incessant worries

i am super worried. no news, no calls, no messages. where can you be? i am praying and hoping that you are safe and you are on your way home soon.

ya Allah, please protect them from any harms and make their way home a smooth and safe one. Amin.

daddys birthday treat part I

dear OH,

whilst you were away, we celebrated daddys birthday. together with bibiks family, we headed across the causeway. but before that, we made a brief stop to bishan where i collected my KS bag from dear blogger friend, Lina. and i finally, finally get to meet her and her umairahs in persons! such adorable tots they are! the bag is so beautiful and i cant wait to use it, maybe for our next weekend getaway? :)

from bishan we then proceeded to jaybee where the first stop was the infamous goreng-pisang-by-the-roadside-stall. that was supposed to be our lunch because we were saving our tummies for something better. after filling our tummies, we headed to jusco tebrau just to kill time until dinner.

group photo at jusco. missing in action was paman and fidah, who took this photo for us.
can you see my swollen cheeks?

 

but we didnt stay long there, as mom suggested to go to the pasar tani near larkin, with the excuse so that daddy and paman can wash their cars! lol. again, at the pasar tani, we bought food. its irresistable, especially the fried leher ayam that amirul were unwilling to try, but eventually succumbed to.

and then, after spending about almost two hours at the pasar tani, we finally headed to our intended destination!

 



sunset at senibong



does this scene look familiar to you? yes! we went to senibong to have seafood. daddys birthday treat. and it was awesome!



sunset. gorgeous aint it?






the weather was very kind to us. we had a great time there. and we ordered these among some other items.



tomyam seafood soup

 


steamed fish

 

black pepper crabs

   

the black pepper crabs look tempting right? too bad for me i dont eat crabs and i couldnt eat them if i want to, also because of my jaws. i was unable to open my jaws too wide thanks to the surgery. :(

you were missed by all of us. wished you were there with us to enjoy the scrumptious spread we had. but its okay, babe, we will go again when youre back from your sailing trip alright? that'll be daddys birthday treat part II! on another note, daddy received a literally very big present today! but the present will only be realised next week. can you already guess it? he was very happy about it and i am so happy that i made him happy with his gift. =D

OH, we miss you terribly. come back soon ok!

PS: we visited your mum after the op just now. alhamdullillah everything went well. she was jovial when we arrived and i thank Allah for protecting her. :)

manic saturday!

update about my swelling:-

it has gone done! hoooooraaaaaayyyyyy! but there is some water retention just in the lower part between the jawline and neck which makes me look like i have double chins! but perhaps, maybe, they ARE my double chins considering that i have been eating and not exercising since aidilfitri! :(

but on another note, i hoped that my weight has somehow descend due to the incessant pain i have if i open my jaws too big - which means, less food intake! BUT that is just an assumption. i havent been able to brave myself for reality check on the weighing scale, though. that'll be a dfferent story altogether, IF that happens!

so, back to the swelling, since it has subsided, i decided to take up the last minute makeup job by my teacher. its for a 21st birthday party celebration, and i was tasked to make the mother of the birthday girl up. last minute, because, the intended makeup artist (henceforth known as MUA) backed out at the very crucial hour! thank god, i didnt have any plans otherwise, my poor teacher"ll have a headache looking for a replacement. so back to the swelling again...i was ecstatic actually, to be able to go out of the house. and so i made myself up, applying what-nots on my face, my subsided swollen face. it hurt a little bit though, whilst i was brushing my foundation on the swelling area, but then the pain lasted mere seconds, so i didnt worry about it too much.

but as i got on the train to the destination, i began to get stares or weird looks from strangers. and then i began to feel conscious about the swell. however, when i met my teacher, she didnt say anything at all about my face, so i presumed that the strangers in the train were either staring past me or they were just surprised to see a super chubby person?! lol.

the make up job went well by the way. my teacher and client was more than impressed with my work, and i was happy to be of such good service them. unfortunately i didnt have any pictures of my work, because the clients were rushing to the party avenue. nevertheless, it felt great! to be able to be part of the event and to achieve satisfaction for the client. insyallah, this'll make me even more motivated to strive better.

