Futurama.

Depressing entry. You have been reminded.

I wish I have a remote control for 'my life'. At this exact moment, I really want to hit that 'Fast Forward' button and go to 'my life' five years from now. I feel like 'my life' has been moving super slow these days, with so many uncertainties. I HATE uncertainties. Being a control freak that I am, I always want everything to be in order. Tetapi, kita hanya boleh merancang, Allah yang akan menentukan.

How do you see yourself in 5 years? (Soalan standard job interview)

Paragraph seterusnya bakal menunjukkan betapa kuat berangannya si penulis.

In five years, I wish to have completed my PhD, have permanent income, and have settled down someplace I can call home. Hopefully, also, I would have been married to my soulmate. Aiceh. I'd be 28 years old in 5 years, if I'm not married by then, I would freak out. Mama apetah lagi, risau anak tak laku. Huhu. Maybe a child would be the cherry on top :))) *tamat paragraph berangan*

Why am I rambling here? Because I feel like there's nothing certain about my life right now. I'm really worried if I'm ever gonna get a real job, and when I'd ever move to the next level in my career ladder. I'm in the process of applying to further my studies, but some people have not been cooperative. I'm quite frustrated with how people run things in this country. I know you might have something important on your plate right now, but please bear in mind, this is also part of your job, and other people's future depend on you. 

To you decision-makers out there, do you really need 3 freaking months to get things moving? Can't you have your meetings every month, instead of once in 3 months? What's up with the system here? First, you don't reply our e-mails, then when you finally reply, you say you are sorry because the meeting is postponed, and you have to wait for another 3 months for the next meeting. At the end of the meeting, you reply and say sorry again, you don't have any more funds because they have been fully utilized. Seriously people, if this is how you do things, sampai kiamat Malaysia tak maju. (Sorry, tetibe jadi emo gila)

Patience is definitely not my virtue.

Sorry for the emo-ish entry. Every time I hang out with my RIT buddies, we'll definitely talk about our future. So yeah, you get the drill. 

Enough ramble for the night. Toodles!

Me being a noob - Episode 2

I am not normally a quitter. (Note: This is not cubaan untuk memuji diri sendiri ye)

When I do things, I finish them. 

But if there is anything in this world that makes me give up almost instantaneously, guess what would that be?

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SIDE PARKING!

Muahahaha! I know what you are going to say. I don't blame you though.

I just can't get it right man. Not that I never tried. I just don't understand the physics behind it (At least I think it involves SOME physics. Tetibe rasa macam bimbo gila) In my whole parking experience, I think I have only succeeded once or twice, out of maybe five trials. I avoid side parking as much as I can. There was one time, when I first drove to the office, I had to side-park on the hill. Sumpah nak nanges. I even tried to ask some random guy to help me park, but he ignored me. I was late, clock was ticking as I had a early morning meeting that day. I spent a good 15 minutes to perfectly parked my car. Same thing happened yesterday. It was the only parking space available so I just had to try my luck. People said practice makes perfect. Since I never bother to practice, so my side parking is never perfect. Macam-macam jenis pusingan I dah try, tak masuk kotak jugak. Again, I was looking for someone to help me. Tired of the whole thing, I gave up, double-parked somewhere and put my telephone number on the dashboard in case the car next to me want to chow. The whole time I was nervous in case the guy/lady didn't see my number and marah gila, he/she decided to just bang my car. None of that happened by the way.

Ladies and gentlemen, never try this at home! No, I don't mean side parking (though I secretly wish side parking space is abolished di seantero dunia supaya menyenangkan hidup aku), I mean asking other people to help you to park. It was stupid, and I really had to do it out of desperation. The naive me thought that everyone is nice and sweet, and we shouldn't doubt anyone. Truth is, there are bad people out there, and they might run away with your car if you are unlucky and bad at judging at the first sight.

