Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects ~ Arnold Glasow

Ini hari I was rushing here and there, doing this and that. Had to rush to Banting Land Office in the morning sebab sengaja mem-bangunlambat-kan diri. After that, rushed to SACC Mall to get flowers for Naem. Rushed to meet Naem at Masjid S.Alam before her convocation. Rushed to the office to finish up a legal opinion due today. Adrenaline pumping is good for the heart kan?

I’ve already bought 6 magazines this month dan semuapun tak habis baca. Hantu majalah mana entah yang merasukiku. I bought Cleo for the 50 bachelors, bought Pesona Pengantin sebab memang beli every month, bought Aksi for the first time (syhhh) because I am (kinda) obsessed with Mila, bought EH! as they featured their wedding edition, bought InTrend because I was in need of reading material in Melaka court tempoh hari (I usually ada bahan bacaan anywhere I go tapi itu hari tertinggal) and I bought HOT! for their Grey’s Anatomy special spreads.

Speaking of Grey’s, semalam aku baru sedar bahawa McVet adalah Chris O Donnel, and when I told 3 good friends tentang betapa lembabnya aku, I got mixed, comel reactions: Aniz in her usual comel-ness said, “Astaghfirullah. Am.. Am.. Robin jadi vet.” Ayin lagi best, “Sape Chris O Donnel? Sounds familiar tapi”, and Ayunik replied with “Haha kesian baru tahu” and then she berlagak something about being seated at ND Lala’s table. Hot? Not! HHH!

Sekianlah merapu untuk hari ini.

I'm so sorry that I'm falling
Help me up lets keep on running
Don't let me fall out of love

Some things to be grateful for:

(1) L*ina Joy’s appeal was dismissed by the Federal Court. Alhamdulillah.

(2) Lovely Kimi’s lovely wife, Miza selamat melahirkan puteri sulung mereka, Durratul Hananie, on May the 28th. Alhamdulillah.

(3) Hari ini, gaji sudah masuk, and I am now awaiting my Court and outstation claims/allowances. Alhamdulillah.

(4) Sisterhood trip to Penang is on! Alhamdulillah.

(5) A lot of friends are getting hitched soon (or in Sharel’s words: Musim mengawan sudah tiba. Hahaha) Alhamdulillah.

(6) I am calm, stress-free and happy. Alhamdulillah.

Idealism is what precedes experience;
cynicism is what follows ~ David T. Wolf

Fighting illogic with more illogic. Konsep menarik. Hahaha.
Kalaulah semudah itu. Ngeh ngeh ngeh.
For more fun comics, click here

Relax, take it easy
For there is nothing that we can do

My best friend’s fiancé gave me the link to the above cynicism. Hehehe. Keji tapi comel. I felt so lega after getting my worries out of my system semalam. Heh. Although ketidakpuasanhati masih berleluasa dalam jiwa ini, I must say (again) that I enjoy (jugaklah) my work. Kelmarin I felt so puas hati when my application was allowed by the Court - it was an application yang jarang2 dibuat thus I’ve got no precedents and I did everything from scratch. Today pula, I was puas hati with my oral submissions; dismissed or allowed by the Court, belakang kira, because I’ve done my best.

Excuse the legal jargons (if any). Apa yang cuba gua sampaikan, all in all:
Gaji ciput = Checked
Irritating people = Checked
Ketidakpuasan hati = Checked

However, ada jugalah silver lining nya:
Nice workmates/colleagues cum friends = Checked
Stress reduction = Checked (my family and I are going to Penang today)
Job satisfaction = Okayla, okayla, checked.

Apparently, listening to Mika's Relax (Take It Easy) beribu-ribu kali boleh do some magic on me. Hahaha!

Stress is poison ~ Agavé Powers

Warning: This is going to be a long entry yang penuh dengan rungutan. So, brace yourself and before that, pray for my Bapak for Allah’s love and blessings, for today is his birthday. I love you more than love, Bapak.

