Kal El

Happy 32nd Birthday to the love of my life. Cherish life as if it's going to be your last day on earth. Cherish your loved one as if there isn't going to be tomorrow with him. Sayang, thanks very much for taking care of me. Thank you very much for always being here with me whenever I need you. Your love is much appreciated. I love you dearly.

Aha! Seronok gila dapat hadiah buckle Superman emblem ni... mana lagi aku dapat kalau tak KN kasi hadiah... kalau begini hari0hari dapat hadiah, serupa hari-hari sambut hari jadi kan? Hehehe begitu lah sayangnya KN pada aku (dan aku sayang KN jugak... huhuhu feeling lebih-lebih plak ek - jangan nyampah ek, dan jangan jeles jugak!)


Apa pun aku bersyukur tuhan kurniakan aku pasangan sebaik KN dan aku bersyukur ada insan yang sanggup berkorban apa saja untuk aku dalam apa jua keadaan; susah mahupun senang. Alhamdulillah.

Hmmm back to the Superman buckle tu... beli kat Metrojaya the Curve - since Metrojaya is the sole and official distributor of Superman items - selalu la nampaknya kami ke sana... ada masa nanti aku amik gambar uniform aku je hehehe dan seperti biasa tayang di sini.... again, jangan jeles!

Dalam keadaan kaki sebelah Kal El dan KN teruskan juga percutian ke Kota Kinabalu yang telah dirancang sejak bulan Oktober tahun lalu. This trip, a 6^th anniversary gift from me to KN was really a memorable one. We spent a night at Kundasang and a night in Kota Kinabalu City. Namun, percutian kali ini memang amat memenatkan buat KN dan Kal El kerana banyak melibatkan fizikal, ahahah bukannya kami pi panjat gunung tapi keadaan Kal El yang berkaki sebelah ini, terpaksalah kami bekerja keras; for me to move and for KN to help me move.

We left Bukit Antarabangsa 30 minutes past 4am. As usual my brother Sapit was the one who sent us to the airport. He was nearly an hour late and we arrived LCCT just with enough time to check in, arrange for assistance to get me up on the plane and board the Airbus. We have indeed made arrangement for assistance more than a month ago in anticipation of the trip and I’ve reconfirmed with Air Asia’s Booking Centre a couple of days prior to the flight and was told that everything will be in place on the 13^th. Unfortunately nothing was done and fresh arrangements had to be made before our flight – ahahaha because of that, no ambulift was available for me and the airport staff had to carry me onto the plane – kesian la 73kgs tu! (Cheh sempat lagi brag about my weight tu… hehehe).

We were fortunate that Air Asia ground staff and the stewardess were helpful. We arrived at Terminal 2 of KK International Airport at approximately 9:30am, greeted by KK Tours driver who would be taking us to Kinabalu Pine Resort in Kundasang from the Airport. We paid RM450 for the return transport from KK Airport to Kundasang and to KK City the next day and back to the airport the next day. We had a quick stop at Nabalu town to shop for souvenirs and made our way to the hotel. All in all a two and half hours journey on the hilly roads.

Kinabalu Pine Resort was a beautiful place but definitely not for the handicapped. They had beautiful Swiss styled chalets but unfortunately there were staircases to each of the chalet. If they had ground level units, KN had to push me up and down very steep slopes every time we wanted to go out. The day was spent with a Chinese meal lunch at the hotel’s restaurant and we spent a couple of hours enjoying the great Mountain View. Lucky for us the day was bright and clear.

There were nothing much to do at night, partly because my handicap , but to enjoy each other’s company – moreover it was a Valentine’s trip, how more could we have spent time other than being close to each other. We slept early as KN planned to shoot photos of the Mountainous sunrise – a first for my darling.

Lets spread and celebrate some Super Love this Valentine's Day no matter who you are - Happy Valentine's Day to all. KN and I will be away in KK on a short break from 13th Feb and will return insyaAllah on the 15th.

To KN, thank you very much for these 7 wonderful years. May we be happy always and together forever. Thanks for the ring dear! Heheheh dapat hadiah awal ni...

It's already the third day of Aidilfitri and I am dying of boredom. Well, it's entirely my fault for not feeling well. I spent the night of 1st Syawal alone at home, listening to the takbir on TV and from nearby mosques. I told KN to spend Raya with my in laws and not to worry about me. I could've just followed KN home but I wasn't feeling that up to the occasion and I know KN understands me well. Furthermore my dad's house is just nearby so on the morning of Raya after the Aidilfitri prayers my brother fetched me from home (yep I missed Semayang Raya 3 years in a row) and took me to mummy's resting place. I felt happy because her grave was cleaned and the grass trimmed. Thank God I have a responsible little brother who is ever willing to take over my duties ever since I got too sick to do anything.