Let me share with you some other road survival tips. Well coming from the most inexperienced driver you know might not be so helpful, right? But hey everyone has got to start somewhere. Nanti lama-lama I jadi la experienced driver :p

1. Make sure your fuel tank is always full, or berada di tahap selamat. Don't be a cheapies, isi minyak RM10 je. Eventhough you use the same route everyday and know how long RM10 tank would last, but you have to foresee the unforeseen. Who knows tetibe ada accident, jalan jam gila, tup tup you tak cukup minyak. Tak pasal-pasal you jadi penyebab jam sebab kereta mati tengah jalan. Most importantly, you never know if you are gonna be lost (contoh terdekat ada di sini). Buatnya sesat larat pastu takde gas station, ha! Moral of the story, jangan kedekut! Sekali isi, isi terus penuh.

Points 2, 3 and 4 are related.

2. Make sure handphone ade credit if you are a prepaid user, and sila bayar bil so your line won't get barred if you are a postpaid user. 

3. If you cannot afford a GPS, like me, make sure you have friends who can act as a GPS for you. Preferably, friends for all over the places - Shah Alam, Damansara, Kajang, Ampang, Putrajaya, KL city etc so that all areas are covered. Bila you taktahu jalan, your GPS is just a phone call away. That is why you need to have number 2. Takyah spend 400 over ringgit to get the real GPS. Also, kalau tayar you pancit around those areas, you already know who to call for help :P

4. If you are expressways user, it is important to have the expressways helpline number. Like myself, I take MEX to the office. And lately I have seen a lot of cars at the side of the road sebab accident lah, kereta rosak lah, tayar pancit lah. And siapa yang tolong mereka? Mestilah bukan I because I know nuts about cars. It's those HELPLINE guys. Dari hari ke sehari (skema nye oh my) nak save number MEX Helpline tu dalam handphone, tapi tak buat-buat. OK I'm gonna save it now *Google-ing MEX*. OK dah save. Again, this is why you need number 2. Takde credit, lambai-lambai je la tepi jalan tu dik non, dengan harapan ade yang sudi membantu. Takpe, InsyaALLAH rakyat Malaysia semua baik hati, kan?

For now, I can only think of four tips. Actually banyak je lagi tapi dah malas. Haha

All in all, we are all undergoing some sort of learning process, so bear with me when I ramble about my driving and whatnot. Nanti bila I dah pandai and berani, sure I tak heran nak post pasal driving lagi :)

Till then, pandu dengan cermat! Kasihanilah noob drivers seperti saya :P

Things you would do for a friend/friends

So my Aussie friends are returning to school this week. They are organizing our last gathering tomorrow night - last visit to PPR, then bowling at Midvalley, then steamboat dinner somewhere in Setapak.

I wanna join so badly, at least the dinner part of the whole gathering, because I will only see them again next year, if they decided to come back during summer lah. Thing is, me being a noob driver, I have been contemplating this whole day to on whether I should drive there, or take a train or what. I will probably take the whole morning tomorrow also to decide whether I am going or not. Sigh. I really wish I'm a pro.

Excuse me for thinking out loud. 

If I were to drive, it's a whole new route for me, which means, I am bound to be sesat somewhere. Setiap kali try jalan baru, confirm sesat, confirm akan berhenti at least once asking for direction. Also, I have to beat the jam.

If I were to take the train, which I think what I would probably do tomorrow, I need someone to pick me up and bring me to the makan place, and send me back afterwards. Thing is, taknak susahkan orang, plus, I am sure eating steamboat will take more than 2 hours, which means I have to rush to catch the last train. Sigh. Perkataan malam ini ialah "which".

But whatever it is, I have to make do on whatever means I have to get there, because there are things you would do for a friend/friends. I know my other friends have sacrificed a lot for me e.g Nany and Wana selalu kena take bus from Kuantan to KL just to join my weekend plan. They could have stayed in Kuantan, do their assignments and whatnot, but they come down anyway, for friends. Get what I mean?

If I were to drive tomorrow, I will be impressed with myself. Memang habis berani lah tu. Bilalah nak berani drive area KL ni???? Sigh.

So, what were the things you have done/sacrificed for your friends? 

Drove all the way from Johor to Penang to visit him/her at the hospital?

Belanja your friends at a super fancy restaurant just because your friends want to bully you

on your first salary?

Forked out your own money to save them from ah long?

Tu sume memang kawan sejati la kan. I ni stakat nak drive g KL dah kecoh kat sini :P 

Maafkan daku kerana begitu pengecut rakan-rakan. Slowly k. Nanti I pandai lah drive :)

We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Who next? Your mother.

