Cheat Work Thursday

If you are looking for two movies to watch this weekend, watch Savages and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy . I like Savages a lot. I didn't expect part of the movie would be about three individuals in a polyamorous relationship. Yes, never heard about it either. Apparently it exists and can work. The movie's kind of dark too. Probably one of my favourites this year. Although I probably should stop watching too much TV already, I love stories — from TV, movies, books, blogs and pictures, to maybe the ones behind a cultural tradition or a building. (I cannot stress enough how much I hate people minding other people's business when they shouldn't, though.) Stories are sources of entertainment, inspiration, surprise and escape. I found this comment on a HuffPost article "Why I've Struggled To Reconcile The Fate Of Jesse Pinkman On 'Breaking Bad''' , responding to another comment that says something like Jesse Pinkman is just a TV character and a...

I'd like to believe that I can still run a blog and post regularly. Someday. Since the last time I posted, I've been thinking about this a lot more: What if I could be calmer, more focused and happier by being healthier? So I'm a little bit more careful with what I eat today. (The number of times I've written this may or may not mean I'm just trying to convince myself.) Ok, it's ongoing, I'm on and off the wagon constantly, but I'd like to believe that it gets better over time. I even started yoga stretching yoga recently when I was back doing Tracy Anderson mat workout, which I now miraculously take only two or three days break between sessions (as opposed to eight months in the past). I needed a simple stretching exercise to warm up before the workout, so I tried some very basic yoga. Turns out, it didn't make me cry it's fine. I'll probably still stare at you blankly if you start to explain to me all the philosophy behind yoga, ...

Finally, I found the answer to the mystery that is hairdressers' minds. I used to think it was (half) my fault when a haircut didn't turn out the way I wanted it in my head requested, that it was me who didn't communicate it clearly. No, my communication was fine. Now that my hair is short, I need a cut every month. I'd bring the same picture, ask for the same thing, go to the same salon, but use several hairdressers' services. The result: even with the same hairdresser on two different visits, I'll get a different cut e-ve-ry time! They'd even use different tools. So it's not me. It depends on their skills and style* really. I can still bring a picture. After that, all I can do is pray. *mood.

Life is short can be long and happy, eat dessert first (thing in the morning) anyway.

Shoes kicked off, comfy dress on, coffee made. The day started pretty blurry. I opened my eyes, continued to lie in bed longer than I should, eventually forced myself to get up, got ready in a rush, left home but found myself no one to meet. After feeling a tad useless for a few hours, I found breakfast and teh tarik, made two unanswered phone calls and was lucky -- one person generously called me back and granted me a meeting, and it ended pretty well. Here's to many more well days. I'm counting my blessings.

Are you a mother? Yes? Good. If you are not, also good, but pretend that you are a mother for a second. How would you react if one day your grown son came home after being away for a long time, beaming with news: "Mom, I found them. I found my parents. I found my people ." I would send him straight to the doctor. OMG I know I shouldn't be let to watch superhero movies. I don't understand what's going on in Man of Steel. I watched it because of Henry Cavill the reviews. One review says something like 'Man of Steel is the future of superhero movies'. I don't get it. It blows something up every other minute, and it ne-ver ends! And because I'm a grown woman and still love perfect hearing, I close my ears half of the movie. I was hoping this new Superman movie got revamped just like how the new Bond movies did. To be fair, there was one thing that got revamped -- Superman is no longer wearing his underwear outside. And Amy Adams, lo...

Yesterday was a challenge. It couldn't be any more obvious, I went to the supermarket twice in one weekend night *shudders* to get my mind off something. The result: I still forgot the detergent, and I craved for and bought that rip off sandwich that rhymes with Tubway. On the plus side, I like all the other things I bought and feel a lil' bit ok by the time I'm writing this. I hope the week is going to be a lot better. I asked my mother to teach me making doughnuts last Friday (I was at hometown Thursday to Saturday). I probably fried some of them 10 seconds too long, but here are two pictures: Thank you if you are going to be kind this week. Never underestimate the difference your act of kindness can make to others. It can save souls, and lives :).

