Thursday, December 27, 2007

Berakhirnya Satu Penantian...

There is a saying goes… “Your first novel is like your first baby!” And I agree with it 100%! Perasaan berdebar, letih menunggu, gembira, risau, teruja… semuanya bercampur aduk tatkala menunggu terbitnya novel saya, cuma tak ada contraction jer! Dan selepas menghadapi sedikit kelewatan, menghitung hari, menahan debar di dada, tidur pun tak berapa lena... akhirnya, penantian saya berakhir dengan lahirnya Melodi Kasih.

Alhamdulillah… kini Melodi Kasih sudah ada di pasaran. Walaupun ada masanya, saya masih tertanya “Eh, betul ke novel yg aku tulis tu dah keluar?” Antara percaya dan tidak… antara suka dan terharu.

Anda di luar sana, sudi-sudikanlah membeli dan membaca. This is how the cover looks like…presented by ALAF 21… (jgn salah beli, ye? Hehe) Go and grab one! And tell me what do you think of it. Sesungguhnya, saya akui, first attempt saya ni masih terdapat byk kekurangan dan mungkin juga ada kesilapan. Apa-apa pun, saya mohon maaf dan berilah komen yg sewajar dan sejujurnya agar saya dpt membaiki kelemahan yg ada.



MELODI KASIH
Harga: RM18.00

Penulis: Hezzy Azra
Halaman: 480
ISBN: 978-983-124-327-5
Sinopsis: Zahara Inas, Edrina Julia dan Iman Syukriah dilahirkan pada bulan yang sama tetapi menerima takdir yang berbeza-beza. Warna-warna cinta mereka juga tidak sejernih titisan embun.
Zahara yang pernah dikecewakan lantas mengunci jendela hati, tidak mahu bayu cinta berhembus lalu meniupkan taufan duka. Baginya hidup ini tetap berputar tanpa insan bernama lelaki. Namun sampai bila?
Setiap cinta Edrina tidak pernah kesampaian. Oleh itu dia akur pada percaturan keluarga, menerima Taj sebagai suami walau tiada perasaan cinta di jiwa. Malangnya, Taj sisipkan duri hingga tercalar pedih hatinya.
Istana cinta yang Iman bina bersama Huzir memekar bunga-bunga sayang bersama si cahaya mata. Tetapi ada jua gelora berombak menggoncang badai. Hanya pada cinta yang ikhlas mereka berpaut. Teguhkah cinta itu?
Ahh... Sukarnya mengungkapkan kata cinta. Tatkala ucapan cinta dilafazkan, bisa bergetar jiwa dan bergelora perasaan. Kalimah sakti ini jika mudah meniti di bibir, mudah juga dipersendakan. Lantas, tegakah insan-insan ini berhadapan dengan kemelut cinta masing-masing? Dalam benci, ada sayang. Akan ketemukah kebahagiaan yang didambakan?


Untuk langganan: sila layari www.alaf21.com.my

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

206...

Alhamdulillah… spt yg dirancang, 21 Disember, hari Jumaat lepas, saya sekeluarga selamat berpindah ke rumah baru.

Dalam sibuk2 berkemas, membeli lagi brg2 keperluan yg tak cukup2… saya dan husband buat lagi kerja gila. Pada mulanya, kami nak membeli cermin utk bilik mandi. Tapi kedai cermin tu tak bukak lagi… dan di sebelah kedai tu, ada Naza Showroom. Dan spt biasa, saya dgn husband saje masuk utk menjenguk kereta2 yg ada. Sorento, Citra, Sutera dan saya terpandang Bestari 206. Kami pun tanya salesman tu, boleh test drive tak? Dan salesman cina tu pun terus ambil kunci Bestari 206 dan nak serahkan kpd suami. Tapi suami saya dah duduk pun dgn selambanya di kerusi belakang bersama anak saya. Salesman tu pun dlm keterpaksaan, hulur kunci kpd saya. Dan dia pun nak mengajar saya la kononnya, signal sebelah kiri… camana nak adjust seat dan sebagainya. Saya senyum aje. One little fact that he doesn’t know… we are actually, two oldies fascinated by these French technologies for ages!

Selesai pusing sana sini, lenjan kereta tu, kemudian husband pulak take over… akhirnya kami balik ke showroom tu setelah hampir setengah jam. Dan salesman tu pun mula bercerita ttg latest promotion Bestari 206. Goodness… saya dan husband terus terdiam. It is a good buy… with a lot of discounts and low interest rate, we can own the car with only RM188 as initial payment! Saya dan husband dah bertukar pandangan… biar betul! Mmg kami sedang mencari kereta lain… tapi setakat ni, tak de kereta yg betul2 captured us. Maka keimanan, keinginan dan prinsip kami utk membeli kereta baru masih boleh bertahan. Kereta yg kitorg betul2 suka, dgn kelajuan yg menggugat jiwa… semuanya mahal gila! So, we know that we still have a long way to go before buying all those cars. Husband saya gilakan highly performance cars (klau boleh dia nak 2 doors car tapi saya tak setuju! Dah cukup-cukuplah pakai kereta 2 pintu!) Manakala saya gilakan 4 wheel drive (dan husband tak setuju, dia kata 4 wheel drive, tak suitable utk saya!) Husband selalu kata “I’ll get you one small, safe and reliable car.” Dan saya selalu jawab “I don’t like to drive small cars! Those cars are not safe and reliable enough for me!” Perbalahan pendapat ini selalunya tak mencapai sebarang rumusan. Lagipun, mmg belum ada kereta yg memenuhi citarasa kami. Tapi Bestari 206 ni, membuatkan keimanan dan prinsip kami tergugat habis!

