New toy

Looks familiar?! Yeah, u guessed rite!  That's Amsyar...55 yrs ago...Heehee...trying to make a nostalgia effect using my new Casio Digital Camera.  Not bad eh?!? 

Dhoom Machale...

Okie...so I finally caught Dhoom 2 (D:2) with Shazadi last nite @ GV Tampines.  I watched it for Abhishek (only!).  Oh ok, yeah, Uday Chopra too.  But I was prepared that I was gonna hide my face 1/3 of the time whenever Hrithik & Aish appears on the screen.

The nite b4, when I told Tehzeeb of my plan, she told me that her fren watched it & wasn't too impressed (as compared to Dhoom).  The only 1 who was gd & worth watching was Hrithik!  Now how can that be when my Abhi is in !?!?  Obviously he has 2b the BEST rite?!  Well, when Tehzeeb told me she was disappointed wif Amitabh's role in KANK, I didn't believe her till I watched it myself.  She was rite!

Anyways, Yash Raj Films today is nothing but skin-show.  Gone are the sweet romantic love stories like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Dil To Pagal Hai.  After Dhoom & Neal 'n' Nikki, I wasn't too shocked when I watched D:2 last night.  Well, yeah, what keeps shocking me is the line up of actresses who're slowly made to shed their clothes.  Of coz, the plus pt for them is they get to tone their bodies into such enviable shape (I'm inspired to shape mine like Bipasha's!).  If there's any 1 thing I enjoyed abt D:2 is the stylish movie-making technique (the stunts, the gadgets, the hero's entry scenes)...oh, okaaayyy...how can I 4get the songs...which has no effect on 1st hearing but will eventually grow on u.  I'm so addicted to the song "Dil Laga Na" bcoz Sukhbir Singh (my fave bhangra singer) sang it!  The beat is also...addictive!!  Choreography was...like...WOW (Use of the word LIKE was intentional ;-p...Shazadi will know what I mean!  Bimbo in the making!).

Enuf of what I like?!  Now, if there's anything I hated abt the movie is Aish...her role...her dialogue-delivery...her dressing...her everything.  But I love her lip-kissing scene with Hrithik though...coz that sure will make my Abhishek boil & break-off wif her! Muaaahhhaaaa...*evil laughter*  I mean for someone who went on & on abt refusing to kiss on screen since her 1st film...then she acted in 2 Hollywood films & yet she didn't kiss the Hollywood hero, much to my disappointment!  I mean, Hollywood & no kissing?!? Can't be rite?!?!  They'll mock Bollywood for being so orthodox.  Haha.  But yes, Yash Raj Films did it!  She finally kissed on screen!  Forget kissing.  She was so scantily dressed, I thought they might as well don't waste even that lil bit of fabric on her!!  If she thinks she looks gd...she can carry on thinking.  Her dialogue...oh Gawd...pls spare me!  There was a scene where she & Hrithik will be in confrontation, Hrithik putting a bullet in his gun & both take turns to shoot one another...that scene was such a drag I almost fell asleep & told Shazadi to wake me up if Ali (Uday Chopra's character) comes on.

On the whole, if u compare D:2 with the 1st Dhoom...then I find the thief-at-work scenes in D:2 were more adrenalin pumping.  I like the starting of D:2 as compared to the "Shikdum" song in Dhoom...which was...like...too provocative for a Bollywood film.  But Abhishek's entry in D:2 was WOW...as compared to him waking up in bed in Dhoom!  Hehe.  Songs were almost the same, nothing great at 1st hearing, but grows on u...matter of getting used to.  If Dhoom had Esha Deol playing vamp, D:2 has Aish...so both equally BAD!!  I admit, Hrithik was damn gd in the movie yaar!  Btr than Jon in Dhoom.  While Jon shared screen space wif 4-5 other accomplices, Hrithik had the screen all to himself.  Of coz, 1 will go ga-ga abt his role coz this is the 1st time u see Hrithik not playing hero but playing the negative character, but he really did justice to the role.  This is the 1st film I thought Hrithik proved himself w/o his father's shadow.  *clap clap*  Oh yeah, I personally think his bod looks damn gd D:2 - well-shaped & lean!  Unlike the usual, beefcake. 

