Rumah Terbakar Panggil Bomba!

Any one of you got caught in traffic at Federal Highway near the Kerinchi exit during lunch hour today? Inilah penyebabnya..

Captured the pictures while I was having lunch at the TM cafeteria just now. So, this is really hot off the press, y'all! Seems that a house (probably squatter) by the Federal Highway was on fire. I believe it is in the Kerinchi area. There's not many squatter houses left in that area, most have already made way to the rapid development in the neighbourhood. By the end of my lunch, there were already several firetrucks on the scene. Efficient, y'all! (BTW, call 999 for Bomba these days, ok? They are all using the same number for Malaysia Emergency Response team inclusive of the police, bomba and ambulance)

Terbakar or dibakar? Don't really know.. Maybe a child was playing with matches and the unfortunate happens. Maybe some developer tied a flaring torch to a mouse and let it loose.

One thing's for certain though. Traffic jam due to kay-po-chee bystanders; in the buildings, by the roadside, in the cars.. (Yours truly included) All stalling to see and comment among themselves on what happened, why it happened. A must get-together lah, kata orang..

Aaahhh... Malaysia memang boleh!

-dillz blogging out-

Weekend ke tak Weekend ni?

It's Sunday. I am already feeling the heat. Not just from the weather, No No No.. I have quite a lot on my plate, actually. I have a report due from the previous assignment, currently undergoing a new one and will be on a special assignment with the Big Boss the next week! hihihihihi..

So, I have been slotting work time during the weekend; going to the office with some other last-minute report writers (Hi guys!!) till night-time. Even our 2nd Boss and his wife came over to bring some donuts and hotdogs as morale booster. (Sweet, tak?) Then, the numerous Master bedroom lock-in sessions to get some peace and quiet from the blaring Playhouse Disney or Cartoon Network channels in the living room. Nampak gayanya, si kecik Khaleeda would have to sleep in the kids' room tonight since I would be putting in another 4am shift tomorrow morning. What joy! Am soo looking forward to that. (Not!!)

Oh, Khadra's joining me in my session now. She has 3 homework to finish by tomorrow morning. Haha.. Last minute jugak macam mummy dia. They start off soo young nowadays.. :)~~

Hubby promised a date to minum-minum after this shift. Yeay! Thanks, yang.. I'd better get to back to the report now. Right after I get that Oreo from the kitchen.

-dillz blogging out-

Dot Bangang

Have you ever had this happen to you?

You get a call right in the middle of doing something important; in the middle of a meeting, getting your hairy body parts waxed, screaming to your kids for not doing their homework right or what-have-you; and the number is one that you do not recognize. It could be some random mobile or fixed line, but fearing for some important or critical news on the line, you pick it up. I mean, what other option do you have, right? Only to hear a stream of words thrown your way:

• asking you whether you have 3 minutes to enjoy a free stay at a remarkable resort by the sea?
• or offering you a great insurance / personal accident coverage offered only to you, our special and priveledged customer,
• or selling you a great travel membership with association in 600plus resorts in 90 countries.

This is when I personally go fuming mad. I know they are just doing their job, so I bite my tongue and say any of these reply varieties:

• "It's OK. I already have personal insurance."
• "I'm not interested. Thanks."
• "I tengah meeting lah. Nanti call balik, ya"
• "I outstation ni."

Now I have another option than to answer the calls. After every event, I would save the number into my contact named ".Bangang". If I exceed the maximum number for ".Bangang"; then ".Bodoh", ".####" ".%^&$%" will follow.

Peace of mind. Thank you!

Okay, I have ranted. Now, I can work!

-dillz blogging out-

On This Friday Morning

I was shocked to hear about the demise of MJ on my way to work this morning. The "King of Pop" is no more. He apparently collapsed in his house and was taken to UCLA at about 4am MST where he went into a coma. After a while, he was pronounced dead, at the age of 50 years old.

Controversies surrounding the great MJ are many, but he really is a gifted and brillant entertainer. After all, they say, the line that separate true genius and insanity is a very thin one. He will surely be missed.

Read the story here

Picture from here

Anyhoots, I seemed to have started the day on my right foot otherwise. I was certain that entry to the parking hell that is Level -2 of Menara TM has been closed for any vehicles but as soon as I got the mouth of the entrance, the Pakcik Guard was waving to me to enter. There's one spot left! What luck, what timing. So, alhamdulillah, I am parked legally in Level -2 today. :)

The next good news has been anticipated for quite a while. Finally got word that I passed my Band 2 Assessment and am being "processed" for promotion. Double Yeay! Alhamdulillah.. my prayers have been answered..

Seems that I am starting on the right foot today. Hope you guys have a good day too and have a great weekend, y'all!

-dillz blogging out-

La la la la Kerja

Been away from the office for a while . I took leave Wednesday and Thursday day last week. Had to take additional leave to tend for the sick kids from Friday last week till yesterday. I have been up since Khadra's last nebulizer intake early this morning to pack up all the stuff for her discharge today. Wanted to squeeze some report writing as well. That was the plan.

My report writing progress was quite good the first day, but it dwindled down severely thereafter. I guess there's just something about being in a hospital that makes you feel a little woozy, a little lazy and a little sleepy. Everytime Khadra takes a nap, mommy is right there beside her taking a nap too. :) Then, there's the other issue on the 24X7 air-cond thing. I have sinus and it seems that the nose has been running a full-marathon these past few days. Not very pleasant with the sok sek-ing. I feel like my energy and the very essence of my being is being sucked away from me, bit-by-bit. Adalah penat. Sangat penat.

Need to bring the game on though. There's much to do to meet the deadline. Looks like many hours of hard work ahead. Many, many loong hours. My tired body needs to be able to withstand more physical and mental torture. Hmm.. This is starting to sound like an excellent excuse for a good massage.

