The Melayu Celup is Back !

Who is this Melayu Celup you may wonder. He is our secondary schoolmate by the name of Shahriman. School teachers used to refer to him as 'budak kening tebal tu' because of his (duhhh) super thick eye brows. He can be quite blur at times that you have to repeat yourself a few times before he catches what you're trying to say. But why the nickname Celup? I had to look through my old blog to find a post written back in 2009, the year we sat for SPM. It was in the Bilik Agama when the nickname Celup was created for Shahriman and Nadia (not to be confused with the other Nadia I talked about in previous posts).

5th October 2009

I present to you......THE CELUPS!! Agama was the highlight of the day. Bahrain tak habis2 panggil Nadia and Shahriman MELAYU CELUP. Nadia kept denying so ......

Bahrain sound dia : You don't even listen to Malay songs. At least Shahriman does. 

Shahriman : I do? No I don't. Waiiitttt! Yes yes, I listen to Sheila Majid! 

Me : Ala,yang tu dapat free album mestilah you listen. Or you kena paksa listen? 

All of us : Laughs (Sheila Majid is Shahriman's aunty)

Bahrain : Then tell me who sang Tipah Tertipu? 

Nadia : I don't know...

Shahriman : Oh Too Phat rite?

Bahrain : < geleng kepala > Even Ustad tau siapa nyanyi Tipah Tertipu.

Ustad,siapa nyanyi Tipah Tertipu?

Ustad : < senyum2 > David Arumugam

Nadia : Really? Who's that?

Shahriman : The Cat guy rite?

Bahrain,Airina and I : < gelak gila gila > Alleycats laa...

Shahriman : Oh ya! Sorry la..

Shahriman is back from the States after being away for two and a half years so the Three Musketeers (Nuwaira,Shahriman and I) decided to go on a makan tour around KL just like old times.

Waira and I have been craving for the Melted Cheese on Toasted Bread & Hot Chocolate that we had during our last makan trip before Shah left for US so that was naturally our very first stop. 

Melted Cheese on Toasted Bread with Tomatoes and Melted Cheese on Plain Toasted Bread 

The Bread Shop. 11, Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara, 50490, Kuala Lumpur.

Since we were quite full, we decided to go to Publika to jalan jalan for a bit before walking over to Whimsical which is in Solaris to try out their waffles, gelato and affogato. Unfortunately it was closed so we ended up having drinks and some Nachos at Plan B. 

Next destination, Bangsar for coffee and waffles. Went to Coffea Coffee for Caramel Macchiato then later Inside Scoop. Tried durian ice cream for the first time, I wish we had it earlier because I was a bit too full by that time but it was really to die for!  

We were looking for a place that served light snacks and I remember seeing this kopitiam style cafe on my Instagram feed a few weeks back so we drove over to Straits Food Company for some Nyonya  food. Shahriman wanted to have kangkung belacan because it costs him a fortune in the States but they ran out of kangkung so we ordered the bendi sambal belachan instead. We also ordered pai tee, popiah and otak otak to share.

Straits Food Company 

2, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Bangsar, Bangsar Utama, Kuala Lumpur

Open Monday - Saturday 11am - 9pm

They drove me back home so that they could play with Kemi. Waira saw a deck of cards and suggested that we play 'Chor Taai Di' a game I never learnt because I saw how addictive it was when my college friends played it in between classes. They taught me how to play and were really surprised when I won most of the games dengan muka innocent 'errr can I letak this card combination?' each time I wasn't sure. 

It was nice to spend the whole day with friends whom you've known for so long that they're like your own brother/sister. We updated each other, shared stories about our lives and talked about going on a holiday together someday. I find it funny how the topic 'kahwin' is part of our conversation nowadays (not that any of us are in a serious relationship yet). 

Even though we don't meet often anymore, the close bond between us is still there. Alhamdulilah for great friends who would go the extra mile to put a smile on your face. 

Adios 2014

Was I the only 22 year old who cooked dinner and spent New Year's Eve at home reading Bapa Kemerdekaan's book ? (I'm referring to the late Tunku's Looking Back : Monday Musings and Memories). Maybe I've seen the fireworks at the stroke of midnight on New Year's day too many times when I was younger that there's no more excitement when I see it now.

Reflecting on the past year, I must say 2014 was an adventurous year where I ticked a few things off my bucket list. I overcame my fears, stepped out of my comfort zone, travelled to countries I never thought I'd visit, performed in front of a larger audience and did a bit more charity work. All these experiences truly made me realise how lucky I am to be able to do what I am doing. I am thankful that my parents (although Mum is not around anymore) give me the freedom to do things differently.

Here are 10 photos of the highlights of 2014 for me....

Cameo in a CNY short film 

Despite my limited Chinese language skills, I challenged myself to join a local Chinese singing contest organised by Astro and managed to be shortlisted to Top 18 and survived few rounds of preliminaries and was eliminated at the Top 12 concert. Astro Star Quest, April 2014

First time performing on an outdoor stage at Stadium Batu Kawan, Penang 

The Lion King musical at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney

Visiting old friends. Gold Coast, June 2014.