Beria-ia salesman tu meyakinkan kami… dan kami betul2 terasa yakin. Tapi kami cepat tersedar dan berpijak di bumi nyata. Tujuan kami ke situ nak beli cermin bilik mandi… bukan beli Bestari! Haha.

P/S: Frankly speaking… we are still attracted by the offers and the car’s performance. And till now, we are still discussing the possibilities of buying it!

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Tagged By Diamond Baby...

Sempena cuti hari raya ni... saya pun cubalah menjawab soalan2 yg sudah di'Tagged'kan!

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night.
My doughter… she was asking me “Mama, kenapa pelanggan kita tak sampai lagi?” She was actually referring to rombongan org surau yg akan dtg takbir ke rumah mak saya bila kitorg dah siapkan kek, mee goreng, kuah kacang dan nasi impit di ruang tamu. Salah concept anak saya ni...
2. What were you doing at 0800?
Standing in front of my wardrobe, thinking of wat to wear today and finally realized that I had no choice. Semua baju kurung sudah diexport ke rumah baru… yg tinggal hanya office attire, jeans dan sehelai jubah Mekah.
3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Said ‘bye’ to my husband… sbb dia nak balik ke rumah menghabiskan kerja2 mengecat (hari raya pun terpaksa cat rumah… kesian dia!) dan saya masih nak duduk beraya di rumah mak saya… bestnye!
4. What happened to you in 2006?
Saya mula membaca novel2 melayu setelah hampir 15 tahun ‘melupakannya’ dan mula menulis manuscript sendiri.
5. What was the last thing you said out loud?
“Jangan gaduh2… main elok2!” kpd anak saya yg sedang bergurau dgn sepupu2nya.
6. How many beverages did you have today?
1 mug of coffee, 1 glass of plain water and 2 glasses of Sunquick
7. What color is your hairbrush?
Hitam dan merah
8. What was the last thing you paid for?
RM 19.58 for 2 bars of Philadelphia Cream Cheese utk buat Cheese Cake atas permintaan suami saya!
9. Where were you last night?
At my mom’s house… baking cheese cake with my new Pensonic stand mixer!
10. What color is your front door?
Beige
11. Where do you keep your change?
Dalam purse atau tempat coins tepi tingkap kereta.
12. What’s the weather like today?
Very sunny… kering la segala bed sheet dan curtain yg saya jemur di luar tu!
13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor?
Everything is delicious/sedap/best for me except strawberry flavor
14. What excites you?
Romantic/sexy love songs (jiwang karat la pulak!) Yg tak jiwang… highly performance (at least 140bhp), sleek and solid sports cars or 4 wheel drive!
15. Do you want to cut your hair?
Saya mmg teringin nak berambut pendek tapi husband kata rupa saya nnt mcm budak tkt 4! (Eleh… dia tu bukan apa, he doesn’t want to be seen as a man who married an underage girl! Haha)
16. Are you over the age of 25?
Hmmm….. dah 9 thn pun melepasi umur tu!
17. Do you talk a lot?
Yes I do… with my husband, my family, my close friends, my office colleague. Tapi dgn org yg saya baru kenal atau tak biasa lagi, saya tergolong dlm kelompok yg sgt pendiam sehingga menjurus kpd kategori sombong!
18. Do you watch the O.C.?
OC? Citer aper tu? Channel aper? Ketinggalan zaman betul saya ni! Sebenarnya, saya jarang mengikuti sebarang drama bersiri di tv, telenovela, samarinda atau apa saje yg seangkatan dengannya.
19. Do you know anyone named Steven?
Steven? Ye, ye saya rasa saya kenal, cina yg jual chicken cop kat DU Uptown tu!
20. Do you make up your own words?
Yes I do make up my own words… all the words in the 300 pages of my manuscripts!
21. Are you a jealous person?
Nope… I hardly get jealous! Beruntungnya suami saya… hehe
22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’.
Ahmad Fariq! Is this acceptable?!
23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’.
Ku Ril (If Ahmad Fariq is acceptable, I’m sure this one is ok too… hehe)
24. Who’s the first person on your received call list?
Yang!
25. What does the last text message you received say?
U mana? AHA buat apa? My husband’s standard line every hour… all day long when I’m not in front of him… asking me where I am and what is my daughter doing. Sbb dia tahu, isteri dia selalu on the run dan anak dia yg terlalu byk aktiviti sampingan! Jgn tak tahu anak saya… dia boleh call kitorg kat office beritahu dia nak pegi hi-tea dgn sepupu-sepapat!
26. Do you chew on your straw?
Oh tidak sekali! Saya rasa ngilu tengok org kunyah straw!
27. Do you have curly hair?
Ada kot… somewhere! ;P
28. Where’s the next place you’re going to?
Nak balik ke rumah saya bila bed sheet & curtain jemuran saya sudah kering (laundry saya pun kat umah mak hari ni!)
29. Who’s the rudest person in your life?
I meet rude people everytime, everywhere on the road while driving and paying my bills… dan semua tu the rudest in my life!
30. What was the last thing you ate?
My mom’s chicken rendang, kuah kacang and nasi impit.
31. Will you get married in the future?
Nak kahwin lagi? Dgn sapa? Ada ke org nak kan saya selain suami saya?
32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks?
Gladiator! The thing is, tiap kali citer yg Russel Crowe berlakon ni kuar kat channel Astro, saya akan menontonnya walaupun sudah beratus kali ditayangkan!
33. Is there anyone you like right now?
All time favourite: suami saya. When MK is concerned: Keanu Reeves. Bila time suka2 menjamu mata: mamat cina yg officenya sama floor dgn office saya, kulitnya sedikit tanned, hidungnya yg mancung, matanya tak sepet sgt, driving black color 5 series with registration no W** 61, hobinya merokok dan bergayut di handphone sambil berdiri di tepi koridor!
34. When was the last time you did the dishes?
Just now, when my maid was busy packing all of our things!
35. Are you currently depressed?
A little bit… bila memikirkan aliran wang tunai yg mengalir deras bak air di sungai semasa musim tengkujuh ini. Semuanya akibat dari proses perpindahan yg sedang berlaku!
36. Did you cry today?
Nope! Sejak akhir-akhir ni, hati saya dah ‘kering’ sedikit… saya dah jarang menangis melainkan isu2 serius yg melibatkan emosi dan mental! Sungguh pun saya sedang membaca novel yg meruntun jiwa raga atau menonton tv citer sedih pilu… belum cukup utk menyentuh hati batu saya ni…
37. Why did you answer and post this?
Just to kill time… sementara tunggu bed sheet saya kering dan anak saya tgh bermain2 dgn sepupu2nya.
38. People I want to tag next:
Ala… sapa ek?
Syam
Fida
Rose Harissa
Lily Haslina

