Movie Review - Rapunzel: A Tangled Tale

Last Thursday, hubby took leave from work so we could take the girls to watch the latest Disney movie, Rapunzel: A Twisted Tale. Initially we wanted to watch it at Sun.way coz I was planning to do some serious shopping for the girls' school items (JJ card sale) but since the movie only had a 430pm showing, we decided to watch it at Mi.nes instead.

We had to wait for Dina to come back from school so we reached the movie theater around 5 minutes late. Fortunately the theater was not packed.

How was the movie? Awesome!! The visuals were really great so this is one to watch in 3D, if you can. Even in 2D, the animation was superb. The storyline was simple enough for the kids to enjoy, yet it also had some really funny punchlines for the adults to keep entertained. I particularly love the two main characters; Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder aka Eugene Fitzherbert. They were superbly voiced by Zachary Levi (Chuck!) and Mandy Moore. I never would have thought Chuck looked so good as animation. Heee. The supporting cast were also great; from Maximus the horse to Pascal the chameleon. The songs also were entertaining and did not bog down the flow of the storyline.

All in all, if you have the time, chill out and go watch Rapunzel. Bring some tissues for the ending as it might get a little teary eyed for some (psst..En Rashid...hehehe. Just kidding!)

A Wednesday Update

If there's one "nice" thing about having only one car (I'm putting nice in brackets because in actual fact, it sucks biggy!) is that hubby has to come home early so that I can get to class on time. I'm still trying to get into my studying mood...the fact that 3 weeks of class had gone by somewhat eludes me until I glance at the calendar and realized that Mid Terms are in 4 more weeks.

How is that possible?

Dania is in full holiday mood and while I've bought her enough story and exercise books to last her for weeks, she's still anticipating the part where we'll announce which hotel we'll be staying in for the holidays. Tough luck. What with work, my class schedule, various weddings we need to attend to in December, I doubt we'll be able to squeeze in a hotel stay anytime soon.

Dina has classes until mid December but since everyone else is on holiday mood, so is she. She's excited about her concert though as she may be getting a prize this time. I'm not sure what she'll be performing this time; she's mentioned a Malay dance, then switched to a Chinese dance, then I heard her rehearsing a CT song. Heavens...this is going to be one heck of a performance.

Daria's getting bigger by the minute. And getting bossier too. Her favorite word is "Nak" which means "I want". So it's "nak..nak..nak..nak" all the time. To my dismay she has refused to say "Ibu", though she calls everyone else by their title. One time she called me "Kak" and I almost died. Then hubby told me she calls everyone as "Kak", so it didn't hurt as much.

I just received an sms from the Uni and it seems they've changed the venue of the FM class to somewhere else...permanently. This is what happens when you select a class based on where it's been held. Just another way of the universe screwing with me...as usual.

Travelling Plans (daydreams?)

So this week I'm on leave. Just to finish up my annual leaves that I have thought I still have a few more but I'm thinking of saving those for next year. Mostly for all the travelling trips we have planned.

Next year, Daria's going to be 2, so both hubby and I thought it would be nice if we took another overseas trip. Not that far, maybe Singapore to see the Universal Studios. Ever since the ads have been coming out on TV, both Dania and Dina have been asking when we can go. Accmodation may not be an issue since my cousin will be moving to JB after her wedding in May. However I am itching to stay at the Marina Bay Sands (expensive!!) or Marina Mandarin (also expensive!!)...we'll have to see how the budget goes.

AA also announced they have direct flights to Paris now. Paris!! Oh, how I wish I could go there again. So far the offer is RM499 one way...but there's a limitation on which days you can fly. Again, will have to look at our budget and also our work/school schedule. If we do get to go (please...please...pretty please!!), it would most probably be just me and En Rashid. Heeee...we are soooo overdue for another honeymoon.

There's also the cuti2 Malaysia trip we've planned for the family. My idea was more of a roadtrip....going down south, then going back up along the east coast...crossing over to the north west, then coming back down to central, spending a max of 2 days at various states. En Rashid is more like...just go to one place and camp out. Yep, he actually suggested to go camping. Like, seriously? With a 2 year old? I'm all for nature and stuff but awwhellno am I digging a hole to do "business" wiping my own butt with a leaf. Been there, done that...enough to last me a lifetime. Heeee...So I guess, again, this trip will also depend on our budget and schedule.