Whining mode switched on: Yesterday after my Court matter, I went straight home. Sakit kepala tak hengat. I think what has been giving me headache beberapa hari ini was stress. A fellow lawyer told me a doctor once gave him 2 days leave, for stress semata2. Apahal nak stres-stres, ni? Hmm. I think I need a brief leave from all these legal bla bla and find a stress-free job. Mana ada?! Semua job ada stress. Except that I want one yang although ada stress, the amount of fun is enough to balance stress itu.

Huhu. Do not get me wrong. I like what I do. And I bersyukurlah. But I must say, the gaji is (kinda) ciput, considering the fact that some of us (me included) did not get the increment unlike the others sebab kami ‘belum cukup setahun’. I mean, come on lah, shouldn’t increment be based on performance? Ini yang buat aku demotivated ni. Aku terus fikir. "Aah takyahlah kerja teruk2, in the end, bukan tengok performance pun”. Huh.

Tapi, ada juga perkara yang compensate all these work stress and gaji ciput, seperti, (a) ehem, niat kerja kerana Allah, (b) the fact that I suka jugalah going to Court, and (c) that the environment in my department is syok, macam family-like. Although ada juga certain people yang irritates the hell out of me sometimes. Okay do not get me started on that.

The point is, I love being a lawyer. But sometimes I think I deserve better.. ermm, appreciation? Jadi, it is either: (a) finish my contract here and go somewhere else with better pays, or (b) finish my contract here and go find some temporary job macam buat kek, jadi wartawan sambilan Karangkraf, jadi registered translator, jadi jurugambar amatur, jadi stage manager kecil-kecilan, jadi freelance writer, or I could (c) quit job and melepak tengok tv.

And if I choose (c), soon I’ll be complaining about being bored and penniless pulak. Hahaha. Saiko, saiko.

Di manakah letaknya keberuntungan kalau bukan di dalam hati?

Majulah ke muka, tempuhlah lautan Baharullah yang luas itu, beranikan hati menghadapi gelombang yang bergulung-gulung. Kerana dengan bermain ombak dan membiasakan menempuh gelora itulah makanya penyakit mabuk laut akan hilang. Pada tiap-tiap bertemu dengan suatu kesusahan dan suatu halangan di dalam bahtera rumahtangga, itu adalah ujian; bila sampai di sebaliknya tertegak pulalah sebuah tiang yang teguh dan sendi yang kuat, untuk membina rumah kecintaan itu. Di manakah letaknya keberuntungan kalau bukan di dalam hati? Bolehkah keberuntungan itu dinamakan kepada wang berbilang dan emas berkarung-karung? Bukan, bukan dari sana asal mulanya, sebab banyak orang dilingkungi oleh kebahagiaan dunia, tetapi hatinya senantiasa kesal. - Merantau ke Deli, HAMKA

Lawyer's warning: Wahai sekalian wanita, janganlah kamu membaca buku yang indah ini tatkala PMS, atau tatkala jiwa kacau, atau tatkala sedang berjauh hati dengan kekasih. Kerana nescaya akan terganggulah jiwa dan terembeslah air mata. You've been warned!


Anyways, an update on me:

(a) I am not feeling well. Huwaa!

(b) I just got back from Court and in a few hours, I have to be there again. No complain though, this morning I had breakfast with Kano at the Court's new cafe, and this evening, I think I nak balik rumah terus after my case, subject to keadaan diri dan keadaan kerja yang menimbun.

(c) Gaji kakitangan awam dinaikkan? As a bakal isteri to a public defender who works under gomen, I get to be happy, no? Heh.

(d) I still heart YM and Mila.

Sesungguhnya sinar kau terasa
Hilang hanyalah cinta
Cinta kita yang dah sebati
Kita kan dah terbiasa

Ngeh ngeh. In case you are wondering.