Like I mentioned before this would be the third Aidilfitri I have spent mostly alone, sickly and not being able to do much. One year getting worse from the other - started off with some infection, then the cerebellar stroke last year and this year this. However bad things may be I am happy that at least my faily understands me and they are respecting my wish to just rest at home. My brother would come over once a day to see that I am okay, KN calls me every now and then and tells me how much I am missed (ahahah tengok la nanti our phone bill with the video calls made) but I couldn't help feeling lonely. Who wouldn't when you're alone most of the time?

Sejak pulang dari Umrah and falling sick, Kal El macam dah tak ada nafsu untuk buat apa pun. Penat rasanya asyik terbaring tengok TV, movies and what not. On INternet pun tak tau nak tengok apa dah, with the crappy news the country has to offer sampaikan blog updates pun I do whenever I feel up to it, sekali banyak buat scheduled entries and posting entries yang dah lapuk but at least I am doing something to keep myself occupied and my brains moving.

I am not sure how long this will be; whether i'll get better or whether my health is going plunging down the drain- I don't know but I surely hope there would be an end to this somewhere, somehow. Whatever it is I am glad that God has shown me what I've been wanting to see and feel most of my life; love from my family. It's too bad mummy didn;t live long enough to witness our family being united but I know we started being together ever since she left us for good. Well, sometimes before good things could happen banyak benda-benda negatif yang perlu dilalui dulu kan? Perhaps I am one of those negative things; kalau aku tak sakit begini, I wouldn't know how much I am actually loved. Kalau mummy masih ada, mungkin papa takkan berubah menjadi lebih baik seperti sekarang. Mungkin Sapit pun akan kekal keras hatinya.

Ini semua pemberian dari Allah dan aku amat bersyukur kehadratnya. Alhamdulillah...

Dear KN,

Due to the recent Hard Disk crash, it was time to upgrade to a new set of external storage. So I decided to get the Western Digital's My Book 500GB (I would actually get a 1 TB if I really could choose as this was a present from KN).

As usual, KN would surprise me with things I even slightly mention an interest in but since that day my HD crashed beyond repair (but thank God I could salvage most of my important files using a recovery software I purchased on the Internet called ZAR - I had to kiss RM107 goodbye but it was worth it) KN went to Low Yat to get me the My Book 500GB.


Until now, a week later, the HD is only 10% filled... just what am I going to store in there eh? Just imagine if I had the 1 TB! Whatever it is, thanks dear for the rescue.

What I like most with this new toy of mine is the software it comes with; Backup Software, Autosync Software, HD Diagnostic Software and the best thing is, it has a lighted knight-rider like indicator telling how much space you've used on the HD (Refer video below).

It was a rather unfortunate ending to our first visit to Williams late last week.

The food at Williams were definitely good and tasty as they have been described in many blogs I've read. The drinks were yummy and as mouth watering as the photos I've seen in these blogs recommending Williams. Although the price was a little on the high-end for a warung-style eatery (2 Dishes + 1 big + 1 small drink = RM50) we were satisfied with the food and the very large portion of the serving.

Very eagerly, being warned of a 'no-menu' situation, I have religiously written down the names of every dish that was mentioned in those blogs. We ordered the Chicken Kiev with Macaroni in Carbonara Sauce and the Meatball Lasagna. For drinks, I had the avocado and kiwi special while KN ordered the Mango + Lychee + Watermelon drink (I'm sure they have a name for this drink). The Chicken Kiev with Macaroni in Carbonara Sauce tasted great and we shared both dishes to what would be a romantic supper for the two of us.



So what was so miserable then?

Having to stay in bed with a bad case of food poisoning; painful purging, vomiting, dehydration and high fever for the past 5 days (fortunately we had to go through it together so we could laugh at each other looking and feeling our most miserable). Ah-ha, it was indeed painful but funny.

Don't worry Williams fans out there, we surely can't and won't blame the food at Williams for what happened to us. We were just, a little unfortunate.

I am suddenly struck with emotions and remembered this very relevant song by Hujan. Need I say more? Tsk...



