splishing and splashing...

I was up early (relatively... given that it's the weekend) today. Everyone else was still asleep. Awal2 pun, there's no way in hell that was I going to make it to Sunway Lagoon by 8:15am.

Reached there just in time for the senamrobik. I've heard from those who attended previous events that DBB#3 would enthusiastically perform on stage... I was not disappointed 8-) He was joined by our ADD and my boss, but DBB#3 took the prize for being the least kaki kayu, hehe...

Spotted QIA on the beach and joined him for the sesi memanaskan badan. Soon we were surrounded by other familiar faces. That was fun! I have not laughed that much for a long time. Shaza poked me in the midst of a heel forward step, next to her was Stomeng... small world.

After the senamrobik, I went over to the *special tent* area to say hi... sekejap je lah obligatory duty lepas tu cabut pergi jumpa acquaintances yang dah lama tak jumpa. Riz was there... she told me that her eldest will be heading for TKC next year. And discovered that boss's wife kenal my cousin in USJ... they attend the same Arabic class.






The activities started with kids' telematch. I think the adults were more excited and riuh as compared to the kids ;-p



I had just asked K Ayu whether there would be any activities for the adults when the MC announced "selepas ini acara telematch untuk dewasa pula". QIA, Odah and I looked at each other with glee... tapi tak sempat nak join the first event because dah penuh. *Gorilla walk* was the second event and we managed to get Doc, KM, MZ to join in as well... with MZ as our captain. Aiyoo... that was hilarious but equally disastrous. We came in last. Eager to leave with at least one prize (only the top 3 je yg dapat hadiah), we joined the next session... called *Rescue 911*, and were joined by the youngsters J-Lo, Michelle et al and veterans like K Mid & OSE. This time it required us to get into the pool. I had not planned to get wet... did not bring any spare clothing with me. But what the heck... this ought to be fun, and fun it was :-D. Belum apa2 lagi, masa baru testing, I dah basah kuyup. But it was all worth it because we got 3rd prize... hadiah berupa tupperware.








I skipped the next events which all involved main dalam air so that I'll have ample time to *dry up*. The following game was the most entertaining... it involved a race of people who have to make 10 turns around a pole before lari and *sep* the next team member. The entertaining part was seeing people terhoyong-hayang... they were obviously disoriented, macam mabuk todi. As fun as it was, it wasn't without incident. Michelle fell and sprained her ankle. AAA, the ever caring boss, also accompanied her for checkups and to obtain medical treatment. I went on to do my rounds of chatting... after lunch and having decided that I'm *dry* enough, I took my leave. Malas nak pergi the dry park, although K Lizza had invited to join her and her sisters for a session of *screaming at the top of my lungs* on the rides.







On the way back, dalam keadaan separa lembap, made a detour to BV... aim: to order that cake for ARG. They couldn't take the order there and asked to contact the HQ. Pulak dah... Singgah MPH to check out some interior design books to get ideas, and dropped by Marmalade to tapau my favourite Havana salad and carrot cake.

The rest of the day was spent ironing baju, napping... time out to just relax...

Update: Found out that Michelle actually tore her ligament... which will take at least 6 weeks to heal. Kesian dia...

a weekend should be more than 48 hours...

Pagi2 tadi the first job was to buang ice yang dah accumulated dalam freezer. Armed with a hammer and a putty spatula (I'm just creating the name here because I'm not really sure what it's called, heh), Ina and I *worked* on the ice. Tebal betul... In the end we had sheets and shavings of ice. Bila buang kat luar, nampak macam it had snowed here in KL.

Today (or rather semalam, since it's past midnight) I cooked. Which is a big deal, since I hardly cook. Actually, the whole thing started the night before when I marinade some lamb. Excited :) Trying something new and opportunity to officiate the utensils I had bought in the US baru ni. On the menu: pan seared lamb loins, steamed vegetables, potato wedges and garlic bread, topped with brown sauce.




Tengah syiok potong the vegetables, received a call from my cousin, Bita. Dia nak singgah rumah dengan her sister, K Yang. She's in town attending a kursus perguruan. Bita was the cousin that I was closest to masa kecik2 dulu. Although dari segi tahun, we just have a year gap, but as pointed out by Bita tadi... real age wise, it's almost two years (I was impressed that she remembered my birthday, her own is just a week away).