It was an emotional evening.

Mama is leaving again, tomorrow. Sadly, none of us could send us to the airport except Ayah. I spent the weekend in Seremban, bermanja-manjaan with my mom. It always hard to see her go, even though we have been through it countless of time already. Mama left for Saudi Arabia when I was 14. It has been 9 years now. At one point, we even declared KLIA as our second home. My sister went to UPM Bintulu, Sarawak, and I went to the US. Dah hafal sangat jalan pegi KLIA tu.

On a bright side, this would be the last time we'll be sending Mama off. InsyALLAH in July, she will be back for good. And if God's willing, Mama will embark in her new journey, to achieve her lifetime dream. We are all working towards that now. More updates to come :)

Teringat lagi those early days when Mama first got there. People talked bad about us, about her leaving the family. The most popular question was, 'Takpe ke tinggal suami tu?' 'Tak takut suami kawin lain ke?' Soalan macam taik. Tak fikir ke it'd hurt my mom? Jawapan sarcastic Mama, 'Kalau duk sebumbung pun suami boleh kawin lain' Amik kau! *sorry tetibe emo* Biasalah kan jiran-jiran, memang takde kerja lain, selain dari jaga tepi kain orang. One thing I salute about my mom, she never bothered to bergossip gossip dengan jiran-jiran. Orang nak cakap apa pasal dia pun dia tak kesah. Dia pun takde masa nak cakap pasal orang. 

I still remember one senior asked me about my family when I first got to RIT. She was shocked to learn that all five of us, have not been under one roof for quite sometime. We lived in different places, even different continents. At that time, my father worked in Penang, sister in Putrajaya, brother in Ipoh. Lagi terkejut bila tahu my mom works in Saudi and leaves my dad alone here. She said something like, 'Tak baik tau tinggal suami sorang-sorang'. I couldn't care less. Dah immune. To my surprise, after so many years, she still remembers what I told her about my family. When I saw her sometime last year, she asked  me, 'Mak still dekat Arab ke?' And I simply said yes. I don't blame them people, they don't understand the circumstance that we were going through. I pun judgemental jugak kadang-kadang. :P

Those negativities aside, Mama is blessed with caring and understanding friends in Saudi. They always praise her for her awe*cough*some children. 'Wah untungnya you, you takde kat rumah pun anak-anak semua berhasil' That is one of the many good things that people say to my mom. We are always showered with gifts from Mama's friends for our achievement at school and college. Her juniors even call her 'Mama'. Most of the time, I am happy that I am able to share my mom with others. Tapi kadang-kadang jealous la jugak, like when Mama dapat hadiah birthday dari 'anak-anak' dia, and tak guna hadiah yang kitaorang kasi. Huhu. 

Walaupun Mama jauh beribu batu, we always feel like she's just an inch away. She calls and skype/ym us every single day. Sedangkan keluarga yang duduk sebumbung pun, anak dia boleh jadi pencuri- that's what always said. It comes down to good parenting. Tak kisah lah duduk jauh-jauh pun, tapi if you have good parenting skills, insyALLAH eloklah anak-anak tu.

OK dah panjang lebar dah ni. Thanks for reading. I'm a little emotional tonight. 

Oh enjoy the song :) Sayangilah ibu bapa anda sementara mereka masih ada. Jangan nak malu-malu cakap 'I love you Ma, I love you Ayah'. Cakap kat girlfriend/boyfriend tak segan plak kan. Sekeh satgi. Mari kita tukar habit itu okayh?

Inilah dia Mama saya yang comel :)

Updates.

The last entry in my deceased blog was on January 11. So what have I been up to from January 11 till today?

Let me check my calendar...Yes I keep a calendar. What? You don't? Uuu that's not good. Girls especially, you HAVE to keep a calendar because of you-know-what. Make sure to mark it every month. You know the doctors favorite question to the ladies, don't ya? OK kalau stakat selsema takkan doctor nak tanya 'Bile last period awak?' What if it's more than a selsema, but less than a pregnancy? Something in between those. MUST.KEEP.A.CALENDAR.