Sekian Terima Kasih...

Men Are Just Happier People...

This post is for all women who can handle it... and to all men who enjoy reading it.
Men Are Just Happier People... What do you expect from such simple creatures?
Your last name stays put.
The garage is all yours.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
You can be President and never be pregnant.
You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky.
You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100.
People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them.
New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.
One mood all the time.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
You know stuff about tanks.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.
Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
You almost never have strap problems in public.
You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.
Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.
You can play with toys all your life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes... one color for all seasons.
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife.
You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.

No wonder men are happier.
Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha kepada semua...

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

The Saturday Nite

The theme : Bollywood & Hollywood
The time and date: 8pm Saturday 15th December 2007
The venue : Vintage Ballroom, Holiday Villa Subang

Since I don’t want to dress sexy and hot like Jennifer Lopez or any other Hollywood stars (the fact that I’m not so hot and sexy anymore… sob sob!) so I choose to put on the Punjabi suit (hoping that I could be Madhuri Dixit or Aisywarya Rai look-alike!) Thanx to my dear friend, yg meminjamkan saya baju ni. Kawan saya ni, Melayu... tapi dia memiliki hampir sedozen koleksi baju ala-ala Bollywood! (Sho, kau boleh bukak butik lepas ni!)




The Chinese Course served was so-so. Nothing to shout about. But the performance by Diddy AF4 is something I was looking forward to. Ternyata Diddy tidak mengecewakan. With his hit single ‘Hilang’ (lagu yg mengingatkan saya kpd Putraku yg sudah hilang!!!) and beautiful Broery Marantika’s ‘Bila Bulan Bicara’… I was amazed with his voice. Saya bukan peminat fanatik bintang2 yg dilahirkan oleh AF… tidak juga peminat Diddy tapi saya menghargai mereka yg benar2 berbakat ni.

Dan sejarah dlm hidup saya bila memenangi dua hadiah lucky draw… Pensonic 5 speed stand mixer (bolehlah dirasmikan dgn membuat cake sempena hari raya haji ni!) and a bath towel! Tuala pun tuala la… bolehlah menambah koleksi tuala yg ada! Tapi saya terlepas hadiah utama Plasma TV tu… (yg saya harap2kan utk menang supaya boleh letak kat living room umah baru! Tingginya angan2 saya! Haha)

Overall, it was okay… I had fun laughing at my husband’s subordinates performing their ‘Bollywood & Hollywood’ mixture. I know quite a few of them… tak sangka dioarg ni semua tak de langsung stage fright. Selamba jer menari2 kat atas tu. Infact, one of them is about 5 months pregnant! Hebat! Alkisahnya persembahan tu, ada couple tgh menari hindustan, happy2... tetiba minah tu pengsan sbb mamat tu bertukar jadi hantu nyanyi lagu ‘Thriller’. Dan kemudian, muncul pulak boss husband saya yg mat salih tu menari style Jacko dgn lagu ‘Black or White.’ And this group won the first prize with RM1000 cash in hand! Wow….


P/S: Sunday Nite... MU won 1-0 over Liverpool at Anfield. Tapi sorakan MU tak lama... sbb lepas tu Arsenal pulak kalahkan Chelsea... cis!

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Busy weekend...

Sabtu 15hb...

1) Pagi- pergi office

2) Lunch- ada wedding

3) Petang- pergi IKEA (again!!). Ada lagi brg tak cukup...

4) Malam - annual dinner kat Holiday Villa Subang. Husband punya office... the Bollywood Nite!


Ahad 16hb...

1) mengangkut brg sepanjang hari... sekurang2nye 5 trip

And we are going to end our hectic weekend with...








P/S: Ini nasib baik saya tak menerima pelawaan seorg kenalan yg ajak pergi test-drive BMW 3 series kat Glenmarie! To whom it may concern (u know who u are) ... you must be joking to ask me to come along... Hahaha...

Monday, December 10, 2007

These Are The Common Lines...

Our conversation lately...

1) when is the kitchen cabinet guy coming to take the measurement? bila boleh pasang?

