Geneve Classics 2009 @ Palexpo

Gestures like these will never get old... thank u :-)

I hope this one will live longer than the other flowers hehe

Raya Open House @ Mali's residence

Special thanks to Mali and her wonderful parents for hosting the great raya feast... it made me feel a little bit less home sick... :-)

I didn't know how important the middle finger is..

...until i sliced it with a knife i just sharpened. This is what happens when i'm too enthusiastic about cooking. LOL. Ok, ok, I didn't slice my finger off (Thank God), but something bad always happen to me when i try to cook. hehe.

But.. this will NOT put me off that's for sure! I have a lot more to learn. For now... the left middle finger is out of commission.. not that i use it often anyway, but hey it feels good to have the option of using it, rightttt. Oh well... there's always the right middle finger. LOL.

To all chefs, i salute you for your bravery.

It's a warzone out there.

You know you're bruneian if:

1) you hate to tan.
the fairer our skin the better we feel. so companies that sell tanning products will not make any money from us.

2) you travel overseas to shop.
shopping comes first. sightseeing... later. if there's extra time. and that's only... if we feel like it.

3) you go around in circles around the carpark, until you get a spot right infront of the shop entrance.
the closer the better, cos we bruneians hate to walk. why? cos then we'll be sweating. and sweating makes us look bad - unless we're wearing cool nike/adidas/branded sports gear. LOL.

4) most, if not all, your cars have the same number plate.
the only difference is the letters infront of these numbers. why? cos it's cool. if you're bruneian, you know exactly what i'm talking about. :p

5) you spend a fortune to look good.
from cars to clothes to handbags to watches. they all gotta be of a brand we all know. if we haven't heard about it in our part of the world, we won't buy it. cos then we can't show off. we get insulted when ppl ask 'huh? what brand is that?' followed by... 'oh, never heard of it'. 9 out of 10 bruneians will either kick your ass for saying that, or mumble under their breaths plotting your demise. :-)

And if you're not a Bruneian... but have one or more of the characteristics above, you are a bruneian citizen in my book. :-)

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar, Allahuakbar... Ucapan selamat hari raya ini ditujukan kepada semua ahli keluarga dan rakan-rakan di mana saja berada... sama ada di tanah air, ataupun di tanah lumpur, atau apa jua yang sewaktu dengannya. Dengan ini juga saya ingin memohon ampun maaf zahir dan batin. And... uhhh... this is probably one post in a year where it's written in Malay... cos i guess it makes me feel like i'm at home. But in the end, i always revert back to english cos it sounds so weird blogging in Malay. Biasalah, wannabe org swiss kan...tapi jubuuu itamm. apakan.

Anyway, the best of luck to all the shoppers out there in Brunei. I'm sure this week will be a hectic time at the shops. Bad news for those who like to buy stuff on the last minute (like me) but good news to all the shop owners - you make the most money at this time of year i'm sure.

Sigh...What i would give right now to jarah (kiss) the hands of my mum and dad... and to spend time with the whole family during Hari Raya... :-( To all of you out there who are also away from home and family... i feel your pain guys.. but take comfort in knowing, that you are not alone! let's all suffer in lonely, painful silence together.. :-) or better yet, we can suffer together with some cheesy raya songs in the background.

To all my readers out there, i will take this opportunity to ask for forgiveness from all of you. Especially to my mum and my dad... Uh, my brothers can ask for my forgiveness later (i'm waiiiittttttttinnnng here guys LOL). Just kidding. Sorry to all my brothers too. I know i've been a rebellious daughter over the years, a bitchy sister and i'm sure also a nasty gf/ex-gf/cousin/niece/friend/colleague at times. So for all my mood swings, catty comments, bitchiness and whatever hell i let loose over the years, i'm truly very sorry. I must admit, i've been immature and childish (not that i've improved much nowadays, but hey, i gotta start somewhere riggghhhhtttt).. but i promise things will change for the better. :-)

With this, i wish you all a memorable raya with your loved ones, be safe on the roads and try NOT TO VOMIT all the food that you ate from the open houses... chehhh... you lucky buggers! :p (ok ok sorry, that will be the LAST insult for all of you. for now..heeee). Don't forget to give alms to those who need it, especially the orphans and the poor... not everyone is blessed to get new raya clothes every year or have parents to celebrate with. And last but not least, be grateful to Allah for your life and send a prayer to those who have left this earth...

