double line mana boleh u-turn, papan tanda tu ada orang letak sendiri lah tu.
Me: Jadi, orang lain letak, saya yang salah? Papan tanda tu warna oren, bukan papan tanda orang suka-suka lukis pakai marker pen!
..and then he went off for another 10 minutes to do i don't know what. I prayed that the destination i was headed to is still open by the time i get there. When he came back, he asked me to sign the offense ticket.
Me: Saya tak nak sign.
PB: (heavy sigh) hish, Kenapa pulak?
Me: Sebab saya tak rasa bersalah. Papan tanda tu macam papan tanda construction. Saya nak encik naik sana pegi tengok kalau tak percaya. Mintak maaf pada encik pun saya tak nak, sebab saya tak bersalah. Encik pegi naik sana sekarang tengok.
PB: hish. tunggu sekejap lah, pegawai saya turun sekejap lagi.
Another long wait in the car, and i spent it shooting angry stares at them PBs having their ciggies and chilling inside their cars. The pegawai finally made it down, and they waved me off. No apologies, no explanation, no nothing. And i don't know how many other drivers before me drove away with undeserved offense tickets in their hands.
RM300 saved, 20 farking minutes wasted.
shine
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do.
It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
- Timo Cruz's speech, in Coach Carter.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Great Eastern sucks
a normal person, like me, who is always in a hurry to pay their bills, looks at the notice, checks the total premium due at the bottom and makes the payment, only to realize an hour later the statement at the end of the notice that says:
"If you do not wish to add on the optional P-ADB, you only need to pay the Premium Due on the Policy (1)."
Upon which you know you will spend the next three weeks trying to claim the money back from them. In my case, the policy i was paying was my brother's, who is working out of the country. So when i called them, there was another hooha of getting the money to be refunded to my name instead of my brother.
For some unknown reason, when I called to get the refund, I was told that the payment had gone in, and I needed to fax a letter in order to get that refund. So I did all of that, and today, I received a call from them saying that they never received the Maybank2u transfer that i claimed to have made. True enough, when i checked my account, I didn't make the payment. All i did was register my brother's insurance account in Maybank.
SO WHAT THE FARK WAS GOING ON WHEN I MADE THE FIRST CALL, AFTER I THOUGHT I PAID FOR SOMETHING I DID NOT WANT?
Menyusahkan orang betul.
Moral of the story:
They should never slip in extra policies like that, which will end up wasting everybody's time.
Why am i so pissed off? Because nobody else can waste my time, other than ME.
Monday, August 13, 2007
what a weekend...
while i was shooting, i heard some guests whispering my name. felt like a celebrity for a split second, until i turned around, and voila! there sat my neighbors, who turned out to be cousins of the bride. then, towards the end of the day, when i was chatting with the bride's mother, it came to my knowledge that the bride's mother was my mom's college mate, and good friend.
"it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small small world...." hahaha. (damn, i miss disneyland!)
ok...i'm off to bed after that 4-hour drive in the rain.
after this will be shooting hari raya hampers pulak...nervous, kind of, my first product shot assignment. but at least products don't move like children do, kan? i remember the domii clothing shoot, where i kaput for 5 hours straight after the session, and ended up delivering the photos to the client at 1 in the morning. kekeke...parah gila.
nite nite.
Friday, August 10, 2007
hospital update
today was my first checkup after the 2nd anniversary of my stem cell transplant.
my blood count is normal, white cells 4.8, hemoglobins 11.8 and platelets 195. my liver function is also improving, though the numbers are still outside of the normal range.
the doc said, "u tak minum air ka?" she caught me there. my kidney function test showed that it's a bit dry. i told her that i am so lazy to drink water that i'd rather sleep than go downstairs for a glass of water. kena sound seround...padan muka.
otherwise things are good. just need plenty of water and regular exercise. and as of today, i'm off all medications.
alhamdulillah.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
ahh what a day...
it started with a small request that turned into a huge argument. Having let things slip in front of my eyes in the past, that request just hit the wrong buttons, so what ensued was a barrage of "ungkit-mengungkit" because i refused to back down on my point. ungkit-mengungkit dalam omputeh apa ah?
i'm not going to tell the story, because it was tiring enough having to go through it today, so i'll just stop thinking about it altogether.
then tonight, i received a call that left me pleasantly surprised. it didn't have anything to do from what happened in the day, but it made me feel better anyway. :-)
only one more day of work tomorrow. yeehoo! then i'm off for my routine checkup, before i head to JB for the weekend with my friend, for a wedding we have to cover. Apologies to Raz & Riz and Fakhzan for not being able to make it to your parties, this was something i've already committed to since months ago.
i'm off to edit a picture now before i go to bed. (it helps me relax) hahaha
yes, i'm a geek. gnite.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
moon upon a blue sky
i found this in my Perhentian Trip pictures folder today.
