After having pre-birthday supper with my girlfriend (it’s her birthday, not mine) at Palate Palette last night, i casually said to her “Let’s be Melayu and go to Dataran Merdeka for a change”. It was meant as a joke but as if i was on auto-pilot, i drove to Dataran anyway. HA ha! Rupanya ada raptai some New Year concert going on, and M Nasir was singing. Then Mawi was singing. Sigh i wish i have something sarcastic to say about him right now but i’ve been sleeping half of the day today so yeah, kepala agak blur sikit. Been reading John Fante (aku masih tidak faham kenapa lelaki2 Melayu mengagumi Bukowski – oops jangan marah Sayang). We left 15 minutes later, kerana the ppl there were starting to look scary. In fact mawi’s voice was so loud, i had to turn up some drum n bass music kasi full blast sikit to block out his voice from ringing in my head. And to block out lagu tema Sembilu Kasih yang tiba2 menyesakkan minda aku.

To the kids di meja Our Happiness di Kurasa Something ‘do last Saturday, i like my tee shirt very much thank you. Keep up the great work!

I swore i saw Lacoste Posterboy di Neraka on that day tapi by the time I turn around, dia sudah hilang. Magik betul.

Selamat Tahun Baru. Kalau jatuh, bangun sendiri ok.

Dalam bahasa Kelantan, this facial expression is what we call ‘ma-seh che-toong’. I barely passed my phonetics-and-phonology masa kat uni dulu so dont ask me how to show you how to pronounce it here. So what is ‘ma-seh che-toong’ you may ask? Tu, tengok muka suami aku Ahmad Dhani tu, masam mencuka. Keh keh.

Photo stolen from Azman. (Bro if you’re reading this, gw mmg pencurik! You rawkz! Ayuh kita ke Bandung!)

I was trying to sleep on Tuesday night dan gagal (anxiety ni) lalu aku telah mendengar radio. Then a female voice came on, lirik-nya terlalu familiar: “Hawa tercipta di dunia, untuk menemani sang adam..”. The voice sounds familiar too.. hey wait a minute, this is Ella singing ‘Dua Sedhjoli’!!!

WTF. Ella, you fail at life. Stop singing covers. You have no right.
Ohh, satu lagi. An email from Suf:
"Meet Uncle Hussein macam bapoks. Who the fuck says akue, miu, bowneka, ciukuplah?"

Bwahaha. (Kudux jangan marah aku my friends say the darnest things all the time)

Oh Lupe Fiasco, album terbaru-mu sangat best sehinggakan aku telah berjaya menyapu seluruh rumah dengan penuh diligent sekali walaupun aku allergic pada habuk (alasan wanita urban terkini). Funny how I got myself geared up for a rock concert dengan mendengar lagu rap. But i made peace with myself, kali ini i’m gonna go to the concert, sit back and relax.

So yeah, the Dewa 19 concert yesterday. First of all, sedikit disclaimer, segala komen di sini, are of my own. One’s meat is another’s poison yada yada yada. Kalau ada spelling error, that’s because i’m typing in semi-darkness. Aku terlalu gayat untuk menukar lampu siling dengan sendiri.

First of all, I met Pierre Andre. Kami sama-sama berbaju merah. Sama-sama duduk di tepi jalan. Walaupun era fangirl-ing aku terhadap PA sudah tamat tempoh, but i just had to mention it here lah. He has nice ass. Tee hee.

Second of all, aku beli mug Dewa 19. Tahniah kepada entrepreneur2 Malaya yang bijak meng-print ‘merchandise2’ Dewa 19 untuk kami baladewa yang sanggup membeli apa sahaja ini. Workmanship begitu teruk sekali tapi aku tengok sales mereka begitu brisk. Syabas! Apa kata you allz tahun depan jual figurin Dewa 19 pula eh?

Third of all, all you ugly Malaysians yang tak gheti beratur dan pakcik-pakcik RELA yang hangat2 tahi ayam suruh orang beratur macam di kem Auschwitz, aku tak maafkan sampai bila-bila.

The concert itself was great (yes of course i’m bias but still!). If we put aside the endless Xpax commercials, the completely useless Dollah Cantik whoeverhemaybe and the 1and a half hour wait (why does Dewa 19 always have this knack of making you feel like they’re never gonna perform?) the next 3 hours seemed like a nanosecond to me. Our view was great, facing Andra and i think Once was on our side most of the time so that was a double bonus for us.

Dont ask me what song they played because i think they pretty much played most of their hits as opposed to their ol’skool playlist ketika di Stadium Merdeka sebelum ini. I pretty much started crying the minute *cough* si khalifah *cough* Ahmad Dhani started singing (that would be ketika his intro to Sheila Majid’s version of Aku Cinta Kau & Dia). Girl sudah mula menangis ketika start lagu pertama lagi, tetapi dia mmg emo macam tu. Hehe.

Their collabo with SM and Rabbani jived well (really well actually) until that little pijat in baju ala Gwen Stefani muncul – oh Mulan Kwok why do we even breathe the same air. She cant bloody sing, she cant dance, her legs are too skinny, her new single sounds too much like a Dewi-Dewi track (sorry Ahmad Dhani) and who one earth gave her the green light to sing Andra & The Backbone’s Musnah! Memang MUSNAH lagu itu. Aku rasa sel otak aku mati sepanjang ‘pencemaran’ Mulan di atas stage. Nggh.

