Hey Mr. DJ put a record on I wanna dance with my baby!

Thanks to Hubby, I’ve been listening to these Indonesian songs over and over again. They’re really good!

Cinta Ini Membunuhku by d’Masiv
Tinggal Kenangan by Caramel
Terima Kasih Cinta and Sadis by Afgan

Oh yeah, that reminds me. Guys, there’s going to be a Livesounds Indie Rock Fest here in KL. Details below :-

On 5 December from 9 p.m. onwards @ Rainforest Bar, Pavilion KL, bands such as Andra & The Backbone and Lightcraft will be performing. On 19 December from 9 p.m. onwards @ Wine Room, Asian Heritage Row, Marcell and Dewi Dewi will be performing. On 27 December from 9 p.m. onwards @ Bar SaVanh Too, Plaza Mon’t Kiara, performances by Shiela On 7 and The Rock.

For more information, check out http://www.livesounds.com.my

David Cook and David Archuleta of American Idol came out with their new albums. Cook’s album is okay but not as great as Daughtry’s 1st album. Not many ballads but I still love his voice. I like Mr. Sensitive, Lie, Avalanche, Permanent and The Time of My Life. Archuleta’s album is not bad either. His cover of Robbie William’s Angel is not bad but I still prefer the Mr. William’s version. I also like To Be With You, Falling,

I’ve also been listening to Taylor Swift’s latest album. I’m not a fan of country music but I think her album is quite good. Although I think some of the songs sound quite the same after you listen to them over and over again. Strictly for teeny boppers. Oh that reminds me, I love Jonas Brothers’ Lovebug too. Hehehe…such a cute song, don’t you think? Listening to a bunch of kids singing about how lovestruck they are makes me feel so old…

Beyonce’s album called I Am…Sasha Fierce is also good. I like If I Were A Boy, Halo, Satellites, Ave Maria, Disappear and Diva. This time around she didn’t shout as much, more controlled I think. Another singer I’m crazy about is Ingrid Michaelson. Her voice is simply amazing. Her latest album is called Be Ok. I love all the songs in that album especially You and I, Lady In Spain, Keep Breathing, Oh What A Day and Giving Up.

How can I forget Britney Spears??! It’s her birthday today by the way. Britney came out with her latest album called Circus. It was so much better than her last album. She looks good too.

I have to say listening to music is how I unwind. Some people play sports, some bake but for me listening to music is the best form of therapy after a long and hard day at work.

Advice

It’s been a month now since my grandmother passed away. My aunt just sent us an email. She said that my grandfather hasn’t been eating (I saw him 2 weeks ago and he has lost some weight) and has been crying most of the time. When we asked him if he’s okay he will say that he’s doing fine but deep down we know he’s not. We think he’s feeling very lonely and depress. He told my aunt that he feels like he’s burdening his children.

What should we do to make him feel better? We’re at lost. I know he needs time to mourn and be sad but how long should we let him be that way? Is there anything we can do to help him? I really need some advice here.

My grandfather is a very quiet and private man. The kind of person who keeps everything bottled up inside. It’s very hard to get him to talk about his feelings. Even when he has a problem he won’t show it. He will only talk about his problems with my late grandmother.

We really want to help him. But we don’t know what to do.

Diva is a female version of a Hustla?

What is a Diva? According to one of the dictionary I found online, a Diva is a person who considers herself (or by extension himself) much more important than others, has high expectations of others and becomes angry when their standards or demands are not met.

According to Wikipedia, the term is often used with a negative connotation. This derives from the implication that a star who is a "diva" is arrogant, difficult to work with, high-maintenance, manipulative, fussy, highly strung, privileged and demanding. Professional singers and actors often use this term to describe someone who desires the stage spotlight over others.

I think I’ve had the misfortune of meeting one or two divas in my lifetime and let me just say that not one of them is a popular singer or a superstar. Hence, I am wondering why these insignificant people act like one???!!

I had encountered one such diva-like character while I was helping out with one of the performance for my company’s annual dinner to be held in 3 weeks time. I don’t know her that well but you know how sometimes some people can just get under your skin even though you don’t know them that well? You just get that vibe…that uncomfortable feeling when you’re with that person. She was very eager to perform, heck she even managed to get a solo spot! I have nothing against her eagerness, it’s just that during practice you can see that she was trying to show off, like she had so much more experience and that everyone else’s dance technique just pale in comparison to hers. I just want to go up to her and say, “Woman, chill will ya??!!!” but I’m sure I would just be wasting my time and breath. I just hope she doesn’t demand a changing room filled with white roses and lilies from top to bottom like J.Lo.

Another predicament I’m in is figuring out what to wear for this Annual Dinner. The theme is Middle Eastern and I’m just so tempted to borrow one of my mom’s “jubah” and be done with it. Kalau body cam model bolehlah pakai macam kat bawah ni tapi sayang seribu kali sayang bodyku bukan macam model…if I wear something like below it would be like sarung nangka! Hahaha! Sigh…

Where's My Money Tree?

“Don't you worry there my honey

We might not have any money

But we've got our love to pay the bills”

That was some of the lyrics from the song “You and I” by Ingrid Michaelson. Hmmm…Can you survive on love alone or is it all about the money, all about the dum dum dum dum dum dum?

I posted the lyrics on my FB status and I’ve got some interesting comments. Some went “aaaaaawwwwwww…” but others have pretty strong opinions about how important money is and that you can’t live on love alone. To each his/her own I guess. Some people are fairly content earning less income in a job that they love like working for the NGOs. Some doesn’t mind slaving themselves in the office for a 5 figure salary. Is there a balance to all of this?

We are presented with choices everyday when it comes to earning or spending money.

