Umbai Trip

I wrote this last week which means it actually happened 2 weeks ago

Khalis wanted to cheer me up so Saturday last week he suggested that we spend the night elsewhere. We discussed the options available and decided to go to Bagan Lalang.. While packing our things, Khalis suddenly changed his mind and decided to go to Umbai instead. There was only one hotel/chalet in Umbai that we could find on the net.. I was lil bit unsure coz we couldnt find any pics of its rooms.. but we booked a room there for 1 night anyway.

We gerak at 12pm and reached bandar hilir at 2pm. I'd never been to Melaka before (I mean, like really visit the places there).. I didnt really take lots of pic in the city..coz being listed in Unesco World Heritage City its not like the city's gonna change pon. I wanted to try nyonya food, but we're both not familiar with Melaka city so we ended up having lunch @ the foodcourt in this new mall at Dataran Pahlawan. So we had nasi ayam penyet and bakso soup. Nothing special with the food I guess..


We arrived at the chalet at 345pm.. From outside it was ok..It had a kampung feel to it..See the pics below..not bad eh?


Our room


But once we got into out room, it was totally a different story...Lets just say this - I've never stayed in a room any worse than this. I couldnt even bring myself to take photos of the room. and I dont wish to disclose the name of the establishment coz it could be pretty damaging to them as there are lotsa ppl out there who are like me - decide on the place to stay based on the reviews we read on the net. Plus, its a bumiputra-owned.

I kept thinking maybe its bcoz we got the worst room. Our room was the only room in the reception+dining hall building itself. They had the music on most of the time and it was really loud. The dining hall was above our room. My suspicion was that its the kitchen area coz we could hear screeches and loud bangs on its floor (i.e. our ceiling).. They did very lousy job with the paint and there're cracks on the wall. Right next to our window was the main walkway and there were few benches where other guests/employees often lepak2 at. We could hear every single thing they were discussing.

The bed and pillows were really hard. And the pillows were flat and dirty (without the cover) that if I post the pic here, nobody would go there. And the toilet - it wasnt exactly dirty, but was built with the cheapest stuff they could find on earth.

I'm not fussy. In the past when we went traveling we always chose cheap B&Bs...but this one was really really bad

The sole reason we went to Umbai was for the seafood. I tot that Umbai Terapung was the only seafood place in Umbai but there were actually a few of them. Khalis called his dad and he recommended the very first seafood place in Umbai, Parameswara at Umbai Pernu.

We ordered:

Fruits

Otak2

Siakap Bakar Plain - The siakap there were all huge.

Sotong Goreng Tepung (This was just sekor)

Pari Bakar Sambal

Razor clam masak sambal

We only ordered 4 dishes and still, we couldnt finish all.

And my verdict. Not the best I've tried. Everything was only so-so. And I aint coming back. and its not just me. Khalis too.

So we played this game - How Much. And I won. Khalis's number was RM20 higher while mine's only RM4. (both of us had no knowledge of the price/kg of everything). When it comes to money-related stuff, I'm always right. And he knows that he's no match for me.

Happy Birthday to me

Today is my birthday!!

So yesterday Khalis belanja me pre-birthday dinner. I got to choose the place. At first, we agreed on VS. Then in the afternoon when my head was clear and I could think properly, I had a change of mind. I dont like western cuisine that much, and when I said VS, I actually wanted just their soups. So we went to Sakae instead - familiar place and familiar food. I actually planned to eat a lot - but there's only so much sushi one can eat. (I really dont get it. when I make my own sushi, 5 rolls are never enough. But when I eat outside, I cant even finish 10 pieces.)

And earlier that day, I had pre-birthday lunch with my Cardiff homey,Umi. We went to this Burmese restaurant at Sogo. Food was ok and I had a great time catching up with her + korek2 gossip about other Cardiff people.

My colleagues actually planned to buy me a cake (a surprise) but bcoz of the shocking announcement, everyone just xde mood.

And me, I decided to to give myself something that lasts forever - ilmu.