Sedikit distraction sepanjang concert adalah courtesy of the Indonesians fans (no not you rich ones, the other ones – the headbanging, banner waving topless ones). No, this is not a racial/country profiling here because as we know, Malaysian (legal) concert-goers most of the time are passive. Kami tak akan robohkan benteng besi, kami tak akan lompat benteng besi. In future concerts, please dear Indonesian concert-goers, please have some respect for our RELA officers and the concert crew. Half of the time i was worrying about the older RELA officers, what if things go wrong, what if something happen to them, who will be held responsible for the mess?

I woke up early this morning feeling like baru lepas kena brainwash. Was i at the concert of the year last night? Then why do i feel like baru lepas ditinggalkan oleh seseorang yang aku cintai? Ok ok fine, kejiwangan tolak ke tepi, I hope Ahmad Dhani will come again next year! And years to come! So that my kids will get to see their Mommy’s madness!

Made a last minute decision not to see Andra & Backbone tonight. Am too tired. Have i not learnt my lesson from the previous Dewa19 gig di Planet Hollywood?

Photos of the concert will be directed later to my friend Azman’s fotopages who had photographer’s pass last night.

Shine on!

(kenapalah aku tak ambil cuti sahaja esok)

kenapa aku tak jadi tea lady sahaja

bloomberg training
Originally uploaded by natinski

Sometimes i secretly wish that i’m a tea lady. Semua orang baik terhadap tea lady. Gosip rumah tangga, putus cinta, kisah artis pop malaya, semua dikongsi bersama tea lady. Hey i have skills in buat air yang sedap, i say to myself. Why am here, in the pantry, nodding to the tea lady, wishing for one second aku boleh jadi tea lady. Kenapa harus aku risau tentang krisis sub prima yang melanda Amerika Syarikat? Bank mergers? Sukuk? Kenapa? Kenapa?!?

Emo kejap. Takmau lah jadi tea lady. I love my job too much at the moment to be wondering about how manis my coffee is these days.

i want one (maybe not)

i want one (maybe not)
Originally uploaded by natinski

Di office lama, i’m known as the walking dictionary. Tapi kini, dah lain pula, i am the walking thesaurus! Not sure which one i like the most but mana-mana pun okay. Nobody speaks Malay here. Oh well. Hey, if i can charge 50 bucks per word, i’d be rich by now! Namun begitu, i am still getting emails from my ex-colleagues meminta jasa baik aku betulkan grammar mereka and whatnots. No problem. Super Cik Nate sedia membantu! Cik Nate juga sedia membantu si budak trainee yang half-British itu dengan masalah bahasanya. :)

The girls here would hum “Aint no mountain high enough’ apabila mereka terlalu banyak kerja untuk disiapkan. Memandangkan i cant sing for peanuts, i just crank up my rap tunes on my iPod haha. Release tension sikit. Phlowtron pun layan juga because rap Melayu best juga apa? Tak pun i just go downstairs dan melihat sekeliling dari perspektif seorang wanita yang bekerja keras(!) demi masa hadapan-nya (!). Tak pun kalau rajin aku melangkah sedikit ke Starbux kerana jika Shak ada sana aku akan dapat 30% diskaun. Or some rubbish like that.

Have a great weekend. Kita harus jadi baik minggu ini. Harus!

(not my boobs)

Semalam di persidangan Baladewa di Suzi’s Corner kita telah memutuskan bahawa we will not make the same mistakes we did (non-mentionables) the last time Ahmad Dhani and his soldiers of lurve datang ke Malaisia. Instead, careful planning shall be made to ensure that I we will get the best of him. Hehe.

Am feeling a bit sick today. Semalam apabila i got home, i raided my [nearly expired] collection of medicines (yang disimpan dalam kotak cokelat. How convenient – let’s give them to kids!) and took a spoonful of Breacol and pil yang ditanda ‘demam’ dan ‘sakit’. I slept like a log last night. Woke up, got ready and drove to work. Rasa seperti melayang.

In other words,

I’m high today ok.

Ohhh i thought i was going crazy for a while tadi. I hate being on dial-up.

So yeah, what Cik Nate want Cik Nate always get! (mind the grammar) Managed to reach Zouk last Friday walaupun I was cursing all the way dari Sierramas ke Jalan Ampang hehe. Terima kasih En. Transformers kerana sudi menemani (well i tricked him into believing that I will introduce him to hot German girls - which i did eventually thanks to Ira & Jazmine).

Rasa macam bermimpi apabila dapat berhibur bersama Tompi dan Malik & d'Essentials. Time flew so fast and they were fabulous! The next thing i knew, we were already partying the night away di The Loft (it was Led Zep night) where i bumped into Zedeck (ikhhh kiyoot-nya dia), Sunder, that crazy guy from Ciplak and even my geeky cousin pun ada, haha. Tiba-tiba rasa macam di gig Hujan pula because there were so many boys looking like ppl who would be seen at er, a Hujan gig. Many thanks to Chee (and Sunder) for everything.

I think dah banyak kali I keep forgetting that I'm already 30. I need to stop being reckless wehh (tapi Cik Nate tak puas enjoy lagiiiii!, jerit batin). Am not getting any younger and I'm sorry for hurting the one I love because of that.

Esok ada induction the whole day. I hear the food is good. In case my stupid Internet connection buat hal lagi esok, Happy Birthday to Farrah, Ame and Elin! Love you guys!

My beloved Tompi and Maliq & d’Essentials will be performing at Zouk tonight! Jemput datang ye!

Badabing! Kerajaan Malaysia 1 - DBP 0

Rais tells DBP to stop borrowing foreign words

KUALA KLAWANG: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) has been told not take the easy way out by borrowing words from foreign languages to be added into the Malay vocabulary.

Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said such a regressive attitude would not benefit the Malays, who have a rich heritage.

“What I don’t understand is why should we borrow words from other languages when we have our own. A fine example is the word iklan (advertisement). I have been made to understand that the DBP dictionary no longer uses the word iklan and has changed it to advertansi,” he said.

Dr Rais said there were many other examples and the DBP had to stop this.

He was responding to a comment by Grik MP Datuk Dr Wan Hashim Wan Teh who claimed that DBP had run out of ideas and failed to do proper research on Malay words.

Wan Hashim said DBP also used words such as bajet (budget) and konsultansi (consultation), although there were words in Malay that denoted the same meaning.

“DBP should borrow foreign words only after it has exhausted all options in looking for a suitable word in Malay,” said Dr Rais at the opening of a RM3.5mil public library by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

So fine, I only read comics for the sole purpose of liking the plot or illustration like Scott Pilgrim (baru baca semalam hehe), Summer Blondes, Blankets, Ghost World, Death: The Time of Your Life or whatever thrown my way but it’s time to pimp something new and local: Komikoo.

It’s only 4 bucks! Out now in stores, y’allz. I like it a lot!

p/s: Come on, when was the last time you read a Malay comic that uses phrase like ‘ubermensch’ eh?

Ketika sedang menikmati cupcake di D'Lish Bangsar bersama teman-teman termasuk Nasrullah yang singgah ke KL dari Jakarta, I-do said the most spot-on thing last night. She said that i totally deserve this job for the 2 years and 2 months that I've suffered from my previous job.

She is right. I think I am much happier now. Of course there is no such thing as the 'perfect job' and I am doing my best at the moment to cope with the new job but yes! i am heppi! la la tally ho and all that.

Cuma agak tertekan bila teman-teman baru di office berkata "But you're an experienced writer, that's why the management hired you!". Experienced, maybe. But an excellent business writer?
Brrgh gerun aku dibuatnya.

Last day of work!

Aku mahu menangis kepenatan.

p/s: Pagi ini layan lagu Ice Ice Baby full blast on my way to work. Word to your mother. ;P

hari ini ada satu candidate datang interview untuk ganti tempat aku dan esok ada seorang lagi candidate. i personally like the one today because i've worked with her before at an event last year and she's sweet, hard-working and speaks good english. i didnt have the heart to tell her that if she gets the job, be prepared for a lot of mental anguish; makan hati sebab rasa tidak dihargai dan perlu ambil alih uniform (sendat) Wonder Woman aku ini. it's tough here, but if her rezeki mmg di sini and she can flourish here, then i pray for the best untuk dia. semoga dia dapat memenangi hati CEO yang beku itu. working here has made me into a very rude person, someone who has zero tolerance for stupidity. but i hope to change all that soon.

i make it sound like i have nothing but bad memories here but 70% percent is the truth. the other 30% i am grateful for the friendship forged (ala Fellowship of the Ring gitu) and the valuable lesson i've learned here.

[wah this is starting to sound like a farewell email to all staff that i will probably not send]

I think the problem with local radio stations (Malay ones) is that apabila sesuatu topik dibicarakan, ia akan terus menjurus kepada persoalan gender. "Lelaki yang patut bla bla bla" or "perempuan memang tidak pandai...". Can we please have a radio show yang melambangkan equilibrium antara gender instead of hearing the male DJ or female DJ trying to defend themselves? Kita sebagai pendengar gets frustrated with all these gender bias dan cakap ntah apa2 especially when the radio presenter kurang matang dari segi pengalaman dan suka hati buat spekulasi atau teori sendiri. whatever happens to the time when we get to hear penyampai radio yang bersuara sedap? why do they sound like itik serati these days?

Okay i'm just rambling. semalam aku mimpi Ahmad Dhani bergambar bersama aku. Dia begitu kacak sekali. See? Dia masih jodoh aku! Lagu terbaru Dewa 19 tentang cinta tertinggal di Malaisie is actually about me! I swear!

Nota: I cant stop giggling when i type "kita sebagai pendengar" Yeah it's all about me / me / kita / saya sebagai pendengar / pengundi / pembayar tol / pencinta alam bla bla bla. Can i have my own radio show now please.

I'm taking a break from working on my slides while my colleague is out for lunch and i sudah kirim tuna sandwich. i'm on a diet! but i'm also a liar because i ate rice this morning, and yesterday (di madam kwan, pavilion) and the day before (sebelum sambutan hari jadi Mama). Ikhhh tak bagus.

Proof that people still read this blog is that pada hari Jumaat ada beberapa orang ajak pergi clubbing. Tapi in the end i ended up makan malam di Suzi's sahaja. Rugi rugi.

And oh! you guys! Minggu ini minggu terakhir di office ini. Minggu hadapan sudah bermula kerja di office baru. Ye, tiada waktu senggang langsung but what to do, every day off cost money! Jadi kehadapan stalker-stalker saya, mulai minggu hadapan jangan hantar apa-apa ke pejabat saya lagi! Kihkih. Buat masa sekarang masih belum sempat untuk rasa melankolia atau sedih kerana akan meninggalkan teman-teman di sini sebab kerja banyak sangat! Tension betul lah.

Eh, sandwich dah sampai. Later then.

