complaints

remember how i was saying the flight bookings that i wanted to make didn't go thru? i'm not the only one! having as much time as i do in the office, i read the news. a lot. does this mean that people who have nothing better to do are the updated ones? haha. apparently there are others out there who were having the same probs but were not as lucky as me. their so called 'error' bookings did go thru but they found out too late and got confirmations and everything and had to write in for refunds. even though it was the system's fault. like wtf rite?

i guess companies should get their systems right and well maintained so things like this don't happen. best part is when i called their hotline during my error, the customer service person seemed damned nonchalant about it lor. i was like, so mine didn't go thru, i'm sure other people will be having the same probs. aren't you going to tell your IT people or engineers? she was all like, oh as long as your card number isn't here then it didn't go thru. so you're not going to get the system checked? no you can just try again later. what if the same thing happens? you can call in to book but there will be a fee of $10 per ticket. yeah ok but it's a system problem which could be affecting other customers too, are you going to tell your system people? no if it's confirmed you will get a confirmation email.

then i got tired.

which brings me to another issue. i have had damned lousy reception in my own house since the day i moved in. i finally sent in feedback to si.ngt.el and they did reply quite nicely (though i think it sounded patronizing, but that's just me.) that they would get one of their engineers to check it out. i'm not sure if they did or not cos it's been a week and they haven't updated me on anything. yesterday my line got cut off 4 freakin' times while i was on the line with f. adakah patut?? no, it ain't my phone ok. mum experiences it too.

oh oh and i am this close to losing it while on the train to and from work. got smelly people, people who talk too loud on the phone, inconsiderate people who won't move in, people who block the escalators... come on!!! you have got to be kidding me man. completely ungracious society. to make a comparison, while i was in aust, the guys almost always gave up their place in the bus queue/ seat, opened doors for women. what happened here sia? yeah ok we're supposed to be all equal and shit but a bit of gentlemanly behaviour wouldn't hurt lor. the women aren't any better. absolutely hate it when they rush in for seats. have more class will you? or do a smooth expert block like i do, as witnessed many times by ro.han.a. wahaha. being big is helpful sometimes yo.

i know, i like to comprain comprain. bite me.

planning ahead

thurs
f: eh, h.s.b.c. cards has a special for cardholders. i feel like going on hol...
n: oh really? hmm looks like siem reap is going for cheap. know anyone with the card?
f: yeah actually r has it
n: ok so go ask him then! i'll go discuss with my travel buddy s.r. and see if anyone else wants to come along

fri
n: so rite, after intense discussions, we are ons! (outlines participants, possible dates, budget for whole trip)
f: whoah u really thought it out huh?? ok great will ask r when i see him tonight

meanwhile, n is getting completely stressed out over the possibility of not catching the deals and reconfirms everyone, msging f every couple of hrs or so. f is busy at work and is naturally annoyed but being the patient sweetheart that he is, doesn't scream at n.

fri nite
n: so... how? are we on? can i get the card details? he ok with it? what if there are not enough seats left for the 6 of us?
f: relax, we can settle it tomoro, got until sun. i'll ask him to confirm later ok

n is overly excited and completely baffled as to why this isn't as high priority to everyone else as it is to her. gets even more stressed out. can't sleep well and has dreams about it. well, more like nightmares.

sat
n finally gets the details of everyone and things go smoothly... until the stupid booking system cocks up and the booking doesn't go thru. twice. n calls the airline to make sure that r's card isn't being abused or hijacked and tries again. fails again. n gets fed up and thinks screw it. goes and has a nice evening out with f walking around chinatown and pretending to be tourists.

sun
ladies and gentlemen, we have lift off!! booking finally goes thru and n can enjoy what's left of her weekend. well, for a while. needed to place one more person on board, for which the booking didn't go thru in the afternoon, but did in the evening. peace at last.