In the meantime, I have a lot of reasons not to go shopping anymore and to fast on Mondays and Thursdays. Muahahaha...

All The Gatherings

Sorry I haven't been updating in a while. Been super busy. I'm still missing my poor car which the workshop told us would take a month (if we're lucky!) to repair. Oh well.

Just thought I would take a few minutes to update on some gatherings we had these past few weeks.

Gal Pals Day Out

This was 2 weeks back, I think. Our outing was to celebrate my exam results (heee!) plus Noresh had just finished confinement so she was itching to get out of the house. We decided to meet up at Gardens coz Noresh was hungry for Chillies. I decided to bring Dania since I had promised to buy her the 2nd and 3rd books of the Mackenzie Blue series. In the end, I ended up bringing Dina also coz she cried non-stop and begged me to bring her.

Liza and I were the first to arrive. We ordered starters and food and I got the free kids meals for the girls. 20 minutes later Lin arrived followed by Her Majesty Noresh a good 45 minutes later. Hmmmpp! We ordered way too much food but it was great eating and gossiping and catching up with each other.

Then we started the shopping spree. Now, I was the one who initiated the gathering coz I felt like celebrating with a crazy shopping spree. But for those who know me, you guys know how hard it is for me to actually shop! It's like I find a million and one reason NOT to buy anything. In the end, all I bought were books for the girls at M.P.H. and a pair of shoes for myself at Sem.Bonia. Even that took much persuasion from the girls and Dina, who picked out the shoes for me.

After shopping, we headed to Ale.xis for some desserts and coffee. We talked until around 6pm then Liza and Lin decided to head back home. We said our goodbyes then I took the girls to JJ to buy some much needed underwear. The girls, not me. Hmmm. We were on our way out of the parking lot when hubby called "why are you guys not back yet?". Eh, miss us much?

Birthday Pool Party

I think this was last week. Actually it was the day after Atok had passed away so truth be told, I wasn't in much of a mood to go. But I had promised Noresh (it was her kids' party) plus I had told the girls about the pool being held at a swimming pool, so there was really no way I could get out of it.







And really, I was glad we went. We had great fun. The food was nice. Daria, who previously was terrified of the pool, has decided she's now a mermaid and refused to get out of the pool once we got her in! Hahahahaa...she didn't even want to use the floats after a while and wanted to run around in the pool by herself. Do you have any idea how tiring it is running after an 18 month baby in a swimming pool is? Pergh...well at least I got a nice workout. Muahahaha...

Hari Raya Aidiladha

This was last Wednesday. Hari Raya Korban.















The initial plan to have to have everyone gather at my parents' house but since Atok passed away, we figured it would be more appropriate to gather at his house instead. We arrived around 10am and saw that most of the grub had already been laid out. The usual ketupat, rendang, peanut sauce menu.

We had planned a steamboat session in the evening so while waiting for that, everyone relaxed and watched TV and gossiped. The steamboat session was fun, I know I ate too much!















As usual, Daria was the star of the show and everyone wanted a piece of her. It's so tough being so cute!!

Fast & Furious Aftermath

So we went to see the car this morning to sign off some forms.

The car was in a sad condition.

Uwaaa!!!! Itula...tak habis belajar ngan Farid Kamil, gatal nak buat KL drift. Kan dah terbabas baik punya masuk ditch. Ni mesti lama ni nak tunggu kete siap..uwaaa...patah la kaki gua. Camne nak pi school ni?

Goodbye, Atok

We buried our grandfather yesterday.

He passed away around 12.45am Friday, 13th November 2010.

He was 89 years old.

He died in his sleep, surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

I received the call from my mom around 1.15am. After putting Daria and Wati in the girls' room, hubby and I headed to Keramat.

Most of my uncles, aunts and cousins were already there.

Atok looked like he was sleeping.

Calm.

Peaceful.

We took turns reading the Quran beside Atok until the mosque people came for his body at 930am. We took him to the nearby mosque for his final bath and solat jenazah.

Around 11am, we headed to the burial ground.

By 12pm, everything was complete. Atok was in his final resting place.