Pretty sure D:2 will be a hit worldwide.  I can feel the heat already.  If u like fast-paced movies wif lotsa hunks & babes...go catch D:2.  A treat-to-the-eye!

Retail therapy...Sounds familiar?!

U bet!

That's what I indulge in to keep my sanity whenever I go thru a bad phase in life.  At work, at school, at home...whatever!!

So, if I can just skip the finer personal details, let's just say I've just woken up from a nasty nightmare.  And to shake me off the fear, I underwent a 1-day retail therapy with Mom yesterday (lucky her 2b accompanying me in such a mode!!).  The deal with her was: All expenses for the day's outing shall be borne by me.  It's been years since I get to spend on Mom.  Ye lah, org dapat "durian runtuh" (organisation's profit share payout)...so it's only fair that I pamper Mom for all her the love & hardwork she's showered on us (especially me) all this years.  Unconditionally.  Before I lose the $$$$ in my not-so-sane state, I put aside half into my savings & gave Mom $200 for her savings. 

With the remaining, we left home @ 11am yesterday (Sat), headed for Tekka...as usual, getting a carpark is a torture, but finally did.  The 1st shop I encountered had lousy service that I just walked away...much to Mom's discomfort at not knowing how to handle the situation.  When she gestured to me if she shld buy the rompers for Amsyar, I just screamed over "Don't bother...banyak lagi kedai jual baju baby, this is not the only one!"  I mean, look, here we are interested in the item sold in his shop & when we ask how much, he answered "3 for 10 lah!"...I questioned him "why must have the lah?!  It's not like we're the ones selling or we're supposed to know"  & the Ah-pek dared to answer back "There got what!"... I replied back "As tho we can see the price high up there...even if we did, what's the harm in u just enlightening us...don't u want business?!"  I got real pissed, here I am trying to cheer myself up & this Ah-pek just spoilt the day for me!!  After that...couple of poor service...but everytime I encounter a poor service, I'll walk away.  The gd thing abt Tekka market is u're spoilt for choice!  There's plenty of shops selling the same things!!  And wif each poor service, I get pacified by excellent service.  The best was the shoe shop I got 2 sandals from.

I bought (all prices after-bargaining):

2 rompers for Amsyar - $5

1 Indian sandal for mom - $14

1 sandal for myself - $13

1 Salwar Kameez for mom - $65

1 Indian outfit (exclusive boutique design) for myself - $65

5 kurtis - $45

2 skirts - $18

2 fancy belts - $10

Other miscellaneous stuff Mom bought - $20

I went crazy wif the kurtis...getting at least 1 from each shop that Mom decided to call it quits "I think we btr call our shopping a day now?!".  So I refrained from further buying despite falling in love wif yet another kurti.  It's 1pm...we're starving.  Off we went to Banana Leaf Apollo @ Race Course Road.

Mom got herself her fave - Fish Head Curry, while I indulged myself in the long-missed Masala Chicken Briyani.  I dunno wat abt this restaurant that I keep wanting to come back...but I think it's the banana leaf.  I feel like eating at home...u know...just throw all the food on 1 plate.  Plus it feels like attending a wedding, where the kendarats (the waiters) will keep a lookout & keep coming to u to ask if u want more of anything (eg. rice).  Lunch for both : $35. 

After that we walked to Mustaffa.  Had a nice touching chat wif Mom along the way.  Roamed arnd Mustaffa, contemplating to buy dancing dolls for Amsyar (he responds to anything that moves, like fan...and incidentally, all 3 female members in the house he's in happen 2b cabaret dancers so he gets fascinated by dancing women too!!)...but decided against it for fear that the talking doll might ask for our soul at night.  Eee...scary!!  Hehe.  So we headed to the camera counter...and tadaa...that's when my real retail therapy took place.  For the past 3 mths, I've been eyeing a digital camera - Casio Exilim EX-Z60 ($399) - and now that I'm loaded & depressed, I grabbed it w/o thinking twice.  $345 @ Mustaffa w/free 1GB SD card.  Why not?!? 