Yes, I watched AF Final live at Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil, with Yatt and Tini.
Yes, I jerit-ed and tepuk-ed for Mila sehingga tangan dan tekak perit.
No, I did not take a lot of pictures. Not merely because cameras etc were prohibited, but mostly because I was too busy enjoying the live show.
No, I did not cry when Mila won.
But yes, I felt so bangga, like a proud sister. Tiba-tiba?
No, I did not bring any sepanduk though Tini and I sangat nak kipas Ebi’s fan club itu sebab macam comel. But RM5? Terima kasih sajala.
Yes, we were seated di bawah itu, di Arena. Yang tak bestnya, near to Aswad’s AswadFrenzy yang macam, ermm, menggila? Scary. Heh.
Yes, Ebi’s vocal was biasa2 saja but I kinda liked his performances. Sue me.
And yes, Mila’s performances put the rest to shame.

All in all, although gua sedih telah kehilangan satu tv show wajib gua, gua puas hatilah dengan AF ini musim. Teehee.

Picture of Mila is courtesy of AF Official Site

Updated on Monday the 21st:
Some pictures, courtesy of Yatt! Thank you, dear!

Ulat tiket di Karnival AF

Tini & I di keramaian manusia di Karnival AF

Yatt & AM menanti burger dengan sabar

Menuju ke konsert

During commercial break, di dalam Stadium Putra

Berminyak dan keletihan setelah segalanya tamat

Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart
don't know how to laugh either ~ Golda Meir

Women’s hormonal change is sangat kelakar, okay. Just look at Miranda (from Grey’s) - tiba2 dia jadi begitu empathy dan sangat motherly after her first baby. But that is a good thing, no? Not to chauvinistic (or simply stoopid) males yang menganggap emotion equals to weakness.

Like some people yang dengan so-not-kelakarnya mengatakan YB BG pun "bocor tiap2 bulan". True, but so not ethical, okay. Back to hormonal change. Bulan ni, gua punya time of the month membuat gua sangat jiwanglah.

(1) Gua tak marah2pun tunang gua (at least, not yet). Gua baik dan sweet dan menggila yang comel sahaja terhadapnya. Tak meroyanpun tau.

(2) Gua layan Selimut Hati (by Dewa) dan Cinta Mati (by Ahmad Dhani and Agnes Monica) beribu-ribu kali.

(3) Pagi tadi MHI selingkan video clip Kaer, Izinkan Ku Pergi, gua nangis.

(4) Hari ni gua pergi tonton Suhail got admitted to the Bar (tahniah, sahabat!) Tiba2 when one Chinese petitioner’s latar belakang was read by her Mover, gua bergenang air mata. Tiba-tiba? Gua tak kenalpun dia. Saiko.

Gua rasa kalau Mila berjaya dinobatkan sebagai the first juara wanita AF, gua akan termenangislah. Tiba-tiba? Mila adik gua ke?

Aku ‘kan menjadi embun pagimu

Layan aah layan Selimut Hati tatkala hujan begini. Syahdu dan terawang-awang terasa. Marilah layan bersama. Click on the adorable revolving icon which will direct you to my latest addiction, Esnips. Enjoy layan! Teehee.

Dewa - Selimut Hat...

Lirik Selimut Hati by Dewa (jika mahu nyanyi bersama)

Aku ‘kan menjadi malam-malammu
‘Kan menjadi mimpi-mimpimu
Dan selimuti hatimu yang beku

Aku ‘kan menjadi bintang-bintangmu
‘Kan selalu menyinarimu
Dan menghapus rasa rindumu yang pilu

Aku bisa untuk menjadi apa yang kau minta
Untuk menjadi apa yang kau impikan
Tapi ku tak bisa menjadi dirinya

Aku ‘kan menjadi embun pagimu
Yang menyejukkan jiwamu
Dan membasuh hatimu yang layu
Tinggalkan sejenak lalumu
Beri sedikit waktu kepadaku untuk meyakinkan mu

A friend is one before whom I may think aloud
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

