beyond Edensor

so, i finished reading Edensor in approximately 4 hours plus the distractions. its a thin volume. and o so lovely. and i plan to make a GFG, inspired by the book. (immediate after i complete the Pink Pant Her project.. sigh!). GFG is Grandmother's Flower Garden. here's my favourite link to a beautiful collection of Flickr pics of Hexies and GFG.

i'll blog about GFG Edensor in my other blog : My Passion. for the appropriateness of header. (actually, i want to get rid of that other blog, but since i have this new-found passion). why not make use of it? and Jakarta-Bandung blog is barely breathing. ya, i know i am a shame.

i have to tell about MAX. our choir leader. (btw, Jen asked "sejak bila ko jadi Simon?") o i wish! i was appointed to oversee the college's choir team (no, i actually volunteered- bah, compare being in a choir to berbalas pantun empat kerat.. hows that?). o God, i never could ask for a better choir leader. patient, fun and commited. now, i think we really have a chance to win the competition. and suddenly, i realize, i might be a Simon after all.... heheh.. (ko mesti tinguk derang pny audition..sy yg tuli note pun sampai sakit perut. nyanyi sendiri pun pandai sumbang). (i'll post picture of him and the team later)

i urgently need a new mug. i broke the old one this morning. can you imagine i named my mug "kapiting"?. no apparent reason. (its a free mug from KKM-sihat sepanjang hayat). i used a cup to drink my tea this morning, and somehow, its not right. i urgently need a new mug. (cups are for sharing. mug is for solitary drink). does it make sense to you? (overdose Edensor baini.. still struggling with the hangover)

p/s selamat berposting. ya, i remember.

tasty and wicked

a friend got a downloaded copy of "sang pemimpi" movie. (our long awaited movie). and i cant blame her for being so over the moon about it. (it really counts who gave something for you kan?). she rarely read books. (she said she pembaca blog tegar) so, she downloaded the book -sang pemimpi and Edensor (which she e-mail to me, just to add to those thousands reasons why i love her) and she read!. we're both under the spell of that wicked Indon man. We love Andrea Hirata!

i reread most of my books (for the lack of new materials). but, there are certain books that you come and read it back and find new meaning, new revelation. and other book, you, willingly come back and re-read and re-read, because the sentences are too beautiful to be read once. and you read word by word (bookworms knew the trick of scan reading-skimming through). but some books, grab your attention and slow down your pace until the words actually have a taste in your tongue (when you try to read it out loud- no, fast reading wont afford this). for me, Andrea's Sang Pemimpi is one of the tasty one. Wroblewski's The Edgar Sawtelle Story, Caputi's Loving Evie and all of Irving's.. their words have taste i cant place. lingering taste like good wine.

so, this girl tempted us with her Double Roti. ayayayay.. tasty. wicked pictures! woi.. orang puase lar!

talking about tasty stuff. i was blown away by Nestle La Creamerie vanilla ice cream with cashew nuts and chocolate sauce. 500 ml? gobbled in less than 30 mins. neat.

and, can i make a rule not to allow students to wear a waffle scent after shave during Ramadhan to class ? they are hot enough minus the after shave and super delicious with the scent. oooo.. goody. wicked!

mare, if he did top up the downloaded movie with satu bungkus mee kolok and laksa sarawak.. nahhhh.. double kissssssesss and hugsss.

Dawn, i love the idea of being in love with the idea of love. it kinda put thing in perspective.

serious planning

patchworking hits me bad. the hexies are getting along. i'd just finished making all those hexies and arrange them neatly to make pattern. it's a single bed size. (i'll lost my fingers to stitch a larger size) approximately 36 X 70 (inches). i'll begin to stitch the hexies together next week. i'm still working on the pattern. darn! (reminding myself to decide on a pattern first before embarking on making hexies, or at least making a simple plan). look like i'm short of a few more hexies for the border. double darn!

my kaibigans are planning for our Indo-China escapade next year. (blame it on AirAsia's RM1 promotion) thanks Tony!. so my plan? find good books about those places. on Pol Pot (communist movement in Cambodia), really should find one. Thanks cik adek, for planning out the trip.

stealing time to finish Cornwell's the Scarpetta factor. i'm planning to drop her from my must read list. shes getting boring and o so predictable. i wish, Benton stayed dead, i miss the old self Marino. (maybe this is the effect of reading a series

i cant wait for 27th. i'm flying home. the plan? just in time to catch the last of rambutans off the tree. hopefully still have la. celebrating National Day with the family and do some serious food tasting. bah.. the muffins with tarap sauce on, ya? i'll exchange with some bosou do gipan.. oooo sweet plan.

kasi tapai sama dia

i was googling for "TAPAI" (i was at POPULAR Bookstore last week and saw that ridiculous cover of Rais's book) to find the book review. my search lead me to this guy's blog and it's by far the coolest malay blog i've read (but then, i rarely bloghop). he blog in grammatically correct English. (duh!) and most importantly, his blog leads me to this group. (so, there's such group in Malaysia). aku hampir terkentut.