She lived opposite rumah arwah opah and everytime I balik kampung, we will end up playing, sleeping, makan together... to the extent that my opah pernah merajuk sebab I spent more time with Bita than with her. But as we grew older, we became less close. I guess we just grew up in different environments. Tapi tadi when we talked, things got into the groove again. All is not lost...

Tomorrow pagi2 kena pergi Family Day. I've never been to any of the family days since start kerja. But this year, I've decided to tunjuk muka... feel obligated to go. Hopefully it will be interesting. Lepas tu kena pergi order cake for ARG's upcoming birthday and work on the presentation slides untuk lecture for 240 ppl this Tues.

There goes my weekend...

hobbies...

I'm terrible at keeping with a particular hobby. This blog being an exception...

For a while it used to be baking. I would bake on a weekly basis... even spend late nights to make something to bring to the office the next day. For 2 years, I made Raya cookies... they're tasty (orang kata aa, bukan sendiri perasan, hehe) but all look the same because I'm too lazy to roll and cut. They're all the *drop* cookies. Mama complained because they all look the same and are not pretty. Well... cookies are for eating what? It's the taste that matters not how it looks.

Then I stopped baking because I ended up with lots of leftover cakes and cookies. Everyone has had enough of my carrot cakes, chocolate cakes, muffins... I myself don't have a sweet tooth so I typically don't eat much cakes or desserts. The joy of baking, for me at least, is when you see people digging their way into the cake/cookie and savouring the taste.

Lepas tu it was sewing. I've been encouraged by my mom to pick it up (I think it's because she wants me to jahit all her kain langsir, hehe). None of us siblings ever picked up the skill. If we needed to tampal or alter anything, it's always "Papa... tolong jahit kan boleh?" Yup... my dad can sew!! Whenever our trousers are too long, ada baju terkoyak... he would carefully manouver his way through the pieces of cloth, in all seriousness siap dengan his glasses on his nose... jahit for us. He would usually do it properly as well. For example, kalau koyak, Mama would just jahit je over the offending garment, tapi Papa would kemas kan dulu, get an appropriate kain to tampal and jahit kemas2.

After many years of observing them doing it, I got interested. How hard could it be right? Looks simple enough. My first project was a pillow case. We were at Macy in Serdang... I think I was there to get Mantze curtains as a house-warming gift for her new house. Then ada juga kain lain on sale... really cheap! RM1-5 per meter. So bought some and that's how it started. Gosh... senget benget the first time I jahit. But before that, had to learn how to letak benang in that small bekas benang thing that you put in the machine... what do you call it... sekoci? Ntah lah... Then had to learn how to pasang benang on the machine itself... pusing sana sini, make sure not too much tension otherwise it might putus, deciding on the *size* jahitan... macam2! My first attempt... coz takut cannot control, I went slow.... really, really slow. My mom came to me and said "Laju lah sikit... macam ni sampai bila baru nak siap?" I just smiled back at her.

My first *masterpiece* was not something lovely to look at to say the least but was something that I'm most proud of :) I can finally sew!! After that, I went on a frenzy of making many more sarung bantals, even made a curtain for my room. Senget pun senget lah... it's for me to see anyway. Then I got adventurous... even dah boleh alter baju, seluar... although I'm still a novice compared to Papa.

Then I ran out of ideas on what to do... how many pillow cases do one need anyway right? I'm doing this for fun not as an additional source of income. The thing I like about sewing is that we have the machine in the exterior of the house, next to the dining room where there is a water feature. So each time menjahit, I would turn the thing on and I'm transported to a world of calm and serenity... just bunyi air and mesin jahit... sambil menikmati angin from kipas above. It's so thereupatic!

Lepas tu Ina introduced me to SimCity. Aiyoo... I'm addicted to any form of computer strategy games. Several years back it was Caesar, then it was The Sims. My siblings always complain that I take too long to play... that I try too hard to plan everything. Even when building the house for my Sims, I would take ages to do it. Why do I like these games? I suppose I have an intrinsic interest towards architecture and planning. But I've stopped playing these games because the consume so much time and I was having neck pains and lenguh wrists.

