as usual the thought of going balik kampong initially fills me with some dread.
and then i move to stage two – resignation, and also start to get a wee bit excited at the prospect.
then comes stage three – into the mood full swing, planning what dvds / cds / books to bring, exercise implements/books (if any), dig up that half written letter to S to finish off, food snacks to buy/cook, tiny bottles of toiletries, etc etc.
time seems to stand still in our kampong.
afternoon naps are always great back there, after a simple afternoon meal, and after (or during) whatever movie we pop into the dvd player. wake up around 6.30pm, dither around a bit, shower and figure out what to have for dinner.
there’ll be lots to do, maybe explore the old kampong house, check out that antique bed underneath it to see if i can salvage it for my own, go see the swollen river, maybe even go for a spot of hiking with the cousins.
a barbeque is planned for sunday night under the stars (and trust me, over there you can actually see them), with the qurban beef we will get in the morning (hopefully they wont be too tough).
doing my laundry right outside the house, and hanging it to dry in honest to god sunshine, fluttering in the gentle breeze.
it’s a simple life.
…………………
today is declared a half day by the bosses.
apart from one other person, the floor is empty.
i have my windows open, and bright sunlight is spilling in.
it’s a beautiful day.
…………………..
enjoy what's left of 2006.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
auld lang syne
left, trinket from new year’s / house warming party with miss j, london, 1995
right, bauble from christmas / house warming party with miss j, kuala lumpur, 2005
i wonder where we’ll be in the next 10 years' time?
.....................
have a happy new year and a good aidiladha, everyone.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
manic monday
after two days of minimal human contact (actually, didn’t even leave the house on sunday), i of course had to break the spell by making plans to watch a movie, possibly meet up with des to return his book as well as a catch-up session with mraccenture on monday.
there i was with therose at cineleisure damansara, well in time to collect our movie tickets, quite pleased coz neither of us had been to that particular cinema before, only to discover that in my confusion of booking several random movies for the day just in case, i got the venue mixed up. the movie we wanted to watch was showing not at the curve, but at gsc 1-utama.
mad, mad dash.
the movie? tentang bulan. a local movie about the friendship of five kids (what is a movie about kids at the age of 12 without bicycles, a stream or railway tracks? this one has all three).
the group of children has the usual mix – the nerdy looking one, the fat kid, the frail one, and the head honcho, mastermind and inevitably fairly good looking one. (if this reminds you of stand by me, suppress the feeling. hard).
having seen eragon two weeks earlier, i have to say i prefer the latter movie.
unfair perhaps to compare a movie based on a book written by a kid, to a movie about kids written by an adult, but there you go.
the kids all did a fairly good job, given their scripts; i can’t however say the same thing about the adults in the movie.
and they could perhaps have found a more pristine stream (i remember the streams of my own childhood, accessible of course by bike and a hike, and they were nowhere near as murky).
there are worse ways to spend your afternoons (like watching eragon).
one jarring error though – what mrsm (science stream boarding school) is there in kl??
oh and miss j and chocolalat, the movie was based in perlis : )
there i was with therose at cineleisure damansara, well in time to collect our movie tickets, quite pleased coz neither of us had been to that particular cinema before, only to discover that in my confusion of booking several random movies for the day just in case, i got the venue mixed up. the movie we wanted to watch was showing not at the curve, but at gsc 1-utama.
mad, mad dash.
the movie? tentang bulan. a local movie about the friendship of five kids (what is a movie about kids at the age of 12 without bicycles, a stream or railway tracks? this one has all three).
the group of children has the usual mix – the nerdy looking one, the fat kid, the frail one, and the head honcho, mastermind and inevitably fairly good looking one. (if this reminds you of stand by me, suppress the feeling. hard).
having seen eragon two weeks earlier, i have to say i prefer the latter movie.
unfair perhaps to compare a movie based on a book written by a kid, to a movie about kids written by an adult, but there you go.
the kids all did a fairly good job, given their scripts; i can’t however say the same thing about the adults in the movie.
and they could perhaps have found a more pristine stream (i remember the streams of my own childhood, accessible of course by bike and a hike, and they were nowhere near as murky).
there are worse ways to spend your afternoons (like watching eragon).
one jarring error though – what mrsm (science stream boarding school) is there in kl??
oh and miss j and chocolalat, the movie was based in perlis : )
Monday, December 25, 2006
merry xmas
dear santa
all i want for christmas is denzel washington.
you can keep the brad pitts, tom cruises, jude laws of the world.