We headed back to Atok's house for lunch. Everyone was tired, physically and emotionally.

After lunch, hubby and I headed back home to bathe and get some rest.

After Maghrib, we went back to Atok's house for tahlil, this time with the kids and Wati.

After tahlil, we all had dinner together.

We talked and laughed and reminisced about Atok.

He was loved.

He will be missed.

"Sesungguhnya segala yang hidup akan mati. Apabila anak Adam meninggal dunia maka akan terputus segala amalannya kecuali tiga perkara; sedekah jariah, ilmu yang bermanfaat dan anak soleh yang mendoakan kepadanya."

Vin Diesel, I Am Not

OK, it's just my luck when something great happens, something shitty has to happen to balance things out.

I was in a car accident last night.

I was on my way home from class when I lost control of the car and next thing I know, half the car is laying in a ditch while I'm screaming my head off. Luckily a minute later, a police car cruised by and helped me out. A minute later, a tow truck guy also stopped by. Whatever it was, I had to have hubby with me so I called him up. Turns out, he was still at work so it took him almost 40 minutes to get to the accident scene.

OK, here's what happened. Actually, I can't really recall what happened. I was making a turn, on a road I've been down thousands of times before, when I felt the car skid. I heard the crunching of pebbles, then the screeching of tyres and a loud thump as the car landed in the ditch.

The car is in pretty bad shape; the front bumper is all bruised while one of the back tyres totally broke off! Plus I think I busted the fuel tank, though I can't be sure coz it was dark and the accident scene wasn't well lit.

All in all, it could have been much worst. For several reasons, I consider myself pretty lucky.

1. There wasn't any cars in front or behind me. I would never forgive myself if anyone else had gotten hurt because of me.

2. I was alone in the car when the accident happened. God forbid, anything bad happens when I have hubby or my kids in the car with me. I would never want them to experience the trauma.

3. I didn't flip the car. I remember thinking to myself as the car skidded..."PLEASE DO NOT FLIP!!" The damage to the car would have been so much more plus I would have been pretty banged up too.

4. I was wearing my seatbelt. Other than some bruises on my knees from hitting the steering wheel, I'm ok. If I hadn't been wearing my seatbelt, my injuries could have been much worst.

5. The police was there within minutes and really helped calm me down. If I was to be stranded at the accident scene alone for more than 10 minutes, I would have lost it. I couldn't get out of the car without some help so most probably I would have turned into such a basketcase and hyperventilated constantly.

6. Whatever damage to the car, will hopefully be covered by our insurance. So other than the inconvenience of not having a 2nd car to drive, we're so ok with not having to fork out money to repair the car.

I wasn't speeding. But adding in all the factors of that night....it was raining, plus the road was full of small rocks and pebbles from the nearby construction site, plus I was really tired...I should have gone around the corner at a snail speed, rather than the usual speed.

So today I'm on leave. Hubby's gone to do the police report and settle everything that needs to be settled with the insurance company and the car workshop. I've been reliving last night over and over in my head (I admit, I'm still slightly traumatized).

It could have been much worst. Thank god it wasn't.

ps: Maybe I can audition for The Fast & The Furious Part 4 now I know how to drift a car. Heeee...

Worth The Sacrifice!

All that staying up until 3am doing bloody group assignments was so worth it! I finally got my results today.

Walla!!!

Happy…happy…happy.:))

I need to buy a BIG lunch for my coursemate Min coz she helped me pull through the agonizing accounts class. And also for my boss and staff, for all their support. And also hubby kot, eventhough he didn’t really do anything. Heeee.

I had my 1st class yesterday since the one on Tuesday was cancelled. The prof was ok, though he did scare quite a few students into changing sections during his introduction. Hahahaha, I think that was just a rouse to lessen the number of students in his class. He likes to mumble a lot but the way I’m seeing it, if I can survive Accounts, I can survive FM.

We have OM today. A bit anxious because the lecturer has the reputation of not teaching in class so most of his students need to do a lot of self studying. Hmmm…however, the upside is, most of his students also get A or A-. Dilemma!! I know the knowledge is worth more than the grade but I’m so lazy to go through the hassle of changing sections. I think I’ll just give this prof a chance first and see how he is 1st hand before thinking about changing classes.

Just When I'm....

