Oh What A Day Is Today

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Kitty pictures never fail to pick me up. I was feeling a bit under the weather last weekend. A minor headache and a bit of nausea. Felt very uncomfortable and sore all over. 
 

Rainy days entering our life practically every hour now. It’s really good to just snuggle up, enjoying the rain and do nothing.

Happy rainy Monday, everyone :)

Radio Rocks!

Have you watch 'The Boat That Rocked' yet? If you haven't, I recommend you to watch it for 3 definite reasons:

1- Awesome soundtracks - Brits music rocks!
2- Midnight Mark is major cute
3- Lovely lovely 60's setting



This movie is based on a popular pirate radio ship in the 60s called Radio Caroline that broadcast from a ship to UK. The only thing I hate about the movie is that they didn't include The Beatles's tracks though 1960s is the famous band's unmistakable prime year. How could they not when other famous rock&roll songs are innit? Royalty issues? Grr. My favorite of all time is of course 'All Day And All of The Night' by The Kinks and 'Crimson And Clover' by Tommy James & The Shondells. The rest of the featured ones include songs by The Turtles, Procol Harum, Cat Stevens, Jimi Hendrix, Dusty Springfield, The Who and even David Bowie. Unfortunately, Aaron Neville's 'Tell It Like It Is' wasn't in the official OST though it was played in one of the scenes with Midnight Mark. How cruel.

All in all, an enjoyable cruise but don't expect much of it.

I've always consider myself as a radio person. If you hand me a survey stating 'List down 3 famous TV shows of all time', I know jackshit of what to write. I grew up listening to keronchong from my late dad's old radio. Its one of the most magical music I've ever heard my whole life. A Johorian's trait? Perhaps so. 

Approaching my teenage years, I began to listen to my Sony walkman practically every second and every friggin' minute of the day. Piles and piles of music tapes was kept well-hidden under my bed away from prying eyes. Every other day I would drop by at my babysitter's house and watched her husband whom I called Abah, played the accordion.

I survived my childhood without the idiot box.

I don't know whats gonna happen back then if I have to live without the ghetto blaster. It was even my best friend and I auto routine, to turn the dial on every time we went into her room or while in the car. Always the first thing we would do before anything else. ALWAYS. We would bicker on which radio station to listen to; apparently the driver always get to choose. Remembered how a few of my friends and I would giddily lined up - I kid you not; at our school's public phone to call Hitz FM just to say 'No 2 belongs to Brandy 'The Boy Is Mine' live on air with John Boy! Imagine! Such are radio to some of us back then: huge and nothing short of humongous.

So when my strategist, the Tuan Berhormat Yang Dikasihi told me that I'm gonna write a radio script; you can imagine how excited I was! And today I went to a studio in Taman Tun to do the recording. Quite interesting to watch how the professional voice talents do their job - some did it coolly while another talent was so animated with the hand waving in the air and whole expression on his face. In 4 hours time, they wrapped it up and handed us a CD containing two commercial ads in English and Chinese.

I must say, the script was far from what I had in mind but for a safe choice, the ad might work well.

Chances Are

Its pouring cats and dogs outside and the room’s temps is going lower. The remote is spoilt. Sitting right underneath the air-cond without a jacket, I’m dangerously frostbitten by the degree of coldness.

I went home 5ish this morning. My first after two weeks of super-calm days at work. Grab big breakfast and had ‘em whilst watching Kungfu Panda at home.

I was on my last bite when I stopped and think ‘I’m gonna miss this if I ever call it a day.’

The late-night work.
The lack of sleep.
The very early breakfast.
The smooth traffic.
The balmy weather at midnight.
The bird-chirping and me tucking into bed.

I’ve been spending a good deal of time planning for the after-marriage. Should I quit my lovely work now and finally have the guts to venture into the photography world? Or maybe I could finally realize my family’s dream of opening up a cafe. Or am I gonna end up being a boring housewife? (I doubt MN will let me). A lot of thinking and planning and asking around for opinions. 

This is the biggest turning point in my life.

I have just started to love my work as a copywriter. Advertising teach me hard lessons. At the same time, there’s a few photography offers thrown at me too. I have to pass it over as I'm not able to commit due to my full-time McJob. 

And then there’s marriage. And MN’s new found job with a renowned news agency. At the back of my head is always the Berlin project I’m delaying (the exhibition’s gonna take place this summer). Super, super slammed matters in hand.

We have a lot of things to do, goals to achieve. And more challenges that’s gonna swing by next i.e kids and building up a happy family.