I was having some keropok lekor at a restaurant near the Kuala Besut Jetty around 6PM while waiting for my bus back, and i saw the moon. Biasa la jakun kan...so i took out my camera and started snapping away.
Makcik Restoran: Mung amik gambo gapo tu?
Me: Tu bulan tu....
Makcik Restoran: Gambar bulan pun nak amik ke?
Me: Eh makcik....bulan macam ni susah nak dapat kat KL tau!!
Makcik Restoran: ooooooooooooo...
and then i showed her the images i just shot. She looked at them in silence, and her first word after that was, "Masya-Allah.."
Masya-Allah indeed.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
My Affair with an EOS 20D
i borrowed a friend's 20D for the weekend, to test out the wide angle lens i got for my brother. Alang2 tu, i borrowed the friend's sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 sekali...mainly to test my endurance.
so, apa lagi....this calls for a trip to the zoo! my third visit this year, i believe. hahaha. damn the 70-200 lens was bloody heavy. i only walked around for 2 hours, instead of my usual 4. but of course, the pictures came out so much sharper compared to my el-cheapo Nikkor 70-300mm G. look at the tigers here..you can even see the fleas flying around them. pergh!
one day i'll get that lens for myself. but before that, i need to start lifting weights...2 kilos of equipment is just a tad too heavy for me to lug around. hahaha.
Camera, lens and storage card courtesy of Khan. Thanks dude!
Saturday, August 04, 2007
stress domino effect
there have been massive changes in the environment these days. people leaving, people coming, friends moving to greener pastures. now, after almost 7 years, those changes are starting to take a toll on me.
i have been asking this to myself a lot lately. why am i still here?
- because i don't really mind my job, and i like what i'm doing.
- because i don't know if the other companies will pay for my health insurance, with my history.
- because i still have good friends here
- because i'm too lazy to see what lies beyond my two cubicle walls
- because i'm bonded for another 22 months, and my bond amount could buy me 2 D2Xs bodies.
are they real reasons, or do they sound more like excuses?
maybe the time has come.
or maybe not.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
kadangkala
then, occasionally, you get the really honest one, who tells you that the shots were good, but they are not happy with a few (important ones).
that brings you down, for a minute, an hour, a day, depending on the type of person you are. but once you snap out of the self-pity, you'll find ways to improve, and from that, you will learn. and you will realize that that is exactly what you need to get better.
gnite!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
I hate public transportation
And what's worse, the system announcement said, "ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Kelana Jaya LRT station...we are experiencing a service interruption between the Dang Wangi St and Ampang Station."
Kelana Jaya??? Mangkuk betul. Can't even get that right.
Ok ah...no point whining too much. I'm gonna get meself some bagel and coffee, lagi best.
and then there's the sunset
i've seen better sunsets, but this one was beautiful nevertheless.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Turtle Bay Beach
and this...is Turtle Bay Beach. Site of the Turtle Conservation Project...I prefer this beach to Long Beach, merely because of it's serenity. The water looks different here too. It's an RM10 boatride from Long Beach.
i wanna go back...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
LRT Blues
Funny eh, in my travels here and there, I have no qualms riding the trains, subway, metro, MRT. No problems walking 4 kilometers to get to my destination.
And here I am in my home country, whining and complaining like a spoiled brat.
Merdeka!! Merdeka!! Merdeka!! (takde kena mengena. kakaka)
sunrise @ Kuala Besut Jetty
the beginning of my photographic adventure.
kakaka...
taken the morning i arrived in Kuala Besut, before the boat to Long Beach, Perhentian Kecil.
Friday, July 20, 2007
The road to Kuala Besut
This bus isn't bad actually...it could comfortably seat a 6 ft tall man. Next time I will buy two seats for myself. That would be awesome!