i will definitely get that TAPAI. and it is not especially because he refers to food akin to sex. i am so bloated. i need to kentut, or else. (in my utak: org dusun main rabus saja, main hantam-hantam kasi masuk dalam balanga saja- how will that stands in Rais's comparison to the technique?)

this week hot story: Popong successfully baked her first batch of muffins. thus, the spell of kek inda kambang finally, officially over. and i wrongfully, gave her, buttermilk compositions. sorry, aku mengantuk baitu, butterscotch bah pulak. ya. yoghurt, works fine. bah. congrats.

cik adeks: nampaknya penyakit kelupaan kita makin jangkit berjangkit. psssttt.. mau bincang bisnes bagus punya. now, i really need to kentut.

i'm beyond the age of farting jokes being funny (sepatutnyala). i teach chemistry, so, ya, i knew for fact that it's just nitrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen, methane, and hydrogen sulfide gases from our stomach to anus. but, i do think kentut as funny. funny haha.. not funny peculiar. merah muka si kawan tahan kentut. seriously funny.

the point of missing

there's no point in missing to read somebody's blog, when you are not even an invited reader. a point i should always remember. (i miss the blog all the same). i miss the ideas, the perspectives, because it broaden mine. my loss.

so, jen's laptop went kong too. and she suggested us to re-visit HCMC. all pictures taken there went missing. hard disk problem. i have to laugh a bit here and tease jen. nah.. kan, mana ko punya saranan sendiri buat copy?. my beloved pinky Dell went kong a week earlier.

so, all my notes and slide presentations went missing with the hard disk. been a really busy week for me, preparing (again) those notes. hence the hiatus in my blog post. and i wont post any pictures for a while (not in august). i'll elaborate later.

i'm on my new patchwork project (nearly completed 2). Mimi seems to get infected. she started her log cabin patch. me with my hexagons. about 480 hexies to go! and my patchwork project's fancy title "pink pant her". i'll post picture of completed material. according to my calculation, that'll be sometime in september.

i'll go missing from the virtual world next week. its another field work. which i am actually looking forward for. i miss being in the woods, walk in the rain, play with muds and not to think too much. lately, thinking too much lead me to miss somebody, i shouldnt. O crap! exactly my point!

ice cream missing

i chopped my hair and my head look like a big 'bawang'.

my handphone 'melarikan diri' and i've changed my number. i'll somehow retrieve the old number. (i lost the darling 'icecream' LG Hp). sedih ni.

bought a new pair of NB running shoes. (yay! dengan harapan, akan rajin berjogging. hahahhaha!) lawak eh!

p/s depression mode. after satu minggu menghabiskan duit kerajaan and bermakan sakan with that sister yg menyelamatkan aku dari tiak berhp. (thanks jen!). aku shock dengan kerja yg banyak menimbun.

our orientation week lasted last monday. i had a super fun days with the juniors and seniors. (i guess, i miss my older kids- DKP10 bad)

i have yet, to love my new kids SPKA7.

and.. oh God! busy week ahead.

p/s sedih lagi ni.. Germany tidak dapat masuk Final World Cup. Cilaka.

a while ago,

what a week! the 'high' of being in HCMC still not fade and the bug to go travel and makan-makan hit us bad. until.. the credit card bills sobered me up.

i appreciate the dinner with this person and sorry to this person, aku lupa birthday kau. fail sungguh kawan kau ni. sorry.

i attended a full week (21-25/06) on 'ilmu-ilmu kedukunan'. i wish! (Bimbingan dan kaunseling) bah actually, (seeing ears, listening eyes). not my thing, but, in the end, i found it fascinating and well, i do love Simon Baker in the 'mentalist'. nah kan... macam dukun.

the dress

malam kebudayaan (26/06), i planned to wear the dress (tailored in HCMC~ mikirayou, because its bloody cheap) but, finally changed the plan. i settled for orang Ulu's traditional costume. (Di!, thanks for being my magician, less than 24 hours to get me one of those gorgeous costume! i cant thank you enough)

me

the 'date' with Noel and his 'mistresses?' (hahahhhah!) resulted on me knowing at least 2 of Ben's 10 Alien Forces (Heatblast and Fourarms). (Noel, aunty promise to memorize all 10)(Di, dont you think we need serious education upgrade?- you, google up V3. hahahah!)

and i'm glad i bought this. A story, in a story, in a story, of a story. (Dickens' story, in Watt's, in Matilda's by Jones). i only can think of 'Blood Diamond' (the film) to match the horror and deep, deep fear it potrayed.

the book

"phooing" session

pho bo

i love pho

good guide

kaibigans

definitely will come back to Saigon. good food. friendly people. warm city. cheap cotton. great nightlife.

5 days, and i'm in love.