Bila Aku Sudah Tiada

Bila, aku sudah tiada
simpan semua lagu ku
jangan di tangis selalu

Mungkin, itu sementara
bila jumpa pengganti ku
jangan di lupakan aku

Pagi itu indah seperti biasa
tidur yang lena terhenti di sana
layap kuyu masih tak terdaya
bukalah tingkap mu
curahkan cahaya...

Siapa yang sangka
bila tiba masa kita
untuk pergi selamanya

Takkan terduga
jika saat ni
tuhan tentukan
aku lah orangnya

Gelak tawa tangisan yg hiba
kenangan kita masa d dunia
alangkah indahnya jika
kita mampu hidup selamanya...

Lyrics courtesy of Mylirik

It is KN's 31st Birthday today - tsk, we're both getting old but we're happy to be getting older together. Today, nope, this whole week actually is filled with us spending time together and doing those things we love. Although we go to work everyday together and have dinner together we seldom have time for leisure, especially these few months since I had that stroke attack. Well, it's me to be blamed indeed but KN has been very understanding and helpful in so many ways.

I've given KN's present early this month, or was it late last month - a swivel flash for the new DSLR. I know KN wouldn't be able to wait to save for a flash so I decided to give one as an early birthday present so my laling would be able to play and experiment with the new toy.

Since there's not going to be another birthday present on the day KN turns 31, I decided to celebrate this week with today being the highlight. Heheh the way I'm writing this is as though I've planned a birthday bash for KN but nope, it's just something for KN to remember by when I am no longer around. I hope so. We didn't do anything extravagant only went down memory lane doing those things we usually do together when I was healthier; movies, buying pirated DVDs , karaoke, food and more food . I am however going to write about what we did the whole of today.

The day started with brunch at McDonalds, apa lagi... McD Breakfast la at Petronas Station behind Ampang Puteri Hospital. We usually go to the Ulu Kelang Shell Station McD (formerly Projet) but since we're heading to KL City later, we decided to have breakfast there instead. As usual, we both had the Big Breakfast set - yummy! I just wish they had mustard served at McD - just the way I ate meatballs at Ikea..

After brunch, we headed to Bukit Bintang Plaza to Green Box for their Happy Hour Karaoke Session. We've been a member here since 2005 when we frequent Red Box at least once a month then. The last time we were here karaokeing was last year I think - we've been so busy with work and our daily routines that we've forgotten this part of our life. We intended to start singing at 1pm but unfortunately the place was fully booked until 2pm - well, that's not bad after all. Since we had 2 hours to kill, we walked to Low Yat (ahahah bunyi macam jauh je kan... walked, it's just across the road, really) and bought some DVD-R. My eyes have been set since our last visit to Sony Centre KLCC a couple of days ago on A Sony VAIO laptop - tapi kan, what am I going to do with the one I already have?

After ronda-ronda Low Yat and naik kan my darah looking at the very tempting gadgets, we decided to walk further to Chee Meng Hainanese Chicken Rice on Jalan Bukit Bintang - and yes, I am proud to say, I walked there (hehehe still, isn't that far, about 100 meters from Low Yat, or perhaps less). I ordered the Roasted Chicken Rice while KN ordered the Steamed Chicken Rice. What's best about this place is they serve the sambal in bottles so that I don't have to keep asking for more from the waiters/waitresses, which could be a real hassle. We finished lunch a little half an hour before two and headed to Bukit Bintang Plaza while KN snapped some photos of BB street life.



So we sang our hearts out, kemaruk nak menyanyi (ahaha like don't sing in the car everyday lah!). This was the cheapest karaoke session we've ever had. Being a member of the Dot Red card, KN got a free Birthday voucher and we had to pay a total of RM27 only - that's what we like about Green Box, for not forcing us to pay the RM8 per bowl tit bits like at Red Box. For the Happy Hour session, there's free flow of drinks and tit bits.

After the karaoke session we headed to Pavilion (by car, we didn't walk as it was raining heavily - alasan!) That was our first time there. Well, there was nothing much that could impress us except for the size of the place perhaps. We snapped some photos in admiration and walked around aimlessly. Come 7pm we were hungry (again) and walked (yes we walked) to Planet Hollywood for dinner.


Our 3rd visit to Planet Hollywood for dinner; the first being in 2004 before Sheila Majid's concert, the second in Bali in 2006 and this time to celebrate KN's birthday. We of course ordered the nachos (our favourite dish but decided the one served at Chilli's is better). I ordered the Sizzling Mixed Grill and KN the BBQ Chicken. The food was OK but we both agreed that the food served at Planet Hollywood Bali was a dozen times better. And guess what, KN found a strand of hair in the coleslaw - yucks! If we were the west, I guess we would already be given a free meal, but the manager ordered a replacement instead ( I wonder if he just pulled the hair out and sent KN the same bowl of coleslaw after... ahahah bantai sajalah!) We found out that Anuar Zain is performing somewhere in June. Wings would be performing in May. Unfortunately they have no idea when Sheila would be back - nanti tau-tau aja dah full house!