after the job, i got home and mum asked me if i wanted to tag along with her and the baby sister to tampines central for some shopping. i did. first stop was BHG, as mum wanted to get the handbag that she had, apparently, surveyed in the afternoon! and it cost her about 160 dollars. then we went to Isetan, and then we saw many more handbags on sale, and there was this one Braun Büffel bag that we both liked and it was slashed to 50%!! mum grew excited. but i forbade her to get it. lol. and i thought i am a wors shopaholic! but then probably it runs in the genes.


we then proceeded to guardian, but not before i stopped by Shu Uemura and got myself the eyelash curler. it cost a bomb for a curler but i understand why - its super good!! amazing!! even mum (who was my model) was impressed! i say, that's a good investment!


at guardian, it was another tempat puaka (haunted place) as we spent again! i got a mascara and liquid liners whilst mom got herself an expensive skincare product!! my mum was on a rampage!! OMG! but thank god we were able to redeem these with vouchers my daddy got from his company. (thank you daddy!)


so, my saturday had been awesome, cant wait for sunday as daddy'll be bringing us to eat seafood! (sorry, OH, you cant get to join us! we'll make it up to you when you get back, alright?)


hope you guys had a terrific weekend so far! :)

creativity to vamp up

did a little makeover to my boring make up palettes. transformed them into plain black casings into something that are more personalised and - me! spent about 15minutes in total for the project, and i am very happy with the outcome! the reason why i did the revamp was because i realised that my palette is so unoriginal and plain boring, especially when everybody else in the class or event practically has the exact palette. therefore i zest up a little bit of personality, magazines cuts, glue and scissors and taddaaaaaaaa!!

-the palettes - in their original forms. plain, boring and black!-

-halfway there- :p

-when its all done!-

i have no idea where such creativity of mine came from. my art teacher would have been so proud of me!

what do you think of them? do they scream some personality there? :)

that little secret finally revealed

like finally! i have been wanting to update my blog for the longest time possible, but lately i have been so busy with work and life, that i am surprised myself, that i could find time to breathe! and the reason that i am able to update is because i am on long medical leave for my wisdom and molar teeth surgical extraction! speaking of that, this has got to be the worst thing i had to ever endure! the pain is so excrutiating that no amount of vocabulary can describe the feeling. and i am not even talking about the peri-surgical pain, but more of the post-surgical pain!! it has been four days now and my right cheek is still swollen with intermittent pain. i didnt expect that such pain would last so long! and i have been diligent in taking my antibiotics too, because, God forbids, the last thing that i want, on top of this pain, is the possible risk of infection. 0_0

anyhoos, in my previous post i was supposed to be blogging about lots of things, but i will go straight to that little secret that i have been keeping. i mean, its way past aidilfitri so i dont see the purpose of updating the raya outing for the sole purpose of updating, right? so like i said again, let me just go straight to the point.

right, so as you can see from the pictures below, that is that little secret that i have been keeping these months. and i am very excited to say that i am a proud graduant of my make up artistry class!

dramatic butterfly-inspired look



the au-naturale malay bride



i did these two looks for my exams as were required to do a bridal make up and a creative look of our own. my biggest challenge for these two looks would be covering up the blemishes and pimples of these two beautiful young models of mine. but alhamdullillah, i am glad that the pseudo-perfectionist in me paid off! i scored pretty well for both looks and i am proud of myself for being able to deliver what is expected from the teacher and judges. the judging was strict because the boss of the agency/school is very particular about perfection! but everything was worth-it! i had fun and my models certainly did too because i have promised them a B&Js ice cream treat soon!

so, this is the other thing that i have been busy with, people! and its a growing passion! but of course, for now i have to do this as a freelance first, because i am still passionate about my first love - nursing! maybe who knows, in the near future, i can somehow combine the two into one? that'll be something to think about!

but in any case, i welcome any feedback or even offer(s) to allow me to transform you or that someone for that special day/event. :)

short update

selamat hari raya aidilfitri to all! it has been so long since i last logged in. and i miss blogging so much! the reasons i can afford to devote my time to blogging now is because i am currently on one week leave and another reason is because the OH is away in China for work. 