so, 5 months from now, 6 of us are heading over to si.am rea.p y'all! can't wait!! wanted to go since last year but tix were always too ex. yay. :) won't get too excited yet ah, still a while away...

p.s. i have no idea why pe.opl.e wr.it.e lik.e th.is b.ut i as.sum.e th.er.e's a g.oo.d re.aso.n?

it's a boy!

sis in law went for a check up last week and a scan. i'm getting a nephew y'all! well there's a 99.9% chance anyway. saw the pics and from them, it definitely has a willy. lol. from about 3 angles. due sometime in august, possibly around my birth date. how much u wanna bet he's gonna be my fave anak sedara if we share the date? :)

part quartre- :D :D :D :D :D

well obviously i was pretty darn excited about getting engaged. haha. things started out the day before the engagement, which happened to be my dad's and uncle's birthdays too. so lots of aunties and cousins came over to pour blood, sweat and tears into the preps. my dadi and nani manned the fort in the afternoon while the rest of us were running around singapore picking up flowers, food, cakes and brownies.

there was a torrential downpour at the time, and i got stuck in it on my way home from work. fool that i am, i left the shoe sole-ing to the last minute and had to wait around while it was getting done, in which time i consumed a double cheeseburger cos i was so damned hungry. yes yes, completely ignored the fact that i was supposed to look stunning the day after. tried on the baju and it fit mah, so what's the problem? got corset anyway. haha.

so yeah, got home just to go out again to the flower shop. damn pretty! damn cold also. was turning blue in the cold rooms sia. literally. even my glasses were fogging up! managed to get the flowers that would later make up the veritable garden that was his dulangs. very very pretty, i liiiiiiike. then went home and started prepping, while bro and parents went to get other stuff.

the night passed pretty fast, managed to get most things done with the help from the troops and minions. haha. that didn't stop my from sleeping late though. 2am! so much for beauty sleep. also squeezed in a short chat with the bf to get an update on his end. they were done by 11pm lor! unfair...

next morning, i stuffed myself cos i knew i was only gonna be able to have bite sized food for the rest of the day. so unbecoming of a future tunang hor? should have been starving myself but no... this is why i will probably never be anorexic. haha. was drinking loads of water too cos there was no way i'd be able to get out of the corset and outfit to pee once i was in them. this is called planning ahead.

mak andam came at around 12.30 (apparently it takes a good 2-3hrs to get ready) to get me all dolled up. i tell you ah, looking good hurts like a biatch! the fake eyelashes (which i completely loved) made my eyes a little watery, which was a good thing actually cos i was wearing contacts and they have a habit of getting dry. the hair was a complete nightmare. even after all the teasing and volumising, my hair was still too thin and short to make the side part fringe that i wanted! adakah patut? so she did a little scroll thingy circa 1950s and clipped on the hair extensions. looked pretty good in the end, thank goodness. felt i looked a bit like a drag queen at first, but after a while it grew on me. it helped that most people said i looked like a living mannequin so that boosted the ego a bit. :P apparently i was the first person to use those particular extensions and her mum had gotten the veil especially for me too. so nice right? preferential treatment cos they're neighbours at my mum's shop. hehe.

i moved over to my mum's room where all the goodies were so we could take pictures and stuff after the mak andam deemed me to be ready. smiling is tiring. haha. my mum was like, don't laugh too much, your make up will crack! cos i was all giggly and 'vibrating' when i was in the room. excited mah... cannot meh? got a little nervous when his side came and was taking lots of deep breaths so i wouldn't break into fits of giggles again. couldn't exactly hear what was going on outside, so i was happily in my own world and my cousins were in the room too, so they were playing the fool, as usual.

