Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2008 will turn out to be as good as 2007, if not better. I am 30 this year, and am looking forward to some of the best years of my life. I was surprised one morning when I opened the papers to find my horoscope:

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Three cheers for letting go, for letting the universe support you, for being excited about the way your life is unfolding! Your open mind gives you great freedom of choice.

That is exactly how I feel (!). For some reason I feel like I'm starting my adventure, what with the upcoming changes to my personal life, school, and work.

Nils and I announced our engagement over the holidays. Both families were happy to learn about it - his family gave me warm "welcome to the family" hugs and kisses, and my mom was all happy that I am finally to be married and that there is a chance after all that she will get a nice menantu and some grandkids. InsyaAllah.

I need to find out what we need to do. How do you bertunang when one side of the family is 10,000 miles away? Video conference? Good thing my mom is very simple. She said "Tak payah susah susah risaukan hal bertunang, terus nikah aje pun takpe." Hehehe.. That's my mom!

So now Nils and I are trying to sort out the details. So many things to do for both sides of the families and friends. Nils will be around for a week, hopefully we'll have enough time to at least get things started. Neither of us has a vision for what the wedding will be like. Mostly because I know very little about western wedding stuff, and not very much about Malay weddings. I need to talk to my brother. Maybe he can do the research for me. I wonder if I'll find anything useful if I Google mas kahwin serba satu. What does "serba satu" mean? The only thing we both know at this point is that we want it to be simple and hassle-free for everyone involved. Some friends have offered tips, info, and advices. Thanks! I will be asking for more of them :)

So here's to welcoming 2008 and my thirties with open arms. Cheers!

Seems like yesterday...

...when I called in sick and went back to bed. I didn't feel well on Friday, so I decided to stay home and nap. And now it's already Sunday night. *sigh* Where did the weekend go???

My arms feel wobbly from scrubbing the bathroom counters and bathtub. So it looks like typing up my paper will have to wait til tomorrow. I have 1 paper due tomorrow, 1 group paper due Friday that we're trying to finish early, and 1 paper I have to write about my negotiations with Nils. After that, it's gluing my fat ass to the couch for 6 weeks. Yeee ha! I'm starting to miss my after-work free time. I'm either running out of steam for this work+school life, or I'm just tired from an overloaded semester. Next semester will be another full load, and then I'll be done by the end of summer. I can't wait!

So today I tried the waxing caboodle that I bought a few weeks ago. It's one of those professional waxing kit with the warmers, strips, spreader stick thingy, and all the good stuff. It was actually pretty easy, I was surprised. Well, some parts of the leg required some yoga-like position to get to, but otherwise, it was pretty simple. So I can do this myself, and not have to worry about getting appointment and what not. I can do it anytime, day or night.

Ok, I'm off to work on my papers. Have a good week, y'all!

I'm exhausted

Wed 11/21:
* Left work, went to class. Left class @ break time
* Went home to pick up parking reservation yang tertinggal
* Headed for airport parking. Parking lot full but for 2 spaces. Reservation saved my life
* Flight only 15 mins late


Thur 11/22:
* Arrived on time in Houston @ 6 in the morning
* Got on tiny plane headed for DC
* Gorgeous weather in DC - it was in the 70s
* Nils picked me up at the airport. We went to Aunt Karen's grave and then headed for the mountain house for dinner.
* Beautiful colors on Mount Weather.


Fri 11/23:
* Headed over to Nils's mom's
* Chat, dinner, games
* Fascinated by Nils's mom's life stories


Sat 11/24:
* Breakfast with W & D
* Drove up to New Jersey


Sun 11/25:
* Some serious talk that was not so serious but productive nonetheless
* Brunch with P & E
* Spent half the day shopping for a TV. Decided on one, and they didn't have it in stock. Decided to haul the TV from basement to the living room. Ugly move up the narrow staircase, but we got it done. Almost got hernia.
* Dinner @ home with friends. Fantasy team lost to Nils's. Rats.


Mon 11/26:
* Dunkin' Donuts on the way to airport
* Goodbyes suck :(
* Got home from airport, went straight to class after an hour of rest (including late lunch/early dinner)
* Journeyman
* Went to bed, didn't sleep too well (haven't been sleeping for about a week now)


Tues 11/27:
* Mailed in renewal for license. Hope I'll get it in time before my next trip. (!)
* Training in SF = stuck in bridge traffic
* Started crap Negotiations scoring system
* Haven't heard back from group. Diverted to mindless activities before moving on to the next task

Penghibur hati ku

It looks like I can only manage one TV show at a time. I used to only watch Gilmore Girls. And since that show ended, I haven't been watching much of anything, except old movies. But now I have a new show. Whoo hoo! For a few weeks now I've been hooked on Journeyman (thank you, God, for HD DVR). The show's so much like Quantum Leap, but different. When I was a kid I used to watch QL with abah all the time. It was intriguing, trying to figure out what he was supposed to do, who he was supposed to save. And he always had Sam (I think that was his name) and his thingamajig to get info from. Just like Dan always has Liv.

