Random Rambles of Lotfi

I'm typing this on my bed, at home...No countdown celebration for me...after all these years, the turning of a new year seems like any other day except for the fact that One Utama was exceptionally overflowing with people early this morning when we went to catch "Alvin and The Chipmunks 2" with the smaller kids...Really we are avoiding even driving near any of the new year revelers...must be the age...hahahaha... I'm looking forward to driving back to JB tomorrow and whatever comes after that down south on Saturday and hope to be back in KL on Sunday. Monday is the start of the school year for the kids... 2009 has been kind, Alhamdulillah. Except for the passing on of Mummy...I could live with the stuff that happened this year. 2010 will be meaningful...I expect it to be so. Not only it is the turn of a new decade, it will also be the turn of the new decade for me...the big Four Oh..Looking forward to that...after all they say 40 is the new 30..hahaha.. 2010...

Ramai orang sekarang beli Crocs kat tepi jalan dari susah-susah cari parking kat shopping malls...ha lar...ish-ish...how lar?? Selling at Rm15 and above, they're a hard bargain to resist...after all, they're just sandals ma...Gives the real stuff a run for their money...I say..

The kids checking out the tub.. The many keris on display at the "balairong seri" The reception area Enjoying their rendam session Our room The walk from Pavi Embroidered pillow case... Ehmmm, spent the night with the family at the Royale Chulan Hotel in yesterday. Nak pergi tempat lain, checked and all the hotels are fully booked. I'm lucky that a friend knew a friend in RC so we managed to get 2 connecting rooms there. There are reasons why the hotel is named as such. For one, yeah, it really looked kinda fit for the royals in fact when were there, we saw a few fine lookin wheels with mostly single digit numbers, i guess belonging to some royals. There was even a Humvee parked at the front, tho I couldn't care much for the ugly lookin thing... Back to the hotel, the RC's building looks like an olden style Malay palace and once inside I can't helped but be impressed with its tasteful decor of Chesterfield settees, what looks to me like Chi...

Warning: Ini adalah posting "past tense" katanya.. These are the movies that I have managed to watch this month despite my buat-buat busy schedule: The Taking of Pelham 1,2, 3 - Watched DVD at home as we missed it at the movies. I have always loved John Travolta whether he plays a villain or otherwise. I have always loved movies starring Denzel Washington. This psycho thriller kept me sitting up straight in bed while watching it..Giler jahat si John Travolta but I still think he's cool...This movie is different. No leading actress, mostly centers around the two male characters, mostly filmed on the high speed train but still provides plenty of action and thrills. Astro Boy - The kids loved this. Simple story. Nice animation...walaupun John Travolta lagi comel dari Astro Boy.. A Christmas Carol - From the director David Zemeckis and a Charles Dickens classic with Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Robin Wright Penn's voices among others, this animation is somew...

November and December is somewhat months of reunion. After all the school reunion that I went to, plus the trip back to JB to see Mak, my brother came back from Abu Dhabi to visit his sons, Aliff who will be starting Uni (habis lah tergeliat lidah budak tu nak kena cakap melayu..) in Malaysia and Owish, who just finished his SPM in a boarding school in Melaka (habislah budak tu kena balik to the desert soon). My other brother and his family came up from JB for the school hols and slept over at our place together with 4 of his 5 girls (kesian budak2 tu tidor sempit2 dalam bilik Aisyah). All these reunions, made me realised (ek eleh baru nak sedar ke?) that time has really passed so swiftly. My nephews and nieces are almost grown ups. I can still recall holding them in my arms when they were just babies and now most of them are taller than me. And where does that leave me? Should I be feeling old? Is that a negative thing to feel? I am enjoying too much of what life has to offer tha...

I grew up in the 80s...Zaman Michael Jackson masih hitam dan baru berhidung kecik...zaman Thriller, Beat It...Zaman kegilaan bands from British, masa aku menggila Duran Duran, Wham, Depeche Mode, Spandau Ballet, Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Big Country, The Commodores, Simply Red, Tears for Fears, Wham, Culture Club to American acts like Hall and Oates , Level 42, Mr Mister , A Flock of Seagulls, ABC and the odd few , A-ha, Men at Work, Crowded House, juga pompuan-pompuan macam Alison Moyet, Cyndi Lauper, Sade, Chaka Khan , Them billies...Billy Idol, Billy Ocean, Billy Joel and more B...Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams and also Paul Young, Prince, Madonna ....bukan Backstreet Boys yer..(sorry Zayda). So much in love we were with Duran Duran that we were called The Duranian Gals, with some of us adapting the band member's names. In fact, to this day I still have friends we call Paul (Young), Nick (Rhodes) and Cyn (Lauper). Mowtif entry ini?? Sajer jer...sebab I think t...