Whenever I'm planning for a holiday, then my free time would be consumed with reading travel journals, forums, visiting various websites... all to do with planning for the holiday. Where to go, where to stay, how long at each place... right down to the admission cost and mode of transport to travel from one location to another. It borders on obsession, hehe... But despite all the planning, I don't follow the schedule strictly... they're just as guides. So that I can make sure that I get to see all the things I want/ought to see.

Then coming home from a holiday... I would spend time sorting through the photos - to be uploaded or printed. Tapi this year's trip sudah ketinggalan bas... so many yang belum sorted. I just don't have as much time as I used to. Maybe that's something that I can do during this coming Christmas break.

I guess keeping busy is something that I need to keep my sanity...

Yesterday over lunch, my supposed-to-be-housemate (STBH) #1 ajak join dia for dancing class. Now... that's something I'd like to do :) She also ajak join the aerobics class every Tues and Thurs. Since I've promised myself (and NSY) that I'd start exercising soon... I'll take up on the invite. We'll see how this lady fair next week... Hopefully I won't be muttering *aduh* with each step or bend ;)

some words of wisdom...

Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love
Albert Einstein

Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence
Helen Keller

If you don't like something, change it.If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain
Maya Angelou

A friend is someone who you can tell your complaints; a good friend is someone you can tell your dreams
Dale Dauten

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted
Aesop

Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Happiness depends on ourselves
Aristotle

Haha... who would associate Einstein with matters of the heart right?

In this chaotic world that we live in today, sometimes we need to step back and re-evaluate our values, our actions... and the kind of imprint that we leave behind. Be it on other people, the world, the society... we are all here on this earth for a reason.

Sometimes we just need to be reminded... I find this slideshow inspirational.

http://www.thewalkthetalkmovie.com/?SRC=MRPWTTGB&ref=64

Nora commented when I showed her the photos that I took during my recent trip... "You banyak ambik gambar sky". I guess she was hoping to see more photos of Linda, Muqriz, Marissa, Seth, Sophie and Farisa ;)

Yes... I like to snap shots from the aeroplane. It's just so beautiful. All the chaos seem miles away (although one can't really run away from the amok in one's heart). Plus up there, the beauty is amplified many times.

The above are some shots that I took during the many flights that I had endured. No... endure is not the appropriate word. I never find flying troublesome, even if the purpose of the flight is (read: attending meetings that I don't like). I'm always amazed how these large heavy machines can take off and glide through the skies (that's the geeky part of me popping up, hehe). And despite the safety records etc, I never fail to say a prayer each time we take off... manalah tahu...

Saw NMS's photos of her skydiving on Facebook last night. Gorgeous!! That's something that I'd like to do one day... They say that the best way to overcome your fear is to just do it. I'm afraid of heights... my knees get weak whenever I have to cross a suspension bridge, naik tangga tinggi, be on rooftops... but at the same time, doing it gives me a rush of adrenalin. Go figure...

on to the next chapter...

Read an article today... about career defining moments.

The analysis is based on a global survey conducted by McKinsey & Co. I've always liked to refer to their articles... insightful and easy to read. Was looking for some ideas for a speech and terjumpa the article.

Some of the findings...

• For many, the single most pivotal event in their career happened circa 30-years old, after about 8 years of working.
• Often these revelations relate to people discovering what they're passionate about or realising that they no longer have interest in their current job. Also quoted was when the organisation provided them the opportunity to *grow*.
• For women particularly, realising that they're not leading the kind of life that they want also has significant impact on their careers.
• Surprisingly, most responded to say that work-life balance has neutral impact on their careers. Although women respondents said that they have more difficulty to balance work & life.
• Things like "significant organisational change", "motivated by a role model/leader", "meeting a person who became a mentor", "posted to another geographical location" and "going back to school" were also some of the experiences that shaped their careers.
• A large majority said that the organisation was supportive during their pivotal career event. And the most important factor is having good relationship with colleagues & management. A supportive working environment that aids career development came second, followed by intrinsic interest in job/role.
• Having a supportive spouse/partner, friends outside work and friends at work (in order of importance) also have positive effects.
• As for the pivotal event that took place, they were (in order) 1) took a position in a new company in a new industry, 2) decide to more actively manage career, 3) took new position in existing company, 4) revised career ambitions/objectives upwards, 5) decided to go back to school for postgrad studies.
• More importantly, these events led people to have greater intellectual interest in their job, overall job satisfaction and of course the obvious like career advancement, better pay, etc. Again, surprise.. surprise.. impact on work-life balance were 36% positive, 39% neutral, 24% negative.

