2007, The Year That Was

Woot! In less than 2 hours we'll be welcoming in 2008, and like last year, I've decided to just stay at home. I don't have any of my cats with me now, which is a shame really, but I've got a large Vegie pizza for company, double woot!

Oh and lucky me, Lemony Snickett and Pretty Woman's on TV.

Let's get started...

In 2007...
I survived Media Comm 1. The bane of my existance, and I've finally, finally, gotten through it alive and kicking.

In 2007...



At last, my very own Barca jersey thanks to Donkey, Marco and Baby Bunny. Sadly though, football matches have become distant memories as I hardly watch them anymore. 'Hardly' being understatement.
(Note to self: Get Sky?)

Best Movie(s)

Living in NZ meant my cinematic experiences had to be reduced, greatly. I managed to catch some really great movies during the International Film Festival, but that's about it. So in my opinion, based on what I've seen, the best movie of the year has got to be....

Dadadadadadadadada...The Simpsons Movie.



I mean c'mon, Maggie finally said something! How can anything else top that?

Right behind it is, Perfume the Story of a Murderer. The only reason it's in 2nd place is because, it was in English! If it was in French, it'd be more artsy, and therefore, in my world, perfect.

Best TV Shows

Brothers and Sisters. If you know me, then you'd also know that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Ally McBeal. And so naturally, I adored Calista as well. How could I not watch the show then? Sally Field is cute as a button as well.



I'm glad I'm following Californication here in NZ. Had I been watching it back home, it'd be heavily censored, and thus lose much of its essence.

Seeing Ms Zima naked though, is something I'd rather forget.

Best Songs



Leona Lewis's Bleeding Love was an accidental find, and oh what a find it was!



Umbrella has GOT to be the song of the year. I don't know bout you guys, but everytime someone mentions the word, Umbrella, I'd go, ella-ella-eh....

Most amusing person on earth



BRITNEY SPEARS. How she entertained us the whole year through. I can't imagine what 2007 would look like without Brit and her countless wigs.

And next year, looks like lil' sis Jamie Lynn is set to take her place. Weheeeee!!!

Here's to the Spears!

Breakup of the Year

Will and Kate. Yeah so they've since rekindled their romance, but when I first read about it online, I, like many others, went apeshizz bout the whole thing. Now I couldn't really care less about these two muppets. I am however interested in the going ons of Harry.

Kat Malaysia plak, I'd have to say Nash and his soon to be ex-wife, Ms. Whatever-her-name-is.

Shocker of the Year



Death of Jane magazine. I still can't find a mag as funny and as intelligent as Jane. Oh please someone...help....

Shocker of the Year 2

Well, maybe some people could already see it coming, but not me. Bhutto survived the attack in October and I thought, surely she'd live to see the election. Guess not, huh?

Hopes for 2008? I hope I'll survive MC2 and MC3 as well. And of course, finally get my much deserved degree.

I hope life will be kinder to me, though if there's one thing I've learnt from this thing called life, is that it's unpredictable, and so, I'm wayyyy ready for it to throw me a challenge or two.

Hear that 'life'? A challenge or two. Not three, and not four.

And so, 2007 closed with a bang (maybe literally somewhere in the Middle East) and till next year, toodles!

Pescatarians

Word of the day.

Pescatarians.

Find out why you can't say I'm a vegetarian, a semi-semi even.

We're Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band!

On the move...again!

I am yet again, as the title suggests, moving on to another apartment. Will be living with Kak Zaidah this time around. Woot! I'm sure we'll get on swell as housemates, and if we don't there's always a place where we could vent out our frustations...le blog!.

Then we can leave nasty comments on each other's blog yah?

I can't remember what's it like to actually have a housemate...it's been 2 years since I've lived with someone. Whatev! I hope we get the apartment on Liverpool Street, kalau tak kena corner balik to Alpha ASAP!

Last nite we had Xmas dinner over at Dunkin', where there were plenty of food, and no, no donuts. Not at the back anyways.

Ginny, ever the maternal-boss, decided to cook up a storm; roti canai (yes,from scratch), mee goreng, nasi goreng, popiah, chicken nibbles. We also had sushis, roasted chicken, fruit punch, tiramisu and tom yam. Hmm wot else....Also did a secret santa kinda thing where I ended up with a new set of parents!

Imagine that!