just denzel washington.
no gift wrap necessary.
thank you.
all i want for christmas is denzel washington.
you can keep the brad pitts, tom cruises, jude laws of the world.
just denzel washington.
no gift wrap necessary.
thank you.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
home alone
mum and dad balik kampong. bro went off recce-ing for a future project.
am home alone over christmas weekend.
no responsibilities, no schedules, no deadlines, nothing.
yesterday, went of to sis’ to pay for my broadband account which had been cut off for late payment (don’t ask), baked carrotcake for mum to bring back, watched superman returns (sigh, kevin spacey is still dreamy. there goes another sexy baldie..), had afternoon nap, watered plants.
too lazy to get on treadmill, and not in the mood for yoga.
so dug up my callanetics book (which claims to make your body look 10 years younger in 10 hours) while re-playing v for vendetta, and, at circa 9pm was asking my legs to do impossible things.
feel tight already. or maybe its just my deep dormant muscles protesting at having to be woken up.
must must must try and keep it up. it wouldn’t hurt to look 25 again, surely?
no concrete plans for today either, and nobody to care for but self.
will see if can watch déjà vu, the departed, 2046 and finish off gie, with food break/naps as appropriate.
with a spot of yoga.
or not.
bliss.
am home alone over christmas weekend.
no responsibilities, no schedules, no deadlines, nothing.
yesterday, went of to sis’ to pay for my broadband account which had been cut off for late payment (don’t ask), baked carrotcake for mum to bring back, watched superman returns (sigh, kevin spacey is still dreamy. there goes another sexy baldie..), had afternoon nap, watered plants.
too lazy to get on treadmill, and not in the mood for yoga.
so dug up my callanetics book (which claims to make your body look 10 years younger in 10 hours) while re-playing v for vendetta, and, at circa 9pm was asking my legs to do impossible things.
feel tight already. or maybe its just my deep dormant muscles protesting at having to be woken up.
must must must try and keep it up. it wouldn’t hurt to look 25 again, surely?
no concrete plans for today either, and nobody to care for but self.
will see if can watch déjà vu, the departed, 2046 and finish off gie, with food break/naps as appropriate.
with a spot of yoga.
or not.
bliss.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
amnesia lane
the year i came back from london for good, was a year of firsts.
it was my first tropical raya after three years of wearing 70 denier tights underneath my baju kurung.
we also had, for the first time in 14 years, a next door neighbour.
stifled from the heat i took off my baju kurung as soon as humanly possible after lunch, changed into my then most comfortable outfit – my ¾ leggings and baggy pearl jam alive t-shirt, and went into my room for an afternoon nap.
voices outside later woke me up.
curious and groggy from sleep, i came out of my room (which opens straight into the tv room/dining room), still in my pj t-shirt and leggings, with my long curly hair a total freaky mess from the combination of humidity and sleep.
and there, right in front of me, was my new neighbour’s entire family, resplendent in their baju melayus and baju kurungs and kebayas.
also for the first time since we lived there, apparently neighbours actually came a-visiting on raya day itself.
one of the sons (who is a fairly successful actor, and has a fancy car), had, as luck would have it, brought his then lady friend with him.
she was skinny tall and booby (you notice a trend here?) with long straight hair (not a single strand out of place), and wore a bright orange kebaya that looked like it was painted on.
my initial reaction upon seeing the neighbour family was “oh shit”.
my reaction on seeing supermodel-esque woman in her second-skin outfit, fully aware of how i looked at that particular point in time, was “OH FUCK”.
i could care less about the actor or his girlfriend, really.
but that feeling of mortification, bottomless sinking feeling coupled with complete inadequacy, visits me, not often, but once in a long while.
and for some inexplicable irrational and totally unrelated reason, it visited me that night in the parking lot seeing my mr sexy casually stroll to his ultra fancy car.
instantly i was back in that hot afternoon, and the sinking realization that there must surely be a perfect orange clad beauty somewhere for my mr sexy too.
and i went, “OH FUCK”.
it was my first tropical raya after three years of wearing 70 denier tights underneath my baju kurung.
we also had, for the first time in 14 years, a next door neighbour.
stifled from the heat i took off my baju kurung as soon as humanly possible after lunch, changed into my then most comfortable outfit – my ¾ leggings and baggy pearl jam alive t-shirt, and went into my room for an afternoon nap.
voices outside later woke me up.
curious and groggy from sleep, i came out of my room (which opens straight into the tv room/dining room), still in my pj t-shirt and leggings, with my long curly hair a total freaky mess from the combination of humidity and sleep.