With my LEO Club family at the Joint Installation of Board Members, August 2014.

This was how we spent Merdeka Eve, with the kids at the Caring Orphanage in Klang. It was an eye opening experience that made me appreciate what I have even more. 

Finally did a walking tour of KL, August 2014.

Sharing my experience with teenagers at Madrasah Qamaruddin Al-Islamiah, Siem Reap, Cambodia, September 2014.

My first ever 5km run (I brisk walked most of the way) in aid of the National Cancer Society #unfit

I am grateful for the new people I met this year, the old ones I was reunited with and the loyal ones who were there all along. Alhamdulilah for the strength that He gave me to slowly move on with life without my mother's presence. May all of us continue to be grateful for what we have, appreciate the people around us, contribute back to the society and maximise our potentials in the new year. 

I pray that we Malaysians will have a better year after all the challenges that we faced in the past year. May all that we've been through make us stronger as a nation. Happy New Year and have a great year ahead! 

Busy Busy December

Alhamdulilah, done with exams last Thursday, performed at a company's annual dinner on Saturday and basically just lazing around and catching up on sleep. I got myself these books when MPH Online had the Black Friday sale and they arrived via Poslaju earlier today (Roaming Beyond the Fence is on it's way). This will keep me occupied for the next month or so. I am about to finish the I Am Muslim book and shall decide what to read next. Will be busy entertaining family members from JB as they will be in town for my cousin's engagement this weekend, then I'll be away for a week and another cousin is getting married in JB at the end of the month. Hope you guys have an eventful December! Can't believe 2014 is coming to an end so quickly. If I don't have the time to blog, here's an advance Happy New Year to all of you! Wishing 2015 will bring you lots of happiness as it is the key to us being successful in all other areas. 

Final Exams

Yesterday was the first day of exams for ACCA students worldwide. For us in Malaysia, exams started at 3pm (it follows the time in UK and is standardised throughout the world). All the future accountants sitting for the same exams in so many different countries at the same time sounds quite cool. 

I sat for paper F5 (Performance Management) at SEGi College in Subang. The questions were quite straight forward but I felt like banging my head to the wall when I couldn't remember how to calculate throughput accounting ratio (ini memang nak kena tampar! my mind went blank and the ratio turned out to be some weird number), wasn't sure about the mix and yield variance and a few things on the balanced scorecard. That was when I wished I had repeated more PYQs during revision month. The balanced scorecard question was about a low cost airline company so I was quite happy because it was an industry that I could relate to, having watched the Global Malaysia Series focusing on Airasia a few weeks ago. 

The invigilators we had in the F5 exam centre, which was a small room on the 8th floor of SEGi College Subang were the nicest ones I have ever had. They were fluent in English, well mannered, smiled to us and said 'Welcome' whenever someone said 'Thank you'. Makes one feel so good especially when we're already so nervous to sit for exams. I remember an exam experience 2 years back when the smell of cigarette lingered in the whole room as this particular invigilator came back from his smoking break. We were too busy focusing on exams to lodge a complaint. It was very inconsiderate of him to do so and I think it was against the regulations too. Thank God we never saw him at any other exam session anymore. 

30th November 2014, ACCA turns 110 ! Arthur Priddle was the first President of ACCA who helped  form ACCA's unique core values : opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. 

I still am not sure if I will end up being an accountant or venture into other fields but I'm a proud ACCA (repeat) student. All the best fellow ACCA students ! May we all pass these exams! 

Kemi the Poser

This little one is 10 months old now and boy, she's such a poser! I used to have a hard time trying to get a photo of her because she'd be gone before I can snap a decent photo. Nowadays, she'd stay still for a few minutes and wait for me to be done taking pictures before she goes off to play with her favourite ping pong ball. 

I was watching the Global Malaysia Series on Youtube one night and she came up on the bed and sat in that position for a few minutes. Kemi oh Kemi, who taught you how to pose macam ni?  

She's The Girl.....

"She's the girl that believes that what comes around goes around. The one that hopes for a better day. The one that won't give up on you. She's the girl that's unlike the rest. The one that spent her days smiling, and her nights crying. She's the girl that would love to be loved. The one that looks so damn strong, but feels so weak. She's the girl that picks herself up every time she falls."

Saw this quote on Instagram and the first thing that came to mind was 'that sounds so much like me'. This is when I am reminded that I am not the only one having a hard time or fighting a tough battle. There are others out there who are probably going through something similar. I thank Allah for these small little reminders that come my way once in awhile.  D-14 to final exams. 

Time for A Coffee Break

 Exploring the city (Sydney, June 2014)

In the middle of revision classes for Audit right now. Taking a short break and looking at photographs taken during our trip to Sydney in Winter. Yet to blog about it cos so many things happened after we got back from the trip : my uncle passed away suddenly, fasting month, Raya and the start of the new semester. Time flies so quickly! 

It's raining heavily and I think it's time to make myself a cup of coffee cos I feel like dozing off anytime soon. Have a good weekend! 

#nowplaying Banks - Someone New