No wonder lah I've been having all these bruhaha and thoughts swimming in my head these past few years ;) A big sigh of relief... I wasn't having a mid-life crisis after all! hehe...

I went/am going through many of the things mentioned above...

One of the main reasons why I had decided to pursue Masters last year was because I was finding work to be less challenging and not as inspiring as it used to be. I've been having this conversation with ARG (someone that I regularly consult, my mentor of sorts) since 2003 I think. Tapi in his wisdom, had adviced to stay on dulu... try to get promoted first (this was masa I was still an SE) and lepas tu baru lah pergi.

And when the time came to go (literally dah siap beli and pack barang dah ni...), I was offered a new role in a different area. Actually, the day I got the news, I already had 2 boxes in my car yang nak ditumpang hantar to London through a friend pada hari yang sama. Had to tell some white lies to a few people that day since it wasn't something that I could disclose at that point in time. In many of our past conversations, I had informed ARG that I don't think I was ready to take on a higher position. I wanted to *grow up* first... Tapi like the saying "things happen when you least expect it".

Now, 1 year later (we just celebrated FSD's birthday on 27 Nov), I've somewhat settled down. Still adjusting, especially on the new subject matter (which I'm know for sure that Assistant Big Boss will say I'm still significantly lacking depth). Am slowly growing into the role... masih banyak traits & skills that I need to develop. Appearing and being confident are two different things. Influencing and motivating people... that's something I need to build a lot more. The LDP and coaching sessions have been helpful. It's tough... yet fun! In a sadistic kinda way, haha. I guess I enjoy the challenge walaupun sometimes it really drains me. But as mentioned by many, this role is actually the best place to be. Every director and above that I've spoken to says that. So I should be enjoying myself, hehe...

Also typical nature of an aquarian... we can't sit still for too long. Agaknya sebab tu kut I have such strong interest for travelling... my annual jaunts to some place new, away from the routine. To re-energise.

Having great support around me... that is something I truly cherish. I've been fortunate to have my *gang*, who are all great people. They've nurtured me from Day 1 in this organisation and continue to be good friends and sources of knowledge, ideas, inspiration. From all perspective... work related, personal development... everyone has their own strengths. They come from various levels... dari secretary sampai lah the top. I've been extremely fortunate to have had great colleagues and wonderful bosses... TRULY! I hope and pray that we continue to have this strong bond... so kena lah selalu keluar lunch with them, celebrate birthdays etc... time to have that BBQ weekend getaway ;) Cuma sadly, the bond may not be as strong throughout the *gang*... ada yang dah drifted away, whether deliberately or by accident.

The organisation has also changed a lot in these past few years... more proactive in managing talent. Putting in place various initiatives... although not quite there, but on the way. Kudos to the BB. They're creating opportunity for bright, young ones... so that this whole process about *waiting for your turn* can be eliminated because face it, these exciting new generation are looking for challenge and aren't shy about moving. To an extent, I've been a lucky recipient to such practice. Just happen to be around the right people at the right time. But I think it's more largely attributed to having the right kind of opportunity and exposure... again, it all relates to having wonderful bosses, who puts in an interest towards my development.

I know that there are a lot of people who are unhappy... grouses... kata2... I've always been associated with being in the *clique*, being *orang XXX*... such comments were even made to my relatives and friends who have other friends in this organisation. It was a difficult thing to reconcile with... because I hate such practices, where people do favours, favouritism. But my conscience is clear... I've never done anything to *propel* myself... I just did what I was asked to do to the best of my ability, as a contributing member of the organisation. Mula2 susah hati lah jugak... thinking about all that, tapi heck... people can say all they want, and never be satisfied. Semuanya nawaitu...