My parents as of now, are being soaked in a bucket, and in about 72 hours, they'll grow over 600%?!!!! What does that mean? I don't know.

Oh the excitement!

Hope they won't grow that much though...Would be kinda scary waking up to a pair of red-dwarfish parents, no?



Some fun-filled photos from last night's party.

I've just finished reading Haruki Murakami's novel, Kafka on the Shore. All I can say is...wow.

Here's a taste of what it's like being me, in the words of Mr. Murakami.

"Being empty is like a vacant house. An unlocked, vacant house. Anybody can come in, anytime they want".

"Living turned me into nothing. Weird...People are born in order to live, right? But the longer I've lived, the more I've lost what's inside me-and ended up empty".

Ahhhh...now where's that Prozac?

Ciao! Happpy holidays! Oh and let's not forget, Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha. Mbbekkk....Remember,

Kalau tak sampai hati,
Be a vegie!

Makan dan Tidur

It's been forever since my last entry.

Back home in Ipoh, but sadly, flying to Auckland in less than a week.

Oh so sad.

I am so going to miss hugging Baby Bunny, kissing my cats (and pinching their cheeks!), checking up on mom and her crossword puzzles, and watching movies with Khai. God... I could talk to Khai for hours on end!

As I am typing this, I am listening to Juara Lagu (Balada). It's no wonder why Malaysians are tuning in to Indonesian singers.

"Apa nak jadi dengan industri muzik Malaysia?"

The lyrics and compositions are pathetic. Takde seni langsung.

Sad. Sad.

Off to eat ketam masak cili.

If you keep losing sleep

What happens if you keep losing sleep?

You go crazy that's what.

Well, I certainly am. I'm sleeping when the world's awake, and staying awake when it's asleep. ZZZZZZ.

Doing my Media Communication essay is driving me up the walls. I don't get what the readings are trying to say; I mean, I see that they're saying something, but what they're spelling out to be? I have no idea.

And just when I think I GET IT, the evil that is deep thinking would make the matter way more complicated for me to be able to just sit down and just effin' write a relatively easy essay (well that's what my tutor promised).

Topic is pretty simple, what are the roles of the media under the classical ideals of liberal democracy and how well does the NZ media fulfil those roles.

(If only I could say, I think they're doing a crappy job. There. I deserve an A)

S-I-M-P-L-E.

But nooooooooo...I just have to be me, and think beyond the topic, and in the end, I can't even come up with an intro. Read more you say?

More I read the more confused I become and the more referencing becomes a nightmare.

I've been cooped up in my apartment since Sunday. Sunday people!

I so need to spend my money right now.

Just a few more days to goooooo

Oh dear, my body clock is going crazeeee!

I've been staying up late for sahur; I usually eat around 4am, but thing is, after sahur I stay up for... Dawson's Creek! I'm hooked!

Because I sleep late, I wake up even wayyyy late. And I've also been taking wayy too many afternoon naps. There goes my brownie points for Ramadhan.

Anyway, went round town today coz it's a nice day to be out, and guess who I saw milling about?

Robyn Malcolm from Outrageous Fortune!

Then on my way back from Cindy's place, guess who I saw emerging in pairs from the Albion pub?

The Rugby League Team! Don't ask me what team, but they were wearing kinda AB looking jersey...The grey and black one...

They were so HAWT! And they smelt so good! I love how some guys have that bodywash/soap smell on them even after they've long had their showers...And no, I didn't go up to them and sniff...

I tried walking as closely as possible to them AND take a whiff. Haha.

Search and Destroy!

Oh how I heart thee

Shopping!

Living and going to a uni that's in the city means that in between classes or when I'm bored to death I can just head down to Queen Street and explore my fave shops!

Valleygirl offers dirt cheap clothes, most are gaudy looking, but a handful are really good, like their knits and dresses.

Opshops
Recycle Boutique is great if you wanna get hold of some NZ designers' stuff. 4.50 for a Ricochet shirt is way awesome. Unfortunately they also sell clothes from Farmers and Supre that are just not meant to be sold and definately not worn anymore! Most of the clothes sold at Search and Destroy on Krd cost around 5 dollars. Saw a cute fuschia skirt, and a grey jersey hooded minidress that could use a good home. My home maybe? Hehe. I definately prefer them to Fast and Loose. Search and Destroy only takes cash. Thing with opshops though, you've gotta spend time combing over rubbish before you find that special something. I usually come out with aching arms (and a happy heart!).

