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Life has been pretty hectic for me. No time to exercise with dip bar but no problem cause most importantly I still have time to consume more Medan foods.

Lots of things happened which makes my life to be more colorful. Lots of new experience from almost being summoned by the traffic police here to being suspected as a mental-illness girl and yet I dare to show up at the airport again later on. So many things to be written down in this blog, but no time to do so.

Many webdesign project in our hand now and yet we have to leave them to put on driver + tour guide cap (again) for this weekend. Cause we have some family thing coming up tomorrow, so well, going to the airport to fetch my relative later on.

Last week we have been busy with the short visit of my boy’s uncle and friends. Those few days were all about “swallow bird nest”. Boring for me but it’s very interesting for them.

As for our personal stuff, we have settled the marriage registration here. Again, money talks. Sigh. We are now in the process of settling the three-months-social-pass.

Now, I can’t wait for May to come~! Hint: my long pending honeymoon.

Hair MakeOver

I had my haircut at my all time favorite saloon on last Saturday. It was just 9am and the place already full with classy aunties and young women. Blackberry, branded handbag, bling-bling items and a chaffeur waiting for them outside has made me felt so out of the place. But heck, I was there for the haircut and not competing in showing off the expensive spirometer or the jewelry that I just bought. Anyway, the haircut costs me IDR350.000. The price keeps on increasing from time to time. Sigh.

Few days after that, which was on last Tuesday, I went for hair coloring and curly session after much consideration. It’s my 2nd time curly-ing the hair and my very first time in coloring my beloved black hair which isn’t that black at all.

Overall it took 4 hours to complete both thing, 9am – 1pm, with 2 hours for curl and 2 hours for coloring. Wash and blow-dry are included inside too. So much faster than my expectation. Probably because it was weekday and there was less customers.

All those costs me IDR1.450.000 with details as the following: IDR.700.000 for curly-ing, IDR.80.000 for vitamin, IDR.400.000 for coloring, IDR.260.000 for the Kerastase product and IDr10.000 for shaping eyebrow. Worthy for me cause 1, I only go to saloon 2 to 3 times in a year for major makeover, and 2, the curl/color can last long. I had my first curl on last year May and it’s still there before I chopped it off last Saturday. Almost 10 months.

Well, great and fabulous hair equals to good mood.

Busy is Good

My boy and I might be the weirdest people on this earth. We love being busy, in a good cause of course, not busy as in gossiping about neighbour who uses best weight loss pill or take care of other people’s business. When we have free time in our hand, we will feel oh so weird like something is missing. Guess we need to learn how to enjoy the free time and relax eh?

Anyway, after having enough break and good time during Chinese New Year, we are now loaded with work. Lotsa deadline to meet. Yes, it’s another working weekend. No complain, cause it means we won’t be starving and we actually enjoy our work.

I have to finish my writing tasks today. Then there is blog design work with custom character illustration to go. I’m not sure if I can find time to resize my AD (Actual Day) wedding pic. Time to use Picasa I guess. And tonight I’ll accompany my boy to attend his high school gathering at a restaurant. Whew..

Wedding Pics is here!

Pfiuh! Finally we received our actual-day-wedding photos (CD only lo, where is the 100 print out pics as we agreed on?) after a long waiting of more than 2 months. Longer than the time one has to wait to see the result of quick weight loss program. Sigh.

*rant mode on* I’ve anticipating to get it on January cause the photographer said he had too much order on December so have to wait until January. Fine, I’m very understanding one as long as you have a valid reason. *putting patient mode on although so curious to see the result*

Then I contacted the photographer again on the second week of January and I was asked to wait until the end of January. Fine, I didn’t mind giving more time. The promise date came but he still couldn’t deliver the photos and have to delay for another 1 week. The level of my patience already went down to 50%, out of 100%.

However, I thought it wasn’t so bad if he can deliver it one week later which is our 2nd monthiversary. But, he failed to meet his own deadline again. I lost my patience immediately. All the while it was me – as a client/customer – who asked the photographer about the deadline and delivery. I wonder if I didn’t ask, will he inform us about the delay of deadline consider that we (stupidly) paid full after the wedding ceremony was over.