-dillz blogging out-

Dear Mom,

I've been in the hospital since Sunday at midnight. It's already Tuesday now. I have been with lil Miss Khadra in this closed space for about 40 hours now, give or take. There has been loads of visitors, despite the tight H1N1 screening at the hospital entrance. Her Aweewa and family, Aki, Aziezi & Naqib, Khaleeq, Khaleeda & Parmi and not forgetting her Ayah Teh. Even my' officemates came too. (Thanks Linda, Daleena & Norli) So, she actually got some great gifts - a Hannah Montana figurine balloon, a turtle balloon bouquet that has "Have a Speedy Recovery!" on it, a few Hannah Montana books and a High School Musical Yearbook . You would have thought she is living the life here in the hotel hospital.

As you already know, as soon as we got our room and settled in , I started sms-ing everyone to update you guys on Khadra. I got the following message from you all the way from Londres;

Plse take care of my cucu. tell her nenek loves her. will doa for her speedy recovery. jaga the sibling too pls

Yes, mom. That's what I've trying to do here.

I have been rooming in with her since admission to take care of her needs. From the morning showers, suap makan, ambil air / blanket / tissue, lap hidung, etc. etc. etc. I am officially her own personal Bibik.

To tell you the truth, mom, I am feeling pretty tired already. I was up at wee hours in the morning to sponge her down and calm her while taking her nebulizer. Have not been sleeping well and the drama... Ayyoh... I am up till my nose already.. She exaggerates everything.. She cries and wails and meronta-ronta when the nebulizer is near. And it does not even hurt one bit - I should know, I have been living with that thing to manage my asthma. She screams at the nurse everytime the suppository is inserted. More meronta-ronta. She would wail and shove the medicine away when we try to drip her nose medicine into her nostrils. I know she is in pain. But, I also know that she is just ber-drama, too sometimes. I am beat. Penat already. I think I need a break.

So, I am going off for a bit for some me time. I am watching Transformers tonight and her Ateh will be the nanny for 3 hours. I hope you won't think I am a bad mom for taking a break. I need it to be a better mom. I know I need it bad 'coz I have resorted to cubit-mencubit as she is really getting to my nerves with all her drama.

Your daughter,

Kak Ngah

-dillz blogging out-

But One Is Still Down!

Khadra was still charting 38.5C to 39.9C after three days of fever. She was already on an antibiotic course since Sunday afternoon and was confirmed to have an enlarged tonsil. Sangat besar, I could see it protruding from the sides even without her sticking her tongue out. She was also not eating well, in fact we hardly got her to eat anything since Friday, so that was a concern. The last straw was her vomitting (yet again) with traces of blood in it. So we took her to the Emergency Department of Pantai Medical Centre at about midnight.

Since her tonsil was so enlarged coupled with the reasons above, the attending doctor advised us to admit her for an intra-venous antibiotics. He had to draw some blood for denggue testing anyways and he assured us she'll feel better quicker after a day or two in the hospital. And the drama? Forget about it.. As soon as she heard she was gonna be poked, she wailed and wailed and wailed when the needle was nowhere near her yet. They had to bundle her up in a blanket so that she did not move and I was by her side, asking her to focus on me instead. Khaleeq was also offering advice ; "Er.. Khadra, I get sick too.. "After a while, she calmed down and let the good doctor poke her hand. When I told her that we were staying in that night, her first response was, "But they don't have kids' channel here.." As soon as I assured her that they had Disney Channel in the room, she looked calmer.

So, here I am now with my Khadra..

We got a single room in the peadiatric ward, where the kid got a bed and the parent sleeping over also got a bed. (Cool huh?) There's also wireless connection in the wards. I went back to get all the stuff we needed for a sleepover and send Khaleeq back home. Brought her favourite (Sleepy) Doodle Bear (it is actually Kira's, but she loves it so!), Khaleeq kirim her his Bumblebee to take care of his sister while he's not around (so sweet) and bajus, toilettries for me and her. By the time I got back, it was already 2:30am. Hubster was flat on the other bed (Kesian dia, this is the ending to his Father's Day this year).

Anyways, upon admission, Khadra was still charting 39.9C and a suppository inserted up her a$$. At about 4am, her fever has gone down somewhat and she was just given the oral suspension. Early morning, Dr Azam came in to check up on her. He recommended the nebulizer for the shortness of breath and said that we may have to think about removing her tonsils for good. (Not immediately, lah..) She took one egg sandwich and a few sips of Milo for brekkie - good progress. She's looking much better, and the fever has noticably subsided. She's enjoying her Disney channel (it is on 24x7) and the only drama we had was during the nebulizer stuff. Things are looking up, I really do hope she has a speedy recovery.

-dillz blogging out-

Mi piace il tuo blog!

I just love Awards but Tags - not so much! But since this is a pretty simple one, I am all for it. It's the expectation, you know, thinking that you've let the person down if you didn't answer fast enough or witty enough. And I don't quite like letting people down.

Actually, for this particular award I am quite tak larat because the person who awarded me this stamp of approval is noneother than chicsinred! Super femes blogger tuh.. Woo-hoo! For the purpose of answering this tag, I translated I love your blog into Italiano using Langenberg.com Kalau menipulah Encik /Cik Langenberg, maka tipulah saya. *Just had to put my disclaimer in there*

The rules are pretty simple:

1. The receipient can put the logo on his/her awesome blog. 2. Link the person you received the award from. 3. Nominate at least 7 others blogs. 4. Put links on those blogs on yours. 5. Leave a message on the blogs of those you’ve nominated.

My choice of SEVEN includes:

Cik Zara di Germany (Read her tag-reply)

CeritaIbu

Malaysian Housewife in Londres

The beautiful JazzmaTazz (She has the award on her blog already. :))

Cik KucingOrenGemok (Read her tag-reply) and she tagged me back.

floweRinthedesert (Read her tag-reply) and she tagged me back, 'yo! This is becoming a habit.. :)

Zaza's Of Blacks & Whites (Read her tag-reply)

They are already on my blog roll and I have left them a message, Thanks!

-dillz blogging out-

One is Up and About!

From that sad looking image, glad to report that Khaleeda is already up and about; in this case: peek-a-booing! Yes, she is doing much better, thanks.