Free Way on Chancery Lane. OOOOOOO I can't even begin to tell you the state I was in as I discovered a new store has arrived in town! This one has gotta be the cutest around, with candles, flowers and birdcages as part of the decor, place smells delicious and they've got the friendliest SAs to help you out too. Head straight to the right as you enter to get carefully chosen-easy on the wallet-made in China garments or if you've got some serious moolah to spend the head straight to the left where most clothes are made in NZ or the USA.

Coffee!
Esquires and Gloria Jeans serve the best coffees. I haven't tried Columbus yet. Heard they're even better. Brazil on Krd has been closed down.

KK's buttered prawns!
Almost like the ones in TOPSPOT Kuching. So good I'm still thinking about 'em now. Oh yum.

Music!
1234 by Feist, Save Room by John Legend, and Konichiwa Bitches by Robyn have been playing on and on, for days on my laptop.

Tuna Sushis
Best tuna sushi as of now? Sold at the sushi place behind Wendy's. Friendly uncle too.

On to sad news...

My mom told me last week that Scamper has passed away. Scamper's been with us since 1997, way back when we used to live in Bangi. He lurves to lick all the other cats, guess if he was human, he'd be a hair stylist! Scamper has always been there for my fave cat and his sis. For them, there's no such thing as "Three's a crowd" as they eat, sleep and play together, every single day.

I'll miss you Scamper!



Scamper's the black one in front of the door.

And oh yeah, don't worry bout the skinny orange one. He died a long time back. May they rest in peace.

25 and still clueless... :)

Hola peeps

Just turned 25 on Saturday, and aside from the bukak puasa dinner with some friends,I didn't do anything at all!...Which sounds pretty alrite to me...

See, my childhood days were filled with birthday parties (parties=presents!); mine, my brothers' and my sister's. Mom, being the perfect hostess that she is, would make sure ours were the best in the neighbourhood. Almost everyone we knew were invited, sometimes there would even be tents (extravagant I hear you say? I don't think so!), yummy, huge birthday cakes were a must, and everyone HAD to leave with a party bag. Those were the days...I guess, this is probably the reason why, as we get older, my siblings and I don't really mind it if we do absolutely nothing on our birthdays, we've had the best parties and presents really :)


(The spoiled rotten kids grew up to be way cool adults who wear baju tradisional all the time. Coz they're cool, see?)

Thanks Mama.

So back to Saturday, I dreadfully woke up feeling hungry. Bought birthday presents for meself (a yearly ritual)-a pair of jeans and hoodie I've been eyeing for some time now. Plus, I actually do need new jeans (justifying my purchase?).....Then berbuke puasa with Kak Zaidah, Dot and Tasnim who cooked ikan bakar! Ikan bakar! Sambal udang and tomyam were also on the menu. Ahhhh sungguh sedap....

That ikan bakar wud be the highlight of my 25th birthday! And the jeans of course.


(EH?Not my cake mah?)



Much thanks to Kak Zaidah who got me a cheesecake (oh-so-yummm) and a pair of earrings (oh-so-me) and Grace for the BodyShop body spray. Waiting for some gifts from home :)

Is it sad those are the only presents I received this time round?

Ermmm must be thankful Zara. Some people are actually starving on their birthdays. Shudder.

In between buying the jeans, and having dinner, I did some thinking. Which I have to say, uses so much energy.

I'm 25. What have I achieved? Aside from a diploma (and it's not even hanging on the wall), nothing significant really. I still am clueless as to what I want to do in the next few years, let alone life! I've given up on being the oh so cool female photographer. I don't know if I can be in the world of advertising, I don't know if I wanna go back to Malaysia to work( I don't wanna stay in NZ either, please can someone spell BOSAN?), and unlike many of my friends, I don't know if I can settle down and have ugly kids running around the house. I really am glad that most of my friends know what they want from life, and more importantly what or who makes and keeps them happy the most. Good for them. Seriously.

Not knowing what the hell you want to do in life is scary.

And exciting.

And it's amazing that I'm still sane.

Thanks to all the birthday wishes people, here's to ME!!