...all excited about going back to school, they cancel the class!!

Muahahaha...

Hmmm...but on the flip side, they're going to reschedule a replacement class. Most probably on a Saturday.

Booooo!!!

Last Weekend...

Friday: Went to my parents house. We haven’t been there in a month. My mom’s maid was already anxious to see the girls, especially Daria. Didn’t do much on Friday since my mom was out with her cousin, visiting their uncle who was sick in NS. Watched most of the Bollywood movies on since it was Deepavali.

Saturday: Went to visit my grandfather who had been discharged from the hospital last Thursday. Doing a bit better, starting to have some appetite. Still in pain but at least sleeping better. The visit was more for my uncles who were taking care of my grandfather. Taking care of a sick, old person is very stressful. I can only hope I can do the same for my parents if the time comes.
That night, my dad took the whole family out for a steak dinner at D’Bayu. Overall, the food was average. They cooked most of the meat medium rare so you have to stress if you want it well done (they did not ask). The helpings were ok, quantity wise. The price was a bit high considering the taste and ambiance. Maybe we should just stick to VS for steak next time.

On Sunday, I had my outing with my gal pals. This time I brought Dania and Dina along. We spent the whole afternoon eating, gossiping, shopping, eating some more. Heee, dah mahgrib baru balik rumah. It was fun and I bought new shoes!! Plus books for the girls and underwear…for the girls. Ibunya tak sompek nak beli.

Today, working in Cyber. Period pain like a bitch!!

Tomorrow, classes start again!!

Entri Meraban Pasal Posa Ganti Semalam

Hari ni aku posa ganti lagi. Kalau arini berjaya, maksudnya tinggal satu hari je lagi hutang aku ngan Allah. Hmmm, sungguh mencabar posa time bukan bulan Ramadhan ni. Tapi macam la aku tak tau kan…since aku darjah 6 lagi, aku dah menghadapi situasi ni. Cuma certain2 tahun yang aku preggers je, aku dapat posa penuh time Ramadhan, jadi takyah rasa seksaan menggantinya. Adakah ini membuatkan aku ingin preggers? Oh tidak…aku sanggup ganti 10 bulan punya posa dari preggers lagi. Wahahahahaa…sila ambik perhatian yer, En Rashid.

Semalam aku posa ganti gak. Punya la seksa. Dah la ngan laptop aku asyik buat hal (serious, kalau dek bukan aku kena ganti balik laptop ni kalau hilang, dah lama aku baling dalam lombong. Sila ajukan aku ke lombong terdekat!)…ngan aku tak bangun sahur. Mata aku asyik2 tengok jam, asyik2 tengok jam. Ada sekali tu aku tengok jam, kul 11.15am. Aku buat keje sket…cek email sket…tengok balik jam…baru kul 11.18am!!! Apakah dunia sudah masuk slo-motion kah?!! Arghhh…seksanya.

Dek aku kebosanan terperap kat ofis je, konon cadang nak pi Amcorp mencari buku. Sekarang aku kalau nak pi beli buku, satu tempat je yang aku tuju…BookXcess. Korang pi carik la, dia tingkat atas sekali. Dulu kecik je kedai dia, sekarang dah besar. Best beli buku kat situ sebab murah bangat. Kalau MPH jual RM30, kat situ ko bleh dapat RM15. Half price gitu. Tapi tengok jugak la jenis buku apa. Dia banyak story books ah kat situ, and then harga dah murah…kekadang dia bagi discount lagi. Best!!

Okla…habis dah aku promote kedai buku tu. Aku pun dek boring..and dek jam laptop aku ni macam dah rosak je (macam tak bergerak je)..aku pun sms Liza, tanya nak pi beli buku tak. Makcik tu tengah nak makan rupanya..tengah pelahap nasi. Takpe la Liza, ko teruskan la aktiviti melahap ko tu. Aku pun dok tenung2 keadaan langit kat luar…macam panas je. Malas le plak nak pi menapak jauh2 (bukan jauh mana pun, lagipun naik ketapi, jalan kaki sikit je…dasar pemalas!), baik aku layan TV kat bilik bos aku ni. So in the end, aku spend jugak lunch time aku terperap dalam ofis, cuma bezanya aku terperap dalam ofis bos yg best sambil layan Law & Order.

