End of the year updates

How was christmas everyone? I'm back at the office on the 2nd last day of the year. People are still holidaying I guess - the road was clear this morning. Mood yang sangat santai di ofis, memandangkan ramai orang cuti :p. The rest of my team is on leave so I'm kinda alone here but who cares. Oh well.

I read the news yesterday that Israel is starting a war or something? WTF? Sudahla dia block the road from any bantuan kemanusiaan masuk since long time ago, now they want to invade Gaza? On what basis? Hamas?? You started the whole thing and now you're blaming others pulak? And the US seems to support the invasion, tell me what's new. I'm sorry to say this in public but Israel can go to hell.

There I've said it.

Now we move on with events surrounding my personal life right now. Attended a cousin's engagement ceremony last Sunday and I met Farah of OSCC (formerly)! Said she's the bride-to-be's best friend since primary school. That got my mom worried hahaha... We're hoping for the best of course. Farah is Farah, nice girl and everything but abit of a wild side anyone would notice. But she's cool.

My car is in dire need of some tyre alignment. Got me really scared the other day when exiting on a ramp, something happened and I almost lost control of the car. S-C-A-R-Y. Alignment pronto.

That said, the car needs its periodical service also (oil change bla bla bla). Can anyone tell me any Perodua service center around Putrajaya/Cyberjaya? It's hell to go back to Klang just because there's the only place I know that has it. Of course I've googled but if people told me about it I tend to remember it better. Such lame excuse but yea I'm practicing writing important notes down now so I won't forget it. I'm a forgetful person. Oh yea I got this cute little notebook with super hot jacket from Prudential (thanks Ping Ting!). The notebook jacket is black and red (oooh I like) and what's more the jacket can be used as passport holder. How I longed for a passport holder ever since I got my passport - that's a few years back.  It looks ugy now what with wear and tear but it's going to be kept in it's pristine condition from now on tra la la la....

What else? Oh for last Friday I have to thank abdza for packing up my stuff in the office and Saro for any any covering up for me heh, it was really an emergency thing. Went to meet up friend to pick up my stuff on lunch break. Supposed to be back in office after that but things happened and yea I was in a tied position. Sometimes there's other matters that weighs more than work. I found my laptop safe this morning - I was worried. Now today my Friday work comes on top and interrupting my planned Tuesday list. Seems I have alot to do but still have time to blog...heheh... I'm flexible, can't you tell already.

Came in the office with my right part of the upper head hurt. Had coffee and then it was fine. Hmmm didn't figure stuff as poisonous as caffeine would be the right fix.

Planned to do year end shopping but lot looks like that not going to happen.. *sigh*

Which reminds me I haven't collected the RM600+ road tax reimbursment thingy yet. The light bulb kinda went on early this morning out of nowhere. Hmmm... that money will go to credit card payment obviously. Still no shopping for me. Sad,

I have to get my eyes checked. I couldn't read the signboards from decent distance this morning. That got me worried.

Right now I'm planning a secret project, nothing to do with IT, none whatsoever. No I'm not furthering my studies. No I'm not changing job. No I'm not starting up a business. No it's nothing to do with computers. Nothing to do with IT, none whatsoever. So stop fiddling around figuring out what it is. And no I'm not going to entertain private message/email enquiries. Friends who know me know how I can keep it sealed as long as I want. So don't bother. *insert creepy laughs with eerie background music here*

Movie

Went to see Yes Man last Satuday nite and it was fun fun fun! I don't really like Jim Carey in comedy except in The Mask - I don't really like that elastic face going on in every movie he's in :p For example, Ace Ventura. It is way off unrealistic (but still managed somehow to come off funny to me). But hey, I prefer serious acting, not cheap face stunts ok. Good laughs and all but it made me cringe abit.

He's also starred in many serious movie roles and I think I've seen them all, just because I wanted to see him trying out something else. But he is what he is, he does it best in comedy. This movie is no exception. Only that he's a real normal person in this, something anyone on earth can relate to.

So I recommend it highly to whoever still contemplating to see it. It's entertaining. You're going to have lots of lol's and maybe lortf's who knows....

Subscribe to FOSSchix.my mailing list now

Alright girls, it is important that I announce this one:

Mailing list for FOSSchix.my has landed on earth

Come join and participate okay. It's new so no activity in there yet but it's coming! If you're in IT, please subscribe as you'll never know. I'm an open source chick but hey girl, no matter what OS you using, as long as you're interested in contributing to the Malaysian open source arena, this could be the first step for you (and surprise surprise you don't even have to be a developer to join). Come and join and make acquaintances. Learn and share knowledge.

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[caption id="attachment_1409" align="alignleft" width="125" caption="Cool in-house bunting design using what else, Inkscape!"]

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On another note, I want to shamelessly put this here.

Anyway, if you can't see the url, it's http://trac.oscc.org.my/mymeeting. Really took a huge amount of courage to put it here. So there it is...

Had a blast!

So many kids running around! Cute! BBQ nite, games and plenty of talks, at least I got to know the name of some of my friends' spouses and their kids. A few years more they'll grow up and no longer can have fun talking in baby languages heh.

The Regency is actually quite a good place. We rented a few apartments to stay. Quite a turn up for the event. I personally didn't expect much but everyone who was there sure made everything fun and happening. Kudos to the organizing committee.

The theme for the BBQ nite was red. Despite all the thoughts that went into it, I didn't wear anything red... lalalala.... Sort of accidental actually, by the time I realized it, it was too late to do anything about it.

[caption id="attachment_1405" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The resort staff is preparing the place for BBQ nite, it's candle-lighted, well sort of"]

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[caption id="attachment_1406" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The stage"]

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BBQ along beach - bliss!

Anyway, I'm supposed to go to OSCC dinner tonight. I had confirmed my attendance but decided not to go last minute. I haven't really touched my laptop for a week and it feels so great. I really don't want to ruin the ending of my week off. I'd rather spend the time with my family.

I'm going to PD this weekend

Yay!!

For my high school reunion thing. Received the invitation card in mail last week, was so surprised by it actually. Cool organising committee! Yeah I salute you people.

They've attached a map inside - alhamdulillah coz I have no idea where it is. In the agenda - "Make sure you have something RED with you". Hmmmm... what's that about? I have ALOT of red stuff. Actually I would've bought a red car but my mom was againts it so I picked white instead. Does that make me a red person? Never crossed my mind though, not until I saw the agenda that triggered all this walking down the memory lane looking for anything red.

Anyways, I don't know what to expect. All I know is I'm going to meet the married version of my friends - heh! Husbands/wives/kids in tow. Should be cute. Especially when learning their kid's names - omg you wouldn't believe how modern my friends can be.

Should ask if they're having a 'konvoi' or something. If there's possibility of carpooling and whatnot. Hikmah - my high school best friend called me the other night out of the blue. Being naughty as the way she is, she wouldn't introduced herself at first. But hey I'm good at recognising voices... :P Each and everyone has a distinct way of talking, pronounciating and emphasizing. You can't hide from me Hikmah.

What red stuff should I bring?

I'm giving these away people!

I think this one would appeal to all chicks - A Place Called Here by Cecelia Ahern, it's a chicklit. Got this via bookcrossing.com - I was so happy the day when it arrived. But in the end I don't really like it. I don't get the storyline.

[caption id="attachment_1391" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Free books!"]

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I'm only going to give it away to a fellow bookcrosser so go and register yourself if you want this free. Yes I'll just mail it to you, no need to pay me anything. Yea I'm that generous :P . I got it for free too from someone in Germany. See the journal here.

Well well since we're on giving away mood, anyone wants this too? The Olive Season: Amour, a New Life and Olives Too. I reached halfway and now I forgot what I read and kinda lazy to reread it. This one is actually travel-biographical thing. A british actress got married and now living in Italy and growing olives. See journal. Ah bliss! Wish I could just go somewhere and grow strawberries and shoes.

And also Call Me Elizabeth by Dawn Annandale up for grabs. This one is biography I guess. It's basically the author's life as a call girl in London. I don't like it. See journal.

Looks like I'm giving away books I don't like today.... hmmm... well there's time for everything.

Want any of the books? Here's how it works.

1. 
   PM me via your bookcrossing account. Else, I won't accept.


2. I'll get back to you for your address, doesn't matter where you live.


3. I'll mail it to you.


4. When you get it you better journal it down in your bookcrossing account or I will personally hunt you down and hire an assassin.

Hey it's free, do some work ok.

Breathtaking views

Was at INCOSSH 2008, and somehow we ended up in an executive suite. Nothing to brag about since we only got to enjoy the bedroom area - the living room and the dining area left untouched. It would be fun if we were on a holiday, we wouldn't have left it as neat. Anyway, I only listen to 1 or 2 of the talks - the beach was distracting me. Truth be told, I didn't even get my feet on the sandy beach! We were that occupied. But I enjoyed the ocean breeze all the same during tea breaks and night strolls.

[caption id="attachment_1346" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="OSCC booth always looks the same anywhere - same colors, same buntings, same words"]

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[caption id="attachment_1347" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="View from the balcony"]

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The view from the balcony was excellent!