and there, right in front of me, was my new neighbour’s entire family, resplendent in their baju melayus and baju kurungs and kebayas.
also for the first time since we lived there, apparently neighbours actually came a-visiting on raya day itself.
one of the sons (who is a fairly successful actor, and has a fancy car), had, as luck would have it, brought his then lady friend with him.
she was skinny tall and booby (you notice a trend here?) with long straight hair (not a single strand out of place), and wore a bright orange kebaya that looked like it was painted on.
my initial reaction upon seeing the neighbour family was “oh shit”.
my reaction on seeing supermodel-esque woman in her second-skin outfit, fully aware of how i looked at that particular point in time, was “OH FUCK”.
i could care less about the actor or his girlfriend, really.
but that feeling of mortification, bottomless sinking feeling coupled with complete inadequacy, visits me, not often, but once in a long while.
and for some inexplicable irrational and totally unrelated reason, it visited me that night in the parking lot seeing my mr sexy casually stroll to his ultra fancy car.
instantly i was back in that hot afternoon, and the sinking realization that there must surely be a perfect orange clad beauty somewhere for my mr sexy too.
and i went, “OH FUCK”.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
starlight, starbright
chocolalat just gave me the link for this.am well chuffed.
i have been waiting for years for them to make a movie out of good omens, and they go and quietly make stardust instead.
brilliant.
stardust was my third neil book, after good omens and neverwhere. and honestly i liked it better on the second reading.
the story started life as a graphic novel, but i only read the novelised version, which came after.
it’s a bit like princess bride, but much, much more sinister.
as only neil can deliver.
there’s fairly big names involved – claire danes, michelle pfeiffer, robert de niro, sienna miller - except for the lead actor playing tristran who is someone i have never heard of – charlie fox (who?).
initial reviews seem to be good, so long as (as usual) one doesn’t expect the movie to be the book (after lotr, i have learnt my lesson, thanks).
can’t wait for march 2007.
ps. halva, if you are reading this, is my book with you?
Monday, December 18, 2006
too good to be true
found out on friday night that mr sexy drives an audi coupe.
which means he is rich.
which makes me nervous.
which somehow makes him not so appealing anymore, actually.
(which incidentally also almost definitely means there is a skinny booby leggy supermodel girlfriend in the sidelines (maybe even two).
sigh.
all i want is a normal decent bloke whom i can talk to/with about anything under the sun, and be just as comfortable with not saying a word; whose skincare regime is not more expensive than mine; preferably someone who knows next to nothing about wine, who’s good with his hands and doesn’t balk at getting down and dirty from honest work.
is that too much to ask?
which means he is rich.
which makes me nervous.
which somehow makes him not so appealing anymore, actually.
(which incidentally also almost definitely means there is a skinny booby leggy supermodel girlfriend in the sidelines (maybe even two).
sigh.
all i want is a normal decent bloke whom i can talk to/with about anything under the sun, and be just as comfortable with not saying a word; whose skincare regime is not more expensive than mine; preferably someone who knows next to nothing about wine, who’s good with his hands and doesn’t balk at getting down and dirty from honest work.
is that too much to ask?
Friday, December 15, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
mr sexy is back…
… having a meeting at the conference room since 2 pm, facing this way and therefore very very visible.
yum.
hope the meeting goes on all night long.
have decided he is not that good looking but damn, the idea of him is driving me nuts.
ooh yes, more of that fingers-interlocking-behind-head-at-base-of-neck action, baby, please.
sigh.
it doesn’t take a lot to make me happy these days.
is that good or bad?
(i so need to leave this office and get a life, man)
yum.
hope the meeting goes on all night long.
have decided he is not that good looking but damn, the idea of him is driving me nuts.
ooh yes, more of that fingers-interlocking-behind-head-at-base-of-neck action, baby, please.
sigh.
it doesn’t take a lot to make me happy these days.
is that good or bad?
(i so need to leave this office and get a life, man)
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
selamat hari lahir
to be sung with great enthusiasm today:
duliii yang maaha mulia
selaaaaamat dii aaatas takhta
allaaaaah lanjuuuuutkan usia tuanku
rakyat mohon restu
bawah duli tuanku
bahaaaaagia seelama-lamanya
aman dan sentosa
duli yang mahaaaaaaa
muuuuuuuliaaaaaaaaaaa...*
happy birthday sultan selangor; thank you for the public holiday!!