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI!!

Cooking attempt #68 took 5 hours and 15 mins.

I try to avoid cooking, like the plague. You guys who know me very well know how cooking makes me feel. But! I know this is something i cannot avoid forever. There is no way i can buy take away everyday and have two-min noodles in between. :-) I knew moving to Geneva would be my 'calling', as i like to put it - for learning to cook.

Thank God for the co-chef that helped me host the sungkai over the weekend @ the Collex residence. :-) Cheers.

fat kurmas to break the fast

Chicken rolls (compliments of the co-chef)

Sweet and sour chicken

Crispy beef

Steamed broccoli, beans and carrots

Love doesn't make the world go round; love is what makes the ride worthwhile.

p.s. Thank u for the sweet flowers :-)

Cooking attempt #64 took 2 hours, 35 mins.

Success! Ok, almost. I kinda burnt the lamb chops (I know, you can't even tell they're lamb chops). I forgot to mix some garlic, onions, chilli and pepper. hahaha. oh well, that would be a tip for my next cooking attempt #65. I hate eating by myself, but fasting kinda gave me some motivation to cook. It's the kill-switch to my boredom, and slaving over the kitchen will keep me from looking at the watch all the time. :-) At one point, i was thinking, who needs to exercise when all you need to do is to cook! It's a lot of work. The cleaning up after is already an 'amazing' experience on its own. So now, i have a new found appreciation for all the chefs out there who cook for a starving army on a regular basis. :-) I'm beginning to like cooking, i see it as a challenge i must learn to face.. :-)

Work it, girl.

Oh yeah!

God chose to be anonymous in this one. :-)

i just went through my older posts in this blog. i was astounded as how diary-like this blog is. of course, only i know what i was feeling at the time of writing... and i realise that i'm slowly, but surely, maturing gracefully. :-) the amount of time i complain and bitch is less compared to the amount of time i'm smiling and happy. that is good news for those who have riled my anger before. (i think). :p

i have also decided to change the title of my blog. from 'white as snow. black, like my heart' to the one you see above. my heart, as you can see, is no longer black, LOL. Thank you, God, for everything.

let the good times roll...

The curse is broken.

awaken from my deep slumber

the world in suspended animation

i find my saviour, my salvation

waiting by my side

a knight in shining armour
my soul's desire
a man, unlike any other
hotter than fire, in your eyes
i can now finally rest in peace

because

i found... the One.

Book of Dreams.

I've been having strange dreams lately. But who doesn't? :-) So! I've started to keep a notebook and place it right next to my bed. then i can write my dreams down as soon as i wake up. just last week, i dreamt of a set of numbers, apparently said to be super lucky for me. i remembered these numbers when i woke up but forgot all about them a few hours later. now i can't recall what the numbers were. dang! i could have been a lotto millionaire by now. LOL! anyway, i thought it would be interesting to write it down since i like writing anyway, and it would be fun to read it a few years later. An idea for you too.. :-)

who knows...

it may be the key to unlock the secrets of your subconscious mind...

Love actually.

A few of my colleagues that are over 30 are going through a rough patch right now. Not that it's important to you, but they were telling me that when you're younger, you have options. So you take things for granted. Once you get a little bit older, the pool of available potentials become smaller, and you end up having a friend called... TROUBLE. It's an eye-opener for myself, because all these friends are not only attractive and intelligent but funny as well. You can cut humour into two and still, enjoy their company. Huh.

Good luck to all of you out there, those who are already in love or still searching...