With all that going on here in this organisation, thinking about moving to another organisation is not something that I think of. Honestly... the thought of moving out has never crossed my mind. Although I do wish that I can do something that is closer to my heart... something that makes a difference to society as a whole. I can still do it here... but maybe not to the extent that macam if I'm totally involved in it. The meeting that I had attended in the US recently opened my eyes to the possibility... there's a lot of opportunity to be involved in these kind of work and the level that I wish to be involved in. Something to keep an eye on...

Tapi overall, I'm enjoying the challenge that came this new role... the learning especially. So refreshing to be doing something totally new walaupun I'm still so crap at it. Nasib baik lah ada ppl like NH who is always brimming with ideas and willing to share. I don't give him enough credit. I've changed my views of him since I got to know him better... sure, to some he's still arrogant and brash... tapi dia actually quite nice. A surprising discovery. Had I not taken this portfolio, I might not have known...

In the lift semalam, KZJ asked me "So bila you nak sambung belajar?" I hardly talk to this person and suddenly dia tanya... must be that *what to say in the lift* thing, hehe. I told him maybe in 2 years time... I think by then I'll be *itching* again :) In fact DBB#3 dah a few times asked me about it. Asking me bila and apa nak buat. I've not thought about the *apa* yet... but it will be most likely be around my area of interest. He strongly suggest doing a management programme... and something from the JFK government school would be something that I can automatically relate to. Actually, I'm not sure if formal education is the way I want to pursue it... perhaps an opportunity to work for an organisation in such area would be a better idea. Itu semua untuk difikir diwaktu lapang...

But if you ask me what I really want right now... the answer is to settle down. I'm already quite happy where I am career wise. It's the other part of life which I'm lacking. My friends, I don't mean to say that you're not important to me... au contraire. I thoroughly enjoy being and spending time with you... but it's a natural human desire to share your life with someone. Some of you have been kind enough to lend an ear, provide your insights these past few months. It has been a roller coaster of a ride... which unfortunately has entered into a dark tunnel. I'm not sure where life will take me next... we'll see.

But as they say, "things happen when you least expect it".

gigit your shoes...

There's an old wives' tale that if you want to avoid having blisters when wearing a new pair of shoes, you ought to gigit the shoe first before it gigits you... an advice that I did not heed and am now paying the price.

Tu lah... the price for wanting to be a fashionista yesterday. Decided to wear this grey baju kurung yang sangat comfortable and senang gosok... and when I went to ambik kasut I remembered that I have the perfect pair of shoes to go with it :) Felt good in the ensemble... received compliments too throughout the day walaupun baju tu bukannya baru and dah pakai banyak kali. Must be the shoes... me strutting around in it, hehe. Too much strutting kut, hence the blister.

Went back to work yesterday. As expected, mailbox full, various documents required reviewing and I had no less than 3 discussions. What's new...

But the best thing about yesterday were the smiles that I see when I give people their things... even the simple act of distributing Reeses invited grins. Bliss!

The day before, similar excitement with my family... Before I left, Farisa had mentioned that I'm relatively generous with my family members. Well, when the simple act of giving brings such joy... it makes me feel good. Patutlah people exchange gifts during Christmas.

Last night I tallied the receipts... goodness me! It was more than what I had expected... habis lah all the arrears that we recently received. Nasib baik for the salary revision. But like that Mastercard advertisement: the feeling and experience is priceless :)

Today awal2 pagi lagi I dah made plans for lunch with ARG. Nowadays if nak lunch together, kena arrange awal2... via email, sametime. Tak macam dulu... just angkat muka and toleh kiri je. The same with the rest as well. Everyone dah spread out and with new responsibilities... But nonetheless, managed to get a quorum with the usual suspects. Cuma MM je takde coz she's baking in the sun in KK with her family. AAA is always dependable for suggestions on tempat makan and MZ completes the quartet.

