Just look at me

Miniperi

“I’m so cute, I know”

 

Little Red Reading Me

“We must read books!”

My mother started teaching me to read when I was practically a toddler. I am able to read when I was 4 years old, and by the time I was 6 years old, I finished all my kiddy books and was reading my mother’s Khadijah Hashim’s novel. (So in the picture above, I can actually read that book and not just posing with it!)

The Ladybirds series, Penguin books came later. (I don’t know why Khadijah Hashim came first, Ladybirds later). Enid Blyton’s and Mr. Pink Whistle’s with it’s flying chair and talking fairies. Children’s Classic like Secret Garden, and Heidi, and Black Beauty. I read almost all the classics, but I didn’t finish reading Tom Sawyer or any books with a boy as it’s main character. And of course, those private boarding school series.

Malay storybooks of ‘Ceritalah lagi’, and ‘Tidurlah Sayang’. And I also remembered reading ‘Seorang Tua di Kaki Gunung’. Because I was reading the books when I was relatively young, (I cannot remember wether I’m in primary schools or before), I am always very scared and disturbed when reading the part about the man having to imputate his own leg to save himself.

Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High, segala-gala Sweet Valley was in primary school. R.L Stine’s scared the hell out of me and made me sleep with the lights on for many many nights. It also managed to make me suspicious of at least 2 of my best friends. I thought they want to kill me.

Ooh, of course Judith Mcnought came next. ehehe. I am a healthy, normal (curious) teenage girl! ;). I then get quickly bored of those romantic movies with the same story lines and the same raunchy scenes. There’s only so much ‘pulsating’ and ’swelling’ a girl can take.

Then I got hooked on those thriller/mystery/murder books with a lot of gory and brutal murder description. Alamak, I can’t remember the name of the author. What I remember though, I was reading that book while waiting in a clinic. And when my turn arrived, of course I brought the book in with me, and the doctor saw the book and asked me ‘You always reading those books?’. I said ‘Yes’. ‘It is not good you know. It will corrupt young naive minds like yours. You will be de-sensitised to crime and murder and nasty things’. I said ‘Ok’. And gradually stop reading those too.

Now I pretty much read everything and anything. Fiction, non-fiction, money, management, chic-lit, haruki murakami, a. samad said’s poetry, magazines, brochures, cereal box. Like I said, everything. But I still can’t take any romantic novels though.

I am very thankful for my mom and my dad for exposing me to reading since I was very small. For the countless trips to bookstores and book fairs. Reading has given me tremendous pleasure my whole life and I believe it is one of the most wonderful gift a parent can give to their child.

 

I’m back!

 

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

1.	aroused, animated, or imbued with the spirit to do something, by or as if by supernatural or divine influence: an inspired poet.

 

And I’m back! I’m back being the inspired woman that I always am! Wohoooo!

*run around, shake booty. shake booty, shake booty, run around somemore*

Ok, calm down.  Calm down. ( gosh, terpengaruh dengan Periwinkle la ni )

I guess these past few weeks I was affected by what is called - a withdrawal sydrome. When I used to worked crazy hard for the hafla last month, running on adrenaline half of the time. Then when it’s done,  my energy level dipped in more than half - I’m feeling it baaad.

But now that I have reorganised my thought and re-aligned myself with one (of my many) goals. I’m feeling GREAAATTT.

Working time! *put thinking cap on and smileeeeee!*

 

 

 

Senja di Kota

I took this photo while we were stuck in a jam somewhere in KL some months ago. I’m no photographer and I don’t know if this is any good. But looking at it again helped me feeling somewhat more…inspired. I knew I was in a rather inspired/artsy mood when I took this photo because we were on our way to the Annexe, Pasar Seni to watch my short,short story translated into visual art!

 

 

Uninspired

There’s no worse time in my opinion - but the time that I became severely uninspired. When your brain is like stuck in a glue or something.

When that happens I tend to blame the fact that I have been cooped up in the house for too long. Don’t get me wrong. I love my house and my simple corner on my simple dining table that I call my office.

But a person like me, with strong ‘wind’ element, would from time to time - need a change of scenery. Explore new places, do new things, meet new people. Just to break the routine.

That’s why I’m glad tomorrow I am going to do something different. Perhaps it can jump-start my brain and let the inspiration flowing!

 

New look

So, I have been playing around with the template. And I choose this new one. I don’t know whether I like it that much to stay using it.