Of salutations

Are you a Dato' Seri or Puan Sri who's been annoyed that the good people of MAS has only been refering to you as Mr or Mrs so and so? Fret not Dato', for now when you're buying your tickets online, you can choose your salutation(s) in the drop down menu provided.

Because of course your title matters. Great that someone has finally recognized all the troubles you went through to get it!

Doesn't mean that you can carry more than 1 litre of liquid on board, but hey at least it says TAN SRI on your ticket eh?

Beat that you COMMON people you!

On a more POSITIVE note for me, fashion label Witchery is now available at Smith & Caughey's. Phew, what with the death of Jane mag, and Bling on Vulcan Lane, I thought the world as I know it is coming to an end (eh maybe it is? scary thought.let's proceed. Almost like Country Road but BETTER, with lotsa tunics and loose fitting tops, I must say, me likey! Me likey a lot...

Also, Diana Ferrari is now where Bling used to be. Pretty pretty shoes.

OOOOO Blogthings how I love thee

You are 73% Virgo

How Virgo Are You?

You're Totally Sarcastic

You sarcastic? Never! You're as sweet as a baby bunny. Seriously, though, you have a sharp tongue - and you aren't afraid to use it. And if people are too wimpy to deal with your attitutde, then too bad. So sad.

How Sarcastic Are You?

You've Changed 76% in 10 Years

Compared to who you were ten years ago, you've changed a great deal. In fact, you're probably in a completely different phase of your life - and very happy about it!

How Much Have You Changed in 10 Years?

You Are a Night Person

For you, there's nothing worse than having to get up and moving early. In fact, you probably don't hit your peak until well after the sun has set. So if your struggling to make it on a normal schedule, realize it's not your fault. You just weren't meant to do anything during the day!

Are You a Morning Person or Night Person?

Tis one's for the Bom Chicka Wahwah!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md9zMmsqkg8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsmK5mJha0s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMEkf_nYAzo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFA594MpJrs

Enjoy...bom chickawahwah

The Advantages of Waking Up Early

As I had to print some readings for an essay due tomorrow (and here I am posting a blog entry), I woke up very early this morning.

8.30am. Wow. I'm truly amazed at myself.

So I went to uni, did what I had to do, then headed over to New World to take some pictures of B_E_E products for yet another assignment. I was searching the aisles for tomyam paste when lo and behold, who did I see getting some of his groceries?

The MacDaddy of NZ media, John Campbell! Looks the same as he does on TV. I thought of approaching him but alas, the stories I've heard about him made me stay away.

The other advantage of waking up early is...owning Queen Street. Seemed like Queen Street belonged to me and a few "underprivileged" people. Most shops were still closed, and no one scurried past me at the crossings, phew! It annoys me to see people rushing past and bumping into other pedestrians.

Election time is getting nearer for Auckland folks...and yet most have no idea who's running for the mayoralty.




Off to my readings now, toodle-doo

Dear Jane

Dear Jane,

Why oh why have u left me with all these other outfits which can no way live up to your standards? Sob.

Love,
Zara



For those in the dark, Jane has been my fave fave FAVE magazine for the past 4 years. That's 4 years of awesome fashion spreads, 4 years of helping me to expand my music library, and 4 years of getting to know and loving Jane's eclectic mix of writers. I feel like I know most of 'em personally.

Because I can't get my hands on Jane here in NZ, my mom who totally gets my obsession with the magazine (MUAKS), would send them over by post or through someone she knew was coming to Auckland.

And now, she doesn't have to anymore. Coz the magazine has been discontinued.

What went wrong?

As a reader, I've noticed how Jane has...ermm...changed..And not for the better sadly. What went wrong? Lotsa boring articles, wrong cover-girls, and just the whole essence of the magazine has drifted away from what it was all about. Tis sad.

Oh well, better quit while they're ahead.

In other exciting news, I have found that SUSHI FACTORY on Vulcan Lane makes the BEST TUNA ROLL when compared to other sushi places around Queen Street. I've yet to venture outside the CBD.

Book-land!

The Man Booker Dozen has been announced...jengjengjeng..and sad to say, I can't get most of the books here in NZ. Gotta get them specially ordered for meself at bookstores or get 'em online.

