happy eid everyone, wherever you guys are...

Two more days of fasting and then we'll be celebrating Hari Raya.

My aunt from BP called me last night to order some last minute cookies and secretly I think, she was scared that I won't balik kampung this raya. So by ordering the cookies, I would feel obliged to come back home. She knows I'm not too happy with the fact that this is the first raya without my grandmother around. And I know I will be so emotional on first day of Raya.

Isn't it funny that when we were kids Raya used to be so happy and joyful and as we age there's just so many tears shed on Raya? (or maybe it's just me...)

Two more days. As usual, ada saja yang tak siap. I need to buy two more pants for Yunus, my youngest because I forgot to buy him any shorts/pants when I was in Bandung. Don't ask me why. And I need to buy Ali's baju melayu.. again, don't ask me why I haven't bought this for him. I blame it on the hamper-making and cookie-baking and the perpetually heavy KL traffic during Ramadhan. And I need to buy one dress for Medina, I bought her too many during my Bandung trip and her grandmother will probably buy a closetful already. But I just need to give her something so that she doesn't feel like I haven't bought her anything when I go back to BP. She's such a drama mama, much like her mama... She probably would've forgotten that she's the one who got the most goodies after I got back from my Bandung trip.

Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank The Diver for being showing his feminine streak this Ramadhan...Kemachoan yang hilang.. :P The Diver and Hana's brother helping out with my Hazelnut Suji.

The end product... These are really yummy (kes masuk bakul)...

The Diver helping out in the kitchen, preparing his Corned Beef Fried Rice for iftaar.
The Diver's nasi goreng -- siap shredded omelette lagi...

Zaza, I really wish you're here for Raya :( We miss you lots!

Happy Eid everyone, just in case I'm too busy to post anything the next two days.

the first time

Last night, at one of our supper sessions with the Usual Suspects, The Diver proclaimed, "Well, today is the 24th of September and it marks the first year of us seeing each other face-to-face."

That's him, that's The Diver for you. He has a knack for remembering things like that, unlike yours truly. He will always start a sentence with, "Back in 1976..." or "In September 2003..."

And he will talk about things that happen in 1973 lah.. 1974 lah... and I'm thinking.. were you not only 8 years old when those things happen??? It baffles me. Sometimes it even crossed my mind that he might be The Highlander or something... Connor Mcleod ke laki aku ni? Semua cerita dia tau... as if he's lived for hundreds of years.

Back to our "one year anniversary". Yes, it was a year ago that we met face to face. Before that I always frequent his blog, sometimes crying at his tearjerker writing (macam Hindustan punya sedeyyy) sometimes laughing my ass off reading his hilarious posts. And MOST times I just feel like bitch-slapping him real good when he was really down and suicidal. Last Raya, when he decided to go to Perhentian and before that he had really sob story postings like how he buka puasa with leftovers la.. apa la.... I just felt like telling him, "Stop it will you!!! Get a grip!!! The world's not going to end if you break up with someone!!!" Well if that someone is Gisele Bundchen ke, worth it la jugak kalau nak bunuh diri. Know what I mean?

I was down in the dumps too at that time. A certain someone was convinced that he loved me with all his heart but honestly, I never thought he actually did have the balls to actually LOVE me. You know, like LOVE, in its purest sense...

But what I did to ignore the pain was channel my energy into other things... like GiftCafe, friends (our girls night out at Micasa), hanging out with GemGem and The Betch at Oswego and Las Carretas (and watching someone sing "I come from the land down under...", melayan mamat-mamat bodoh so that I can blog about their kebodohan (oh, that's so cruel) and my kebodohan as well...

Anyway, back to The Diver. I'm glad we were friends before. All this while until March 2008, I've always cared for him as a friend. I was always concerned about his health, his well-being. And subconsciously maybe I've loved him even from the start. Even from the day I read his "End of a Great Journey" posting. Maybe love should bloom from friendship after all.

Maybe it was just meant to be.

"and no, I don't dive, thank you very much..."