Ah, we’ll see..

 

Mika the Macho Kitten

Mika is this little male kitten with huge machon-ess. Completely different from the jumpy Periwinkle, he is more tough and brave to defend himself when attacked by the - tada, penyapu!

Ok, I did not purposely attack him. Whenever I was sweeping these 2 kittens will always follow me around, fascinated yet at the same time scared with the penyapu. I don’t know what about the penyapu that intrigued them so much.

While Periwinkle will jump up and down and scurried away in the funniest mak nenek way. Mika will steadily stare at the penyapu, and when the penyapu comes nearer to him - he will hiss at the penyapu!

His fur standing up till the end of his tail, putting on this fierce look in his tiny, tiny little face - and he hissed!

It’s so funny!

(well, for all I know it might be dangerous or unhealthy signs in kitten’s behaviour, because I didn’t know much about cat’s behaviour)

So, to my untrained and ignorant eyes, it looks real macho! eheh.

 

Periwinkle’s antic

I am a green tea drinker. In fact, that is the only drink I drink besides plain water. I plonk the Dilmah tea bag in my huge mug, pour hot water, pour air suam - my drink is ready!

The tea bag tag that is hanging out from the mug then will sway, and flip, and flutter under the fan and that attracts Periwinkle.

She’ll climb on the chair and on the table and will just play with the tea bag’s tags. She always has this fascination with things that flutters. Even a simple sweet wrappings can be a source of pleasure for her. She’ll be playig with it for hours.

I took a picture of she playing with the tag on my camera phone, but I don’t know how to put it here.

 

The meeting

Me and Mr. Z went to this meeting yesterday. The meeting was organised by a group of young Muslims from various backgrounds. They meet every 2 weeks to discuss issues pertaining Islamic faith and everything and anything that is surrounded by that.

What I like about them is, they are straightforward. We came, we discussed, we learnt, we ate whatever little tidbits people bring at the end of the session, we go home. No holding-hands-while-chanting, no special code, no special rituals, nothing ’special’ that always gave me the creeps. In conclusion, no hidden agenda.

I really like it that way. Simple and straightforward. No muss, no fuss. And I learnt a lot!

I don’t really get the whole ’special’ ritual surrounding religious meeting. I don’t understand why do people need to do certain ‘binding’ promises, or special ‘bath’, or talk in a certain way, or walk in a certain way, or be in a certain way in general to learn about your own faith? I found that really unnecessary, and in fact, almost always - very dodgy.

In my opinion, you only do special rituals towards your God. Your Creator. For instance, like Muslims performing ’solat’ 5 times a day. It’s all for God, because of God, and only God. I also believe for whatever practises or rituals Muslims do - the order must come from Almighty. The rest ‘extra’ things, I believe in one way or another will contain the element of human’s selfish intention. Either to gain power, recognition, influence - the conclusion is - to please own selfish personal reason.

So keep it simple sweethearts! (K.I.S.S)

 

On the days I’m feeling blue..I’ll be Thankful

I would like to try a different approach from usual rambling and cussing everything on earth. (I’ve done a few melodramatic/ranting-full entries but somehow didn’t manage to publish). Maybe it’s a sign for me to change strategy.

I am thankful for my Mr. Z. My Big Z (nickname taken from the movie Surf’s Up). For always being so supportive and wonderful. For always smelling so nice. For always layan-ing and teman-ing me in no matter how rotten a mood I am in.

I am thankful for my parent. For Mama and Ayoh. For loving me no matter how many times I drove them crazy. For supporting me in anyway and everyway they know. For believing in me. For praying for me. For their patience and understanding.

I am thankful for my siblings. They are the best bunch of people I have ever known. I am thankful that they all turned up to be nice, genuine people. For their big,big hearts and their big,big smile always.

I am thankful for my friends, my students. Old and new. Who shaped me, and guided me. Who taught me and laughed with me. My life is richer with all of your presence.

I am thankful for my healthy body. My sound mind. My skills and my talents. My ideas and my ambitions. I am thankful for my hope and my dreams. I am thankful for many nights I can sleep soundly. I am thankful for every breath that I take. I am thankful for every sip of drinks. I am thankful for every bite of food. I am thankful for my ability to touch, to taste, to smell, to feel.

Praise to Almighty, I am thankful for everything that He gave me. I really, really do.

(Yeay! by the end of this entry I really feel better! So much better! My change of strategy works!! )