Disebabkan i am a natural hipokondriak, aku cubalah mencari sebab musabab keaadaan sekarang. Aku selalu pening, telinga rasa berdesing. Vertigo ke? Then selalu juga leher rasa cramp. Tapi cramp ini aku tahu datang dari stres. Ok let's put that aside then. But i feel like the earth is gently moving at times. I have a doctor friend, yang selalu belanja aku makan. Tapi rasa segan pula untuk hantar pesanan teks kepadanya. Kena gigit serangga, call dia. Gastrik datang, SMS dia. Agaknya kalau aku jadi doktor aku juga mengalami keadaan yang sama bukan? Pasti ramai je yang nak SMS aku tanya tentang penyakit macam2.
(Tapi Doc if you're reading this, my ear hurts! Jom I belanja you minum Kemaman white coffee di Section 14? Hehe.)

Pada malam pra-Deepavali I attended the Breast Awareness Campaign Fund Raising Dinner anjuran Estee Lauder. This is my 2nd year attending. Tapi tidak seperti tahun lepas, Emran sudah tiada. Sebb dah kahwin artis itu (now you know who is this Emran!) Oh well doesnt matter. The food kinda sucks though. You mean i paid 300 bucks to be served makanan hospital!?! Where are all the oil and fat and cholesterol!? *sigh*

I'm updating this just for the sake of killing time before i go home. hope you all have a great weekend. Raya dah habis eh? Tomorrow is my mom's birthday. I bought her tudung dari Munawwarah and tomorrow morning nak beli roses for her and a sugar-free cake (if there is such thing).

I have SO mellowed down lately. Siapa mahu pergi clubbing tonight? :P

Syafique, yang berumur 8 tahun dan bersekolah di Jepun dan ada girlfriend bernama Charlotte yang berbangsa Perancis asked me a peculiar question:
"Auntie, why do you want to marry my uncle?"
Adeh, pening sekejap nak menjawab soalan budak ini. How do i explain to a child that cinta yang dihujani oleh uncle-nya begitu murni sekali dan tiada komplikasi termasuk pelbagai lagi aspek2 lain yang diambil kira? In the end, I ended up saying the normal things. Dia baik. Kelakar. Penyabar.
Tapi Syafique tidak berhenti di situ.
"Well you know, women only like men who are handsome and have lots of money".
Kids say the darnest thing i tell you.

Utusan Group Open House, yesterday.

Iqram Dinzly! You jangan nak berlagak macam Mawi okay! Malu tau, Cik Nate sudah tertipu. Tapi I rasa you lagi handome dari Mawi. Tak rugi Cik Nate cakap Hi ketika melangkah keluar dari lift.

Nota: Tak nampak pun Mawi semalam. When i arrived, i was just in time to catch Imran Ajmain nyanyi lagi Seribu Tahun. Best. And then ada artis mana entah nama Sheila nyanyi lagu Raya. Ya ampun, Sheila sayang, go find yourself a sugar daddy and stop singing for good ok? Suara you mmg tak sedap! I think half of budak2 AF suara macam Sheila ni pun. Semalam banyak B grade punya artis. In other words, I cant find Pierre Andre. ;)

I really wanted to update last friday tentang how much I hate the word SEDONDON and families yang color-coordinate because most of the time the husbands will look out of place then aku buka fotopages my ex-boss alamak sedondon la pulak family dia eventhough I must say they look good in green (stay away from pink please!).

Lepas tu pulak later in the evening I received a phone call from an HR department of a big big company and I’m hired! The best part is that Cik Nate naik 2 pangkat dari my current job ini and they want me to come in as soon as possible and they’re willing to pay my current employer kalau tak dapat early release.

Wow, terlalu overwhelmed. Tetapi segalanya agak pantas berlaku menyebabkan Cik Nate pening sedikit memikirkan bagaimana my current boss will flip when she hears about this on Monday. But I have to take this job demi my own future yang sejak akhir-akhir ini semakin cerah dan cerah sehingga Cik Nate rasa takut untuk melangkah lebih jauh.

Berdansa di hujung gelisah. Yeah.

Kisah Nenda #1
Originally uploaded by natinski

"Bila nak kahwin?"

So I told her about my surpreme plan to marry a guy who makes his own biskut raya & sings off-key. "Kerja gomen ke?". Tak. Kerja biasa2 saja. Selepas Isya' hinggalah ke jam 12 malam, Nenda tidak berhenti bercakap. Menyesal aku cakap aku nak kahwin (well i had to tell her something). Aku juga menyesal kerana cakap aku mahu tido sebilik dengannya.

Jam 12:37 a.m. aku angkat kaki lari tido di bilik sebelah walaupun aku begitu takut untuk tido bersendirian, fearing that i'll bump into roh2 moyang / datuk aku (hanya mitos belaka).

Nenda kata bila umur sudah 30, dah tak laku. Aku cuma diam. Jis2 ceramah Nenda hanya berkisar tentang perkahwinan sahaja. Tak sia-sia aku punyai this capability untuk kosongkan minda dan block-out segala yang diperkatakannya.

(more to come tomorrow)

Hola, Cik Nate dah balik. I survived Kota Bharu!

I wrote so many things in my Moleskine and if I have time, I'll publish it here (oh you know you want to read my anecdotes tentang Kota Bharu).

Cuma sebelum itu, Cik Nate tersentak baca Harian Metro ini hari:
"PESERTA PROGRAM REALITI TV MAUT"

Joe Labi dari rancangan realiti TV Mencari Cinta sudah meninggal. Kemalangan jalanraya. Joe Labi si comic relief itu.. dah takde. I wrote few things about him here ketika Mencari Cinta tengah hangat ketika itu.

Semoga roh arwah dicucuri rahmat. Al-Fatihah.

Happy Eid!