I looked at the sky and even on a cloudy night like this, I could see the stars..now I regret not taking my battery charger with me so I could photograph the sky tomorrow night. Will try to save power and do a star trail shot if I can.
I tell you...it's kind of leceh carrying this camera backpack around. It took me 5 minutes to pack my clothes and another 20 minutes to pack my camera gear. Deciding what to bring and what to leave behind...and I know that when the time comes, I will still regret the choice of equipment that I decided to take with me. I'm like the lady traveller who takes too many dinner dresses with her just in case. Hahahaa...sometimes I miss the days when the only camera i'm carrying is my boyfriend's compact camera. Hehe. Gone are the simpler days, and I don't regret a single bit of it!
I'm travelling by myself tonight, and will be seeing Mar tomorrow morning. That lucky woman has already been there since yesterday. Cheh!!
Aight!! I'm gonna try to catch some sleep now. Wish me a safe journey. Nite2.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
to err is human
...to forgive is divine.
this is from my judgment error this morning. i really don't know what happened, but i was trying to switch lanes and i did not budget properly. next thing i know, i have already hit the car in front of me.
the driver got out of the car, and immediately spoke to me in the most condescending tone, "aiyergh....how do you drive la?"
with my foot on the pedal lerr, how else?
anyway, i just apologized, gave her my business card and asked her to call me when her car is ready.
my unlucky morning, i guess. but i'm off to perhentian tonight for a couple of days of fun in the sun! woohoo! babai!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Tragedi Projek Potret Bulan Dalam 31 Hari
the disaster was that when i got home and rushed back out with my camera and tripod..i couldn't locate the moon from my house.
tried to locate the moon again after dinner, to no avail.
just not my lucky night i guess. :-)
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Al Fatihah
Al-Fatihah.
image licensing question
i'm not making any money from the photo usage. do i still need to seek permission from the kid?
shit i need to start learning all this licensing stuff.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Asian Football Cup 2007
after the disappointment from our loss against China last week, some friends and me braved the rain to see China play against Iran.
awesome game. I ended up not taking that many photos because:
1. the game was more interesting to watch than photograph
2. the players were faster compared to the last game i went to. hehe..
the game ended with a draw, China 2, Iran 2.
good stuff.
Midvalley frigging megamall
Talk about stupidity.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Mind blogging questions
Why do people share things, when they don't allow for their readers or viewers to reciprocate?
Why do people post pictures up for comments and criticism, then get defensive when they are criticized?
Why does Monday fall before Tuesday?
Why do summers come in June, why do winters come to soon?
ok...dah lari topic. (remember that 3T + Michael Jackson song, "Why"? haha)
Why?
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Projek Potret Bulan Dalam 31 Hari
as i have learned, the moon will move to the same position in the sky every night 51 minutes later than the previous night. so on the 7th night, i only saw it at 2AM, which means that the following night i'll have to wait until 3AM...no way. hehehehe
i've lost that challenge for myself. i'll try again next month.
hehe
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Day +2 Years
I can't believe it either. Lots of things have happened in the past two years. New hobbies, new love, new friends, new blood, new clothes, new hair, new health issues to manage, etc etc etc.
Alhamdulillah.
Happy 2nd anniversary to me!
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Tuna Noodle Casserole
1 cup full cream milk
3/4 can cream of mushroom soup concentrate
chopped celery
frozen green peas
cooked spaghetti
grated cheddar cheese
preheat oven at 175 degrees C.
cook spaghetti (not too much, it will expand) and drain water.
mix cooked spaghetti with tuna, milk, mushroom soup concentrate, celery and peas.
season with a bit of black pepper if you like.
pour mixture in casserole dish.
top with grated cheddar cheese and stick in oven for 20-30mins until the cheese bubbles and turns brownish.
it reminds me of the freezing university days when we used to eat microwave dish tuna casseroles for dinner. comfort food, i tell you!
no pictures, unfortunately. i ruined the dish before i could take picture because i was so hungry. hehehe..plus the look of the casserole doesn't justify its taste. ;-)
The first week of July
I'm moonlighting as a moon-stalker these days.
only a week, and i have learned a tonne of things about this object we call the Moon.
When I finish, i will list down what i have learned.
I'm so glad tomorrow's a sunday.
sleep time.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Reunited
Reunited, and it feels so good...