[caption id="attachment_1351" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="View from balcony"]

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[caption id="attachment_1348" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Another view from the room balcony"]

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[caption id="attachment_1349" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The pool "]

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[caption id="attachment_1350" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The pool from the conference hall level"]

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I'm on leave for starting from today until the next Friday!! Woohoo!! So many things to do. Hope to get everything done then.

Missed FOSS.my monthly meetup last night. Urghh!

Why did I procastinate?

Somebody help me with this please!

I knew I had to finish up some stuff this weekend but I kept on delaying it until the last minute, this very wee hour. You know what I did the whole weekend? Friday night, I was out with family. Saturday, the whole day I spent watching tv - you don't know how tv-deprived I was. Saturday nite, I can't remember what I did actually. On Sunday, I woke up really late doing stuff I don't remember what the night before. I didn't go straight to work, instead I went cleaning up my room, rearranged and refolding clothes, took a long shower (my heater is broken! isk), watched some more tv, watched some dvd's, well until it was 11. I went to play games after that (that expert level on Majesty rox). Made some coffee, grilled some fish, downloaded some music, then only I started looking at the work I was supposed to do. It was 2am.

Why did I procastinate?

On a side note, have to work on FOSSchix.my soon. I don't think any meeting can be held before that FOSS meetup. So sad, there's something coming up on 3 - 5 Dec. Damn you government for holding so many events and what's that star rating.

It's been a long time since I came in late to the office

Yea, last time was at my former workplace - when we had to travel the previous day. By late, I mean really late like 12pm onwards. Ganee would allow use to come in late usually because the travels practically took the whole day. Another reason was because we only got to be back home for a weekend or so before flying back to Brunei. He was letting us spending time with family I guess.

There was one time when we had to stay back for CIMB up until 2am or something. It was nice to see "You can come in by 10 tomorrow" on my phone that night. Also there was a time when I didn't sleep for 3 days for some major bugs fixing/feature requests but still had to go to work. Of course I didn't look so well that day and he noticed it. After making asking around the office, he found out why and let me go off early at 3pm.

Come to think about it, if I were to stay awake for some work at my current workplace I don't think I would do it though. There's no kind of that flexibility here so why would I want torture myself. Besides, being appreciative is not what they are - on the contrary, they like to take the credits away from you. Sadly, this is how the government works. Why would I lament on this I don't know. It's not going to change soon anyway no matter how much I talk about it.

A little appreciation goes a long long way. For me, if I know my work is being recognized I would happily volunteer if there's a need to stay back. I knew Ganee was observant enough to know the effort I put in that time so I didn't mind to spend more time on it to get it done. I knew it would be reflected in the bonus. They bought me cakes on my birthday, they treated us to TGI after projects had been completed, they got us to Redang for 3D/2N holiday, the pantry always stocked up with food and we had PS2 to relax in between stresses. 3 days with no sleep? I didn't mind at all.

Hey I love my job, it's really easy to make me go the extra mile - be flexible, give laptops/dual screens and treat me like a human being.

OSCC people are really cool, seriously. But MAMPU really is killing us. Usually we would come on top which I believe came from the strength we all share - we know what we do and we respect each other. Yes we have our flaws but let's not be negative now. We have just won AIPA for MyMeeting, the mood should be happy - other than that, really don't know what to say on this. I should be happy but then again, for something to win an AIPA, it should be something more. Anyway, they were so happy today that they took pictures among themselves with the trophies they forgot the team who developed it in the first place. I wonder where that RM10k money prize will go. It is definitely interesting to watch and I suspect it would make a good bitching post next time.

I want to do some bitchin

I have been restraining myself from blogging recently mainly because if I did, it would be endless bitching that it would irritate some people. The thing is, lots of stuff has happened to me in the last 2, 3 weeks and I'm not in the most peachy condition right now. Small thing would just piss me off just like that, I don't even understand it.

Just to lighten up my mood, the pic below happened many weeks ago - I love tea! Sweet sweet tea.

[caption id="attachment_1321" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I put it all that minus 2 into my JCO tea. Couldn't help it. I'm officially a sugar freak."]

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Yea you can gasp now, or maybe stare in awe. Friends, you shouldn't be surprised by now. You know me. =P

Oh wardrobe update: I got a new pairs of jeans. Yeah!

To do list:

• Apply for 5 days leave (I still have like 10 days more till end of year)


• Go to Kelana Jaya to pick up laundry


• Write letter to Hussein Jalal (it's been a year already!)


• Get the car washed

IM => Identi.ca + Twitter + Facebook

Like everyone else, I have so many places to update my so called status/what am I doing at the moment/my rants and raves. In my case, I have Identi.ca (open source version of Twitter) + Twitter (so many following me here) + Facebook (I have 100+ friends there) status to update. You have to admit, it's hard to keep up these days.

I've found a way to update all 3 using any IM (I use Pidgin). The idea is you send your status via IM to update your Identi.ca, in turn this will update your Twitter and Facebook account. Obviously you need to have accounts on all of them. After all is done, follow these steps:

On Identi.ca

• Go to Settings page -> IM tab. Enter your Jabber/Gtalk email address


• Go to your preferred IM. Add update@identi.ca in your buddies list


• You'll receive a message to validate the email address you just entered belongs to you.


• Click on the link provided to confirm it


• Go to Settings page -> Twitter tab. Enter your Twitter username and password


• Check the box 'Automatically send my notices to Twitter'. Click 'Add'.

On Facebook

• Login and add Twitter application. Click on 'Allow'.


• Enter your Twitter username and password


• It will bring you the app page. Click on '+ Allow Twitter to Update Your Facebook Status'


• 'Allow Status Updates from Twitter?' -> click on 'Allow Status Updates'

Now you're all set. Whenever you want to update your status, send the message to update@identi.ca like you would to anyone in your buddies list.Technology rocks!

The only thing I like from MyGOSSCON

Tadaaa!
[caption id="attachment_1297" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="I have this in blue and orange and I like them alot. Peace!!"]

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I had to man (woman) the booth, quite depressing coz every now and then people would call me to explain stuff to booth visitors. I missed some of the talks I wanted to listen to!

FOSS.my 2008 was awesome!

Great event.

Now that's an example of how an open source event should be - laidback, fun, 'protocol-less', various informative tech talks, responsive audience and most importantly everyone was there for one same reason: the love in open source and building a community, not because they had no choice ordered to go there by their bosses.

If you weren't there, honestly speaking, you missed out on ALOT. Whether it was because of other commitments or just plain intimidated that you didn't come that day, well, come to FOSS.my 2009 then (hopefully there'll be one). You will surprised at how friendly and helpful these people are!

I can't stress enough how awesome it was and how much you missed out if you weren't there. Worth my weekend.

[caption id="attachment_1271" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Full house at FOSS.my 2008"]

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[caption id="attachment_1272" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Q-ing for food"]

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[caption id="attachment_1273" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="FOSSchix.my killing some free time"]

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[caption id="attachment_1274" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="FOSSchix.my side session with Pia Waugh of Software Freedom International - there were actually more girls behind the camera"]

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[caption id="attachment_1275" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="FOSSchix.my side session with Pamela Fox of Google - had to move to bigger room since audience was alot more than expected"]

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And I AM SO PROUD OF FOSSCHIX.MY MEMBERS WHO WERE THERE. That's a sign of true passion and I really appreciate it. May we become stronger together and you rock! I love you mwah mwah mwahhhh!!!

MyGOSSCON is finally over, together the headaches that came with it

It's over. Phew!

[caption id="attachment_1258" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Currently I don't have pix with the whole team in it, so I put this in instead. My good friend Adda!"]

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Girls, FOSSchix.my is on!

Yeap you heard me. Head over to the website and register yourselves. It's new and we have activities planned for the members. For a start, we're participating in the upcoming, ever awesome, FOSS.my.

Chix, let's have fun, our way.

Come and visit us. See you there!

Of government standards

This week really made me cringe.

If you're suppose to do a presentation, why would you ask someone else to prepare the slides for you? You're the big boss and because of that you're being kept busy all the time (which is fine), but since you're up there I assume you're good at managing your resources. You're at managerial level for crying out loud.

I don't understand, don't you feel incompetent now that you have to rely on your staff to save your life? Don't you care enough to get to know the subject you're going to present to do the slides yourself?

I had to do notes for the slides you're going to present. I was so dumbfounded at first as why would you need notes when the slides are full of text you can just read off them. I thought you need some guidance on technical aspects of it, and I had no problem with that, I can try to help out whenever I can. After all, you're like my boss anyway and some notes should do it. But suddenly I found out from my actual boss that you need a speech text for your slides. WTF?

You're going to read for a presentation??

For someone who's from MAMPU, it's a laughing matter. Some people would just roll their eyes in disbelief. Doing slides for them is no longer taboo actually, but speech-like notes? Knocked me off my feet, in a very bad way.

And since such a long time I want to blog about this: there are so many ranks in the public sector that I think they all are doing the same job, it's just a matter who gets the respect, the red carpet and all the glory. This is where open source community stands out, the right people who actually do the work gets the credit. Not some people sitting comfortably in a big room waiting for their asses to be served.