I feel that my english is below par and something needs to be done pronto. I hope to improve my grammar and write better.

But I'm the happiest today coz Khalis just gave me a birthday card. I love cards from him. Nobody writes like he does.


And we're gonna have birthday lunch today. again, Khalis let me decide. and I chose satay - something that we both love.

I cant help but feeling a lil bit sentimental today. And the office too, seems gloomy.
Our Big Boss held a meeting just now to announce that he's leaving and will start at his new office Monday next week. Its very sudden and everyone's shocked. Although now when I think about it, everything (doubts and questions that I had in the past) now just fell into places. He's bringing 3 other very smart+capable people from this dept. It will not be easy there and the risk he's taking is huge.
It has no significant impact on our team. Our boss will still be around. But a few might be seconded elsewhere (but this has nothing to do with big boss leaving)

Its just 22 days into 2010. And already, we've lost 5 ppl.

Gelang Story

Khalis bought me 3 gelangs from Sabah..
but ceritanye begini..

On his way to KK airport, I called him
Me: So what did you buy for me?
he said: takde pape lah..coz you didnt tell me what you want
Me: Ok..I want udang kering (Not that I know what to do with udang kering, but just because I heard thats what ppl usually bring back from Sabah)
He said: Ok, will try

Then I called him again, letting him know that I was gonna be back late.

He said: then you wouldnt get the udang.
Me: takpelah, put the udang in the fridge dulu.
He said: But this udang I bought bleh pkai kat tangan...

So when I came back, Khalis was already asleep and the gelangs were on my side of the bed. I put one of them on pegi office the next day.

I dont care if the gelangs were made of real pearls (but good thing is, they were!). Its the thought that counts.

The gelangs

And these I've-never-seen-before fish. I seriously dont know what to do with them

Crow Lake

This is my all-time favourite. I've re-read it so many times and I think it gets better everytime I do.


This particular review put into words what I think of this book

"The success of Mary Lawson's tender, vibrant first novel Crow Lake has been the sort of Cinderella story that gives middle-aged women writers (this one included) a lot of hope. It's one of those "overnight sensation after 20 years of effort" scenarios that implies a great deal of moral fiber and perseverance in the author. This trait of steadfastness (dare I say faith?) sounds loud and clear in the novel itself, which is so deep and dimensional, so polished and true, that it makes you wonder why agents weren't pounding down her door long before this.

But such are the vagaries of the publishing biz. The important thing is that someone finally gave the 55-year-old Lawson a break, so that we now get to enjoy a heart-tuggingly beautiful piece of work by an author who clearly knows what she is doing.

The opening paragraph is a stunner:

My great-grandmother Morrison fixed a book rest to her spinning wheel so that she could read while she was spinning, or so the story goes. And one Saturday evening she became so absorbed in her book that when she looked up, she found that it was half past midnight and she had spun for half an hour on the Sabbath day. Back then, that counted as a major sin.

This passage tells us volumes about the Morrison clan -- their unquenchable passion for learning squashed down hard by an iron sense of duty. But it reveals even more about our narrator Kate, a 26-year-old woman reflecting back on her anguished childhood from the seemingly safe vantage point of worldly success as a professor of invertebrate biology.

Four hundred miles away from the tiny northern community she grew up in, the adult Kate has supposedly won the ultimate Morrison prize: she is educated, she has escaped rural impoverishment and isolation, and she is making her way by her wits. But with all her apparent advantages, Kate is anything but free. In fact the past has a stranglehold on her so life-choking that it has left her almost unable to feel. Her backward reflections are an attempt to probe the course of her life to determine just exactly where she lost herself.

"Memories. I'm not in favor of them, by and large. Not that there aren't some good ones, but on the whole I'd like to put them in an airtight cupboard and close the door." Well might Kate fear memories, for at the tender age of seven her small world shattered in an instant when both her parents were killed in a catastrophic car accident.