After that, we took the NEL train to Little India (don't forget, I parked my car at Tekka!!) as it was raining.  After that, we drove to Geylang as Mom needed to do some errands at some jewellery shops.  Got lost thanks to Mom's "superb" direction!  Shld have taken the expressway @ exit Paya Lebar rather than trust her to cut thru Lavendar & Kallang roads!! Dunno where we landed at also!  Last thing I spend on @ Geylang is a blue tudung (to match a Salwar Kameez mom sew for me...the blue is so unique, there's just no matching tudung!)...aaahhh...just $6 @ First Lady.

Total damage for the day: $641

Okieeee....I feel gd!!  Went home happy...all purchases were gd, no problem.

Earlier today, a while ago, I drove Mom to EastPt, bringing Amsyar along for his compulsory daily outing (but all he does is sleep anyways & when we reach home, he'll be wide awake & start getting cranky wanting to go out!! Urrrgghh...badmaash!!).  Yeah, Mom wanted to collect her new glasses from Optic Point.  But guess what?!? The glasses were not ready despite them indicating the collection date as 26 Nov!! Damn.  What's wif all this poor service I'm encountering each day?!?!  Anyways...didn't wanna feel like a wasted trip...I went to Pedal Works (my fave shoe shop) & ended up getting a sandal for myself.  $39. 

Add that to yesterday's damage...$680.  Ok, she's really out of her mind! 

Wait...1 more thing to do b4 I call it quits.  I need a hindi movie!  DHOOM 2 is showing...Shazadi & I've been planning to catch it since Fri, but didn't materialise.  So we're doing it tonight insyallah.  Ok, I'm off for my facial...watch out for my next post to know what I thought of D:2.  And yeah...my retail therapy shall end wif the movie...after that I shall be counting down to my short vacation to Terengganu wif Mom & mayb my cuz...I'll be leaving all the negative energy in me out there in Terengganu & come back to S'pore to a brand new life!

Ciao!

Hiatus too long...Reflection time

Sometimes, when u make a choice, just 1 choice in life, ur whole life is altered...and events that occur as a result of that 1 choice take u towards a direction that u don't want to go but cannot U-TURN.

Just 1 choice...I wish I had made a btr choice.

I wish...

Sameer DIDN'T win Li'l Champs! :*(

Nothing new...esp. when it comes to public voting programs.

But still, I can't help getting worked up!  Nope, Sameer didn't win Saregamapa Li'l Champs, as hoped!  As it is, I was itchified & went to check the website 1 wk b4 the Finale was gonna be telecast & I already knew Sanchita won.  But there's still this lil hope that Sameer shld come 2nd, ie. 1st runner up...it's ok for Sanchita to win as her voice is adult enough & she can sing playback for most of the actresses today, as compared to if Sameer won, he can't playback for actors yet.  Too young.

As it is, I didn't know the Finale starts @ 7pm.  I thought it's 10-ish.  As much as I dreaded, I had to follow my Mom go Hari Raya visiting (there's a particular hse I'm not keen to go, which Sis knows & I've told Sis to help me by bringing Mom there asap & not wait for me.  But Mom insisted to wait for me...coz it's in Yishun & she wants me to drive, coz it's leceh to take public transport wif a baby *sigh*).  So I told Sis, FINE...I shall take Amsyar & use him as my attn-diverting item at that hse.  Luckily, didn't really need, coz everything just fell into place naturally.  Almost had to bump into that family agn @ another granduncle's hse @ Bt Pjg...but we diverted to another hse along the way & thus Allah really protected me.  By the time we reached the granduncle's hse, that family already came & go.  Phew!  Since Dad was already hm, and we were planning to go to his nephew's house in CCK, we called & told him to get ready & drove back to Tamp to fetch him.  That got us a lil delayed @ reached home @ 7-ish...but at least the dreaded moment is over.  Oh, not yet...they've yet to come over to my place...and I hope when they do, I'm not home!!!

