My raya

Hmm.. raye? Raye ye.. nak cakap ape ye pasal raye?!?!

This years raya is a bit.. what do you say?.. boring for me kot.

The most exciting part was the day before raye where my brothers Adi and Ikram came to Parit Buntar for some baju raya hunting. And may I say, those guys are more fussy than Izati. Sheesh! It took hours for them to find a baju melayu they liked and they were 'quarelling' throughout the 'shopping spree'.. ohhh, kakak mereke terase sgt malu huhu.. but since I had promised to pay for their baju melayu (Adi wanted to use his for his graduation and Ikram, well, he HAD helped pay for my new phone kan heheh..), I had to endure all the humiliation of being their one and only big sis.. adeh!

Then as we were about to pay, they spotted some butang baju melayu.. and once again, it took half an hour for them to choose which one they liked (and to my annoyance, it was the first one they had each picked! Ceh..). You know, I had always remembered those thing as being around RM5 per set, so you could imagine my suprise to find that they now cost at least RM30 per set. Gile tul.. my brooch pun murah lagi..

After that, we walked from Haji Fauzi right through to Billion, while stopping at nearly every shop on the way. Ikram and Adi wanted to buy some decent pants (with Adi who only owns jeans feeling he had to have something formal, and Ikram whom I just realized, doesn't like or even own jeans!) They finally managed to find good pairs of pant but by that time, I was already feeling like I wanted to go sit down somewhere. Then Adi, seeing my tired face asked me where the shoe department was. To my suprise, he wanted to buy me some shoes.. yeay!!!

BUT, I had to buy ONLY what he chose.. hehe, takpe la, free kan hehehe..

Anyway, he choose these high heeled sandals, much to my protests but he dared me to wear them and I told him, I fell flat on my face on raya, it will be his fault!

After that we went to Longwan as Ikram insisted he wanted to buy t-shirts there.. and boy did he buy them. I counted 7 t-shirts and another two pairs of pants! Adi bought two t-shirts too..
Then we went to the pasa Ramadhan to buy some pudding but the pasa Ramadhan had already lost its appeal so we headed back to my house to pray then went to Carrefour to buy Mama's
fav cake.

We had our iftar there and only arrived home in Penang at around 10pm.

The next morning was the most boring raya ever for me. We didn't go ANYWHERE as Abah had asked us to wait for him and Umi (and Annisa and Irfan!). We didn't even take any pictures except the one above where I insisted on taking one even when Adi, Ikram and Iskandar were missing in action..

We went back to Kuala Kangsar the next day with Abah making us promise to meet him at Juru's Shell around 8am. In a-not-so-suprising turn of events, Adi and Ikram woke up late
making the three of us the last to get outta the house (Mama had gone first with Izati and Iskandar, not wanting Abah to wait for us!)

As we were late, I had rushed through the toll before we thought of calling Mama. It was nearly 10 by then and guess what: Abah hadn't even arrived yet and Mama was still at Juru. Since we were hungry, the three of us decided to stop at the nearest RnR and have a leisurely breakfast. We took picture of us eating haha, then sent it to Izati whom we knew was hungry and a bit annoyed at Abah for being late :D

Arrived at Taiping at Mak Yang's house for lunch(?) then headed to Kuale to go for raya. It was around 8 that we decided to finally stop at Wan Chik's, with our stomachs full, mind you! Ayah Chik stared at me and asked me about my loss of weight (?) By God, it hasn't been that long, OR that much weight lost pun but I guess he hasn't seen me for a long time la kot but his comment bought tears to my eyes.. a year ago, I would've been whooping with joy if anyone said that to me, but considering the circumstances, I really felt like crying but pretended to play with my nephews who kept wanting to show me their toys.

Then we went to Mak Yong's house (after a bit of drama from Ikram.. well, I must admit, I agree with him.. but then again, who are we anyway *shrugs*) before finally calling it a day and
headed back to Penang. God, was I sleepy!!!

Anyway, there it is.. my boring raya! Huh.. I dunno, guess I'm just not enjoying things much anymore, huh?