They had gone into town to buy a suitcase. The fact that the Morrison family didn't even own one reveals worlds about their isolation in Crow Lake, but the suitcase is a powerful symbol of the fact that one of them was about to get out. Kate's older brother Luke, 19 years old and a diligent student, has just won a scholarship for teacher's college -- a sort of miracle for a family in which finishing high school was a luxury only earned after generations of sacrifice and toil.

The best of times, elation over Luke's breakthrough, turns into the very worst with a sickening crash. In a blinding instant four children are orphaned: Luke, 17-year-old Matt, Kate, and baby Bo who is only 18 months old.

Many reviewers have interpreted Crow Lake as the story of how a family copes with sudden and massive bereavement, and it is that. But Lawson imbues her writing with such liquid depths that it becomes a delicate prose-poem on the theme of relationship. At the heart of the novel is Kate's intense and nearly worshipful connection to her gifted brother, Matt, who ignites her lifelong love of science by taking her down to the ponds to observe the wonder of wild things:

Sticklebacks were drifting aimlessly about. The breeding season was over so it was hard to tell the males and the females apart. When they were breeding the males were very beautiful, with red underparts and silvery scales on their backs and brilliant blue eyes...

"What do the females do?" I'd asked him.

"Oh, laze around. Go to tea parties. Gossip with their friends. You know what females are like."

"No, but really Matt. What do they do?"

"I don't know. Eat a lot, probably. Probably they need to recover their strength after producing all those eggs."

The idyllic atmosphere Lawson creates in these trips to the ponds tugs at all of us who can remember gleaming jewels of magic even in the midst of the most turbulent childhood. But this poem to relationship extends far beyond Kate's adulation of her brother.

The fiercely loving yet heated rivalry between Matt and Luke (the "responsible" one) is one of the most realistic portrayals of brotherly war in recent literature. It's a tender battle, but the two can be wild as snorting stallions with each other, and sometimes even come to blows. Luke is determined to make the supreme sacrifice of his education and future in order to hold the traumatized family together, but Matt hates the gut-twisting guilt this near-martyrdom stirs up in him.

And then there are the Pyes. Just off-camera, this neighboring farming family endures another sort of trauma, the chronic, escalating generational cycle of violence begetting violence. The Morrisons and the Pyes are entwined by more than the fact that the boys make a little extra money helping out on the farm. They are caught in a sort of deadlock that becomes much more than psychological by the novel's end.

Kate's life as an esteemed professor should be rich, but in fact is peculiarly barren and bloodless. For the first time in her life she is becoming seriously interested in a man, a fellow professor named Daniel, and it is almost more than she can endure: "You must understand: I had never thought that I would really love anyone. It hadn't been on the cards, as far as I was concerned. To be honest, I had thought that such intensity of feeling was beyond me."

Intensity of feeling is not beyond her at all, but merely deeply repressed, a survival mechanism for coping with massive grief (but also a living out of the Morrison family edict: "Thou Shalt Not Emote"). This repression and its steep, life-sapping cost is familiar to so many of us who grew up with families where tightlipped reserve was the norm.

There is a sense in Crow Lake of pent-up energy, of something about to burst open or explode, but it never quite happens. Lawson is so masterful at describing the trauma of small children that it sometimes shocked me into tears, as in this hair-raising passage where Matt and Luke physically fight:

I thought the walls of the house would shatter and fall down around us. I thought the end of the world had come. And then I knew it had, because in the middle of all the uproar a movement beside me caught my eye and I looked down and saw Bo shaking so that even her hair seemed to vibrate. She'd gone rigid, her arms sticking down stiffly at her sides, fingers spread, and her mouth was open wide and tears were pouring down her face but she wasn't making a sound.

Betrayal is another major theme. Given the dizzying pedestal Matt had to stand on all through Kate's childhood, how could he fail to fall? Yet a chance for a kind of reconciliation comes up when Kate receives an invitation to the 18th birthday party of Matt's son Simon. At first she won't even consider inviting Daniel, so deep is her reserve and mistrust (not to mention a certain embarrassment about taking him to Crow Lake). But in his own gentle way Daniel has the means to unlock the airless vault of Kate's heart. This leads her to the kind of painful, hard-won insight that is literally life-changing.