Since a few months back, I've been dragged to a few divers meet / teh tarik / makan / farewell sessions by The Diver. That's the danger of being a non-diver when your hubby is supposedly the "legend" (ni bukan aku atau dia yang cakap tapi owner sebuah dive shop di KL. Nanti ada orang cakap laki aku berlagak la apa la...). You get dragged to all these events, which I don't mind really. And no, hubby gue tak mati lagi, walaupun ada orang panggil dia legend.

I really don't mind you know, socialising with them. They're a friendly bunch, and usually a mix of races which is super cool. And once I start diving (if I ever start diving) I'd probably know more about it theoretically than any other newbie. Dah berbakul-bakul cerita diving aku dengar. Tanya la ikan apa yang poisonous, macam mana orang bagi lobster mabuk pakai shampoo, dive site mana yang best, how deep is DEEP, what nitrox does to you, etc.. etc. I've heard too many of that. I'm also amused at their dive names - ada yang cute, funny, macam-macam nama dalam dive forum tu. I told The Diver tadi after buka, "Sayang, if I dive my dive name will be Octopussy..Boleh tak?" He was not amused. hehehe.. Saja.. aku suka bagi dia bengang with my bangang jokes.

So what do I talk about when they talk about diving? Takde apa la, aku angguk-angguk, senyum-senyum, give out my megawatt smile, laugh at their jokes (they're usually a hilarious bunch) and smile lovingly at The Diver when aku dah tak larat nak dengar cerita lagi dah.

Apa lagi? Masa Diver's meet, I just smile, nod, and jadi camwhore. Orang lain tak tengok camera aku sorang je tengok camera. Nasib baik la aku ni orang corp comm, pandai berlakon.

Am I gonna start diving? I told The Diver, if he wants me to start - he's got to provide me with everything - and no, I don't want the chokia wetsuit. Kalau ada Gucci ke, Prada ke, exact copy pun takpe. Sebab aku tengok sangat tak stylish itu wetsuits... The Diver cakap most Japanese divers pakai fancy ones, maybe I should get Zaza to check out wetsuits in Japan :P Lagi satu, booties yang diorang pakai tu.. Aduh... aku dah la stumpy, nak pakai macam tu lagi... adehhh... rasa macam merayap je la... It's very 80s. Kalau aku tinggi macam Spena takpela nak pakai booties macam tu. Ee.. sangat merayap....Lepas tu hari tu in Tioman masa tengok The Diver and Spena buat shore dive.. I was like.. OMG you actually have to carry the tanks all the way to the beach and into the water and before going in Spena was sweating bullets already. Lagi la masa dah habis dive, nak jalan balik to dive center, all wet and heavy... I don't see me doing that at all. I'm so lembik lah. How?

Aku boleh imagine aku menangis-nangis dan menghentak-hentak kaki sambil mengangkut tank tu balik ke dive centre.

Or maybe I should just stick to being a non-diver. Everytime ada diver punya gathering they will ask me, "So are you with SeaDemon?"

"Yes, and NO, I DON'T DIVE." Usually followed by "I shop!" - tapi ini selalunya inaudible lah. Dalam hati je.

One day Sayang, I will dive. One fine day.

a glass of Sirap Bandung Soda right now would be perfect...

I know!!! This is bad!!! I'm unemployed and yet I haven't really been blogging except for the handbags entry. And ladies, hopefully I'll be getting more bags - this time a red Celine bag and a really nice gold Gucci one (if its still around lah...) Maybe I should fill in under my profession: Bag Hunter...

Puasa month has been brilliant so far, in spite of shuttling back and forth JB-KL. We're currently in JB right now until Wednesday (I think!). Our furniture is supposed to arrive tomorrow, that's the main reason why we're here. At least that the main reason why I am here - The Diver's got to meet a few people and organize some buka puasa thingy with this diver friends.

I had an amazing weekend - the first time ever berbuka puasa on the island. The Diver, Spena and Rina were at Tioman over the weekend. And it was just exhilarating to have buka puasa while watching the sunset, carressed by the cool evening breeze...