i really, really miss blogging so much, thats why the whole new template and all! Lol! anyhoos, our lebaran this year was awesome because we have a new member to the family - the OH! it was fun and chaotic at times, dividing our weekends to go visiting relatives and friends too! but it was worth every sweat i tell ya! and we took so many photos that i had a hard time uploading them one by one.

for this year raya, we didnt tailor our costumes. instead we recycled what we have. and a week to raya, i spotted a great sale of kurungs with songket going at 3 for $100! so i grabbed them - all in different colours! for me and the sisters! what a bargain!

and this year lebaran is also the first time that i get to meet the OH's relatives upclose and personal. we didnt get to go round for sembah-sembah after the wedding the other time as the OH was busy with his travels for work, so we made it up with the raya visiting. and we didnt manage to cover every single house as there wasnt much time. so we probably have to make it up again during next year's syawal then.

i would love to update about the awesome raya outing we had last weekend with the mutiara gang, but my dear husband had uploaded all the pics from the memory card to his laptop. and the laptop is with him in China too, so it'll have to be a belated post. :(

and i would want to update about what happened on monday soon! its something that i have secretly been doing these past months and monday was the final thing. what is that thing im talking about? you will find out in due course...hehe. but until then, im hush-ing.

right, so i guess i will keep you in suspense first as i catch up on my long-deserved sleep. been slogging in front of the pc perfecting my layout. my eyes are begging me to sleep already!

so till then! :)

*__*

writers block: that is what i am having right now. ironically, i have loads to share and update about. but i cant seem to put them in words except whatever that is being transcripted here. funny.

prior to logging into blogger, i was so sure that i would be able to write an interesting entry tonight. probably something fruitful. but as i stared at my pc here right now, nothing - null - seems to be processing in my brains right now. why??!! could i be suffering from boredom from blogging already?? i hope not. because i enjoy writing though i really do not know who else reads this blog esxcept for myself and my OH. haha.

so pardon me for this yet another boring entry from the soon-to-be boring blogger. but i will try my best to bring back the zest and passion that i had 6 years ago, when i was hype and about writing blogs.

because thats, the reason, for the existence of this new blog, after all. :)

busy as a bee

busy, busy, busy as a bee.
work, life, the OH.
busy, busy, busy as a bee.


this entry has no purpose actually.
just to inform the world that i am
busy, busy, busy as a bee.

conversion

as of yesterday, the 29.03.10, i have officially converted myself to a ZA two-way cake user! i succumbed to it, after my faithful years with M.A.C studio perfect. thanks to incessant boredom at work yesterday, which led me to read the whole of Her World March issue in a matter of 3/4 day (when i should have been working!).

yes. all 200+ pages! i have completed reading it. why waste my time doing nothing when i can indulge myself in the ooohs and aahhhhss of the current fashion faves? in any case, the magazine would be lying in the magazine racks, waiting to be devoured by hungry tai-tais or pesudo-fashionistas that come to the clinic, whilst waiting for their q-number to be called. tsk.tsk. i, might as well take the liberty by feeding my brain with the latest of fashion trends, right?

so, back to the ZA conversion, they were raving about how good a compact foundation this beauty is. and i just had to somehow try it. they had reviews from user, about how good it is able to cover pores and blemishes, and being lightweight as well. now, i itched, at the sight of the words "coverage" and "lightweight". and to console myself that i am doing the right thing, i sms-ed my sisters (who have been loyal users of the product), and asked them about the great-ness of the foundation. both of the sisters gave their thumbs up! my baby sister even mentioned that it is much better than MAC studio perfect - in terms of texture and pricewise!

with good ratings, and i personally tried it out with my BFF in tow, i got myself one, too! along with my BFF, who was influenced by me. so we are now the proud owners of ZA beauty two-way compact foundation.

i had the honour of using it full-fledged today for work, and it really covers up my pores and blemishes well. it also stayed throughout the whole day. its works!

and because my sisters, (even mom) and i are using the same foundation, to avoid confusion, i added crystal beads to my compact! LOL!

i am loving my ZA compact foundation! i know my OH and pocket would be very happy. because this cost half as much as MACs studioperfect! hehe.







on a totally different note:
i finally got my heart and mind to do this thing that i have long put off. i hope i have made the right decision. Ya Allah, bless me with this one. Amin.




