New Year 2009

Goodbye

2008

Welcome

2009

Semoga rezeki bertambah baik.

Semoga kesihatan bertambah elok.

Semoga kenalan bertambah ramai.

Semoga hati bertambah tenang.

Semoga dunia semakin aman.

Semoga hidup kurang drama.

Semoga aku cepat pandai buat kelas FREESTYLE STEPS kat gym (I would say that this is my resolution for 2009).

Happy New Year to Aku!

I saw something nice

Yesterday was Awal Muharram. A public holiday. But yesterday wasn't so bored. I promised Marul that we would be going to the gym for Bodysteps, Bodyattack and Bodyjam classes. The first two were in Wisma MBF and Jam was in Maxis. New releases were done for all of them and I particularly like Bodyattack - Peter's class. And you know how Peter's classes are right? Attack was really torturing, but in a good way. I enjoyed the intensity of the new routines for the class. The tracks were good. Sampai hari ni pun badan aku still sakit2 all over especially my butt. Peter kalau suruh buat squats azab nak mampus!

And besides the classes, my working out at the gym was really worth it when I saw something really, really, really, really, really, really nice. A good way to end the year.

Happy new year guys!

Crazy evening @ D'lish Bangsar

Ni la dia kalau cuti lama tapi takde plan. Sudahnya lepak KL sangap to the max. Masalahnya kalau nak buat plan last minute kuar KL pun tak berbaloi. Traffic on highways would be terrible. Hotels semua pun for sure mahal. And dah tentu2 rata2 fully booked. Dengan cuti X'mas nya, dengan cuti sekolahnya. Hari ni aku bangun lewat sebab semalam tido kul 5 pagi. Celik mata terus bukak TV tapi Astro pulak ada technical problem. Damn!

Lepas lunch, aku bantai tido sampai la Baby called ajak lepak. Aku pun terus la kuar. Lama sikit lagi aku stay kat umah, mau cair otak aku sbb bosan. We went and lepak kat D'lish Bangsar. Q joined us. Omar and Aida would come later for dinner kat Nirvana Nasi Daun Pisang. Bosan punya pasal, kitorang pun ambik gambar2 kat bawah ni....

***Muka kitorang semua kaler merah sebab ambik gambar bawah lampu merah....he he he

Photographer berangan!

This is me berangan jadi photographer paling hebat abad ini. Tengah aku dok seronok ambik gambar kawan kawan masa lepak malam tadi, Baby plak snap gambar aku ni.

We had dinner kat Sari Ratu Grand and later on lepak2 sipping chocolate beverages kat Theobroma Chocolate Lounge @ Pavilion.

Baby was there.

Che Fad was there.

Marul was there.

Omar was there....

....and Aida too.

Aku wishing everyone "Happy Holidays!".

The Day Sid Crashed His Car

Mula mula sekali, I just want to say Alhamdulillah. Obviously not because Sid's car turned turtle on the highway yesterday somewhere in Alor Setar, but sebab Sid escaped with no serious injuries. Aku tak jumpa lagi Sid sejak dia balik KL malam tadi, so the details of what actually happened aku tak leh lah nak bgtahu. Aku dpt tahu pasal the shocking news pun from Aliff's FB's status semalam. Tried calling Sid right after but dia tak jawab. Whatever it is, like I said, yang paling penting is that Sid selamat.

Maybe we will see him tomorrow if he comes to Che Fad's place for dinner.

Sid, if you are reading this, just bersabar ok. Your car is a wreck but it could've been worse.

Here are some pictures of Sid's Kembara at the accident scene.

***Guys, be more careful when you are behind the wheels. And don't forget to wear your seatbelts (and that goes straight to my face!!). You never know when it can save your lives.

I Love Australia

Semalam, I got the chance to watch the sneak preview of one of the most anticipated movies of the year, Australia. Lama aku tunggu and the film finally arrived. Being a big fan of Nicole Kidman, I always try to be among the early ones to watch her movies everytime they come out.

Aku tak reti nak cakap pjg2 and bagi review pasal filem ni. I just want to say that I love it very very much. The acting is brilliant. The cast is strong and powerful. The plots and the story line are interesting. No one could ask for more breathtaking landscapes and settings where the story took place. And the man sitting in the director's chair doesn't need an introduction. I have been a fan of his works and I think Australia is another gem produced by him.