Reunited 'cause we understood
There's one perfect fit,
and sugar this one is it,
We both are so excited
'cause we're reunited hey, hey....
after more than two months in the workshop, my beloved is finally back. I still feel a bit awkward driving it around. But the new roar of the engine...ahhh, that's my heaven on earth.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
sunrise @ The Strait of Johor
I just got back from a trip to Singapore. Stayed in JB, in a place called Compact Hotel. When I arrived on Friday night, i complained about the car lift and the dodgy looking room. They had a Midnight Special of RM100, and I don't really want to know what that is. hehee..Then, I woke up at 7AM from the sunlight pouring through the window, and saw this wonderful sunrise.
My beloved camera almost got stuck outside the dirty window when i attempted to slip the camera through the small opening. I'm never going to try that again, it almost gave me a heart attack when I realized I couldn't slip the camera back in so easily. had to detach the lense before I could get the camera safely back inside the room. hehehe.
Singapore was awesome. The zoo was awesome. Too many people even at 9.30AM, but for RM15, i am not going to complain. The sale was good too, but I didn't buy much for myself. Went to look for camera stuff for my friends, and ended up buying the all the remaining stock of Sanyo Eneloop batteries at this camera shop in Peninsula Plaza.
Then I hung out at the Esplanade, the Merlion Park...all the normal stuff. A laid-back weekend, other than my legs now feel like they're going to break from too much walking.
Oh. And thanks to Najah who pointed me to Ayam Bakar Ojolali in Lucky Plaza. Man....that's the best tasting chicken i've ever had! yummmmy! I wanted to take home some with me, but i wasn't sure if it will still be as good when it gets to KL..next time maybe.
am going to rest now. work tomorrow.
night.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Traumatic Wednesday
- blood tests (probably a thousand times)
- bone marrow biopsies (i lost count of how many)
- insertion of hickman line (twice)
- insertions of lines on my neck, arm and thigh
- bronchoscopy
- spleen biopsy
- lung biopsy
and the list continues...
and you may see me as a strong person, but most of the procedures usually end up in me crying or screaming and left me feeling rather fucked up for a couple of days.
yesterday morning, i had an upper intestine endoscopy procedure - am i using the right term docs? and of course, my standard question would be, would i be sedated, and if no, can i please be sedated?
unfortunately the doc declined my request. he said he wants to save my veins from being damaged. so, he gave me a throat anesthetic...it sort of numbed my throat..but i was fully aware of what was going on. and guess what? of course when i saw the scope, i freaked out! i fought, screamed and cried. and 16 hours after the procedure, i my throat and tummy still feel sore from my fighting the scope from entering my esophagus. the mental image won't go away, and i still feel like crying whenever i think about it. like right now.
why would anyone have to go through such trauma when they can be sedated?
i asked the doc why not, the only reason he gave was:
1. because he wanted to save my veins
but here are my reasons:
1. so i don't get freaked out and start to struggle
2. so i don't fight and hurt my throat
3. so i don't start screaming in the room like a mental patient, hence scaring the other patients
4. so the poor nice doctor doesn't label me as a difficult patient
5. so i don't feel angry for the whole day and have nowhere to channel the anger to
6. so i get to wake up 1 or 2 hours later groggy, but at least i'll be in a pleasant mood
7. so i don't feel traumatized and invaded for the whole day, which will end up in me sleeping until it's dinner time, which i think is a friggin' waste of time. and i still wake up in a foul mood.
it's 2 AM, and i can't sleep because i slept the whole day, and i still feel pretty fucked up.
i know, my mother says that i need to be strong and have willpower. fighting leukemia was a long and arduous journey for me, and these days, if i can avoid any discomfort, i will avoid it. my veins will regrow, but will the traumatic experience fade from my memory? right, why not just add another bad experience to her long list of bad experiences?
nevertheless, at the expense of my feeling horribly fucked up, the result of the scope was normal, thank God. :-) and i hope i never have to go through such a procedure again in my entire life.
have i said that i feel so fucked up now?