On the way back to Pavilion, we snapped more photos of Jalan Bukit Bintang at night showered with glittering lights. Since KN was the one with the DSLR, my task was only to pose - huhuhu mcm model tepi jalan je gayanya. We decided to try the J.Co donuts as recommended by many and found it to be just like Big Apple - I personally prefer the ole' Dunkin for not being awfully and overly sweet. And the letter 'J' actually means Jakarta... not bad for an Indonesian company gone international.

We headed home, watched a few minutes of the Anugerah Planet Muzik shown live on TV and went to bed early. It was indeed a happy day for me and I hope KN feels the same.

Happy Birthday My Love!

Love Always,
Kal El

Yes, even though life may be short for me, I still plan for my future and those I will leave behind. I've been looking for a good unit trust company (basically all are the same but it's a matter of who you can trust with your money - the agent especially) and finally found one and decided to invest right away. Not that I have that much to spare but Alhamdulillah, Allah's rezeki from the part time jobs i've been doing. If in previous years I would spend the money buying stuff and going for vacations this year I have promised myself that I would put aside a little amount (yes, believe me, little) especially for someone's future - the love of my life.

I have heard from a friend that a former colleague who was the HR manager in my current company (she left about 3 years ago to work with MARA) has quit her job and concentrating full time on unit trust management. She must be doing very well. So knowing her personality and knowing that I can indeed trust her with my money I decided to give her a ring on February 28, 2008 and agreed to meet her at Ampang Point McD the coming weekend.

She explained about unit trust and where would my money be put to work. I have actually decided to invest before calling her and filled in the necessary forms. After signing the forms I promised to bank in the cash later that day for my initial investment. I also decided to put in some money from the EPF - so there are basically two accounts, one for EPF investment, the other for cash.

The reason for the two accounts?

The EPF investment, EPF savings and my condo unit at BA would be for my family; my beloved sister and brother, my dad and ka'ngah. The cash investment is meant for KN to start over when I am no longer around. It's a gift for helping me throughout the last years of my life.

Yup, KN bought a new toy on February 23rd 2008 - something that I originally wanted so badly, well since I think a couple of years ago, but have been postponing the intention due to the fact that owning it would be an expensive hobby - a DSLR.

Since there are many more things that require my financial attention - my medications, our everyday life, the kids and many other commitments, I would have to put owning a DSLR aside for the time being. Moreover we just bought a 7mp HD Kodak Easy Share in December and a 5mp Nokia N95 for my birthday - enough for decent photos - and as a matter of fact these two gadgets did a fairly splendid job capturing the memories during our last vacation to Solo and Jogja.

Whatever it is, this is the beauty of being married, everything that is mine is KN's and everything that is KN's is technically mine - ahaha hope so! But I have a problem using something that did not come from my pocket - unless I have some contribution in the purchase, which in this case, I didn't, not a single cent, and the DSLR was again purchased without me present. Perhaps because KN knows that I might talk some sense and eventually cause a change of mind but being me, always looking at things on the brighter sight - I don't have to think about purchasing a DSLR anymore (I'm lying - I actually still want one to call my own and do as I like with it) as long as we stay married - clever eh?

So this DSLR, it's a 10.2mp Sony Alpha A200 with a kit lens that costs KN to part with RM1999.0o - heheh it's actually much cheaper than what I wanted - a Nikon 40Dx. So KN has been so happy with the new toy these few days, snapping photos of basically everything,
including our trip to KL Tower to celebrate Ka'ngah's 74th birthday on Feb 24th (her actual birthday is on Feb 26th) as well as our dinner @ Bora Ombak on Feb 25th . So, cheers to higher resolution pictures!
So far the camera is easy to handle and have been producing beautiful images (to beginner photographers like me an KN lah) We definitely have a lot to learn but again as I mentioned early, I really have problem using things that are in reality not mine. Guess I have to get myself one after all.

Yep, it's a belated Valentine's Dinner at one of our favourites diner -

This year is unlike previous years where we had our Valentine's dinner on Valentine's day. Due to some unavoidable reasons we had to reschedule the dinner to... TONIGHT! What's best is I don't have to fork out a single cent because it's going to be KN's treat hehehehe. Thanks in advance my love!