Lawson gets everything right here, especially the minor characters -- the good folks of Crow Lake who demonstrate a bustling kindness to the bereaved family, and in particular the toddler Bo, a howling, drippy-nosed little terror who somehow comes across as endearing. And the writing is sometimes groaningly beautiful:

Some days thousands of milkweed pods would burst open together, triggered by the heat of the sun; thousands and thousands of small silent explosions repeating themselves in salvos down the miles of tracks. On those days I walked through clouds of silken down drifting about like smoke in the morning breeze.

Poetry, indeed. Mary Lawson is a treasure, a new voice maturing into her gift in mid-life. A younger writer never would have caught all these nuances. Let us rejoice in the discovery of this subtle, graceful, late-blooming talent"

Khalis is going to KK today. His flight was supposed to depart at 2, but it's delayed/canceled so he's now waiting for the next flight. But good news is, he'll be gone for only 2 days and will be home by midnite tomorrow. He asked me whether I wanted mutiara sabah..Of coz la I x nak..coz I'm wearing tudung so there's no point having one..unless its 2 ft long..=P
But I'm gonna him miss tonite..sedehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Its Saturday today and I'm in the office...I'm now raking my brain.. I need ideas, data and solutions! I need them fast!

Khalis and I are two very private individuals. And people don't understand this. When there is just one extra person with us, we just wont talk to each other. Even if we do, we only talk about work or knowledge sharing. We just cant be us. The bond breaks. When there are just the two us, we make jokes, laugh a lot, make fun of each other and do stupid things. We dont display how we feel publicly . We dont even use endearing terms when there are ppl around and I hate this coz I wouldnt know what to call him or what to do...

Khalis and I would choose staying home just the two of us over anything, anytime. But time moves the fastest when you're at the happiest. And time, for us, stays still when there are others in between.

I'm not saying that everyone should leave us alone and not to come within 100 yards of us. All I'm trying to say is, just because you dont see us talking and laughing and touching and cuddling and kissing, doesnt mean that we're not happy. Its because you are around.

We have been together for 6 years now and we still cant get enough of each other..I dont know how long this is gonna last - my wish is forever. And even if it doesnt, I dont think I would ever connect with anyone else just like I do with Khalis. And him, me.

Dinner on Wed

I was sooooooo free tonite that I decided to cook more than usual.
I snapped everything while they're on the stove

Staying true to my words, I cooked Ketam Cili

Ayam Ala2 Paprik, tapi bukan Paprik..huhu

Kailan Ikan Masin

Telur Goreng yg rupanye x best

Kek Lapis Sarawak - his dad just came back from sarawak and he gave us two kek lapis

Everything on the table

Final Week 2009

Thursday was my last day in the office this year..
Me so happy now..I hope that Khalis and I could go bercuti2 sumwhere during this one week break.

But I feel uneasy everytime I think about next year. My BIG boss warned us that next year's gonna be a challenging, tough and hectic one. I dont think he was joking. I dont know bout lotsa things i.e. whats going on in the office (everything's P&C and the lesser I know the better) but I'm guessing the 'transformation' programme is already halfway and we're pretty much clear about the 'direction' now. So next year, maybe we would start to 'work' it.
There's one particular project which I'm really interested in - I hope to be a part of the team. But I dont know, I think the chance is very slim..

Anyway, back to hepi2 things...
Khalis and I(not necessarily with his consent) listed few things that we MUST do this week (You hear me Munchkin??!! the keyword here is MUST)
1-Makan sate
2-Go to Dzull De Classique at Kajang - which means we have to buy lotsa kain first
3-Makan Ikan Bakar - we're thinking Bagan Lalang
4-Zoo Negara
5-Planetarium Negara
6-Watch at least one movie
7-I soooo have to cook udangs and ketams and terubuk masin he brot back from Labuan last time
8-Pegi honeymoon for the 3rd time (I hope!!!)