Yesterday I found a raya card from a year ago and was reading it while wondering when did everything all change..

Then from the radio came these words:

"Where'd you go
I miss you so
Seems like its been forever that you've
been gone
Please come back home.."

It didn't help that had I first heard this song when the same friend has played it on his/her song player while we were sitting together with a bunch of friends.. in happier times that is :'(


Hahaha.. Ayu being sentimental here (more like 'mental'!!! Haha..).. and nostalgic.. and stupid! Huhuh.. I gotta stop listening to the radio while doing these kinda things hehehehe..

Iftar at abg Fadzil's

Seems like towards the end of Ramadhan, we're getting more yummy iftars everyday hehe..

This time it was at abg Fadzil's. Kak Nor had come yesterday asking us to come. When I asked her, "Kak Nor nak masak ape?"

She answered, "Apa yang hangpa nak makan?"

Woohooo.. heheh, we get to choose ke?

Hahah, but of course la, we told her we'd eat anything.. and anything it was!

She had cooked enough to feed the whole school hehe.. There was the compulsory rice (compulsory for typical male Malays haha..!) with, lets see, about 5 types of lauk dishes, including two types of large prawn dishes and a chicken dish she called.. aiyak! I've already forgotten the name but it was like curry with a lil' twist. Then there was fried mee and koay teow as well as her style of bolognese spaghetti (it was more like soup.. but yummy!).. I can't even remember what else she cooked but I took a bit of each.. penat dia masak, amik le ati makan sumer and luckily but not to my suprise, it was yummy!

Then, after Maghrib prayers (and being 'forced' outta the kitchen when we wanted to help with the washing up hehe..), we were served with pre-raya cookies and hot tea (though the yummier cookies were dominated by the guys who refused to share with us).

By the time it was Isya, the guys were ready to head to the mosque but me and Farah, having not freshened up before going to abg Fadzil's decided to help kak Nor with the clearing up before and perform our Isya and tarawikh prayers at home.

We went home VERY full.. with some food packed by kak Nor which she insisted we took home. Hmm, yummy!

Another feather in my cap hehe..

Yesterday, feeling a bit adventurous, me and Farah decided to head to Seberang Jaya and take Dgon along with us for iftar at Nandos in Sunway Carnival. Provided that all the while, the nearest Nandos was at Juru Autocity, we decided to check out the latest (2-3 months old 'latest', that is) outlet here.

We had actually planned to go there today but since kak Nor (abg Fadzil's wife) wanted us to iftar at their house today, we had to 'reschedule' our outing. I was wearing a kebaya I seldom wore (ye laaa, ingat tak kuar dah pas balik from school) and terase sedikit malu to go out wearing it but since kak Nor insisted, adeh, I had to make myself comfy

On the way, Azam decided to join us so we planned on meeting at the said Nandos itself. Went to pick up Dgon then we went straight to Sunway Carnival.

Now, I don't really like eating hot things coz my face would go all sweaty and turn red while I try to grab as much glasses of water as possible. Usually, my pick is either Lemon and Herb or Mild but eversince I had tasted (and collected the lil' flag for) Hot, I was actually feeling more adventurous than ever.. though I'm cowardly enough not to order the quarter chicken, instead I opt for EXTRA HOT pita hohoh.. The gleaming red flag was getting more and more alluring to me as iftar neared :D

However, we got our orders a bit late, with mine being the last one. Still, at approximately 7.25pm on the 8th of October 2007, I was already the proud owner of all four lil' flags from Nandos.. hahah, an accomplishment you may ask?