Tapi sekali around 12pm got a call from suruh ikut pergi office FSTEP pulak. I frantically sms-ed ARG, AAA and MZ on my way down to the basement apologising that I have to pull out. They all semua merajuk kata I ditched them... wahai abang2 ku ini, dinda tak bermaksud untuk meng-ditch. Will have to make it up to them one of these days...

So instead, ikut the group pergi makan kari kepala ikan bawah pokok ceri. There were 9 of us. Personally, I prefer kari kepala ikan wahyu. But this place was extremely popular... panjang betul queue. Lunch today was courtesy of DBB#3. Lepas makan, NSY ajak singgah Lee Meat Supplier... nak beli lamb cutlets. Oh... now baru I tahu the place yang AAA has been talking about all these while. I also bought some, planning to do some cooking this weekend ;)

Petang tadi QIA singgah office to discuss some things. Sambil tu he mentioned that he saw 4Ms pix on my blog (btw Linda... everyone is saying that you look radiant and happy!). Eay?? Since bila pulak he knew about this babbling site of mine? Dia kata he got to know about it from some others, whom I'm also quite curious how they came about to know about the existence of this site. I wonder who else has been reading? I guess from now on I'll have to be extra careful on what I menceceh. Aiyaa... self sensoring isn't something that I wish to do. Not that I intend to say mean things, but one can never be too careful. Perhaps, the alternative would be to allow access on invitation basis?

around the world in 11 days

I literally travelled AROUND the earth during this recent trip.

Started from KL... flew to Taipei, en route to Los Angeles. From LA, I went to Houston and back, before heading to Washington DC. From DC I travelled north to New York to catch a flight home via Stockholm, before finally reaching KL.

Some *fun* facts:
- Traversed across 3 continents: Asia, North America, Europe
- Flew over 3 oceans: Pacific, Atlantic, Indian... just a bit
- Travelled on 3 airlines: Malaysia, Continental, United
- Naik 3 jenis Boeings: 747, 737, 777
- Passed through 8 airports: KLIA, TPE, LAX, IAH, IAD, DCA, EWR, ARD
- Meals/refreshments on board: 9 kali (would have been 11 but I slept through 2)
- Total flying hours: approx 51 hours
- Total transit hours (not inclusive time between checking in and taking flight, sleepover etc): lebey kurang 10 jam
- Total hours of ZZZ on board: hmm... about 15 hours kut

It's nice to be back home :)

three days in a jiffy...

Thursday Friday I attended meetings... the reason that I'm on this trip in the first place, although it feels like a shopping orgy, hehe. The meeting was on the topic of making available financial services to all levels of society, with an emphasis to the less fortunate. It's a matter which is close to my heart and am grateful to be part of.

I think this is what I want to do in the long-term... be involved in developmental work which aims to improve the livelihood and opportunity of the low-income group. Do something meaningful... something that makes a difference. In a way, my work or rather my place of work would provide me with such opportunity. I've had a similar conversation with MZ some time back... he suggested to aim for organisations like the World Bank, UNCHR, UNICEF if I intend to go beyond Malaysian shores. Hmm... Farisa has been telling me to explore opportunities in the land where she now calls home. Perhaps this could be the start...

Anyway... lepas balik from the meeting on Thursday, NSY and I decided to head towards Pentagon City again. She wanted to get some stuff for her son while I wanted to see if there are any good bargains for a laptop/document bag.

Headed for Macy's... since they're on sale and ada that special 20% discount. Terus pergi 3rd floor where the bags are. Sekali nampak Samsonite on sale... 50%!! With the 20% discount on top, they're a bargain. So we both decided to get a luggage each... me, a carry-on bag. When we went to pay, the Filipino guy manning the counter tanya "Are you a tourist? Why don't you get the special voucher that entitles you for an 11% discount?" We told him that we thought tak boleh, but he said can. So apa lagi, headed towards the customer service and waited patiently to get the voucher sambil this gay couple beli gift coupons. Lama lah pulak they all tu...