December Movies

There are just soooo many movies to watch in December..
We just dont know when and what to watch..
For the record, I hate going to the movies!
a)Too dark
b)Too cold
c)Too many people
d)Sometimes the carpet stinks
e)The seats are too small and you're lucky if you get the cup holder
f)The sound's just too loud
g)The screen's too big and your eyes cant capture every small detail
h)The long queue
i)Have to wait for the movie's specific show time
j)No break in between
k)People just laugh at everything - even when its not funny!
But I will endure all those for these movies

Yes, I havent watched New Moon! We tried once, but GSC's phone line was down - no way we're going if there's no assurance we're gonna get the tickets.

I've Got A New Friend!

Khalis came home yesterday and gave me this. (Malas nk ambik gamba)



We had been eyeing this particular model for quite some time now but were reluctant to make the purchase as we didnt like the processor. Last time, it was powered by AMD Athlon Neo single core

When he discovered that its now using AMD Athlon Neo X2, he bought it right away (This model arrived and was put on display only the day before!)

I'd always wanted a new laptop, but not just any laptop. I wanted a lighweight laptop but not too small and underpowered like the 11-10-inch netbook, while adequately equipped 13-inch and above would be too big for me. Khalis had been endorsing me other models, but I already had my heart set on this HP. I believed that they would upgrade the model as it didn't make any sense to me. It was really neither here nor there. You cant sell it as a Netbook, it's RM1000 extra compared to other Netbooks in the market. I believed that its other specs are acceptable but to run those on a single core is rather ambitious hence no serious user would buy it.

So we waited and waited and waited until they came out with this one. And Khalis got it for me!
So now we have 3 laptops and 2 desktops in the house. We always alternate between the 2 desktops to watch muvies and dramas and I now use my new one, so the other two laptops mmg kene abandon lah..

Processor: AMD Athlon™ Neo X2 Dual-Core Processor for Ultrathin Notebooks L335 (1.6 GHz, 512KB L2 Cache)

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium

Chipset: AMD M690G, Southbridge: SB600

Graphics: ATI Radeon™ X1250 Graphics with 64MB Display Cache Memory, ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD Premium Graphics 3410 with 512MB dedicated video memory

Display Panel: 12.1” Diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED Brightview Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)

Standard Memory: One user-accessible SODIMM slots, upgradable to 4GB max
Hard Drive: HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive protection with hard drive up to 500GB; 160, 250, 320, 500GB – 5400 rpm

External: Optical Drive Option LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support, LightScribe Blu-ray## ROM with SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Double Layer

Networking/Wireless: Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector), 802.11b/g, 802.11a/b/g/n wireless LAN with/without Bluetooth, HP un2400 EV-DO/HSPA Mobile Broadband

Media Card: 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader for Secure Digital cards, MultiMedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture cards

I/O Ports: HDMI (for discrete graphics model only), VGA, USB 2.0 (3), RJ-45, Stereo headphone, Microphone in

Security: Kensington® MicroSaver lock slot; Power-on password; Accepts 3rd party security lock devices

Keyboard/Touchpad: 92% full size keyboard, Touchpad with On/Off button and dedicated vertical scroll Up/Down pad

Audio/Remote Control: Altec Lansing speakers, SRS Premium Sound

Battery and Power: Choice of 4 cell or 6 cell Li-Ion battery; Power 65W AC adapter

Software: HP Total Care Setup, HP Advisor , HP Wireless Assistant, HP Help & Support Center, HP Software Update, Adobe®, Acrobat® Reader®, Sun Java VM, Cyberlink DVD Suite, HP MediaSmart 2.1, HP Games Powered by Wild Tangent, Spore Creature Creator (selected countries only), Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Shockwave Player, Muvee Reveal (with 20 day trial full version), Symantec™ Norton Internet Security 2009 Consumer (60days live updates), Motorola SoftStylus , User Guide Documentation,

Webcam/MIC: HP Webcam with Integrated Microphone

Approximate Weight: Starting from 1.64kg with 4-cell battery

Dimensions: L x W x H 29.2cm(L) x 24.0cm(W) x 2.37cm(min)/ 3.27cm(max)


"The award-winning and alluring HP Pavilion dv2 Series Entertainment Notebook PC truly amalgamates what you’ve been longing for – a sleek, ultra-thin form, a lightness in weight and a rich magnitude of entertainment features that is sure to impress. It’s hard to believe, but the future of your mobile lifestyle is about to transcend expectations.Destiny is calling. Touch your future now.