PS: OH, i miss you so deadly much. come home safe and quick please! :(

flashback

right now, the place that i want to be is in the picture above. for that particular time, i felt free. not in the care in the world. i missed being in Graz. i missed the kind people whom have made me feel so warm and welcome in a foreign land to me, but home to them. i missed being away from the heavy burdens and stressors that pulled my weight to the ground.

whilst in that gorgeous land, i learnt how to appreciate Gods beautiful and magnificent creations. the gorgeous landscapes from the snowy mountains, the endearing sights of vast green spreads, acrossthe horizon....i missed them.

but most of all, i missed being there with you, and the other guys. i want to do it all over again. i want the freedom of enjoying our hot chocolates as we wait for the sundown. i missed the snowball fights. i missed running for the buses early in the morning. i missed bunking in the apartments. i missed everything about our trip.

i missed us.

lovely saturday

my saturday was spent with the loves of my life - the squammies - watching a midnight movie. the movie we watched was the lovely bones. my take on the movie; it was good as it was directed by peter jackson, the genius behind the lord of the rings trilogy. however, my friends (who had the opportunity to read the book prior to the movie) mentioned that some of the scenes vary from the chapters of the book. in fact, they claimed that the book bears a more heartwrenching feeling to the reader, compared to the movie itself.

the movie showcasted a familiar array of stars, like mark wahlberg, rachel weisz and susan sarandon. i wont spoil on the synopsis, but since the movie was set in the 70's, it felt hippy-ish! after the movie, my friends and i were gushing over the hippy-ness of the movie, as it was supposedly to be a serious movie!

i think i may want to grab the book and read it myself, for me to appreciate the movie more. :)

anyways, after the movies (which was almost 3am!) we headed to simpang bedok to satisfy out hungry bellies. i didnt have much - just prata. its the company that matters. i missed my friends and i was glad we all took the time off to be with each other. i hear another date this public holiday, you all? ;P

monday is making its way soon, and i have kicked my procastination to iron my clothes in the morning. instead i did it just now, waaaaayyyyyyy before i rooted my self in front of the pc! personal achievement i must say! haha!

i dont usually look forward to monday, but considering that i will be meeting my dudettes after work tomorrow, i am all excited, man! please, God, let my Monday be a peaceful one, with less or no irritating patients, ya!

till then.

ps: OH, you were badly missed by the ST. they were asking about you. how are you doing today? i hoped the weather there is treating you good. come home soon, sweetheart! i am in agony, without u! :(

the love ones

last saturday saw us celebrating our first. exhilarating ride. beautiful night. thank you for these moments, baby. heres to many more.

to the faithful departed

My uncles death last week made me realise that life is so unpredictable.Yes, we have heard this a million time before, its becoming a cliche. But what made knocked some sense into me was the fact that my uncle died because of heart attack, whilst doing his usual routine. Life is indeed short.
My dearest uncle, though I am not that close with him, I can sense that he had lived a sad life. He caused a stir in the family when he informed us that he had married another woman, a lady from Batam. That caused my auntie, his wife, to estrange from him. I can understand why she felt and did that, because no woman is able to take the blow when she finds out that her husband has another woman besides her. But they were never divorced, I was told, just living seprately. My uncle ferrying to and fro Batam-Singapore, whilst my auntie bunks with her children. They had sold their flat, so my uncle sometimes sought refuge at my other aunties house in Choa Chu Kang.
During these times, I sensed that he is rather sad, or perhaps regretful of his actions. Why he did it, that I think its not right for us to judge. He probably had his reasons. What saddens me was that he was living a life similar to a vagabond, relatively shunned by his own family members. As my cousin (whose house my uncle sought refuge in) told me of her encounters with him, few days before he passed on, he seemed sad and bothered that he had troubled her family, all these years. My cousin teared at the memory. I almost too, because I think he deserved much more than that. He deserved to be in the comfort of his family members, which did not happen, unfortunately.