News: I just came back from my first trip in years to... Pasar Tani. (Yes, not some beautiful green and blue water beaches. Not even a pond. It's a weekly wet market.) My last one was with my grandmother when I was a kid, which they called Pasar Minggu, I think, and I don't remember those trips much except after I helped her lug the stuff she bought, she would treat me with mee sup or/and satay. I should be at the Pasar Tani when they open early in the morning, because when I shop, I have to be at the store the minute it opens, when the store is still clean and fresh and in order. There would be less people in the morning, and everyone would still be smiling and civil and saying good morning to each other. So since we know where this is going ie there's no way I'd wake up at 6 to buy fish, I wore my sunscreen and went there at 10+. As expected, I wasn't really sure what to do. I don't think I have the 'pasar tani swag' yet. I'm not sure if it...

@ MalcolmWHW I voted for the first time this year. So did four of my siblings. While the whole country was getting more excited than ever leading up to the election day, I was easily entertained by the White House Correspondents' Dinner speeches, delivered thousands of miles away from here and have absolutely nothing to do with me as usual. Here's Obama's and here's Conan's . Well, drone strikes aside , all politicians should be at least this funny. Are you gasping right now, ready to correct me that elected officials should be working in the best interests of their fellow citizens, and should be people with forward vision or something? Well, agree to disagree. Ok, change of topic (and no one is allowed to puke reading this): So, this feels new to me: I bought a number of things these past couple of weeks — phone, bag, tops, work blazer, belt, perfume, things I use but not necessarily need because I still have the old ones, which may be not as shiny but en...

Did you hear about Tumblr being sold to Yahoo for $1.1b? How come someone sits in front of a PC for hours and days (I assume that's what the founder David Karp does) and comes out with a product worth a billion dollars, while all I come out with after sitting in front of my PC is just a mixture of self-loathing and instant gratification? Gross. On another news, I finally registered for online banking. I figure it's 2013, it's time that I lead the crowd and stop paying bills at the post office... The backstory is, there was this service that I had to pay online and it doesn't accept credit cards. I did register for internet banking years ago for both my P*blic Bank and M*ybank accounts, but there was one point where I had to complete a step at the ATM or something, got distracted or confused, and never did it. So this month, I'm going to pay my bills online for the first time! (Provided that I still have the password...) This week, I played personal shopper to my...

Honey Stars always remind me of my nieces and nephews. Did you know the cereal comes in the shape of rocket and moon too? I have the best mornings spotting them in the bowl. I had a good week, last week. I hope it gets better this week. Hope it is for you too.

Photo by Myke Simon on Unsplash I've been slightly disappointed with the movies on my to-see list lately. Argo My expectation was especially high for Argo and Zero Dark Thirty. Then there are only two scenes from Argo that I like: 1) the opening scene when the US Embassy was stormed by the activists / students 2) the scene when the seven Americans fled Iran (minus the CGI) How do you survive being held hostage in a country that is not known for being friendly to yours? Then I read how it wasn't really the US which led the escape, that the movie was not historically accurate. Sigh, it's like the time when I found out that this moisturizer I bought can't really do magic to my skin, that advertising is merely 'an invitation to treat' . Zero Dark Thirty The movie is slightly better than Argo at maintaining tension throughout. The first 40 minutes is especially disturbing. I only heard about waterb*arding just recently from the movie Safe House...

Thursday morning is my favourite time of the week. It's half a day that I cheat work. Not that I've never cheated work on other days. But I can't wait to cheat work on Thursday morning since the previous Thursday afternoon. I do feel guilty admitting that I enjoy cheating work, though. How dare you skip work when you work on your own, when your net worth is not even in [...]. So yes, Thursday morning is breakfast in bed, I mean, bedroom (because this is not a movie), long shower, clipping my nails and obsessing about the quality of my internet connection more than usual. A few years ago, I used to take a lot of pictures -- during travels, trips to my hometown or whenever anyone visited etc. Then the interest slowly faded. Or rather the interest was there, the action was not. I've been wanting to take pictures again for the past two years and this time to post them on the blog. Still not able to start. There were a number of pictures that I took, but those felt too per...

Sometimes when I see kids, teenagers or anyone younger than me do dumb things, I pause for two seconds and try to be more understanding. "They only do this because they are young, right? They'll get better with age and stuff , you know, when their brains are fully developed or something? And they will no longer scream in the middle of the supermarket aisle once they turn four next month?" Then I think about the young me, "Was I this dumb? OMG have I ever done anything this dumb?" NO. PLEASE. NEVER. You don't do dumb things because of your age. Ok, if we were to nitpick, I admit there was one time when I was 10 when I thought of running away from home (just for a bit!). I was doing good at school, I love my family, I looovve going to school, probably only had RM2 in my money jar, and there I was, about to make one of the biggest decisions in my life. What an adventure, I could be Tom Sawyer or make it on my own or something! I managed to get two hands ou...