Yup!!! That's my answer :D

Over You <--My current fav song! :)

Sape ade lagu ni, I want this song :)

No.. no.. make it "I NEED this song!" hahaha.. Sangat bes, guess I'm gonna go Daughtry CD hunting after this :)

Daughtry - Over You lyrics
Artist: Daughtry
Album: Daughtry
Year: 2006
Title: Over You

Now that it’s all said and done
I can’t believe you were the one
To build me up and tear me down
Like an old abandoned house
What you said when you left
Just left me cold and out of breath
I felt as if I was in way to deep
Guess I let you get the best of meeee

(Chorus)
Well I never saw it coming
I should have started running
A long, long time agooo!
And I never thought I’d doubt you
I’m better off without you
More than you, more than you know
I’m slowly getting closure
I guess it’s really over
I’m finally gettin’ better
Now I’m picking up the pieces
From spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together
‘Cause the day I thought I’d never get through
I got over you!!!
(End Chorus)

You took a hammer to these walls
Dragged the memories down the hall
Packed your bags and walked away
There was nothing I could say,
And when you slammed the front door shut
A lot of other’s opened up
So did my eyes so I could see
That you never were the best for meee

(Chorus)
Well I never saw it coming
I should have started running
A long, long time agooo!
And I never thought I’d doubt you
I’m better off without you
More than you, more than you know
I’m slowly getting closure
I guess it’s really over
I’m finally getting’ better
Now I’m picking up the pieces
From spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together
‘Cause the day I thought I’d never get through
I got over you!!!
(End Chorus)

I never saw it coming
I should have started running
A long, long time agooo
And I never thought I’d doubt you
I’m better off without you

And I never saw it coming
I should have started running
I’m finally getting better
Now I’m picking up the pieces
From spending all of these years
Putting my heart back together
And I got over you!!!
And I got over you!!!
And I got over you!!!

The day I thought I’d never get through
I got over you…

Fared cooking???

Fared had suddenly asked all of us 2 days ago if we were free today. Feeling a bit cheeky, I told him we were only free if he'd cook for iftar to whcih he suddenly smiled and told me that an iftar was actually what he had planned, thus another day of makan free hehe..

He wanted to borrow my (unused haha..) plates, pots and pans and whatever cooking utensils he could borrow, knowing fully well that my house is complete with all those utensils.. what is missing is a dedicated chef(ette) that cooks everyday hehe.. The reason was because he was planning on going back to his hometown since he had just goit a job there so he wanted to treat us to makan² before he went.

When I went to his house to sent the items he wanted to borrow, I was greeted with a sight most girls would love to see. The house was full with guys (Remy, Fared, Rashwan, Rai, Azam, Fadli, Lie and a few boys I didn't know) all sitting around in the living area chopping onions, milling the spices, making currypuffs and so on.. wow! THAT's a sight to behold! (Sile jangan percaye gambo Remy di bawah. Dia berlakon je tu hehe..)


I would've loved to stay tapi malu laaa.. I'm a girl remember! I decided to head off to school AFTER I left my camera with Remy so he'd capture those moments haha.. Anyway, they had already started cooking but I think I'd put those pictures in my fotopages one of these day (bile la nak ade mase update fotopages ni, Ayu?)

Here's a pic of Fared at the stove. (I want credit for the pots and pans he's using hehe..) He said all the guys helped with the cooking but knowing him (having cooked with him once), he's the head chef (yang sangat leceh and cerewet, if you ask me hehe..)

By the time we arrived, at nearly 7pm, everything was ready. We girls were suprised by the spread and here is a snapshot of the food on our side of the spread. There was definitely a whole lot more food than that but I could only snap this much hehe.. Yummy, huh? We were definitely full by the time we staggered outta his house :)

Btw, Fared solo lagi.. Sape nak? Please contact me and I'll give your contact num and details to him heheh..

Tagged by Sentot..

Aikkk.. kene tag lagi? Well, here goes..

Five things in my bag

1. My pink purse (People always wonder why I chose pink as the colour for my purse *this is the 2nd pink purse I've used*. Heck! I used to wonder myself why people would choose pink so really, I don't actually know why I chose pink hehe..)

2. My PINK phone. Yup, my NEW phone hahaha.. as opposed to my old blue Nokia 2100 that has always been the object of ridicule for abg Fadzil, Choong, Remy, Ramadhan.. basically all my buddies in the post-grad room. Though abg Fadzil and Remy's phone are just adik-beradik of my monocolour/monophonic phone, but mine was the worst because the battery is gelong too hehe..