Happy Eid!
Originally uploaded by natinski

Ok you guys, have a safe Hari Raya ok. My flight is tomorrow and I'm actually looking forward to spend some neurotic time in Kota Bharu.

Woohoo Kelate rawks! (walaupun panas macam neraka)

semalam aku menangis di sepanjang mrr2 sambil mendengar lagu raya black dog bone. just to let you know that i'm still having a hard time dealing with this whole ramadhan and looming Hari Raya thing. as you grow older, hari raya no longer brings any joy to some of us (maybe i'm an isolated case, but if you are experiencing the same thing arent you glad that i'm writing about this?). raya to me, means satu konsep paksaan. terpaksa balik kampung, sedangkan dalam masa setahun kita boleh mana-mana tarikh untuk bertemu sanak saudara yang semakin out of sight, out of mind. terpaksa beli baju baru, barang kemas baru, or else ppl will think you're not doing so well in life. Terpaksa menepis soalan2 cepu emas, di mana sekarang soalan itu dijawab umpama satu renungan kosong umpama aku tidak memahami bahasa melayu. Terpaksa explain kenapa badan naik, sebab di dalam family tree Idris tiada seorang pun badan berisi. terpaksa makan hati, sebab ahli keluarga berjaya mengelakkan diri daripada pulang berhari raya di kampung (ya, puasa hari ke-19, aku masih bitter dengan keputusan keluarga aku!).

apa kata kalau raya tahun ini aku lari sahaja ke mana-mana pulau? Tak boleh, tiket (mahal) sudah dibeli. Lagipun my only consolation would be comfort food - mana lagi aku nak cari authentic nasitumpangnasidagangnasiberlaukkuihtahiitiklompattikamkuihpianakuihakokayampercik itu? dan takkan aku nak miss sembahyang Raya (di mana selepas solat Cik Nate akan menanti dengan penuh setia anak-anak Sultan keluar masjid - Tengku Faiz kahwinilah aku!). Hehe.

Oh, just when i need my family the most they've decided to celebrate Raya at my brother-in-law's kampung instead! Ohh baguslah tu! Ha lain kali, buat lah lagi keputusan or any decision making without consulting me first! Memang aku emo, and makan hati sangat-sangat dah ni. But of course they don't have to know about it. Nanti jadi adik derhaka. Maklumlah, siapa aku, i'm just that sister yang tiada suami, tiada anak-anak, hence tiada komitmen dan lebih pentingkan kawan-kawan bukan? But wow, spending Raya this year with a grandmother who is very hard to please and a younger brother who i no longer knew is gonna be tough indeed. *sigh* Will try to make the best out of it lah i guess but at this moment kindly do not bring up the subject of Raya to me kthnxbai.

Because i am super-ignorant, i had to be told that 'ayam penyeK' is actually 'ayam penyeT'. and ayam penyet is not from singapore, but rather an indonesian food. That's how we got to Ayam Penyet House di Beach Road di mana kami disajikan dengan ayam goreng (apparently squashed, dont ask me how) dan disajikan bersama kangkung, sambal lada, kobis, tauhu dan tempe (in which i blurted out in my Kelantanese accent - "orghe Kelate tok reti make' tempe wehhh"). But aduhai, begitu enak sekali! The chicken is very tender and crunchy too. In fact, i think i like it better than nasi padang! Actually dah lama my ex-colleague, Han (who is still legally a Singaporean - yang tengah dalam pantang) promote ayam penyet ni. But you know me lah, bila di SG hanya teringat nak makan Taco Bell sahaja. Who can say no to the super delicious chicken gordita itu! dan di KFC sana ada cheesy fries (sama konsep seperti cheesy wedges di sini). Adeh, sedap gila.



The boys also ordered jus duren i.e. jus durian di APH. Walaupun yours truly ni allergic to durian, i took a sip and it is good juga! Jadi sekian sahaja food rebiu saya buat kali ini. Kali ini i didnt shop that much except i went gung-ho with the stationaries di Borders and bought a bunch of postcards, bookmarks and a pen and mendapat hadiah lunch box (juga dari Borders) dan key chain Lego (watak Darth Vader). I am uber-cool.





Ramadhan sudah hampir. Masa untuk menurunkan berat badan! Yeahoo! ;)

free hugs

free hug
Originally uploaded by natinski

Cik Nate wants to go to Singapore again this weekend. Harap-harap tidak ditahan di Kastam lagi, sudah serik! Sebenarnya kali ini tiada agenda yang khusus kecuali mahu makan di Taco Bell (dan mencuba ayam penyek), berjalan kaki menghirup udara segar (udara orang kaya as we call it) at Orange Grove Rd dan lepak di Kino atau Borders seperti ulat-ulat buku yang lain. Dan jika bertemu dengan budak Free Hugs itu lagi, aku mahu peluk dia kuat-kuat. Salaam hormat pada Nanie yang akan mengadakan majlis hari jadi berkonsepkan retro groovy dan serta Desida yang akan mengadakan parti bertemakan Lawrence of Arabia (deng).

Have a great weekend.

If there's one thing we all ladies could learn from the Japanese movie - Love & Honor lakonan Takuya Kimura, then it would be oi belajarlah masak cuisine2/masakan2 yang best. Sebab nanti kalau (like the movie) you kena cerai, or husband you tiba2 menjadi buta akibat demam panas, he can still remember your cooking.