After he failed to meet the previous deadline, he promised to deliver it 1 week later – on the week before Chinese New Year. We already predicted that it will be on CNY eve and yes it is.

Put aside the deadline problem, the photographer is very friendly actually. But still, it is a major downside if you are friendly but can’t meet your own deadline. For us who works on our own (not under any company), meeting deadline is extremely important. Not only that, we always remember to inform our clients about the latest progress instead of leaving them wondering and wondering.

Anyway, there is 296 pictures in total, covering the simple wedding ceremony in the morning, casual photoshoot in the afternoon and wedding banquet in the evening. Overall is good but I think it’s over edited and too much contrast . I would prefer a very minimal Photoshop work and rely more on one’s photography skill.

It will take me some time to upload those pics to our wedding site and my Facebook. Super lazy have to resize and upload. Bleh.

Maid of The Year

… is the one that says she often forgets some tasks which we ask her to do because she is lack of vitamin.

This happened on yesterday, when Mum Lee (my Mum In Law) just took her daily vitamin consumption. After that Mum Lee continued baking cakes while saying that maid in Malay language (how careless and don’t know how to do work bla bla bla). I was sitting in front of my computer when I heard that KNS maid said Ini.. saya kan nga makan vitamin. Kurang vitamin. – something like this. Wtf, I almost fell down from my chair.

… is the one that turns on the air-con herself and lies on the living room’s floor, cause the weather is so hot.

I’m so gonna kick her *ss if I were there. My boy and I have to think twice before we turn on the air-con in living room – think about the electric bill and the effect to this earth. But this KNS maid just use it like it is natural wind. The 40sth woman is so lazy when it comes to work and yet knows how to enjoy life. Wtf, she never hears about ‘menyelesaikan kewajiban baru menuntut hak‘ (do your duty first, then only ask for your right) is it? Just because Mum Lee is so kind and chinchai then she climbs on her head. Ugh. I wonder if she were ever being sent to work at four seasons country, will she ever allowed to turn on the electric fireplaces herself or not.

… is the one that asks you want to eat or not. If you want, she will fry eggs for you.

This often happened before dinner time. My boy’s Grandpa and that KNS maid usually have early dinner. After that, the foods left so little only. Then that KNS maid will ask me (us actually, but don’t know why she always asks me and not my boy, scares being scold I guess) whether I want to eat or not and that she will fry eggs if I want to. Not once or twice, but almost like every evening. On the surface, it sounds as if she is so concern about me. But, wtf, fry eggs? Everyday? Siao. Macam memang ciak nui po nui.

… is the one that asks you want to heat the foods or not. If you want, please do it yourself with microwave cause she doesn’t know how to use it.

Luckily Mum Lee didn’t teach that KNS maid on how to use microwave. Otherwise, it will be her easy way out and doesn’t want to heat foods using the stove. Like the above fry-egg’s story, this doesn’t happen once or twice only. Each time I answered that I don’t want to eat first, she continues asking about heating the foods as if she never heard me saying NO.

And this afternoon she asked the same thing again after Mum Lee asked if we wanted to eat or not (cause it was 1pm already).

She : Ti, mau makan?
Me : Nga, nanti. *continue clicking the mouse*
She : Makanannya mau dipanasin?
Me : -__-” *KNS didn’t hear that I said later meh?* Iya, iya panasin lo. *you so want to do, go do la*
She : Tapi.. ini.. saya nga paham cara pakainya. *point to the microwave* *hint me to do it myself*
Me : -___-” *kill me please*

Again, on the surface it looks like she is so concern about me. But, it sounds like ke mui in Hokkien. KNS, if the stove is occupied for baking cakes and she doesn’t know how to use the microwave (and not allowed to use it), by all means no need ask whether I want to heat the food or not. After I say yes, she told me to do it myself. Then, what for asking me that question? Just cut the crap la. Not like she never saw us heating the foods ourselves. Haihz..

Now I understand why some people can have so many complaints about their maids and why that cruelty towards maids can happen. Be in the situation and you’ll get it.