Bila dah kul 2pm, keadaan aku dah mula kronik. Giller lapar ok! Sib baik gak la aku tak pi terokai kedai buku tadi, kalau x mesti either aku buka posa or pengsan tengah jalan. Time tu jugak, laptop aku makin mengganas ketidakbetulannya. Aku sedn satu email, dia hang. Kena restart. Send satu email, hang lagi. Apakah dosa aku nak send email ni? Dengan send-menyend email ni, baru orang tau saya buat keje tau. Kalau tak, mesti orang ingat saya ngadap laptop sambil layan FB. Sian nanti orang tu dapat dosa free sebab saya takde akaun FB pun.
Kul 4.30pm, aku dah sms En Rashid. Arini orang posa, jadi balik on time. Yer, aku ngan En Rashid bahasakan diri masing2 “orang”. Tak tau la kenapa…and sesungguhnya memang tak romantic. Tapi kitaorang memang bukan jenis romantic pun. Romen hebat…romantic tidak! Muahahahahaa…ok, abaikan statement aku tadi.

En rashid cuba mencabar keimanan aku. “Ada keje ni.” Oooo, pentingkan keje dari bini yer. Baiklah!! Lepas tu bleh soh aku tumpang member ofis balik rumah lak. Ketahuilah, aku dah nak separa pengsan ni, memang niat aku masuk kete, terus nak tido terkangkang. Mengapa terkangkang? Sebab cara itu menunjukkan betapa penatnya aku posa aritu.

Sib baik En Rashid saying bini rupanya…dapat la aku balik on time. Dan memang aku bantai tido terkangkang sampai balik rumah. Layanla En Rashid radio tu sorang2…macam aku tak tau dia dok nyanyi lagu Lady Gaga.

Balik rumah dah kul 630pm. Nikmat!! Maghrib tinggal 30 minit je lagi. Layan si budak kecik tu, sedar2 dah azan. Puas hati dapat minum air serbuk coklat secawan besar. Nak2 la tengok lauk yang Wati masak, sodap2 belaka. Aku pun jadi macam liza, makan nasi dengan pelahapnya.
Harini aku posa lagi. Liza baru je sms aku pi carik buku. Aku tak sahur pagi tadi. Patutkah aku gagahkan diri? 3 hari cuti deepavali ni…ngadap muka En Rashid cukup ½ hari, baik aku pi beli buku. Heeee.

My Grandfather

My grandfather is dying.

He has stage 4 bone cancer and it has spread to his liver. One of his kidneys is also not functioning. He is in constant pain and has lost all appetite to eat.

I had a training session in KL this morning and got a missed call from my mom. When I called back, she told me the news. I called up my boss and requested permission to take half day off.

I had to circle the entire hospital building 3 times to find a parking space. When I reached the front door, it was 2.05pm, just 5 minutes after visiting hours.

The guard stared at me. "Sorry, you'll have to wait for visiting hours to start again at 4.30pm."

No way am I waiting. I called up my uncle. He told me to take the stairs to the 1st floor and enter from there. There was a nurse at the door but she just smiled and waved me in.

Thank God for small doses of kindness!

As I walked up the stairs to the 3rd floor, I had a sinking feeling that my grandfather had already gone. When I arrived at the ward, my other uncle was there and he waved me in when he saw me.

"Working?"

"Supposed to be...but..."

I couldn't talk anymore. There, on the bed was my grandfather. Looking so frail and thin, with drool hanging from his mouth. I took his napkin and wiped his face.

"Atok. Along here. Have you eaten?"

He opened his eyes and spoke my name.

It hurt so bad seeing him that way. My grandfather is a retired policeman so he used to be very fit. When we were small, he would teach us how to read the quran. He would tell us to read as loud as we could so that all the neighbours would hear us. He loved watching wrestling on TV and would always get us to sit with him, commentating on the wrestlers and their dirty techniques. Once a week, he would check our fingernails and ears to make sure they were clean. He would take us out in his antique Opal car, the car with the plastic seats that burned our bums when it got hot outside.

As we got older, he would talk to us about politics and money. Always make sure you have more than one income, was his saying. Buy lots of houses...they never lose their value. Buy in cash, don't get yourself into more debt than you can handle.