U guys don't have to believe what I say here. And you guys don't even have to believe Oprah Winfrey when she said "It's the best movie I've seen in a long, long, long, long time!". Catch the movie if you guys want to and pass if you think there are other better movies playing.

One thing for sure, I'll be watching it again.

Australia is opening here nationwide this coming Christmas.

The talented Aussies. From left: Nicole Kidman (Lady Sarah Ashley/Mrs Boss), the Director Baz Luhrman & Hugh Jackman (The Drover).

The perfect couple of the romance epic.

Brandon Walters brilliantly played the role of Nullah, the half-aboriginal boy who lives in a society that treats him as an outcast.

Apa la HSBC ni

Dulu bagi aku 2 kad kredit tanpa aku apply. Tau tau je sampai. Hari ni plak, sampai 2 pocketwatches HSBC hantar kat aku. Complimentary katanya. Erk? Satu dah la kot. Motif nak bagi aku sampai dua? Nak suruh aku letak kat dua dua poket seluar aku gamaknya. Tak paham....

Gelak kejap...

Boss: Where were you born?

Sardar: India.

Boss: Which part?

Sardar: What 'which part'? Whole body was born in India .

2 guys were fixing a bomb in a car.

Guy 1: What would you do if the bomb explodes while we fix it?

Guy 2: Dont worry, I have one more.

Museum administrator: That's a 500-year-old statue u've just broken!

John: Thank God! I thought it was a new one!

Happy Birthday Mom

Hari ni birthday Mak. Happy Birthday Mak. Mak once told us adik beradik on one of her previous birthdays that she doesn't want gifts on her special day. Just a meal together with all her children would be fine. Aku dengan Izal are still thinking of a place to bawak Mak kuar makan and that's going to be quite a task since banyak benda yg dia tak berapa suka makan. And she doesn't eat that much too, so buffets are out of the question. Mana ek? Any suggestion of a good place to eat guys? Takkan Delicious lagi kot....he he he (though that place was the first to pop up on my mind! I just can't help it!)....

Nanti la aku pikir.

Mak, semoga dikurniakan kesihatan yg lebih baik.

We know that you will never stop loving our family, especially your kids and the little ones, Iqmal & Syafiq.

We love it when you laugh like you always do.

It's nice to hear you recite the verses from the Quran every morning and evening.

Your cooking is simply the best, especially your Caramel Pudding.

You look resplendent everytime you wear your baju kurung (thanks to me for always buying you the kain-kain...ha! ha! ha!).

Thanks for never failing to prepare me my mug of Milo.

Thanks for never forgetting to call me and ask whether I would be coming back for dinner.

You were always there when I really needed you even though I sometimes failed to be there for you when you needed me and you never made a sound for that.

Your neverending and unconditional love and affection keeps us together.

I know that my day starts in a good way when I kiss your hand every morning before I go to work.

Mak, remember that time when you lashed me with Ayah's leather belt for my wrongdoing?

Don't worry, I knew you didn't want to do that. I saw you cried when I peeked through your bedroom door. I will never forget that day.

I can still remember those days when Ayah had to go to Mecca every year for work during the Hajj season and you were left alone for months to take care of all of us. Bravo! You did a good job as a supermom.

It's going to be a neverending list if I were to write everything that you have done for me, for my brothers and for Ayah, after all these years. Just to mention a few.

I love you Mak. With all my heart and soul. I don't say it like some people do but I am sure you know it....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN.

Sigh!

Some things are better left untold, no matter how much one wants to tell them....SIGH!...

My Favourite Bizarre Food

Auntie Wan fron the gym sent me a text message early last Tuesday morning. It read:

"A'kum Zaidi. Gud morning. Sorry mengganggu pepagi ni. Nak tanya Zaidi, nak tak otak lembu Qurban semalam? Auntie minta dgn husband auntie belah kepala lembu. Kesian dia dr semalam sambung pagi ni baru selesai dia kerjakan, baru dapat keluarkan"

Yaay! For two years in a row since Aku kenal Auntie Wan at the gym and since she discovered yg aku ni suka makan otak lembu, setiap kali Raya Haji, dia akan dapatkan otak lembu untuk aku. Thanks for the lovely thoughts Auntie!