3. My pencil box.. full with pens, pencils and stationery I don't actually use that much!

4. My calculator. Hmm, I used to be called Ayu calculator in school since I always had my calculator in my pocket. I had shaken off that habit during my undergraduate years but I guess old habits die hard, eh?

5. My cute kitty pouch. My kakaks had given it to me along with a matching sling bag on my 25th birthday (or was it 24th?) and I now use it for my pressed powder, lipstick and lipgloss as well as a sanitary pad (for emergencies la!)

Five things inside my wallet

1. My I/C (800325 07 5496) <--why the hell did I type that?

2. My driving license which has a picture of me at 22 looking like a 16-year-old haha..

3. My Bonuslink card.. you never know when or where you could collect points :p

4. What I love to call my duit selit² which I fold neatly and put it around the purse that sometime amount to more than RM100

5. Sabir's matrics cards (Hahaha.. only those who know the story would know who he is and why his card is with me heheheheh..)

Five things in my favourite room (Which is my bedroom, the ONLY room I 'own' in my rented house hoho..)

1. My collection of cushions and soft toys which I mostly shove off the bed when I wanna go to sleep now.

2. My Mac which I could no longer use. Adi tried to look into it but I guess its beyong repair now *sigh*

3. Each and every gift/card my friends and family have ever given me. Ohhhh, tak berani tinggal kat umah Penang, ilang nanti Ayu nangis tak berenti :)

4. A whole lot of those coloured and cute cardboard boxes you can buy and assemble with all sorts of things in them.

5. Save the best for last: My book collection, of course!

Five things I would like to do

1. Does 'trying to forget what I guess I'm supposed to forget' count? :'(

2. Try to finish puasa nam and puasa ganti in Syawal

3. Give my Atos a full service (and change the tyres too). I didn't go to the workshop for nearly 6 months but my dear car never complained.. waaaa, no wonder I love it!

4. Buy Adi and Ikram something for Raya. They've always helped me whenever I'm stuck, wish I could do something for them..

5. Smile without feeling as if its something I HAVE to do.. :(

*updated*I'd also like to find my missing watch. I've searched everywhere for it and it kinda has a sentimental value for me.. I just dunno where its gone to :'(

Five things I'm currently on

1. Writing my Raya cards ASAP

2. TRYING VERY HARD (really!!!) to START doing my PhD proposal hahahaha..

3. Learning more about my phone.. while being a 'perak' in the process. When I put 'In perak mode' in my YM status, Ashraf innocently asked me, "Kak Ayu kan ke memang orang Perak (Darul Ridzuan)?" Hahaha.. aparaaaa Ashraf!! Hehe..

4. Reorganizing my cube. Hey! If I'm gonna stay here another 2-3 years or so, I'd better make myself comfy, huh?

5. Giving pep talks to myself everyday on.. well.. on something :( Go, go, go Ayu!!! Hehe..

Five people I'm gonna tag.. Baizurah sgt tak aci. I'm the one usually tagging people but since this time she's the first one to tag, she's taken most of my 'victims'. *sigh*

1. Pojie

2. Amer

3. Yuhyi.. even though ALL THREE haven't even done the previous tag

4. Good ol' Ayeen.. who'd do this tag ASAP.. won't you dear?

5. Jidaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.. since your blog is actually alive and breathing now :)

Adi yang degil..

Hmmm.. truth is, it wasn’t supposed to be this way!

Problem is, I have a stubborn brother hahah..

Ok, those of you who’ve read my earlier entries would’ve noticed me quoting Adi on 8 things about me. One of which he said I was gonna buy him that Wings of Redemption Spawn for his birthday. He meant if as a joke (bleh caye ke?) but it got me thinking..