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Cookie
i haven't written about cats in a long long while.
well, this is a story about a cat named Cookie.
she was born in Taman Seputeh in August 2003, just before Merdeka Day. she became really sick circa late 2004 while i was fighting leukemia..the vet said she had skin cancer. You can see the lesions on her body in the picture. but she lived a full year, before she went missing sometime in early 2006. i assumed she died away from home and prayed that she died painlessly.
then tonight...while i was stumbling in the dark backyard to put food for Baby and Tompok, i heard the sound of a leash bell. the cat purr near my legs sounded strangely familiar. it felt like a lean, short-haired cat...and my heart skipped. shit, did Baby lose all her hair from the skin ointment i put on her? (Baby is having some skin problems too...)
i quickly reached for the switch to turn on the lights, and voila! there was Cookie...munching on the food i had just poured for the other cats. and she looks all better now..she looks older, but it was her!
i believed that she became ill because she was trying to absorb some of my pain when i was sick, and now that i'm better, she got better too. i guess that belief isn't too far-fetched then.
thank you to that kind person out there who took care of her when i couldn't. if she drops by to see me once in a while, that's more than enough for me, to know that she's OK and well-taken care of.
i'm now wondering if Alf and Owen could still be alive. :-)
p/s: Baby, after the maid left and all her three babies died, has gone into depression mode, and now looks more like a germ-infested stray cat rather than a persian. she's got these disgusting crustings on her ears, and she keeps going back into the maid's room to lie down on her bed. :-( it's so sad to see her like that. hope she feels better.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Jangan Pandang Belakang
not that i'm saying that the subject in the portrait looks like a hantu...hehe. totally not.
i just came back from watching the much anticipated local horror film, Jangan Pandang Belakang. Everybody was too scared to watch it alone, so me and a few friends got together tonight especially to watch this film.
here's my review:
It's overrated, and wtf????
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Heroes
"we dream of hope, we dream of change, of fire, of love, of death...Then it happens, the dream becomes real. And the answer to this quest, this need to solve life's mysteries, finally shows itself , like the glowing light of a new dawn.
so much struggle for meaning, for purpose, and in the end we find it only in each other, our shared experience of the fantastic and the mundane. The simple human need to find a kindred, to connect, and to know in our hearts that we are not alone."
i am so going to be a zombie at work today.
...and Inzaghi scores....!!!
not that i follow the Champions League...hahaha.
I remember my college crush on Inzaghi, which made me took Italian for 2 semesters, in hope that the day I get to meet him in person, I will be able to at least have a civil conversation with him.
not that i ever got to meet him, but the A's i got for the two italian courses definitely bumped my CGPA at that time.
ok...i better go to sleep.
buona notte.
forza Inzaghi!
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
sunset @ Bukit Permai
- one better sore eye
- one useless trip to the shopping mall
- one failed attempt to find the Ampang Lookout point
- one goal in life achieved.
driving through the rush hour today trying to look for the Ampang Lookout Point as described by Fariz brought me here, the Taman Bukit Permai Lookout Point. It didn't look promising at first, and just as i was about to get back into the car, the clouds started to part.
my eye is better now. i guess it's time to get back to work tomorrow.
boo hoo.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
my eye
somehow, i contracted an eye infection over the weekend. it got worse last night, all red and swollen. i think i might have to take another day off tomorrow so i don't infect people at work.
coincidentally, it's my right eye, the eye that is constantly on my viewfinder.
maybe it's time i got a disinfectant for my viewfinder.
arghh so itchy!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
eyes
the original exposure was just begging to be processed into this.
look at those eyes.
model: Mrs. O
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
sunset @ KJ in HDR
another day, another HDR.
i'm going nuts. this addiction to HDR can be dangerous to my photo-taking skills. like i told Kichi, who cares what the original shot looks like when you can do a HDR later?
dang.
College sick
Somehow hearing those words remind me of the indian food truck near Pitt Library (where they serve my favorite chicken tikka masala in the whole world), Kiva Han on Craig St, the pasta stand in the University Center and the Ponderosa buffet all the way in Monroeville.
Mmmph..yum!
Sunday, May 06, 2007
the other side of sunrise
taken at Teluk Chempedak, the morning after my friends' wedding. Cloudy morning when I arrived at the beach, and it was still cloudy when I left to catch a couple more hours of sleep.
i'm going back to sleep, now that i've arrived in KL.
Miss Oh has now become Mrs Oh. Congratulations, you two!