Pergh, I totally cried over that. Suami aku (kalau aku kahwinlah hey) mungkin akan menangis bila merasa masakan aku. Sebab tak sedap. *giggles*

the red dress

the red dress
Originally uploaded by natinski

Ok selamat tinggal. I'm off to KCH for a wedding. Diharapkan baju yang menayangkan lurah klivaj* ini tidak akan menghampakan aku. Lepas ini aku taknak pakai seksi dah (yeahhh right and Chomsky can fly out of my butt thank you).

* ini terminologi Chee. ;p

Sometimes our friend Nikmat (Nikmat Dunia as I call him) say the funniest things:
"Jom kita makan donut cinta nak?"
This is in reference to Big Apple Donuts di the Curve yang membuat semua orang tidak tidur malam. Aku lihat Nikmat makan 3 donut bersalut cokelat dan kacang tanpa berkata apa-apa. "Inilah cinta hati saya", katanya lagi. Geli hati aku dibuatnya.
Sebentar tadi dia hantar teks mesej kepada kami:
"Lu berdua meriakan petang gua. Terima kasih."
Right back at cha, Nikmat. Hati gua juga berbunga riang ini hari.

i look like a friggin' darth vader today.
semalam, sebelum bergegas pulang untuk menyalin baju dan keluar kembali untuk bergegas ke keramat kerana ingin mencuba lidah lembu (uih jauhnya digression aku nieh tapi lidah lembu itu sedap), my boss pesan pada aku - "esok datang awal ya, i nak you mengadap tuan haji over this proposal bla bla bla" and then she just had to add that tiny tiny cherry on top la kan:
boss: aaaaand jangan lupa...
me: i know what you're gonna say already: JAGA AURAT kan?

so end up, hari ini aku pakai jubah. tapi jangan bimbang, pakai jubah macam ini pun, masih ada kata-kata sumbang dari orang2 yang deprived kat sini yang akan kata aku seksi. *sigh* such is life. nak jadikan cerita pula, tuan haji takde di office today!! nggh.

tak kisahlah.



tonight will be the final drinking session for Nasrullah and I. sedih! he's going back to Jakarta for good (eventhough i think we're gonna meet up in Kuching next weekend yay tuak!). From the last session, dia tanya aku:
"Hey, do you want to marry an Indonesian cop nggak? i have a friend..."
Me?! Marry a cop? Indonesian pulak tu!
aku bilang sama Nasrullah - if he has a hot body like christian sugiono, sensitiviti seperti nicholas saputra, suara seperti ello, angst seperti fauzi baadila then count me in man! when is the next flight to Jakarta?!i think my perception about abang-abang polis is pretty much ruined by watching Gerak Khas. I guess i need not elaborate on that haha.

Semalam di GSC midvalley ketika menonton Harry Potter (untuk kali ke-tiga huhu) tiba-tiba kawan aku si Sara Cantik yang duduk di sebelah menjerit "Get a Room!". Er, mula-mula ingatkan itu reaksi spontan-nya setelah menyaksikan tekanan seksual (sexual tension) antara Ron Weasley & Hermione Granger. Bukan. Rupa-rupanya couple yang disebelahnya (ya ya aku tahu kamu mahu tahu mereka bangsa apa? what do you think?) tengah asyik beromen for the past 2 hours. Hmm ingatkan budaya beromen dalam panggung sudah lama pupus. Rupanya ada lagi! Sara Cantik terus memberontak terhadap limpahan nafsu serakah pasangan tersebut dengan menghentak kotak popcorn-nya sambil membebel. Terus aku tak jadi nak menangis tatkala Harry Potter sedang berperang emosi dengan Lord Voldermort itu. hee hee.

Honestly aku tabik spring lah pada Sara. I don't know what I'd do if a couple is making out next to me. I'd probably:
1. Tukar tempat
2. Buat2 tertumpah air atau TERcubit orang sebelah yang tengah asyik dibuai nafsu
3. Panggil budak suruhan sinema dan buat aduan

But that's one thing lah about MidValley ye (Cik Nate goes all righteous and alim-istic) - This is a shopping mall mmg penuh dengan pasangan Melayu bernafsu. Belakang tiang, di food court, dalam cinema - just name it. It's like the haven for skodeng man! Ada satu ketika masa aku tengah shopping di Dorothy Perkins, tiba2 aku dengar si penjaga butik manis memanggil temannya "weh, skodeng". True enough, di hadapan mata kami, si lelaki sedang seluk tangan dia dalam baju awek dia. GET A FUCKING ROOM! But then again, bila fikir balik, getting a room would cost money and having premarital sex di rumah mungkin akan kena tangkap khalwat so haaaa, seluk jangan tak seluk. Euw. Mana datang pasangan-pasangan yang berfikiran jalanan/murahan ini. PDA (Public Display of Affection) is sweet but when it involves groping in public, it just becomes downright cheap.

and then and then (ye aku tak habis lagi ni) - di MNG pula, ada seorang gadis bertudung tapi dadanya luas terbuka - hampir nampak cleavage dia. dalam hati aku menjerit "WHAT IS THE WHOLE FUCKING POINT!?!". Ikhhh, buat sakit mata aku sahaja.

Hmm. Pagi-pagi aku dah bashing bangsa aku sendiri. Nice. You guys wanna call yourself Islamophobes, go ahead. I think I'm secretly a Melayuphobe (if there's such a thing haha - take it light ppl).