Who in his/her right mind would want to spend his/her public holiday in the scorching sun, under canvas tent, trying to look good and at the same time feel good...Unfortunately it was me!! Man, it was burning!! We were i n Bukit Jalil ca r park area for the kids@fgw school holiday carnival. I thought it would be a good idea to also launch our new cartoon "Shelldon", And when we need cheap talents for the show's launch gimmick, Khairin and her friend will always be ready. The kids did a short intro each of the each of the characters in "Shelldon". Cool kids and even cool cartoon. It airs every Saturday at 10am only on you r feel good channel. By 1pm, I was ready to pengsan because of the heat but stayed on to fulfill my 4 hours work. When we finally left it was almost 2.30pm. Respect those people who made it till the end! It's Naquib's birthday today so went for dinner with the finally adult guy, together with Izra, Hanif, Lynn and a few other friend...

"The key to change is to let go of fear"...Rosanne Cash I am at this stage of my life where I have to make important decisions that will affect those around me. I feel that I have gotten complacent with the current situation and when I get too comfortable, I won' t put enough effort, which is unfair for the people around me. I have to start challenging myself and 2010 looks like a good time to re-look at the status quo. 2010 looks set to be different. It's the first step that needs to be made...Insyallah.. "Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted"

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past , a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world - Lois Wyse

Can someone please download the whole Chicago album for me, pwease....Me and my jiwangness....aisyah lah ni... I picture you on the beach Lying in the sand Out of reach of my trembling hands I picture you in a car Blonde hair in the wind I picture you in my arms And the touch of your skin The smile on your face The way that you taste You come to my senses Every time I close my eyes I have no defenses You come to my senses I can't stop this ache inside I have no defenses You come to my senses Driving home in the cold January rain I've got to find my way out of this pain I reached for you in the night I dreamed of your kiss I woke before it got light With your name on my lips Alone in my bed Your voice in my head I picture you in my arms And the touch of your skin The smile on your face The way that you taste You come to my senses Every time I close my eyes I have no defenses You come to my senses I can...

One nite trip to JB is officially over. The drive down was easy in Azah's SX4 which is really a cool car and the all the way chat made the journey seemed shorter...thanks Azah...you're a real pal...I only wish you a lot of happiness. and I must thank you for insisting on the Ice Kacang in JB. You said " I'm in heaven" Yeah, I guess JB ice kacang does that to people. So good to see Mak and Long again...and also Aiman yang pandai nyanyi Twinkle, twinkle little star, Humpty Dumpty, Pussy Cat, pussy cat...yang setiap versenya ditambah "ar" - Twinkle, twinkle little star ar, how are wonder what you are ar....funny!! The gathering with the old girls, was...noisy and wet..because of the rain and Rumah Limas Cafe is not so great when it rains...the good spirits of about 30 women are not dampen...it was a real fun afternoon. My old school pal from Primary 6, Aim who left for Sek Men Sains was also there, which was a triple joy for me...Aim, I'm so glad I...

"HAPPINESS IS HAVING A LARGE, LOVING, CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY IN ANOTHER CITY" - GEORGE BURNS How true...which is one of the reason I'm making another trip back to JB tomorrow. I'll get to see Mak, Long....everyone again, insyallah. Also a bunch of the old girls from school. Have to leave my family for a night...but I'll be back..insyallah. "A GREAT MARRIAGE IS NOT WHEN 'A PERFECT COUPLE' COMES TOGETHER. IT IS WHEN AN IMPERFECT COUPLE LEARNS TO ENJOY THEIR DIFFERENCES" - DAVE MEURER We are going to be at two separate places this weekend, but my thoughts are always with him. Looking forward to seeing you again. Be safe!! "ONLY ROBINSON CRUSOE GETS EVERYTHING DONE BY FRIDAY" - AUTHOR UNKNOWN Which is the reason why I feel good that today is Friday and whatever that's not done today, can always be looked into on Monday...TGIF! And I'm going back to my kids and enjoy the chocolates in the fridge with them...