Sometimes, I ask myself - will I be able to cope?

Surprisingly, I’m more than willing to take all the risk. Chances are, I’m gonna make it through. I've been through so much there's nothing I can't take.

At this moment, I just want to switch off the air-cond and make myself some hot cuppa.

Time To Celebrate!

CNY hols have been rather interesting. Spent quality time in bed, catching up with sleep, rest and movie marathon. A damn fun way to waste time especially if you have enough chip supply to last you for days so you dont have to go out and buy.

But of course I did not spend all 24 hours plonking my ass happily at home. Went to a small shopping mall where my brother used to buy his groceries when he was in high school last Saturday. Eka and Nadiah brought me there to show the moroccan lamp I wanted for my wedding. It was cool alright and if all goes well, we’ll have the lamp. Kinda cool to look around for wedding stuff together with your close friends who’s also getting married.

Sunday went up to Cameron Highland with MN and his dad (soon-to-be my dad). His dad is also an avid photographer and a very well-travelled man so we had an amazing time listening to his travel stories. We snapped around and sipped tasteful earl grey by the plantation area. Everything looked so purplish-ly beautiful at sunset. Weather was rather chilly as it rained cats and dogs when we arrived.



We were supposed to hop on the train scheduled at 5am to Tampin the next day but I screwed up the plan on behalf of everyone. Thought roadtrip would be a bad idea this time around. I need to load off and catch some Zs, tempt my body with some massage and good food. I must say - stinky coach, heavy backpack and restless journey was indeed a very very win-over thing for me but I guess I gotta stick to my sine qua non; notice the two big words in one line? That means, my rest is unquestionably needed.

CNY made more than half of the city dead. KL was immobilized and most of my fav places were closed till 2nd. My whole family were out traveling all over the world- sometimes its not a good thing to have a traveling family - and I can’t reach out to my traveling mates either coz they were out..err..traveling.

A phone conversation:

Me- Hello. Awak baru bangun?
Friend: *sounded very sleepy* Err ye.
Me: Oh, maaf. Ingat mahu ajak awak pergi makan seafood. Umbai jom!
Friend: Errrr....saya di London?

Everyone was on hols so what more can I do than to just stay put in a place and watch movie? For someone who as mobile as I am, its pathetic to be so stagnant. MN who felt my anxiety tried to bring me out somewhere on Monday where we ended up in a dead, sleepy, hollow perkampungan orang asli in Hulu Selangor. Honestly, I slept the whole way there and when I woke up I was absolute clueless of the whereabouts. Saw a huge signage saying ‘D’Rasa Seafood’ and since we were hungry we thought why not try the food. The place was descent, built on top of a lake. But i have to say this, if I know where we were from the beginning, I might have a second thought on dining there. Its fine if we were on a road trip and trapped in an unknown place. Its understandable to go hantam anything in the name of surviving but that day it felt totally weird. Or maybe its just a feeling, maybe I woke up on the wrong side of car seat. Anyway, after dinner we head on a few kilometers further and found a damn great spot to watch sunset. The sky was incredibly blue and suddenly the whole world felt spectacularly vast. I sat in the car (kinda scary to go out actually) watching the sky as if twas so near that I could touch the fluffyness of clouds with my bare fingers. Monday has never felt this fantastic, man.



Will be out of town this weekend to scout for my beach wedding in Penang, have a joy ride and eat lots of foooood. 

*pause* 

Sometimes, life is really about this ya know - enjoying every second that goes by without hesitation, knowing when to take control and when to just let loose. Some things we need to see for ourselves. Gotta make our own mistakes and learn from all the damn lessons thrown. Embracing struggle, appreciating small victories. MN reminds me each time - be thankful with whatever we have.

Life can be terribly painful, there's always gonna be surprises popping out from a corner and bite you up in the ass but you just gotta keep on riding, breathe deep and wait for the agony to subside.

And never be in denial. Sooner or later we have to put the mask aside and face the world. So why lie and pretend? To be screwed by truth is the worst of feelings. And to hide from it and blame it on others is another thing, I suppose. Life is messy. That’s how we’re made. At some point, you have to make a decision. Well like Grey said - ‘At the end of the day, the fact that we have the courage to still be standing is a reason enough to celebrate.’ 

Now I can't wait to drown in good food. Maybe can take a quiet stroll by the beach too. 

Is it me or this room is so cold tonight?

It's four in the morning and I'm still at work.

I heard heavy pour outside. Cant stop thinking of soft cushy pillows and warm blanket.

And him.