2) kira brp byk lighting point, fan point? kat living room tu nak letak track-light

3) IKEA nak deliver brp hari? wat are the charges like?

4) langsir colour aper? beli ready-made jer. baru skrg saya tahu yg kedai ambil tempahan langsir (those interior design boutique tu... mahal sungguh!). Railing langsir pulak silap beli... terlebih panjang, need to be changed within 30 days!

5) have to start packing now, angkut sikit2 dulu esp brg2 kecik

6) where can we buy nice and cheap carpet?

7) i need a reliable stove... nnt tak berasap dapur! (cewah... macam nak masak utk kenduri!hehe)

8) nak pasang blind, nak pasang awning... segala mcm benda nak pasang

9) tell the management to speed up their work... defect tu tak repair lagi. susah2 sgt, repair sendiri jer la (mcm contractor la pulak!)

10) rumah kita ni ada ala2 Casa Impian tak? Kita panggil Eric Leong nak? Atau masuk dlm Anjung Seri ke? Hehe... dream on!

11) oh no... lori pun belum cari lagi!



"Mama... kita nak pegi mana ni? Nak cari kitchen cabinet ke?" Anak saya bertanya. She must've been listening and observing! Itu la aktiviti kami sejak dua menjak ni...

Friday, November 30, 2007

The License

Hari ni saya memperbaharui lesen memandu buat kali yg ke 15.

After 15 years, driving has become my daily routine. Saya cuma tak pegang stereng kereta masa dah 7 bulan mengandung... itu pun atas nasihat doktor (due to the pregnancy complication). Kwn baik saya; SS pernah kata "Woi, tak padan dgn mengandung... bwk keta macam kan apa!"Kalau ikutkan hati, selagi perut yg memboyot tu tak sentuh stereng, selagi itu saya nak terus memandu sampai hari bersalin! Sebab tu, cukup aje 44 hari tempoh berpantang, saya dah capai kunci kereta nak pegi Giant beli grocerries... rindu sgt nak drive!

I dont know about other people, but as for me, I find driving as an art... that requires skill and passion. Sejak kecil lagi, saya suka perhatikan arwah abah memandu. Kalau saya tengok perempuan yg drive, saya rasa kagum teramat sgt. Ketika tahun 70an dan 80an... lady drivers tak seramai skrg ni. And that really inspired me. Masa tu, mmg saya bercita-cita sgt nak belajar memandu (maka sbb itu jugaklah, saya tak reti tunggang basikal kerana cita2 saya nak pandu kereta!) Haha... cukup memalukan... sampai skrg pun saya tak reti naik basikal!

Dan bila umur saya genap 17 tahun, saya terus ckp pada arwah abah, saya nak enrol di driving school. Tapi arwah tak benarkan... dia kata muda sgt lagi, tunggu dulu. Stress giler saya masa tu. Lebih-lebih lagi bila kwn2 dah mula belajar memandu. Tapi saya tak patah semangat... dgn duit yg arwah bagi utk belanja sekolah, saya simpan sikit2 dan terus daftar dgn driving school ketika saya dlm tingkatan 6. Saya belajar memandu lepas habis sekolah, sblm arwah balik kerja. Mak saya tahu... jadi dia tolong cover line utk saya! Hahaha... konspirasi anak beranak! Kali pertama saya ambik ujian memandu, saya gagal sebab terlanggar tiang nak masuk side parking. Tapi usaha mesti diteruskan! Berkat kesabaran dan ketekunan, lepas habis exam STPM, saya pun dapat lesen! Seronok giler masa tu... terasa di awang-awangan. Dan arwah pun senyap lepas tu... nak kata apa lagi bila saya ambik jer kunci kereta dia bawak mak saya jalan2 pegi kedai!

Sepanjang 15 tahun sebagai pemandu, pelbagai pengalaman pahit, manis dan sedih pernah saya lalui. Saya telah 'berkhidmat' sebagai 'pemandu tetap' yg membawa arwah abah ke klinik saban hari selama berbulan-bulan utk menerima rawatan susulan. Masa tu dia tak boleh drive kerana kesihatan tak mengizinkan. Saya pernah accident dlm thn 1999 kerana menghentam boot kereta depan di MRR2...(gara2 leka dgr lagu hindustan, saya disaman RM300!). Saya juga pernah skidded sorang diri tgh2 hiway kerana hujan lebat. Alhamdulillah... nasib baik tak de kereta lain yg melanggar saya pulak. Tiga kali saya memandu mengalahkan ambulance dlm saat2 kritikal kerana membawa orang2 tersayang ke emergency room... (arwah abah sesak nafas, arwah wan kena hypo dan husband diserang appendix yg hampir burst!) Dan itulah 'khidmat' terakhir saya kpd arwah abah. Antara pengalaman manis pula, apabila trip dari Kuala Trengganu-KL cuma 4 jam. Personal achievement tu... sbb bukan drive 'sports' car saya tu tapi sebaliknya Toyota Prado! Dan saya pernah memberi saingan yg hebat kpd BMW 330ci di LDP (saje nak menyakat mamat Beamer yg eksyen tu!)

Walau apapun, saya berterima kasih pada abang err...(saya lupa nama dia!) yg pertama kali mengajar saya memandu dlm tahun 1992 dgn penuh kesabaran. Dan husband yg sering kali provoke dan challenge saya bila memandu... always push me to the limit as long as I can take the challenge! To a certain people, it may not be a good practice... but I look at it in a positive way. That makes me a better driver... when he has increased my speed limit from 140km/h to 160km/h recently!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Lepak kejap...