OK I'm digressing. Snap!

I had awesome weeks, when my blog decided to kill itself. Wait, no, I killed it. Too bad, I could have updated my awesome weeks in the blog. Now it's too late, cerita dah basi nyah. But just to name a few:

Gotong royong @ Pondok Penyayang Raudhah, Batu 11 Gombak

Actually I could open up a new entry just for this, tapi takpelah, kasi sneak peek dulu. Tengoklah kalau rajin nanti. So, one fine day, I got a Facebook invitation from Sekreteriat KULN to join this event, organized by Kelab UMNO New South Wales. Masa tu memang sangap gila nak buat community service, sekali peluang datang bergolek depan mata, join je lah even though tak kenal sesape pun. Langsung. Gamble je pegi. Turned out they are a cool bunch of dudes and dudettes, we clicked in an instance. Went there second time the following week untuk pasang tikar getah dan interrogated the penghuni. Nak cerita lebih-lebih pasal PPR, nanti-nantilah ek. Panjang ceritanya.

Hiking @ Broga Hills

More to climbing actually. Come to think of it, what is the difference between hiking and climbing? Malas nak Google. Any help here? Anyways, went climbing the Aussie kids + Bulan and the family(Alina's ex-schoolmate whom I met at Midwest last year).  Semput nyah, tapi best! Great first experience. Kinabalu next? Sile gelak. Memang nak berlawak di situ. Nak tengok sunrise, tapi matahari malu, menyorok belakang awan. Took few pictures of the sun and the cloud and everything in between. Obviously. What else would Nur Adilah be doing?

Subhanallah.
All 3 photos tak pro snapped by me, edited by AzrilAzizi

Aizat Live in Damansara @ Wisma Bentley

Great first experience! Outstanding performance by Aizat. Great company. Great food. Awesome night! 

Tak pasal-pasal jadi Aizoner :D

Mama's home!
But leaving in two days. Sob3. She'll be back for good in July, InsyaALLAH. Kalau nak cerita all the hardships and gossips we as family went through while Mama was there, boleh bukak satu entry baru. I'm gonna spare you guys the drama. Save it for later.

Sons' of Adam Family Day @ Pulai Springs Resort, JB

It's an annual event for family on Ayah's side. I am not sure how long has it been but we have it every year, without fail. We just had one last June. We went to Port Dickson just after I touched down at KLIA. Sungguh semangat. All in all, I had a great time with the big family. Ate like there's no tomorrow, balik-balik family day demam batuk selsema seminggu. Amik kau.

Family trip back to Ipoh kesayangan

See, since I got back last June, I went back to Ipoh maybe two times, sekali bulan puasa and sekali time raya. Sebak doh bila you go back to where you grew up, memang dramatic habis. Walaupun bukan rumah kampung yang ada ayam itik sawah padi ladang getah, but it's still the place I have lived for 23 minus some years. It was a plus, because all five of us went back together. Susah nak dapat tu. Went shopping as family, and later had dinner. Memang dah lama gila tak shopping lima orang complete. Last time maybe time ermm entah lama sangat. 

That's pretty much a whole month worth of update. I am blessed with loving and caring family and friends. Thank you Allah for such beautiful people in my life. I am forever grateful.

p/s: Looking forward to meeting Athirah and Pao in the near future. Miss you girls :(

I AM BACK!

Salam,

For those who are wondering where I have been these past few weeks, well, it's a long story. To make it short, out of stupidity, I deleted my Google account that is used to sign in to Blogger. And the rest is history.

I tried to ask Blogger to restore the blog, waited a month, got a few positive responses. But I just couldn't wait anymore. After all, if the blog is restored, all pictures in the entries are gone anyways, so tak cantik dah the blog. Might as well start a new one, right?

Don't ask me how I felt about deleting the almost five years old blog. You don't want to know the dramatic side of me. Sedih woh hilang memories of four years. Macam kena amnesia. OK itu over. Astaghfirullahalazim. Blog je kot Dila, bukan hilang otak.

If Blogger finally restore the blog, I'll keep it for memories sake. But from now on, I'll be posting here.

Thanks for waiting. Thanks for reading. *Konon famous sangat la tu blog kau!* :D

See ya!