after a not so long period of time, his mum came in with the ring followed by a pretty huge posse. think about 50-60 people came from his side. was concentrating on his mum and the ring, then his parents, and taking photos with them. so i didn't really look up until a few minutes later and omg!! felt like a celebrity sia. wahaha. so many people and cameras and they were all directed at moi. a bit scary ah, i was like, damn y'all. but managed to keep it cool and just keep smiling... his family was all pretty excited and keen to take photos so that was good. according to my dad even the guys were lining up outside and were asking the ladies inside to hurry up. wahaha. so funny. he was like, that's the first time i've seen men who are more gam chiong than the women when it comes to taking photos.

it was pretty quiet after the dulang exchange went down and his side went to makan. had relatives and friends around, even managed to recount on the proposal with the girls. well, some of it anyway. haha. i couldn't change out of the costume though, cos needed to do 'studio' shots and take photos with him when he came at night. it was pretty tiring, cos the bouquet i had was sooo heavy. 30 roses, don't play play. my old neighbour made it for me, it was gorgeous. it looked so... extravagant? dunno if it's the right word to describe it but, u know. of course there were the mandatory ring shots as well. haha. took a while to get the macro right but i think we managed in the end. :) had lots of couple shots but the ones that will go into the album for circulation among family will be G rated. wahaha. the PG ones only for us and close friends. lol.

that, my friends, pretty much wraps up the engagement. it was all excitement and food, basically. wahaha. if you were expecting me to get all emo... then obviously you don't know me that well, do you?

p.s. photos at the usual link... look to the right hand bar hor.

part trois- my goodies

if you're wondering what the goodies were... wonder no more! shall lift the veil of mystery that was shrouding the engagement... well ok, not much of a mystery to those in the know, but those who dunno or weren't expecting it so soon, here we go.

we actually went shopping for the ring waaay back then during the sales... i can't remember which sale period but it was before the xmas sales, sometime in the 4th quarter of the year. think in one of the much earlier posts i wrote, i said something about my ability to walk into a sale and come out with something at nett price. guess what? ahahah. yeah ok, there wasn't a discount on the ring but it was a really good low price. went to compare at other places and i just couldn't get the same quality for the same amount. brought the bf- oops, i mean fiance- to the store and walked out with a not one, not two, not three, but five stone ring. score! it's super brilliant cos of the cutting (hearts and arrows) so i was pretty gleeful about it. haha. didn't want a solitaire cos i think it's too typical. was going for a trilogy but the 5 stone looked a lot better on my fat finger.

then on 31 dec (i remember the date cos it was new year mah) we went to get his watch. this one got bargain one, managed a good price. haha. we were going in and out a couple of times, pretend to discuss and all... it's a seiko sportura kinetic chronograph watch. saw it a couple of days ago at one of the dept stores here and omfg! the price was like 550 bucks more than what i paid for his sia! this is why we should support small and medium businesses. shop local, people.

other goodies came in the form of food. gastronomical delights for him included a big ass cake, cupcakes, chocs, fruits, more cakes and curry puffs. go check out the pics! he gave me quite a lot more dulangs than i gave him tho. lol. think it was 14 vs 21 or something. :s i can't exactly remember who has given what but here's my list of thank yous. if i left you out sorry hor! lemme know and i'll edit. wahaha.

double heart cake- mooch & shereen

cupcakes- zuraidah

chicken pies- huda

perfume- yaya, candida, yasmine, aishah, fiza
profiteroles- kak yani (sis in law)
bunga rampai- dadi
eclairs- auntie no
walnut cake- no idea who, but it's yummy
cupcakes n earrings- kavi & sang
necklace n cute bear bride & groom- rohana & taibah
bouquet (30 white roses! damn heavy sia)- cik idah
pralines- buyin
cube cake- mama
bread basket with curry puffs- mama
brownies- mama
baju kurung, songkok, songket, sejadah- mama
pretty much everything else- mama & ayah
moolah- you know who you are!

well, i did pay for the mak andam and half my outfit! haha. naturally all proceeds from the engagement went to my mum. expensive business man.

