* entry deleted. Aku malu tengok muka aku sendiri! *

Satu Penghijrahan.


Click to enlarge

Datang sini malam ini bagi pihak aku (because I got fancy schamcy dinner with bankers tonight – honestly, I’d ditch my bareback red dress anytime)



Appearances by:
• Funky Doryz,
• Duniya,
• Nazar & d'extensions,
• Infinatez,
• Najwa,
• Imran Ajmain, (woot!)
• Radiostar,
• Otam, (kroni!!)
• Noh &...,
• Tongkat,
• Bard Layarjiwa,
• Pash,
• Fynn,
• Roy a.k.a. Fairul Nizam (kroni!!)
• Arus Pelangi

Booths and brands: PopRina, Super Sunday, Click a Child etc. (mana Ricecooker? Pop Malaya? Our Happiness?).

[Happy Birthday Mike]

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.