Photo by Mario Calvo on Unsplash The news channel. I was home early this afternoon, sat on my towel and carpet to exercise, switched the TV on, and since then have been spending probably about 12 hours now tuning in to the news. You know what's on it in the past 20 hours. And, sigh, CNN news channel -- need them, hate them. You know basically how they report: put on a serious, concerned face as if they are about to relay something really mind-blowing and exclusive, frown or scream for effect... only to ask questions almost as good as the rhetorical ones, repeat what they have been saying for the past three hours (that they can still see a helicopter hovering in the air and hear the sound of dogs barking) and offer about 739 assumptions. "Things are dramatically unfolding here. We don't know yet if the dogs are hungry or just bored, but sources are telling us -- and we're using the term 'sources' quite loosely here -- that they are bored. Stay tune...

Poor The Host. (Although, 'poor' might not really be an accurate word to describe a movie that has collected $30m in a week. It was made on a $40m budget, according to Wikipedia.) But poor the movie, it felt rushed. While I was still trying to grasp the emotion in one scene, the next scene was already up. Since it's only appropriate to compare it with another Stephenie-Meyer's-book-to-movie and because it's the easiest thing to do -- I really like the book, more than I like Twilight. So I had a high expectation for the movie. I followed Twilight for the fun and the broody vampires with unwashed hair. With The Host, despite still taking a lot of notes from the Twilight playbook, I really wanted it to be good. I don't think the 800-page-book-cannot-be-squeezed-into-a-two-hour-movie excuse is enough for me. So it was a bit confusing when the three guys behind me commented that the movie was slow. One guy next to me got into the hall just to finish his popc...

Sitting in my room, sometimes my mind is transported back to that room. I don't even have to close my eyes. It was 6 in the morning, but I could see from the glass window that it was already bright outside. I loved the view, even if it was only the roofs of other buildings. Under my warm blanket and because I knew how high I set the heater the night before, I could almost feel how cold it was outside. I waited 10 minutes before getting up, not willing to let go of my blanket and sweater and socks just yet. My feet touched the soft, wall-to-wall carpet eventually. I got into the squeaky clean bathroom. The floor was dry and cold. The shower was hot. Then I walked into the tiny closet and picked out my clothes for the day: grey skirt, black top, black stockings, gold-coloured stud earrings, and nude-coloured handbag with metal and PVC handle. I only had two handbags. The other one was black. I had bread, scrambled egg and iced chocolate for breakfast, and packed my bihun goreng...

@ TheNardvak Etiquette -- spelling the word is already tough. About 2% of the time, I think about the effect of one action in two different situations. Why does a 40-year-old Lady A look good in a knee-length pencil dress, while another 40-year-old Lady B looks like she's wearing her daughter's clothes? (If you haven't heard about this already: my never ending clothes-age research.) Why could Country C invade Country D in the name of looking for WMDs, couldn't find any (unless WMD means oil) but still managed to get away with it? Can Country D get away with it if it's the other way around? Why do some food pictures posted on the internet inspire us (really, elevate our mood and make our hearts beat faster!), while some make us chuckle? I read about this a lot. Apparently, it's eye-rolling to post food photos on Instagram and Facebook. Honestly, sometimes I get that. And if you cross to taking pictures of other people's food... *gulps, cringes*...

On some days -- ok, many days -- all I want to have in one sitting is a quarter kilo of cheesecake, a quarter kilo of red velvet cake, a plate of spicy fried chicken drumettes, one packet of Oreos, a bowl of milk and a cup of McDonald's Chocolate Cornetto McFlurry (alright, some water too). But I'd take a deep breath, cut a piece of mango, drink some green tea, stretch and do Tracy Anderson's workout instead. *Wipe tears*.