The Fear Factor: What to be frightened of in building a web application

Got this in #oscc mailing list. Thought I should share.

http://fowa.phreadz.com/v/3RUDOQM3UOCH/

By Tim Bray, Sun Microsystems

My steady companions

[caption id="attachment_841" align="alignright" width="300" caption="My red bag"]

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I love this bag so much. It has been with me wherever I go, be it travelling or shopping or sightseeing. I've had it since early this year and it still looks good! Great bag. I believe I'll still be using it for the next 2, 3 years. I don't have a lot of bags. At one time I have 3 that I can juggle just for the sake of refreshing the look from time to time.

My other loyal companion is my laptop. I can't live without it. Enough said.

You know what, speaking of laptops, I remember the times when I was at Lava when all senior or on-site developers were given a laptop each. How convenient it was that I could work anytime from anywhere. Really, for those who already used to having their laptops around, imagine one day in the office without it. Or you're using pc for one day instead. This is when you will really miss the mobility and the connectivity. Admit it, you're not alive and ticking without your lappies. Heh. I wonder, with reasonable price of good laptops you can get these days, why on earth companies around the world still stand by the immobile pc. I understand there's pros and cons but I remember enjoying coding on the sofa, dressed in jeans and cute blouse, legs crossed, because we had wifi around the office and I had my laptop. Whenever I felt like munching on something, there were always snacks, biscuits, maggi, chocolate bars in the pantry. Ok that doesn't have anything to do with having laptops, but they sound great when paired together right?

Connectivity from anywhere is great. Of course there were countless staying back/on site hours but there was once this huge migration exercise that was done on weekends. Me, Janice and Ganee were involved. We didn't go to the office, instead we did all the work from home. We didn't sleep for 2 days and we communicated via Skype throughout. The point is I didn't have to pick fight with my brothers to use the pc at home and I had all my resources right there in my laptop (as it should be). We didn't want to go the office coz we knew it's going to be long exercise, we had to eat, and shower and we prefer working in pyjamas in the comfort of our own homes on weekends ok.

Now I'm not saying if we have laptops we should all be working at home on weekends, or working extra hours. I'm saying in times like this, it's good to have all this flexibility on your side, made possible by having a laptop. Some people like bringing their job back to home, or maybe at home they came up with an idea, what a bummer it is to have it saved in thumbdrive/cd only to forget bring it the next morning to work. Hey it happens.

Anyway, working extra hours is not healthy. No matter how much you love you job, you should get out and go to the beach or something. In my case, if I get excited over a task I don't mind spending more time on it on my own. But if it's like my case above, had to work on a weekend, it's good if the bosses notice it and appreciate what you've done. After the migration, the next day we came to the office, there's bouquet of flowers on my desk and Janice's from Ganee with a card saying thanks. Simple but very effective.

Hey I veered off topic. Yea as I was saying, I love my bag and lappie.

List of wanties

Headphone for home (Klang) use
My brother took it with him and he left me a crappy one, so crappy such that I couldn't hear anything that comes out of it! The thing he didn't say anything and the next morning he's gone together with my headphone. Things you have to sacrifice for your siblings....

 

External hardisk casing
The one I have right now is ok except that I can't move it or it will get disconnected *sigh*

 

Thumbdrive
I haven't had this since I lost a couple of them 2 years ago.

 

DVD
To stock up movies =P

 

Revlon 2-way cake in Toast
Alright guys you don't need to know unless you're hip and metrosexual =P . Girls, the one I bought doesn't suit my skin tone, it's 2 shades lighter, I don't want to look like zombies. If anyone wants it, it's up for RM40 (retails at RM60, L'oreal, forgot which shade, will update later)

 

Red blusher
Need this one badly

 

MAC shadestick in Sharkskin + Stila Cloud eyeshadow
I want I want I want!

 

Some lingerie
Oh how I need to update my wardrobe. Money, please fall from the sky to my lap. This is for the greater good of mankind.

Curious

I don't use twitter anymore ever since I heard similar app identi.ca is open source based so I signed up for it. One feature twitter has that identica doesn't is (well in Malaysia that is) updating status via sms. With twitter, it costs abit more but it's not like I do it every hour of every day. Neat.

Last time I checked, updating twitter via im was not working so I deleted it happily from my pidgin.

Lately there's people following me on twitter. Huh? What's so interesting about me? =P Well I guess it's fine but you'll get more updates if you follow me on identica lah.

Monday blues

I could not believe it myself when the doctor told me I was dehydrated. True I was feeling very weak, frequent travel is tiring even though it's short distance, but I didn't expect it to be that bad. When she told me I need to rest the next day, I figured my condition was quite bad. I thought I looked quite healthy yesterday. I wonder why she prescribed me Ponstan though. That's maybe too strong for me?

I'm quite worried about it so I spent the whole day today drinking alot of water... heh!

I want to thank Eavay for replacing me today for Joomla class. That's a huge favor. App team rox.

And oh my god do I miss internet!

Work for 4 days a week

Workplace experiment

I can dream can't I?

The discussions below it is interesting.

Filler

I suddenly found myself have so much things to do. MyGOSSCON is coming, I'm starting feeling the heat only today.... heh! Maybe because I had 2 long breaks in short period of time - umrah and raya. I'm supposed to be with the exhibition sub-committee but haven't been told to do anything yet. =P

This is exciting -----> Malaysia's premier Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) event. Adda, you should come. Siti, you too if your not in Brunei. Adda, bring Ajeed, safewrap him and dump in the car if you have too. So many people who I think should go. I'll email this people later.

Anyways, I have so much stuff to say here but maybe later (or not). This is only a filler I guess.

In the mean time, I need a pair of sexy heels. The one I have is going to be an old hag soon, kesian but stuff ages so what can I do. Don't think I don't love my shoes old and new. It's just that my car has run out of space. Yea I keep my shoes in my car, easier since I travel between Klang-Putrajaya-Cyberjaya alot. Sometimes it just helps alot when it's available anytime when you want it. I think it's going to be a habit of mine so I don't have to spend 10 min everyday to figure out which one to wear....

Salam Aidilfitri 2008

Happy Raya everyone!!

Surprisingly enough, this year I'm at the receiving end of duit raya.

Everyone loves php.ini

On a very rare occasion where I blog anything technical about my job, but this has just caught my attention. It was written way back in 2006, but I did the google and looks like it still applies today.

Taken from the website:

Everyone knows the famous PHP phpinfo(), which provide the programmer with invaluable information about his server configuration and set up. This is a useful tool as soon as one get a new server, and it is also a tool to talk with any administrator.

Yet, after usage, it is usually recommended to remove it, or to restrict its access to few people. Indeed, phpinfo may be dangerous by itself : in other times, it was even flawed with XSS injections. Even when secured, phpinfo() publish information about your architecture, and it is always recommended to keep it from privy eyes.

Sadly enough, the common habit to set up a phpinfo page on every web site is now so widely spread that even search engines are starting to pick them up : there are literally thousands of phpinfo indexed on Yahoo and Google. Just hit a search with the words 'phpinfo()' 'GoogleBot' and "Zend Scripting Language Engine" on google.

Read more: PHP configuration statistics

Sexy beat

I had forgotten the existence of this song until I listened to it again last night. It's going to be on my blog for a while.

Damn hot.

I'm back!

Didn't say anything here earlier on because I didn't want to make a biggie out of it. But I'm safe at home now and recovering nicely from the jet lag. For you who didn't know, I was out and about in Mecca and Medina for the past 10 days.

While I was there, my favorite moments are:
1) Iktikaf inside Masjid Nabawi - what a beautiful/surprisingly comfortable/highly organized/majestic mosque
2) Seeing Ka'bah for the first time with my own eyes

There are others but those 2 are on top of the list. I am so compelled to tell you how impressed I was looking at their lifestyle there, how they apply Islam in everything - how Islam should be portrayed to the world. Islam is not just a religion there but also a lifestyle, it's in their actions and in their daily conversations.

So what follows are only my mere observations while I was there, what makes there different from here.

It's peaceful there
How it is so peaceful there, when it was time to pray, everyone including the shop owners closed their shop (they just covered the front door with a piece of cloth as a sign that it's closed temporarily - no lock) to get to the mosque for jemaah prayer. And guess what, everything was there when they get back. I once saw a couple of boxes of jewelry in the middle of the street (they were restocking that morning), everyone passing by could see what was inside and yet, everyone walked by as if nothing happened. The crime rate is very low there - I believe a result of practicing law of Islam.

The people are oh so kind, especially in Medina. They're polite creatures, always extending hand to people in need. As a guest, you will notice it immediately. I was expecting their snobby ways but luckily that's not true. The rich didn't mind mingling with the poor - something that really caught me off guard. Nice surprise.