Masalah problemnya, Khadra pulak dah demam. It always comes in a string of events, doesn't it? One after another. Khadra is an easy prey, pulak tu. She has always had bad tonsils which makes her that much more susceptible to fevers, flus and such. If there's a bug around the house, she'll surely get it. Poor girl.. What's worse, it is normally accompanied by vomitting. Had two bouts of vomitting last night and another one this morning. Last I checked, the temperature is at 38.7C. Still high, but she's had her brekkie and ubat. Sekejap-sekejap kena sponge her down. Slapped another KoolFever on her forehead too. So kesian. She was lying down in the middle of my dad's living room when I left her for work at about 11am just now. (Not the compulsory kind of work, just a few of us getting together on a Saturday to finish off our reporting! - I took 3 days leave so I have to buck up and deliver on my weekend. :( Sad, eh? )

In the midst of all this, I discovered a newfound respect for single mothers all around. Imagine taking care of your ailing kids all on your own. Even more so if you don't have Bibik(s) to help you out. The late nights nursing them, dealing with vomit, tukar cadar, giving medicine on time, not having enough sleep, tending to their needs - nak airlah, tak nak makanlah; making sure they are comfortable - not too cold, not too hot.. Adoila... By the end of it, you are just soo tired, you just tak larat nak buat anything anymore. But, life still needs to go on. You have a job you need to go to. Other kids need to go to school. It does not matter that you did not a good night's sleep.. Try to couple that with another child falling sick! It's endless.. I could only imagine. I mean, Azrul wasn't around for these, what? 3 days? and I am already in a mess..

On a good note, though, hubster will be back today! Am picking him up at Sentral later this evening. Yee-ha! No, Kak Shana, I don't have to wait till Isnin Malam Selasa! Thank God!

-dillz blogging out-

Me Thinks Someone Is Being Missed!

Khaleeda had high fever last night. She was ,as usual, refusing her Uphamol syrup and crying her eyes out when I tried to give her some. She was so hot I had to put that Kool Fever stuff on her forehead. She tried and tried to take them off, of course. But to no avail. Just to be sure, slapped another one on her back too.

Her temperature went down by about 3am but she was still a little cranky. By 6am, she was already up looking for "Shoo". Temperature went up again in the morning, but I had to leave her to ferry the kids to school. By the time it was lunchtime, I waited to give her another dose of Uphamol and another slap of them Kool Fever thang. She's feeling a little better, thank God. Me thinks she is missing her daddy.

Khaleeda's mommy is missing Khaleeda's daddy too. (And it has nothing to do with the fact that today is Khamis malam Jumaat. Honest!)

-dillz blogging out-

How to Plan a Birthday Party in Two Days

Monday, 15th June 2009 a.k.a. Day 1

I was reminded by my precious girl that I owe her a small party in school. Nothing extravagant, just to celebrate her 6th birthday with her friends seeing that we've opted to sit out on the birthday bash this year. Aaah... Now, I remember... I also remembered that I promised that there'll be cupcakes with Sonic Underground theme and also party packs for her classmates. So, I said. Okay, we'll have it this week. Seeing that I already took leave Wednesday and Thursday, and Azrul will be leaving for Jakarta on Wednesday, it seems that the only day we could do it was on Wednesday and it was TWO days away!

*Panic,Panic,Panic*

The following task list was developed and executed on Day 1:

• Called up Beaconhouse to get the go-ahead and number of pax - Seemed that Wednesday was A-OK! at 10:30am, no of pax for Khadra's class: 9 girls and 7 boys, add 2 more BFFs from the other class & for Khaleeq's class: 7 girls & 5 boys. (Kakak punya party, adik punya class pun dapat party packs)
• Called up Ziezi, party planner extraordinaire to help me out on the party packs. She confirmed she has the premiums - 20 Ben-10 pencil cases for the boys and 20 Hannah Montana pencil cases for girls. But, I had to source the tidbits and small party favours myself. No worries, a quick trip to Village Grocer and Baloon Bouquet should sort that out.
• Cupcakes, cupcakes, cupcakes.. No one in the right mind would take an order this late, with Sonic Underground somemore... *Sheesh* But, as luck would have it, I chanced upon Edina's adorablecupcakes and she was willing! (Try clicking on the image below and you will also be transported to her page!) Thank you, babe. You're a real gem! She's a Srikandi too, btw. I just had to pick them up at UniSel on Wednesday morning, before the party. :)

Tuesday, 16th June 2009 a.k.a Day 2

More panic, panic, panic. I still had to go to work. Things still to do:

• Arranged for pick-up of premiums and party bag from Ziezi.
• Confirmed cupcake reservation thru e-mail.
• Off to Balloon Bouquet after work to get the extra-special "6-year old" candles and some party favours.
• To Village Grocer to get the snacks to stuff into the party packs; candies, Chupa Chups lollies, biscuits, Zip strawberry wafers, Daim candies..
• Started production lineup for party packs ; inducted Khadra and Parmi as operators. :) (Khaleeda pun nak tolong makan lollies)

Wednesday, 17th June 2009 a.k.a Party Day

Arranged logistics with other half to sort out kids and cuppies collection. Edina really went out of her way with the cuppies deco. There was a Sonic character on every cuppies and even the boxes were decorated with Sonic theme! Thanks so much, sweets!

Met up at Beaconhouse at 10:30am sharp for party.

The kids were literally pigging out on the cuppies. Yummy vanilla oreo! Nasib baik I ordered a lot of extras! Really wanted to do some face paints , but there wasn't enough time since we were actually pinching their snacktime. The main agenda was the Birthday sing song & candle blowing, makan cupcake and bagi party packs. Senang jugak buat birthday kat sekolah ni, tak payah pikir pasal makanan. :) By 11am, we were done! Yeay!

I'm glad all the preparation was well worth it. So, Happy Birthday (again) Khadra! We hope you enjoyed it!

-dillz blogging out-

Meh Makan Mee Mahal!

Got news that TM is already paying out their dividend and capital repayment for this year. *Big Big Smile* Maybe, just maybe it was time to celebrate.. After all, it was a Monday, got to beat them blues away... hihihihihi

Hubby took me to makan mee mahal at The Noodle Room in KL Hilton. One plate of noodle is charged at approximately RM30. (give or take) There's the ready-made menu or you could even pick and choose your own stock, meat, garnish and stuff. Interesting, indeed.. We were chickens, so we just stuck with the menu.