Almost year end...the past month has passed me almost unnoticed. I've been really busy. Busy working, busy at home, busy running, busy reflecting. Dad celebrated his 76th birthday and we took him out for tea at Marche. My FIL has not slept in his own home ever since my MIL passed away a few months back. Sometimes I wish I could read his mind. I was at the Youth Engagement Summit in Putraya International Convention Center mid last month and had the chance to listen to some of the most inspiring speakers ever. Donald Trump gave insights on how to be a successful person, Randi Zuckerberg spoke about Facebook and its evolution, Sir Bob Geldof (whoa!!!) was larger than life and spoke about his Africa projects among other awesome stuff, Tony Fernandes was his jovial self when he spoke about AirAsia and on the last day, Nando Parrado made me cry when he spoke about his survival from the crash in the Andes. Exhilarating, all the speakers made me feel...Drained...the 3 days lef...

I started this post yesterday. Dah siap dah...tinggal nak masuk gambar dah lepas tu..tup tup...gone! Rats!!! I don't know what happened. Now I've to start all over again. Cisshh!! To summarise - Tony and I went to Royal Selangor Pewter for a meeting, selepas agak sesat bila Tony's Garmin couldn't detect the DUKE highway The place is beautiful, nicely organised, world class Some French Ministers were also there the same time we were there...world class katanya We were taken for a tour around the place, to their museum, the factory and their very nice cafe Their School of Hard Knocks allowed us to try out the art of pewtering, the traditional way. It was hard knocks all the way for us sampai berpeluh-peluh nak siapkan a simple pewter bowl, that we took back with us siap dengan certificate lagi! Some of the auntys who work there, has had almost 40 years experience, so they are true experts of their field My post yesterday about this was more interesting......

So nice to be at home knowing that tomorrow is Saturday!!! Yeay!! Today after work, we had a small get together at Long Bar, where we treated our marketing colleagues to a lil food and drink session.... and yaaaammmmm sennnnngggggg they did! Hope this is appreciated and they will bring in more sales for us... And today being Friday the 13th, Long Bar decided to have a horror theme at the bar.. Haha...halloween came late for them. Just as soon as we enter the place...a "corpse" was lying on the ground! Poor guy...dunno how long he can stand to just play dead. Well, I guess he can choose to doze off if he wants to. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day...with Zaim's report card day, ferrying Khairin to school, Aisyah to one utama, a birthday party in between and later Imran and Aisyah wants to check out the Flynniversary in OU...Celah mana aku nak lari ni?? Today is week 2 day 5 since I started working out again and I'm quite please that it has been quite consiste...

Dear blog, I know I've been neglecting you...Dah lama tak jengok pun..Jangan merajuk ar...I've been very busy. y'know. And I've been having blogger's block...Besides I've been running around a lot...Banyak excuse lar kau... Aku tak kira...lepas ni start hupdate balik!!! Huhuhu!!!Pengsan!!!

My old Nike is falling apart....Bought a new one a few months back but wrong size...hehehe...Gave them to Aisyah...Should've known that I'm a size 9...Gila bagak kaki aku.....Wonder how much these cost... Adidas Boost W Didn't find many reviews on this one...hmmm perhaps I should be looking at others... Nike Air Zoom Elite 4+ This one had a lot of positive reviews... hmm....should I stick to Nike or switch to Adi Wear Tester Review from www.runnersworld.com "I love the fit and support." --Adrienne Eastley, 30, East Lansing "These shoes had a nice, snug fit, but the cushioning could have been softer." --Samantha Espindola, 21, San Diego "I found this shoe to be comfortable and stable. The forefoot could be wider." --Dave Weaver, 43, Allentown "The day I received these shoes, I laced them up and took them out for 9 miles. They didn't give me that usual feeling of having to break in a shoe--they felt great!" --K...

It was a spur of the moment decision, when I heard Dot say , at 5pm, that she's going for a walk up the TTDI Hills. "I wanna go!!" Arrived just before 6pm, didn't know what to expect but continued up the hill with Dot and man!!! It was hard! The hills were crazy and the monkeys looks viscious...(well, I'm exaggerating...at least, they looked more viscious than my soft toy in the office and they sure made funny noises..). We finished one lap just before 7pm and was I sweating buckets!! Asked Dot, how far we have walked and she said around 5km...but when I checked with TSB , he said...not nearly 5km...(dunno lah who's right...but it sure was a hard especially going up the really steep part of the hills...). Day 2 went well, hang in there, girl!!!