He was so proud when I went to the US for my degree. When I got married...had my 1st baby...he was still doing ok.

Then when his body started giving out, he changed. He became grumpier. I would think it was because his mind was still sharp and there was so much he still wanted to accomplish and do, but because of his physical being...it just wasn't possible. His legs could no longer push the clutch and the brake pads of his car and he nearly had an accident with a bus. It angered him so much when we finally took away his car keys.

Slowly, my grandfather has been deteriorating. He's not the same person as before.

The doctors say there's not much they can do. If he was younger, stronger, maybe he could opt for radiation or chemo. At his age, the treatment would probably only kill him faster.

I just want him to go peacefully with no more suffering or pain. And to be able to remember him when he was better.
Here are my grandparents with all their grandchildren and great-grandchild (Dania's 1st raya). This was taken in 2003.

Benda Yang Buat Aku....

hangin satu badan!

1st, aku nak ucapkan tahniah setinggi tahniah kepada Maybank sebab menjadi bank paling bengap dalam kamus aku!! Sejam aku dok on the phone ngan customer service dia...sampai berasap telinga aku, semua orang aku "berkenalan" kat situ..kena pass around kulu kilir..siap depa buat "drop call" lagi ngan aku. Hangin!!! Bukan aku minta waivekan bill aku pun, aku soh verify charges. Dah la kredit kad aku yg baru ni, yg ko paksa aku tukar...ko pi terminatekan akaun dia..ape kes??!! Lepas tu bagitau aku bleh reactivekan balik dalam masa 10 hari?!! Muahahaha...konon best sangat la bila ko bagitau aku "no charge added to reactivate". Ko nak mampos, ko caj la...aku dah ambik masa 2 jam kat bank tu, jumpa officer sana...siap potong kredit kad aku yang mana takmo pakai lagi depan dia...lagi banyak kes ngan kredit kad yg aku tinggal satu ni. Mengapakahhhhhh???!!!! In the end, ko tengah explain2 kat aku...aku hang up terus. Dari aku mati heart attack layan korang, baik aku masuk ofis je la. Dari rumah, naik kete hampir sejam nak ke ofis pun, tak settle2 hal tu. Lepas tu ada la sorang customer service rep yang call balik aku...bagitau aku charges yg pending apa ke bendanya. Senang je kan....yg ko kena pass aku dari sorang ke sorang apehal? Tapiiiiiii.....aku pelik la plak, apahal ada charges kat kredit kad aku yg baru tu, sedangkan ko kata akaun tu dah kena terminate?!! Muahahahaha...apa2 je la labuuuu...aku dah bayar dah. Malas nak layan.

2nd, hal laptop keje aku yg idup segan mati x mau ni. Tolong la...laptop tu dah nazak sangat. Dengan hinges dia dah patah, dengan butang koma dia, kalau aku tekan...keluar dot sekali (seksa time nak tulis document ke apa), ngan selalu hang time aku nak send email...ngan sukahatinya tetiba shut down dengan sendiri. Dah berapa kali masuk bengkel dah...bila keluar ada lak problem baru. Lepas tu vendor tu bleh hint2 lak...maybe cara pemakaian aku yg buat laptop tu bermasalah?!! Ellooo....ko ingat aku ni jenis main hentak2 laptop ke? Hangin!!! Ni laptop aku dah masuk spital lagi...tak tau la berapa lama. Bagi je la aku laptop baru...susah sangat ke? Ni aku tengah galak tulis email prum pram prum pram marah vendor...alih2 shut down. Ala...potong stim betul la.

3rd, hal keje jugak. Tolong la jangan salahkan aku kalau ada benda hal product yang ko rasa menyusahkan ko...tapi ko sendiri tau, bukan aku yg buat rules tu untuk menyusahkan ko. Aku pun susah jugak tapi bila dah arahan datang dari langit....aku follow la. Why not kita sesama cuba make the best out of things? And bila ko buat statement benda ni jadi sebab aku takde seminggu time study leave....aduh, buat aku kecik hati laaaaa. Bukan aku sorang yg buat keje ni...satu team!! Ni yg buat aku sangat2 nak tukar posting....esok aku nak pi interview!! Muahahahaa....