If you were given a choice to work overseas like in Sudan or Iraq and earn a 5 figure salary but your spouse refuse to come with you, would you still go ahead and accept the job? Would you be willing to leave your spouse and kids behind? Some would say you’re being very noble to make that sacrifice for your family. But is it worth it? Are you being noble or selfish?

It’s all comes down to making the right decision for yourself. I know we can’t live on love alone. That only happens in a fairy tales. But I would like to think that I would rather live moderately and enjoy the simple things in life than working to death just to earn a 5 figure salary.

At the end of the day, you won’t be able to enjoy all that money anyway if you’re forever stressed out. Your partner will also be stressed out looking at you stressing out. You would eventually drop dead. And that ain’t fun at all.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Rest in Peace my beloved Tok Yang

I lost someone very close and dear to me 4 days ago. My grandmother or Tok Yang as I fondly called her had passed away on Monday the 27th October at the age of 76. She wasn’t sick or anything like that. In fact she looked really healthy when we had our family gathering the day before. She was eating and laughing. No one would have thought that she would leave us all so suddenly like this. Even my grandfather was in a state of denial for a while. He couldn’t believe that his beloved wife had passed on before him. She and Tok Ayah had been married for 60 over years and they have 13 children of which my mother was the eldest.

My Tok Ayah looked so lost after the funeral. He was crying all the time. Sometimes he forgets that his wife had died. He would asked one of us to ask Tok Yang whether dah masuk belum waktu Zohor/Asar/Magrib/Isya’. He depended on her for everything. I don’t know how life would be like for him after this. My Tok Yang was a very strong woman. She was the one who took care of Tok Ayah, bathed him, cooked for him and was his companion.

My Tok Yang had a heart problem but we didn’t think that was the cause of her demise. On the morning of the 27th, around 2 a.m. she woke up and told my aunt that she was hungry. So my aunt fed her quaker oats. She was purging for a bit and had difficulty breathing. My aunt had telephoned my mom to ask her to come over to the house so they could take Tok Yang to the hospital but it was too late. By the time my aunt had gone into the room to ask her to get ready, she had stopped breathing. She looked so peaceful and serene.

You know how sometimes when people know they are going to die they would do or say things out of the ordinary? My Tok Yang told her children that this year was the best raya she ever had because all her children and grandchildren went back to Sg Petani to celebrate raya with her and that this year would probably be her last raya. But of course no one wants to hear things like that so they told her, “Jangan merepek la Mak” and they believed that she was going to live forever or at least for a few more years. I mean no one wants to think that their mother is going to leave them right?

My Tok Yang loved her jewelleries especially gold. Most old women do I think. But my Tok Yang told my mom that she was going to return the gold necklace that my aunt bought for her as a raya gift because she felt that she had no use for them anymore. We ignored the sign.

My Tok Yang loved her garden and her fish pond. Whenever she was supposed to come to KL for a check-up, she would remind my uncle who lives nearby to come to her house everyday to water her plants and feed her fish while she was away. She would remind my uncle a million times and would call him everyday to remind him. She would do this everytime without fail. My uncle told us that the day before she was supposed to leave for KL, she didn’t even call and ask my uncle to look after her garden. My uncle said that it was like she didn’t even care what happened to her garden while she was gone. Again, we ignored the sign.

None of us had a chance to say goodbye to Tok Yang. But one thing I know for sure is that she knew we all loved her very much. She was the glue that stuck everyone together. And now she is gone forever.

Al-Fatihah to my Tok Yang. Tok Yang, we love you and we are going to miss you so much.

Yoga Is Dangerous?

Seriously???? Isn't it just a form of exercise? This was reported in The Star newspaper today. Hmmmm..what next huh?

Thursday October 30, 2008

National Fatwa Council to make a ruling on yoga

GEORGE TOWN: The National Fatwa Council will soon come out with a ruling on yoga exercise.
The Islamic Development Department’s deputy director-general (operations) Othman Mustapha said the council’s chairman, Prof Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin, would make the announcement.

Othman told reporters this after opening the two-day seminar on Islamic Jurisprudence and Eternal Islamic Thinking at Universiti Sains Malaysia here yesterday.

On Tuesday, lecturer Prof Zakaria Stapa of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Islamic Studies Centre advised Muslims who have taken up yoga to stop practising it as it could deviate from their belief. – Bernama

Horatio Caine...the man we all love to hate

1) Only a man like Horatio Caine could defeat a group of Mala Noche Gang Members in Brazil all by himself and then flew to Miami and arrived fresh and relaxed at the same time.

2) No one can do a one-liner better than Horatio Caine, with style too I might add.

Alexx : What I'm saying is I'm not an anthropologist. It could be a large woman or a small man.
Horatio : You know what they say "You lie down with the Devil (paused and then puts on his sunglasses), you wake up in Hell".

Suspect: Can I go now?

Horatio: Let me see how should I put this... No!

Det. Frank Tripp : It’s not looking too good Horatio.
Horatio : On the contrary (paused and then puts on his sunglasses), we are going to find her.

Det. Frank : They call it speed dating. Our victim has 15 dates.
Horatio : Well you know what the say Frank (paused and then puts on his sunglasses), speed kills.

Alexx : He died hours before this accident ever happe.
Horatio : So an accident (paused and then puts on his sunglasses), is not an accident at all.

Delko : He might be trying to get our attention.
Horatio : I don’t know (paused and then puts on his sunglasses), but he just got mine.

3) No one puts the sunglasses on better than Horatio, right on cue as well.

I cannot stand Horatio Caine because he is so perasan bagus!!!!!!!! Arrgghhhhh! Rasa macam nak take his sunglasses and then pijak-pijak and buang dalam gaung. And what's with the posing senget every single time?????

Sigh...Horatio, Horatio...what are we going to do with you?