We had the Paiti for appertizers, Azrul took the Cantonese Egg Noodles and I took the Korean noodle with loads of beef (tak ingat apa namanya). Sedaaaaap!!!! Just jangan beli air - cekik darah!!!

-dillz blogging out-

Durian Fest!

Had a marvellous durian fest at me parents last night. Dinner was ikan patin goreng, ikan patin masak tempoyak, lemak ikan patin, (yes, we are craaaazy patin fans!) fried chickies, fried veges, and some other stuff. The rest of the clan made their appearances bit by bit and dad, as usual, started the do off with the customary tahlil and doa selamat. Then, it was DOO-RI-YEN time... Yeeha!!!

My Aicu cheated and asked the good man selling them durians to make a few indentations at the bottom of each durian. The pros are two-fold. One: we were ensured of creamy duran goodness in every durian that we purchased. Two: it was much much easier to attack them durians once the fest started.

All of them were the D24 (never did understand what that really means) so, it was lovelies all the way!! Lemak, lembut, bordering to lembik, golden crusted lovelies.. Yummy.. My favourite ones are of the "kucing tidur" kind - when there is only one lovely durian in one lovely pangsa. Khadra ate only one - itupun saya yang suap. Khaleeq just ran away from it. The mommy? Well, it was too many to count. Since Azrul had to fast for his medical check up this morning, he had to pass. So, guess who ate his portion? hihihihihihi

After all the madness, I would always, always remember this olden tip to manage the body heat that comes with eating that much durian - Drink from its pangsa. (Air kosonglah, jangan bantai sirap pulak..) It works everytime.. ;)

-dillz blogging out-

My Supergirl Won The Best Dressed Prize!

Fuyyoh! What a great surprise! We were invited to Sharieq's first birthday party yesterday with the superheroes and villains theme. And Khadra won the Best Costume Prize for girls! Way to go, Khadra! I told ya you'd look cute in that little outfit!

If you know me and my kids - we LOOOVE to dress up! Pirates, princesses, train conductor, honey-bee, ballerina, national costumes - Malay, Chinese and Indian, jubah-jubahan ; you name it, they probably have it! Yes, they are spoilt like that. Most of the costumes are off the shelf variety; buy them and they are ready to wear with minimal accessories matching.

However, herein lies the challenge:

1. We do not own any superheroes and villains costumes.

2. It was already the morning of the said party. Buying costumes were not part of the option I was presented with.

3. So, it seems that I had to work with whatever I had in the house at the time.

Wah, macam task Project Runway lah pulak.

Khadra - We made use of Khaleeq's Superman baju tidur that was waay too small for him already. You know the ones of the shiny variety. Thank God it came with the cape. So, the rest of the outfit has to be mixed and matched from her other costumes. We used the red and white stripey skirt (complete with red belt) from Khadra's pirate costume for her previous concert and put her hair up in two pony tails. Matched her candy blue painted nails with the multi coloured bangles. The result = One Supergirl. Done.

Khaleeq - The first idea was to use his Batman long sleeved t-shirt along with the mask. Couldn't find the mask in this mess I call a house, so, the idea had to be scrapped. Saw the Spiderman mask lying around and paired that with a Spiderman t-shirt for Khaleeq. The result = One tiny Spidey.Done.

Khaleeda - There's nothing that fits her really. but , thankfully I saw the honeybee costume. So, she was turned into Queen Bee the villain that stings people. (Hey, whatever lah. At least she was happy!)

Here's a group photo of the kid-cousins at the party! Teyta as Batman, Shoshoff wore a Superhero baju katak, Khaleeda the Queen Bee, Khadra the Supergirl, Khaleeq the cute-as-pie Spidey and Naqib as Superman. Ewa and Kira were there as props. Neyna and Chinchin did not get to the party yet at the time.

Coincidentally, Naqib won the Best Costume for boys. Each got RM50 for their tabung! Wow!! Lumayan!!! Thanks Shasha! The party was awesome!

Moral of the story (and yes this little anecdote has a lesson to learn from) :

Dengarlah cakap ibu anda. Insya Allah, rezeki berlipat ganda.

-dillz blogging out-

Berpoya-poya di Waktu Malam

Got myself a new dress last Thursday to go to the Oxbridge Boatrace mayBall last night. TM was one of the main sponsors so we got a table for the dragon boat team.

The place was really posh this year - it was held at the Bankers Club in Jalan Imbi. My first ever visit, so I was quite jakun. The last two years where I attended, it was always done at the Marquee, Carcosa Seri Negara. I didn't waste much time as soon as we got there and got my face drawn by some caricature artist (I thought the drawing of me looked more like a she-man. hihihi) There was also a snake artist performence where the snake charmer kissed and danced and put them snakes into his mouth before we were ushed into the dining hall.

Since it was, after all, the 50th celebration of Oxbridge Malaysia as a society, they went all out and the do went pretty smoothly thanks to the lovely Yuh Yng. She really is a one woman wonder , all packed into one tiny YY. Great job as always, YY! There were also special presentations from the previous presidents sharing their memories of the society. The montage on the five years history of the Malaysian Boat Race was a delightful surprise too. At least it showed that we won the dragon boat race in the previous two years despite losing it this year. hihihi..

Food was good. Can't believe I really enjoyed the Ceasar's Salad on pappadom! The entree was delicious, chicken breast with bread crumbs on some sesame and mustard thingy-ma-bob, I couldn't remember , exactly, the name was a mouthful! Dessert was yummy apple crumble with vanilla ice-cream.

While all these were happening, I was already stressed out over the Table Quiz questions. We had to get enough questions right in order to escape the humiliation of being last and face the scorn of the other diners. So, throughout dinner each and every table member was tasked to find the answers for the three question categories: Places (colleges in Oxford and Cambridge), Pictures (movies or tv series partly or fully filmed in Oxford and Cambridge) and People (famous alumnus of Oxford and Cambridge). Good to know that Lily Cole was from Cambridge -she really is one hot babe!