They understand the value of little things
For the first time in my life I witnessed how everyone understood small but meaningful stuff in executing jemaah prayers. When the bilal calls for the solat, everyone in the mosque stood up and get in line (the saf) - this we all know. You have to stand close together so there's no huge gap between you and the people next to you. Although it's not compulsory, it's important to fill up space left by others in front of you after gap is closed. In Mecca and Medina, this happened very quickly so they could start praying right away - as you can't move that much after you angkat takbir. Seems a simple thing to do right??

Sadly in Malaysia, sometimes they don't do that, I'm guessing we're lack of understanding, that we don't understand the value of standing close to the imam. Sometimes we come in groups, we refuse to part with friends even we're only to be a saf ahead of them - seriously, you're not going to lose them, we have mobile phones! =P Everyone in the mosque are brothers and sisters in Islam regardless of race or where you come from, the people we have to defend and befriend - why so reluctant for ukhuwah?

There's one more thing I'd like to highlight - they know there's no such thing as solat sunat ba'diah Asar and no solat sunat qabliah Maghrib. What a breath of fresh air. Not a pretty sight if we see this happening.... urrgghhh - we're trying to be better muslim by performing solat sunat but we don't know the right practice - sad isn't it.

They celebrate the right event
It's the Ramadhan they have been waiting all year, not the Syawal... =P True we should celebrate both but we're so looking forward to raya we spend alot for it when we should spend more attention to Ramadhan. They buy new clothes for Ramadhan for tarawikh prayers and they spend alot of money donating for iftar (breaking the fast) at the mosques. They know any good deeds done during Ramadhan is rewarded multiple times more compared to other months. That's why you see alot of locals come to the mosque to pray, to cite Quran or just to sleep (I'll explain why). Some even use their lunch break to come make tawaf sunat around Ka'bah - shouldn't take long but their lunch break is long. Tawaf sunat is much much encouraged if you have the time.

Sleep in the mosque? Why not? Niat iktikaf, no matter what you do in there you'll get pahala. People lying down like dead bodies scattered around the mosque. Unsightly view in a holy place? Next point explains it.

Mosques are well kept
In Saudi, 1/4 of their income is spent on the upkeep of the 2 mosques - Masjid Nabawi (Medina) & Masjidil Haram (Mecca). I don't know how to describe the inside of these mosques, they just amazed me. All I can say is wow (was that gold on every pillars??). No matter how many people inside Masjid Nabawi, it will stay cool because of its advance air conditioning system. For muslim community, mosques supposed to be the center for any community activities. So you can hold meetings there, gatherings, small classes, anything beneficial - it's not only for prayers, a fact that so little known here, let alone practice it. Saudi government knows this very well, so they employ locals to manage the crowded mosques 24/7. At one time you can see alot of them instructing/guiding guests around the mosques. The Quran are all wakaf (you can take it home) and accessible from wherever you're sitting. The mosques are always clean, no stinky smell and always stocked with zam zam water for drinks.

You know the capacity for each mosque? More than 600k for Masjid Nabawi, tmore than 800k for Masjidil Haram at one time. For running it 24/7, that's high efficiency in action people.

Ladies, as long as you cover whatever supposed to be covered, you're good for prayers
Here we have to put on white telekung for prayers. This is not compulsory in Islam. I guess because white represents cleanliness and it's been like that since forever in Malaysia. Your baju kurung is actually enough, you only need to take ablution and then straight to the prayer mat. See how easy it is if you're traveling? You just have to keep it clean from najis that's all.

They value their language and lifestyle
I have to say arabic language is the most elegant language in the world. I had my doubts when I took french (as a side thing when I was studying), but arabic now sits on top. It's really easy on the ears. It can be soft or hard depending on your tone of voice. They don't bother to learn English, not sure that's a good thing but it's probably because they're speaking in Prophet Muhammad's mother tongue. There's a sense of pride I guess. For muslims, if you learn arabic you'll gain more pahala, just because. But really, if you understand arabic, even just a little bit, you'll recognize the words on the street and you'll see the difference the way they talk right away. Selawat and istighfar and zikr is always there, and salam is everywhere! For us maybe it's abit weird but for them it's already a lifestyle they're not ashamed of.

Most of the time, only men go out to work and shop or to run errands. Most women stay home, they don't work and they keep the family together. Local women there are all clad in black when they're going out. If you get the chance to see them closely, they're actually alluring. This is just me, I don't know how others think. And I think they have georgous eyes! Fuiyo, I couldn't stop admiring myself..heh!

Anyway, I didn't feel I was ready to go at first but after coming back home, I can't wait to go there again. It's not really the fun of travelling I'm after, it's the experience you can only get in Mecca and Medina. You know what, now I'm really thankful for Jacob and Foong for approving my leave. This could be one the best thing that ever happened in my life!

Masjid Nabawi, shot taken from in front of hotel we stayed in. You can see the entrance. Pretty close to the mosque, 5 min walk.

Post-mortem

So here's the post mortem of everything.

Hmmm.... my dad bought me a PDA. Well, not really a PDA but he gave me the money to get one. Was joking (but a little bit hopeful) when I asked him about it yesterday. So this morning I was all smiles driving to work. Came in late (5 min) but who cares these days. It's tiring traveling from Telok Panglima Garang. Have to wake up early, be out of the house early, have to spend so much time alone driving,  just to get in office before 8.30am. Urghhh cut me some slack. What a cruel way of robbing someone's life. What an unnecessary babbling to start a day.

My brother is home right now before going back so I want to play all available LAN games with him and Otel even if it continues way after my bedtime..... heheheh.... If I bring back my laptop, there'll be 4 machines enough for us all but sadly Mueh is not a gamer at heart, maybe can ask abah to join us? Ooohh brings back Diablo memory.

Mom baked a cake after so many years - yum yum chocolate cake with very creamy, tasty, delish chocolate sauce. If we had pineaple slices last night, I would've covered them with sugar and bbq them until it's golden and then dipped that sweet stuff into that even sweeter choc sauce! Strange how I don't eat chocolate (the bars and ice creams) but I eat choc cakes, choc muffins, choc sauce. My mom bought me a baju kurung, from the look & feel of it, it looks expensive. Not that it matters, maybe it didn't cost much but she knows how to pick stuff that will look good. Besides, she understands my taste, so all the more better.

Throughout August, I discovered a good spot for shopping - tapak-tapak convo di seluruh universiti di seluruh negara. Oh you wouldn't believe the prices you could get there. Almost all major unis convos are over now. Normally you can find clothes and tudung at student's price - I got 2 shirts for RM25 that would set me back RM70+ in shopping malls. Recently when we went for Otel's convo (now where did I put the pix), my mom bought this fluffly unbelievably very  'cuddlable' pillows. They're made from goose feathers, the soft ones on the breast side, normally retails at RM290++ each. We got it at RM34. See the huge difference there? I'm sure you've heard of second hand stuff from hotels - this is one of those. We took home 6 pillows, 2 bedsheet (I think) and something else made from Egyptian cotton. Go google for Egyptian cotton and you'll get the idea. All below RM1k.

Well known Pelita Alam, main shop in Tambun if you know where that is. Basically it's a great place to find home furnishings especially if you need furnitures for new home and stuff. You can get RM40k bed for RM2200 - good bargain right there.

And good bargain also exist in the form of eBay. Do not underestimate the power of eBay regardless of you being a seller or a buyer. You can easily get addicted to eBay. I like to purchase all my cosmetic stuff there. Real cheap. Go browse and test the real thing in shops, go back home and buy them online. Malaysians don't offer alot, yet, but it's growing and I like that.

Just for the record, I don't like the way papers trashed Anwar Ibrahim - they should have 2 sides of the story. Anyway, I don't believe the sodomy allegations. It's just preposterous! Like my mom said - "Tak masuk dek akal!". By the way, last night on RTM1 there was a documentary of some sort on ISA detainees and they showed their everyday lives etc. All I can say is, kalau masuk tv mesti la tunjuk yang baik-baik saje. An interview with a detainee also all gave good comments. There was a short appearance of ex-detainee saying stuff like "ISA membantu membentuk sahsiah saya kini bla bla bla..", haiya that guy was in for the shortest moment. Get someone who had/have been there for years. Anwar spent his 6 years there. If you are to showcase the real news, get it from real sources. Hape lah!

I'm going to be absent the rest of the next 2 week starting this Friday. Thanks to my team for being understanding - see I told you they're great people. My camera still with friend, so I'm going to lose the chance to snap pretty pix.... *sigh* ... Doubtful to borrow from friends coz I feel they'll be abit reluctant parting with their cam more than a weekend, unless they have extras. So will snap pix and save in my real memory I guess.

My shoes are not here yet! Why oh why? Been waiting anticipating... Shucks.

Oooohhh am surprise at the lenght of this post here. Well like I said, it's post mortem of everything.

Moving

I am so happy I was not that desperate...hahah! Was on the verge of doing the same but I don't do Pringles.