Friday, May 04, 2007
Impossible is Nothing
spent the evening in Bukit Malawati in Kuala Selangor, where the view is great and the monkeys are polite. I had no idea how far Kuala Selangor is from my house, so i let my GPS take me. damn it was far! hahahaa.. coming home was another thing, the roadsigns kept promising "Lebuhraya Guthrie" for over 20 kilometers, until i actually reached the highway.
here's a portrait of a silver-leaf monkey for you. i'm definitely going back to this place again...i didn't cover the Kuala Selangor Nature Park because by the time i reached the place, it had just closed for the day. :-( which was why i went up the hill to shoot (photograph) monkeys instead.
3 more days off and back to work..boohoo!
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
lights, girls, action!
i went to the Ultimate Street Tuners Carnival last night, replacing a friend who was supposed to take photographs there. The cars were interesting, but the major attraction (i think) was the Dancing Girls! There were too many men with SLRs around, photographing the car models and the dancing girls. i would post up a picture of the crowd cheering, but i don't want any of the men to get into trouble. hehe. thank god i had my Photographer pass so I could walk freely in front of the stage to shoot, away from the sweaty men and the wild crowd.
the event went on until 1AM, but i left early because my feet were hurting from 3 hours of walking around in 2.5 inch heels with my photo gear. i usually do that when i'm taking pictures in large crowds to gain the height, but i guess considering the tarred parking lot, it was a bad choice.
so, you car tuning freaks...check out the event! it's at the Stadium Bukit Jalil Car Park B, and it ends tomorrow night! for more info, checkout their website here.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
after sleeping at 6AM...
i woke up too early.
bothered by the noise coming from the school in front and incoming smses on my phone.
the person who was mc-ing the event was the noisiest bit, she had a laugh like a hyena. remind me to put on earplugs before going to sleep on the weekend next time.
a picture for you. the two MCs cackling about while the kids watch the people near the board update the scores. muddy day at the field today from the storm the night before.
i know it's going to be a bad day today.
Friday, April 27, 2007
A Leopard called Manja
i went to the zoo on my day off, and spent 3 hours hanging about the big cats' enclosures. The puma gave birth to 3 cubs, unfortunately i came too late in the afternoon, so i missed it. The 3 cubs were the cutest things on earth! Attempted to take some pictures, but the cubs were too far away, so the pictures came out shaky..:-(
Lovely day.
more pictures of Manja the Leopard and Rocky the Bengal Tiger on my flickr.
Monday, April 23, 2007
i got punked
Millions lost in e-invest scam
PENANG: Thousands of people nationwide are believed to have lost several million ringgit in an Internet “investment” scheme known as buy-e-barrel which has closed down abruptly.
Investors have been unable to log onto their online accounts over the past two weeks.
read more here...I'm not proud to declare that I am one of the thousands who were cheated. Not by e-barrel, but by another scheme at www.abbfund.com. Don't bother clicking on the link because it doesn't work anymore. How can a person like me get cheated like that? Hey, you never try, you never know. Now if you read my previous posting on the outrageous lawyer fees, you must think I'm crazy and contradicting. hehehe...
Why am I laughing? Because when i gave that money away, it was money I was prepared to lose (plus it wasn't that much). I remember writing it off in my books that day. Still, it doesn't stop me from wishing that the crook would get caught, rot in jail and in hell. The crook is probably vacationing in the Carribeans now, having a party. Lucky bastard.
all I can say is, it was a lesson learned for me.
Fashion on 1
woke up at 2.30pm, lazed in front of the TV and started to feel hungry about 1 hour later. so i got ready to go out, with no destination in mind, and camera bag in the backseat.
called a friend, who said he's on the way to One Utama, and i suddenly remembered The Fashion on 1 thing going on at OU and it's the last day today.
i took some pictures of very good looking men. among the many other photographers there, i had some inferiority complex looking at their canggih equipment, although i kept reminding myself that it's not the equipment, it's the subject, and the photographer that are more important. yeah, whatever...i still want that fast telephoto!
then i stopped by Damansara Perdana to capture the sunset, and after dinner came home to capture the moon.
what a day.