I find myself not paying much attention to what Dan is doing/ supposed to do in the past. Instead, I'm always waiting to see what hell he's gonna get from Katie when he goes back to the present and be late for dinner, or when Katie finds out he sees Liv, etc. Heheh... But Katie is so nice and understanding. I would completely go bananas if I keep finding that I'm talking to myself and what not. :p It was like the time I got busy at work and ignored my phone all day. Came to find, at the end of the day, a gazillion million messages from Nils. And then he finally said to me "Do you know what kind of hell I would be in if I did that to you?" hehehe.... so smart of him.

Journeyman, Mondays 10/9c on NBC

As Told by Ginger

Why isn't Ginger on TV anymore? For some reason I find the show really touching. The friendship dilemmas and personal conflicts strike familiar chords. I've been running around like a headless chicken these past few weeks, and tonight for the first time I miss hanging out with my friends - ini sebab nengok Ginger lah ni. Now that A and CC work on different shifts, it's so much harder for all of us to hang out together :( In fact, I didn't see either of them the entire week. I almost stopped by the office this morning just to chat with CC for a bit. But I left my badge at home and didn't feel like going through the hassle with the guard, so I ditched that idea.

This morning I finally figured out what to do about work stuff. It's such a relief. Now I don't have to panic about work, don't have to panic about classes, don't have to panic about other stuff. I think that was what kept me up these past few nights. Now I don't have to rush to finish my classes. I have 13 credits left to go and I can spread it out between the next 3 semesters (including summer). How time flies. Rasa macam baru je start the program, and now here I am thinking about plans for after graduation.

Recently a close friend remarked that I seem happy and content with my life. And now that I think about it, my life is exactly where I want it to be. Maybe being in school is giving me some shelter from worrying about next steps (maybe it's keeping me so damn busy I don't have time to think about anything). I don't know what it is, but it feels good. And now that I know I'm staying in this cocoon for another year, it feels even better. *phew*

"Someone once told me the grass is much greener, on the other side. Then I paid a visit, but it's possible I missed it. It seemed different yet exactly the same. Til further notice, I'm in between. From where I'm standing, my grass is green..." (Ginger's theme song, lah)

:)

We bicker, yell, and shout at each other, sometimes about the stupidest things. But sometimes Nils does things that just sweep me off my feet and make me wonder what I've done to deserve him.

Last week he messaged me:

Nils: When are you going to start fasting?

Me: Sunday I think.

Nils: Is it ok if I eat tomorrow? It might be rude if I don't (It was his cousin's wedding in Michigan)

Me: *tak tau nak cakap apa... I didn't think he'd even thought about fasting, since he's all the way over there in New Jersey.*

babybabybaby... sometimes I love you a lottle...

Tamat

Sebaknya nengok episode 75... Nasib baikla ada si Zaza vogue penceria suasana. Si rizal pun bole tahan gak katunnya. Tapi Joff oh Joff ku yang hemsem dan gentleman, mengapakah dikau pergi?

Hmm esok bermula lah withdrawal Manjalara ku.. Selamat berpuasa, yo!

Gelak di malam hari...

Hahaha, ada gak lawak lawak bodo dalam Manjalara ni. Memangle lawak nengok si Waji ngan Zaza. Sempat lagi nak kesat tangan kat couch orang tu. Si Zaza lak, dah kena ikat tu pun ada lagi nak kasi nasihat kat Waji pasal muka buruk and rambut tupai dia tu. Hahaha! Memang le menghiburkan hati aku cerita ni.

Tak sabar nak tunggu next episode... Takkan psycho-Suri dah jatuh bangunan kot, nampak Es ngan Lara aje sampai kat rumah.

Yahoooooooo!

I'm finally free from summer school! Yeay! Gumbira tak terkira. Today was the last day of class. I was so tired, got home from school today and took a 4-hour nap. I don't think I did too well in this class. It's hard to learn much when you're pissed off all the time in class (for having to go to school on Saturdays). One weekend I actually skipped class altogether. Well, I had doctor's appointment in the morning, so I knew I was gonna be late. Pastu on the way from doctor's office, rasa menyampah membuak buak. So I said to hell with class, I'm going to finish my errands. Hah, finally I had time to go to Comcast office. Returned the old box, and got a new one for the apartment (I moved out of SF, so kena get new box from a local office since these cable boxes are market specific). Even went to get a car wash. It was the best Saturday I had in a long time. Kesimpulannya, I will never take a Saturday class again unless I absolutely have to. Which means, I will only do it one more time - I want to graduate early, so most likely next summer I'll be in this same predicament, since all summer courses are on Saturdays. *sigh* Takpelah, 8 weekends je nanti.