Since I have been craving for country fried steak... that's just what i'm going to order tonight yummmmmmmmmy!

Country Fried Steak (above). Another superb dish there is the steak sandwich and their classic nachos yum yum yum!

Well, there are some things even married couples are not meant to make decisions together (although I personally think everything should be of the two's consensus) but whatever it is I'm happy for my other half's decision to purchase an apartment in Shah Alam. Not that I'm against KN (that's what I call the love of my life if I haven't told you guys so) buying a property, and not that I am not aware of KN's intention to buy a property but this is the second time a purchase was made and I was not brought to the know.

The first was the car and now the apartment. I'm not expecting KN to get my permission but at least I would appreciate if I am somehow 'involved' in KN's decision to go ahead with the purchase. The saddest thing is I gotta know about this on the way home from work just now when the transaction was made yesterday afternoon. It took KN 24 hours to tell me. I know somehow that KN is worried about the uncertain future especially when I am not around. I know that KN is buying a shelter for a a reason only the two of us know. KN deserves this and I vow to give my love my full undivided support. Well, it's just a matter of heart. At least when I write it down here, I am letting things go.

Yes, I am bit kecik hati because whatever I want to get these past five years, no matter how much it costs, I will usually ask for KN's opinion. I treasure KN's points of view because I treasure our relationship very much. Well, it's KN's money, I shall not interfere but it brought the word 'marriage' to a new level - ground zero, meaningless I guess. Somehow sometimes I feel that we're two individuals having different views about marriage. KN asked me not to be angry and I'm not, why should I be angry? For being left out in the decision making process? I don't think so, like I said, it's not even my earnings that KN is spending on.

I'm writing this entry to express my feelings as I have no one to tell this to. If I were to tell KN how I truly feel, I'm sure this love of mine would soon jump into negative conclusions and merajuk worse than I am right now and I would have to pujuk KN like I was the one at fault. So be it. I am happy that KN's finally ready for more financial commitment and I hope the loan will be approved soon. KN's achievements in life is a winning point for me - I am proud to have been able to guide KN all these while and I hope KN will continue making the correct decisions. Especially when I am no longer around. Believe me, I love you.

We went to Hard Rock Cafe to celebrate our 5th Anniversary. The last time we were here was to celebrate our 1st Anniversary in 2003. With intentions to order a la carte menu we were attracted to try the Ramadhan Buffet instead. Fairly priced at 45++ per person, the buffet line was modest with a choice of buttered rice, chicken satay, kong po chicken, potato wedges, calamari rings plus some other yummy entrees and delicious desserts. For the main course, we were given an all you can eat choices of 5 dishes (that we'd have to place an order every time) from a choice a beef, lamb, fish and prawn - interesting! We're also given 2 rounds of either mata kuching or sirap bandung - the mata kuching was surprisingly yummy!


Well, compared to the buffet we had at Rahsia Bistro - this was 100% better. The only thing I despise was the loud music - and my darling told me - that is why this place is called Hard Rock Cafe honey - they play hard rock music - well, oklah perhaps I'm just getting old.


p/s
What I got for my anniversary gift this year?
A bouquet of a dozen white and red roses with 2 cute bears and an I LOVE YOU Balloon, a Superman toy, Smallville Season 5 Box Set and a Superman Documentary DVD... heheheh am I not loved? Thanks sayang.

What I gave my sayang for our anniversary this year?
A 4GB Memory Stick for some gadget my love has, a HRC KL T-shirt and The Dinner. Muahs!

Today marks the 5th year we're together and I hope we'll be together for the rest of our lives. Even after i'm gone, I hope you will still remember and love me. Thank you my dear for taking good care of me. Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for always being there for me. Only God knows how much I love you and how much my love for you grows each and every second I live with you.


Thanks for the bouquet of flower - it is as sweet as you. I love you more and more each day sayang. May God bless us.

I wrote this down back in the year 2000. Venue: Hotel Capitol, Kuala Lumpur.

I found this written on a piece of paper in between a book I was reading when clearing my study room the other weekend but I can't remember who I wrote it for. Perhaps this one person I was so deeply in love with. Unfortunately our relationship wasn't long for me to be reborn as the person's tears.

But fortunate for me, now I have met someone who is far more superior in terms of sharing love and life with me for the past 5 years. I dedicate the poem above to this one person who will remain always in my heart, now and forever.

I love YOU.