A light and luxurious traveller.
Encased in a light magnesium-aluminium alloy and adorned with a signature HP Imprint, it’s hard to take your hands and eyes off this elegant beauty. Flaunt it in Espresso Black or Moonlight White. Clasp it effortlessly. Let the unique HP MediaSmart entertain you on a 12.1-inch diagonal high-defi nition LED widescreen. Heighten your mobile movie experience by plugging in an external Blu-ray## drive in a matching design. That’s indulgence that won’t weigh you down.

A brilliantly gifted performer
Powerful performance that travels light at an equally light price? It’s not a dream. The AMD Athlon Neo X2 Dual-Core Processor or AMD Turion Neo X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor is optimised for ultrasleek, lightweight notebooks to yield uncompromised mobility and HD
entertainment. Feel the intensity of blockbuster movies, 3D graphics and high-action games as ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD Premium Graphics 3410 with 512MB dedicated video memory# bring visuals to a higher level."

Movie Nights

When Khalis was away, I watched movies almost every night. And I didn't switch on the tv for a week. I think i did mention before that I dont like tv that much. Khalis said that I dont watch tv (read: news, documentaries) because I'm not curious enough. I'm not gonna deny it. I couldnt be bothered with all these 'academic' stuff. Of course, its good to know lotsa things. But really, do you need to know about EVERYTHING? Like, will it make your life any better if you know more about Egyptian History than I do?But of course, there are things that you'd like to know just to be prepared for whatever, just in case. Like Khalis loves to watch these 2 gross documentaries, Survivorman and Man vs. Wild. He said they teach you lotsa things about how to survive in the wild when its just you and nature. But I cant bring myself to watch those kind of shows. People eating snakes, skunks, maggots, and drinking their own urine, thats not exactly my cup of tea. More like, shows that would bring out the bulimic in me.

But anyway, the movies that I watched.

First was He's Just Not That Into You.
I think its good. I enjoyed it.But I didn't quite get the message, or messages. I think what it meant to say was, love is all about luck. Some ppl get lucky, some don't. Doesnt matter whose or which books' advise you take. Its totally irrelevant to how successful you're gonna be at finding love. I dont have any actors/actresses that I particularly like in this movie. But its a movie that'll make you feel good. Especially if you're alone, like me.


Then I watched My Sister's Keeper.
This isnt just ANY movie to me. I read the book I think about 3 years ago. And its THE book that got me into reading English fiction. Ok, I'm always a reader. But I didnt read English fiction that much then. Only chicklit from few authors and Harry Potter. And its because I hardly found good english novels that I liked. The library in school had lotsa English books but only the boring ones. And I'm the kinda person who has to finish everything that I've started to read. So reading the books in the library was a pure torture to me. I didnt want to, but I had to finish them anyway. My Sister's Keeper was introduced to me by my ex-housemate, Charlene. She got thousands of books. And she wrote reviews on every book that she read.
And I didnt like the movie. Naturally, a few characters went missing (i.e. wiped out), including the girl I love - Champion's ex gf. I think the movie failed to give me the same feeling that I got while reading the book. Picoult's books are not so much (relatively) on the action part, but its more about whats going thru everyone's minds. Thats what I like about Picoult, she's extremely good at narrating and visualising 'feeling'. So what I saw in the movie was what everyone's doing and not how everyone felt.
And what I hate most was that - they even changed the ending. Which I totally dont understand why. with that ending, Anna's oficially removed from being her sister's keeper.