End of the rant about the maid. No worry, this rant doesn’t overpower the blissful feeling for having a maid. I’m still thankful for having one although her attitude is KNS one. I guess it’s best to say that I’m having a love-hate relationship with house-maid.

Last Sunday on January

Time flies real fast, we are about to leave the first month of the year and soon will step into the most commercialized month of the year (thanks to Valentine’s Day). Although the first day of Chinese New Year falls on the same day as V-day, the flower shops in this town already advertised that they will be opened on that day. No matter what, flower is the favorite gifts for her (read: female) but I don’t really care cause I finally can spend V-day with my other half, I’m not gonna ask for more.

My life here is so far so good, though I found myself complaining a lot more than usual. Can’t blame me cause I’m still adapting with the new environment, lifestyle, people, family and all. So many things that I need to compromise with.

I could be keeping all those complaints myself, but it will just add on more burden to me which might result in a sleepless night, grumpy face, bad mood, silent cry at night time, etc. So yea, sharing it with someone is the best way to keep my sanity. Though it looks like I need to find other ‘ears’ to keep the sanity of that someone.

There are things that I can pretend not seeing, but there are some that I can’t tolerate such as the maid’s attitude. This is the first time ever I came across a maid who told you not to turn off the aircon and turn it on herself a second after you turn it off just because she is ironing clothes there. Wtf? There is ceiling fan near her ironing place, which I don’t use because my working table is so far away from the fan and that’s why I use the air-con. Damn know how to enjoy life but never done a good job.

Seriously, having a full-time maid at home is not fun at all. At first I thought my life will be easier cause there is someone cooks for us, does the laundry (using washing machine instead of hand-wash like in Medan), sweep, mop, washing dishes, wash car, prepare Milo and bread for me when I have so many design work waiting for me, etc. But NO! It is far from making my life easy.

Her cooking is far from delicious but it is edible and I don’t want to spare time for cooking so what can I complain (I miss Mum’s cooking!!!). The Milo is always too sweet and always has ants inside, not the tiny ants but quite large one that is impossible if she doesn’t see them. Every time when there is something bad happen or some stuffs are missing, all she says is I don’t know and not me. She already worked here for almost 2 years but still can’t get things done right. Ok, no need perfect and right, but at least listen and follow what we say.

I have stopped asking her to do stuffs for me, except the laundry, cooking and open the front gate for the car. Asking her doing stuffs will just add in the trouble, not making easier. I seriously can’t wait to see the new maid which will come in around 1 or 2 months. Hopefully we will get a younger one and less lazy. Sigh.

Cat with Mustache

I used to bring my digicam wherever I went (college, office, mall, cafe, you name it) and never failed to snap at least a picture or two for memory purpose. But ever since I moved to Sibu, I seldom bring it out already. Most of the time I only carry my mobile phone in the pocket, that’s all. Even if I bring my Canon out for a walk, I don’t always take picture.

Guess it’s a mind-playing thing. The image of Sibu as a boring small town has stuck in my mind. Therefore my subconscious tells me that there is nothing interesting to be captured from this town and that I have snapped whatever interesting from my previous trips to here. It’s like, when we first heard about diet supplements, we were so excited and slowly get bore of it.

Then this morning when I checked the pictures on my Canon and realized how little pictures I took during this 45 days, I got sick of the pics. I couldn’t tolerate it cause it is so not me. That’s how I decided to bring back my desire of carrying digicam with me.

Yes, this town might be small and the shopping complex can’t even beat Sun Plaza in Medan, no need to compare with Sunway Pyramid or 1U in KL, BUT small doesn’t mean boring. There must be something interesting out there – everyday. I just need to be more sensitive, really see, feel, appreciate things around me and eventually I’ll see the beauty. *brainwash myself*

Not long after making that promise to myself, I saw something interesting and worth to be kept as memory. Neh, this cute cat with mustache, that we came across when having dinner before went to the cinema. Ok la, it is not the real mustache but just black color in between the cat’s nose and mouth. But if see from faraway, it does look like mustache lo. Almost looks like Charlie Chaplin to me, but my boy said looks like Hitler. We don’t mean to laugh at the cat, but thumbs up that it has such a unique look.

I’m looking forward for snapping more interesting and memorable pictures!