I have started running again!!! Woohoo!!! When I climb up the scale in the gym, true to my expectation, I have gained a solid 2 kg during the last 2 months that I've not been to the gym...Giler ar!! Although, I'm not a sucker for the scale, weighing myself today helped jump start the running. I decide to go easy and ran for half hour on the treadmill.. This is how the work out look like: Time (min)0-4 Speed (kmph) 5.6 Incline (%) 0 T 4-6 S 5.6 I2.0 T6-8 S 5.6 I 4.0 T8-10 S5.1 I 6.0 T10-12S5.1 I 8.0 T12-14 S 4.8 I10.0 T14-15 S 5.6 I0.5 T15-17 S 5.8 I0.5 T17-19 S 5.8 I0.5 T19-21 S 6.4 I 0.5 T21-23S 6.8 I0.5 T23-25S 7.2 I0.5 T25-30S 5.6 I 0 Followed by 4 mins of cool down...Today I managed to do 3.14km (which is good), and burn 199cal(which I couldn't care less for, cos I will easily eat more than that...huhuhu). I think I will stick to the above for a while until I get more comfortable doing more. Maybe swapping on the ellipticals on...

We had the chance of watching 2 great shows this month...the perks of the job, I say. The only thing, is that the job does not give me the privilege of time to blog about it sooner..but like they say...better late than never. CUCI THE MUSICAL.. I didn't watch the movie so I went to watch this, with a open mind though expecting nothing but the best from Afdlin and gang! Our seats are quite near the stage so we were able to see everything quite clearly. We were not disappointed at all! The only kesian thing was Afdlin's voice was hoarse from a sore throat..Sikit potoing ar... other than that the show was excellent. Even Hans can sing..Vocal classes, I guess. AC and Awie's character was very, very funny and the rest of the cast really complimented the whole show. Vanidah, Adibah Noor was at their best! I urge you to watch it. The musical is on till 8th November in Istana Budaya..You won't regret it! THIS IS IT...MICHAEL JACKSON Although I'm not a fan of th...

Sheila!!! Warna...Warna... Zainal Abidin from where I was sitting.. The CUCI boys at the rehearsal My prompter control station Yup!! It's over! Finally! As usual I am part of the committee, representing ntv7. The screenings is a result of months of planning, sitting down in meeting yang mengantukkan, ding donging with the production house on our show reels, coaxing, negotiating with brand custodians on why their showreels should be done this way and not that way...and many, many more heartache...BUT when screening day finally arrived, my adrenaline was on rush..anxiety strikes....hoping for only the best for the show and that everyone involved are happy with the results and the audience who came goes home remembering the day for at least a few days.. I was the prompter girl woman...together with Ali from IT who handled the prompter machine. So what I basically do, was to ensure that the bosses' script are rolled in time for them to present them. It has to be pre...

Just got home from picking up my helper at LCCT. Her flight arrived at 10.10pm but it was 2 mins to 12am when she and her husband finally came out. We have decided if at 12am, they are still not out, we would go home walaupun when I checked with Air Asia, they said her name is in the list. Hubs and imran gila cuak seyh...ingat dia tak balik...Dah terbayang hantar Zaim pergi nursery...hehehe...Pengsan!!! So, she's finally back! Lega...What have 2 months of being maidless taught me? 1. Kerja rumah memang tak akan habis so I should think twice about not working and staying at home without a helper 2. I hate ironing and folding the laundry...(which made me aware how much ironing clothes cost at the laundry and Hubs is a pro at folding the laundry...I lapchiew!!) 3. I don't mind doing the laundry...yeler...bukan aku basuh pun...machine yang basuh! 4. We should consider getting a clothes dryer. It would make life easier for everyone. 5. Imran is the least affected member o...

Yikes!! We forgot our own anniversary!! Why ar?? After 10 years, you stop counting?? Ke we are enjoying things too much that time does not matter? Haha, anything to excuse the fact that we are getting old and forgetting anniversary dates is part of the parcel of aging...huhuhu... Anyway, Aisyah reminded us on the eve of 18/10 by handing us her pathetic sweet home-made card that can only be made by Aisyah which only forces me to make spontaneous last minute plans to sort-of celebrate the day..hehehe.. I decided to scrape the 3 open-houses that I'm supposed to go to, much to the secret delight of hubs.. We had a late lunch lunch at Marche. Coincidentally, the kids are staying over at my sis in law's while the older 2 are at Atuk's. Ironic, I say! And later at nite, we enjoyed the spa at Andara in Holiday Inn Glenmarie.. Cik Mur, u ols! Like this I want to have Anniversary everyday...Can ar?? On a more serious note, 11 years has been mostly blissful..We...