A new discovery! Bestlah ber-YM bersama rakan2! Most people know that I don’t chat. Okay, pembetulan, I don’t chat with strangers. Kiranya tidak pernahlah I join MIRC untuk berkenalan dan berbual dsb. Malas. But YM-ing with friends (okay, guilty, especially ketika waktu kerja), I like! Tiba2 bosan boleh buzz Dod dan tuduh dia tak mandi. Boleh bergossip terkini dan mengadu dengan Far. Boleh bertukar-tukar lagu dengan Yatt. Boleh conference dengan Ayin and Yunik sambil merepek dan menge-test smileys yang comel2, inter alia: clapping-hands smiley, giggle smiley, vomiting tahap muka hijau smiley, dsb. Wahai diri, jangan sampai YM menjadi priority pembukaan PC, itu sudah parah. Ngeh ngeh. Okay nak sambung siapkan, ehem, Penyata Pembelaan. Oh tidak, bukan sambung YM-ing. Kerja kerja! Eheh.

Beauty is power; a smile is its sword

Boleh tak tiba-tiba semalam aku rasa amat fond terhadap Gabrielle Solis kerana aku merasakan bahawa dia adalah seperti Mila yang comel itu. Motif suka perempuan? Biarlah aku. Hahaha. Seperti yang dapat dilihat, most of my STF colleagues who commented my blog adalah suka kepada Mila. Hahaha. Ia hanya kerana, we STFians (tidak semua) adalah lebih vocal dalam menyuarakan apresiasi terhadap kecantikan dan kebagusan wanita lain. Motif justification? Motif entry ini? Tiada motif. Sekian.


Pictures from: UK Movies and AF Official Site

Laughter is an instant vacation

The private beach

Aktiviti wajib Family Day: Sukaneka!

Dusk

Dawn

Spread love

Guess whose?

More than love

You have shown me how to give of myself
You have shown me leadership
You have taught me to be strong
You have taught me the importance of family
You have demonstrated unconditional love
You have demonstrated a sensitivity to people's needs
You have handed down to me the important values in life
You have handed down to me the idea of achieving one's goals
You have set an example, throughout your life
of what a mother and woman should be like
I am so proud of you and I love you forever

-Poem by Susan Polis Schutz

Di sini kau dan aku terbiasa bersama
Menjalani kasih sayang bahagia kudenganmu


Jiwa yang penuh jiwa.
Sangat suka, boleh?

Sleep 'til you're hungry, eat 'til you're sleepy

Kenapa saya rasa sungguh gembira pada hari ini?

Kerana saya baru lepas menikmati sushi diselangi air kegemaran saya, Fruit Tree Blackcurrant & Aloe Vera. Saya mengidam untuk makan sushi, lalu tepat jam 1, saya terus bergegas ke Sogo untuk ke Sushi King lalu mendapatkan beberapa peket sushi. The minute the first Futomaki entered my mouth, saya senyum sorang-sorang. That’s how happy I am :-)

Kerana saya menerima SMS dari Yatt yang berbunyi, “Cik Marliza, saya telah ada tiket ke konsert final AF di tangan saya ini. Sudikah kiranya Cik pergi bersama? Jika sudi, sila sengih.” Maka tersengih lebarlah saya :-D

Kerana esok saya akan ber-family day di PD bersama-sama rakan se-department, yang akan juga diikuti oleh ex-officemates/sahabat, Kano dan Su. Jadi, gembiralah kerana can’t wait untuk bergumbira :-)

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems,
but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

Sometimes I wonder, who does that?

(A) Siapalah sanggup bazir wang SMS-chatting with strangers on #15?

Situation (a)
Ibu: Tau tak, Aunty *** chatting kat #15 tu? (Note: Aunty *** is Ibu’s close friend, amat rapat denganku, nenek kepada 2 orang cucu)
Me: Biar betul?
Ibu: Iya. Dia tak nak bagitau nama apa dia guna, tapi dia kata dia kat situ berfungsi sebagai pengutuk kepada pengutuk dan dia peminat Shawal.
Me: (Thinking: Now I know sorang)

Situation (b)
Membaca peperangan di #15. Some-girlish-nick wrote: Happy birthday to my kakak angkat, Kak whatever, who turned 13 today. That makes the writer, younger than 13? Now I know another (type).