I like Geany

Maybe because I came from Windows (accustomed to Notepad++ then) ... hey I tried Emacs and Vim, I couldn't get through them. Vi commands, yes I know those - even on Windows I had to ssh/ftp some linux machine every now and then. But to fully use it on daily basis, err.... everything is so different - I felt lost. Maybe I didn't try hard enough to get to know them? Who knows. And given my long time struggle dealing with remembering stuff, I doubt I can cope with too many key strokes. I feel it's enough for now if I know A can do task B without too much details. I live a hectic life, or something like that =P. Geany was such an easy option. Whatever works for me to get my job done and if it's open source, I embrace it with all my heart.

I know I haven't fully utilized it, there's useful nifty features I haven't gone through yet -- Fast, powerful Geany editor offers IDE features.

I don't know about the rest, but one of the things that will attract me to pick an editor apart from it's speed and time needed to learn it is whether or not it offers theme customization (I like working on dark themes - less constraint on my poor eyes). Not about how many shortcuts they have or how many secret Ctrl-Alt combinations you get out of it. That's right I'm not as geek as everyone else here who knows every shortcuts and programming lingo... =P but I find my way around to get it work nonetheless.

Geany and I have been walking nicely hand in hand. I don't think that's going to change soon.

Heiiii tensen nih

Note to self:

If you've been on 4 dozens on tutorials on how to get flash player working on Ubuntu, even though you have it already installed (flashplugin-nonfree), stop what you're doing and go to Synaptic and mark gnash for complete removal (if you have it installed somehow). Restart Firefox.

And then if it's still not working, continue your journey and I bid you good luck.

p/s: Logo hari merdeka this year looks like it's derived from Ubuntu's jek. Hmmmm....

UPDATE: huh! note to self again: if flash is playing but no sound in Hardy, sudo apt-get libflashsupport -> restart Firefox

Selfish bitch

I don't know what else to say. I have a label dedicated for Hajah last time, really don't want it to repeat. It doesn't affect me directly but at least I have a heart. Anyway, initial intention was to ngumpat but after some consideration (plus it had been a happy day for me) I leave the title to speak for itself.

Also someone looked quite handsome today - or was it my eyes been blinded by too much screen staring. Sometimes people look quite different through glasses and in real life. Aiya I need to go see some movie. Get some romantic ideas to celebrate August.

Really itchy to post some pointless pix but maybe later. Really really itchy to get that LPI thing going but I'm already sleepy. First night of having streamyx in the comfort of my room deserves some highlight here: I FINALLY HAVE INTERNET CONNECTION AT HOME. What a brag haha. Hey first nights are special aren't they.

Oh yeah my brother is now a qualified engineer (or so). Tanam anggur currently but I understand why he's doing it. Pix are lots but malas now.

Looks like I'm not mengumpat at all. Sorry for those who've been anticipating. Juicy details has to be in pidgin or during cheap talk among us the app team.... lalalala... I love these people, Saro, Eavay, Pak Lah, and Mr. Foong of course (heh) - janjiku bukan sekadar janji-janji manis. Akan kukotakan jua.

I'm babling here in the middle of the night.

UPDATE: Forgot to say thanks to Khairil and Abdullah for lending me the cams! Now who's my next victim....

Divine awakening

When I woke up this morning, you know what I realized?

I'm an application developer and I don't even have a thumbdrive. Should get one later. I don't know when that is.
Kak Siti has been asking around app team who's going to Terengganu. I'm not going to spend the night of 25th or the 26th there... =P

Blackout di rumah & Pretty shoes

Woke up really early this morning because of no electricity - panas. I realized it went out around 5 or so. Tried to go back to sleep, slide the curtain all the way but didn't help so I got to office really early today. Letih aaa went clubbing last night with other 4 girls... sampai kete masuk langgar lubang lagi di jalan Dengkil yang gelap itu. Sungguh cemas!

Anyway, I so like my new shoes - haven't received them yet but already saw the pics. The lady of the store Ziwei is such a nice and helpful person, I recommend her to everyone who wants to buy shoes. Oooh the shoes... georgous I love I love I love!

Chic! I love the glitters. She's so generous with this one. So pretty laa ~~~~ Was so tempted to put in my online alter ego but one has to be realistic in this world to make it through the day so I put my name instead. Nice touch there Ziwei.

Goodness I'm in love. Not sure why I had not started any affairs with them so much earlier. Quelle belle! J'aime de belles chaussures. Mon amie Adda, you should be expecting something like this.

Tertekan

Thank god I have good team mates. Thank you Jacob and Foong for hiring the right people.

Of email signatures

Any email that ends with this:

"Saya yang menurut perintah"

really got on my nerves. Seriously, takleh pikir sendiri ke sampai you can only follow orders? Tak cantik le sig tu, change to something else la. I know you're doing what you're told, everyone who has a boss does that but that doesn't mean the any right to speak is stripped off you. Anyway, that sig reminds me of police, they always say the same thing when looking for excuses.

Manning the booth at PICC last week had a particular advantage. Not only people from public service was attending, there were scouts looking for potential souls to hire as well... *saspen*

Oooohh

The other day I discovered a nifty craft shop here in Cyberjaya. I had noticed it before but had never actually went inside to have a look. The sign says it's a stationary shop so who would've thought I could find anything interesting there. I had some thoughts of what could've been in there since MMU is nearby but it wasn't strong enough to linger. I got excited over acrylic paints, fabric dye, batik colors, brushes and wires and shining glittering stuff... how long has it been since I came out with something creative. I think it was last year during blogathon. I was going to do something with buttons a while back but never materialised. =/

My old shoes, I should redecorate them or something.

Some of my old jeans, my shirts...

Anyway, I got excited over paints and brushes?? It's time I get myself a vaseline.

Gone to book a pedi session.

p/s: I should crochet sometimes but it's so difficult to find a good yarn store here in Malaysia. I bet there's a few in KL but I don't know how to find them. These people, expand your business la by providing online store.... haiya! I don't want to order from US with the shipping price is more than the actual price ok. Susah-susah sangat, contact me lah I can build one for you, I have experience with online payment. You know, one main reason why I don't crochet anymore is how susah it is to find a yarn store. I really want to pick up knitting but then again, the same reason. Such a hobby ruiner.

Spam spam spam

Over 25 emails today for that CIO portal, all with content and gambar to be uploaded and all other minor works that came with it. Had to work on both English & Malay websites. It is so confusing I do better at picking between blue or pink blouse.

*all my jari krem already*

*pengsan*
Disaster has struck.... in the form of AIPA and LIS...

Adeiiiiii

*pengsan lagi*

Weekend activity

Well most of them spent watching tv but I took some time to make these! Stuffed mushrooms. Oh yum!

Also made chocolate muffin but no pics. I made more than we could eat so I brought some today for people at the office.

Mana datang rambut panjang ni??

Last Monday I went to the airport around midnight to fetch my youngest brother coming back for his summer break. Our parents didn't know he was coming back that night. Mom has been especially waiting for his kenit to come home. Rindu la tu. Anak bongsu... I can only imagine all sort of food mom will cook for the next 3 months.

One year ago.

Last Monday.

The first thing he asked after sesi salam2 at the airport was "kedai buku bukak lagi tak?"

Kesian... deprived of his favorite past time. I'm sure whenever we go out here, the first thing he'll look for is a bookstore. And that pc in the middle room will be solely conquered by him, gaming.

Anyway, I saw Olympics advert on tv a few weeks back - so cool la weii....

Ahhh I'm so green

Today and for the next 2 days I'll be in close contact with UPM people. They're from various faculties but I just couldn't help feeling envious with these people. I've always been jealous of academicians. Regardless of their field of studies, I've always been fascinated by the idea of working within a college campus - surrounded by brilliant people, such an honor lah. You meet and exchange ideas with all the Profs and Dr, what could be more exciting than that. I'm overreacting here simply because I've been wanting to get it and continue my studies. Alas, fate has something else stored for me everytime. I mean every damn time. According to plan, I should be somewhere pursuing my PhD right now fully sponsored with paid leave! Adeiiii thinking about it gives me headache.

Anyway, I'm not saying brilliant people only exist in universities. The place I work now has plenty of those. Just that, you know, it's been a dream and so far has not been fruitful. Tensen ok. Aaaaarrggghhhh!!! Bertambah tensen apabila terpaksa mengajar orang-orang dari mana-mana universiti. Going through the list I saw one dean of science faculty. Oh if I had been one of his daughters, alangkah senangnyer untuk dapatkan tempat! Not everyone in the class is academicians of course but they work within their vicinity which I feel ridiculous to feel jealous of but I do anyway. Stupid hormone.

A sign that the sky is gray...

...and I need a break.

I wear the wrong color for my tudung today. Whatever happens to justice in the world. Luckily it's beige, the color that can easily match with anything. If I had reached for something else say, red, I have no words to describe how it would've killed me. How I didn't notice it up until I reached office is beyond me, when I put it on in front of a full length mirror. Note that this had never happened to me before.

This is just a sign I need a break. Something is wrong in the milky way or somewhere. Stars not aligned or something - excuses to give out to people when actually it's been work work work all night and on weekends (not office work, before you smart asses get any wrong ideas). I need a weekend of not doing anything.

But anyway, it's just a piece of cloth. At least I got something on ....  :p

Never have I seen such a beautiful thing that came in an old torn brown envelope

Hey it's already July! Feels like yesterday I just had March. Time flies, and actually I have an update.