The books that are in the running for the prize-

Darkmans by Nicola Barker
Self Help by Edward Docx
The Gift Of Rain by Tan Twan Eng
The Gathering by Anne Enright
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
Gifted by Nikita Lalwani
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn
Consolation by Michael Redhill
Animal's People by Indra Sinha
Winnie & Wolf by A.N. Wilson

Mister Pip? Mister Pip I can def' get in Auckie. It's everywhere!!Since the writer hails from New Zealand. Blah. I don't plan to read it.

I've finally read White Teeth by Zadie Smith, and I must say, it's brilliant! Currently reading her third novel; On Beauty (starts getting interesting after page 100 or so) and right after that, I wanna get my hands on her second; The Autograph Man.

Then I shall wait (im)patiently for her fourth.OOOOOOO....Time..why must you be so slooowww...

Another writer I <3 so much is Mark Haddon. With him, I don't need to imagine all the little details. I just need to FEEL. And in that way, he's amazing. Both The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and A Spot of Bother are must-reads.

And the SIMPSON's Movie?


F-U-N-N-Y


Just before I chow-cincau, here are some quotes from the books above. Just so ya know what I'm babbling about.

Quotes from A Spot of Bother
"The secret of contentment, George felt, lay in ignoring many things completely".

"Did they ever go insane, children?Properly insane, not just handicapped like the Henderson girl? He was unsure. Perhaps there was not enough brain to malfunction till they reached university".

"Jamie was a homosexual. And what was wrong with that? Nothing whatsoever. So long as one was hygienic".

Quotes from White Teeth

"The principles of Christianity and Sod's Law (aka Murphy's Law)are the same: Everything happens to me, for me. If a man drops a piece of toast and it lands butter-side down, this unlucky event is interpreted as being proof of an essential truth about bad luck:that the toast fell as it did just to prove to you, Mr Unlucky, that there is a defining force in the universe and it is bad luck".

"Pain by itself is just Pain...But Pain+Distance can=entertainment, human interest,cinema verite, a good belly chuckle...disguised contempt".

"In a place where you are never welcomed, only tolerated. Just tolerated. Like you are an animal finally house-trained"

"....suddenly this thing, this belonging, it seems like some long, dirty lie..."

Ads Ads Ads

Because ARES doesn't seem to work

I have no idea why I can't get these songs from Ares. And coz I am so in love with these songs, and I wanna listen to them endlessly, I've decided to post 'em up here.

Then I can press replay as many times I like. So there.



I am genuinely surprised that Lifehouse has lasted this long. I thought they'd be a one hit wonder, so kudos for 7 long years in the mainstream market guys!



This song makes me wanna head to the beach ASAP and stare at the life guards. Yum.

And now a trip down memory lane...presenting Oasis!

Nothing Left to Lose

Mat Kearney - Nothing Left To Lose lyrics

Phew! Finally! After weeks of wondering whose song is it that's being played on Grey's Anatomy trailer on TV3...got the answer now yippeee :)

And here's another of my current fave..



Thirsty Merc - 20 Good Reasons

Helps that this one's being played to death on the ray-d-O. I'll get over it in no time.

LIKE

"What word makes you cringe? Like. I think there should be little electric-shock things put in people's bodies, and every time they say it inappropriately, they get electrocuted"

(Rufus Wainwright, Jane July 2007)

More than half of the girls (and come to think of it, guys too) doing BCS is guilty of saying 'like'.

'Like' is peppered throughout their conversations, as if the word somehow connects sentences.

Like I went to OZ to ski.

Like I don't wanna go to like the concert and like..

I like, said to him, like hey..

Rufus' idea doesn't sound too bad. Especially when you're in the lift having to listen to a group of wannabes and their 'likes'.

MEOW!

Currently reading: White Teeth

How I Survived Friday the 13th

Ah another Friday the 13th has passed us by. And despite much paranoia about going up the Sky Tower (what about the storm? what about that car parked near the entrance? what about the lift?rotating restaurant? whaddaya mean rotating????) nothing bad happened. To me anyway.

So in order to avoid bad luck yesterday, these are some of the things that I did.

No.1 Start my day right
How you start off your day is mighty important. I didn't wanna sleep in till 4 like I've been doing for the last couple of days (I woke up hating the world), so before I went to bed the nite before, I drew the curtains apart. The idea is that when my alarm goes off at 12pm, the sunlight would...force me to climb out of bed and get me hyped up about LIFE.