Then I watched I Love You Beth Cooper.
Not that great I'd say. Mebi I'd like it more if I watched it say, 10 years ago. I think this movie had no story to it. Just a bunch of kids doing crazy things, encountered crazy ppl on one evening.



Then I watched 500 Days of Summer.
This movie has gotten really good reviews. There's nothing spectacular about the story itself. Its just a normal boy-meet-girl story.but I think the way the story was told was good. And again, its about luck. I couldnt help thinking that the lead actor's so familiar. And then I remembered that he was in 10 Things I Hate About You. He's grown up so much that I hardly recognised him anymore. And the girl, I remembered her in one episode of House.


Then I watched The Ugly Truth.
It was funny. I dont particularly like Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, I think Katherine Heigl esp, is an overrated Hollywood actress. But anyway, its a good movie to watch, although like the majority of those in this genre, failed to explain why and how they fell in love with each other.

Ouch!

More often than not, accidents happen when you least want them to. Like when your husband just boarded the airplane like 2 hours ago.

I was doing the dishes when a dinner plate fell from the dish rack onto my right toe. I always knew that its gonna happen, coz the frame’s too low for the dinner plates. So when it did, I wasn’t surprised at all. There wasn’t so much pain, but my toe swelled almost instantly. And the blood, there was so much blood! It was everywhere on the floor. I would’ve uploaded the pic, but that’s too gross. The blood didn’t stop flowing, so I panicked a lil bit. Coz if its really not stopping then I wouldn’t know what to do – husband’s not around, I couldn’t drive and I didn’t know the neighbours. I did consider calling 911 (or whatever emergency number it was in Malaysia). But fortunately after a while it did stop. Then there was another problem. I knew I had minyak gamat hidden somewhere, but I really couldn’t remember which boxes or bags I put it into when I moved in here. So I went through all of them. And I found a box of plasters! Which I had forgotten and abandoned for quite sometime now. I bought it when I was in Cardiff. (Same thing happened to me in Cardiff, during my 1st year – I stepped on a piece of a smashed bottle -my housemates were partying the night before. I had my slippers on but that piece of shit still managed to get to my sole. It was worst then, I had nothing and I couldn’t walk. So when I fully recovered, I went to Tesco and bought a box of plasters. I never used any of them, not until the other night.)

I wanted to call Khalis, but his plane hadn't landed. So by the time I got to talk to him, the worst’s already over. I even finished cleaning up the mess (i.e. blood on the floor). But he sounded really worried. That’s all I wanted hear. And the next day, he called and asked me whether I was OK a few times. Khalis once told me that he loves me because I’m vulnerable and he could protect and take care of me, and someone better (i.e. tougher) would never be perfect for him. There are ppl who find happiness in giving or knowing that they are superior to others. I don’t know which category Khalis falls into, maybe neither, but I know that if its not contradictory to his beliefs, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for me.

Matrimony: Honeymoon I: Koh Samui

I should write about our honeymoon before I forget it all, coz I'm starting to!

It was really hard for us to decide on the destination..2 years ago, we had our hearts set on Karambunai..but 1 month before the wedding we're not so sure anymore..We considered few options
1-Langkawi
2-Bali
3-Karambunai
4-Krabi
5-Pangkor Laut
6-Koh Samui

In the end, Koh Samui won coz Khalis wanted to fly with Firefly. We made the booking less than a week before the wedding..And we're glad we didnt choose Bali coz earthquake hit Indonesia on the date we departed to the island.

Day 1
Our flight was at 1000am, so we took a cab to Subang airport at 800am. We thought we got there just in time but found out that the check-in counter's not open yet..So we pusing2 buang masa and carik place for breakfast and finally decided to lepak here
And had these..
Abes makan, we checked in and waited at the departure hall. The tv there had 6 movie trailers on replay. Then I noticed that we're the only locals on board. Khalis' obsessed with airplanes. He chose Firefly coz he had always wanted to try propeller jet. He said that the journey would be smoother with one.