I received the book during the weekend. Yay.

Last week I went to MPH after such a long time (with a guy) but couldn't stay long (because I was with a guy). But long enough to visit the New Arrival shelf. Browsing it as fast as I could (the guy was being restless), I could spot 3 books immediately that I want to read. How I miss books - such an odd thing to say but who cares. I love sobbing like there is no end when reading Nicholas Sparks'; laughing whole-heartedly when reading that book by that-very-gay-I-forgot-his-name man; blinking my eyes repeatedly in disbelief when reading The Da Vinci Code; and learning the military tactics and courage those guys had when reading Band of Brothers.

Magics, people, is one of the wonders on earth. And books certainly have them.

Anywayzzzz,

tada!

Stuffed Mushrooms.

It's so delish it's a sin to eat them. The pic only shows only 1/4 of them left. Delish delish delishhhh.... god awful truth. And it happened last weekend, we had this bbq thing at home. My mom made this mushies + potatoes thing that had similar taste. So now I have this grand idea.... muehehehehehehehhh.... *plans some critical stove-damaging cookery skills*

Bebelan alaf ini

OMG giler lama tak visit friend's blogzzzz. Ape jadi ngan diorang ni?

I need internet access at home now! Mati kutu betul lah.

We need to move out of the house by the end of July - courtesy of self-centeredness of niece of the landlord. Sangat sangat sakit hati ok. She's already settled and cosy one level below us. Anyway, lantakla dia. When she moves in, rumah tu akan jadi kosong. All kitchen appliances are not your uncle's lah, please. Astro and everything there are all ours - so toksah berangan sangat nak lepak on the sofa after tiring hours at work sambil goyang kaki menonton siaran Astro Ria tu ye. Get your own, that and the fridge and stove and everything. Rumah bersih sebab kitorang jaga lah. Macam mana korang jaga rumah korang sampai pintu bilik boleh terkopak. Blok baru jek naik setahun, apasal cepat sangat tombol tercabut. Ganasnyer anak dara.

Kalau balik rumah tak penah mengemas sebab tu lah rumah berhabuk, barang bersepah sana-sini. Dinding putih pun boleh jadi kelabu.  Takyah susah-susah letak tiles kat lantai kalau nak rumah kemas. Lantai simen pun kalau letak tikar getah, dijaga baik-baik, rumah pun nampak bersih.

Huh.

Tensen aku.

Thank god I didn't get that man to fix the phone wires or hati akan panas jek bila tengok orang takde timbang rasa dapat kemudahan free-free. A hunch not to get streamyx cepat-cepat awal tahun dulu is not just a hunch. Ada sebab rupanyer.

Sape-sape tau ada rumah available for 3 of us (we are clean and neat people), let me know okay. Within reasonable driving distance from Putrajaya/Cyberjaya. Move in early August.

Aaaaaaaa satu keje plak nak kena cari rumah lain!

What happens to facebook account?

My vampiric existence was no longer a primary focus in life. I had been abandoning my future career as a fanatic facebooker for more than a month already. That's a looooooong time my facebook friends had not been assaulted/harrassed/annoyed/flirted with/fought. I'm going to embark another journey soon, resurrecting whatever is dead and stalled. I'm going to start spamming friends with hundreds of baskets/eggs/snowballs/pokes/you name it I'll do it muahahahahahhaha!

Anyway, feeling like going to the malls again. Not for buying stuff, only to see what's going on in that world again. I haven't been in touch and that's just so not kind you know. I've also been looking for that big big mug but to no avail. So it seems for future mug-owners, this is such a bad news. Buy a bowl and attach the ear at the side ok tak? You get the same effect... hehe... in jest, in jest.

Feeling like shopping for groceries. I like taking stuff and throw them in the trolley. Get home and cook... yum yum.. thinking all the food I want to cook. I'm kinda hungry lah at the moment. Chicken and mushrooms in oyster sauce. Blackpepper shripms. Fuh! Ok pop that cloud now.

And also I feel like buying books. Such a long time since I opened a book before bedtime and read. Stupid work I must say kept messing with my mind, couldn't have deep baby sleep these days. I want to reread all Harry Potter's. It's dangerous if I walk in to any bookstores now, so I resolute to reread existing old books. That should do it right? As to not making empty promises (lalala...) let's see if I can fit the books somewhere before sleep. Hmm... *deep in thought*

It has all come down to this

If my pocket allows it:
NafNaf
elements
Somerset Bay
Roxy
Belle

If not *sigh*:
Reject Shop
Momoe
PDI
a whole lot others at Jusco Bukit Tinggi

Girls will always be girls.

What a rush!

It's been such a long time since I last shopped for clothes - my clothes. As far as I can remember it was January. Anyway, yesterday 4 keping melayang. Ataupun yang lebih tepat lagi adalah plastik keras telah diswipekan dengan sewenang-wenangnye....grrr!

I have been under this strict program "Ke arah balance sifar!" or at least "Ke arah balance kurang daripada 1000!"... So far I was excelling and moving fast towards the goal but yesterday was such a program ruiner. I couldn't stand looking at those pretty pretty bags ok. Tergoda.

Actually the purpose I went to the mall was to buy stuff for my brothers - their baju raya (don't be surprised - it's been a habit in the family to get everything done early and avoid the crowd later) and a gift for Mueh for getting 4.0 CGPA recently (my brothers are all brighter than I am, whom I'm so proud of). The sales signs were everywhere I couldn't leave without snatching a thing or two for myself. In the end I got three....heheheh.... I had item number 4 in mind but my mind told me to stop. A little bit of control would do me good in the long run right.

I loved what I felt walking through the mall. You know in a way I'm thankful Adda is not my roommate anymore hahahah or she would have morphed me into this psychotic shopper. Tambah2 lagi now that she owns that plastik keras too... ;P

Minyak naik harga!

I'm a bit late in blogging about this (I'm sure every other malaysia blog blogs about it, in one way or another), so not missing out on the fun, here goes.

In reaction to the topic , in two words - so what?

In much longer elaborated one, do you expect the price would stay the same forever? Please don't get me wrong, regardless of tanggungan we all have, I feel the burden just as the same as you do. I clinched at the thought of having to fork out that extra 41% every month. I, too, worried about which expenses I have to cut from now on. I also started wondering about alternatives of transportation means that ended up with me imagining things like having elf-like powers. So, for me, on the spot reaction is like what the hell. But right after calming down, I came to this conclusion - you can never get everything you want. Accept that and you'll be happy.

So like I said, we can't expect everything to stay the same way forever. They change over time. We get old, car engines get cranky, the white paint on the walls now yellow, favourite jeans won't fit anymore, you get the idea. That's why your parents aks you to save, or plan ahead. Not just planning ahead with current lifestyle in mind but also for those unexpected rainy days. You'll never know what life can throw at you sometimes. Today you're healthy, tomorrow (god forbid na'uzubillah) you find out you have brain tumor. Or, today you're happy, tomorrow your husband you depend on all this while is taken from you. Or, today it's RM1.92, tomorrow it's RM2.70. What are you going to do then?

People has been complaining but guess what. It's not about how much you complaint, but it's about how you work you way around it.

I'm not denying your right to speak up your mind. But how far will it take you? You are angry but still you have to pay. At the end of the day, you're still miserable. Why choose to be in such stress? Calm down.

Yes we didn't put ourselves in this situation, the government did. We have no choice but have to pay. Exactly my point there. We have no control over it, why put so much thought on it? Channel that energy at helping your kids to succeed at school, or make your wives happy, or work hard so you get that bonus, isn't that much more rewarding?

Let the top government people decide what's best for us, we're the ones who put them there anyway. It's not easy to be a leader you know. In Islam, being a leader means one foot in hell, another one in heaven. So it's easy to fall to either one. If they did us wrong, they would have the consequences. Quran and sunnah say so - why worry?

Ok so I'm going to stop here before everyone else thinks I don't have problems with high petrol price. I pay with a very heavy heart. But now I don't think much about it anymore. I have better things to do to occupy my time like playing games and finding new recipes these days.....

Oh look it's Tuesday, a working day

I have just spent a day in the conference room, listening and daydreaming. What a good way of spending time lah.

I'm exaggerating I know but I'm tired laaaa. Tomorrow have to be cikgu, for 3 days some more! When am I going to do some real work. I'm so out of tune right now -- feeling so miserable. I need some thing to focus on. Oh yeah tomorrow night should be a good one, meeting a friend, makan-makan, borak-borak, gelak-gelak and sambung makan-makan lagi. So anyone who will be in Kelana Jaya tomorow, if you happen to see me, pretend we don't know each other and walk away ok. I need the privacy.

Of punch cards

You know what would definitely take off the burden having to come to work at certain time everyday? Take it away and let us the hardworking employees be happy. Truly, we're less stressed out if we don't have to be on time (to put it literally). I remember my time before in SYABAS where every damn morning I have to worry if I was going to be late that day. Then I moved on to a small IT setup and guess what, even though I abused the non-existent of punch card system sometimes, I still could complete my work on time. Hey abusing to me doesn't mean being late 2 hours - that's the CEO's job.