Be Radical, Love Green

a friend who work at mineral and geoscience department will shun me for this post. (i knew for fact, he loves coal and mineral hunting..so, sorry in advance, mate)

chance upon Farish A. Noor's "what your techer didn't tell you-the annexe lectures vol.1". interesting, provocative and stimulating. i dont entirely agree with some of his opinion, but, its his book. his says. (after all, his articles are havily padded with back up literature-- evidence enough to tell, he knew what he's talking)

honestly, i picked up the book because i need inspiration to write my PTK essay, which is due 17th this month. and i only have today and tomorrow for the 'groundwork'. wednesday, i'll be away for a 'phooooooooooooing' session with my sista!

this morning, i'm still leafing through this book (still nothing for my PTK essay..). googling Farish, (o! so he's a radical), ended up here and here

the 2nd here is the story that will irritate that good friend of mine. the coal plant proposal in Sinakut, LD, Sabah. my initial decision is to go against. (as i am for excessive making of hydroelectric dams in Sarawak).

in the long run, NO COAL MINE in Sabah will benefit the state much more. read the borneo post article about the alternatives. and.. no, i wont give you the link fo Najib's blog in 1malaysia website. go search for it. (he made interesting comment tho)

Sabah kita bah ini. kita punya.

mid year

we're having our 2 days off for Gawai celebration. reread Frank McCourt "Angela's Ashes", found a lot in common with Andrea Hirata's "Sang Pemimpi". both are semi-autobiography, of their early days, poverty, hardship and aspiration to make a better living.

McCourt of Limerick's slum and drunkard, useless father. him, presenting his faith (birth control, the church's control, --you really need to read the book to understand the nauseating helpless i felt for him--) and his way of getting the fare to USA (as a telegram boy at post office and some other odd jobs)

Hirata of small island (pulau belitong) in between west kalimantan and Java island (Indonesia). here he showed his background of 'sekolah pondok', presenting his faith (people resisting the traditional schooling system and opted for structured schooling system--which is for me, a better option--) and his journey to Jakarta, and eventually to Sorbonne (he worked at a post office in Bogor as a postman to pay for his univ tuition fee)

both are inspirational. just, when we thought, we have had enough hardship. mine, are certainly nothing in comparison to those two. relatively speaking, i'll vote McCourt for a nastier childhood. by just reading his book, i cried for hours. i cant imagine how he lived through.

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i'm reading Mark Haddon "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time". ya. another reread. lack of good reading material. i'll be in KL next week. hope i can find some books at a flea market. and hopefully a wonderful holiday with my kaibigans.

my patchwork top cover almost done. i've yet to buy a fabric for the backcover. (not too happy, the colour coordinations not really to my liking. i dont have fabric with solid colour!) (hahhah! 3 negative statements). but, its my first, hand-stitched patchwork. (reason enough to make me happy)

my living room smell wickedly of lavender. i sooooo love! and decided, its a lavender room. theme colours: lilac, pink, brown, white and green.

no picture. my camera not with me.

Gawai and Kaamatan

obstetric trauma, cord prolapse, women's health, etc. i gained more in the short two days of our recent course and probably the best i've attended in quite a while. i love the way they presented it. its so humbling to hear people with so much knowledge and experience, sharing it generously, and never once chided you for asking a silly, downright stupid question.

plus, they served a super hot Tom Yum Kung for lunch. if i were a man, i'd marry one of those jururawat masyarakat. they are super hot! (i mean they're cool ladies who can deliver any baby with just a blink of an eye. i mean, not them delivering. they help mommies to deliver their babies. i mean.. that's just cool). i dont think, i want that for a career.

i started making patchwork! all those hexagons! its a slow and very tedious job. but, somehow it get me occupied and partially happy (i get irritated mostly).

its almost Gawai. i have one wedding invitation in Serian. i wont be home for Kaamatan. and i'll see all my inner circle friends in about 2 weeks for our little walkabout.

architecture. it sounds grand. maybe it is. i'll tell her. we'll talk.

Selamat Gawai. gayu guru gerai nyamai. kotobian tadau tagayo do kaamatan. bah, miramai-ramai tokou no ngawi.

ADVICE

i dont really fancy reading poem for the energy it takes to understand in depth. i like my prose plain and simple. Robert Frost is one. and Sheree Fitch. she never failed to amuse me. i got her first collection "in this house are many women", a 1993 publication. (confession: i bought it for the cover painting, a nude). sure, i got it from flea market. where else?

ADVICE

read everything Gloria Steinem ever wrote

her last book first

ego is like a hat

useful protection

but it should always be taken off

before entering a room

or sitting at a table

with others

you are not only what you do

or who you love

but you must do to discover

who you are

love to discover

why you are

i wont retype the whole lot. i have yet to read anything of Gloria Steinem. i absolutely trust the ego-cap thing. (unrelated matter, i bought a nice cap to match Dawn's stylish cap an jane's penjahat punya cap~ so, i can't wait to see you guys and show it off!). and i have yet to grasp a simple essence of the third stanza. (i got it alright, but seeing like, in a dim light or something.. bukan mentol yang menyala-nyala. hahahahha. ngok!)

ooooo.. last week was hell.