I switched on the TV @ 8pm & realised I've missed 1 hr of the finals.  I had only wanted to watch Sameer's performances for the night.  By 9.30pm, they announced the results & I was HOPPING MAD when they announced Sameer as 2nd runner up (ie. he came 3rd, which means blind Diwakar is 1st runner up!).  Ridiculous!!  Mom & Sis carried on watching, Sis not used to my tantrums got a lil sad for me that I quit watching.  Mom's quite used to it.  I don't like to waste my time.  I went to do my ironing instead...while watching Jhankaar Beats (for the dunno how many times!!), which I recorded on Fri 27 Oct (while bz 1 day b4 Amsyar's cukur rambut).  I was recording & watching it for abt 1.5hrs when Mom sent me to hunt for more mutton!!  Since that day, I nvr got to sit down & watch what I recorded.  Till yesterday.  I really lurveee the songs in that movie - incidentally I've recently gotten my family addicted to the song Suno Na sung by Shaan, which got him his 1st award in 2003 (I think) for playback singing in films. And oh, I also discovered that Shayan Munshi (who plays Neel) can really dance!!  His bod is very flexible, he can challenge Hrithik anytime, man!!!  A pity he's not being noticed & not showcased much in the industry.

Amsyar's Progress Report

Amsyar turned exactly 2 mths old today, Alhamdulillah.

He's a bright boy since birth...Masyallah.  At few weeks, he behaves like a big baby, prefering to be lie on his tummy rather than flat on his back.  He recognised our voices & responds to us, although he still can't see us.  BUT!  His biggest drawback was that he nvr stopped wailing!

At 1 mth, he's started to shake his head vigorously to give a NO response to...almost everything (esp. when we threaten to do something to him as punishment for not behaving)!!  And oh, he can throw tantrums already (still wailing @ his whims & fancies btw!)!!

At 1.5mths, he's already starting to project out his voice, in an attempt to yak wif us. Enjoys eating (Farley & Brown Rice Nestum) btr than drinking his milk (now, that explains why he's growing up chubby as compared to the boney baby we brought home 1.5mths ago).  The wailing continues...

At 2 mths, he's lost all his hair...just kidding, he's been shaved bald by his Nani following his Cukur Rambut ceremony!  Come to think of it...he looks btr bald...hehe...reminds me of Mini Me from Austin Powers!  He responds to my Mom calling him...even if Mom's not nxt to him...in the kitchen for instance, when Mom calls him, he'll project his voice & give a soft "uhh"...as though answering my mom...Cute no!?!?  We were really shocked so we kept asking Mom to repeat.  And guess what? He doesn't respond like that to anyone else calling him, but only to my Mom's voice!!  The sad news is...the wailing hasn't stopped despite Mom promising me that it's normal for babies in confinement & that they'll auto-stop after the 44 days.  His deadline is way way overdue & he hasn't stopped his wailing-for-no-ram-or-reason habit!!  Actually, he's just an attn-seeker...so he's just being cheeky & wants to be lifted up so he can start sucking your shoulder when u carry him on your shoulder & take him for a walk!

If this is what Amsyar has become @ 2 mths old...oh God...I dread to think what he'll be up to in mths & yrs to come!  God bless my Mom!  I'm spared, coz anytime I'm pissed wif his non-stop wailing, I'll just go out & come back 3-4 hrs later when I know he'll be fast asleep by then (after 11pm).  That's to punish him for not wanting to keep quiet.  No Maasi!!!

Hajira...u're so rite...he gives me migraine (the whole of the 1st week of Eid when I was on leave, I was popping in Panadol & Panadol Extras every evening to sleep!).  But he's not acting as my Panadol Extra as yet.  Maybe when he can massage my head for me...he'll start to be my Panadol Extra...

Ok that's all abt Amsyar...I'm looking forward for Tehzeeb to finish her last paper on Thurs as she has so much to tell me...hee...