Sorry guys, some of you might want to puke at the sight of the raw brain (tu pasal aku tak letak gambar yg mentah kat sini), but I can just finish the whole cooked brain dish alone. Luckily my mom pun suka jugak, so terpaksalah aku share dengan Mak....he he he

So, tadi Mak prepared the brain dish. Tak de la masak cara pelik2 pun. Just goreng dengan bawang aje. Berselera gile aku makan. I know that the cholesterol level is very high but I guess the 3C's (Crazy Cardio Classes) that I do regularly at the gym will surely help.

Sapa yg belum pernah try and consider themselves gastronomically adventurous, aku cabar korang try. Kalau kena gaya masaknya, korang mesti suka. Kalau susah sgt nak cari and masak sendiri, you guys might want to try your luck and go to Sari Ratu Grand Restaurant in Bukit Bintang. They do have the Gulai Otak sometimes.

The cow's brain that Mom prepared. Yummy!

*** One person's delicacy is another person's poison. Enjoy your food!

Salam Aidil Adha

Lusa Hari Raya Haji. I wanna wish all Muslims A Happy Eidul Adha. Kepada yg berqurban, semoga ibadah diterima Yg Esa dan dilimpahi ganjaran yg besar. Kepada semua umat Islam di Tanah Suci yg mungkin juga terdiri dr mereka-mereka yg kita kenali atau ahli keluarga yang kita sayangi, semoga ibadah haji mereka diberikan kemudahan dan kesenangan oleh Allah dalam melaksanakannya sehingga semuanya selamat pulang ke tanahair, Insya Allah.

The Good News

This is Aida & Omar. The husband-and-wife close friends of mine. They have been married for more than a couple of years.

Remember in my entry (about that makan makan in Izzi Bukit Bintang) when I mentioned about that thing Aida told everyone that night over dinner? That thing Aida asked us to wait only after Tues (i.e. yesterday) before we could tell anyone else about it? Yes, that one. I am telling it here and now.

Everybody, my dear friends Omar and Aida are now an expecting couple! Yaaay! Aida told us about it that night that she was pregnant with her first child but requested us to be hush about it until she's done with her first check up at the Prince Court Medical Centre yesterday afternoon. She called me last night and said that she's doing fine and so is the baby. Alhamdulillah. She's now already 14 weeks (thanks to Irwan for highlighting the error when I wrote '14 months' initially....he he he) into her pregnancy.

We are all happy for both of you. We can't wait for the baby to arrive, when both of you will be proud and happy parents to your first baby.

We pray that Allah will look after the mom and and the baby until the latter pops out! The stork is on the way!

***Aida, no more heels, panjat bukit, terjun pokok, merangkak dalam gua for you for the time being ok. And Omar, from now on carry her shopping bags and drive the car for her (Aida, you have just to bear Omar's driving speed of below 80 km/h.....he he he he)....

Birthday Questionnaire

When is your birthday?
Every 17th day of Oct.

Where will you be?
Some place good I hope. It's still too early to tell.

Will you be having a birthday party?
I think I won't. I never had birthday parties before.

How many birthdays have you celebrated so far?
I have been thanking the Almighty every year for all the blessings. I am not sure if that's celebrating. I think it is. Celebrating life.

If you could get anything, realistically speaking, what would you ask for?
I want an SUV. Any make will do.

What do you want from friends?
Their presence, their thoughts and their wishes. Gifts are bonuses.

What do you want from siblings?
Same answer as above.

What have you been dying to own?
I can't think of one particular thing right now. There are just too many! One of them must be the new Mercedes C-class. In black.

How much do you weigh?
63 kilos.

When you blow out your next candles, what will you wish for?
World peace....ha ha ha

If you could ask for something magical like superpowers, which kind?
I wish I could be invisible. I know I can do loads of interesting stuff when I am invisible.

Who do you want to be with during your birthdays?
My family and close friends. People who can make me laugh on my special day.

How do you plan to celebrate your upcoming birthday?
I never had birthday plans. And I am planning to leave it that way for my upcoming one.

What was the worst present you ever got on a birthday?
A miniature thrash can. Whatever for?!

What was the worst birthday fiasco you ever had?
None.

Did you ever purposely give someone a crappy gift?
Never. I give nice gifts. They musn't be expensive though.

Who would you never ever ever want to attend your birthday?
I don't know. Like I said, I never had parties before, so I have yet to have my invitation list.

What was the best birthday present you've ever received?
A Waterford Wedgewood Crystal Table Clock from Dad. It was also my graduation gift. And it's here on my desk since the day I got it.

What was the best birthday you've ever had?
My birthdays have been pleasant, all of them.