* one of the most difficult state songs to sing, surely?
duliii yang maaha mulia
selaaaaamat dii aaatas takhta
allaaaaah lanjuuuuutkan usia tuanku
rakyat mohon restu
bawah duli tuanku
bahaaaaagia seelama-lamanya
aman dan sentosa
duli yang mahaaaaaaa
muuuuuuuliaaaaaaaaaaa...*
happy birthday sultan selangor; thank you for the public holiday!!
* one of the most difficult state songs to sing, surely?
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
another music plug
stumbled across this artist / songwriter / bassist / composer / producer / genius while surfing about the movie “cinta” (he is the music director).
do check his songs out – he’s got the coolest website too:
do check his songs out – he’s got the coolest website too:
http://www.pacheye.com/index.php
i will be on the hunt again soon …
Monday, December 04, 2006
cinta* (not really a review)
i was horribly late for the movie.
midvalley on any given sunday is a nightmare; midvalley on a school holiday weekend with sales everywhere and christmas around the corner was beyond madness.
i was stuck in the jam trying to get into parking for almost half an hour; i went round and round like a possessed person hoping against hope that there would be an empty parking spot just for me for yet another half hour, maybe more.
the rest had already gone into the cinema; i couldn’t even text or call them to tell that i would be late coz there was no reception on my handphone (thank you maxis, the extent of your coverage simply astounds me).
i was beginning to compose the sad text to the girls which went somewhere along the lines of “dear girls, failed to find parking after 40 minutes. am stressed and fed up and am going home. sorry, catch up with your guys some other time. will reimburse for ticket, no worries”, when lo and behold, a couple casually walk up to their car and made a quick exit just as i reach them. with no other predatory drivers in sight for me to fight with.
so, i made it into the movie having lost god knows how many minutes (there was apparently a technical problem and the movie was stopped for a while – waiting for me?).
i was in a foul mood, hungry, stressed and tired, sceptical about love in general and more than ready to hate the movie with a vengeance.
and i loved it.
and cried buckets into the bargain.
yes of course there were some cliché bits, and some wooden acting and cringe-worthy lines/scenes, but aside from those faults, the acting and casting were great overall, the cinematography fresh (with some lovely shots of kl taken in a parallel universe where there’s no haze) and the soundtrack for the most part spot-on, if a wee bit too loud at times.
it restored my faith in malay films killed off by the onslaught on yusoff haslam movies in the 90's and the like.
if you haven’t yet, please do go watch it.
and bring a box of tissues.
i watched the movie not knowing a thing about it’s storyline(s). so try and stop yourself from reading reviews or seeing the trailer even – just watch it.
you will be pleasantly surprised.
(“cinta” is malay for “love”)
midvalley on any given sunday is a nightmare; midvalley on a school holiday weekend with sales everywhere and christmas around the corner was beyond madness.
i was stuck in the jam trying to get into parking for almost half an hour; i went round and round like a possessed person hoping against hope that there would be an empty parking spot just for me for yet another half hour, maybe more.
the rest had already gone into the cinema; i couldn’t even text or call them to tell that i would be late coz there was no reception on my handphone (thank you maxis, the extent of your coverage simply astounds me).
i was beginning to compose the sad text to the girls which went somewhere along the lines of “dear girls, failed to find parking after 40 minutes. am stressed and fed up and am going home. sorry, catch up with your guys some other time. will reimburse for ticket, no worries”, when lo and behold, a couple casually walk up to their car and made a quick exit just as i reach them. with no other predatory drivers in sight for me to fight with.
so, i made it into the movie having lost god knows how many minutes (there was apparently a technical problem and the movie was stopped for a while – waiting for me?).
i was in a foul mood, hungry, stressed and tired, sceptical about love in general and more than ready to hate the movie with a vengeance.
and i loved it.
and cried buckets into the bargain.
yes of course there were some cliché bits, and some wooden acting and cringe-worthy lines/scenes, but aside from those faults, the acting and casting were great overall, the cinematography fresh (with some lovely shots of kl taken in a parallel universe where there’s no haze) and the soundtrack for the most part spot-on, if a wee bit too loud at times.
it restored my faith in malay films killed off by the onslaught on yusoff haslam movies in the 90's and the like.
if you haven’t yet, please do go watch it.
and bring a box of tissues.
i watched the movie not knowing a thing about it’s storyline(s). so try and stop yourself from reading reviews or seeing the trailer even – just watch it.
you will be pleasantly surprised.
(“cinta” is malay for “love”)
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