I am still waiting to hear the outcome of my latest pursuit at work. We'll see what happens...

Other news: I bought my ticket for Thanksgiving to go out to DC. I got to use my miles, so the ticket only costed me $39. Whoo hoo! First class lak tu going out there. At least boleh la tido sikit. Takla terkemut in my seat nanti. I really don't know what the problem is, my knees hurt so bad after a few hours of sitting. Maybe the seat is too high so kaki macam tergantung gitu kot. Eh, ke I'm too short for the seats? Takkanlah kot... :p

Since Nils will be out here for Labor Day, he won't be with mom on her birthday. Nils didn't tell me it's her birthday that weekend, I feel so bad. Ok, maybe a little bad. Alahai susahla nanti kalau le menjadi ibu mertua ku, belum apa apa I already made her murka. So Nils and I decided that next year we'll spend Labor Day weekend in DC. Hehehe...

Mak dah selamat balik from Umrah. She was complaining the organizer was so cheapo one, they got korok hotel and some things were so inconvenient. I don't know how to tell cheapo umrah organizer from a good one, so maybe next time kalau mak is going again I'll check with my cousins. Kesian pulak dengar dia cerita macam macam tu.

I think that's it for this update. Hope you're having a good weekend you all. :*

Update sikit

It's been a while since I wrote longer than 2 lines. It has been that busy. Summer school is in session and all these Saturday classes are killing me. Friday afternoon, balik kerja, instead of being relieved after a long week, I still need to do case study, reading and shit. Don't even have time to go return my cable box at Comcast office. Geram betul. I haven't written email for so long, so kalaula ada yang membaca blog ni, mintak mahap ye? I rarely get desk time anymore at work, susah nak sneak in replying emails. I spend whatever 5 - 10 minutes spare time I have at work temporarily hiding from work stuff that can wait. So tiring.

Mak left for Umrah yesterday, hope she selamat pergi and balik. Mak is retiring in 3 months. Maybe I'll get her Astro and AC in her room then, at least boring boring she can watch TV in her room. Boy and I have been telling her (half jokingly) that we'll joli her gratuity money nanti. Whoo hoo! Hehehe... Actually we need to take some before she joli them away to invest and get monthly returns. Kalau tak pengsanlah Boy dengan saya nanti kena add-on to duit pencen. Hehehe... I'm proud of my brother, tak berkira pun kalau bagi duit to family. Tak sabarnya nak tunggu Ayid pun bekerja, so he can chip in as well. Haha :p

Nils and I might be going back to Malaysia end of this year for a short vacation. I am looking forward to it. Ui, laparnya rasa when I think of all the food I can eat there. I don't think I'll ever stop missing Malaysian food. Nils keep telling me to learn to make them myself. Hehehe, tak kuasalah. :p It'll be a few weeks before I see Nils again. He's coming out for Labor day. Not sure yet what we'll do when he's out here. Hopefully I'll be done unpacking by then. Serabut wei dengan kotak kotak ni semua.

Ok, now that I'm all caught up with previous episodes of Manjalara, I can go to bed early. It's so much fun to watch her being evil to her family instead. I wonder what will happen tomorrow. It's officially my routine now - balik kerja, go online to watch Manjalara. Even Nils has learned not to call me in that hour window. Whoever this guy is who posts the episodes online, I love you and I hope you continue to do so until the last episode, ok? Sakitla jantung nanti wei if I have to miss the finale. On second thought, maybe I should stay up and watch the last episode live? Anyway, a few weeks to go. Still got time to think about it.

Hai

gasakle... Dah tak cukup kerja, sudahnya dok nengok Manjalara... Kalau la tak kerana time difference, boleh nengok hari hari online. Tapi takkan sampai nak bangun kul 3 pagi kot nak nengok new episodes? Terpaksa le tunggu orang post online...

Let's see how my newest quest turns out. Ini pun jumpa secara tak sengaja. Nanti kalau ada berita I will share. But for now, harapan masih samar samar...

The new apartment is turning out great. Will be even better after I get rid of these boxes. Oh, and baju baju yg bergunung kat depan katil ni. Alahai, lemah semangat.

bz bz bz

Oh sangatlah busy nya... Moving, midterm, and one other thing I have to do at work. Good thing Nils is coming tomorrow. 2 hari pun jadiklah.