The Diver and I watching the Salang sunset, Tioman. Right before buka puasa.

In KL, our buka puasa's are usually with friends, either at home or outside. But most of the time at our place, K3J. Because we can eat and doze off at the sofat and wake up and eat again until 3 am. Very cyclical, like that. If not pun, right after buka we'll just meet each other for supper. It's been a very, very good Ramadhan.

At SS2's Murni. Excellent peasant Carbonara served here. Why do I say peasant? It's served in a friggin' orange plastic plate and served by a Mamak dude. And must try the Mee Raja pictured above (Spena's recommendation). My sister will be drooling right now. I know.

We had buka puasa at Genting the last Friday. Douglas' Steamboat Place. Nice.

We're getting sick of our "normal" profile pic pose already...I know, very spastic. Venue: Las Carretas, Ampang

Till then, have a nice Ramadhan everyone... whatever that's left of it. And if you guys still need gift baskets - we're still taking orders, browse our site at : www.giftcafe.com.my

Last Call for Bags!

*SOLD*, finally

OK, last call for the bag, I've only one left...!!!

Chloe Eclipse Dark Brown Faux Crocodile Skin Shoulder Tote

THE perfect bag for working moms. Big enough to fit your laptop!
Selling price: RM 268 200 - this is such a steal, so you people who are interested can text me at 013 218 5777

handbags for sale

To all you bagophiles out there, I've got top quality, exact copies, original imitation designer bags for sale. Only one item per design. They're all brand spanking new, except for the Coach tote.

Chloe Gold Shoulder Tote Bag *SOLD*

A roomy shoulder tote that's perfect for the office. Understated casual elegance. Comes with an adjustable strap.
Selling Price: RM195







Chloe Eclipse Dark Brown Faux Crocodile Skin Shoulder Tote

THE perfect bag for working moms. Big enough to fit your laptop!
Selling price: RM 268





Louis Vuitton Vernis Heart Coin Purse in Bronze and Dark Brown *Bronze Coin Purse SOLD, I only have the Dark Brown one left*

An elegant but super cute Vernis patent monogram coin purse with an outer D-ring and charms (key, padlock and ID plate) that would match perfectly with an LV Vernis bag. I have a Neverfull PM and it goes well with that too! Comes with an exclusive LV gift box. A HOT favourite.
Selling Price: RM92

Coach Gold and Brown Shoulder Tote with Gold Sequin details *SOLD*
Large shoulder tote with brown and gold Coach C's. Gold sequin trimmings add a touch of elegance and class. Used once, but booklet and Coach card still in its pocket.
Selling Price: RM122

Please contact me via SMS or call at: 013 218 5777. I will be in KL from 4th to 12th of August I mean September, should you need to view the above.

Happy Ramadhan everyone!

p/s: Muchas gracias and a million kisses to my Diver for the beautiful pics.

welcoming ramadhan

Briyani loaded with mutton curry, honey chicken, crispy bitter gourd and stir-fried okra. Heaven on earth.

The Diver's muka lapar. Cannot even muster a smile...

As I sit here on my new bed, I thank God for granting me my wish. The wish that I made on the first day of Ramadhan last year... It was a simple wish: To have a happier first day of Ramadhan this year. I didn't wish for a husband, or a boyfriend, or more money or being able to afford a pair of Manolos. I just wanted to be slightly happier.

And this year, He granted me that. It wasn't a happier first day of Ramadhan than last year, it was THE happiest first day of Ramadhan I ever had. I spent the whole day with The Diver shopping for our new home, not at the poshest of place but at Air Hitam. And for iftar, he fed me my first suap of rice.

The Diver feeding me my first suap of briyani... Wei, ni bukan gambar porno ok!!! Bulan puasa nih!!!

At the next table in the picture above, the guy in yellow was having iftar all alone - and when I stole a glance at him, tears were welling in his eyes and he kept on rubbing his eyes to keep the tears away. I think God put him there, lest I forget the sadness both The Diver and I went through last year.

Alhamdulillah.