I've been very busy, extra lazy, too restless, no mood at all, me and my daughter had diarrhoea due to viral infection... that explains why this blog has not been updated for more than a week.


Dlm keadaan macam tu, sempat jugak bawak si kecik pegi holiday sempena cuti sekolah ni. Just over the weekend, tak pegi jauh pun... setakat lepak kejap kat PD jer. But at least, we fulfilled our promise to her. Kalau tidak, kesian dia... cuti sekolah duduk umah tengok cartoon network! For sure, minggu2 selepas ni kitorg dah tak boleh nak bawak dia pegi bercuti lagi. Dgn proses perpindahan yang akan dijalankan selepas ini, expect us to be running here and there to look for fans and lightings, furnitures, kitchen cabinet, curtains, etc! Kalau tak pun, mengutip kotak2 kosong di belakang supermarket!

Aduh... the thought of it plus the budget... dah buat saya fening berminggu2! Kalau pindah ke rumah banglo, camana agaknye ye? But the only thing I learn about moving to a new house is tat... beli apa yg perlu (only the basic) dgn apa yg ada di dlm tangan. Yang lain2 tu boleh add on later. Kalau semua nak beli skrg... not just we are leaving a big hole in our pocket (as it is now) But we might also have holes everywhere... i.e. kain, seluar,baju semua berlubang2 nanti! Kes parah bila terpaksa melakukan proses penampalan yang mega selepas tu...
P/S: Yang buat mood pun kureng skit sbb MU kalah dgn Bolton 1-0 last weekend... teruk kena kutuk!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Let's Do The Banghra Dance!


Hari Ahad lepas 11th November… bertempat di D’ Palma Hotel telah berlangsungnya annual concert sekolah anak saya.
I noticed that she’s been practicing a few dance steps at home. Bila saya tanya buat apa masa concert nanti… dia jawab “Bangla…” Saya senyum jer. That moment, I knew it’s going to be a ‘Banghra dance not a Bangla dance!’
Tapi pagi sebelum concert tu, tetiba dia tak sihat… vomited a few times. Saya dah mula risau, takut dia missed concert dia. Tapi, lepas bwk ke klinik, dia mcm ok sikit dan saya tetap hantar dia ke sekolah, untuk bersiap menjelang concert. Dia pun nampaknye kuatkan semangat utk perform. She even convinced me “Dah ok dah, mama… tak rasa nak muntah pun!”
And we, being the excited parents… tak sabar tunggu showtime. Sampai saya terpaksa cancelled get-together dgn kawan2 CBN, despite the fact that we have planned it weeks ago! Sebenarnya cukup susah nak mengumpulkan gang2 CBNers yg kesemuanya seramai 21 orang tu. Ada yg dah hilang entah ke mana. Ada yg dah tak berminat langsung nak bersua muka dan masing2 pulak busy dgn commitment (housewives, working mummys, career woman, etc) Tak dapat nak kumpul 21 orang, dapat 10 orang pun dah cukup bagus. Mereka inilah kengkawan saya yg sama nakal (u’ll be surprised how ‘nakal’ we used to be!), sama baik (dlm nakal2 tu, we still have the good values in us… *wink*!) But I hope there’ll be another gathering after this. Even though, I was really looking forward to join all of them, but then again… my 5 years old daughter’s show as a banghra dancer is once in a life time!
P/S: What a beautiful goal by Ronaldo to beat Blackburn 2-0 last Sunday!

Friday, November 02, 2007

Test-driving...



The latest model of Vios... kereta terkini yg saya dan husband test-drive. Easy to maneuver, but looks a bit feminine to me. Kalau saya nak beli Vios tu... harus kena letak bodykit ni! Baru la nampak sporty dan masculine skit! Tapi pokok pangkalnya...KALAU beli... hahaha


Well, test-driving has always been our favourite past time for ages! Be it secondhand or brand new cars on the road. Bukannye nak membeli pun... but just for the fun of it! Saje suka menjenguk showroom dan 'berlagak' spt ingin membeli kereta. But, the truth is, we just want to test-drive the car! Tapi, mana la tahu, kot satu hari nanti... terbuka pulak pintu hati nak menambah hutang yg ada... (this is one of the things we both are trying to avoid. Secara amnya, org2 M'sia ni mempunyai purchasing power yg besar dlm pembelian kereta. Mengikut kajian, M'sia merupakan antara negara yg mempunyai bilangan kereta yang banyak berbanding dgn population yg ada. The verdict... just look at the traffic now la!)


But whatever it is, I must say my appreciation to a few of the sales person that we came across. Walaupun, diorg ni sebenarnya tak pasti sama ada kami ni potential buyer atau tidak... tapi tetap melayan kehendak dan gelagat kami tanpa prejudis. Mungkin dlm hati, diorg mengutuk kitorg jugak kot... but the fact that they can still put on smiles on their faces (was it fake or wat? Entahlah!) kira ok la tu!