Yes, this was the actual picture of Lily Cole on the quiz question.

"Excuse me miss. Your titties are almost spilling out here!"

(Picture credit: here )

Thankfully Google provided us with enough right answers to appear at the middle of the lot at the end! Pheww!

The friendly bantering during the toasts was as delightful as ever. Ms Darina Yusoff toasted to Cambridge for Oxford while Dr. George Lee a.k.a. Dr. Loooove toasted to Oxford for Cambridge. I thought Dr. Loooove got the audience's vote with his charm and confidence! Good on ya, Doc!

Regretfully, pictures of the actual dinner will have to be uploaded later since I didn't want to look like a photographer lugging my bulky A350 around. Wait for it. I promise you it won't be disappointing! :( (Gosh, I really need a good compact, soon!*Updated*)

-dillz blogging out-

She Is Zee Bomb!

Was looking around Rock Corner for Khadra's Hannah Montana OST on Thursday when I chanced upon this heavenly voice. She is Zee Avi. (<-- and that is her official website!)

Nicked from Wikipedia ('coz you know you are a nobody until you have been Wiki-ed!):

Zee Avi (born Izyan Alirahman, also known as KokoKaina; b. 1986) is a Malaysian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and ukulele player. She was born in Miri, Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. She moved to Kuala Lumpur when she was 12. She studied fashion design at American InterContinental University in London.

Zee originally posted a video of her first song on YouTube because one of her friends had missed her first performance in Kuala Lumpur, so she created a video on YouTube for him to watch. He convinced Zee to leave the video up, and soon she received positive feedback, which inspired her to put more videos on YouTube. After she was featured on YouTube, she was signed by Brushfire Records, which is partly owned by Jack Johnson. Her song "No Christmas For Me" is featured on Brushfire Records's 2008 Christmas album This Warm December: A Brushfire Holiday. Her single "Bitter Heart" was first to become available on the US iTunes store, and her full self-titled debut album was released on May 19, 2009. On the day of her album's release, YouTube featured her on the front page in Spotlight: Music Tuesday. She is currently touring the United States.

Her song "Monte" was featured in the second season finale of Private Practice.

Here's another good link - her own Youtube : KokoKaina's channel It goes without saying that I already bought her first album and found some tunes that were really catchy. I especially liked Bitter Heart , Honey Bee and Kantoi. (In actual fact I haven't gone through all of them yet, always putting these three on repeat! hihihihihihi)

I think the following is the a great string of tunes as an intro to her work: Live from and above the Solar Powered Plastic Plant.

Take your time to enjoy - Honey Bee, Bitter Heart, Kantoi and Monte.

and for your easy lip syching - the lyrics:

Honey Bee

I am a honey bee
Shunned off from the colony
And they won’t let me in
So I left the hive
They took away all my stripes
And broke off both my wings
So I’ll find another tree
And make the wind my friend
I’ll just sing with the birds
They’ll tell me secrets of the world

But my other honey bee
Stuck where he doesn’t wanna be
But my darling honey bee
I’ll come save you
Even if it means I’ll have to face the Queen

So I’ll come prepared
My new friends say they would help me
Get my loved one back
They say it isn’t right
The bees have control of your mind
But I choose not to believe that

So we’ll meet in the darkness of the night
And I’ll promise I will be there on time
We’ll be guided by my new friends the butterflies
Bring us back to our own little hive

Oh my other honey bee
No longer stuck where he doesn’t wanna be
Oh my darling honey bee
I have saved you
And now that you’re with me
We can make our own honey

Bitter Heart

Sun rays come down as seen when they hit the ground,
Children spinning around till they fall down down down.
I wait for you: it's been two hours now,
You're still somewhere in town,
Your dinner's getting cold.
I rest my case you are always this late,
And you know how much I hate waiting around 'round 'round,

Bitter heart, bitter heart tries to keep it all inside,
Bitter heart, bitter heart shadows will help you try to hide,
Bitter heart, my bitter heart is gettin' just a little fragile,
Bitter heart, bitter heart of mine.

And then you come and tell me the same reason as you did yesterday,
So tell me what's her name.
Doo doo da dum, doo doo da dum, doo doo doo doo doo doo da da dum dum, da da da da dum, da da da da dum, da da da da dum.

Bitter heart, bitter heart tries to keep it all inside
Bitter heart, bitter heart shadows will help you try to hide,
Bitter heart, my bitter heart is getting just a little fragile,
Bitter heart, bitter heart of mine, of mine, of mine, of mine, of mine, of mine.

Kantoi

Semalam I call you, you tak answer.
You kata you keluar pergi dinner.
You kata you keluar dengan kawan you.
But when I called Tommy he said it wasn't true.

So I drove my car pergi Damansara.
Tommy kata maybe you tengok bola.
Tapi bila I sampai you, you tak ada.
Lagilah I jadi gila.

So I called and called sampai you answer.
You kata sorry sayang tadi tak dengar.
My phone was on silent, I was at the gym.
Tapi latar belakang suara perempuan lain.

Sudahlah sayang, I don't believe you.
I've always known your words were never true.
Why am I with you, I pun tak tahu.
No wonderlah my friends pun tak suka you.

So I guess that's the end of our story.
Akhir kata she accepted his apology.
Tapi last last kita dapat tahu she was cheating too.
With her ex boyfriend's best friend - Tommy.

Monte

Flowers in the ground they wilt away

Sun in the sky it fades away

Making funnier shapes from clouds so gray

The breeze in the trees they blow my way

I was told my soul was old

Why can't i understand it all

If my soul was really old

Wonder if i could change this world

Life has given me obstacles

Still i bite my tongue and say it's wonderful

I'm just glad i'm still around

But i'm even more glad when things are down

But you, you came to break me

Oh you, you came to save me

Life's too short for worries and pains

So let the day take you by the hand

Get your filofax well go and burn them

But i'm too well for a damned man

Make a wish on a star at night

The brightest star that's in the sky

Only two have realized

That it was just a satellite

But you, you came to call me

Oh you, you came to cool me

Have a good weekend, y'all! I know I will.. :)

-dillz blogging out-

On My Day Off

Updated! 7:00am the next morning

We ended up at the al-Rawsha Restaurant, Jalan Damai. (Read KOG's review on al-Rawsha)Rupa-rupanya we have been there before last fasting month. The kids already had their dinner prior, so they were busying themselves at the little playground they had. We picked a table nearby to keep an eye on them.