Maybe bila dah settle in the new place, I'll come back here and update a little.

ppsssst, MC, tarukla gambar lagi banyak banyak..... Azriel sangat comel...

:(

I miss my frens, yo!

Nasib baiklah MC dah kembali bekerja and updated her blog. I've gone half mad waiting to hear about her baby. Lepas ni upload pics pulak ok MC?

Back to the grind

Tomorrow is my first day of work after a one week vacation. I sent Nils to the airport this afternoon and now am watching his flight status - the white plane on the map circling the airport, waiting for its turn to land, I suppose. Poor guy has to get in the taxi line and probably won't get home until way after midnight. Sorry baby. That sucks a little. I'll see you in four weeks!!

The vacation was good. It was a mini road trip from SF to Monterey, Napa, Calistoga, Ft. Braggs, Sonoma, and back home. I didn't like Napa much, but Ft. Braggs was great. I hate hiking, but being along the coast makes it bearable. Enjoyable, even. I kept getting a crazy notion that if I look hard enough I'll see a whale's blow. But of course, no such thing lah. It's too late in the year to be able to see them from the shore. By the way, how is it possible to put on 4 lbs in one week??

I'm almost caught up with my blogsurfing. MC is still not back from maternity leave. I'm dying to see her baby's picture. Iddy, I see that you've made changes to your blog. Tersesat aku kejap tadi, wei.

Monday. *sigh* It's almost here.

Happy Birthday, Yati!

Tuesday 04/24, 9 am:

Bzzzzzzzz
(Must be message from Nils)

"It's Yati's birthday today, go give her a call"
(Wow! How on earth did he remember that?? Man, this guy really is a catch..)

"How on earth did you remember that??!"

"It just popped up on the calendar on your old phone. Hee hee hee"
(Right. That's more like it... What was I thinking?)


Happy birthday my dear Yati! Hope you had tons of fun!!

Almost Monday

It's frightening when you find yourself in a familiar pattern - especially when you come to realize that the sequence of events didn't end up too well the past few times they happened. Even more scary when you don't know what it is that triggers this. What causes it? When did it start? How did it start? Knowing that the root cause lies within me at least stops me from going around pointing fingers. I am a firm believer that if something happens to you over and over again, there is something you do that encourages that pattern. But knowing I had a hand in this doesn't make me feel better.

A completely unrelated question: how do I get from here to business development? Argh! Crap lah. Work is good and bad at the same time, I don't know what to say about it.

*Pity Party Alert!*

What do you do when you suddenly find yourself feeling super down? It's like being hit by a truck. All of a sudden it seems the whole world hates me and talks about me behind my back. I wish I were mad about it, but I'm just sad.

I dream of having someone I can pour my heart out to. It has been a while since I've had a friend like that. And from the looks of things, it will be a while more. I don't know what's wrong. Can someone please fix it?

Whip out the violin and start playing now, will you?

Mengomel

Heh, aku penatlah.

Aik, takkan baru hari kedua dah mengeluh?

Bukan mengeluh, cuma mengadu nasib aje. Nak dengar ke tak nak?
Kalau pikir pasal kerja and sekolah, takla stress sangat. Boleh ride the adrenaline high to get through. And at least yang tu aku boleh gak kerja bersungguh sungguh and keep me busy. Tapi part lain lain tu entahle, kat tu jugakle. Gaduh ikut sms pun jadik. Gaduh punya gaduh pun, kat situ jugak. Cam round round in a circle. Kalau ada ekor boleh jugak kejar.

Hai sabarle...

Ha iyelah. Apa lagi pun yang nak dibuatkan? 1 tahun 10 bulan je lagi kak... Sabar ajelah.

Pleasant surprise

I got a nice surprise on Thursday at work. I've known for a few weeks now that I will be assigned to a new project full time. It's good and not-so-good, the good is that I get to work full time with the consultants, implementing our new shop floor systems, and not-so-good is that I don't get to lead our contract manufacturing tech transfer, something I've wanted to do for a long time.

But I think my preference has changed over the years, because now I very much prefer the consulting project experience to the tech transfer, since it gives a lot of visibility (good potential for kaki bodek like me), and it gives a lot of interface with other departments. Besides, I will still lead the on-going tech transfer to our client's site, so I will get some exposure in that. So I'm not crying over the transfer. And I certainly am not crying about the promotion. It is a nice surprise.

Now on to a grueling 12 months to establish my footing. As a good friend of mine put it "Now you're part of the hated management". Yes, I need to make the most of it, and prove myself all over again.

No hummingbird today

Nils's balcony