I finally checked H&M out. Now I know why I was not that eager and took six months to do that. (Don't throw things at me please, but) the shop is overrated. After four episodes of season 4, Glee started to annoy me (again!). The Rachel / Kurt / NY parts are not so bad (now I so want to be a dancer and go to dance classes in Rachel's and Cassandra July's outfits, and have those legs and abs too), but the McKinley parts feel sooo old. Who still hangs out at their school after graduation? Ugh. Survivor, on the other hand, is still one of my favourites. It still makes me nervous and giddy. I could talk about it every day and have a blog entirely for it (because my opinion is so important). Because most movies don't reach me at normal speed, I finally saw Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and accidentally saw The Iron Lady, and I love them both. The Iron Lady was not what I expected. I thought I wouldn't like it. I thought it was going to be long and slow and ol...

For the purpose of this post, let's pretend that I'm a stylist/personal shopper. (I've pretended to be a personal shopper , a doctor and a web designer before.) So let's say I'm a stylist/personal shopper, can I still justify my work if I recently decided to shop less for myself? Why can't I, right? Just like a doctor who smokes and does not exercise, a healthy living advocate who owns a bakery or a bar, a businessperson or an actor who prefers a secluded life, or a teacher who doesn't like kids? It's nice to have an aligned interest at work and outside work -- but should that not be the case, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy both worlds, does it? While we are at it, how about a corrupt politician who's also a parent? Do they get to teach their children to "get in line at the canteen, queue up getting on the bus, do your homework..."? LOL. (Yes, not exercising is enjoyable. And please don't provide me with studies saying...

It was more painful than two bus and two train rides. It was dark yet so vivid. It was a huge car but such a tiny space. They were nice words but severed the tie. It was at night and has been waking me up sometimes. It was a merry occasion but felt like a blurry series of events played in slow motion.

When I said I'm gradually building my wardrobe with pants , I didn't mean I'm getting tons of those either. For the past one or two years, I've come to love the idea of a simpler life. And mine includes having a smaller wardrobe. Smaller, not uglier . So if printed on a placard, it would read, "Look my best and have a smaller wardrobe." See, a perfect balance of vanity and seemingly noble philosophy. There was a short period before that when I was more about "not wasting any more money on things that don't add value." But soon after, I felt that I could  do this for more than just money. I was not convinced I'd go with it for long, though. Yes, I feel lighter. I got rid and gave away a lot of my stuff and clothes and started to only buy things that I need / will use / make me happy, but I thought this must be a phase. I must be just temporarily bored. Because do I really want a smaller wardrobe? (Please also note that the needs of a l...

The Litigators is lighter than most of Grisham's books. This is not his usual, suspense thriller. It starts when David Zinc, a young but already burned-out lawyer, leaves his fast-track career at a huge fancy firm on a whim one morning. He spends the day getting drunk and finds himself landed at the doorstep of a tiny firm, Finley & Figg, his next employer. It gets funny after the first half of the book, when his new team's plan to win a huge settlement from a pharmaceutical giant falls apart. This is a story about the unglamorous life and work at small law firms. Unfortunate events make good stories. I've also just finished reading mrmrsglobetrot.blogspot.com this week. If you were only to read one travel blog this year, you've got to read this one. This couple started the blog to document their six-month travel after they got married a couple of years ago. The blog is packed with beautiful photos and details of the places they visited -- from fashion to h...

When I blogged that I was going to have a bit of free time , I was actually waiting for a result, which I expected to come out next week. It will officially come out next week, but I already knew the outcome yesterday, and it didn't turn out in my favour. So unless a miracle happens, I'll be dealing with this in the next five weeks: life's little imperfection. Miracle and luck sound nice, but I'm practical enough not to depend my life on them. I'll make myself obsessed with routine to get through this. I'll get up early and say my thanks for all the good things that I have. Take my time and enjoy my food. Look my best. Do meaningful work. Breathe and exercise. Clean my mind and concentrate on all things positive. Have a good rest and sleep. Only watch and read pleasant movies and books. Laugh out loud. I'm going to get through this sane or and happy. - Haven't been watching Glee for ages. Saw the first episode of season 4 last week. ...

It was a good weekend at home (parents' place). It was December last year. My mother cooked delicious food after delicious food the entire weekend, and I volunteered and helped her in the kitchen a lot, which is a very rare event except in recent one / two years. Yes, I spent the first many years of my adult life NOT helping my mother in the kitchen unless I've already been summoned three times with some threatening words involved. One morning after I finished preparing the ingredients, I sat in the kitchen with my book, coffee and a tiny bowl of cekodok pisang while my mother was making soto. (I made the cekodok, a limited edition just for the cooks.) It was a nice, quiet morning. I drove her to the grocery shop after that. It was cold and drizzling outside, and everyone was still sleeping. We went to the town for more grocery shopping and coffee in the afternoon with my sisters, stopped by for durians and had easy conversations the entire weekend. Had a really nice (and ...