(B) Siapalah yang rajin masuk fan clubs for artists/radio/tv?

Situation:
Pak Gad: Awak sahabat K*LFM? (Note: Pak Gad ini, aku teka umurnya, paling mudapun, 45)
Me: Haa? Apa tu?
Pak Gad: Sahabat K*uala L*umpur FM. Macam kelab peminat. Pakcik sahabat K*LFM. Seronok tau. Rugi kalau tak masuk.
Me: Oooh. Tak. (Thinking: Now I know one)


Note: The above situations are of course mere example, bukan generalization ya. Ngeh ngeh.

Who is wise? He that learns from everyone.
Who is powerful? He that governs his passions.
Who is rich? He that is content.
Who is that? Nobody. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Random observation (Jika...)

1. Jika buang sampah ke dalam tong sampah dapur yang ada bahan2 buangan haiwan selepas disiang, sila jangan bernafas, kerana keharuman itu akan berlegar2 dalam hidung sepanjang hari. Wahai diri, bukankah semasa belajar Forensic Science di universiti, kamu telah diberitahu oleh Pakar Forensik, bahawa ketika menonton post mortem ke atas mayat, jangan bernafas guna hidung, nanti melekat bau. The same principle applies here.

2. Jika terlalu ramai peminat tegar fried kuey teow di stall bertajuk Penang di Sogo mempunyai kesanggupan untuk berdiri menanti selama 10-30 minit, itu bermaksud, memang sedap betullah kuey teow itu *Burp* Eskusmis.

3. Jika seorang gadis baru kehilangan RM500 selepas diragut, janganlah ingin bermain2 bermanja2 dengannya dengan cuba merampas wang yang sedang dipegangnya ketika dia beratur membeli makanan kerana “Ko ni kan! Akak dahlah trauma!” Kasihan dia. Aku juga pernah kehilangan handphone yang berada di dalam begku (ketika naik komuter), jadi aku trauma sungguh bila ada sesiapa yang melanggar/menyentuh begku.

4. Jika dalam satu waktu, 2 orang SMS anda ajak menonton konsert akhir AF secara live, nampak sangatlah anda, hmm.. nampak sangatlah. Heh.

Sekian.

Laziness may appear attractive,
but work gives satisfaction ~ Anne Frank

Pada suatu hari, my colleague, Man, created a new lingua for ‘laziness’, which by the way is a popular adjective among the fellowship. This new lingua was frequently used among us, dan kini telah menular kepada anggota2 baru HSK. I think it is interesting dan comel hence worth sharing here.

Karikacaputir (noun) – Keadaan merasa malas.

Keceper (adjective) – Sifat malas, e.g. mandom dan down, tidak sudi bekerja, craving for home, tidak bersemangat etc.

Kecepru (verb) – Apa yang dilakukan selepas dilanda karikacaputir iaitu menjadi keceper lalu bertindak seperti berikut: e.g. tidak hadir ke pejabat, pura2 EL/MC, mengular, pulang tepat jam 6, minum lama2 di Court selepas selesai tugasan, menghadap Internet etc.

Warning: Keceper adalah sifat mazmumah. Marilah kita mengelakkannya.

Gambar selingan (edited during lunch hour di mana tidak makan kerana telah melantak nasi lemak bersama Naem sehabisnya Court hari ini): Pencipta lingua. Juga my former fellowship yang kebanyakannya telah berhijrah.

Dig deeper in your pocket
Dig deeper in your wallet

Huhu. Senangnya wang melayang.

1 Book wrapper = RM2.09
2 AEIOU Greeting cards = RM5.80
2 Kertas minyak = RM1.20
2 pita pelekat Loytape = RM5.40
1 Sawaday Air Freshener = RM8.90
2 Kit Kat Premium 6P = RM6.78
2 100 g Famous Amos Cookies = RM15.40

Total Damage = RM45.57

Nearly RM50? In one go? Di mana tiada perkara yang terlalu relevan dibeli? My oh my. Boleh dapat 2 buku! (Perhatian: aku memang measure perbelanjaan aku ikut berapa buku yang I could have bought guna wang itu) Anyways, damage is done, and items purchased are much needed anyway. RM45.57? My oh my. Ka-ching!