What is your favourite birthday activity, even if you haven't done it (yet)?
My birthdays are just like regular days, I don't expect anything to happen. My activities would just be my normal daily routines.

Who would you love to come to your birthday to celebrate with you?
Datuk Sheila Majid.

What did your family do to celebrate your birth?
They would take me out for a birthday meal. Just me and my family. I treasure those moments.

Would you be okay with dying on your birthday?
Yeah. It's worse if you are dying on the day your company gives you a 16-month's bonus. Anyway, there'a myth which says that you will die on your birthday.

Pick someone you really really love:
My nephews, Ahmad Iqmal Harith & Ahmad Iqmal Syafiq.

What would you get them for their birthdays if you could give them anything?
I love Adidas sneakers, so I am gonna get them just that. We can look real cool walking around wearing the same sneakers. Trust me, the baby sneakers are really cute!

Pick someone you really really hate:
It's ok. I will just keep it to myself.

What would you do to spoil their birthday plans if you could?
If it's a surprise party, he'll get to know it a day before.

Yummy Choc Bar & New Watch

Marul was getting himself some buns at Sun Moulin @ Isetan yesterday evening when I saw this section selling chocolates from Japan. The girl at the counter let me sample a small chunk of their special chocolate. Nama dia 'Nama Chocolate'. What's so special about this particular chocolate is that it has to be kept in the freezer. Don't worry cuz it wont get hard. It must be something in the ingredients. The shop will even pack the chocolate in a special packaging with dry ice which will keep your buy really cold for four hours tops. Sedap gile la kan sample yg dia bagi aku try tu. It melts in my mouth in a weird way. When I first popped it into my mouth, rasa mcm kenyal. Only when I bit into it, it started to melt in the most gloriously creamy way. Tak caya tanya Marul. I actually insisted on the counter girl to let Marul sample it. Betul tak Marul coklat tu best?

However, I just bought myself the less expensive chocolate bar which still costed me RM20. It's a Black Chocolate Bar. You guys will certainly like it if you are a fan of that creamy bittersweet taste. I know I like it. Elly, kau kena try sebab kau pun hantu coklat!

Don't let the unattractive packaging of the choc bar fools you. It's heaven inside....he he he

And this is my new watch yg aku beli semalam for RM99 lepas diskaun. They are having this 60% discount for Casio watches kat The Gallery @ Isetan KLCC. Marul bought one as well. Aku saja beli, utk pakai kat gym masa join classes....he he he....alasan....

Delicious @ Dua Residency

Last Sunday aku bangun masa Melodi started at 12.30 pm. Itu pun mcm weng-weng lagi kepala aku sbb tido kul 4.30 pagi. Had to lay down a while longer sebelum bangun supaya pusing kepala aku tu hilang. Lepas bangun, aku terus mandi and headed straight down afterwards sebab mak dah siapkan lunch. Lunch on Sundays have always been at home. That's when mak will masak lauk2 yg dia jarang masak on any other days of the week. The extra special lauks. And aku selalunya makan banyak.

Lepas Zohor aku bersiap and keluar ke KLPac. Picked up Dani on the way. Meeting the other guys there at 2.30 pm for the play that we were going to watch at 3 pm, Bottom Top which featured Faridah Merican and Mark Beau De Silva. The latter was also the writer of the play. Directed by Joe Hasham, Faridah's other half. It's just a 65-minute play with no intermission. Nice and funny. Saw a lot of familiar faces in the audience....

The play's poster.

From left: Sid, Omar, Aida, Hazwan, Aku & Dani.

Omar, Dani, Aku & Aida in front of KLPac after the play.

From left: Omar, Aida, Aku & Baby.

Lepas play, we decided to dine kat my favourite restaurant, Delicious. I know I have mentioned about it more than once here in my blog, but it's not like I can avoid it. I just like the place.

This time around, we went to Delicious' latest and just recently opened restaurant in Dua Residency in Jalan Tun Razak. We spent the next couple of hours eating and chatting and 'laser'ing each other before Sid left for Hazwan's birthday celebration at HRC, Aida, Omar & Che Fad went back home and aku, Baby and Dani proceeded to Pavilion sebab Baby nak habiskan duit dia yg tak pernah habis tu....

At the entrance of the restaurant.

The lovely bird cage lights. I noticed that day that all the waitresses were Indonesians.

You look at the picture and you just know it's Delicious!

Che Fad, Aida & Aku. Tgh tunggu order.