Besides my love for procrastination, I also watch SAG for the dresses. Between Globes, SAG and Oscars, I usually love Globes the most; the scripts are funnier, the dresses are more adventurous, and I usually love the results more. Dresses at the Oscars are more elaborate but often safer. And by the time it's the Oscars, the results have turned pretty predictable. One of my favourite SAG dresses was Kate Winslet's blue Narciso Rodriguez in 2009, and this year it's Anne Hathaway's black Giambattista Valli, which is one of E!'s Fashion Police's picks for the worst dress nominees 🥳. (I realize somewhere in the world people are discussing things like literacy rate and global warming. And Steven Spielberg does not know me.) For a reason, I'm going to have a bit of free time in the next one week. The plan is I'm going to use it to do useful things and take my time with it. (I also have two resumes to make for two sisters. And probably work e-mails to d...

Probably you don't have to wail or be forced out of your favourite clothes. Or you don't have to wait for a certain age either. There's a 10% chance that this is just a phase rather than permanent, but the number of knee-length work skirts that I have now is only three, and casual dresses two. Maybe not my last, but I'm gradually having my wardrobe made around pants, and not because I'm forced to. Just like when I stopped going out in shorts or sleeveless tops several years ago. When you want to, change is easy. (I'm not sure yet if the last sentence is a general statement or an affirmation that I'll profusely chant, because from the website, I think MANGO is currently having a sale. And to be honest, my lungs expand at the sight of Giuliana Rancic's E! and Rachel Zane's Suits wardrobe.)

Yes, I'll do more, after all these shows and movies. (Photo by Olena Sergienko on Unsplash , altered) I haven't seen any of the movies from this year's award season yet, though I knew I wanted Argo to win for Drama. This was before I heard about Zero Dark Thirty. Now I want both of them to win. According to the internet, and the world apparently, Best Actor will go to Daniel Day-Lewis. But it will be nice* if Joaquin Phoenix wins instead (*miracle). Come on Golden Globes, surprise us. Sigh. I wish I got to see these movies before the Monday's show so I can vote (in my head) for my favourites. (Seriously, how do I get my opinion counted, HFPA? Text voting?) The Musical and Comedy category has the best titles, by the way: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel , Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Silver Linings Playbook. I probably want to see them all, but from the trailer alone, I want to see that Marigold Hotel first, please. I think Homeland is going to win again for TV. But ...

Jeremy Renner picked up the phone in the last scene of Ghost Protocol. Does this mean he'll be back for the next Mission: Impossible? I'm 12 months late, but please tell me he will. Ghost Protocol is only the second MI movie that I've seen. Just saw it this week. Fast paced, hilarious, brilliant cast, and directed by Brad Bird*, who's not really an action movie director, I read. (*His previous works include Ratatouille and The Incredibles.) - Currently listening to Locked Out of Heaven and Young Girls . Almost texted Haidan to listen to Locked Out of Heaven, stopped myself and checked the lyrics... mmmIDon'tThinkSo. - And missing my mother's chicken curry. Add some potatoes in the curry, and eat it with warm rice and some ulam. OMG. Image: a screen grab from one of my favourite scenes in the movie, Paramount Pictures

Once, the beauty therapist at LD suggested I try a hot mask. I almost squealed in delight because it was apparently made from oats! Oh, the heat and texture! I can't eat oats. I've tried and kept buying a bag. I'd make a bowl, pick up a spoon, sit at the table and be proud of my optimism. Yeap, maybe next time. I'd look at the huge oat bag and be glad that I can still make facial mask from it, but that never happened either. Also, lately, I found a huge satisfaction from sewing the simple things that I didn't know I could: the hem of my pajama pants, a one-inch tear on my shirt, too much arm(pit) showing or back opening on a new blouse. I look at the stitches results with the same admiration I'd give to a self-assembled boat. This year, one of the maaany things I want to do is to make things with my hands (sort of). This week, I made a rice + turmeric face mask. Things you do when you have too much time... You soak and grind the rice with lesung batu...