But there are cases, ada jugak jumpa salesman yg tak sporting sgt. Yang reluctant utk layan rupa sengkek mcm kitorg ni . There was one time, we both walked into this quite prestigious used car showroom... clad in jeans, t-shirts and sandals (kira selebet abis la masa tu)... mintak nak drive Audi A4 2.0T model 2004! Tercengang jugak mamat tu pada mula. Dan lebih kelakar, tengok ekspresi muka dia bila kunci kereta yg diunjukkan kpd husband... dan kemudian, husband jawab dgn selamba... "Oh, my wife is going to drive, not me!" Haha... ternganga dia sekejap. Nak kata 'tak boleh'... tak professional pulak kan? Nak kata 'ya' tapi dlm hati, he must've been very worried... "Alamak! Wife dia ke yg nak bawak? Kalau apa2 jadi, camana?" Some men are just being bias towards lady drivers... I can sense that from the look on their face! Why? What's wrong with lady drivers? Do not underestimate us, okay? Dan tak semua pemandu lelaki bagus2 belaka... ada jugak yg hancus kan? Well, I'm not saying that I'm a bloody good driver, but I was well trained by somebody who has started his driving career as young as 12 years old! Bukan nak puji suami sendiri, tapi di kalangan keluarga dan kawan2... he's known as the best & reliable driver! Dan salesman yg mcm nak tak nak tu pun terpaksa jugak izinkan saya duduk kat driver's seat sementara husband saya duduk kat seat belakang!


Walau apa pun, sepatutnya salesman tak boleh prejudis dan bias dlm memberi layanan kpd customer. We may not have the intention to buy the car now, tapi spt yg saya cakapkan tadi, mana la tahu, ada rezeki dan terbukak pintu hati kitorg nak beli kereta tu satu hari nnt... who knows, we might go back to you, right?

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Our agenda for this weekend...


Football? Nak kata saya ni gila bola, well… frankly, I don’t consider myself as a female football maniac. Rasanya lebih ramai lagi org pompuan yg gila bola kat luar sana tu… yg tahu every details and latest updates about football. Tapi saya mengikuti jugak serba sedikit perkembangan sukan yg menjadi kegilaan ramai ni.

Bila time World Cup, sejak zaman sekolah hingga tahun lepas piala dunia 2006 di Germany, saya turut berjaga sampai ke pagi lebih2 lagi kalau favourite team atau favourite player turun padang. Sama2 bersorak dgn husband kalau goal. Sama2 berkongsi info kalau ada game yg salah seorang drp kami missed nak tengok! Atau saling mengutuk bila masing2 punya favourite team kantoi. Way back in 1990, masa tu saya dlm tkt 5. Seharian saya tersenggut-senggut dan tertidur dlm kelas sbb ‘meraikan’ kejayaan Jerman menjulang Piala Dunia bersama2 Juergen Klinsmann, Pierre Littbarski, Rudi Voller! Sehingga Cikgu kena ketuk meja kejutkan saya! Begitulah impak piala dunia kpd saya satu ketika dulu… dan mungkin juga kpd ramai org lain.

EPL? Pada awalnya, saya kurang mengikuti. Tapi bila dah kahwin dgn husband yg memang MU great supporter, yg selalu mengorbankan malam hujung minggu kalau ada match melibatkan MU… saya pun terpaksa beralah. Kalau dah asyik dgr citer pasal Sir Alex Ferguson, dari zaman Eric Cantona hinggalah kpd Ryan Giggs yg dah bermain utk MU selama 17 tahun, Roy Keane tinggalkan MU dan jadi coach Sunderland, David Beckham kena jual sbb gaduh dgn Sir Alex, Ruud van Nistleroy join Real Madrid, berbaloi MU beli player yg highly skilled spt Christiano Ronaldo dan Nani, Paul Scholes yg selalu panas baran kat padang, Van de Sar, Rooney, JS Park, Saha dan skrg Carlos Tevez… camana saya tak terikut? Bak kata pepatah… “If you can’t beat them, you join them!”
Walaupun tak semua game EPL saya tonton tapi kalau MU main, saya gerenti tengok. Walaupun tak menghadap TV 90 minit, saya masih menonton berselang-seli dgn membaca novel atau menulis manuscript di lap top. And this coming weekend, something that shall never be missed. Perlawanan antara MU dan Arsenal. MU yg cuba mengekalkan tangga pertama liga bertemu dgn Arsenal yg telah seri satu sama dgn Liverpool pada hari Ahad lepas. (Ada macam pengulas sukan tak? Hehe!) It’s going to be an interesting and entertaining game. Walaupun sebenarnya, bila MU lawan dgn Chelsea berebut takhta liga ketika zaman Jose Mourinho masih bersama… lagi best, lebih sengit, tersangat tension! But still, this is one of the game we are looking forward to.
Argh… there goes our weekend!

P/S: Though I’m not a football craze, but I still have these dreams of becoming a live spectator in one of those World Cup Finals. Or at least... sit on a bench, which is sponsored by Audi at Old Trafford to watch MU playing…

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Open Houses...

Masuk aje minggu ke2 Syawal, as much as we can guess... semua org pun mula buat rumah terbuka. Saya dan hubby pun tidak ketinggalan dijemput. Setakat hari ni, saya dah terima lebih daripada 5 jemputan. Alaa... what is 5 or more invitation? What's the big deal about it? Tapi yang tak bestnye... semuanye pada hari yg sama... Sabtu 27 Oktober!