My dear uncle, you are in a much better place now. Rest in peace. Amin.

solemn farewell

received a shocking news that my daddys eldest brother has passed away yesterday.
we are getting ready to say our final goodbye to him.

farewells get to me, always.

may your soul be placed among those that HE loves. Al-Fateha.

one love

and its all done! i really hoped that he will loved what i had done. nothing much, just to express how much he means to me in my life, and how much i love him. he has been the greatest event in my life, and i am glad it happened. he has been there for me, without fail, since day one! he has seen me through my worst, and he has seen me through my best. he was there for me near, or far.

he is a gods sent.

and there could never be any word that could describe how i feel right now. blessed is definitely an understatement. for every frown on my face, he would turn it into a smile. with patience and perseverance, he makes me happy, all over again.

he is my angel.

the most patient soul i have ever met in my life, i am glad that God sent me to him. for without him, i wouldnt be able to know that there is life after a broken, broken, broken heart. he makes me feel so important, so wanted, so loved.

i wished i had crossed paths with him much sooner.

but i have no regrets. because now, i know why God tested me. now, i know why my heart was shattered into millions of pieces, because HE had saved the best for me.

and baby, that best is YOU.

happy anniversary sweetheart. thank you for your faith and believing in me. thank you for your neverending love. i am so looking forward for future anniversaries with you. bless you, my darling, for being such an angel.

i so cant wait to see you later. we are going to have a blast. :)

bbq chicken restaurant

have you ever tried the BBQ jerk chicken that is served in BBQ chicken restaurant? the OH and i have always liked the said chicken, whenever we go there to have our dinner. it is a serving of chicken leg with two sides of your choice. for the both of us, we had the fries and coleslaw as the sides.

-its not barbecue, its BBQ-

the meat of the chicken is cooked tender. according to the little info provided in the menu, the chicken is marinated with Korean herbs and spices for over 24 hours, before it is grilled! this is to ensure that the juices from the marinate gets absorbed by the chicken meat, therefore the flavours are locked in.

apart from the main dish, we ordered nachos as our side. the servings are quite big, even for the tow of us...and get this...this is served at about $5.00! this is our first time ordering this and i really loved the taste of the salsa. very, very scrumptious! the cheese and maiyonese spread are not that much, and i liked it that way. i loved how the tomatoes tasted with the succulent taste of vinegar, which is just right! for someone who is not really into salsa, i think this one works!

so, if you are into chicken and western delights, you may want to check out the BBQ chicken restaurant. they have two outlets if i am not mistaken, one in Downtown East and the other one in Tampines One, where we went just now.

but dont expect to have an all-romantic kind of ambience because this restaurant is nothing of the sorts, though i think the restaurants decorations are really nice - not overdone. oh, we spent about $40++ for two persons, with Coke and Iced tea for our drinks on top of the jerk chickens and nachos ordered. a little bit too steep i must say, but worth it.

go on..have a try and maybe you will come back for more, that is, according to the slogan i read on one of their walls. lol.

dont be too hopeful for the party pics!

the partay was a blast. food was awesome. company was crazy! but yours truly is lazyyyy! to upload the pics and to update! gosh.

so much for my 2010 resolution of kicking the procastination habit. tsk.tsk.

nevertheless, welcome home my baby Vaio! i am sorry to have overworked you, darling. now that you are as fit as a horse, why dont we go and spend some time together alone, peeping at whats hot on the world wide web, shall we?

the weekends are here

its the weekends and i am so looking forward to spend the day with my OH. we are going to a chalet in east coast to celebrate the birthdays of OHs two friends, Fadil and Ema. i cant wait! i cant wait!

pictures will be up soon!

the start of a new beginning

right. so here we go again. the same game, yet different settings, different players. but i only have one thing in mind. to win. no looking back and no defeat. but first i have to get over the biggest opponent - me!

so heres to a brand new year. 2010.

show me what you have in store for me, baby! :)