No.2 Choose reliable food courts
To avoid spending hard earned money on crappy food, choose a place where you know; good food will be served. When Syaf suggested lunch (good thing I woke up early else I wouldn't realise I had received the sms), I immediately thought of Food Alley. Better to stay safe than sorry, it was Friday the 13th after all, and I didn't wanna have to finish off some icky noodles and whatnots in an unknown restaurant.

Food Alley. Best Food Court in Auckland.

No.3 Avoid work
On my way to see BlackBook, I stoppped by DD to get me some munchkins, and boy am I glad I wasn't working! Apparently, yesterday was one of those days where customers are extra whiny. And also one of those days where everybody feels like they wanna have a donut. But they feel guilty about having one because weighing scales haven't been too kind to them. I don't know why there's this need to justify buying a donut to us, after all, it's not like we CARE.

"Oh I really shouldn't have one..(pats tummy), hahah, but I just feel a lil bit naughty, and I haven't had donuts here before...now let's see...what shall I have...."

They will then proceed to spend about 5 minutes deciding on what kind of donuts they would like.

"Heheh. I really don't know what I want..."

Yesterday was one of those days where you smile politely through gritted teeth, get their donuts, charge them, and as soon as they're out of sight start crying out "Dear god, what have I done to deserve this?". That or you bitch about them to anyone who's willing to listen just so you don't turn stark raving mad.

Of course, these kinda days happen occasionally, but on Friday the 13th? It just feels extra...emotionally challenging.

So while my colleagues were 'serving' customers yesterday, I watched a fairly good movie at the Civic. How nice.

No.4 Stay away from clumsy waiters
As we were shown to our seats at the Orbit (restaurant up Sky Tower), I decided to stay away from where the waiters would be walking back and forth with a tray full of drinks and dirty plates. Excellent decision I must say, as 20 minutes in, a waiter spilled all but 2 drinks off his tray (I suspect the waiter had gotten a little pening, since the restaurant rotates...In fact I'm getting a lil' fening myself right now...)

Someone at our table got the sleeves of his jacket wet. And so someone's gonna smell like an alcoholic for a few days.

Still, Friday the 13th managed to sprinkle some bad luck on us. Our table wasn't ready when we arrived, so we had to go down to the Observatory Deck (which means going up and down the damn lift way more than I intended). We then had to wait for almost an hour for the food to arrive. No fear though, as Anne had brought along each of us a party pack! So while we waited for our food to arrive, we nibbled on some lollies and chocs she had no doubt painstakingly pepared for us. Thanks Anne!

And to birthday girl Shireen, Happy Belated Birthday! Your present coming soon, me think...

Pretty much this week has been my only holiday, from uni AND from work. I took 5 days off because I'd volunteered for the international students orientation, which was fun. Those 2 days helping out the new students really made me feel connected to AUT. Guess I'll be volunteering again...





Pity I didn't take any other shots, I'd brought my camera along, but somehow I forgot it was in my bag...

Wednesday night we had dinner with Kate as she was leaving NZ. I can't say I like the Ramen at Mentatz, somehow not as good as its hyped up to be...Bit salty..Then we head over to Brooklyn, and it was odd that they serve their mochacinnos in a clear glass instead of the normal cup. But hey, coffee's still coffee right?



Thursday, I decided to head over to Newmarket for a lil' retail therapy...Oooo feeling good babeh....Managed to get my dose of Bling earrings (Bling over at Vulcan Lane has been closed down. The world is hell bent in driving me insane).

On the way back from Newmarket, I encountered something I haven't seen in a very long time.

Traffic jam.

The trip from Newmarket to Wellesley Street took almost an hour. My butt was aching. And yeah watching the new Simpsons Movie trailer first time round on the bus' TV was funny, but over and over again? Without sound? I don't think so.

Then I watched Harry Potter in IMAX with Shireen and co.OOOOOOO I heart 3D glasses!!!!





Heh, you could hardly see my nose. Or face. As I was so jakun...taking pix with my cam, I didn't notice that my popcorn had spilled all over the floor. That's like 3/4 of my popcorn. Gone. Just like that. Caramel popcorn some more. Thank god movie was 'entertaining'. I'm beginning to think Sirius has been having some dark thoughts about Harry. Some very dark thoughts....

Oh well, uni here I come!!!

One more week...

Weather's been nice today, for a change.

