Cheat Work Thursday

I hate guns and cigarettes. And I'm annoyed with Betty Draper most of the time. But this is one of my favourite Mad Men scenes. I watched Mad Men some time ago. What an excruciating several episodes, a lineup of work DBs that I don't get why haven't been charged with sexual harassment already, cheaters and annoying housewives. There's not even a single character to root for. Watching them just makes me mad, not entertained. Fine, if they succeed in making viewers like me annoyed with the characters, they are probably doing a good job with the show. Still, I want to slap the characters in their sleep. An example of the obnoxiousness of Pete (17 minutes into episode 1, speaking to the new hire Peggy): "Who's your little friend here? ... Where you from, honey? Are you Amish or something? Well, you are in the city now. Wouldn't be a sin for us to see your legs. And if you pull your waist in a little bit, you might look like a woman." What an a**hole...

I promise you I still have a full time job (and probably a few friends), but I have so much free time after work these days, and what is more fun and better at conserving calories than being glued to the screen. I also prefer to call it as doing research. One drawback of staying at home a lot, however, it alters your brain reception. I got emotional watching below: - The Help - The Vow - The Client List, the movie - and reading a blog post of this young lady who just had a baby, describing the day her husband was sworn in and left to join the Air Force. Man, their stories are all moving and sad! I might or might not have teared up a bit. Oh, the emotional whirlwind... The Help is not even supposed to be sad. It's a movie about triumph and inspiration. The Vow is, wow, sooo satisfyingly cheesy, at times I had to pause because I was giggling. But it still has the sad parts too. The saddest one probably is the fact that this lady has to mull over staying with Channing Tatum ...

I was at a bookstore the other day, saw the book and flipped through the pages. Ok, pop culture, let's find out once and for all if I like it. Something must be right with the book if it has been staying at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list for months now... And OMG. Is this really the book that's sold by the millions now? This is weird, but I'm not a fan of the book. And this is me, I get hooked to all sorts of useless things on regular basis. It's not difficult to catch up with the book. A few flips are all you need before you feel like something is killing your sanity bit by bit. Good news is, I'm relieved now. Sometimes my reading or movie list gets made fun of, so it's payback time! (Even if you are not the same person.) So, fans of F*fty Sh*des of Gr*y, line up. I want to torture your soul. You too, fans of Star Wars.

If you haven't seen these two, go find them. One to make you laugh, and the other to make you freeze under the blanket in your seat, or in my case watch it alone with tremendous bravery and sound muted. Veep (HBO) OMG Veep is too funny, and you know you should believe me because I raaarely say 'OMG' unless it's really important. The show centres on Selina Meyer, the VPOTUS, and her equally dysfunctional team who keep shooting themselves in the foot. VPs have fake power, we've heard that, and this particular team spends 40% of their time finding a cause to pass the time with, 10% fighting for what they believe in and 50% doing damage control. You have to watch this. Their luck and the show's writing will make you rotfl. I always imagine Joe Biden having the same office. The River (FOX) The River is a horror/action series that follows a search team to find Emmet Cole, an adventure show host who went missing in the Amazon. The expedition is led by his wife...

I went to The Bench the other day. Sat on my usual spot and looked around. It was not much different from my last visit, a room full of crowd, also the loneliest. That is if you compare the two visits within the past month. If you compare it to my visit five years ago, this place has definitely changed. The crowd and the benches are pretty much the same, but the setting is prettier and the meals are more delicious today. My bench is now moved a bit further off the stage. The plus side is, it takes a lot of pressure off as well. While a new one begins, it's the end of an era.

Baju kurung -- moden, pesak or kebaya -- is an expensive social responsibility: paid at a ridiculous amount, worn once, then would be practically useless for the rest of the year. Nice tops, on the other hand, can be bought for just RM50 and worn tens of times. So this came to me recently. From now on, I'm going to make (and find fabric for) baju kurung moden that can be turned into a dress or top after I wear them to whatever event. Most of mine are in dark colours or plain or stripes anyway. Why didn't I think of this earlier? I wouldn't be whining so much about baju kurung prices then.

What is it about red carpet dresses that we love so much? It's an illogical interest. A small* part of my brain questions my reason every time I watch these parades, wide-eyed waiting for the dresses and the whole look to pop up on my TV and giving opinions in my head about them. (*The rest reminds me to watch the next ones, or at least scan the pictures on the internet, and repeat the whole process.) Red carpet events are advertisements, and thinking about it, who doesn't want to watch a two-hour-long commercial? Dresses that I like this year: - January Jones', black, Zac Posen, Emmys. - Michelle Williams', orange, Louis Vuitton, Oscars. I just wish the top back of the dress was not made of a different material, though. - Sofia Vergara's, blue, Vera Wang, Golden Globes. This is a bit toned-down compared to her usual red carpet look. How to walk in it, I'll never know. - Victoria Beckham's, from her own line, Oscar after parties (plus the one tha...

Man, did I sound like I was an abuse victim in below post, with my insomnia and all? I promise you I come from a happy home. I've never been abused by anyone except by my bank and PE teacher. My parents went out almost all day Monday, came home at 3, and the first question they asked with worried faces was, "Dah makan?" They were so worried their fully grown child didn't know how to open the fridge. Fine, I've been known to opt for biscuit crumbs and a lot of praying so the hunger would go away in the past if my parents were out the whole day. But that was last year, I was younger and defenseless last year. This year, last month to be exact, I know what daun kunyit is. For the record, I cooked vegetables and telur dadar that day. By choice. I could have made kari daging if I wanted to... Also, felt like I'd found a chest of gold when I saw the leftover sambal tumis ikan bilis under the tudung saji. (Breakfast was mango and tea and a piece of almos...

I miss my parents all the time. Sometimes I miss them so much I can't bring myself to call them because I'm afraid I might choke or cry or something, and that would worry them. What I've never really told anyone, however, I can't stay at their place for long. I have trouble sleeping when I'm there. The room and bed are ok. Omg they are more than ok ! I don't deserve them. I just don't feel... like I'm home (please don't throw things at me). Secretly, the visits feel like going through the motions, a checkbox in my calendar, something that I do on autopilot. This makes me feel guilty. Aren't you supposed to love your parents' place, you don't want to leave? A two-night stay drains my energy, a longer break like raya is torturous, and I'd be counting days and hours in silence. I do try below to help: 1) bring my own pillow, sheet and blanket. 2) tire myself out during the day. 3) and if there are not many people around, sl...

I am a dresses girl. (Or woman? Lady? At what age again should we stop referring ourselves as a 'girl'?) My favourites are usually the short/cap sleeves, knee-length, pencil-cut, with pretty and minimal details, and definition at the waist. From time to time, I'd think about dressing years in advance. Living in Malaysia, as a Malay, I realize it probably means I'll have to let go of my dresses eventually. I used to think, haha, this should be interesting. I'm mostly not used to conforming to other people's expectations. How am I going to handle that when the time comes? Will I wail? OMG I have to move out of the country! I started to look around and study why some 30 or 40-year-olds can still carry a certain style off, and some cannot. Is it because of their background? Their body shape? The way they carry themselves? This is still an ongoing discussion. Kate Middleton is in Asia this week. I love her Singapore Raoul dress. The fashion world says people...