Friday, April 20, 2007
resting
here's my interpretation of the doctor's rest, relax and take a lot of vitamin C. chilling around my housing area photographing orange sunsets that remind me of enormous vitamin C pills.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
lawyer2 yang outrageous
so part of the process is for the new bank's lawyers to request for a letter of undertaking from the old bank's lawyers. the old lawyers asked me to pay RM105 in "Professional Fees" in order to produce the letter.
come on....40-50 bucks, i can understand. But RM105?? what the fuck? i could buy a polarizing filter with that kind of money. dia kena draft balik ke letter tu? I'm sure there's already an available template where all they need to do is type in my name and several other details.
maybe i don't understand what goes on in the lawyers office, but from my point of view, mencekik darah betul.
friggin' outrageous.
bone marrow update
doc called me this morning and told me that my bone marrow is free from blast cells.
Alhamdulillah. the last time i did a biopsy they detected 2% blast cells in the marrow. I was a bit worried about the percentage increasing to beyond 5% which is when the doctors will start worrying.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
another long day at the hospital
waited for over 5 hours to see the doctor, and it turned out that the clinic couldn't trace my bone marrow biopsy results. the nurses can't find it, and the lab said they have no record of it. so what was the big fat bandaid doing on my back 2 weeks ago?? crappetty crap. doc thinks i'm mad at her, which i am positively not. i'm freakin' angry at the system they are forced to deal with day in and day out. and this is not the first time it happened to me. really, what the hell is going on in there?
and what's with the 5 hour wait? ingat orang takde kerja lain nak buat ke? the stress level i have to endure waiting, dah lepas the level recommended by the doctor, i think!!
deep breaths...deep breaths....on a more positive note, my blood counts were back to normal today compared to 2 months ago. WBC 5.3, Hb 11.3, Platelets 178, alhamdulillah. The doctor told me to take the rest of the week off to rest at home to avoid getting any more viral infections from my surroundings.
let's hope that my bone marrow results are as good as my blood counts. :-)
ciao!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
orange sunset @ Batu Dam
In the hoo-ha of Pencarian Lelaki Maskulin, i totally forgot about where i went the day before.
Only 15 minutes away from the Batu Caves exit on MRR2, this serene place is perfect for relaxing. Bring a picnic mat, some books and just chill. Or in my case, take photographs la. hehe...
How to get there: From MRR2, exit at Batu Caves and drive towards Ulu Yam and Genting Highlands.
Monday, April 16, 2007
KL Skyline HDR
After the event and some coffee, I went up to Level 9 of the parking lot to get a few shots of this to generate a HDR image. not bad, eh?
Riz - winner of Pencarian Lelaki Maskulin 2007
Held at Berjaya Times Square yesterday afternoon. Riz was selected via sms votes and judges as the winner of Pencarian Lelaki Maskulin 2007. He looked nervous and dazed throughout the event though...haha.
Wegra, myself, arianna, raz and her sisters and riz's parents all went to hand him some moral support. woohoo!
Congrats Riz!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
HKL charging for parking
which would've been a great idea if there were actually parking available. it looks slightly less crowded, the introduction of the parking fees probably weeded out the free-riders who were parking there for free and taking the LRT or Monorail to their workplace.
my abdominal organs look normal, the ultrasound lady told me. Alhamdulillah.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Friday, April 06, 2007
a pic for you...
from me in my state of dis-inspiration (is that a word?)
can you tell what it is?
it's the moon peeping through the millenium bridge in putrajaya. yay!
the loveliest thing about going on these trips alone is the peace and quiet you get. though you get the occasional stranger trying to chat you up, asking questions about photography etc etc. hello, do i look like i drove all the way there to chat to people I don't know? but being the polite malay that i am, i layan aja lah...until i can find a reason to politely excuse myself, like, "ok...i'm going over there coz the moon looks bigger on that side. nice talking to you." hehehe.
gnite....
Thursday, April 05, 2007
uninspired
have u ever faced one of those times where you feel uninspired? all you want to do is lie in bed. you're too lazy to write about anything, you can't be arsed to take any photographs, you eat but you're not actually eating, you work but you're not actually working, you watch TV but you're not actually concentrating on anything. the only things you actually do properly is sleep and laze on the couch.
man...i hope whatever bug that's eating me right now goes away soon. it feels like i've been sedated all week.
had my bone marrow biopsy yesterday. as usual the last thing i remember is the nurse injecting saline and dormicum. the next thing i remember was waking up on my couch at home with a sore back. hopefully the results come back as good as always.
adios.