Ketika tengah makan di food court pula, tiba2 my former fling (re: si Shah body best muka macam anak Yusof Haslam) lalu di sebelah. Thank God he didn't see me. Sara tanya "Why are you avoiding him?". Honestly I can't remember why but at that moment of time, aku cukup tak suka terjumpa orang di saat aku tengah selebet. Tapi Shah memang handsome. Kalau aku digandingkan dengan dia, pasti kami akan menjadi star couple kih kih. Dalam utopia aku sendiri: mahu je aku berlari-lari anak kepadanya dan memeluknya kuat-kuat (re: sila refer balik kepada definisi 'memeluk tiang yang dibaluti bantal empuk') . Tapi aku adalah seorang wanita hedonistik yang tidak pernah tunduk pada lelaki yang handsome (kerana lelaki-lelaki handsome semuanya keji - tapi eh wait, lelaki tak hensem juga keji!). Instead, aku paksa Sara makan cepat-cepat and quietly left the foodcourt.

On my way home, i texted shah:
"Shah stop looking so hot and fuckable all the time"
[jangan betulkan monitor anda, i send lewd SMS all the time]
He immediately texted me back and called a couple of times. I didn't answer. Malas nak layan.


I woke up this morning and immediately remembered why I've been avoiding him. Dia tak mahu commitment. Masa 1st time jumpa itulah perkara pertama yang dia utarakan - no commitments* - kerana dia mahu concentrate on work and become a millionaire by the time he's 30 (he's now 28). Apa lagi, Cik Nate angkat kaki lah. I don't have time to fool around (well sometimes I do, when absinthe is involved). Using that 'no commitments' card can take you anywhere and I'm not in a position where i want to get my feelings hurt and my heart broken anymore. Faham?

Movie update: I've seen the Thai movie 'Me, Myself' itu. Nangis. Fairul kata cerita itu ada premis yang bagus walaupun agak slow. Aku buat-buat faham maksud dia sebab i only know how to use the word 'premis' dalam context 'premis perniagaan'. *giggles* Anyway, I want a boyfriend yang jambu macam Ananda Everingham! ;)

* "No commitments": Statement buaya daratz.

tak pasal2 aku sudah bergaduh dengan budak despatch yang datang hantar some stuff to my office. benda-benda tu berat and dia taknak tolong aku angkat and there's no one else to help me. why? because jantan-jantan kat office aku semua tak boleh di harap. bila diminta angkat barang muka mereka berubah macam aku nak potong [sila insert nama anu mereka di sini]. erghhh marah nieh!!! bastat sungguh lah. fuckin' cretins. *tarik nafas panjang-panjang*

Suatu hari Kak Zazou, sekretari Tn Hj minta aku ke pejabatnya dengan segera.
"Dik, Tn Hj nak guna perkataan komplasen dalam speech yang adik tulis tu"
"Complacent? takde hal lah kak. Translasinya adalah terlalu cepat berpuas hati dengan sesuatu bla bla bla..."
"Taaak, dia nak guna perkataan komplasen. KOM.PLA.SENNN. Boleh pakai ke? Adik boleh check dengan DBP tak"

Dalam hati aku sudah menyumpah-nyumpah DBP. Dasar komunis bahasa. Pemalas. Complacent!

Lebih menyirap apabila URTV menggunakan perkataan ANIVERSARI (ketika saya sedang browsing majalah kamera digital - hey mana ada i baca majalah2 hiburan & TV tu!). Menyirap darah aku. This love-hate relationship with the so called translasi Bahasa Inggeris is not gettting me anywhere. Aku rasa rebellious, mahu memberontak, mahu jadi nihilist. Atau berdiri di depan DBP dengan memakai baby tee Semusim di Neraka (fuuuh siap promo) dan jerit, hey penghuni-penghuni DBP. Turun sini! Let me teach you guys a thing or two about translation!!!

Sekadar angan-angan sahaja. Seperti angan-angan lain yang dititip di dalam buku nota moleskine hitam kesayanganku (intipatinya rahsia hee hee).

Bos aku sudah bising. I'm supposed to enrol in a kelas bahasa melayu (bagi industri kewangan dan perbankan) anjuran BNM & DBP. Cik Nate belum register lagi. tak nak register!!! *memberontak* Lagipun rasanya dah buang ke dalam tong sampah borang registrasi itu. ;)

p/s: Woi malam ini Nitrus will be performing @ The Laundry. Jemput datang. :)

ya ampun, anak sapa nih!!?? (ni anak my sister audra - dia suka nanyi lagu umbrella dan bila masuk azan maghrib mesti dia nak pakai tudung)



yang ni pulak anak sapa nih?!! (er, yang ni gw pun tak tahu but i saw her at dataran merdeka last sunday monday. comel sangat)

looking at their photos i think when i have a daughter i nak dia pakai tudung jugak lah.
cuma
i dont think i'm ready to give up my cleavage yet mwakaka.

Ralat:

My parents didn't lie to me. I missed out on a crucial information. The King Kong movie does exist, the 1976 version one starring Jeff Bridges - King Kong: The Legend Reborn.

Thanks Nalan for ze info. (I'm sorry again Mama!)

I've been wanting to write about this story lama dah. well, since the article came out.
you see, my parents, particularly my mother always tell me that my middle name Natasya comes from a movie about a particular female Russian soldier yang bernama Natasha. Growing up, i just accept the story as it is, i mean come on, surely cerita ini direka oleh my parents. i am so sheltered as an anak perempuan bongsu, you have no idea. they like to romanticize things - including how masa my mom mengandungkan saya they went to see King Kong and they kept saying thank God i came out non-hairy with a beautiful nose (a perfect symmetrical lie : King Kong came out in 1933, not 1977).
i've searched high-and-lo for the movie about Natasha but never found it.
until this article came out about a guy nama Amy Natasha:


an excerpt:
"Menyingkap sejarah di sebalik namanya, ibu Amy, Azizah Mohd Ibrahim, 55, berkata nama Natasha dipilih selepas beliau dan arwah suami, Norhuda, menonton filem perang Russia sekitar 1978 yang memaparkan ketangkasan watak pegawai tentera wanita, dikenali sebagai Leftenan Natasha".