Armed with our vouchers... pergi balik kat counter. So we got 50% sale + 20% storewide discount + 11% tourist discount = great deal!! Since there's so much discount, I decided to get a big luggage as well. Cheap I tell you... the price I paid for the 29 inch luggage is less than harga a carry-on kat Malaysia. Such a good buy.. sangat happpy :) So here we were, two ladies membawa 2 large suitcases balik naik Metro...

Next day meeting half day je. Since we now have three large suitcases between us, we decided to take a taxi instead of the Metro to Farisa's house. Sampai her house, Farisa was in the midst of feeding Sophie. She had to leave to go fetch Seth... so we were left at home. Our mission: repacking our bags. Quite good also that she had to leave... we had quite a big mess, but all cleared by the time she got home, hehe...

Eager to satisfy our retail theraphy desires, Farisa then ferried us to Potomac Mills. She even armed me with discount coupons :) I just wanted to find some other stuff for my mom but end up buying some decorative items for the bathroom, kitchen utensils and a pair of Timberland sandals for my brother which was on clearance sale... only $13!! I was a good girl ;)

Salman picked us up on his way home and we were greeted by asam laksa, which Farisa had laboured on since the day before. Bless this amazing woman! After dinner, us three ladies continued to chat and watched a video of an Oprah show about hoarders. Is that a hint? hehe...

I slept in the next day... only woke up when NSY kata "Time to get up, before Seth comes home from his swimming class". Opps... after my absence of good-role-model behaviour at Linda's, am not about to be the *naughty* auntie at Farisa's pulak. By the time I habis shower, NSY dah siap masak meehoon goreng. The night before we had offered to make breakfast, but looks like I cheated my way out of it, hehe...

After breakfast, we sat down chatting while Seth watched his cartoons and Sophie took her nap. Sambil tu sempat bermanja and cuddled with Seth... he's such an adorable boy. He even did a drawing for us! Also played around with him a bit... with his Bumblebee, masuk his tent. This auntie likes to feel how it's like to be a kid ;)

Soon it was time to leave for the airport. After some struggle to put 3 large suitcases, 1 normal sized suitcase and 1 hand carry bag into the car, we left for Reagan National. It was the beginning of the loooong journey home... I sat at the back with the kids. At one point cheeky Seth began to tickle me. We also did videos... me interviewing Seth. That was fun :) Then the dreaded time arrived... saying goodbye. We hugged and kissed (I even left a lipstick mark on Sophie)... and bid farewell to Farisa, Seth and Sophie.

It was still quite early, the check-in counter was empty. Bila timbang bag, mine was super heavy at 75lbs. Limit was 50lbs. Alamak! Nasib baik lah NSY was flying first class which meant that she could check in 3 bags as opposed to 2. So I took out my old suitcase from the new suitcase and spread the barang into the two bags. Since we had extra space, all the items from the hand-carry pun masuk dlm the big bags. Thanks to NSY... otherwise I kena fork out $$$ to pay for excess baggage.

The flight to Newark was uneventful. Before take off lagi I dah terlelap, hehe. But during flight I mentelaah the Sky Mall magazine... macam2 benda ada jual. Also managed to capture some beautiful scenery of the sun setting.





Earlier NSY had contacted people at our NY office, requesting assistance to take us to a mall nearby for some last minute shopping and to kill time while waiting for the flight. It was VERY cold in Newark... below zero plus ada wind chill. Boy am I glad that we're heading home where it's nice and warm. And off we went to the Garden Mall, just 5 minutes away from Newark airport. Managed to find some additional barang for Mama as well as some baju for Papa.

At 7.30pm we left for the airport again to check-in for our flight. Since they don't have a lounge for us to lepak, MAS gave us vouchers for free makan. So we had dinner kat Chilli's. This is much better than going to the lounge ;)

The flight was full and we couldn't get a seat together. Flight to Stockholm was about 7 1/2 hours, followed by a longer journey back to KL. I stayed awake throughout the flight to Stockholm. Watched Hairspray which was really fun. Masa sampai kat Stockholm, as we were about to get off the plane, I saw Elin... an old school friend. Laa... tak perasan pun that she was on the same flight. On the Stockholm - KL leg, I slept for most of the journey... but not before watching Pan's Labyrinth.