So we arrived at Koh Samui at noon. Its airport's reaaallly nice!It had a resort feel to it..every build-up's made of wood and there were lotsa trees. And they had 5-star toilet!
The hotel gave us complimentary airport transfer and it took like 10 mints to get to the hotel.
And we loved the hotel. The website didnt do justice to it.
The reception areaAnd other things on the establishment

Then to our room..
The Entrance


Our room(0r villa as they called it)


And outdoor shower

And the view from our room


After we unpacked our bags, we went to the beach sambil jln2 cari tempat for lunch. Actually we plan to have our lunch at the resort, but after jalan2 and masuk2 resorts nearby, we decided to have our lunch at Nora Buri Resort. It was a slightly smaller resort, but no less impressive.

Lunch by the beach, in an empty restaurant - I tot that was pretty romantic
Our table at Nora Buri's restaurant


And the food we ate
Sweet sour fish+rice..It was really, really, really good! The best sweet sour I ever had! It was nothing like the usual sweet sour we had anywhere else.
And Phad thai.
bubur pisang
Mango sticky rice
after lunch, we checked out the spa nearby and on the way back to our room we saw lotsa org putih riding motorbikes. So we asked the reception whether its possible to to rent one too. She arranged it for us and 15 mints later we got our bike! Khalis was soo excited, simply coz its his first time riding with me. I was scared at first coz I knew he had not been rempit-ing for years
(Pic taken in Day 2)
So we went to town. But we didnt bring our camera. The road in the island's made of concrete and granite, so the ride's a lil bit bumpy. We wanted to try the famous Thai massage, and there were so many urut places in town. I chose the one ran by a bunch of mid-age women. no way I was gonna let Khalis had his session with a young masseuse in mini skirt. Khalis chose to do Swedish massage while I went for body scrub. Khalis said his body felt good after the massage. then we just naik motor around town sampai penat and went back to our room.

At night, we went to town again for dinner. We ate steamed red snapper, stir fried mixed veggie, chilli squid and another dish I cant remember. food was a lot cheaper in town. Then we went to the night market but bought nothing.

Day 2
The next day, we woke up at 530am and had our breakfast at the hotel at 600am. the buffet's not so bad - more than 40 choices
First round...diikuti dengan beberapa round seterusnye
We loved holidaying in Asia! sume food pon sedap and seswai dengan tekak
after breakfast, we went to the beach

and then we naik motor again-didnt bring our camera..this time we went a lil bit further..We stayed in Chaweng beach area and its the longest beach in Koh Samui with very exciting nightlife..so we naik motor sampai Lamai beach. Lamai beach was quieter and with lesser hotels. We discovered a muslim area in Lamai beach, where everyone pkai tudung covering head to bum, and a sekolah tahfiz.

On the way back, we singgah another urut place and Khalis went for Thai massage while I did face scrub. We had lunch in an Indian restaurant where half a chicken meant 2 thighs, without the drumstick - so actually its just 1/4. penipu nyer org..
Then we went back to our room.

At night, we went to the city again coz we still had Bhats left. We took a cab and they charged us RM20 for a 5-mint ride! We had dinner in this restaurant where they had everything! Thai, Japanese, American, Italian, Chinese, Indian etc. with an extensive menu for each!
We went shopping after dinner. Here's a tip for shopping at Koh Samui - when bargaining, always offer more than half of the price. We didnt buy much - just a placemat set and a table runner. Then we shopped for DVD harams..I think we bought about 5..and we watched one of them that night. Cant remember what movie was it coz I slept halfway.

Day 3
Morning came and its time to pack our bags.
Khalis went to reception first to check out while I siap2..So this was him coming out from the reception..
He took the stairs
And stairs lagi

And finally came home to me!

Again, the airport's awesome
Samui Park Avenue, connecting check-in and departure areas

At departure gate
And they gave us free food and newspaper!
We loved our honeymoon! Not because of the place, but because we had each other and there was no stress whatsoever.