Garden City of Lights

Weekend comes and have lots of fun

Joke around makes us feel like one

Super slackers now kiss my heart

Growing older is not my fault

-Butterworth Pushfull

Got back from the Lantern Festival in Ipoh last Thursday, with my luvly friends..had a blast. Its been a while since I had something exiciting to look forward too. So letting the pictures speak for themselves, this will deifinitely be a photo entry. The lanterns were up by dusk, and at 8pm was the judging rounds. We missed the Lion Dance. The lanterns it is then...

We got to let our imaginations run loose as the designers crafted magically enchanted lanterns to please both the judges and crowd.

Display of intricately detailed handicrafts.

There he is in between the swarm of red fishies..

Oowh, lupe nak mention. Yup, there was also a photography competition held at the same time. 1st prize goes to rm1,500 and up to like 16 consolation prizes of rm100. So guess what? The place was packed with eager photographers ready to capture your connection with the lanterns on display. (Above, jenga ckp sorang2 hehe..)

Children show genuine emotion, but are hard to capture. So they had to settle for this big kid. Hahaa..jd model aku mlm tuh!! Gc kept a close eye on me at all times. Seriously funny! Maybe the theme nowadays is cultural integrity and I was the only female malay donning the tudung.. Right place, right time. (above : by s1nach)

Well actually, it started out as us posing for our own cameras. But then out of nowhere this photographer comes up and *snap* *snap* a pic of you. You smile in embarassment. The photgrapher goes up to your bf and rattles,

"Lu bwk lu punya isteri, dekat2 dgn ini lantern ayam..Jgn pandang camera..buat mcm cakap2.."

Huh??! Isteri sape? haha..that was hillarious. We didn't know what we were supposed to do. The lantern was of two wild chickens, and after the awkward photoshoot the photographer explains that the animals represent marital bliss. Right.

And that was pretty much the launch of my one-night-modelling career. This pic shows this guy from The Star asking me to pose for him.. Tolong sesame melayu.. tak salah. I even modeled with my roomie. Jenga lg klaka..siap berdialog ngn aku lg time tu. But it got a bit tiring when you had to pose for like, God knows how many DSLRs that night. Bottom line was, it was a nice feeling.

"Amoi, amoi!! Saya belum tangkap lg ya!! Tunggu saya.. wahhh...Time kaseh ow."

There was a point I was dripping in sweat while posing. Like in the final pose of me grabbing an orange from the middle of this ancient chinese coin shaped lantern. I hope they use my pics..hehe

Tgk btol2..I think I was sauna-ed the whole session through. Gc slipped in the middle of the big lenses and got this for me!

Gc wasn't in many pics that nite. He was avoiding being paparazzied.

I accomplished what I had planned on. Taking pictures.

And etc.. Many thanks to jenga for the signatures.. I have yet to install photoshop *sigh* thanks to s1nach for coming along, for your expertise and kind guidance. To my gc. I had so much fun. Thank youu!!

MusicQ

Something I got from Kephens' frienster thingy.. doing it for the fun of it.. silly silly playlist! arghh~

1.) Put your music player on shuffle
2.) Press forward for each question.
3.) Use the song title as the answer to the question.
4.) NO CHEATING!!!

The questions and my answers:

1.) How am I feeling today?

Out of My Mind- James Blunt..have been a bit stressful on myself.. bende tak relevan pon ngn skolah. haisk!

2.) Where will I get married?

Cobalah Utk Setia - Kris Dayanti..hahaha.. nice. we'll try that one first and then perhaps marriage.

3.) What is my best friend's theme song?

My Boo - Usher n Alicia Keys.. everyone's her boo..hahaha..

4.) What is/was highschool like?

Snakes and Ladders - Joss Stone.. tectonic movement of the mind, winning, cheating, lying.. the works

5.) What is the best thing about me?

Sex is Not the Enemy - Garbage.. hapebende plakk.. or maybe i cherish more than that. haha

6.) How is today going to be?

Call me when you get this - Corrine Bailey Rae.. call me callll meee~

7.) What is in store for this weekend?

All of You - Vertical Horizon .. I need a lot of you.. yea yea yea

8.) What song describes my parents?

Honey, this mirror isn't big.. - My Chemical Romance hrm. tade kaitan.

9.) How is my life going?

Urban Getaway - Elemeno P.. yes i love the bees and the trees and the monkeys.. and you

10.) What song will they play at my funeral?

My Humps - BEP how inappropriate sungguhhh

11.) How does the world see me?

Cintai Aku - Rossa.. has its sentiments, i guess..nextt

12.) What do my friends really think of me?

Smack My Bitch Up - Richard Cheese. Tamo la main bende nih.

13) Do people secretly lust after me?

Billy - James Blunt .. was thatt his name? haha.. no la, kidding

14.) How can I make myself happy?

Love - Destiny's Child.. yeah, shower me with all you got!!

15.) What should I do with my life?

Tulus - Radja .. tulus? whatever.

16.) Will I ever have children?

He wasn't - Avril Lavigne.. haha.. he wasn't ready..?

17.) What is some good advice?

Don't Cha - PCD n Busta Rhymes .. yup, just go out and get em' all, live it to the fullest!

18.) What do I think my current theme song is?

Beautifully Broken - Ashlee Simpson.. sad sad sad.. 65% sad

19.) What does everyone else think about my current life?

Diari Cinta Kita - Hazami.. betrayed by my facade

20.) What type of men/women do you like?