The food was great! We had chicken and lamb mandy (Yes, KOG, the receipt still said it was lamp mandy. :)) as well as some grilled whole chicken and humous. The serving was plentiful and the taste? Hmm.. Hmm.. Hmm.. Goooood!

Was so tired after the day adventure, everybody went home a happy camper. I was so tired, I opted sleep over report writing during my early morning session. ;)

********

Updated! 7:00pm

Finished my Pagi Morning Round with accomplishments of 66.7%. Started out kinda late so I did not get to the 'grooming' part. Already bought 5 movie tickets for Hannah Montana for the 1:45pm show at GSC, Mid Valley so I had to drop that visit to Saluga's. :( No matter, I was thinking that I could quietly slip that agenda back in the evening phase. All is not lost yet!

Anyhoots, saw quite some interesting kains at Mak Anjang's so I bought a few. Thought I could use them for Raya as well as for work and kenduris. It's been quite a while since I made any baju kurungs. Then I went to do my marketing and came back with a trolley full of good stuff. Abang yang tak bernama tersebut is seen pushing my loot back to the car. Notice the green bag and blue chiller bag? Yes, I am completely off plastic bags for marketing now. We reuse! (Must practice what I preach!)

Next, into my Afternoon Evening Round. First up was the Hannah Montana movie. (Picture credit: here)

Since we were running late, no Chili's. Only hot dogs and pop corns and Cheezels during the movie. Movie itself is sangat best, ok?Tolong pergi tengok.

Yes, even abang-abang and bapak-bapak pun would find it pretty entertaining. A lot of nice songs in between. There's even a shoe-fighting scene with Tyra Banks that you would not want to miss. Taylor Swift also sang one song. (I sooo like that girl. You know, that Love Story song is by her..) I also liked the line dancing for that "Do the Ho-down""Hoe-down Throwdown" song. (Not sure what it's called. Will check and rectify later*Updated*) Sangat comel. They have a little more of that at the ending credits too. Please wait for that!

Had some girlie fun a little later. Bought some hairbands, slingbag and bangles. Miss T is on sale! Then we made a move to Bangsar Village 2. Khadra and Teyta had their nails done for RM10 each! (Check it out at Glitters on the top most floor) I had the chance to squeeze myself a new dress for the Saturday night ball (Uuuu.. So posh!) and the much needed grooming. Hah! Finally! I am no longer hairy where I am not supposed to be! Yee-ha!

Have to zoom along now, our dinner is awaiting! Need to get myself and the kids ready! Stay tuned to know where!

******

Original post: 9:34am

Promised Khadra that I would take her to the Hannah Montana movie with her friends (bukan ramai pun - it's just her cousin Nelysa and their friend Harissa) as part of her birthday treat. So, tidak boleh tidak, I took leave today to make good with the promise. *Disclaimer untuk tengok Hannah Montana, sebenarnya. hihihi*

Since the day is long, here I am setting out the plan for the day. Roughly, it would go something like this:

Pagi Morning Round: Make a stop at Mak Anjang's shop to check out some new kain that came in (KIV untuk raya tak tahu tahun bila) and to pick up Khaleeq's mended baju melayu for this year's Raya. Then off to groceries to stock up on the kitchen inventories and maybe a quick dash to Saluga's for a much needed grooming. (You wouldn't want to know the specifics, I tell ya)

Afternoon Evening Round: Pick up Nelysa from Ziezi and meet Harissa and mom at Chili's Mid Valley for lunch. Then off to the movie show at 1:45pm. Maybe, jalan-jalan for a while around Mid Valley after that coz Ziezi said there's a good sale at Miss T. (and maybe some other places) You know, just some good girlie fun!

Malam Night Round: Want to take out my MIL to dinner. Tak tau lagi kat mana, a good Arab restaurant maybe - somewhere in KL. (KOG, need help here!)

Will probably update in phase by phase stage. Watch this space!

-dillz blogging out-

RM50 & RM1

Just got this from my beloved Aicu...

Duit seringgit telah bertemu dengan lima puluh ringgit dan bertanya:
"Oit,lama tak nampak, mana ko pergi?"

Lima puluh menjawab " Aku pergi merata tempat. Pergi stadium tengok bola, Naik STAR Cruise, gi KK naik AirAsia, lepak One Utama, konsert AF, Malaysian Idol.. tempat2 cam tuh lah. Eh, ko camner lak?"

Duit seringit menjawab perlahan seraya menunduk,
"Hmm..biasa lah.. Balik-balik tempat sama.. surau, masjid, surau... ".

Thanks, Aicu for the reminder and guys;

"Sendiri mau ingat, brader.."

-dillz blogging out-

Need A Little Dose of The Secret

I have actually read this book a few times over. In fact, I own two (2) copies of it. One is a paper back, all lembik and dog-eared from all the reading. At one point, it was missing thus requiring me to buy the second hard-covered version. *excuses, excuses* Have also watched the film here.

The Secret is a collection of philosophy / ideas championed by many teachers from yesteryears all compiled into one book. It's not rocket science. Chances are; most things highlighted in the book you already know. In essence, it tells you how to get the things you want in life. (Go read it if you haven't already!)

Anyways, I have not been in my most productive state of late. Am in need of a little uplifting, morale booster, if you would. So, for me and also for you, dear readers; let me remind us on a few teachings of The Secret.

Taken from the Secret Summaries of Powerful Processes:

• Expectation is a powerful attractive force. Expect the things you want, and don't expect the things you don't want.
• Gratitude is powerful process for shifting your energy and bringing more of what you want into your life. Be grateful for what you already have, and you will attract more good things.
• Giving thanks for what you want in advance turbo-charges your desires and sends a more powerful signal out to the Universe.