From left: Baby yg buat2 tido. Dani yg buat2 tido. Sid yg betul2 tido, boleh?

From left: Che Fad, Baby, Dani, Omar & Aku.

Kat bawah ni gmbr2 kitorang dengan makanan....

New CD

After quite a while aku dah tak beli CD, I got myself a new CD yesterday. Beyonce's new album entitled 'I am Sasha Fierce'. Good music. Period.

The Deluxe Edition album cover.

Makan! Makan!

Our trip to Singapore was cancelled last weekend. Ada la sebab sebab yg tak dapat nak dielakkan. So, weekend yg baru lepas ni, almost everyone was in KL except for YT and Irwan who apparently still proceeded with their trip to Singapore to catch Yasmin Ahmad's Muallaf at The Picturehouse over there. Zach pun takde cuz he has been in Singapore for the last couple of weeks for work. Jadinya, last Saturday, Aku dgn Baby proposed to everyone utk kitorang semua pergi dinner kat Izzi Bukit Bintang since they have this promotion going on I call 'Makan Banyak, Bayar Sikit Gile'. They are giving 65% off the bill if payment is made using Citibank cards. Actually, ni bukan la promotion baru pun. The place has been having this crazy promotions since the first time we went there. We first tried out the place pun sebab dapat tahu pasal promotion gile2 tu la. Bulan ni utk Citibank cards, bulan depan nanti utk cards bank lain pulak. I have been wondering, tak rugi ke ek diorang buat mcm ni? Bukan sikit2 punya discount. Ah, what the heck. Org kasi makan banyak, bayar murah, kitorang belasah je la!

Our bill that night came to around RM300, and that was the discounted amount! Just imagine how much we had to pay kalau takde discount! And again, just imagine la bape banyak kitorang makan that nite for that price! It was really a night of MENKETEDARAH they say....he he he....

Ni dah towards the end of our dinner. Semua mcm dah keletihan makan tak berhenti. And everyone thought everything we ordered dah sampai dan dah selamat masuk perut when to our surprise, came another two large pizza....azab gile nak habiskan....

From left: Aku, Marul, Lutfi, Resh & Dani (Additional info: Marul went to 7 classes at the gym that day and he was really exhausted when he reached Izzi. Trust me, you could see it from his face how drained he was. Dan dengan percumanya terus dapat gelaran Gym Class Freak dr Lutfi).

From left: Che Fad, Omar & Sid. I didn't notice how much they ate that night cuz I was seated at the other end of our long table but I am pretty sure mesti diorang pun melantak like there would be no tomorrow....hik! Especially Sid....oppps....

From left: Lutfi, Resh, Dani & Aida. That night Aida told all of us something. Something that I really want to tell everyone about. Tapi Aida kata "Nanti la dulu. Let's wait till after Tuesday ok". Ok Aida....

From left: Baby, Marul, Lut, Resh, Dani & Aida. Besides the cheap food, another reason of Resh smiling was because he just won a few awards the night before at the Kancil Awards. If I am not mistaken, the winnings were for his radio ads.

From left: Lut (which by now all of you might have recognized from that big hair he's so VERY VERY PROUD of....shesh!), Resh with his usual grin & Dani yang control hensem everytime the camera snaps....he he he

Baby & Aku yg tersenyum kegembiraan sebab bayar murah walaupun makan sampai mcm nak terlungkup!

Lutfi, despite being the smallest in the group, tetap makan banyak. Badan je kecik, selera besar.

After dinner, we rushed to KLCC where we would be catching a midnite show of Twilight. There has been so much hype about the movie when it came out but apparently after watching it, aku rasa cite tu tak best langsung. You guys go and check it out yourselves. You might like it like how Lutfi, Sid and Dani liked it. Jiwang karat!

Our Sat nite outing was ended kat Oldtown Kopitiam Yap Kwan Seng. By then everyone mcm dah lembik gile. Perut dah terover penuh, kepala dah berat, mata dah kuyu. Lepas minum, semua org balik....

***Guys, check out Izzi's website at http://izzipizza.com/my/. Kalau nak lepak ramai ramai dgn kawan kawan kat sini mmg sesuai. Right now, it only has two restaurants. One in Bukit Bintang and another in Uptown Damansara. Come 5 Dec, another one is opening up at the new AEON Complex in Setiawangsa. Check it out. Like I said, bayar sikit, makan sampai terlentang! He he he....