The Devil in the Wishing Well - Five for Fighting.. Did i get him? Did i? Did i?? hahaha

21.) Will you get married?

Don't Lie - BEP .. i guess this comes after the cobalah utk setia part

22.) What should I do with my love life?

Say Sumthin' - Mariah Carey.. say.. I've always wanted a nice handbag.. haha.. say that ker??

23.) Where will you live?

Hitam Putih - Dewa .. this is the kitchen to be.sekian.

24.) What will your dying words be?

Chest - Orange Range..uber fast for a dying person.. adeii la

25.) When im having sex i say...

Naluri Lelaki - Samsons.. honestly, how corny is this.

26.) When I meet a guy/lady for the first time i say..

Catch Me When I Fall - Ashlee Simpson.. good move babe!

27.) When my parents are angry i say ..

StickwitU - PCD ..anything to melt their hearts kan. miakaka

Today

Jika kamu memancing ikan.... setelah ikan itu terlekat di mata kail, hendaklah kamu mengambil terus ikan itu.... janganlah sesekali kamu lepaskan ia semula ke dalam air begitu sahaja.... kerana ia akan sakit oleh kerana bisanya ketajaman mata kailmu dan mungkin ia akan menderita selagi ia masih hidup.

Begitulah juga setelah kamu memberi banyak pengharapan kepada seseorang... setelah ia mula menyayangimu hendaklah kamu menjaga hatinya.... janganlah sesekali kamu terus meninggalkannya begitu sahaja.... kerana dia akan terluka oleh kenangan bersamamu dan mungkin tidak dapat melupakan segalanya selagi dia mengingatimu.....

Jika kamu menadah air biarlah berpada, jangan terlalu mengharap pada takungannya dan, janganlah menganggap ia begitu teguh.... cukuplah sekadar keperluanmu.... Apabila sekali ia retak.... tentu sukar untuk kamu menampalnya semula.... akhirnya ia dibuang.... sedangkan jika kamu cuba membaikinya mungkin ia masih boleh digunakan lagi....

Begitu juga jika kamu memiliki seseorang terimalah seadanya.... Janganlah kamu terlalu mengaguminya dan janganlah kamu menganggapnya begitu istimewa.... anggaplah dia manusia biasa. Apabila sekali dia melakukan kesilapan, bukan mudah bagi kamu untuk menerimanya.... akhirnya kamu kecewa meninggalkannya. Sedangkan jika kamu memaafkannya boleh jadi hubungan kamu akan berterusan hingga ke akhirnya....

Jika kamu telah memiliki sepinggan nasi... yang kamu pasti baik untuk dirimu. Mengenyangkan.Berkhasiat. Mengapa kamu berlengah, cuba mencari makanan yang lain.. Terlalu ingin mengejar kelazatan. Kelak, nasi itu akan basi dan kamu tidak boleh memakannya. Kamu akan menyesal.

Begitu juga jika kamu telah bertemu dengan seorang insan..... yang kamu pasti membawa kebaikan kepada dirimu. Menyayangimu. Mengasihimu. Mengapa kamu berlengah, cuba membandingkannya dengan yang lain. Terlalu mengejar kesempurnaan. Kelak, kamu akan kehilangannya apabila dia menjadi milik orang lain Kamu juga yang akan menyesal.....

(**credits to ms.SimplyE & co)

Cendol, Pontianak

The year was 1989; I was still new to the world and wore pinafores of dark brown and on Saturdays, in checkered green. The fabric reminds me of tablecloths everyone had in their houses used back in the days. I went to school with my brother, and was awarded side-kick of the year award by him.. hey, that’s another different story.

We were just toddlers perhaps and I was an adventurous one. During this month, I’d get home and rush to the kitchen to help my mum prepare dinner. Cendol was always on the list, alongside tahu sumbat and cucur udang. My dad was a strict man, always wanting rice on the table. But I was obedient and I knew that it was only on weekends that we got out to have treats in the little town of Pontianak, Kalimantan.

So by the strike of 5, I’d be covered in green pieces of flour mix up to my sleeves trying to help my mum squeeze out the cendol. That was fun. We’d always use the tin of a lychee and the day before we’d poke holes at the bottom of it to get as much cendol out on each push. The cendol would be a warm mix of flour, water, and I’m guessing some pandan flavourings. Mum would pour the mix and I’d rush to squeeze it out. Suke main main tau. Always got scolded because I’d most likely slow down the process but I always saw myself as a good kitchen helper. The cendol bits would go into a batch of ice water placed in a basin about the size of me, so that it would get gelly like in matter of minutes. I wonder why my mum wouldn’t let me take the cendol bits out and into the jugs. Would u? hehe.. but the mess we made! Our kitchen in Pontianak was humungous. Or maybe it was because my brother and I were toddlers. Even the fridge seemed huge. I bet I’d fit inside if I tried.

I don't remember the mosque that we went to for tarawikh. I'd try to pray alongside my mom, but I was so bored and started doing front roll-overs in the ample mosque floor and went home sticking with sweat from running so much. Everytime I hear children playing in the mosque, I'd remember this moment. It was also during this period that I stretched my legs so much thatI became flexible, up till today.

I don’t think I woke up for sahur during the toddler years, I don’t think I fasted at all for that matter. But my brother and I each got a vitamin C before bed, just to keep our ammunitions in tack. Yes the year was 1989, and I just realized I hadn’t started fasting then. Wonderful.