Taken from the Secret Summaries of The Secret to Life:

• You get to fill the blackboard of your life with whatever you want.
• The only thing you need to do is feel good now.
• Do what you love. If you don't know what brings you joy, ask, "What is my joy?" As you commit to your joy, you will attract an avalanche of joyful things because you are radiating joy.

Time is running out. Have a deadline to adhere to. Looks like it's time to double up the speed.. *Attracting good vibes. Mari, mari, mari...*

-dillz blogging out-

Nak Cuti Jugak

The office is quiet today. Almost everyone is on leave. Even the parking didn't give me any issues this morning. Seems that everyone had the great 4-day weekend idea - replacing Wesak Day last Friday and extending it to Monday for the Cuti Agong replacement. Wish I could do the same. Unfortunately I can't. Even I really really badly wanted to.

Tapi tak boleh sebab nak kena buat report.. :( Bila lah nak habis report ni.. Saya dah lemah.. Tak larat.. Macam nak demam.. Nak nangis lah..

Asyik komplen, komplen, komplen. Bila nak positive balik ni? Kejap ye.. Let me soak myself in self-pity for a bit. I think I really need a good spanking.

-dillz blogging out-

Panas.. Panas.. Panas..

Mengapakah panas benar hari ini? I am practically sweating as I type this. Khaleeda is literally drenched in her own sweat - her hair looks as if she was part of the SoulGlo ad in Eddie Murphy's Coming to America. Minus the curly locks, of course. (Picture credit: here)

Panas keliling ni coupled with my mensus are the main contributors to my fuse yang agak short malam ni. We are currently in Puchong- layan budak-budak main dengan cousin mazen diorang. They are happy even though every single one is sweating like a pig. haha! Mak Ngah yang tension; nangis sorang--sorang dalam hati (am exaggerating) ; sorang nangis, sorang jerit, dua orang gaduh, jerit-jerit, semua sekali nangis.. Arrrgh!!!!

Tolong!! Saya nak balik rumah, nak mandi.. Panas.. Panas.. Hati dan body..

Oh.. Tak pasang kipas, rupanya.. Woops!

-dillz blogging out-

Uber Amazing Blog?

I was tagged by the lovely Kay

I was the 7th on her list and she described me as:

K. Dilla. my senior yg HOT and famous from college. She is so blessed with a warm close-knit family, cool hubby and 3 smart, cute kids!

Thanks dearest for the pujian. Don't think I was ever that hot nor famous, tapi saya terima je lah seadanya. hihihihihi... Eventhough this is the second tag I've ever done since blogging in blogspot it happens to be my first award never. ;)

The rules: (I've added some additional ones as I pleased - hey! it's my blog, ok?)

• Write five (5) interesting facts about the person who gave you this award.
• Jot down ten (10) interesting facts about yourself or your hobbies.
• Pick your ten (10) most deserving receipients and describe them.
• Leave a comment on the receipients' blog to tell them they've been tagged.
• Paste the award badge in your sidebar.
• Have fun! If you feel like cutting down on the numbers, feel free to!

Item 1: Five (5) interesting facts about the person who gave you this award.

Kay and I met while we were in PPP/ITM. Lost contact for a while and I found her again through her blog, Ngantukalways. 5 facts, did you say? Well, here goes..

1. Kay dotes on her little boy, Jib. He's the intan, the permata and the budak busyuk all rolled into one.

2. Kay somehow "originates" from Singapore. I am not quite sure of the specifics, whether she was born there or not, but she spent a good part of her childhood days in the Lion Island.

3. Kay is a soccer freak. She would also stay up till ungodly hours in the name of soccer. Then you can catch her updating her blog / facebook status / tweets with names of soccer players / managers / soccer teams along with the match results and commentaries. It's not normal, girl.. Really, it's not! hihihihihihihi

4. Kay works with a certain car manufacturer/distributor so she sometimes gets to spend some of her time at shopping malls in the name of work. Besides the fact that the work actually entails going to work on weekends, how cool is to work IN a mall? (Did I lose you on that one yet?)

5. Kay went to two awesome concerts in Singapore with her friend sometime in the early part of the year. I believe it was Coldplay and Duffy and some vomit and embarassing scenes were also involved, right? hihihihihi

Item 2: Ten (10) interesting facts about yourself or your hobbies.

1. I am the self-proclaimed Queen of HHTA (Hangat Hangat Tahi Ayam). Always making up plans, tapi resultnya belum tentu. Selalunya tengah-tengah jalan dah habis steam - potong betullah.. hihihihihi.. You can sight the evidences here, here, here and here.

2. I love all things creative. That would include my special fondness (and or lack thereof talent) for facepainting and scrapbooking. However, please refer item 1 above. :) It is my wish to have a dedicated room in my house as my creative studio and store all the junk stuff I've bought for my little passion-of-the-moment. Hey, every house should have a craft room, what.... (Kak Aiz would agree)

3. Many many moons ago, I used to spend my weekends at the Flea Market @ The Curve face painting. Serious! I was even in Kosmo for it. Then, I decided that the modus operandi was too tiring and my body just could not take it! Eversince, I have been fulfilling requests for private functions and I even have an assistant to help me out! Contact me if you need our services, can give harga kawan-kawan one.. :)

4. I have just discovered how to strikethrough words in my blog entries so I can appear to be more witty! Terasa sedikit bangga dan sedikit dungu! So, please excuse the slight overkill / overuse. hihihihihihi (Mimi, the secret shall be revealed to you soon enough, babe..)

5. Have always loved to read but have been influenced by Adeeb and Linda to read books I would otherwise would not have picked up myself. e.g musings by Safian Abas and Ruhayat X, The Little Prince, The Catcher In The Rye.. My whole list is available in my.2009.bookbar at the bottom right end of this page.