My husband, being as practical as he is, suggests that I should make a proper schedule this Saturday. Supaya kami berdua boleh rancang masa & perjalanan dan attend SEMUA jemputan! Nanti tak de la yg kecik hati ke, atau apa ke. So, this is the schedule going to be:-

1) 9am to 3 pm Location: Wangsa Maju
Kindergarden anak saya. Principal siap call saya jemput datang besides sending the invitation card
2) 1pm to 6pm Location: Rawang Country Homes
Rumah big boss saya. Tak kan tak pergi rumah own MD kot?
3) 1pm to 5pm Location: SS5 Kelana Jaya
Rumah ex-college mate saya. Dah lama tak jumpa dia... masa ni la patut berjumpa pun
4) 3pm to 6pm Location: SS4, Kelana Jaya
Rumah husband punya working network. Kalau networking tak bagus, it might effect the work pulak, kan? Hahaha
5) 8pm to 10pm Location: Ampang Jaya
One of my best friend's house.
6) 1pm to 5pm Location: Shah Alam
Kakak sulung saya menjemput semua adik-beradik, ipar duai dan sanak saudara beraya di rumah dia.
And not forgetting... 9am to 12pm Location: SS7, Kelana Jaya
Saya kerja hari Sabtu...

Okay, I'm done! Putting up a schedule is not a problem. Tapi masalahnye, larat dan termampu ke nak pergi SEMUA? Dan setakat mana yang saya mampu makan setiap 3 jam? Ataupun minum air bergelen-gelen? Atau setakat pergi dan tunjuk muka? Tapi tuan rumah mesti akan pelawa makan... tak kan pandang dan ambik bau jer,kan? Ini bukan citer 3 Abdul...
So, what's the conclusion or solution going to be? Akan ada ke yg berkecil hati atau kami akan menghabiskan masa di dalam kereta sepanjang hari?

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Kisah di bulan Syawal...

1st Syawal - Every raya eve and raya morning, will be spent at my mom's house. That's the standard operating procedure ever since I got married... no compromising! Kejam ke saya? Or is it, the power of negotiation? Am I good or what? Haha
Everything went on just fine. Spt tahun2 lalu, saya dah ziarah kubur arwah abah, hari terakhir ramadhan. Dan kali ni, saya bawak sekali anak dara saya yg umur 5 tahun tu. Sebelum ni, dia tak pernah pergi kubur arwah atuk dia. Masa tu dia tak berapa faham lagi. Tapi bila sekarang dia dah lancar baca Al-Fatihah, boleh la saya ajar dia sedekahkah Al-Fatihah utk atuk dia. Saya tak suka pergi kubur pagi raya sbb selalunya pagi Syawal kawasan perkuburan tu boleh create traffic-jam. Havoc! At least, pergi sebelum raya, boleh lama sikit kat kubur sbb tak pyh terkejar-kejar nak pergi beraya pulak lepas tu... nak pergi rumah in-laws, sedara-mara, etc.

4th Syawal - My sis in law gave birth to a pair of twins... Ayra and Asif! Syukur semua selamat... ibu & anak2 yg comel tu! Bila cium kembar tu, the smell of a new born baby (bau johnsons & johnsons punya lotion. Emm... best!) rasa macam nak tambah ahli keluarga pulak! InsyaALLAH... kalau ada rezeki!

8th Syawal - Kalau ikut bulan Islam... tahun 1428 hijrah ni, wedding anniversary yg ke 8. Alhamdulillah... we survived in this marriage for the past 8 years (and more years to come, InsyaALLAH). No marriage is perfect... but, we can always try to make it as perfect as we can!

Hari-hari yg lain tu... saya masih bercuti. Walaupun husband dah kerja hari raya ke 4, tapi saya masih tetap beraya! Mother & daughter outing!
Overall, raya has never been the same since arwah left us in 1999 but we still cherish this moment... beraya dengan mak. The rest of it, tak de apa2. The excitement of raya, is when you see the kids getting excited counting their duit raya collection... that's all!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Selamat Hari Raya...

Selamat Hari Raya, maaf zahir batin kpd semua yg jenguk atau singgah di halaman saya ni...
Memandangkan esok dah nak masak rendang, nak bakar lemang, nak anyam ketupat, nak buat kek... jadi saya tak de masa nak blogging! Sebab tu kena wish hari ni! Hahaha... macam real jer saya ni. Tetiba, nampak anak bulan ptg ni... arrgh, sudah! Rendang ke mana, lemang Pak Ali jer la jawabnye! Haha
To all my dear friends, yg mana buat open house/raya gathering tu jgn lupa jemput. InsyaALLAH... I wont disspoint you guys.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

What's up today?



Time flies... my one and only daughter turns 5 today. Well currently, she’s the one and only child I have… belum ada rezeki lagi untuk dia ‘beradik’.
To my princess of happiness… you are the sun, the rain, the moon and the stars to mama and papa. You are our reason for breathing! May ALLAH bless you always… jadi anak yang solehah, yang bijak dan yang kuat semangat. May you have a good life and fortune ahead of you, sayang!






Dan hari ni juga, angkasawan Malaysia yang pertama akan bertolak ke angkasa lepas tepat jam 21:21. Another record to contribute to our 50th Independence Day Celebration.
To our drop dead gorgeous angkasawan; Dr Sheik Muszaphar, we are all very proud of you. Congratulations and wish you all the best throughout the whole mission. Bawalah nama Malaysia ke mercu kegemilangan.