Maybe this is different to anyone else but for me, having to constantly be reminded of work when I wake up every morning, and worrying about it is not going to start off my day well. And throughout your journey to work, if you know you're going to be late, you're going to feel your feet heavy on the gas pedal... and kutip saman along the way possibly.

You think if I wake up early, all this trouble will go away? That's where you're wrong my friend - I still have to make sure I make it to work on time. I think too much sometimes so blame my genes for that. Suffice to say, the mere existence of a punch card system is a nightmare and it would take me a serious amount of time to adapt. So far I think my record shows I was late 3 or 4 times, usually because I travel from Klang sometimes. Urrghhh... talking about this is depressing so I won't talk about it no more. That's it bebeh I'm not going to ruin my day further... :p

The virus is spreading

At least 4 people has gotten it from me :p
Paklah
Kak Siti
Khairil
Nic (maybe?)

And those are  VVIPs you know.

See what happens when I have coughs/flu? I should be getting MC for a week just to prevent from infecting other people. *cough*

This is where the saying "It's ok to sacrifice one to save the whole bunch" remains true. Hey I don't mind staying home for one week....*cough cough*

This stuff makes me sleepy

Axcel Diphenhydramine Expectorant
(60ml, 100ml, 120ml)

Diphenhydramine HCI 12.5mg/ 5ml
Ammonium Chloride 130mg/ 5ml

Presentation: Brown color syrup with caramel flavour

Indications: Relief of cough and alleviation of nasal & bronchial congestion

Side effects: The most common effect is sedation, varying from drowsiness to deep sleep, and including inability to concentrate, lassitude, dizziness, hypotension, muscular weakness, and inco-ordination. Sedative effects, when they occur, may diminish after a few days.

--------------------------------

I'm so sensitive to ubat batuk. Most of them can cause you drowsiness. I just took 2 spoons 1/2 hour ago and now my eyes are caressing the view of my bed from where I'm sitting right now... ~~~~~ oooh help.

Random

Two things about me that I really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
really
want to change are:

• my short term memory - why is it I forget things so easily... I just read about plone templating a week ago and now I have no flicking idea how to do it... have to reread.... blegh!


• my inability to read in a moving vehicle without getting sick - such a long time friend this one, had it since birth, maybe it's genetic coz my mom is worse... thank goodness I don't travel much anymore - do you have any idea how much time wasted when you travel sitting in the car doing nothing but sleep?

Update: Aaaarrghhh plone is killing me softly - wasted 2 hours trying to find out why the process wouldn't start, turned out I have to use another port. As far as I remember I haven't used 8080 for anything else but plone. And it's Friday already, why la time moves so fast. Oh maybe that all-of-the-sudden Joomla training taking up my time (3 days - who has times for training these days.... lalalala....). Shima already told me there's 2 sessions of Joomla next month. Aiyak what the world has come to...

From one of many many forwarded emails

HOW TO PROPERLY PLACE NEW EMPLOYEES

1. Put 400 bricks in a closed room.
2. Put your new employees in the room and close the door.
3. Leave them alone and come back after 6 hours.

Then analyze the situation:

• If they are counting the bricks put them in the Accounting Department.


• If they are recounting them, put them in Auditing.


• If they have messed up the whole place with the bricks, put them in Engineering.


• If they are arranging the bricks in some strange order, put them in Planning.


• If they are throwing the bricks at each other, put them in Operations.


• If they are sleeping, put them in Security.


• If they have broken the bricks into pieces, put them in Information Technology.


• If they are sitting idle, put them in Human Resources.


• If they say they have tried different combinations, they are llooking for more, yet not a brick has been moved, put them in Sales.


• If they have already lleft for the day, put them in Marketing.


• If they are staring out of the window, put them in Strategic Planning.


• If they are talking to each other, and not a single brick has been moved, congratulate them and put them in Top Management.

Finally, if they have surrounded themselves with bricks in such a way that they can neither be seen nor heard from, put them in Government.

***********
Canteknyer FF3 ~~~~

A cup that has been said can fit my head in

The over-glorified one:

This has received so much attention at my office.... besar giler, twice or maybe thrice the size of normal cup so basically I can lose my face in there hahahha... but I like anyway...

Alahai gebunye I so the like ok! On loan from Kak Siti (permanently! muahahahahaha).

Pagi yang gelap

Yesterday morning, at the garage going off to work.....

Yours truly: Mak, ade payung free tak dalam rumah ni. Kaklong sebenarnye nak beli tapi tak terbeli-beli. Tak tau la nak beli kat mana. Selalu kaklong tengok diorang kasi payung as a gift jek. Tang mana nak beli ni?? Stesen minyak ka?
Mak: Tengokla dalam kete mak kot ada lebih. Mak rasa ada lebih payung kuning. Ambik la hat tu.

Melihatkan keadaan kereta yang masih berkunci dan kemalasan yag amat untuk mengambil kunci kereta di dalam rumah...

Yours truly: Ala takyah la. Kalau takde takpe (kat mana nak beli payung nih?....alahai....)

Terus saje menuju ke kereta and started loading stuff, backpack, beg merah, sneakers etc. Then teringat alamak lupa handbag, masuk balik dalam rumah to switch stuff from old handbag to new one and came back out to the car. Jeling-jeling kat kereta mak, eh bila plak mak ada kat situ, pintu kete terbuka, siap ada payung ada kat tangan lagi.

Mak: Ni haa nak yang mana. Yang ni ka (lifting the grey one) ke yang ni (handing me the pink one).
Yours truly: Erk ada lebih ke? Mak tak pakai? * terus amik payung yang mak hulur *
Abah (from out of nowhere): Haa amek yang tu, senang pakai (referring the pink one)
Mak: Tu bukan pink. Dalam kuning.
Yours truly: (Kuning? Apesal cover kaler pink?)

Lepas selak cover....

Yours truly: Pink la mak.... hikhikhik (suke suke suke)
Mak: Uih lawa la plak. Tak penah bukak pun.
Yours truly: Hikhikhik.

Kesimpulannya, now I have an umbrella! What a breakthrough.

I got my roadtax today

Suke suke suke! Hik hik hik!

Personally delivered to my office here. Sangat sangat happy.

p/s: inside my head I can only hear css css css.... plone plone plone.... mymeeting mymeeting mymeeting.... aiyak aiyak aiyak.....

Renew roadtax online

What? Can ah?

Of course la. I just made the payment - all you need is your e-covernote number and you're on. I'm so malas to contribute to the long queue in JPJ ok. Visit www.myeg.com.my but I have to warn you it's really troublesome lah. It's still in its early stage, just only launched last April but damn the customer service was good. I renewed both my insurance and roadtax there. The first thing that went wrong was I wasn't redirected to the receipt page for the insurance so I didn't get my e-covernote (they say I might be facing networking problem - it was at 2am and JPJ server was asleep I guess). The second thing, when I finally got my e-covernote, the system say it didn't exist! Aiyo seriously la, really intimidating some system can be.

Luckily the myeg people was so helpful! The response to my enquiry was quick and they called me right away. So that's the good thing about it. As long as I get to have it delivered to my doorstep and I'm not overcharged, I'm all smiles baby.

Currently they only offer 2 insurance online - CIMB Aviva and Takaful Nasional (now Etiqa??). I went for Aviva, saje gatal. I know that TN offers 10% discount for government servants,  I was so tempted to take advantage of that even though I'm not one. Hey I maintained their online insurance system last time, I should get that discount right.

Stupid fever

Had it for 3 days and I had no clue how did I get it. It didn't make sense since I haven't been around sick people for days now. From experience, I can only catch fever if I threw up or had a bad sore throat. I'm not that easy to get sick but this year alone (up to April) I've already took 3 MC's. Is that weird or what.

And then yesterday I made late discovery about the sore throat I've been having since Friday. I must've had been reaaallly distracted by the fever that I didn't notice it earlier. Sore throats either comes with it or causes it right? But anyway, my body temperature was so high Saturday night, I was literally forced to take shower in wee hours of 3 or 4. Kraaazeee I'm telling you, I was shaking during the whole process. Ice cold and I had to go through it for full 5 minutes. What a torture.

But it did me good, the temperature went down a little.

Of all the sickness in the world, I really hate fever because it makes me weak. I could barely even move my hands, let alone stand or walk. If I was alone I couldn't care less what would happen to me. I would've just slept slept and slept and I wouldn't care if I had eaten or not. Thank god I'm ok now. Only abit worried since I still have the sore throat.

I wish I had more sleep. Today my eyes look like panda's. Thanks to the stupid fever.

I so love this instrumental

It's guitar. So dreamy ~~~~~

Mousa had to find some music for his presentation so he got all these music from one place for sample. The moment I listened to it, I couldn't help swaying around (lightly) while closing my eyes. Of course I told him it won't be suitable for his slides since it's so romantic for a course outline presentation kan. What would the lecturer say nanti.