Anyway, after brooding on the subject for a few days (and peering into my measly savings), I decided, what the heck, at least I’d be able to buy him something he really wants for his birthday. However, since I wasn’t familiar with these figurines, I had to ask his girlfriend, Ana, for help. Turns out, Ana was also thinking along the same lines, but being it in the middle of Ramadhan and nearing Syawal, she didn’t have enough money for it. My heart sank when she said this (read: Mahal ke?) and I asked her what was the lowest price she had found on EBay (it seems that it is now a collectors item as it is no longer sold on the shelves) and she told me it was more than RM300.

*Gulp* There goes my already measly saving that would be starving to death if I bought that ‘berhala’ (Abah’s expression on Adi and my collection of toys huhu..) for him.

Then Ana came with the idea for us to both share the cost for it, and it brightened by day instantly hahah.. I wanted to suggest it but malu laaaaa heheh..

So it was up to Ana to bid the ‘thing’ while I had to come up with ways to support us financially (the final date for the bid was before Ana’s paycheck). Ana did most of the hardwork as she had to build a whole new EBay account since we knew the said WOR Spawn was in Adi’s watchlist so he could ‘see’ who else wanted to bid on it. Then, when we ‘won’ the WOR Spawn, she had to fake a stomachache and all that just so Adi won’t follow her when she went to see the seller.

We were ecstatic when it was in our hands.. but it was still around 10 days to Adi’s birthday. It was so hard to keep a secret, knowing Adi would definitely love his present.

Then, something came up..

Adi had found another WOR Spawn on EBay which was a loose item, therefore much cheaper than the price me and Ana had paid. While we paid more than RM300 for the Spawn, Adi found one at RM98. Shesshh!! Just our luck. Like I said to Ana, “Gile camtu, maknenye kotak dia je dekat RM300!”

Adi was excited and wanted to bid. As I had learnt, these bidders prefer to bid at the last minute, just to make sure they get the best price or something like that so Adi was waiting for the 2nd of October (3 days before his birthday) to bid for the item.. Me and Ana were panicky already at this development.

Silently cursing the seller, we had to make other plans. Somehow, we knew that we had to tell him earlier to we settled on telling him on the 2nd, right before he went to bid on the item.

Then, another thing happened. Adi had bid on this figure and it turned out, the seller was the same guy we had bought the WOR Spawn. Once again we panicked. I kept thinking, this Spawn really is cursed haha.. Ana was worried the seller would recognize her and our cover would be blown so last minute adjustments: we had to tell him that night.

We decided right after iftar would be the best time and since Izati was with them, she was bought into the plan too. Whenever Adi bought up the subject of wanting to bid for the item, Ana, Izati (and Maeil, Ana and Adi’s officemate) would make all sorts of excuses to stop him from doing it. It came to a point that Adi felt hurt on why people were not letting him spend his own money. I had called him a few nights (every night) prior to that day pretending I was interested in his collection just to make sure he didn’t bid on it.. we had decided that if Ana or Maeil was the one who asked, he’d guess our plan!

However, as reported by Izati, Adi started to sulk before iftar as Ana kept telling him to postpone his plan to bid on the WOR Spawn (Yeah! We were still hoping we wouldn’t have to give him our surprise BEFORE his actual birthday). Then Ana text me telling me that Adi was sulking, it was then that we knew, we just HAD to tell Adi that night..

So that’s what we did. When they went back to the car after iftar, Ana told Adi, “Ni kak Yong suruh bagi awal!” Why my name only? Hahah..

Adi, still wanted to sulk, momentarily forgot he was supposed to make his hurt Bambi face and quickly proceeded to open the present..

Tada.. He couldn’t stop smiling and Ana kept snapping his pictures while sending them to me. She even caught him on video, my brother the kunun² malu² kucing guy saying thank you over and over.

He called me too, and more than ever, I was glad to note the excitedness (does this word even exist?) in his voice. At least it made me feel a bit better, not being able to be there myself to see his face when he opened his gift (What is it with carefully planned gifts, that you just wanna see the recipient’s face when they open your thoroughly-thought-through present?)

Hehe.. that’s my brother.. and I’m glad we forked out to buy that Spawn for him. The figure he had bought a few minutes before that iftar was even left aside for a few days after haha..