Dan 3 hari lagi, dah nak raya. This time around, I don’t really feel the raya heat. Walaupun lagu raya dah berkumandang di radio sejak 15 ramadhan lagi. Nape, ek?
Mungkin kerana saya tak turun ke Jln Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Masjid India atau pun Kompleks PKNS utk merasai kemeriahan membeli-belah sempena hari raya. Baju raya anak dah dibeli sebelum puasa. And as for me, thank you to my husband’s office mate who’s selling nice kain ela and managed to influence him to get those nice ones for me! Senang hidup saya, bila husband balik bawak bbrp pasang kain dan saya terus hantar ke tailor the following week. Selesai bab baju raya! Tak pyh berpusu-pusu membeli belah…
Dan mungkin juga suasana hari raya tak terasa sbb tahun ni saya tak buat walaupun sejenis kuih raya kot! Saya ni nak kata terror sgt, tak jugak. Tapi kalau bawak sebalang kuih raya ke office, sekejap jer dah tinggal serbuk! Komen kawan2… rupa biskut raya tak menarik sgt, tapi sedap! Hahaha, ok la tu kan? Well, saya pun bukan nak menjual, so mmg akui presentation utk biskut2 raya saya tu, tak begitu menarik! Ada yg nipis, ada yg tebal, acuan pun lain2… bentuk bintang, bentuk bulan…ikut suka saya la!



Sejak sekolah rendah lagi, saya suka tolong mak buat kuih raya. Tolong mak aturkan kuih dlm tray, masukkan dlm balang, pukul butter dan telur… itu semua favourite past time tu! Dan bila umur meningkat belasan tahun, saya dah boleh take over tugas tu dari mak. Kalau mak sibuk jahit langsir, saya kat dapur buat biskut kelapa, tart, nestum, cornflakes, kacang… macam2 lagi la! Cuma bila time menggaul tepung utk buat dough tu, saya kena mintak tolong mak sbb tangan saya tak cukup besar nak menggaul! Sanggup bersengkang mata sampai ke pagi dan panas2 muka duduk kat dpn oven tu! Dan saya masih ingat, office mate arwah abah pun pernah tempah biskut ovaltine dari saya… and I was only 15 years old at tat time! Personal achievement tu!
Walaupun sibuk, tradisi membuat kuih raya diteruskan hingga saya dah bekerja. Dan masa saya dlm pantang lepas bersalin pun, saya sempat jugak buat dua jenis biskut. Biasanya, kalau tak dapat buat banyak jenis, satu dua jenis pun dah memadai.



Tapi tahun ni, saya dilanda angin kemalasan yg teramat sgt. Satu jenis biskut pun tak terbuat. Cuma saya harap sgt2, angin kemalasan saya tu tak berlarutan hingga hari terakhir ramadhan. Sbb saya dah berazam nak buat butter cake atau chocolate cake sehari sebelum hari raya. Kesian anak saya, dia ingat tahun ni mama dia buat choc chip cookies mcm kat Famous Amos tu, tapi nampaknye, beli kat Famous Amos je la!

Friday, October 05, 2007

Another blog is being created today...

Though I’ve already had one in Yahoo 360 (which is a private blog, created for a private reason and viewed only by selected friends) this particular blog is different (created for a different purpose and shall be viewed by a totally different set of people… I think!) Whatever it is, this is exclusively created to celebrate the ‘birth’ of my first novel…

Hah... wat? Novel? Kekadang rasa tak percaya pulak yang saya akhirnya terjerumus di dalam bidang penulisan novel. Memang saya suka berangan/mengelamun dan menulis. Tapi semua hasil tulisan saya tu lesap entah ke mana. Kalau tak kena bakar sebab saya dah boring tengok, mungkin mak saya dah ‘ter’buang bila dia beli almari baru! Or, she must have thought that it was one of those Karangan Bahasa Malaysia that I wrote for my school homework!
Anyway, reading novels has always been my favourite past time since young. I don’t just read, I love to analyze and criticize! Antara sebab switched dari science stream ke arts stream masa tingkatan 4 dulu pun kerana teringin sangat nak membaca novel during school hours without fear dan membuat analisa sendiri! Terima kasih kpd Puan Siti dan Puan Puteh, antara guru-guru sastera sejak form 4 hingga form 6 di CBN kerana selalu menyergah saya dgn soalan2 “Awak ingat kenapa watak tu bertindak macam tu? Apa konflik dia sebenarnya? Betul ke tindakan watak tu?” Part2 yg memang saya seronok betul nak menjawab, walaupun tak semestinya jawapan saya tu betul. Biarpun Puan Puteh selalu nak ‘menyongsangkan’ pendapat saya… tapi saya tetap mempertahankan pendirian dan pemikiran! Those sweet moments…
Lepas habis tingkatan 6, entah di mana silapnya saya, minat membaca novel menurun dgn merudum sekali. Bertahun-tahun lamanya saya tak membaca novel. Begitu juga dgn menulis. Diary pun saya dah malas nak sentuh. Mungkin kerana sibuk dgn kehidupan baru selepas itu (i.e college life, part time & temporary jobs, working permanently, err… what else? Courting, got married, then got pregnant, delivered my first baby… and the list goes on and on!)
Only in recent year that my 2nd sister mentioned abt ALAF 21 and their popular novels written by so many new authors. Dan bila dia kata “Tak nak try menulis? Jadi novelis?” Saya mula menggaru hidung dan kepala… berkerut-kerut kening dan dahi… memikirkan soalan dia. Jadi novelis? Mampu ke? Masih ada ke skill aku menulis? Bermula dari saat itulah, saya mula membelek dan membaca novel2 Melayu… just to analyse the trend now. And after reading from one novel to another… by various writers… the spirit of writing just blossomed!
Maka sebab itu, terciptalah blog ini khusus untuk meraikan kemunculan karya pertama saya (yg bakal dijual di rak2 kedai buku yg berhampiran anda! InsyaALLAH…very soon!) dan kelahiran ‘Hezzy Azra’ sebagai novelis yang baru hendak mengorak langkah.
Welcome to my world of writing, everybody…. Salam perkenalan untuk anda semua!

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