But I just love the music so much. Such a perfect song for slow dance. Anyway, I have so much to do, so many things in my head. I feel if I could filter it out by priorities that would be so much better. But I've had a very bad week so far - headache and upset stomach all week. What's wrong with this week? Stars are not aligned? Something happened to the milky way??

Bad monday

I was thinking to write about the parking ticket I got but let's not drag everybody's emotion (read MY EMOTION) down shall we? But let's just start with 'I don't like police' and believe me I have damn good reasons for that so excuse me if you got problems with that. By the way, my car was said to be obstructing the road when I have no idea how it was. The car was parked like any other cars along the road but who am I to question the law right.

Anyway, my head hurts like hell today. Was considering taking the day off but decided against it. I don't really like taking MC actually. The hassle of going to the clinic and all. Why can't I just get online and order my prescription? Maybe some AI can check my eyes if I'm really sick or just trying to get off work. Somebody should invent that. Sick people should stay where they belong to be: bed at home or comfortable couch snuggling, watching favorite tv shows.

I'm just babbling here. Maybe today I can get off work on time and go to bed early tonight.

It's raining and I have a feeling my head will get worse.

Of government agencies

They have all sorts of abbreviation, I'm telling you. I don't know how they keep up with it. The only one that shines in my heart is OSCC... hehehhehe....

I'm sure we all know all the common ones, LHDN (bayar tax cepat woii), JPM, JPA, ISA (ooopss!), MOF, MOHE, bla bla bla.... Inside each of these there are so much letters you can only look on without blinking an eye. I don't know where they come from. But if you're tempted to have one, all you got to do is pick some random letters and put them together like BDPICT (lalalala). I bet there's even an agency called ABC.

Coming from private sector, it's kinda amusing looking at how well divided these people are. Lots of bahagian and jabatan. Too many sections you have to go through before reaching the intended person. Well, at least I admire their workplace. Cantik ~~~

Anyway, went to KKDN MOIS (that's another abb for you to crack) yesterday with Abdullah for MyMeeting installation. We were so damn grumpy about the parking space. All we talked about while walking towards the building was how little the concern the designer of the place had on common rakyat like ourselves. In order to get into Parcel D, we were instructed to park at Parcel C! Alo cik abang, nape tak suruh aje kitorang park kat Alamanda terus. Kitorg bleh je install MyMeeting kat kedai-kedai satu bangunan tu. Kalau penat, kitorg bleh gi GSC yang baru bukak tu.... (haaa amek aku berleter)...

It happened that it was raining and I didn't have an umbrella in the car. Lucky for us the rain was not that heavy we could walk through it. At least I have my tudung, Abdullah had to cover his head with his bag. Ala siannn... takpe Abdullah. Next time naik motor je, redah the pak guard and all and ride straight towards D1...hahaha...

hujan hujan hujan hujan

asik huuuuuuuuuuuuuuujan aje

Hujan la malam-malam so tido pun boleh nyenyak-nyenyak. Boleh golek-golek bawah selimut senyum sorang-sorang.

Ini tak. Hujan time siang, dengan ekon opis pasang kuat-kuat. Aku yang kurus ni asik ngelat-ngelat. Tak pedulik dah kalau orang jeling-jeling. Aku tengok je balik kasik sengih sikit-sikit. Asal badan berhaba balik aku sangat-sangat puas hati. Macam nak balik rumah je cepat-cepat masak nasi.

Alamak lapar le plak. Balik ah.

This is a personal blog

When it becomes very public like it is now I don't feel free to write anymore. So sad =(

Maybe I should just post pointless pics and brag. I guess the people who know me better through here, it's the end of it people. You may catch the glimpse in ever shady words I'm going to use from this point on but sorry, that's the best I can give right now.

The days where I speak up without borders and beyond reason is ending. You people should know by now that I can easily get misunderstood. Take a look at my face for an example. My default face looks like I'm having the most complex programming problems in the world but what is going on in my head and what is reflected on my face may not the same thing. I may be trying to get some cover from the sun and some would think I just had a heart attack. Another example is my tone of voice - I can be easily taken as being mad. So my writing here can cause so much more damage than I ever intend it to be. Maybe I'm not good with arranging words, maybe I'm just plain direct in writing. Maybe I'm just problematic in getting my message across.

But, who the hell cares.

So I take my words back and let's party on. *lap dance*

Of oranges

I love love love sweeeeeet oranges. They're juicy and so sweet. Tantalizing. But beware - vanilla ice creams and oranges don't mix or you'll kill yourself.

Aaaaaa I'm crazy over oranges!

Al-Fatihah

My grandfather passed away last Friday. I'm not that 'ngam' with that side of family but still, I felt sad. Now wan tinggal sorang, I'm not sure what's the plan. Here in office, somebody wrote 'Takziah Nuhaa' on the whote board. I don't know who did it but I'm touched nonetheless. I'm relatively new here and here they are being kind and nice to me.

Terrible F1 accident

Ngantuk

I should put a disclaimer somewhere. Dangerous la plak when current collegues know about its existence....hohoho..... Actually it's not my way to 'announce' my blog to just anyone. But when people ask 'Do you have a blog?', I'd answer 'Yes'. But I won't say anything more about it unless they ask. When you put it on the web, you know eventually people will know about it, especially if you put a link to a good organisation like OSCC --- hehehehe... (promote promote)... and very efficient people working there can trace you back seperti dihujung jari sahaja. But really I don't mind, just that you're taking a risk when you come here since I tend to get very direct in whatever I say in here. It is so unlike me in real life lah where I am very quiet and shy and bersopan santun and the like (kira budak baik la ni....lalala)...

Anyway, yeah, most of my good friends know what I'm talking about in each post, or at least they know how I see it when I write about it. Others may get totally different ideas. So conclusionnye ialah: letak disclaimer somewhere before I get into trouble.

Eh my body is aching all over. Tak cukup tido nih. *yawn yawn yawn*

Bloggin from the office

Never in my life have i ever known every single pelajar of Akademi Fantasia, and every little bits that's going on in their life - thanks for Diari Akademi Fantasia and the weekly concert. I can't believe it myself.

Well that's what you get when you're staying with 2 AF fans, people. Every night is AF night. Every friday, don't you dare change the channels because there's Diari AF Extended. And on saturdays, let's watch the Diari marathon! Adehhh.... jadi AF freak lak aku hahaahaha....

Anyways, all the more reason to get that broadband installed in the house. Takleh punggah tiap2 malam melayan tv - mak boring tgk siaran medium bahasa melayu ari2 nyah... (lalalala).... cukup2 la sokongan padu kepada rancangan terbitan tempatan dan negara jiran selama 3 bulan ini. Aku berazam untuk membuka langkah menjejaki semula naluri keenglishan yang semakin malap ini, yeah! Tidak kuizinkan untuk ia pupus sama sekali, yeah!!

Eh apsal duit gaji lesap cam pelesit nih? Mana pegi??

p/s: topic entry takde kaitan ngan post entry
p/p/s: aaaaa nak tgk ni!!!
p/p/p/s: i missed adda's birthday... how did that happen?? tappe adda, kang aku kasik present skali

Israelis Blocking Medical Care in Gaza

Sad. I feel so lucky I'm living in Malaysia, regardless of its questionable isu-isu politik.

Word of the month

Shit.

I seem to frequently use that word alot these days. Particularly this month. And it's not getting any better, I'm almost hearing myself swearing every damn day. Why is that?

It's not like I say it out loud, it's only almost like a whisper. But it comes from me regardless. It happens when
a) I forget something important OR
b) I feel uncomfortable with something, whether it's good or bad OR
c) I miss something so obvious I shouldn't be missing it in the first place OR
d) somebody/something distracts me when I'm so busy focusing on something else

Something from my colleague

He found this:

Oh my god the truth behind it all.

AAAAAAAAaaaaaa

B.O.R.I.N.G
T.E.R.T.E.K.A.N

Tgh boring2 I selak2 gambar lama in my laptop. Terkenang-kenang memori dulu ala-ala citer madu tiga.

Haaa... baru hilang sket boringggg....

Boring tuesday

Turned down a job interview for a well known international company yesterday. The reason? Quoting Mdm. Tan: "What we're doing here is we're helping the country to save money!"

Yea well that's just to make myself feel good about it when actually I'm crying about it now. Not really crying la since I don't think I like working in KL but you when opportunity comes knocking like that, especially when you're not looking in the first place, it's a pity why the best places to work must be in KL. Leceh la traffic jam, not to mention high cost of living. Seriously if the hq is somewhere here or in PJ/Shah Alam I would consider going.

Oh well. Maybe in 1 year time opportunity will come knocking again. Better ones. Till then, look at how "we're helping the country to save money!".

Heads up, all government agencies will be implementing OpenOffice.org on this March 19th. No more Microsoft Office. It will be phased out little by little. Wonder what Microsoft Malaysia will say about this....

UPDATE:
My mistake - they're going to implement OOo in MAMPU only for the time being - MAMPU migrates to OpenOffice.org and ODF to increase freedom of choice and interoperability
And the brand new OSCC Portal.