6. Still on books. I love to have a complete set of books. I have the Lord of The Rings trilogy, all seven of the Harry Potter chronicles plus the text books, Bridget Jones 1 & 2 and the supplementary book. I also have tonnes of the Dilbert series - the book, the comic strip collections, you name it. When I was in secondary school my outings to Holiday Plaza would not be complete without a purchase of Danielle Steele or Jeffrey Archer novels. (Geli pulak ingat baca Danielle Steele) hihihihihi

7. I have actually started on our family's baju raya collection. (Sangat poyo, tak?) The purple-themed baju kurung/baju melayu for the kids and me are already hanging in my wardrobe.(Shouting out: B, you better get yours done, nanti tak matching!) There are also pieces of dresses for the girls and other bits and bobs ready - skirts, jeans, tops. Beli sikit-sikit masa sale, lama-lama jadi bukit. As sad attempt of a thrifty shopaholic. BTW, I am wearing my purple raya shoes to work today! hihihihihi

8. Sangat suka meminum Caramel Macchiato dari Bintang.USD sedikit masa dulu. Sejak dua menjak ini tak beli dari situ lagi (masih tidak, ya) dan menggantikan dengan Caramel Latte dari Kacang Kopi. It seems that I can no longer drink them caffein that much since I get after effects these days. Nak muntah la, gassy tummy la, tak bleh tido la.. (Hence, completing this tag) Dah tua agaknya..

9. I have my stylo days and I have my frumpy days. Sangat stylo kalau baru lepas shopping beli baju. On days that I feel like a fat bloating old lady, I'd just don my baju kurung cotton or any of my khemah-like tops and be done with it. Malas nak pikir.

10. Don't like gold or jewellery. The only ones that I wear are my wedding & engagement rings, halus little bracelet and matching chain (on loan from ibu), my 5 year-old Tag Heuer Alter Ego watch, my Coach bracelet and my earrings. All are white gold / platinum / stainless steel.

My numbers 7,8,9 and 10 will be updated later when I can think of something else to write about. Let's just get this published first. (Yes, cheats are allowed.) Updated!

Item 3: Pick your ten (10) most deserving receipients and describe them.

The following bloggers are my daily staple and I look forward to reading their postings everytime. These lovelies meet my definition of uber amazing: (in no particular order, ya. Jangan perasan Puan chics)

Recipient 1

chicsinred - Puan yang manis ini sangat rajin menghapdet blognya. I love reading her tongue in cheek remarks and her simple take on life. Hilarious as hell too. Her blog is definitely uber amazing! Moi loike! It's not a wonder that she's a Srikandi! Woot!! Buat tag akak, ya dik...

Read her tag-reply here: chics

Recipient 2

emazag - Azlul number 6 in the Zaghlol clan. Now pursuing her Masters in Actuarial Management (kah?) in City University, London. She has the most updated blog in the clan besides mine. So, I thought I'd like to keep it in the family with this one and exercise my form of cronyism. Has a heart of gold, this one and is still single. (Yes, Ema this is my form of advertisement. Awak yang suruh saya cari candidate, kan?) hihihihihi Jangan marra aaa.. Nanti kena jual...

(p/s: Note to 2 man(s) in my previous Cari Jodoh post - anda berdua need not apply. You wouldn't want me to be your SIL)

Recipient 3

Principal Hemy - Perempuan ini saya jumpa di sekolah menengah. My Form 4 senior when I was in Form 1. She's a lawyer by training but left the profession to pursue her dream. I love to follow her daily adventures with the wonderful kids of Q-dees Saujana Utama and also her personal journey in life. Sangat sarcastic dan comel to boot!

Read her tag-reply here: Kenali Saya

Recipient 4

Amy - Jiran rapat masa in PPP/ITM. Those were the days, eh Amy? hihihihihihi.. One of the most self-less person I have ever met. Always thinking about others before herself. She's our main organizer for the all-girls' outings and the annual IKEA break-fast do. Love this woman to bits, it's about time that she loves herself as much!

Read her tag-reply here: I've been awarded

Recipient 5

Marliza Radzi - I only discovered this jewel of a blabbering mouth earlier this year. And what an interesting read she has provided me. Witty, funny and sharp. Loyar, rupanya.. Dan dah tentu seorang Srikandi.. :) Eventhough our secondary schooling time did not overlap, I feel an overwhelming connection to this girl. It's called sisterhood, y'all.

Read her tag-reply here: AM (Susah sikit nak pin-point the post coz she doesn't write a post title in her entry. I could just direct you to the right month. Carilah ye? )

Recipient 6

Along - This once again new-mommy of Daria Syazmin (don't you just love that name?) is actually a mommy of three girls. Has shared her ups and downs of her pregnancies in her blog which I believe has help a lot of readers out there in the same situation. She's one of the supermoms I have the priviledge to know personally and pssst.. she owns a spa. How cool is that?

Recipient 7

D.N.A.S - My favourite makcik blogger ever. Serious! She also happens to be my dormmate back in STF and her mom lives in Triang, Pahang - so she shares the same dialect as the Zaghlol clan. Popalleh, weh!! This IT expert should really be a writer and is preggers with her 3rd child right now.

Read her tag-reply here: Uber Amazing Blog

Recipient 8

Ajezack - Another friend from my PPP days. She also happens to be Terk's (my junior in STF) elder sister. This little lady is such a joy to be with. Always ready to have a wonderful time, she's ever smiling. Like , always smiling. A.L.W.A.Y.S.

Recipient 9

wanshana - A Srikandi super senior whom I got to know better through the blogosphere. I started reading her blog when she was reading her PhD in England (that was yonks ago) and we met every now and then at Srikandi gatherings. I am envious of her fabulous MT gatherings. She has a lovely family of 5 whom she writes about in her blog. Another useless fact I know about her - Her Dr-husband and all her kids go to Sri Petaling for their primary education. (Hey, me too!)

Recipient 10

Noresh - Mommy cum entrepreneur who bakes lovely cakes. Noresh is an engineer by training but decided to devote her time to tend to her kids' needs on full-time basis and does her baking business on the sides. She has been slacking on her posts lately. *tsk.tsk.tsk* Hopefully, this will be a good way to buck up, girl!

Keep on writing, guys! Now you know you have at least ONE loyal reader in me! ;)

-dillz blogging out-