ooh forgot to add in another blooper. his sis and zuraidah both ordered cupcakes from the same place, and apparently the orders got switched. so zuraidah ended up getting the cupcakes his sis ordered and vice versa. she was panicking and was like, shit naz, the cupcakes are purple! ahaha. the ones that we picked out were pink and purple and had only my name and his name on. pretty! the purple and white ones were pretty too, and they said 'selamat bertunang'. u know what the stupid thing is though? don't think i got solo pics of the cupcakes lor!! argh! this is what happens when i ask ari to be the unofficial photog. sighs. note to self- never again.

part deux- bloopers

first in the series cos they're easy to remember and funny as hell.

my uncle in attempting to do his good deed for the day, made a faux pas instead. he saw kavi parking in the handicapped lot downstairs, so he assumed she was just visiting for a while. after some time, some people started to pester him to let her know that she mite get fined if she doesn't move her car to the multi-storey carpark. so of course he went upstairs looking for her. he was like, eh, the car downstairs is yours right? maybe u should move it to the multi-storey carpark in case they saman u. kavi's like... uh it's ok i have a handicapped sticker. uncle: oh... ok then. after which he promptly went downstairs and started noisily blaming everyone for not seeing the sticker on the windshield.

in another incident, my dadi, parents and a few aunts and uncles saw some people walking around the block looking lost and carrying dulangs. they assumed that it was his side and they didn't know how to get to our place, so they enthusiastically waved them over and greeted them. only to find out that there was in fact another engagement going on and they were looking for the guy's side. in a different block. apparently my dad had even salam-ed some of the guys already. lol.

so, zub was my photog and buyin was the artistic director. we were taking pics and stuff before faisal's side came, so all his gifts were on the bed beside me. there was this one particular dulang with a basket made of bread and filled with curry puffs. it was quite tall and had a slim arching handle and all. very pretty! this basket was kinda in the way so zub attempted to move it without knowing that it was made of real bread. u know what happened lah. handle broke! buyin and i were the only witnesses cos everyone else in the room had their eyes on me (naturally. wahaha). zub froze and i was like, OMFG!! my little cousin hajar happened to be in the room at the time so she became the scapegoat for a bit... when in actual fact she was busy at the other end of the bed doing some other damage to my ladybugs on another dulang. wahaha. terror sey.

chaos ensued, with makciks panicking and attempting to fix the basket with tape. it looked attached, but just that it was broken and any movement will make the piece fall off lah. sticking attempts by a few kecoh people proved to be futile, so i was like, u know wat, forget it, it still looks whole, and will probably crumble if we keep touching. we can stick it later if it completely falls off when his side carries it. everyone was like, oh ok... and there was peace once again in the shire.

of course, i had a bridezilla moment. would u expect any less? wahaha. so right, i was sitting in the room and waiting for the engagement to get underway, when i felt a breeze near my ear. my veil wasn't secured properly and one side was lopsided. i was like, help help, someone fix my veil. i couldn't move to look at the mirror behind me cos i couldn't stand and i would probably make the veil worse. no one helped me lor! i ended up demanding for my mum (cos she knows how to fix these things) and throwing a bit of a hissy fit. lol. of cos she came to the rescue. eventually. candida and yaya and all were like... oh oh she's getting pissed off and whiny...

last but not least, faisal, his bros and his cousin came over at nite. the plan was to take couple shots and stuff. in all the excitement, guess what? forgot to take pics with his bros and cousin lor!!! i was like, argh!! so stupid rite? best part is they were sitting outside the entire time we were taking photos inside. wahlau eh. our shoot was quite long sommore. i don't know how it slipped our minds that we hadn't taken with them. sighs. felt so bad about it sey.

that's the end of the engagement bloopers series. next series akan datang!

prelude to project 090109 part une

i'd love to try and get away with saying 'a picture is worth a thousand words' but i owe some people a proper entry. wahaha. i'll try to be semi coherent as i recount the day's moments, but no promises. :P stay tuned ok, still working on it. really.