So the movie does exist! And my parents weren't lying after all! Weird coincidence kan. I was in Pulau Ketam masa tu and my sister texted me asking me to read the story. Rasa macam nak balik waktu itu juga and hug my mom and tell her i'm sorry! For the past 30 years I thought you were lying about my name!

:)

I cant wait to see my mother today. She said she missed me while i was away in SG and that was the best thing a daughter could hear from her mother.

trivia: my parents also said my grandmother suggested naming me nanie natasya. can you imagine nama gua NANIE NATASYA !!?! *giggles*

Alang-alang dah update the english diary, I might as well update here as well. Feel untuk kerja belum datang. Baru pulang dari Temasek semalam. Tak jumpa Taufik Batisah pun. I’m listening to Mati Aku Mati, berbaju kurung hijau pucuk pisang (euw), tidak memakai celak dan menggayakan jam tangan baru yang dibeli di Bugis Street semalam dengan harga S$5.

I think from this trip kali ini, peristiwa ditahan di Kastam Singapura (kerana pink SKL!) takkan ku lupa hingga ke bila-bila. Walaupun hampir menangis disoal-siasat (buat apa di Singapura? Rokok ni untuk siapa? Tak takut kena denda 200 dolar?) I was treated nicely. Thank God.
Did a bit of shopping (tipu, I did a LOT of shopping) and sight-seeing. Seronok kali ini because I didn’t have to report to anybody (i.e. a boyfriend) and there was no need to please anybody.

Ok mood kerja sudah datang! Have a great week ahead ok.

get a room 01

get a room 01
Originally uploaded by sufian_abas

I love this pic!

(Sufian Abas memang bastat)

Tadi kan, like, Ustaz Z, singgah ke office ku (di mana saya kelam-kabut tutup aurat kerana minggu lepas sudah kena sound sama ustaz) dengan anak bongsunya. Hensem macam ayahnya. Pemalu, tidak macam ayahnya. Ustaz Z berkata kepada anaknya sambil menarik tangan anaknya kepada aku - "Salam dengan auntie cun, Anas". Huhu. Berbunga sekejap hati Cik Nate.

(yes i have a massive crush on my ustaz. i have no shame! All these akidah classes are not helping my moral standings thanks)

We're all gonna burn in hell kerana Pak Salleh.




Rebiu: Aku dengar ada penyair soleh di sini by SDN.

Alamak Hujan is playing at The Laundry tonight!!
(eh betul ke myspace dia orang ni)
(tapi aku ada date malam ni dengan si dia dari Djakarta)



p/s: Aku suka lagu 'Pagi yang Gelap'. The clouds nampak macam popcorns pagi ini. Semalam pun macam tu juga. Weird.

Fete de la Musique @ Alliance Francaise, 24th June 2007.

















Semua orang malas nak kerja ini hari. Increment sudah masuk, ada orang muka masam mencuka (including my boss huhu). I think my increment is ok. Alhamdulillah.

p/s: We saw Sharifah Amani @ AF. She is hawt with the bald head. Note to self: Lain kali nak mengurat Reza Salleh, jangan biarkan dia terkontang-kanting. Sorry Reza, I got distracted. Will take your photo next time around!

Jaja, if you ask me apa yang kita telah pelajari di tazkirah jumaat hari ini (pandainya ustazah buat ceramah supaya kami tak berlari ke warehouse sale loreal/maybelline waktu lunch time) hanya satu sahajalah yang sempat disalin:
"Jangan jadi sahabat seperti bulan gerhana yang muncul hanya sekali-sekala".
I don't know what ustazah was going on about for the rest of the ceramah. The usual anecdotes-lah tentang menjadi wanita muslimah etc.
*yawnYAWNyawn*

malas nak updet. balik ke kl, kerja tetap menimbun. as if everybody is waiting for me to come back. but that's not a big deal. i dont like ppl doing my work anyway. sejak balik dari kuching ni rasa macam blur sikit lah. maybe because i'm not feeling well. hopefully things will go back to normal when i get my bearings back in a couple of days. i miss my friends. let's hang out and waste money on minuman keras! just kiddin' lah.

staring at the picture, i wish my life boleh diundur. tak perlu banyak, sedikit cukuplah.

Greetings from Kuching!

Ex-bf masa kolej nak datang melawat (dia nak bagi ikan terubuk masin).
Aku kata - "Jangan jadi Tanggang".

Will be back Sunday.

suatu hari di pulau ketam:

"so natasya, ayah awak selalu fishing kat mana?"
"di US..."

so you can imagine lah why i was a bit reluctant to answer that question. nanti orang kata apa pula. but my dad was an avid angler back then. i remember sometimes we would head out in the freezing winter to go fishing. walaupun air sungai DeKalb semakin membeku, tapi dapat juga ikan! i'm just not sure why he stopped fishing altogether bila sudah pulang ke tanahair.

fishing trip to pulau ketam was fun. banyak juga ikan-ikan (kecil huhu) yang berjaya ditangkap. i slept most of the time sebab kena bangun 430 pagi. dan lelaki-lelaki pengail semua taknak pegang ikan so i was the tukang-cabut-mata-kail-dari-ikan. kih kih. but i'd definitely go there again.

ayat tipikal: will upload the photos later. it's been a busy month for me.