I've been working from Friday, and I'm looking forward to having some days off starting from tomorrow, yey!

I'm super excited about the film fest that's coming to town and spending some btime with friends before uni starts..again.

Yesterday saw Paul Henry passing by DD with his daughter, I think. And tonight, saw David Farrier on KRd as I was going home. So tempted to say, "OOOO....THIS WEEK ON THE INTERNET!!!" Heheh.

Wonder which TV personality I'm going to meet next...Ms Brown? I'll whip out my cam for that!

Currently reading: A spot of Bother

Welcome Mrs.Winter...NOT!

The weather's been pretty horrible. In Auckland nowadays, you've got 2 choices.

a-Wet and humid day or
b-Dry and effin' cold day (usually with VERY strong wind)

Either way, forget about turning to your destination (i.e parties, dinner, movies) looking fab.

It's the holidays now, and instead of going off on a trip with friends, I'm stuck here in Auckie, either catching some much needed sleep, watching my fave TV shows (I've decided. SUNDAY is the hottest nite now. Starting with the Simpsons, then My Name is Earl then CSI then Jericho. WOOT!), or working.

In between that routine, I eat lotsa chocs, drink lotsa mochachinnos and watch DVDs.

I'm planning to have a DVD library. I've bought 8 so far in a matter of...less than 3 weeks. Damn JBHifi... I figure, DVDs are much lighter to bring back home than books. Hehe.

So it was a relief when Ginny suggested dinner at her place. A break from the usual stuff. Menu? Steamboat. Oh YUM! So good on a cold night...Brrrr...

Then on Saturday, Yohei decided to have lunch on his birthday (followed by partayyyy, but I had to work). I was looking forward for that plate of fried crabs I was eyeing on my last visit, but alas, it wasn't a crowd favourite. It's been taken off the menu. Tis sad.

And we forgot to order ice-cream balls. Ohhhh double sadness..... Nasib baik Yohei bayar.



New section of me blog. Toilet review! Idea taken from Aut's student magazine, and since I go into lotsa public toilet (for erm touch-ups), I've decided to occassionally review 'em.

First up,

The Ascott, Auckland

Someone's friend was staying at the ever exclusive hotel, and I went into it's lobby restroom. Well, not actually in the lobby area. The restrooms are located near the conference room, I think, and you gotta go down a flight of stairs. It's a bit hidden.

As expected, nicely designed. Very clean. Water taps are way cool. But thing is, the taps are too wide, and too near the bowl rim. Which equates to...wet sink counter.

From the outside Ascott looks so posh, I half expected someone to open the toilet door for me, and hand me towels to wipe my hands dry.

Last Sunday my mom turned 57. How time flies....HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA!!Love you lots and lots!



You dapat 2 handbags? Ni yang jealous nih...

Current fave song-Your Love Alone is Not Enough

Six weird things about me

Eh, so I've been tagged by Zureen.

Six weird things about me

No 1
Everytime I hear someone say "Zara Mardiana Nasarudin" I would cringe. Too pretty of a name for a cynical, pessimistic, whiny person like me.

Note: If a get a dollar for every customer who says, "Zara? Wow, what a nice name" I'd be a ...well...a person with about 20 dollars.

No 2
I eat my cereals without milk.

No 3
I don't eat anything that comes in a shell(?), like uh, mussels, kerang, siput sedut, etc. They just look like they taste like...chemicals.

No 4
I'm super organized when it comes to trivial matters. My hangers have to be the same colour. My pots and pans are arranged according to their sizes. The bottles in my fridge are arranged according to their height.

I can't simply throw a 'throw' on a sofa. It has to be 'thrown' a certain way.

I can't just go out without a plan. I have to organize my time, like say, 2pm leave house, 2.15 post office, 2.30 fax letter, 3 start walking to Foodtown.

Financially organized as well. Ehem.

Sadly, am not at all organized in my studying.

No 5
My lauks have to match. Ikan goreng can be eaten with any type of lauk, but ikan masak sambal should never be eaten with stir-fried mixed vegies. And although I am semi-vegetarian, I absolutely hate vegetarian food.

Vegetarian pork anyone?

No 6
The holocaust and serial killers. Two things I am fascinated with.

No 7 (saje nak add)
Sometimes I can't spell scissors. Or tomorrow.