Naquib yang gigih nak bergambar dengan Kak Nita Kita ar semua...with Xan A iyosh...wat time already ar....12.39am...mata dah kelat2 ni sebenarnya, tapi ada manusia tanya pesal tak hupdate blog...boleh??? Musykil...baca ker? I like... Btw, been busy...biler lar tak busy ek? I like.. Attended A CUT ABOVE event in BSC just now...Very the happening..They had more celebs than we do at certain events...hahaha! Good to meet familiar faces again especially Xandria, Sean Lee, Ben Ibrahim, Alan Yun, Dayang with Shaliza her ever loyal manager, Joanna Bassey, Ash Nair. Ni yang sempat jumpa and chat lar..Yang tak sempat jumpa dan hanya lambai-lambai Miss Universe katanya ada jugak.. people like Ning. Kak Nita and her hubs pun ada...tapi....hehehe...lambai pun idak...tak kenal ar!!! Yang penting akak makan Haagen Daz 2 cups wokehhh...I like!!! On Saturday pulak, dalam kesibukan tak dak maid, baju tak berlipat menggunung apatah lagi yang nak iron, tapi tetap gigih pergi GE Mall jadi jud...

Mak letih nyah... Mak letih jenjalan kat Bandung hari tu , shopping tak hengat, dari satu factory outlet ke satu factory outlet sampai rasa nak tecabut kaki, nasib baik ada Spa Roger's tempat berurutan yang bila dipusing kepala mak sampai krakkkk...berbunyi2 and kaki rasa lega sikit.... Mak letih gi Pasar Baroe (Baru) Bandung pilih baju batik hubby, baju batik cikgu khairin, kain cotton dan jugak kiriman kain sulam kengkawan yang semuanya kalau nak banding dengan kat KL memanglah cik mur, uolss! Mak letih melayan kerenah Zaim yang mencabar kesabaran dan kengkadang ada jugak terasa nak diwakafkan aje budak itu dengan pemandu angkot kat Bandung tuh... Mak letih nyah, bila Imran kata wallet dia dengan duit raya dia yang nak dekat 300 ratus hengget tu telah berjaya dihilangkan semasa kami berlari-lari anak keluar angkot masa hujan lebat kat Bandung tuh...Anak-anak yang kau bawak duit Mesia tu buat per??? Cuba simpan kat umah...selamat duit tuhhh...tak per la tak der rezeki... ...

The first day of Hari Raya went by like a whirlwind...Malam raya aku masak lontong and kuah kacang sampai pukul 4 pagi baru tidur...mama tak nya sebok berjalan pergi Kompleks PKNS dengan alasan lame nak cari rendang daging...Gila lar crowd Kompleks PKNS..meriah..Ada sorang budak ni dok jerit-jerit suruh orang beli kuih raya dia..Akak suspect hari ni memang tak der suara, terus sakit tekak!! Before that, we tried to grab dinner at Sushi Zanma i in OU tapi punyalah ramai orang beratur terus akak bengang makan terus kat Sri Melaka! Malam raya at Kompleks PKNS...boleh??? Pagi raya by the time sedar, memang dah terlepas sembahyang raya , yang dikatakan semua kecuali Imran nak pergi...Hampeh!! By the time we reached my SIL's house it was almost 10.30am. After makan tak hengat, we headed to Segambut, to Nenek's house where walaupun bukan open house tapi manusia punya ramai macam open house lar. Everyone was there, the aunties, cousins, SIL, BIL semua tok nenek of my late husba...

Piccas from top to bottom - 1. The News anchors 2. NOT the News Anchors 3. Din din @ SFSH 4. LAT doing his launch thingy 5. The kids 6. NOT the kids 7. The view from the top KLCC has this terrific raya campaign with Dato Lat's famous cartoon characters taking over the centerstage concourse and we are proud to be a part of the launch. Hosting 40 odd underprivileged kids together with our News anchors, this Ramadan made our day! Personally, I grew up reading LAT's cartoon books and cartoon strip in the papers those days and to be a part of the event brought back some nice memories of those days. The kids were taken shopping for baju raya, kasut raya, tudung raya and everything else raya lar. After all the shebang of the launch, the kids were taken to San Francisco Steak House for buka... and laterrr ( as Naquib Pinoy would have said it), we wrapped things up with drinks at Pelita...walau pun kena menapak dari KLCC, at the end of it all WE FELT GOOODDD!!!