Spirits move me, every time I'm near you
Whirling like a cyclone in my mind
You're my life line, angel of my lifetime
Answer to all answer I can find

The other day, I accidentally watched Take That: The Ultimate Tour 2006 on Channel V dan kemudiannya aku rasa sungguh berbunga-bunga. I sang along with all my heart, clapped my hands dengan penuh semangat during their Pray clapping-hands-ritual and almost cried when my Robbie was featured via projector, singing the opening to Could It Be Magic. Somehow my favourite part of the concert was when Jason sang lead to Never Forget - his vocal was amazing! Oh I love Take That. Take Thatters grew up with their songs dan kini kebanyakannya dah besar panjang dan tua-bangka, but when Take That reunited, semua orang were happy beyond words. Watching the concert transported me to the time when everything was so much simpler. Anyways, I am loving my life as it is now :-)

For Ebi Kornelis' fans (Kano, I know you'll like this); I stumbled into this website after reading Sultan Muzaffar's blog which I read after reading Farah Laily's post on AFMasuk (susur galur). Di bawah ini ialah nyanyian2 Ebi di semua konsert. Tak sedap sangatpun sebenarnya. Hahaha. Anyways, enjoy!

Blessed are the hearts that can bend;
they shall never be broken ~ Albert Camus

“Turki adalah negara sekular dan terus kekal begitu. Turki tidak mungkin menjadi negara Syariah walaupun secara rampasan kuasa,” laung penunjuk perasaan yang membanjiri Dataran Caglayan di Istanbul sambil membawa bendera rasmi putih merah Turki dan potret bekas pengasas negara itu, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. (Sumber: Berita Harian Online)


If only, like Turki muslimahs, I had to make a choice between menutup aurat and pursuing my law degree, I wonder what my choice would be.

(1) Would I go “Alaa takpe, 5-6 tahun je, habis belajar, pakaila tudung semula”. Tapi bagaimana jika dalam 5-6 tahun itu ajal menjemput pulang? Bukankah kita semua tahu bahawa niat tidak menghalalkan cara. Lagipun selepas berijazah, bukankah amat sukar untuk menjadi golongan professional jika berhijjab? Lalu apa gunanya?

(2) Or would I rather be with no education? Memilih untuk melaksanakan tanggungjawab sebagai muslimah kepada Allah?

Secara jujurnya, aku tidak tahu apa yang akan kupilih; aku bertudung dari usia 11 tahun, suatu pilihan peribadiku, pilihan yang dibenarkan di dalam negara kita ini. Dan aku bersyukur kerana as a Malaysian muslimah, aku tidak perlu membuat pilihan di atas. Alangkah nikmatnya. Semoga Allah mempermudahkan kakanda2 kita di sana. Read here for more information.

A dirty book is rarely dusty



Kaching! Hasil tangkapan dari KL International Book Fair, PWTC and Times Bookstore Clearance Sale, PJ. Happiness bought at the cost of RM58! Sahaja!

Berdua lebih baik

Jika kau tiada. Pada siapakanku dendang syair cinta? Dan dakapan mana harus ku bersandar meraih kasih yang ku perlu? Jika kau tiada. Wajah siapa harus ku tenung bila mencari ketenangan? Arakian suara siapakah kan membisikkan kata-kata cinta? Jika kau tiada. Hilanglah bintang di langit yang berkelip memelita malam yang hiba. Hilanglah keajaiban di dunia. Jika kau tiada sentuhan siapa yang mampu menyembuh luka di hatiku. Lantarannya tawar naluri hati untuk jatuh cinta lagi. Jika ku mampu miliki dunia. Pastinya sengsara jika kau tiada.


Lyrics from the song Jika Kau Tiada, by Yusry & Erra
Picture from here