I'm not tagging anyone, but feel free to tag yourself! It's fun!

p.s-i'm weird enough as it is.

Just.Kill.Me

1-Watch the video.



2-Laugh all you want.

3-Try to sleep at night.

The background music just kills me.

And the award goes to...

Queen of Procrastination



Siap ada effort nak letak crown pakai photoshop.

If my PR manual textbook could speak, it'd go "Tsk-tsk Zara".

Sob.

And because I don't have any intention of flipping over some useless theoritical stuff any time soon, I'm going to fill this out. (Taken from Zureen's blog)

MY VERY OWN TOP TWOS....

Top 2 things found in your wallet as
always:
- eftpos card.sungguh penting
- pic of my family

Top 2 things to do when i'm sad:
- walk around on Queen Street,listening to music
- buy a new top.

Top 2 songs you can listen to again
and again:

ermmm this is hard...
- yellow by coldplay
- grace kelly by mika?

Top 2 reasons to watch television?
- tv rocks. period.

Top 2 places I'd want to visit 10 yrs.
from now
- Spain
- New York

Top 2 current obsessions:
- HEROES. ohsogood.
- coffee

Top 2 current favorite food (
- sambal nasi padang
- pizzas. i lurveeee pizzas

Top 2 favorite snacks:
- sour cream and chives chips. why don't they have these back home?
- koko krunch?

Top 2 favorite website:
- the superficial.so so so funny.
- perezhilton

Top 2 favorite things to do:
- online
- shopping!

Top 2 favorite places:
- my red sofa. bed's too cold u see...
- thewarehouse. where EVERYONE gets a bargain.

Top 2 things i can't wait to happen:
- for this semester to end. cipan lama btul.almost there now.
- see my cats again.

Top 2 places where I love to shop:
- oh hatyai, how i've missed thee..
- i've rediscovered singapore.

Top 2 movies I could watch over and
over?
- BORAT. lawak gile ok?
- Gosford Park

Top 2 things I'd do on bed:
- sleep
- pretend to sleep when someone from Dunkin' Donuts call me.

Top 2 favourite person apart from
family:
- khai
- tomomi!OMG, i miss tomo-chan!

Top 2 things about me is
- i hate doing things last minute. yet i still do it. do i secretly love doing it then? NO.
- i can drink bad coffee like there's no tomorrow

Top 2 fav things i owned:
- my boots.they were made for walking!
- my laptop

RUBY RUBY RUBY!!!

Can't get that song outta my head. Sheesh

Anyhoos, for those who are interested to know, haha, I've been quite busy with stuff lately. Patah tulang lah like this...Assignments, work, AND moving!

I moved out of Unilodge about 10 days back. After much looking around, I was getting pretty desperate to tell you the truth, and was about to tell that girl at Unilodge, "Yes, just book me a studio".

Nice fully furnished apartments rite smack in the city itself is so hard to find lemme tell ya. So when I came to view my current place, I terus fell in love with it , and told the owner, "I want it. Like, NOW. Please don't show this place to anyone else!"

I've gotta admit though, the entrance's pretty dodgy. You walk in and will immediately see the disgusting wheelie bin, and let's not even talk about the laundry room, (but hey, free washing!I reckon I could just clean the machine before I use it.heheh). My landlord did say he's going to try and take over the management, and make the place better, so..here's hoping!

Like my new place?

Oh me oh my, tis I must tell! I had tau-foo-fah in Auckland! Yohei, Jaesern, Rachel and I went out to have Yum Char (which I tot was funny, coz yum char means let's drink tea, no?) near the Viaduct on Sunday. I loved their ice-cream balls, and fried fish as well. Came up pretty expensive, but I thought it was worth it. Next time I'd grab the crabs/squids!

I love being able to just whip out my phone when I see something exciting, and snap a pix or two. Here are some random snaps of Auckland. Pixelated though, as my phone's not that canggih...

Teresa, who's been with Dunkin' Donuts for quite sometime now, has resigned, sob, and so, we decided to spend some QUALITY time with her. The rest of the gang went to have dinner in Mission Bay, while I was stuck at work on Krd (and it was a busy nite, can you believe?) Joined everyone later on for bowling, yey! I just adore bowling. So cute.

Teresa, I'm wishing you all the best for the future, and get me discounts for shoes ya?

That's Teresa with the orange ball.

Nite all!